Free In the Flesh by Sylvia Day, Livia Dare

intrigued by the deference King Gunther had shown to his favorite concubine and the resulting notoriety that esteem had given her with the people of Sari. Curious as to how that had affected the queen, he employed a keen eye and several replays to catch the carefully veiled hostility Her Majesty displayed toward her rival in unguarded moments.
    When he had finished riffling through all the data and the Guardian fell silent, Wulf realized that everything he’d just learned only whet his appetite to discover the individual behind the life. He still had no idea who Katie was, only what she was capable of. It wasn’t enough.
    Wulfric refused to put a name to why he cared. Until now, he’d preferred to know little about the women he slept with. He maintained his distance because clingy, dependent females were an annoyance he had no time to deal with. A quick, mutually enjoyable tumble in bed was all the entanglement he needed or wanted.
    “Wulf…”
    He tensed at the sound of Katie’s sleep-soft sigh. She wiggled her body more firmly into his embrace, her bare back pressed as closely as possible to his bare chest.
    “Katie?” he queried in a gentle whisper, refusing to call her by a possessive appellation given to her by another man.
    “She’s not awake,” the Guardian informed him in the subdued evening volume. “And she’s cold.”
    Careful not to wake her, Wulf reached down and pulled the velvet duvet over them, then drew her back into his embrace. After a few moments, when Katie had settled more firmly, he called out to the computer, “Does she always talk in her sleep?”
    “If you call the mention of your name ‘talking,’ then yes, she does that fairly often of late.”
    Wulf couldn’t restrain his triumphant smile. It was good to know he wasn’t the only one with torrid dreams.
    “She has taken great pains to keep you here.”
    “I know.”
    “But it would be more logical for you to leave.”
    His smile vanished. “Yes. I shouldn’t be here.”
    “Yet here you are.”
    “I could give her more than the king has given her.” The moment the words were said, he wished he could take them back. He shouldn’t say such things, or even consider them.

    “The only thing she ever wanted from the king was her independence.”
    “Independence…” Wulf wanted to own her. Possess her. Have her at his beck and call. He could imagine sparring on the practice field and returning to her drenched in sweat and filled with aggression. He wanted to take her like that. Rough, gritty, raw sex. A base, primitive claiming.
    As he drifted to sleep holding the love of his enemy while deep in hostile territory, he pondered his responses to all he had learned. When Katie slipped a silken leg between his own with a pleasured sigh, he knew, despite the danger, that he’d never felt as safe or relaxed in his life—simply from the act of holding her. There was a constant, vibrating anxiousness inside him that was soothed by her proximity. He hadn’t realized it was there until it was gone.
    Addiction. Katie was the fix that eased his restlessness.
    A dangerous thought solidified in his mind, unbidden and astonishing: How much more content would he feel with her in his bed, in his country?

Chapter 6
    “You allowed him to spend the night in my bed?” Sapphire asked, incredulous.
    “The prince was concerned for you and wanted to assure himself that you were well.”
    “Like hell he did. That’s what I have you for.” She buried her face in her hands. “Damn you.”
    “It is my primary programming to ensure your happiness.”
    She lifted her head. “I should upgrade you for this.”
    “There is no Guardian system of greater capability. I am a prototype, uniquely designed to serve only you.”
    “Giving an enemy such intimate access to me is dangerous!”
    “On its face, I would agree. However, his vital signs and deportment tell me differently. He cares for you. He cared for you last night when you were