 
My Demon Lover

### Smashwords Edition

### Copyright 2012 Michelle Grotewohl

### Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

* * * * *

### For John

### My own, personal Thanatos

### Love you
Chapter One

**My** name is Kaylin Harper. I am five-foot-six, have long blonde hair, and blue eyes. I am on the slender side, though I don't work out much. I'm a writer, mostly of paranormal romance. I do this because I can't imagine doing anything else. Not writing, for me, is like smokers not having a cigarette. It is literally an addiction, and when I'm away from my laptop, I'm cranky. When I know I'm going back to it, like when I get up in the morning, I get this fluttery, excited feeling in my stomach. I was made for it.

But my other reason for writing, or rather, writing books like that: I've always had a thing for the bad guy.

Like, I was reading this book recently, with a demon, a devil, and an angel, all male, who were working around this female character who loved the demon, a good guy. The angel was neutral, but I kept holding out hope. The devil, however, was a bad guy. B-A-D. And through the whole thing, it was him I lusted after.

When watching movies, I find the bad guy hotter than the good guy, even if the good guy is Channing Tatum. Vampires are my favorite thing in the whole world. _The..._ _Whole..._ _World._ When I'm reading, I want the hero to be a demon, a devil, a vampire, a werewolf, or a pirate. I like dark hair, dark eyes, swarthy skin, facial hair, tattoos, piercings... The list goes on and on.

I even prefer dark chocolate.

All of this doesn't apply only to guys, either. This goes for women, too. If I were into women- and, admittedly, I am into chicks a little bit- I would want her to have long, dark hair, dark, sultry eyes, and a badass attitude. A woman who can handle herself in a fight, especially against a man, gives me chills.

And I don't mind a little forceful sex when the mood strikes, in a somewhat inappropriate place, where people could see if they really looked. I mean, I'm not into being slapped around or doing it in the park in the middle of the day or anything. But push me up against a wall and grope my chest, or take me in the back of your truck on the side of the road at night, and I'm all yours. Body, mind, and heart. That's just how I roll.

Maybe it's because I feel that the darker they are, the harder they fall when they find that one person who captures their heart. They love so deeply for that one being that they would sacrifice anything for them, and protect them with their life. Or maybe it's because I always root for the underdog, and I'll fiercely defend anyone in need of help. Maybe it's because I think that every being, human or non, has the capacity to love, and deserves to be given that chance. If the person giving it to them is me, all the better. I can love just about anyone.

I'm also a big fan of redemption. Send me a thousand-year-old vampire with a lust for murder, and in turn I will kill him with kindness. Give me a physically and emotionally scarred recluse, and I'll show him that love isn't about what's on the outside, and that he can believe in my affection. I'm determined, and not above using my feminine wiles and sexuality if I think it'll help. Or save my life.

But despite my love of all things dark, I hate unnecessary cruelty. I can't stand bullies, physical or emotional. Been there, done that, burned the t-shirt. I don't tolerate cheating, even in video games. Abuse of any kind makes me nauseous. I just can't wrap my brain around purposely wanting to hurt another, including animals.

Now, I am not without my own faults. I read too much, don't work enough, and can't cook worth a damn. I wear glasses because I'm too lazy to put it my contacts. I'm not a snappy dresser; my favorite color to wear is black. I like my long blonde hair, but typically pull it back in a ponytail because I wasn't born with the girly gene that says I must style it every morning. I don't wear makeup. _Ever_.

I like dirty jokes, and am often inappropriate about where or how loud I tell them. I'm a touchy-feely kind of person. I laugh too loud... at everything. I've been shushed more times in my life than I care to remember, because it annoys the hell out of me. I have a tendency to be obnoxious. I'm naturally flirty, and frequently intentionally provocative, a habit I've learned only recently to curb. I got sick of people looking at me weird when I was playing around.

I can make a five minute story into a three hour one. I don't always think before I speak, I can talk a lot about nothing, and I can usually forget what I was going to say in less then ten seconds, then remember three hours later and confuse the hell out of you when I slip it randomly into a different conversation. I yell when I'm pissed. And I cry a lot. _Really_ easily.

My one hope was that the one who fell for me would love these things about me, instead of treating them as the curse they generally are. I've been in relationships where these things didn't come out right away for one reason or another, and drove my boyfriend away PDQ.

Not many people can put up with me. I'm the friendliest person you'll ever meet, but at least one of my idiosyncrasies will drive you insane within a couple of hours. Remember that whole thing about me making a five minute story into a three hour one? That's pretty much what I'm doing right now. I could have just said I like dark, scary guys, and I have a lot of flaws. But I didn't. Instead, I listed how and why I liked them, and told you all of my flaws. I want you to relate to me as a flawed individual. So pick any of the above quirks that apply to you, and remember: You are not alone.

Now, the reason I've told you all this is because I happened to chance across one of these dark, scary beings not all that long ago. Well, two, actually.

See, I was walking down Lincoln Avenue in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, window shopping as I sometimes liked to do on Saturdays. I passed Fuzziwig's candy store, and had just crossed the street with the light, when I noticed two men ahead of me, arguing in front of a bookstore I frequently visited. Because I have a short attention span, I have a tendency to gloss over my surroundings, cataloging details for later while seemingly not paying any attention whatsoever.

This applies to all things in my life, from people to places to books. And likely I would have glossed right over these two, as well, if they hadn't both been completely gorgeous.

One of them, the one with his back to the store, had long blond hair that hung straight as a ruler to the middle of his back. From where I was standing, it looked like his eyes were green. But not just green. Like, green that was almost yellow, like new spring leaves. He had a goatee, and at least two earrings that I could see: a small gold hoop, and just above it a diamond that winked at me as he moved in agitation. He wore a black suit that looked as if it had been made for his tall, muscular frame. Very good-looking; I have a thing for long hair, too.

The other man was the first guys complete opposite in coloring. He had black hair that was just as long, and as far as I could tell, dark blue, maybe violet, eyes. His facial hair was cut into a thin, neat box, you know, where it frames the mouth all the way around. Two silver hoops graced the ear I could see, the one on top slightly smaller than the one on bottom. He wore a black t-shirt and blue jeans. His impressive arms were crossed angrily over his wide chest, and what I could see of his right arm had a black tribal tattoo going up from mid-forearm to disappear beneath his sleeve. The fierce glare he was giving his companion actually gave me chills. I couldn't help but think as I got closer, 'Cha-ching!', because he was frickin' perfect in the looks department.

I was nearly upon them now, about ten feet away. While I watched, entranced by the amount of gorgeous before me, the one with black hair snapped something out with a snarl. Instantly, the blond one snaked a hand out and smacked the other upside the head, hard enough that _my_ teeth rattled from several feet away where I'd stopped in shock.

The dark one seemed not to notice, and muttered a few quiet words. Whatever he said, it couldn't have been good, because the blond guy planted both large hands on the brunet's chest and shoved him hard, sending him stumbling back. I bit back a shriek as he tried to catch himself, but his foot slipped off the curb and he fell onto his back in the middle of the closest traffic lane.

He pushed himself up on his hands, his butt and legs still on the ground, and glared at the blond dude. He glanced to his right, saw a car coming straight for him around a curve in the road, and swore.

He has to move, I thought. He's not getting up fast enough. He'll be hit! Without thinking I started forward, my hand extended as I shouted to him to move. But I knew I'd never get there in time. Even if he stood on his own right then, he'd never clear the curb before the car smacked into him.

I was only a couple feet away when the blond guy stepped forward and offered his hand, and the brunet smirked. What are you doing?, I thought. He's the one who just pushed you into traffic! But the brunet grabbed the blond's hand, and the blond hauled him effortlessly to his feet and back onto the curb just before the car passed, honking loudly, close enough that the almost-victim's hair lifted as it passed.

By then I was right on top of them- Oh! If only...- my hands fisted on my hips and my best glare in place. Neither of them noticed me, though, as they grinned amiably at each other as if nothing had happened. Being ignored makes me _insane_ , so this pissed me off worse than seeing the blond push him like that in the first place. And I let them know it.

"Are you insane?" I shrieked, close enough that they both grimaced at the high-pitched sound before turning to look at me.

I was momentarily stunned speechless by their beauty. Both had the same high cheekbones, the same full lips, the same arched eyebrows. They actually looked... sinister. Like they'd been born from the same evil womb. They could have been brothers. For all I knew, maybe they were.

Really, beauty was the wrong word. It was more like a handsome, rugged, masculine, virile type of... You know what? It was just... incredible. Just seeing their faces straight on, side by side as they sneered at me, made my insides go liquid.

"What the hell is your problem?" the blond asked me, startling me out of my sexual distraction.

It took me all of a second to remember why I was angry. "Me? What about you? What the hell is wrong with you, pushing someone into traffic like that? He could have been killed!"

For some reason, he seemed to think that was funny. Though he didn't laugh outright, one side of his mouth lifted slightly in a dark smirk. "I think he would have been alright."

I advanced on him, forcing my way between the two of them to shout up at him. My 5'6" had never felt smaller to me. He had to be a foot taller than me. But I held my ground. "You think that's funny? What if he had been killed? Huh? What then, tough guy?" That worked a little bit. At least his smile disappeared behind a sneer, though I couldn't tell for sure if it was the thought that his friend could have been seriously hurt, or the 'tough guy' comment that did it.

The blond guy lifted bored eye to his friend. I couldn't see him as he was standing behind me, but I could feel his amusement. Green-gold eyes came back to me, and one golden brow arched imperiously.

Then, from behind me, came a voice so deep, it rumbled through me even though I wasn't touching him. "What is it with women? Why do you think we want you interfering with every little thing that goes on?"

I gaped and spun around, had to force myself to focus when I smelled him- Oh, gods! Sandalwood!- and saw that the tattoo on his arm went all the way up his arm and reappeared on his neck and continued halfway up. Luckily I was angry enough to make it easy. "Excuse me? I was trying to help you."

One raven brow winged up. "Oh, is that what you were doing? My apologies. It seemed like you were interfering where you weren't needed or wanted."

I heard a dark chuckle from behind me, and turned so I could see both of them at the same time. Shaking my head in disgusted anger, I said, "You guys are fucked. Like, totally insane." Then I spun on my heel and turned my back on them, going into the bookstore that I loved so much.

Just as the door started to close behind me, one of them- I think it was the darker one because his voice made my body vibrate- said, "Next time you want to save something, go find a cat up a tree."

I turned slightly, holding the door open so I could retort, "The next time you two want to have a lovers' spat, do it in private." Then I closed the door and turned my back, smirking at the way both of their faces had gone just a few shades paler, their eyes darker.

Now, I have no problem with gay people; I have two close cousins and two friends who are homosexual, both male and female. But those two were _so_ hyper-masculine, clearly heterosexual, and ridiculously good-looking, so I knew that a remark like that would affect them. Really, it had been the perfect comeback to the cat insult. Although, if I had seen a cat up a tree, I would have tried to save it...

I grabbed an iced coffee from the cafe inside the bookstore, then walked back to the Paranormal Romance section. Why they felt the need to hide it at the back of the store is beyond me. It's like they felt it was _too_ dirty, worse than regular romance, and deserved to be shunned to the ends of the Earth.

I rolled my eyes at my own fanciful thoughts, not unusual for me, and walked to the middle of the aisle. I was alone, again not unusual for me. Not just in this aisle, which was always empty, but for the most part, in life. I was a loner. It was a choice.

My work, an author, didn't require me to leave my house often. I tried to make myself leave the house for several hours at least twice a week, unless I was in the middle of a book and I just couldn't pull myself away. Which happened more often than not. My best friend, Kitt, made me go out to dinner with her once a week, just so she knew I wasn't wasting away in my townhouse.

But just then I was content in my aloneness. I was still shaking with anger from my run-in with the two gorgeous idiots, though at the same time I hadn't yet erased the self-satisfied smile at my parting shot. I set my coffee on one of the shelves and grabbed a book that I hadn't read yet, about a girl who falls in love with a demon, trying to put it from my mind.

But forgetting it wouldn't be as easy as I'd thought. As I started reading the back of the book, movement in my peripheral vision caused me to look up. I gasped when I saw the blond man from outside standing at the end of the aisle, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides as if he couldn't wait to use them on me. He looked even bigger in the small space between the wall and the book shelf, and the wicked sneer on his face could have scared Satan.

I swallowed roughly and dropped the book I was holding, then backed away from him, toward the other end of the aisle, hoping he wouldn't realize it didn't reach the wall and I could run away. Why, I wondered as I took another step back, did I have to open my mouth and say stupid shit? It was clear he hadn't been in the mood to be messed with, and he likely wasn't a man anyone would mess with anyway. But like I said before, I don't always think before I speak, especially when I'm pissed off.

I passed the books whose authors' last names started with B, and thought, Yes! I'm almost there! I lifted my foot, set it behind me, leaned into it- And slammed into the wall. What the hell? My brain went crazy, wondering when they'd moved the bookshelves over, why they would do that, and how long it would take the menacing blond guy to reach me now that I had nowhere to go.

To get farther away from him, I put my hands flat to press them against the wall, as if I could go through the wall if I spread myself over it enough, but found nothing to push against. My arms automatically kept moving around behind me until they hit something. That something happened to be a rock-hard lower-ass/upper-thigh muscle covered in denim. Gasping harshly- nearly choking on the scent of sandalwood- I whirled, and came face to face with the brunet. His eyes- I could see they were about the color of sapphires now- were cold, distant, as he stared down at me. Idly, I wondered why it hadn't crossed my mind that he might be with his friend.

"Oh, Gods," I squeaked. Not just one, but both of them. And they'd cornered me. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat, which was tight with panic. I could only imagine how my face looked: wide grey eyes, pasty white, mouth half open in fear. Even my light blonde ponytail felt like it was drooping in terror.

Behind me, the blond one chuckled sinisterly, and I turned again, pressing myself against the actual wall so I could see them both. The action caused my back to arch, unintentionally forcing my breasts forward, and blond guy's eyes instantly dropped to them, suddenly glittering horrifyingly. He ran the tip of his tongue over his top lip, and my breath started heaving in and out of my lungs.

"Knock it off, Andreus. You're terrifying her," the brunet said quietly.

The blond guy, Andreus, sneered. "Please. I can smell her arousal," he growled, leaning slightly closer to me.

I turned my face away from him, looking at the brunet's feet, trying to get away from him though I had nowhere to go. As upset as I was just then, he was right. Even though I was terrified, I was excited, too. I maintain to this day that it was adrenaline, though, not any real interest I had in being molested somehow in my favorite bookstore in the middle of the day by the Magnificent Twins.

"Andreus," the dark one said warningly, and I somehow knew he wouldn't let anything happen to me, despite how angry he'd been with me before. My heart rate slowed a bit.

But Andreus ignored his friend, and leaned closer, until I could feel his breath on my ear, and my pulse pounded all over again. Then he whispered, "Still think I'm gay?"

"No," I said quietly. I slowly lifted my eyes to his, and said meekly, though my words were crystal clear, "But you could be bi." Then I gave him the tiniest of smirks.

Why I felt the need to push at an already sore spot, I couldn't say. But I did know that I felt safer because the brunet was there, and I was beginning to switch from scared to pissed that they'd trapped me so effectively.

Andreus snarled softly as his eyes darkened threateningly.

"Andreus!"

Andreus lifted his head quickly and glared at his friend. "I swear, Thanatos, you're getting weak."

"Not weak. Just bored," the dark-haired guy, Thanatos, said.

"Well, I'm _not_ bored yet," Andreus said, and once more he leaned toward me. This time I held his gaze. I refused to let him know he frightened me, even though he could probably hear my heart pounding.

"If you come any closer, I'm going to bite you," I said quietly when he was about six inches away.

He paused for a fraction of a second, then moved in with narrowed eyes. When his nose was close enough to my mouth, I snapped at him, grazing him as he pulled quickly back. He brushed his thumb down his nose, as if making sure it was all there. Then he grinned, and I scowled back.

He bent down and picked up the book I'd been reading the back of, briefly scanned it, and frowned. "She's all yours, Tos." He tossed the book at Thanatos- who caught it effortlessly without so much as moving his eyes from his friend's face- gave me a faint nod, then walked down the aisle and disappeared.

I stared after him for a minute, then slowly turned my gaze to Thanatos. What kind of name was that, anyway? He was named after the Greek equivalent of the Grim Reaper? Though, admittedly, it suited him, with his long dark hair and deep, intense eyes.

Those eyes weren't on me, however. He was reading the back of the book Andreus had tossed to him. Then he flipped the book over, looked at the cover where a blonde woman stood, body facing the camera though her head was turned to the side, her cheek resting on the invisible chest of a man standing behind her, whose bright blue eyes and black widow's peak were the only things visible in the background. Once more, he turned the book over and read the back.

I waited impatiently for him to finish, not sure if I should wait or leave. I was sure by the tone he'd used with Andreus that he was more than bored with me. But his eyes, when he finally lifted them to mine, didn't look bored. They looked amused, and curious. "You like this kind of book?"

My cheeks wanted to flare up at the odd tone in his voice, a mix of laughter and disbelief. I fought it, and just barely won. "Yes. They're my favorite."

"Why?" The curiosity wasn't so much amused anymore as deeply interested.

I shrugged. "Because a demon can't possibly be more difficult to deal with than a human man," I said, indicating Andreus with a jerk of my head toward the other end of the aisle. "And they're almost always incredibly sexy, even if it's not directly because of their looks and only a byproduct of being the epitomic bad boy."

He lifted a brow, then narrowed his eyes. "But they're evil."

