“You’d better come in and wash up.”

His pale eyes narrowed as he considered her offer. “If you’re sure you don’t mind. It would be better if I didn’t wander the streets with a blue face.” Then he smiled. “Who knows, someone might mistake me for an alien or something.”

She forced a laugh. “Yeah, can’t have that happening.”

Sasha pointed toward the bathroom. “There are clean towels and washcloths on the rack.”

Larem stood back. “Ladies first.”

Inside the bathroom, she studied her face in the mirror. Larem had shielded her from most of the paint, leaving only a few droplets clinging to her hair and sprinkled across her right cheek. She made quick work of washing the paint out of her hair in the sink and then scrubbed her face clean.

“Your turn,” she said as she walked back out into the suite, toweling her hair dry.

She had to admit that it felt strangely intimate to hear Larem moving around in her bathroom. As if his presence meant more than a friend stopping in for a visit. When the water shut off, she hurried across the room to look out the window rather than get caught staring at the bathroom door when he came out.

She felt Larem’s presence as if he caressed her with only the heat in his eyes. He stood outside the bathroom in that silent way of his. She turned to face him, tossing the damp towel aside.

“Is there something else you want?”

He took one step toward her before he stopped himself. “Don’t play games, Sasha. We’ve had this discussion. Yes, there is something else I want, but not at the price of living in secrecy. I’m only starting to build a life here, and I can’t risk the possible backlash. Besides, we both know you stand to lose everything you’ve been working for if you get involved openly with me.”

He knew he was right, and so did she. That didn’t make the ache any easier to bear. The Board would never appoint her Seattle’s permanent Regent if she took Larem as her lover. All her hard work would be for nothing. If Devlin was to be believed, another Regent appointee might not do a damn thing to fix what was wrong. Then there was the fact her father would be devastated by her decision.

Larem’s expression hardened. “Right, that’s what I thought. Good night.”

His words rang out like another gunshot, only this one struck her in the heart. He’d almost reached the door before she remembered how to move, how to run. She latched on to his arm to stop him. With his strength, Larem could’ve shaken off her hold with little effort. Instead, he froze, staring down at her in silence as they both waited to see what she was going to do.

Darned if she knew. While her mind listed all the reasons she should let him go, her heart kept screaming that she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

“Larem, please.”

“Please what?” he demanded when she didn’t go on.

Sasha drew a breath and rolled the dice. “Please me and let me please you.”

The atmosphere in the suite thickened, much the way the air did right before a storm broke with a crack of lightning and a rumble of thunder. Then the rain would come, washing the world clean and making it new again. That was exactly how it would be when the two of them came together—explosive and powerful. She just knew it.

Larem’s arm trembled under her touch, as if he were fighting some powerful battle within himself. “Tonight only, or tonight and beyond?”

Okay, she was a coward for wanting to hedge her bets. But how could she promise the future when right now she was blind to everything beyond this one moment? He deserved honesty from her at the very least.

“Tonight. I know it’s not much, but it’s all I can offer.”

He was tempted; she could see the hunger in his eyes. Then he was shaking his head and stepping away. The gap that opened up between them was far wider than the few inches he’d moved.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this, Sasha.”

When his hand reached out toward her, he stared at it as if it belonged to someone else. His touch was gentle but hurt her with the knowledge that it wouldn’t last more than a heartbeat. She was the one who broke it off.

“I’m sorry, too,” she whispered and backed away, her eyes filling with unwanted tears. “You said it yourself. I can’t jeopardize my mission here. The Paladins need what I can do for them.”

Larem jerked as if she’d slapped him, and maybe she had. He’d already lost so much since the day his life had become entangled with the Paladins. When he moved, she thought he was headed out the door, but instead he started right for her. She backpedaled only to find herself trapped between the wall and one extremely pissed-off Kalith warrior.

A wiser woman might have been frightened to have all that strength and temper focused solely on her, but she wasn’t. Thrilled was more like it. Hungry. Aching. Oh, yeah, she ached.

“Sasha Willis, for this one night you are mine. Before morning, I’ll walk out that door and not look back.” His voice was little more than a growl, his accent thick and rough. “But know this, if you let me go, you’ll regret it forever, because sometimes the gods run out of patience with fools and take back the gifts they’ve offered.”

She didn’t ask what gift the gods had stolen from Larem, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Right then it was all she could do to simply breathe as Larem began his seduction. The man’s hands were everywhere, showing her things about her body that she’d never known.

