by Vivi Anna, Sylvia Day, Delilah Devlin, Cathryn Fox, Myla Jackson, Lisa Renee Jones
A soft sob caught in her throat and she willed TJ to go away. As silence settled on the hallway, Cassidy held her breath, straining to hear the sound of footsteps leading away from her front door.
Then the handle twisted and she remembered she hadn’t locked the door. With speed born of desperation, she leaped from the hardwood floor and reached her empty hand for the lock. But the door opened and TJ stepped in, bringing with him a flood of sunshine.
Cassidy winced, her eyes blinded by the brilliance. Where the sun lanced across her body, her skin seared.
She staggered backward into the shadows of the darkened hallway.
“Cassidy?” TJ frowned, moving forward to grab her arm. “Are you all right?” He sniffed the air. “What’s that smell? Is something burning?”
Her mouth moved, but she couldn’t form the words to answer him. The pain of the sun was intense, but no more so than the pain of seeing TJ again.
TJ’s frown deepened. “You don’t look well. Here, let me help you to the couch.”
No. Please go away, a voice screamed inside her head, but her heart refused to let the words past her lips. Fool! Don’t bring him down with you. Despite her inner warning, she let him lead her into the living room and press her onto the cushions of her grandmother’s antique sofa.
All her senses were focused on where his hand held her elbow. The pulse beating in his fingertips pounded through her awareness like the bass drum of a marching band.
She should send him away. Now! Before she did something stupid. Her veins pulsed to the rhythm of his, as if they were one being, connected at a single point, sharing the same blood she so desperately needed.
“What have you done to your hand?” He grasped her other hand and leaned over her.
She hadn’t realized she still held the jagged remains of the light bulb. Blood oozed from between her fingers. “It’s nothing,” she managed. “I can take care of it myself.”
“Like hell.” His voice was gruff as he pried her hand open and removed the offending glass. “Damn, Cassidy.”
Yeah, she was damned all right. Instead of staring at where his hand touched hers, she could only see the suntanned length of his exposed neck, the jugular vein thumping just beneath the skin.
“Where do you keep your first aid kit?” he asked.
She couldn’t think past the thrumming of the blood in his veins.
When she didn’t respond, he turned her face up to his and spoke slowly, “Cassidy, where is your first aid kit?”
With all the control she could muster, she concentrated on his words. “In the medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom.”
By the time the last word passed her lips, he’d left her.
Without the warmth of his hands on hers, or his nearness scrambling her wits, she regained a semblance of balance and stood. She had to get him out of the house as soon as possible.
His life and her sanity depended on it.
Two
TJ rifled through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, his heart beating hard in his chest, forcing blood to slam through his body charged with adrenalin.
As he’d walked across the lawn to Cassidy’s house, he’d told himself he only wanted to make sure she left the city. She should have evacuated today. As a cop and protector of the population of Houston, he was only as concerned about her as he was anyone else still left in the city.
So he’d thought.
When she’d refused to answer her door, panic seized him. Was she sick? Was that why she hadn’t contacted him? Had he been nursing his bruised ego while Cassidy had been laid up, unable to answer the telephone?
He gripped the edge of the counter and steadied himself. God, if he had been wrong all this time, would she ever forgive him?
Hell, she was bleeding and he was standing in the bathroom berating himself, wasting valuable time. He shook off his thoughts and grabbed a red pouch marked First Aid. As he loped back into the living room, he dug through the package for antiseptic, gauze and adhesive tape.
When he rounded the corner of the hall leading into the living room, he had his head down and didn’t see Cassidy until too late.
He plowed headfirst into her. Tossing the first aid kit to the floor, he grabbed her arms to keep her from falling to the floor. The forward momentum didn’t stop them and they ended up slammed against the wall.
A puff of minty air blew into his face when his chest crashed into hers and a soft fragrance wafted up to tease his nostrils. Every nerve ending clamored beneath TJ’s skin, sending urgent messages to points south. His uniform trousers tightened, his cock springing to attention at the softness of her belly beneath the rigid row of his fly.
