Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang(42)

 

“Why are you frowning at my belly?” he asked, looking down at it.

 

“It was nicer before. You’ve lost some weight,” I said slowly.

 

His lips pursed. “I was a bit out of shape. Too much of the easy life.”

 

“I liked you soft.”

 

His eyebrows rose.

 

I blushed, unable to keep from glancing at his nether regions. Although he wasn’t fully aroused, it was obvious that my visual examination of him had stirred some interest. “I meant that I preferred you with the tiny little smidgen of softness around your stomach. I love men’s stomachs. And sides. There’s a part of the flank that drives me . . . Never mind,” I finished, disconcerted by the odd look he was giving me.

 

“Are you finished?” he asked politely after a moment.

 

I nodded, wishing I could turn away from him, but unable to.

 

He eyed me.

 

“I’m not taking off my clothes,” I said quickly, tugging my shrug a bit tighter around me.

 

His face hardened. “I told you that I would be happy to find another room-”

 

“Now who’s perpetuating misunderstandings?” I asked, waving a hand toward the bed. “I have no problem whatsoever with sleeping with you. I’d add, ‘assuming you wanted to sleep with me,’ but if I did, you’d probably just yell at me, so I won’t.”

 

“Are you going to always be like this?” he asked, a curious expression flickering across his face.

 

“Like what?”

 

“Driving me insane? You are, aren’t you? You’re going to make me spend the rest of my life reassuring you that I want you.”

 

Unbidden, my eyes went back to his penis. It was showing more than a little interest now. “I never doubted that you enjoyed the times we slept together,” I said carefully. “But there is more to life than sex.”

 

“Indeed there is. Why won’t you take off your clothes?”

 

My gaze flashed up to his, the blush that I knew was waiting for a chance to blossom doing just that. “I should think that’s obvious.”

 

His eyes narrowed. “You think wrong. What is obvious?”

 

I looked at the bed. I looked at Kristoff. I looked at the lamps on either side of the bed, assessing how badly I wanted to see him naked against my need to keep him from doing likewise.

 

An expression of sheer male arrogance filled his eyes. “You’re not going to try to make me believe that you’re too modest?”

 

“I am, as a matter of fact, a very modest person,” I said, lifting my chin and trying to look down my nose at him. It wasn’t easy, considering he was at least a good foot taller than me. “And you can just stop making that face at me. Yes, we’ve slept together. Yes, you’ve felt my body, but that’s not the same thing as seeing it.”

 

“For the love of the saints . . .” Kristoff marched over to me. I squeaked and tried to get away, but he had me backed up against the wall before I could take two steps. “You are not fat.”

 

“I-”

 

“No,” he said, pressing me against the wall. His body was hot and hard and felt so good I just wanted to weep with the rightness of the feeling of him against me. His breath was just as hot on my lips, his hands sliding around me to grab my behind, pulling me even tighter against him. “You are as you are, Pia. And I do not find you physically repulsive, or repellent, or any of the other unpleasant images you believe I foster. I would have thought the opposite, in fact, was quite evident.”

 

“Men have those sorts of reactions regardless of whether or not they like the body in question,” I protested.

 

His eyes narrowed. “Who told you that?”

 

I freed a hand enough to make a vague gesture. “Everyone knows that. Men are ruled by their pe nises. Women are different. There’s a huge market of relationship books that explain the ins and outs of it. So to speak.”

 

“That’s one of the most unfounded and insulting things I’ve ever heard you say, but I am willing to overlook it if you will forget such a ridiculous idea. Men aren’t just sex machines, Pia. We have feelings, too.”

 

“I never meant to imply you didn’t-”

 

“Yes, you did.” He paused a moment, his mouth so close to mine I had to literally curl my fingers into a fist to keep from grabbing his head. “There may be some people who enjoy sex for sex’s sake-both men and women-but I assure you that I am not included in their number. I like the way you look. I like your body. I very much wish to make love to you.”