“Costa Rica. A family got kidnapped. It was a ransom thing. The money got paid, but the family didn’t get freed. The drug cartel had hooked up with a lich, thinking they could control it. It didn’t care about money. It wanted to torture them. I got the family on the escape boat, but the lich sicced his pet dead puma on me.”
Law settled his hands on my shoulders, his thumbs tracing patterns on the back of my neck.
“You could have died.”
I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His voice was utterly colorless.
“Should have,” I agreed. With both the Ammit demon and the puma. “If the ghosts hadn’t taken care of me, I wouldn’t be here now.”
His touch was mesmerizing. I stood frozen like a rabbit in the headlights. I told myself to step away from him. I had a job to do. So did he. “What did LeeAnne want?” I made myself ask.
He turned me around. His gaze dropped to the exposed curves of my breasts. His breath caught, and my belly tightened and my nipples peaked through my dress.
“That’s what I want to talk to you about,” he murmured, not looking up.
He lifted his hands to cup my breasts, his thumbs brushing my nipples with butterfly softness. Glorious sensation forked through me. Sparks of blossoming heat followed, turning my insides liquid. I made a whimpering sound.
That did it for him. He crushed me against him and kissed me as he ran his hands down my naked back and beneath my dress. His fingers curved over my ass, and he ground me against his thick hardness. His kiss was pure hunger. I slid my arms around his neck and pulled myself up to meet his demand with my own. I didn’t care about the incubus or the missing box. All I could think about was how much I wanted Law and how much I’d missed his touch.
He pulled away and I protested, tightening my arms. But he was pushing down the straps of my dress to expose my bare breasts to his touch. He thumbed my nipples again, laughing softly when I moaned.
“Bastard,” I said.
“You want me.” He was gloating. “Say it.”
“I want you,” I said. I refused to leave it there. I could tease too. “I want you sucking on my breasts and your rock-hard cock plowing hard into me. I want to wrap my legs around you while you pound against me. I want to ride you hard and dangle my breasts in your mouth until I explode. I want to lick you from head to foot—”
He kissed me, picking me up and spinning me around against the door. He set me down long enough to shove my dress to the floor and unfasten his pants. He pushed my underwear to the side and slid his fingers inside me. At the same time, his mouth fastened on my breast, and he sucked hard. A storm of sensation tumbled through my stomach and dropped low. I was making incoherent animal noises. I fumbled for his cock, wanting to touch its velvet heat. I wrapped my fingers around him. He moaned and bucked against me. Then he picked me up again and wedged me against the door. I locked my legs around him. He buried himself inside me with one hard thrust.
He held still, letting the feeling of being locked together become real for the both of us. It was pure bliss. We stayed that way, just breathing in each other’s scent, and then he grew impatient. He lifted my breasts to lick them. I couldn’t stay still. My hips rocked forward with urgent need. He laughed and bit down, and electric throbs pulsed through my body, tightening to a lovely ache. I put my hands on his shoulders and raised myself, dropping down and thrusting my hips forward. Now it was my turn to laugh as he gasped.
“You feel so damned good. I have missed this.”
“Shut up and get to work,” I said, jerking my hips again.
He took charge. All I could do was hold on as he stroked in and out, no finesse at all. Just raw need. It wasn’t long before pleasure overwhelmed me. I let out a choked scream as my body exploded. He thrust hard and held himself still as his cock released, his face buried in my neck.
I was floating in the stars. I hadn’t felt like this for six years.
“Six years, Mallory. How could you walk away from this, from us, for six goddamn years?” he rasped.
Just at the moment, I didn’t know. It seemed insane.
His arms tightened on me then loosened. I lowered my legs. I’d kicked off my heels at some point. I found a roll of paper towels and cleaned myself up before donning my dress again. I’d have to find a bathroom and fix my makeup. I hoped the smell of sex wouldn’t put the incubus off.
