by Brenda Huber
He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted another.
And he knew, sure as he was standing there, they would have made love right there on her couch. He would have claimed her, taken her as his mate. His body vibrated with the knowledge and the need. If it hadn’t been for Gideon’s call…
My mate.
Those two little words sent a flood of heat through his body. She held a single-minded determination that could be daunting at times. The way she focused on that sword, for example, could give a lesser demon a complex. But then there was the way she got sidetracked in the middle of simple tasks. She was a puzzle.
Though she hadn’t turned it on him just yet—and he was dead certain the time would come sooner or later when she did—the woman had a temper. He wasn’t fooled. He’d caught a glimpse of it now and again. And, sweet Lord in Heaven, she was stubborn. Hell bent on doing things her way. Polite, but always firm. It was all he could do step back and let her take the lead. Just like the argument they’d had when they’d arrived here at the cantina a short while ago. She’d insisted she be the one to talk to the patrons, the one to search out information. Claimed he’d intimidate the men here.
He’d finally conceded her point. He hadn’t liked it. Especially when his instincts were screaming at him to do just the opposite. But he’d relented.
Yeah, she had her quirks, but they just made her all the more adorable.
She reached up and jammed a wisp of loose hair back into that tight bun. Yet one more thing about her that drove him crazy. Seeing all that long, sable glory constantly tucked up in a staid bun made his fingers itch. He wanted to take it down again, feel it against his skin once more. The memory of how all those silky strands had felt wrapped around his fist as he’d kissed her—
He groaned aloud.
Phoebe and her companion both stood and shook hands. The man immediately left the cantina, and Phoebe returned to Sebastian’s side. The urge to wrap her in his arms and shimmer them someplace private so they could take up where they’d left off was, perhaps, one of the greatest temptations he’d ever resisted. But she wouldn’t appreciate his interference right now. And that was how she would probably view it. He could see it on her face. She was a woman on a mission.
He fought to bring his hunger for her back to a controllable simmer and straightened away from the bar.
“That was Pedro, Ricardo’s cousin. He’s going to find Ricardo and send him to meet us later at the hotel. I’m sure he’ll still have our supplies stored, but it’s too late to set out tonight. So we’ll get a couple rooms and head out first thing in the morning.”
He frowned. “Ricardo is staying at the hotel tonight?”
“No, we are.” She arched a puzzled brow and shook her head, as if she’d already moved on to the next page in their playbook and was annoyed to have to go back to cover old ground. Never mind that she had failed to give him a copy of the plan. “He’ll stop by later to iron out any details we need to go over. Why?”
He could already see where this was heading. Bracing himself for the argument that was sure to come, he said, “We’ll only need one room.”
Yep. There was that familiar stubborn streak glinting in those beautiful eyes.
“No,” she said slowly, as if speaking to an imbecile. “We’ll need two.”
“Only one, love.”
She scowled, punched her fists to her hips and dipped her chin. After a quick glance around to make certain no one else was listening, she hissed, “Just because we almost—” She growled low in her throat, honest to God growled. Sweet saints, he wanted to kiss her. “Damn it, I’m not sleeping with you.”
He really shouldn’t. But he couldn’t resist. Sebastian let a wicked smile curl his lips and he lifted a suggestive brow, deliberately misunderstanding. “Well, I guess sleeping could be optional. I’d just assumed you’d want to be well-rested for tomorrow. But I’m always flexible if you’d rather—”
“That is not what I meant, and you know it!” Rosy color rode high on her cheeks. Using her index finger, she pushed her glasses back up. Man, he’d never realized something like that could be such a turn on. But every time she did it, it made him want to drag her to the ground and go at her like a starved sex demon.
“You and I are not sharing a room,” she whispered furiously, glancing to both sides to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
“You know, you’re really cute when you get all stubborn and proper like this.”
Her lashes fused together as she sputtered. For a split second, those beautiful emerald green eyes flashed black. Pure, unadulterated lust exploded through his system. He still couldn’t figure out exactly what she was—those flickering eyes proclaimed demoness despite the fact that she didn’t fire off those instincts inside him—but her scent said otherwise. The only brimstone he could detect on her was in her temper. The rest of her was all…human?
God, she had him so tied up in knots he couldn’t tell. Her obstinate resistance to discussing the subject frustrated him to no end.
Whatever she was, he wanted the hell out of her.
Sebastian leaned closer to her, enjoying the way her green-again eyes instantly darted to his lips. He savored the way she smelled, exotic flowers and all woman. For one moment, he thought about tugging her hair down just to see how she’d react. But one visual sweep around the cantina convinced him he didn’t want to share even a glimpse of those decadent tresses with anyone else. So instead, he eased his mouth just a bit closer to the delicate shell of her ear.
“And, sweetheart, make sure you get a room with a really big bed. I like to move around a lot when I”—he turned his head a little, deliberately feathering a suggestive breath along the sensitive skin below her ear—“sleep.”
A tremor slid through her, so powerful, he could see it. Delicious. Filled with a very male sense of satisfaction, he eased around her, careful to make certain he brushed against her, just a bit, before he walked toward the door, leaving her to follow. Or not.
