by Devlin Chase
The monotony of his work struck him, days and nights of the same routine becoming weeks and months of endless tasks and missions. He’d worked for the council for far too long and it was only boredom that kept him with them now. Deep down in his bones he knew that his heart was no longer in it; he’d lost his enthusiasm somewhere in Brazil, or Argentina or…wherever.
That was a lie, he realized as he stretched again. He’d finally woken up to the fact that he was nothing more than a cog in the council’s great machine and, as close as he was to being asked to serve on the council himself, beaurocracy was simply not his thing.
Maybe it was time to get out of the field altogether.
With that thought in mind, Darien scowled as he walked into the bathroom. He cranked the shower and stood at the vanity sink as the water heated.
Blue eyes stared back at him from a face devoid of all emotion. His tanned skin glowed under the small spotlights in the ceiling and, as his lips parted, fangs gleamed brightly. The muscles at his shoulders bunched and tightened as he leaned in toward the mirror, seeking something from his reflection that he knew wasn’t there.
Hell, he looked thirty but he felt every one of his nearly four hundred years he failed to find the humanity that he’d brought into this job so long ago. All that returned his gaze was an emptiness that threatened to swallow him whole.
Stepping back from the mirror Darien turned and walked into the shower stall, pulling the glass door closed behind him. As the water beat down on him he hung his head and leaned one arm heavily on the tiled wall.
His brain felt foggy as he replayed his first meeting with Catherine and he wondered why he’d not followed her when she’d run from him the night before. Instead he’s just stood there, in the empty street, and watched as she’d sped away as fast as her lovely long legs could carry her.
Memories of those legs, wrapped as they had been in lycra leggings and combat style boots made the hand he had braced against the wall curl into a fist…
No, no, no! His fist slammed sideways into the tiles, the jarring pain enough to wake him from the fog his memory was threatening to drop him into. He couldn’t do this now, not when he was so tired, so drained.
But his cock was having different ideas, throbbing between his thighs as it brought its head up, demanding that thoughts of Catherine be addressed and paid their full measure of attention.
Almost against his will Darien found his hand sliding down over his abs, across the tautness of his lower belly. Then his cock was in his hand, rigid and engorged and he could do nothing but stroke himself, his handsome face pulled in a grimace as though he detested himself for his body’s betrayal. But he could no more stop what his hand was doing any more than he could keep his mind from bringing a picture of the woman to the darkness behind his closed eyes.
As his hand worked ever harder and he felt his balls tighten, he saw once again the surprise in her dark eyes as he’d whispered her name; saw that surprise turn to suspicion even as she’d half closed her lids and leaned forward…as if she were seeking his embrace.
Just as he wondered whether she’d spent any time thinking about him since their brief encounter last night he reached his peak, feeling his orgasm rip through his body as a thick moan escaped his lips and milky fluid jetted out over his belly and thighs.
And just like that it was over, leaving him leaning against the tiles, his breathing ragged as he released himself.
God, there were times when he wondered what his life could have been like if he’d chosen another path, chosen not to become the Council’s errand boy.
But all he had was this; anonymous homes in anonymous cities. Anonymous women who came and went with alarming regularity and stolen moments in bathrooms such as this when his desires, so well dampened and hidden, reared their heads and reminded him of who and what he was. And then there was Catherine, a constant reminder of what he could never have; of what he could never be. No amount of watching her from the shadows could change that.
As he reached for the soap and began scrubbing away the evidence of his desperation, he lifted his head, his eyes glowing as if backlit by an inner light. Anger bubbled up from the wellspring inside, where it had been beaten into submission for so long.
The Council wanted him near her; watching over her.
He wasn’t going to deny, even to himself, that he felt an overwhelming attraction to the woman. He’d been captivated from the moment he’d laid eyes on her. Hell, he’d practically tasted her scent last night and it had taken every inch of his resolve not to grab her and pull her close. After all the months of standing in the shadows, just watching her, he’d finally been told to reveal himself.
Up until now he’d been on babysitting duty; making sure that no harm came to her. They hadn’t told him why; he’d figured it out on his own. Or at least he’d thought he had, until he’d been called into another fateful meeting with Obscura Council members so high up he doubted that most of the Council even knew of their existence. What they had told him had changed everything and he’d become aware of the vital importance in keeping Catherine De Sano very much alive.
The problem was that he had the unnerving feeling that he might very well be the most dangerous thing around her right now. If he didn’t get his emotions in check real quick he could end up being the problem the Council had sent him here to fix.
But any thoughts he might have had of seeking out the Council and requesting that another be assigned had fled the moment he’d stepped up to her last night and seen the surprise and fear in her eyes.
God help him, but he had a feeling that he was going to drag them both into Hell before this was all over.
As he dressed he heard the sounds of the house waking around him. Somewhere down the hallway a loud thumping started before the grunge hit the air and StainD rocked through the house. Conrad was up and about.
A door slammed open and heavy footfalls passed his room, making Darien smile. He paused as he buttoned his shirt, waiting for the inevitable, almost counting the seconds.