A groan escaped him and he pushed against the wall, bracing his hands on either side of her. “Are you okay?” His gaze fell into her bottomless brown eyes, and he was immediately struck by the longing he could swear was shining through. Then she blinked and lowered her gaze to his mouth. Had he only imagined it?
Her tongue darted out tracing a line of moisture over her lower lip, highlighting the deep rose hue with a glistening sheen.
TJ leaned closer, drawn to her despite his resolve to play the unaffected cop. Cop who? He was a man, she was a woman—an extremely desirable woman and all he wanted was to kiss her. To thrust his tongue deep into her mouth and taste the woman who’d been part of his thoughts every minute of every day since he’d made love to her.
For a moment, her chin lifted as if to accept his kiss, then her hands inserted themselves between them and she pushed. “No.”
He stood in a sensual daze for a few seconds after her firm refusal. While TJ mentally pulled his brain out of his briefs, Cassidy ducked beneath his arms and stepped out of reach.
Forcing a smile, he straightened, his arms dropping to his sides. “I saw you in the window and wanted to make sure you plan to evacuate soon.”
“Evacuate?” Her confused stare looked genuine.
“You must not have been watching the news.” Who in this day and age didn’t watch the news?
She twisted the fabric of her sundress, crimping wrinkles in the thin cotton. “No, actually, I haven’t turned on the television in days.”
“You haven’t?” He shook his head.
“No.”
“Then you might not be aware, the mayor issued a mandatory evacuation order.”
“Why?”
“A category five hurricane is headed straight for us.” TJ’s brows pushed together. “Have you been sick?”
She turned her profile to him, avoiding eye contact as she answered. “Yes…yes, I’ve been ill.”
TJ’s chest tightened. So she had been sick and he hadn’t done anything about it. “Do you want me to drive you the hospital?”
“No!” Her gaze darted toward him, her eyes widening.
He held up his hands. “Okay, okay. So, maybe we won’t take you to the doctor.” Why was she so spooked by the prospect? Had she had a bad experience with a doctor or hospital in the past? TJ realized just how little he knew about Cassidy’s past. At the time he’d taken her to his bed, he didn’t think it mattered. In every other way, she’d been his perfect mate. And she made him laugh. Surely he could reach her again, push past this barrier she’d erected between them. “Then tell me, Cassidy…what’s wrong.”
“Nothing. I’m fine.” Again, her gaze swept the vicinity of his knees.
When he moved to take her arms, she backed away. “I think you should leave.”
“What happened between us, Cassidy?” God, he hated the pleading in his voice, but he couldn’t help it. He’d missed her, and he wanted her so much he was willing to plead a little.
Her bunched fist rose to her mouth and her eyes glistened. “Nothing. It just wasn’t meant to be.”
No explanation, no excuses, just a brush off. So be it. As if pulling a shutter down over his heart, TJ stood taller and nodded. “Okay, I can take a hint.” Could he, when all he wanted was to grab her and shake the answers out of he
r? But that didn’t solve anything. “When are you going to evacuate?”
She stared up into his eyes, searching. “Do you think it’s as bad as the forecast predicts?”
“You saw what happened with Katrina in New Orleans and the damage Rita did to east Texas. Don’t take the chance. Get out.”
“I will,” she said, her voice unconvincing.
Crossing his arms over his chest, TJ demanded, “When?”
“Tonight.”
“Promise?”
“Yeah,” she said, chewing at her lip.
“Don’t fuck with me. I need to know you’ll be safely away from Houston when this one hits.”
A brief smile lifted the corner of her lips before she nodded. “Don’t worry about me.” She pushed strands of her long black hair behind her ear and stared around the room before her gaze returned to him. “By the way, what’s her name?”
“Who?” Her softened look and the way her dark hair curved around her earlobe made TJ’s thoughts muddy with the desire to fill his hands with all those silky strands.