He didn’t even bother trying to hide the grin.
At the cantina exit, he paused and turned to hold the door open for her. Oh, she’d followed all right. And it looked as if he were about to get that firsthand account of her temper sooner rather than later. He vanished the keys from her hand and conjured them into his. He’d noticed earlier the way her focus on the road tended to waver when she became distracted.
And right now, she was as distracted as a girl could get.
They barely made it to the rental car before she exploded.
After a very heated debate over the logic of sharing a room versus the need for privacy, Sebastian had had enough. He informed her in no uncertain terms that she could rent as many hotel rooms as she damned well pleased, it would make no difference in the end. He’d be sleeping with her, no matter where she slept, because he damned well couldn’t protect her if he wasn’t with her.
He went one step further and pointed out that he’d had four days to take advantage of her in her weakened state and had taken the honorable road. Then he’d pushed his limits and suggested that, perhaps, the only reason she didn’t want to share a room with him was because she didn’t trust herself?
She’d called him an asshole. And then she’d clapped a hand over her mouth and turned bright red.
And once again, he’d had to battle the urge to kiss her.
Phoebe had ridden the rest of the way to the hotel in seething silence. The memory of it still made him smile, despite his anger at her resistance.
Sebastian palmed the key and followed her inside the hotel room, their room. It was your average, basic, no frills hotel room. One queen sized bed. One nightstand. A single dresser with an old TV, a small table in the corner, and an adjoining bathroom the size of a postage stamp.
He was smart enough to hide the smirk tugging at his lips. Luck had been on their side, or at least it ha
d been on his side, saving him further argument. Apparently there was a senior tour group occupying eighteen of the twenty rooms in the small hotel. And a honeymooning couple had just rented room number nineteen not an hour before they’d arrived.
He didn’t bother rubbing in the fact that if she hadn’t argued with him, they would have arrived sooner and she might have had a shot at renting both rooms. First, he could see she’d already done the math in her head and didn’t like the sum she’d come up with. And second, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway. Like he’d said, where she slept, so would he. He stood with his back braced against the closed door and watched as she tossed her bag on the bed and scowled at him.
And he’d thought her stubbornness cute? Must have been his dick talking, because it damned sure wasn’t his sanity.
“This is ridiculous,” she grumbled beneath her breath as she ripped the zipper on her backpack open.
He clenched his teeth to keep from retorting. He might be willing to bend on a lot of things for her, but not this. Her safety was more important to him than anything else. She’d just have to get used to having him around.
Why did his mate have to be the stubborn one? He’d never seen Kyanna complain about having Xander constantly underfoot. And that bastard was as overprotective as they came. Likewise, he’d be willing to bet Carly never gave Niklas grief like this. And no way in hell, he was absolutely positive, would the Halfling put up a fuss over Gideon hovering. Temptation probably had the woman wrapped around his little finger already, eating out of the palm of his hand.
Sebastian snorted at his luck as he watched her dig through her bag. Her grumbling intensified, and the scowl on her face, if possible, grew even darker.
“What’s wrong?”
She huffed out an aggrieved breath. “I was paying more attention to you playing Sebastian the Great Cat Hunter, and then we were—” She choked off the words, but he knew what she’d been about to say. Kissing. Making out.
Nearly having sex.
Oh damn, he had to stop before he gave himself another erection…oops, too late. Looked like he had a few things to get used to as well. Like walking around in a perpetual state of arousal whenever she was near. Or when the subject of kissing came up. Or whenever he thought about her. Which was pretty much all the freakin’ time now.
And there it was again, that spike in energy radiating from her whenever she was angry or upset…or aroused. To be truthful, he’d grown rather used to the constant, low grade hum of power that he hardly noticed it anymore, though it still left him puzzled as to exactly what she was. But these sharp little jolts sure caught her attention.
And that worried him. Because if he could feel them, then surely other demons would as well. Then what? How many males would he have to fight in order to keep her?
The answer surprised him.
As many as it takes.
He gave himself a mental shake and struggled to focus on her words. She was holding up a tube of toothpaste in one hand, and a stick of deodorant in the other. “…and I forgot to pack a toothbrush.”
Was that all? Sebastian conjured an assortment of packaged toothbrushes across the bedspread. Phoebe blinked, and her mouth fell open. She snapped her mouth closed, shot him a dirty look, swiped up a random toothbrush and stormed to the bathroom.
“You’re welcome,” he called after her.
She slammed the door behind her.
Gideon’s warning about the portal that had snatched his and Xander’s mates right from beneath his nose came back to him. He was across the room in a flash and shoved the door open without bothering to knock.
She whirled around, clutching her toothbrush like a weapon. “What part of ‘closed door’ do you not understand?” she demanded.
“What part of ‘you don’t leave my sight’ did you not understand?”
“Get. Out!”
“You. Don’t. Leave. My. Sight.”
She threw the still packaged toothbrush at him. It clipped his shoulder. “Kiss my ass!”
