“Thanks.” She rolled to the side of the bed and willed herself to sit up, so tired she could barely hold herself upright. She’d noticed a bathroom, but she was way too beat to make it there for privacy, so she just turned her back on Nick while she unhooked the leather bustier…um…tried to unhook it. Her fingers were trembling so badly she couldn’t get a grip on it.
She felt Nick’s fingers on hers and she dropped her hands to let him unhook it, bracing herself with her hands on the bed so she didn’t tip over. His hands brushed against her bare back, and it was all she could do not to suck in her breath at the contact.
The bodice fell free and Nick caught it and pulled it off her upper body. Leaving her naked from the waist up, her back toward him.
For a minute, neither of them moved. Then his fingers traced over her right shoulder blade, light against her skin. “What’s this scar from?”
She thought for a minute “What’s it shaped like?”
“A circle.”
“Oh, yeah. A fifteen-year-old kid shot me on my first soul-hunting mission as a Rivka. I figured anyone under eighteen was safe. Not so much. I was pretty naive back then. Sort of like Paige, actually…”
He rubbed the scar gently. “So, you’re pretty mortal?”
“I’m not going to lose my girlish figure, but a bullet in my gut will have the same effect on me that it’d have on any human. Or a knife in my thigh.” She swallowed hard, trying to concentrate, but not having much success. All she wanted to do was press herself against his hand and let it go where it wanted. “Satan decided that any Rivka who couldn’t stay alive wasn’t worth having on the payroll.”
“Hmmm…” His fingers trailed down her spine and touched her lower back. “What about this?”
“Fireball. When Satan promoted me to his number-one Rivka, his previous number-one Rivka wasn’t so happy.”
He spread his palm over the damaged area. “How did that not kill you?”
“Once I became the number-one Rivka, other Rivkas’ fireballs became less effective against me. Perk of the job.” She tensed as his hand went around her waist, his fingers on her ribs, just below her breasts.
He shifted, and she felt his breath against the bullet wound on her bare shoulder. “So, what do we do about the bubble?”
“Ask Satan if there’s a back door.”
“And if there isn’t?” His lips brushed the curve of her neck.
She caught her breath. “I’ll have to kill you,” she whispered. “Don’t forget, you’re merely a pawn in my plan to secure freedom for myself.” She couldn’t stop the shudder that went through her from his kiss. Time to redirect this conversation. “How badly are you bugging from the Chamber?”
He stopped kissing her for a moment while he considered her question. “I’m okay.”
She retrieved the T-shirt from her lap and yanked it over her head before he could start kissing her again. He sighed and helped tug it down over her back.
“Okay? Meaning you have a good hour or so before you start to go crazy?” She tried to stand up to slip off her thong, and immediately sat back down when her leg rebelled with a flash of pain.
Something rumbled deep in his chest. “Don’t be a martyr. You can ask for help.”
“You’re just trying to cop a feel.”
“I don’t take advantage of injured women.” He scooted behind her and set his hands on her waist to steady her as she stood up again.
“Good to know.” She slipped the thong off under her skirt and felt a thrill rush through her as it dropped to the ground, a sliver of black satin on the wood floor.
He leaned forward to look at it. “So, what would you be wearing if you weren’t in your working clothes?”
“Pale pink lace.” She felt her cheeks flush as she tugged the sweats up to her thighs, lifting them carefully over her bandage while Nick held her steady.
“Pink.” He seemed to roll it over in his mind. “I’d like to see you in pale pink. I bet it’s a good look for you.”
“No one gets to see me in pale pink.” She unhooked the skirt, tugged it over her legs, and dropped it on the floor with the rest of her slut outfit, then eased back to the bed with his help. “It would kill my reputation.”
He helped settle her, then moved to her feet to unstrap the slut heels from her feet, his fingers caressing her feet a little more than was necessary. Not that she could quite bring herself to protest. “I already know you’re a heartless, cold killing machine,” he said. “What harm could a little pink do?”
