by Cynthia Eden
The light of dawn streaked through the cabin. It wouldn’t be sex in the shadows. Eve wouldn’t be a woman that he forgot.
Her gaze held his.
“If you don’t want me, you’d better tell me to stop now.” While he could still stop. Because in a few more seconds . . .
Take her.
There’d be no turning back.
Her lips were red. Slick. Her breath came faster. But . . .
But she shook her head.
He pulled away from her, every move so painful that he wanted to rage.
“Your eyes . . .” Her whisper.
And he knew that his control was breaking. He’d used too much power back at Genesis. He couldn’t let the beast out and expect to instantly shove him back in the cage.
Want her. Need her. She could soothe him. Make him forget hell.
Except she was pulling away from him. Rising. Stumbling toward the door on the right. The bathroom.
Leaving him aching. Hungry. Aroused.
Saying no.
When the door shut behind her, the beast broke free.
What in the world was happening?
Eve stared at herself in the mirror. Was she really about to have sex with Cain? A man she barely knew?
A man who’d made her wet with just a kiss.
She twisted the faucet and sent a burst of cold water pouring into the sink. She cupped her hands and threw a cold spray on her face. The water rinsed off the ash and who the hell knew what else from her skin. She tossed away her clothes. They were ruined anyway, and if she was doing this, then she was damn well doing it right.
Adrenaline pumped through her blood. She could remember the fire. That jerkoff Wyatt. Screams and death.
And Cain. He’d held her. Gotten her out of that nightmare.
She’d wanted him before he’d saved her.
She still wanted him.
They were in the middle of nowhere. Alone. With a big bed just waiting for them.
Why couldn’t she want him? Why shouldn’t she want him?
She kicked away her clothes. Took a minute to survey herself in the mirror.
There was no sound from the other room. He’d better not have changed his mind. A girl just needed a little time to try and get sexy after an all-out hell battle. Was that such a bad thing? Not like it was a crazy urge.
Because . . . he mattered. She wanted it to be right. Special.
He’d be grand lover number four in her life. Didn’t that deserve special fanfare? Eve figured the situation at least called for some non-singed clothes and a non-ash-covered body.
She turned back toward the door. Put her hand on the wood. The drug wasn’t making her body feel limp anymore. No, limp was the last thing she felt right then.
Her nipples were tight. Her sex quivering.
Because Cain was waiting on her.
She opened the door. Naked, she walked to him.
Cain whirled around when the door squeaked open. His face was hard, more menacing than she’d seen it before, and his strong jaw had locked.
But she wasn’t about to lose her nerve. Eve lifted her chin, licked her lips. “I . . . want you, Cain.”
His eyes blazed. Literally blazed with fire. Not dark anymore. Burning bright.
She liked them that way.
Two steps, and he had her. He rushed toward her, took her mouth. Not softly, not lightly anymore. Good. She hadn’t wanted that. Maybe it was the drug leaving her system. Maybe it was the adrenaline. Maybe it was just him.
But she didn’t want easy and soft. She’d had that with the other men. Men who were careful with their touches and too hesitant in the dark. Right then, she wanted passion and she wanted fire.
The real world would intrude soon enough. She got that. For the moment, though, . . . screw off, real world.
She put her arms around him. His chest was bare. He wore a pair of loose jogging pants, pants that had been burned and ripped, and those pants did nothing to conceal the thick length of his arousal.
He pushed her back against the wall. Caged her. He was so . . . hot.
She loved the feel of his hot flesh against her. Actually, she wanted more. A lot more. Even as she kissed him back, matching the wildness of his mouth, her hand slid down his body. Over those rock-hard abs—damn—down to the waistband of his pants. Eve shoved them down. Touched the cock that pushed toward her. Hot silk over leashed power.
So sexy.
What would he taste like?
She stroked him and wanted to find out.
But he was kissing his way down her neck. Oh, his mouth felt good on her. Then he used the edge of his teeth, and her whole body shuddered. “Cain!” She pumped him harder with her hand. Faster.
He pulled away.
What?
His chest heaving, he stared down at her with those burning eyes. In that fire, she just saw need. Raw desire.
Lust.
“On the bed.” His words were thick with the same lust that lit his eyes.
Her knees wanted to tremble as she walked toward the bed. Would sex against the wall have been so bad? She’d never tried that before, maybe—
He didn’t let her make it to the bed. Two more steps, and he pounced. The room spun around her. She blinked, then found herself flat on the mattress. Her legs were parted, dangling over the edge of the bed, and Cain was between them.
“Need to taste . . . have to . . .”
He put his mouth against her. A mouth that was just as warm as the rest of him. Not burning. Heated just . . . right. His tongue licked over her clit. His fingers slid into her. He tasted.
She came.
But he didn’t stop. His fingers plunged inside her, again and again, and he kept licking her. Sucking her flesh. Her body twisted on the bed. Her nipples were aching, and she wanted him to touch them. Wanted him to keep his mouth on her. Wanted—
Another orgasm hit her. She screamed because it snapped right through her, hard enough to steal her breath even as the pleasure crashed over her body.
