He canted his head to the side and deepened the kiss. He plundered her mouth with his, exploring and savoring. The air stalled in her lungs and her heart sped faster. A few seconds later, he tore his mouth from hers.
He slid down her body, now slick from the fever that raged inside of her, and left a blazing path with the velvet tip of his tongue. With a gentle pressure, he parted her thighs. Almost reverently, he stroked the soft, slick folds between her legs.
“You’re so sweet,” he swore softly. “So fucking perfect.”
Tremors seized her when she felt his warm breath blowing softly on the inside of her thigh, directly on the tiny prick points where he’d drunk from her. His tongue darted out, flicking first one then the other, and it was like being zapped by lightning. Pleasure sliced through her, cracking her open from head to toe. She gasped and dug her nails into his shoulders as wave after wave of pure ecstasy washed through her.
She wasn’t sure what happened after that. She was too busy floating, her body weightless, her mind buzzing with sensation. She only knew that one minute he had his pants on and the next he was settling his naked body between her damp thighs.
Where’s the condom?
The question registered in her head when she felt his hard, hot length rub her pulsing clit. She tried to clamp her legs shut, but he was too close, his thighs wedging her open. She was powerless to stop him. But then his deep voice whispered through her head and suddenly, she didn’t want to stop.
I can’t hurt you, Riley. I wouldn’t hurt you. Ever.
Still, he waited for her consent. He might be taking the lead, but he wasn’t the one with all the power.
She held her own.
The realization sent a rush of excitement through her and she nodded.
With a swift thrust of his hips, he impaled her on his rigid length, and all worry faded as heat drenched her. Sensation overwhelmed her at first. The feel of him so hot and thick pulsing inside her nearly made her come without any warning.
She anchored her arms around his neck and her muscles clamped down around his erection. She didn’t want to let him go, but he had other ideas.
He withdrew and slid back in for the second time. His hard length rasped her tender insides, creating a delicious friction that sent a dizzying rush straight to her brain. He pulled out again, and went back for a third time. A fourth.
His body pumped into hers, over and over, pushing her higher with each delicious plunge. She lifted her hips, meeting him thrust for thrust, eager to feel more of him. Harder. Deeper. Faster.
“Please.”
For a brief moment, she thought it was her own frantic thoughts that had voiced the plea, but then she realized it had come from him.
She opened her eyes and stared up at him as he poised over her. He pushed into her, his penis hot and twitching, and she knew it was his last and final effort. He was going over the edge before her.
His arms braced on either side of her, his muscles bulging and tight as he held himself. The tendons in his neck stood out. His eyes blazed a bright, vivid purple. His jaw clenched and his lips parted. His fangs gleamed as he let loose a loud hiss that faded into a long moan as Riley arched her pelvis.
His cock twitched and throbbed, and she felt a spurt of warmth. He bucked once and then leaned down and sank his fangs deep into her neck.
And then the real pleasure hit her.
She cried out, splintering into a thousand pieces.
His entire body seemed to vibrate as she came apart. He trembled and buzzed, drinking in her power-infusing blood as he drank in the sexual energy that rushed from her body like a tsunami gunning for shore.
His mouth eased and he leaned back. A fierce groan rumbled from his lips as he collapsed on top of her, his arms braced on either side of her head, his face buried in the crook of her neck.
A few moments later, he rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him without breaking their contact. He held her tight, as if he feared she might slip away.
And where that notion would have scared the crap out of her before, she felt different now. Treasured. Revered.
“I would never hurt you,” he told her as he slid a hand down the length of her body, stroking, soothing. “Never.”
Her eyelids fluttered open to find him staring up at her. Her gaze met his. “I know that.”
Warmth fired in the rich green depths of his eyes, along with a fierce determination. “I have to go now.”
She nodded and fought down a wave of regret as he pulled away. She watched him pull on his clothes and barely resisted the urge to beg him to stay.
She couldn’t. He had to go after Kit and bring her back to safety, and so she kept her mouth shut. He turned back to her and she closed her eyes, relishing the rough press of his lips as they lingered on hers.
And then she watched him walk away, and prayed with all of her heart that it wasn’t for the very last time.
Chapter Seventeen
BOONE IGNORED the urge to stay with Riley and pushed the boulder into place. He had to go, to find Kit, to put a stop to the vampire terrorizing his town. He’d raced here like a bat out of hell because he’d been worried that whoever had snatched Kit had grabbed Riley too. But now he knew she was safe and it was time to get to work.
He leapt to the ground and went for his horse tethered nearby. He was just about to swing himself up into the saddle when he heard the familiar voice behind him.
“I didn’t want it to be this way. I wanted you to be the last.”
The past stirred and suddenly he was a small boy, back in the farmhouse where he’d grown up, listening to his father tell him that there was nothing wrong with being last in line at school. Not a cotton-pickin’ thing. It wasn’t about being first at everything. Not everybody was meant for greatness. The world was made up of all kinds of folks. Some at the top of the food chain, and others who were just meant to survive.
