Page 24 of Taming Chaos

With the fabric clasped between his fingers, Torin made small strokes, tracing over the slight bend in her nose, over the generous curve of her cheek and the strong angle of her jaw.

A stray curl of hair escaped from beneath the hood of her cloak, teasing him with its crimson brilliance.

His cock stirred, and it took all of his self control to keep a straight face.

It was little wonder the Ephrenians had been so desperate to secure this magnificent female for their client. She was everything a full-blooded Kordolian male could possibly dream of. His gaze flicked downward. Although her body was hidden beneath her cloak, he could still make out the round swell of her breasts and the generous curves of her hips.

In his short time on Earth, Torin had seen many gorgeous females of the human species. They were a fantastically diverse race, and he’d come to appreciate their beauty in all its hues, shapes, and sizes.

Still, he had his preferences, and Miss Winters fit all of them. He’d never seen a more perfect human being in his life.

Honestly, what were the chances that he’d encounter such a stunning woman on filthy Zarhab Groht? Sometimes, he suspected the Goddess herself must be playing a grand old game with him.

“Nearly done,” he whispered, dabbing at a particularly stubborn speck of blood below her right eye. Red eyelashes fluttered, and for some reason, that tiny movement sent his cock into overdrive.

The savage in him wanted to tear her cloak off so he could view her in all her voluptuous glory.

No. Her cloak was her only sanctuary in this wretched place. She held it around her as if it could shield her from the horrors of the Universe; a familiar comfort in a merciless world. There was no way he was going to take it from her. He couldn’t do anything to jeopardize her fragile trust.

Small steps, fool.

She could not learn of his arousal, not yet. Perhaps when things were more settled, when the danger had passed, when he had succeeded in extracting her from this infernal problem, then there would be time to explore this… unexpected development.

But right now, they were trapped in a box with the vast depths of space on one side, and the toxic air of the Ephrenian ship on the other.

What could he do but wait for the Ephrenians to show their hand?

He wiped the last speck of blood off her soft, dewy skin, savoring the intimacy of the action. “All gone,” he reassured her. “Sorry I can’t do anything about your cloak.”

“One of the things they don’t tell you about space is that there aren’t any hot showers out here,” she muttered, putting on a brave face. “That’s the first thing I’m going to do when I get back to Earth. Take a nice long hot shower.”

An image flashed into Torin’s mind of her naked under a torrent of water, her pale skin slick with moisture, her brilliant red hair wet and plastered against her face.

The Persephone in his imagination turned and winked at him.

Torin nearly choked. He took a deep breath and bit down on his lower lip, his fangs sinking into the soft flesh. Bitter blood filled his mouth, distracting him from his maddening thoughts.

Her scent—rich, sweet, spicy musk—filled his nostrils.

Torin let fabric of her cloak slip from his grasp. He stepped back.

Focus, idiot!

He placed his hands behind his back and averted his eyes, not trusting himself to act civilized. He was no stranger to temptation, but never had he experienced anything quite as intense as this.

“I smell that bad, huh?” Her tone was laced with irony as she misinterpreted his silence. It was both familiar and self-deprecating, and oddly, Torin wanted to join in and tease her.

You smell amazing. I could devour you.

“Sooner or later, the Ephrenians will have to deliver you to their customer,” he said instead, changing the subject. “They will want to extract you, but they can’t.”

“Because of you.”

Torin nodded sharply. “I don’t trust them, though. Ephrenians take pride in their…” he searched for the right word.

“Duplicity,” she finished. “Deceit is an art-form to them. That’s why I asked NA for the extra guards; why I warned Markov to be careful. But what would I know? I’m just an academic.” She shook her head, her lips twisting wryly. “They never fucking listen.”

“You read my mind. Your colleague got greedy and played right into their hands.”

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