Despite the incredible weather, only a few people were on the boardwalk that early in the morning. Finally, he began to calm down. A break was what he needed. Ahead of him rose the graceful curves of the white steel bridge that passed over the Humber River. The dark water lapped the sand to his left, the beach dotted with old driftwood and screeching seagulls.
Life went on. Some young fathers trotted along with their children in strollers. A couple jogged by, chatting calmly about nothing in particular. Eric watched as they disappeared ahead of him, conscious of a tightness in his throat. Surely he couldn’t be jealous. When had he ever wanted to have conversations about where to place the new dining room table? Maybe the tenth of Never.
The image of Caro rose unbidden in his mind and he groaned. It wasn’t the goddamn table. It was the comfort they had, the shared life. He’d never wanted a woman that close to him. Not until Caro came along.
He wanted her. All of her.
The second he thought the words, he stopped. It was impossible. First, he hardly knew the woman. Sure, he liked what he knew of her, but that wasn’t enough. Unbidden images of her sweet taste rose in his mind and he tried to push them aside. That wasn’t real, dolt. It only happened in your mind. A crazy and random shared mental connection. You’ve never touched her like that. Not in real life.
Maybe not, but it had felt real enough.
Caro Yeats was an intriguing mystery. That’s it. Curiosity and desire. It was interest, nothing more. Not by a long shot.
But when she was in his mind, she fit. Perfectly; like part of him he didn’t even know was missing.
What did he have to offer a woman like her? Love was never part of his deal. Desire, yes. Sex, of course. Even occasional companionship. To love a woman who not only was a half-blood, but flat-out refused to shift? His people would see her latency as an insult, a rejection of the masquerada way of life. How could he live a life of lies with someone who couldn’t understand his need to create different masques? He tapped down the ridiculous thought that he could no longer shift. Of course he’d be able to shift again. His body just needed to recover.
Caro. He was simply attracted to her. Enjoyed speaking with her. It was nothing more. After this mess with Iverson was finished, he could go fuck her and get her out of his system.
The second he thought the words, he winced, ashamed to have even had the thought. Not that she would let him get away with it. Caro was nothing if not strong-minded. It had been a long time since a woman had given him as good as she got. In fact, it had been so long, he’d forgotten how much he liked it. The women who came into his life now were chosen more for their dislike of commitment rather than any challenge they offered.
Forget it, Kelton. You’re not meant to have a woman share your life, let alone a woman like her. Get over it and concentrate on the things you can control.
Then he laughed out loud at the thought of ever controlling Caro Yeats. She’d hand him his balls on a platter.
Still, it was worth the risk.
* * * *
It would be a good idea, thought Caro. No, a great idea. She hadn’t gone for a run in a long time, but this morning the distant dark blue of Lake Ontario called her name when she stood on the balcony drinking her coffee. She didn’t even think twice before pulling on some shorts and lacing up her shoes, wondering if it would help the headache that still lingered. Wait…lingered? More like pounded. Mimosas packed a freaking punch. She wondered if Estelle was doing okay, then resentfully recalled her cheerful assurance that vampires never suffered hangovers.
Score another one for the arcana.
Caro guzzled a glass of water and took two more aspirin before heading out. It was still early and she ran slowly, enjoying the sheer pleasure of the sun on her shoulders while letting her mind empty itself of all the things that were bothering her.
Well, there were only two things, but they were as annoying as twenty. She was still fuming about what Julien had said to her the other day. What a disgusting pig. The fact that apparently the whole office had heard him accuse her of screwing a client wasn’t helping her get over it.
The second was said client.
Estelle thought Eric was interested, but Caro couldn’t bring herself to believe it. Sure, they’d had crazy monkey sex, but that had been in his head (still weird) and she had been saving him from dying, basically. You couldn’t tell anything from that; it had nothing to do with her. She happened to be there; nothing but a tool used to complete a job.
Not to mention he’d regretted it afterward. Exactly what a woman wanted to hear. So good for the ego.
The problem was—one of the problems was—she corrected herself, that she’d never been so attracted to a man before. Luckily his sheer unattainability made him safe. What happened in that dream room was never going to happen in reality. He’d assured her of that, and part of why she wasn’t actually angry was that she felt the same way. One masquerada in her life had been one too many. Eric had been a random thing and one that should never have happened. He was the ultimate fantasy. For her, he was the ultimate forbidden fantasy.
Too bad she was driving herself insane replaying, touch by touch, what had happened in that long dark cavern.
Without thinking, she turned onto Sunnyside boardwalk and started to run faster. Ahead of her walked a tall man dressed for the office, even though it was early Sunday morning. He looked like Eric, and Caro felt desire rise in her like a tide. What was wrong with her? She was about to jump some poor guy going for a relaxing stroll simply because he happened to have the same incredible broad shoulders as Eric. She didn’t even like Eric, she reminded herself. Well, maybe she liked him but she didn’t trust him. Trust was something you could never give a masquerada.