"Everybody is, to some extent. From a religious standpoint, every being is flawed in God's eyes, simply by being born. From a non-religious standpoint, which I much prefer, there is no such thing as complete good. I've seen all kinds of people commit what might be construed as evil acts. The depth of sin might change, but the fact that it occurs does not. And, again, the bad boy thing: Sometimes, being evil is sexy."

He seemed to consider this for a moment, glancing at the cover of the book again as if that might clarify what I'd said. His eyes seemed to glow when he lifted them, and I wasn't sure why. I guessed it could have been sexual interest, but it didn't seem likely that I was the reason, and there was no one else around. "You say its your favorite?" I nodded. "Just demons?"

"Well, all supernatural beings, really. But vampires have always been my favorite."

He seemed to take mild offense to that. "Why vampires? They don't even exist."

"Neither do demons, but you didn't seem to have a problem with me being interested in them."

He gave me a half-smile that probably would have killed me in its entirety. "Okay. But why vampires?"

I took a deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts. It's not one of my strong suits. "Because... they're sexy, and eternal, and immortal. They're often portrayed as having long hair, and I like that. They live at night, playing on the fearful part of lust. They're unequivocally good lovers because they've had centuries to practice. Typically they're rich, for the same reason. They-"

He interrupted me. "You like a guy with money?"

My eyes flicked over his clothes. The jeans and tee he wore were basic, practical, not designer labels but they looked clean or even new. Still, he exuded that natural power and grace that privileged people were born with. But despite the fact that I thought he might have money, I answered honestly. "No. Money doesn't matter one way or the other to me, other than for basic living functions. But it's nice to have it, to be able to buy the things I want instead of just what I need."

He nodded. "Go on."

Where was I? Oh, yeah. _Vampires_. "Honestly, the biggest reason I like vampires, besides being great in bed, is that they drink blood."

He clearly did not understand that. "What?"

"The mixing of basic essences, especially during lovemaking. But, mainly it's the biting. It excites me." I was making myself all kinds of hot talking like that while looking at him, and I was sure he knew it.

"But that's all just... stuff. Really, couldn't demons have all of that, as well? On top of having magic, which vampires do not."

I thought about it. "I suppose. They do live a long time, have been portrayed as sexy beings instead of gross, deformed hobbits. But they don't bite, and that's my biggest thing, remember?"

His eyes definitely flared this time. "I'm pretty sure anyone would bite you if you asked them to, even a human man." He mumbled it so that his lips barely moved as he stared at my neck, but I heard him loud and clear. And so did my feminine core.

My whole body started aching with lust. I wasn't sure if it was the picture the two of us had painted together, or him specifically- Yeah, right. Like I didn't know.

But instead of jumping on him like I wanted to, I shrugged. "I've asked a couple boyfriends to do just that, and it totally weirded them out."

His face was very serious when he said, "Then they were weak. A man should always do whatever it takes to please his mate sexually. Any man that doesn't, or can't for reasons other than medical, shouldn't be allowed to have sex."

I smiled for the first time since meeting him, and his eyes darted to my mouth before returning to mine. "If only every man thought like you, the world would be a much better place."

He smiled, too, though it was a barely-there lift of one side of his mouth. It still transformed his face and made it even more beautiful. "I highly doubt that."

"Why?"

He seemed to think about his answer before speaking. "Because, likewise, I think a woman should please her mate. She should be willing to do anything for him, too. Women that don't often find themselves alone, and wonder why."

I nodded. His answer hadn't surprised me all that much. "I agree. Any woman worth her skin should be able to please her man if he can please her. I happen to know a couple girls I went to college with that don't do... _that_ for guys, and have trouble maintaining a relationship."

"By _that_ , I assume you mean oral sex."

I nodded, once again fighting embarrassment. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I usually have no shame. I could have talked positions with the pope.

He smirked.

"What?"

"Two things." He held up two fingers, then put one down. "One: You barely look old enough to be out of college."

Was that his roundabout way of asking my age? "I'm 23. I was going for my Bachelor's in Journalism when I decided I didn't actually want to do that for a living. I wanted to write books. So I quit."

"What do you do now?"

"I write books." Duh. Hadn't I just said that?

"What kind of books?"

What was this, twenty questions? "Mostly, this kind," I said, smirking as I tapped the book he still held in his hands.

He glanced down, then his eyebrows came up before he looked back at me.

Still smiling, I asked, "Second?"

"Oh, right. Second: Given what you said about your friends _not_ doing _that_ , am I to assume that you _do_ do _that_?"

It sounded almost as if he were making fun of me and my use of the word 'that' instead of saying blow jobs or something. I ignored it and fired my own weapon. "Yep."

The interest I thought I'd seen earlier flared in his eyes as he regarded me. Surely me saying that hadn't been that exciting to him. He must have a dozen women who were willing to do _that_ for him on a regular basis. But he was looking at me.

Because I felt the need, I clarified. "I mean, I don't just do it or anything. Not for just anyone. But if I'm in a relationship, I don't mind it."

The light in his eyes didn't dim. If anything, it brightened. "You don't mind it?" he repeated, as if my words contradicted each other.

"I enjoy it," I simplified. "Nearly as much as he does."

"Oh, I don't think so. That is like the end-all-be-all of experiences for a man. There's no possible way you could enjoy it that much."

He might be right, but I still enjoyed it. I only shrugged. "Maybe." I couldn't believe we were talking about this. Suddenly I remembered how we'd met in the first place. Frowning, I asked, "Why are you talking to me? Half an hour ago you didn't even like me."

"I didn't dislike you. I was irritated."

"Yeah. With me."

He shrugged. "More like with Andreus. You just happened to get in the way of it."

"Lucky me," I mumbled.

"Mm," was his response.

"What about Andreus?"

"No. He dislikes you. But don't take it personally. He dislikes everyone."

"That's not as comforting as you'd think it would be."

We stood quietly for a minute, the silence growing more and more uncomfortable. Finally, I said, "Well, I guess I should buy that and get going." I laid my palm flat for the book, but he didn't hand it over. So I grabbed it, plucking it from his hands and accidentally brushing my fingers over his hand.

I saw his eyebrows twitch slightly, like my touch had made him want to frown but he'd resisted. "See ya." I turned and started walking away.

"Hey!"

I turned to him, wondering what he could possibly want to say other than goodbye. Surely he was ready to be rid of me.

"What's your name?" he asked as he walked closer to me.

That surprised me. Seriously. I would not have expected someone like him, who looked like he did, to even speak to me, let alone ask my name. Yet, we'd been speaking for a while, so I guess it wasn't such a stretch that he'd want to know who he was talking to. "It's Kaylin. Kaylin Harper."

He offered his hand to me, but not in a normal way. It was hesitant, like he was doing it because he thought he should. "Thanatos Angelos."

I shook his hand. "God, could you be any more Greek?"

He smiled. "Probably a little. You're familiar with etymology?"

I shrugged. "Some. It helps in my work. Plus, it fascinates me. Twice as nice."

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Kaylin Harper."

"You, too, Thanatos Angelos." I held his gaze for another moment, then turned and walked out of the aisle, heading toward the checkout. I heard him behind me, but when I moved into line, he passed me with a slight nod and smile, then headed out the door. I saw Andreus leaning against one of the large windows in front of the store, and was surprised he'd waited.

As Thanatos exited the store, Andreus pushed off the window with his impressive shoulders and turned to his friend. He spoke, and Thanatos' face darkened, but he didn't respond. I watched them curiously until they'd disappeared down the sidewalk out of view.
Chapter Two

**I was** at home later that night when Thanatos crossed my mind again. I was amazed that I'd managed to keep him out of my head as long as I did, but I had read my book all the way back to my car, then started working on my most recent book when I got home. I even skipped dinner- not an uncommon occurrence.

I was in the middle of a steamy sex scene between my heroine and her vampire lover when Thanatos slipped unbidden into my thoughts. Big shocker there, right? I rolled my eyes at myself and read the last paragraph I'd written to get back into my story.

I'd just written another page, with both of my main characters on the verge of a soul-shattering climax, when a knock on my front door startled me enough to have me yelping. I closed my eyes and called myself a dork, then leaned to the side and looked up the stairs from my bottom floor to the foyer, looking through the blinds on my front door.

I couldn't see a thing. And not because there was no one there, which would have freaked me out. It was because while I'd been sitting there, completely immersed in my writing, it had gotten dark outside, and my porch light wasn't on. I could barely make out a dark shadow standing on my porch amidst the slightly lighter shadows around it.

I swallowed my irrational fear. Just because the shadow was huge and wide, definitely male, did not mean it was a mass-murdering rapist. Yes, that actually went through my mind. I have a very active imagination, a great quality in a writer but terrible for a person who lives alone and believes in things like ghosts. I tried to calm myself down: Like a murderer would bother to knock, or stand patiently until I answered the door.

Still, I took comfort in the fact that the walls of my townhouse were paper thin, and my neighbor, Vaughn, was home, so if I screamed, he'd hear me and come running.

Standing slowly, I kept my eyes on my laptop screen as if I weren't concerned in the least, even though my insides were quaking. I tore my eyes from my words at the last possible moment, then jogged carelessly up the short flight of stairs from the first floor to the second.

I reached for the porch light switch and considered calling out a warning, but figured if it was a killer, I shouldn't give them any advantages. If it was someone I knew, well, they'd only be momentarily blind. I flicked the switch, and gasped in shock at the person blinking rapidly and frowning on my porch.

"Thanatos!" I exclaimed, and reached automatically for the door knob. But I hesitated. His friend had as good as threatened me earlier to prove a point. What if Andreus was with him? Did I want to let them in? Even if he was alone, did I trust him enough to let him into my house?

No, probably not, I decided. But I lusted after him enough to want to try. I just knew, instinctively, that he would be an amazing lover. Even before the conversation we'd had earlier. And then I looked at him, straight in the eyes through the window in the door, and he lifted half his mouth in a smirky kind of smile, and my heart rate sped up.

Without even realizing it, I reached for the doorknob and turned it. I would at least ask him if Andreus was with him before I let him in. "Hi," I said slowly.

His half smile fell slightly. "Hi. Sorry for scaring you."

I cringed. "You heard that?"

"Yep," he said, almost apologetically.

"Awesome..."

His smile brightened slightly. "And sorry for just showing up, but I had your name and not your number. So I looked you up and came over. I hope that's okay."

I failed to realize then, and for a long time after, that if he looked me up in the phone book, my number would have been there, and he could have called. Likely the same was true of looking me up on the Internet. I'd never tried, so I didn't know for sure.

It took me a moment to answer him. "I guess so. I wasn't expecting anyone." Made obvious by the fact that I was wearing my favorite pajamas, a pink baby doll tee and white cotton pajama pants, no bra, no undies. My hair was still up in a ponytail from earlier. I wasn't sure if I looked cute or frumpy, which one he preferred, or if he even cared.

His smile fell further, into a faint frown. "Right. I can go." He gestured behind him.

"No!" I had to resist rolling my eyes at my near shout. "I mean, why did you come over? Did you need something?"

That question made his eyes crinkle, like he wanted to smile but was trying not to. "Not exactly. I had a fight with Andreus, and he locked me out of our house. I don't really know anyone else in the area. I just thought maybe I could... hang out for a while. Give him a chance to chill out. He's got a quick temper, but he usually calms fast, too. Especially with me."

I was glad to hear Andreus wasn't with him, but I found his comments interesting. The two of them didn't act gay, but were obviously very close. Maybe I had been closer to the truth than I'd thought when I'd called Andreus bisexual.

My thoughts must have shown on my face, because Thanatos smiled fully. "I know how that sounds. But we really are just friends. And we're both as straight as they come. We've just been friends a very long time. We're like brothers."

That made sense. They did kinda look a little alike, which I'd noticed earlier. But Thanatos had said they were only friends. Weird... "Well, why don't you come in? The least I can do after you came all the way out here is to offer you a cup of coffee or something." I stepped back so he could walk in, then closed and locked the door behind him.

When I turned I saw him smirking, his eyes on the lock. "Sorry," I said. "Habit. I'm not trying to lock you in or anything."

His smirk turned into a smile. "I think I'd be alright if you were."

I lifted my eyebrows, saying 'Yeah, duh!' Like I could overpower him... I stood there for several seconds, looking at my hands, my feet, him, over and over, until I realized he was waiting for me to lead him into my home. Abruptly I turned and went down the stairs to the bottom level.

"How long have you and Andreus been... friends?" I asked, simply for something to talk about as I walked over to the table and saved my work, then closed the laptop.

He didn't answer right away, and I glanced over my shoulder to see why. I was surprised to see his eyes on my ass, a light of interest in his gaze. Slowly he lifted his eyes to mine, letting me know quite plainly that he didn't mind me catching him. I didn't know what to say or how to react. I've had men be blatantly obvious about wanting me, but it was usually a verbal thing that typically included corny pick-up lines.

I'd never had a man be so quiet about his interest, or behave so calmly to my catching him ogling me. Most men would rush to apologize, afraid they would ruin their chances of getting laid if they didn't. Most of the time, they were right.

But Thanatos didn't seem to care either way. It was as if he wanted to sleep with me, but it didn't matter one way or the other if he did. It put things into perspective for me. Not that I have a big ego, but men looked at me enough for me to know I was relatively attractive. But Thanatos was stupid gorgeous.

Tongue-tied, I turned back to the kitchen, then realized I didn't know what he wanted. "Did you want coffee?" I asked without turning around.

"Whatever you're having is fine," he said.

I decided coffee sounded good. It was one of my favorite things in the world, along with chocolate, and sex. Men were up there, too, but right below those three. I liked to think that made me a profound person, instead of self-indulgent.

I went about making coffee, a simple process since I had one of those single-cup makers. It was perfect for me. When I was working, which was pretty much all the time if I had my laptop, I could drink a cup of coffee in five minutes, or five hours. I liked it hot, cold, and anywhere in between. I didn't care, as long as I got my fix.

While I waited for the machine to warm up, I leaned back against the countertop and crossed my arms beneath my breasts, wondering if he would answer my question or see it for the distraction it had been. After several seconds of silence, seemingly comfortable on his side, definitely nervous on mine, he answered.

"I've known Andreus pretty much since birth."

My eyebrows rose. "Wow. That is a long time. No wonder you're so... close."

As though I'd said something funny, he chuckled, and the sound sent shivers down my spine. "Are you determined to see me as a homosexual?"

Without thinking, I said, "Gods, no! You are _the_ last person I would want to be gay." I instantly regretted saying it, but I was too used to doing things like that to let it bother me too much.

Until his eyes dropped to my breasts, sitting jauntily on my arms, and my nipples hardened immediately. I turned quickly and made us both a cup of coffee, doctoring mine with lots of cream and sugar before asking, "How do you take it?"

From directly behind me, mere inches away, he said throatily, "Any way you'll give it to me."

My heart thudded against my breastplate, and my breath stuck in my lungs. I turned my head slightly and looked up at him over my shoulder, so close I could hardly move at all. "What?"

"Plenty of sugar, tons of cream," he said. He hadn't backed away, and the way he said it made it sound pornographic.

I swallowed and went back to the coffee, although I wasn't exactly sure how much 'plenty' was. So I made it like I made my own. With shaking hands, I lifted both coffee cups and turned to face him. He'd moved back just enough to allow me to spin. "Here you go," I said, offering his coffee cup as though it were a bribe.

"Thank you." He took his cup, and mine, as well.

"Oh, you don't have to-"

I stopped talking when he set them behind me on the counter instead of carrying them to the table as I'd assumed he was going to. He left his hands on either side of me, framing me in with my back to the counter, and leaned down. His face was so close to mine that I could see the little flecks of purple and black in his mostly blue eyes. I wondered, briefly, what mine must look like that close.

And then he spoke, shattering any rational thought I might have had about the close proximity. "I'm going to kiss you, Kaylin," he said, and though it was not a request for permission, I nodded anyway.

I closed my eyes before his lips touched mine, then opened them again. I wanted to see him kiss me, this perfect male specimen, so ideal in my mind that I couldn't fathom him actually wanting me. He smiled as if he knew what I was thinking, then touched his lips firmly to mine. My eyes stayed open, which was awkward for me, but I didn't want to miss a second of this kiss.

I liked the way he turned his head just slightly, and watching his eyes close as he got into it. I liked feeling one of his hands lift hesitantly to my hip, nearly burning me through the thin fabric of my pajamas. I liked knowing I was in my pajamas, in my kitchen, being kissed by a guy who was fully clothed and still had his shoes on. It made me feel just a little wanton.

Then his lips left mine, and his eyes opened, nearly black now. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Wrong?" I repeated, and was proud that my voice didn't sound breathless at all.

He pulled back further. "You weren't kissing me back. Did you not want me to kiss you?"

My eyes widened. "No, I did! I just-" I broke off, suddenly realizing that he was right. I hadn't kissed him back. And not only that, I hadn't really felt anything at all from that kiss. From all the other things- his eyes, his hands- yes, but not the kiss, hence my lack of breathlessness. I felt my cheeks heat. I'd been so intent on memorizing every aspect of his lips on mine that I'd lost focus of the feelings I should have had.

But I couldn't tell him that. I had to come up with something witty and cute to say, so he wouldn't think I was a total crazy person. Smiling playfully, I said, "Maybe it just didn't curl my toes," with a careless little shrug.

He narrowed his eyes, and they lit with unmistakable challenge. This time both hands gripped my hips tightly, not enough to hurt, but _enough_. "You know you're in trouble, right?" he asked huskily.

I shivered and nodded.

