Salvation

by Eden Robins

  His eyes burned into her. Whenever he looked at her like that, hungry and intense, it was like he had x-ray vision. Like he could see all the way into her soul. She felt open and vulnerable in a way she rarely if ever let herself be with anyone.

  Sabrina gave herself a mental shake. She had to get a hold of herself. Things between them were so over.

  Weren’t they?

  “Long enough for what?” she managed to ask.

  Eric hesitated before answering. He looked like he was about to say something then changed his mind and said something else instead.

  “Long enough to know that it’s time to go. You said six thirty. I’m here and Vlad’s waiting. You used to be much more punctual, gatita.”

  The amusement in his voice wasn’t lost on her. Nor was the fact that he called her by his favorite nickname. It irritated her that he could make light of her so easily.

  “And I didn’t know you were such an obedient employee,” she snapped back.

  Two could play at this game.

  “I guess Vlad has you just where he wants you, doing his bidding at the snap of his fingers,” she taunted. “I never would have pegged you as a follower, Eric, but I guess I was wrong. If I’m a gatita, then you must have turned into a cachorro, a little puppy. Who would have imagined?”

  Sabrina didn’t like the sarcasm dripping from her voice. It wasn’t a tactic she usually utilized and it made her feel childish. Eric just seemed to bring it out in her.

  By the dangerous glint in his eyes and his tightening jaw, she could tell he hadn’t liked it either. She needed to diffuse this situation. Now.

  “Well, enough of that. Shouldn’t we be going?” she asked with a forced smile. Standing up abruptly, she turned to go around her desk, and her foot caught on the rubber mat that had bunched up under her chair. Before she could stop herself she pitched forward, arms flailing, and landed in an ungraceful heap on the floor.

  She wanted to find a hole and crawl into it. Even a small rock to slide under would do. Anything but opening her eyes and seeing Eric laughing at her for her clumsiness. She had always been clumsy, a klutz to the extreme of embarrassment. This was just one of many cases in point. During her childhood, her human form just seemed to grow too fast for her to keep up. She was always falling, or tripping over something. But when she was in her true form, she was graceful and coordinated, just as all her people were. It was almost as if she hadn’t been able to compensate for the difference in anatomy as she transitioned from one to the other. When she finally got the courage to open her eyes it was to find Eric crouched next to her, reaching down to help her up.

  “Here, let me help you. Are you all right?” he asked, his face concerned and his touch gentle as he grasped her by the waist and lifted her to her feet.

  She expected him to release her once she was standing steady, but he didn’t. He moved close so that their bodies almost touched. Then, while keeping one hand on her waist, he lifted his other hand to her face. Putting his finger under her chin, he tilted it up so she was forced to meet his stare.

  His eyes were stormy and intense. She wasn’t sure of his mood. But she could feel danger from him. This wasn’t going to be good.

  “I don’t think your analogy applies, Sabrina. Although you most definitely remind me of a kitten, I am absolutely nothing like a puppy. I’d think you’d know that, considering the way we parted ways. Would a puppy dump you like that?”

  Though his words were soft, their cruelty ran deep. The pain they caused almost made her double over. He was trying to hurt her. And he was succeeding. He needed to stop.

  But he didn’t.

  “Would a puppy act and talk like they cared about you then just say goodbye like you mattered so little? Would a puppy callously leave you while he heard your sad little sobs through the door? I don’t think so, do you, Sabrina?”

  She couldn’t have answered if her life depended on it. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She felt frozen by the pain his words caused. The mockery in Eric’s gaze and the arrogance on his face stunned her. Then he smiled in a way that never reached his eyes, a way that left her feeling cold.

  “I didn’t think so. Just remember that from now on. I’m not cute, sweet, nice or devoted. I’m no puppy,” he said without emotion. “I’ll do what I have to do for you. It’s my job. But after that, I’m long gone. And I won’t be looking back, sweetie, so don’t hold your breath.”

  Sabrina thought she had learned to harden her hart. She thought she had learned how to make her skin tough. She believed she had built a wall strong enough to protect her from hurt.

  She had been wrong. Those few sentences Eric spoke demolished that wall in seconds. Each word hit its target, leaving her with a deep ache in the pit of her stomach. She felt tears start to well in eyes.

  No, he wouldn’t see her cry. Never again.

  When she pulled away from him, he didn’t try to hold her back. Blinking away her tears, she gathered together her jacket, purse and briefcase. All the papers she needed were already packed away. Eric just watched her silently.

  After collecting her things, she walked toward the door. Only at that point did she feel able to talk.

  “Let’s go,” she called over her shoulder and walked out.

  Eric caught up with her and grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop in the hallway. “Wait. Sabrina.”

  Something broke inside her at that moment. The sadness she felt was suddenly replaced with anger. Yanking her arm out of his grasp, she let him have it.

