Free The Bloodgate Warrior by Joely Sue Burkhart Page A

wet.
    The blankets. “Did you check the bed first?”
    I sensed his confusion, so I didn’t wait for his response. I leaped out of bed like he’d goosed me and ripped the bedding off toward the foot of the bed until only the fitted sheet remained beneath him. Layer by layer, I finally got down to the fitted sheet. I checked every inch of the bed before my gaze settled on him.
    Part of me was still stunned every time I looked at him.
    A magnificent, naked warrior lay in my bed.
    I ran my gaze up his long, powerful legs, his impressive erection, chiseled abs and broad chest and shoulders. They didn’t make men like this any longer outside a gym.
    “How have the blankets displeased you, Cassie?”
    I swallowed hard and forced my gaze up to his face. “I always have to check and make sure there’s nothing nasty in my bed. I got a bad spider bite when I was a kid because Nana didn’t check my bed first. It’s habit now. I have to know the bed is safe before I can go to sleep.”
    Despite my best intentions, my gaze wandered back to his groin. Dear Lord, he got bigger every time I looked at him.
    “I am the only threat you face in this bed. Is the reality all I promised in your dreams?”
    Amusement laced his voice, but the deep thrum still made my insides quiver. I tried to shrug nonchalantly. “I thought you’d be bigger.”
    Luckily he possessed a sense of humor as big as the rest of him. Laughing, he rolled over on his back, making sure to give me a full view. “This is all for you, Cassie. I said you possessed great magic. Don’t you believe me now?”
    “What I believe is that you haven’t had sex for five hundred years.”
    “Very true.” He curled a finger at me, his eyes narrowing with intent. “Come, lady, and let us end this fast. When this need remains hard for you after hours of pleasure, then perhaps you’ll believe me when I say the power is yours.” When I hesitated, he arched a brow at me. “Do you want a chase first? So be it.”
    He threw a leg over the side of the bed and started to get up, pausing only as I stepped closer. I didn’t want to admit that I hurried just a bit, but I didn’t want him chasing me. Not this time.
    “Then what do you want, Cassie?” Gentle fingers traced the curve of my cheek, but he didn’t touch me intimately.
    “I don’t know. It’s just so strange to have you here . Like I said earlier, I don’t really know what to do with you if it’s not a dream.”
    “Ah,” he breathed out, his lips quirking. “Your body knows exactly what to do, but your mind rebels. I understand.”
    “I mean, do we need to use protection?” He stared at me, telling me he had no idea what I was talking about. “I don’t want to get pregnant or catch some horrid jungle disease.”
    “Oh, yes, the dreaded jungle rot.” He was laughing at me. “Never fear, lady, I am immune to all earthly diseases. I never died on this earth from any human plague. If you wish to someday carry my child, we would have to take extra steps to accomplish the feat. Our species are very different, though we may look the same on the outside. Do you have any other concerns?”
    Hell yeah, I had concerns. Like whether I could actually deal with his aggressive personality. Memories of the dreams fluttered inside me like wild birds. Him, holding me down, taking me so hard I screamed, chasing me as I threatened, running me down…
    “I see.” He lay back on the mattress and for a moment, I was afraid I’d angered him, or at least cooled his ardor with my hesitation. Yet he smiled at me invitingly. “Your speed, your control, Cassie. Take me as you will. I will do nothing but lie here and let you have your way with me, whatever that means.”
    “Are you serious?”
    “Deadly serious.”
    I stared at him doubtfully. After all the dreams we’d shared, the last thing I’d expected was to have a passive Técun in my bed.
    “Take me as you wish, Cassie. The control is always yours.”
    Now, that was