His father had learned that firsthand. He’d grown up getting his ass beat every day of his life. He’d learned to keep his head down and not to stir up trouble. He’d learned that survival meant not standing up for what he wanted.
His wife. His son.
Silas Jarrett had lost both, but he’d survived.
Boy, had he ever.
The truth crystallized at that moment and suddenly the past few days made sense. The fact that he’d been sensing the rogue vampire when no one else had.
They were all connected to Ike, all bound by the blood that flowed through their veins. But Boone was the only one tied to this particular vampire.
“I’ve been searching for you for a very long time, Son. A very long time indeed.”
The words slid into his ears as Boone turned to see Silas Jarrett standing behind him.
His father looked a little older and more weathered than the man who’d watched him on the gallows that night. Instead, he looked more like the Silas he’d seen working on that church steeple so long ago. The man who’d stared past him as if he didn’t exist.
Just a man.
The incredulity weighed down on Boone. “How are you here right now?”
“Ike McCoy wasn’t the only vampire in Texas back then. There were others. Those who hadn’t chosen a path of evil. Those more righteous.”
“You’re crazy.”
“I’m not crazy. I’m enlightened. See, after I lost the farm, I went to Karnes City and ended up sleeping behind the Presbyterian Church. I was huddled up underneath the edge of the building one night when the pastor found me. He was just a man then. A compassionate, kind soul who took me in and gave me a place to stay and a job. We were working on refinishing the bell tower of the church the night that He sent His righteous angel to show us our true purpose.”
“An angel?”
Silas nodded and his on
ce dull brown eyes gleamed with an unholy light. “He was a thing of beauty. Fierce and brave and indestructible. Exactly the way I’d always pictured such a creature. The angel wanted to bless us, to anoint us. With immortality and the chance to make things right.”
“You don’t make things right. You survive,” Boone reminded him. “You watch.”
“Once upon a time.” He shook his head. “The angel changed all of that. He gave me the power to go forth and help others. He showed me I wasn’t just the shit on somebody’s boots. He chose me. Me.” He glanced up at the sky. “I’m a soldier in His army now.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? He doesn’t have a thing to do with what we are.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. He is responsible for everything. He sent the angel to the church that night. The pastor and I fed him, and then he fed us. He turned us.” His eyes gleamed a bright red now. “He showed me my purpose. Don’t you see? I was meant to help the pastor do His will, and that’s what I’ve been doing for the past century and a half.”
Boone glanced around, but Silas shook his head.
“The pastor is gone now. Destroyed several months ago by those evil angels who’ve turned their back on Him.” He looked so distraught for a moment that Boone actually felt a ripple of compassion. “The pastor always led our fight.” He seemed to gather his courage and his shoulders pulled back, his back went stiff. “But now it’s up to me.”
“Where’s Kit?” Boone demanded.
Silas gave him an accusing stare. “You shouldn’t have given her blood. She’s tainted now.”
“Did you kill her?”
“I didn’t do any such thing.” His gaze hardened. “Your friend Maddie did that. She spoiled her, and now I have no choice. I have to guide her onto the right path. I was doing just that when I saw you ride toward this place.”
Boone’s gaze went to the far distance and the stretch of pastureland that led to the cluster of trees and the acreage that belonged to him. He thought of the run-down house and the strange smell, and then he knew.
“You’ve been holing up at my place.”
“That old shack is yours?” Silas shrugged. “But then, I suppose that makes perfect sense. You never were one for working the farm.” His gaze found Boone’s again. “I really did want to leave you for last, Son. I wanted to kill all of the others who helped lead you astray first. To punish them for their evil. But you’ve all been so careful for the past few days, so watchful, and I was afraid I might not have another chance. So I followed you.” He glanced up at the entrance to the cave blocked by the boulder. “Nice hiding spot. I never would have found you here.”
You.
Meaning he thought Boone was the one holing up inside, rather than the human who’d attacked him that first night and saved Kit’s life.
Riley was safe.
The knowledge stirred a surge of relief as he turned his attention back to Silas. Then he saw the crazy gleam in his father’s eyes.
“It’s my duty to keep helping those poor misguided souls find the right path,” Silas said in a somber tone that sent a chill up Boone’s spine. “That’s why I’m here now. To help you.” He stepped toward his son, the steel-handled stake gleaming in the moonlight. “To release you.”
BOONE WAS IN trouble.
Riley knew it even before she pressed her ear to the sliver of open space between the boulder and the cave wall, and heard the voices drifting from below.
She felt it because she felt him. They were connected, the bond strong, unbreakable. She felt his surprise. His disbelief.
She heard the Oh, shit! that echoed through his head.
Anxiety ripped through her. She had to get out. To do something.
She clawed at the rock, pushing and pulling before launching herself at it with both fists until blood trickled down her arms and the pain grew unbearable.
