A thousand emotions battered through him. At the forefront? Arousal. They were bonded. Him and her. Connected in a way he’d never imagined possible—not for him.

Running a few steps behind the arousal were hope, fear, elation. Possessiveness—she’s truly mine. And dread. Then even more arousal.

So much arousal...

She was begging him for a chance to be together. Begging with the hooded, heavy look of her eyes. With the softness of her voice. With the tremors sweeping through her lovely little figure. His Sugar Plum Fairy shouldn’t have to beg for anything.

I’m undone.

And she...she was raw seduction, carnality made flesh. And what exquisite flesh it was, dusted with rose and so deliciously damp. He’d told himself he was strong, but he was actually weak. With her, he’d always been weak.

“What if—”

“What if we enjoy ourselves and nothing bad happens?” she finished for him.

Not what he’d planned to say, but the words were accompanied by a hope he’d never quite been able to vanquish. What if she was right?

“If we do this,” he said, “we do it without skin-to-skin contact. Agree.” Not a question, but a demand, and one he’d unintentionally uttered with all the ragged need locked inside him.

“No. If the only way to become fully immune to your demon is to endure each of his illnesses, then I have to—”

“No,” he interjected. “Not after everything you’ve been through. There will be no more illnesses for you. And, Keys? I wasn’t looking to have a conversation about this. Agree.”

She licked her lips. Waiting for her to nod, even reluctantly, proved to be one of the greatest tortures of his life.

But when she did it, he wasted no time. He picked her up, and settled her atop his lap. She gasped at the moment of contact. He hissed, electrified, and twisted to press her against the mattress. Her lush breasts swayed, and her nipples, as pink as raspberries, mesmerized him.

She rolled her hips upward, seeking him, as much of him as she could get. The sight of her...the smell of her...the best of summer—freshly bloomed flowers, cottonwood and the musk of arousal—mixed with the darker notes of his scent. The sounds she made...moans and groans and sweet little purrs.

He couldn’t get enough. Trapped in a desert most of my life, finally found an oasis. “The things I want to do to you...”

Her morning-sky gaze beseeched him. “Do them.” A demand as ragged as his own. “All of them.”

He curled his fingers under her knees, and she sucked in a breath. Like before, he could feel the heat of her skin through the fabric of the gloves as he placed her legs outside his hips, opening her up to his perusal. Pretty, pink and wet with a honey meant for him. Only for him. So badly he wanted to taste her, and cursed his demon.

Laughter sounded in the back of his mind.

Maybe there was a way. He just had to think. But his mind and body cared about only one thing: getting inside her.

He let his hands wander up...up, and brush her between her legs, stroking her, teasing her. Her gasp was a caress to his ears. He continued his upward slide...finally cupping her breasts, her nipples beading right before his eyes. Luscious.

The laughter stopped.

Or maybe as focused as he was on the woman spread out for his pleasure, he just couldn’t hear it anymore.

As he stroked the pad of his thumbs over each rosy crest, she arched up and down, chasing sensation, as if his teasing was already too much for her. Unwilling to relinquish his hold on her, he crawled all the way onto the bed and worked his thighs under her ass, drawing her closer, pressing her most intimate need against the fly of his pants, where his erection strained for freedom. Rotating his hips again and again allowed him to move against her, with her, tormenting them both.

“Torin,” she rasped. “I’m so close already.”

Want her closer. He lifted up, holding her legs against his sides so that only her head and shoulders remained on the mattress, he increased the intensity and speed of his circling thrusts. Pressure built at the base of his spine, such glorious pressure.

“Wish I was inside you,” he croaked. He’d never experienced a rush quite like this one, but knew instinctively the next step would far surpass it.

“Yes.” She gave a wild shiver. “Yes. Inside me. Please.”

It was the first time he’d heard the word please from her lips, not issued as a threat or a taunt, and oh, it affected him. His control bucked against the reins. Can’t. Won’t. But he thrust. And thrust. And thrust against her. Hard. Harder. So hard her head banged against the bed’s headboard.

She put her weight on her elbows and lifted her hips even higher. The friction...the bliss...

Somehow she managed to take over, riding him up and down. Even harder. Even faster. Control, nearly gone.

Lips pulled tight over his teeth, he released her legs and gripped her hips to help her more easily glide. Their gazes met. Did his eyes gleam as wildly as hers?

“Kiss,” she said.

Yes. Her mouth was lush and wet, imploring his own. “No.”

“Please,” she said again.

He knew she’d reached the point where nothing mattered but the next wave of pleasure. The future had ceased to exist for her.

“No,” he said again. He watched as she sucked in her bottom lip, ran her teeth over it, and he very nearly spilled. “Don’t... We can’t... We decided.” This would have to be enough.

“Can. Must. Forgive me,” she said, sitting up.