She moved to the left to pass the man as a cyclist came up from behind. Since the attack, she hadn’t been able to get rid of the jumpiness that overtook her whenever she was surprised, and now she leapt to the side like a startled gazelle before falling off the boardwalk in an undignified heap on the sand. The oblivious jerk pedaled on. Caro tried to curb the emotions that flooded in, but felt the tears coming as the fear stayed strong and steady in her chest. Her heart raced until she thought it was going to pound right out of her chest. Nausea fought with fear as her fight-or-flight kicked in and sent her whole system into overdrive.
“Stop,” she whispered. “Please stop.” She hugged herself tightly, focusing so hard on trying to calm down that she almost forgot where she was. As if from a distance, she heard a man calling her name.
* * * *
When Caro looked up, her eyes haunted and filled with unshed tears, Eric’s anger was intense. He thought he was going to explode. If he hadn’t needed to help her, he would have gone after that jackass on the bike and ripped his arms off.
“Caro, are you hurt?” Eric knelt beside her and took her gently by the shoulders. “Look at me. Can you walk?”
Her face was blank and her fingers were clenched together so tightly that they were white. There was something else going on here, an inner chaos far more serious than a fall. Perhaps Tom had been right when he said she was hiding something.
“Caro, can you hear me? It’s Eric. Eric Kelton. You fell off the boardwalk.”
Life came back to her eyes and this time when she looked at him, she saw him. “Eric! What are you doing here?” She glanced around, wrinkling her nose against the sun. “That jerk cyclist. You’re supposed to ride on the paved path, not the boardwalk.”
She was back to her usual prickly self, thought Eric with amusement. His humor faded quickly when she tried to stand and sank back down with a cry of pain.
“You’re hurt.”
“My ankle. I must have twisted it when I fell.” She bit her lip and his body jerked in response as her teeth sank into the full, pink flesh.
“Let me help.” He reached down and she ignored his hand.
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br /> “I’m fine,” she snapped. This time she rose and began to brush the beach sand off her legs, deliberately ignoring him. Now Eric’s cock came to complete attention. Caro was dressed in tiny running shorts that showed off her curvy ass and fine thighs. A thin line of sweat dripped down between her breasts and Eric’s hands trembled at the thought of it trickling along her soft flesh.
Then, God help him, the cold breeze off the lake brushed by and hardened the sweet berries of her nipples under the thin tank that clung to her like a second skin. His mouth went dry.
She took a step and an expression of pain crossed her face. “Enough,” he growled. “Don’t be stubborn.”
“Perhaps it’s a bit more swollen then I thought,” she admitted.
That’s all the encouragement he needed. In one step, he scooped her up in his arms, reveling in the sweet woman scent that rose off her warm skin. She gasped, then wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself. Her soft breath echoed in his ear and he tightened his grip, cradling her ass with his hands. Control yourself, he ordered himself. She’s injured. He swallowed hard as she wriggled in his arms.
“Where do you live?”
She laughed softly and he nearly stumbled at the sensual sound of it. “Too far for you to carry me. Let’s sit down for a moment in the park. I heal fast. Always have.”
The park wasn’t far and Eric forced himself to release her when they stepped into it. She felt right, being carried against his heart. He put her down on a wrought iron bench under a shady oak and she flinched as she tested her injury.
“Let me see.” Eric didn’t even wait for her to reply before taking her foot onto his thigh. It already looked less swollen, the skin now darkening around her ankle.
“It’s fine,” she said.
She shivered and he took off his jacket to wrap around her. “You’ll get chilled,” he said. To his pleasure, she nodded and curled up inside of it like a little cat.
As he held Caro’s leg, he couldn’t help himself. He ran his hand up and down her calf, softly, enjoying the warm feel of her skin. If possible, his cock grew even harder, simply from running his hand along the smooth flesh.
“Eric,” she whispered.
“I won’t do anything more. Just this.” Their eyes locked as he kept gliding his hand slowly along her leg. First to her calf, then to her knee. The excitement in her face caused his breath to catch.
So he moved his hand a little bit higher.
Chapter 15
If he went any higher, she was going to come right there in the park for all to see. Thank God it was empty, although Caro didn’t care. She couldn’t bring herself to ask him to stop. He lingered at her knee, rubbing it gently before moving his hand up to her thigh.
He paused, then slid his hands to her hips and lifted her easily onto his lap. Even as his lips claimed hers in a hard kiss, she pushed herself against the iron bulge in his pants. Their tongues met and she breathed in the taste of him; oranges and cinnamon.
“I’ve thought of nothing but you for days.” He slid his hands to her breasts and stroked her through the cloth. “It’s driving me insane.”
“Is that so? I would have thought that you wouldn’t want more unfortunate occurrences.” Okay. That had rankled more than she’d let on.
His eyes widened. “Are you referring to our phone call?”
“Yes.”
He pulled her close. “I meant for you, Caro. Unfortunate for you. I felt guilty. You came over to present a plan, and”—he paused—”that happened. You should never have been put in that position.”
She leaned back and examined him. In her heart she thought he was telling the truth, but…those masquerada lies. She couldn’t let herself get involved. Then he short-circuited her entire thought process by brushing a thumb against her nipple. She moaned and pulled away, evading his hands when they sought to pull her close again.
