Ethan didn’t move.
“The way I see it, you can wallow in self-pity, or you can stand up and fight.” Tess brushed away a tear on her cheek. “I want you to fight.”
Ethan raised his head, his eyes watching her every move.
“Since we met, my life has been unpredictable, scary as hell, and enlightening. I woke up. I let go of Matt and found new meaning in my life. You.” Her heart lurched, and her palms suddenly felt sweaty. She’d learned too well that loving someone could hurt like hell. And she had a feeling this was going to be no exception. “I’m a witch. Together we can defeat this thing inside of you. We can, and we will.”
Indecision flickered in his eyes.
“Ethan, please.” She swallowed hard. “I love you.”
He sucked in a ragged breath. “Don’t . . . say that. You can’t.”
Tears blurred her vision. “Well, I do.”
“Then stop.”
As if it was that easy. Tess squared her shoulders. “Alrighty, I hate you. Happy?”
“Ecstatic.”
Her gaze passed over the scaly skin, across his bare chest, to his blood-streaked arm. “Let me bandage your cuts.”
“Leave them.” He sighed. “My arm looks worse than it is. They’re scratches that will heal quickly. All of my injuries heal more quickly now.” Despair softened his features.
Dammit. She’d do anything to get that expression off his face. “Ethan, listen to me. You’re a good person. You’ve made my life better. With you, I feel like the real me. I feel beautiful and capable, a full-fledged member of this team.”
“Team? There’s no team.” Ethan stood and paced to the door. “Even if there was, you wouldn’t want me as a teammate. I have a nasty handicap.”
“You protected me when you could have left.”
“The Beast had a hand in that.”
“I don’t believe it was all The Beast.”
He stared at the floor.
Her heart went out to him. No one should have to live like this. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be.”
She took a step toward him. “I love you.”
“Stop.” His gaze darted to hers.
“I love you.” Each time she said the words, her determination grew. Tess moved ahead until she stood directly before him.
Despite the pain and confusion she read in his eyes, a flicker of hope was mixed in there too. She lifted her hands to his face, the face she’d come to cherish. “I love you.”
Touching her lips to his, she gave him the lightest of kisses, half expecting him to pull away.
He didn’t. He deepened the kiss, and his arms circled her, bringing her close. Her fingers swept over the slight stubble on his face and grazed the wetness trickling down his cheek.
Ethan hugged her tighter. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.” Tess caressed his mouth with her own, hoping to erase some of his doubt and pain.
His lips trembled, his kiss desperate, almost pleading. She swept her arms over his shoulders and pressed her body closer to his, her only thought to soothe away the hurt. When she brushed her hands down his back, his body relaxed, and hope surged in her chest. Inspiration dawned, and she grabbed hold of his hand. “You need to calm down and get things into perspective. Let me give you a massage.”
Ethan’s breath escaped in a rush, a short laugh. Okay, not a laugh exactly, but probably the closest she’d get from him tonight. “You don’t have to do that.”
Tess tugged his hand. “I want to.” She led him to the bedroom. “You sure you don’t want me to clean up that arm. You’re going to get blood on your bedding.”
“Screw the bedding.”
“All right.” She motioned for him to lie down. “You don’t happen to have any massage oil, do you?” She took off her sweatshirt and tossed it to the floor.
“Nope.” He stretched out facedown on the bed and grabbed a pillow. Scrunching it in his arms, he rested his chin on top.
“Oh well, I’ll just use spit.”
Rising up on one arm, he quirked a brow.
“Kidding.” She rubbed her hands together to warm them up. “Vaseline works just as well. Do you have any of that?” Tess stifled a laugh when Ethan groaned and lay back down. “Okay. I’ll do this the old-fashioned way.” Bending over his bare back, she skimmed her fingers across his smooth skin. He still had a worn leather smell. She breathed it in as her fingers stroked the contours of his muscles. His body hummed with tension.
Ethan turned his head on the pillow. “Are you sure you know how to give a massage?”
She smiled. “Have you ever had a professional give you one?”
“No.”
“Then be quiet, and let me work my magic.” Did she know how to give a massage. Ha. She’d given plenty of them before. Maybe not professionally, but her Dad and Matt had never complained.
She worked her fingertips deeper into the muscles along his back, muscles so tight they were as hard as stone.
A stream of numbers, letters, and mumbled words blared from the scanner.
Tess barely caught any of it. “What’s a 10-11?”
“An alarm is going off,” Ethan grunted out as she pressed down on his spine. “If you listen, the dispatcher usually explains.”
“I swear, I only understand every third word. How do you know what they say?”
“Practice, lots of practice.”
Ah, always the photographer looking for his next job, or crime scene to photograph as it were. Using the heels of her palms, she kneaded the knots in his back but couldn’t quite get the right angle. Giving a snort of frustration, she climbed onto the bed and straddled his hips.
“Like a professional masseuse, huh.” The rumble of Ethan’s voice resonated up from beneath her.
She ignored his comment and the flutters that invaded her stomach, instead pressing harder into his stiff muscles. The scanner rumbled again. Despite her best efforts, she had no idea what the dispatcher said. She splayed her fingers out over his shoulder blades. Beneath her hips and hands, Ethan was all man and muscle. Tess bit her lip, tempted to sneak a peek behind to his tush.
