Alex headed down the hall.
No, they didn’t know. But he would enjoy finding out. He flexed his shoulders, not letting the monster take an inch. He would have his time. Moving to her side, he lifted the women who had no idea of the events going on around her. How was she going to react when she woke up in his room? He fought the laughter, remembering his offer to show her earlier. She declined and now she was going to wake up there.
He got his door open and crossed the room before easing her down and she mumbled in her sleep. Watching her, he made sure she stayed in her dreams. He could force her to stay asleep. Had done it before, but it wasn’t something he liked doing. Not to her. When he was sure she wouldn’t open her eyes, he went back and closed the door, locking it. The lock was useless against one like himself, but the noise it made could be a warning.
Essie didn’t know about the danger yet, so she wouldn’t know to be on guard. He smiled at the thought. She didn’t need to be told.
Pulling a pair of pajama pants from a drawer, he went to the bathroom to change. He normally slept nude, but this was special circumstances. Taking a pillow from the bed, he lay in front of the door, an added layer of protection. Listening to her soft, rhythmic breathing, he let himself close his eyes.
#
A scream, short and broken, woke him. In a second, he was on his feet, searching for the threat. There was none. Only Eve, arching against the bed, gasping in her sleep.
A nightmare.
“Eve.” After turning the lamp on, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her close to him. “Eve, it’s a dream.”
She pushed at him. “Help.” The word was torn from her before her spine arched again.
He pulled her across his lap and held her to his chest. “You can wake up.” She coughed and her fingers grasped at her throat. Her body shuddered against him.
“Eve!” she heard a voice, somehow, through the black water that surrounded her. She was dying, imagining things. “Wake up!”
Was that Sebastian? He saved her before. Would he do it again? She tried to find her way to it, moving through the cold. There was a warmth now. She could feel it growing. A touch on her face. Her back. “Sebastian?” She tried to say through the water filling her.
“Yes. Come back. You’re safe,” he said.
Her eyes opened and the terror in them tore at him.
He pulled her close as she broke down, sobs racking her. She pressed her face into his chest, and he could feel the tears against his bare skin. This was something he couldn’t protect her from. His hands were tied against her dreams. But he could be there for her. Could hold her as she relived her death.
After what felt like years, her tears dried and she lay against him, drained.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked as he stroked her hair.
She shook her head. “You were there. You know what it’s about.” She ran her fingers over his skin, the warmth pushing back the horror of dying again. “You saved me.”
“I had help,” he said.
She looked up at him. “You breathed for me.”
He nodded. The feel of her fingers on him was getting to be too much to bear. Something she was going to find out soon if he didn’t get her off his lap. She reached up and made it so much worse. He could feel her tremble as she stroked his lip.
“Will you do it again?” she asked.
He didn’t need the air that he sucked in. Why did she keep doing this to him? How did she keep bringing him right up to the point of no return?
“Eve,” he said then swallowed as her hand reached around, fingers tangling in his hair.
“I know you don’t want me,” she whispered. “I’m not asking for that. I just… Please?”
She had no idea how wrong she was.
He cursed as he pulled her closer and claimed her mouth. She didn’t know how wrong, but he was going to show her, because he couldn’t do it again. Couldn’t push her away. The last shred of his will to resist was destroyed by her small sound of pleasure.
She didn’t plan on touching him, just wanted his kiss, to be reminded that she lived. He saved her. Breathed life into her. But as his kiss deepened, grew more intense, she couldn’t stop herself. She shifted, running her fingers across the flesh that was there for the taking. She could touch and her hands wouldn’t be denied. While she traced his skin, his hands were scheming to drive her mad. One ran down her spine before gripping her hip, fingers tightening on the soft swell of flesh. The other cupped the back of her head, holding her still as his mouth made love to hers. She shivered as his lips left hers, grazing the skin of her jaw.
“Sebastian,” she gasped as need built in her belly, a curling of heat that threatened to burn her alive.
He shifted and she found herself straddling his lap, granting her access to all of him. She dipped her head and ran her mouth along his collarbone. His hands pressed down on her hips and she could feel him swelling against her core.
“You’re wrong, Eve.”
Her eyes flew up to meet his heated gaze. He pressed her again and she shuddered.
“I want you too much.”
“No such thing.” She ran her nails down his chest and across his stomach. His growl set her nerve endings on fire and she sucked in her own breath as he slid her across his erection. He did it again and she sagged against him, eyes hooded. He was going to kill her. A quick spin and she lay on her back. He straddled her, his body a cage. His hands pulled her sweater up and she arched, letting him pull it from her. This was where it ended before. Would he do that to her again?
Sebastian put his hand on her chest, feeling her heart racing for him. He trailed a finger along the lacy edge of her bra, the thin fabric keeping her from him. Hooking his finger around the narrow seam in the middle, he looked up and met the question in her eyes. No, there was no stopping, not again. He tugged, quick and hard, and the fabric gave way and she was his.
