Passion Unleashed

Chapter 6

The bartender made himself scarce in that way they instinctively did when customers sank deep into conversation. Serena sat there in silence, wondering how much she should tell Josh. She had, after all, asked him to explain the rationale behind his romantic unavailability, so it was only fair that she should share her own motives. But she’d always kept the virgin thing to herself, figuring it was nobody’s business but hers.

Guys who knew she was a virgin either viewed her as a challenge or they figured she was nothing but a tease, and they had a tendency to get real pissy.

Only once had she let herself believe she could have a workable relationship, had thought she could handle intimacy without intercourse. That had been a disaster.

Matthew had been a senior in college and working part time for Val while finishing up his archaeology degree. They’d grown close over months of working together, and she’d insisted that they could have a romantic relationship without sex. For a while, they’d done well, a normal couple who went to dinner and picnics, movies and hikes in the woods. They held hands, hugged. Kissed

But eventually, she’d wanted more. The touching turned to hot groping sessions in which they both gave as good as they got, but something had been missing, and one night after a Christmas party when they’d both been drunk, she’d nearly given in to the desire to make love.

It had been a wake-up call for her, especially when he’d started talking marriage. How was she supposed to explain the fact that even after marriage she’d have to remain celibate?

“Serena? You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”

Josh swirled the whiskey in his glass, and she shook herself out of the past, which was one of the most unpleasant places she could be.

“Right. No, um… it’s okay. I just feel sort of silly telling people this.”

“Telling people what?”

“I’m celibate,” she blurted.

There. She’d said it. She tossed back her drink.

“And?”

“You’re not going to ask why?”

“Does it matter? I said I wanted to join you in your treasure hunt. Not get into your pants.” He winked. “Though I won’t lie and say that I won’t fantasize about it.”

The idea that he might have her naked in his head made her wildly hot. But that didn’t change the fact that his mind was the only place he could see her naked. “Why should I believe that you’re on the up-and-up?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, and she must have been wearing her skeptical face, because he snorted. “Hey, if I was on the hunt for a piece of ass, I’d be prowling some loud, obnoxious bar in Rome, not strolling around Alexandria, Egypt. Right?”

She blinked at his candor. “I suppose.”

“So, you’ll let me tag along?”

He stared at her with his piercing blue eyes, the light of victory already dancing in them. He thought her acceptance was a given, and God, it was tempting. Especially if he was serious about ratting her out to Val. But she wasn’t one to cave in to blackmail or smooth lines no matter how drop-dead gorgeous a guy was.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I work better by myself.”

The utter shock on his face nearly made her laugh. He was a man not used to rejection, and he had to be smarting.

She glanced at her watch, felt a stirring of disappointment that it was so late, because between the demon, the multi-vehicle pileup, and the banter with Josh, tonight had been rather enjoyable. “I should be going. I have an early morning ahead of me.”

“At least let me try to convince you on the way to your room.” He pushed smoothly to his feet, a panther uncoiling from rest. He held out a hand, and for a ridiculously long moment, she hesitated.

“You’re very serious about wanting to go with me, aren’t you?” She finally took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

He looked at her, the intensity in his expression so overwhelming that she took a step back, but he tightened his grip and brought her against his hard body. “When I say I’m going to do something, I do it.” His thumb skimmed over her fingers in lazy strokes, making her breath hitch, making her hyperaware of the contact between them. “And when I want something, I get it.”

Oh… God. The dark, seductive tone in his voice reached deep inside her and just grabbed at her womb. And wow, his eyes said, “I’ll take you to bed and take you to Heaven.”

“You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“When you can’t be sure of anything else in this crapped-on world, you have to be sure of yourself.” He let go of her hand but only to touch her shoulder in a move that was innocent, but still stirred her dangerously. “Let’s go.”

The walk to the elevator seemed to take forever. Serena was acutely aware of Josh’s presence, his light touch, the hot brush of his jeans against her leg when he bumped up against her. By the time they reached the elevator, her mind was so scrambled that she actually had to concentrate in order to remember her room number.