After peeling her shirt off over her head, he slowly slid down the zipper of her jeans as his mouth hovered over her lips. His hand flattened against the slight curve of her belly and then slowly, so very slowly, eased between the heavy denim of her jeans and the thin cotton of her panties. Finally, his lips brushed against hers in a smile as his wicked fingers slowly worked against her core. They’d gotten that far once before. This time, though, it was just the beginning.

His touch soothed and tormented at the same time. When she closed her eyes and moaned, his tongue plunged in and out of her mouth, a promise of what lay ahead when they made it to the bed. If they made it to the bed. She needed him to strip off all his clothes and let her at that warm skin and taut muscle.

“Are you ready for more?”

She pried her eyes open and smiled, trailing her fingers down his chest, down and down until they found and tested the promise lurking beneath his jeans. “Are you?”

He leaned his forehead against hers. “I have been ready since the first day when you swaggered into the meeting with Devlin Bane.”

“I didn’t swagger.” But she flushed with pleasure that he’d remembered the moment so clearly. She remembered it too. “You stood in the back row between Hunter and Lonzo.”

He nodded as he rocked against her hand. “We need to get rid of these clothes.”

Slowly, he slid her jeans down to her ankles, taking her panties with them. She braced her hands on his powerful shoulders as she stepped out of them. While he removed his shirt, she unhooked the front clasp of her bra, loving it when he froze midmotion as she let it fall to the floor.

Then he went into hyperdrive, his clothes scattering to the wind. She’d always felt petite around him, but clearly his clothes had somehow disguised how much of him there was. All over. Definitely impressive, even a bit intimidating. Before she could develop a full-blown case of nerves, Larem lifted her into his arms, pressing her against his chest with such care.

He settled her in the center of the bed and then backed away. “I’ll be right back . . . protection.”

He was gone and then he was back, his powerful frame stretched out beside her, his gaze lingering as if she were the dessert table at a buffet. When his mouth once again found hers, she gave up and gave in.

Gods, he loved the spicy flavor of Sasha’s mouth. He couldn’t wait to taste all of her. His anger and frustration had changed into something much more powerful. This might be his only night in her bed, but he was going to do his best to brand it in her memory. Maybe some other lucky bastard would eventually become her lover, but no way would he give her what Larem had. By morning, there wouldn’t be an inch of her body that wouldn’t burn with the knowledge of what they shared.

With that in mind, he turned his attention to her breasts. Their rosy beauty had struck him dumb at first glance. Would they taste as sweet as they looked? A flick of his tongue answered that question. Yes, they did. He feasted on one and then the other, loving the way they pebbled up against his tongue. Sasha loved it, too, judging from the way she thrust her fingers into his hair and held him close.

“Larem, that’s incredible.”

She rolled toward him, lifting her leg high over his hip, opening herself up to his touch. He was more than happy to give in to her demands, gently caressing her slick folds before testing her readiness for more as he suckled her breast with the same pulsing rhythm.

Sasha reciprocated by grasping his shaft with a sliding squeeze that had his eyes rolling back in his head. If he’d intended this to be a claiming, it was clear that road ran both ways. When she started to guide him right where he most wanted to be, he pulled back, even though the effort almost broke him.

“Give me a second.”

He sat up and reached for the packets he’d dropped on the bedside table and ripped one open. Clumsy with desperation, he took far too long to sheath himself, but the extra time gave him back some of the control he’d lost. Throughout the process, Sasha knelt behind him, pressing her body along the length of his back. Her hands stroked his chest as she nibbled and kissed her way along his shoulders and neck.

He captured one of her hands and placed a damp kiss on her palm. “Still want this?”

If she had hesitated at all, he would’ve walked away. Maybe. He’d like to think he could’ve found the strength somehow. Luckily he didn’t have to put it to the test.

“I want everything you have to give, Larem.”

She moved back and lay down, holding her arms out to him. He didn’t need to be asked twice. Not that he was going to rush things. These moments, above all else, were meant to be savored.

Sasha’s breath came in shallow pants as Larem insisted on taking his sweet time making love to her. Her skin flushed hot and cold as he turned his intense attention to this spot and that. Finally, when he had her whimpering with need, he made his move.

His long hair had come loose, flowing in a dark wave down past his shoulders. She loved the silky feel of it brushing against her skin. He positioned himself over her, spreading her legs wide as they prepared to join their bodies at long last. She smiled and reached between them to guide him home.

He pressed forward, slowly, his eyes staring into hers with burning desire. When his cock was seated deep within her body, they both let out the breath they’d been holding, startling a small laugh from Larem. That pleased her, sensing that he rarely found much to laugh about in his new life.