Page 22 of The Incubus and the Bodyguard

Vlad stiffened. Before he could analyze whether her words were a threat, Delphine closed the distance between them. She grabbed the lapels of his suit, tugged him close, and pressed her mouth to his.

Her kiss stole his breath. She tasted like expensive whiskey, her body fitting against his like she belonged there.

Vlad buried his hands in her hair and deepened the kiss, loving the feel of her against him. Delphine made a sound low in her throat that shot straight to his groin.

The elevator dinged.

They reluctantly ended the kiss. Delphine’s lips were slightly swollen, desire turning her eyes the color of a stormy sea.

“Coming?” she said as she stepped out of the elevator.

He grinned, the double entendre not lost on him as he followed her across the landing to his apartment.

Tarang slipped quietly through the front door when Vlad opened it. The tiger’s subdued behavior roused his curiosity once more.

Delphine hooked her fingers into his belt loops.

He chuckled as she pulled him into the penthouse foyer, only for his breath to catch when his back hit the wall.

Delphine’s mouth found his again, hungry and demanding.

Her strength surprised him.

It was as if a switch had flipped inside her and she was showing him her true self for the first time that night.

“Bedroom?” she breathed against his lips.

“Upstairs.” Vlad caught her hips and used the leverage to reverse their positions, making her gasp softly. “Unless you’d prefer the couch?”

Color stained her cheekbones when she felt the evidence of his desire.

“Bed.” She leaned in and tugged his lower lip sultrily with her teeth before releasing him. “I plan to take my time with you.”

Heat smoldered in Vlad’s veins. He was usually the one who took control during encounters like this. But something about Delphine made him want to cede that control.

They left a trail of clothes in their wake as they made their way up the stairs, their hands urgent and their mouths meeting in hungry kisses. Delphine’s sweater hit his antique sideboard. His jacket and tie joined it. Her boots ended up somewhere near his bedroom.

Vlad closed the door on an annoyed Tarang’s face and took a moment to appreciate the black lace underneath Delphine’s clothes before she dragged him across the floor and pushed him onto his bed. He went willingly, drinking in the sight of her crawling up his body.

“Nice digs.” Her gaze swept the masculine surroundings before finding his, the heat in her eyes incandescent. “Still feeling confident?”

He laughed. The sound turned into a groan when she rolled her hips.

“Getting more confident by the second!” he gasped.

The slow smile Delphine gave him was pure sin. “Good.”

Vlad forgot about everything as the night wore on and he lost himself to the woman in his arms.

His missing powers. The mess with the crime families. Mae.

It wasn’t until they finally fell asleep in a tangle of limbs, sweat cooling off their sated bodies, that he realized he felt like himself again for the first time in months.

It seemed like barely minutes had passed before sunlight was warming his face, dragging him from a deep slumber. His body ached pleasantly, memories of the night’s activities bringing a smile to his lips even before he opened his eyes.

He reached across the bed.

The sheets beside him were cool.

---