by T. F. Walsh
“Are they good to work for?”
“If you do right by Brent, he’ll take care of you.” Her hand dove into the handbag sitting on the middle console, digging around. “Before I forget, take my business card. It has my cell number if you have any questions. Geez, I remember when I first started, I wished someone had helped me.”
Cary accepted the card. “Thanks. That’s sweet.”
“And you? Where are you from? Brent said you’re a hunter. Have you always been one?”
She curled a leg under her and faced Tasha, then broke into a long-winded rehash of what she’d told Brent. She even mentioned that her father left after she turned eighteen. Why she divulged that part was beyond comprehension. The way Tasha listened made her want to keep babbling.
“That sucks,” Tasha said. “My parents moved from Germany when I was sixteen, so I know alone. I had a boyfriend, and I stayed behind for a while. Well, that was a huge mistake. My ex is a douche, but it happens.” She shrugged and offered Cary a strained smile.
“Yeah, I hear you.” Her thoughts darted straight for Levi. The way he stared at her over breakfast, ready to kiss her. Instead, he played his nice guy card. She admired his hunting ability, the way his body moved while he fought. A part of her expected… Okay, more like had wanted him to make a move. Maybe it was her sexually starved libido, but who could resist such eye candy.
“Where do you live?” Tasha asked. “I’ll take you home after the surgery.”
“Lux hotel. Room 3314.”
She shot Cary a look with her brows scrunched together. “In a hotel? Damn, girl, are you a secret billionaire?”
A half snort, half chortle burst past her lips. “Complete opposite. Got evicted from my apartment recently. I bumped into a hunter from Argos yesterday, and he offered me his hotel apartment while he’s in town for the next week.”
Tasha’s eyes narrowed. “Which hunter?”
“Levi.”
Her lips pinched to the side. “Typical. That guy makes a move before the others can. Be careful. He’s not the stable, settle down guy if you know what I mean.”
An invisible hand strangled Cary’s chest. It shouldn’t have, but was Levi a player? “It’s nothing like that. He’s helping me.”
“Good. He’s rough and never turns away from a fight, but he means well. He just hasn’t found himself and always flies off the handle. He causes issues at Argos by trying to claim money for demons he wasn’t issued. Plus, I’m sure he’s been with half the girls at Argos. Excluding me. Just putting it out there.”
Half the girls? Okay, that screamed player. A sizzling tempest swirled in her mind. The one that reminded her to stay away from everyone, especially a guy who’d dump her the moment she left his apartment. Though, he gave her a place to stay for a few days and that made him a good guy.
She glanced at Tasha and asked, “He’s not your type?”
“Just came out of a relationship. Not interested in another one right now.”
Cary understood. “My dating history involves a few one-night stands.” A year earlier, while at dinner with a cute guy, a woman with a silver aura entered the restaurant. Cary made a bee line for the demon, following her into the alley. Except, her date followed and got himself possessed. Regret washed over her in pounding waves. There was no going back, but she would never again risk an innocent’s life, so dating was last on her priority list.
But Levi was different, and he kept rebounding through her thoughts like a yo-yo. The way he treated her last night, and that morning, wasn’t the person Tasha described.
“We’re here.” Tasha’s voice sliced through her thoughts.
Cary’s stomach clenched as she stared at the clinic that resembled an old asylum. She faced terrifying demons every week, she could handle this.
“Are you sure you’ll be all right? I can wait with you until Levi returns,” Tasha offered. Her voice seemed louder than it should.
“I’ll be fine.” Cary reached out a hand, patting the air until it landed on Tasha’s arm. Having her eyes covered after the surgery was far more intimidating than she first anticipated. “You’ve already been in the hotel room with me at least an hour, helped me get changed in casual clothes. Now, I’ll just take a nap.” And as if on cue, a yawn rolled out as sleep tugged on her mind. After the terrifying experience of having her eyelids held open and watching the doctor work on her eyes, she was zapped of energy. She asked to be put under, but they insisted it was just a light procedure. She drove the image away as it left her covered in goose bumps. After all that, the surgery better heighten her eyesight for demons. Or she was kicking someone’s butt to the moon.
