Текст книги "Eternal Temptation"

Автор книги: T. A. Grey

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Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 9 страниц)

Was she sent by one of his brothers? Were they convinced that the only way to make him better was to have a vampire seduce him? No that wasn’t like them. They’d send a lykaen, not a vamp.

In his dream, he’d been sweating, his balls pulled up tight as she suckled him and he was certain that at any moment he’d blow. Yet even in his dream, he sensed her apprehension, her anxiety. She’d never even done it before, she’d said. That news alone brought forth so many damned questions. He had the urge to go in there and shake her into telling him the truth. Like why her face was busted up and who did it and why. Why was she running through his woods and not in a car or with family and friends?

A faint sound caught his ears, making him twitch. The axe hung in the air as he listened. There it was again. A soft, husky moan.

She was...

“God dammit,” he growled and swung the axe down hard. It split the wood like a lightning strike and sunk deep into the earth below. He let go of the axe and stalked towards the cabin. The sound came again like a gentle caress over his body. He stopped, struggling to breathe and comprehend, and trying like hell not to envision what she was doing.

Oh, hell. Now he could do nothing but see images of her rubbing her soft sex. Another husky moan seduced his ears. Well she did warn him. His cock was acting as if the sounds she made were just for him. It thickened, lengthening in his pants, throbbing like he’d never touched it in his whole life.

His cock didn’t seem to understand that it just came—a lot—inside that vixen’s hot little mouth. It pulsed in his jeans, and he glared at it. It also was in agreement with her. Especially since it hadn’t been touched since Dana died.

Her soft moans were coming faster now. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever heard. She was close. Was she thinking him? About his cock sliding inside her, spreading her wide, and filling her deep? As if his body had a mind of its own, he reached down and opened his jeans. His cock sprang free and he grabbed the heavy flesh in his fist.

He remembered the soft flicks of her tongue and the touch of her lips from his dream. She’d moaned when he came in her mouth as if she liked it. Breathing heavy, he pumped his fist. He knew this was going to be fast. He could hear her legs shuffling back and forth on the bed, could hear her breath getting quicker and quicker. He knew her fingers were working herself fast. Was she cupping a breast as she did, tugging on her pretty little nipple?

A sharp cry spilled out from the cabin, and he knew she was coming. Biting his lip to stifle a groan, he stroked himself once more before he started coming. He pictured her hips jerking as she came, her nipples pulled into puckered points begging to be sucked. He tasted blood as he jetted his release in long pulls onto the leaves on the ground.

All was silent then except for the scurrying of rodents in the forest. Cursing himself, he kicked some leaves on top of his mess and leaned against the cabin for support. Every minute she was here, he was desecrating Dana and the baby’s remains.

She was leaving today. Thank god, because he couldn’t stand to have her here a moment longer. A cold fist gripped his heart. She was in trouble. He was sure of it. He hesitated at the thought of sending her away; he might be sending her into danger. A big part of him was not willing to do that—ever.

He heard her shuffling inside the cabin, then her soft steps coming to the door. Picking up the axe, he resumed chopping. The wind blew gently and he caught her scent as she came up to him.

He told himself not to look at her, but of course that was the first thing he did. Big mistake. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glossy and sexy as hell. At least she was wearing clothes.

“When do you want to leave? I’ll take you wherever you want. You got family to go to?”

Her smile didn’t reassure him. “I don’t want to leave yet. If it’s all right with you, I thought I might stay awhile.” He slammed the axe down harder than necessary and the wood flew several feet away. She smirked at him. She had no idea what she was messing with.

“Well this is my place, my woods, my cabin. I say when you go, not you.” A flicker of panic formed in her eyes but was gone fast. Damn if she wasn’t hiding something.

“Did you hear me in there, lykaen?” He lost his grip on his axe and it went sliding dully to the floor with a thump. He sent her a withering glare, the kind that has sent lesser beings scurrying. She smiled big and bounced on her feet. Damn vixen witch...

“So you did hear me? Oh, good. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on that. Not when I got to participate in your fun earlier.”

He stumbled a step as he reached for the axe, thinking that she knew he’d jacked off outside the cabin. He gauged her expression but nah, she didn’t know. It was cool outside yet he was sweating like he was sitting in a sauna.

“So is this all you do out here,” she said nodding towards the pile of stacked wood on the side of the cabin.

