The Darkest Assassin

by Gena Showalter

  With his gaze glued to hers, he shut and locked the door, then prowled closer. An-n-nd her nerves jacked up once again. A predatory ember crackled in those eyes, and determination stamped on every deliciously hard inch of his body.

  “Take off your clothes,” he rasped, his low, husky words infiltrating her ears, amplifying the sensations plaguing her.

  See Bjorn make Fox break first. No, no. He wielded incredible sex appeal…but so did she. Toying with the collar of her shirt, she purred, “I’m happy to take off my clothes. As soon as you admit defeat.”

  “Keep your clothes, then. Keep mine, too.” He tore off the robe, putting his bronzed skin and bulging strength on spectacular display, then tossed the garment her way. “You have only to speak two words—I surrender. Then, all of this is yours.” He waved to indicate every inch of his incredible form.

  I want it. Give it to me!

  Look away, look away! Anywhere but my own personal Temptation Island.

  Pride demanded she fight her attraction until the bitter end. Somehow, Fox found the willpower to say, “Counteroffer. You say those two little words, and all of this is yours.” Yanking her tank and bra overhead, she kicked off her boots. She shimmied out of her leathers and panties.

  Suddenly, they were both naked, standing only a few feet apart. His breath caught while hers disintegrated, the sight of him blowing every circuit in her mind. Beyond beautiful. At this rate, I’m going to lose in a matter of minutes.

  “I think we should change the rules,” she blurted out. “We agree to make a move at the same time. Then, the one who climaxes first is the loser.” And, simultaneously, the winner.

  “Agreed,” he rushed out, as if he feared she would change her mind at any moment.

  They wasted no more time. As she pressed a kiss at the corner of his mouth, he gripped her hips. A split second later, she soared through the air and landed atop the bed. Fox laughed as she bounced, that laughter genuine and as intoxicating as champagne. Face it, Bjorn’s desire made her giddy.

  He pounced, shooting onto the bed to pin her down. Dark but playful, wicked but sweet, he stared down at her. Her laughter died in an instant, and she gulped. Never had he looked so fierce.

  Not just beautiful. Mesmerizing. He owned this moment.

  Continue on this path, and he’ll own you, too.

  Stupid Distrust! He will not ruin this for me.

  Fox had never willingly ceded control to anyone, for any reason. Now, she wondered if Bjorn hadn’t, either. She’d seen his dealings with Alana, and he’d mentioned being captured. He might need control.

  But. There’s always a but with me. She sighed. Their relationship had begun on uneven footing. He’d burst into her life, determined to slay her. He’d negated her ability, imprisoned her, and set her up for a whipping. What had she done to him? Besides murder ten of his people, of course.

  Winning the bet might put them on equal footing at last.

  One minute ticked into another, neither of them looking away. Neither of them making a move, either. The way he looked at her…

  As if I’m the most beautiful woman in the worlds. As if I’m…special. Her stupid heart filled with something akin to rainbows, nearly bursting. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been special to anyone…ever.

  The more time that passed, the more his eyelids hooded with desire, and the more her awareness of him intensified. The dark stubble on his jaw beckoned her hands. One touch…maybe two. His muscled chest beckoned her mouth. One taste…to start. His erection beckoned her hands and her mouth.

  The man beguiles me.

  Lust heated her inside and out. Her blood began to boil, steam wafting. That steam caused pressure to build inside her, stealing her breath. Meanwhile, Bjorn low-key panted.

  A realization jolted her: He’s mine, and for the rest of time, I will not share.

  Oh, she’d known he belonged to her. At least in part. She just hadn’t known she’d planned on keeping him forever.

  She wouldn’t win his heart just to escape, and she refused to settle for a temporary arrangement. Not with him. She wanted to win his heart because…because… Do it. Say it. Because she was falling into major like with him. There. She’d done it, said it, breathed life into the thought, giving it an opportunity to wipe out her doubts.

  I am. I’m falling. I’m falling into like with him hard. She wanted him today, tomorrow, and every day after that. Long-term, baby! Excitement bubbled over, spilling through her.