Both of us were still breathing hard when we finished getting ourselves reassembled. Law’s cheeks held spots of red, and my lipstick smeared his mouth. I handed him a clean paper towel, and he wiped it away. I knew I was going to have some bruises later. I felt achy in all the right ways. My body tingled with the aftermath.
Law ran his fingers through his hair, standing it on end.
“We have to talk,” he said.
“So you said. About what?”
“There’s been a murder. I’m fairly certain the body is your incubus.”
Not what I was expecting, particularly after what we had just done together. Not after I told him I loved him. He hadn’t mentioned that at all. I knew Law wasn’t given to a lot of romantic gestures or cuddling, not that cuddling was an option after sex against a wall, but maybe a high-five would have been nice.
“What?” I rubbed a hand over my forehead, trying to bring myself back down to earth. “A murder? What makes you think he was my incubus?”
He ran his hands through his hair again. It wasn’t like him. He didn’t lose his cool. “Fuck. I’m making a hash of this.” He reached out and grabbed my hand and pulled me close, sliding his hands up to the back of my head and holding me fast so he could stare deeply into my eyes.
“What we just did together was amazing, Mallory. It was perfect. Essential. Like flying into the sun. It shouldn’t have been up against a wall and if I could, I’d take you to bed right now and do it right. I’d make you scream until you lost your voice, and I wouldn’t let you up again until we figured things out.”
He drew a heavy breath and let it out. “But I can’t. I have to handle this murder first. Just don’t think that being with you didn’t matter to me. Okay? And don’t try to leave.”
His thumbs caressed my cheeks as he waited for my reply.
I should have been thrilled at his words, but instead a rock settled into my gut. I’d told him I loved him, but he’d ignored it. He wanted me. I made him feel good and he made me feel good, but he didn’t love me.
It wasn’t news. I’d known that six years ago, but for a few hours today, I’d had a sliver of hope that maybe my disappearing had made him realize how desperately he loved me. Fairy tale trash. Hope was a bitch. The question now was—was wanting enough?
Six years ago I’d left because I couldn’t handle being an exterminator anymore and I knew he’d never let that rest. I’d always be damaged goods. I’d grown up a lot since then. I was a whole lot more comfortable in my skin. I knew who I was, and I was proud of it. I wasn’t going to justify myself to Law. As for love? The past few minutes had taught me I’d rather have a little of him than none.
I covered his hands with mine and pulled them down. “The thing is,” I said, “I’ve got a job to finish. If the incubus is really dead, I’m not sure I can stay around much longer.” I still had to find the box he stole and return it. “But I’m not running. We can hook up when I’m in the neighborhood or between jobs.”
“Hook up?” he repeated, his expression turning dangerous. “A quick fuck? A night or two of grand passion every few weeks or months?”
“That’s what we just did, right? We are pretty grand together,” I said lightly, wondering what was setting him off. Sounded like a perfect deal for him. I wouldn’t even interfere with his regular love life. LeeAnne would probably like that.
“I suppose in the meantime we’d both be free to see other people.”
I shrugged. “If you want. I haven’t been with anybody since you.”
That caught him up short. His eyes widened at me then narrowed. If anything, he looke
d more angry now than he had a second ago.
Before he could say anything, an alarm pulse—a strong one—rippled through the room. At the same time, I felt the shutdown shields cascade closed all around Effrayant. Suddenly the air felt dense. Instinctively I fed extra power to my personal shields. The ghosts fluttered around me in unease.
Law swore and pulled out his cell phone. He tapped it, then shoved it back in his pocket and grabbed the landline on the desk. He typed in a number and waited. Finally a recorded message began. He pressed the button to disconnect. He thought a moment then spun about, strode to the door, and yanked it open. I hesitated. He twisted to look at me.
“Are you coming?”
“If I’m invited,” I said and immediately wished I wasn’t wearing the spike heels or the dress.
He reached out and dragged me close against him, pressing a fast, hard kiss to my lips. “You’re invited,” he said. “And since we’re going on the record today, I haven’t been with anyone since you either.”