“No, it’s not all I do.” She gave him a look that said she didn’t believe him.

“Then what do you do, lykaen.”

He ground his teeth together. “My name is Darien, and what I do is none of your business.” He picked up the logs he’d chopped and started stacking them on the pile he already built against the cabin. “Why don’t you tell me who messed up your face?” He didn’t like the way she stiffened or the way she turned away from him. The vampire was hiding something bad—it was obvious.

 “Well if it’s none of my business then I don’t see why my problems are any of yours.” She sighed heavily like the weight of the world was on her small shoulders. “I’ll tell you what, Darien. I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

It was hard to keep going through the movements and not show a reaction. He weighed his options. Did he really want to know her issues badly enough to spill his own? He didn’t answer for a while, and for once, she stayed quiet and let him think. When he finished, the logs were stacked neatly against the cabin. He turned to her.

She was pretty. Real pretty. Dammit. One thing was certain though, he and his beast were both in agreement on that. “Fine. I agree.”

He obviously surprised her because her mouth opened and closed several times. A worried, panicked expression filled her eyes.

“Relax, Cassie. You’re safe here.” Damn, he had never been great man, but he certainly had never made a woman look so scared before. She looked like she was about to bolt or break down and cry. He wasn’t sure which he preferred.

“I’m fine. I just don’t want to talk about this right now. Later, okay?” She spun around and went back into the cabin.

Darien barely restrained himself from hitting something. What the hell was that? He wanted to shout his frustration to the whole damn forest.

Fine, she can stay, but not for long. Tomorrow was the worst day of the year for him. The anniversary of the one day he’d never be able to forget.

Chapter 5

Cassie nibbled on her lip and debated leaving. He wouldn’t find her yet, and she’d love to stay and hang out with her lykaen, Darien. Darien, she sighed, what a sexy name. It matched him perfectly.

She couldn’t tell him about Daniel. Ever. Though why a part of her was telling her to throw herself at Darien’s feet and confess everything, she didn’t understand. She would only endanger him more.

Darien came into the cabin and immediately took up all the space. His expression was unreadable—somewhere between anger and defeat. He grabbed a bottle of water and chugged the entire thing in three big gulps. Cassie stifled her girlie squeal at his manliness–barely.

“I need to run to town,” he said after wiping his mouth with his wrist. She perked up exponentially at the news. Flashes of clean clothes, a toothbrush, and a hairbrush blinked before her eyes.

“That’s great. Let’s go. I need some stuff anyways.” She left out the part about her not having any money and smiled big and cute instead. He frowned at her, rubbing a big hand across the back of his neck.

“I’m going alone.”

She stomped her foot. “And you’re going to what just leave me out here all by myself? What if a bear happens by or something?”

“You’re a vampire,” he stated simply.

“As if that gives me the right to know Kung Fu or something?” He grumbled beneath his breath then finally grumbled, “Fine.”

She followed him out the cabin. He turned left and started marching into the woods. Frowning, she looked around but didn’t see a car. “Um, where did you park?”

“A couple of miles this way.”

“Great,” she grumbled under her breath. “So what do you need to get anyways?”

“Nothing.”

“Right, nothing.” Cursing him in her mind, she walked behind him in silence. Several times he was nice enough to hold her hand as she climbed over a rather large fallen tree, or he would hold up a branch so she could duck underneath it. Sweet, sweet man.

Sometime later, they broke through the tree line and came into a small copse with a circle of dirt where a big black truck was parked. Big and dark just like him, how fitting. A dirt path trailed behind the truck and was lined by tall trees that shadowed the trail through the sunlight.

He unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her. Like a true gentleman he waited until she was seated before he closed it and went to his side. Cassie sighed blissfully, she barely knew the man, err lykaen, but already he knew how to make her happy. At least he wasn’t angry any more about the blowjob she gave him. She barely managed to stifle her giggle by the time he hopped in beside her.

The truck started with a roar and then they were off. “So I need a favor.” He looked at her with an arched brow. Okay, so she clearly had no place asking for favors, but come on. “Just hear me out, okay?”

She took his silence for a yes, and just in case he was going to protest she quickly said, “So can I borrow some money?” He choked something that resembled a laugh, and then grimaced as if the action hurt. “What,” she said defensively, “I’m not asking for much. I just need some clothes and maybe a toothbrush. Got to keep the fangs shiny, you know?”

