Release Me (Storm Lords Book 3)

by Nina Croft

  “Why? Why have you been looking out for me all these years?”

  “Your father employed us.” He shrugged. “Maybe he thought the senator might try and get to you even back then.”

  The waiter returned, and she closed the menu. “Will you order for me? I like surprises.”

  “Okay.”

  Rachel took a sip of wine and closed her eyes as she savored it. She was such a sensualist beneath the prim exterior. Though not so prim anymore. She opened her eyes. “It’s a pity they weren’t watching my mother as well.”

  Something occurred to him. “She drowned, didn’t she?”

  A visible shudder ran through her. “Yes. In the same river you pulled me out of yesterday. That seems like a lifetime ago. It was in the spring, around this time of year, when the snow melts and the river runs high. They think she slipped crossing the bridge and fell in.” She gave him a sharp look. “What are you thinking?”

  “Nothing…maybe. But your father remarried shortly after she died.”

  “You don’t think he had anything to do with her death, do you?”

  “Not your father, no. We corresponded regularly—he liked to hear how you and your mother were doing. I’d swear he loved you. But he was the senator’s only child. And maybe the senator knew that with your mother alive, your father would never remarry. His dynasty would end with you.”

  “And he never liked me.” She emptied her glass. “I don’t want to believe that, but I actually could. He’s not a good person.”

  Her tone held such conviction that he was curious. Damaris had had a little of her half-sister’s empathic ability. “How do you know?” he asked. “What did he do when he visited you?” He’d kill the bastard if he’d hurt her.

  “Nothing bad.” She shrugged. “But I’ve always been able to read people. I remember very little from before we moved to Haven, but I remember him. I was scared of him. He gave off such a bad feeling. It was the same the other day when he visited. But to think he could have had my mother killed…”

  “Maybe not. Perhaps we’ll never know. Forget it for now. Let’s talk of other things.”

  “What?”

  He considered asking what feelings she got from him. But maybe he didn’t want to know. “How do you like DC?”

  “For a visit, I like it a lot. It’s so different, and there’s so much to see. Jacob will love it.”

  “I would have thought you’d want to get him safely back to your little retreat before he gets contaminated by the wicked world.”

  “Are you part of the wicked world? Are you trying to contaminate me?”

  Was she flirting with him? He had no clue.

  “I want Jacob to make his own decision,” she continued. “I’m happy living at Haven, but only because I love the forest and the mountains. Jacob might prefer to go out into the world when he’s older, and I won’t try and stop him.”

  If everything went to crap and he failed, Rachel would die. Christ, he prayed that wouldn’t happen. But if it did, Jacob would have to be looked after. And maybe Finn owed it to her to find out what her wishes would be. Within a brief time, he would likely be dead as well, but Torr would look out for the boy. Or if the senator had been neutralized they could return him to Haven.

  Please don’t let it come to that.

  The waiter placed plates of food in front of them, and she fell silent.

  The first course was succulent prawns in a rich sauce. He took one bite, but then sat back and watched her eat. Watched as the tip of her tongue flicked out to lick her lips, and heat shot through him.

  She flashed him a glance. “This is delicious.” She took a sip of wine, then looked at him over the rim of her glass. “I’m probably drinking too much. I had cocktails with Phoebe and Bella. We drink at home, but not this much.”

  “It will help you relax. There’s nothing you can do for Jacob right now.”

  “You’re right.” She emptied her glass and he refilled it. “You’re not drinking.”

  He preferred to watch her. Or maybe he wanted her a little drunk. Maybe then she would let down her guard. How low could he get? “I have a business meeting when I get back,” he said by way of excuse.

  “Oh. I’m not keeping you from anything important, am I?”

  “Nothing.”

  The main course came, chicken in red wine. He put down his knife and fork and gave up the pretense of eating. There was only one thing he was hungry for right now. He sat back and watched her.

  She glanced up. “You’re not eating either.”

  He forced himself to eat. He didn’t want her to end the lunch. Finally, her plate and the bottle were empty.

  She put a hand over her mouth and yawned.

  “You want to get a taxi back?” he asked.

  “Can we walk?”

  Maybe she didn’t want this time to end either. “Of course.” He dropped some notes on the table, stood up, and held out his hand. She looked at it for a moment, and then reached out tentatively and slipped her palm into his. He tugged her to her feet and she swayed slightly. As he slipped his arm around her waist, she glanced up into his face.

  “I know it’s wrong, but it feels so right. Something about you…” She shook her head.

  Was she remembering? But what would happen if she did? Likely she would run a mile in the opposite direction. Still, he couldn’t make himself back away.

  They walked back with her tucked at his side. And for a short while, he allowed himself to forget, to just revel in her company. He could walk like this forever, but all too soon they were back at the Stormlord Securities building. He had to release her to open the door, and it felt like he was losing her. In the elevator, she stood a little distance away and stepped out first when the door opened. She seemed a little unsettled, nibbling on her lower lip and casting him quick little glances, looking away when she caught him watching.

