Deadly Attraction (17 page)

Gliding his hand over her backside, he stroked the cleft of
her ass, then pushed two fingers deep into her pussy.

“Oh God,” she said on a spiked breath.

His other hand slipped between her parted legs and he
vigorously worked the knot of nerves as his fingers pumped in and out of her,
while his tongue and mouth toyed with her nipple.

A throaty moan fell from her lips. Her back arched and he
used the extra leverage as she lifted off his lap to stroke her faster.

“Darien. Oh the things you do to me.” Her inner walls
squeezed his fingers and a tremor rippled through her.

“I want you to come,” he said against her breast.

“So close,” she whispered. “So very, very close.”

He rubbed her clit as his fingers pushed deeper. Her flesh
was slick and her body responsive. Her breathy pants drove him wild. He wanted
to bring her the same satisfaction he’d derived from her intimate touch
earlier. More than that, he had the burning desire to make her feel good.

She shuddered and, moments later, muttered, “Yes. Oh God,
yes!”

Her pussy contracted around his fingers as her body shook.
Fire roared through him at her quick and vehement reaction to him. Every fiber
of his being screamed to bury his now-hard cock in her dripping cunt, but he
wasn’t done with her.

When she seemed a bit steadier following her orgasm, she
kissed him. “You know exactly how to touch me.”

“Just getting started.”

She smiled once more. “Okay.”

His hands moved to her waist and he coaxed her upward until
his head was between her legs. She gripped the ledge of the headboard as his
tongue whisked over her swollen pussy lips. She was wet and it made him want
her even more.

“Darien,” she whispered as he tongued her clit. “You are so
amazing.”

Her hips lowered and he suckled the bud between her legs as
he slipped a finger into her pussy again. She moaned provocatively, spurring
him on. He loved how uninhibited she was with him. How easily she let loose of
their differences and simply gave herself over to everything he did to her and
every desire that gripped her.

His mouth remained on her as he finger-fucked her,
desperately craving to get her off.

“I love your hands and mouth on my body,” she said on a
raspy breath.

He wanted her to come with his mouth on her pussy. His
tongue flicked over her clit, then he tugged gently on her labia with his lips.
Her hips bucked and he gave her more of what she silently asked for.

Her breaths became shallow. Her body tensed. He sensed the
change in her, the cresting of sensations that caused him to work harder to
push her into the sort of sexual bliss that would make her cry out his name and
come against his mouth. Seconds later, she did just that.

The heady rush he received from pleasuring her would have been
enough to sate him for the rest of the evening, since he really didn’t have
much time to linger in her cottage. The slayers circled the inner perimeter of
the village and one would ride by Jade’s house soon. It wouldn’t bode well for
Darien to have anyone spot his horse outside, least of all a slayer.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to leave before he’d had Jade
one last time.

With his guidance, she shifted again and his cock pressed to
her opening, barely penetrating. He held her steady for a moment as her palms
splayed over his chest. Then he loosened his grip on her and her hips lowered.
He sank into her heat and wetness and let out a low groan.

Her eyelids fluttered closed. Her body moved with his. He
could think of nothing more sensual, nothing more beautiful than Jade riding
him slowly, her back arched, her head back, her breasts tempting him.

Everything about her appealed to him. The deep-seated
feelings he had for her made his head and his heart war with whether to tell
her she was part demon.

Not immortal, of course, yet more than human blood coursed
through her veins. If he told her, that might actually give them better
opportunity to be together. Conversely, he understood how important her
humanity was to her, how fiercely protective she was of her dominant race.

The truth would likely conflict her in a way that would add
even more strife to her life. He couldn’t do that to her. No matter how badly
he wanted to build a bridge between their two worlds and eliminate some of the
differences.

For the time being, he had to be satisfied with what he did
share with her. Fleeting moments, yes. But also a physical and emotional
connection he’d never felt with any female in his long existence.