He drove without looking at her. His deep voice vibrated along her skin in the close confines of the truck. “Why don’t you have any money?”

“I didn’t exactly have time to stop and grab my wallet if you know what I mean.” She popped her elbow on the edge of the window and stared out at the forest. How could she go from perky to grumpy in a matter of seconds? Cute guys always did do funny things to her, and she’d never seen a guy this cute. Figures.

“And why were you in such a hurry?”

“I—” She stopped and glared at him. “How dare you try to–try to coerce information out of me. Information that’s none of your business.”

He turned his deep, sharp eyes on her. “Like you were hounding me for information? Or like how you want to know what my business is in town when it’s none of yours.”

She just glared at him. “Yeah like that,” she finally said when she couldn’t come up with anything better. God, I’m lame.

“Are you on the run, Cassie?” He asked it so softly the sound nearly broke her heart. He sounded like someone who actually cared. No one cared about her. The only person who did might just kill her someday. She blinked back the wetness that formed in her eyes and stared harder at the passing blur of trees.

“Aren’t we all?”

Darien looked at her but didn’t say anything.

She knew she touched on a sore spot for him, and for once she kept her mouth shut. Silence passed between them as he drove. When they arrived in town, he pulled to a stop in front of a department store but didn’t kill the engine. He bent towards her and she stiffened, her breath caught in her throat as he neared. Kiss me.

She might as well of not even been there because he just opened the glove compartment and pulled out a wallet.

“You keep your wallet in your glove compartment? What if someone stole your truck?”

He shrugged. “If they can find it, and they need it that bad then so be it.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

“That doesn’t bother me, Cassie.” He pulled out a fresh, crisp hundred-dollar bill and handed it to her.

“Oh, no, that’s way too much, honestly.”

“Spend as much of it as you want. If you need more then I’ll give you more.” She tentatively took the money, guilt riding her hard.

“I appreciate this.” She started to open the door but turned back and said, “But where will you be?”

“I’m going to go take care of some business. I’ll meet you back here in an hour.” She nodded, then before he could see it coming, she leaned across the seat and kissed him square on the mouth.

As far as first kisses went, this one did not disappoint. Yes, she was counting this as the first and not that brief peck from the first day. Okay, well maybe it did disappoint because he wasn’t kissing her back. In fact he sat still underneath her like he was a mime mimicking a statue.

She didn’t care about that at all, because his lips were warm and fit perfectly against hers. He lips were soft like silk and tasted decadent. Her tongue darted out and flicked across his bottom lip to bring that lush taste into her mouth. It was like sex on her tongue, and it only served to whet her appetite. A soft moan escaped her and pleasure bloomed in her veins.

But he still didn’t kiss her back. He did not cock his head or part his lips for her. He stayed still as if he was waiting for her to be finished. Cassie pulled back with a frown. She searched his eyes and tried to read his thoughts. His eyes were dark but with anger or was it something else? She wished she knew.

“Sorry,” she mumbled and started to scoot back to her seat. Hard, strong hands grabbed her. Her eyes shot to his and she had no choice but to move closer to him. His eyes were no longer dark, they smoldered. He didn’t stop dragging her until she was half in his big lap.

“You have no idea what you mess with,” he growled and then he slammed his mouth down on hers.

He didn’t kiss to taste or to learn. He kissed to capture and plunder, to demand obedience. His lips slanted over hers in a hot rush and then he thrust his thick tongue inside her mouth. Cassie could only moan as he took her mouth again and again. His tongue was so thick, he filled her mouth, and he tasted like she thought he would...perfect.

The hands on her cheek turned and fisted in her hair, holding her still for his plundering. Cassie realized that something she did had let loose the beast inside the man, inside the lykaen. And she was melting for him. His lips closed over hers before he slanted her head to the other side and took her mouth at this new angle. He let out an approving growl that had her sex weeping happily in response.

He kissed her for an eternity.

He kissed like a man tasting a woman’s lips for the first time. His raspy tongue licked at her lips before his teeth sunk into her, creating wild, hot sensations in her breasts and between her legs. He was savoring her with every pass of his lips, each swipe of his tongue against hers, and she sought him out eagerly, matching him pace by pace.

Abruptly, he pulled back and with that motion, he stole all the heat from her body. He pushed her shoulders away and closed his eyes.

“Get out.”

