by Dana Archer
Which turned her into a hypocrite. If she didn’t want him to be possessive of her, she couldn’t think the same of him. But she did. All she had to do was remember that picture of him with Jill and Anne, and she wanted to hunt them down and hiss at them, warning them away from Devin.
The man was turning her into a crazy woman.
Space. That was what she needed. Once the threat to her sisters passed, she’d be calmer and in a better position to try to figure out Devin. To understand them and the bond he insisted they shared.
“I’m not moving in with you after we get Molly back. I’ll get an apartment or something until I’m sure she’s going to be safe and happy, and then I’m returning to Delaware. I have a job. Friends. I’ll visit Molly. Call her.” Actually, she’d look for a job near where Molly would be living, but Devin didn’t need to know that. Not yet at least. Not until she figured out their connection.
She waited for his reaction. Didn’t get one. He simply studied her with his hauntingly beautiful eyes. She shifted her stance and planted balled fists on her hips. “So why are you still in here with me? Didn’t I make myself clear? At this point in my life, I don’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend, wife, mate, or their little human female.”
Her outburst didn’t appear to upset him. The primal heat never left his eyes.
“Beloved human.”
“What?”
He licked his lips. “The term is ‘beloved human’, but ‘my little female’ works too. At least as far as I’m concerned. Both mean you’re treasured and placed above all others. And you are, Lena. You’re special to me. I’ll always be drawn to you. Need you.”
A wave of warmth flowed through her. She tugged at the hem of the black T-shirt Vader had lent her after destroying hers. She’d tied the excess in a side knot but couldn’t do anything about the wide neck. It slid down one shoulder and exposed Devin’s bite. Although it felt better not to have the material rubbing against it, the scar throbbed in his presence.
She yanked at the shirt, covering the bite, and peered at the plush black carpet.
“Please don’t hide my mark. It looks beautiful on you.”
She glanced into his eyes. Sincerity shone there. He couldn’t be serious, could he? She dismissed his comment with a small shake of her head.
Beautiful? Scars couldn’t be beautiful. “It looks like a big cat gnawed on me.”
Devin advanced on her, chin lowered and muscles coiled, as if ready to pounce. The predator stalked her and the forceful glint to his eyes warned her not to run. While part of her wanted to turn tail and flee as she’d done moments ago, she locked her knees. Escape wasn’t an option. Not anymore.
He stopped, a foot separating them. “I want to introduce you as my mate.”
Lena blew out a strained breath. “We’ve known each other a couple of days—”
“I know, and I understand you’re not looking for a relationship at this point in your life.” He gently took her hand and kissed each of her fingers before pressing it against his chest and covering it with his. Warmth seeped into her cold fingers. “But the past cannot be changed.”
“No, it can’t but—”
“I’m a part of you.” He lowered his head and blew a warm breath of air over her scarred shoulder. Her body went into instant meltdown. “Don’t you feel me?”
“I’m not sure what I feel. I keep telling you that.”
He traced her jaw from ear to chin before rubbing his thumb along her bottom lip. “So you have, and I’m not doing a very good job of helping you figure it out.”
“Helping me figure it out? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There’s no hidden meaning. I’m trying to guide you, show you our bond, let you see how good it can be.” Devin grinned. “I can always tell you what it is you feel, but somehow I don’t think that would go over well.”
She fought a smile. “No. It wouldn’t.”
“Then I’ll continue to urge you to explore our bond so that you’ll figure out what your soul is trying to tell you.”
He caressed her mouth as he spoke. The slow seductive swipe of his finger weakened her. If he kept touching her, she’d end up begging him for a lesson, as long as it involved kissing him again.
She nipped at his finger. He groaned. Hunger flashed in his eyes. It spiked hers and reminded her why he needed to stop touching her. “As soon as you get your hands on me, all I want is to do naughty things with you. I can’t think about anything else.”
“Good. I’ll have to touch you more often.”
