Animal Instinct

by Kate Davidson

  “Really?” he asked.

  She didn’t bother to resist when he pushed her back against the door. For a very long, silent moment neither of them moved. Their bodies were tense, the loose silk of his shirt clinging to the material of her dress. He tried to understand what was going on behind her eyes while she tried to understand herself. She wasn’t leaving. No, there was no way she was getting out that door. He wouldn’t let her and neither would her own feet. However, she also refused to open the door on her past and cry on his shoulder. That left only one course of action.

  Jacquelyn gripped his shirt and tugged him forward, sealing her mouth against his. The sudden advance caught him off guard. She nicked her tongue on the sharpened points of his fangs. Liam groaned at the taste of blood and woman. There was no softness in this kiss, no gentle exploration. They knew the shape and texture of each other’s mouths. They could both take exactly what they wanted as hard as they wanted it. Neither of them was in the mood for gentleness.

  She stepped out of her shoes as he began to pull her away from the door and further into the room. Liam didn’t spare much thought for the buttons she ripped off his shirt. He shrugged out of the once expensive silk then pulled Jacquelyn close to his body before he bit into her neck.

  Jackie clutched at his hair, mouth open in a silent groan. Heat burned at her throat and traveled down to curl into a tight knot that insisted on release. She could feel the damp between her legs. That was one pair of underwear that probably wouldn’t be worn again. With a sharp tug, he pulled her closer against his hips. He was rock hard and needing her.

  “Liam,” she whispered hoarsely, tilting her head to quickly nip at his ear. He no longer fed, only sucked at the wound. A soft growl rumbled in his chest at the sound of his name. Jackie didn’t care about emotional barriers anymore. On the contrary, she didn’t want anything separating them. That especially applied to clothing. She unbuttoned his pants, intending to put her hands on him. Liam apparently had the same idea. One hand slid through the slit in her dress. His fingers curled around her thigh as he deliberately altered their balance. He fell back on the bed, his lap full of Jacquelyn. Liam pulled her dress up so she could wrap her legs around him then went for her panties. Her calloused hands brushed against his groin as she freed him and he abruptly lost patience, tearing through the very practical pair of black panties.

  When Liam pulled down on her hips, shoving himself deep into her body, she just about screamed. It was too much, too fast and too good. Not even good. Perfect. She moved against him, the friction adding fuel to an already dangerous fire. Liam’s fangs scraped lightly down her chest. He pulled at her dress and bra, freeing one breast and settling his mouth over it. His other hand dipped between their bodies to touch her, to stroke the hot, wet folds of her body. It was more than enough to push her over the edge. She cried out, muscles tightening around him. He came after, fangs piercing her breast and drawing blood.

  Jackie’s head was spinning and her body vibrated with a need for more. Once hadn’t been enough - not tonight and not the night they’d first met. He raised his eyes to meet hers and what he saw there made him grin.

  “You’re staying,” Liam murmured. It was a statement of fact, not a request. He could see her resist it immediately, instinctively. Liam moved inside of her and the resistance abruptly faded into hunger.

  “I guess so,” she said, leaning down to kiss him. “But keep your fangs to yourself. Some of this blood I actually need.” Liam rolled over and pinned her body with his.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” And he did. Past the second, third and fourth time he was thinking about it. He thought about the naked, vulnerable body currently wrapped around him and began to worry. It was only sex. Liam could go to other donors and work off whatever lingering desire he might have, giving Jacquelyn plenty of time to restock on blood for their next encounter. That wasn’t exactly what worried him. The fact that thinking about sleeping with a woman besides Jacquelyn seemed boring and generally unsatisfying concerned him. He actually treasured the fact that he could talk to her about anything without worrying that it would end up in the next day’s gossip column. Worse, the thought of a Jacquelyn who wouldn’t need time to recuperate, who could down a glass of B negative and then fall into bed with him again had taken root in his mind. But it was probably just the usual nonsense that popped up in a man’s head during sex. An immortal Jacquelyn would be too much for the world to handle. Still, Jack’s words floated back to him in the night, forcing him to question exactly how long he could play a game with such dangerous odds.