Again the flitting smile, one like she used to give him when they studied for their criminology class. “The hurricane?”
For a moment, TJ thought the old camaraderie was back. “The hurricane?” He leaned his head back and inhaled. With only a glance, she made him forget himself. Righting his head, he stared back at her, determined to keep this on a professional level. “It’s a him. Hurricane Thomas. A cat five hurricane, as of the last report from the weather center, and headed our way.”
“When is it supposed to hit?”
“Tomorrow night.”
She nodded.
“So, you’re going to evacuate?” Once she agreed, he could leave. With Cassidy out of the way, he could concentrate on his job—killing vampires.
She nodded, her hands clasped behind her back.
“Good,” he said, although he felt anything but good about her answer.
“Yes, good.” Her brows rose in her pale face.
TJ didn’t remember her being so pasty-white the last time they were together. It worried him. At the same time he found the pallor of her skin gave her an ethereal quality unlike before. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
Emitting a gentle snort, she nodded. “Couldn’t be better.”
He stood there with nothing more to say. She didn’t want him back in her life, having made it perfectly clear by the way she’d urged him to leave. “Then I have work to do to get my storm shutters in place. Do you need help with yours before you leave?”
“I’ll take care of them.” She held up her hand to forestall his next protest. “Don’t worry, they’re new and easy to close.”
“If you’re sure. I don’t mind.” And if he stayed to help her with the shutters, he’d be around her that much longer.
Pathetic.
“You need to go. I’m sure you have to work tomorrow.”
TJ turned to leave, but something stopped him. When he turned back to Cassidy, he caught her staring at him like she wished he wouldn’t go, but was unwilling to stop him.
Her chin dipped toward the floor, a soft rosy hue staining her cheeks.
“What happened, Cassidy?” TJ asked. “What went wrong?” He could feel her hesitation and he closed in on her. “Was it something I said or didn’t say?”
She shook her head and a single drop slid from the inside corner of her eye all the way down her cheek. “It wasn’t you.”
He reached out and lifted her chin to look into brown eyes awash with tears. “Did you ever feel anything for me? Or was it all about the sex?” That’s what the woman was supposed to say to the man. A laugh threatened to bubble up in his throat. Not that anything was funny about the situation.
Her bottom lip trembled and more tears slipped down her face. “It wasn’t you.” She twisted free of his hand.
TJ wasn’t ready to let her go, the familiar anger rising in his chest. He couldn’t walk away without a fight. He ran his finger along her jaw, the moistness of her tears tugging at his heart. “Look at me and tell me you don’t care.”
With her gaze trained on the top button of his uniform, she said in little more than a choked whisper, “I don’t care.”
He curled his fingers around her shoulders and shook her gently. “Cassidy, look me in the eyes and say it,” he said. When she refused, his control slipped and the frustration of the past lonely days burst out. “Look at me!” His shout sounded harsh even to his own ears.
Cassidy’s head shot up, her eyes, sparkling through the un-shed tears. “Okay, I felt something! Damn it! I felt something! Are you happy?” She pulled out of his grip and strode across the floor, her back to him. “Now will you go?”
“Not yet.” All the resentment drained from him and his heart squeezed in his chest. He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms, slowly turning her around. “Not yet.”
His mouth descended on hers and he felt the worry and anger wash away in that single kiss.
When her lips parted in a gasp, his tongue darted between her teeth. He tasted and toyed with her tongue, coaxing her to the level of his passion.
For a moment she stood in his arms unyielding and stiff. Then her hands crept up his chest and circled the back of his neck, pressing his head down toward her and her body relaxed into his.
TJ’s hands slid downward, cupping her buttocks and pulling her against his rigid arousal. With his heart beating like a runner in a marathon, he reminded himself to slow down. He didn’t want to scare her away again.
