But Luke had a long, sordid history with sex demons. An incubus had killed his father, tried to seduce his mother, and crippled his brother. Luke had been ecstatic when Diesel had taken his revenge on that same demon. No amount of explaining or patient reasoning would convince Luke she wasn’t evil. It was written all over his face every time he looked at her. Deep inside, his disgust of her kind had become a part of him.
They had zero future together.
She was also well aware that he thought she was using her sexual persuasion on him, which stabbed at her heartstrings if she let herself dwell there.
Of course, she hadn’t used any persuasion. Ginger was a pro at reining in her needs, and had been since she was eighteen. Not even a sliver came out of her without her explicit permission. But now, in light of what just happened, she might have to reevaluate for the first time ever. She was going to have to stay away from the shifter at all costs. It was such a bummer she was here with him. If she’d been on a mission with anyone else, this would be much less hard.
But she couldn’t deny her attraction to him.
The man was flawless. He was built like an athlete—tall and blond, but he was also capable, smart, and funny. A pair of deep-set dimples weren’t hard on the eyes, either. When he smiled, it was madness. But his biggest selling point, and what made her insides flutter whenever he was near, was that he was the nicest guy she’d ever met. Bar none. She dealt with a constant stream of cocky, self-absorbed, know-it-all supes in her line of work, and she’d begun to think that was all that existed until he came along.
It was just her luck that she could never have him.
“Have a good rest,” Luke called as she grabbed onto the cabin door, pulling on it twice before it finally popped open.
“Oops,” she said as the door dipped downward before she could catch it. “I think I broke it again.”
“Nah.” She heard him move forward. “I didn’t really fix it. It was a hopeful repair. The bottom board is warped. What I need are some real tools.”
“There are some basic tools in the small, red bag in the trunk. Raoul always insists on bringing a car kit.” Luke came up behind her, but she refused to look at him. “If you don’t mind, can you work on it from the outside while I sleep?”
“That sounds like a plan,” he said.
Ginger had to make sure he stayed away while she slept. She couldn’t take any chances. Staying awake wasn’t an option now. She was so tired she felt like she might fall asleep in this doorway. “And Luke, can you…leave me alone while I sleep?” She kept from turning around. “I wake easily, so just…stay out here.”
“Okay,” he said. “No problem. After I’m done with the door, I’ll go over the maps of the area and figure out where we’re going to go tomorrow.”
“Perfect.” She pushed her way into the cabin and closed the door behind her by hoisting it over the jamb, leaning her back against it for a second.
Ginger hoped once she got some much-needed sleep, she would be able to eke out a few more days.
After that, it was anyone’s guess. She knew when she finally collapsed for good, Luke would get her back to the agency. She could count on him to do that.
She just hoped the department had a way to feed a wayward sex demon.
If not, she was SOL.
Luke stood just inside the cabin. It had been over thirteen hours and Ginger hadn’t moved an inch. He knew, because he’d kept checking on her even though she’d told him to stay out.
He couldn’t help it.
He’d been worried about her ever since he’d found her asleep in the Chevy. He knew something was wrong, but he had no idea what it was.
She’d looked pale and withdrawn, her eyes fully dilated. He’d thought at the time it was either heat or stress, but what did he know? He glanced at her now. She hadn’t changed positions since he’d checked the first time, but she had moaned.
There had been lots and lots of moaning.
She was clearly in distress. It was driving him out of his mind. He had no idea what to do. They were in a remote area with no help close by, so this was on him. During the day, he’d tried to assess her as best he could. From what he could detect without touching her, she didn’t seem to be in any physical danger. She was breathing normally. Her heartbeat sounded steady. She didn’t seem to have a fever, no chills or chattering teeth. The few times he’d gone over to stand closer to her, the urge to protect her had reared up so intensely that he’d had to back slowly out of the cabin. His claws had lengthened, and a growl had ripped from his throat.