“It makes me forget myself.”
He tossed both shoes onto the floor, then crawled up next to her and propped his head up on his elbow. “From everything you’ve said, I’d have thought that would be a good thing.”
She fiddled with the edge of her T-shirt, noticing that it smelled like him, curving around her and comforting her. “Not if it makes it too hard to go back to my life.”
“Ah.” Nick was watching her too intently, and she started to get uncomfortable. He touched her hair. “I like the casual look for you. It softens you.” His hand brushed her belly. “Very sexy.”
“Yeah, well, a T-shirt and sweats are my best weapon,” she muttered. “Men can’t resist a little cotton.”
He raised his brows. “I can see why.”
There was a little too much interest in his gaze, so she looked away, glancing around the room as she snuggled down next to him, letting her body relax among the soft down, feeling much happier in the T-shirt and sweats. So much more her style.
The room was painted a pale gray, and the furniture was old pine, big and homey. There were a few paintings around the room, mostly nature scenes. Dark green curtains, hanging from wooden rods. The room was masculine and cozy. “This your room?”
“It’s my safe room. I used to have just gray walls and floor, but then my mom came in and redecorated. Threw out all my girlie magazines and posters.”
She smiled. “Girlie magazines? I doubt it. You probably have real girls offering themselves to you constantly.” She suddenly became aware of exactly how close they were in his bed and how naked his chest was. “Um…so, anyway…about those Terrors from the Chamber…” She laid a hand on his chest, and he leaned back against the pillows, clasping his hands behind his head and propping one knee up.
His body was relaxed, but his gaze was fixed on her, his eyes flickering with something she didn’t want to decipher. So she closed her eyes and listened with her touch. There was discord inside him, circulating and binding to his light. It wasn’t nearly as bad as Jerome’s, but it was still there, and she could feel it seeking nourishment, like a parasite. She opened her eyes. “You’re not okay.”
“You’re too tired to do me.” He put his hand over hers and peeled it off him. “Just sleep. My ma can work on me later.”
She snorted and willed her weary body into an upright position. “That stuff is gaining strength the longer it sits in your body. You’re going to be useless to me if you go crazy.” She sighed and rolled onto her knees, barely suppressing a yelp of pain.
“Because it’s all about you, right? You’d never do anything just to help someone else.”
“Glad you understand me.” She scooted up next to him and slid her good leg over his torso.
He caught her leg and helped her straddle him, settling across his hips to keep the pressure off her bad leg. “Your legs are shaking. You can’t do this.” He rested his hands on her thighs, supporting her.
“I’m shaking because I’m so in awe of being in this intimate position with such a manly man.” She leaned forward and set her palms on her chest. “You thought you could get out of the Chamber intact because you’re Markku, right?”
“I hoped. It was worth the risk.”
She nodded, reaching into him to find a spot of rot on his heart. “Because you love Jerome.”
“Yeah, he’s like my brother.” He scowled. “Or he was before I found out he slept with my sister. As soon as he wakes up, I�
��m going to kill him.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you will.” She latched on to a dark spot and began to pull it out. Nick’s fingers tightened around her legs, and she felt his pain and stopped. “Sorry. Jerome was too out of it. I didn’t realize it hurt.”
He shook his head. “I’m fine. Go ahead. If you’re up to it.”
“I’m a Rivka. I never stop.” She closed her eyes so she wouldn’t have to look at the pain in his eyes and concentrated on the spot again. She wrapped her metaphysical hand around it, then yanked it free. Much like a soul, it shot up her arm and whistled through her body, trying to find a place to take hold, but there was none. Instinctively, she knew how to keep it from binding, though it was a little unsettling to have it whirling around her body along with all the tainted stuff she’d taken out of Jerome. “I have to say, though, this is some weird shit I’m doing.”
Nick grunted, his fingers tight on her legs, but carefully avoiding her injury. “It’s called healing.”