The way she moved showed no fear or hesitation. Soon, she took the lead in kissing and caressing, her fingers dancing across his skin, kneading his flesh, digging in to stake her claim. She maneuvered him around until his back was against the wall. Then her hand cupped his face and she bit down on his lip, nibbling and teasing him until his cock pressed painfully against the confines of his pants.
A vague thought skittered by. How could this be happening when she would have nothing to do with me a moment ago? What magical cure had righted the wrong he still couldn’t name? Whatever it was, he didn’t care. Cassidy was in his arms. He pressed his trouser-clad knee between her legs and marveled at the moisture he felt all the way through the fabric.
With deft hands, she unbuttoned his shirt and spread it wide, threading her fingers through the crisp blond hairs sprinkled across his chest. Then her lips joined her hands, teasing the hard brown nipples until TJ moaned.
He reached out, eager to see her naked skin, to touch those places he had only dreamed of a moment ago. With more haste than gentleness, he caught her sundress by the hem and yanked it up and over her head in one fluid movement. Then he tossed it to the floor, his gaze skimming over her, his cock swelling at the sight of her naked breasts and the thin wedge of black lace panties covering the apex of her thighs. “God, I’ve missed you, Cassidy.”
Pulling her close, TJ slanted his mouth over hers in a kiss so deep and tender, he felt it fill the empty space in his chest. This was the woman for him, and now that he had her back in his arms, he’d never let her go.
Cassidy’s hands ripped at his shirt, tearing it away from his body. Then her cool slim fingers dove lower, slipping the top button free on his pants. With a slow sexy smile, she dragged the zipper down with one hand while the other glided inside the fabric, following her heated handiwork. The pressure against his penis eased with every inch of unveiling. At the same time, the tension increased until he felt he would explode.
Inside his trousers, her hands slid around his backside to cup his ass. Then she shoved his pants down until they hung to his knees. His cock jutted forward, angling toward her, hard and eager. With only the thin scrap of lace panties between them, TJ was in a frenzy to take it the rest of the way.
But Cassidy had taken full control, and she cupped his balls, squeezing gently, rolling them with the smooth pads of her fingers.
He reached for and captured her hips in his grip, pressing her against
his hardness, rubbing the tip of his penis against the erotically abrasive lace.
His breath hissed between his teeth as he dragged in air, reminding himself to breathe.
Cassidy’s hand froze in the process of sliding up his shaft. “Did I hurt you?”
“Yes! No! Oh God, that feels incredible.” Then his fingers hooked into the lace and dragged it down her legs until her pale body gleamed naked in the shadows of the entryway. With her near-black hair hanging about her shoulders, and the pearly white of her skin beckoning him, he couldn’t hold back any more. “I want you, Cassidy. I want to make love to you like we did before.”
She closed her eyes and inhaled a shaky breath. Then her shoulders pushed back and she came to him, sliding a sleek feminine leg up his thigh to rest at his hip. Her cunt rubbed against his thigh, the moisture sending shockwaves of lust to his cock. “I want you too, Officer Evans.”
His mouth consumed hers and he lifted her legs up around his waist, lowering her until her pussy creamed over the tip of his cock. Hesitating for only a moment, he stared into her eyes. Then he eased into her warmth.
Moaning against his throat, she licked a line from his collarbone to his earlobe. His balls tightened in response, and he lifted her up, taking her to the end of his cock and back down to sheath him again in her creamy depths.
Cassidy leaned into him and practically purred against his cheek. “Stop me now, TJ, before it’s too late.” While her words said one thing, her hands racing across his skin encouraged him to continue.
With his mind caught in a cloud of desire, TJ couldn’t stop. Couldn’t pull free of her until he slaked his desire. Tension built, rising in surges, centering on the juncture of their joined bodies.
Cassidy moaned, her breasts bobbing up and down in TJ’s face.
He captured one of the pale round orbs in his mouth and sucked hard, drawing the rounded flesh into his mouth, laving the taut rosy nipple.
She murmured her approval and nuzzled his neck, nipping at the skin with her teeth.
