by Cynthia Eden
“Aidan—”
“As far as hurting you…” He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Never.”
Unless I become a vamp. Then he’d have to kill me. Worry slid through her. He’d said—
“I don’t like the smell of your fear,” Aidan murmured. “So why don’t we focus on desire?”
She gave a quick nod and he stepped into the shower with her. Immediately, that huge space seemed way, way too small. The water poured down on them from the left and the right, the twin jets sending warm water and steam out as Aidan brought his body against hers. Her hands lifted and curled around his shoulders.
Jane could think of a million reasons why she should not be doing this.
He was a werewolf.
They’d just met.
She wasn’t a risk taker, not when it came to relationships.
And—
Aidan kissed her. Her mouth was open, her lips lightly parted, and his tongue swept right inside. And all the reasons not to do this, not to be with him, faded away. Because all that really mattered was that she wanted him. Wanted him more than she could ever remember wanting anyone else.
The kiss started easily enough. He was sampling. Seducing. She rose onto her toes so that she could get closer to him. Their bodies were slick now, and the long length of his cock pressed against her.
What will he feel like inside of me?
Soon enough, she’d be finding out.
A low growl built in his throat and the kiss became harder. More demanding. She could practically taste his desire, and she loved that wild flavor. Her hands slid down his arms. Down, down…she pushed them between their bodies because she wanted to touch his cock. And as soon as her fingers curled around that broad length, he gave another groan. Rougher. Wilder.
Yes, please, more of that. Was it so wrong that the sound of his lusty growl turned her on?
But he pulled back. No, he pushed her back. Her shoulders brushed against the tiled wall of the shower. Steam was all around them. “Touch me too much…” Aidan warned. “And I won’t get to savor you.”
She wasn’t really about savoring right then. Passion and need were churning inside of her, and she wanted to act—right then—before the feelings stopped. Before sanity came back.
But he bent before her. She felt the light rasp of his breath and then he’d taken her nipple into his mouth. A surge of pure fire raced through Jane and her sex clenched because that licking he was doing—it felt so good. His tongue laved her nipple and, a moment later, she felt the light edge of his teeth. The sensual tug had her arching toward him even as his fingers slid down her stomach. Down and between the spread vee of her thighs.
No fair. I’d wanted to touch him. I’d wanted—
His fingers didn’t push into her. Instead, he stroked over her clit. Touching with sensual skill, a man who knew exactly what he was doing. She was on her toes, biting her lip, her body shuddering, just with a few strokes over her clit. “Aidan!” So close to an orgasm. So incredibly close.
His strokes turned more demanding. Faster. She was going to come like that, Jane knew it. Come just from a few touches of his fingers right over her clit. Never had she done that, not so fast, but she was already on the razor’s edge, and she just wanted, “More!”
His mouth kissed a trail to her other breast. He licked her nipple. His fingers kept strumming her clit.
“Aidan…” It was hard to talk. Her eyes had squeezed closed.
He pushed a finger into her, drove it in deep, then pulled back, his fingers swiping over her once more, rougher, harder.
Her breath caught in her throat.
That finger pushed into her again. Fast. One finger, two, then he pulled back, going toward her clit, spreading the cream from her sex over her as she climaxed on a quick scream, her whole body becoming bow tight in an instant as the wave of release hit her and surged through Jane, rocking her core. Her eyes flew open and she saw him watching her, a faint glow lighting his gaze.
His fingers were still sliding over her, making that orgasm last and last, wringing every last bit of pleasure from her.
“So beautiful,” Aidan whispered.
He made her feel that way.
The pleasure faded and his fingers slid away from her. Her heartbeat drummed in her ears and little aftershocks had her sex contracting every few moments. She felt the delicate inner muscles give a little shiver.
That was good. Better than good. Way better.
He put his fingers to his lips. With his eyes on her, he licked those long fingers, tasting her.
Oh, wow.
“Delicious,” he told her. A muscle flexed in his jaw. “I think I need more.”
She didn’t know—
He picked her up. Moved so fast that the world seemed to spin. His hands were tight around her waist as he knelt before her—and put his mouth on her sex. She was still sensitive from her release and the feel of his mouth on her was almost too much—in a really, really good way. Her fingers sank into his wet hair and she pushed her hips against his mouth. What a wicked, wonderful mouth. She could feel the swirl of his tongue against her. In her. And another climax bore down on her. It should have been impossible to need again that quickly, to have her body aching already, but it was happening.
Actually, if she didn’t stop him, she would be climaxing again any moment. But this time… “I want you, in me,” she said.
He licked her again.
She bit her lip so hard she nearly drew blood. Jane was trying to hold off her second climax because when she came again, she wanted to be riding him. She wanted that hard cock in her as she went insane with her release.
Her fingers tightened on his hair. “Aidan, please.”
He moved again—that way too fast movement that she couldn’t quite follow. A werewolf thing. Then he was in front of her, still holding her against the wall, still lifting her up and acting as if she didn’t weigh a thing.
Supernatural strength.
“My kind…we don’t carry human diseases.”
It took a lust-filled moment for his words to sink in.
