the nude, because he didn’t see any trace of pale skin around the edges of the small strip that didn’t cover more than the most important parts. No clue as to what her natural hair color was there, either.
Bemused, he glided his eyes along her shapely skin. Equally small triangles stretched over such perfect breasts, Marie Antoinette would be jealous. Perfect globes, high and proud.
“You have this thing with staring at me, you know that?”
Creed realized he leaned over her, as if he were a mortal inspecting fruit displayed on the grocer’s counter. He straightened and stepped back onto the patio tiles.
He could withstand indirect sunlight for ten, fifteen minutes tops, before it began to burn his skin, though he could go about in the day if the sky was overcast. There was no magic spell that would make him impervious to the UVs.
“I see you’ve made yourself at home.”
“This is my home now. And since I’m not allowed to leave the property without an armed guard, I figure I’d make the best of it. Why don’t you join me?” She patted the grass beside the lounge chair where the sunlight beamed strongly. “Oh, right. Burn, baby, burn, eh?”
“It’s why I spend a lot of time in Minnesota. Not much sun here in the wintertime.”
“So that’s why the vamps are thick as blood here. Pun intended.”
Creed pulled a lounge chair to the edge of the tiles and sat in the shade, stretching out his legs. They reclined parallel to each other, she a goddess of the brilliant day, and he ever a slave to the night.
“I envy you,” he said before he could stop himself.
“What for? My ability to soak up the UVs without dusting to ash?”
“No, your reckless abandon. You’re very free.”
“I don’t see any shackles on your wrists.”
“I mean inside. Underneath that violet wig. You don’t care what anyone thinks, and that’s refreshing to me.”
“Yeah, I bet you think about everything before you say it. Wonder how your words will make others react.”
“Not at all. I’ve been around long enough. I say and do as I wish. And I have certain expectations—”
“You expect to have met.”
She flipped to her stomach and propped her chin on her forearm. The backside of the bikini bottom was but a string.
Creed suppressed an appreciative moan. A man could bounce a quarter on that ass. And look at that tattoo. It was a tribal design, but delicate, flourishing up her spine in a gorgeous arabesque.
“Look all you like,” she said.
“Don’t mind if I do. You don’t normally sunbathe wearing a swimsuit. Why today?”
“So you’ve been looking for tan lines. Naughty vampire. You think I’m going to give you a peep show? Now you’re starting to sound like the wolves in the pack.”
“Don’t ever compare me to a wolf.”
She smirked. “Dude, don’t worry. That would be too flattering.”
The chair creaked when he leaned abruptly forward. “Do you purposely mean to offend, or is it your nature?”
“I think it’s a little of both. Hey, you don’t have to talkto me. There’s a whole big yard—oh, right. Pale boy needs to stay under the protective covering. My bad.”
She was right; he didn’t have to suffer this abuse. But to reach over and admonish her with a swat to that sexy ass might convince her he wanted to touch her.
He did want to touch. What man could resist such a tantalizing display? But he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing she’d won this round.
“You like to swim?” he tried.
“Nope.”
The violet hair splayed across her face and the dark sunglasses. Surely she could still see him, but he didn’t care. He couldn’t look away from that incredible ass. Softly rounded, so firm, and taunting him to stroke his fingers over the sun-heated skin.
Damn, was he getting hard looking at a werewolf? Of all the absurd—
“Penny for your thoughts,” she cooed. The tip of a pink tongue lashed out to stroke the underside of her upper lip. “But I bet