“And from you,” Ryder acknowledged. “But I’m not talking about David. This is about you.”
He kept himself deliberately calm, projecting only love and concern. But it wasn’t enough to keep the anger from rising up in her.
“You’re interfering in my professional life, Ryder. Do you expect me to run away from my responsibilities? To change who I am just because I’m your wife now—”
“Or maybe because it could just as easily be you in that hospital bed instead of Maggie,” he shot back, his calm evaporating in the face of her attack.
Ryder could tell he’d shaken her with that statement. She ran her hand over her belly, the gesture becoming routine with her, as if she had to touch the baby, feel it, to confirm it was really there.
He cradled her face in his hands, bent, and brushed a kiss across her lips before she could protest. He knew she wouldn’t want a display of affection here where they were still tied to her work, but he had to make his point in the most powerful way he could.
“You are the single most important thing to me,” he whispered against her lips. “I need you to take care of yourself the same way you take care of everyone else.”
Her soft sigh of acquiescence washed across his lips and she returned his kiss, giving herself over to him for a brief moment before pulling away.
“I should go see the ME. Talk to him about the time of death and—”
Ryder laid a finger across her lips and shook his head. “Dead is dead, darlin’. Your victim isn’t going anywhere, and you won’t be of any use in the morning if you don’t get some rest.”
That she was more tired than she let on was confirmed by her reluctant nod. “Okay. Let’s go home,” she said, and slipped her hand into his.
Together they walked out of the hospital. He raised a hand and waved over the car he had waiting. As the sleek black sedan pulled to the curb, Diana arched a brow, but eased inside.
He climbed in beside her, hit a button, and instructed the driver, “Take us home, please.”
“This is new,” she said, tucking herself against his side, accepting the comfort of his nearness.
“I thought it might be tough to get a cab.” He wrapped his arm around her, enjoying the weight of her against him. He felt the press of her breasts and fought the desire that quickly blossomed, overshadowing his initial offer of comfort.
He swatted the desire away like a pesky gnat. She was way too tired for anything like that. A quick peek revealed she had already drifted off to sleep. Peace had settled over her features, and the sight of her small hand resting slack against his chest caused his heart to constrict with love.
Such peaceful moments were too rare in their lives, and the sight of that hand, petite and so trusting, reminded him of all he could lose in the blink of an eye.
In the late-night traffic, the ride home was blessedly short, but as the car pulled in to the curb, she was still asleep. He hated the thought of waking her, so he managed to get her out of the car without doing so, or maybe she was just that exhausted. He rode the elevator with her in his arms, and inside their condo took her straight up to their bedroom.
She barely stirred as he laid her on the bed and stripped off her coat, suit jacket, and shoulder holster with its nasty-looking gun. He slipped off her boots and pants, then paused to run his hand over the soft swell of her baby belly.
Such a miracle, he thought, splaying his hand across the pronounced mound. He smiled at a small movement beneath her skin, and the push of life registered against his vamp senses.
She stirred, and her lips curved up in a barely there smile. “Sneaking a feel, are you?” she said, her voice sleep-husky.
“Hell, no.” He chuckled and lay down beside her while shifting his hand upward over her bra to strum along her nipple, which beaded instantly at his touch. “That’s sneaking a feel.”
Her smile broadened and she cracked open one eyelid. “You don’t play fair.”
“No playing tonight. You need your rest, and I’m saving myself for a morning quickie,” he teased, playfully tapping his finger across her chin.
She wrinkled her nose and muttered, “I’ll expect more than a quickie, mister.”
He laughed and wrapped his arm around her waist to tuck her tight to his side. “Then you better get lots of rest,” he warned.
She snuggled closer, and an unintelligible murmur escaped her before her slow and regular breathing told him she had drifted off again.
Mission accomplished. He was grateful he’d been able to get her home and in bed with minimal resistance. Her health was fragile at best. The pregnancy had created some issues, while staving off others. He worried that the stress and long hours of her job would push her into a downward spiral once more.
If some lunatic from one of her cases didn’t get to her first.
As he had told her earlier, it could just as easily have been her attacked and in the hospital bed, not Maggie.
In all the years they had been together, he had convinced himself he could handle Diana risking her life. That it didn’t weigh on him each time she walked out the door and he wondered if she would return in one piece. But now there was the baby to consider, and although she might not like it, he intended to make sure they both stayed safe.
Chapter Four
David slipped the key into the lock, opened the door, and rolled into Maggie’s apartment.
It was like rolling back in time.
Little had changed in the months since he’d moved out, but then again, Maggie was a creature of habit. He’d been the one cluttering her world with his things. Cluttering her world with his useless body.
He closed the door behind him and continued into the condo, bracing himself for when he had to enter the bedroom. He hesitated at that threshold, his gut clenching with pain.
