Toxic Vengeance

by Kaylea Cross

  The Tesla followed as Zack picked up speed, weaving in and out of traffic. There was so much of it. Innocent bystanders were going to get seriously hurt. “Fifty meters and closing fast. We need to get off this street.”

  “Working on it,” he muttered, dodging cars and trucks as he raced to get them away from the Tesla. He took a hard left on a stale amber light, tires squealing. She braced herself against the door, then jerked against the seatbelt when Zack suddenly hammered the brakes to avoid smashing into the back of a minivan.

  They both grunted, their heads snapping back when the car behind them rear-ended them. Wincing, Eden turned to look behind them. The Tesla was only three cars back and coming on fast. “Zack—”

  He cranked the wheel hard and took off before the other driver even knew what happened. The traffic up ahead was even thicker, ending in a lineup at the next light.

  “Hang on,” he warned and cranked the wheel again, spinning them into a sharp U-turn.

  More horns blasted, three cars colliding with a metallic crunch as they swerved to avoid them. The Tesla mimicked them, pulling a tight U-turn and coming up behind them.

  Zack turned right, trying to get them on a road with more room to move, but it was no use. “You’re gonna have to take out the driver,” he said to her.

  Firing her weapon at a moving target with so many innocents between them was a last resort, but they needed to get rid of this asshole if they were going to make their escape.

  “Ready.” She rolled down her window, pistol in hand. “Bring him in closer.”

  Zack’s face was grim as he eased up on the gas. Eden watched the Tesla in the side mirror, tracking its progress as it neared, counting down to when she would pop her head out the window to fire behind them.

  Four. Three. Two—

  A black car barreled out of a side street just as they passed it, hurtling toward the Tesla. The Tesla swerved an instant before they collided and was slammed into by a passing delivery truck.

  “Your tail’s clear,” Amber said through Eden’s earpiece.

  Holy shit. Eden grinned. “It’s Jesse and Amber.” Jesse was behind the wheel. “Great timing,” she told them.

  “Even better, that driver’s going to be all over that intersection camera footage for me to look at,” Amber replied.

  “Everyone okay?” Trinity asked.

  “Yes,” Eden said.

  “Good. Pull over, give Bennet’s phone and wallet to Jesse, then you and Zack go back to the house. Amber and Jesse will meet me at RV point Charlie to go through the phone, surveillance and traffic cams. I want to know who our killer is and find out who the hell that driver was working for.”

  “Roger that.” Zack drove for a couple minutes before turning onto a quiet side street and pulling over. Eden got out and handed over Bennett’s stuff, then they swapped cars. By the time she and Zack got back to the safehouse in Jesse’s rental, the adrenaline crash had hit her.

  “You all right?” Zack asked as the garage door closed behind them.

  “I’m okay.” Just tired, and right now she needed distance from him. “I’m gonna take a shower.”

  Inside she stood under the hot spray, letting it ease the tension in her neck and shoulders. Her palms stung from where she’d scraped them on the pavement, and she was going to have a few bruises as well. That rear-ender had been far more than a love tap. She was gonna feel it in the morning.

  Leaving her hair to dry naturally, she pulled on a sweater and a pair of yoga pants before walking into her bedroom. She stopped a foot past the bathroom threshold, her heart doing a terrified backflip.

  Zack stood between her and the bed, his stormy eyes sweeping over her like a physical caress.

  They stared at each other, the space between them suddenly filled with erotic memories. They pressed in on her along with the quiet, making her pulse thud in her throat.

  Say something, she silently ordered him.

  “For those first few months after you left, I saw you everywhere,” he said, his deep voice stroking over her skin. “On the street. In airports. Restaurants. Once I even ran out of a meeting because I thought I saw you on the sidewalk outside.”

  His words made her feel small. “I’m sorry I hurt you.” She hadn’t wanted to.

  He came toward her. Eden forced herself to remain still, holding that molten pewter gaze.