"Just so long as you know." Then he pulled my pelvis flush against his, and there was no way I could deny now that he _did_ want me. I felt the unavoidable proof pressed snugly against my lower belly. I gasped in pleasure a second before he stole my breath.

This time I couldn't fight the way my eyes fluttered closed, how my hands somehow found their way to his biceps and clung, or the sudden dizziness that had my head spinning. He nipped lightly at my lower lip, and I wanted nothing more just then than to feel his tongue against mine.

Then he was gone, lifting his mouth from mine and leaving me feeling so bereft I was momentarily confused by the feeling. His eyes were dark again as he stared down at me, an aroused and amused expression on his face. "How was that? Better?"

I gazed back, not sure if my lungs contained enough air for speech. I forced a breath in. "If I say no, will you kiss me again?"

He grinned sexily, the first time I'd ever seen him do so, and I had been right earlier- it almost killed me. It definitely made my knees weak. "I'll kiss you again no matter what you say, so you can be honest."

"Then, yes, that was much better-"

He cut off my next words with his lips, bringing them roughly down to mine. His hands moved from my hips to my back and down, just a little, so that his fingers were resting on the upper curve of my backside. I could feel them clenching slightly, like he wanted to fill his hands with me but was resisting. The feeling followed by the thought made me moan eagerly, and he slipped his tongue into my mouth to caress my own.

Never before had I enjoyed a kiss so much. I mean, I liked kissing. It was a good pastime at boring parties. But this one _literally_ made me dizzy, and had me clinging to him as if he were a lifeline I couldn't release or I'd die. I raised my hands from his arms, slid them up his shoulders and behind him, threading my fingers in the softest hair I'd ever felt to gently scrape my somewhat long nails over his scalp.

He shivered, and though it surprised me, almost enough to have me pulling away, I stayed close to him, and did it again. He growled quietly and turned his head slightly, trying a different angle that felt just as good as the first. I would have done anything- _anything_ \- for him just then if only he never stopped kissing me.

That thought brought me up short, and I did pull back, looking up at him with hurt eyes and bruised feelings.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, though he hardly looked concerned. "Did I hurt you somehow?"

I started to shake my head, then changed my mind. Maybe he had hurt me, though not physically. "Why did you come here tonight?"

He frowned slightly. "I told you. Andreus and I fought, and he locked me out, and I didn't know anyone else in the area. And I was attracted to you this afternoon, so I thought I'd see where it led us. Although," he added with a smile and a squeeze of his arms, "I hadn't expected this."

Why?, I wondered. You started it. "Did you come here because of what I told you this afternoon?"

He turned his head to the side as though trying to recall what I'd said. "I'm not sure. What did you say?"

"About the..." I had to force the words past my lips. "Oral sex. That I do it, even though some of my friends won't."

He didn't seem to see the correlation between that conversation and our making out in my kitchen, which made me feel marginally better. Then light dawned in his gaze. "Oooh! I see what you're saying. You want to know if I-" Suddenly he frowned darkly. I had believed his supposed ignorance of what I'd been talking about, and I believed now that I had upset him with my assumption. He was either one hell of an actor, or telling the truth. I hoped it was the latter.

"You think I came over here just so you'd blow me?"

"I hope not. But it's not entirely out of the realm of possibilities."

"Are you serious?"

I rushed to defend myself, though I wasn't sure why. I had every right to doubt him. "Think about it, Thanatos. I just met you this afternoon. And after you basically told me to get bent, the only conversation we had was sexual in nature, where I told you I don't mind giving oral pleasure. A few hours later, you show up at my door, and within minutes we're making out in my kitchen, which you started. Don't you think I'd be a little stupid not to question you?"

He'd stood rigid this whole time, his arms still around me, hard fingers pressing into my sensitive flesh, my arms still around his neck. Gradually he began to relax, and his biting fingers softened their grip. After a minute, he didn't look quite so fierce as he had before. Then he nodded.

"You're right. That makes perfect sense. You have every right to question my being here."

"Thank you," I started, but he continued.

"But, in the spirit of curiosity, why did you let me in? Why are you kissing me in your kitchen, wearing next to nothing? Yes, I noticed immediately," he said when I gasped in surprise.

I had no answer that didn't make me look like either a desperate woman or a slut. So I used his own words. "Like you, I was attracted this afternoon, and I was curious about where this might go. But- again like you- I wasn't expecting this." I ran a finger down the back of his neck, and watched his eyes go dark.

Though I'd turned him on with my touch, he still lifted a dark brow. "I could be a killer for all you know."

His tone was sinister enough to give me chills. Naturally, he erased any fear I might have when he automatically started rubbing my back soothingly. Yeah, I thought, a killer. One who kills with light touches and sensual kisses.

"Are you a killer?" I asked.

His eyes were intense when they came to mine, taking me slightly aback. "I can't answer that."

"Why?" I whispered, suddenly a little afraid.

"Because if I do, I'll have to kill you." His tone was so serious, but his eyes glittered playfully.

It took a second for what he was saying to sink in. When it did, I pulled a small lock of his hair in retaliation of his joke. He laughed out an 'Ow!', then kissed me lightly before stepping away. I instantly felt lonely, like he was the only one who could keep my company in the world. But I also recognized that he was telling me we didn't have to do any more kissing- or anything else- tonight if it made me uncomfortable.

It didn't. I would have liked to have made out with him all night long- probably more if he tried- but I felt it was best to take him up on his offer and try to get to know him as a person before I got to know him as a sex object. Because I had already decided that if the gods deemed it so- Please, please, _please_!- I was going to have him in my bed at some point in the future.
Chapter Three

**In** an attempt to distract us both, I asked him if he was hungry. I realized it was after 8 p.m. and I hadn't eaten yet. His eyes held mine for a minute, shooting fiery lust at me. I could almost hear his deep 'Yes, very hungry. For you.' But he didn't say that. After I admitted I hadn't eaten yet, he said he could eat, so I baked some chicken cordon bleu I'd had in the freezer.

After we ate I assumed we would talk for a minute and then he would go. Despite his apparent interest in me, now that anything sexual happening had been taken off the table- as far as he knew, anyway- I didn't expect him to stick around. But he asked if we could watch a movie, and I acquiesced, glad he hadn't only come to make out with me. Or more.

We moved into the living room- which was really just the part of my living area without a stove or a table- and sat on the couch, near each other but not touching. After inquiring as to what kind of movie he wanted to watch, I found an action flick on one of my movie channels, and sat back to watch Mark Wahlberg and crew try to steal gold from a man who had killed his mentor.

I felt myself getting tired after about half an hour, and glanced at Thanatos. He seemed a little sleepy, too, though his eyes weren't drooping nearly as much as mine were. I tried to fight it, but after a few minutes, I felt myself slump as my eyes closed.

A couple hours later, I opened my eyes and found myself staring at some Spanish movie with English subtitles. I couldn't follow movies with subtitles. As much as I might enjoy the plot, I always ended up reading the words and not watching the movie.

I realized I was on the couch, and I wasn't alone. I lifted my head and looked at Thanatos. His head had fallen back and was turned slightly toward me, so I could see he was asleep. At some point, I'd cuddled into his side, and his arm had naturally come around me, pinning me heavily to his side.

I sat there for a minute, debating what to do. Should I wake him so he could go home and I could go to bed? I didn't particularly like Andreus, but I didn't think he should have to worry about Thanatos if he didn't come home. On the other hand, Thanatos was a grown man, who didn't need to check in. If he wanted to stay out all night, that was up to him.

But I wanted to go to bed. As much as I loved being snuggled against him, I knew I couldn't stay there all night. At the very least, I'd get a crick in my neck that would make it difficult to work tomorrow. So I decided that I would try to sneak away without jostling Thanatos too much, but if I woke him, I'd give him the option of stretching out on the couch for the night.

I lifted his arm, glancing repeatedly at his face to see if he was waking. It was heavier than it looked, had to be solid muscle, but despite my awkward way of moving him, he didn't even budge. I figured he must have been very tired to be sleeping that deeply. Eventually I managed to squeeze out from beneath him, though I had ended up kind of sliding out from under his arm very ungracefully, making me glad he'd stayed asleep.

I turned off the TV and cable box, then the lights in the kitchen. Before I went up, I covered him with a throw I kept in the living room closet, then kissed him lightly, unable to help myself. He mumbled in his sleep and smiled, but he didn't wake up. I left one of the hall lights on at the top of the stairs so he could find his way if he woke.

When I got to my room, I debated about leaving the door open like I normally would. I decided that might send the wrong message- or maybe it was the right one- and I closed it quietly. Then I had to debate whether to lock it or not. Locking it, too, sent a message. Too strong of one, really.

First, _I don't want to sleep with you_ , which was a lie. And second, _I don't trust you not to molest me in my sleep_ , which was also a lie. Even if he did come in, I wouldn't mind, and it wouldn't be molesting because I was more than willing. My level of sexual awareness around this man startled me. I'd never been so willing to have sex with someone after such a short time knowing them.

In the end, I left the door unlocked. I climbed into bed, thought about reading for a while. The mental stimulation of deciding how to protect myself from my own lust had woken me up that I could probably read for an hour or so. But if I was awake up here, I could have been awake down there and still sitting beside Thanatos. So I closed my eyes, and after a couple minutes, drifted back to sleep.

I had a strange, short dream. In my dream, I was hot, so I stripped off my pajamas and was left with just a blanket on. I fell quickly back to sleep now that I was more comfortable. As I slept, my dreaming self noticed the doorknob turning slowly. My heart clutched in my chest, but the dream me in my bed slept on, blissfully unaware that anything was happening.

The door opened fully, and there stood Thanatos. My heart rate slowed in relief, then sped up again as I remembered the dream me in the bed was now naked. Thanatos walked into my room and came to stand beside the bed, staring down at me. In reaction to his gaze, my dream body tensed, and my nipples tightened visibly beneath the blanket.

The me in the bed shifted a little in sleep, and the blanket slipped down. Thanatos' blue eyes darkened. I shifted again, the blanket lowered further, and his gaze seemed to glow a dark blue. I whimpered and squirmed, likely dreaming inside my dream of him making love to me. The blanket slid down more, and would have uncovered my nipples if the hem of it hadn't gotten stuck on them. As it was, you could clearly see the areolas on my breasts, and make out my peaking nipples' outline.

As I watched him watching me, my dream self squeezed her thighs together and turned slightly, apparently trying to relieve some lower pressure. Thanatos' hand lifted slightly, as though he were going to touch me, and then he firmed his lips and lowered his fingers. He drew in a deep breath, then turned and left the room, closing the door as quietly as he'd opened it.

I woke in the morning as sexually frustrated as I'd felt in the dream. Even in my dreams he had been too much of a gentleman to wake me with sex. I wondered what that meant. How could I trust him so implicitly after only knowing him for twelve hours? It was just strange.

After checking to be sure I was clothed- cuz how weird would that have been if I'd woken naked after that dream?- I got up and did my morning toilet, dressed, then went downstairs to see my visitor. I was ridiculously disappointed when he wasn't there, and the blanket was folded neatly on the couch. Then I spotted the piece of paper on the table, and kind of hopped/ trotted over to grab it.

Kaylin,

Thank you for letting me crash on your couch. Sorry I couldn't stick around and see you this morning; I had to get to work.

I had a great time last night, and I'd like to see you again. Soon. Here's my number: (his number was there). Call me when you get some time.

Thanatos

I sighed softly and reread the note. I liked that he'd thought to write. It made me feel important, thought of. I also liked that he'd left me his number and told me to call him. Not because I had his number- although that was nice- but because he'd left it up to me. He really was a gentleman.

I wondered briefly what he did for a living. I could see him as just about anything, from a businessman to a cowboy to a pirate. I really liked that last one. Thanatos would make a great pirate.

I sighed again, then made myself some breakfast and a cup of coffee before settling in front of my laptop. While I ate, I read through what I'd written the day before to get back into the storyline. Sometimes if I didn't finish a thought before I stopped working, I got completely lost and had to muddle my way through until a story came out right. Luckily, though, I was at a part in the story with a natural, easy flow.

I gave my characters a spectacular mutual orgasm, envying them. Not just the sex, but the intense emotional attachment they were forming. I'd had boyfriends before, even one long relationship that had lasted 4 years in my late teens. But I'd known all along that though I loved him, I wasn't in love with him. And I wanted to be _in love_ with someone. Not surprising since I wrote romance novels, even if they were unrealistic ones.

My thoughts led me to Thanatos, and I knew that he was exactly the kind of man- physically- that I'd have chosen for myself. I couldn't say much more than that, though. I didn't know him well enough to know if his personality was right. Though I suspected if it wasn't, I could easily imagine it was. He was that mind-alteringly perfect.

I sighed, this time in mild frustration, knowing I wouldn't be getting anymore writing done. Thanatos was too distracting, and as soon as he popped into my head, I had trouble getting him out. I thought about calling him, wondered if it was too soon or if I would seem too eager. But he had told me to call him, and that he wanted to see me again _Soon_. That was good enough for me.

So I pulled the note close, sliding it across the table, and grabbed my cell phone. I'd rather him have that number than my house number. For now. I dialed slowly, precisely, so I'd know that I hadn't messed it up if it turned out that he'd purposely given me a wrong number. It was a testament to how out of his league I felt that I would instantly assume that.

He answered on the second ring, and I released the breath I hadn't known was stuck in my lungs. "Kaylin! Hi!"

I smiled brightly. "How'd you know it was me?"

"You're the only one who has my number whose number I wouldn't recognize. That in itself makes it recognizable." There was an obvious smile in his voice.

"Very clever. What are you up to? Are you still working?"

"Actually, I'm just about done. What are you doing?"

"I was writing, but-" I stopped before I made a fool of myself and told him that just the thought of him had distracted me completely from work.

"But?"

"Now I'm not," I finished lamely.

"Hmm," he said, as if he knew I was leaving something out. "Let me take you to lunch."

"Really?"

He chuckled, and I would have loved to have seen the grin that went with it. "Yes, really. I'll be done working for the day in about half an hour. Can you meet me at the hospital? I don't have my car today."

"The hospital? What, are you a doctor?" _Gods_ , that would be amazing!

He laughed outright this time, and the sound rumbled through me even through the phone. "Nothing so self-sacrificing. I'm a broker, visiting a client in Intensive Care."

"Like, a stock broker?"

"Something like that."

"Oh." For some reason, I had trouble picturing him doing that. I'd pictured him in a powerful or dangerous position. I was almost disappointed. On the other hand, if he was any good at his job, he was probably loaded. Not that money really mattered one way or the other, but it was nice just the same.

"Is that a problem?" he asked, accurately guessing at my silence.

"What? No! Why would that be a problem?"

"I don't know. You just didn't seem all that thrilled about it."

"Honestly, I'm just surprised. I pictured you as more of a... pirate, or something." I instantly closed my eyes and wondered why I'd said that out loud.

Whatever the reason was, it seemed to be the right thing to say. Thanatos laughed out loud, instantly forgetting my wordless reaction to his career choice. "A pirate?"

Well, I'd said it, now I had to back it up. "Yeah... You know, long dark hair, sea blue eyes, a body honed by work. A little scary, a little dangerous, overall sexy." Shut _up_ , Kaylin!

He chuckled again. "I see. Hmm... Something else to keep in mind."

"What do you mean?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound as breathless as I felt.

"Well, there's the vampire thing, _that_ -" clearly a comment about the oral sex- "and now a pirate. You have a _very_ active imagination, Kaylin."

I tried to laugh that off. "I am a writer. It kind of comes with the territory."

"Mm," he hummed by way of agreement. Then abruptly he said, "I gotta go. See you soon."

I pulled the phone from my ear and stared at it for a moment, surprised by the way he'd rushed off the phone. Then I jumped up and slid my shoes on before running out the door.

I arrived at the hospital twenty minutes later and parked in the circle drive out front. I knew I wouldn't be long, so I left it running. I went inside and up to the Intensive Care Unit, then walked to the nearest desk, across from a short bank of rooms.

When the nurse at the desk looked up with a vague smile, I smiled back and said, "Hi. Can you tell me which room Mr. Angelos is visiting?"

The nurse frowned slightly, then looked at her list of visitors. "We have no Mr. Angelos, either visiting or admitted."

"Really? Hmm. I'm sure he said Intensive Care. Can you check again?" But I could plainly see the list in front of her, and it wasn't long enough to misread.

Just as she scowled but glanced down to do as I'd asked, a door off to my right opened, and there he stood, looking amazing in a black suit with a black shirt and a royal blue tie that matched his eyes and made them appear to glow. He closed the door quietly behind him, then lifted his head. When his eyes lit on me, they looked surprised for just a second before a smile graced his face.

The nurse seemed shocked by his appearance as he walked over to join me. "You didn't have to come in. I'd have met you outside."

"It's no trouble. I've only been here a minute. But Nurse Johnson couldn't find your name on the visitor's list, so I thought I'd come to the wrong spot."

He glanced at the nurse, a little startled. "I'm here enough, they don't always write me down," he said offhandedly. Then he smiled at her, and I saw her eyes glaze over. _I know the feeling_ , I thought with sympathy. "He's resting now. Thanks for letting me visit."

She nodded blankly. "Have a nice day." She sounded like she'd taken too many Valium.

I frowned at her as Thanatos put a hand to my lower back and led me to the elevators. Just as we boarded the car, I glanced back, and saw her still staring straight ahead. I pursed my lips and nodded to myself. At least I wasn't the only one affected by him that way.

I turned to him, standing so calmly beside me, and found him smiling faintly down at me. I blinked in surprise, then stumbled out, "How did your deal go?"

