Whether the act would work, he didn’t—
Phillips released his own roar as the plastic syringe instantly melded to his hand. Eyes wide with pain, rasping shallowly, trembling, he stumbled away, fell to his ass. He issued commands, or tried to, his words jumbled. His guards scrambled to him, trying to help him rather than ensuring the captives remained in place.
A new tidal wave of adrenaline filled Hector. His sweating increased yet again, and so did the burn. But so did his strength. A side effect Phillips probably hadn’t considered. As he drew the heat into his chest, he gritted his teeth and ripped at the thick adhesive holding him to Noelle. Weakened from the extreme temperatures, the tape split apart, and suddenly Hector was free.
He allowed himself a brief look at Noelle’s neck—red, blistered, but otherwise fine—before he shoved the guards out of the way and leapt on top of Phillips, grabbing him by the neck. Hector released the mental bonds on the fury and the heat, and his arms lit up, two inextinguishable bonfires.
Phillips struggled against him, mouth flailing open and closed, eyes tearing—until his head detached from his body. Both his head and his body erupted into flames a second later. Burning … burning …
Dare punted Hector in the side, trying to force him off the bastard, but it was too late. Satisfaction washed through Hector. Phillips would never abduct or sell another female, and Noelle would be safe now. Even from him. Hector hadn’t hurt her, even while jacked up on emotion. Even with his hands shackled around her neck.
Suddenly the side door burst open and armed AIR agents flooded inside. People were shouting commands, but Hector still couldn’t make out individual words.
He couldn’t quite catch his breath and his arms were still blue and glowing. He scooted back, out of Noelle’s path so that the agents could get to her. The white-haired Arcadian vanished in one blink, and Dare in the next. Now that Phillips was dead, the Arcadian would be Dare’s only link to whomever he searched for.
Concentrating with everything he had, Hector willed his arms back to normal, channeling the heat through his entire being, spreading it out, letting it seep through his pores like mist. Took several minutes, but the glow finally began to fade, the burn to subside.
Even though he’d been controlling the ability for several minutes, an eternity surely, his success still managed to shock him. He’d never dreamed … had always hoped … yet had always found disappointment. Now … he could trust himself around Noelle. Beyond a doubt, he could be with her safely.
Joy ripped through him, as unstoppable as an avalanche.
Whatever she wanted from him, he would give her. An apology? Begging? Whatever she needed, he would supply. They would be together. Yes, she’d told him they were done if he pushed her away. But that was before this, before he’d proven himself. And she loved him. Just as he was, she loved him. Noelle was not a woman to love lightly.
He dragged himself to his feet. His clothes were singed and still smoking. His muscles twitched with energy, his heart beating so swiftly and with such force he feared it would burst through his chest at any second. “Noelle.” Where was—
There. She had her back to him and her arms around Ava.
“Noelle.”
Twisting, she met his gaze. Her expression was blank, and he experienced a kernel of unease. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?” He closed the distance between them, so desperate to touch her, to finally hold her as he’d always fantasized about, he could barely contain himself.
“I’m fine. And hey, thanks for not killing me,” she said with a bland smile. Then she returned her attention to Ava and the pair strutted out of the warehouse.
Forty-two
NO MATTER WHAT HECTOR did or said the next few weeks, Noelle wanted nothing to do with him. She never gave him anything more than that bland smile. Once, she’d even patted him on the top of his head and pinched his cheek like she’d done to Dallas that first day of camp.
A lesser man would have given up. There was stubborn, and then there was I’d rather die. Noelle bypassed even that. But Hector wasn’t a lesser man. Noelle had chased him, and now he was chasing her. That was only fair.
For too long, he’d just accepted the fact that he couldn’t be with anyone. Then she’d come along and screwed with his head, his body (thank God for that!), and his heart. Now she had to live with the consequences. Because bottom line? He wouldn’t live without her.
