by JL Madore
His body shuddered as the scent jolted his inner beast, the dark entity fed by the collected souls Nephilim fought to tame. The day had been a disaster, yet when he looked at her, every ugly aspect of his life dissolved.
He wanted to know her. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to ravish her. Her scent, so close and fresh, was a drug to him. It raced through his veins and sparked a tantalizing combination of sexual hunger and irrational need. He sent up a brief prayer. Whatever happened next, he hoped the heavens could protect them both.
He stroked the dog curled up on the floor and waited until Austin was out for good. Then, he grabbed a pair of running pants from the dresser, tossed the towel into the hamper, and headed out to the hall.
Kyrian laughed as he closed the door behind him. “You look like roadkill, brother, and as much as I’m relieved to see your side has healed, you’re really goddamned naked.”
Zander stepped into his pants and yanked them up his thighs. No reason to share what was doing with Mr. Sit Up and Beg, especially with the one person who knew him better than any other. “Austin fell asleep in my room while I showered. I didn’t want to wake her.”
“And she couldn’t see you if you didn’t trigger her sight so you snuck out. I get it.”
Glad someone did. Other than casual fucking and one night stands, Nephilim kept Otherworld females at a distance and human women out of their lives altogether. He’d never had anything warm and wet in his life that hadn’t been a meaningless crash between two bodies—never.
He didn’t know why this human had him panting but it had to stop. Instead of focusing on tracking down the aberration who killed Tanek, he was lost imagining how he and Austin would fit together if he pressed her deep into his silk sheets. What noises would she make as her body arched to the sway of his hips? What would she taste like if he lowered himself between—
Um . . . yeah. He cursed again. Distance would clear his thick skull. Distance and bedding the woman until he collapsed and got her out of his system.
He turned back to Kyrian and started up the hall. “What’s the look?”
Kyrian shook his head, sheer horror on the guy’s playboy puss. “You know damn well what the look is. It’s not going to happen, Z. She is not for you, my brother.”
Zander stepped into his office and rounded his desk. “Did I ask your opinion?”
“Consider it unsolicited advice.”
Zander dropped into the leather wing chair. The thing creaked in protest, despite being built and reinforced to accept his size. “We’re allowed lovers.”
“No. We’re allowed to fuck females. Not develop feelings.”
“Feelings?” He snorted, scrubbing a palm over his bristle-covered jaw. “I met her this morning. It’s basic biology, buddy.”
“You’ve got a fucking doe-eyed gaze saying otherwise. Christ Zander, she’s human!”
Exhaustion leached its way into his entire body and settled into his joints. He exhaled and let his jaw drop open. “Shit. How’d I miss that?”
“Fuck. Off. This is so not the time to be an asshole.”
“Agreed, so drop it.”
Kyrian aimed a finger square at his tattooed chest. “Zandros, you’re freaked about Tanek and taking command. You’re convinced you failed him, failed the female and knowing you, half the city. If you think you can crotch mingle with her and walk away, your head is up your ass. You’re in deep shit here.”
Zander ignored the Greek’s rant, captivated by the file on his desk. Austin’s picture was clipped to the front of the manila folder. He flipped it open. Danel had been busy. He’d gathered transcripts, financial records, and license documents for a Toronto Physiotherapy/Sports Injury Clinic. Sifting through the pages, a newspaper clipping captured his full attention.
Local Teen Resuscitated: Survivor of Flash-flood
Following the worst cluster of thunderstorms Southern Texas has ever seen, fifteen rivers overflowed in and around San Antonio and Austin. Yesterday afternoon, in Travis County, horrified onlookers watched as a Ford Ranger pickup was swept into the rising waters of Onion Creek.
“It happened so fast,” Terry Cransfield, a local volunteer firefighter said. “The poor family in that truck didn’t have a chance to get out of the way.”
Austin Navarro, 15, was fished from the violent waters by local rescuers. All attempts to save her mother and two younger brothers ended in tragedy.