"Excellent."

"That's good." I looked away and swallowed, trying to wet the dry throat his intent gaze had caused. Then I laughed softly. "I can't believe you had to go to the Intensive Care unit to do it."

One side of his mouth quirked up. "My clients want more, no matter where they are currently."

"What's wrong with this one?"

"Terminal cancer."

I gasped. "Oh, my gods!"

He gave me a reassuring look. "Don't worry. I think he'll be okay. Doctor's are so often wrong about these things."

I quickly lifted my brows and tipped my head slightly in agreement. He was right. My grandmother had breast cancer about ten years ago. They'd told her it had spread so badly that she wouldn't make it. After six months of chemo and radiation and some Coral Calcium pills, she's still alive and is now a cancer survivor.

When the elevator opened, we walked to my car in silence, reaching it just as a hospital security guard was pulling out a ticket book. "Oh, no," I said, running toward the man. "Wait, that's my car!"

"Good, then I know who to make the ticket out to," the security guard said.

Thanatos reached us then, not running like I had but still eating up the ground with his long legs. "Sorry, Mike," he said as he came closer. "She was picking me up."

The security guard's eyes floated slowly to Thanatos', almost as if he were reluctant to look at him. Then he nodded slowly. "Okay." Another Valium response.

What the hell?

I wondered if he was having some kind of attack. "Is he-?"

Thanatos grabbed my arm gently and led me to the driver's side of my car, opening the door for me and closing it behind me when I got it. Then he rounded the hood and jumped in the passenger side.

"Where to?" I asked, but my eyes were on the security guard beside my car. He was staring at the ground, his eyes vacant.

"How about the Old Town Pub?" Thanatos said, pulling my attention back to him.

I nodded, but couldn't look away from Mike the Security Guard. "Okay."

"Do you know where it is?" Thanatos asked after a few seconds when I didn't move.

"Yeah, yeah. Is he gonna be okay?"

Clearly Thanatos had forgotten about the security guard, because he frowned mildly, then glanced toward the expressionless man standing beside my car. His eyes were stormy as they looked back at me. "Yeah, he's fine."

As if on cue, Mike blinked several times and straightened his slumping shoulders. He looked around for a moment as if confused, then focused on Thanatos, who waved absently. Mike waved back, then walked into the hospital.

"Weird," I muttered as I put the car in gear.

"What?"

"That security guard was the second person to react that way around you. The first was the nurse."

"What way?" He sounded almost bored with the conversation.

It made me hesitate. "Well, a little... distracted by you, I guess. It's almost like you-" I stopped, because even for me, what I'd been about to say was a stretch.

"Like I what?" he said quietly, and when I glanced at him, his eyes had frosted over slightly as he stared at me, waiting for my answer.

I suppressed a shiver. But I had to answer him. It seemed imperative to whatever our relationship was or might become. I waited until I'd parked on 6th Street so I could look at him. "Like you... bewitched them, or something."

He held my gaze for a long time, and I couldn't look away even when I wanted to. Then he threw his head back and laughed. "Come on, Kaylin. Isn't that a bit much? Are you really so determined to have your supernatural lover that you would project something like that on me?"

My eyes widened in shock, my mouth falling open slightly as I gasped in pain. That hurt. I wouldn't give him magic powers in my head just to make him more appealing. He was about as appealing as I could handle. If he were any more so, I would stroke out just from looking at him.

But he didn't stop his quiet attack of me. "A vampire, a pirate, and now a spell-casting warlock? Am _I_ not enough for you the way I am?"

I couldn't think of any way to answer him. I was too wounded to really try. I don't know why his words had cut me so deeply. Maybe it was the depth of emotion with which he'd spoken them, as if it hurt _him_ that I found him lacking. Or maybe it was because he was really close to the truth. Not that I wanted him to be something he wasn't, but because I felt that he was something more than I knew.

So instead of answering him, I pulled my eyes from his and got out of the car, crossing my arms protectively over my chest and walking down the sidewalk in the general direction of the restaurant's door. Behind me I heard a car door open and close, then heavy footsteps catching up with me. Like before, he wasn't running, but his legs were so much longer than mine that he covered the distance between us in seconds.

He grabbed my arm and spun me to face him, but I wrenched it away, ready to punch him. "For the record, I never said I wanted you to be a vampire or anything like it. I mentioned I liked them, well before I even had an inkling that you might be anything I was interested in." Well, that wasn't exactly true. I'd been attracted to him immediately, but he didn't need to know that right now. So I continued. "And I didn't say I wanted you to be a pirate, either, just that you looked like one and it was a career I thought suited you better than being a broker."

He lifted a brow. "Anything else?"

His raised eyebrow made me think maybe he was annoyed, and since I was annoyed, it only made me more so that he had the nerve to be, as well. "Yes. I did not project that... ability on you to make you more appealing. I just pointed out how people reacted around you. It's strange."

"Maybe it was all a coincidence," he said quietly.

"Maybe," I acquiesced with a little nod. "But believe this, Thanatos, if nothing else: You do not need magic powers to make yourself more appealing. If you were any more attractive, in any way, women would fall at your feet and beg you to let them lick your boots. _I_ would likely implode," I said with a roll of my eyes.

One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "Are you done now?"

I let out a breath in a huff. "Yes."

"Good. My turn." I rolled my eyes and prepared myself to be lambasted by what would surely be a wickedly sarcastic tongue. He took a step closer to me, crowding me, and I straightened my shoulders to let him know that he did not intimidate me.

When he spoke, his voice was soft. "I don't mind being those things if that's what you want, Kaylin. I like being those things for you. Just so long as you remember that it's me and not actually some other creature."

I gawked at him. "Are you serious?!" I asked incredulously.

He frowned slightly. "Of course. Do you think that I _shouldn't_ expect that from you?"

I shook my head and made a face that expressed my dismay. "No. What I meant was, do you seriously think I could imagine you as someone else? You are so close to perfection- At least, my own version of perfection." His mouth quirked again, and I thought- hoped- we'd gotten past the worst of whatever this had been. "When we make love- and by the grace of the gods, I mean _when_ and not _if_ ," I said with feeling, "Then I will know exactly who is with me, no matter what you do to... satisfy any of my fantasies."

His smirk turned to a grin as he stepped even closer, lightly resting his hands at my waist. "Do you want to make love with me, Kaylin?"

I looked away, suddenly self-conscious. I'd said those things to make him feel better, but I'd meant them. And since he didn't seem to be appalled by the idea, I answered him honestly. "Of course I do." I still couldn't look at him, though.

He lifted a hand and put it beneath my chin, raising my face until I was forced to meet his gaze. It took a few seconds since he was so much taller than me and I fought him a bit. "I want to make love with you, too." Then he lowered his head, and kissed me, so softly I thought I'd imagined it.

But then he slid his tongue along the seam of my lips, and my insides started quaking. I opened my mouth and touched my tongue to his, and my knees went weak. He slid his fingers just beneath the hem of my shirt, stroking the bare flesh at my waist, and my heart started pounding. I was definitely coherent.

After a minute he lifted his head, licking his lips as though wanting to savor the taste of me for just a moment longer. I nearly told him that he could kiss me again if that's what he wanted, but I restrained myself.

"Hungry?" he asked.

I only nodded, certain he'd understand without words just what I was hungry for. His smile said he did, though he didn't offer.

"Let's eat. This place has excellent burgers." Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he turned me once more and led me inside.
Chapter Four

**After** we'd eaten and left, I wasn't sure what to expect. He'd told me he was done working for the day, so I knew he didn't have to go back to work. And I could work whenever, so neither did I. And now that I was with him, I didn't want to leave him.

Biting my bottom lip, I looked toward my car. "So, do you want to come to my house? I'll give you a ride home later."

I heard the smile in his voice when he answered. "I'd like that."

My eyes flashed to his. "You would?"

"Yeah. Why would you doubt that?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I assumed you'd have other things to do."

"Nope. Just you," he said huskily.

I sucked in a breath at his implication. "Well..." I kind of stuttered, because I wasn't sure how to respond to that.

He chuckled as we reached the car. "Relax, Kaylin. I'm aware that women don't typically have sex with a man after knowing them only a day."

But I would have, and that freaked me out a little. What was wrong with me? Did my insane attraction to this man make me brainless, or make it okay that I suddenly wanted to be a Super Slut and screw his brains out right now? _I_ didn't think so, but I suddenly wanted confirmation.

"You can go ahead and get in the car," I said, tossing him the keys. "I want to make a quick phone call."

He caught the keys without looking in their direction, then stared at me for a minute with a smirk on his face. "Need someone to tell you that it's stupid to have sex with me today?"

I was momentarily startled that he'd gotten so close to the mark. "Something like that," I said, playing along so he wouldn't know how right he was.

He laughed once and got in the car. He turned it on, and I saw him fiddling with my stereo until he found a song he liked and turned it up really loudly. I appreciated him giving me privacy. Pulling my phone out, I dialed Kitt's number.

"Hello?" She answered almost immediately, and it didn't surprise me that she sounded half-asleep. It was only early afternoon, and Kitt worked mostly midnight's as a Private Investigator.

I didn't waste time on pleasantries. "Maneuver Nine," I said seriously.

She gasped, and I heard her drop the phone and fumble around for it before she said, "Really? You?"

Maneuver Nine was our way of letting each other know that we were seriously considering sleeping with a man we barely knew, so the other could attempt to talk her out of it. Kitt had used it twice since I'd known her, once successfully, once not. I didn't consider my friend a slut for her failure, and I hoped she wouldn't consider me one, either, as this was my first time.

"Yes, me."

"Details."

"I met him yesterday. He's unbelievably good looking and-"

"Details!" she screeched, needing to know how good looking to get an accurate reading of the situation.

I forced myself to take a deep breath and think of Thanatos, not in a sexual way, but in a way that would make him easy to describe. "Um, he's about 6'6"-"

"Oh, my God!"

"I know. And he's solid muscle. I swear, there isn't an ounce of fat on him. I accidentally touched his thigh yesterday and thought it was a wall."

"Oh, my God!" she said again, her voice pitching slightly higher.

"I know! He has black hair that falls to the middle of his back-" Kitt hummed in appreciation. "-And sapphire blue eyes." Now my friend moaned. I gave her a few seconds to get a good picture in her head.

"Okay, I got it. Good lord, you were right to call me. Is he reciprocating?"

"Big time. We just had lunch together, and I asked him if he had anything to do after, and he said, 'Only you.'" Kitt squeaked out a gasp of surprise. "I know! And, oh yeah! His voice is like Bear's." I was talking about Michael Clarke Duncan's character in Armageddon. It was one of our favorite girl night movies because we always cried at the end. She got the reference.

She was quiet for a moment, and I thought I'd lost her. "Kitt?"

"Yeah, I'm here," she said breathlessly. "By all that is Holy, I swear, Kaylin, you are in trouble. He's exactly everything you've ever wanted."

"I know all that! What I want you to tell me is that I shouldn't sleep with him so soon after meeting him."

Kitt was quiet again, but this time I could hear her tapping her perfectly manicured nails against the table by her bed. "I can't."

I'd expected her to be honest with me, because that was a rule for us. But I hadn't expected her to say that. "What?"

"I can't tell you not to sleep with him. _I'd_ sleep with him if I were in your position. Hell, I'd sleep with him now just based on how you described him, even though you want him."

I knew she was exaggerating- She'd never poach. But she _was_ proving her point: Thanatos was too good to pass up, even at the risk of having to wear a bright pink cape that said 'SS' on it for 'Super Slut'. I whimpered in dismay. "Come on, Kitt! You're my best friend. You're supposed to talk me _out_ of doing stupid shit."

"No," she argued. "I'm your best friend, which means I'm supposed to be honest with you. And my honest opinion is that you should ride him to Hell and back. If the relationship works out, then it's cool. If it doesn't, then you still have the pleasure of knowing you _hit that_!"

I laughed despite myself. "Thanks, Kitt. For nothing, but thanks."

"Hey, what are besty's for? So, when do I get to meet him?"

"I don't know. Tonight. I have a feeling he'll be at my house for awhile."

"Hmm. I might be able to swing that. I'll call you and let you know, and you can tell me if I'm needed as a chaperone or not."

"Okay. Talk to you later."

When I got into the car, Thanatos turned the radio down and grinned at me. "Bad news?"

I sighed. "Yeah. She said you were too good to pass up the opportunity of sex with, so I should do it."

He narrowed his eyes. "How does she know? Who's she been talking to?" he said playfully.

His joking manner made it easier for me to joke, too. "You're arrogant, you know that?"

He sighed as though it were a heavy burden for him. "It's true. I am. But I have plenty of evidence to support it, so it's okay."

I laughed softly and backed out of the parking space. As I turned onto Lincoln Avenue and headed for home, he said softly, "Is it really that bad for you to consider sleeping with me?"

I opened my mouth to speak, then stopped, really thinking about that so I didn't answer dishonestly. "No. That's the problem. I'm not that kind of girl. I've never had sex with a man that I wasn't exclusively dating, and usually for a while. Like, at least a few weeks, if not months."

He frowned at that, and I laughed. "Don't worry, I don't think you'll have to wait. I can't seem to control how I feel about you, and I want you. That is, if you're serious about it."

"I am," he said with feeling.

I took a deep breath to let the amazement of that sink in. "I don't get it," I whispered, glancing at him. He opened his mouth to respond, but I stopped him with a raised hand. "I'm not going to question it, either. I don't care why, so long as you do."

He only nodded, probably afraid I'd just stop him from talking again. After a minute when I didn't say anything else, he opened his mouth again- And his cell rang. Cursing softly, he fished in his pocket for it, then scowled when he read the Caller ID.

"It's Andreus," he mumbled, then answered. "Hello?... Yes... No... I don't know... I don't know that, either. It's up to her..." I couldn't hear what Andreus was saying other than a faint buzzing, but Thanatos was quiet for a long time, and his face grew darker and darker. "Look, Andreus, I don't tell you who to screw, so get off me, okay?... Yes!... Alright, alright, yes, okay... Bye." He hung up and gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"Problem?" I asked, trying to ignore the 'tell you who to screw' part.

He shrugged. "Not really. He's just warning me to be cautious."

"Cautious? Because it's me, or in general?"

Thanatos smiled weakly. "Believe it or not, he's actually doing it _for_ you."

My eyebrows lifted. "Nope, don't believe it."

He smiled again, a little brighter. It seemed as if he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how. After a long hesitation, he said, "There are things he wants me to tell you, about myself, before we make love. He thinks it's only right that I do so."

"Things about you?"

Thanatos nodded. "Yes." When I frowned and looked over-attentively at the road, he rushed to reassure me. "It's nothing bad. Not really. It's just... things about my background, and stuff."

"Why should that matter to me, or have anything to do with whether or not I sleep with you?"

He shrugged, looking uncomfortable again. "Where I come from... You might not like it so much."

I pulled into my parking lot and parked my car before responding. After turning the car off, I turned in my seat and grabbed his hand. "I don't care where you come from, Thanatos. All I care about is you. Your past... Is exactly that. The past. It's not important now."

He looked doubtful. "You might not think that once you know. It still affects me, every day. In a big way. It's why I am who I am, why I do what I do."

I lifted his hand to my mouth and kissed his fingertips, one at a time. I held his gaze as I did, unusually bold, and watched his blue eyes darken to nearly black. "I like who you are."

"I hope so."

I smiled to reassure him and jumped out of the car. When he joined me and took my offered hand, I said, "Come on. We'll go inside and play Scrabble."

"Scrabble?" he asked with a laugh.

"Yep. It's the least sexy game I can think of. And I'm pretty good at it."

He chuckled. "I don't know about it not being sexy. I happen to think brains are pretty hot."

"Damn," I said jokingly as we went down the stairs built into the side of the mountain on which I lived. "Then you'll be in love with me before we're done."

He laughed outright, but didn't deny it.
Chapter Five

**We** played two games of Scrabble to distract ourselves from what we both really wanted to do. I had a feeling Thanatos was going out of his way to be accommodating about the 'no sex' thing, and if I had to guess I'd have said it was because of what Andreus had said to him on the phone. Surely there was more to it than just a warning. He likely gave him reasons- probably lots of them- not to have sex with me.

Despite our attempt to not think about it, it kept cropping up in our games. 'Sex' was played more than once, as were 'want' and 'laid'. At one point in our second game, after much footsie beneath my kitchen table and many smoldering gazes over it, Thanatos played 'blue', and then on his next turn, 'balls'. That one made me laugh, which was clearly his intention because he laughed, too.

So there we were, done with the second game, of which I had won both, and still trying to not think about it even though it was all we were thinking about. The staring across the table got to be so intense that I jumped, practically out of my skin, when my cell rang, and I saw with relief that it was Kitt.

"Hey. Good news?" I almost begged her.

"Nope. Sorry. I can't come tonight. I have a case I need to work on. Big breakthrough. Stakeout tonight. You gonna be okay?"

Likely more than okay, I thought. "Yeah, sure. I'm good."

Kitt chuckled softly. She could easily hear the strain in my voice. "Stay strong, my friend. Or rather, don't. You need to get laid. Who better than your own personal fantasy?"

"Kitt," I said warningly.

"Gotta go. Bye," she said in a sing-songy voice, then hung up.

I hit the End button and glared at the phone. Thanatos lifted a brow at me.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," I said on a sigh. "That was Kitt. She wanted to meet you, but she can't today. Maybe tomorrow."

He easily saw my plan. "You thought we needed a chaperone?"

"No!" I said, scowling at his mocking smile. "But it can't hurt."