He had to make a decision about what to do. It’d been too long. It was ten o’clock at night, and it was full dark. The pull to crawl into bed next to her to give her comfort was making him nuts.
He shook his head. He couldn’t do that, could he?
Even though they’d spent all these weeks together, he still felt like she was a stranger. Ginger kept her distance and carried herself aloof, so Luke had obliged—doing the same, even though that wasn’t his nature.
Ginger moaned.
She was curled into a tight ball, facing the wall. But this time, her moan had been breathy and had ended in a whine. Or maybe it’d been a sigh? He scratched his head. He couldn’t tell the difference. Without overthinking it, Luke reluctantly stepped into the cabin and shut the door behind him. He had managed to fix the hinge earlier with the tools in the car, but this old door was going to stay warped. Raoul hadn’t thought of packing a hand plane in the car kit, which made Luke grin. The panther wasn’t flawless after all.
Once Luke had made the decision to come inside, he stood there like an idiot, his back up against the door.
Now what?
Ginger made more soft sounds, and he couldn’t help letting his mind wander back to when he’d touched her outside. The seismic jolt she’d given him had rocketed through his bloodstream—and he’d gone hard instantly.
Hard, as in wanting, needing, yearning—hard.
The urge to take her right then and there in the backseat of the car had almost overcome him. He’d forced himself to retreat, knocking his instincts back with an internal sledgehammer. It’d taken him minutes—not seconds—to recover from the physical contact. He’d been utterly dumbfounded that he’d been so undone by her touch.
He’d wanted her so much in that moment his heart had hammered uncontrollably and his chest had ached.
Then, once he’d calmed down, he’d been a little pissed—and more than a little confused. That intense of a visceral reaction had to have been a succubus trick. How else could he have felt so much after one, single touch? He scrubbed a hand over his face, which had become his knee-jerk reaction when he thought of her. In his entire lifetime, he’d never wanted anyone as much as he’d wanted her.
That kind of need wasn’t normal. Was it?
Ginger made another sound, and his head shot to her. This one was a distinct cry of pain instead of a moan.
Luke took a few steps into the room. The cabin was so tiny. Two strides meant he was already at the foot of the bed. Ginger still hadn’t moved an inch, but the crying had intensified. It wasn’t weepy. It was more like the sound a mewing a kitten made when it was separated from its mother.
It was time to wake her up. “Ginger.” Luke bent over and rocked the bottom of the bed lightly with his hands. “It’s time to wake up. Rise and shine.” He snorted. He sounded like a kindergarten teacher, so he put more oomph on it. “Hey, Ginger! I need you to wake up! It’s dark, and we need to discuss plans.” He shook the mattress again, this time with a knee.
No response, just more mewing.
Luke walked to the side of the bed and tried again. “Ginger, can you hear me? I’m sorry I have to wake you up, but you should, you know, get up…” he ended lamely when she didn’t so much as twitch.
Worry crept in. He’d never really seen her asleep before. Every time he’d opened his eyes from resting, she’d been awake, working on something or other. Who knows? Maybe
succubae only slept once in a while? And when they finally did, it was the sleep of the dead?
Damn, he had no idea what to do. He kicked the side of the bed in frustration.
She moaned again, but her body remained still.
Luke had to figure this out. He was a smart guy, and tenacious almost to a fault at solving problems. He made up his mind and leaned over her body, tentatively reaching a hand out, mentally preparing himself for another earthquake of need to skyrocket through him.
He laid his open palm on her bare shoulder and…felt nothing.
She felt almost dead. Not dead as in heart-stop-beating death, but as though her vitality had slipped completely away. She stirred under his touch, and her mewing intensified.
He had to do something. It was now abundantly clear that she wasn’t going to wake on her own. He had no idea if she was in some kind of succubus fever state, or something equally strange, but it didn’t matter. He was going to have to help her.
