Nightshift

by Kate Douglas

  She snorted. “Jerk.”

  He lifted his hands to concede the point, still smiling. “I’m a king, Kira. I’m automatically concerned with all my citizens, especially those I count as friends or family. Or both.”

  “You consider me family?” Her world took another spin. This roller coaster of emotions was going to make her motion sick. He considered her family? The king? Yes, he wasn’t Phillip, but this was way beyond not being a snobby ass.

  “Yes. Though I’d prefer if you put Max out of his misery and made it more official than that.”

  “Ha. Max doesn’t want to marry me.” For some inexplicable reason, tears pricked at her eyes even as she said the words. What the hell was wrong with her?

  Elan’s tone was careful, and tinged with an edge of what might have been sadness. “Max has his reasons for being ... cautious about commitment, but I’d hoped he’d move past them with you.”

  A short knock sounded on the door, and Max’s scent reached her. He strode through the door without waiting for an acknowledgment. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need Kira.”

  “Of course.” Rhiannon’s hands made graceful arcs in the air. “Don’t let us keep you.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart.” Max winked at her, wrapped his fingers around Kira’s bicep, and drew her out of the room. He led her across the hall to his room and shut the door firmly behind them.

  Kira sighed and sagged against the wall, pulling away from him. “Thanks for the rescue.”

  A wry grin curled his full lips. “I heard them talking to you, and I guessed you could use a hand.”

  “Yeah. That was ... rough.”

  “Weird to have a king apologize to you, huh? I hope you got it in writing.” He chuckled. “Make big brother twist for a few days before you forgive him. He deserves it.”

  She strangled a laugh. “You’re bad.”

  “So my father told me. And since I have you in my room and we’re both off duty ...”

  She stepped into his embrace easily, willingly. For once she didn’t have the energy to fight her craving for him. She didn’t even want to. She was tired of fighting, of questioning herself, of doubting everything she knew about everyone she knew.

  His arms locked tight around her, pulling her close until her face was buried in his chest and she could inhale the rich, masculine scent that was uniquely Max. “There’s something I don’t understand.”

  “Mmm?” She flattened her palms against his strong back.

  “I always thought you came back because you wanted Elan—”

  “Haven’t we been over this?” A spurt of irritation threatened to quash her mellow mood.

  His big hand moved up and down her back, rubbing the tautness out of her muscles. “Okay, but you didn’t come back for me, because you returned first. Not for Seaton, because he was already dead. So, why did you come back? What was in it for you?”

  “There are a lot of reasons.” The response was automatic, but she paused and made herself give the questions more thought than normal. She blinked for a moment, her conversation with Elan and Rhiannon meshing with this one. Why had she come back? She’d had a good life in L.A. Her career with the police department had been on a fast track. Was it just because she felt as if she should fulfill her father’s wishes for her? Was she born to be a servant? Was that who and what she thought she was? Did she think it was beneath her to serve? As Max had pointed out, he served the king, too, prince or not.

  He jostled her a little. “And those reasons are?”

  “Elan was my ... friend. He was going to need help. I could help.” That much was true. Her father would balk at calling the king her friend, but she shoved that away. Elan hadn’t been lying when he said he considered her family.

  “Other people could have helped.”

  She worked her hands under the bottom of his shirt, pressing her fingertips to his warm, resilient flesh. “People like you?”

  “Yeah, like me.” He huffed out a breath.

  Shaking her head, she smiled a little. “We are so alike. We both had to leave to feel ... worthy.” God, it made her ache to say that. As much as she’d loved her father, and as much as he’d loved her, his worldview meant she was never as good as her friends. The Seatons were always less than the Delacourts, no exceptions. Everyone had their place and their purpose. And Max’s upbringing had been worse. She seriously doubted Phillip was capable of loving anyone.

  “Yeah. I know what you mean.” Max’s tone turned contemplative, which was a side of him he allowed few to see. “The Marines gave me a sense of self and worth that I’d never have gotten if I’d stayed on the island.”

