Her first thought: Yes! Finally!
Her second: He wants me so bad.
As her mind whirled and her body wept with relief, William's irises glowed red with menace. "I hope you like three-ways, Pucky, because I'll be throwing myself into the mix."
"You can try," Puck said, his jaw clenched.
"Uh, guys? I need you to..." What? Kiss each other and make up?
Mmm. Now, wouldn't that be nice?
To her surprise, Puck stood and stalked away without uttering another word. True to form, he never looked back.
Peanut, the traitor, leaped up to trail after him.
She wanted to do the same, but consoled herself with the silver-medal choice and glared at William.
"What?" he demanded. "What'd I do wrong?"
"Stop flirting with me in front of Puck. And stop antagonizing him. I'm not going to sleep with you, William. I'm not going to cheat on my husband." Her dreams of dating other guys had gone up in flames the moment she'd first entertained the idea, whether she'd known it or not.
"He's your temporary husband. There's a difference. And I'm not asking you to cheat on him."
"What are you asking me to do, then?"
"What else?" He spread his arms wide. "Give a suitor a proper kiss. What? What's that look? Kissing isn't cheating. It's one friend helping another friend refill her lungs. Kissing is survival."
"If you believe that, I feel sorry for your true ladylove." Just to be mean, because yes, Gillian had developed a wee bit of a cruel streak, she added, "Whoever she happens to be."
As he studied her face, perhaps searching for weaknesses in her resolve, he appeared flabbergasted, as if he'd never known rejection--of any kind--and had no idea what had just happened. He opened his mouth, closed it. Opened, closed.
Finally he settled on, "Your strong moral code turns me on."
"Please. A gentle wind turns you on."
"I want you," William said, and this time his tone had a little bite.
"Okay, say I wanted you back. How would we spend our life together?"
"I would war with Lucifer, you would tend my wounds. As before."
Ugh. "You think that would be enough for me?"
Crystalline eyes aglow, he said huskily, "Every moment in between, we would spend in bed."
Still. Not. Enough. "And if I wanted to fight at your side?"
"We'd...negotiate."
Meaning he would try to talk her into staying home. Old Gillian would have thrilled. New Gillian wanted to gag.
"Explain why you want me, specifically," she said. "Why you would come here for me. Why you would help Puck, just to free me from the bond. I have a vague memory of overhearing some of the Lords talking about how you were waiting for my eighteenth birthday to claim me. More vividly I remember you telling me that you would never fall in love or get married."
He tugged on the end of her thickest braid, a playful action that belied the growing strain in his expression. "From the beginning, I knew there was something different about you. I fought it. I told myself I wouldn't do anything with you, no matter how old you were, or weren't. But deep down I knew the moment you were ready, I would pounce. Then Puck took you away, and I felt as if I'd lost..."
"What? Your favorite toy?"
"Everything."
The single word hit her like a punch in the sternum. Her ribs seemed to crack, acid leaking out. For a moment, she said nothing. She couldn't. She hoped his intensity would lessen and he'd crack a joke. He didn't.
If he'd truly desired her, if he'd considered Gillian his fated mate, why hadn't he eschewed other women and waited for her?
He should have waited for her.
"William--"
"No. Don't say anything. Not until the bond is severed."
Was he right? Would her desire for Puck really fade? If so, would she want William in her bed--her body? Right now, she couldn't imagine wanting anyone but her husband.
A muscle jumped under his eye once, twice. "If you feel like you must be with him, go, be with him. Sow your wild oats. Get him out of your system." Staring up at the heavens, he said in a quieter tone, "I deserve this, I really do."
"I'm not doing this to punish you," she said, then frowned. She didn't owe him an explanation, or excuse. "I will sow my oats, and not because you permit it."
Had the circumstances reversed, Puck wouldn't tell her to get another man out of her system. No, he would keep his promise to kill anyone she even thought about dating. Because he wanted her passion all to himself. Clearly!
Touch me again, and I'll press you into the sand and slam inside you.
Decadent shivers, irresistible heat.
Get a grip!
"Just...take a cold shower tonight," she said. "Then kiss and make up with Puck, okay?" Oh, good gracious, that image again! Hubba hubba. "And make sure I'm there to serve as witness." She pressed her hands together to form a steeple. "Please, please, a thousand times please."
He tsk-tsked, his intensity lessening the slightest bit. "Cold showers are a myth. No man has ever taken one. We're more inclined to take hot showers, and exercise a bicep with a repeated up and down motion. If we can't find a suitable replacement for whoever left us swollen and needy."
"Then do that," she said, and waved her hand in a shooing motion.
"Which one? The shower or the replacement?"
"Either. Both."
"Harsh, woman. Harsh." He flattened his hand against his chest, right above his heart. "One day you'll want me to yourself, forever and always."
There went her amusement. "I'm sorry, William, but--"
"No, don't say anything you'll regret."
As the back of her neck prickled with awareness, perhaps anticipation, she scanned the crowd--and thrilled. Puck hadn't left the party, after all. Or if he had, he'd returned. He stood on the fringes, shrouded by shadows. Did he watch her?
Heart fluttering, she stood before she realized she'd moved. "Stay here and have fun, Liam. I might or might not be back."
"I might or might not be counting the seconds." William blew her a kiss before flipping off Puck.
Noticed him, too, had he?
Gillian hurried over. Just before she reached Puck, he turned on his heel and strode away. This time, she followed.
Rosaleen stepped into her path, stopping her. "Your friend. The one with baby blues. You didn't tell me he was the most beautiful man in creation. Is he single?"
"Very." Gillian looked around her. No sign of Puck. Dang it!
The general fanned her flushed cheeks. "Mind if I make a move?"
"Not even a little." If anything, Rosaleen would be doing her a favor, keeping William occupied.
Johanna came over and slung an arm around Rosaleen's shoulders. "Did you ask about the blue-eyed devil?"
"Single," the other woman replied with a wide grin.
The two high-fived.
"What about the horned one?" Johanna wiggled her brows. "You're done with him, right?"
Gillian stiffened, happy one moment, ready to commit murder the next. "He's still married. To me."
Both women paled as they held up their hands, palms out, all innocence, and backed away.
"Whoa, whoa," Rosaleen said. "No reason to Hulk-out."
"I'm not going to touch him, honest," Johanna said.
Deep breath in, out. "Sorry," Gillian muttered. "Look, I've got to go." She darted around her friends, searching, searching...if she couldn't find Puck through natural means, she'd have to use magic.
With the coming journey, she would much rather hoard magic. Wait! There. Strange prints, the tread unequally distributed, as if a hoof-shaped weight had worn down the sole's center. Natural means for the win!
She trailed him to...her house. Excitement making her limbs weak, she shut and locked the door.
Puck occupied the living room, his back to her as he walked around, examining the many weapons that hung on the walls. Did he understand she'd taken them as trophies, or did he doubt he
r like William?
"Where is Peanut?" she asked.
"In the barn, resting."
A sudden thought struck her. How had Puck found her house? She hadn't shown him, and none of her soldiers would share her location without permission.
Tracked me, the way I tracked him, his desires too strong to be denied?
Shivers cascading down her spine, she said, "Why are you here?"