It wasn’t like she hadn’t tried to feel something. For the past week and a half she’d sat on the beach, usually with a rum drink in one hand and a book in the other. Still, no matter how much she read or how much she drank, she couldn’t get Isaac out of her head. He’d only come to see her once at the hospital, and he’d only stayed long enough to release her from the blood bond. Other than that, he’d never even bothered to call to see how she was feeling. His mother on the other hand… Bitch that she was, she’d stopped by several times just to gloat.
The woman had only stopped tormenting Nikki when Nikki found out it was Molly’s fault the exchange had gone to hell. Nikki would never give Molly a hard time about it. Hell, if it’d been Nikki, she would’ve done the same thing. Anyone in Rathe’s hold had to try to escape at least once. But Nikki wasn’t above mentioning it whenever Mrs. Marrow came to visit. Apparently it wasn’t one of the woman’s favorite subjects, though. Tough. Nikki had to deal with uncomfortable subjects almost every day during her treatment. Hell, she was still dealing with them. Probably would be for the rest of her life.
One thing this whole adventure had taught her was there were worse fates than having a comfortable, stable life. Sadly she’d learned that lesson a little too late. As easy as it’d been to live a safe life, that life no longer fit her. She wasn’t sure if it ever fit her. Never, in all her years of being safe, had she been as happy as she’d been that week and a half she’d spent with Isaac. Maybe it was because she’d never been free to just be herself. Or maybe it was because he was the first person to really accept her. Even Izzy, as much as she loved her, only knew Nikki as the big sister. And she’d loved being the big sister, but she wanted to be Nikki, too.
The water tickled her toes as the tide began to come in for the night, and she sighed heavily as she gathered her things so she could head back up to her room. The days were okay. Surrounded by other people at the beach, she wasn’t alone. At night, shut away in her room, there was no pretending. She was almost glad she was going back to the real world tomorrow.
Well, as much of the real world as was still intact. Her firm had suspended her when they’d found out she was in rehab and she was currently under investigation to see if she got to keep her license. Not that she felt like fighting for the job. Like so much of her past, it felt wrong now. Like it no longer fit. She’d have to find something, though, once her savings ran out. But at least she still had Izzy and Jacob to keep her company while she figured it out. And, since the state decided not to file murder charges, she shouldn’t have a hard time landing a new job when the time came.
The DA hadn’t been nearly as happy as Nikki about that, though. But since the coroner had ruled the men’s deaths as natural causes, there was nothing he could do about it. Poor bastards had both had heart attacks. And there was no way the humans could pin that on Nikki. The Community though, they knew. Fortunately, they seemed content to look the other way since the men weren’t exactly prized citizens and she’d killed them while bringing Rathe down.
She made her way up to her room and threw her beach stuff on the floor before taking a quick shower. As much as she wanted to stay in and order room service, she’d promised Tony, the bartender at the hotel restaurant, she’d have dinner there one last time. It wasn’t even a promise she’d made for Tony’s sake. His girlfriend, Lilly, got lonely while waiting for him to get off work, and since Nikki knew all about lonely, it hadn’t taken much to persuade her.
The black silk dress slid over her head and fluttered around her hips as it settled around her thighs. God she loved the feel of silk. Silk and pearls. The memory stirred desire in the pit of her stomach but the feeling was more of an echo than an actual sensation, so she dismissed it before retrieving her heels from the closet. After she put her makeup and jewelry on, she chanced a glance at herself in the mirror. Yes, there were shadows under her eyes from sleepless nights spent tossing and turning, and the dress wasn’t as snug as it had been three months ago since she hadn’t regained much of her appetite, but she wasn’t hideous. Granted, she wasn’t at the top of her game either. But it was comforting to know she hadn’t reached the villagers and pitchforks stage—yet.
When she reached the restaurant, she was relieved to find both Lilly and a vodka martini waiting for her at the bar. The leather seat cushion was smooth under her thighs as she sat down and the background music was light and spirited, but Nikki couldn’t shake the feeling something wasn’t right.
“Hey Nikki, you ready for the real world tomorrow?” Lilly’s smile seemed sincere enough as she brought a neon-green drink up to her lips, but something about the woman’s voice was grating.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” She hoped Lilly didn’t pick up on the stiffness in her voice. Lilly was a sweet kid. Whatever Nikki was picking up on had nothing to do with Lilly.
“I’ll be bored to tears without you here.”
She smiled patiently at Lilly and shook her head. “I’m sure you’ll be just fine without me.”
Lilly reached out to tuck a lock of Nikki’s hair behind her ear just as Isaac used to and Nikki’s breath caught in her lungs. “Tony and I were talking about you the other night.”
“Really?” Nikki wasn’t sure where this was going, but Lilly’s touch only added to Nikki’s sense of unease. It wasn’t that she had anything against Lilly, but her magic generally didn’t trust what it couldn’t control and with women she had no control whatsoever.
“Really. If you wanted to get together after he got off work, we could have a little going away party. Just the three of us.”