He ran his tongue over a tight nipple before pulling it into his mouth. Her fingers gripped his hair and he chuckled at her gasp. His teeth gently scraped her, and she arched against him. Her reaction to him were going to break him. Gripping her waist, he held her still while he tasted her flesh. His name, broken and filled with desire, stoked the heat in his veins. He sat back, watching her burn for him as he unbuttoned her jeans. Taking lace with denim, he finally had her bare.
Eve sat up, pulling on the drawstring to his pants. Her knuckles brushed his cock and he groaned. She looked up at him with a grin before running her fingers over the length of his cloth-covered erection and his hands fisted at his side. Slipping her fingers inside the waistband, she pulled them down as he rose up to his knees. Slowly, she stroked him, soaking in the sounds of pleasure he made, each moan, each groan, music.
With a curse, he had her on her back, hands caught in one of his, as he eased her legs open. “It’s my turn to touch.”
She shivered at the hoarseness in his voice, thick with need. With one slide of his finger through her folds, she stopped thinking. Another had her moving her hips, trying desperately to get closer to him. One more and she shuddered, crying out as he slipped that finger inside her, stroking the tiny bundle of nerves.
“Sebastian!” Her back arched against the bed and he let go of her hands
Her nails dug into his shoulders as he leaned over her, smothering her cries with his lips while he stroked her faster. The pleasure rose inside her, filling her to the brim.
Keeping his lips pressed to hers, he shifted, swallowing her groan as he slowly pushed into her body. There was no stopping the growl as her heat enveloped him, the tightness of her walls threatening to end him before he’d begun. Her hips moved against him and he gripped her hip, keeping her still. That didn’t work but for a second as she did something and her body squeezed him. Losing the battle of wills, he began to move.
Eve moaned, pressing her head back into the pillow. He was going to destroy her. Her legs hooked around his, pulling her body up with ever
y slow thrust he made. So good. But she needed more.
“Please,” she whispered as he drove deep.
“What do you want, Eve?” his voice was deep and low in her ear.
A gasp broke from her with his next thrust. “You.”
“You have me.” A slow withdrawal and deep plunge. “Tell me what you want from me.” His mouth was hot as he nipped her ear.
She shuddered, his words adding fuel to the flames slowly devouring her.
“Faster,” she pleaded, running her hands down his back, feeling the muscles of his ass flex with the next push into her.
He bit at her bottom lip. “Put those long legs around my waist.”
She did as she was told, and her reward was a pace that left her gasping. “Sebastian!” she cried out, eyes closing against the tidal wave of pleasure. Her nails dug into his skin as he shifted her slightly, plunging deeper as he moved even faster. The wave crashed over her as her body stiffened, her orgasm stealing her voice, her breath, everything but the feeling of him still taking her so completely.
The feel of her body milking his demanded his own release and with three more violent thrusts, he shouted out his pleasure. Her harsh breaths were music to his ears as he collapsed over the woman that completely changed his world.
“Jesus.” she panted, patting the back of the man that just took her to heaven.
“No, just Sebastian.” He didn’t need to breath anymore, but for some reason, found himself sucking air into burning lungs. Easing himself from her, he chuckled at her shiver. He rolled over onto his back and she lay her head on his chest.
“Well, Sebastian. Thank you.” She dropped a kiss over his heart as he wrapped an arm under her head and around her waist.
“The pleasure’s all mine.” He winked at her as she looked up at him.
“No, no it wasn’t.”
He pushed her damp hair back before lifting her slightly and capturing her slight pants with his lips. How could she blush after what they just did? He didn’t know, but it felt good.
“Do you think you can go back to sleep now?”
She laughed. “Just try and keep me awake.” She snuggled back into the warmth of his body and closed her eyes.
The stroke of his thumb over her cheek led her into a dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER SIX
As old as he was, he could almost pinpoint where it was in the sky and he knew upon waking that it hadn’t quite set. That was fine. He could lay in bed and simply enjoy the feel of her breath on his skin, the press of her flesh against his and her hand over where his heart used to be. If the night passed in that fashion, if he could avoid telling her about what they found, he would.
And that was the exact reason he couldn’t.
Self-preservation was a bitch. But he couldn’t let himself develop feelings deeper than they were now. He could admire her, could enjoy her company, the friendship. He could care for her. He just couldn’t love her. Not after the experiences of the past. Not after all the blood he spilled. The lives he took. He was more than a monster. Sure, he tried to live off predators, both human and creature, now. But he didn’t when he was first made into what he was now. He couldn’t subject her to that.
“You look like the definition of angst,” her voice brought him back to the present. “Please tell me you don’t have regrets.”
“Mmm, no, no regrets.” He tightened his arm around her, and she wriggled closer.
“Then why do you look like I am asking you for a confession of feelings?” She tilted her head back and smiled. “Because I’m not. I’m a consenting adult.”
“That’s not what I was thinking about.”
She laughed. “Liar.”
He shifted and she found herself looking up into eyes that were now over her. “It wasn’t entirely what I was thinking about,” he amended.
She reached up and touched his lips and swallowed when he nibbled her fingertip.
“You shouldn’t do that,” he said, dropping a kiss on her parted lips.
