She crossed the room and eased the door open to find Alec standing at the threshold. His heated gaze raked her from head to toe and a riot of butterflies took off in Alyssa’s stomach. With a couple of purposeful strides, he entered the room and closed the door behind him. He didn’t utter a single word, he simply rushed at her and took her into his arms. Before Alyssa could process what was happening, his mouth descended on hers, hungry, demanding, and oh, so amazing.
He might’ve been shy at first, but holy crap, he was making up for it in spades.
Alyssa wrapped her arms around his neck, surprised that his skin was still chilled from being outside. Her fingers brushed the soft strands of his hair at the base of his neck and she trailed his fingers down to the top of his spine before easing downward to his broad shoulders. His muscles bunched and flexed beneath her palms and his hand came up to cup the back of her neck. No one had ever kissed her with such intensity before, as though he were starved for her, desperate for a connection.
Alec’s tongue flicked out at the seam of her lips and Alyssa parted her mouth, deepening the kiss. His taste was rich and heady like an expensive scotch and already she felt drunk from his intoxicating kisses. Despite the cold he seemed to exude, her body warmed from his touch and with every caress of his tongue, a low delicious throb grew low in Alyssa’s abdomen.
She knew so little about him. Virtually nothing. But she didn’t care. She knew what she felt and there was no denying they shared a deep connection. Something that transcended time and space and dating decorum. The only thing that mattered in this moment was that she wanted him. Pleasant chills danced up and down Alyssa’s spine and she arched her body into his, her nipples hardening to stiff peaks through the thin fabric of her t-shirt. Alec moaned into her mouth, his grip on her tightening as he started forward toward the bed. Alyssa took a tentative step backward and then another. She trusted him to guide her where she needed to go, and besides, his kisses were too sweet, too addictive for her to break away for something as trivial as watching where she was walking.
When the backs of her thighs bumped into the mattress, Alec eased her down on the coverlet and braced his arms on either side of her. His elbows bent as he lowered his head to touch his lips to hers once, twice, and again. Too much space separated them and Alyssa reached up and wound her hand around his neck urging him closer. Eager to feel his mouth on hers, she parted her lips and took his bottom lip between her teeth.
Alyssa eased her body up the bed and Alec followed his mouth slanting against her as he claimed it in another feverish kiss. She let her legs fall open and he settled himself into the cradle of her hips, the hard length of his erection pressing up against her core in a way that was both erotic and maddening. Too many clothes separated their skin and she wanted nothing more than to shuck her jeans and strip off her t-shirt.
Reaching between their bodies, Alyssa pulled away and gripped the hem of her shirt. Alec gave her a quizzical look until he realized what it was she was doing and then his eyes became hooded, his gaze, hungry. He watched with an intensity that made her skin tingle pleasantly and she slowly dragged the shirt up the length of her torso and then over her head. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the shirt sailing somewhere behind them and she stretched her arms high above her head, arching her back toward him. If he didn’t reach out and touch her soon, she’d go out of her mind.
He brought his hand up and Alyssa let her eyes drift shut, anticipation firing every nerve ending in her body. Alec trembled beside her, as though he barely restrained himself. Restraint wasn’t what she wanted from him right now. She’d all but rolled out the welcome mat. Instead of cupping her breast the way she hoped he would, he leaned over her.
Alec’s voice was strained with emotion when he said close to her ear, “Tell me no, Alyssa. Say that you don’t want this. That you want me to leave. Now.”
No? Was he out of his ever-loving mind?
Five
“I CAN’T DO that, Alec,” she replied. “I won’t.”
Dear god, he needed her to stop him because Alec knew that he couldn’t stop himself. Memories surfaced from another time and place. Visions of a woman he’d loved who was taken from him all too soon. Could it be that fate was giving him a second chance? He couldn’t deny the connection between them. As though an unseen forced had arched across what could never be to bridge the gap between them. Alec didn’t get many second chances and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let this one pass him by.