He was from the streets, something he’d once considered a stumbling block between them. Well, no more. Over the years he’d learned how to break the rules, and that’s exactly what he planned to do with her.
Noelle spent all of her time furnishing her new home, as well as recovering from the stitches in her side and minor burns on her neck. Though she’d told only Ava her new address, Hector had found her and had showed up the very day she’d moved in.
After discovering out how he’d done it—AIR had pegged them both with the isotope tracker while they were laid flat in the hospital, which was how they’d come to the “rescue” that day in the warehouse—she’d shut the door in his face.
Same thing the next night, and the next. Seeing him hurt her soul-deep. So talk to him? Hell, no.
She had warned him. Let her go again, and lose her forever. At the time, he’d been okay with that. Just because he’d changed his mind didn’t mean she would change hers.
He’d proven to himself that he wouldn’t hurt her. So what. He could touch her without fear now. So what, she thought as longing swept through her. He’d pushed her away one too many times. Had broken her heart into a thousand pieces he could never hope to patch up.
And any time she thought she would cave, she just reminded herself that he could change his mind yet again. He could decide he was still too dangerous and leave her. Not going through this again.
She climbed the steps of her new porch, used the ID pad to let herself in. Night had fallen, and she’d forgotten to program the lights to switch on automatically. She’d spent the day with Ava, who’d kicked McKell out of their apartment and to his man cave so that Noelle could be pampered in peace.
In her living room, she patted the walls until she found the light switch. Took her forever, because she hadn’t yet learned the layout of the place. Hadn’t had voice recognition software installed, either, so that she would only have to speak a command for things to happen. Finally, her finger caught on the switch and light chased all the shadows away.
Hector sat on her new couch, gorgeous as always. Black hair unkempt, shirt wrinkled and rolled up to his elbows, his pants dirt-stained. His arms were bared, without gloves. His tattoos were dark, freshly applied—but those tattoos weren’t symbols for peace. Her name was scripted on every inch of visible skin, from fingertips to elbow. Her heart gave a leap. Stay strong. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Golden eyes pierced her. “Forcing you to listen to me. I’m sorry. I am so sorry for nearly leaving you.”
Another leap. “Nearly leaving me? Ha! You did. Your apology is too late. I’ve moved on.”
He flinched, then quickly rallied. Determination wafted from him.
“I heard you quit AIR,” she said, trying for a breezy tone. When she returned to work, she and Ava would be partners. They would work the night shift. Together, as they’d always dreamed.
As thrilled as Noelle was, she hated the thought of working without Hector.
“Mia hired me back,” he said. “Paired me with Dallas. We’ll be working the night shift, too.”
So he’d checked up on her. I will stay strong, damn it. “That’s cool. Whatever. I’m sure Ava and me will be kicking so much ass, we’ll never be in the office.”
“Predators should be afraid.” His features softened. “I also came to tell you that I love you. With everything that I am, I love you. Just the way you are. I don’t want you to change. I just want you to be with me.”
And yet another leap in her chest. Strong. “Like I said, you’re too late.”
“Noelle—”
“Look, you really need to go.” Before she broke down in front of him.
Hands fisted, he stood. “You were always enough for me, but I was never enough for you, and I know that. I’m not talking about my past, either. Because I’m the best man you know. You said so.”
“I changed my mind.”
“That just means I have the chance to change it back. Just give me a chance. Please.”
Strong, strong, strong. “I told you nothing you said would make a difference, that if you pushed me away you’d lose me. You pushed me away. We’re done, that’s what you said.”
Shame fell over his face, a curtain. “I will never forgive myself for that. I was stupid and afraid, thinking to protect you.”
“Instead, you broke my heart. Hurt me worse than anyone ever has.” Tears burned the back of her eyes. “And one day you’ll be stupid and afraid again. You’ll accidentally burn me and the risk will be too much for you.” She spun around, facing the foyer before those damn tears started falling. She’d cried in front of him once; she wouldn’t do it a second time. “Good-bye, Hector. You can see yourself out.”