  She had drunk quite a lot, most of the bottle, plus whatever Bella and Phoebe had given her. Maybe he should do the gentlemanly thing and leave her at her door. Go check in with Torr. But he found himself opening her door, ushering her in, following her, closing the door behind them.

  Then he stood, not knowing what to do next. Instinct told him to take her in his arms, but what if he scared her off?

  Before he could make up his mind, she turned to face him, wiping her hands down her jeans, and trapping her lower lip with her teeth. A little line formed between her eyes, and she took a step toward him. He almost stepped back but held his ground.

  Her hand came up and rested on his shoulder, and he was locked in place. She leaned in, went up on tiptoes, and kissed him lightly on the lips, then backed away quickly.

  And he stood there like an idiot, his whole body flaring to life at the simple touch.

  “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “That was… forward of me. But I’ve been thinking about how you kissed me yesterday. I can’t get it out of my head. I thought maybe I imagined it. That it didn’t feel so good. So I thought if I kissed you again, I could maybe forget it.”

  His mouth was dry, and he swallowed. “And can you?”

  She stared into his eyes and slowly shook her head. “But that wasn’t the same.”

  “It wasn’t?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t know how to kiss you properly.” She licked her lips. “Not like you kissed me.”

  Heat streaked through him. Was she being deliberately provocative? But he didn’t think she knew how. Along with kissing, provocation had never been a part of her life. “You want me to show you?”

  She considered him, lips pursed. “Have you done a lot of kissing, Finn?”

  Maybe she was being provocative, after all. There was a teasing tone in her voice. He liked it. “Not in a while.” A fucking long while, but the specifics would take far too much explanation. And were against the rules.

  Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and he slid his palm under the silky strands, gliding his hand along the soft skin of her throat, curl
ing his fingers around the back of her neck and pulling her close. She tipped up her face to him, giving tacit permission, and he lowered his head and placed his lips on hers. For a second, he held himself still, just luxuriating in being so close, touching her. But need was building inside him, to taste her, give her pleasure, make her remember that she knew exactly how to kiss. Damaris had been a sensual lover, often initiating their lovemaking. She’d loved experimenting, testing the limits of his control.

  He parted his lips, his tongue pushing inside, and she opened to him. His senses reeled with the taste of her, the scent of her in his nostrils, the touch of her tongue against his. Then sliding, firmer, filling his mouth. He deepened the kiss, and it was as though the world faded from around them and they were back to where it all began. Kissing beneath the heat of the desert sun. Making love on the soft, silky sand. She was all he had ever wanted. He would give up Heaven to be with her. He had given up Heaven.

  His hands slid down her back to cup her ass, pull her hard against him. For a moment she remained pliant in his arms, pushing up against him, so his balls ached, and he thought he might explode with the need to be deep inside her. Then a tension ran through her, and she went still in his arms.

  No!

  But he forced himself to relax. To take his hands from her and step back, though it nearly killed him. He stroked her cheek, staring down into the turmoil in her eyes. “What is it, sweetheart?”

  She pursed her lips, glancing away as though to give herself time to think. When she looked back, a sadness lurked in her eyes. “Being with you feels so right. As though this is where I’m meant to be.”

  At her words, something twisted inside him. Hope, maybe, where there had been none for two thousand years.

  “But what if kissing like this really is a sin against God?” she asked.

  She searched his face as though seeking an answer. But he would never believe that. They had broken the laws of Heaven by stealing the Elixir, but he would never believe that their love was a sin. “Something that feels so right can’t be a sin.”

  She swallowed. “Maybe.”

  “Talk to me. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

  “All my life, I’ve had this feeling that I’m being punished for something I did wrong, something I don’t even remember. And part of that punishment is losing the things and people I love.” She shook her head. “Papi says it’s nonsense, but I don’t know. And right now, with Jacob… I just can’t let go of the feeling.”

  He was pushing too hard. He had to step back. How could she think of anything when her son was still not with her? But he was running out of time. “We’ll get him back.”

  “I know. I trust you. I don’t know why, but I do.”

  “Good. And afterward, I’ll kiss you again.”

  She smiled, her face lighting up. “I’d like that.”

  “I need to check in with Torr. I’ll let you know what’s happening.”

  Right now, he couldn’t trust himself to stay with her. His body was on fire from her touch. He’d find out what was happening. Hopefully, Torr would have arranged the meeting. And they needed to go over the plan to rescue Jacob.

  Soon. Because he wanted that kiss. And so much more.

  Chapter 13

  Rachel stared at the closed door.

  Her whole body tingled from the kiss, her skin on fire, heat coiling in her belly. She’d felt the hardness of his erection against her, and everything inside her had melted. Her breasts still ached.

  How had she not known a kiss could make her feel so good? Want so much more?

  She’d been so forward. She would never have believed she could be so bold as to kiss a man. But she’d been telling the truth. All morning, she’d been having flashbacks to his kiss. The alcohol had obviously loosened her inhibitions. Not that she was blaming the drink. She wasn’t blaming anything but herself. And blame wasn’t the right word anyway.

  There was no blame.

  From the moment she’d seen him, there had been something about Finn that called to her. Something familiar and yet wildly beyond anything she had ever imagined. Part of her wished she had given in, maybe they would be in that big bed now, Finn’s hard body on her, in her.

