He raised his glass too, his words emerging rougher than he’d wanted. “Cheers.”
“Bottoms up.” Thana giggled as she walked back into the living room.
Bottoms up.
Luther’s gaze dropped to her backside. The crimson material of her dress clung to her shapely curves, making his blood pound against his temples. He took a deep breath and joined her in the living room. Thana sipped her drink. Luther stared at his.
He took another deep breath for courage. The weight of Thana’s stare burned a hole through him and he finally took a sip of the wine. Blood whooshed through his ears, drowning out all sound as he stared at the pink liquid in the glass. Alcohol released inhibitions. Might be a good way of lowering his guard so he could gain Thana’s trust. He lifted the glass and took another drink, inhaling the scent of booze. The moment he swallowed, a shiver raced down his spine followed by heat in his throat. He’d spent the whole day worrying over his mission and hadn’t eaten. With an empty stomach, the wine hit him harder than expected. “Uh, excuse me a second.”
He rushed into the bathroom, slammed the door, and faced the white vanity unit and the large rectangular mirror on the wall. Luther fumbled his glass onto the counter, nearly knocking the wine down the sink as he hurried to turn on the cold water and splash it on his face. The briskness helped a little, but he couldn’t spend the whole evening in the bathroom.
His stomach growled, and he pressed his damp hand against it.
If tonight was going to be a success, he needed sustenance and soon, but there was nothing to eat in his apartment. He’d promised Thana dinner. He actually enjoyed cooking, but it would be rude to ask her to offer her own groceries. Gah. This whole plan was ridiculous.
Staring at himself in the mirror, he sighed. Water dripped from the tip of his nose and rolled off his jaw. He laughed at himself. She’d never trust him.
“Feeling alright?” The sound of her concerned voice, soft through the closed door, roused a different sort of hunger. Luther pictured her on the other side, in that red dress, looking far too beautiful for his own good.
He was in big trouble and he knew it.
Luther dried his face on a towel, then opened the door with a fixed smile. “Never better.”
She didn’t look convinced and looked past him at the bathroom. It dawned on him that she thought the wine had made him sick. He picked up his glass and took another drink to prove he could handle it. Color spread across her cheeks, a delightful rosy tint. She held up her own glass to show him it was now nearly empty.
Walking back to the kitchen, he topped up both glasses then followed her back into the living room. Thana sat perched on the arm of his sofa, her slender legs crossed at the knee. A different urge struck him, one that would definitely give her the impression he was out to seduce her, and he shifted slightly, glad he’d left his shirt untucked to hide the growing bulge of his crotch. Seemed chocolate wasn’t the only aphrodisiac for Scion.
Thana ran her finger around the rim of her glass, the movement mesmerizing him and filing his mind with all sorts of naughty images about her using those fingers on him—stroking him, caressing him, teasing him. She looked up and he looked away fast. “So, what’s for dinner?”
Luther grinned. “Whatever you’d like. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to buy anything, so we’ll have to go out.”
Her expression looked decidedly relieved.
“This pleases you?”
A smile teased her lips. “I half expected you to be this incredible cook. I’m atrocious.”
“I’m actually a decent cook, when I have the time.” Luther relaxed a bit, studying her. He’d noticed in his years watching her that she ate takeout food a lot. It certainly didn’t show on her trim form, though she also worked out a lot. Mostly jogging around Behrman Park.
“How about Chinese food?” She took another sip of her wine before grabbing the black cordless phone from the charger stand. “I know a great place that delivers.”
“Fine with me.” Luther nodded then listened as she recited the entire menu from memory. Honestly, he didn’t much care what he ate at this point, and long as it counteracted the effects of the wine, so he could think clearly again. “You choose what you like, and we’ll share.”
Twenty minutes later, he paid for the food at the door, then carried the white plastic bags into this kitchen. The heavenly smells of garlic and spices filled the air and his stomach rumbled anew as he and Thana set everything out on his breakfast bar, buffet-style. While he topped off their drinks in the kitchen and grabbed plates and utensils and napkins, she turned on the TV in the living room. Onscreen was what humans called a romantic comedy film. It just drove home to him that what was happening now between him and Thana could very much be considered a date—dinner, wine, a movie.
They each filled their plates then took a seat on the sofa to watch. Hungry as he was, Luther devoured his food like a starving man then set his plate aside to lean back in the corner of the sofa to enjoy the rest of his wine. He crossed his legs and stretched his right arm out along the back of the cushions, his hand settling close to Thana as he rested his glass on his knee. Though his eyes remained locked on the flat screen TV, he paid little attention to the movie, not with her sitting so close. Thana continued to eat, laughing at the couple’s antics in the film, seemingly oblivious to the sizzling tension burning like wildfire through Luther’s veins.
She truly was beautiful, and it wasn’t the alcohol talking.
A pure soul, full of kindness and warmth. Her internal beauty enhanced her external looks, leading him to wonder once again how such a gorgeous woman could fall for such disgusting men. Of course, she couldn’t see their damaged souls as he could, so to fall for men so far beneath her on occasion was understandable. But his Thana always seemed to find the worst of the worst and keep them around far longer than she should—persevering, attempting to change their ways, as if she could make them good, decent humans if she tried hard enough.