Just as she’d done in the warehouse, she walked away from him without ever looking back. She pounded up the stairs, her heart breaking all over again. He’d just offered her the world, everything she’d ever wanted, and she’d basically said no thanks.
Had to be this way.
A tear at last fell, followed quickly by another. When she reached her bedroom, she flipped on the light. There was her new bed, an oversize king with the softest cotton sheets. Red, one of her best colors. Hector would never enjoy her there. She would never enjoy him there. Never—
A pound of furious footsteps behind her. A gasp catching in her throat, she swung around. A scowling Hector rounded the corner. Without a word, he increased his speed, picked her up and launched her backward. She bounced on the mattress. Before she could right herself, he had her pinned.
“I love you,” he snarled down at her, “and I’m not letting you go again. Ever. For any reason. Not even your reasons. I should have listened to you, and you can forever hold that over my head. You can remind me at every holiday and every time I leave my socks on the floor. I’ll deserve it. I should have stuck around, rather than giving in to my fears. But now you’re doing the same thing. Cutting and running because you’re afraid. I understand, I do, but you better listen up, baby. You once had to chase and seduce me. Now I’m chasing and seducing you. That’s what I’ve been doing, but clearly I need to step up my game the way you stepped up yours.”
His lips smashed into hers, and his tongue swept inside her mouth. He tasted of mint, just like before, and she moaned as desire began to burn through her sorrow.
His hands … his hands stripped her, stripped himself, and then caressed her everywhere. He left no place untouched, was worshipping her. His fingertips learned her face. Kneaded her breasts. Traced over her stomach, her legs, even her feet.
“I’ve wanted to do this since the moment I met you,” he whispered fiercely. “You’re so soft, so warm. So sweet. Spread for me, baby. Please. I need to put my fingers in you.”
Passion fogged her brain, and she obeyed without thought, needing him, loving him.
One thick finger slid inside her. “Oh, damn, baby. You feel so good. Better than I imagined. And I imagined doing this to you every damn night.” Another thick finger entered her.
Groaning at the erotic sensation, she arched her hips, sending him deeper. A third finger joined the others. His skin was hotter than a normal man’s, but that’s what she needed. She felt him there, so wonderfully deep, arousing her in the most beautiful way.
“I want to do this to you every night, want to wake you up this way every morning. And if not with my fingers, with my mouth. I want you all over me, in me. You were right, baby. You’re it for me. There’s no one else. There’s never been anyone else and there will never be anyone else. Just you. Only you.”
As he spoke, he rocked those wanton fingers inside her, surging in, pulling out, until she was sobbing, desperate for relief. Then he scissored them, stretching her, and the sensation was so strong, so amazing, she had to grip his shoulders to keep herself from flying off the bed.
“I want to feel you this way,” he rasped, “coming on my fingers.”
“Yes.”
In, out, slow, so slow, then faster, faster. Then his thumb brushed over her clit, and she shot off like a rocket, spasming around those fingers still pumping in her, sending her over a second time. She cried out at the bliss, the utter rightness.
“Hector! More, give me more.”
“Always.” He moved on top of her, his cock sinking inside her, his chest pressing against hers. Her legs wrapped around his waist. His mouth returned to hers, his kiss now slow and drugging. He tangled his fingers in her hair, angling her head. Touching her, always touching her.
He made love to her as if he needed to savor her. As if he didn’t want to move too quickly for fear of scaring her away or ending things before he’d gotten enough. As if she were everything to him.
One of his hands moved down, down, plucked at her nipple, making her shiver, then slid between their bodies and found her most sensitive place. He rubbed as he continued stroking in and out, finally picking up the pace, just a little faster … faster.
Her muscles clenched, readying for another release. He pressed harder, and she shot off again, this climax so intense she left claw marks in his back. “Hector!”
