She constantly surprised me with these darker little bits of herself and I had to admit it turned me on that she would want to inflict violence on someone over me. I tried to get her to meet my eyes, but she jerked her chin up so I couldn’t see her expression.

“I don’t want to seduce anyone, Ava.” I tilted her face so I could see her better. “But I will if it means getting us into the casino. I’d do it so I could keep you safe.”

She looked down at me with hard eyes. “I knew you were going to say that.” She sat up and pulled the sheet over her breasts. “That’s fucked up, Owen.”

I shrugged. I was fucked up. What did she expect?

“So, I’d possibly be safe, but my heart would be ruined. Is that what you want?” Her expressive eyes made my stomach clench. “How do I just pretend like I’m okay with that?”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I whispered.

“Then don’t seduce anyone. Seduce me instead and we’ll figure something else out for the casino.” She looked at me and I could see her fighting to keep her composure. “I’ll play hard to get so you’ll have to really work for it. Make it more exciting.”

“I like you willing, love. You get me more than excited.” I brushed the hair from her eyes. “It probably won’t come to me seducing anyone. We’ll most likely need Mavis’s talents.”

“I don’t really feel any better about Mavis seducing people to get us information.” She fell back on the bed with a huff.

“Should I be jealous of the short blonde woman downstairs?” I rolled over on my good side and looked down at her. Her lips quirked and I found myself memorizing the planes of her face.

“I think I have a better case for being jealous of Mavis.” She narrowed her eyes.

Shit. I’d walked right into that. Look at me, being an emotional dumbass, blundering around like a teenage boy.

“You don’t need to worry about Mavis.” I cleared my throat. “That was a long time ago and it wasn’t what we have. It was one time and we just used each other to scratch an itch.”

“I don’t want details.” She shook her head vigorously. “Don’t want to know about the scratching. I like Mavis. Mostly. I think and I don’t want to picture the two of you—”

I captured her chin with my finger and thumb so she’d stop shaking her head and look me in the eyes. She had turned pale and it made my chest hurt. Perhaps seeing her jealous wasn’t as amusing as I had originally thought. “Don’t.”

“I know I don’t fit in your world.” Doubt clouded her eyes and that was the last thing I wanted to see. She was right: she didn’t fit in my world. I should be keeping her as far away from me as I could, and yet here I was, my naked skin pressed against hers. I couldn’t seem to help myself. And I didn’t want this dream to end.

“Don’t say that,” I said.

“It’s true—”

I shifted my weight, rolling on top of her delicious body. Her breath caught in a gasp, but at least she had stopped talking. I wasn’t good at the talking part. I sounded daft every time I tried to explain myself to her. I’d stick to showing her.

Her legs spread for me, accepting me without question. I nestled against her warmth, letting her feel just how much I liked being tucked against her skin.

“Seems to me that you fit. Here.” I ground against her, enjoying the way her body responded. Taking her hand I placed it against my chest, just under the bandage on my shoulder. “And here.”

“Owen.” Her eyes sparkled brightly and she trailed her fingertips over my skin to the bandage on my shoulder. So much emotion rolled across her face I didn’t know where to start to decipher it.

“Shh.” I leaned down and kissed her softly. “Don’t try to make sense of what’s happening with us. I don’t want to think about it, I just want to experience it.”

She let me kiss her again, her hands tracing my jaw, before twisting in my hair. When she tilted her hips upward in invitation, I slid inside. Just like before she took my breath away. Her warm body held me, moving with me, as I took us toward the end.

Earlier I’d needed her fast and hard, but right now I needed to treasure every inch of her body, taste every breath that escaped her, and commit her soft sounds to memory. I needed this just as much as I had needed to make her groan and claw at my skin. And she gave to me no matter what I needed, no matter what I demanded. I had no idea why she did, but I couldn’t turn away from it—from her.

She was heaven and I was headed for the darkest pits of hell. If this was my only chance for bliss I was going to savor it before the angels kicked me out.

The fall was going to hurt and I was going to make sure it was worth it.

As her movements increased I let myself drown in her. I had been drowning in her blue eyes, in the way she moved, in the way she thought, from the moment I’d first laid eyes on her. Now I’d drown in the way she made me feel.

“Owen.” Her harsh whisper drew my gaze. I watched her face as she fell over the edge, her blue eyes almost electric as she came under me. It was one of the most intimate moments I’d ever experienced and it sent me crashing after her.

I pressed a kiss to the crook of her neck, resting my head next to hers as we caught our breath. Something powerful stirred in my chest, wrapping my heart in hot bands. I didn’t want to ever let her go.