The moment the doors closed Serena wished they’d taken the stairs. The tiny, enclosed space seemed to magnify the erotic energy pulsing off him, until the entire car was charged and her skin was tingling. As Josh’s fingers drifted over her shoulder in a lazy up-and-down motion, the very air became thick with sensual awareness. She might be a virgin, but she wasn’t naive or innocent, and she recognized sexual tension when she saw it… and felt it.

He waited for her to exit before he joined her, his long strides bringing him alongside her in half a dozen steps. A secret, wicked part of her wished he’d walk ahead of her so she could watch that extremely nice rear, encased in well-worn jeans.

“Your steps are very light,” she said, stupidly and for lack of anything else to say, but it was true. He moved like a cat on the prowl.

“I’m a hunter,” he said simply, and then he came to a sudden halt in the deserted hallway.

Startled, Serena froze. The last time he’d done this, a demon had been stalking her. “What’s wrong?”

He was looking at the floor, hair falling forward so she couldn’t see his expression.

“Josh?”

He lifted his head, and a predatory gleam sparked in his eyes. “I want to kiss you. I’m going to kiss you.”

When I say I’m going to do something, I do it.

The unexpected declaration made Serena’s mouth drop open, but not a single sound came out even as he moved toward her. Her feet remained frozen in place, even though her pulse pounded and her mind screamed at her to run in some sort of fight-or-flight response. But neither was going to happen, because she couldn’t flee, and neither could she fight.

His hands came down on her shoulders, his grip firm and unyielding as he pushed her back against the wall. “You want this, don’t you?”

She wanted to say no, but that would be a lie. She’d never wanted anything more, which, at the moment, made this man the most dangerous person on the planet. “Yes.”

His smile was pure male triumph as he took his hands from her shoulders and braced them high above her head so he was caging her in but not touching her. She had to tilt her head back to look at him, and she wondered if she looked the way she felt, like a mouse trapped by a cat.

Slowly, he leaned in, sinking to his forearms against the wall. He was close, so close she could feel the heat radiating from him, could hear the soft intakes of each breath even over the pounding of her pulse in her ears.

His mouth descended. Her knees shook, and thank God she was propped against the wall, because she felt like she could fall over at any moment. Panic wrapped around her chest like a steel band, and no, she couldn’t do this. Something told her she’d never be the same—

His lips claimed hers, not gently. Ravenously. Unapologetically. As if he did this all the time, and she supposed he did.

“Open for me.” His voice, a husky, resonant command, had her obeying without a second thought, and in an instant, he took what he wanted. His tongue slipped inside her mouth to stroke her teeth, the roof of her mouth, and then it slid against her tongue in a fierce, wet caress.

Her body ached, arching without her consent as though seeking his, but he still didn’t touch her—the only physical contact between them was where their mouths connected. He was seducing her with nothing more than his tongue, giving her a taste of what she was missing in her life.

God, she wanted more. Right here, right now.

Even so, she found herself murmuring against his lips, “I can’t do this.…”

Josh pulled back slightly. Too far, yet not nearly far enough. “I’m scaring you,” he whispered. “But you aren’t afraid of me. You’re afraid what I’m doing will lead to more.” He let his lips brush hers, barely, but with such passion that she gasped. “Don’t worry, Serena. If I wanted more right this moment, you’d know. My hands would be sliding up under your shirt so I could caress your breasts. I’d pinch your nipples, just a little, until they peaked so I could swipe my tongue over them.”

Oh, yes. Her body sagged, but he caught it with his, pressing up against her and pinning her to the wall.

“I wouldn’t stop there.” His lips skimmed her ear. A shiver went through her, and heat licked between her legs. “I’d drop one hand to your waist, but I don’t know if I could be patient enough to unbutton your pants, or if I’d just rip them open. Either way, I’d get in. I’d find that sweet place between your legs with my fingers, and I’d play until we were both panting. You’d be wet and ready for me when I dropped to my knees and replaced my hand with my mouth.”

She made a noise, something between a squeak and a moan as she pictured everything he was saying. No one had ever spoken to her like this, and the thrill shot straight to her core, which was going wet for him just as he’d said.

“Please…” She trailed off, unsure if she was begging for him to stop talking like that or to continue, because her mind had gone fuzzy and her body had gone liquid. But it was time to turn the tables.