Huh… A threesome? She’d never tried that before. But even with its novelty, she quickly lost interest in the idea. There was only one person she was interested in being with right now, and nothing, not even a threesome, could change that. “I’m sorry. I’m flattered, really I am, but just got out of a…” She paused as she realized she had no idea how to classify her time with Isaac.
“Relationship. And she’s actually not quite out of it yet.”
Nikki’s heart stopped for a second before breaking painfully all over again. Why had he come looking for her after three months of nothing? Guess this was her chance to ask him. When she turned to face him, she found all that pain and misery that’d evaded her over the past week and a half. Apparently she was still capable of feeling something other than alone. “Not out? Really? Don’t know how to break it to you but I’m all out of evil relatives, Detective.”
He quirked one eyebrow at her, but then slipped into a smooth smile. “You’re the only one I’m interested in this time.”
“If you were so interested, you might have come visit me at the hospital. Lord knows your mother never missed an opportunity to stop by and say hi.”
He winced and shook his head in disbelief. “I’m unbelievably sorry. You have to know I wanted to be there. It killed me to have to stay away from you for three months. But your doctor ordered no males, especially not me, until you were safe to be around. They were afraid I would cause a relapse. And I took care of my mother. You don’t have to worry about Madame President ever bothering you again.”
That was a little too good to believe. “Really? How did you manage that?”
“Let’s just say she enjoys being Madame President more than torturing you. I agreed I wouldn’t run for election, she agreed she’d never bother you again.”
That elicited a small smile. “You are a smart man. Bringing down my father would’ve ensured your victory.”
“I never wanted the power or the prestige. I just wanted our people to be safe.”
“And now that you’ve accomplished that, you still don’t want the stardom that comes with it?”
“Nope.” He suddenly looked too serious—too intense.
“What is you do want, then?” Her heart beat rapidly as she waited for his answer. She shouldn’t let hope flutter nervously in the base of her stomach, but she was powerless to stop it.
“I already told you. Th
e only thing I want—the only thing I’ll ever want is you. Please, will you come home with me?” He leaned forward until his lips brushed against her ear. The contact made her skin break out in goose bumps and her breath catch in her throat. “I’ll beg if that’s what it takes to get you to say yes.”
“Your mother wasn’t the only problem we had, Isaac. I can’t be in a relationship with someone who shuts me out of his life.”
“I know. I swear, I never meant to shut you out of my life. But, with my job, there will be times I have to keep secrets.”
She took a deep breath and considered his words. When it mattered, when everything was going to hell in the warehouse, he had trusted her. He’d fought Jacob to give her the time she needed to pull it off. That had to count for something. But she had no intention of letting him completely off the hook. “As long as I’m allowed my secrets as well, I guess we’re even.”
He took a step back and looked at her suspiciously. “What secrets are you hiding?”
“Oh no. You want me to show you mine, you’ll have to show me yours.”
“Hmmm.” His gaze swept down her body, lighting each inch of her on fire. “I like that game.”
Thinking about her current secret, she smiled to herself. “Then I suggest we go up to my room.”
His mouth found hers and, as he pulled her off the barstool and held her tightly against him, every atom of her body buzzed with electricity. She may’ve been wrong about everything else that day she’d searched for him in the parking lot, but they were definitely compatible.
When he took a step away from her, she pulled him back against her again. Her hands ran over the stiff linen of his shirt, her fingers fumbling against the hard surface of the top button.
“Room.” His voice was rough as he picked her up and placed her an arm’s length away from him. “Now.”
Yes, her room. Before they ended up having sex on the bar. “Elevator.”
The race to her room was a blur of endorphins and stolen kisses. As hard as it was to resist him in the restaurant, the elevator presented a new set of challenges. Having sex in an elevator was another thing she’d never tried. Unlike the offered threesome, though, the idea of having Isaac here and now held her attention.
As soon as the doors slid shut and the elevator started moving, she hit the “stop” button. The car jerked as the brakes caught, but Isaac didn’t seem overly alarmed as she turned to face him. With the smoldering look he was throwing her, she was betting he knew what she had in mind.
“There’s a security camera.” His voice was soft as he said the words. “Does that bother you?”
She glanced up toward the camera and smiled. It didn’t bother her at all. Actually, the thought of being watched made her blood heat with anticipation. She’d been numb for so long, the sudden flood of endorphins was enough to make her dizzy with need. “Let ’em watch.” She began unbuttoning his shirt slowly—kissing each inch of skin as it was exposed—until there were no buttons left and she could finally press herself up against his firm chest. Heat radiated off him, melting her through her silk dress, as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tighter to him.
“God, you feel so good.” He leaned over to kiss her shoulder, the warmth of his breath tickling her ear and making her shiver. But that was nothing compared to the bolt of heat that swept through her as he nibbled the sensitive skin. “Taste good, too.”
A chill swept down her back as he unzipped her dress but, despite the cool breeze, she was happy to let the dress slide off her shoulders and pool on the floor at her feet. A moan of complaint escaped her as he stepped back, but it quickly changed to one of surrender as his mouth found hers in a demanding kiss.