The death toll currently stands at thirty-one.
Zander skimmed the rest of the article dazed. He too had watched death claim family while helpless to stop it. He ached for Austin. He ached for Niobe. He wouldn’t with the loss in his own heart on anyone.
A couple paragraphs into the report, he realized Kyrian still waited for a response. He closed the file even though he wanted to read every word. Needed to know every detail he could find out about her. Fuck. “Okay, I might be in trouble.”
“You think?”
He closed his eyes and blew out a deep breath. “Listen. Something happened outside that warehouse. When she was unconscious, I laid her under the moonlight and before her eyes even opened I felt it. Something in me shifted.”
Kyrian gave him a well-duh stare. “It was your cock.”
Zander scowled. “It was more than that.” No way could he bring up his emotions going batshit without freaking Kyrian, so he stalled out. “I need a minute to process and would appreciate if you backed off while I do.”
Kyrian leaned onto the desk and braced his weight with both arms. His mint green eyes flashed. “If you think letting her walk after you’ve tasted all her naked bits will be easier, you’re bullshitting yourself as well as me. We’re cutting her loose, my man, the minute she’s safe and we catch the Shedim. She’ll be scrubbed and reinserted. There’s no other answer here.”
“Enough. How about you focus?”
Kyrian dragged rough fingers through his shaggy brown hair. It fell back into place like the stuff had been trained to live up to his male model image. Even frazzled the guy was a total looker. “You know the laws, Z. Hell, you’re the one who enforces them. We don’t have relationships. Ever. Nephilim don’t get happily-ever-afters.”
Zander aligned his letter opener along the top edge of his blotter and swallowed his urge to scream. “Shouldn’t the squad be checking in? It’s almost six.”
A dark shadow flashed across Kyrian’s face. “The Choir won’t allow it, Zandros.”
He raised his hand. “I hear you and I’m green lights all the way. Now, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I swear I’m going to lose my shit over here. I’ll get my gear on in the laundry room and we’ll hit the streets as usual. I’ll have Jules check in on Austin while we’re gone, but I’m sure she’s out for the night.”
Kyrian’s expression stayed set so grim, he thought they might have hit an impasse. As the silence stretched out, his best friend moved to the window and stared out at the city. The two of them had fought side-by-side since the rise of Sumerian civilization. Since Kyrian’s days as a Mycenaean warrior, the guy had covered Zander’s ass in every major event in their unnaturally long lives.
More than a pretty face, Kyrian was the gentleman among them. Strong, fast and lethal in battle, Zander couldn’t remember a time when the Greek hadn’t taken up his cause. Or when he hadn’t returned the favor.
God, would this day ever end?
After an agonizing silence, Kyrian grasped the window frame as if he might pull the fucker from the wall. He cursed a colorful stream and then pushed off. “The others are gonna shit bricks if they get a whiff of this. You realize that, right?”
“I told you, once she’s safe, she’s out the door.”
Stepping closer, he eyeballed Zander’s extended knuckles. With all the enthusiasm of someone about to be boiled in oil, their fists bumped. “Z, if you believe that, then I gotta tell you, you are seriously fucked.”
Yeah, so what else is new?
CHAPTER TEN
Austin startled into co
nsciousness with images of blood and bodies writhing in her head and that cold chill locked in the center of her chest once again. She lay on her side, encased in silk. She pulled breath to the full depth of her lungs and reality caught up with her. She’d fallen asleep in Zander’s bed.
He shifted behind her.
Broad hips thrust closer as the bristle of morning scruff nuzzled her neck. A gentle snore vibrated behind her ear and warmth tickled her nape with each exhale. Muscle-banded arms and legs wrapped so tight around her, she was amazed she hadn’t woken sooner.
Man, his limbs weighed a ton.
Her dreams made sense now—the endless scenarios of being bound and trapped, trying to free herself from beneath the invisible force that held her down. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t extricate herself.