He rose up to look at her, his composure slipping another notch as he took in her naked torso, skin almost pearlescent in the moonlight and her breasts, so tantalizing that he ached to reach out and touch…
A gust of wind rattled the French doors with such force that they nearly came off their hinges. Alyssa’s alarm equaled his own relief as though a force larger than himself stepped in to intervene where his own self-control failed. And knowing what lingered beyond the boundary of the fence, his assumption probably wasn’t far from the truth. Another gust followed on the heels of the first, this time shaking the entire hotel on its foundation. A loud crack echoed in the distance and the crash of a tree sent Alec upright.
“Is everything okay?” Alyssa asked as she sat up and took his hand in hers. The concern in her expression only let him know there was nothing but fear in his own.
The wind brought with it the cold snap back to reality that Alec needed. “I should check to make sure that tree didn’t fall anywhere near the building or vehicles outside.” He retrieved her t-shirt from the floor—and though it pained him to cover her up—helped her to put it back on. “I’ll be back in a moment. Stay here, Alyssa. Don’t go outside, do you understand me?”
She nodded in agreement. “Are you sure you should go out there alone, though? I mean, what if another tree falls? I could wake up Jeff or one of the other guys—”
“No.” He hoped he didn’t sound too harsh, but honestly, there was little anyone could do. It would be safer for Alec to go alone, just in case, and he refused to risk the safety of any of the guests. “I’ll be fine. Just promise me you’ll stay here until I get back.”
“All right,” she said. “Just be careful, okay?”
Her smile as he left was like a knife to his chest, a deep, stabbing pain that made him wonder why, of all the things he was denied, that pain was still such a real, almost tactile emotion. Perhaps it was better this way. Better that he feel pain and not pleasure. Better that he walk away now while he could still bear to. Because if he allowed himself to feel any ounce of happiness in her presence, her inexorable absence would surely kill him in a way that no mortal thing had managed yet.
Another tree splintered from its trunk and crashed to the ground when Alec stepped out onto the grounds. The wind whipped in a frenzy around him, the very air charged with the presence of a being so powerful that even nature cowered in its wake. On the edge of the woods, he made out a small shape making its way toward the hotel. He should have known that where danger roamed, she’d be soon to follow.
“Jacquelyn,” he said over the howl of the wind. “I’d say it’s nice to see you, but I have a feeling you’ve made something angry tonight.” Honestly, he should be thanking the hunter for her interference. If she hadn’t angered the demon, he would have thrown his convictions to the side while he indulged in earthly pleasures he had no right to enjoy.
“You should have contacted me, Alec,” Jacquelyn admonished. “I could have taken care of this before anyone else became involved.”
Alec didn’t miss her pointed glance toward the cars parked in front of the hotel. As a Waerd, her job was to protect the lives of humans from malicious supernatural forces. By not involving her, he’d put innocents in danger, something the petite warrior didn’t exactly appreciate. Alec cringed under her accusing stare. Power emanated from her in forceful waves and he instinctually took a step away from her. “I heard that you were dealing with problems of your own. I didn’t want to involve you until it was necessary.�
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She scoffed at the insinuation that her personal life might take precedence over her job. “I wish it worked that way, but it doesn’t. Really, Alec, how much longer did you think you could hold it off? Your iron fence makes a decent ward, but even that won’t stop an elemental demon for long.”
“You’re right. I should have contacted you sooner. I apologize.”
“Eh, it is what it is,” Jacquelyn said with a dismissive flick of her hand. She rested her palm on the butt of the gun holstered under her arm and leaned against the fence as though they were just two old chums catching up. “I’m sort of in a transition period, partner-wise, but Micah can pull his weight. This really doesn’t rank very high on my oh-shit-o-meter. We should be able to track the demon down within the next couple of days and take care of it for you. But what I’m most concerned about are your guests.” She jerked her chin toward the hotel. “It won’t be good if any of them go wandering out into the trees.
“I have that under control,” Alec said, his gaze wandering toward the third floor window.