The seductive whisper against her ear sped her pulse. She gripped his biceps and the sensation of hard muscles under her fingers ignited her passion. He flicked his tongue over the hickey he’d left on her throat, a reminder of one of their wicked kissing sessions.
She moaned.
“Mmm, I like that sound.” He nipped at the sensitive flesh.
She arched into his hold with a sigh. Hickeys weren’t something many grown women walked around wearing, but she’d always loved them. There was something intensely primal about wearing the evidence of a man’s passion.
He released her neck and nibbled his way to her ear.
“You shouldn’t do that, Devin.”
He captured her tender lobe between his teeth and tugged.
“Why?”
“Because I bruise easily. I’ll be wearing that hickey for a long time, and hickeys are so…”
“Sexy.” He brushed the tender skin with his lips. A shiver ran down her spine. “I like seeing my mark on you. Males will know you’re taken when they see it.”
“Isn’t that what the bite on my shoulder means? That we’re engaged or some nonsense.” That was what Vader had said.
He backed them up until the bed pressed against her legs. “Uh-huh, but humans won’t know the significance of it. The hickey is something they’ll understand.”
“What they’ll think is that I’m easy.”
He gave her one of those confused frowns that stoked the flames of arousal lit by her being near him. It also tugged at her heart and hinted at the man behind the dangerous aura he held wrapped around him. It tempted her to uncover the hidden facets of Devin’s personality.
“But you liked it.”
“Yes, I enjoy your mouth on me, but I don’t like to have the signs visible.”
He caressed the edges of the bruise. “Will you let me mark you in other places?”
Her skin tingled as she imagined how good it’d feel to have him suck on the more sensitive parts of her body. She shook her head to clear it of those lusty thoughts. They were talking, and her mind was clear, not jumping from one extreme to the other. She didn’t want to waste her chance to gain some insight on the man who seemed so determined to hold her close. “We are not a couple. We slept in each other’s arms because I was hurt, and we’ve kissed because we’re attracted to each other. Neither of those reasons means we’re in a relationship.”
“But we could be. I…I’d like to get to know you. You know, see where this goes.”
With gentle hands, he urged her to kneel on the bed, then climbed up so they were facing each other, his hands on her hips, hers on his shoulders. Slowly, he bent his head to hers. The cautious approach made her breathing quicken.
“Will you give us a chance?”
She held her breath and studied him. He watched her patiently with a look of hunger and reverence on his face.
A chance.
She wanted to be loved. Worshipped. Those desires hadn’t changed no matter how many times her heart had been broken. Fear was what kept her from reaching for love again, but if she didn’t take a leap, she’d never experience a love as deep as the one her mom had known.
“Yes.”
Her answer came out as a breath of sound, but it brought a smile to Devin’s mouth.
“Good, because I need to kiss you. I’ve missed you.”
He pressed his lips against hers. She opened to him, and he slipped inside. The tenderness he showed he
r with the slow, gentle strokes drained the tension from her limbs. Over and over, he kissed her until she gave herself to him, submitting to his demands. She arched closer, letting him support her.
Tightening his hold on her, he skimmed his hands over her back, up her sides, then down to her bottom to mold her backside before repeating the exploration. His movements grew frantic, his caresses firmed, and nails dented her tender flesh.
With a tug, he slammed their bodies flush against each other. He swallowed her gasp and shoved a growl down her throat. Vibrations traveled from him to her. She moaned and clutched at his hair, his back, anything she could grab.
Devin’s raw kisses were fast becoming necessary. It had only been a few hours since she’d been in his embrace. But it felt longer. Too long.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. Her back met the mattress.
With her flat on her back, she expected him to attack her senses, seduce her with more frantic caresses until she was crazed and desperate for him. He didn’t. He revered her with each gentle touch, the featherlight strokes of his fingertips along the length of her hickey-covered neck conveying his adoration.
Devin made her feel special. Desired and wanted.