  You saw the way other Sent Ones view you. They’ll never approve of you. Being with you will get Bjorn exiled. He’ll grow to hate you, and rightfully so.

  What sucked the most? The bastard wasn’t wrong. She ground her teeth.

  Expression softening unexpectedly, Bjorn glided the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip. “Distrust is doing his best to make you walk away from me, yes?”

  “Yes,” she croaked. The fact that he’d sensed her change in mood only made her lo—like him more. Not yet ready for the L word.

  Yet! Yet? I will not fall in love—ever. I won’t! Like was acceptable. Love? No. Even the thought of it made her panic. Love invited pain and disappointment, giving the other person power over you. She’d much rather return to her emotionless state.

  A lock of hair tumbled over his forehead, the dark strands a startling contrast to his bronzed flesh. As she grappled with a desire to smooth the lock away, he said, “Let’s teach the demon a lesson. Every time he strikes at you, we’ll strike back with pleasure, something he surely despises.”

  Snort. Tricky Sent One, trying to work the situation to his favor. “Excellent plan. Gentlemen first,” she teased, rubbing her knee along the side of his body.

  Just like that. Their good humor took a nosedive, their bodies too achy to be ignored any longer.

  “You are the most exquisite creature in all of creation,” he rasped. “Outwardly delicate but inwardly tough, a contradictory and intriguing combination. You madden me.”

  Her breaths accelerated. On fire for him, she said, “All week, I’ve imagined you perched above me like this. You play with my breasts, pinch my nipples, and slide your fingers deep inside me, preparing me for something much, much bigger…”

  With a moan, he lowered his head. With a groan, she raised hers. Their lips met in the middle, their tongues thrusting together. There was nothing gentle or tentative about the kiss. No exploring. Only fierce, unstoppable need. They devoured each other. She breathed for him, and he breathed for her.

  A passion-flush spread lightning-fast, heating her cells. How had she gone so long without this? Unable to remain still, she rubbed her sex against his shaft. Oh, the bliss! Every point of contact sent a new shockwave through her. Soon, her every thought revolved around the next hit.

  Addicted. Want this three times a day—at least!

  He laved the pulse at her neck, pressure mounting, the need for release all-consuming. Still, she tried so hard to be gentle with him. No clawing. No biting. If she caused him pain, guilt would destroy her. After everything he’d suffered with Alana and his captivity, he deserved only pleasure. But…

  She muttered a curse. Carnality just took the wheel, driving her every thought to one of three conclusions. “Yes. Please. More.”

  “More. All. Everything.” He lifted his head to kiss her lips. Their tongues twined together again and again.

  No clawing? No biting? No way. She raked her nails along his scalp, then down the center of his wings, finally sinking the sharp tips into his ass to yank him closer. Yes, yes! No! His erection hit the center of her desire, nearly wrenching a climax from her. Must hold out. Must!

  He hissed in a breath.

  “Sorry,” she croaked, plucking her nails free. She fisted the sheets. “Didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Not hurt.” A ragged growl rumbled from him as he wrenched his face from hers, drowning out a stream of protests from Distrust. “Put them back.”

  Them? Her nails? “No. Must resist.” Gah! Sound
ed like she was speaking her thoughts…while her mind was blank. But, oh! None of the guys she’d been with in the past were as strong or intense as Bjorn. Having tasted the perfection of his passions, she doubted any other male would do. “I could hurt you,” she tried to explain between panting breaths.

  “I love your reactions to me. Love earning them. Do not deprive me of such bliss.”

  Darling man. “You know what this means, yes? I’m next level girlfriending, and you owe me.” Once again, Fox sank her nails into his ass. She wrapped her legs around his waist, locking her ankles. She drew his earlobe between her teeth and whispered, “I won’t fight my reactions to you anymore. I’ll surrender. If you’ll do something for me.”

  “Anything,” he said. “I will be the one to surrender.

  She almost smiled. Almost. “Fuck me, Bjorn. Please.”

  * * * *

  Sweat beaded on Bjorn’s brow, Fox’s words echoing inside his mind. His muscles knotted with strain, and his heart pounded against his ribs. Beneath him lay the sexiest female in the history of ever. Tangled dark hair framed her delicate features. One lock even curled around her nipple, playing peek-a-boo with his gaze.

