Tiberius sat in his office, reviewing the items requiring his attention. With several hours to go before the club opened its doors for the evening, things were quiet. Those who worked the night shift were just waking up, and the daytime staff was preparing for the chaos of another successful night.

He was in unusually high spirits. Once again, Quintus’s counsel had proven invaluable. The same intangible connection that allowed him to know his mate’s thoughts and sense her emotions also gave him the ability to visit her in her dreams.

And what delightful, encouraging dreams they were.

Tiberius closed his eyes and imagined his mate as he had seen her ... sheathed in white, with tantalizing expanses of smooth, creamy skin he longed to touch and taste, to stroke and kiss. In those shared, slumberous visions, she had been open and passionate and fearless, able to follow her heart without fear of repercussions.

Through them, he would introduce her to his true nature. Doing so was a far gentler method of acclimating her to the truth than simply taking her out into the open seas and showing her. Plus, it would give her the opportunity to get used to the idea that he was something more than human.

Last night had been the first exercise. He had selected one of the pristine beaches from his home planet as the location for the dream sequence and allowed her to glimpse him beneath the waves before emerging to meet her. It had worked splendidly! She had been so receptive, so willing that they had been able to join together ... at least in the dream world.

While that had been quite magnificent, he longed to repeat the experience in this realm when they were both fully awake.

Quintus entered from his adjoining office, looking unusually somber.

“Ah, that is not the look of a man who spent his night shooting ʼtwixt wind and water,” Tiberius teased. “It is a rare occasion when I greet the afternoon with a smile upon my face and you with a frown. What is it, my friend?”

“Glitter is missing.”

Tiberius immediately sobered. Glitter was one of Sugar’s friends; a sultry, dark-skinned beauty who embraced her sexuality with a passion that made her one of Bait’s most sought after courtesans.

“Tell me.”

“Spice said she didn’t return to her suite last night, and there has been no word.”

“You have attempted to contact her?”

“Yes, of course. Several times. All attempts have gone unanswered.” Quintus’s frown deepened. “She was last seen in one of the VIP playrooms, a private booking. Kalil and Marco are following up now. I have a bad feeling about this, Tiberius.”

“Could the dark bird be moving more quickly than we had anticipated?”

“It seems the most likely scenario,” Quintus replied. “It is unlike Glitter to simply disappear without notice.”

“Agreed.”

A soft chime sounded, alerting Tiberius to an incoming call. “Yes?”

“Sorry to disturb you, sir, but someone has requested to see you. A Detective Ryan Winslet.”

His heart sped up at the mere mention of her name, and just like that, he was once again reduced to a lovesick fool. That she had sought him out so quickly after their dream encounter was a positive sign indeed.

“Please escort the detective to my office.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you think it is wise to invite a member of local law enforcement into your private sanctum?” Quintus asked.

“She is my mate, Quintus. I will always be at her beck and call.”

“Yes, but she doesn’t know that, does she?”

“Not exactly, no,” Tiberius admitted. “She has not begun to realize the extent of the power she wields, but we have made great progress in the dream world. Besides, she shall find nothing to tax her sense of duty here.”

“What of Glitter?”

“Proceed as you would normally. I prefer not to engage the local authorities unless absolutely necessary, especially my mate. In fact, inform James to double security on her until we have dealt with the dark bird and eliminated the threat.”

“As you wish.”

A knock at the door sounded.

“Come!”

The door was opened and Ryan was ushered inside by her escort, who disappeared after a nod to Tiberius and Quintus.

Tiberius’s blood warmed instantly, remembering how exquisite it had been to pleasure her. She now wore the conservative, proper persona she presented to the rest of the world, but he had seen a different side of her. He had experienced the wonder of the passionate, sexy siren who dwelled beneath the surface. The lovely rose tint on her cheeks suggested she was having similar thoughts.

Quintus inclined his head in greeting. “Detective Winslet, we meet again.”

“Q.”

Tiberius rose and went around the desk to greet her. “Quintus was just leaving.”

“Right,” Quintus said with a forced grin as he walked toward the door. “On that note, enjoy your visit.”

“It is lovely to see you again, Ryan,” Tiberius greeted her.

She avoided looking at him directly, choosing to gaze around the space instead. Tiberius sensed her discomfort and knew she was trying to reconcile her dream with the waking reality.

“Nice office. It’s not what I expected.”

He leaned back against the desk, assuming a casual, nonthreatening pose. As much as he wanted to go to her, he could feel her anxiety echoing through him. Clearly, the bond between them had strengthened even more than he had realized.

