“Veronica,” he said, his voice now more a growl than anything else.
Her insides fluttered at the sound.
She raised a brow and was rewarded when he stepped forward and pulled her hard against him.
This time when he placed his mouth on her, she could feel the urgency, the raw hunger that waited for her there. Instead of being scared, she dove in head first, wrestling his tongue with hers.
Jace lifted her with ease. She wrapped her legs around his middle and was surprised with the large girth that pressed against her hot center.
“Jesus,” she said. She pulled away and groaned.
Veronica moved over him a little as he trailed kisses down her neck to the tops of her breasts.
“I think that’s my line,” he mumbled.
She glanced down at his face between her breasts and was rewarded with a wicked grin.
The stubble from his face grazed her chest, and she leaned her head back to give him more of her to kiss. Veronica wrapped her hands around the back of his head and scraped her nails though his hair.
She jumped when he nipped the tender skin and then soothed it with his tongue.
Veronica moved over the hard length in his pants, pressing him hard against her center.
“More,” she moaned.
The world swayed, and for a moment, she wasn’t quite sure what was happening until her feet were being placed on the ground and her ass against the back of the couch.
She stared up at him, not knowing what was expected until his fingers grazed the button on her pants.
They were really doing this.
Any hint of a thought of saying no slipped from her mind as she continued to stare at him. She was supposed to be rational and level-headed. Sure, she didn’t believe in love at first sight, but she sure as hell believed in animal magnetism. She gave a small nod.
Jace knelt down and unsnapped the button on her pants. He watched as she wiggled her soft hips a little and helped to slide them down her legs, helping the pants fall to the floor.
His hands ran over the smooth skin at her thighs. Little goosebumps formed in his wake.
A small hand came to rest against his arm, and Jace looked up from where he was.
“Your turn,” she said, her voice soft and husky.
Jace stood to his full height and stared down at her. His gaze locked on her, he lifted his shirt and flung it over his shoulders. Veronica raked her gaze over his chest and licked her lips. His dick pressed hard against his zipper, begging to get let out.
He leaned in to kiss her but was stopped with her hand against his chest. “You aren’t finished.”
She ran her hands slowly over the tense muscles of his chest until she reached his zipper. Veronica pulled down, and he sprang out, thick and ready.
“Well,” she hummed. “I didn’t expect that.”
Her soft fingers traced over his throbbing cock. A small bit of cum leaked from the head as she rubbed it around the head.
“Veronica,” he groaned and placed a hand on the couch. He gripped it with such force that he could hear it creak under the pressure.
“Shush,” she whispered and dropped to her knees. “I’m busy.”
Jace nearly choked when she drew all of him into her mouth at once. He’d expected she might lick the head or maybe even stroke him, but being in her all at once, he nearly lost his load.
“Fuck,” he grunted as he stared down at her.
Her lips wrapped around him as she stared back up at him. He could see she knew just what she was doing. A small smile played at the corners of her mouth.
Veronica leaned back a little, still keeping his head in her mouth and then leaned forward again, pressing him even deeper this time.
He groaned loudly as his cock reached the back of her throat, and she swallowed, constricting her muscles around him.
She was going to fucking kill him before they had even started.
Jace was thankful when she pulled back again and began moving over him. This time she used moderate strokes.
He looked down and found her gaze still fixed on him.
There was no way in hell he was going to last long like this, and there was no way in hell he was going to come early.
Jace pulled back, and she frowned at him.
“Did I do—”
With lightning-quick speed, he had her off the floor and bent over the couch. Veronica glanced at him from over his shoulder.
He reached down and stroked her through her wet panties. She turned back around and moaned loudly. “More.”
It was all he needed. Jace tore her panties from her and placed his aching cock at her wet center. He slowly pushed until he had seated himself all the way in. Veronica reached around and unsnapped her bra.
“I think I better get that,” she said. “I actually like this one.”
Jace frowned. Part of him liked taking her clothes off, but all was forgotten when he leaned forward to fondle her heavy breasts. They filled his palms, and he felt himself grow even more inside her. His hips moved, and she met him as he did.
Damn, she fit him like a fucking glove. Her soft warm center enveloped him with each thrust.
“Harder,” she panted.
Jace sped up. His own release wasn’t far away. Still, he had to make her come undone first.
He lightly pinched her nipples as his hips slapped into her, her firm ass slamming back into him as he did.
“Fuck,” he grunted. “I’m really close.”
Veronica wrapped her hand around the one he held at her breast.
“Me too,” she whispered.
He could feel it then. The flutter from deep inside her. The part that urged him to plunge in deeper and deeper.
The wet sounds of their sex filled the room.
Jace let go of her breasts and reached between her legs to rub the tender nub there. Her orgasm crashed around him. Her inside griped him like a vice, and she shook all over as her breathing seemed to almost stop.
He let go now, but still slammed hard and fast into her, hoping to prolong her own orgasm as he found his own.