  “What the hell do you want now, Eric? Why do you feel this need to talk so much about our past? It’s over. I accepted that a long time ago. It’s time you did too. Get over it. It’s pitiful the way you keep touching me and harping on and on about what happened between us,” she said cruelly. She wasn’t sure where the words were coming from, but each hurtful sentence just seemed to spew from her mouth unconsciously. “That’s why I need to talk to Vlad. You obviously are having a problem with this. You’re obsessed with something that no longer exists. Someone else needs to handle my case. And maybe you should get yourself into counseling. Maybe that will help a little. It really is sad that it’s come to this, but you know what they say, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”

  Sabrina felt nauseous as she turned away from Eric and continued walking to her car. She never knew she could be so hurtful to another person, especially someone she had cared about so much. Her anger was her only excuse, but even that was a weak one. She’d never forget the shocked look on his face as each word left her lips. It was as if he couldn’t believe his ears. And she almost couldn’t believe she said all that.

  But the words needed to be said. True or not, Eric needed to see how it felt to be on the other side of things. He was way too cocky about his effect on her. She had needed to shake him up a bit. As vengeful and petty as it was, Sabrina wanted him to feel some of the pain she had felt these last two years.

  Just as she reached her car, she was tugged roughly from behind. Eric grabbed her waist and turned her around so her back pushed against the car. Her gaze flew up to his and she knew immediately that she had pushed too hard, had said too much and been too cruel.

  His iridescent eyes practically shot sparks of fury at her. He was clenching and unclenching his jaw as he brought his face close to hers. Sabrina pressed back against her car but he only moved closer, until she could feel the heat from parts of his body that pushed against her and see each eyelash surrounding his golden eyes.

  She had never seen him look so angry.

  Eric was consumed with rage.

  He was seeing red and there was no way in hell it was going away until Sabrina admitted the truth. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do first, strangle her or kiss her. She had blasted him away with her cruel words, each one stinging more deeply than he’d like to admit. But pain wasn’t the only thing he had felt. Fury engulfed him as he saw through her lies. He knew she had been touched by their relation
ship. Just as he knew she wasn’t indifferent to him now.

  Seeing Sabrina walk away from him, acting like she felt sorry for him, was too much to take. She was lying to herself and him if she thought pity was all she had felt for him. And he was going to show her just how wrong she was.

  “So you feel sorry for me, gatita? Is that what you’re saying? You pity me and nothing more?”

  Sabrina’s eyes widened and her pupils dilated, engulfing the emerald sea surrounding them. She was afraid. Good, she should be. He saw her throat convulse as she swallowed hard.

  “Yes. I, um, pity you, Eric,” she managed to say. It came out more of a squeak than her normal voice.

  “That’s it? That’s all you feel for me?” He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her face up so that she had to meet his eyes.

  “Yes,” she whispered and scrunched her eyes tightly closed against his stare.

  He wouldn’t let her off that easy. She was lying. He knew it and she knew it.

  “Let’s test that theory, shall we?”

  And without preamble, without hesitation, he did what he had wanted to do since laying eyes on Sabrina in her office tonight. He gently grasped the back of her head and lowered his face just the fraction necessary to capture her lips with his.

  And that’s just what he did, capture her lips. Eric gave no ground as he lavished her mouth with all the expertise he had learned from living so many centuries. Each slide of his lips, each nip with his teeth, each suck drawing her into his mouth was meant to entice, excite and stimulate. He was the master, Sabrina the student, and he was about to teach her a very valuable lesson.

  She responded, just as he knew she would. She adjusted her weight so that she leaned more against him than the car and dropped her bags to the ground. Sliding her hands up his chest, around his shoulder to the back of his neck, she pulled him closer. Eric felt her quiver against him and smiled inwardly. Sabrina always quivered when she was turned on.

  Her mouth opened to him and he gently explored the sweet recesses between her lips. She moaned into his mouth and tentatively met his tongue with hers. Eric pulled back slightly, making her pursue him. He knew that was how it had to be. She had to admit she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Sabrina didn’t disappoint him. Pulling him closer, she boldly delved into his mouth again and again.

  Eric tried to ignore the intense need that thundered through him. His body was winding tighter and tighter. He managed to control it, barely. But he wanted to, no, had to get closer to her. He knew it would test his restraint, but it didn’t matter. Although he had started out teaching Sabrina a lesson, this was turning into so much more than that. Sliding his hands down her hips, he reached behind her and cupped her bottom in his hands. He couldn’t resist squeezing her soft roundness as he lifted her up. Grasping her thighs, he pulled her legs around his waist.

  She gasped into his mouth as his hardness pressed into her center. Eric rubbed against her core, determined to let her know just how turned on he was. Sabrina made soft mewling noises in the back of her throat as she squirmed against him. Catching her tongue between his lips, he sucked lightly. She shuddered against him. Male satisfaction filled him. His little cat was getting ready to climax. He could feel it. Her body was so easy for him to read. Just a little more and she would let go for him. The thought of that made him groan.

  “Come for me, gatita. Let yourself go.”

  “Is everything okay, Dr. Reyes?”

  The sound of the man’s voice shocked Eric. He let Sabrina slip to the ground, pushed her behind him and swung around to face the guard who was slowly walking toward them. Damnit! Sabrina had him so distracted he hadn’t heard the man approach. That had been careless of him, careless and stupid. His pride had made him forget where they were and that Sabrina’s life was in danger.