If he was being really frank with himself, other than the unfortunate circumstance of her being born the kind of supernatural he disliked with the passion of a thousand suns, she was an extremely delightful person. Hell, if he was being really honest, he’d have to admit that she was one of the smartest women he’d ever encountered. Every day he found himself yearning for a verbal sparring match about some obscure topic. The woman was well versed in everything. He loved hearing her talk, especially about Dossier, which specialized in buying and selling secret information. Ginger had single-handedly built Dossier from the bottom up. She was knowledgeable about most supernaturals and supernatural history. Luke had always had an insatiable curiosity about the immortal world, and this woman had a wealth of information right at her fingertips. He could listen to her talk for hours.
Luke knew what he had to do.
He tugged his shoes off. He wore standard-issue jeans and a navy blue T-shirt. Once he was in his socks, he leaned over, trying to figure out the best position to accomplish his mission. Ginger had responded to his touch just now, so he was going to have to touch her more. If he could find a way to transfer some energy to her, or whatever it was she needed, maybe she’d wake up. He’d have to trust that if she started serious persuasion on him, he could break free.
At least that’s what he told himself. She didn’t look like she was in any shape to seduce him, so he was going to roll with his stellar full-body-contact plan.
He decided to spoon her. That would give them the most connecting points. Very carefully, he stretched himself out next to her on the bed. As he bent down, he caught a whiff of her hair, which smelled like gardenias.
A smell he’d come to love.
He sidled up to her, wrapping a forearm firmly around her waist to scoot her backward against his chest. “Ginger, it’s Luke. I’m just trying to help you wake up,” he murmured into her ear as he settled her against him. “If you can hear me, I’m not trying anything nefarious. I’m just going to lie with you for a little bit. You seem…sick or something, and since we’re out of cell reach, there’s no one I can call. I hope you’re okay with this.”
She didn’t wake, but her body began to respond to his touch on its own by wiggling in closer to him. Abruptly her mews turned back to moans, which he took as a good sign. But what did he know? This was a trial by fire. He could be intruding on personal time for her, and gods, he hoped not. That would be really embarrassing.
He noticed where his bare skin touched hers along his forearms, there seemed to be more of a connection. A little trickle of electricity from her skin tingled into his, but it wasn’t registering anything close to what had happened before, which was both a relief and a worry. Doing this incredibly turned on would be highly uncomfortable, but knowing Ginger was in distress sucked. All of a sudden her body began to shake like she had the chills, and Luke made a quick decision. Arching back, he yanked his T-shirt over his head with one hand. Then he settled back against her, running his other arm underneath, cocooning her in his arms, bracing her against his bare chest, making certain their skin touched wherever possible.
Ginger relaxed immediately.
The shaking eased, and her breathing evened out. To make it a full connection, he tucked her head under his chin, breathing in her flowery scent.
Within moments, a heavy exhaustion washed over him.
Man, it felt like he hadn’t slept in days. He could barely keep his eyes open. He tried to fight it for one brief moment, but then Ginger called out in her sleep and his eyes slid shut. A satisfied grin formed on his lips as he tugged her closer.
Ginger was huddled in the corner of a strange room. It was cold, and she was shivering. Doom hung over this place like a rain cloud. It pulsed through her with its dire heartbeat, never easing for a moment. She tried to wrap her arms around her knees, but her limbs were achy, so all she could do was hook her fingers together. The room was white. It was devoid of all happiness. Sterile and harsh. The floor was polished to an obscene perfection—but when she glanced toward the ceiling, it was as black as night.
Where was she?
It felt familiar.
She was too tired to get up and find out. Wherever she’d just been, however, had been exhausting. But nothing mattered anymore. Right? Yes. She was just going to stay here until she was no more.
Her eyes slid shut just as her mother’s voice rang out, echoing harshly against the polished walls. “You have always been too foolish for your own good. Accept what you are. It is something you cannot change!” Her voice was just as irritating as ever.
“I will not accept it. I don’t have to, and you can’t make me,” Ginger muttered, not even bothering to open her eyes. Her lashes had become tiny lead weights. “It hurts too much to live like this. I can’t keep stealing emotion to survive. I’m a creepy cannibal, and it feels good to be done.”