She shook her head as she focused on his heart again. “I can’t be a healer.” She found another small spot and drew it into her left palm, trying to ignore the tightening in Nick’s body as she pulled it out of him.
“You can’t disobey Satan, either, and you do it.”
“This is different. Maybe I can do this because I’m a Rivka and all nasty things like me. It’s like pulling a dark soul out of someone’s body. Same concept.” She swept his heart again and found it clean, so she scooted up to check his forehead, where Yasmine had been working on Jerome. She sat down on his bare chest, and Nick rested his forearms on her thighs, his hands under her shirt, against the bare skin of her waist, his energy pulsing softly against her. His touch wasn’t about seducing her. It was about supporting her, and she was chagrined to realize that she needed it. Wanted it. Wouldn’t turn it down.
Because she was so tired. That was it. As soon as she got rest, she’d be fine on her own again…because she had to be.
She sighed and let herself succumb to her need, closing her eyes and pulling in his energy.
He was quiet, feeding her with his life force, and she caught the faint scent of his lust for her, buried deep in his concern for her…
His concern was legitimate. She could feel it.
I don’t want it. She needed to reject it before she could sigh and snuggle down with it, letting it wrap around her soul.
But, God, she was so exhausted. She’d never been this tired, not even when Satan had cut the lifeline. What was wrong with her?
“You’re tired.” Nick’s voice was soft. “You’ve done enough already. You don’t need to keep pushing yourself.”
She opened her eyes. “I’m almost finished.” She reached out, searching for anything else to clean, and found one more spot. “Last one.” She moved her palm to the front of his shoulder. “There’s gold in here.” She concentrated on pulling it free.
“You’re really not that good at this. Could you hurry up? It doesn’t hurt like this when my ma does it.” His voice was getting strained.
“Shut up, you ungrateful sod. I’m a rookie.” She gave it a final yank and it flew out of his shoulder and slammed up her arm. She shuddered and collapsed on top of him, too tired to move anywhere. Besides, it felt too good to be sprawled on top of him.
He wrapped his arms around her, and she could feel him sending his life force into her. His relief that Jerome was going to be all right, his gratitude for her helping, and all the other emotions flooding through him that made him who he was.
She tucked her head under his chin and snuggled under him, even as she felt his own weariness. “You feel so good. I wish I could crawl inside you and take a nap.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I know.”
She lifted her head and looked at him, his face mere inches from hers. “How do you know?”
“Because I can feel it inside you.”
She frowned. “I didn’t give you permission to be inside me.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“I can’t help it. When I feed you my life force, I get the insider’s tour of who you are.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t like—”
“Thank you.”
She smiled at the gratitude she could feel emanating from him. This was a man who’d never be able to lie to her, for sure. “For saving Jerome?”
“Yeah.” His hands slid up her back to her hair. “For getting us out of the Chamber. For working with my ma to save Jerome. For helping me out when I know you were beat.”
“I told you. It was all for my own benefit.”
He lifted his head and kissed her softly. “Yeah, I know. You’re cold and heartless.”
She stared at him, her heart suddenly going all fluttery. “I am. Don’t think I’m not.”
He kissed her again, and his lips were warm and soft. Her mouth parted under his gentle touch, and her body curled into his, wanting more of him. His fingers tightened in her hair, and then he pulled away, his gaze tight on hers. “You need to sleep. So do I.”
She opened her mouth to protest but yawned instead. He smiled and pressed her head to his chest, and she gave in, nestling up under his chin. “Why are you tired?” she asked. “All you did was sit around while the women saved the day.”
“Post-battle weakness after the Chamber and the little trip through the Council headquarters. Plus, it took more out of me than I thought to fight off the Terrors. Trust me, without the weakness, I wouldn’t have been so willing to hang out here tonight being unproductive.” He rested his chin on her head. “I would have tossed you over my shoulder and made you go with me.”
“I would have gone. I hate sitting around.”
“Yeah, I figured that about you.”