  Eric had lost control of himself again.

  Shame filled him.

  Would he never learn?

  Chapter Four

  Would she never learn?

  As Eric silently drove them to Sundown Security, Sabrina’s mind went wild. What had she been thinking? She had practically made love to Eric in a parking lot! And not just any parking lot. The parking lot of the place she worked in! The place she had to go to each day and see people on a regular basis.

  Would the security guard tell others about what he saw?

  Probably.

  She would just have to cross that bridge when she came to it. There was nothing she could do about it now. Glancing discreetly at Eric, she wondered for the zillionth time why this man had the ability to affect her as much as he did. The minute he had touched his mouth to hers back in that parking lot she had forgotten about everything but touching him. And once his body pressed so intimately against hers she had lost herself completely. If the security guard hadn’t come along, would she have let Eric make love to her in the parking lot? Now, past the moment, she thought not, but she couldn’t be sure. That scared her. That this man influenced her so much scared her a hell of a lot.

  Sabrina had gone into shock when she heard the guard’s voice. She was thankful that Eric had pulled her behind him and faced the other man. She had been at a loss. Those few seconds he gave her allowed her to collect herself.

  She had peeked around Eric when the guard asked for the second time if she was okay.

  “I’m fine. This is my new, um, personal guard. He’ll be watching over me from now on. But I appreciate your concern,” she had explained in a shaky voice, not quite meeting the man’s eyes.

  And with that, she’d walked around to the passenger side of her car, unlocked the door and gotten in. Her window had been repaired that day while she worked. Eric had sent someone over to fix it. And Sundown Security had paid for it.

  Looking out the car window, she’d seen Eric shake hands with the guard and speak briefly to him. She had wondered what they were saying but had been too embarrassed by the whole episode to ask him about it when he had finally opened the door and got into the car.

  He had held one hand out to her.

  “I need the keys,” he had said in a tight, angry voice.

  Sabrina had thrust her keys into Eric’s hand without a word.

  Neither of them spoke as he drove them into downtown Phoenix. It was a good twenty-minute drive from ASU, but she just didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know where to begin. What had just happened? What did it mean? One minute she had been hurting him with her words, the next they were in a hot embrace.

  Sabrina pondered the situation as she watched the setting sun. The skyline of the downtown Phoenix area was beautiful. The purple clouds and pink streaks cut across the city line of the buildings while the setting sun reflected off the windows of skyscrapers, making them appear almost golden. She could make out The Compass Room built at the very top of the Hyatt Resort building. It was a circular restaurant that rotated on top of the hotel. Customers eating in the fine dining establishment got to see the whole city by the time their meal was done. Sabrina had eaten there a few times, for special occasions, and enjoyed both the food and the spectacular view.

  The downtown area was being revitalized. It had begun years before with the building of the baseball stadium and the Arizona Center shopping plaza. More recently, the city was trying to incorporate further commercialization through restaurants, clubs and other retail outlets, and also to promote building more residential-living projects. They wanted the Phoenix urban center to become a place people lived, worked and played in. Slowly but surely that vision was becoming a reality.

  As they pulled into the agency’s parking lot and Eric turned off the engine, Sabrina realized it was now or never. She finally worked up the nerve to speak.

  “What was all that about back there?”

  Eric’s head swung around so quickly it almost made her jump. His eyes narrowed dangerously and his lips curled into a mocking snarl. Sabrina knew she wasn’t going to like his answer.

  “That was just to remind me that I could
fuck you anywhere, anytime I wanted to and you’d let me. Not only that, you’d love every minute of it.”

  “Cerdo!”

  Sabrina gasped, calling him a pig, and did the first thing that came to mind. Raising her hand, she tried to slap him across the face. She was too slow. He grabbed her hand just before it made contact. But instead of releasing her, he brought it down to the stiff erection that pressed against his pants. He made her wrap her fingers around him, so there was no doubt in her mind what she was holding. She tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let her.

  “And that’s to let you know that if the campus guard hadn’t come along, I would have fucked you, little cat. I would have fucked you again and again, regardless of the place, the time or the situation. And it wouldn’t have been pretty. It would have been deep, hard, fast and dirty, because that’s the way I like it,” he said, meeting her stare with his own uncompromising one. “Remember what happened back in that parking lot. Remember the way you responded to me the next time you decide to tell me you pity me and feel nothing more.”

  Releasing her hand, Eric handed her the keys and got out of the car. Walking around it, he opened the passenger side door and held his hand out to her. Ignoring him, she got out, locked the door after he shut it and walked away from him.

  His contradictions confused her and called to her at the same time. One minute he was so crude and hard, the next he acted the gentleman, opening the door for her. He had been like that when they dated, always doing gentlemanly things for her in a natural way, not because it was expected of him but rather because that was just who he was—a gentleman and a bastard.

  His words had stung her, but at the same time she knew he was right. When they touched she lost the ability to think rationally. All she knew was desire and hunger. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else seemed real but him. Embarrassing as it was, she had almost had a climax just by Eric holding her, kissing her and rubbing against her through her clothes. How pathetic did that make her?