Deadly Attraction

by Calista Fox

  Her eyelids fluttered closed. Her body moved with his. He could think of nothing more sensual, nothing more beautiful than Jade riding him slowly, her back arched, her head back, her breasts tempting him.

  Everything about her appealed to him. The deep-seated feelings he had for her made his head and his heart war with whether to tell her she was part demon.

  Not immortal, of course, yet more than human blood coursed through her veins. If he told her, that might actually give them better opportunity to be together. Conversely, he understood how important her humanity was to her, how fiercely protective she was of her dominant race.

  The truth would likely conflict her in a way that would add even more strife to her life. He couldn’t do that to her. No matter how badly he wanted to build a bridge between their two worlds and eliminate some of the differences.

  For the time being, he had to be satisfied with what he did share with her. Fleeting moments, yes. But also a physical and emotional connection he’d never felt with any female in his long existence.

  “You feel so wonderful inside me,” she said on a contented sigh. “I can’t imagine anything feeling better than this.”

  His hands moved from her waist and glided up to her breasts. He caressed them tenderly. She moaned.

  “I wish we had all the time in the world,” he told her in a tight voice. The irony of knowing he could give them an eternity together pained him.

  She didn’t say anything about their doomed, short-lived affair. Instead, she leaned forward, propping herself on her elbows as they rested on his chest. She lifted slightly off his lap and he quickened their tempo, pistoning into her as she panted softly. His hands clasped her hips and he held her in place as he fucked her. She left featherlike kisses on his skin, over his pectoral muscles and then up to his throat.

  “Yes,” she whispered in his ear. “That’s perfect.”

  Her pussy gripped him as his cock slid along her slick inner walls. He pumped in and out of her, his heart hammering and his body aching for so much more. But when it came to this situation, time was one luxury he did not possess.

  “Come for me,” he said, desperately wanting to feel her body quake and her cunt contract around his shaft.

  Her pelvis ground against his and he cupped her ass, pushing her down onto him, their hips undulating in a way that made them both breathe heavy and groan from the exertion and the ecstasy that arced between them.

  Her fingertips pressed into his shoulders and her breasts flattened against his chest. He loved the feeling of her melded to him, of their bodies joined. Emotion welled within him and he had to bite back the overwhelming desire to tell her how deeply affected he was by her. How much he wanted her, in so many ways. It wouldn’t be fair to her to lay his feelings at her feet…then walk away.

  “Darien,” she said in her sultry voice. “Oh yes. Right there. Oh!” Her pussy clenched him as she shuddered. The exact sensations he’d wanted to elicit. “Oh God,” she cried against his neck as her orgasm peaked.

  He thrust into her as she came. Then he rolled her onto her back and made love to her with long, steady strokes as he gazed deep into her eyes.

  He committed to memory every detail, from the desire and yearning in her dark-blue irises, to the sharp breaths blowing between her parted lips, to the feel of his cock buried inside her and her body beneath his. He had no real experience with romantic love but had a sneaking suspicion that was precisely the emotion he couldn’t evade when it came to Jade.

  Darien swept strands of hair from her face and pushed farther inside her, making her gasp. Her hips lifted to meet his thrusts and she continued to stare at him, watching him as intently as he did her.

  The passion and longing he saw caused his heart to twist, so he diverted his attention from their emotional connection to their physical one. He increased the pace until her breathing escalated again. Her hands ran the length of his back, down his spine, then up to the nape of his neck.

  “I’m going to come again,” she said.

  He plunged into her. “Yes. With me this time.”

  His strokes became faster, more forceful. The possessiveness he felt toward her rose within him. He wanted her to be his for eternity. He’d have to settle for these last few moments.

  “Darien,” she murmured, still gazing at him. “Don’t worry about me anymore.”

  Clearly, she could see the inner turmoil and consternation written on his face. Exactly how transparent he was with her, he didn’t know. But she seemed to read him well.

  Wanting to escape the hell he’d created for himself—for them—he pushed deep and she called out his name as she came. Her orgasm triggered his own as she clutched him and bucked beneath him.

  “Jade,” he whispered as fiery sensations roared through him and his body convulsed. “You are everything to me.”

  Chapter Nine

  Jade continued to stare at him, shocked. By the tormented expression on Darien’s face, she could easily surmise he had not meant to say those words, but apparently hadn’t been able to hold them back. As usual.

  He let out a low growl, rife with frustration. “I’m sorry,” he said as he withdrew from her and flopped down on his back.

  “Don’t be.” She moved into his arms, her head on his chest. The sound of his pounding heart was a comforting one.

  “I’m not purposely trying to make things more complicated or difficult between us. Or for you, in particular.”

  Her own heart beat just as fast, despite being heavy with conflict. “You seem to be forgetting that I willingly agreed to enter into this…arrangement.”

  “I shouldn’t have let you. Nor should I have led you into it. I really can’t see you again, after tonight.” His voice was harsh with raw emotion. “I put you in danger. And every time we’re together, it’s infinitely more painful to leave you.”

  She understood the high stakes all too well. “I’m equally accountable. I’ve done a bit more than just follow.”

