A Little Night Muse(29)

                “Not any kind you know.”

                “Maybe not.” He caught her hand and pressed a kiss to the                     center of her palm, though his gaze never left hers. “I want you to know I take                     full responsibility for anything that might come of what we just did. I                     never...That is, I’m clean, and I always do the right thing.”

                Of that she had strangely little doubt. “What might come of                     this besides our pleasure?”

                His brow furrowed. “I guess you’re on birth control?”

                Did he sound panicked, or disappointed? She touched the line on                     his forehead. “My kind rarely have children of our own.” Even with their numbers                     decimated by iron, the phae were slow to                     rebound.

                “Your kind?” He curled one finger through her hair. “You mean                     supermodels?”

                She hadn’t meant to get into a discussion of her background, so                     she kissed him again to distract him. He seemed willing if the renewed prodding                     against her hip was any indication.

                Despite her reassurances, he insisted on protection the second                     time. As if human semen held any worries for her compared to the Hunter and the                     Ruiner and the Queen.

                But when Josh rolled her into his arms, those worries, much                     like the phaedrealii, seemed far away. For the first                     time in her phae existence, she did not think about                     her place or who she had to impress. Judging from his fevered breaths, Josh                     wanted her exactly where she was, so she gave herself up to his inspired                     touch.

                They showered together afterward and he swathed her wrists                     again in salve and loose bandages then gave her a gentle nudge toward the                     clothes she had ignored before. “Get dressed while I make us some dinner.”

                He kissed her once, then left, barefoot and barechested. She                     watched him go with her lips still tingling from the kiss.

                She dressed quickly in garments too large for her and smelling                     of him while the dog Wolly watched her from the doorway. She met the flat brown                     stare.