Impossible.
Once an evil bastard, always an evil bastard.
Thana looked over at him, her smile fading as her expression turned serious.
“Do I have something on my face?” she said, blushing.
Luther’s fingertips itched with the sudden urge to sweep the backs of his fingers across her cheek, to see if she felt as soft as she looked, but he didn’t dare. He shook his head.
Instead of refocusing on the movie, she leaned closer and pressed her hand against his chest. His gaze dropped to her lips, everything good in him screaming to stop He didn’t. He stayed stock still and let it happen.
The first kiss was a tentative sweep of her soft lips over his followed by the press of her warm curves into his side. The feel of her against him sent a flood of heat surging through him, setting his blood aflame with desire and the need to possess her. It overwhelmed his restraint, blasting through his resistance. He stopped himself from hauling her onto his lap, barely, and returned the kiss.
She moaned softly at his response, her tongue brushing along the seam of his mouth until he opened, his tongue tangling softly with hers. It had been so long since he’d kissed anyone, but he couldn’t remember it ever feeling so incredible. Warmth suffused him to his bones and every breathy little moan from Thana was like a lit match to gasoline, stoking his passion higher.
She broke away, her dark eyes wide, one hand covering her mouth. His hungry gaze tracked the tiny moving, making him ravenous for the sweet taste of her on his tongue again.
“I’m sorry,” she said and scrambled from the couch.
Before he could rethink his action, Luther grabbed her wrist, stopping her. “I’m not.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again and damn, she tasted as good as she had the first time. He needed more. So much more.
She moaned when he pulled her onto his lap, her dress riding up her thighs as she straddled him, the heat between her legs pressing against his straining cock through too m
any layers of fabric. Thana grabbed his shoulders, and for a moment Luther feared she’d push him away again, but this time dragged him closer still and wrapped her arms around his neck, her fingers stroking his scalp.
Part of him was vaguely aware alcohol might be playing a factor here and that he might regret his decisions in the morning, but he was too far gone to care. He’d guzzled the wine to release his inhibitions and it had worked. He just hadn’t expected it to be so successful so fast. Then again, strictly speaking he was obeying his orders, getting her to trust him, fulfilling his mission.
Yet his only goal at the moment was winning another taste of Thana.
Luther pulled back slightly, both of them panting. Thana’s chest rose and fell, giving him a glorious view of her creamy breasts nearly spilling out of her red dress. He forgot what he was going to say.
Thana slowly opened her eyes and smiled shyly before giving him a slow, sexy once-over. Her gaze lingered on his groin, her pupils dilated with desire. Her smile turned wicked as she met his gaze once more, her pouty come-hither look unbearably alluring. Expectation sparkled in her eyes, forcing him to be the voice of reason.
“This is a bad idea.”
“Why?” Her sultry temptress expression disappeared, leaving the behind a hurt frown. “You don’t like me?”
He liked her too much. That was the problem. They were halfway to drunk and he needed to get his head on straight to be certain this was happening for the right reasons, not because of his orders. If something was going to happen between them, it was going to happen because they both wanted it. He wasn’t going to seduce her and use her feelings against her. Luther exhaled slow and struggled for control and the right words. “I do like you. So much. But I’m not sure either of us is thinking clearly right now, with all the wine.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” She glanced at the empty bottle it the kitchen.
“It is.” Luther cupped her cheek, sweeping her straight dark hair from her face. Her skin felt like velvet and the way she closed her eyes at his touch, like a cat being stroked, empowered him. He traced his thumb over her lips, so soft. He wanted to kiss her again, but he wasn’t sure he could stop again if he did. “This is happening so quick and I don’t want you regret tomorrow what we did tonight.”
“I won’t.” There it was again. Blatant expectation.
“Thana, please. How about we take it slow and steady?”
Her dark eyes warmed and he realized the double meaning to his words. Except he couldn’t let things get that far. Xander had said his final task for this mission was approaching. Tonight, he’d gained her trust. He’d continue to date her a few times, keeping a suitable distance, and once his mission was over he would leave.
“No pressure,” he said, hoping to clarify that.
“No pressure.” She nodded and kissed him again.
Resisting was impossible.
He swept his tongue between her lips, tasting her again and savoring this brief contact. When she broke away this time, he let her go, his thoughts keeping him in place. He watched her again, fascinated by her amusement from the movie and how she curled up beside him now, her bare knees brushing his thigh. His chest ached with a deep need to slide his arm around her shoulders and draw her closer, but he resisted.
He couldn’t use her feelings against her.
Not when he was starting to feel something for her too.
6
Thana ambled along the hot pavement, her head already home in her apartment or, more precisely, next door with Luther. He’d been a gentleman last night when she’d wanted to take things further, and while it had irritated her at the time and made her doubt his attraction again, his thoughtful denial had taken on a certain appeal as the day progressed. This morning she’d gone running to work out some of her frustration over how the night had ended on a chaste kiss. By the time she’d made it to lunch with her friends, she’d been replaying their more passionate moments in her head, so much so that her friends had noticed her silence. She’d made her excuses and not mentioned Luther. Her friends would think she was rebounding.