Stumbling backward, she closed her eyes against the hot tears and fought the overwhelming sense of despair she’d felt all those years ago.
But this was different.
This was Boone.
Her eyes snapped open and she did the only thing her desperate brain could think of. She opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs.
“BOONE!” RILEY’S frantic voice filled the air and Silas jerked around.
Boone took advantage of Silas’s surprise and lunged forward. One hand closed over the stake and the other grabbed the vampire’s throat.
“No.” His father’s voice was barely audible. He let out a gasp that crackled with shock and pain because Boone had been a vampire longer than his father. He was older, more powerful.
And he’d just fed.
Riley’s blood flowed through his veins. Her energy fed his strength and his hand clamped tighter. His father’s eyes widened, the red fading into a dark, pitch black that would have chilled any man to the bone.
But Boone wasn’t a man. His power was too fierce, his anger too palpable, the rage too intense. Boone’s entire body trembled, his muscles convulsed, his fingers sinking deeper and deeper into his father’s flesh. Pushing, contracting.
Silas fell to his knees, his legs buckling. The stake thudded to the ground.
“Please,” the vampire choked out, the plea full of fear and desperation and something that sliced past the red haze that blinded Boone.
He remembered the horse his father had carved him for his fifth birthday. And the way he’d tucked him in extra tight after a bad dream. And all the other little things that had faded in the face of the ultimate betrayal that day on the gallows.
Details Boone had tucked down deep.
They rushed at him now and, while his father might have had every intention of staking him and turning him to dust just seconds before, Boone couldn’t bring himself to deliver the same sentence.
“Fuck,” he growled, sending the vampire sailing through the air.
Silas slammed into the canyon wall and slid to a heap at the foot of the rock. His head lolled forward, but he wasn’t dead.
Not yet.
Boone turned, spotting the group of vampires riding over the ridge, eyes blazing, anger palpable, before turning back to the cave. The others would deal with Silas. Though Boone hadn’t been able to mete out justice himself, he wouldn’t stand in the way of it.
Riley’s voice played loudly in his ears, a bloodcurdling sound that had him scaling the side of the canyon in that next instant.
He yanked the boulder aside to find Riley broken and bloody and still screaming inside the cave.
The sound stopped immediately and her eyes widened in shock. “You’re okay,” she mumbled as if she couldn’t quite believe it. Her hands went to his face in a quick search and discovery mission before he could even answer.
He caught one of her hands and held it over his heart. “I’m okay,” he murmured. “Because of you.” He touched her palm to his lips. “You’ve got one hell of a set of lungs on you.”
A grin tugged at her beautiful mouth. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“Just you, darlin’.” Only you. The teasing note seeped out of his voice. “You saved me, Riley.”
“I did?” Her eyes gleamed, shining with a hope so fierce that it hit him like a sucker punch to the gut and he knew.
Deep in his heart, he just knew.
She loved him, and he loved her.
Not that he was going to say the words.
They wouldn’t change anything.
Silas was taken care of—or soon would be—the threat eliminated. Riley would make her flight on Sunday and go back to living out of a suitcase. And in a few months or so, when Tombstone was set, Boone would go back to Austin. Or Houston. Or wherever his job led him.
Anywhere but here.
The truth kept him from pull
ing her into his arms when he wanted nothing more than to hold her tight and never let go. Instead, he motioned toward the opening. “Let’s get you back to town.”
Chapter Eighteen
HE WAS LETTING her go.
The truth haunted Riley all Friday night and into Saturday morning as her life returned to normal and she soaked up the lively atmosphere that Tombstone had to offer.
Although only hours had passed, it felt as if it had been an eternity since Boone had brought her back to town. The rest of the Ten had forced a bruised and battered Silas to lead them to Kit who’d been scared out of her mind, but okay.
Riley hadn’t seen exactly what had happened for herself, but she’d gotten a play-by-play from Kit when she’d gone over to check on the young woman at the infirmary later that morning.
Clay had stepped up to do the deed, to make Silas pay for his sins, but Boone’s father had been determined that good should win over evil. He’d taken matters into his own hands by grabbing a sharp tree branch and shoving it into his own chest, thereby making sure that good triumphed. And where he’d failed to save Boone’s life so long ago, he’d at least managed to inadvertently relieve his son’s conscience now by ending his own miserable existence.
Not that she could tell if the turn of events had given Boone much comfort. He’d dropped her off at the hotel after a silent ride from the cave, and then disappeared. She hadn’t seen him since.
Of course, it was daylight, she reminded herself as she stood on the porch of the hotel and watched the first of six scheduled gun battles in the main square. It wasn’t as if he could slather on an SPF 2000 and prance around outside.
He was a vampire.
Which meant she was on her own for the rest of the day.
She took a sip of lemonade and watched as the two adversaries loaded their weapons and paced the required distance away from each other.
The Quick and the Undead: Volume 1 (Tombstone, Texas) Page 17