“You feel so wonderful inside me,” she said on a contented
sigh. “I can’t imagine anything feeling better than this.”

His hands moved from her waist and glided up to her breasts.
He caressed them tenderly. She moaned.

“I wish we had all the time in the world,” he told her in a
tight voice. The irony of knowing he could give them an eternity together
pained him.

She didn’t say anything about their doomed, short-lived
affair. Instead, she leaned forward, propping herself on her elbows as they
rested on his chest. She lifted slightly off his lap and he quickened their
tempo, pistoning into her as she panted softly. His hands clasped her hips and
he held her in place as he fucked her. She left featherlike kisses on his skin,
over his pectoral muscles and then up to his throat.

“Yes,” she whispered in his ear. “That’s perfect.”

Her pussy gripped him as his cock slid along her slick inner
walls. He pumped in and out of her, his heart hammering and his body aching for
so much more. But when it came to this situation, time was one luxury he did
not possess.

“Come for me,” he said, desperately wanting to feel her body
quake and her cunt contract around his shaft.

Her pelvis ground against his and he cupped her ass, pushing
her down onto him, their hips undulating in a way that made them both breathe
heavy and groan from the exertion and the ecstasy that arced between them.

Her fingertips pressed into his shoulders and her breasts
flattened against his chest. He loved the feeling of her melded to him, of
their bodies joined. Emotion welled within him and he had to bite back the
overwhelming desire to tell her how deeply affected he was by her. How much he
wanted her, in so many ways. It wouldn’t be fair to her to lay his feelings at
her feet…then walk away.

“Darien,” she said in her sultry voice. “Oh yes. Right
there. Oh!” Her pussy clenched him as she shuddered. The exact sensations he’d
wanted to elicit. “Oh God,” she cried against his neck as her orgasm peaked.

He thrust into her as she came. Then he rolled her onto her
back and made love to her with long, steady strokes as he gazed deep into her
eyes.

He committed to memory every detail, from the desire and
yearning in her dark-blue irises, to the sharp breaths blowing between her
parted lips, to the feel of his cock buried inside her and her body beneath
his. He had no real experience with romantic love but had a sneaking suspicion
that was precisely the emotion he couldn’t evade when it came to Jade.

Darien swept strands of hair from her face and pushed
farther inside her, making her gasp. Her hips lifted to meet his thrusts and
she continued to stare at him, watching him as intently as he did her.

The passion and longing he saw caused his heart to twist, so
he diverted his attention from their emotional connection to their physical
one. He increased the pace until her breathing escalated again. Her hands ran
the length of his back, down his spine, then up to the nape of his neck.

“I’m going to come again,” she said.

He plunged into her. “Yes. With me this time.”

His strokes became faster, more forceful. The possessiveness
he felt toward her rose within him. He wanted her to be his for eternity. He’d
have to settle for these last few moments.

“Darien,” she murmured, still gazing at him. “Don’t worry
about me anymore.”

Clearly, she could see the inner turmoil and consternation
written on his face. Exactly how transparent he was with her, he didn’t know.
But she seemed to read him well.

Wanting to escape the hell he’d created for himself—for
them—he pushed deep and she called out his name as she came. Her orgasm
triggered his own as she clutched him and bucked beneath him.

“Jade,” he whispered as fiery sensations roared through him
and his body convulsed. “You are everything to me.”

Chapter Nine

Jade continued to stare at him, shocked. By the tormented
expression on Darien’s face, she could easily surmise he had not meant to say
those words, but apparently hadn’t been able to hold them back. As usual.

He let out a low growl, rife with frustration. “I’m sorry,”
he said as he withdrew from her and flopped down on his back.

“Don’t be.” She moved into his arms, her head on his chest.
The sound of his pounding heart was a comforting one.

“I’m not purposely trying to make things more complicated or
difficult between us. Or for you, in particular.”