  His fingers glided over her hair, a soothing gesture. She suspected he considered his next words more carefully this time as silence ensued. But then his body turned rigid and he released her from his loose embrace as he sat up.

  Her heart leaped into her throat. “What is it?”

  “Someone’s coming.”

  She listened intently, but nary a sound wafted on the quiet air. “You hear that well?”

  “It’s Thunder. He’s warning me.”

  “You can read his mind too?”

  “No. I can tell by his inflection.” He jumped to his feet.

  “Horses have inflections?”

  “Sure. Different intonations when they’re wounded or excited or…feeling jittery about me being someplace he innately knows I have no business being.”

  She frowned. “I thought you said he liked me.”

  Darien laughed, despite the tension between them. “He does. And my guess is he thinks I’m a fool for muddying our situation.”

  He was dressed before she could protest. But what was there to say, really? He hadn’t created any sort of disillusionment about their time together. Hadn’t made any promises about it becoming more than what it was—a few stolen moments.

  She wrapped the sheet around her body, the material scratchy against her skin. He stalked into the living room to retrieve his coat and she followed.

  Turning back to her, he said, “I didn’t mean to drop by, make love to you and then abruptly leave.”

  She knew that, so she teased him. “This would be referred to as a booty call in the early 2000s.”

  His eyes narrowed on her. “You have a very endearing sense of humor.”

  “Go,” she insisted, because he lingered, seemingly reluctant to walk out the door. “You replenished my wood pile, brought me a book and gave me four orgasms. You’re exonerated from moral corruption.”

  His head dipped and he kissed her. “I know it only makes things worse, but I meant what I said earlier.”

  He reach
ed for the brass lever and yanked the door open. But he paused again. His gaze slid over her and something indefinable flickered in his amber eyes. His hand slipped into his pocket and he retrieved one more gift for her.

  Handing over a box, he said, “This is a very precious family heirloom. I wouldn’t want to give it to anyone other than you. Now or ever.”

  Her brows knitted together and she gnawed her lower lip as she debated removing the lid to see what was inside. Was there a point to accepting something that clearly meant so much to him?

  Taking the decision out of her hands, he removed the lid himself. She gaped. The necklace lying in thick satin folds was, by far, the most stunning thing she’d ever laid eyes on, with the exception of Darien’s sculpted body. Involuntarily, her fingers gently grazed the raised, diamond-studded center of the star. The piece was delicate and mesmerizing.

  “I realize you won’t be able to wear it in the village,” he said. “There would be questions as to where it came from. And I wouldn’t want it to be a homing beacon for rogue demons. They’d know it belongs to me.”

  “Then why…?” Her gaze lifted. “Oh.” Realization quickly dawned, with the help of the territorial look in his eyes. “You didn’t give this to me when you first arrived because you’d planned to present the idea of me marrying Michael. Now that you’re convinced I have no intention of ever doing that… You want to stake your claim. Even if it’s just in theory.”

  “Yes.” He didn’t apologize for the convoluted idea.

  “You don’t have to give me jewelry to prove that point.”

  “It’s symbolic. Like…a ring on your finger.”

  Her heart sank. “One you can never place on me.”

  “Right.”

  But could she wear his necklace? She only needed to contemplate this for a brief a moment, understanding the gesture and its meaning. Yes, she could wear it. Even if it was only in the privacy of her own home.

  Despite this, she said, “It’s a bit much, Darien. Too extravagant.”

  “Jade, nowhere is it dictated you have to live without an extravagance from time to time. You make a wage at the tavern, but what do you spend it on, other than food and clothing?”

  “I’m saving my money,” she said. “Maybe I’ll take a trip to California someday. See what all the fuss is about electricity.”

  He fought a grin. “Take the necklace.” He lifted it from the satin and set the box on the small table next to the door. Placing it around her neck and securing it in the back, he said, “It looks just right on you.”

  The star sat below the hollow of her throat. Her fingers grazed it again, then she stared up at Darien. “You’ll come for it when you find someone else, right?”

  “There won’t be anyone else,” he said with conviction. “I’ll come for it when you pass.”

  “Already thinking of that?”

  He nodded, his eyes clouding once again. “Not in a morbid way, but it is a glaring reality.”

  “Yes it is. And I’m glad you’ve accepted that fact.”

  His jaw clenched. “I haven’t. Not fully.” He kissed her, then crossed the threshold.

  “Darien,” she called out before he’d left her patio.

  He glanced at her over one impossibly broad shoulder, his expression grim. Her heart plummeted further.

  “It’s a certainty,” she told him. “Something you absolutely have to accept. Sooner rather than later.”

  He said nothing, just continued on his way. He mounted his beautiful Arabian in a fluid movement. Then they galloped off, leaving her standing in the doorway, getting chilled to the bone.

  She locked up and returned to the bedroom. The fires were still burning, so she remade her bed and settled between the sheets with her romance novel and her introduction to Mr. Darcy. A man who could, in no way, shape or form, compare to the one she’d fallen for.

  * * * * *

  Two weeks passed as October drifted into November. The snow continued to fall and the village remained blanketed by the pristine white Jade looked forward to every year. Though the temperatures were in the low forties and sometimes dipping into the thirties during the day and the cloud cover rarely dissipated, the crisp air felt invigorating.