She closed her eyes as she thought about his comment, sinking into the scent that was Nick. “So, you’ve got the post-battle weakness?”
“Yeah. That’s what my safe room is for.”
“Bummer.”
“Mmm…”
She felt the heavy rise of his chest and realized he was already asleep. Deeply asleep. She considered doing something proper like rolling off him and sleeping on her side of the bed, but decided against it. Even in his sleep, when he wasn’t sending his emotions into her, he still filled her with a light that she didn’t want to give up.
The Terrors she’d pulled out of the men whizzed around inside her and she snuggled into the curves of his body, letting him help her keep them from taking over. When she recovered from the healing or whatever was making her so tired, she’d let go of him.
Really. She would.
Sixteen
Oh, he is delicious.”
Nick opened his eyes to find an attractive woman with light brown highlights and a form-fitting pair of jeans grinning at him from the foot of the bed. Becca was still sprawled across his chest, deeply asleep, and somehow, his hands had worked his way underneath her sweats to cup her butt.
He immediately yanked his hands out and grabbed his gun off the bedside table, aiming it at the woman’s heart.
The woman smiled, totally ignoring the gun. “Oh, don’t deprive yourself on account of me. I heartily approve of intimacy.”
She walked around to the side of the bed and held out her hand. “I’m Theresa Nichols-Siccardi, immortal dragon and a far badder badass than Becca.”
Was it morning already? God, he’d been totally out. He retracted the gun and reached around Becca to shake Theresa’s hand. “Nick Rawlings. What time is it?”
“Almost ten in the morning on Saturday. Sorry I’m late, but I ran into some issues.” Theresa sat down next to him and smiled at his biceps. “And the pleasure is all mine.”
He glanced at the door, which was open. “How’d you get in here? The electronic keypad’s unbreakable.”
“I brought a magic weapon. Quin, say hello to Becca’s love machine.”
“I’m not her—” Nick stopped when a tall, dark-haired man peered around the door frame into the ro
om. So much for the security of his safe house. His gun went up again, and this time he was rewarded with a slight paling of the man’s skin. “Who the hell are you?”
The man grimaced. “Quincy LaValle. Will you please put the gun away?”
“He’s brilliant with numbers, and there’s simply no way that your little code would keep him out.” Theresa gestured at him to come in. “I had to bring him along to break into Justine and Derek’s apartment and then he was getting all protective of me heading off to meet Becca with Satan lurking around, so he came along.” She gave him an affectionate smile. “He’s turning into quite the manly man, actually.”
Quin’s cheeks turned a faint pink. “I’ll wait outside.”
Nick didn’t lower his gun as Quincy shut the door. “Anyone else out there?”
“No one I brought. Feel free to shoot anyone who shows up.”
He slowly dropped his gun, resting it across Becca’s lower back. “Who are Derek and Justine?”
“Justine’s the Guardian of…well…something, and Derek is her husband, and they’ve become even more boring than before now that they’re married. Quin is Derek’s twin brother, and he’s actually become quite cool, for a mortal human.” She eyed Becca, who hadn’t moved. “Did you guys have a sexual marathon or what?”
“It lasted for days.” He lifted his head so his mouth was next to her ear. “Becca. Wake up. Theresa’s here.” She didn’t move, and Nick frowned and gently shook her shoulder. “Becca.”
Again, no response.
Theresa’s amused smile faded. “What did you do to her?”
“Nothing, I swear.” Nick carefully rolled Becca off him, and she landed on her back, limp and silent. Alarm rang inside him and he laid his hands on her cheeks, reaching inside her. He could feel the standard coolness of her void, but there was weird vibrating that felt foreign. And he couldn’t find any light within her, not even buried deep. “Come on, Becca, respond.” But she didn’t, and his heart began to beat faster. “Something’s wrong.”
“Yeah, all the blood leaking out of her leg.” Theresa pulled a vial from around her neck. “Seriously, what have you guys been up to? I’d never believe Becca would partake in a sexual marathon.”
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot Page 15