  Chapter Fourteen

  SOFIE WASN’T ENTIRELY SURE what to make of Jackie appearing on the front step with a dress slung over her shoulder and wearing a shirt and pants obviously intended for a man. She didn’t get a chance to comment, which was probably just as well. It looked like Jackie could commit murder without suffering any pangs of conscience if anyone mentioned her current state of disarray.

  “I took a cab to get here but I don’t have any money,” she said and Sofie tried not to back up slowly and search for cover. It had been a long time since she’d heard her friend’s voice sound that dangerous.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll pay him.” She grabbed her purse and darted out the door before Jackie could speak again. Sofie deliberately took her time paying the driver who looked more amused than annoyed. “Is there passenger confidentiality or can you tell me where you picked her up?” she asked, glancing back at the house to make sure Jackie wasn’t watching. The driver snickered.

  “Passenger confidentiality.” He shook his head at the notion. “I picked her up in Beverly Hills looking just as annoyed as she does now. She probably slept with someone she shouldn’t have.” Sofie tried not to grimace at the balding, slightly overweight man speculating on her friend’s sex life.

  “Er, thanks. Have a nice day,” she said, hurrying back inside. First she noticed the shoe left just inside the door with its partner abandoned outside of Jackie’s room. Sofie picked up both shoes then caught Caliban by the scruff of the neck when he started to run towards the scent of Jackie. “She’s not in the mood, pup. Better stay back while I try to cool her off.” It was a risky thing to try to pry something out of Jackie when she was feeling as strung out as she was. However, she wouldn’t be doing her job as a friend if she didn’t at least make sure she was all right.

  Jackie was trying to unbutton the shirt she’d borrowed from O’Connor but her fingers kept fumbling. It might have been because her hands were shaking. Finally she was able to shrug out of the gray silk then took a fierce pleasure in throwing it as far as she could. Then she wobbled and fell on her bed.

  “Stupid blood loss,” she muttered, glaring uselessly at the bite mark on her left arm. She had precisely four fresh bites on her body and Jackie was willing to bet she’d lost more than a pint of blood. Not to mention the fact she was sore in between her legs. A woman at her age shouldn’t spend a night having wild sex with a vampire. It wasn’t good for her health.

  “So that’s why you’re aggravated,” Sofie said. Jackie glanced up at her housemate and frowned. “Blood loss tends to make people groggy and aggravated.” She sat down next to her grumpy friend. “Anything you want to tell me?” Jackie narrowed her eyes.

  “I’m sitting here in a strapless bra and pants that were clearly not made for a woman and you actually need me to tell you what happened?” Sofie shrugged.

  “Not really but I know how much you like to vent.” Jackie groaned and flopped backwards to stare at the ceiling.

  “I slept with O’Connor,” she confessed.

  “No! Really?” Jackie smacked Sofie’s arm. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Go on.” The half-naked woman shook her head.

  “Forget it. You’re obviously insensitive to my plight.” Sofie tried her best to put on a sympathetic face although she really wanted to roll her eyes.

  “Come on, Jackie, tell me about it. I promise to be silent until you’re
done,” she said, patting Jackie’s hand.

  “I can’t be in an adult relationship, Sofie,” she mumbled as she threw her arm across her face. “I’m a tragedy magnet. Tragedy magnets don’t get to be in successful adult relationships without something tragic happening. It’s a rule.”

  “Anything could be considered an adult relationship. We have an adult relationship. We’re both adults and we’re friends. And that is-”

  “An adult relationship, I get it,” Jackie said. “Let me be more specific. I can’t be in a romantic adult relationship. Even if I could, it wouldn’t be with O’Connor. He’s having romantic adult relationships with a bunch of self-obsessed twenty-something women, Izzy being the only notable exception. Strangely, I want a more exclusive relationship than that. And I just made up with Izzy after sleeping with him the first time. How am I supposed to keep our relationship healthy with all this drama bullshit? So what if the sex is fantastic?”