Then he was rising up. Staring at her with a face that could have been carved from stone. He positioned his cock between her legs. Took her hands. Twined his fingers with hers.
“I’ve been waiting for you . . .”
She blinked, then shook her head, sure that she’d misunderstood. He couldn’t have just said those words. They didn’t make any sense but . . .
I feel like I’ve been waiting for him, too.
“No diseases,” he growled. “I can’t . . . get . . .”
No, he wouldn’t. From what she’d seen, the guy healed from everything when he burned and rose once more. She was on birth control, so pregnancy wasn’t an issue for her.
Want him.
“Eve?”
“Yes . . .” Her whisper. “Cain, come in . . .”
He thrust into her and she forgot everything else. Her legs wrapped around his hips. Eve arched up against him. She’d never been filled this way before. Completely. Totally. This wasn’t just sex.
Possession.
Heat.
Need.
Pleasure.
Every stroke had the sensitive inner muscles of her sex clenching. Aftershocks of release still hummed through her, and the withdrawal and thrust of his aroused flesh just made those aftershocks feel stronger.
Deeper, harder, he thrust.
Her heels dug into his ass. “More.” Her greedy gasp.
He gave her more. The bed jerked beneath then. The headboard rammed into the wall.
He kept giving her more.
Her sex was slick and eager, and Cain slid in deeper. She couldn’t come again—wait, was she still coming? Eve couldn’t tell. There was too much pleasure. Pleasure that didn’t end. It rippled through her body, spiking and rolling, and she cried out his name.
And felt him erupt inside her. His eyes were on her when he came, and those eyes—the flames flared brighter. The heat from his body raged.
Then he kissed her.
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So did she.
Eve slept beside him, her slender body naked, pale in the growing light.
Carefully, Cain began to inspect her flesh. He couldn’t remember enough of what had happened—there’d only been a storm of need inside him. Lust that had broken free.
He’d never let his control shatter like that before.
Once, so long ago, he’d seen what had happened to a human when his power flared too hot during sex. The woman with him had screamed when blisters appeared on her arms.
His touch had been too hot.
He’d been too hot.
She’d screamed and shoved away from him, but he’d been so horrified by what he’d done he had leaped back. He’d seen the red imprints on her flesh. The perfect match to his fingertips.
He’d been so careful after that. Holding tight to his control. Never letting go. Surviving on sips of pleasure only.
Not with Eve.
He’d known she could handle any fire he sent her way, and he’d taken every last bit of pleasure that he could.
Her skin was flawless. No blisters. No burns.
But then, he’d seen the flames come toward her at Genesis. They’d burned over her flesh, but never actually hurt her.
What are you?
She’d said she couldn’t create fire, but was that another lie? He couldn’t trust her, wouldn’t.
But he sure as hellfire wanted her again.
He could easily grow addicted to Eve Bradley, and that addiction would be a very dangerous thing.
For him.
Especially for her. She didn’t seem to understand just how dangerous it was for him to want her. His desire could be deadly.
His fingers slid down the curve of her back. She wasn’t warm like him. Slightly cool to the touch, her flesh was so silken and smooth. Touching her seemed to . . . soothe him.
He wasn’t the type to want soothing.
He pulled away from her when his instincts told him to pull her closer. He dressed, yanking on extra clothes that he kept stored at the cabin.
Then he headed toward the door and didn’t look back.
CHAPTER FIVE
He’d left her. Eve had realized that fun fact about, oh, four hours ago. When she’d woken up alone, naked, and cold.
He’d given her a good orgasm—or three. Four? Showing a girl a good time did not mean that the guy could just waltz out the door when she shut her eyes for a minute. Talk about being an inconsiderate jackass.
When she got her hands on him . . .
The door to the cabin flew open. She whirled around. Weapon! She needed a—
Cain stood in the doorway.
Her eyes narrowed to slits. She still needed a weapon. Maybe a lamp to throw at his thick head so he’d get that a guy wasn’t supposed to desert a lady right after mind-blowing sex.
Even paranormals could do some pillow talk.
“Where were you?” Eve demanded then realized she sounded like some really angry girlfriend. Crap.
Wow. Not me. She’d never done the angry scene before. She guessed there was a first time for everything. Jack. Ass.
Cain lifted the object he was holding. “I went back for this. Thought you might want it. You were sure clinging to it tight enough back in Wyatt’s office.”
Wyatt’s laptop. Eve flew across the room and grabbed it. Okay, so it was black with soot and ash, kinda dinged up, but it didn’t look too bad. No, actually, it looked so good and sweet—evidence!—that she almost kissed it.
She rushed away from him, and sat down at the small table, and opened the laptop. Yes, yes, the power hummed right on and then—
“You’re welcome,” Cain drawled from behind her.
She heard the door shut. Her cheeks flushed, and she glanced over her shoulder at him. He stood in front of the door with his hands crossed over his chest. Sometimes, she got a little too carried away with things. He’d gone back for the laptop. That was rather . . . awesome. And kinda sweet. Eve forced herself to turn away from the laptop and rise slowly to face Cain. “Thank you.” She needed that laptop. It was proof. Well, it was her proof, and so was Cain. Living, breathing, talking proof.