Her own heart beat just as fast, despite being heavy with
conflict. “You seem to be forgetting that I willingly agreed to enter into
this…arrangement.”

“I shouldn’t have let you. Nor should I have led you into
it. I really can’t see you again, after tonight.” His voice was harsh with raw
emotion. “I put you in danger. And every time we’re together, it’s infinitely
more painful to leave you.”

She understood the high stakes all too well. “I’m equally
accountable. I’ve done a bit more than just follow.”

His fingers glided over her hair, a soothing gesture. She
suspected he considered his next words more carefully this time as silence
ensued. But then his body turned rigid and he released her from his loose
embrace as he sat up.

Her heart leaped into her throat. “What is it?”

“Someone’s coming.”

She listened intently, but nary a sound wafted on the quiet
air. “You hear
that
well?”

“It’s Thunder. He’s warning me.”

“You can read
his
mind too?”

“No. I can tell by his inflection.” He jumped to his feet.

“Horses have inflections?”

“Sure. Different intonations when they’re wounded or excited
or…feeling jittery about me being someplace he innately knows I have no
business being.”

She frowned. “I thought you said he liked me.”

Darien laughed, despite the tension between them. “He does.
And my guess is he thinks I’m a fool for muddying our situation.”

He was dressed before she could protest. But what was there
to say, really? He hadn’t created any sort of disillusionment about their time
together. Hadn’t made any promises about it becoming more than what it was—a
few stolen moments.

She wrapped the sheet around her body, the material scratchy
against her skin. He stalked into the living room to retrieve his coat and she
followed.

Turning back to her, he said, “I didn’t mean to drop by,
make love to you and then abruptly leave.”

She knew that, so she teased him. “This would be referred to
as a booty call in the early 2000s.”

His eyes narrowed on her. “You have a very endearing sense
of humor.”

“Go,” she insisted, because he lingered, seemingly reluctant
to walk out the door. “You replenished my wood pile, brought me a book and gave
me four orgasms. You’re exonerated from moral corruption.”

His head dipped and he kissed her. “I know it only makes
things worse, but I meant what I said earlier.”

He reached for the brass lever and yanked the door open. But
he paused again. His gaze slid over her and something indefinable flickered in
his amber eyes. His hand slipped into his pocket and he retrieved one more gift
for her.

Handing over a box, he said, “This is a very precious family
heirloom. I wouldn’t want to give it to anyone other than you. Now or ever.”

Her brows knitted together and she gnawed her lower lip as
she debated removing the lid to see what was inside. Was there a point to
accepting something that clearly meant so much to him?

Taking the decision out of her hands, he removed the lid
himself. She gaped. The necklace lying in thick satin folds was, by far, the
most stunning thing she’d ever laid eyes on, with the exception of Darien’s
sculpted body. Involuntarily, her fingers gently grazed the raised,
diamond-studded center of the star. The piece was delicate and mesmerizing.

“I realize you won’t be able to wear it in the village,” he
said. “There would be questions as to where it came from. And I wouldn’t want
it to be a homing beacon for rogue demons. They’d know it belongs to me.”

“Then why…?” Her gaze lifted. “Oh.” Realization quickly
dawned, with the help of the territorial look in his eyes. “You didn’t give
this to me when you first arrived because you’d planned to present the idea of
me marrying Michael. Now that you’re convinced I have no intention of ever
doing that… You want to stake
your
claim. Even if it’s just in theory.”

“Yes.” He didn’t apologize for the convoluted idea.

“You don’t have to give me jewelry to prove that point.”

“It’s symbolic. Like…a ring on your finger.”

Her heart sank. “One you can never place on me.”

“Right.”

But could she wear his necklace? She only needed to
contemplate this for a brief a moment, understanding the gesture and its
meaning. Yes, she could wear it. Even if it was only in the privacy of her own
home.

Despite this, she said, “It’s a bit much, Darien. Too
extravagant.”