Needing to feel closer to him, she pushed his shirt off so she could run her fingers over his muscular shoulders. “I’ve missed you.” She hadn’t meant to say it, but the words slipped out in a rush of emotions and there was no taking them back. As much as she hated that she said it, it was the truth.
“You really missed me?”
She glanced at her distorted reflection in the elevator wall and then at the floor before fidgeting in his now-loose grasp. “Maybe just a little.”
He ran his hands up her arms and then cupped her face lightly to bring her gaze to meet his. “Are you saying I might be more than a temporary distraction?”
Relief sang through her as he dropped his mouth to hers again. He wasn’t stopping. The thought of him stopping was painful. She dropped her hands to his trousers and quickly undid them before kneeling in front of him so she could slide them and his boxers down his thighs. Not able to resist, she licked the length of his hard cock. His fingers tangled in her hair as she took him fully into her mouth. She relished the full feeling of him on her tongue but loved the way he whispered her name even more as she rolled her tongue around the head of his shaft.
“God Nic, you’re going to kill me.” He reached down to pull her up and then turned her so her back was against the smooth wall of the elevator. Kneeling in front of her, his breath caught in a soft moan as he stared at her for a moment. He’d just discovered her secret.
“Do you like it?” His family’s tribal dragon tattoo stretched out along the length of her ribs, forever protecting him from her magic.
“Depends, why did you get it?”
“I wanted a little piece of you to always be on me.”
He pulled a condom out of his wallet and then kissed his way back up her body as he stood. It only took a moment for him to open the wrapper and sheath himself but it felt like an eternity. Then, thankfully, he lifted her so she could wrap her thighs around him. “In that case, I love it.”
Her body craved his. She was already wet with desire, and with his hands cradling her hips and the elevator wall behind her, she was ready to feel him inside her again. When he positioned himself and thrust into her, she couldn’t stop the moan that broke from her soul. When had this happened? When had he gone from a temporary distraction to a need? As he thrust into her again, hitting that sensitive spot deep inside her, she ceased caring. All that mattered was that he was here with her. And that he needed her just as much as she needed him.
Each thrust brought her closer to the brink of sanity until she could hold on no longer and she gratefully let go. Somewhere in the distance, she heard him moan as his hands clasped her hips tightly and his thrusts became more instinctual in rhythm. Then, as his nails bit into her skin, his muscles shuttered and he came deep inside her.
He held her gently until their breathing calmed and the world came into focus again. He was just putting her down when something caught her attention. On his arm, just above his wrist, was the raven he’d fought so hard to keep off his body. She shouldn’t stare, but the statement of that once-hated ink spoke so loudly it would be impossible to ignore it. He’d gotten it for her, to protect her from his magic. There could be no other explanation. And she was betting it more than irritated the powers that be in the Community.
He smiled softly as he ran a finger down the tribal dragon that was perched on her ribs. “What can I say? I wanted a little piece of you, too.”
“Tell your mother about the ink and I swear, I’ll torture you in ways you never thought possible.”
He disposed of the condom in a tissue he pulled from his pants pocket and then leaned forward to release the emergency stop. As the elevator began moving again, she slipped the dress back over her head. “You really do need to work on your threats. As a general rule, I don’t think they’re supposed to be so enticing.” He pulled his pants up smoothly and fastened them around his waist before continuing. “Besides, unless you come back with me, you’d never know if I told my mother.” His voice was quiet, unsure, chasing away the glow and endorphins of the sex. “You never did answer. Will you come home with me?” He bent over to retrieve his shirt and her panties from the floor.
She should probably put the man out of his misery, but he was the one who said torture sounded like a reward. “The deal
with your mother. Does it only apply to her, or do I have to play nice, too?”
“Sweetheart, you can torment her to your little heart’s content,” he said, his smile hesitant.
“And Izzy will still have free rein?” She stepped out of the elevator as the doors opened, and he followed closely behind.
“I don’t know. I might want to renegotiate that one. Suddenly, the idea of you running around naked doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.”
She slid her keycard into the door as she smiled softly. “How about a compromise. I’ll run around naked on Tuesdays and Thursdays and my sister and Jacob come over whenever they like Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.”
“What about Saturday and Sunday?”
Turning, she leaned against the door and pushed it open as she looked into Isaac’s eyes. “Lady’s choice.”
“Sounds like a good deal to me.” He ran a finger down her cheek in a soft caress, his eyes soft with hope and happiness. “So, are you going to come home with me?”
“Since you asked so very nicely…” She allowed the sentence to trail off, but still smiled at the victory.
He returned her smile just before he leaned over to kiss her gently. “One battle,” he reminded her.
She laughed as she pulled him into the room. “In what I hope is a very long war.”
About Chandra Ryan
Being from a rather nomadic family, Chandra Ryan loves to travel and meet people. But she’s found that sometimes, like when you’re stuck inside because of a good old-fashioned Southwestern heat wave, you have to make do. Fortunately for her and her loving family, who don’t like seeing her suffer from cabin fever, she’s found creating new people and places equally as fascinating. Also, you’re a lot less likely to spill your ice tea.
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