And she totally wasn’t. He was more than that. She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what was different, it just was. Something definitely set him apart from the average man.
Honestly, she’d never had a man act like such a gentleman and wasn’t sure how to handle it. All her previous boyfriends had been ready to hop into bed and perhaps that was part of their appeal. Because of her attraction to Luther, she’d expected him to be the same. But she couldn’t have been more wrong.
He wanted to take things slow. That alone made him completely unlike her exes and everything she’d always hoped to find in a partner.
Hard as it was, he might be right. They should take their time, if only so she could prove to Luther he was more than a rebound. She liked him. He’d been all she could think about since the night of the fight in the hallway and even now she was itching to see him again. She wasn’t good at going slow. When she was with someone she liked, she generally forgot everything else in a passionate pursuit of what she wanted.
In this case, what she wanted was Luther naked and pressed against her, skin to skin.
He’d been hesitant and strangely polite after their kiss, and his sweet goodnight filled her with doubts.
He had kissed her though. And man, it had been good.
So, so good.
She could do the soft seduction thing with him any day of the week. She wouldn’t care how slow things went as long as he kept kissing her.
Thana was so lost in her thoughts she didn’t realize she’d gone the wrong way until three men approached her. On alert, she quickly scanned her surroundings, searching for an avenue of escape in case things took a turn for the worse.
“Lost?” One of the men said. Their innocent expressions didn’t fool her.
Twilight was descending now that the sun had set and shadowed filled the quiet side street between the towering buildings. There was no one else around, just her and the men.
“Not really.” Thana turned to walk the other way, but another man blocked her path.
Or it could have been the same man, since they all looked the same.
Same pale white skin, same somber gray suit, same immoveable dull brown hair and flat gray eyes. Sick dread weighed down her stomach. There was no way she’d be able to describe them accurately to the police, if it came to that. Their heights and slim figures were virtually identical too. They reminded her of the clones in the Matrix movies, all coldly robotic and menacingly malevolent.
“I don’t want any trouble.” Her pulse stuttered, and she clutched her purse in front of her like a shield. The thing was heavy and if she was lucky she might be able to clobber once of these guys over the head with it, but it wasn’t really a good weapon. She’d need to do better if she hoped to fend these men off. They didn’t look strong, but they outnumbered her.
Acting on pure impulse, she reached inside her bag and withdrew the only lifeline she had—her phone. “I’ll call the police.”
Her voice remained steady, thank goodness, and she stood her ground, unwilling to let these thugs see her scared. The trio only smiled at her, their amused grins chock full of sinister.
Right. She tapped the screen on her phone and punched in 911. But before she could say anything, the phone flew out of her hand and clattered to the ground near the feet of one of the men, their leader, she presumed. He bent and picked it up, crushing it in his fist like a piece of tin foil.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
Thana spun fast, only to have another of the men grab onto the strap of her purse. She fought back, smashing her fist hard into his temple, but he didn’t release her. In fact, he didn’t even flinch. Her hoped plummeted. This wasn’t going to go well. She tried to scream but the sound died in her throat when the third man in the group rose into the air in front of her, levitating.
No, she registered seconds later. Not levitating.
Dark
fingers encircled the man’s neck, digging into the pale flesh with bruising force. Next thing she knew, the guy’s body was flung sideways, like a ragdoll, limp and lifeless.
Luther.
Righteous fury darkened his handsome face and rage burned in his pale green eyes.
The man he’d thrown hit a brick wall with a startling bang. Before he hit the ground, Luther grabbed her hand and they ran. She only had a moment to look back, spotting the two remaining men chasing after them. The third lay in a crater on the asphalt, surrounded by rubble from the impact.
Thana stumbled, her mind racing. Luther dragged her up with a fierce grip. He was strong, but no way could he have thrown another man so hard that he dented a brick wall. That was ridiculous. The buildings were old and weak. That had to explain it.
“Focus,” he snapped. “They’re still after us.”
Her breath echoed loud in her ears as she and Luther weaved through the back streets of Algiers Park. She didn’t dare look back again, for fear those men would catch up to them. Luther glanced back though, every so often, his gaze flicking from the men to her before returning forward again. Her muscles burned, and her feet ached, and she realized now that she’d left her purse back there in the alleyway. All her ID was in there, her credit cards. Oh, God. If that first man was dead, they could link her to the murder. Could link Luther too. She glanced up at his profile, not missing the steely determination etched in his expression.
“Go right,” she said, out of breath and desperate as they reached the main road. Those men could catch up to them any second and Luther would have to fight again.
“No.” He didn’t sound tire or strained at all. He looked upward. “This way.”
Before she knew what was happening, he kicked in a nearby fire exit door with a single blow of his booted foot and led her up the back stairs of an old building.
“Where the hell are we going?” She did her best to keep up with him, but her shaky legs were beginning to flag. Running on flat ground had been bad enough. Hauling ass upstairs was beyond her at this point.
Scion's Redemption Page 5