He nodded slowly, as though agreeing without agreeing at all. "I see."

"Do you?" I doubted it.

"Sure. You're worried about behaving like a slut, and you thought your friend would save you at least one more day. Because, as we both know, it is inevitable that we will sleep together. At this point it's simply a matter of when."

I gaped at him as he stared so matter-of-factly back. That was pretty much it in a nutshell. I didn't know how he did it, or maybe I did and just didn't want to think about it, but he was right. He'd accurately guessed at my feelings. But then again, it really wasn't guess work if it was blatantly obvious, was it?

"Okay, smartass," I said a little heatedly, and one of his brows quirked up. "What do we do now?"

That glow came into his eyes, and I held my breath. He glanced at the clock on the microwave, then looked back at me. "Have dinner?"

I opened my mouth to retort, then snapped it closed. That hadn't been what I thought he was going to say. "Dinner?"

"Yes. It's nearly six o'clock. By the time we're finished making it, it'll be time to eat."

"Uh... Okay. What are we having?"

He thought for a second. "How does spaghetti sound?"

"Okay." I was surprised that he would choose something I actually had the ingredients for. And not just noodles and sauce. I liked to make my own sauce for spaghetti, because it was one thing I didn't mess up.

So we both stood up, and I started going through the fridge for ingredients while he went through my cupboards. We met in the middle with way more than we needed, and both of us chuckled. We decided that we would use whatever came in handy and put the rest away later.

Half an hour later, the sauce was simmering on the stove, and the noodles were boiling in the pot. We stood talking about our likes and dislikes while we waited for them to be done.

I like tomatoes, and he hated them, but he liked ketchup, which I couldn't stand. We both liked most movies, but he liked westerns, and they usually bored me. He read Jonathan Kellerman thrillers, and I read Nora Roberts romances. While we both liked all kinds of music, I preferred pop- or New Age when I was writing- and he preferred hard rock almost all the time.

Abruptly, as though sensing the perfect readiness of the sauce, Thanatos turned and scooped a wooden spoon into it, then offered it to me to try. I tasted it, and moaned softly because it was so good.

"It's perfect," I said as he set the spoon down. I noticed that some sauce had dripped onto his finger at the same time he did. He looked quickly for something to wipe it on, saw that my kitchen towel was (stupidly) white, then glanced at me. As though on command, I opened my mouth slightly, and this time he offered his finger to me.

I leaned forward slightly and let him slide the digit between my lips, then closed them gently around him. His eyes darkened as I swirled my tongue around and around the tip, making sure I got all the sauce off as I teased him. Then I sucked his finger deep into my mouth, and withdrew it, suckling hard until it popped free of my mouth. "That tasted even better."

"That's not nice," he said darkly.

I chuckled and turned the heat off under the sauce, then grabbed the noodle spoon and scooped one out to test it. I offered it to Thanatos, who snatched it from my hand with his teeth. "It's done," he growled, still scowling at me.

I smiled and turned away to turn off the noodles, and felt him move behind me. He brushed my ponytail aside and dropped a gentle kiss to the back of my neck. I shivered delicately. Give me an orgasm and I like you. Kiss my neck, and I'm eternally yours.

My breath caught as he continued pressing kisses around to my throat, then used his free hand to turn my face to his so I could kiss him.

The angle of the kiss was odd because he wouldn't let me turn around. He kept me pressed into the counter with his solid body. But it was oh, so delicious. Different, which made it that much better. I lifted an arm and wrapped it around behind me to cup the back of his head and hold his to me. Somewhere along the way, I moaned into his mouth.

Thanatos tore his mouth from mine. "This is not conducive to not having sex," he said shakily.

I pinned him with a look over my shoulder, still held against the counter by his lower body, where the evidence of his desire rode high on my backside. "You started it."

He lifted a brow, and it was so imperiously done that I felt like a servant looking up at her prince- Which conjured all kinds of dirty thoughts.

" _I_ started it?" he asked doubtfully.

"Yes! You kissed me."

"Mm-hmm. And what did you do?"

"Nothing!"

He cupped my chin and ran his finger over my mouth. "Really?"

I gasped as my sensitive lips zinged from his caress. But I remembered the spaghetti sauce. "Oh, yeah. I guess I started it," I said, wrinkling my nose.

He chuckled and kissed the tip of my nose, then backed away so I could move. "You did, but I forgive you," he said as we moved around the kitchen, grabbing plates and flatware, pouring drinks, then transferring the food to the table.

We talked while we ate, more hungry than we realized. Thanatos had seconds, then thirds. Apparently, fighting sexual chemistry took a lot of energy. And he was such a large man, I assumed it took a lot of fuel to keep him going.

As we wrapped up the meal and began putting things away, I looked at him from beneath my lashes. "So, did you want me to take you home now?"

"Do you want to take me home?"

"No...I just figured I'd bored you enough for one day."

He stopped loading the dishwasher- Yes, he was helping me with the dishes- and gave me a serious look from where he was bent over the machine, loose black hair hanging over either shoulder. _He was so hot_. "Why would you think I was be bored with you?"

I shrugged, then laughed. "Because I made you play Scrabble with me. Twice."

He smiled, then rose slightly to kiss me softly. "I'm not bored with you. I'm intrigued by you. You fascinate me."

"Why? What do I do?" I was genuinely baffled.

He smiled. "Because you like being bitten, are into supernatural beings, and write paranormal romance novels."

I thought about that. "You know, in some way, all of that revolves around sex."

He turned his head and grinned up at me as he poured soap into the machine. "Yeah." He finished what he was doing, then stood and closed the dishwasher. "Want to watch another movie?"

In my mind, watching movies was synonymous with making out, at the very least, and sex at the most. It would be dark, we would be close together on the couch, and the movie might scare me right into his arms. A chill raced through me, and I saw him fight a grin as if he knew what I was thinking.

"Sure," I said as nonchalantly as I could.

We decided on a scary movie. Actually, Thanatos chose _Signs_ because he'd never seen it- I know, right? How is that possible?- and he assured me that if he hadn't seen it, he was more likely to pay attention to it and not me. I agreed even though it terrified me because- Well, _because_ it terrified me. I liked the thought of letting him protect me from the fictional movie monsters.

He hadn't lied. He was so enthralled with the movie that he didn't make any moves, other than to put his arm around me at the beginning. And a couple times during the movie, when I jumped particularly hard, he pulled me close against his side and rubbed my arm absently. It was instinctive for him to protect, even when he wasn't really paying attention. I found that comforting.

The movie ended happily, the credits began rolling, and Thanatos turned dark blue eyes to me. "It's over."

"It is. You liked it." It wasn't a question.

He nodded. "That M. Night Shyamalan... He's good. I especially liked _The Sixth Sense_."

"Mm. Me, too. I think, though, that _The Village_ is my favorite."

"I don't know if I've seen that one."

"We'll watch it next time. I own it."

He nodded. "Inanities over now?"

Although I wasn't exactly sure what he meant, I nodded. If he didn't want to talk anymore, we didn't have to.

"Good," he said, then attacked me.

Not literally, of course, but his mouth fused to mine even as he pushed me onto my back on the couch. Without having to think about it, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and pulled him tighter against me, and he shifted until he'd settled comfortably between my thighs, holding most of his weight on his forearms.

I strained up into him, begging him without words to touch me, to make love to me. He leaned his weight on one arm and brought his hand up to my breast. He groaned at the contact, and I gasped into his mouth, pleasure shooting through me at finally feeling him touch me this way. Of course, I'd only met him yesterday, so... Whatever. I didn't care. Not even a little.

He massaged my soft mound gently at first, gradually applying more pressure as I whimpered and squirmed beneath him, then finally- _finally_ \- he pinched my nipple lightly, and I nearly shot of the sofa.

"Oh, gods!" I cried, tearing my mouth from his to pant into his ear. He ceased his movements, his breath hot against my neck where he'd buried his face. "What? What's wrong?" I asked breathlessly.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You're so responsive, so soft, so sweet." His words made me blush, and I had to focus so I didn't ignore him out of emotional self-preservation. "You're making me crazy. I'm just trying to remember that you don't want to take this all the way right now."

I did. Terribly. "I... don't, I guess, but I really do at the same time. This just isn't like me. Something about you... Pushes me beyond reason. I can't think straight around you. And I don't know why."

He lifted his head and met my eyes, a strange look in his gaze that I couldn't quite decipher. "Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"It's a little of both," I said with a laugh.

"Bad, how?"

I looked at him like he might be a little dim. "Really? You don't see the downside here?"

He smirked. "Not really. I'm attracted to you, you're attracted to me. Why does that have to be bad?"

"Because I want to jump your bones, and I've only known you a day. In all honesty, I wanted to crawl all over you the second I saw you. I don't know how to feel about that."

He searched my gaze for a moment. Then, slowly, he said, "Let me tell you something."

I waited for him to speak, and when he didn't right away, I prompted him. "Go on."

He smiled faintly at me, playing absently with the end of my ponytail, then said, "I've never been with anyone... like you, before."

"What do you mean, like me?"

It seemed as if he were hiding something, and it struck me suddenly that this might not be the most appropriate position for us to be having this conversation. But neither of us was willing to move.

He sighed. "I guess I mean, I've never reacted to someone the way I do to you. I've never wanted someone like I want you. I mean, I've had sex before- many times- but it was just to... satisfy a basic need. But you... I want to be with you, not just make love to you." He shrugged, obviously feeling self-conscious. "I just wanted you to know that you weren't alone in this strange thing that's happening between us, whatever it is."

I couldn't explain what went through me at his words. I was so overcome with emotion I felt like crying, and yet I wanted him with a fire so ferocious I thought it would consume me before I had a chance to act on it. Not wanting to risk it, I grabbed his face between my hands and brought his mouth down roughly on mine.

He was startled at first, making his reaction a tad slow in coming. But once he realized what had happened, he kissed me back with a fervor that made my head spin. His hand was back at my breast, and mine were gripping his backside, pulling him down against me as I raised my hips and rubbed against him.

He groaned and moved his mouth down to my neck. "Oh, gods, you're driving me insane, Kaylin." He scraped his teeth across the sensitive skin of my throat, and I moaned loudly.

"Yes," I panted. "More."

He nipped at me, then moved down and nuzzled my breasts, using his hands to hold them close together so he could get at both of them. My hands were at his shoulders, massaging and kneading, encouraging him to go further, do more, take what he wanted. He moved further down, lifting the hem of my shirt with his thumbs at my waist and pressing open-mouthed kisses to my stomach.

I wanted his hands, his mouth, his tongue, everywhere on my body. And judging by the way he was all over me, focusing for only moments before moving to the next sensitive spot, I guessed he wanted the same thing. He flicked his tongue just beneath the button on my jeans, and I gasped and arched my back.

I felt his hands at the clasp, one on either side, gripping so hard his hands were shaking. But he made no move to undo them. After a few seconds of anticipating him undoing my jeans, I opened my eyes and glanced down at him to find him staring up at me with glowing blue eyes. Not like the light from behind me in the kitchen or the blue screen signifying the end of the DVD was reflecting in them. Like, _glowing_. On their own, internally.

I frowned slightly and blinked, and when I opened by eyes again, they were normal. Gods, he was giving me a hallucinatory fever... "What's wrong?" I asked, recalling why I'd opened my eyes in the first place.

A faint line formed between his brows, and I heard him swallow audibly before he licked his lips. "You don't want to do this, Kaylin."

I hurried to correct him. "No, I really do!" I said with feeling.

He smiled and kissed my stomach lightly, making my abs quiver. "You think you do now because you're in the heat of the moment. But you'll be mad at yourself later if we do this, and likely me, too. I don't want that."

I tried to convince him. "I won't, I promise. I couldn't possibly regret making love with you. I-" My breath froze in my chest as I stared down at his wide eyes with my own nearly bulging out of my head. Had I just been about to say 'I love you' to a man I'd known for little more than a day? I played my words back in my head, and realized, Yes, I had been.

That was impossible. I barely knew him. How could I be in love with him? Of course I wasn't. It was just the heat of the moment, like he'd said, the absolute pleasure I knew he'd give me that I craved that made me say that. But still... I had almost said it, and that was one thing you couldn't take back without serious repercussions.

Thanatos was still staring at me, eyes huge, mouth set firmly, like he knew what I'd been about to say and was waiting for it. I couldn't tell whether he'd be happy about it or not. A part of me thought he might, after the way he'd spoken earlier. But the other part of me, the rational part that knew people didn't fall in love after only a day, knew he wouldn't like hearing that. Women might romanticize things like this, but men didn't. Did they?

So I said the only logical thing I could. "I think I should take you home now."

Thanatos' eyes dimmed slightly. I don't know what he was expecting, but it clearly hadn't been me kicking him out. "Okay." He levered up on his arms so I could get out from beneath him, albeit awkwardly.

I half rolled to the floor, landing in a crouch but at least on my feet. He rose off the couch and offered me a hand up, lifting me easily to my feet when I accepted. I stood for a moment while my spinning head rushed to catch up with my body, then gave him a weak smile. "Thanks."

He rested his hands on my shoulders, then tipped my face up with a thumb when I wouldn't meet his gaze. "Its okay, Kaylin."

"It is?"

A gentle smile graced his face. "Of course. I had already stopped, remember?"

"Oh, uh, right. That." I told myself I was relieved he wasn't talking about the almost telling him I loved him thing. But I'd never been very good at lying to myself.

**The** ride to his house was quiet except for Thanatos giving me directions, though he kept a hold on my hand the entire time, as though trying to reassure me that everything was okay. I couldn't stop thinking about the words that had almost popped out of my mouth. I'd almost spoken them in passion, true, but to me, that only made them more true, not a lie I was spouting to get laid.

It worried me. I'd wanted him from the start. I was falling in love with him after only a day, if not already completely so. I'd almost told him... It made me wonder what else would happen between us if we continued at this breakneck pace. Would we be married next week? Have kids next month? Not that I didn't want those things, but it seemed like I was being helplessly forced into this by a power much larger than I, and I didn't know how I felt about that.

"Turn here," Thanatos said, startling me out of my thoughts. He shot me a look across the car. "You okay? You seemed pretty deep in thought there."

"I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what?" he asked with a tiny smile.

I could be honest about that without giving too much away. "You. And me," I added when his smile widened.

"I like when you think about me," he said as he kissed my fingertips.

I think he was trying to distract me. It was working. "Why?"

"Because it means I'm in your head like you're in mine."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I didn't say anything. But I acknowledged his sweet words by rubbing my thumb over the back of his hand.

"Turn right at the next intersection. Third house on the right."

I followed his directions, and parked behind two black SUV's. "Nice house," I said, looking up at the huge white building.

"Thanks. What are you doing tomorrow?"

I was somewhat surprised by the question. I'd half expected that after the way I'd shoved him out of my house tonight, he'd want to take a couple days to reevaluate our relationship, whatever it was. "Um, nothing. Probably working on my book." I saw his disappointed look, and rushed to say, "But I can write whenever, so..."

He smiled brightly. "I'll come over after work. It'll be around noon or so. Okay?"

I was glad he wanted to see me again so soon. I hadn't exactly expected him to completely cut and run, but this was better than I could have hoped for. "I'll have lunch ready," I said by way of agreement.

His smile widened into a grin. "Great." He leaned across the car and kissed me, a warm, searing kiss that made my toes curl. "Bye."

Then he was gone, out of the car and walking quickly to the door. With a quick wave, he disappeared inside. I sat there for a second, realizing how efficiently he'd distracted me from my concerns. But now he wasn't in the car, and they were once again racing to the forefront of my mind.

I pulled out of the driveway and headed out of the subdivision, turning onto Lincoln toward home. Why couldn't Thanatos have stayed the night and kept my mind off it all night?

Suddenly, my phone rang. I frowned at the clock, wondering who was calling at eleven o'clock at night. Most likely it was Kitt, bored on her stakeout and wanting to chat. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket and read the Caller ID, then grinned brightly.

"Hi. I was just thinking about you."

Thanatos' smile was evident when he spoke. "Good. I'm not alone then."

"What's up? Did you forget something?"

"No. I just realized that I'd left you alone on your ride home. I should have followed you back to make sure you got there safely. So I decided to call, and I'll talk to you all the way home. It'll be good for us, I think."

I smiled. "How so?"

"Well, so far we've only ever talked face to face. Which is great, but this way we don't have the distraction of looking at each other. We can talk and there won't be any way for kisses to happen, or clothes to come off, or-"

"That's it," I said, half joking. "I'm turning around."

He laughed. "No. Go home. This is good."

I sighed playfully, and continued in the same direction.
Chapter Six

**He'd** talked to me all the way home, and all the way in the house. Even as I checked the doors and got my PJs on, even as I got into bed and wished he was with me instead of just talking over the phone. I fell asleep to his voice, and I vaguely remember wishing I could every night, with him right beside me. But I don't remember turning the phone off. I must have, though, because when I woke the next morning, it was off and sitting on the table beside my bed.

These were the thoughts going through my mind as I stared at my computer screen, watching noon grow closer. I was thoroughly distracted now, but I had actually managed to get a couple hours of writing in this morning, before noon had been this close.

Knowing I wouldn't be able to focus, I saved and shut down, then got up to start lunch. I turned on the stereo and cranked it up so I could sing- and likely dance- while I cooked, and had the forethought to unlock the front door so he could come in if I didn't hear him when he knocked.

An hour later, the chicken had been seasoned and grilled, the lettuce was in a large bowl waiting for the chicken, and the garlic ranch dressing I'd made by hand was sitting in a small bowl on the table, which had already been set. Now I just had to slice the chicken and add it to the lettuce.