“Bloody hell, Con! Do we have to have the same fucking music every night?”
“Jeez, will the two of you just give it a rest? Let him play whatever the fuck he wants to. He’s always the first one out and then you can pull the house down with whatever you want.”
Ok, so Angelo was up and about. But he was surprised to hear Brent’s laid back voice. He was usually the last one to roll but, as footfalls passed his door again his smile widened. Brent was heading back to his room which meant he was probably going to get another hour’s sleep. Damn, the guy was lazy as all hell, but he was good in a fight; and that was what mattered.
Grabbing his jacket from the closet, Darien paused to take a deep breath, greed raising its ugly head as he pictured the next few hours. Then he grimaced as he shrugged into his jacket and left the room. He might be ravenous with desire for her, but this was not going to be as easy as he’d expected.
***
Catherine woke early, driven forcibly into wakefulness by the insistent ringing of the alarm clock.
Notorious for hitting the snooze button, she’d placed the clock on the other side of the bedroom so that she’d actually have to get out of bed in order to silence the irritating bell.
She did this now with a frown before heading into the bathroom. Her towel was still damp from her shower just a few hours earlier and she pulled another from the linen cupboard at the door. Turning on the water, she brushed her teeth and then used the toilet before closeting herself in the small stall.
Minutes later she opened the door again, drying off quickly before pulling a broad-toothed comb through her hair. Twenty minutes later she was dressed and ready to leave, her hair blow dried and straightened into a curtain of black that draped her shoulders and flowed down toward the small of her back.
The pinafore dress she wore over a crisp white shirt gave her the stern look she preferred for her job, although the look slid decidedly into sexy with the additio
n of the sheer black stockings and stilettos she’d decided to accessorize with.
It gave her a slightly slutty look, she decided as she gazed at her image in the full length mirror on the inside of her closet door. As she applied heavy eyeliner in an exotic swipe that gave her eyes a smoldering shimmer, she considered getting changed into something more conservative. But the memory of what she’d done to herself in the shower the night before came back to her with a vague throb between her thighs and she decided that slutty might very well be the most appropriate look for her today.
And, if this feeling carried on during the day, she decided as she pulled on a fitted leather jacket and grabbed her handbag off the couch, she might just hit that pub again tonight. Maybe it was time to bring a stranger home and do the dirty on the lounge rug. Heaven only knew her body had seemed to be doing nothing but considering it since last night.
She realized that she was smiling as she left her apartment and shook her head ruefully as she locked the door.
She wasn’t smiling, however, as the afternoon turned into evening. Rather she was sitting at her desk and boiling in such a fury that she half expected to see steam rising from her hands as they lay flat over the blotter on her desk.
The source of her rage had just sat down in the visitor’s chair on the opposite side of the desk and was smiling tightly at her; his blazing eyes the only outward indication of the tension that stewed in the air between them.
Cat’s heart had slammed hard in her chest as she heard the sensor at the open door chime and looked up from her desk to see who’d entered the shop.
It was already after six, and the travel agency would ordinarily have been closed already had it not been for a late customer who’d insisted on chatting in the open doorway. As soon as she’d left, the stranger had appeared. Jenna, one of the newer sales associates, met him just inside the doorway, practically swooning as she stared up at him. Even from across the room Cat could see that his suit wasn’t local and probably carried one of those single-named designer labels on the inside sleeve. The jacket was single breasted and looked like it had been molded to his shape before being stitched, it hung so well across his broad shoulders. The pants tapered slightly to the polished shoes on his feet and the crisp white shirt practically glared at her as he turned away from Jenna and gestured in Cat’s direction.
She’d gone completely cold as he approached; her desire to bolt from the office thwarted by her feet’s persistence in staying bogged down in the carpet under the desk.
So she’d braced her hands on the desk top and looked up into his eyes as he pulled the visitor’s chair away from the desk and sat down. Her eyes had stayed glued to his as he lowered himself into the seat but her fear had turned to anger at the barest hint of a smile that played around his lips…a cruel mouth yet strangely luscious too, with lips that made her want to…
Her anger seethed as she mentally shook herself, forcing her eyes away from his mouth and up to his eyes. The mocking slant to his mouth matched the gleam in his eyes as he crossed one leg over the other knee and shot imaginary cuffs at his wrists. His hands, all long tapering fingers and neatly trimmed nails, captivated her until his voice broke through the fog in her brain.
“Catherine.”
Once again, it was just her name. But it was enough to force her eyes wide open as she lifted her gaze to meet his again.
“What do you want?” It was the only thing she could think to ask. Feigning innocence was hardly an option considering he’d found her outside a house she’d just robbed. Her voice was little more than a strained whisper.
She shrank back as he leaned forward, half expecting him to pull out handcuffs and slap them onto her wrists before she could even get out of her chair; but he was just leaning forward to meet her eyes and, oddly enough, he didn’t look like he was about to arrest her. In fact, the look he gave her seemed to indicate he’d rather rip the top of her pinafore dress down to her waist and pull the buttons from her shirt with his teeth and have at her breasts.