The cold hard words were like a stinging slap to the face. Cassie stumbled back to her seat, panting like she’d just run a mile, and fumbled for the doorknob. It took her several tries as she blindly wrenched the door open and jumped down out of the big truck. She landed hard on her feet and her ankle gave out. A sharp, burning pain from her ankle had her shouting out in agony.

Quickly, before she lost it, she slammed the truck door shut and wobbled as fast as she could to the department store door. She didn’t look back.

It didn’t matter because a second later she heard the truck back out and pull away. Cassie rushed to the lady’s bathroom and didn’t stop until she was locked in the tiny stall. The hot tears started spilling before she had the door locked. Not caring about the dirty public restroom, she sat down hard on the toilet seat and the let the tears come.

She bit her fist to keep from sobbing aloud. The last thing she wanted right now was some concerned lady asking her if she was all right. She’d just break down again.

Reaching for the toilet paper, she pulled down a huge rope of it and started blotting dry her face and hands. Her shirt was wet from drops of tears that had landed on her, but whatever.

Bitter anger settled in, happy to replace the tears. At this rate, Darien must think she was a psychopath. Her emotions were ranging from one extreme to another.

Feeling petty over her stupid overreaction, she flushed the toilet out of habit then went and washed her hands. Seeing her reflection made her want to break down and cry all over again. Being a natural redhead made her prone to pale skin that easily freckled, which either could be cute or a nasty mess like right now.

Wishing like hell she had a compact, she turned on the cold water and splashed some on her face. When she looked back at the mirror though her face only looked redder. Growling a curse, she snatched a paper towel and dabbed her face dry as she left the bathroom.

What was his problem anyways?

Who kisses like that and then growls at her to get out? She limped through the clothing racks and started picking up jeans and t-shirts, her usual repertoire. Her heart went out for him though. She could feel the pain he was holding so close to him. What is haunting you, Darien Kategan? His words came back to her: Tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine. Could she really?

Some part of her, a part that was surprisingly not driven by her sex hormones, told her she could help. It told her that his man needed her. It was probably a load of bull, and she was just drawn to him because he was sexy. But no, even thinking that felt wrong.

Darien Kategan did intrigue her like no other, but how often was it that someone met a total stranger and felt such a wild, magnetic pull towards them? Often, she thought, thinking of many quick Vegas weddings. This was different than that, real. He troubled and needed help. Her help.

With a cocky smile, Cassie turned around and put the jeans and t-shirts she’d picked up back on the shelf. Instead, she went and grabbed a flowery skirt that dropped just to her knees and a white button-down silk shirt. The thought of him ripping open her shirt eagerly totally had nothing to do with that decision.

She grabbed some flat shoes that would be comfortable for walking, too. She found a couple more skirts, shirts, and some cute panties to add to her cart. She loved cute panties. She pouted as she thought of her big, two-drawer filled dresser back at home—err home wasn’t quite the word she wanted to use for that place. More like hell. Yeah, that fit much better.

Checking the time on the clock on the wall, she saw that she still had another thirty minutes. A happy thought came to her as she paid for her items. Her lykaen needed a gift. She spotted the perfect store out the window and marked that as her next location.

She grabbed her change from the young cashier and was practically skipping as she left the store. The sun was shining brightly in the clear sky and the whip of the wind was growing sharper, making her hair hit her face like soft slaps. She waited for traffic to pass and started to step out onto the street, but as she took her first step, the wind brought along a scent she was all too familiar with.

Cold fear lodged in her stomach, immobilizing her for several seconds as her mind tried to comprehend the danger. In slow motion, her head whipped to the left and caught sight of him.

Oh no.

She turned to the right and started running. It was like being in her dream and knee deep in mud though. No matter how hard she pumped her arms or kicked out her legs, she couldn’t move fast enough. She reached the top of the street and turned to look over her shoulder. He still stood where he’d been. I can still get away. The wind was in her favor, he couldn’t scent her like she did him.

Then his head turned and his eyes latched onto hers. His face contorted into a mask of rage, and then he shouted, the sound so loud, so terrifying the windows along the street vibrated and cracked.

Cassie cried out and kept running. He was coming. He was coming after her, and this wasn’t a dream. She had no time to stop and think, to figure out how he’d found this little town. Her only thought was of survival.

* * *

Cassie sprinted through the streets, turning left and right, without a clue as to where Darien was. The one thing she knew was that she had to find him.