One last time he thrust into her and shouted as hot cum raced out of him, filling every bit of her.
Exhausted, he pulled himself from her center and then lifted her into his arms. He loved how she instantly wrapped her arms around his neck.
She gave a sleepy smile.
“Not bad,” she said and sighed.
Jace frowned as he carried her into his bed. “Not bad?”
She smiled and nodded.
Jace stopped beside the bed and dropped her there. “Not bad?”
She nibbled her bottom lip and scooted back a little on the bed.
Jace grinned down at her as he started to stalk her across the bed. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to try harder,” he said. “Maybe take my time.”
He raised a brow. Her breath hitched.
“Now I wonder how many times I can make you come in an hour,” he said. “I think we should find out.”
His hand shot out to grab her foot. He pulled her closer to him, ready to show her now much better than “not bad” he could be.
Chapter Fifteen
It had been such a great night. They had spent most of the time learning more about one another’s bodies between naps. When morning arrived, he made them eggs. She could even say they were some of the best she’d ever tasted. Just enough seasoning, cooked just long enough.
Then everything fell apart. It all started with a loud knock on the door after breakfast. She watched from the couch as Jace headed to the door.
When he answered the door, Marcus and Magnus stood there, grim-faced.
“There’s been another report of an animal attack,” Magnus said. “Even closer to town. Don’t know much more, as the locals are still dealing with the aftermath of the storm and haven’t been able to really check it out from what the news said.”
“So?” Jace said, irritation clearly set on his face.
&n
bsp; “So we have a good chance to take this thing out without too many humans around,” Marcus said. “We can end this.”
She didn’t like the way he said “humans.” Did they really think of themselves as that different from normal people? Maybe just Marcus felt that way. The way Jace had acted last night didn’t suggest he disliked non-hybrids.
“And that means what?” Jace said.
“The Glycon has her scent,” Magnus said. “We just have to get over to the area, and he’ll come to us. Then we can finish him off.”
“No fucking way!” Jace thundered. “That’s too damn dangerous.”
She winced from her seat on the couch. None of the men looked her way.
“Well, she’s our best chance at finding the thing and catching it off-guard,” Magnus sighed.
Her irritation only grew the longer they continued to talk about her like she wasn’t even in the same room. This was getting ridiculous.
“No,” Jace said more firmly. “I’m not going to put her in danger like that.”
Marcus stepped forward and snorted. “Well, you’re not the one that gets to make that call.”
Finally! She didn’t like Marcus, but she respected the fact that he realized she was an adult woman and could make her own choices, even if they involved danger.
“Well,” Jace said, “if you think Rem is going to make that call…”
That was it.
Veronica let out a large snort and shot off the couch. “Oh, come on.” She stared down the somewhat surprised men who had finally decided to look her way.
They all exchanged quick glances before returning their attention to her.
“First of all,” she said and pinned Jace with a look she was fairly certain would peel paint off the wall, “no one makes any decisions for me.”
“But—”
Her hand snapped up to cut him off. The last thing she wanted was to establish that Jace had any control over what she did. Just because they’d screwed didn’t mean he owned her.
“I have been working for six years collecting data for my project,” she said firmly. “There isn’t one of you here who could keep me from getting the last results I need. I don’t care if I have to get into a fist fight with a Glycon to get it. Understand?”
“But—”
“Secondly, if that thing is out there on the loose, we’re going to need all the help we can get. My equipment could save lives,” she said. “I’m sure of it.”
Marcus snorted. “That sound fence thing you told Jace about before?”
“Yeah.”
“It didn’t stop the Glycon the other night. It probably couldn’t even hear it.”
Jace shook his head and sighed. “When she turned it on, it was annoying. It wasn’t super-strong, and it was just at the edge of my hearing, but I definitely felt it. Still, that doesn’t mean it’ll work for the Glycon.”
Magnus furrowed his brow. “Some Glycons senses are better than hybrids on average, even if individual hybrids have better overall and frequency range. It could work.” He looked over at her. “If you could change things.”
Veronica glanced between the men. “It was just a low-power test. I mostly wanted to deter animals only if they were almost on top of the meat. I can scale it up, and the transmitters are directional, so I can do a lot to make it affect a bigger but specific area.”
Jace stared at her. His eyes filled with worry.
“This is dangerous,” he said quietly.
She nodded. It was dangerous. “But so is doing nothing,” she said. “I’ve seen the kind of carnage that the Glycon can cause.” She shuddered. “And I have a duty to the people here.”
She willed him to understand that she needed to do this. It might not have been why she got into the field, but protecting people from the dangers of the woods was a part of that.
She had a real chance to make a difference here. It didn’t matter that people would never know. The only important thing was protecting innocent lives: both animal and human.
Veronica blinked. She’d been so focused on the Glycon. Something the crazy woman from the cult said jumped to the front of her mind.
