“I can protect myself,” she said, patting her gun.
He chuckled. “My men were lucky, and they were ready for one of those creatures. You won’t be.”
John stood suddenly and pulled a card from his pocket. He scrawled something on the back and held it out to her. Paige stood and took the card.
“Here’s my card,” he said and flipped it over. “And this is my personal line. You call if you see anything. The wounded one’s black and has a mostly shaved head from what my men said, but if you see any of them outside their little camp, feel free to let us know. Also, if you need anything else, let me know.”
His fingers lingered on hers as he handed over the card. She felt her stomach lurch at the suggestion she might be interested in an insane bigot like him.
John walked to the door, and she followed close behind, gun still in hand. When he’d reached the door, John stopped and turned to stare at her.
“You know, I’m friends with a number of higher-ups at the hospital,” he said slyly. “Maybe I could put in a good word for you. Just something to keep in mind. We humans have to stick together against those creatures, after all.”
She nodded, all the while a wide variety of curse words echoed in her head.
“Thank you for your concern,” she said and gave a smile that couldn’t have reached her eyes.
He stared at her for a long moment before bringing a finger up to skim along her cheek.
“Keep my offer in mind,” he said then turned to walk out the door. “Don’t worry. We’ll keep an eye on you. In these times of darkness, good men must stand vigil. And darkness cannot stand before the light.”
She watched as the men all loaded into their vehicles. Several glared at her, probably convinced she was a succubus doing the Devil’s work. She gritted her teeth as she thought the only people doing the Devil’s work were Reverend John and his men.
As they drove down the long dirt drive, she sighed and slumped against the doorframe.
Chapter Ten
Justus had been waiting in the room, earlier slipping on his pants in case he needed to run. With his recovery well underway, he’d easily be able to escape, but he didn’t like the idea of John both threatening and flirting with Paige.
Anger at the bastard in the living room only increased as John’s sickeningly sweet desire for Paige seeped through the walls and made his skin crawl. There was no way in hell that bastard was getting his hands on her. He’d rip him limb from limb.
He took several deep breaths as the conversation unfolded. Every instinct in him screamed to protect Paige and take out the men, but the rational part of him recognized she was defusing the situation for the moment. Whatever happened, this time he was ready and wouldn’t be surprised.
As soon as the last car made its way from the drive and onto the road, Justus burst through the door.
He could still smell John’s disgusting lust hanging thick in the air.
“That son of a bitch,” he said as he stalked over to where Paige stood, her back to the front door. He made a fist. “And feral? I tried to talk to those bastards, but they shot me. Claws my ass. Maybe I should show him my claws.”
Paige placed a hand on his chest.
“That wouldn’t solve anything,” she said softly. “The important thing is they obviously don’t know you are in the house. If they really thought that, they would have stormed the place.”
Rage coursed through him as he paced the room. He knew killing John would probably only make things worse, but he had to do something. He couldn’t just sit there, hiding, while his woman had to suffer on her own. If he’d been more careful, he wouldn’t have been wounded by John’s men to begin with and brought the trouble to his woman’s door.
Justus paused. His woman? He couldn’t shake it though. She was. Everything about her was his. He could smell it and knew that his instincts wouldn’t lie to him. His woman. His Vestal. His destiny.
He turned to where she stood by the door.
“Maybe you would be safer at the lodge,” she said. Her voice was strained. “They’d not dare attack them directly.”
He stepped over to where she stood.
“You don’t want me here?” he said, trying to keep the growl out of his voice but failing.
She stared at him, tears in her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. It’s not safe here. We only got lucky they didn’t surround the house and demand to go room to room.”
He stepped even closer and breathed in her scent. It still mingled with that of the bastard from before, but he’d fix that.
“And what about you?” he said. “They suspect you’re involved.”
She shrugged and turned her head away.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Like you were a minute ago?” he said. “The crazy bastard putting his hands on you like he had some right to?”
Paige turned to glare at him.
“What was I supposed to do? Kick him out? Hit him?” She sighed loudly. “We both know they’ll kill you if they get the chance. This isn’t just some concerned people, these people think they are fighting evil. I couldn’t risk him finding you. I was protecting you.”
The air grew thick between them as her words settled over him.
She gasped as his mouth pressed hard against her, his tongue pressing through her sweet lips for the taste he’d been craving.
Paige moaned against him. His hips bucked against her, seeking out some sort of connection.
He groaned as her body moved against his own. His hands made their way to her back, sweeping down until he had a firm grip on her ass. In one swift move, he lifted her small body up and wedged himself between her hot, open legs.
Justus pulled back to watch her face as his hard dick pressed against her center.
Her eyes were glazed as she stared back at him.
He shifted his hips, and she leaned her head back and rested against the door.
