"Responsible." I left my hand on Richard's strong arm and smiled tightly. "Like a stone around your neck."

"Gloriana, I have always loved you and you know it." Jerry pulled me up and into his arms. "If you would consent, we could let Father Richard here marry us right now."

"I hardly think words spoken by a defrocked priest would be binding, Jerry." I resisted the urge to lean into him. I do love Jeremiah Campbell the third. And I'd be taking on a cushy lifestyle as Mrs. Jerry. He's amassed a nice fortune along the way. But I like my independence and, call me a slut, variety too.

Then I took a deep breath. Oh, God, but he smelled delicious and familiar and like the home I'd left behind centuries ago. I slid my arms around his waist.

"I'm sorry, Jerry. That wasn't very nice of me." I cleared my throat and looked up at him. "While I am honored by your proposal, I must regretfully decline."

Valdez growled and flopped down in front of the door. "You wouldn't know a good deal if it bit you on the ass, Glory. Take Blade up on his offer. Then I could get on with my life."

His life as something other than my guard dog. He was the latest in a long, long line of guard dogs Blade had insisted I keep with me. That old responsibility thing.

"Not selfish, are you, pup?" I had felt Jerry stiffen at my refusal. I stepped back from him before he could push me away.

"No more selfish than you are." Valdez gave Jerry a sympathetic chuff. "Give it up, man. Any woman who flipped me off like that would be a speck in my rearview mirror."

"I wasn't flipping him off, damn it." I felt tears fill my eyes. But I hadn't exactly been tactful either. Jerry's jaw was tight and he didn't say a word. Richard wisely kept his mouth shut too. I felt like scum. Nothing like rejecting Jerry in front of an audience. Even worse. In front of a man he respected. Well, hell.

Six

"I love you, Jerry. I do. But marriage should be permanent and I'm not-" Before I could do more than squeak, Jerry had me up in his arms. He carried me into my bedroom and dumped me on my bed, then closed the door with a look. Blade's got powers on top of powers. I tried to catch my breath. No luck when he landed on top of me.

"Such a sharp tongue. I can think of better uses for it than flailing my ego." Jerry stared down at me, all intense male and sex. I could feel him hard between my thighs. "I just said I didn't want to marry you. But if there's any other way I can be of service . . ." I slid my arms around his waist, then slipped one hand inside his jeans. Firm back and front.

"You're a woman of many . . . talents, Gloriana." Jerry grinned, and I did kiss his smiling mouth, tasting him, almost able to forget that everyone in the next room had supersonic hearing. "Since you've wounded my pride yet again, I won't object if you want to kiss and make it better."

I pulled back and looked at him. "Where exactly is your pride anyway?" As if I really had to ask. Men.

"A little lower than that."

I sent Jerry a mental message. "We can't-"

"Can't we?" Jerry nibbled his way to my neck, sucking until I wanted to beg him to drink from me.

"Only if we're very quiet . . ." I worked my hand around to his zipper, the sound of it as loud as machine-gun fire. But with his fingers up my skirt and inside my panties, I could care less.

"You're never quiet. Which is just one reason I love you. You scream your pleasure."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all, scream away."

I wrapped my legs around him as he drove home. "Oh, yes. Right. There." He moved and I sank my fangs into his neck to keep from shrieking. Thank God my bed doesn't squeak but the headboard hit the wall and . . .

"The floor. Now."

Jerry slid us off the bed and onto the worn wood. He rolled me on top of him. I pulled back and licked my lips. I sat on my

"throne" and just absorbed the moment and him. His blood surging through me, lighting me from the inside out. The love shining in his eyes, warming me from head to heart. And then there was his cock filling me until I couldn't bear one more second without moving over him. We found our rhythm, just as we always did. I offered my own neck but he shook his head.

"This is all for you, lass. You'll be sorry I'm not tied to you."

Sorry? Probably. But I couldn't think about it when I was soaring toward the pleasure of all pleasures. I bit my lips until I could taste my own blood, but swallowed my scream when I came. I felt the heat of Jerry's release inside me and sighed as I collapsed on top of him. He shoved up my sweater and made quick work of my bra.

"No more," I whispered, okay, whimpered.

"Yes, more. I'm not through punishing you for hurting me."

Oh, God, he was hardening inside me again while he explored my breasts and pulled first one nipple, then the other into his mouth.

"I'm sorry."

Jerry dragged a sharp fang across my breast until he drew blood. Just a drop, but enough to make him growl with pleasure and lick it clean. He knew he wasn't hurting me, just exciting both of us.

"I'm not giving up on us, Gloriana."