  Burying her face deeper into Max’s chest, she sighed. “But there’s no place like home. Living among humans meant lying about what you were. Even now, there’s enough prejudice against Betweens that it’s safer to lie.”

  “San Amaro is home, more so now than it ever was when Father was king. It’s good not to have his judgment hanging over my head every day.”

  It was good not to have her own father’s judgments hanging over her head, too, and the thought made her feel disloyal. She tensed, but Max’s arms tightened around her, offering her nothing but comfort and understanding. Everything else fell away, and there was only him, only her, and only this moment. Yes. That was perfect, that was exactly what she needed. Somehow he had known before she had.

  Her body loosened, warmed. It was going to be so hard to walk away from this. Max understood parts of her that she didn’t even want to acknowledge in herself. He made her smile, he made her think, he made her feel. His body against hers was divine, and began to have predictable effects on her hormones. Even as she felt her arousal build in slow increments, her skin tingling, her nipples tightening, her sex dampening, she let herself lean into him, reveling in the feel of his hands stroking up and down her back in slow, soothing circles. Soon it wouldn’t be enough for her. Soon she’d need more and more until they were naked and all but feral in each other’s arms. She wanted that, but not yet. Not now. Now she needed just this.

  Curling his fingers around the nape of her neck, he massaged any lingering tension away. He nuzzled his nose into her temple, and she sighed.

  His low voice rumbled in her ear. “Wanna do it?”

  Snorting out a laugh, she drew back to give him an incredulous look. “You really never say the right thing, you know that, don’t you?”

  “It’s part of my charm.” His hands slid down to bracket her hips, pulling her close so she couldn’t miss the evidence of his arousal. “Women find it irresistible.”

  “Uh-huh.” She ran taloned fingertips up his chest until the deadly points rested against his jugular. “Is that what you tell yourself?”

  He froze when her claws scored his flesh. He didn’t breathe, didn’t swallow, his golden gaze locked on her face. I think we’re good together. That’s what I tell myself, all joking aside.

  Okay, so every now and then you say the right thing. She rolled her eyes, trailing her talons down to flick open the buttons on his shirt.

  He unfastened her pants and slipped his hand in to rub his knuckles over the sensitive skin of her belly. “Don’t worry. I promise not to make a habit of it.”

  A chuckle bubbled out of her, and he grinned down at her.

  “I like the sound of your laughter. You do it more when we’re alone together now.”

  She blinked up at him, replaying the last few days in her mind. He was right. He’d always been the first to get her to laugh ... and to make her temper flare, but the effect had been exaggerated since they’d begun sleeping together. They’d had nights where they’d spent hours just ... playing. Laughing and teasing.

  He really was perfect for her.

  The thought shocked her more than even Elan’s suggestion that they should marry. That was his opinion, but this was hers.

  And there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. Because unlike Elan, she knew Max didn’t want anything past the two-week honeymoon. B
ut Elan knew something she didn’t ... he’d said Max had his reasons, and sheer gut instinct told her it had to do with the years he was in the Marines. He’d come back different, but she’d always assumed it was just cutting loose from his father’s influence. Now she wasn’t so sure. She’d have to think about it more, consider what Elan had meant. Her brows drew together and she bit her lip, stepping back from the situation to look at it objectively.

  Max’s fingers dipped below the edge of her panties, making her breath catch. “Do I have your attention, Ms. Seaton?”

  His other hand came up to palm her breast, tweaking the tip. The air whooshed out of her lungs at the strength of feeling. He used one claw to circle her areola, and her nipple puckered tight. She shuddered and licked her lips. “Yeah, you have my attention.”

  “God, you’re beautiful.” He leaned in and ran his tongue over her lips, just as she had done. “And you taste like sugar.”

  “Mmm.” She hummed in her throat and opened her mouth to invite him in. The fox in her was too curious not to wonder what he’d do next, and she wanted more. All of him. Everything. She just couldn’t have it. Her heart twisted, but she tucked the pain away and enjoyed what she could have. This. Here. Now.

