He wanted to thrust into her palm, take what she was offering him, but he couldn’t. Inside he growled, wanting to paint the walls red with the blood of the man who’d taken his woman and injured her to the point where Travis couldn’t even take such a simple pleasure without risking her.
He pulled his hand from her hair and clasped her wrist, pulling it away from his body, trying to hide his reaction. “No, sweetheart, not yet.”
She mewled, pouting up at him. Her expressive face was filled with dazed desire, and he found he couldn’t stop himself. He took her mouth again, this time allowing himself to plunder her sweetness.
After all, this was their second kiss.
The door to the office slammed open. “Norns!” Jeff yelled.
Travis stood, his powers seeping out at the threat. He positioned himself between Jamie and the door.
“Where?”
“Gah! My eyes!” Jeff slapped his hand over his eyes, protecting them from Travis’s glow. “God damn it, Travis.”
Travis sheepishly harnessed his powers. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d lost control like that.
“Sorry.”
“Knock next time.” He turned to find Jamie scowling at her twin, her face flushed, her lips swollen from their kisses.
Jeff put his hands on his hips and glared right back at her. “Y’know, I’ve been here four days and already I’m fed up with Casa de Luuuv. You have a bedroom; use it.”
Jamie turned as red as her hair. “Dickhead.”
“As I was saying. Since everyone else’s brains seem to have taken up permanent residence in their crotches, I’ve been doing the thinking.”
“Oh, that’s where that burning rubber smell came from.”
Jeff just stared at Jamie until she sniffed and turned away. “If anyone will know the truth of the prophecy, won’t it be the Norns?”
Travis blinked. “Fuck. Why didn’t I think of that?”
Jeff pointed. “Brain. Crotch.” He threw up his hands in a see? gesture.
Travis growled.
Jamie rolled her eyes. She so did not need the two of them turning into cavemen right now. “What the hell are Norns?”
“Like the three Fates of Greek mythology, the Norns who sit at the base of Yggdrasil are said to hold sway over the fates of men. Verdandi, Skuld and Urd might be able to tell us what is about to happen, but they’ve been known to exact a terrible price for their knowledge.” Travis stroked his beard while he thought. “Let me talk to the others, see who’s willing to take on the trip.”
“Why not you?”
He looked down at Jamie and smiled. “I have more important things to take on.”
“On that note, I cordially invite you to leave my bedroom and go to your own.” Jeff opened the door and bowed. “Feel free to leave Vincente on the screen while you’re at it.”
Jamie leaned forward and hugged the screen, wincing a little as she did so. “Mine!”
“Nope.” Travis scooped her out of the chair, ignoring her outraged squawk. He carried her out the door, winking at Jeff as he did so. “Mine.”
Jamie stared up at the bearded face above her. “Travis, what the hell is going on?” She could hear her voice rising on each word and knew she was this close to shrieking.
He smiled that lopsided smile of his. “What do you mean?”
The smug male look on his face had her growling. “You know exactly what I mean. Calling me sweetheart. Checking up on me when I went into the office. Sucky-face. The caveman routine. But most especially the sucky-face.”
“Oh. That.”
“Yes, that.”
He placed her on the bed, settling her against the pillows. Then he began tugging on her T-shirt.
“Well, that was me staking my claim.”
She grabbed the hem of her shirt and hung on for dear life. If she’d had both hands she might even have managed to stop him. As it was the shirt was soon on the floor. She crossed her arms over her chest, determined to keep her bra and her dignity. “How romantic. Where were you planning on planting your flag?”
The hot look he shot her had her gulping. “Where do you think I should plant it?”
She crossed her legs, smiling when he laughed. She placed her hand against his chest when he began tugging on her pants. He stopped instantly when she winced. “Travis?”
“Hmm?” He pulled her other hand away from her chest, pouting when she covered herself again with her free hand.
“Before we get to the naked, don’t you think we should talk?”
He stared at her blankly, his pupils dilating. She could actually see the white mist creeping across the blue.
She smacked him in the side of the head with one of those weird oblong pillows people liked to put on their bed for decoration but never actually used other than to bop other people upside the head.
The white receded. Unfortunately— fortunately her traitorous body whispered—that left him free to unsnap the front clasp of her bra. “Travis.”
“Talk is overrated.” He gave her his best innocent look, snickering when she rolled her eyes. “Okay. I was only planning on getting you into your nightgown. Trust me, you’re not up for what I have in mind.”
“Suuure you were.”
He reached beneath her pillow and pulled out a blue silky nightgown. She didn’t recognize it. “For you.”
She took the nightgown, stunned that he would get her such a gift. Then she saw the tag.
“Vera Wang? ”
“You like it?”
She looked up into his hopeful face. “It’s sheer.”
“I know.”
She thumped him on the thigh. “Travis. ”
“Fine.” He got her plain cotton nightgown out of her dresser drawer. “Here.”
He sounded so put-upon she nearly giggled. She’d done entirely too much of that recently. It made her sound like a chipmunk on speed. “Turn around.”
“Do I have to?”
She stifled the urge to shake her head. The Norse God of Justice is pouting in my bedroom. “It’s either that or you can leave.”
He pressed a quick, hard kiss to her lips. “You drive a hard bargain.” He turned his back on her, his hand on his hip.
“No peeking.”
His shoulders shook.
She got out of her clothes as quickly as she could with a broken wrist and a bum leg. She threw on the nightgown, grumbling when she got tangled up in it. Her head popped out of the top to find Travis, his back still turned toward her, but his head turned toward…
“That’s cheating.”
“I did not once turn around to look at you.”
“You didn’t tell me you could see me in the mirror.”
“You told me not to peek. You said nothing about watching what I could already see.” He pulled his shirt over his head, the smooth muscles of his back rippling beneath her fascinated gaze. He turned around, giving her a view of mouth-watering chest, and undid his jeans, sliding them to the floor, exposing his blue silk boxers. He picked up his clothes and carried them to the chair in the corner, throwing them over the arm before turning back to the bed. “Comfortable?”