“Sam says they’re with channel seven news. Doing some sort of haunted house story for Halloween?”
Sam and his big mouth. It was obvious he’d contacted Jacquelyn about the demon, and in the course of employing her services, decided to make her privy to all of the goings on at the hotel. “They are. And staying until Sunday. Our interloper should be taken care of by then, no?”
“Should be,” she responded with a shrug. “I almost had it tonight, but the damn thing was a little more slippery than I thought it would be.” She pushed away from the fence and Alec saw the threat of death in the hunter’s eyes. Jacquelyn might have looked petite and delicate, but he knew her for what she truly was: a ruthless killer who stopped at nothing to protect those in her care. The fact that he was currently on her good side was something that he didn’t take for granted. Her moods shifted like the rising tides and it wouldn’t take much to fall out of her favored graces.
Like seducing a woman he had no business being with…
“You want to tell me something, Alec?”
The way she studied him, he swore Jacquelyn could hear his thoughts. Though he’d heard rumors that it was the hunter’s counterpart, their Bearers who were the true mind readers. And right now, he was damned thankful that Jacquelyn had come alone to speak with him tonight. “No,” he replied. “But if you need help with the demon, please let me know.”
She laughed but it wasn’t mocking in the slightest, just sad. And why was her pity so much worse than her mockery? “If he gets inside your fence, then I’m not doing my job. I’ve got this covered; you just make sure your guests don’t go on any field trips.”
“Of course,” he said with a bow. “Thank you.”
“Dude, you could charm the pants off a nun.” Jacquelyn flashed him a brilliant smile before sauntering off from where she came, her gait slow and wary like the predator she was.
“And you could put the fear of god into the devil,” Alec called.
She threw up her hand in a departing wave, her soft feminine laughter echoing through the woods in a way that caused chills to race along his already cold flesh. Again his gaze wandered to the third story window. He didn’t dare go back into the house tonight, and yet, he’d promised Alyssa he’d be back.
Unfortunately, Alec had never been one to err on the side of caution.
Six
NO WONDER HE’D asked her to stop him.
Alyssa peered through the sheer curtains at the scene below, watching with interest as the petite brunette walked back toward the forest. Apparently, Alec wasn’t too concerned that she’d be eaten by some wild animal. A derisive snort escaped Alyssa’s lips. More likely, he had a house hidden somewhere in the trees and the brunette was the missus coming to check on him. She didn’t miss the dark-haired woman’s pointed glance toward the third story, or Alec’s nervous expression as he followed her gaze.
God, she was so stupid! No one got lucky enough to hook up with a perfect, gorgeous stranger. And the soul-deep bond she felt when she looked at him? Obviously a figment of her overactive imagination. They always turned out to be liars, or married, or some kind of nasty creeper with a criminal record, or a guy who lived at home and collected snake skins. Ugh, could she have been more of an idealistic fool? There was a reason why hopeless romantics were mocked mercilessly. Right now, Alyssa felt like a king-sized loser.
Caretaker? The dude was probably hiding out from a bench warrant. So what if he was unrealistically good-looking? Super-model types committed crimes all the time. He was slick, that was for sure. With very little effort at all he’d drawn her in, made her feel wanted, desired. And he kissed her like her lips were crack and he was a desperate addict. All part of the seduction ploy.
Curiosity got the better of her and Alyssa peeked through the curtain. She’d expected Alec to chase after the brunette or high-tail it back upstairs so he could continue his act of the sex-starved gentleman. Say that you don’t want this. Tell me no. Even now, the memory of his tortured words did miraculous things to her body, tightening and pulsing in all the right places. Bastard.
Alec hadn’t moved an inch since the brunette left. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Now he was facing the hotel, his gaze upturned toward the French doors that opened into her room. It was too dark to make out his expression—probably panic now that he’d been caught—though his back was straight, his wide shoulders, level and not at all hunched over or defeated. Funny, the moonlight played on his skin in a way that made him seem almost translucent. Like a gossamer cloak clung to his form, practically glowing against the navy backdrop of night. Or was it early morning? Did it even matter?
