As the meeting drew to an end, Bridget put her amiable doctor's expression on, refusing to let Turner see how angry he'd made her.

Except, the truth was that she had no reason to be mad because every objection he had voiced was valid. Even though she was a council member, she'd never led the discussions or proposed any plans. Bridget had been nominated to the council because of her research and the respect most members of the clan had for her, including Kian.

Kian's confidence in her meant a lot to Bridget, and she hoped not to disappoint him.

"I'm sorry," Turner said as they left Kian's office.

"Nothing to be sorry about. Everything you said was true."

She sighed. "I admit that I got a little peeved. But we need to be able to speak our minds freely even if our feelings get hurt. I'll get over it."

"We will need to work closely together," he said, walking beside her with his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants.

"I know. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Yes, but I'll get over it," he mimicked not only her words but also her inflection.

Ouch, that hurt, but at least he was honest. "Please explain."

"My attraction to you is distracting. My brain needs complete calm and focus to deliver consistently superb results."

"A vacuum."

He nodded. "A bubble."

"I have a cure for that."

He cocked a brow. "You do?"

"For the calm to return, the sexual tension needs to get released." She pressed the up elevator button.

"Is that an invitation?" He seemed surprised.

She shrugged. "We can't have you stressed out and misfiring, now can we?"

"I accept."

Sending Victor away last night had been the right thing to do, but difficult. Their first and only time in bed had been so surprisingly fantastic that she had no wish to go searching for satisfaction elsewhere.

Outside of bed the man was emotionally closed off, or perhaps even disabled, and had ulterior motives for seducing her. But he was incomparable sexually. It was as if he had a split personality. One was smart, cold, and calculating. The other was a dynamo.

The thing was, she liked both sides.

Was that weird?

What woman in her right mind craved a cold bastard who was unapologetically trying to manipulate her through sex?

A desperate one?

Or one with very particular tastes?

Bridget preferred to think it was the second one. Victor was brilliant and intriguing, and she'd always had a thing for smart men.

And if she were being honest, his ruthlessness turned her on.

It wouldn't have if it were directed at innocents, but Turner's work was all about cleaning up the filth of the world, which Bridget supported wholeheartedly.

His hard body and that amazing eight-pack of his were a bonus, not only because he looked and felt so good, but because Bridget appreciated the discipline that went into achieving such a level of fitness.

For a man as accomplished and as busy as Turner, it must've been difficult to carve out the time needed to perfect his physique.

He was an over-achiever. Just like her.

"What are you going to do about your practice?" Turner asked as they entered her apartment.

"I already talked with my son about him taking over for me. He was more than happy to do it, especially after I explained why I needed him. Either that or he is sick of working with humans and is looking for a dignified excuse to leave his residency."

"When is he coming back?"

"When I tell him I made up my mind that I'm going through with that."

"In that case, you need to call him soon."

"You're right. In fact, I need to call him before it's too late on the East Coast."

Turner pushed his hands in his pockets. "Go ahead. I'll wait."

"It might take a while."

"I don't mind waiting." He remained standing.

If she didn't tell him to sit down, would he wait for her in the same spot doing an impression of a statue?

"Make yourself comfortable, and help yourself to the fridge or whatever else you need. I'd like you to feel at home here." She hesitated before heading to her bedroom to make the call. "I don't want to worry about you being thirsty or hungry. The more you do for yourself, the less I need to do for you." That got a smile out of him. "Understood."

"Good."

She was okay with preparing and serving him a nice dinner once in a while, but she had no intention of doing it daily. If he wanted to spend more time with her, he'd better learn to fend for himself.

Bridget dialed Julian's number and waited, then waited some more. Finally, he answered just as she was about to end the call. "Hi, Mom."

"Are you working?"

"It seems I never stop."

"Can you talk?"

"I have a few minutes before I have to go back."

"I made up my mind."

There was a whoosh as he let out a long breath. "Thank the merciful Fates. I need to get out of here. Being around human drama every day all day long is draining. I don't know how you did it."

She chuckled. "In my time residency was much shorter."

"Lucky you."

"Indeed. How soon can you leave?"

"I need to talk with my chief. He is a mega asshole, but I can't abandon ship without giving notice."

"Let me know."

"I will. Love you, Mom."

"I love you too. And, Julian?"

"Yes?"

"I'm glad you're coming back. I missed you."

"Really? Do you miss my guitar playing and singing too?"

"Incredibly so."

"You used to hate it."

"And now I miss it."

"Mothers are strange creatures."

"No. Just yours."

"That's one of the many reasons you're the best."

Sweet Julian. He always knew what to say to make her smile. "Good night. And don't let that A-hole human intimidate you."

He chuckled. "In his dreams. Good night, Mom."

Bridget connected her phone to the charging cable, stopped by the mirror on top of her dresser to check her hair, and squirted a little perfume behind her ears.

In the living room, she found Turner perching on a barstool with his back to the counter, holding a bottle of Snake's Venom in his hand.

"Be careful with that stuff. It has a very high alcohol content."

"I know. I checked the label." He put the beer on the counter and pulled her in between his legs. "You look radiant. It must've been a good talk."

"Julian always knows what to say to make me smile."

Turner's hand on her back was slowly inching down to the curve of her buttocks. "I need to take lessons from him."

"It only works on me. I don't think any other woman would appreciate the twisted sense of humor we share."

"Perfect, because I'm only interested in you." His hand finally made it to its destination and gently squeezed her cheek, then the other joined on her other side. "This ass is a work of art. It was torture to keep thinking about it and not being able to touch it for an entire week."

With a smirk, Bridget rubbed against his hardness. "Did you jerk off thinking about my butt?"

"Every night. Sometimes twice a night."

Did it mean he hadn't slaked his needs with some South American beauty?

His client had no doubt offered him a selection of them. Over there, it was part of doing business. Bridget had been batting away jealous thoughts all week long.

"Was this on top of shagging bimbettes? Or instead?"

Her jealous comment wrested a grin out of him like nothing she had said before. "Jealous?"

He had no idea. "I forgot to mention that before, but while we are together it has to be exclusive."

"Same here. Besides, you ruined all other women for me. You're incomparable. After you kick me out, I'll have to join a monastery."

"First of all, I'm not going to kick you out anytime soon. And second of all, you just gave me a great idea."

"Are you going to join me in celibacy?"

"Not a chance. But the monastery where the Doomers held our Carol is a perfect place for an all-girls school."

"It burned to the ground."

"We can rebuild it. I'm sure the land can be bought at a bargain price. Just think about the cosmic justice. Turning a place that was used as a prison for abducted women into a sanctuary for them is just too perfect."