  Sofie’s eyebrows went straight up. “Fantastic, huh?”

  “Yes, fantastic. Mind-blowing might also be an accurate description. And it shouldn’t be! There’s no real emotional attachment here. It’s just witty banter and really hot sex.”

  “You’re never this talkative,” Sofie said, leaning over to take a look at Jackie’s eyes. “Have you gotten any sleep tonight?”

  “About two hours. Sleep is for the weak,” she said. Sofie rolled her eyes. “Besides, I woke up sane enough to get out of O’Connor’s secret lair and hire a cab. He was probably sleeping in the dark somewhere.”

  “Why would he be in the dark?” she asked, confused.

  “Vampires sleep away from sunlight. Something to do with their survival instinct not letting them sleep where they’re vulnerable,” Jackie mumbled. Her body was beginning to lose the temporary high adrenaline had given it and sleep was creeping up on her. “Izzy mentioned it.”

  Sofie noticed the way her friend’s eyelids were drooping. “Jackie, how about we carry on with this conversation after you’ve had a few more hours of sleep?” Jackie mumbled something but it definitely wasn’t coherent. “I’m glad you agree.” She slipped out of her room and gently closed the door. Then she made a run for the phone. She had to call Izzy.

  As for Jackie, falling asleep was not the blissful escape it should have been. She didn’t dream of vampires or sex by candlelight. What she dreamed of was infinitely more painful.

  “Truth or dare?” The forest was quiet but for the chirping of birds and the occasional scampering of small creatures. She tilted her head up to meet Danny’s warm brown eyes.

  “Truth,” she decided before snuggling closer to his long, lanky body. He absentmindedly ran the tips of his fingers up and down her arm, the motion soothing and familiar.

  “What do you think about marriage?” She decided not to look at him in case she lost her nerve. Instead she stared resolutely at a tree on the other side of the clearing.

  “I think marriage is brilliant if two people marry each other for the right reasons,” she replied quietly. She hoped this was heading where she thought it was heading. “Truth or dare?”

  “Truth,” Danny chose.

  “What do you think about marriage?” He pressed his lips against the top of her head, smiling into her hair.

  “When I think about marriage, I think about you and about the rest of our lives,” he replied then lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. “Truth or dare?”

  “Dare,” she whispered, her heart fluttering at the intensity of his gaze.

  “Say no to my next question,” he dared her. Danny reached into his pocket and took out a plain gold band. “I love you. Will you marry me?” She narrowed her eyes then slapped his arm.

  “If you think for one instant that I would say no just to win a stupid game then you’re crazier than you look.” She kissed him, taking the ring and sliding it onto her finger in the process. “I love you, Daniel Wallace. Of course I’ll marry you.”

  “Then I win,” he said, a warm smile curving his lips. “In more ways than one.”

  It had been years since she’d woken up crying. Maybe that’s what she got for avoiding O’Connor’s questions about her past by using sex. Jackie could taste salt on her lips and her face felt damp. Damn. She pulled herself off her bed and crawled into the bathroom for a hot shower.

  For a few minutes she tried to work up some hostile feelings towards O’Connor for stirring up old memories. However, even she couldn’t be that unreasonable. Jackie knew exactly why Danny was stuck in her head. For one, she’d learned that he was nearby. If that wasn’t enough reason to curse fate then she didn’t know what was. For another thing… She leaned against the wall in her shower and sighed. The other thing was Liam. There was little point in trying to put a barrier between them by calling him O’Connor now. She’d slept with him and she’d liked it. She would probably sleep with him again. And she liked him.

  Jackie didn’t like him a lot, of course. Just a little. Just a tiny, silly bit. He clearly had issues if he made it a habit to sleep with women who couldn’t hope to keep up. He was also still arrogant and controlling and completely wrong for her, especially since she’d decided never to get involved emotionally with a man unless it was for friendship. She turned off the shower and began to think that over. Friendship. Maybe that was a possibility. Friends with benefits wasn’t a completely new concept.