“Okay,” Tasha said, touching Cary’s arm. “I’ll call you later to see how you’re going. I remember how freaked out I was when I had my surgery.”
“I’ll sleep for the next twenty-four hours.” Another yawn pushed forward.
Tasha’s pattering footfalls retreated. “All right then. It’s early afternoon, so Levi should be here soon. Gosh knows where he is, but I’ll try calling him again.”
“No, don’t. He’ll think I’m imposing and that he’s now responsible for me.” She loathed the notion of relying on anyone. If Levi just let her stay there until she got through the situation, she’d be more than ecstatic. She just had to control her imagination and libido. It swelled into the size of a watermelon each time she set eyes on him. Yes, not drooling over him was for the best because she was temporarily blind.
“Okay. See you later, Cary.”
“Bye. And thanks.”
The click of the door sounded. Silence fell across the room. Her breaths strained from the banging of her heart behind her breastbone.
Cary lay across the leather couch. She pressed a cushion beneath her head and let her mind drift. Yet for some stubborn reason it kept bouncing to Levi. She pictured his strong hands on her. Him having his way with her. A surge of heat slinked through her gut, diving south fast. Yeah, that was a fantasy she wasn’t driving away. She let it consume her as she drifted deeper into an imaginary Levi’s arms.
Chapter 8
Levi stormed into the hotel apartment, wiping sweat from his upper lip. He slammed the door behind him. A day wasted tracking the possessed car. It couldn’t have just vanished. With Brent’s threat to press charges, he had to deliver the Corvette to wipe clean his slate with Argos. Heat flushed through him. He curled his hands into fists because Brent had put him in the predicament.
“Levi, is that you?” Cary’s soft voice called to him. Parts of him were molten hot as if she now controlled him.
A hand popped up from the couch, waving. For a smidgen of a second, he had a wild thought that once he rounded the sofa, he’d find Cary naked, waiting for him. He huffed.
“You finished early. How’d it go?” He closed the distance with several long strides.
“Not what I expected.”
He found Cary stretched out. She wore sweatpants, riding low on curvy hips, and a T-shirt with a penguin on the front. Her hands were tucked behind her head and bandages covered each eye. Brent hadn’t wasted time to loop her into his organization.
“Does it itch?”
“Shit, yeah. I wanna scratch my eyeballs out, and trust me, I tried. Stung like I’d stuck hot pokers into my eyes.” Her chin lifted in his direction as if working out where he stood. She pulled herself to a sitting position and lowered her feet off the seat.
“Distraction’s your best friend. Get your mind off the itch. The only way I got through my twenty-four hours was to sleep it off with valium. Afterward, light was an issue. For weeks, I couldn’t watch television or head outside without shades.”
From the fridge, he grabbed two water bottles and returned to Cary. He guided one into her hand, their fingers grazing. The silky softness of her skin sent a spark up his arm. He imagined himself sitting alongside her, helping her drink, anything she needed. Ridiculous because she wasn’t an invalid.
She accepted the bottle and gulp
ed several mouthfuls, then wiped the drops of water escaping down her chin with the back of her hand.
Her mouth curved into a naughty grin, kick-starting his pulse into the next gear. He envisioned protecting her and staying by her side.
He crashed on the other couch and tipped the bottle back against his lips. Chasing the speck demon had left his legs aching. He’d darted through the city each time he heard the familiar rip-roaring engine. Now, he was thirsty enough to drink an ocean.
“So, why are you in Detroit exactly?” she asked.
“To grill Argos on my unpaid claims. But after discovering the possessed Corvette, I’m not quitting until I eliminated it.” Besides, after losing Marcos to a jumper all those years ago, he made a promise to never walk away from a demon until its ass was kicked raw and tossed back into Hell.