“Phish.” Her mother’s voice uttered the dismissal. “Love is boundless. It gives untold wealth. And you needn’t worry any longer, anyway. Things are changing.”
Ginger chuckled. That was so her mother. She always thought she had something prophetic to say, but most of the time it was just a jumble of bad advice. “No one has ever given me anything.” In Ginger’s line of work, everything had a cost. Even with Raoul. She paid his salary. “Everything has a price, and I’m too tired to keep paying it.”
“You’ve never allowed yourself to love, that’s your problem.”
“Mom, that’s so typical of you to say.” Ginger somehow found the strength to open her eyes, and as she did, she tilted her head up and gazed into the vast darkness above. Stars began to dot the sky. Small pinpricks of light erupting into the void all at once. Ginger shivered. They began to twinkle, going in and out of focus. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since she’d opened her eyes. It could’ve been a minute, or a year. “I loved Damien when he was young,” she finally said. “I love Sofia. I can love just fine.”
“No,” her mother said. “I’m talking about loving another person, and giving yourself over to him.”
“Mom,” Ginger’s eyes drifted shut again, “can we talk about this some other time? I’m too exhausted to discuss the intricate rules of love. I need some rest.”
“There will be no sleeping.”
“But I’m so tired,” Ginger whined, just like she had as a child when she didn’t get her way.
“He comes now.”
“Who?” Ginger yawned, her head lolling to the side. “Who’s coming?”
“He worries over you, you know.”
“No, I don’t know. You’ve always been cryptic, Mother. You just need to say what you mean and get it out there.” Ginger’s body temperature suddenly began to rise and her teeth stopped chattering. She hadn’t even realized they’d been chattering. Warmth slid over her skin like hot syrup. She’d been so cold. “Mm,” she groaned. “That feels so much better.”
“Ginger,” her mother’s voice was the barest of whispers. “It’s time to wake up.”
“No, M
om, I think—”
He was there.
She felt him. Luke. She opened her eyes. Above her, darkness faded and the sun began to peek out between billowy clouds. He stood in the corner of the white room. She lifted her head, and as she did, the room shifted, melting into greenery.
They stood in a forest.
The sun’s rays glinted through the tops of the trees, filtering between the leaves to make a beautiful awning.
Luke was naked from the waist up.
He held his hand out to her. He grinned, his dimples prominent, his blond hair shifting in the breeze. He hadn’t said anything, but when she didn’t readily react, he curled his fingers at her, beckoning her to come to him.
She moved forward, her legs making her decision for her. She half walked, half jogged toward him. As she went, it felt like the easiest decision she’d ever made in her life. At the last moment, she reined in the urge to jump into his arms, a kernel of worry burrowing its way into her head.
When she stopped moving, both her hands were up and splayed in front of her, inches from touching his chest. Light seemed to radiate from his body, and she could feel the warmth inside him call to her.
He smiled at her hesitation, speaking for the first time. “It’s okay, Ginger. You can touch me. That’s why I came here. To help you.” He grabbed onto her wrists and eased her forward, pressing them onto his chest.
She arched her head back and moaned at the contact.
She’d never felt anything so good in her entire life. She was positive about that. His strong arms pulled her in closer, tugging her into his embrace. She bowed her forehead against the hard lines of his chest and closed her eyes. This was bliss. “Luke, I don’t know how to thank you—”
His breath on her ear stopped her cold as he whispered, “Is this how it always is? I mean, with you…is this normal? It feels so good, like nothing I’ve ever experienced before.”
Her lungs stopped working for a moment. Her head filled with white noise. What was he saying to her? She couldn’t remember how she’d gotten here. She lifted her head from his chest with effort and blinked, gazing up at him. His eyes were shining as he looked down on her, adoration on his face. For the first time, she realized he was rock hard against her, his need pressing into her.
Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Aces Wild, Ante Up, All in Page 24