  She shivered.

  But she couldn’t get the thought of Jacob out of her head. He’d come between them, forcing a wedge that had been like an icy deluge.

  What if she was committing a sin, and Jacob would be punished? Papi would say that wasn’t how God worked. But ever since Jacob was born, in the back of her mind, there had always been the thought that he would one day have to pay for her actions. That it had happened before and would happen again.

  Which was crazy.

  All the same, she’d tried to hold herself at a distance, telling herself that if she didn’t love him, maybe he wouldn’t be punished for her sins. It hadn’t worked. She loved him so much, and as soon as she got him back, she would make sure he knew that.

  Was he lying somewhere, thinking she didn’t care? That she had left him and wouldn’t come after him?

  A sob caught in her throat. And she forced it down. Papi had always said that crying didn’t help anything.

  She sniffed.

  Sometimes she felt like she was going crazy, reliving memories that could never have happened. But she had to stay strong.

  What would have happened if she didn’t have Finn? How would she have gone up against the senator on her own? That was if she had survived falling into the river. She should count her blessings, another thing Papi was always telling her, and something she usually found easy to do.

  So blessings... She had friends she never knew she had. Powerful friends, she guessed. Powerful enough to go after a senator. To protect her. Tomorrow, Jacob would be back safely with her. And soon they’d be home…

  But that thought brought a niggle of unease. Could she walk away from Finn? He wasn’t from their life. And she didn’t want to live in the city, even if he asked her. Perhaps later for Jacob, but that was a long way off. Would Finn want to give up all this? And even if he did, how would he ever fit in at Haven? She somehow didn’t think he was good at following rules.

  But she was moving way ahead of herself. She needed to slow down.

  He wanted to kiss her and maybe more. He’d said nothing about marrying her.

  She wandered into the bedroom and came to a halt. The bed was piled high with packages, all with the logo of the shop they’d visited that morning. From the looks of it, Bella must have bought all the clothes they’d chosen. When did they ever think she was going to get to wear them? All the same, she couldn’t help herself. She started tipping the bags out onto the bed. More jeans, T-shirts in jewel colors, skirts, sandals, underwear. She found her own clothes folded in one of the bags, the colors so drab, the material rough under her fingers.

  There was a note on the last bag. Torr said you might need this, hope you like it, Bella.

  Inside was a dress, dark-red, silky material. She held it up to herself; it was long and would reach almost to the floor. She frowned. Despite the length, there wasn’t much to it. She couldn’t imagine showing so much flesh. Papi would have a fit. She giggled at the thought. There was also a shoe box with a pair of high heels in the same color as the dress. And a pair of panties, tiny, also the same color.

  Why would she possibly need something like this? Without thinking too much, she dragged her T-shirt over her head, kicked off her sandals, and unfastened her jeans, tugging them down and off. She stood for a moment in her underwear, then stripped that off too. She picked up the panties; they were not much more than a scrap of lace. When she pulled them on, they left her bottom bare. She tried not to think about what that looked like and pulled on the dress quickly, smoothing it down over her body. It was sleeveless, with a high neckline, some sort of built in bra, and scooping low at the back. She caught sight of herself in the mirror. She looked like a stranger, her hair loose around her shoulders, her lips red and slightly swollen from Finn’s
kisses. She walked slowly toward the mirror, reaching out and touching her face in the glass.

  For a moment her surroundings vanished, and an image flashed in her mind. She stood on the edge of a desert, yellow sand, deep blue sky, the sun bright overhead, so she could almost feel the heat on her face. She was waiting for someone, and she was happy. Then he was there, and he was so beautiful that the sun’s light was dimmed. She couldn’t make out his face, but he had golden wings, spread wide. And she loved him more than life itself. He took a step toward her, and the image was gone, and she was back in the bedroom.

  Wrapping her arms around herself, she backed up and sank onto the bed. She felt as though time were unraveling. Dragging her back.

  Her emotions had been so intense. It was wrong to love anyone but God that much.

  Such love could only end in pain and loss.

  And a shiver of foreboding ran through her.

  ***

  Outside the door, Finn leaned back and closed his eyes. For a moment, it had been as if he held Damaris in his arms. Heaven had once been his home, but from the first moment he’d touched Damaris, he’d known he would always find his home in her arms. They’d had a year together.

  He’d believed she loved him, but he also understood that she was wary of admitting that love, even to herself. She’d had an unhappy marriage; her husband had by all accounts been a total dick. Though she claimed she would have gone through it again for the sake of her son.

  She’d loved that boy so much.

  He took a deep, steadying breath and straightened. Then headed down to the control room. Bryce was alone when Finn entered.

  Bryce had been the first of them to find his love, and he’d failed. That had been four years ago. He’d nearly broken from the pain of the second loss. He’d gone so far as to ask Torr to kill him, to finish it. In the end, Bella had saved him, taken his pain into herself.

  The sadness still lurked in his brother’s eyes, but he was at peace. Of course, once the thousand years of the Covenant was completed, he would have to return to Lilith—or die.