I didn’t want to talk about this anymore so I changed the subject.

“I’m sorry I believed Nick,” I said softly.

“You believin’ him didn’t say shit about me. It said shit about how you feel about you. We’ll work on that.”

God, he was scary, scary sweet and I was thinking scary smart too.

“Bet I bought myself a bad girl,” he muttered and I blinked.

“Pardon?”

“Baby, how many times did you come on my face?”

I bit my lip.

Then I shared quietly, “I lost track.”

Knight burst out laughing, both is arms closing tight around me as he shifted us down in bed and rolled me to my back, him at my side.

When he stopped laughing, his hand slid up to curl around my neck, palm at my throat.

“You gonna be a bad girl?” he whispered.

“I haven’t decided,” I whispered back and his hand spasmed.

Then he asked, sounding appalled, “I hurt you?”

“Uh… yeah, Knight. You spanked me.”

“Too hard?”

“Um…”

“That you couldn’t stand the pain, Anya, that it didn’t feel good even as it felt bad. That kinda too hard, babe. I didn’t get that from you, not even close. When I was done, you were soaked.”

“Well that’s because, um… the answer’s no. If that’s too hard then it wasn’t. Not even close.”

His hand relaxed as did his body.

God, how could this guy have just spanked me, my bottom still felt warm and tender and yet at the same time he was unbelievably sweet?

“We need a safe word,” he muttered.

“Probably,” I muttered back.

“No, babe, we do. We should have worked that out before but I’ve been goin’ easy on you, payin’ attention, not pushin’ too hard. Didn’t think we’d be here this quick. I’ll think about it, give it to you before I take you again.”

Easy on me.

Something, maybe, to look forward to.

“Okay,” I said softly.

At my word, he gave me a squeeze before he shifted, yanking the covers out from under us, flicking them over us then settling onto his back. He rolled me and tucked me into his side.

Then he ordered, “Sleep, baby.”

“Okay, Knight.”

I settled in. Knight’s arm around me drew me closer then relaxed. My arm snaked across his flat belly, curled around and I held on.

Then I called, “Knight?”

“Yeah, babe.”

I bit my lip.

“Babe?”

I stopped biting my lip.

Then I whispered, “Uh… you should probably prepare for me being bad, um… occasionally.”

Knight went still for a moment before both his arms locked around me tight and he burst out laughing.

* * * * *

I turned the corner to Knight’s study.

Nick was crouched at the safe. It was open. He was rifling through it.

I opened my mouth to say something when his head turned to me.

Then he surged out of his crouch, flying through the air toward me, his entire head had changed from Nick to a wide, gaping mouth filled with rows and rows of sharp, lethal teeth.

* * * * *

I jerked awake and, still held close to Knight’s side but still half asleep and feeling his arm around me as a prison, I yanked away from it on a roll.

“What the f**k, babe?” His drowsy, deep, rough voice came at me and I froze.

Torso up and on my ass in the bed, I lifted my knees, soles of my feet to the bed and put my elbows to them, head to my hands and took in a deep breath.

Knight’s hand curled around my wrist.

“Anya?” he said softly.

“Bad dream,” I whispered.

“Jesus, it’d have to be,” he muttered, pulling gently at my wrist but my head came up. My hand dropped to the bed taking his with it and I looked to his shadowy head.

“Nick was trying to get in your safe,” I announced and I felt as well as saw his body go rock-solid.

“What?” he whispered, that vibrating, angry heat starting to emanate.

“He didn’t open it or not that I know of. I heard him come in and got to him pretty quickly because I thought he was you. I turned the corner to your study and he was crouched at your safe. It wasn’t opened. He moved away from it, shared his tale of treachery, I got his keys then he took off. With, um… everything that happened when you got here, I forgot to tell you.” I twisted my wrist dislodging his hand but finding it and curling mine around. “I’m sorry, honey. I totally forgot.”

His hand squeezed mine and tugged as he said, “Don’t worry about it, baby. I’ll deal with Nick.”

I nodded, felt the vibrations had stopped, the blaze retreating. I let him pull me down to him and arrange me pressed to his side again, held close.

I pulled in a deep breath then snaked my arm around his gut. Then I pulled in another one and forced my body to relax against his.

His hand at my hip gave me a gentle squeeze and he murmured, “That dream, was it about Nick?”

“He was crouched by your safe,” I whispered. “Then he came at me, flying through the air and his entire head had become a mouth full of teeth.”

“Fuckin’ hell,” I muttered.

“Yeah,” I agreed quietly, pressed deeper into his side and his arm got tight around me.

“When was he there?”

“Around ten fifteen.”

“Doorman gets off at ten. Fuckin’ motherfucker, Nick,” he muttered. Then, “I’ll change the locks. He came when no doorman was on. They haven’t changed the door code since he left. I’ll tell Spin. He’ll deal with the code change. Nick won’t be able to get into my place starting tomorrow. He won’t be able to access the building in a few days. Yeah?”

“Yeah, honey.”

“Shits me he got to you at all much less when I wasn’t there.”

“He didn’t expect to see me.”

“I’ll bet he didn’t, f**kin’ motherfucker.” Knight was muttering again.

“I dream a lot, Knight. They’re not all good. I’m used to it. It’s okay. Nick’s not a fun guy to be around but, really, I’m okay.”

“Shits me he got to you at all much less when I wasn’t there, Anya, no matter if you’re okay or not. It’s f**kin’ five thirty in the morning. You had a crazy-ass dream. You’re freaked. He filled your head with garbage. And you’re not with me to have any of that shit happen to you.”