“Oh? What did you expect?”

She lifted her shoulder in a slight shrug. “I don’t know. Something more ... tacky, I guess.”

He laughed softly. “More preconceived notions, Ryan? I assure you, there is much more to me than you think.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” she said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “You said you will answer my questions.”

“Yes, if you are willing to listen with an open mind. Can you do that?”

“That depends on what you expect me to believe.”

“I will speak only the truth.”

“Then we won’t have a problem.”

Tiberius sincerely hoped that would be the case, yet he feared it wouldn’t be as easy as all that. “Please, sit down and make yourself comfortable. Would you care for a drink?”

“No, thank you. I’d rather just get on with it, if you don’t mind.”

“As you wish.”

“Is Maximus really your last name?”

Ah, so she had been doing a bit of research. “Legally, yes.”

“What about illegally?”

He grinned, pleased with her quick wit and directness. “My family’s surname has no recognizable pronunciation in your language.”

She frowned. “You mean, like when Prince changed his name to a symbol?”

He shrugged. “I know of no such other prince, so I cannot say.”

She blinked, zeroing in on that statement as he had expected. “Other prince? Are you tell me you are a prince?”

“Yes. At least, I was in my homeland, prior to arriving in Golden Beach.”

“And your homeland is ...?”

“Aequoria.”

“Where is that?”

“That is difficult to explain accurately without a working knowledge of the Romuremulan solar system.”

Incredulous, Ryan gave him a narrow-eyed look. “What are you trying to say? That you’re not from this planet?”

“Precisely.”

She scowled and stood. “That’s it. I’m done.”

“You do not believe me.”

“No, I don’t,” she said, anger now radiating off her in waves. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

“Far from it. I am simply telling you the truth, as I said I would.”

“You know, if you’ve changed your mind about seeing me, just say so. You don’t have to make up some crazy story to get me to walk away.”

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Tiberius blocked her path to the door. “I have not changed my mind. In fact, I’ve never wanted you more than I do at this very moment. And you are not going anywhere.” He grasped her about the shoulders and lowered his mouth to hers. If she would not listen to reason, he would appeal to the more primitive part of her, the one that intrinsically recognized the divine connection between them.

She resisted at first, but then she quickly softened. Holding her in place with his body, he lowered his hand and fingered the hem of her slim skirt. Her breath caught when he lifted the edge and caressed her soft, smooth skin with the pads of his fingers.

Tiberius trailed kisses along her jawline and whispered, “You are mine, Ryan Winslet. Mine to pamper. Mine to protect. Mine to pleasure.”

“You can’t ...” Whatever else she was going to say was lost when he nipped her sensitive earlobe. She attempted to step back, but he wouldn’t allow it.

“It works both ways, sweet Ryan. As you are mine, so I am yours and yours alone. I can feel your desire. I can hear your thoughts. I know about the dream you had last night, because I initiated it.”

She froze, stunned. He took the opportunity to push his hand higher, tracing along the outside of her toned thigh, upward to the curve of her ass. Palming one bare cheek, he squeezed. Then he lightly ran his fingers down her cleft.

“How could you ...?”

“I know every inch of this beautiful body, because I explored it with my lips and hands. I know how much you like it when my tongue swirls around the tips of those luscious breasts. I know what you sound like when you come hard around my cock.”

With one long finger, he pushed aside the tiny strip of material. With another, he curled and slid it along her wet, silken heat. Groaning, he then pressed his body closer, letting her feel exactly what her nearness did to him.

“That’s ... not ... possible.”

“It is possible.”

He held her close as he stroked between her legs, relishing the way her hips moved in tiny movements, silently begging for more, while she curved her nails into his biceps. Tiberius gladly obliged, paying particular attention to the swollen bundle of nerves demanding his attention.

“You feel it, too, this divine connection between us. You cannot explain it, yet your soul cries out for mine even as your body craves the pleasure only I can provide.”

When her breathy moans nearly had him releasing in his slacks, he speared her with one finger, then two. No longer passive, she moaned softly and rode his fingers.

“Yes ...” He captured her mouth and mimicked the movements with his tongue. When her movements became frantic, he pressed his erection into her soft belly and curled his fingers deeper inside her channel, commanding the release she so desperately chased.

She tensed then cried out softly into his mouth as she climaxed all over his fingers.

He held her as her limbs shook with pleasure then went limp. He brought her down from her peak slowly with tender, gentle caresses.

“Mine.”