Alyssa blamed the optical illusion on her lack of sleep and emotional stress. He was beautiful enough to be an angel, though after what she watched from the window she was convinced his nature was much more devilish. Something spurred him forward, and without a glance back to the brunette, Alec headed for the hotel, his stride even and full of purpose.
Crap! She did not deal well with confrontation and she sensed the mother of all showdowns in her future if she didn’t do something to thwart it. On the one hand, she’d love nothing more than to rub it all in his face and tell him right where he could stick it. But on the other, Alyssa didn’t think her pride could take that sort of rejection right now. Not after he’d made her feel so special. Cowardly, it might have been, but she decided that avoiding confrontation was in her best interest. At least for now. Maybe after she had a few hours’ sleep she’d feel tougher, and in the light of day, she’d have the moxie to tell him to go to hell. The sound of the lobby door opening and closing was her cue and Alyssa shucked her jeans and jumped into bed, pulling the coverlet high up to her chin. She tried to keep her breathing slow and even, and then said a curse under her breath when she realized she hadn’t locked the door.
Shitty hotel and its old-fashioned, non-auto-locking door!
“Alyssa?”
His voice was warm and gentle and caressed her ears in a way that made her flush with heat. Damn it. She lifted her head from the pillow and looked around as though disoriented and half asleep.
“Oh, hey. I must have dozed off. Everything okay outside?” The inflection in her voice didn’t go unnoticed. She tried to hide the accusing tone, but there wasn’t much she could do about it now.
“Fine,” Alec said, his hopeful tone deflated. “I didn’t mean to wake you. You should go back to sleep.”
Disappointment settled like a lead weight in Alyssa’s stomach. For some crazy reason, she’d wished he’d come in here with some sort of explanation as to the identity of the brunette. Something that, even though might seem farfetched, she’d believe. Because she wanted Alec to be the nice guy she thought he was. She didn’t want him to be that skeezy jerk who preyed on lonely women, feeding them his eccentric bullshit knowing they’d eat it up like the gourmet chocolate conveniently hidden in the pantry.
“Yeah, I should pr
obably get a few hours of rest before I have to get up for work. I’m glad the storm didn’t cause any damage. Good night, Alec.” Awkward had nothing on this moment. After what had happened between them, a “See ya in the morning!” just felt lame.
Alec took a few steps toward the bed and Alyssa stiffened. He brushed her hair from her forehead and pressed his lips against her brow. Jeez, he was only outside for about ten minutes, but his skin was so cold. She’d expected chilly weather, but how did people deal with it? Okay, wrong time to be worried about him. You should be hoping he’s hypothermic. Jerk.
“Sleep well,” he murmured against her skin.
Alyssa closed her eyes, and held in a breath. She barely knew the guy so why did it hurt so much that he might have betrayed her? A chill breeze caressed her cheek and when she opened her eyes, he was gone. He’d made a pretty stealthy exit for an old, creaky building. Her brow knitted as she looked over at the French doors, still closed tight. Huh, drafty old hotel and a disappearing caretaker.
Spooky.
#
“I’m Melinda McAvoy, happy Halloween.”
“And, we’re clear.”
Alyssa checked the time on her phone, almost eleven o’clock. After what felt like the longest day ever, she was ready to head upstairs and go to bed. Maybe if she fell asleep now, she wouldn’t have to listen to round two of Sextober Fest. As he helped to put away the equipment, she tried not to dwell on the fact that Alec hadn’t made an appearance all day. Not that it mattered. Not that she cared.
“Did you feel that?” Gary the cameraman rubbed his arms. “This place wigs me out. Weird cold spots that come from nowhere, creaky floorboards, and did you guys hear that wind last night? I can’t wait to get the hell out of here in the morning.”
Haunted: A Sentry of Evil Short Story Page 3