Working her way down his spine, Tess kneaded all the more, determined to give him the best massage of his life.
Ethan released a long breath and relaxed into the mattress.
Her mind drifted. So did her eyes. Just a quick glance. She turned her head to spy over her shoulder. Can’t. Quite. See. Slowly, she twisted until, ah, nice.
“What are you doing?”
Tess jerked at the sound of his voice. “Nothing. Nothing.” Her hands flew to his back to press random spots, her eyes still seeing his perfectly formed glutes. No denying it. He filled out his jeans quite nicely.
Sweeping her hands over his shoulder blades, she admired the dormant power beneath her touch. She imagined Ethan holding her close, and his lips teasing her neck, the thought so real her pulse raced. Her hands skimmed down his sides, and Ethan flinched. A tickle spot? So he did have one of those.
“Are we done?”
She ignored his impatient tone and reached for his shoulders, her insides swirling. He was right. She should call it a day. Or . . . Tess brushed her hands over his shoulders and down his arms. The moment her fingers grazed the scales, he stiffened. “Don’t touch that.”
The dark, iridescent skin mesmerized her. The slight ridges glistened in the light. Her fingers slipped lower, sliding over the surprisingly supple skin.
Without warning, Ethan flipped to his back, grasping her sides to keep her from tumbling off the bed. “Don’t.”
“Why not?”
The hands at her hips gripped tighter. “The Beast is quiet now. Once he’s fed, he leaves me alone
. Finally, there’s no one in my head but me. Don’t wake him.”
Who could argue with that?
His piercing gaze locked onto hers. In his eyes, she saw the haunted look of things best forgotten, and with it, desire, a burning need to extinguish those thoughts, even if for a stolen moment. Beneath her hips, his solid length strained against his jeans, proof he wanted her too. Her fingers crept over his bare chest, and she leaned forward.
He caught her shoulders, stopping her. “Don’t love me,” he whispered. Even as he said the words, his fingers caressed her arms. “I have a feeling this beast thing isn’t going to end well. What then?”
She refused to think about that now. Nothing could happen to him.
Shaking his head, he looked away. “Don’t become too attached to me. I don’t want you mourning another loss and giving up on life.”
“Too late. I’m already attached, and I’m not going to let you go.” She brought his attention back to her with a touch of her hand on his cheek. Shimmying her shoulders past his loose hold, she tipped forward until she lay on his bare chest. Only the thin layer of her cotton T-shirt separated her stomach from his. Lightly, she nipped the tip of his nose before running her lips over his whiskers and settling her mouth on his ear.
He drew in a sharp breath. “Why are you doing this, Tess? Things are complicated enough.”
The accusation in his tone stopped her cold. He was right. “I’m such an idiot.” Why did she think anything had changed? Her feelings may have grown stronger, but his had stayed the same. He didn’t want her. Pushing against his chest, she struggled to rise from the bed. Her toe caught on a discarded boot.
Ethan grabbed her waist before she could fall. “Tess.”
She brushed his hands away. “I don’t know how many times you’ve told me you’re not interested. You’d think I’d get it. What am I, stupid?” Her voice wavered on that last part. She needed to get out of here. Before she could round the bed, Ethan caught up with her.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Is this what you want? A man half-animal touching you?” he growled, his mouth so close, his breath tickled her ear.
She flinched as his clawed hand cupped her breast. Her gaze lifted to their reflection in the mirror, and her pulse tripped over itself. His eyes smoldered into hers. Intense heat radiated from his palm through the layers separating them. The dark scales glistened black against the stark white of her shirt. As she stared at the hand, she couldn’t hold back a shiver, not from revulsion or fear, more like a strange curiosity, a yearning to touch the forbidden part of him. That hand stroked her breast, the movement slight but devastating. Sparks of electricity shot to her stomach and lower.
Her breath caught, and she had to force out the words she wanted to say. “I don’t care what you look like. I want you.”
“Dammit, Tess. You’re making this too hard. I want to do the right thing, but watching you, feeling you . . .” A groan vibrated through his chest, and he dipped his face to her neck.
Closing her eyes, she tilted her head to the side. The pressure of his mouth on her throat sent a frisson of excitement down her body. She didn’t know what the future held, but she didn’t want to waste the time they had left. Tess twisted in his arms to face him and met his lips full on. Locking her arms around his neck, she pressed herself as close to him as she could. His mouth consumed hers, demanding and heady.
Tess gasped as his hands brushed over her skin, the scaled one much warmer and rougher than the other, yet oddly erotic. Ethan pulled her T-shirt up over her head, and cool air caressed her skin. Dropping kisses onto her shoulder, he engulfed her in his arms, and the chill vanished as her skin came in contact with his. Her hands explored his back, his chest, careful to avoid contact with the scales. She wanted no reminders of his past to haunt him, not now or ever again.
Ethan’s lips trailed to her bra. The clasp sprang free under his deft fingertips, and his hot breath touched bare skin.