If it weren’t for the scandalized look on her face, or the way she quickly covered her mouth, he probably would have been a lot more upset with her. As it was…
He was in her face in an instant, their noses practically brushing. “If I ever hear those words leave your luscious little mouth again,” he said, very softly, very forcefully, “I will take them as an invitation. And I won’t stop with that tight little ass of yours either.”
Her eyes went wide at first, but then they narrowed and she took a step back.
“Be reasonable,” she insisted. He was pleased to note that her tone had changed, becoming much more conciliatory, though he didn’t like that she was still arguing. “I’m not going to be directly in your line of sight every single minute.”
“Yes. You are.”
“No!” She threw the toothpaste next, her attempts at calm reasoning blown sky high. “I’m not. I’m not showering with you standing there watching. And absolutely under no circumstances will I—” She looked to the toilet in the corner. “Oh, hell no.”
He ground his teeth.
“Fine,” he grudgingly compromised. “But the door stays open.”
“No.”
“It stays open or I’m in the room. Take your pick, sweetheart.”
If looks could kill, he’d be kissing Oblivion right now.
“Just a crack,” she finally allowed.
“All the way,” he countered.
Her eyes narrowed. How long before they flickered black again? Heaven help him, as worked up as he was right now he didn’t think he’d be able to keep his hands off her if they did. Wouldn’t be able to resist taking her. Claiming her. That bed was too close.
A wicked little voice in the back of his mind teased him. The wall’s closer.
“Halfway,” she allowed, disappointing him when her eyes stayed green. “And not an inch more.”
He drew a deep breath. If he wanted to encourage her to be reasonable, to work with him, then he had to be willing to do the same.
Instincts. Screaming.
“All right,” he conceded.
“Fine.”
“Fine,” he snapped, holding on to his temper by the tips of his claws.
“Okay then.”
She was going to push him right over the edge.
C.R.A.Z.Y.
They stood glowering at each. And then something changed. Her focus dipped to his mouth, just for a split second. But that was all it took. The temperature in the tiny room rocketed with a new tension.
It took a moment for Sebastian to register the knocking at the door. Swearing beneath his breath, Sebastian scooped up the toothbrush and toothpaste and tossed them back to her. Not waiting to see if she caught them, he pivoted on the balls of his feet and stormed from the bathroom.
Scowling, Sebastian jerked the door open. An older man of medium height and build stood in the hallway. His skin looked like old, creased shoe leather, his mustache was bushy, and Sebastian wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the beat up old hat on his head had rolled in with some tumbleweeds. His faded jeans and button-down plaid shirt were well-worn, as were the dusty boots on his feet.
The man frowned and took a step back, his eyes turning to the number on the door.
“Lo siento mucho,” he said, dipping his head. “Disculpe por favor.” He turned on his heel, but he didn’t make it more than a single step before Phoebe cried out.
Sebastian spun around, his palm up, ready to form a plasma ball to kill whatever had startled her. But she was alone. Before he could question her, Phoebe sprinted across the room and nearly knocked him over in her rush to get through the doorway.
“What—”
But she wasn’t paying any attention to him. She threw herself at their visitor, wrapping her arms around his neck as he swung her around in a bon
e crushing hug. To Sebastian’s utter chagrin, he experienced a shot of jealousy so swift and so strong he had to make a fist to extinguish the plasma ball that he couldn’t even remember forming.
A barrage of Spanish passed between Phoebe and the man as he set her back on her feet and patted at her cheeks, moisture glinting in his crinkled brown eyes. Sebastian knew enough of the language to understand what was being said, and he forced his jealousy back.
So this was Ricardo. Phoebe was, even now, apologizing for not meeting the guide as previously planned. Making all sorts of excuses. Then she caught Ricardo’s hand and dragged him back to the room.
“Come inside,” she insisted, glaring Sebastian out of the way.
Sebastian stepped back to allow them entrance. He closed the door and followed them into the room, stopping only when he’d reached Phoebe’s side. Ricardo peered at him with unmistakable curiosity.
“Sebastian, this is my old friend Ricardo Esteban Reynosa Alcalá. Ricardo, this is Sebastian—”
“Phoebe’s fiancé,” Sebastian blurted, slipping his arm around her waist and drawing her into his side.
She went stiff as a board and started to pull away. Sebastian quickly and unobtrusively subdued her, pinning her in place beneath his arm. He gave her a warning squeeze, all the while offering Ricardo a wide smile.
Sebastian thrust out his free hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Ricardo shook Sebastian’s hand, looking warily between the two of them. It was obvious the man wasn’t buying it, though he was apparently willing to play along. For now. “Congratulations. I did not know Phoebe was to be wed.”
Phoebe started to open her mouth, but Sebastian quickly cut her off. “It was very recent.”
A troubled frown darkened Ricardo’s brow, but he said nothing.
Phoebe frowned up at Sebastian. She made to move away again, but he held firm. And then it was his turn to tense. Razor sharp nails dug into his back, giving a little warning of their own. Gritting his teeth behind his smile, he glanced down at her. She offered him a tight-lipped smile right back.