I put the chicken on a plate and moved to the counter, swaying my hips dramatically to _Porn Star Dancing_. It was one of those songs I considered a closet pleasure, something I kept hidden from most people. Most women who heard it thought it was degrading to females everywhere. Personally I considered it a sexy tribute to women, especially those who believed pole-dancing was a form of art, used for exercise and entertainment for their mate. It actually made you _want_ to dance that way.

I dipped down low as I stepped to the flatware drawer, weaving back and forth on the way down, my ass almost touching the floor before I came back up. As I rose, two large hands gripped my hips, and I stood quickly with a yelp, spinning around. Thanatos stood behind me, a grin on his face and lust in his eyes.

"That was probably the sexiest thing I've ever seen," he said huskily, lowering his head to kiss me.

His words and his mouth made me shiver with need. I kissed him back but kept it short, then grabbed a knife from the drawer and moved to start slicing the chicken. "Lunch is almost ready. Once I finish cutting this we can eat."

"Can I help?" he asked, still standing behind me.

"No, thank you. I've got it. You worked today. Sit down and relax."

"Sitting down doesn't relax me."

His voice had gone husky again, and goosebumps spread over my skin. I tried to keep my voice controlled when I asked, "What does?"

His hands grabbed my waist again, and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head, the side of my head, then below my ear. "You," he said, then nipped at my neck. Out of self-preservation, I put the knife down, afraid I'd cut myself. He nuzzled my jaw. "I thought about you all night, and all day. Kiss me," he demanded gently, and turned my face toward his with a hand. Then he kissed me, long and deep, the way I'd been avoiding a moment ago.

And this was why, I thought a second later, when I was so intensely engrossed in him that I couldn't have told you my name if you'd asked me. My lips moved against his, my tongue wrestled it's way into his mouth, my teeth nipped lightly at his lower lip. He groaned, and I knew we were heading dangerously close to the edge of reason.

I pulled my mouth from his. "The chicken's getting cold," I said, amazingly calm despite the way I was quaking for him.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, then kissed me once before backing away with a quiet sigh. I turned and continued cutting the chicken to hide my smile. I heard him settle into one of the chairs at the table, but I could still feel his eyes on me, like twin points of heat on the back of my head.

I finished cutting the chicken and added it to the lettuce, then carried the dish to the table before sitting across from Thanatos. I offered him the bowl first, but instead of filling his plate, he filled mine, then his own. I found that curious, but didn't comment.

After lunch, we watched _The Village_. Somehow, we managed to keep our hands- and mouths- off each other, and watched the movie. Even after, he didn't seem to notice the need I was sure was radiating off me. He merely glanced at me and said, "Scrabble?"

I figured that was a good idea, so I agreed, and we spent the next three hours playing. This time, he beat me once.

By that time, it was about 6 p.m., and dinnertime. We worked together to prepare steaks and cubed potatoes, and he showed me some tricks for cooking the steaks on the stove that made them so much better than I'd ever made them before.

I'd just finished eating when my cell phone rang. It was Kitt. I answered it eagerly. I hadn't seen her in a week, and I needed a friend fix, as much as I wanted her to chaperone Thanatos and me. "Hey, Kitt!"

"You're not going to like me very much," she said by way of greeting.

"Oh, no! Can't come?"

"Not today. But definitely tomorrow. I've already cleared my schedule for the whole night."

"Hold on." I looked at Thanatos, who was watching me curiously as he finished the second half of my steak. "Do you have to work tomorrow?"

He nodded. "Yeah. But I can be here whenever."

I smiled. "What time, Kitt?"

"Accommodating, isn't he?" she said sarcastically, which I ignored. Then she said, "How about... 2 o'clock?"

"Okay. See you then." I hung up the phone and looked at Thanatos. He'd pushed his plate away from him, signifying he was done. But his eyes said he was ready to satisfy a completely different hunger. Pretending I didn't see it, I asked, "What?"

"You were really relying on her to come over, weren't you?" There was a mocking kind of smile on his face.

I shrugged. "I haven't seen her in a week. That's a lot longer than normal for us. She's my best friend. I miss her."

"Your _best_ friend?"

I nodded. "Yeah. So?"

"Like, your lesbian friend?"

I gasped. "What? Where on Earth did you get that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just saw how determined you were to make Andreus and I gay lovers, so I figured it had to stem from somewhere."

My mouth hung open. But he had a point, I guess. "Touché," I said, nodding once. "I will never say you're gay again."

He lifted a brow, as if that hadn't really been the point, or not all of it. But he let it go. "So is that the whole reason you wanted Kitt to come over?"

I looked at him. And because I hated lying, I said, "You know it's not."

He rested his forearms on the table, leaning toward me. "Why are you so afraid of what's happening between us, Kaylin?"

I leaned back in my chair, away from him. Any closer and I'd feel his body heat, which would make me lose my mind and I'd leap over the table and mount him. "Because I don't know what _this_ is. And it worries me that I want you so badly, that I'm willing to toss everything I've ever believed in and practiced out the window for just a taste of you."

"Can't love just happen between two beings without reason or sense?"

I was curious as to the 'beings' part, but was far more focused on the 'love' thing. Had he guessed my words the night before after all? "Love? Who said anything about love?" I stammered.

"No one. But it's possible. Isn't it?"

His eyes were dark, intense, serious. It was like he wanted me to agree so badly that he was trying to put the idea into my head. And I had to admit that it _was_ possible. For me, anyway. Did his question, and his desire for my answer, mean he might be feeling it, too, even a little?

I answered him as honestly as I could. "Yes. It's possible," I whispered.

He stood and came around the table to stand in front of me, then grabbed my hands to pull me to my feet. His arms came around my waist, his hands resting just above my backside, and my hands instinctively went to his biceps. "More than possible," he muttered. "Much more than possible. I'd say likely."

I held my breath, afraid he'd call me on what I hadn't said last night. His grip changed, moving from my lower back to the middle of it, then tightened. "In fact, at least for me," he said slowly, looking away, "I'd say it was a definite." His eyes came back to mine, gauging my reaction.

I couldn't think clearly enough to process his words. Had he just told me he loved me? Was that even possible? For this gorgeous, beast-sized man with sex exuding from every pore, to have fallen in love with me? I held his gaze, searching, but I didn't see anything beyond a somewhat hopeful smile.

I stuttered when I tried to speak. "Did you just- Did you-" I took a deep breath to calm my electrified nerves. "Did you just say, in a roundabout way, that you love me?" I had to ask, that's how much my head was spinning.

His smile widened uncertainly. "Sort of."

_What?!_ "Did you mean it?"

He chuckled self-consciously. "Yeah. I mean, I think so. I've never been in love before. I've never felt this way. But I think so." He paused, then asked, "Why would I say it if I didn't mean it?"

I said the first thing that came to my mind without thinking it through first. "To get me to sleep with you."

His smile disappeared, replaced by a dark frown, and his grip on me loosened. "You think I would stoop so low as to claim I was in love with you to get you into bed?"

My fingers cut into his arms as my hands spasmed with nerves. "Well, no, but-"

He leaned back, but didn't quite let me go. "Do I look like the kind of guy who needs to lie to get women to go to bed with him?"

That kinda hurt, because I felt like he was throwing his good looks, and his numerous lovers, in my face. In reaction, I took a step back, out of his grasp. "Of course not. I didn't mean it that way."

"Then how did you mean it?" He was annoyed, quickly edging toward pissed.

I suddenly wished I'd taken Kitt's advice and slept with him yesterday. At the rate I was going, I'd never have him in my bed, or anywhere, ever. "I didn't mean it any way. It just slipped out."

He narrowed his eyes and crossed his massive arms over his impressive chest. "Slipped out?"

"Yes! You asked why you might say that if you didn't mean it, and I answered. It was simply a response to your question. I swear."

His anger seemed to fade a bit. "You're sure?"

"Yes. Why would I lie?"

He kinda smirked at that, as if he'd thought about throwing an answer at me just to get back at me, but he must have thought better of it. "Do you believe me then?"

I hesitated. If I didn't think he was just saying it, then I had to believe him, didn't I? Or maybe I thought he just _thought_ he was in love with me. "I don't know," I said truthfully.

"Why?"

"I don't know, Thanatos. It just seems a little farfetched, that's all."

"How so?"

I gestured towards his body with my hands. "Look at you! You're a god! And I'm... not."

"That's true. You're not a god. Which is good, 'cuz then I would be gay. And since I'm not, that could cause problems." I tried to smile at his little joke, but I couldn't muster it.

Once again, he came close, wrapping me in his arms, this time with mine trapped between us, as if he would shield me from something undesirable. He rested his cheek on my head, and I took a deep breath to inhale his sandalwood scent. "But you're a goddess, Kaylin. An absolute goddess. Every time I look at you I wonder how I got so lucky as to fall for someone like you. I never thought that would happen to me."

I lifted my head, letting all my doubts and fears shine in my eyes. He kissed me softly, then whispered, "Let me prove it to you. Let me prove them both to you: That I love you, and that I think you're incredibly beautiful. Let me make love to you."

His sapphire blue eyes held mine for a long time, hopeful but not pushy, letting me make the decision based on my own feelings. And then I knew: It was perfectly alright for me to make love with him, completely natural, because I loved him. Despite the fact we'd only known each other for three days, I'd fallen head over heels for him.

I was going to have sex with him, I decided, because it was right. But I had to tell him first. Both things. Meeting his eyes, I nodded. "Okay," I said softly, and his eyes lit with pleasure. And not just 'Yes, I'm gonna get laid' pleasure, but genuine, heartfelt 'I am so incredibly lucky' pleasure.

"But I have to tell you something first," I said quickly, and some of the light dimmed in his eyes.

"What?" he asked cautiously.

I gave him my sweetest smile, as if I was trying to soften him for a blow. "I love you, too."

The look on his face was almost comical. His eyes widened, his mouth opened slightly as he sucked in a breath, and his forehead creased with wonder. He clearly hadn't expected me to say that. "You do?"

I nodded. "Yep. Pretty sure. Unlike you, I've loved before." He frowned at that, and I laughed softly. "Don't worry. I've never been _in_ love before, but I definitely am now." I rose onto my toes and kissed him lightly, then whispered huskily, "Take me to bed, Thanatos."

Without hesitating, he put an arm around my shoulders and scooped his other under my knees, lifting me easily into his bulky arms. As though I weighed nothing, he carried me up the three flights of stairs it took to reach my bedroom, rarely taking his mouth from mine. When I could think, I wondered how he'd done it without looking. Guided by love, I guess.

He laid me gently on the bed and stretched out beside me, leaning over me to kiss me again. When he pulled back, we were both breathing heavily. He shook his head. "I'm having a hard time being patient, Kaylin. I want you so badly." His hand fisted in my shirt over my flat belly.

"Then don't be," I said quietly, running my fingers through his long hair where it fell over his shoulder onto mine.

He grinned, glad that I'd given him the go ahead to ravage me- and who wouldn't, really?- then said seriously, "I promise we'll get to the slow, lingering sex next time. But this time, I just need to be inside you."

"Yes," was all I could think to say before he lowered his mouth to mine roughly.

I'm not exactly sure how our clothes were removed. I was too preoccupied by what his lips and tongue were doing to mine. But within seconds I found myself naked, with him rising over me, already sheathed in a condom. Before I could wonder how that had gotten there, I was oh, so glad it was. He kissed me deeply, spearing his tongue into my mouth at the same time that he thrust fully into my waiting heat.

I moaned loudly, nearly drowning out the sound of his gratified groan. "Oh, gods, you're so... You fit so... Mm." He'd started moving, stopping my words even though I was sure by the cocky grin on his face that he was enjoying them.

Then I couldn't think at all. Every part of me was obsessed with getting to that one place, that single piece of absolute heaven, with Thanatos. His name played over and over in my head, like I was stuck on the chorus of a love song. My entire being hummed with want, with the need to reach that pinnacle.

And he was taking me there, guiding me none-too-gently over rocky ground, forcing me past comfort to desperation, and pulling me head first over the edge as he panted and grunted above me. As I grew closer to climax, close enough that I felt my insides beginning to quiver around him, his head dipped down, and I felt him lathing my neck with his tongue.

I gasped and turned my head to the side so he had better access, loving that he would give me this even though he was clearly overcome with need himself. He nipped lightly and my body quaked. I felt his teeth scrape gently over a vein, and my pulse skyrocketed, making me dizzy. Then his teeth closed over my neck, and I screamed in pleasure as an orgasm so powerful it blinded me crashed through me.

At just the same moment, I heard him groan roughly over and over in my ear as his climax claimed him. The sound was harsh and guttural, and inherently male. Amazingly, it turned me on more, and my orgasm seemed to hit a second tier that I'd never attained before. I cried out all over again, locking Thanatos inside my body with my arms and legs while I clawed at his back with my fingertips.

When at last I relaxed into a heap of satisfied gelatin, he raised his head from my throat and looked down at me, though I could barely see him as my eyes were mere slits of laziness. "Did you just come _twice_?" he asked, pride in his voice.

I was going to deny it, just to keep him from getting a big head. But that whole lying thing... Using one finger to trace the black lines of the tattoo at his shoulder, I said, "Oh, I totally did," unable to keep from grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

He grinned, too, and his teeth looked odd in the darkness, relieved only by the light in the hall outside my door. As I rose to my elbows to get a closer look, he said, "Damn! I've never done that before."

Distracted, I asked, "Had a multiple orgasm, or given one?"

"Neither, actually. But I'm glad it was you that got the pleasure," he said softly.

"Well, I've never had one before, so thanks."

Being the man who gave me my first multiple orgasm seemed to excite him, and he leaned down to kiss me.

His lips tasted funny, and I pulled away at the same time I turned on my bedside lamp. He cursed and shut his eyes, falling to the side. He snarled blindly, leaving his teeth visible for my perusal, and I leaned close before gasping. They were covered in blood.

I jumped out of the bed and ran to the master bath, flicking on the light and leaning close to the mirror as I turned my head to the side. From the bed, Thanatos watched me and said, "Kay, you okay?"

I turned slowly to face him. "You bit me."

He frowned and his eyes flitted around the room, as if searching for something. "Yeah...? You said you wanted me to."

"I didn't mean legit. I meant, like, lightly. You know, to turn me on, not break the skin and drink my blood."

He cringed slightly. "Sorry. It was an accident. I was caught up in the moment and didn't realize what I was doing."

I looked back at the wound, which looked really good considering a human had done it and not a vampire. It was neat and clean, though there were twelve small holes- six on top and six on bottom- instead of two. "I hope it doesn't get infected," I said to myself.

I heard him scoff from the bed and turned to see him sitting up, frowning at me. "Thanks a lot!"

I raised a brow and stalked into my bedroom, aware of his eyes on my swaying breasts. "Do you know how many germs are in the human mouth?"

He gave me a look that I couldn't decipher. "Hmm... Did you like it?"

I couldn't lie, and didn't want to. "Yes," I said without hesitation.

He smiled. "Then I lied. I'm not sorry I did it. But I'll try to refrain from breaking the skin in the future."

"Thank you," I said haughtily, glad he'd mentioned doing it again. Unbelievably, I was ready for another go. And judging by how dark his eyes were, so was he.

He lifted a hand and laid it palm up, silently requesting mine in it. As I smiled and placed my fingers in his palm, he said, "I believe I promised you a slower version, milady." Then he pulled me onto the bed and rolled me underneath him.

**A few** hours later, I got up from the bed, quiet and slow so as not to wake Thanatos. He'd fallen asleep only minutes before. I was ready for sleep, too, but I wanted to check on my love bite. True to his word, he'd been gentler when biting the second time, not breaking the skin while still achieving the desired affect. I hadn't climaxed twice, but some women didn't climax once, so I counted myself lucky that I'd experienced that at all.

I closed the bathroom door before turning on the light so I didn't disturb his sleep, then leaned into the mirror. I frowned, checked the other side to be sure I had the right area. Nope, that one was barely pink, but the other one... I leaned close again. The twelve holes at my throat were about half the size they'd been earlier. "What the...?" I said quietly to myself.

There was a knock at the door. "Kay, I gotta piss."

I smiled at the nickname, then forced a scowl onto my face and opened the door. "Charming," I said sarcastically, earning a somewhat sleepy grin as he walked past me and proceeded to urinate without so much as batting an eye at my presence. Oddly, I liked it, the fact that he didn't mind doing it in front of me. I'd had ex-boyfriends who couldn't do that after years together. It made my relationship with Thanatos seem that much more permanent.

I left him to it, still musing over the bite marks on my neck as I climbed into my bed. Thanatos finished going to the bathroom, remembered to lower the toilet seat- good boy- and wash his hands- better boy- then closed the bathroom door. I wondered what he was doing, but didn't let it distract me from my musings of my neck.

The only logical explanation I had was that I'd exaggerated the wound earlier. Everything else- from Tos being a vampire to radioactive spiders- made no sense. I'd just decided that I was a drama queen when the bathroom door opened, and there stood my lover- Oh, my _gods_!- in all his naked glory.

"How do you feel?" he asked, striding closer to the bed.

"Physically?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Fucking amazing," I said, grinning broadly.

He smiled. "And emotionally?"

I shrugged. "Well, I made it three days. I suppose that's not _too_ horrible. Plus, I love you, and you love me-" I raised my eyes to his for clarification, and he nodded accommodatingly- "So that pretty much erases all guilt."

Now he grinned. "Excellent. But three days is a long time without the one you love." He crawled onto the bed, his manhood already fully loaded. "So, we'll have to make up for lost time."