“You’re perfect for me.” The devotion twined into his statement turned her heart over.
“Am I?”
“Yes. The woman I never knew I wanted.”
“That doesn’t exactly sound like a compliment.”
He adjusted his body over hers. “It is. You fit me.”
She laughed. “You’re over a foot taller than me.”
He pressed his lips to hers.
“Doesn’t seem to be a problem for me.”
She held his face in her hands and stroked his jaw with her thumbs. “That’s only because you’re flexible. I’m tiny compared to you.”
“You are strength in a compact package.”
She giggled, the lighthearted sound nowhere close to being sexy but his words made her happy.
He covered one of her hands, urging her to release him, then pressed his open mouth to her palm. “That was my first thought when I saw you back in those woods. You impressed me. Still do. Beautiful. Strong. Passionate. Everything a male could ask for in a female.”
The look in his eyes—awe and desire—supported his words.
She sifted through the strands of his hair, fisting a handful to direct his lips back to hers. His groan rolled through her, and the wicked way he took her mouth left her breathless. He smoothed a hand down her side again to rest over the edge of her capris and flexed his fingers, the gentle massage at odds with the untamed kiss.
After a moment, he slid his fingers around to her lower back. He groaned, the sound so primal and rough, she trembled in the face of his primitive hunger. They kissed for a long time, his attentions tempting her to finish what they’d started back at her house. She didn’t want to lose this moment, though. Devin made her feel treasured.
Finally, their wicked kiss eased. Devin rested his cheek against hers.
Silence descended while they held each other, and a sense of rightness settled over her. It wasn’t the first time she’d experienced it in Devin’s presence, but there was something different about the moment they shared. Maybe it came from her agreement to give them a chance. Or maybe she’d finally heard what he’d been trying to show her. Whatever the reason, happiness wrapped around her. She had no right to feel it while her sisters were still on their own, but she did.
A hard knock shook the door and pulled her out of her thoughts.
“We leave in ten minutes,” Kade announced.
“We’ll be ready,” Devin answered.
“Lena.” He held out his hand. “Let’s go get a shower. This is Vader’s bed we’re on. Now I can smell him on your skin. It’s messing with my head, making me wickedly possessive.”
His honesty was refreshing, but… “Both of us? As in, take a shower together”
“Yes.” The possessive glint was back in his eyes.
She glanced from his face to his open hand. Everything that had happened between them skipped through her mind. She was able to focus on the details and her feelings. There was no fogginess, no uncertainty. In this moment, she knew what she wanted. She placed her hand in his. “Okay, together then.”
And yes, she liked the sound of that. She only hoped she wasn’t setting herself up for another letdown. She wasn’t sure whether she could teach herself to live alone again.
Chapter 22
Lena glanced from the flat-screen television hung from the roof of the plane to the dining table a few feet away. There was a private bedroom and an office at the end of the cabin too. The plane was luxurious compared to any she’d flown in before. If she’d gotten on the expensive aircraft six months ago, she would’ve been drooling over the leather furniture and sleek design. She loved all types of transportation from fast cars to boats, but it had taken more willpower than she’d like to admit to follow Devin into the metal deathtrap.
A conversation she’d had with Molly a couple of months ago had terrified her. That was another thing she didn’t want to admit but couldn’t deny. As much as she loved Molly, her little sister frightened her. Molly’s special skills weren’t…right.
No child, or adult for that matter, should be able to see the future, even if it was only in random snapshots.
Molly could, though. If that was the extent of her talent, Lena wouldn’t be breaking out in a sweat thinking about that night she’d been babysitting her sister. What left Lena trembling inside was remembering the byproduct of Molly’s visions. Whenever she had one, she changed. Molly’s pupils would overtake her eyes, and her movements would turn jerky. The worst, however, was knowing it wasn’t Molly speaking. It was a man that Molly said lived inside her.
