But it could hardly be called rest.
Not when my dreams were invaded by a faceless man who took his fill of me and left nothing in return.
A man I'd once known intimately.
A man whose name hovered close enough to taste, but not remember.
woke to the awareness I was no longer alone. The air was rich with muskiness, and stirred frustrated hormones to life. I opened my eyes.
Kade sat in the chair opposite the bed, and smiled when he saw me watching him. "Thought I'd wander in and offer you an apology."
"Not to mention enjoy the view." I thrust the blankets away and stood up.
His gaze slid down me, appreciative and warm. "Well, there is a whole lot to enjoy."
"As long as you look and don't touch. There's work to be done, and very little time."
"There's always time for sex, sweetheart."
My hormones hastily formed a cheer squad at the prospect of some horse-shifter loving, but I managed to ignore them. "Is Liander here?"
"Yep."
"Then there's no time."
He rose and walked toward me. I pressed a hand against his chest, stopping him before he got too close. "I said no, Kade."
He took my hand, and raised it to his lips. His breath was warm on my fingertips, his kiss soft, sweet. "What if I promise to be quick?"
"We've done quick. I'd like to do long for a change." And even as I said it, I smiled. Because when it came to flesh, Kade did long better than any man alive.
He tugged me forward lightly and wrapped his arms around my waist. He felt so good, so warm and hard, that desire swirled through me. That was the beginning of the end when it came to resistance, and I knew it.
"We have half an hour and a single bed," he said, as if sensing the sudden lessening of resolve.
"Don't you think a single bed is a wee bit small for the two of us?"
"If you think that, you haven't been loved right in a single bed."
The smile touching his lips was cheeky, and my own twitched in response. Because I wanted to. Lord how I wanted to.
And truth be told, had it been Kellen standing in front of me, it would have been an instant yes, and Liander be damned. It was that thought, more than anything, that had the last of my reluctance slipping. Kellen might have been a wolf, but Kade could never be deemed a lesser lover. "If Jack bites my ass over being late, you are off the loving list, my horny friend."
He laughed. "Trust me, Jack won't get anywhere near your delicious ass. I promise to protect it from all comers."
I had sudden visions of him swatting away everyone - including new suitors - and snorted softly. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea after all. "Half an hour. No more, no less."
"Done deal." He dropped a kiss on my lips, then tugged me over to the bed.
I have to say, the man certainly knew how to make the most of a single bed.
And he emphasized his point in the most dramatic way, and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I hadn't been loved right in a single bed before now.
It was a good forty minutes later before he was escorting me down the hall to the bathroom where Liander had set up shop. Once there, he dropped another kiss on my lips, one designed to tease and arouse.
He succeeded in doing both.
"We'll pick up this little discussion later," he said, and walked away whistling happily.