“Even if she doesn’t find a mate within Fyeir, she is more than welcome to stay,” he offered, knowing that’s what Lucy would want. “There will always be a place for your friend.”
“Really?” she asked, the smile he was hoping to bring to her face blooming to life. She blinked a few times, gratefulness shining up at him before giving way to a teasing sparkle. “That’s a relief because I’m pretty sure she was planning on staying whether or not you gave the go ahead.”
Lucy snorted before letting out a giggle. “I’m still trying to figure out what she was planning to do with the karate hands. She doesn’t even know karate. Our self-defense courses were more along the lines of ‘that’s my purse, I don’t know you.’” Lucy’s voice seemed to feign distress at those last words followed by a silly laugh.
“I don’t understand what that means,” he said, unable to stop smiling, even though the humor was lost on him.
“Never mind,” she said with a wave before looking around the room. “I know this is super off-topic, but do you know if my suitcase ever showed up?”
Sparx heard the words yet took a minute to process it. He tried to steal a moment to memorize the beauty of her laugh from moments before.
“Oh.” Jumping up from the chair he’d sunk into, he walked to the cabinet on the wall. “When I first arrived, I moved it out of the way to avoid tripping. I figured you wouldn’t need any of the clothes immediately—” At Lucy’s uncomfortable cough he continued. “Because of how hot you felt.”
“Why did that happen again?” she asked with a frown, her gaze searching his for answers he wasn’t sure he had.
“Because we were apart,” he answered, leaving the luggage where it was and moving back to the bed.
“I didn’t like it when you left me earlier,” she told him. Her voice sounded so small, it made his heart ache in his chest.
“I know,” he acknowledged, his face full of apology for the action, which he’d known had hurt her as he’d done it. “I am sorry for that, Lucy. I knew that it upset you, yet I thought it was the best course of action at the time.”
“Why did you leave?” she asked, scooting over on the bed so he could sit—or even lay—next to her.
Sparx sat down on the edge of the mattress, toeing off his boots so he could join her without bringing dirt into the bed. Unlike before when he’d stayed on top of the covers, this time he wanted to feel her skin against his own.
“Do you mind if I..?” he asked, leaving the full question unspoken as he reached for the tunic he was wearing.
When he received a nod from Lucy, he pulled it over his head. Wearing only his leather breaches—for the sake of keeping himself under control—Sparx slipped into bed. Keeping her completely covered, he slid underneath the cover until he could feel the heat of her body directly against his length. Since she was so much smaller than he was, her cold toes ended above his shins. The chill he could feel from the digits through his leathers prompted him to scoot closer to supply the warmth she obviously needed.
“That good?” he asked huskily, his body already hardening with the desire he was unable to keep muted.
“Yes,” she whispered back just as huskily, her eyes deepening. “You’re warm.”
“And, for once, you are not.” Scooting closer still, he brushed a kiss over her forehead.
“Think you can help me warm up really quick?” she asked, lifting her face until she was able to reach his lips. She dropped a kiss at the corner, teasing him. “Just a little?”
“I doubt any warming I do will be little, or quick, for that matter,” he teased, ending on a groan at the feel of her hand skimming over his bare abs.
“Sorry,” she asked, pulling it away. “Is my hand too cold?”
“No,” he denied, reaching for her hand under the cover to put it back. “And even if it were, I wouldn’t care. Touch me.”
“Where?” she asked, her voice breathless as she licked her lips.
“Anywhere you want, however you want,” he urged, rolling his hips into the leg closest to him. “I just need your touch.”
Lucy turned to face him, keeping her breasts covered with her arm before hiding them against his body. “You smell so good.” Burying her nose in the skin between his pecs, Lucy rubbed against him seductively.
Sparx sucked in a breath at the feel of her tongue taking a test swipe against his skin. Rolling onto his back, he lay prone for her administrations as she shimmied against him.
“Do you realize I had plans to stay across the room and not touch you until everything was explained?” The question was pulled from him on a groan when he glanced down to see a set of gorgeous breasts pillowed against his bare chest.
His mate was going to kill him.
Lucy lifted her head from where she’d been dropping kisses around his neck and shoulders to give him a wide-eyed look. “Why would you do a fool thing like that?”
Sparx’s mouth fell open before a loud laugh erupted from his chest, jiggling Lucy where she was on top of him. Sprawled out as if she owned him.
Which she did.
Patting her ass, he let his hand linger and give the round cheek an appreciative squeeze. Groaning at the sensation of his fingers sinking into the softness, he used his grip to pull her tight to him.
“You are so fucking luscious.” Moving his other hand to her ass as well, he growled, “So. Fucking. Luscious.”
“Luscious, huh?” Lucy asked, tipping her head back just enough to give him one of the sexiest little smiles he’d ever seen. “I guess I can handle that.”
“No, darling. I’ll handle it.” Tracing the seam