Sometimes my mouth starts moving before my mind accounts for the moment.
“Wow, no wonder you’ve been in such a bad mood.”
His expression was mocking. “I could say the same about you.”
A second later, I realized exactly what he’d just confessed.
“Why not?”
He gave me a wicked smile, part razor fury, part malice, part scorn. “We’ll talk about it later, after we find out what triggered the shutdown shields and who killed your incubus. Or maybe we’ll get to it next time you’re in the neighborhood and we hook up.”
His lip curled on the last.
“Most men would jump at the chance to have regular hot sex and no strings attached,” I pointed out as he started off down the corridor, my hand still clamped in his.
In training to put on makeup and wear dresses and fit the part of the elegant high-roller type, I’d had to practice walking in high heels. I had decided fast that I should learn to run and fight in the damned things too. A walking exit from an angry—well anything really—was just an invitation to get dead. I trotted easily along next to him as he took long, angry strides back out through the club.
He headed for a stairwell. I sighed, though I knew he was right. We’d be trapped if the elevator got stuck or was sabotaged. All the same, I wasn’t going to risk breaking an ankle. I twisted out of his grip and stopped to kick my shoes off. I pulled up my dress, peeled off my stockings, and tossed them aside. As soon as I was done, Law grabbed my hand again.
“I won’t get lost,” I said as we went into the stairwell and started downward. “And you’re not going to be able to work one-handed.”
His hand only shifted so he could lace his fingers with mine. “Why are you hunting the incubus?” he asked.
“He stole a box from one of Ivan’s partners. I’m supposed to get it back.”
“What’s in it?”
“No idea. He didn’t tell Ivan.”
“Or Ivan didn’t tell you.”
I shrugged. “Doubtful. Ivan likes me working for him. He knows I’ll walk if he messes with me.”
“You shouldn’t have taken the job until you knew what was in the box. You’re risking your life.”
“My life to risk,” I said, stung. “Besides, I get paid not to be too nosy.”
“Stupid,” was all he said.
I was startled to see Edna jet away from me and halt right in front of Law. He stopped dead, staring at the shimmering shape of the 1930’s ghost. She had her hands on her hips, and her expression was fierce.
“She’s brave,” Edna declared in her watery ghost voice, her lips pinching in anger. “She’s kind. She protects us.”
My chest swelled. I liked my ghosts but figured they tended to follow me because they needed my magic and they helped me for the same reason, sort of like paying rent. It was a little bit stunning to find out they actually cared about me. Respected me, even.
“Don’t hurt her,” I warned Law. I wouldn’t be able to forgive him. I couldn’t extend my shields around her. She was too far away.
“You have two ghosts,” he said slowly.
“Eighteen, actually,” I corrected.
That jolted him. He gave me a hard look and then faced Edna again.
“Mal takes stupid risks,” he told Edna. “She shouldn’t be working alone either. She needs someone to watch her back.”
“She has us.”
Another flutter and the stairwell filled with ghosts. All but Tabitha, who remained safely inside my shields, thank goodness.
Law didn’t move. He wasn’t afraid. He had no need to be. His shields would protect him from any attacks, physical or otherwise, and he could exterminate them all in a matter of seconds. I watched him carefully. At the least sign he was going to attack them, I’d have to stop him. My stomach dropped. I wasn’t sure I could.
“We had quite an audience back there,” he said to me drily, scanning the faces.
I blushed hot, despite myself. Law glanced at me and chuckled softly.
“If you’re going to keep them around, I’d appreciate it if they gave us a little privacy in the future.” He glanced at the crowd of ghosts again. “Where’s the little girl who threw the fit in the lobby?”
My blush went nova. Oh hell. I know Tabitha was really a lot older than thirteen. She’d been with me for four years, and I don’t know how long she’d been dead before that. All the same, I thought of me and Law in the office and was mortified.
“She’s keeping a low profile,” I said in a strangled voice.
He eyed me and the corners of his mouth curved as if he knew exactly what I was thinking and was enjoying it immensely.