As she shifted her weight she knew why. Her arms were wrapped across her chest and he held them both. The moment she moved, Zander’s hold constricted. His body shifted, tightening his embrace. That should scare her.
After what happened with Rick, she should swear off men. He’d cheated on her for who knows how long. Being played a fool was a kick in the pants, but beyond that, she didn’t object to Rick’s exit from her life. Didn’t that say something?
She’d only been on her own for a week and she enjoyed independence. Always had. Getting attached to someone new so soon would only lead to more heartache. Who needed that?
Zander growled in his sleep and she stiffened. The vocal warning resonated inside her and struck at a frequency that triggered an emotion jumble. The man was dangerous. Good guy or not, his world burst way beyond her comfort zone. The voice in her head said she needed to leave this mess behind her and get back to her life.
But her head wasn’t the loudest part of her weighing in. Her body screamed another language altogether. Something much more basic. Heated.
What was wrong with that? Within a few days, he’d find his friend’s killer and she’d return to her apartment and work—with Rick. Her stomach squirreled inside her. She didn’t even want to think about that yet.
Distracting herself with a little bad-boy fantasy seemed the better idea.
She breathed deep and drew in the faded scent of expensive cologne infused with the unmistakable masculine power of Zander. His musky spice washed over her and she closed her eyes. Just because you ride a stallion doesn’t mean you’ve got to hitch the trailer and take him home.
The man could kiss like nobody’s business.
Zander’s morning erection pressed firmly against her backside. He impressed her on many fronts. She wriggled her butt against him and bit back a smile when a deep, grumble perforated his sleep. Considering his size and the level of testosterone it would take to fuel his aggression, it was no surprise. His pants were about ready to burst apart at the seams.
With slow, deliberate movement, she turned in his arms and lay face to face.
She wished she could see his expression as he slept. It would be harsh yet beautiful. Likely, this was the only time his warrior life washed away enough so he could relax.
She still couldn’t believe it. Son of an archangel.
Zander stirred awake, his morning wood more like a full-grown sequoia. His thick length pulsed and raged, incensed to be trapped in his damned jogging pants as it had been since he changed from his gear and crashed last night. He slept naked—always. However, when he’d finished with the men and turned in, he thought it might be ballsy to drop his pants. He’d barely convinced Austin that he wasn’t perverted scum.
He drew a sleepy breath and stretched.
A low feminine sigh had his eyes opening a crack. She was there, inches from his face, biting her lip like an imp up to no good. Bring it.
The tension on his waistband gave as her fingers unlaced the tie. His eyes snapped wide.
She paused with the fingers. “You didn’t seem comfortable, so I took liberties. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“No offense taken. I’m up now.”
“Truer words were never spoken.”
When her fingers continued working on those strings, he pulled back to read her. “Not that I’m complaining, because I am sooo not complaining, but are you all right?”
She snuggled closer, the sweet allure of her feminine scent making him dizzy.
“It struck me when I woke up—I’m alive—and I want to live. So, since we’re both unattached, and I’m leavin’ soon anyway, I thought I’d climb back up on my horse and live in the moment. Right here. Right now.”
He studied her. The idea that he played the horse in this scenario and she wanted to take him for a ride—um, hells yeah. Heat coiled inside him and spread in urgent need. As the inferno got hotter he closed the inches between their mouths and captured her lips.
The taste of her consumed him, exactly how it had yesterday. He trailed his kiss down the column of her throat, nipping at her pulse racing beneath his lips. The blankets were cumbersome, but he found the small of her back and tucked her closer. He didn’t begin to understand this vibration in his head, the tremble in his hands, or the arousal that never faded, but he had no interest in trying to figure it out.
“I want to touch you,” he whispered. “I want inside you.”
“I’m on birth control injections but do you have condoms?”
“I do.” He’d bought some last night with a determination to put them to good use. The smile she flashed him was nothing sort of breathtaking.