Her fingers threaded through his hair. When his mouth suckled one nipple, she clenched the silky strands as tremors quaked her insides. She moaned, and her knees wobbled. Ethan supported her with a steely arm while his other hand slipped to the button of her jeans. A quick yank and the enclosure popped free, followed by the slight tick of each tooth in the zipper.
She forced herself to loosen her hold on his hair, and in two tugs, he pushed her jeans and plain white undies to the floor. Kicking them off, she trembled as Ethan’s human hand glided up her inner thighs and came to rest at the juncture between them. He dipped a finger inside her as he pressed wet kisses along her throat.
Her insides spiraled out of control, her entire body becoming sensitized, as if she could feel every nerve ending. “Ethan, I can’t take much more . . . Please.”
He still stroked her as his clawed hand reached for his fly.
Without thinking, Tess placed her hand over his. “Let me.”
He jerked the claw away. Her palm tingled from the brief touch, and she itched to explore the foreign hot skin. She let the thought pass.
Her hands skimmed down the trail of dark hair leading to the clasp of his jeans, and he sucked in a breath with a hiss. After releasing the button, she paused, wondering what she might find inside. Was he human or beast? She hadn’t exactly paid attention the first time they’d been together.
Hoping he didn’t notice her hesitation, she opened the zipper and slipped the denim past his hips. What sprang forth was all human.
“Shocked?” he asked.
“No. I kind of figured you were a no underwear type of guy.” She gripped his length, and he moaned.
Yup, all man.
His lips came down hard on hers. “Now you’ve done it,” he warned between kisses as he kicked off his pants. After snatching the socks from their feet, he wrapped her in his arms and steered them back until the bed came up behind her. He eased her onto the mattress, leaning over her, and braced on his arms. His strength surrounded her. She luxuriated in the feeling. After months of despair, her heart beat stronger than before. All the grief and self-doubt faded away. She was ready to love again. “Make love to me.”
He looked deeply into her eyes. “Are you sure?”
She nodded. She needed this. They both needed this.
He stood and grabbed a condom from his nightstand. He put it in place, then hesitated. “This is your last chance to stop me. Tell me to stop.”
The scanner squawked, and the dispatcher mumbled a string of unintelligible words.
“You hear that? There’s a 9783. It’s the quit-being-so-pious-and-self-sacrificing-and-get-over-here code.”
“Is that right?” A shadow of relief crossed his features, and he crept onto the bed.
“Mhmm.” She reached for him, and he settled between her thighs. Before he could question her again, she urged him on, grasping his length and leading him to where he belonged. Brushing the hair from her eyes, he kissed her with such reverence her heart melted with each beat. He eased himself inside of her, and his lips explored the recesses of her mouth.
Her hands trailed down to the glutes she’d glimpsed earlier. Kneading those muscles, she relished their every movement as they flexed with each deep thrust. He pumped harder, and sparks flared like static before the coming storm. She tilted her hips, meeting his every stroke, accepting him for the damaged soul he was. Her body purred, the thrilling sensations swirling to a peak of ecstasy. One last thrust and Ethan shuddered in release. Resting his forehead on hers, he caught his breath, then dropped to the mattress beside her. When he looked at her, his eyes were troubled.
“If you’re going to tell me this shouldn’t have happened, save it,” she muttered. “I’m basking in the glow.”
A wry smile touched his lips, before he turned his face away.
Chapter 17
The bed sheet lay across Ethan’s hips, barely concealing his pelvis from Tess’s view. She itched to brush her hand over his sculpted abdomen . . . and lower.
As it had all night long, the scanner muttered unintelligible words. Its intermittent messages were oddly soothing. Propping on one elbow, with her head in her hand, Tess returned her attention to the face she’d studied for hours now. In the shadows of the midmorning sun, Ethan slept peacefully, his dark eyelashes fanned down over his skin. He looked as if nothing in the world troubled him. Tess frowned. What a lie. The last twenty-four hours had been filled with nothing but regrets for him. Her attention slid to his left arm and the small scales there like that of a snake. Darting a glance at his face, Tess reached across his body to the discolored skin but hesitated to touch him. Inches away from her hand, his arm radiated intense heat. How long would it be before he was covered in scales?
No way would she let that happen. They would find the stone, figure out how to use it, and defeat The Beast. Too bad it wasn’t that simple. Why did everything have to be so damn hard?
In the sun’s rays, slight ridges on the scales stood out. She ran a finger over them, and a low purr rumbled through Ethan’s chest.
She jerked away, her heart tripping over itself. Her gaze flew to Ethan’s tranquil features. He slept as soundly as before. Good. Rubbing a hand over her face, she got up from the bed and dressed, then crept from the room. On her way to the kitchen, she passed by the desk and stopped. The file of obituaries and notes still lay on the floor in a splattering of paper. No sense in leaving them there. Another reminder of the past wasn’t going to get Ethan back on track.
Squatting down, she gathered up the papers and straightened them into a pile. The corner of one last sheet peaked out from beneath a chair. She leaned over and snatched the edge, drawing it into view. An obituary printed from the internet. Her hometown paper. The air seeped out of her lungs in a slow leak, and she dropped to her knees. Matt.
Bewitching the Beast Page 22