He turned his attention back to the ghosts. “Thanks for looking out after her,” he said to them.
“She’s important,” someone said. Ramona, I think. She almost never talked. She’d come to me only about a year ago. A college student who’d been gunned down in a gang shooting in Chicago. A mutter of agreement ran through the collected dead.
“She’s special,” Tag said. One of just three male ghosts I had. He’d joined my little band a couple of years ago. I’d been on a job in Arizona, helping out on a police investigation that Ivan had an interest in. Tag had run away from home and was on his way to L.A. to break into the movies. On the way he’d been kidnapped and forced into prostitution. I’d been the one to take down the operation, but he’d been sick and half starved and had died in my arms.
The memory made my eyes burn. He’d weighed hardly anything and was covered with bruises. He’d cried and begged me never to tell his mom what had happened to him. I never did. I made up a story about how he’d died saving another boy from drowning in the river.
“That she is,” Law agreed solemnly, his hand tightening on mine.
“You know I’m standing right here,” I said.
“We won’t leave her,” Edna said determinedly, and everyone else nodded and murmured agreement.
“I agree,” Law said. “She needs you.”
I pulled my hand from his. “Don’t do that. Don’t patronize.” Anger made me launch down the steps again at full speed, my bare feet slapping on the cool concrete.
Law overtook me in just a few steps but didn’t try to stop me. The ghosts coasted behind.
“I’m not patronizing,” he said.
“Then you’re lying,” I snapped.
He grabbed my arm, twisting me around to face him. “I’m not lying. I thank God you’ve had at least someone in your corner when you go out on your jobs. That Costa Rica job with the lich and his cat? I knew you’d left the States. A month went by, and I started to get worried, but no one had heard from you. Not a peep. Another month and I was climbing walls. There was no trace of you anywhere. Three months after that, you show up again, and I had no idea what happened, except this.”
He ran his fingers over my back. His mouth twisted down bitterly. “I knew you’d gone through a shit storm, and I couldn’t do a damned thing. You s
ure as hell didn’t want me there. Why didn’t you call me when it got bad?”
I’d thought about it, in those few moments when I wasn’t delirious with fever. Even with the help of the ghosts, the lich magic had penetrated deep, and I almost didn’t make it. I still fall into random fevers with some interesting and scary side effects. Law had been in my head for most of my illness, especially when I didn’t think I was going to recover. I’d wanted to call him more times than I can count, if only to say good-bye, but I hadn’t been sure he’d pick up, and if he did, I wasn’t sure he wouldn’t tell me to go to hell or, worse, yawn and tell me to deal with it on my own. In the end I was too chicken to find out.
“It had been a long time,” I said. “I thought you were probably done with me, the way I left.”
“You should have called me.”
“I can’t call you whenever I stub my toe,” I said, starting down the stairs again. “I have to rely on myself.”
“And a crowd of ghosts,” he said with a snarl.
“The ghosts have been an unexpected blessing,” I said, glancing back at them. “Besides, even though you seem to think I’m an incompetent idiot, I’m pretty damned good at what I do.”
He grabbed my arm. “I don’t think you’re an incompetent idiot.”
“Oh really? Then what was all that business a minute ago about how I’m stupid and take risks?”
“I said you take stupid risks, not that you’re stupid or incompetent.”
“Newsflash. I do what’s necessary. I’m fucking good at my job. I don’t need anybody’s protection, and I sure as hell don’t need you treating me like I’m five years old.”
He sucked a breath in between clenched teeth. “If the shoe fits.” He touched the scar on my face.
I jerked away. “You know what? You can go to hell. I knew nothing good could come of seeing you again.”
He flinched. His hand clenched. “You know that I’m not going to let you just walk away from me this time, don’t you?”
I shrugged and started walking again, giving him a sideways glance. He looked as if he could rip apart steel with his teeth. “I said I wasn’t going to run. Though I don’t see how talking is going to change anything.”
The Incubus Job Page 5