“Jade, nowhere is it dictated you have to live without an
extravagance from time to time. You make a wage at the tavern, but what do you
spend it on, other than food and clothing?”

“I’m saving my money,” she said. “Maybe I’ll take a trip to
California someday. See what all the fuss is about electricity.”

He fought a grin. “Take the necklace.” He lifted it from the
satin and set the box on the small table next to the door. Placing it around
her neck and securing it in the back, he said, “It looks just right on you.”

The star sat below the hollow of her throat. Her fingers
grazed it again, then she stared up at Darien. “You’ll come for it when you
find someone else, right?”

“There won’t be anyone else,” he said with conviction. “I’ll
come for it when you pass.”

“Already thinking of that?”

He nodded, his eyes clouding once again. “Not in a morbid
way, but it is a glaring reality.”

“Yes it is. And I’m glad you’ve accepted that fact.”

His jaw clenched. “I haven’t. Not fully.” He kissed her,
then crossed the threshold.

“Darien,” she called out before he’d left her patio.

He glanced at her over one impossibly broad shoulder, his
expression grim. Her heart plummeted further.

“It’s a certainty,” she told him. “Something you absolutely
have to accept. Sooner rather than later.”

He said nothing, just continued on his way. He mounted his
beautiful Arabian in a fluid movement. Then they galloped off, leaving her
standing in the doorway, getting chilled to the bone.

She locked up and returned to the bedroom. The fires were
still burning, so she remade her bed and settled between the sheets with her
romance novel and her introduction to Mr. Darcy. A man who could, in no way,
shape or form, compare to the one she’d fallen for.

* * * * *

Two weeks passed as October drifted into November. The snow
continued to fall and the village remained blanketed by the pristine white Jade
looked forward to every year. Though the temperatures were in the low forties
and sometimes dipping into the thirties during the day and the cloud cover
rarely dissipated, the crisp air felt invigorating.

She kept to Darien’s order, allowing one of the slayers to
escort her to and from her cottage when she went into the village, despite
there no longer being a threat against her. The evil she’d sensed with the fire
wraith had vanished. No one tracked her and she felt a measure of safety with
Tanner and Walker always nearby. Plus, she knew Morgan was out there somewhere,
on the other side of the border.

Her tension eased significantly, though she still felt a
void late at night when she was alone in her cottage. The house seemed emptier
than normal since Darien’s departure. It was a familiar feeling, one she’d
experienced after her parents’ deaths. One she knew would eventually ebb. To an
extent, at any rate.

She played cards with Lisette at the tavern when she wasn’t
serving drinks. Lisette had become a regular and Jade suspected that had
something to do with the older woman wanting to keep tabs on her, just like
everyone else. Even Michael seemed to watch her more closely.

Apparently, she gave off a vibe that intrigued or alarmed
her friends, she wasn’t sure which. Maybe it was because she wasn’t as uptight
as she’d been previously, when she’d realized she was being followed. Or
perhaps it was the occasional smile that crossed her lips for no reason at
all—at least none that they knew of. Thoughts of Darien would flit through her
mind and she couldn’t help the thrill that chased down her spine. At night,
when she was alone in her living room, she wore his necklace.

Granted, there was something a bit sadistic about the guilty
pleasures she indulged in when half of her heart was elated to know he had such
strong feelings for her and the other was shredded by the fact they couldn’t be
together. Yet she’d spent so much of her life under a dark cloud that this one
significant and sexy secret she kept to herself offered escapism from her
otherwise gloomy thoughts.

Darien wanted her. She didn’t doubt that for a second. He
couldn’t have her, of course. But still… Just knowing she’d affected him so
profoundly had its own provocative impact on her.

Near the middle of the month, as Thanksgiving approached,
Jade heard horses tramping through the deep snow outside her cottage. Along
with what sounded to be a wagon attempting to slog through the thick drifts.
She peered out one of the large front windows, looking around the lightweight
curtains hanging over the panes. Her curiosity grew as she opened her front
door and greeted Morgan.