  He flicked his tongue over her teeth before slipping it in to twine with hers. The taste of him was just right, hot and male and all Max.

  Dropping her hands to his waist, she slid them down to cup his erection, stroking him through his pants. He jerked and then arched into her grip. “God, Kira. This is amazing. You’re amazing.”

  “Why, thank you.” She offered up a wicked little smile, and his eyes gleamed with amusement down at her. She laughed, and it felt good. Light and free. So unlike her. But she liked it. She liked how she was when she was with him. The prince. Her Max. She shook her head, but her smile widened.

  She stroked his cock through his pants, and he pushed his hips into her, working himself through her fingers. Harsh groans spilled from his mouth, and her body reacted to his passion. Her sex grew unbearably damp, and she squeezed her thighs together to savor the ache. It was so good with him. Her breathing sped and her heart hammered in her chest, her blood coursing lava-hot through her veins.

  Excitement shivered over her skin while he continued to toy with her nipple. He favored the other breast with the same treatment, and she moaned. “This is good.”

  “It’s only going to get better.”

  Until it ended, he meant.

  She shoved that thought away brutally. No. She wouldn’t let that ruin the time she had left. If this was all she’d ever get from a man who fit her so seamlessly, then she wasn’t going to waste it whining about what she couldn’t have.

  Tightening her fingers around his dick, she pumped him harder. She watched his lids drop to half-mast and a little grin curl his lips. It made her heart stop, and an answering smile formed on her lips of its own volition.

  She loved him. God, how she loved him. She’d run away from it for so long, but that hadn’t stopped it. Giving in to the physical craving for him had unlocked everything else, sent it spilling out until she could no longer deny any of it. She wanted him, she loved him, she loved who she was when she was with him. Lighter, more optimistic. And he understood her enough to handle the darker sides of her, too. He understood because he was just like her in so many ways.

  Rising on tiptoe, she brushed his lips with hers, but continued to caress his thick sex. He drove his hand into her hair, holding her in place while he ravaged her mouth. She kissed him back, needing more of him. All of him. Everything she could get. Squirming, she worked her fingers around to unbuckle his belt and unfasten his pants. Then he was in her hands, his cock hard and pulsing.

  A growl rumbled out of him, the sound of a volcano erupting. Silver flickered around his arms, the sign of incipient change telling her just how close he was from losing control. She grinned, loving how she could push him over the edge. He set her away from him, his hands urgent as he yanked off their clothing. He had them both naked in moments. Spinning her around, he pressed her face against the wall.

  She braced her palms on the hard surface and moaned when his muscular form came into full contact with her back. His hands slipped up her ribs to cup her breasts, his claws flicking her nipples. A broken cry jerked from her, the sound edged in need. “Max, I want you inside me. Now, now, now!”

  The lupine growl that rumbled from him reverberated against her back. His hands abandoned her breasts and dropped to grip her hips tight. His talons bit deep into her flesh as he jerked her ass toward him. Yes. God, yes. She spread her feet, supporting herself for the impact of his entry.

  Arching her back to open herself further, she glanced over her shoulder to meet his eyes and demand he give her what she craved. They both groaned when he slid home within her. She could feel every inch of him, he filled her so perfectly. The rhythm he set for them was swift and almost rough, calling to the feral woman inside her. Yes. Yes, it was just what she needed.

  Wrapping his arms around her again, he moved one hand up to continue fondling her breasts, teasing her nipples until she knew she’d come just from that if he didn’t stop. Then his other hand moved down to cover her mound, slipping into the damp folds to rub the stretched lips of her pussy. It only emphasized how full she was, how deep and hard his strokes were. Tingles broke over every inch of her skin, and she bit back a scream. Yes, Max. Just like that. More, please, more!