Pulling back, he lifted the comforter to get at her. He willed his hands to steady and slid them under her shirt. Miles of silky warm flesh met his palms. Spanning the flat plane of her navel he followed the subtle ridges of her ribs up to the rise of her breasts. He pushed her shirt away and went down, his lips finding the tight peak of her nipple. Pulling her breast into his mouth he sucked and then released, blowing a caress across the glistening tip.
Rough fingers tightened in his hair and forced him back to where he’d been. And wasn’t that sexy? He recaptured the gathered peak in his mouth and massaged the swell of her other breast. She made the most incredible noises. Inhaling deep, he drank in her need. Yeah, she wanted him.
He bit back a growl. “So, you’re sure? We’re good?”
Velvet fingers disappeared below his waistband as a soft moan escaped her lips. “Positive. No strings. Just this.”
No strings. Hells yes. “You mentioned taking liberties.”
Austin chuckled and yanked his pants down his thighs. Going commando had advantages. The instant the nylon barrier lowered, his cock sprang forward. Her quick grasp to take him in her palms, nearly had him undone.
He studied the mixtures of sage and forest green in her eyes and how the flecks of gold and brown sparkled more in the morning light than he’d noticed yesterday. He loved that she started this and would take what she needed from him.
“Austin? If I’m the first man you’ve seen in years. Am I the first man you’ve seen like this? Taking you?”
“Yes.”
His chest swelled, his kiss exploding in possessive sweeps of lips and tongue. He could lose it just grinding his mouth against hers. Why hadn’t he ever felt a connection like this before? In all the centuries, no woman had ever tuned him up like Austin did.
His distraction ended as her stroking ceased and her hand released his arousal. The growl that rumbled from his chest was nothing he could contain.
“Hold your horses,” she said, her body vibrating against him with quiet laughter. “Let me pull these down more so I can get at you.”
Who could argue with logic like that?
She shoved his pants down to his calves and he scissored his feet until his legs were free. Then he buried his face in her hair and whispered a steady stream into her ear. He wanted her to be with him in every one of her senses. Wanted her to see him.
Needed it more than he should.
Reaching between his legs, she resumed her attention. His body torqued as she raked her nails down his length and gave a t
ug at his sac below. He gasped and bit back a curse as she tugged harder. “That’s unbelievable, cowgirl.”
“Too rough?”
“Not. At. All.” Zander’s jaw clenched as her fingers closed and twisted ever so slightly. He shifted over her before he knew he’d moved and he wasn’t being a gentleman.
“I need inside you.” Every throbbing inch of him demanded it. He reached into the drawer in the bedside table and retrieved the box of condoms. He tore the cardboard open and snagged a silver foil packet. “So, we’re good?”
One quick head bob and he shifted in a frantic scramble. He tugged her yoga pants down her legs. The stitching along the seam cracked in protest, but he didn’t care. No flimsy Lulu-cotton-bullshit would keep him from his mission. He shoved her T-shirt over her head, so her body was bare to him. “I wish I had the patience to do this properly.”
“Next time,” she rasped.
Yeah, next time. And the time after that and the time after that. Oh, and did he mention the time after that.
She exhaled in a rush as his tongue ran the column of her neck. The taste of her skin made his gut clench. He was gonna lose his mind when he latched onto her core. A scorching shiver shot through him and he reached between their heated bodies. “Fuck. You are so beautiful.”
From beneath lowered lids, he kept his gaze locked on her and dragged a lazy touch through the length of her sex. When he rubbed her cleft her body jacked off the mattress, her thighs falling further open. For him.
***
Austin undulated against Zander and increased the skin on skin friction, greedy for more contact. He stroked her, his touch moving up her side and over the rise of her breast. The tear of a condom wrapper created an almost Pavlovian anticipation. She went hot and wet, and then he was there, lying over her, pressing her thighs wide enough to accommodate his hips.
Notched right where she needed him, her core bloomed.