I giggled as he pounced on me.

**Several** hours later, after that third match and a small amount of sleep, Thanatos woke me with a gentle kiss. "I gotta go. Gotta get to work." I thought he looked happy, his beautiful eyes glowing blue at me in the faint light from the hall.

I rose to my elbows and kissed him again, half tempted to coerce him back to bed. But I was tired, really not even sure how he was as awake as he was, and I needed my rest. My entire body ached. In a good way. So I laid back down and told him goodbye, then listened to him leave the house before falling back to sleep.
Chapter Seven

**My** plan the next morning was to wear a turtleneck to cover the bite marks on my neck. But when I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror, they were all but gone, barely visible even on my pale skin. I had a panicky moment where I thought maybe I had been bitten by a radioactive spider, followed by the worst case of the willies I'd ever had and a frantic search of my entire body for a spider bite.

I didn't know what to make of the bite marks. All I knew for sure was that I hadn't been bitten by a spider that had given me supernatural healing powers, and Thanatos wasn't a vampire. The logical conclusion was that Thanatos hadn't really broken my skin, but had dug his teeth so far in that they'd dented my skin, which had gradually puffed out to normal during the night.

But the blood on his teeth...? I stopped walking, halfway out of the bathroom. Half a second later, I started again. There had been a lot going on concerning mouths at that time. He'd probably bitten his tongue.

I let it go, not worried about it overly much, and dressed in a blue blouse that made my eyes look really bright and a pair of blue jeans- my favorite! Then I headed downstairs to eat and get some work done.

Thanatos let himself in at one, using the key he'd taken that morning so he could lock the door behind him. I realized suddenly that I hadn't even questioned it this morning when he'd locked the door, hadn't thought to wonder how he had done it. It seemed natural that he have a key to my house, and I wondered if I should have one made for him.

He set my key on the table, then said, "I made a copy of that while I was out today. Is that alright?"

Well, that solved that dilemma, didn't it? I suppose I should have been angry that he'd assumed he could have a key to my home. But I wasn't. I was glad he'd saved me the trip to the hardware store. I hated that place. "No, that's fine. Actually, I was thinking about getting you one, so you saved me a trip."

He grinned and came around the table to kiss me hello. When he pulled his head back, he said sincerely, "I love you."

I grinned, too. "I love you, too. Are you hungry?"

"No. I ate in town. Can I make myself a cup of coffee, though?"

"Sit. I'll get it. I have to make myself lunch, anyway." It was all so domestic, and it made my insides feel all warm and squishy. And not just in the sexual way. I wanted moments like this everyday.

He gave me a smile and sat, and we talked while I moved around the kitchen, making his coffee, making myself a sandwich with chips. I asked him how Andreus was, and he gave me a chagrined look before saying his friend was fine. I let it go. Whatever Andreus' hang-ups were, they were his own, and I wasn't going to let them ruin what I had with Thanatos.

Like clockwork, Kitt came in at exactly two. She, too, had a key to my townhouse, though she hadn't had to use it as Thanatos had left the door open. I ran up to the foyer to meet her, giving Thanatos a moment to himself to collect his thoughts. Kitt would likely put him through the ringer with questions.

She took one look at me and grinned. "You did it, didn't you?"

I felt my face heat. "Yeah. Can you tell?"

Her eyes perused me. "Please. You're glowing. I'm so jealous." Then she stopped and leaned forward, and I immediately realized the problem. "What's that on your neck?"

My hand lifted to touch the spot. "We just... got a little rough last night."

Kitt typically liked sex like I did; rough was okay as long as you didn't get mean with it. But she gaped at the mark on my neck. "Kaylin, there's twelve spots there. Was a porcupine involved?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Of course not." Then I grabbed her hand and led her toward the stairs to the living area. "Come on and meet him."

As we came down the stairs, Thanatos rose from his chair to greet us. We stopped on the stairs, side by side, heads together, my blonde to her dark.

She gasped. "Oh, my God, Kaylin. You were right. He's like a... ten," she said, parodying a line from _Tommy Boy_.

"I know," I said with a giggle. "And it's all mine."

She shook her head. "You're so lucky. I want one. Do they come in blond?"

I assumed Thanatos would have been embarrassed by our perusal and obvious joint interest, or at least annoyed, but he wasn't. Instead he smiled and said to Kitt, "Actually, my friend Andreus is a blond."

"Does he look anything like you?"

"Quite a bit, actually, yes."

"Sign me up," Kitt said, and I was so excited that they were getting along so well.

Thanatos laughed and offered his hand for her to shake. "Thanatos Angelos, matchmaker."

Kitt smiled. "Kitt Lawrence, eager participant." She grasped his hand and gasped sharply. At first I thought maybe Thanatos had gripped her hand too hard, and he clearly did, too, for he released her instantly. But she didn't let go.

Instead she turned to me, still holding his hand and pumping it slowly, distracted. "Kaylin, did you know he's a demon?"

Thanatos' face went completely serious, and he pulled his hand from Kitt's forcefully. "What?" he said darkly.

By way of explanation, I said, "Kitt's kind of psychic." Then I looked at my friend. "But she must be wrong. Right, Kitt?"

"Do you mean she's kind of psy _cho_?" Thanatos asked, though he looked far tenser than his playful words implied.

Kitt stared at him, as though looking for something to prove her right, like horns or something. "No. She means psychic. It's why I'm a PI." Then she turned to me. "He's a demon."

As much as I wished she was joking, it was clear Kitt was serious. My eyes felt huge as I looked back at Thanatos. "Is that true?"

He looked a little fidgety as he raised his hands defensively in front of him. "I can explain."

Kitt crossed her arms over her chest. "Oh, yes, please." She seemed to be enjoying this.

As for me, I couldn't seem to dredge up any emotion whatsoever that wasn't shock or something like it. I glanced at Kitt, saw she was, in fact, one hundred percent serious, then back at Thanatos. "Thanatos?" I prompted imploringly. I needed to know the truth.

Without another word, he grabbed my hand, and the world went black.
Chapter Eight

**It** took several seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. It was everywhere, permeating even the faint blue light I could make out around me as long as I wasn't actually trying to focus on it. I didn't see Thanatos, but I felt him behind me. He felt different, and my body responded differently too him, much like a deer knows when a wolf is stalking it. The prey can't see the predator, but it feels it in its pounding heart and quaking flesh.

"Thanatos," I said, my voice just hinting at fear.

When he answered, his voice was as deep as it had ever been, but it seemed to vibrate on the air. "Yes?"

"Where are we?"

"Hell."

"What?!" I cried, and tried to turn to look at him, but his hands rested at the back of my hips, preventing me from doing so.

"I needed to explain to you, without your friend glaring at me like I'd done something wrong."

I scoffed. "You didn't?" I was still trying to see him, but he wouldn't allow it.

"No, I did not."

I couldn't help but smile at the affronted pitch in his voice. Without really seeing him, I looked to the side and cast my eyes behind me. "You don't think not telling me you're a demon was bad?"

He sighed. "I guess it could be seen that way."

I was quiet for a minute as some things came together in my head. "That's what Andreus wanted you to tell me, isn't it?"

"Yes."

I tried once more to turn, but his hands were as firm on my waist as they'd been a minute ago. I let out a frustrated sound. "Why won't you let me look at you?"

He hesitated. "I look like myself here."

I wondered how different he could possibly look. An image of him with gross flaky red skin and black everything else flashed into my head, and I repressed a chill. "I want to see you," I said, though I wasn't entirely sure if I did.

"Kaylin, I don't want you to see me like this."

"Why?" I was worried that my fears were going to be confirmed. I could handle him being a demon. I could likely even handle whatever he looked like in demon form. But this suspense was making me insane, and his concern was only adding to it.

His voice was quiet when he spoke, and I heard fear when he answered me. "I'm afraid. I would die if you turned from me now."

He was so sincere, I felt my heart turn over. Yes, I could handle whatever he threw at me now, just to be with him. "A fearful demon?" I asked, smiling for his benefit.

He snorted out a short laugh. "A fearful demon who has everything to lose."

"And just as much to gain when he realizes that I'm not going anywhere. Please, Thanatos."

He sighed, as though resigned. Then his hands slid away, lingering for a moment as if he were afraid to let me go completely. So I grabbed his hands and held them to my waist, until he left them there on his own, though not tight enough that I couldn't turn. Which I did, admittedly slowly.

My first glimpse of him was his feet. He still wore his black boots- no hoofed feet. My eyes roamed slowly upward, my pulse slowing the farther I went. He was wearing his jeans, which fit him as snugly as ever. I felt my pulse kick up, but for a different reason. I saw his dark blue t-shirt, tucked into his jeans, covering his broad chest. Again, a bolt of lust shot through me.

But there the similarities to the Thanatos I knew ended. The arms coming out of his short sleeves were almost as blue as his eyes, maybe a little darker, as was the rest of his skin, and the black tribal tattoo that graced his right arm was now on every inch of skin that I could see, even his face. His ears came to a slight point at the top. He had black nails on his hands, and they were slightly longer than normal, though they weren't sharp or anything. His lips were black, too. I looked further up, and almost giggled hysterically at the small, maybe 6-inch-tall black and blue spiral horns.

But his hair was still the same, long and black and soft. And his eyes, those gorgeous sapphire orbs I loved staring into, were the same, and immediately everything inside me that might have been about to panic at the sight before me, quieted. I looked him over again, saw him as a whole being, how he was supposed to look when he wasn't hiding from me, and fell even more in love.

I let out a slow, soft breath. Before I could stop myself, I said quietly, "You're amazing."

I must have mumbled, something I did a lot, because he frowned mildly and said, "Excuse me?"

I thought briefly that he could have painted himself to look this way, although how he could have done it so quickly, or why he would have done it in the first place, I didn't know. So I lifted a finger and brushed it firmly down his arm. I glanced at my fingertip, saw it was clean, and smiled. I took a step closer, looking up at him, and felt so much love for him that I could hardly contain it. "You're beautiful," I whispered.

He looked startled. "I am?"

I nodded, then went up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He let me, not really kissing me back. But I wanted him to. I wanted him to acknowledge how I felt about him, not despite what he was, but because of it. So I traced my tongue across his lips, and heard him gasp a split second before he grabbed me and held me tight to him, making love to my mouth with his own.

He was shaking when he lifted his head and put his forehead to mine. "I was so worried, Kaylin. So-" He stopped talking and swallowed roughly, which said more than his words could.

"Shh." I lifted my hand to his cheek, rubbed my thumb soothingly across his cheekbone, and he leaned into my palm. "Everything's fine. You don't have to worry anymore." I smiled again and forced cheerfulness into my voice, though I was feeling particularly sincere at the moment and it was a struggle. "So, what kind of demon are you?"

His eyes opened, and he lifted a brow as he lifted his head. "Kind?"

"Yeah. Don't you all have specialties or something?"

He shrugged. "Yes, I suppose so."

"Well?"

"I'm a life demon."

"A life demon? I thought all demons were evil, and dark, and scary."

He lifted a brow as if in consideration. "We are."

"Explain, please."

"I give life to those who want it. The terminally ill, or seriously injured."

"And that's evil, how?"

"Well, I do it for a price or a favor, of course."

Suddenly, I thought of the day I'd picked him up at the hospital. Had I really been disappointed that he wasn't in a powerful or dangerous position? Well, you reap what you sow, I guess. "So that's why you rushed me off the phone the other day, when I was going to pick you up at the hospital. The guy you were seeing was dying."

"Yes."

Then I remembered the conversation after I'd picked him up, and got pissed. I pulled out of his grasp and stalked a few paces away. I was too afraid of where I was to go any further than that. "And you gave me all that grief about 'you being you and not some supernatural being'. What an asshole!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I couldn't exactly tell you."

"Why?" I shouted shrilly. "You knew I wouldn't care. You said it yourself: I wanted a supernatural lover more than a real man."

A look of hurt crossed his face. "I am real."

"You're a real demon, Tos. Not a real man."

He frowned darkly, looking wounded.

I immediately felt bad, and walked close again. "I like that about you, Thanatos. You know I do. You knew I would. You had to know! Why'd you wait to tell me?"

He shrugged, looking a little self-conscious when he answered. "I wanted you to like me for me, not because I was a demon."

That made me laugh, and he scowled. "Is that so hard to believe?"

I nodded. "Yes. You're a demon. Clearly you have feelings, but I wouldn't expect you to be unsure of yourself, not with the way you look and the powers you must have. Surely you can have any woman you want. It's strange to think you might have feelings of ineptitude."

He started to turn away, but I stopped him. "Don't," I said simply. "I'm sorry. You just have these moments when you're such a hard ass. This is unexpected." And then I figured out what he'd been saying on the couch when we'd nearly had sex the first time. "You've never been with a human before me, have you?"

He didn't meet my eyes. "No."

"Why?"

"Until you, I was content with female demons. They were like me, and were content to have sex that meant nothing."

I ignored all that, not wanting to think about him with other girls, even demonic ones. "Why me?"

He shrugged. "I told you I reacted to you in a way I've never reacted to anyone before."

That made me smile, as he'd proven that time and again. I asked curiously, "How'd you know that guy was dying?"

"I know when all things will die. It's one of my powers, so I know where I need to be to do my job."

"Do you know when I'm going to die?"

A very sad look clouded his features. "Yes. And it's killing me."

My chest tightened in panic. "Why? Is it soon?" I asked, fisting his shirt in my hands.

His hands came up to cover my own. "No. But just the thought of you not being here anymore kills me, regardless of the fact that its years and years away."

I relaxed, and grinned up at him. "You know, I've never made love to a blue guy before."

He grinned, too. "I suppose we'll have to remedy that, as I highly recommend it." He snapped his fingers, and a huge round bed with dark blue silk sheets appeared only feet away.

I lifted a brow. "Well, isn't that handy?"
Chapter Nine

**Kitt** didn't hold Thanatos' demon-ness against him. So when Tos was able to set up a time for Andreus to meet her at a group dinner a few days later, she was willing, even eager. The guys were meeting us at Old Town Pub at 7 for dinner. Kitt was all kinds of excited, because I'd assured her Andreus was just as hot as Thanatos. But I felt bad now, because I hadn't told her what a dick Andreus was.

I hoped he would be nice. Or at the very least, not openly hostile, as he'd been with me.

I was also concerned about Andreus being a demon. Thanatos hadn't told me he was, but I didn't really see why he would. I just wondered if she'd be as open to it as she'd been about Thanatos if he was.

We arrived at the Pub to find the guys were already there and inside. As we walked to the door, I glanced in a window and saw the men sitting at the same table Tos and I had used a few days ago. Eager to join them- or rather, Thanatos- I grabbed Kitt's hand and pulled her laughing inside. We informed the host that we were there with another group, and walked into the dining area from the bar.

I paused just inside the door and let Kitt get a look at Andreus before we approached the table. She didn't know what he looked like, but she did know Thanatos, so she found Andreus easily enough. Her breath caught in her lungs and her eyes widened.

"Oh, my God," she breathed. "You were right. How can that level of hotness strike two men like that? How is it possible that two men like that even _exist_?"

I smiled, completely understanding her awe and breathlessness. "Because the gods love us. You should have seen them the first time I did! All outside in the sunlight and whatnot! Mm. Still gives me chills," I said, and shivered to prove it.

Kitt looked at me with absolute yearning in her eyes. "You're so lucky."

I nodded. "I really am."

"And now one of them is in love with you! God, you get everything!"

I smiled. "You could get lucky. Who knows? Andreus could be your Mr. Right."

"That would be nice," she mumbled, lifting onto her tiptoes and bouncing around to see as much of Andreus as she could.

We started toward the table, and Thanatos lifted his eyes and saw us. His face lit with pleasure- and unmistakable love- which served to call Andreus' attention to us, as well. After giving Thanatos a grin hello, I watched Andreus' face as we drew closer. And saw exactly what I wanted to see.

His eyes flicked over me, registering begrudging appreciation for how I'd dressed tonight- tight blue jeans and a black satin blouse. Andreus and I had been trying very hard to get along for Thanatos' sake. It was working, but very slowly.

Then Andreus looked at Kitt, and his eyebrows rose slowly, his mouth gradually opening in surprised awe. It took him several seconds of looking before he realized he was staring, at which time he snapped his mouth closed and pasted a more serious look on his face, though it was friendlier than I'd ever seen him look. Just this side of irritated.

Both men stood as we moved closer. Thanatos greeted us first, giving me a light kiss before making introductions. "Hello, ladies. Kitt, this is my friend, Andreus Fotia. Andreus, Kitt Lawrence."

Our friends extended their hands, and I bit my lip, wondering what would happen. Would Kitt get the same feeling she had with Thanatos, telling her that Andreus was a demon, too? And if she did, how would she react, knowing she was surrounded by a bunch of strangers?

Their hands clasped... And nothing happened. I was almost disappointed when Kitt didn't freak out. All she did was smile genially at Andreus, who smirked back as though slightly uncomfortable with his attraction to her. So Andreus must be a man, I thought, plain and simple. It made me wonder how he'd come to know Thanatos.

Thanatos moved to pull out my chair, signaling Andreus to do the same for Kitt. He did, although slowly, as if unsure about what was happening. The seating arrangement put me between Kitt and Thanatos, and across from Andreus. Eh...

Dinner progressed naturally and calmly. Andreus was surprisingly friendly, especially to Kitt. She had no qualms about asking him a million questions, a byproduct of her career, I knew, and he answered them with infinite patience, never getting annoyed with her seemingly endless inquiries. He asked his own questions in return, repeatedly turning the conversation smoothly back to Kitt if a question became too personal or he just didn't want to answer it.