“You’re safe…” Aidan added, voice so rough and dark. “With me.”
No condom. She knew exactly what he meant. She’d never gone without a condom before. Never been flesh to flesh with a lover. But Aidan wasn’t like her other lovers. “I’m…ah…on birth control.” It was hard to get those words out. He couldn’t carry diseases, she didn’t have any diseases, and there was no risk of pregnancy.
Do it. Take him in. Skin to skin.
Her head moved in a small nod. His eyes locked on hers. He held her with one hand as he moved to position his cock with the other.
Jane circled his hips with her legs. The broad head of his shaft pushed against her. She sucked in a quick breath.
He drove into her, sinking deep with one strong thrust. He stretched her. He controlled her. He pretty much wrecked her with pleasure. Because when he withdrew and thrust back into her, Jane came. There was no more holding back, she just erupted. Pleasure hit her, and she squeezed the full length of his cock as she rode out that wild wave.
He kept thrusting. “So good, love the way you feel…perfect…Perfect for me.”
In and out.
And then he was coming.
She was still coming. The pleasure just wouldn’t stop. It kept hitting and hitting and every movement of his body inside of her just heightened the intensity of her feelings. Pleasure, pain—they were almost the same. It was just so strong. Incredible.
Freaking fantastic.
Her nails raked over his back. And she kissed his shoulder, hard, trying to muffle her cries. Her mouth opened and she bit him.
“Fuck, yes. I like that.” He was still coming, too. Thrusting hard inside of her and she felt the rush of his release filling her.
For a minute, the pleasure was so strong that she thought she might pass out. And that would be way embarrassing.
So she b
it him again.
He gave that sexy growl and held her even tighter. Jane could hear the frantic pounding of his heartbeat. It was oddly reassuring.
For a time, she just listened to that heartbeat and she let the pleasure course through her.
Never like this. Never.
Then another thought followed…
I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this.
His heartbeat slowed. She became aware of the water then, still hitting them. She blinked groggily as he pulled out of her. Her body protested a bit, clamping down harder because she had enjoyed the hell out of him, but she made herself settle down.
Get your control. One fantastic time in a shower wouldn’t turn her into a sex fiend. Maybe.
Her legs slid down his body. He took a step back. For a moment, her legs nearly buckled as her knees did a little jiggle, but he wrapped a hand around her waist, steadying her. “I’ve got you.” His words were a deep rumble.
She looked up at him.
His touch seemed to scorch her. He was touching her on her right side. His fingers were on her scar, the scar she’d hated for so long. His gaze was on the scar, too, and she followed his stare. His fingers traced over the lines, white lines now—not the angry red they’d been before—yet still so distinct after all of this time. His touch was so careful, as if he feared hurting her, but the mark didn’t hurt anymore.
Only in her dreams.
The mark was almost shaped like a horseshoe. The top was circular, a wide circle, but at the bottom, the circle didn’t close. Instead, a leg seemed to go out from each side of the circle, one toward the left, another toward the right.
“Omega,” he said, voice rough.
She frowned. “What?”
But he gave a grim shake of his head. Aidan turned from her and opened the shower door. A flick of his hand had the water turning off and cold air slid inside of the door. Her body still hummed with pleasure but something was different now. A new tension had entered his body, only that tension had nothing to do with desire.
He left her a moment and came back with a big, fluffy white towel. When she slipped from the shower, he wrapped that towel around her, then dried her gently. She could’ve dried herself. Could’ve pulled away, but she didn’t. She rather enjoyed having someone take care of her because it didn’t happen that often.
Aidan was much rougher as he dried his own body, jerking the towel over his abs—seriously amazing abs. The guy had a twelve pack, at least. And she didn’t think that hot bod was a werewolf thing. Aidan was just…Aidan.
And his gaze kept straying to the scar on her side. “What did you say before?” Jane asked as she wrapped that towel around her body and tucked an end between her breasts, securing it in place—and covering her scar. “When you saw the mark, you said…”
He waved it away. “Nothing. I just hate that anyone ever hurt you.”
She hated it, too. She also hated it when people lied to her. “Liar.”
He turned toward the door. He hadn’t dried his broad back very well, and water drops slid over his tanned skin.
“You said something,” Jane persisted. “Do you know what that mark is?”
His shoulders stiffened. “What do you think it is?”
Now that he wasn’t looking at her, Jane stepped toward the mirror. She lifted up the towel so that she could see the curving lines of the mark. After great sex, this is what we talk about? No cuddle time? “I think it’s some kind of hack job. The guy was coming back to add more, but…I got away.” The mark was glaring to her. Nearly as big as her hand, and the raised flesh was even whiter than normal right then—probably because her body had pinkened in the warm shower.
She looked up in the mirror and found that Aidan was staring at her reflection.
Jane let the towel fall back into place.
“You’re sure the guy was going to add more?”
“He left his…pen…next to me.” The thing had looked like a pen, but it had been fire hot. No, it had been hot. “He said we’d take a little break.” Her laughter was bitter. “I’d screamed until my voice broke. I think he wasn’t giving me a break. He was giving himself one.” The scent of burning flesh would haunt her forever. Her fingers moved over the towel, over the spot that covered her scar. “One lover told me it was a lucky horseshoe.” After that lame line, she hadn’t ever seen that guy again. Lucky? She’d been savagely burned while her parents were murdered. There had been nothing lucky about the mark.
