Brundar felt as if he was digging a hole for himself he would never be able to climb out of. What had possessed him to make all those promises to Calypso?

He’d made it sound as if he was staying.

The thing was, he wanted to, and for once in his life, he was going to do the unthinkable.

Fuck the rules.

Calypso was everything that was good. Hell, she was the only good thing that had happened to him throughout his adult life.

She made him feel.

He wasn’t going to give her up for anything. Fuck the rules, and fuck his goddamned honor. None of it mattered to him anymore. He was going to keep her and fight to the death anyone who would threaten to take her away.

She was his, as he was hers.

What were they going to do to him? Fire him from his Guardian job? Sentence him to entombment?

He snorted. Who and what army was going to accomplish that?

If need be, he would grab Calypso and run. It would be hard to part with Anandur, but there was a time in a man’s life where he needed to make a choice between his past and his future.

Calypso was his future.

“What are you thinking so hard about?” she asked. “You’re frowning as if you’re trying to solve an unsolvable problem.”

Very perceptive of her.

But as far as Brundar was concerned, he no longer had a problem. He’d made up his mind. Others might disagree, but then it was their problem, not his.

“I’m thinking of the best and quickest way to get you naked and under me. I wonder if this table is sturdy enough.”

“You should have said so.” Calypso pushed to her feet, gripped the bottom of her T-shirt, and pulled it over her head. “I would have offered solutions.” She hooked her thumbs in the elastic of her pajama pants and pushed them down. “Race you to bed.” She stepped out of the loose pants, which had pooled at her feet, and sprinted for the bedroom.

Didn’t she know not to run from a predator?

In a split second, Brundar was out of his chair and leaping after her. Calypso managed two steps away from the dining table when he grabbed her by her waist, twisted her around, and draped her over his shoulder—fireman style.

Or was it caveman style?

Calypso laughed and pushed back.

He smacked her upturned behind. “Stay. Don’t wiggle.”

The more she struggled, the more turned on he became. Brundar’s imagination produced images of the kinds of games they could play if she were an immortal. He would take her somewhere wild and give her a head start, then hunt her for hours as she hid and tried to evade him.

The things he would do to her once he caught her…

Yeah, if Calypso were an immortal, a lot of things would have been different.

But she wasn’t.

She was perfect the way she was. Human, fragile, beautiful, feisty, independent, assertive, yet willing to yield to him and offer her complete surrender.

On top of all that, to wish she was also an immortal was greedy and ungrateful. It was good Brundar didn’t believe in the Fates. Otherwise, he would have feared their retribution for regarding their gifts with such ungratefulness.

Laying Calypso gently on the bed, he quickly divested her of the last two scraps of fabric still covering her body.

With a smile, she stretched her arms over her head, arching her back and pushing her perfect breasts up. “Are you going to tie me up?”

He shook his head. “Just grab onto the headboard and don’t let go.”

Unfortunately, he could not forgo the blindfold. Already, his fangs were making his speech slur, and the only reason Calypso didn’t notice the glow coming from his eyes was that it was still daytime and her bedroom was drenched in sunlight.

He pulled out one of the five silk scarves she kept in her drawer next to the stash of condoms. The nylon stockings he’d used the first time were there as well. He loved it that she was prepared for him, that she not only accommodated his quirks but planned for them by keeping the things he needed close by.

Scarf pulled between his hands, Brundar sat on the bed next to Calypso. “Lift your head, sweetling.”

She obeyed, the smile never leaving her lush lips. Did she love the game as much as he did?

“Do you like it when I blindfold you?” he asked as he tied the ends behind her head, careful not to snag any of her beautiful hair in the knot.

“I love all the games we play, and I’m looking forward to learning more.”

Gutsy girl.

“Should I buy you your own personal flogger?”

She caught her lower lip between her teeth and nodded.

“The same kind I used on you in the club?”

“Yes,” she said on a moan, the scent of her arousal permitting the air and turning his erection into a steel rod.

“Soft suede?”

She nodded.

Damnation. What a shame he didn’t have one with him. It seemed Calypso was craving it. Or maybe she just enjoyed talking about it?

He caressed her side, lightly brushing his knuckles against her left breast. “Perhaps I should buy a lot of different toys and bring them here for you to experiment with?” He put his hand on her stomach, feeling the small tremors his version of dirty talk was sending through her body.

“Yes. I want to have my own, brand new toys to play with.”

Brundar stifled a chuckle. His girl was rushing forward faster than he’d ever imagined she could or would want to.

Feisty, brave, adventurous.

“There are online catalogs.” He cupped her hot center, then leaned to nibble on her ear. “Imagine how wet you’ll get just from browsing and imagining what I could do to you with each toy.”

“Oh, God.” She arched her back. “Keep talking like that, and I’m going to come all over your hand.”

This time he couldn’t suppress the chuckle. “That would be a first for me. I’ve never had a woman climax just from the sound of my voice.”

A sly smirk twisting her plump lips, as she rubbed her center on his palm. “No wonder. It would’ve required you to actually talk.”