Or maybe that was what she’d rather have him do.
Shit! She was getting that fuzzy feeling in her head again and there was suddenly a warm glow somewhere south of her belly that frightened her a whole lot more than the thought of being arrested right now.
“I’m not here to arrest you, Catherine.”
His voice, now that she heard him say more than just her name, was as rich and dark as bitter chocolate and, God help her, she trembled.
Suddenly his hand was across the table and she shrank back. But he was merely holding his hand out in greeting and Cat’s hand was shaking as she glanced around nervously, sure that her colleagues had their eyes trained on her from the corner of the office. She was right. Three sets of female eyes were watching the exchange with rabid intensity and she thought that Jenna might just leap across the void and grab the man’s hand herself.
Wanting to avoid the impression that she was rattled, let alone being considered rude to a client, she reached out a shaking hand and allowed it to be enveloped in his larger hand. She could feel the coiled strength in his grip although he handled her with the utmost gentleness, his hand warm and somehow just right around her own.
He held her with the barest pressure as she tried to pull back from him but, as panic flared in her eyes, he released her as a sigh broke from his lips.
“Who are you?”
Her words were hesitant as she placed her hands back in her lap. Her palm tingled from where he’d touched her and she gripped her hands tightly together.
“My name is Darien Hawkwood.”
Hawkwood. Somehow Cat knew that the name was supposed to mean something to her yet she couldn’t put her finger on what it was. The name was so familiar that a frown puckered her brow.
She knew she’d heard it somewhere before; a name mentioned by her father during one of his rambling monologues at the dinner table when she’d much rather have been up in her room. Back then doing homework had been more appealing than listening to him drone on about their family’s history over a plate of what he’d called ‘necessary sustenance’ but which had usually been medium rare steak, mashed potatoes and a heck of a lot of unappealing vegetables.
Thinking of her father momentarily choked her up as she realized she would suffer through years of one-sided chatter for just another day with him.
Of course none of that had anything to do with the gorgeous hunk who was sitting across from her. Damn, she could almost smell the sex oozing out of him and she was feeling a bit dizzy as she stared at him.
“I know you,” she mumbled as she tried to pull her eyes away from his and failed, blushing at the foolishness of her words. Of course she knew him; he’d been waiting in the street for her, trying to catch her after she’d just burgled the home of a client.
Darien smiled, but the curl of his lips had nothing to do with mockery this time. His eyes were lit with anticipation as he leaned forward, his lips parting slightly.
“Can’t imagine why you would say that,” he murmured, his voice becoming husky as his eyes roamed over her.
“But why don’t we get out of here and talk about it. There’s a lot of stuff I need to tell you and not a lot of time to do it in.”
It took a moment for Cat to drag her eyes away from his mouth; and then she just stared, hardly registering what he’d just said.
Darien cocked a finely arched eyebrow as he waited and it finally broke through her reverie.
Her reverie? Who the hell was she kidding? With the way he was looking her she’d practically had an orgasm on her office chair and, if she didn’t get out of here soon they’d have to peel her off it.
***
They’d left shortly after that, Darien assuring Cat that nothing bad could happen if they just went for a cup of coffee at the bistro next door to the travel agency. She’d agreed and, after a hurried word with her manager, they’d slipped out of the office. Three pairs of female eyes had shared knowing glances and Cat knew she’
d have some serious explaining to do in the morning.
Now they sat in the smoking area of a small restaurant next door to the travel agency as Cat fumbled in her bag for her cigarettes.
As she heard the unmistakable click of a Zippo lighter she glanced up and found a lit cigarette being presented to her with such casual charm that she felt unnerved. It was such a personal gesture; something couples might do for one another. But she took the cigarette, painfully aware that she was pressing her lips to where his had been just a moment ago.
The memory of her hands on her body the night before flooded into her mind and she stared down at her latte as a faint blush rose to her cheeks. When she looked up, a moment later, she found Darien staring at her with such intensity that she felt a now familiar rush of warmth between her legs and realized she was getting wet again for him.
But why wouldn’t she? The guy was drop dead gorgeous. His blue eyes, teamed with all that golden skin and gleaming white teeth…pure masculine virility. And the way in which he’d avoided all eyes but hers? Guaranteed to get even the hardest of female hearts racing.
Handsome? Hell, he was hot.
While she knew that she was fairly attractive, she was acutely aware that she was way out of his league. Darien looked like the kind of man who ought to have a slinky model draped on either arm.
And that wasn’t her, was it?
No, she wasn’t a supermodel that was for sure. But she was something more than just a travel agent.
She was a thief. That’s what she was; a thief who preyed on her customers’ generosity and stole from them. Somehow, it felt worse admitting it to herself while she was sitting in front of Darien.
As though he felt her tension he pushed one hand across the table and nudged her glass closer, forcing her to look up into his eyes. She was hardly surprised to find his expression closed and guarded. This was what he was here for after all, wasn’t it? To get her to break and confess her crimes before the handcuffs came out?