His chin was bent as his hands dropped to his tactical pants. A button come undone and down went the zipper. I clutched the bedspread, and he lifted his gaze. “You like what you see, don’t you?” he asked as he shucked off his pants.
I nodded and then said, “Yes,” in case he doubted it.
A slow smile graced his lips. “I like you watching me.”
Ren sometimes went commando, and that was incredibly hot to think of. Today he had on tight black boxer briefs, and I could tell he really did like me watching. I could see the hard, thick ridge of that approval straining the material.
My stomach dipped as he picked up his clothes, folding them neatly and placing them on the chair by the door. Then he disappeared into the bathroom. We obviously hadn’t done anything of the fun and naughty nature since last Wednesday, and we only had sex that Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Before then, we’d messed around, and it had been wonderful, but we hadn’t spent a lot of time together. And before Ren, there had only been Shaun and the one time. A burst of sadness lit up my chest at the thought of the boy I’d loved and lost three years ago. The pain was still there, probably would always be there, but it was fading like I guessed . . . I guessed it was supposed to.
But now there was Ren, and I refused to lose him, too.
The bathroom door opened. Our relationship was still so new that a fine tremble coursed through my belly as he approached the bed.
“So, I’m wondering about something,” he said, stopping at his side.
I focused on his face. “What?”
“Why are you clutching the blanket like it’s going to run away from you?”
“Oh.” I let go of the blanket and scooted down onto my back. “I don’t know.”
A half-grin appeared as he slipped under the covers. He turned off the lamp and rolled over onto his side, facing me. “You’re really weird tonight.”
Oh dear. “No, I’m not.”
He carefully placed his arm over my hips and shifted so the front of his body was pressed against mine. I tipped my head back and turned toward him. I couldn’t make out his features at all since I kept heavy curtains on my windows. The room was pitch black, but I could feel his gaze.
And I could feel his hard length against my hip.
I couldn’t help it. I immediately thought of him in this bed, moving over me and in me. An ache blossomed between my thighs. I shifted, wiggling my hips, and Ren let out a deep, rumbling sound. I moved again.
His fingers splayed across my outer hip as he dipped his head, brushing his lips over my temple. “You moving like that is going to drive me crazy.”
My toes curled. “We could, you know, do something about it.”
He made that sound again, and I felt the tips of my breasts tingle. “Ivy, we’ve got to take things easy for a little bit.”
“What?” I whispered, turning onto my side. I placed my hands on his chest. In the darkness, he kissed my forehead. “Do you not . . . want to?”
The second I asked that question I wanted to kick myself in the face. What in the hell was wrong with me? I was a halfling. And admittedly, I was feeling a wee bit unsure about things, like, for example, should I even be coming onto him when I was this . . . this thing he was here to literally kill? Was I betraying him in a way, his—
“Babe, I want nothing more than to get between those legs with my hands, my mouth, and most definitely my dick, but I’m not going to risk hurting you.” His hand flexed along my hip. “So for right now, it’s me and my hand on my dick and thoughts of you naked underneath me, coming and screaming my name.”
My body flushed hot at the image of him touching himself. “That’s not helping.”
“Ditto.”
Easing onto my back, I exhaled softly and closed my eyes. His hand stayed on my hip as he settled back in against me. Several moments passed, and in that time, a hundred different things filled my thoughts. I pushed aside the whole halfling business, and almost wished I hadn’t, because I started thinking about Val.
I still couldn’t believe what she’d done. I mean, I’d accepted that she was a traitorous bitch, but I just couldn’t understand why. How long had she been working with the fae? There was no way it could’ve been since I met her three years ago. Or at least I hoped not. She hadn’t been under compulsion, because she’d been wearing the four-leaf clover incased in her bracelet. I’d seen it, and the simple, yet extremely powerful thing prevented a fae from manipulating a human. She was using free will while aiding the fae, and even when she went back to headquarters, removing some weird, random crystal David had kept in storage. She made that choice.
How could she do this to everyone?
Heart pumping, I opened my eyes. “Ren?”
“Yeah?”
“Did . . . David say anything about Valerie?”
He didn’t answer immediately. “Order members are looking for her, but no one has seen her.”
That was because they didn’t know where to look or know her like I did, but I was going to find her. I had to, because I had to make sense of how she could do this.
“She’s a big concern. She knows a lot about the Order, and David isn’t keen on the fact she’s probably shared a shitload of secrets with the fae.” He paused. “I still want to kill her.”
And I still had a hard time hearing that.
I got his anger though. I was also furious. After the gate had opened and the prince had strolled through, kicking ass and not taking names, I’d followed them back to the Order’s headquarters, and she . . . she had left me there with him. There was no doubt in my mind she knew what was going to happen, and she left me.