  She is the incarnation of desire…

  He kissed and licked a fiery path to her breasts, nudged the lock of hair out of the way, and sucked that nipple hard. Her back bowed, a cry of bliss filling the air. He sucked harder. Only when she thrashed and mumbled incoherently did he switch to the other, sucking it just as hard.

  Can’t think, can’t think. The bet had ceased to matter. Never had he wanted something as desperately as this.

  With a flare and flap of his wings, he lifted Fox off the mattress. After flipping them both, he rested atop a mound of pillows while she rested atop him. Breasts bouncing, she straddled his hips and nestled her hot, drenched sex against his erection.

  She stared down at him, her expression tender, indulgent, her excitement and anticipation palpable.

  When she rolled her hips, grinding on him, pleasure and pain collided, whipping him into a frenzy. Waited so long for this—for her.

  He hissed another breath and went still. He had waited for her. Deep down, he’d known—hoped—someone exceptional would come along, the bright future she offered eclipsing the past. On paper, Fox should not be that someone. As different as they were, they should drive each other nuts. Instead, she made him better, complementing every aspect of his life.

  “Bjorn,” she said softly, only to go quiet. Whatever emotion she noted in his expression—burning lust? frenzied need?—intensified both the excitement and the anticipation.

  “Yes, vixen. Yes.” He curled his wings around her, the ends caressing her back.

  Shivering, moaning, she traced a fingertip around both of his nipples. “How badly does my baby crave a climax? Will you go off as soon as I slide down your length?”

  Yes! No. Maybe? He would fight with every ounce of his might. “Let’s find out.” But first, he had to prepare her.

  He urged her to her knees. The moment he spied a visible gap between their bodies, he reached down to plunge a finger deep into her core. With a ragged cry, she dropped her head back and bowed her spine. The ends of her hair tickled his thighs.

  As he moved the digit in and out, in and out, her inner walls squeezed him. On the next inward plunge, he added a second. She gasped—a gasp that tapered into a moan. He scissored the two together, stretching her. In, out. In, out. Every time he withdrew them, she writhed, chasing them, eager for more.

  When she began to pant his name again and again, he wedged in a third. She gasped with more force, her hips jerking. All he could do? Pray for strength. Too good. Too much. Not enough. In, out. White-hot. Wet. Soaking. In, out. Feminine honey drenched his hand.

  The way his vixen responded to him…

  Will never get enough.

  She slapped one hand against his chest then the other. Then she raked her nails down his abdomen, leaving eight perfect trails he would admire for hours to come.

  He hadn’t lied to Fox. He loved the sting. Loved knowing he’d pushed her past thought and reason, making her a slave to sensation. Loved knowing she’d left her marks on him. Her brand.

  The woman held nothing back, and he realized this wicked, wild, uninhibited desire was everything his life had been missing. Everything he’d hoped to gain when he’d bedded those soft, gentle women he’d thought he preferred.

  Trembling, panting faster, he lifted his head. Fox’s nipples were damp, red and puffy—ready. Her passion-flush had deepened, and her pupils were blown. All signs she’d reached the point of no return.

  Need her. Now. “Ready for me, vixen?” Please, be ready for me.

  Voice ragged, she said, “Please! I—I’ll be the first to come. I will. Just make me come!”

  The provocation to sate her proved more overwhelming than the urge to tease her. Control in shambles, he shifted her to her knees a second time. Her pupils expanded, covering more of that glittering hazel as he positioned his shaft at her entrance, breaching the inner ring by an inch.

  His eyes nearly rolled into his head. The pleasure! And he had only inserted the tip. What would happen when he thrust hilt-deep?

  Not yet, not yet. As she watched, he licked her essence from his fingers. Again, his eyes nearly rolled into his head. So sweet!

  She got wetter. Hotter. Because of his size, she did not slide down his length. He was too big, and she was too tight. Incredibly tight. He gritted his teeth, the urge to come all but strangling him.

  He skimmed his fingers along her inner thighs, drawing goose bumps to the surface of her skin. “You ready for more?”