  “I’ll give you more, sweetheart.” He used the hot juices to trail a slippery path up to her clit. He pressed down on that sensitive spot and let his thrusts drive her forward for increased stimulation.

  “Oh, God.” Her face pressed to the wall, their frantic movements scraping her cheek against the rough surface. The discomfort wasn’t enough to stop her. She needed this, needed him. Love squeezed her insides so tight, she ached with it. Rocking her hips into his thrusts, she took everything he could give her.

  Orgasm exploded through her, gripping her deep inside and spreading outward until her entire body shook. He groaned, his hips faltering in their rhythm before he slammed deep and came with her. His fluids pumped into her pussy, and each spurt made her inner muscles clench around him. It was so right, the way they moved together, the way they fit.

  Shudders racked them both, sweat sliding down their skin, sticking their bodies together. His breath cooled the moisture on her flesh when he dropped his forehead to her shoulder. He didn’t loosen his hold on her, didn’t pull out of her. His semihard cock still worked her in infinitesimal thrusts.

  He seemed as reluctant as she to end the interlude, and she knew it was a figment of her imagination, but she clung to it because she had nothing else. Time was running out, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. She laid her arms over his and wrapped her fingers around his wrists, holding on for dear life.

  The physical was all she had to cling to, and it was bitterly ironic that a week ago she’d told herself that was all she really wanted from him.

  She was such a fool.

  Max had already had her three times that night, and he already wanted her again. They curled together naked on the couch in his room, her back to his front, as they laughed over some ridiculous old black-and-white comedy on TV. He’d never have imagined that Kira would be so open in a sexual relationship, and suddenly he was fiercely jealous of any man who’d ever seen this side of her. It was ludicrous, but that didn’t change a thing. He wanted all of this for himself. He just couldn’t have it. He couldn’t even want to have it.

  She snagged the remote off the coffee table and snapped off the television when the movie ended. Rolling onto her back beside him, she smiled slowly, lifting her hand to trace a fingertip over his eyebrow, down the bridge of his nose, and across his bottom lip. “You’re quiet.”

  Shaking his head, he forced himself to grin and keep his tone light. “Just thinking. You know how dangerous that can be.”

  He expected her to laugh, but she didn’t. Instea
d, her expression intensified. She opened her mouth to speak, but didn’t. She glanced away and glanced back, meeting his gaze squarely. “There was a woman while you were in the Marines, wasn’t there?”

  Every muscle in his body went rigid. He couldn’t help it. It was as if she’d prodded a fatal, slow-leaking wound and ripped it wide open. It was all he could do not to leap off the couch and run from the simple question. “Are we really talking about my other women while we’re naked together?”

  That steady gaze didn’t waver. “I’m not talking about all the man-whoring you’ve done, Max. I’m talking about serious relationships.”

  “I don’t do those.” The pain spread through him, the sickness and guilt enough to drop him if he weren’t lying down.

  “But you did once, didn’t you?” Her hand cupped his jaw, refusing to let him look away. “There was a woman, and she was important to you. You loved her.”

  He flinched from her stare. “It was a long time ago. It doesn’t matter. What even made you ask about this?”

  “Something Elan said got me thinking.” Her breasts rose and fell as she drew in a deep breath. He let himself be distracted by the sight. Any excuse to not think about what she was asking him. But the next questions hit him like a fist to the solar plexus. “What happened? Did she cheat on you or dump you for another guy?”

  “No.” His gaze flew to her face and he knew horror shone in his expression. Clenching his fingers, he tried to hide that his hands were shaking. “Michelle would never have done that. Not to anyone.”

  “So ... this Michelle was loyal, and you loved her. Why aren’t you still with her?” Kira’s voice was low, and nothing about her tone accused or demanded an answer, which made it harder to deny her.

  He blew out a breath and gritted his teeth. “Because she died, damn it.”

  “I’m sorry.” Her thumb glided over his cheekbone, the simple gesture gutting him. He didn’t deserve her sympathy. He tried to shut down the utter craving he had for her understanding.