  She kept to Darien’s order, allowing one of the slayers to escort her to and from her cottage when she went into the village, despite there no longer being a threat against her. The evil she’d sensed with the fire wraith had vanished. No one tracked her and she felt a measure of safety with Tanner and Walker always nearby. Plus, she knew Morgan was out there somewhere, on the other side of the border.

  Her tension eased significantly, though she still felt a void late at night when she was alone in her cottage. The house seemed emptier than normal since Darien’s departure. It was a familiar feeling, one she’d experienced after her parents’ deaths. One she knew would eventually ebb. To an extent, at any rate.

  She played cards with Lisette at the tavern when she wasn’t serving drinks. Lisette had become a regular and Jade suspected that had something to do with the older woman wanting to keep tabs on her, just like everyone else. Even Michael seemed to watch her more closely.

  Apparently, she gave off a vibe that intrigued or alarmed her friends, she wasn’t sure which. Maybe it was because she wasn’t as uptight as she’d been previously, when she’d realized she was being followed. Or perhaps it was the occasional smile that crossed her lips for no reason at all—at least none that they knew of. Thoughts of Darien would flit through her mind and she couldn’t help the thrill that chased down her spine. At night, when she was alone in her living room, she wore his necklace.

  Granted, there was something a bit sadistic about the guilty pleasures she indulged in when half of her heart was elated to know he had such strong feelings for her and the other was shredded by the fact they couldn’t be together. Yet she’d spent so much of her life under a dark cloud that this one significant and sexy secret she kept to herself offered escapism from her otherwise gloomy thoughts.

  Darien wanted her. She didn’t doubt that for a second. He couldn’t have her, of course. But still… Just knowing she’d affected him so profoundly had its own provocative impact on her.

  Near the middle of the month, as Thanksgiving approached, Jade heard horses tramping through the deep snow outside her cottage. Along with what sounded to be a wagon attempting to slog through the thick drifts. She peered out one of the large front windows, looking around the lightweight curtains hanging over the panes. Her curiosity grew as she opened her front door and greeted Morgan.

  “In the village for supplies?” she asked as she eyed the burlap covering a heap in the wagon. She knew the kingdom had its own suppliers and vendors, so she was at a loss as to what he was up to—until he spoke.

  “No. Making a delivery.” He slipped from the bench and signaled the demon who accompanied him. He said to her, “Why don’t you go back inside where it’s warm? We’ll just be a few minutes.”

  “Hmm. Planning to remain secretive, I see.”

  “Do I have permission to enter the cottage?” he asked. “Just me.”

  “Neither you nor the king are required to ask permission, but thank you for doing so. Yes.” She returned to the sofa where she’d been reading Alice in Wonderland, though her focus wasn’t on the text. A flurry of activity ensued around her in such a lightning-quick way she couldn’t have kept up with it if she’d tried.

  True to his word, Morgan was finished not even ten minutes later and appeared by her side. “Why don’t you come have a look?”

  She joined him outside, where his assistant had stacked at least three cords of wood adjacent to the cottage. He’d also erected a canopy to provide shelter so the provisions stayed dry.

  “Wow,” she said. “That will last me quite some time. Thank you both.”

  Gazing at the large pile caused a long-buried memory to inch toward the front of her mind. She’d received this generous gift before. Years and years ago…

&nb
sp; “One more thing,” Morgan said, distracting her. He gestured for her to precede him back into the house and to her bedroom.

  She drew up short, her eyes widening. “Oh!”

  In the middle of the room sat an enormous bed that faced the fireplace. The tall headboard was made of tufted suede in a blue hue that matched her eyes, which her mother had always referred to as sapphire. The cream-colored sheets were luxurious satin. A mound of plump pillows were also covered in the same linen.

  The duvet matched the headboard, and was so thick, she knew a down comforter filled it. She ran a hand over the soft material as she marveled at the brilliant color that instantly added vibrancy to the otherwise dreary interior of her home.

  Darien had clearly remembered her excitement over Sheena’s offering of clothing that wasn’t drab.

  “How did he do this?” she muttered in awe.

  Morgan chuckled beside her. “He has people.”

  She smirked at him. “I realize that. It’s just… This is so gorgeous.” The sensuous-looking bedding made her want to climb under the covers and never leave them.

  Morgan said, “It’ll be a lot colder come December. Darien wants you to be warm.”

  “Perfectly toasty is what I’ll be. Please tell him how much I love it. And I’m grateful to you and your helper too. Really, General,” she gave him a compelling look, “this is so kind of all of you.”

  “Morgan,” he corrected. Then he turned sharply to go.

  But the memory that had stepped into the light earlier made her call out, “Wait, please.” When he faced her again, she steeled herself and said, “You told me months ago that not all demons are evil.”

  “Yes?” His expression gave nothing away.

  “My mother used to say that very thing.”

  He seemed to give serious consideration as to how to address her statement. Finally, he said, “So did your father. I worked very closely with him when the king instituted laws to ensure peace between our two races. I respected Liam.”