Aeromancist - The Beginning (Seven Forbidden Arts 2)

“I like to fuck, so I’ll take you often, but I won’t do so if it’ll harm you in any physical way. All I ask, is that you don’t deny me unnecessarily.” He brushed his thumb over her lower lip. “I’ll provide you with medical reports dated yesterday, stating that I don’t have any sexually transmittable diseases.”

The clinical statement pulled her back to reality and somewhat cooled the heat that surged through her. “I can’t do it.”

“Why not? You want me, and don’t try to deny it.” She opened her mouth, but he didn’t give her time to make a snappy remark. “You’re not in a relationship. What’s there to lose?”

Her heart. But she wasn’t going to admit to her fear of her emotions.

At her prolonged silence, he said, “Don’t make this a battle of wills. I already know you’re a strong woman. You don’t have to prove it to me. You can fight me, but I’d hate to have to break your will.”

All of what he said was true. She wanted him. She was resisting, not wanting to get burned, but he could break her will. It wouldn’t take much. Surely, she could handle thirty days. It took her longer to fall in love with Mac. They’d been dating for at least six months and sleeping together for three before she fell deeply and madly for him. A month couldn’t leave such a bad mark.

“I’ve never done this before,” she said, her voice barely audible.

He smiled. “Neither have I.”

His statement surprised her. It pleased her, knowing she’d be the first. Her skin was on fire and her body throbbing with need. Still, her mind warned her to practice caution.

“Lann, this is crazy.”

“You’re a passionate woman, Katherine. Don’t be frightened to take what you want.”

Could she? Wasn’t this her fantasy? Already she felt her resistance sliding as practical questions started taking over in her mind. “So, if I agree to your proposal, you’ll need me to have tests done?”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ve already seen your medical records.”

Nothing Lann said should have still shocked her, but it did.

He released her. “Any questions?”

Was she seriously going to have a relationship with Lann Dréan, the most evasive man on the continent, maybe in the world, for thirty days? Her body already told her yes, even as her mind clung to logic and questioned her sanity. A month in his bed… She’d never had as much as a one-night stand. Her life was ruled by control, by order, not by impulsive decisions or lustful choices.

Suddenly, as she looked back on her meticulous and careful choices in dating, always going for the safer options that never worked out anyway, she knew she was going to do it. For once, she was going to throw caution to the wind, and maybe also control. Even Mac had been a decision based on logic, on the pros and cons of living together and a careful analysis of their compatibility, and look where that had left her.

Another thought hit her. Since she’d broken up with Mac, she hadn’t been on the pill. “What about birth control?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’m infertile.” He said it like it didn’t matter to him, his face impossible to read.

“Oh.” She didn’t know what to say. “Good, I guess.” She added hastily, “I mean, not for you. We’re both clean, but would you want to use condoms?”

“What would be the point? In Russia we say using a condom is like smelling a flower with a gasmask.” He cocked his brow. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

Her cheeks burned hotter. If anyone had told her this morning that she’d be standing here discussing a month-long physical relationship in clinical detail with Lann Dréan, she would’ve laughed in that person’s face. When Diana learned of this, Kat would never hear the end of it.

“If I agree to do this, I have to tell my roommate,” she said. “She’ll want to know why I’m moving out for a month.”

“You can tell her that you’re staying here. Nothing more.” His voice held a note of warning when he said, “I don’t like talking out of the bedroom.”

Fair enough. She respected his privacy. She didn’t share the intimate details of her relationships with her friends either.

“What is your answer, Katherine? Think carefully. I’ll hold you to your decision.”

She took a deep breath. Before she could change her mind, she blurted, “Yes.”

“After thirty days, you will walk away, and never look back. Can you do that for me?”

He was asking for a physical affair. No emotions, no love. He couldn’t have made himself any clearer.

“I understand.”

He took both her hands and kissed them. His eyes were so heated she thought he might do more, a lot more, but he stepped away from her and checked his watch.

“It’s only five. Do you care to join me in finishing my evaluation of this book?” He motioned to the table where he’d been working when she’d entered. “We’ll get you settled in before dinner.”