by Karen Payton
Rebekah’s grip slipped away as goosebumps crawled over her.
Connor caught her hand gently in his. “We will, Rebekah. He was not in court, but it’s just a matter of time before he surfaces inside the hive, and Julian will be ready.”
Folding her into his arms, he murmured, “We are moving out tomorrow night, in any case. And in the meantime, I’m not going anywhere. Julian has our back. This time tomorrow, everything this phantom vampire knows will be useless. You and the others will be safe.”
“You’re right.” She met his eyes and the determined spark in their depths took him back to their first meeting.
“What?” he said darkly.
“I marked him.”
“You did what?” Connor released her slowly, pinning her with an incredulous gaze.
“Well, I think I did.” Rebekah lowered her lashes as his cold composure took him away from her.
Her sudden nervousness was all that held him in check as he said carefully, “Go on.” But, he already knew he was not going to like it.
“When he caught me, I stabbed him,” she whispered.
Connor frowned. “You can’t have. We are tougher than that.”
“Well, it marked him. I felt the blade judder, digging in to-” her words died in her throat, as Connor’s gray eyes glinted menacingly.
“The blade?” The picture played out in his head and dread landed like a sledgehammer blow onto his chest. His hands moved to her shoulders as he said grimly, “He could have killed you. If he had lost his temper he could have snapped you like a twig.”
Connor’s own grasp tightened and fear-laced frustration pulled his features taut.
Even with the pain of his clamped fingers biting in, she said vehemently, “I can’t sit here and do nothing.” Tears of anger spilled over. “Don’t expect me to. And if you do, you’ve got the wrong girl.”
A rasp ripped from his throat as he growled at her. “Damn it, Rebekah.”
She flinched, and for a moment, as he felt the bruises threatening to blossom beneath his fingertips, he was in Hell, too. “I’m so sorry, honey.” His icy touch gentled and stroked over the pressure points on her arms. “I scared you. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry,” she croaked. “But I can’t be helpless. I won’t be”
“I know.” Connor’s frustration melted. “It’s why I love you. I know.”
The remnants of his fear faded as his lips touched hers. He took everything he needed from her, molding her to his will until she surrendered and her body clung to his. His voice was rough as his fingers laced through her hair and he held her trapped. “If you get yourself killed, I will go insane. Do you want that?”
She shook her head, ignoring the pull on her hair. She framed his face with her hands.
“Just be careful, for me. Okay?” He searched her face until he found what he needed in her eyes. Dropping a kiss onto her lips, he said, “I really need to wash up. I’ll be right back.”
And as always, his instant departure left Rebekah feeling bereft, with her body still reeling. He disappeared before his voice faded.
Moving silently past the empty dining cavern, Connor made his way through to the kitchen and into the laundry room.
Shedding his clothes as he crossed the threshold, he peeled damp cloth from smooth hard muscles until he stood naked. He filled a bowl with warm water from the Jacuzzi. Connor frowned, running through Rebekah’s words and shying away from how close he had come to losing her. Fighting the feelings of impotence, he soaked a washcloth and scrubbed at his skin, sluicing dried blood and oil residue from his hair and body.
His muscles twitched when a waft of her honeyed scent filled his nostrils, and he smiled. Rebekah. His skin, warmed by the water, tingled when he scrubbed harder. Her thundering heartbeat was playing havoc with his concentration, and, when she drew closer, he could hear her breathing.
When the curtain finally moved aside and she stepped into view, she smiled. The sight of her ignited the glow of a sunrise inside his chest. He could forgive her anything to see that smile.
Locking his body tight, holding back the need to cross the room and kiss her, he stood still and delighted in the racing of her pulse as the sight of him dusted her skin in perspiration.
Rebekah caught her breath. The magnificence of his naked body stole the words she had been about say. A hot flush blossomed deep inside her when the muscles in his abdomen tightened beneath her gaze. With a shake of her head, she recovered her senses and said huskily, “Can we start over? I’ve missed you.”
Without lifting his head, his lashes unveiled the molten heat of his silver-gray eyes. His voice stroked over her skin, unfurling tendrils of desire inside her as he growled gently, “Hi Honey, I’m home.”
“So I see,” she said lightly. Grazing her eyes deliberately over his body, she said quietly, “I think you missed a bit.”
Her legs felt weak when she stepped forward. Reaching out to trail her fingers over his chest, she moved around to stand behind him. She took the washcloth from his slack fingers and ran it over his shoulder blades, mesmerized by the rivulets of water meandering over his taut muscles. She moved back around and stood in front of him, running the cloth over his chest and stomach. Her eyes met his.
He reached out and skimmed his hand lightly over her collarbone, his finger wandering down to dip into her damp cleavage. His gaze held her captive as he unbuttoned her dress and pushed it away.
“Not afraid of me anymore, then?” he smiled as revival sleep wrapped his raw hunger in cotton wool and deadened the pain, defusing the hot-wired current of desire touching her skin ignited.
Laying her hands on his hard chest, she leaned in to kiss his smile. “No, never afraid.”
Effortlessly, he lifted her to straddle his naked hips, fitting his hard body to her softness. Her hot skin warmed his bare chest and stomach, and contentment rumbled in his throat as his tongue teased her nipple. She moaned as he pulled the hard bud into his mouth and grazed it over his teeth.
“God, Rebekah,” he grumbled, his body trembling against hers.
As she clung to him, he buried his face in her neck. His thirsty tissue begged to be saturated in Rebekah’s essence, but he could endure it.
She sought his lips, and he lost himself in her heat. Her heartbeat echoed through him, her skin damp where her body ached for his. He walked the tunnels back to her den, sat down onto the bed, and took her with him as he rolled onto his back.
“I’ve missed you, too, honey,” he chuckled against her lips as she wriggled into his lap.
“Love me, Connor.”
His response was instant and urgent. He licked the salt from her skin, absorbing the scent and taste of her, and when his hand brushed between her thighs, she groaned in welcome.
Goosebumps clustered over her body as, aligning her hips with his, she sat up and took him deep inside.
His slate-gray eyes registered surprise. “Definitely not scared of me anymore, then. Huh?” he said. His grin dropped away when she began to move.
“If I live forever, nothing will ever be better than this.” He heaved a sigh. Okay, for every ounce of pleasure, I have ten times that weight in pain, but she’s worth every moment. Life will never be dull again.