I tipped my head to the side, staring at it and then heard the key in the lock again.

Uh-oh. Tor’s new lock wasn’t working.

Then I jumped when I heard a banging at the door.

“Cory, babe, open the door!”

Oh crap. It wasn’t Tor. It was Noc.

I froze.

There was more banging and then, “Cora! I see the light coming through the bottom of the door. I know you’re awake. Open up!”

My eyes flew to my DVD player and I saw it was nearly two in the morning. What was he doing there at two in the morning?

“Cora! Fuck me, babe, open the f**kin’ door!” he shouted then more banging.

I stared at the door, my body unmoving.

He was a big guy, just as powerfully built as Tor. My door was crap because my landlord was crap. He could bust down my door, easy.

Shit!

There was silence then he called through the door, “Right, locks changed. I get it. Ice cold.”

Oh shit.

“Do me a favor,” he went on. “Pack my shit in a suitcase and put it in the hall. I’ll be back tomorrow to get it.”

Then there was one, loud thump on the door and then nothing.

I held my breath. When I was about to pass out, I sucked in a deep breath and held that. When I heard nothing, I threw off the blanket, tiptoed (focused on the tasks at hand, I still hadn’t taken off my sandals) to my purse and pulled out my cell.

Tomorrow, should Tor come back (and, God, I hoped he came back), we were going straight back to the mall and getting him a blasted cell phone.

I looked at my phone and saw I had five missed calls while my phone was in my purse at my parents’ house, no voicemails. Checking the history, I saw that four were from Noc, one was from my friend Phoebe.

Phoebe. Holy crap!

It was too late to return Phoebe’s call so I flipped the phone shut, dropped it back in my purse, tiptoed to the kitchen, grabbed the biggest, sharpest knife I could find and I tiptoed back to my living room. I turned off the lamps then settled back in the chair, tossing my throw over me.

I stared at the door, my fingers curled around the handle of the knife and I waited for Noc to come back.

About a half an hour later, I fell asleep.

Chapter Twenty-Three

We’ll Have It for Breakfast

My eyes opened when Tor lifted me to cradle me in his arms.

“Tor?” I asked sleepily.

“Just so you know, love, a true warrior princess would not allow a man to approach and disarm her while she carried on sleeping.”

Hmm.

I didn’t know what to make of that except for the fact that it was true.

He walked us to my room and as he did last night, set me on my feet by the bed. Then he made as if to move away but I shook off the residual sleep claiming me and stopped him by lifting both hands and wrapping them around his neck.

“Honey?” I whispered and his hands came to my hips, fingers digging in.

Then I felt his forehead drop to mine.

I sucked in breath.

“I missed you calling me that,” he murmured.

My heart leaped.

“You’re not angry with me anymore?” I asked, my voice tinged with hope.

His forehead left mine.

Uh-oh.

“What you said was cruel,” he informed me and I couldn’t read his tone.

My fingers at his neck gave him a squeeze and I whispered, “I know.”

“And untrue,” he went on.

I took a risk and moved slightly closer to him. “I know,” I repeated not because I knew then, just because I knew now.

“I want an heir because it’s my responsibility to provide one. But mostly I want an heir because I want children,” he told me.

“Okay,” I said softly.

“But more than that, I want you,” he finished, his fingers digging deeper into my flesh and I pressed my lips together as my heart didn’t leap… it flew.

“Really?” I breathed.

“Cora, my love,” he started then I saw his shadowed face get close, “I know your life is in turmoil, but you really must start paying attention.”

As much as it pained me to admit it, he wasn’t wrong about that.

I swallowed then quietly I agreed, “Okay.”

His fingers squeezed again and then started to release so my fingers pressed in and I got on tiptoe so our faces were even closer. “Please, don’t be angry with me anymore,” I whispered. “I shouldn’t have said what I said. Not at all but especially with what happened to your Mom and your stepmoms. I’m really so, so sorry.”

He nodded. “All right, Cora.” And again he started to move away.

I held tight and got higher on my toes so my lips were a breath away from his.

“Don’t be angry with me anymore,” I repeated and he stilled.

“I’m not angry, sweets,” he whispered.

I touched my mouth to his and said yet again, “Don’t be angry with me anymore.”

His fingers flexed into my skin again and he replied softly, “Cora.”

I touched my mouth to his again, my fingers sliding from his neck up into his hair, my body moving in two inches so it was against his.

Tor got the message. I knew this when he groaned against my lips, his head slanted, his mouth opened over mine and his tongue slid in.

Yes.

I moaned into his mouth and the kiss went instantly wild. His arms closed around me and crushed me to him then I burrowed closer, pressing my fingers into his hair to hold his mouth to me as he drank from me and I gave to him… everything I had.

Then, suddenly, he broke his mouth from mine, turned me so my back was to him and with a hand between my shoulder blades, he shoved me forward. My arms went out to break my fall, my hands hit the bed at the same time he tossed the skirt of my dress up.

Oh God.

My knees trembled and I felt wetness saturate between my legs.

He yanked my panties over my ass.

My knees nearly buckled.

“Tor,” I breathed.

He jerked my panties down my legs. “Step out of them,” he commanded, his voice thick.

I stepped out of my panties then he pushed against me with his h*ps and I mounted the bed on my knees. I felt his hand working at my behind then he mounted me, filling me full.

My head jerked back at the feel of him.

“Yes,” I whispered.

He shoved in with his body and got on the bed on his knees then leaned forward, wrapping an arm around my chest, the other around my ribs, he hauled me up, still impaled on his cock.

“Mouth,” he growled, I twisted my head and the instant I did, his mouth found mine and he kissed me.