Hooking her leg around his calf, she tugged while pushing against his chest. The unexpected movement caught him off guard, and she spun him around, easily putting his back into the wall—though she got the impression that he could have stopped her if he’d wanted to. His breathing was steady and even, while she was struggling for each breath. She’d almost think he was completely unaffected by the searing sexual tension between them, but his gaze was sleepy, heavy-lidded, and when she dropped her eyes, she saw the impressive evidence of his arousal behind the fly of his jeans.

“Look,” she croaked, “this has to stop. You might have stepped out of the pages of Playgirl, but I can resist even you—”

Josh drew her hard against him and kissed her again, a possessive, yet gentle meeting of lips that once again left her breathless and reeling. He thrust his muscular thigh between hers. His hands dropped to her hips, and he held her steady as he rocked his leg against her.

The pressure was incredible, and she knew without a doubt that she could come like this. Easily. Maybe she should. The pleasure streaking upward from her core was overwhelming, and she was arching into him all by herself now, taking what she wanted…

He ended it. He broke off the kiss and just watched her with that damned cocky lift to his mouth. “What was that about resistance?”

Unquenched desire and irritation at both his arrogance and her own weakness tangled up into a knot of fury.

“Give me the key,” she snapped.

He waggled his brows. “Come to my room and get it.”

“What part of celibate are you unclear on? I will not change my mind. I will never change my mind.” She stepped back so she didn’t have to crane her neck to look at him. “Don’t think you can blackmail me into sleeping with you for the key, because I promise you it won’t happen.”

“I know it won’t happen,” he said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips, where he nipped the pad of her finger. “But we can do other things. And I want to do other things. Make no mistake about that. As far as the artifact is concerned, you want it, you let me tag along.”

Outraged by his manipulation, she jerked her hand away. “Fine. You can come with me. But the rest? You couldn’t handle other things with me. Guy like you, settling for heavy petting? Please.”

It was the wrong thing to say, because the erotic light in his eyes became something hotter and more intense… the light of challenge, of battle.

She’d just thrown down the gauntlet, and suddenly she was afraid that of the two of them, she’d be the one to break.

As Wraith watched Serena flee down the hall, his body buzzed like he’d eaten a junkie, only this was way better. This was like the really good shit running through a Wall Street executive or a Hollywood star’s veins. So, yeah, better… and worse. Because he wasn’t going to be able to satisfy his body’s needs. Not yet. What he’d assumed would be a smash and grab with Serena was turning out to be anything but. Although she sure as hell seemed to be affected by the incubus fuck-me pheromones that came standard-issue in his species, he had a feeling the poison was affecting their potency. Which sucked

On the other hand, the toxin was also allowing him to get turned on without feeling the irreversible, driving need to have sex or suffer, which was always a concern for his breed. Seminus demons couldn’t relieve their lust by their own hand, and once they were aroused, their lust had to be slaked, or they’d suffer intense agony or even death.

Gods, she had fire. Fire and fight and she might very well be his match in every way. But his life was on the line, and he was going to fight until he won. Her resolve was strong, but with the Grim Reaper—or one of his griminions—on his heels, Wraith’s resolve was just as strong. And right now, he had to make sure she believed he could be with her because he wanted to be with her, not because he wanted to pop her cherry.

Still, it was becoming clear that being sweet and charming wasn’t going to work, not only because it just wasn’t him, but because she didn’t believe he was a choir boy. He’d have to be himself as much as possible if he wanted to have a shot in hell of seducing her.

He just had to get through this without letting himself get attached, which shouldn’t be a problem. The ability to care about anyone or anything had been tortured out of him long ago.

Sure, he’d reluctantly admit to caring for his brothers, and his mates-in-law weren’t total wenches. And then there was Gem, who was pretty cool for being half human, but to say he actually cared about her… that would be an exaggeration.

He continued to watch Serena as she let herself into her room. Wraith had no idea what was going through her head, but he knew what was pinging around in his. He’d enjoyed that kiss, and he wanted to kiss her again. He tried to tell himself the desire to do so came from necessity, the need to seduce her, but if that was true, why did his breath come a little faster and hotter in his throat when she turned to glare at him one last time?