Gritting his teeth, he pushed onward, ignoring the king-sized bed they’d bought when they’d decided to live together. Maggie was tall as he had been and they both had liked the extra space. They’d made good use of it when they’d made love before…
He shoved aside thoughts of them together and what it had been like before and after his injuries. Why remember what he could no longer have?
Idiot, said the little voice in his head.
Maggie had always been there, waiting for him. Hoping he’d get over his pride and be the man he had once been. Strong. Determined.
But it wasn’t in him anymore, he thought and wheeled over to her dresser and yanked fresh underwear from a drawer before going to the closet for a fresh blouse and slacks. He dropped all the items on his lap then went back to the living room and the closet there. He opened it and found her gym bag where it always was. He grabbed it, emptied out her workout clothes, and shoved the clean items in so he could head back to the hospital.
It would be hours before they’d release Maggie, but he intended to be there for her just as she’d been there for him in all the months after his injury.
He’d failed her at the end. Refused to believe that their love was strong enough to survive.
He still couldn’t believe, but he could be there for her.
Help her in whatever way she could.
It was the least he could do for breaking her heart.
…
Diana woke to a chill in her body and the bite of the early winter air along the parts of her skin not covered by the comforter.
She actually welcomed the cold against the heat of her flesh. In the last month, the pregnancy had turned her into a blast furnace, bringing waves of warmth through her body. She had even stripped off the rest of her clothes during the middle of the night in an effort to cool off.
Ryder wrapped his arms around her and spooned against her back, the hard ridge of his morning erection nestled along her bottom.
She smiled and wiggled her hips, inviting him to play and fulfill the promise he had made last night.
He nuzzled the side of her face, dropping a kiss there. “Good morning, darlin’. Are you f
eeling up to a little morning lovin’?”
She slipped her hand between their bodies and stroked the length of him. “Doesn’t feel little to me.”
He chuckled and drifted his hand down to her center. With sure movements, he slipped it between her thighs to caress her there, rubbing and pressing until she parted her legs to give him greater access.
“Mmm. That feels good,” she said, eyes still closed as she lingered in that dream-like zone between sleep and wakefulness. But it was impossible to stay there when he eased his fingers into her and brought his other hand around to caress her breasts.
A rough cry of need ripped from her. He kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear and whispered, “Easy, darlin’. I won’t leave you wanting.”
No, he wouldn’t. He never left her wanting, physically or emotionally. Sometimes it was hard to handle…when she wasn’t as accommodating of his wishes.
But those thoughts flew out of her mind as he slid into her from behind. The friction and pressure of his cock filling her dragged a moan of pleasure from her. As he moved within her, played with her nipples, each little touch stoking the heat inside her, she allowed herself just to feel and enjoy all that he was to her.
All that they shared together.
The pleasure built between them. Stronger. More demanding. Until the first spark of their release flamed bright and the fire grew ever higher and rougher. They moved together, seeking the peak. Then the conflagration swept over them, its heat searing through them.
Ryder’s harsh breath bathed the side of her face as with one final push he came, and wrapped his arms tight around her. He said her name with such need, it melted the edges of her heart.
“I’m here, Ryder. I’ll always be here for you,” she returned, stroking her hands across the quivering muscles of his arms as they held her. She shifted her hips one last time then surrendered to her release and his embrace.
Afterward, they lay there for long moments, joined together, Ryder surrounding her with his arms and bigger body. His presence provided immense comfort and a sense of security.
He was warm, which meant his vampire was close to the surface. He hadn’t given her a keeper’s kiss in weeks. It hadn’t been necessary. The cells that had been slowly killing her had abated during her pregnancy.
Since he usually fed in other ways, and they’d only recently started the keeper’s kiss, she had never thought about whether he needed it to sustain himself. But something this morning, with this blessedly peaceful fulfilling morning, made her ask.
“Do you want to feed from me, Ryder?”
A low, fierce growl erupted from him and his body shuddered behind her. Still inside, his erection jerked and flared back to life, pulling a soft cry from her.
“Don’t ask me that, darlin’,” he said, the rumble of the beast coloring his voice.
“Too late,” she said, and because she had to see his face, she broke away and turned in his embrace.
The bright neon gaze of the vampire traveled over her face and down her body. His lethally sharp fangs had burst past his upper lip and gleamed in the rose-colored light of morning.
She cradled his jaw and ran her thumb across his lips, dancing it across his fangs. “Tell me, Ryder. Do you need to feed?”
…
A flood of emotions washed over Ryder, chief amongst them fear. He always feared that one day he would not be able to stop himself when he fed from her. That he’d turn her, unintentionally. The fear had grown exponentially with her failing health and the new life flourishing within her body.
“Need and want are two different things. But yes, I want to,” he answered honestly.
She shifted upward then, her gaze locked on his before drifting down to his fangs. Leaning forward, she fearlessly brushed her lips against his and whispered, “You’d tell me if you really needed it?”
“Just as I hope you’d tell me if you do, Diana. You’ve been feeling better, haven’t you?”