“We can’t. Not here.” She almost panted the words.
He blinked and looked around. Caro almost laughed at the shocked expression on his face when he realized he was sitting, fully aroused, at a public park in broad daylight, with a woman on top of him.
He turned to her with a look of such animal lust that she gasped. When he spoke, his voice was rough. “I am going to take you home in a cab. No excuses. I don’t care how quickly you heal.” His eyes held hers. “When I get you home, I am going follow you inside. Closely.”
“You are?” She couldn’t keep the breathlessness from her voice.
“I am.” He stood and lifted her effortlessly.
This time she pressed against him immediately. “Get a taxi.”
It seemed like only minutes before they were in the cab and on the way to her apartment. Eric sat close to the door in the car, leaving plenty of room between them in the back of the cab. She would have been hurt had she not seen him tighten his fists as though trying to keep control.
She looked at Eric out of the corner of her eye. He was beautiful. His wavy hair tumbled over his forehead and the fact that he was slightly rumpled from their time in the park made him sexier. He turned his head and looked straight at her with those dark gray eyes. His features had the cold perfection of a Greek statue, but one with lips made to touch.
God, she wanted him. That he wanted her? Unbelievable.
The taxi arrived at her building and Eric came around to help her. “Careful, Caro.”
He lifted her out of the cab but she insisted on limping into the building, only holding on to his arm. Even his forearm was like steel, she marveled. She didn’t know a man could have strong forearms.
When a neighbor with a small dog ducked into the elevator with them, Caro almost giggled at the look of sheer loathing Eric shot the poor guy. They traveled up in a thick silence, Eric’s hand on hers, his thumb brushing her inner wrist in lazy circles. It was, without a doubt, the longest, most arousing elevator ride of her life. Once the door opened, she marshaled together all of her mental resources to exit the elevator casually, feeling Eric following close behind her, his eyes like lasers on her ass. In a minute, they were in her apartment and she locked the door behind him.
Caro looked around her space as if seeing it for the first time. It was snug and comfortable, but she was exquisitely aware that her entire place was smaller than a single room at Eric’s house. His mansion.
It didn’t seem to matter to him, though. He stood about two feet away from her, simply observing her. He didn’t take a step and it occurred to her that he was waiting for her to make the first move.
A sudden desire to tease him overtook her. Caro waved at the room. “Make yourself at home. I’m going to have a quick shower.” Before he could answer, she limped quickly down the hall and locked herself into the bathroom.
* * * *
Eric sank down onto the couch. His initial plan to surprise her in the shower had been scuttled when he heard the lock turn. Breaking down the door would perhaps be perceived as a little too forceful.
He moved back on the couch, trying to get comfortable despite the extraordinary blue balls Caro had left him with. Distraction. He needed distraction. Catching sight of her bookshelf, he leaned over to take a look. Caro had eclectic taste. Charles Dickens shared space with Octavia Butler and Alice Munro. On the lower shelf were several textbooks and he pulled one out. Lighting the Dark: The future of investigative journalism. He flipped it to the front page. Lynn Butler was written with strong, spiky handwriting in black ink. How did he know that name?
Then he had it. Lynn Butler was the reporter whose work had sent Iverson to jail. Caro must know her. A relative? Roommate? He’d have to ask. As Eric slid the book back into its place, the shower stopped. The anticipation was killing him so he walked out onto the sunny balcony, trying to resist the urge to leap on Caro when she finally appeared. A small café table with two chairs sat in the sun and terracotta pots with h
erbs and flowers lined the rail. The view ran right to the lake. It was a pretty place. Peaceful.
“Do you like it?” Caro came up behind him on silent feet. Her hair hung to her shoulders in damp waves and she was dressed in a tight tank top that pulled across her breasts and a flouncy skirt that came to the middle of her tanned thighs.
She wasn’t wearing a bra.
He moved back into the living room without speaking and closed the balcony door behind him. Caro must have turned off the lights because she was only a shadow in the dim room. She didn’t move but her breasts rose and fell more quickly. He was close to her now, close enough to smell the bright jasmine of her soap. Without lifting his hands to her, he leaned down to press a soft kiss onto her mouth. Caro’s lips parted immediately under his and drew him in with an urgent passion. Eric’s mind spun. Somehow this isolated kiss excited him more than anything he’d ever experienced. Again, their tongues touched and he felt her whimper, then close the gap between them.
His hands came up to tangle in the damp waves of her hair, pulling her head back enough to expose her smooth throat. A small dark freckle under her ear attracted his attention and he licked it, causing her to tremble before he moved up to nibble on her ear. His hands roamed her body, and he marveled at her softness. It was too much. Running his hand over her breasts, he stroked the hard nub of her nipple under the thin material.
“I want you naked,” he said softly. “Let me please you.”
She gave him a crooked grin. “Can’t say no to that.”
He grasped the hem of her shirt and began to peel it upward. She lifted her arms obediently and he groaned as he revealed her gorgeous breasts. She was lovely. He could almost taste her arousal and it was unbearably hot. Unable to resist, he bent to take a nipple in his mouth. She writhed against him.
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