Then Cary came flying into his life. Fighting a demon alongside him. Sharing his hotel room. Now she consumed his mind. A petite thing, she barely reached his shoulders, but looked ready to battle the world. Beneath the surface lay a lone woman who hadn’t laid foundations in her past. Maybe not, but she wasn’t telling him otherwise.
Plus, there was her sexy smokin’ body, and the long, dark hair with reddish hues. He imagined twisting it around his hands as he took her from behind. But shit, it was so much more than physical. She carried innocence. Something that reminded him of his younger days when he had no idea where to turn next. He might have inherited his parents’ wealth, but the authorities had frozen his assets after the murder charges for a short period. He became homeless. People had treated him worse than a dog and never gave him a chance.
That had been a horrible time in his past, and he’d protect Cary from such a life, whatever it took.
As if gathering her thoughts, she pushed strands of hair behind her ears. “You still there?”
“Yeah.” Levi couldn’t deny it was unnerving to have Cary’s eyes covered. He had adored how she used to stare at him, how they showed her emotions. But on the bright side, he now had time to look without getting busted. His gaze slipped to her tight T-shirt, pulling across her bust. A sliver of a silky white stomach peaked out.
While his insides scorched, the air conditioner cooled his skin.
“I can tell you’re looking at me.”
He laughed, sharp and brief. “You don’t know what I’m doing. Besides, where did you get that shirt?”
She shrugged. “Proves you’ve been staring. But, I’m not free candy.” She rubbed the skin across her cheek just below a bandage.
He reached across and lowered her hand. “Don’t.”
“It’s driving me insane.”
He took her empty water bottle from her hand and headed into the kitchen. “A distraction would help,” she said.
Yep. Like a hot bath, though that would only rile him to a point of explosion, seeing her lathered only in bubbles. Not helping. He had to change the topic for his own sanity.
“Tell me about your training.”
Her nose creased. She didn’t like that idea? “I can think of something better.” Her voice held a mild purr behind her words that teased across her throat.
“Oh yeah, and what’s that?”
“Teach me fighting moves.”
A flush of adrenaline smacked into him as he stepped out from behind the kitchen counter. “Are you insane? You’ve just had surgery.” If she wished for a physical diversion, he had a better suggestion.
“I want to learn how to fight in case I’m temporarily blinded.” She pushed herself to her feet, keeping a hand on the couch as she followed the contour, but tripped on the rug.
Levi lunged after her, his hands inches from her. She caught herself.
He admired her determination to better herself as a fighter. Other hunters from Argos could learn plenty from Cary. “You can’t even walk. How are you going to fight?”
“That’s where you come in.”
Unable to stop smiling, he went along. “Fine. I’ll play.”
Levi took her elbow and guided her away from the couch to an empty spot near the window with no furniture nearby. “I have to admit, this wasn’t the distraction I had in mind.”
She lifted her chin in a defiant manner that taunted Levi to challenge her. Yep, she’d hold her own with the other hunters at Argos, and a thread of pride coursed through him. Her stubbornness had nothing to do with him. Regardless, it made him proud to meet a hunter who stood her ground. Just like him.
“Okay, now stand here.” He released her and stepped away. “Without sight, your hearing will be your greatest attribute. Listen. What do you hear?”
He studied the way she tilted her head to the side. The tight puckering of her nipples poking through her T-shirt. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. Shit. He’d be a wreck in no time if his cock sprung to attention each time she was near.
Plus, he’d promised to join Chase for a few drinks later. With his attention on Cary, he changed his mind. He’d stay a whole month if it took that long for her to heal.
“The elevator dinging outside the room.” Her voice sliced through his thoughts. “The buzzing of the refrigerator.”
Levi sidestepped Cary in slow motion.
“The squeak of your boots.”
“Good.” Levi kicked them off and tossed them aside, leaving his socks on.
“You threw your boots across the room.”
