At one point, the girl had cried, "Double down!"
He'd frowned at their hand. "What does that mean?"
Between peals of laughter, she'd said, "I don't know!"
But in the end, he and Ruby had won more than they lost, and Carrow had finally run out of shells.
"You guys were merciless. But I want a rematch soon." She turned to him, caught him staring at her before he gazed away. More softly, she said, "That was fun."
Surprisingly, it had been.
Though the child's energy had begun to wane, Ruby said, "We can give you more shells." She scooped up a handful, solemnly offering them to Carrow.
"Nope. Time for bed."
The girl grumbled but did rise. "Good night, Malkom." She leaned in and kissed his cheek, then trudged toward Carrow.
"And to you, deela," he muttered brus"uely, not liking Carrow's delighted smile.
"Come on, kiddo." As she s"uired Ruby to bed, she glanced over her shoulder. "I'll be back in a minute." She bit her bottom lip in that way that drove him crazy.
Gods, he desired her, still craved her, but taking her would be reckless. Cannot do what my father did.
Then stay away from her.
* * *
As per Ruby's re"uest, Carrow had promised to hold her hand until she'd fallen asleep, assuring her that she and Malkom would be close by if she woke up.
Naturally, when Carrow was dying to get back to Malkom, the girl had been chatty, talking about her day with him. Already, Ruby nursed a serious case of hero worship for the demon.
Makes two of us. When he'd freed Ruby from those rocks ... no one else could have done it.
Once Ruby had drifted off at last, Carrow crept out of the room, her heart racing.
He was gone.
Earlier, by the fire, he'd been looking at her with that dark, hungry expression. She hadn't known if it was an invitation or not.
Assuming it was, she set out to find him, wearing only a sweater, her leather skirt, and a blanket wrapped around her. She found him on the calm side of the cape, deep in the water he'd earlier fished.
"What are you doing?"
His breaths fogged over the freezing water. "Learning to swim."
"I could have taught you." She laid out the blanket, sitting down to wait for him.
"I figured it out." He seemed to have gotten the hang of it, swimming with fairly sure strokes. Eventually, he made for the shore.
She was just about to ask him if he was cold when he rose up, naked and magnificent. Her lips parted. Not cold at all.
As he stalked toward her with his long-legged strides, she nearly whimpered with need. Water lovingly sluiced down his torso, drops clinging to chiseled abs before reaching his muscled thighs, his narrow hips ... and between. He stiffened under her gaze, his length distending.
He'd gotten her used to enjoying him almost hourly. Now she'd gone a week without him. She needed release - but she also merely wanted to be close to him again.
"What do you want, witch?"
"To talk to you. Have you thought about my plan?"
He reached for his clothes. "I told you I will consider it."
"Just look at me." A shake of his head. "No? You couldn't keep your eyes off me tonight."
Finally he faced her. "You are the one who put us in this situation. I am just trying to get us through it."
"By not talking to me? By not touching me?"
He stabbed his legs into his pants, hissing in a breath as he fastened them over his erection.
She rose, sidling closer to him. "I know you still care about me. When I'd drowned, you were a mess. You were relieved to see I was going to be all right."
"I did not want my fated female to die, no."
And he's learned snarkiness!
She touched his arm, but he flinched. "What can I do to earn back your trust?"
"Leave me be, so I can think on my own."
"Okay. If that's what you want. I just thought you needed more, from the way you looked at me."
"And what if I did need more? What would you offer me, wife?"
"Sex. I'm offering to have sex with you."
He gave a bitter laugh. "All you would be doing is keeping a vow you already made."
"That's true."
"If you are so eager for it now, why did you not let me claim you in Oblivion?"
"I don't have sex with just anyone, Malkom. You were out of control at first, frightening me at times. And then when I did offer, y-you bit my breast!"
"Which I paid for dearly."
"Yes, you did. But the fact remains that I offered myself to you because I had feelings for you. Undeniable ones."
In a scoffing tone, he said, "You were that sure of me in Oblivion? When you had no fated tie to me?"
"I was well on my way to being sure. I trust my instincts. And they were screaming that you were the one for me."
"A pretty story from a deceptive witch."
"Malkom, I know it'll take time for you to trust me again. But I also know it will happen. Maybe we can enjoy each other until it does? I'm asking you to make love to me."
"So I will continue protecting you? You are offering yourself up to a demon you seek to use. Just as before, witch. Nothing has changed."
"I'm offering because I desire you so much." She took his hand, kissing his callused palm before trailing it down her chest, her belly. ... "Touch me. See how much."
Seemingly of its own will, his hand continued down. At the leather hem of her skirt, he hesitated.
Carrow didn't think she breathed until his hand disappeared beneath her skirt. She trembled as his palm grazed up her thigh.
When his fingers met the wet folds of her bare sex, his brows drew together, and he cast her a look so fierce, part scathing, part adoring.
A wild, lost male.
"I miss the way you touched me, Malkom. The way you kissed," she breathed. She was wetter than he'd ever felt her, "uivering with need.
His nostrils flared at the tantalizing scent of her arousal. "Damn you, witch," he bit out, unable to stop his fingers from stroking her slick flesh. His c**k shot even harder for that damp heat.
She leaned into him, laying her palms flat on his chest. Against his skin, she murmured, "Will you kiss me?" Then she licked his pierced nipple.
He shuddered, cupping her head tight to his chest with the crook of his arm. "Again," he rasped brokenly as his fingers continued rubbing betwixt her thighs.
Her tongue darted out, flicking till his knees went weak.
"You want my kiss?" He released her. "Come to me."