I was surprised by this side of Andreus. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was a refined type of gentleman, casual and easygoing. He even laughed a few times, which startled me at first and put stars in Kitt's eyes. I began to wonder at her behavior. She wasn't usually like that. But then, I hadn't been, either, before I'd met Thanatos. Maybe I'd hit the nail on the head when I'd said Andreus could be Kitt's soul mate.

By the time dinner was over and we were ready to leave, Kitt and Andreus had exchanged phone numbers, and he offered to give her a ride home so Thanatos could come home with me. She agreed with a grin and grabbed his proffered arm, looking back at me with an excited face as they headed for his SUV. Tos and I watched them leave, waving. As soon as they were out of sight, I turned to Thanatos with a grin.

"Oh, my gods! I can't believe that worked!" I was too excited, and literally jumped into the air to release some of my energy.

Thanatos grinned. "Why not?"

"Because Andreus isn't exactly the nicest guy. I wasn't sure how he would react to her."

"Andreus is plenty nice, if you don't piss him off within the first thirty seconds of meeting him," he said, giving me a pointed look. I made a face and lifted a brow. "Besides, he likes her. A lot."

I gasped. "He does? How do you know?"

"Wasn't it as obvious to you as it was to me?" he asked with a know-it-all grin.

I punched him lightly in the arm. "No. You know it wasn't. I mean, I could tell he was attracted, but lust and like are two different things. How did you know?"

He shrugged, and nudged me toward my car. "I just know Andreus."

"Mm... And Kitt?" I asked, even though I knew.

"Well, let's just say, relationships can affect how long you live. If you're happy, they make it longer. If they're not, they can shorten it. As soon as they shook hands, Kitt's lifetime extended by a few years."

My eyes widened in excitement. "So, they're gonna fall in love?"

"I don't know that much. It could be a couple of really happy months, or it could be years. I don't see that part."

"What about Andreus' life? Did his get any longer?"

He shook his head. "Barring any unforeseen... accidents, Andreus will live forever. So his lifeline can't be affected by her."

That made me stop. "What do you mean, he'll live forever?"

He stopped, too, and frowned. "He's a demon, Kaylin. Just like me. I thought you knew that."

"How could I know that? You never told me."

"Well, I just assumed you'd figure it out. We're so similar, he and I."

I thought about that as we got into the car. I let him drive. I guess I should have known, or at least assumed. And until Kitt had shaken Andreus' hand, I had. But she hadn't reacted. What did that mean? "How come Kitt didn't know?"

"Why would she? You didn't."

"Yes, but she knew about you, as soon as she touched you. She shook Andreus' hand tonight, touched him repeatedly throughout dinner. Why couldn't she tell he was a demon like she could you?"

"He was hiding it from her."

"You can do that?"

"Yes. All demons can. But we normally don't have to. Humans typically aren't intuitive enough to realize what we are."

"Why did Andreus hide it tonight?"

"I told him to."

"Why?"

"Because that's what demons do, Kaylin. We hide ourselves from humans so you don't know you're making deals with us, or whatever. Can you imagine what would happen if I walked down the street with my natural skin? People would think I was dressing up, and then when they realized I wasn't, they'd flip."

"I understand all that. But we were setting them up on a date. Don't you think Kitt should know what she's dealing with if she's going to date him?"

"That's not up to us. Andreus has a right to show himself to whom he chooses, just like I did. Besides, Kitt didn't come right out and tell him she had a psychic ability, did she? It's the same thing."

"Excuse me? Are you comparing my friend's ability to read people to your friend being a _demon_?"

"Yes. Clearly, Andreus' secret is much larger. But essentially, they're the same thing. They're each hiding a piece of themselves that the other might find... off-putting."

"Off-putting," I repeated disbelievingly.

He nodded, and his nostrils flared in annoyance as he parked the car. It was the first time since I'd met him that Thanatos was anything but pleased with me. But I didn't care. I was right, damn it! Andreus should have told Kitt he was a demon. She should know what she was getting involved with.

Just like Thanatos should have told me. Although that had turned out alright in the end. I'd gotten to know him and fallen in love with him as a man, which made accepting his demon side easier. Though I likely wouldn't have cared anyway, but I understood why he did it. Did that make him right in saying that our friends should get to know each other first? Maybe.

"Look at it this way," he said as we went down the stairs to my townhouse. He was clearly trying to stay calm. "What happens if in a couple days, or weeks, or even months, they decide they don't want to see each other anymore? Is it smart for them to share that secret now, so early, before they know each other very well, and then risk having that secret out there for the world if it doesn't end well?"

I paused for a moment, wondering what he was driving at. "What do you mean?"

He stopped on my porch and turned to me, grabbing my shoulders and lowering his head so we were eye to eye. "What if he breaks up with her, and she's so pissed that she tells people about him? Hmm?" He'd spoken slowly, enunciating every syllable, as if speaking to a child.

I wanted to strangle him. Instead I said quietly, "Kitt wouldn't do that. She might slash his tires, or break some of his windows with a baseball bat. But she wouldn't tell people a secret like that. She wouldn't find it personally satisfying. Besides, who would believe her?"

He turned away to unlock the door. "Females are fickle and unpredictable creatures, Kaylin. If there's anything a thousand years of living-" Yes, he'd said a thousand years; I was still getting used to that part "-has taught me, it's that."

I was so annoyed that he was trying to tell me- a female- about females, that I didn't think. My hand shot out and slapped him across the back of the head. "Did you predict I was going to do that?" I asked sarcastically as he turned to me with flared nostrils. "No? I guess you're right, then."

His eyes stayed on mine, glowing dangerously. Suddenly, he flicked his first two fingers at the door, and it flew open, crashing against the wall with enough force to rattle the glass. But I wasn't afraid of him, or his magic. I knew he'd never hurt me.

"Feel better now?" I asked with mock concern.

He lifted his lip in a snarl and stalked into the house, hanging the keys on the hook by the door before kicking off his boots and storming downstairs. I followed more calmly, glad that I'd gotten a rise out of him. In all honesty, I was starting to get aroused, but thinking about that just annoyed me again.

So I tried to concentrate on something else as I went downstairs to find him leaning nonchalantly against the counter. He looked cool and calm, but I knew he wasn't. His bright blue eyes and crossed arms gave him away, just like they had that first day. Though I liked seeing him irritated, I wanted to know something, so I let my own annoyance go. "Why didn't you hide it when you met Kitt?"

"I didn't know I needed to. Maybe if I'd known she was a psychic, I would have." He obviously wasn't ready to calm down yet.

Fine by me. "Oh, you are _not_ putting that on me. If you had told me you were a demon before that, maybe I'd have known to tell you, or warn her beforehand, and we wouldn't have had that problem."

His lips compressed as he fought not to shout. "I couldn't just tell you. I didn't know your level of devotion to me. It could've been disastrous."

I let his strange wording go, and focused on the topic. "At the risk of repeating myself, _how could you not have known_?! I loved demons, and romantic stories with them in them. I was already in love with you. And then I found out I had a demon of my own! Gods, I almost died from the pleasure of it when I found out!"

"Hey! The only one who'll be killing you with pleasure is me," he said, completely missing the point of what I'd said and simultaneously turning us both on.

I don't know exactly what happened then. One second we were standing five feet apart, and the next we were in each others arms, our mouths fused together, tongues dueling, as our hands sought to grab and caress whatever they came into contact with first. Tos' arms wrapped tight around me, and suddenly I was in my room, completely naked and pressed into my mattress by his equally naked body.

Just that quick, he slid into me, and I cried out at the abrupt invasion. "Oh, I love it when you do that," I moaned. It hadn't been the first time he'd 'poofed' us somewhere so we could make love, and I knew it wouldn't be the last.

He grinned darkly and slammed into me, over and over, his hips working like pistons as he drove us both to insanity. All I could do was let him have his way and hang on for the ride. The glorious, mind-numbing, toe-curling ride.

Finally, after what might have been hours of pleasure, his powerful thrusts worked their magic, and I shattered, screaming his name as I came apart beneath him, gripping his arms for purchase so I knew I hadn't fallen off the Earth completely. Moments later, while I was still calling to him, he climaxed, head thrown back as he growled roughly above me.

Then he collapsed, his weight pushing me into the mattress, but I didn't care. I just wrapped my arms around him and stroked his hair until I could speak again. The first words out of my mouth were, "Well, you were right."

He lifted his head just enough to rest his chin on my chest. "I was?"

"Yes. But don't get used to it. It won't happen often."

He walked his fingers up my side, making me giggle and squirm. "At least tell me what I was right about so I can bask in the glory of it."

I grinned. "You said only you could kill me with pleasure. I'm pretty sure you did it. I think I'm dead."

He grinned, too, then turned his head and put his ear over my heart, listening to the thundering beat for a moment. "Nope. Still kicking. I'm so glad," he sighed.

We laid like that for a long time, his head resting on my breast above my heart, my fingers lacing his hair around themselves. We must have fallen asleep, because some time later- I couldn't tell you how long- I woke to him sliding slowly inside me.

This session of loving was different than before. Really, it was different from any other time. I didn't know what was wrong with him, but I sensed that there was a reason for the desperate way he clung to me as he pumped in and out of me, a reason he continued to press sweet, gentle kisses to my mouth, a reason for the way he would take me so close to orgasm and then slow down so that it would recede, only to build me back up again and do the same thing.

Though I had no reason to feel that way, I felt like something was wrong. My mind kept playing through possible scenarios: He was bored with me and was leaving, and this was goodbye. Or, much worse, my time was up, and because of his powers he knew it, and wanted to make my last moments special.

After a few moments of near silence on my part, he stopped moving altogether, buried deep inside me, and lifted onto his hands to look down at me in concern. "What's wrong, love?"

"That's what I'm wondering," I said with a little laugh I didn't feel.

"What do you mean?"

"Tos, I can tell something's going on with you. You've never made love to me this way. Just tell me. I can take it."

A half-smile lifted one side of his mouth. "I should have known you'd guess. I also should have known you'd think the worst." He stayed buried to the hilt, but lowered to his forearms so our faces were close. He glanced away, as though trying to decide how to break the news.

I tensed instinctively, not ready for the blow though I expected it to come.

When his blue eyes finally came back to me, they were bright in the darkness. "I want to bond with you, Kaylin."

I was confused, wondering what, exactly, that had to do with breaking up with me. Did he think we weren't bonding enough? We spent nearly all day, every day together. I hurried to reassure him, in case that was his reason for leaving me. "We do, honey. Every day."

He smiled softly. "No. I mean like, _forever_ bond with you."

I frowned, suddenly feeling calmer, yet more alert. "You mean, like, get married?" I nearly stumbled over the word. As much as I loved him, and he claimed to love me, I hadn't even dreamt of a world where I could keep him like that.

He seemed to think about it, then smiled like it was an amusing idea. "If you'd like. But what I'm talking about is bonding your soul to me for eternity."

My frown deepened. "Is that like selling my soul to you, or whatever it is that happens when someone gives you their soul?"

He shook his head. "No."

As much as I trusted him- which was completely- his words confused me. "What, then?"

He struggled to explain. "This would make it so we can't ever be separated. Your soul would be forever tied to my spirit. You wouldn't die in seventy years like you will if we don't do it. We would have eternity together."

I nibbled my bottom lip, loving how that sounded. An eternity with Thanatos. Sign me up. Yet for some reason, I found myself saying, "That's a long time," with a laugh.

He sort of smiled. "That's right. A _very_ long time. It's forever. It's what I want with you, Kaylin." His thumbs caressed the sides of my face as he stared solemnly down at me.

I lifted a hand and touched his face lightly. "I want that, too, Tos."

His eyebrows rose slightly. "You do?"

I squeezed him playfully with my thighs. "You doubt it?"

He smiled brightly. As I watched, totally fascinated, his natural skin- blue with black tribal patterns- appeared. I found it appropriate considering what we were going to do.

He started moving inside me again, linking our hands on both sides. "Look into my eyes and repeat after me." I nodded, and he spoke softly as he thrust against me, slow and gentle. "I bind my soul to you, Thanatos-"

"I bind my soul to you, Thanatos," I repeated, staring deep into his eyes.

"For all eternity-" he said gruffly.

"For all eternity." My body clenched around him as he moved.

"And in return-"

"And in return-" My breath caught slightly.

"I claim your spirit," he finished.

"I claim your spirit." I was close to orgasm now, but I forced myself to hold out so I could watch what he did to complete this ritual.

When next he spoke, his voice was soft and reverent, and he looked right at me, speaking directly to me. "I bind my spirit to you, Kaylin, for all eternity." I saw that look cross his face, telling me he was as close to orgasm as I was. "And in return, I claim your soul." Then he rammed hard into me, bowing his head and biting me.

I came so fiercely I saw nothing before my wide eyes but a blinding white light as needle sharp points of pleasure pierced my being, my soul, and I felt tears slide down my face from the beauty of it. Beside my ear, Thanatos gasped harshly, then groaned for a long time, twice making a rough gasping sound like a sob. I knew his climax had been as powerful as mine.

When he dropped, it was like a stone falling on me. He was so drained he didn't have the strength to hold himself off me at all, and I had no strength to help him move beside me. So we laid like that for several minutes, me gasping for air that I desperately needed, until he forced himself up and to my side.

"You bit me again," I said once I could speak.

He nodded, kissing my shoulder, the closest thing to him. "I had to. We needed to exchange fluids. Essences, I believe you once called it."

I glanced up at him, still too weak to move so I could see him better. "But we didn't. You bit me, but I didn't bite you."

He gave me a look. "Would you have?"

"I don't know. I doubt my human teeth could have broken your skin."

He considered that. "Probably not. But don't worry. You've taken my essence into you just as I've taken yours into me."

"How so?"

Moving as little as possible, he reached down and touched my femininity, and I bucked off the bed, too electrified at the moment to stand it. He brought up wet fingers. "See."

I wrinkled my nose. "Ew," I said, laughing faintly.

He looked a little offended. "You didn't seem to mind when it was happening."

"No, I don't mind that you did it. Just that you called attention to it."

His face cleared of all negative emotions. "Understood," he said with a nod.

"Thanatos?"

"Hmm?"

"Since we did that, can I...? Could we...?" I couldn't get the words out. I was hopeful, yet nervous.

And I was grateful when he guessed what I was trying to say. "Can you get pregnant?"

"Yeah," I said, sounding relieved even to my own ears that he'd figured it out.

"Yes, you could bare my spawn."

"Can't you just say have your kids?"

He chuckled. "Yes, Kaylin, you could have my children."

"What, exactly, would they be?"

"Nephilim, I assume."

"What?"

"Half human, half demon," he clarified.

"Would they have powers like you?"

"Yes, most likely. Though they could also take after you and have none."

"Oh." It was a lot to take in, even though it was every wish I'd ever had come true.

I must have been too quiet for too long, because when he spoke, he sounded concerned. "Are you okay with that?"

"Does it matter?" I asked, curious.

"How do you mean?"

"Well it's done, isn't it? I've already promised myself to you forever. So even if I wasn't okay with it, it's too late to change my mind."

"No, you have about thirty seconds left to do so, so if you're going to, I suggest you do it now."

"Really?" I said, sitting up.

He nodded and sat up as well, his stomach muscles bunching sexily as he did so.

He looked worried that I was going to change my mind. But my mind was made up long ago. So I stared right into his eyes for the entire thirty seconds, and right before time was up, I said, "I chose you, and I meant it, Thanatos. I love you, forever."

He smiled and kissed me. Just after our lips met, I felt a burning on my right bicep. I gasped in pain and looked at it. A dark blue tattoo was forming, growing darker by the second, of a Triskele inside a heart.

At the same time, Thanatos hissed quietly and looked at his own right bicep. I glanced over, and as I watched, his original tattoo moved on his skin, making room for a new one. It was bright blue, of a triangle, inside a circle, inside a heart. I recognized it as a holistic symbol, but I couldn't have told you what it was for. But this one was slightly different; inside the triangle was a little Psi, the Greek letter that looks like an 'I' with an upside down horseshoe toward the top.

"Wow," Thanatos breathed.

"What?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

He hadn't looked away from the tattoo, seemed completely enthralled by it, and I wondered if he hadn't known that would happen when we bonded. When he spoke, his voice was nearly a whisper, and full of awe. "I expected the Psi and the triangle. But not the circle and the heart."

"Why?" I asked. The combination of symbols looked beautiful to me, and perfectly right, though I couldn't have said why.

He finally looked at me, and the joy and wonder in his gaze filled my heart with absolute bliss. "The triangle is for body, the Psi is for soul. Those two I expected. But the heart is for spirit, and the circle is for mind. Those symbols appearing, as well, tells me you've given yourself to me completely: Body, soul, mind, and spirit. I didn't dare hope..."

I smiled, understanding his happiness even more now that he'd explained to me what his tattoo meant. "Of course I have."

He attacked me, tackling me to the bed to rain kisses on my face. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he said.

I laughed, then sobered as another wonderful thought filled my head.

He sensed more than saw that something was on my mind. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering..."

"What, love?"

I smiled at the word he used to address me. "Well, when you have eternity, how soon is too soon for kids?"

His content smile darkened sexily, and he growled as he pushed inside of me. "It's never too soon."
Check out 'My Human Lover',

Andreus and Kitt's story,

by Michelle Grotewohl,

available now through Smashwords

And for more paranormal romance,

also check out 'Dmitri',

by Michelle Grotewohl,

available now through Smashwords