“Don’t get on the plane. It’ll destroy you.” The warning delivered in his hoarse, deep voice repeated in Lena’s head.
With her hands fisted tightly, she took deep breaths as the plane began to move. “Did you sniff the pilot’s breath to make sure he’s not drunk?”
Devin rubbed the top of her thigh, his wicked grin teasing. “Don’t worry. The pilot has been flying for a long, long time. He’s an expert.”
She nodded. The plane picked up speed, and she swallowed hard. Kade wore a smirk on his face, and Xander hid a smile behind his hand. Their amusement at her expense annoyed her, just not enough to stop her paranoia.
Molly’s visions were never wrong.
She squeezed her hands tighter. She’d had no choice but to get on the plane. Molly and Gwen needed her. Even if she’d sent Devin with Vader, neither of her sisters would’ve left with them. Gwen would’ve taken one look at Vader and run as far and as fast as she could in the opposite direction. It was her MO as far as Vader was concerned. She’d talk to him if put on the spot, but otherwise slunk away at the first opportunity.
And if Lena told Devin about the vision? He’d likely toss her over her shoulder and take her back to the car, saying they’d drive to Alaska or something. Nope. Not happening. She’d wasted enough time.
Lena licked her lips. “Has this plane had an inspection lately?”
Kade nodded, his eyes twinkling.
“What about fuel?” She glanced from Kade to Xander. “Does it have enough fuel?”
Devin turned her face to his with gentle fingers on her chin and waited until she focused on him. “You’re safe. It’s okay.”
She worried her lower lip between her teeth. “I’m scared.”
He brushed his thumb over the spot she’d gnawed on. “As soon as we can take our seat belts off, you’ll feel better. These things are choking.”
She squirmed, the reminder of being trapped in the seat not helping. The cotton shirt rubbed against Devin’s bite. Frustrated, she yanked at the neck, lifting the material away from it.
Devin motioned to her shoulder with a jerk of his chin. “Is it bothering you?”
Just his gaze on it made the four entry points t
hrob. She pulled at the shirt again. “Yes.” She glared at him. “It’s driving me nuts.”
He turned on the couch they shared, propping a knee on the cushion, and leaned over her body. She tensed, not sure what he was planning. Touching it would only make her body come alive, not something she wanted in front of other men, especially an ex-lover.
Devin lowered his hand to her shoulder. Her pulse raced, and her breathing quickened. Every inch of her body tensed, waiting. He covered the bite with his palm.
With his face inches away, she watched in rapt fascination as yellow overtook the white. The sunlight streaming through the windows made his eyes sparkle. She held her breath under his focused study. The mark thumped again as if it had a heartbeat of its own. Hers slowed to match it, and the last of her tension drained from her limbs. Awareness followed, replacing the unease that had choked her. It wasn’t sexual, but it did leave her tingling with excitement.
The sense of connection Devin had hinted at, the same one she’d noticed the first moment she’d looked into his eyes, flared between them.
He slipped his fingers under the neckline of her shirt and massaged her shoulder. Her pent-up air escaped in a long rush.
“Better?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” A satisfied look passed over his face. “I’m glad I could help.”
“How did you do that?”
Devin flicked his gaze toward the other men mere feet from them. “Now isn’t the time to discuss it.”
“Why not?” Vader leaned forward. “It’ll be a few hours before we arrive. That’s plenty of time for Lena to learn—”
“Shut up,” Xander snapped.
Lena flinched at the sharp command.
Vader faced him. “Don’t bother using your alpha tone on me. I’m no longer a member of the Winchester pack. Your orders mean nothing to me.”
“You will always be a member of the Winchester pack, and I will always be your alpha. Now shut up and stay out of Devin’s business.”
“Why? Because he’s your friend?”
“No, because you’re being a jerk, and your only goal is to cause trouble.”
“My goal is to protect Lena. I don’t want her heart broken and her dreams destroyed by your crazy friend.”
