Page 24 of Dark Fire Kiss

And, oh gods, he was shirtless. Again. His smooth, bare chest was right at my eye level, and the broad expanse of muscle was so distracting it took me a minute to process what he’d said. “Swimming?” I blurted.

The dimple appeared. “The castle has an indoor pool.”

My breath caught. The thralls had spoken of pools, too, and they sounded just as fascinating as the sea. But he couldn’t possibly know that.

“There’s a suit in your closet,” he said. Then, without warning, he shifted to smoke. One second, he was as solid as the door. The next, his jeans dropped to the flagstones and a dark cloud streamed past my hip.

“Hey!” I spun around as the black smoke shot into the suite and reformed into a nude Fergus. He ignored my protest and went to the window, where he checked the thick blanket he’d tacked over the opening my first night in the castle.

“Is this keeping enough light out?” he asked, peeking behind the edge.

I tore my gaze off his muscular backside. “Um, yes. Thank you.”

He gave the window a satisfied nod, then crossed to the closet and disappeared inside. A second later, he emerged holding two scraps of fabric.

“Och, here we go.” Grinning, he brought the scraps to me and held them out. “I knew I’d ordered a bathing suit. Amazon never disappoints.”

Amazon? My head spun. “I can’t wear that.”

“Why not?”

“It’s”—my cheeks flamed—“underwear.”

He chuckled. “It’s a bikini. But I’ll grant you it’s no’ all that different from female undergarments.” His gaze turned wistful. “Modern ones, at least. To be honest, part of me misses corsets and petticoats. There was something excitin’ about all those layers. Like unwrapping a present.”

Was he actually reminiscing about past conquests? And why was that so irritating? It wasn’t like I was jealous. I folded my arms. “And you’ve unwrapped a lot of women?”

He had the good grace to look sheepish. But then he gave me a look so heated I swore I could feel it brush my skin. “Ancient history, Halina. The only female I’m interested in now is you. And that won’t change, lass.”

Heat prickled down my nape. The way he looked at me… I backed up a step. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go with you. I don’t know how to swim.”

“There’s a shallow end.”

“I’m not wearing your bik”—I stumbled over the unfamiliar word—“bikini.”

“Wear what you have on.”

I looked down at my plain T-shirt and black leggings. When he first appeared with clothes for me, I’d insisted on staying in my gown. But the skirts were heavy, and I’d felt grubby donning a dirty dress after I bathed. So I’d chosen the least revealing clothing I could find. It was strange to walk without skirts swishing around my legs, but the freedom of movement was incredible. No wonder males wore pants.

Well, except for Fergus, who seemed perfectly content without a stitch of clothing on.

All the more reason to avoid him. Especially with his delicious scent teasing my nose.

I backed up another step. “You should go.”

“You need blood,” he said.

My body went hot, then cold. Would I ever get used to his abrupt changes of subject? “No, I don’t.”

“Aye, you do, and you’ll get sick if you don’t have it.”

I tensed. “How do you know that?”

“You just told me.” At my swift intake of breath, he tossed the bikini on a nearby vanity table. “I don’t ken all that much about dhampirs, lass, but it’s obvious you need to feed. You’ve been eying my neck like it’s a side of beef hanging in a butcher’s shop.”

I opened my mouth, but he kept right on talking.

“So here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to accompany me to the swimming pool, and I’m going to give you my blood.” His expression turned distinctly smug. “I’m thinking it’s more powerful than what you’re used to.”

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