“Noelle, my Noelle.” Just like that, he erupted, her name roaring from his mouth, his hot seed shooting inside her.
When he collapsed on top of her, he immediately rolled to the side so that she could breathe, but he didn’t allow any separation between their bodies. He held her tightly, panting, sweat sheening them both.
“Baby, please. Tell me you still love me.” He cupped her cheek, his thumb tracing the rise of the bone. “Tell me you’ll give me another chance, just one more, and I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. I swear I will. And I will never leave you, never change my mind,” he added in a rush before she could reply. “I know what it’s like to be without you. I can deal with anything but that.”
She felt his heart beating against her ear, pounding in an uncontrolled rhythm.
He wasn’t done. “I’ve been working with my arms, and I’ve got control. It’s all about channeling the heat. I can atomize my entire body now, keeping the flames inside. I can also release the heat in continuous, manageable streams, all the time, so that I never overheat and catch fire if I don’t want. Am I still a little scared I’ll hurt you? Yes. And if I accidentally burn you, I’ll be even more scared, but we’ll work through it together.”
Silence.
She traced her fingertip along the letters of her name, the one on the top of his palm. “I meant what I said. You really hurt me, Hector.”
“I know,” he said sadly. “Of all the things I’ve done in my life, that’s the one I would change first. You are everything to me.” When she remained quiet, he added, “I will never try to change you. I love you exactly how you are. You’re perfect.”
“That’s true,” she said, her heart singing. She could forgive him and have this, she thought, weighing her options. Could have him and his body and his intensity now and forever. Or, she could send him away, unable to get past what he’d done, and go to bed cold and alone. Again, forever.
He wouldn’t run if things got bad with his arms; she believed him about that. He’d always told her the truth; even when he’d broken things off, he’d told her the real reason, refusing to “feed her bullshit.” So … was there really a need to think things through?
“How about this?” he said, clearly about to do a little manipulating. “Be with me, if only to convince everyone at AIR that I’m not gay. Did you know everyone thought that? The other day, Phoenix tried to set me up with one of her boyfriend’s friends. Also, you took my virginity.
If you dump me, I’ll have to tell everyone you’re a skeevy user.”
Holding in her giggles proved to be a struggle. “All right. But only to convince everyone of your straightness. And you’ll have to marry me,” she said. “I want a legal right to boss you around. And you’ll sign an agreement stating that if you ever want to end things, I get custody of your soul. That is nonnegotiable. Actually, go ahead and just hand over your soul right now. I get it no matter what.”
He jerked upright and peered down at her, hope making him radiant. “You mean it?”
“Yes.” A wave of tenderness swept through her. He’d never looked so happy, so relaxed. “I am going to boss you around, no question.”
His lips quirked at the corners. “Not about that. I know that. About marriage.”
Trembling, she reached up and cupped his jaw. “Yes. I think Hector Tremain has a nice ring to it, don’t you? Besides, it’s time you made an honest woman of me and supported your fake kid.”
A bark of laughter as he swooped down for another kiss. “Twins, baby. We’re having twins. And I knew those kids were mine. By the way, there’s a ring in my pants pocket.”
Rusty as his laughter was, it delighted her. Noelle didn’t think she’d ever been this happy before. She was loved, cherished, accepted, adored. But the best part? She was understood. “Really?”
“I told you I was going to chase you around like a puppy until you caved.”
“Let me see it.”
Another kiss, one that turned so heated they began grinding together, making love again, his hands all over her, relearning her, worshipping her as she had always deserved—Hector would be the first to declare how true that was, she was just sure of it—and finally climaxing together.
Afterward, she wondered if, when she and Hector woke up the next morning, because he was staying the night, damn it, and he was going to snuggle the hell out of her, if that would mean Dallas’s vision had finally come true. If the countdown to his salvation—or damnation—would begin.
Dark Taste of Rapture Page 34