With one hand wrapped firmly around her back, his other hand pulled at the soft blue t-shirt she was wearing. In one movement, he pulled the shirt over her head, leaving only the thin cotton bra underneath.
Paige brought her hands up to her chest to cover them.
He pulled her hands from her chest and placed them against the door in a gentle hold.
Lifting her slightly, he placed small kisses against the gentle, sloping skin there. With each kiss her breathing increased. Justus looked up to her before reaching the front clasp of her bra. He raised a brow in a silent question.
She slipped one of her hands out of his and held it over the clasp.
Justus held his breath.
The clasp opened, and the fabric slipped from her front.
He stared in awe at her round, perfect breasts. No one could ever compare to her. He didn’t care who they were. She was everything he needed.
His eyes stayed on hers as his mouth covered a hard nipple. He gently rolled it in his mouth, enjoying the way she watched him. When he brought the tender flesh between his teeth and gently bit down, she rolled her head back in a loud moan. Her hips rotated over his throbbing dick.
“Justus,” she whispered.
He switched to the other side, treating it with equal care.
Now her hips moved freely over him, etching away at the little restraint he still had.
Not able to take much more, he brought his head up from her breast and held her close as he moved away from the door.
He started to move to the room he’d been sleeping in, determined to see things through.
“Wait,” Paige said.
Justus gritted his teeth and came to a stop. When he looked at her, he was ready for just about anything she might say, except for the words that actually came out of her mouth.
“My room,” she said and blushed.
Faster than she could have thought, Justus had climbed the stairs with her still in his arms. There was only two doors upstairs. One led to the bathroom, and the other led to her room. He pushed
open her door the first try.
When he set her feet down on the floor, Paige wasn’t quite sure what to expect. He was so intense, and she really wasn’t all that experienced. The few times she’d had sex had been during her early years of college, and none had been all that satisfying. Just the little they had already done passed her expectations.
The room was mostly dark despite the fact that it was mid-day. She’d invested in good blinds when she’d started working as a nurse. Never knowing what hours she might be working meant that she needed to be able to sleep at any time of the day.
His mouth sought hers as they stood inside her room. His large hands skimmed her body.
“Touch me, Paige,” he whispered in her ear.
Tentative, her hands reached out to his chest. She already knew how muscular he was. Her eyes had provided the evidence many times. Now was the chance to feel all the lines she’d been thinking about.
Her hands traced his pecs and then down the dip his stomach made between his abs. The more her hands moved over him, the more she wanted to feel.
She jumped when his hands flipped the button on her pants. He pushed them down with her panties, leaving her totally exposed.
Paige placed her hand at the front of his sweats when he came back up.
Her fingers dipped below the band, and she could feel him there pressing hard against the pants.
She gasped and looked up to him.
“I thought you wore underwear,” she whispered.
His warm chuckle sent a tingle through her.
“I was in a hurry,” he mumbled and stepped closer to her, his mouth now even with her ear. “Besides, I decided not to this morning. I was too hard wanting you.”
Her face flamed as she realized he’d been without all morning, including pressing himself against her before when she had been treating him.
Not waiting for her to finish, Justus pushed his pants down and kicked them off. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her hard against his body. His thick length pressed against her.
Her hands moved against him this time. She was curious to feel the parts that she’d only thought about. She skimmed over his hard ass and slowly made her way to his front.
“Paige,” he growled.
Her hand wrapped around his length, and she could feel her aching center weep for him. She slowly moved her hand up and down along the smooth shaft, including the head. Droplets of cum coated her hand, and she blushed at the thought of licking it off.
Justus groaned loudly before walking her to the bed, his shaft still in her hand.
He slipped away as they climbed on the bed.
“I need you,” he groaned as he nestled himself between her legs.
Paige felt her center go slick at the thought of him entering her. She shifted and found him pressed against her.
He shifted his hips back and moved them forward, sliding between her folds. Paige groaned when he bumped her clit.
He was so big. She wasn’t even sure that he would fit or that she’d be able to take him without it hurting.
“Tell me I can,” he moaned.
Paige wanted him. Wanted to feel him. Her hands came to his chest.
“Slowly,” she said and looked away from him, ashamed she might not be able to be with him like he would want. “You are big,” she whispered.
His hands came between her legs and rubbed the tip of his hard cock against her opening.
Paige groaned at the hard slickness and moved her hips in time to his. She could feel the tightness in her center start to form and knew it wouldn’t be long if he kept it up.
Likely sensing her movements, Justus brought his hard length to her opening and pressed in.
It was tight but not quite like she expected. Instead of pain, all she felt was more excited than she had before. She wrapped her legs around his back and pulled him forward.
“Paige,” he groaned. “You are making this very hard.”
She smiled at him. His body shook as he tried to maintain control.
Again, she pulled him harder against her and pressed him deeper inside. She moaned at the fullness.
