“How do you feel?”
Hot, shivery, turned on, weak. She felt so many things at once she couldn’t begin to describe them all, not when most of it made no sense to her. “I’m okay.”
“You ready to get out of here?”
“No.” Not yet, not while she still had a chance … “This hot water feels really good, Michael. I’m still a little shook up. Please stay in here with me.”
The way he looked at her-she wished she could ask him what he was thinking.
“Okay.”
She smoothed her hands over his shoulders, then down his arms. Soft skin over such incredible strength. His muscles flexed under her questing hands.
“What are you doing, Mandy?”
She didn’t-couldn’t-look at his eyes. “I’m touching you.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve never done this before.”
She felt that tension increase.
“What?”
She swept her gaze up to his face, figuring she owed him the truth. “I’ve never had an opportunity to touch a man before, Michael. Please don’t stop me.”
Michael held his breath, a thousand thoughts running through his head, most of them screaming at him to get out of the shower,
He’d done this to help Mandy, to clean her up, to try to get her warm. Her skin had been icy cold despite the sweltering heat outside. She’d been pale, obviously in shock, and God only knows what else had been going on in her head. Covered in blood, she’d sauntered in spouting off and so sure of herself, but the haunted look in her eyes told him she’d been teetering near the edge-and about to drop.
He’d been right.
But now? High color fused her cheeks a dark pink. Her hair streamed like raven rain down her back and over her shoulders, barely covering her full, upturned breasts. Her bra, soaked through, revealed everything, as did the tiny panties resting on her his. Dark brown nipples peaked and hardened against his chest.
His cock stood rigid betwen them, throbbing with a mind of its own. It was telling him to take her, to lift her leg over his hip, push her against the tile wall and slide inside her. She’d be hot, gripping, pulsing. She could ease both their aches.
He had no right thinking that.
And now, if what she was telling him was true …
“Mandy are you a virgin?”
She lifted her fingers to his lips, stroked his bottom lip in awe. “So soft. How can a man’s mouth be so soft?”
She looked at him with such wonder and curiosity, tearing his resolve into ragged pieces. He’d never had a woman look at him like that.
“Answer me, Mandy. Are you a virgin?”
She lifted her gaze to his. “I’ve lived with the Realm since I was a kid, since Lou rescued me. I’ve been sheltered by demon hunters. I never had a normal life. I never dated. I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve never even been kissed, Michael. I missed everything. I’m twenty-three years old and I’ve missed everything.”
Christ. So tough on the outside, such a warrior, and yet such unbelievable innocence. How had this happened? Mandy was on equal footing with the mightiest of the demon hunters. He hadn’t expected this. He wasn’t prepared for this, not this incredibly beautiful, vulnerable woman standing naked in his arms.
“I want a kiss, Michael.” Tears filled her eyes. “Would you at least kiss me?”
The mutinous, buck-the-rules Mandy the one he fought with daily-he could handle her. This one? Soft, vulnerable, desirable-he had no idea what to do with her.
He was a Keeper, her Keeper. Her superior. He had no business touching her, being with her like this. This was a line he shouldn’t cross.
He’d already crossed it in spades.
And he wanted more.
He cupped the back of her neck and drew her mouth to his, pressed his lips against hers in a kiss so featherlight it made him ache inside.
She let out a little sigh against his mouth, then leaned forward, her breasts pillowed against his chest. Oh, man, he liked the way she felt against him. He deepened the kiss, sliding his lips along the seam of hers. Her bottom lip trembled. He was going to have to take this slow. She was weak, sick, and he felt like an asshole for doing this when she was in this condition, but God, how could she have never been kissed? That wasn’t right.
Yeah, he was. He didn’t care. Mandy whimpered against his mouth and his balls tightened in response. He let his hands roam along her back, traveled down to the dip where her lower back ended and her phenomenally great ass began. He cupped the globes, drawing her forward against his cock, rubbing her slick heat against the rock-hard part of him that ached to show her what it could be like between a man and a woman.
He separated her lips with his tongue and she parted for him, letting him slide inside to taste her. Hot, soft, he wrapped his tongue around hers, showed her what it was like to play, to lick, to enjoy the touch and taste of another.
She inhaled deeply, her fingers digging into his arms. He knew this was sensory overload for someone so inexperienced, was awed that he could give this to her, and knew he should slow things down. She might not be a young teenager in the throes of her first journey into passion, but Mandy was still new at all of this. And she had other things going on in her head, things she was no doubt trying to push away. What a great way to forget.
Sex was always a great way to forget. He knew that better than anyone.
Was he helping her by doing this, or hurting her?
As her Keeper, he should force her to face reality. As a man, he couldn’t care less what her motivations were. He wanted to make love to her.
Talk about conflicted.
He pulled his mouth away from hers, leaned around her, and turned the shower off.
“Water’s getting cool,” he said.
“But-”
“Wait,” he said. He pulled open the door and stepped out, leading Mandy. He grabbed the big towel and threw it around her so she wouldn’t get chilled.
“I’m not cold.”
He dried her body, her hair, then took another towel to dry himself.
“Michael.”
He cupped his palms around her face. Damn she was beautiful. Innocent and sultry, provocative and naive.
He wanted her. The hell with protocol and doing what was right. He was going to have her. But not in the shower.
“Michael, please.”
“Shut up, Mandy.” He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bedroom, deposited her next to the bed, holding tight to the towel around her. “How do you feel?”
“I feel fine.”
“Good.” He let her towel drop, then swept her damp hair away from her neck so he could press his lips there. Her pulse beat fast, her skin was hot, but she was standing on her own now, so at least he didn’t have to worry about her collapsing on him.
He threaded his arms around her, needing to touch her. Her wet bra pressed against his chest and he lifted to look at her. “Let’s take this off.”
She nodded, no hesitation on her face. He released the clasp and pulled the straps down her arms, then drew the bra away from her breasts, revealing dark nipples that puckered to hard peaks under his gaze. His cock lurched