“In the village for supplies?” she asked as she eyed the
burlap covering a heap in the wagon. She knew the kingdom had its own suppliers
and vendors, so she was at a loss as to what he was up to—until he spoke.

“No. Making a delivery.” He slipped from the bench and
signaled the demon who accompanied him. He said to her, “Why don’t you go back
inside where it’s warm? We’ll just be a few minutes.”

“Hmm. Planning to remain secretive, I see.”

“Do I have permission to enter the cottage?” he asked. “Just
me.”

“Neither you nor the king are required to ask permission,
but thank you for doing so. Yes.” She returned to the sofa where she’d been
reading
Alice in Wonderland
, though her focus wasn’t on the text. A
flurry of activity ensued around her in such a lightning-quick way she couldn’t
have kept up with it if she’d tried.

True to his word, Morgan was finished not even ten minutes
later and appeared by her side. “Why don’t you come have a look?”

She joined him outside, where his assistant had stacked at
least three cords of wood adjacent to the cottage. He’d also erected a canopy
to provide shelter so the provisions stayed dry.

“Wow,” she said. “That will last me quite some time. Thank
you both.”

Gazing at the large pile caused a long-buried memory to inch
toward the front of her mind. She’d received this generous gift before. Years
and years ago…

“One more thing,” Morgan said, distracting her. He gestured
for her to precede him back into the house and to her bedroom.

She drew up short, her eyes widening. “Oh!”

In the middle of the room sat an enormous bed that faced the
fireplace. The tall headboard was made of tufted suede in a blue hue that
matched her eyes, which her mother had always referred to as sapphire. The
cream-colored sheets were luxurious satin. A mound of plump pillows were also
covered in the same linen.

The duvet matched the headboard, and was so thick, she knew
a down comforter filled it. She ran a hand over the soft material as she
marveled at the brilliant color that instantly added vibrancy to the otherwise
dreary interior of her home.

Darien had clearly remembered her excitement over Sheena’s
offering of clothing that wasn’t drab.

“How did he do this?” she muttered in awe.

Morgan chuckled beside her. “He has people.”

She smirked at him. “I realize that. It’s just… This is so
gorgeous.” The sensuous-looking bedding made her want to climb under the covers
and never leave them.

Morgan said, “It’ll be a lot colder come December. Darien
wants you to be warm.”

“Perfectly toasty is what I’ll be. Please tell him how much
I love it. And I’m grateful to you and your helper too. Really, General,” she
gave him a compelling look, “this is so kind of all of you.”

“Morgan,” he corrected. Then he turned sharply to go.

But the memory that had stepped into the light earlier made
her call out, “Wait, please.” When he faced her again, she steeled herself and
said, “You told me months ago that not all demons are evil.”

“Yes?” His expression gave nothing away.

“My mother used to say that very thing.”

He seemed to give serious consideration as to how to address
her statement. Finally, he said, “So did your father. I worked very closely
with him when the king instituted laws to ensure peace between our two races. I
respected Liam.”

She took a few steps toward him. “You’ve been here before,
haven’t you?”

He nodded. “The last time was shortly after their deaths.
You chose to stay alone and I wanted to make sure you had enough wood.”

Now she remembered returning from the village one afternoon
and finding the large stack. No one had taken credit for the delivery—or the
crate of food that had been left for her.

“Why would you help me?” she asked, perplexed.

The general rubbed his temple with a forefinger, then told
her, “I know this will seem strange, but Liam and I were friends. Very good
friends.”

“I hadn’t known that.”

“We had a political and military partnership to maintain, so
not many people were aware of our high regard for each other in a personal
capacity. But before you were born, your mother would invite me to dinner from
time to time. Liam and I would discuss strategies to strengthen the human-demon
relations in an effort to minimize altercations and keep tensions low.”