Brick buildings flew past her as she ran, turning into a blur. She circled around, went down streets only to turn back up them again, anything to muddy up her scent—to spread it around so far he wouldn’t be able to track her.

She panted hard, completely out of breath and her sides were aching hard like a knife had taken up living between her ribs. She ground her teeth together and ignored it, had to.

There! She finally found his black truck parked out front a florist shop. She turned to go to it, but something caught her foot and she went flying down to the ground hard. She barely managed to keep her face from having the skin rubbed raw, but her hands and knees took the brunt of it anyways. She bit her lips to keep from crying out. Don’t let him hear you.

Picking herself back up, she half-ran, half-wobbled to his truck. Her ankle was throbbing like a jackhammering pulse and her hands and knees burned hot. She sniffed and smelled blood. Looking down, she gasped at the sight of her blood coating her jeans around her knees. From her hands, blood splashed in drops down onto the concrete.

She had little time. He knew the scent of her blood better than his own. After all, he’d been using her for years.

Biting her lip to stifle a cry, she ran to Darien’s truck. The door to the florist chimed and she flinched hard, coming to a stop, expecting to see his cold face there.

Her heart soared at the sight of her lykaen–her Darien. His eyes shot to hers and took in everything at once. She rushed to him, but she didn’t need to. He met her and wrapped her in his big, strong arms. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

“What’s wrong?” She could feel his head turning to look up and down the streets.

“We n-need to go n-now,” she said. Her fingers curled into his shirt, hanging on for dear life.

“Come on,” he said and quickly put her in the truck. He got into the driver’s side with a speed that had his lykaen glowing in his eyes. “Now tell me what’s going on,” he demanded.

Her head shook to match the trembling in her body. She was shaking like a damned leaf in the wind. Her eyes darted everywhere, looking for him.

“We need to go now.” He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. Now her teeth were chattering like she was sitting in a pool of ice water. Her hands burned and her knees hurt, yet none of that mattered to her. “Go now,” she said between chattering teeth.

Sighing hard, he started the car, and sped off. Cassie ducked down in the seat, and she pretended that Darien wasn’t completely noticing the move.

“When we get back you’re going to tell me what the fuck is going on, Cassandra.” She winced at the use of her full name. She didn’t release her grip on the seat until they were out of town. Slowly she sat up and looked in the side view mirror. A part of her was afraid that he’d be right behind her sprinting to catch up to the car or burning rubber in his own.

She sighed and slumped back in her seat. Finally her heart had a chance to slow to a normal speed. Now that her body was returning to a semi-normal state she got to feel the full force of the burning pain in her hands and knees. And she had to deal with the lykaen next to her.

Darien gripped the steering wheel like he was trying to meld with it. His lips were pulled hard and flat in anger, and barely restrained fury radiated off him in waves. Suddenly she had the urge to tell him sorry and cry. She couldn’t stay with him any longer.

He’d already found her. It was only a matter of time now. If something happened to her lykaen, she’d...

“God dammit, tell me what happened.” Hearing his deep voice raised in anger made her want to plaster herself to the far window. This was not a man she wanted to see angry, especially at her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered raggedly. If anything her words managed to make him look angrier. He formed a fist with his big hand and slammed it into the dashboard. She flinched and drew her knees up to her stomach, wrapping her arms around herself. She wanted nothing more than a hole in the earth to open up and swallow her up.

She heard his ragged sigh. “Don’t be afraid of me, Cassie. I’m sorry. I lost it for a second, but I’m fine now.” Cassie chanced a watery peek at him and saw that his grip was slightly more relaxed on the steering wheel and his nostrils weren’t flaring angrily.

A cold knot was fixed in her chest and wouldn’t go away. “I am sorry.”

“I know, honey. Listen I’m not mad at you. I just smelled your blood and... Sometimes the beast comes up whether you want it to or not.”

Cassie blinked; she hadn’t even thought about that. He called her honey, and boy did he make her feel like honey. With that one word, he melted her from the inside out until she was scooting across the seat and leaning her tired head against him. She closed her eyes, suddenly feeling as if she hadn’t slept in a week.

She wondered if he’d push her away, when he started to move she pulled back. He didn’t. He wrapped his big warm arm around her. He tucked her against him like a big blanket and she sighed, snuggling close to him. The rocking motion of the truck and the safety of his arms were too much and soon heavy sleep drifted over her.