  Don’t touch me. Please don’t touch me.

  She was weak where he was concerned. If he touched her, she didn’t think she had the strength to pull away. And that would be a disaster, for both of them.

  Stopping inches from her, taunting her with his scent and nearness, he lifted a hand to cup the side of her face.

  Eden sucked in a breath as a thousand tingles raced over her skin, scattering her thoughts and pulling her nipples into hard points.

  “We both lied to each other back then,” he murmured, his face inches away. “But for me what we shared was real.”

  She scrambled to shore up her defenses, growing weaker with each heartbeat he stood so close. This was too dangerous. They’d both been hurt too much already, and this could only lead to more heartbreak.

  “I can’t give you what you want,” she whispered back. “I can’t give you normal.”

  His eyes darkened, the pupils expanding until they almost swallowed the irises as a solid arm locked around her waist. “I don’t want normal. I just want you.”

  His mouth came down on hers, obliterating everything as a sudden tidal wave of need crashed over her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Eden stiffened, fighting the onslaught of need pumping through her in a last ditch effort to pull away. But instead of devouring her mouth as she expected him to, Zack wound his arms around her and buried his face in her neck, crushing her to him.

  Her hands stilled on his shoulders. He was holding her so tight. As if he was afraid she would be torn from him at any moment. Eden closed her eyes, her heart twisting. Against her better judgment she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest. His heart thudded beneath her cheek.

  “I missed you,” he whispered. “Missed you so damn much.”

  Oh God. She hadn’t expected this. Had no defense against it, his words piercing her.

  Unable to say it back to him, she slipped her hands around his ribs to his back and held him to her, telling him how she felt without words. Her chest felt tight, his desperation taking her completely off guard. She’d never imagined she’d affected him this much. Had never guessed he’d truly missed her, and not just the sex.

  His fingers dug into her back, holding on tight as he nuzzled her neck. A shiver swept through her, her body humming, skin alive with sensation as he skimmed his way up to her jaw. He dropped warm, fervent kisses over her face, his lips pausing an inch from hers.

  She shouldn’t let this continue. If she was smart she would end this now and retreat until they were both thinking straight, but that wasn’t an option with him so close and holding her like he never wanted to let go. His honesty and openness made it impossible to walk away.

  This might be their only time together without any barriers between them, no lies or pretense. She wanted to feel what it was like to be real with him. She’d dreamed of it so many times, would grieve for him all over again after this was over, but even the threat of the coming pain wasn’t enough to stop her. This was worth the pain.

  With a ragged sound she turned her lips to his. Heat detonated in her belly, her core.

  Her hands found their way into his hair as he slanted his mouth across hers. Zack didn’t plunder, didn’t take. He gave. Heart-stopping, soul-wrenching kisses, his hands cradling her head. The touch of his tongue to hers made her gasp and plaster her body to the length of his. She wanted closer. Skin to skin, as close as they could get.

  “Eden, fucking touch me,” he rasped out, the desperation and yearning in his voice shredding the last wisps of her control.

  She couldn’t touch enough of him, couldn’t get close enou
gh. It was like she’d been slowly dying inside since the day she left him, and now she had suddenly burst back to life.

  A seam ripped as she drew his shirt off to expose the raw power of his upper body. He groaned and clenched his fist in her hair as she rubbed her face against his chest, kissing and licking as she went.

  The world went dark for a second as he pulled her sweater over her head. She brought his mouth back to hers, moaned at the way he caressed the inside of her mouth, one big hand cupping the back of her head while his other undid her bra. He cradled one breast in his palm, his thumb sweeping over the hard nipple.

  She shuddered, rolled her hips against his and moaned again at the rigid length of his erection. It had been so damn long, felt like years instead of months, and she’d never forgotten how he could light her body up.

  She wound her legs around his waist when he hoisted her into the air and turned to the bed. He came down on top of her, claiming her mouth in a deep, thorough kiss even as he pulled her pants down her legs. The heat of his hand cupping her stole her breath, then his mouth was closing over her nipple, lips and tongue caressing.

  Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to sink into the sensations, not just the pleasure he was giving, but the feeling of being wanted, of being safe…

  A soft, needy cry burst from her when his fingers stroked her sensitive folds. She was wet and throbbing, shuddered and bowed her back when he at last touched her swollen clit. “Zack,” she gasped out.

  “Yes.” He remembered exactly what she liked. He gave it to her, building the pleasure, heightening the anticipation as he finally kissed his way down her belly and settled between her thighs. She’d thought about this so many times, but he was even better than she remembered.

  The first touch of his lips had her gripping his hair tight, and then his tongue settled over her, stroking her most sensitive spot. Driving her wild before sliding inside her, making her push against his face, hungry for more.

  Zack held her upper thighs and proceeded to make her mindless, twice bringing her to the edge before stopping suddenly.

  “Oh, God, don’t stop—make me come,” she blurted, trembling, barely able to breathe for the unbearable ache between her legs.

  “I want to be in you when you come. Wanna feel you clench around me,” he rasped, shucking his jeans and coming up with a condom.

  Eden levered up to reach between his legs, taking his rigid length in her hands. He jerked taut, a low groan coming from his throat as she squeezed and stroked.

  One big hand plunged into her hair, tipping her face up to meet his kiss. She sucked at his tongue, stroking him the way he loved best, reveling in every twitch of his muscles, every raw groan she pulled from him.

  He pushed her hands away, rolled the condom on and pressed her flat on her back, kneeling between her thighs. He stroked himself with one hand as he teased her with the other, gliding along the side of her clit, keeping her on edge until she was squirming and gasping for breath.

  Just as her vision began to haze over he finally stretched out on top of her and blanketed her with his weight, his cock sliding between her folds, his belly and chest pressed to hers. Those gorgeous gray eyes stared down into hers, searing her with their heat and intensity, then he thrust home, burying his length inside her with one single thrust.

  Eden cried out and squeezed her eyes shut at the perfection of it, the heat and thickness of him as he filled her. His mouth came down on hers, tongue driving into her mouth as he began to move. Smooth, firm strokes, the muscles in his shoulders and back flexing.

  She clung to him, opened herself fully to him as she surrendered to the pleasure of it. He shifted higher, changing the angle, allowing her to wriggle around to just the right position and allow her friction against her clit, his weight and strength pinning her down.

  “Move with me,” he whispered, his voice sliding over her like dark, soft velvet.

  Her arousal shot higher, the tantalizing promise of release looming at the edge of her consciousness. She sought it with single-minded need, her body tightening, reaching…

  Zack slipped a hand between them to find her clit with his fingertips, rubbing in gentle circles while he rode her, stroking her inner sweet spot at the same time. “Let go for me, Eden.”

  Her breath halted, her body arched, and the orgasm ripped through her, a blinding wave of pleasure made all the more intense by the desperation they shared.

  Above her he stiffened, his mouth lifting from hers. She forced her eyes open, mesmerized by the sight of him like that, riding the knife edge of ecstasy, the muscles in his chest and shoulders standing out, eyes squeezed shut and his face contorted into an expression of sensual agony.

  Eden wrapped her arms around him, set her feet flat on the bed and rolled her hips, stroking him with her core.

  His eyes flipped open, met hers for a single heart-stopping moment. They slid closed again, his ragged groan filling the silence as he drove deep and shuddered over and over, helpless in her embrace as she’d been mere moments before.

  Breathing hard, he came down on his elbows, his head dropping to her shoulder. Eden gathered him to her and closed her eyes, her body warm and melted like chocolate left in the sun. She stroked his broad back as the silence settled around them, her mind allowing her a few seconds more peace before reality intruded into the perfection of the moment.