He held her gaze, and even across the distance she got the message, the flare of her eyes giving her away as she caught his silent declaration of intent. Tomorrow, she was his.

The Feast Moon was out tonight. The new moon always brought out the crazies of the underworld. The deaths. It would be even worse now that Army intel had determined that a battle was coming, a confrontation between good and evil that threatened every human life on the planet

Kynan Morgan had always been sensitive to the tides of the night, and the vibration in his blood told him this was going to be a bad one. His stomach churned as he stepped out of his car in Underworld General’s underground parking lot, knowing the ER would soon fill up.

He missed the rush of treating trauma patients, of working while hopped up on adrenaline to save a life, and not for the first time he wondered why he’d spent the last ten months in an Army facility getting poked and prodded when he could have been back with The Aegis, battling demons and then patching up Guardians.

Or he could have been back here, working in a demon hospital to save their lives.

Either way, he was no longer conflicted by his loyalties to humans and demons. He was working both sides, because neither was wholly good or bad, and he’d discovered that the good on both sides wanted the same thing: peace.

He threaded his way through the vehicles, stopping short as Gem exited the hospital through the sliding doors. His heart did a flip and settled into a rapid-fire machine gun rhythm.

She was even more beautiful than he’d remembered. She’d changed her hair—still black and falling to her shoulder blades, but she’d replaced the blue streaks with a hot pink that suited her.

She walked toward her red Mustang, keys twirling on her finger. He’d planned to find her after he spoke with Eidolon, but what the hell. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but snapped it shut when a huge male approached her. Where had he come from? His short, dark hair reminded him of Eidolon, and his head-to-toe black leather, including gloves, brought Shade to mind. The deadly aura was pure Wraith.

He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Gem smiled, her teeth flashing white against the contrast of her black lipstick. He’d kissed that mouth, had wanted to do a lot more before they were interrupted in her apartment by the U.S. Army’s paranormal unit, the Ranger-X Regiment. They’d barely given him a chance to say good-bye.

That had been nearly a year ago. Last week he decided he’d had enough. The R-XR had determined that he was descended from a fallen angel, and they were pretty sure he was part of a prophecy, but they’d stalled out.

And he born of man and angel shall die in the face of evil and may yet bear the burden of Heaven…

What a bunch of bullshit. Was it too much to ask that a prophecy actually make sense?

He’d left the R-XR with two goals: getting Gem back, and being reinstated as a Regent in The Aegis.

The Aegis thing hadn’t gone well—they hadn’t been happy that he’d walked away from the organization after his wife died, and worse, he’d left The Aegis to work in a demon hospital. But with trouble looming—not to mention his distant fallen-angel relative and link to a prophecy—they’d been willing to give him another chance.

If he’d use his demon connections to find out all he could about what was brewing in the underworld.

Basically, they wanted him to spy for them.

So no, The Aegis thing hadn’t gone as smoothly as he’d have liked. But there was still hope with Gem.

He started toward her, stumbled to a halt when the guy took her hand and led her to his Hummer.

Feeling as if he’d been run over by a tank, he watched helplessly as the asshole held the door open for her, his hand brushing casually over her butt as though it had been an accident. Accident, my ass. She actually grinned at him. Grinned.

Tell her not to wait. The message he’d given Runa to relay to Gem came roaring back. When the R-XR had taken him, he hadn’t known when, or if, he would return, and he’d wanted Gem to be happy.

Maybe not that happy.

The urge to pound Mr. Gropey Hands into a pulp even Eidolon couldn’t heal made him twitch. And wouldn’t that just impress the hell out of Gem. Hey, babe, I want you so bad I’ll kill anyone who comes near you, even though I cut you free.

Yep, he could say “Restraining Order.”

With a nasty curse, he watched Gem ride off with the guy who was, no doubt, a demon. The gate leading to the aboveground parking garage flashed open, and the Hummer had to pull aside for one of UG’s black ambulances to come through, its lights flashing.

Things were about to get chaotic. Kynan would come back tomorrow to talk to the Sem boys, Tayla, and Gem. Gem, especially, because this wasn’t over, not by a long shot.