Before she’d encountered the monster, it was easy for her to treat Anassa’s words as the insane rants of a deluded nut job. Now that she knew she was dealing with hybrids and Glycons, it was hard to dismiss stranger possibilities out of hand.
“Is there anything else in the woods?” she asked. “Something more dangerous than the Glycon?”
The men looked from one another and then back to her. She didn’t like how they managed to look even more worried than before. The way things were working out, she wouldn’t have been half-surprised if they told her a dragon was prowling the county.
“Have you seen something else?” Magnus asked, tension in his voice.
She shook her head and smiled. “No, it’s just that I met with the Azilians before I met with you.”
Concern popped on the faces of all three men.
“Why?” Marcus said, his eyes narrowed, the suspicion on his face plain.
She rolled her eyes. “Because I was looking into animal disappearances, and I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t people involved with them.”
“And?” Jace asked.
“Well, there was something the leader of the Azilians said to me.” She shrugged. “Something about a greater danger. A darkness.” She gave a small laugh. “Crazy stuff, I’m sure. She was really weird.”
Her breath caught as she remembered the blue she’d thought she’d seen under the woman’s hood. Perhaps Anassa was a hybrid too.
All three men looked at her as if she’d just sprouted wings. Her heart kicked up as she realized they weren’t looking at her like they thought she was crazy. Instead, it was more like fear mixed with shock.
“Why didn’t you say something sooner about this?” Jace asked.
She shrugged. “I thought she was just trying to scare me,” she said, trying to keep any fear out of her voice. She didn’t like the idea that a group of super-human men looked so concerned. “Does it mean something to you?”
“Not necessarily.” Magnus shook his head. “It might not be the same thing we’ve dealt with before.”
“And what was that?” She bit her lip. “Something worse than the Glycon?”
Magnus shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. We have more immediate problems.” He looked over to Marcus and Jace. “We need to deal with what’s in front of us first.”
Jace nodded, but she could see the worry didn’t leave his face. The sight of it made her stomach twist. He didn’t want to tell her, but there was something worse out there, and at this point, she didn’t even know if she could fathom it.
Magnus gestured to Jace and Veronica. “You two get the device and see what you can do. We’ll investigate the Glycon. Maybe if it’s out there still, we’ll be able to draw it away from you. I don’t care how tough it is, two hybrids will be able to take it out.”
Jace pressed his lips into a firm line. “Fine,” he said stiffly.
The two other men nodded to them both and stepped out the door. The instant they were alone, Jace turned to face her.
“How the hell am I supposed to keep you safe if you go trotting off into the woods?”
She wanted to be annoyed, but she also could understand where he was coming from. It wasn’t exactly like she was eager to throw herself into harm’s way. But she had no choice.
She sighed loudly and stepped over to him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“You don’t have to keep me safe,” she said. “This is my choice.”
She could feel him shake his head.
“You’re wrong,” he said quietly. “You’re the only thing I need to keep safe.”
His words echoed through her mind. It was more than she was expecting and certainly more than she wanted to hear.
Veronica stepped back slightly and gave him a small smile.
“And I need to protect the
people of the town,” she said. “You said we can’t get the police or other people involved. I understand that, I do, but this is something I can do to help people and save lives.”
Jace stared at her for a moment and then nodded. She could tell he still didn’t agree but was willing to do what she needed.
“Now let’s get out there and see if my equipment works,” she said excitedly.
She would have thought after the events of last night that she wouldn’t be so eager, but it was now daylight, which afforded her more safety. The storm had passed as well.
Her gaze flicked over to Jace as he laced up his shoes.
Although she had feelings for him, she wrestled with what they were inside her head. Her heart pulled toward him. She’d never experienced such intense feelings before, but her brain told her not to overthink them. Falling in love was just a series of chemical reactions.
Jace stood from tying his shoes and walked to the door. Veronica shook her head. Now was not the time to think about just who he was to her. Right now, she had a job to do.
Chapter Sixteen
The occasional bird chirp or animal scurrying through the snow provided the only creature noises as Jace and Veronica walked through the woods toward her equipment. That didn’t stop Jace from being a tad more cautious than he normally might be. He’d already let the Glycon sneak up on him once. That wasn’t going to happen again.
Again, an annoying buzzing floated at the edge of his hearing range, not enough to be painful, but more than enough to be distracting. They were close now to Veronica’s little test site. Very close.
He kept a deliberate pace, listening for any heavy breathing, growls, or distant roars and doing his best to ignore the equipment’s noise. If he could be this near without being overwhelmed by the sound, so could the Glycon. He hoped that it still was distracted enough to give him an advantage, even without her modifications.
Veronica tromped forward, huffing. “Would you hurry up? It’s going to be Easter by the time we get there.”
Jace hid the smile he felt coming on. This was no time to find her little quirks amusing. A ruthless enemy waited for them, and he needed to keep his concentration to protect her.
Jace: #6 (Luna Lodge: Hunters of Atlas) Page 8