“Fucking idiot,” Aidan snarled. “And…sweetheart…”
In the mirror, she saw that his hand had clenched around the doorknob. No, not just clenched around it—the doorknob had broken off in his hand.
She whirled around to face him, her jaw dropping in surprise.
“Don’t tell me about your other lovers,” he added as he tossed the doorknob toward the garbage can. “I really can’t handle that shit.”
She forced her gaping mouth to close.
“Not a horseshoe,” Aidan rasped.
“I-I didn’t think—”
“Omega,” he gritted out. “It looks like the Greek letter Omega.”
She knew nothing about Greek letters, but she’d be finding out everything possible about them immediately.
His gaze slid to the bags she’d dropped in the corner of the bathroom. The faint lines near his mouth tightened. “You should get dressed. We have witnesses to interview.”
We?
And was he still not going to talk about the sex? Or maybe it hadn’t been so mind-blowing on his end. Maybe it had been normal, run-of-the-mill pleasure for a werewolf.
But for her…
I think I may be totally ruined for other guys.
She swallowed, took a deep breath, and as he walked out of the bathroom, Jane called out, “What does Omega mean?” It had to stand for something, right?
He stilled.
“Aidan?”
He glanced over his shoulder at her. There was no expression on his face. No desire. No anger. No emotion at all. “Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet.”
She nodded. For some reason, breathing was a little hard. Her fingers skimmed over her scar, as if she could feel it through the towel.
“It means…the end.”
Chapter Thirteen
“So you’re telling me that Melanie Wagner had no friends, no family, no associates at all?” Jane asked, her voice tight with anger as she grilled the club owner who stood—sweating and shifting nervously—in front of the Bourbon Street strip club where Melanie had worked.
Correction…dancing club. The guy—Jimmy Cross—had been fast to point out the difference to Jane. Though Aidan knew there wasn’t any damn such difference.
When Jimmy had sputtered and rambled about his hole-in-the-wall business, Jane had just narrowed her phenomenal eyes on him.
Aidan crossed his arms over his chest and continued watching the exchange. He hadn’t really expected this human to be much help in Jane’s investigation, but if she was determined to interview witnesses, he hadn’t been about to let her head out into the city alone.
Yes, she was a capable detective. More than capable. And her trusty gun was back in her holster. But…
I need to stay close to her.
He’d seen her scar, recognized it for what it was, and fear had blasted through him. It was odd. Aidan hadn’t known fear, not until he’d known her. She’d stirred too many dangerous emotions inside of him.
If word got out about her scar, if other werewolves found out about the mark…werewolves who actually knew the old stories like he did…
We are screwed.
He had to figure out a way to protect Jane. To keep her alive. Because when the others learned what he had, what she truly was…it wouldn’t be about preventing a violent death for her…
They would want her eliminated as soon as possible.
An assassin would be sent after Jane. A painless, easy death. A professional who knew just how to end a li
fe, without bringing Jane back as the monster that she may become.
His claws stretched from his fingertips and Aidan made sure to keep them hidden from the still-sputtering human, a man who reeked of drugs and addiction.
“I want her employee files,” Jane snapped.
“I don’t—f-files?” Jimmy stammered.
“Jesus save me,” Jane muttered as she threw her hands into the air. “Yes, employee files. You know, those forms you are supposed to have people fill out when they start working for you? Melanie’s emergency contact should be on them.”
Jimmy just blinked.
Sighing in disgust, Jane took a step toward him. “I’ve got a woman lying cold in a morgue—a woman who has a family out there, somewhere. They need to know what happened to her.”
A search of Melanie’s tiny apartment had turned up no clues.
I don't know…Maybe she didn’t have any family looking for her.
Maybe there was no one.
And maybe that’s why the vampire targeted her. With no one to miss Melanie, she would have been the perfect victim.
“I-I don’t have any employee files.”
“How did you even know the woman was of legal age?” Jane fired back at him.
Jimmy’s cheeks were fire-engine red. “She said she was, okay? She wanted to work here. The tips were good.”
“I’m sure they were,” Jane said, voice icy. “And guess what else I’m sure of? I’m sure that if you didn’t check her age, you didn’t check ages for any of your other employees, either. I’ll be making a phone call and getting this place investigated, count on that. If you’ve got underage girls here, consider your ass shut down, Jimmy.” She spun on her heel, marching back toward Aidan.
There was fury in her gaze. The woman was sexy when she was enraged.
Actually, she was rather sexy all the time. He thought so, anyway.
“Let’s go,” Jane said, her voice tinged with her fury. “This joker is—”
“Wait!” Jimmy called out frantically. He surged after her, his hands outstretched.
Before the guy could touch her, Aidan was in his path. “You don’t want to do that.” A lethal promise.
Jimmy looked at his hands, looked at Aidan, and looked at his hands again. “No, no, I wasn’t—wasn’t gonna hurt her!”