  “Jackie!” Sofie shouted, throwing open the door. “It’s Sarah. She’s here.” Jackie didn’t stay still long enough to hear anything else. She quickly belted her robe while running out into the hallway. There stood Sarah, just as soaking wet as Jackie but for a very different reason.

  “Sofie, get some towels,” she directed, taking Sarah by the arm and ushering her into the bedroom. “Christ, you’re freezing! What happened?” The little girl was shaking hard and her teeth had begun to chatter.

  “W-wasn’t raining w-when I ran aw-away,” she managed to say. Sofie had grabbed every towel they owned and dumped them on the bed while Sarah talked. Jackie helped Sarah out of her clothes then wrapped her in a towel before drying her hair. That was when she noticed something odd. The glasses she wore were completely different from the ones Jackie had always seen her in. The frames were black and the lens was round. It looked like the sort of glasses Harry Potter wore.

  “Did you get new glasses, Sarah?”

  “N-no,” she whispered. “These are old. Greg broke my n-new ones.” For one dangerous moment Jackie’s vision went red. Blood red. In fact, it was precisely the shade of red she imagined Greg’s blood would be. Forget Liam, she would kill him on her own. “He w-was mad about the interview.”

  “I was so proud of you, baby girl,” Jackie said, shoving her murderous rage to the side temporarily. “You did exactly the right thing.”

  Sarah started to cry then. She hadn’t cried when her stepfather had threatened to do to her face what he’d done to her glasses if she ever went to the press again or when her mother had stood off to the side and refused to watch. She hadn’t cried when she ran away from home and spent hours trying to remember exactly which direction Jackie lived. She hadn’t even cried when the dark clouds that had been threatening rain all day had finally begun to pour on her head. But she cried now. “I miss my daddy,” she whimpered.

  Jackie pulled the weeping little girl into her arms, hugging her tightly. “I know, Sarah. I know you do.” She met Sofie’s eyes as she made her next decision. “You won’t ever have to go back there, honey. I’ll make sure of it.”

  After an hour of comforting Sarah and waiting for her to finally go to sleep, Sofie confronted Jackie in the kitchen. “You’ll make sure of it?” she asked. “How are you going to do that, exactly?”

  Jackie picked up the phone. “I’m going to ask Liam for help.”

  Sofie leaned back against the refrigerator, stunned. “Sorry, what did you just say? I think I hallucinated for a few seconds because what I thought I heard… couldn’t
have been right.”

  Jackie glared at her before starting to dial his number. “I’m asking for help. He’s extremely rich, Sofie. And he’s already offered to have Gregory Crawley killed so I might as well ask if he’d be willing to help me out.”

  Sofie grabbed the phone, starting to panic a little. “Hold on a minute. You’re not going to ask him to kill someone for you, right?”

  “I’m not that crazy. Yet,” Jackie muttered. She snatched the phone back and redialed the number. “Could you start making macaroni and cheese for dinner? It’s Sarah’s favorite.” She held the phone to her ear and waited for Liam to pick up.

  “I wondered when you’d call.”

  Jackie rolled her eyes at the self-satisfied tone in his voice. “I’m not calling about last night. Sarah ran away from home and she’s here now. I was wondering if maybe I could ask you for help.” There it was. She knew her pride was going to burn when she asked this man for help. Jackie felt the urge to slam down the phone but for Sarah’s sake she couldn’t.

  “You’re asking for help? How much blood did I take last night?”

  Jackie narrowed her eyes at the disbelieving tone in his voice. “For your information, I’m not unreasoningly stubborn. I can unbend a little.”

  “If I recall correctly you can unbend a lot,” he quipped.

  Jackie glanced over at Sofie who was intently listening to every word and sighed. She loved her friend dearly but some things needed to be done in private. She put distance between herself and the kitchen, going to the far side of the living room before she spoke again. “Liam, I need your help.” She couldn’t hear anything. No breathing, no movement. He had gone completely still.

  “Tell me what you need done,” Liam said after a moment. Jackie let out a breath and sat down on the couch, allowing herself a few moments to relax.