What a Goddess Wants by Stephanie Julian Page A

Salvatorus’s sweeping bow. How the salbinelli pulled that off so gracefully with those legs was a mystery even to her.
    “Hello, Salvatorus. Thank you for inviting us into your home.” And now that the formalities were over, she turned back to Cal. “What did you mean, the sun will burn you?”
    As Salvatorus walked toward the back of the house, Cal started to pace the small entry hall. “Gods damn it, Tessa, when I tell you to move, you move.”
    His fierce growl didn’t scare her. But what he’d said had. “Explain what you meant.”
    Cal ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t going to work. I knew this wouldn’t work.”
    Oh, shit. He was having second thoughts, and that was all her fault. She’d assured him she would listen to his every command, and already she’d screwed up.
    Fear sank low in her gut like a hot lead pellet, burning through her body. Damn it. She didn’t want to lose him already.
    “I’m sorry. Caligo, please.” She reached for him, and her hand on his bare forearm stopped his restless movements. “It won’t happen again. Now, tell me what you meant about the sun.”
    He lifted his head, and the anger she saw in his eyes wasn’t directed at her. “Exactly what I said. If the sun touches my skin, it blisters and burns. The Cimmerians are born in the mist and shadows between the planes. We’re comfortable in those shadows. We see more clearly in the dark than in the light. We blend into the dark.
    “I have more resistance to the sun than most because my mother wasn’t Cimmerian. But I still can’t be exposed to the sun’s rays for more than a few minutes before my skin starts to burn.
    “And you are a sun goddess.”
    He stared at her, his expression hard, but his eyes… oh, they told a different story.
    She squeezed his arm. “Then I’ll stay out of the sun. I’m sorry, Caligo. Please—”
    He bent his head and kissed her. Hard. With his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her backward until she hit the wall and trapped her there with his body.
    The heat of his body seeped into hers, his scent so enticing. She let him plunder her mouth without protest, opening wider to take more of him.
    He took the hint and thrust his tongue into her mouth, forcing her tongue to duel with his. When his hands slid down to land on her hips so he could tilt her pelvis into his, she ground herself against his rock-hard erection.
    His groan lit her up like a firecracker exploding in her belly, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, smoothing her hands over his butt. He had such a great butt, firm and strong. When he thrust against her, as he did now, she felt the muscles tighten and release, even through his pants.
    From his butt, her hands moved up to his slim waist and muscular back. His fingers tightened on her hips, and she felt his muscles ripple with the motion. So much strength. So much warmth.
    Her hands lifted higher, stopping to knead his broad shoulders before moving down his arms and latching onto his bulging biceps as if they were her last chance for survival.
    He kissed her like he wanted to get inside her body and stay there for hours. Which she didn’t have a problem with. Not at all. Only…
    “Hey,” Salvatorus called from the kitchen. “Get your tongue out of her throat and come get some coffee. We need to talk.”
    Cal froze, said tongue retreating, but he kept his mouth on hers for several more seconds. When he finally pulled away, he took a deep breath and opened his eyes.
    “Cal—”
    “Don’t.” His gaze burned into hers. “Just don’t say anything right now. Sal’s right. We gotta talk. And if you open your mouth now, I’m gonna take you upstairs and lock a door behind us. And then I’m gonna make you use that mouth on my body.”
    ***
    “So you think just the fact that Tessa’s with me will be enough to keep Charun from sending another demon after her?”
    Sal nodded as he tapped a finger against his coffee mug. “Yeah. That’s why I sent her to