“Why not?” she asked, running her hands over his chest. Before she could see him move, her hands were pinned over her head.
“Because I won’t be held responsible for my actions.”
“Would those actions be similar to the actions of last night?” She rocked her hips against his and he groaned. “Because I won’t hold you responsible for those either.”
“You’re a witch.”
“No, actually, what was it Gideon said… Fae?” She frowned. “Actually… I don’t know what that is, I mean they could have witches?”
He dipped his head and caught her bottom lip in his teeth, gently pulling at it. Her moan made him chuckle. “No time for actions for us.”
“Sadist,” she said, fighting the fire that he woke.
He outright laughed as he let her go. His laugh turned into a growl as she ran her nails down his chest and her giggle as she bolted from the other side of the bed made him smile. So did her confusion when she finally realized she wasn’t in her room. The rapid succession of so many different emotions left him a little overwhelmed.
“How… Where… How?” She looked around.
“This is my room,” he said, rolling over and propping his head up on his arm.
“But I need a shower, and my clothes…” She glanced at him. “You need clothes too.”
“My clothes are in here and so are yours.”
“Shower?”
He waved his hand at the door to his bathroom.
“Eh, that seems a little personal, don’t you think?”
He had to laugh at that. While he was trying to keep his dead heart out of their relationship, she didn’t seem to have that problem.
“I suppose. Do you want to borrow my bathrobe on your mad dash to your room?”
She put her hands on her hips. “Well, I mean I guess I could stroll the hallway naked.”
His smile was evil. “I should make you do it. The others are awake now and I’m sure they would enjoy the show.”
Holding her head high, she moved to the door and he had to hurry to beat her to it. “I was kidding,” he said to her startled face. Shit, he probably just appeared in front of her. But she didn’t look terrified, which was progress. Then there was her lack of modesty. It intrigued him. Most humans would balk at parading around in the nude. It didn’t seem to faze her. But then, she wasn’t entirely human, was she?
“How do you know they are awake?”
Her soft question drew him back to current matters. “The sun,” he said.
“Oh, yeah… But wait. How do you know where it is?” she asked.
He made sure to walk normally to get a cover for her. “I’m really old,” he said, donning his own robe. Carrying the other, he went back to her. She was frowning at him. “What?” he asked.
“Define really old.”
“Don’t like older men?”
She laughed.
“Hold out your arms,” he said, and she complied. He slid one arm on before pulling the cool material around and up the other arm. Quickly, he tied it. “And that,” - he gave one last tug to the strip of cloth that hid her from his view - “is a complicated answer.”
Eve tapped her foot.
She wanted to know. Fine. “I was thirty-two when I became this. But as for how long I have been on earth, well, let’s just say I’m over eight hundred years old.”
Her breath was harsh. “Remind me to not ask questions that I don’t want to know the answer to.”
“Too old for you?” his voice was light, but his face was expressionless.
She couldn’t feel it, but she could imagine a tension inside him. “Nope,” she said, “just wondering if I needed to go find your walker.”
“Witch.” He grinned, feeling the tightness in his shoulders ease.
She gave him a wink as she turned. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”
No, she wasn’t going anywhere without him. She had him so turned around that he had forgotten the reason she was
with him in the first place. He put his hand on the door, keeping her from opening it. “Can you stay here just a few more minutes?”
“Gee, look who’s getting clingy.” She laughed.
“It’s not that.” Did he bring it up now? “Please. Trust me?”
Eve held his eyes for a moment before looking away. “Okay. I’m sure there is a reason you brought me in here. And I’m sure you’ll tell me about it. So, yes, I’ll wait.”
“Thank you,” he said. “I’ll just be a few minutes, then I’ll happily escort you to your room.”
“Deal.” She crossed the room and flung herself on his bed.
He shook his head, heading back to his bathroom. A quick shower and he walked out, towel around his hips.
She sat up when he came in. Jesus, he looked delicious. Wet hair bled drops of water down his olive skin. What she wouldn’t give to follow the trails of moisture with her tongue. She made a strangled sound somewhere in the back of throat before flushing with color at his glance.
“Are you okay?” His question didn’t help.
No, she was not okay. Having consigned herself to no repeat of the pleasure from the previous night, seeing him like that… Not trusting herself to speak, she simply nodded before turning her head. “Just you…” She cleared her throat. “You look really good for an old man.” Unable to help herself, she turned back to him and caught the purely masculine smirk on his lips. She flung a pillow at him and he caught it. “Hurry up and make yourself decent, you ape.”
“As you wish,” he said, dropping the pillow and his towel. He burst out laughing as she muttered a curse and twisted around on the bed, her back to him.
“Just…” She fluttered a hand in the air, and he laughed harder.
“You can turn around now.”
She peeked over her shoulder before climbing off the bed.
Without a word, she stalked to the door and flung it open before marching to her room.
#
There were articles of clothing laid out on the bed and for a moment, Eve thought she got the wrong room. Her things were in her hands. Including her useless bra.
Bound by Destiny Page 10