  “Mmm.” Chewing on her bottom lip, she gave her hips an experimental roll. A gasp. A groan. “Yes, please. More! Now, now, now.”

  Clasping her by the waist, Bjorn planted his feet on the mattress, bent his knees, and lifted his hips. Slowly, he forced his length deeper, impaling her. Deeper. Deeper still. Not slamming all the way to the hilt required more strength than he possessed, but somehow, he managed it.

  Once she’d accepted every inch, he stilled, letting her get used to his invasion. Tension thrummed inside him. Sweat trickled down his temples and his back. He shook.

  “Tell me when…you’re ready,” he gritted out.

  Experimenting, she rose up slightly, then sank down gingerly. Again. Then again. It was pure, unequivocal torture for him, yet he loved every second of it. Finally, she rushed out, “I’m ready!”

  Wait, wait, wait. This felt good. Too good. Better than ever before. Why?

  Realization stabbed him, and he flinched. “Need to pull out. Not wearing a condom. Shouldn’t risk pregnancy.” Could he pull out? His every cell shouted a protest.

  “No! Stay! Just got you here. Not ready for you to leave, even for a moment.” She locked her legs around him. Only took a heartbeat to realize what she’d done. She unlocked and whispered, “You can’t get me pregnant like this. Will explain later. Please, Bjorn.”

  Hearing her plead for his possession…

  With a grunt, Bjorn utterly unleashed. He thrust up, and she slammed herself down. For a moment, he saw stars, but he did not go still. No, he hammered inside her, the headboard slapping against the wall. In and out. Faster. Harder. In, out. In, out. Her inner walls clasped him tight, surrounding his shaft with heat and arousal. In-out, in-out. Faster still.

  He’d been posed at the razor’s edge of desire for far too long. Now, passion ruled him. He reached between them to circle his thumb around her clitoris while working her little bud between two fingers.

  Then. That moment. Fox threw back her head and screamed, her inner walls clenching around his length.

  The next moment, Bjorn roared to the ceiling, pouring jet after white-hot jet of satisfaction into his woman.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hours passed before Fox’s heart calmed and her breathing slowed. She’d never been a snuggler, but she spent every minute tucked against Bjorn’s side, her n
ails buried in his chest. Like a predator intent on keeping her prey. He combed his fingers through her hair. A suspended moment of communion and connection more satisfying than the sex. Well, just as satisfying.

  Almost as satisfying.

  A real close second.

  As silence continued to reign, worry plagued Fox. Last time she and Bjorn had gotten busy, the Queen of Shadows sensed his arousal and came gunning for him. Would Alana sense his arousal today, too?

  If the bitch returned, Fox could kill her without opening a portal. The perfect silver lining. Oh! Oh! Maybe Fox and Bjorn could work together to end Alana. After all, couples who slay together, stay together.

  I want to stay with Bjorn.

  What they’d just done…Earth-shattering, world-changing. The man had worshipped her body. Nothing had mattered but his next touch. Never had she felt closer to another living being. Now, she wasn’t sure she could live without the sensation.

  Fool! I told you before, but I’ll tell you again, because your puny brain is not computing the truth. His leaders will never pardon a sinner like you. When the time comes, Bjorn will strike at you.

  The demon whispered his poison, and her stomach filled with acid. Perhaps she should put a little distance between herself and Bjorn, just in case. “I guess we can’t declare a winner of the bet. We came in a photo finish.”

  “I suppose we must have sex again to break the tie,” he teased.

  Teasing. Now. Her heart squeezed.

  He frowned and rubbed the center of his chest, as if his heart squeezed, as well. “I’m being summoned by Alana.”

  All thoughts of maintaining distance vanished. Knew the bitch would try something like this. Stomach now roiling, stirring the acid as if it were a simmering stew, Fox said, “Give me her coordinates. We can kill her together. Today! Please, Bjorn.” She flattened her palms, one against the other, creating a steeple. “Please, please, please.”

  He opened and closed his mouth once. Twice. Thrice. Finally, he settled on, “During one of our first conversations, Alana told me she used to live in Hell, as a concubine of Lucifer’s.”