“More,” she hissed.
Not waiting, Justus pressed all the way until he was seated deep inside her. He stayed that way for a moment and let her adjust.
Paige moved her hips. He was so deep, she could feel him nudge her cervix and groaned at the feeling.
“Tell me I can move,” he said between pants, his words clipped.
Paige swiveled her hips again and brought his head down to her own.
“Move,” she whispered.
The word was all he needed. Justus moved his hips, his hard cock slipping in and out. Each time he bumped her clit.
Paige ran her nails down his back and stopped when she reached his ass.
“Harder,” she moaned.
His thick dick filled her until all she could think about was the release that would soon come.
She could hear the sounds of their bodies together, the sound of slapping as his pace quickened.
He lifted her hips and sat back on his legs. She watched as he stared down at where they were joined. Part of her wanted to be ashamed at where he was looking, but it was erotic to have him see her and erotic to look, his dark skin contrasting with her own pale skin.
Justus looked up to her eyes on him and only moved faster.
She could feel it now. The warm heat moving through her. Her insides clenched, tightening around him.
“Fuck,” he grunted. His hips moved faster than she thought possible.
He slammed in hard, and her insides quivered around him, squeezing him as her orgasm rolled over her. Justus shouted her name as his own release took hold. Hot cum filled her as the lasts of her own orgasm wrung him of his final release.
Still deep inside her, Justus lay on top of her, sucking in deep breaths. She listened to him, her hand on his head, loving the feeling of their closeness.
Slowly, they drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Eleven
Paige moved quietly around the room, dressing in silence as Justus slept in her bed. She worried a little they might have overdone it going at it two times in a row, but she couldn’t seem to tell him to stop the second time.
She glanced down at him. Her cheeks heated. Sleeping with men after only knowing them a short time wasn’t really something she did. Heck, it’d been many years since she’d even last had sex.
Ava was more the free spirit. The one who went with the flow. Paige was the dependable one who always seemed to be left dealing with trouble when things got bad.
Justus sighed loudly, and she resisted the urge to just climb back in bed and forget the food.
She shook her head and slipped her pants on. They were out of food, and if the morning was any indication, he was going to be hungry for more than her when he woke up. Apparently it took a lot of fuel to keep a super-soldier going. Or a super-lover for that matter.
Paige crept out the door and down the stairs. She slipped on her shoes and grabbed her purse.
She paused for a moment at the door and debated a note. Really, she wouldn’t be long and figured he would guess she was just running an errand.
Harsh wind struck her as she stepped out onto the porch. It bit through her coat and made her shiver. Her fingers shook as she slipped the key in the lock and turned.
Not wanting to stand in the cold longer than she had to, Paige ran to her car and started it up. The heat kicked on after a moment, and feeling returned to her toes.
She eased away from the house, down her long drive and onto the street.
Movement in her mirror caught her attention as one of the trucks from earlier followed her.
She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. If she turned back, it might look like she had something to hide. Still, knowing that John’s men were watching her didn’t set her at ease in the least. If they decided to make her disappear, no one would be the wiser, especially the way people were acting recently.
Given the way the sheriff had behaved and the way John’s men had talked, local law enforcement was obviously on their side, and it wasn’t like if she called the FBI, they’d come running because of her suspicions. Plus, from what little she’d gathered while at Luna Lodge, the Horatius Group had spies in the government.
Justus was already at risk being at her house. The Horatius Group seemed to always have an ear to the ground, and if they caught on that he was there with her, it could mean trouble, the kind of trouble her local asshat harassers couldn’t begin to attempt.
No, she needed to act like she had nothing to hide, even if it meant putting herself at risk.
* * *
Justus woke with a start. The bed was cold, and from the smell of it, Paige had been gone for a while. He grunted once in disappointment and then took in a deep breath. An unfamiliar musky smell assaulted his nose.
Someone was in the house. He bit back a growl and curse.
“How long we got?” a man said. The voice sounded familiar. He was likely one of the goons that bastard John had brought with him.
“Benny says she’s heading into the store now,” the other goon said. “Maybe half an hour.”
They weren’t exactly being quiet about their work but also didn’t seem to be tearing the place apart. Whatever this mission was, it wasn’t a raid on the place. Recon, maybe?
The sound of shattering glass reached him from below. Justus moved from the bed and slipped on the clothing from before.
“Damn it, Dean! Boss said don’t break nothing.”
He resisted a snort. The fools didn’t know the first thing about recon.
He could make out the sound of the glass being swept across the floor.
“It’s just a picture,” the other man said. “Besides, ain’t this Ava’s room? Doubt she’ll notice. Don’t think she uses the bedroom much for sleeping even when she’s here.”
The man laughed at his own crass joke.
Justus Page 6
