“I know you aren’t avoiding answering the question.”
“Don’t be a brat,” he grumbles with an edginess to his voice that makes me want to push him further.
I dig in and start cutting my steak instead.
“Mhmmm,” I groan out on the first bite. “So juicy.”
Death stares at me as the juice dribbles down my chin and I lick my fingers.
“What?”
“Nothing.” His gaze returns to his food, and he doesn’t look at me the rest of our meal making it seem as though I’ve done something wrong.
Maybe I pissed him off when I suggested he’d sleep with me. It was a rotten thing to say to him. The man makes me want things I shouldn’t.
I’ve always loved to play with fire. Been drawn to and tempted by the flicker of the flame. When I was a kid, I was always getting into trouble for holding my hand over candles and dipping my fingers in the wax. Mom would bitch and say I ruined them because they came from some store at the mall, but my dad was more pissed about what she had spent on them.
“You staying at your dad’s cabin or want me to see if there’s a clean room here?” he finally speaks.
“You trying to get rid of me already?”
Death clears his throat. “Never. Just figured I’d turn in early.”
“Or you could keep me company…” I trail off. Let him read into that what he will. “I’ll do the dishes and find a room to crash in.” I shove my chair back and when I reach for his plate, he clasps a hand around my wrist.
“Any man would be fuckin’ lucky as all get out to lay with you. Don’t think I’m not tempted, Freya. Respect you too much to treat you like a whore.”
“I wasn’t asking you to propose. For once I wanted to…it doesn’t matter.” I jerk away and stomp toward the kitchen. I drop the plates leftover food and all into the sink not caring if they break.
The door flies open with a thud. I turn to see Death stalking toward me. He stops just short of arm’s length. “For once you wanted to what?”
“Let it go. I’m tired.”
“Finish your sentence, Freya. For once you wanted…,” he prompts.
“For someone to choose me. To matter.”
“You think I don’t see you? That I don’t feel you when you walk into a room so fuckin’ beautiful it damn near hurts to look at you because I can never have you.”
“You don’t have to say nice things to spare my feelings. You can’t break a heart that’s already broken.” I turn back to the sink.
I don’t hear him step toward me but the heat of his body washes over me as he grabs hold of my shoulder and twists me around. “Look at me,” he demands, all powerful and dominating.
I have no choice but to tilt my head up and give him what he wants.
His palms slide along my jaws and down my throat on either side. Tucking his thumbs up under my chin he pins me in place with his searing touch and piercing gaze. “You don’t have a fucking clue about what I want. How many times I’ve pictured this. Craved it. Got off to it.” Death drops his forehead to mine and exhales hard.
“You think about me?”
“All the god damn time.”
Chapter 4
Freya stares up at me like I’m the answer to her every prayer, but I’m not a good man. I don’t write love notes and send flowers. I’m not faithful. Even if my marriage is only on paper, I’ll never be able to give her what she deserves.
A man who can cherish her.
Brand her.