“A bit better,” she admitted, although inside her there was still that core of awful weakness that every now and then uncoiled to send its icy tendrils through her, chilling her and draining her of strength. Its reach had abated somewhat with the pregnancy, but only time would tell if it would awaken to sap her life again.
“You’d let me know if—”
“I’d let you know, my love,” she said quickly, and kissed him again, trying to erase his concern with the strength of her kiss.
His low growl vibrated through her body, needy and full of want for something other than her blood.
She responded, hiking her thigh over his hip and taking him in again. Giving him all that she could of herself, body and soul.
The release this time was even more powerful, ripping through them and stealing their breath away. Leaving them shaking and holding each other tightly as the peace of the morning faded and the day came alive with the early noises of the city.
From beside the bed her cell phone rattled against the wood of the nightstand, reminding her she had to rise and deal with last night’s incident. She reached over Ryder to snare the phone. Caller ID identified the call as coming from the ME’s office.
She glanced at the clock. Too early.
This couldn’t be good.
Chapter Five
Maggie woke to the feel of David’s hand in hers, the warmth of it comforting. Reassuring.
After he’d left last night, her mind had raced with all kinds of thoughts and ideas about what had happened. Disjointed dreams and ideas that made no sense, and that her logical, scientific mind had been unable to process.
Much as logic and science could never explain why the simple feel of his hand in hers could bring such peace.
She held onto that, keeping her eyes closed. Keeping away the day and all she would have to face.
“You can’t fake sleep for much longer,” David said, a hint of humor coloring the observation.
She smiled, but didn’t open her eyes. “You know I’m not a morning person.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said, some of the playfulness leaving his voice. “How are you feeling?”
She finally opened her eyes and looked at him. He looked tired, as if he’d had little sleep. Then it hit her. “You were here all night.”
He gave an uneasy shift of his shoulders. “I couldn’t leave you here alone. I know you’re not a fan of hospitals.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I’m not. I guess that’s why I chose forensics.” She’d discovered as a resident that she much preferred dealing with the dead and finding out how they’d gotten that way. She hadn’t done so well at interacting with living, breathing people.
Just as she hadn’t been able to deal with what had happened to David. Or between her and David.
“Thank you for being here,” she told him softly.
“It’s the least I could do, Mags.”
She didn’t want to hear about leasts. She had always wanted mosts from him. The most understanding. The most happiness. The most loved. She still did. But now was not the time for that discussion.
“I want to go to the office,” she said as she slipped her hand from his and sat up. The air cast rubbed against her skin, reminding her of her whole predicament.
“You need to rest. You’ve had a trauma—”
“That I can’t explain, David. That makes no goddamn sense,” she shot back irritably. “I can’t just sit back and do nothing about it.”
He jerked back as if struck, and she realized belatedly how her critical words must have sounded. How condemning of what he’d done after he’d been injured. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you,” she said, but knew there was no taking back the words.
“It’s okay, Maggie. You’re right, but sitting around is all I can do now.” He held up his hands as if to say, You see? Here’s what I am.
“David—”
“Fuck it, Maggie. I have to get to the office, too. So get dressed and let’s go. You’ve got things to do, places to be, and my desk is wai
ting for me to go and sit around.”
…
With as many bullets as Diana had fired into the animal that had attacked Maggie, she’d hoped animal control would have located a carcass somewhere close to their crime scene.
It hadn’t happened. Animal control had followed the trail for some distance through the park, but lost it when the beast had apparently exited onto Central Park South. Given the late hour and the isolated area, there hadn’t been any witnesses to provide a clue as to which direction the animal had gone. She would have to arrange to have any images from the webcam feeds in the area sent to her for review.
Even more puzzling was the ME’s initial report. He had isolated at least four different blood samples at the crime scene. One had been from the victim herself, a twenty-eight-year-old investment banker who should have invested in some forethought before going for a jog late at night in Central Park.
The second sample had been from Maggie, whose wounds had bled onto the victim and other areas of the crime scene.
That left two other blood samples. Given the shooting of the animal, that was clearly one source.
The last, unknown, specimen was the most troubling. The ME’s report indicated that traces of that blood were present in the bite wounds on the victim’s body, along with matching saliva. Those wounds had likely caused the victim’s death.
Unlike what Maggie and she had hoped, the mutilation of the woman’s body had not occurred post-mortem. That would explain, in part, the large amount of blood running down the incline at the scene. It hadn’t just been gravity.
With a grimace, Diana pinned the photos they had taken onto the murder boards. Beside them she placed the initial photos from the ME.
A knock came at the door to the war room where she had started to assemble the murder boards in anticipation of proceeding with their investigation.
She turned to find Maggie standing there, freckles standing out against her pale skin. She appeared slightly lost, the air cast on her arm a condemning black poking out from under the edge of her sweater.
“I thought the doctor was sending you home this morning,” Diana said as Maggie gingerly walked in.
Born to Love (The Vampire Reborn Series) (Entangled Ignite) Page 3