His gaze dropped to her mouth. “Thank me with a kiss.”
She could feel her flush getting deeper.
“It wasn’t easy to get it, either. Local cops are swarming that place, and I had to crawl through the rubble left behind in order to find it.” He took a step toward her. One. Then another. Stalking her. His gaze was on her face as he said, “I figure a kiss is the least I deserve for that little prize.”
Kissing him wasn’t exactly a hardship for her. She wet her lips. His eyes weren’t blazing—a good thing—they were back to being dark and intense. But she could still see the lust in his stare.
Her heart began to race faster. “A kiss . . . seems fair to me.” If he had been there when she woke up, she would have given him a whole lot more than just a kiss good morning.
Since he’d left to retrieve the laptop for her, Eve figured she could forgive the guy. The laptop was way more important than pillow talk.
She had her priorities. Most days.
So she was the one that closed the distance between them. The one to lift her hands and curl them around his neck. He was still warm to the touch, but not as hot as he’d been before. Eve rose onto her toes as his head lowered toward her.
The kiss was easy, light. Exploring.
At first.
Then she caught his lower lip between her teeth. Tugged gently. Nipped.
He shuddered against her.
The kiss stopped being so easy and light.
His tongue thrust into her mouth. His hands settled on her ass and lifted her right up against his cock. Ah, he was definitely responding to the kiss. So was she. Her nipples were getting tight and heavy. She’d wanted his mouth on them last night. Maybe now he could—
Cain’s head lifted. “How do you smell so good?”
What? She blinked at him.
“Sweet, light,” he said, eyes narrowing as they swept over. “Like candy.”
Oh. Ahem. She cleared her throat. “That’s the soap I use.” Soap. Shampoo. Body lotion. She’d gotten some big kit last Christmas, and she used it all the time. Eve couldn’t remember the name, something like peppermint dreams or—
“It makes me want to lick you all over.”
That didn’t sound like such a bad plan to her. “Will I get a turn?” Her voice lowered as she asked. Licking him would be pretty damn fantastic.
But he stiffened and pushed her away. Eve’s brows lowered, and she shook her head. In her limited experience, guys didn’t turn down offers like the one she’d just made. Guys jumped on those offers. “Cain?”
He’d spun away from her and was at the window, peeking out through the thin curtains. “Company.”
She didn’t hear anything, but she still hurried to his side. Okay, she didn’t see anything, either. “Are you sure?”
“Two cars. Police. They’re searching the area. I thought we’d have more time . . .” He grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the window. “We’re leaving. Now.”
So in addition to being a literal firepower, the guy had super senses, too. She’d known that he’d heard her and Wyatt through that so-called soundproof glass, but now he was just being extra impressive.
Eve hurried over to the laptop. A new screen was up—one that asked for a password. Like a password request would stop her. She knew people—or rather, one very smart guy in particular—who could work around pretty much any tech code out there.
“Hurry, Eve.”
She turned back to him. She was wearing an old shirt that she’d found in his closet, one that she’d belted to make look like a rather unstylish dress. She had on her shoes, and after a shower, she looked semi—
“Eve.”
Right. Screw beauty. She hurried after him. They jumped into the truck and rushed down a dirt road. She looked back behind them as Cain hauled ass, but still didn’t see anyone. “If Genesis is dead, why are we running?”
“Because cops and I damn well don’t mix.” He was flooring the truck, sending it bouncing along the road and hurtling down the mountain.
She yanked on her seat belt. “We’re the innocent ones here. Wyatt was the one who—”
His cold laughter stopped her. “Baby, I’ve never been innocent a day in my life.”
Eve could believe that. Actually, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to know about all the things he’d done.
“When you do your big report on Genesis and that prick Wyatt, do me one favor . . .” Cain slanted a fast glance her way even as he punched the gas harder. “Leave my name out of it.”
“But—but what he did to you . . .” She’d seen it with her own eyes. “They killed you. Tortured you.” He deserved justice for that. People should know his story.
“Not like it’s the first time for any of that.” Cain’s voice was growing colder, but the truck was still going just as fast. “So tell your story, but leave me the hell out of it. The last thing I want is any attention from the media—or the humans.”
Her hand tightened around the seat belt strap that crossed her shoulder. “Okay.” She figured he deserved that protection. He’d hauled her butt out of the fire. She’d keep his name out of her story. Subject Thirteen. That was all he’d be to the people who read about the nightmare of Genesis.
Except . . .
“I’d like to know, though,” Eve told him. His profile was so strong. Hard. Had he really burned for her just minutes before? No, she’d burned for him. She was still aroused. Aching. She was very worried Cain might be ruining her for other men. “What are you?”
He didn’t answer at first, and she didn’t think that he would. But after a time, he said, “I’m the devil.”
A chill skated down her spine because he sounded so . . . serious. She shook her head. “No, you’re not. You’re just—” Trying to scare me. But she didn’t say those words.
In this world, anything could be possible, Eve knew that. If vamps could live forever, was there really a limit to what other beings could exist?
“I’ve killed,” he told her in a voice devoid of emotion. “Tortured far worse than Wyatt ever could.”
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