He crept across the wooden flooring, stopping at Cary’s side.
Her head jerked in his direction. “I can hear your breathing.”
“Excellent.” He swerved behind her and hooked an arm around her neck, hauling her back against him. His other arm snapped across her chest, clamping her in place. The gentle vanilla and rose scent of Cary teased his senses. His chin tickled against her hair. Her whole body radiated heat, and it swallowed him.
“Hey, no fair.”
“All is fair in war.” He held her tighter.
Her foot kicked backward, connecting with his shin.
A sting vibrated along his leg, but when her heel drove into his foot, a groan rolled through him. “Hell.”
His grip slackened, and Cary tore free from his grasp. She spun to face him, her hands fisted, her legs apart in a fighter’s stance. Then she rushed forward, her fists swinging.
Without hesitation, Levi ducked and threw his arm out, waiting for her onslaught. Her stomach collided into his arm. He gripped her hips, lifting her, and threw her over his shoulder.
“Let me go.” Her hands slapped his back.
“Instead of attacking, listen for your opponent. Always let them come to you.”
She didn’t say a word, but her body stiffened. “Okay, now put me down. Seriously.”
Levi lowered Cary, and her soft breasts streaked along his chest. Something inside him tightened.
She shoved her hands into him and tugged on the hem of her shirt that had ridden half way up her flat stomach. “No more playing dirty.”
He broke into a chuckle. “If I was playing dirty, you’d know it.”
“That so?” Her voice dropped an octave and the last word morphed into a sexy whisper. With a haughty gait, she swung her hips. Her fingers grazed across his stomach. And his body turned in her direction, following her.
She circled and stood behind him. The little minx was playing unfair, and he’d show her a thing or two in that department.
A sudden kick to the back of his knees, and he lost his balance. The floor flew toward his face. A dizzying bewilderment consumed him.
Next, a punch to his ribs.
His shoulder blades flexed as a pinch zipped along his spine. The floor took the brunt of his face plant. Damn, she was good.
Before his next inhale, Cary leapt onto his back, arms locked around his neck. One knee pushed into the center of his spine. Her words breathed across his ear. “I can play too.”
The caress across his skin escalated his heartbeat. Either he needed to put distance between them, or her clothes were coming off. Exactly what he
’d promised himself not to do.
He tensed, then threw himself sideways into a roll with Cary clinging onto him. She now lay beneath him, and her huffing told him he’d surprised her. Excellent.
“Bastard.”
Her hold slacked and he spun away. But before she could stand, he climbed on top of her, straddling her hips. “Admit defeat.”
“Never.” She pushed herself up, her fist flying toward his face.
He captured the punch in his palm. Seizing her other wrist, he forced her onto her back, their hands on either side of her head. “Now what will you do?”
She licked her lips. That single move had his cock twitching. God, she’d kill him today.
“Since I know where you are, I’ll use the intel I have on my enemy.”
“Oh yeah. And what is that?”
“Come closer, and I’ll whisper it to you.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her devious voice, how rosy her cheeks had become. Now, he’d double the stakes. Lowering himself, he brushed his cheek against hers, and noted her rapid inhale. “I’m listening.”
Instead of words, her lips clasped his earlobe.
His pulse dove south in an instant as her tongue flicked his ear. His erection constricted against his jeans.
“That’s your intention? Luring me into a sexual tease?”
Her mouth traced the length of his neck. The deepest part of him spasmed with need. Her hips rocked upward against his hardness. “I’d say it’s working.”
“You’re wicked, but I always play to win.” He studied the rise and dip of her pink lips, and damn, he was going there. Ready to pluck her buttons.
His lips grazed against her mouth, feather soft at first. When her inhale hitched, he crushed his lips against hers, his tongue surging forward.
Rather than resist him, she responded with a fierceness he hadn’t expected. His heartbeat raced so fast now he wasn’t sure where he started and where he ended. All that mattered was him and Cary.