  The sting of tears made her keep her eyes shut. This couldn’t last, because she didn’t believe he could ever be hers. And if they never got to the point where they could be together and make it work, at least she would remember this moment for the rest of her life.

  His weight lifted, and she sensed him looking down at her. “Hey,” he murmured, cradling her cheek in his hand.

  Eden turned her face away, afraid the tears would leak out. The soft, tender kisses he scattered across her face made it even worse.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat, forced the welling emotions back through sheer force of will and curled into him when he withdrew gently and rolled them onto their sides. If he tried to talk about them or their future, she couldn’t take it.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, smoothing his hand up and down her bare back.

  “Nothing.” Just that he was tearing her heart apart, making her wish for a future that might not be possible. She couldn’t let herself dwell on fanciful dreams while they were dealing with everything else.

  Eden cuddled closer, shutting off her brain, refusing to think about anything but right now. It was all she could handle for the moment.

  Zack gave a low, contented groan, reached back to switch off the bedside lamp, then gathered her tight to him. “You feel so damn amazing.”

  She kissed his chest in response, not trusting herself to speak, unwilling to spoil this with words better left unsaid. Instead she drank it all in: his protective embrace, his delicious scent, the warmth and feel of his naked skin against hers.

  In the darkness she lay listening to his breathing change, first evening out, then deepening. He twitched twice as he drifted off, his arms loosening around her.

  Only when she was sure he was fast asleep did she carefully extricate herself from his arms and leave the room.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Zack stirred, his brain waking up before his body did. He rolled over and reached for Eden as his eyes opened in the dimness, but his hand met empty covers.

  He jerked up onto his elbow and looked around, dread and disappointment flooding him. The bedroom door was closed and faint gray light coming through the edges of the blind told him it was still early, before seven at least. She’d been cuddled up against him when he’d fallen asleep last night. He hadn’t even noticed when she’d left the bed.

  He sat up and reached for his jeans, willing his heart to slow down, memories of the last time she’d ghosted on him swirling through his head. What if she left again?

  No. If she’d left him, she still wouldn’t have gone far. There was no way she would walk away fr
om this mission and the others, even if she regretted last night. He sure as hell didn’t, other than not noticing when she’d snuck out on him. It was rare for him to sleep so hard. He must have been more exhausted than he’d realized.

  All caught up in his head, he hurried into the hallway, checking the other rooms. He stopped short in the kitchen doorway, relief sluicing through him. Eden stood at the stove with her back to him, cracking eggs into a pan.

  She was still here. He could breathe again. God, he wanted to go up and wrap his arms around her from behind, nuzzle the side of her neck, but now he wasn’t sure if it would be welcome or not.

  “Morning,” he said.

  She looked back at him, her expression guarded, and gave a little smile. “Morning.” She went back to cooking the eggs. “I just put the coffee on before I started on the eggs. I was going to bring you a plate.”

  He melted a little. “As in breakfast in bed?”

  “Yes.” Her cheeks flushed a bit as she stirred the eggs. Scrambled. Because she remembered that’s how he liked them? “We didn’t have any bread, though.” She turned off the burner and slid the pan aside.

  “Coffee and scrambled eggs is fantastic.” The sweet gesture surprised him. They’d never stayed anywhere but hotels together, so he’d never seen her cook before. “Do you like to cook?”

  She shrugged. “Sometimes. But not every day.”

  “Me neither.” Encouraged that she wasn’t trying to avoid him, Zack approached her, watching for any telltale stiffening of her spine. She tensed slightly, stopped him by turning around to face him, spatula still in hand.

  Her gaze traveled over him, taking in his bare chest, then back up. Just having her eyes on him had blood shunting south.

  She studied his face a moment. “You thought I left.” A statement, not an accusation. There was a touch of disappointment in her eyes, though.

  Yeah, he had. And now he felt bad. “Well, it’s not the first time you’ve snuck out on me,” he teased, adding a grin to lighten the mood. “But hey, at least you didn’t drug me this time.”