I kissed him, more thrilled than I should be by his stubborn possessiveness. I was in the moment, looking neither forward nor back as I rode him until we both fell into each other's arms, too satisfied to do much more than grin at each other.

"Satyr."

"Slut."

Oh, but I loved his smile. I couldn't take offense. When he's right, he's right.

"What must they be thinking?" I spoke out loud as I slipped off of Jerry and tossed my panties into the closet. I could tell by feel that my hair was a mess and grabbed a brush from the dresser.

"Didn't you hear the TV go on? They're trying not to think. Valdez must have picked the station." Sure enough, I could hear the roar of NASCAR now that I tuned in to the reality in the next room. I helped Jerry to his feet and rescued his shirt from atop the lamp shade where it had landed during round number two.

I drew on some lipstick before pausing in front of the bedroom door. Jerry squeezed my shoulder and I turned to finger comb his tousled hair.

"You're not embarrassed, are you?"

"Not if we're okay now." I leaned against him for a moment. I probably should be embarrassed. Cheeks flushed, whisker burn on my breasts visible because I had on a low-cut top as usual. Hey, I've got assets and I know how to use them.

"We're okay. But next time you reject me, try not to do it in front of an audience." He kissed me again, but didn't smile when he was done.

I touched his hard jaw and looked into his dark eyes. "That was really horrible of me. It won't happen again. I promise. Just don't put me on the spot. Please?"

"Some women would consider a proposal better than being put on a spot." Jerry opened the bedroom door. The volume on the TV was high enough to make the walls shake. Jerry kept his arm around me as we walked back into the living room. Richard looked up, his face solemn. Yep, Jerry hadn't been the only one I'd managed to insult.

"Uh, Richard. Sorry about that defrocked priest slam. Totally out of line." I tried a smile. Richard just stared at me, like Jerry was welcome to me, warts and all. Jerry had no trouble reading that message. His hand moved toward his back where I knew he kept a knife stashed.

"Flo and Lucky still in Flo's room?" I grabbed Jerry's arm and looked longingly down the hall. Maybe I should just scoot down there and leave the men to their brooding silences and threatening gestures.

Richard nodded. "They're having quite a chat. Seems your guest has no clothes, but came with all manner of knives. Blade, Gloriana had to disarm her. Twice."

"What the hell do you mean? Knives?" Jerry's arm dropped away from my shoulder.

"She's into self-defense, Jerry. Smart in her line of work." I gave up all thoughts of escape. I settled into a chair, grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

"Hey, they were only three laps from the finish." Valdez looked from me to Jerry and settled with a chuff next to the door. "But forget me. I just work here." I heard him muttering about enduring my noisy bedroom antics, but a look from Jerry shut him up.

"Perhaps you should have let this woman die, Gloriana. She sounds dangerous." Jerry sat in a chair across from Richard.

"I am dangerous to people who attack me." Lucky, Flo right behind her, came down the hall. She wore a pair of boots I knew Flo had just bought a month ago. Gee, the women had really bonded. "You must be Jerry. Thanks for helping Glory save my life." She held out her hand. "I hope you know I'd never harm her."

Jerry and Richard, both old-school gentlemen, had jumped to their feet when Lucky spoke. Now Jerry smiled and raised her hand to his lips. "As long as you mean that, then it was my pleasure to be of some assistance."

"Hey, I did the deed, you know."

"Of course, Glory." Lucky had at least remembered my name this time, but she looked a little bemused, like she'd fallen under Jerry's spell or something.

"I hear you like to use knives." Jerry gestured and Lucky sat in the chair he'd vacated. I saw her grab at her sleeve then shoot me a dirty look. I just smiled at her. Valdez had stolen her extra knife after she and I had crashed. He'd tossed it under my bed, then sacked out himself. When I had a chance, I was going to stash it with her other knives. Lucky smiled back, then hit Jerry with what she probably thought was a sultry look. "Nothing like a sharp . . . blade to rev my engines."

Flo and Valdez snorted in unison while Lucky looked up at Jerry through those long, dark lashes. I wondered what kind of mascara she used, then snapped out of it and sent her a mental message to cool it. She looked startled, obviously not used to mental messages, especially ones that promised serious damage to her boots while she slept. I patted Valdez to make my point. Lucky caught on fast, because she ventured a mental message of her own. Hmm. Lucky had a potty mouth. Bitch. I snarled and proved I'd picked up a rather interesting vocabulary myself over the years. If she kept coming on to my boyfriend she could see how long it took her to pry her precious boots out of her ass. Jerry just grinned, like seeing me jealous did a lot for his "wounded" ego.