by Lisa Marie
“I doubt the grandson is still in town. They would have wanted to get Brie away as quickly as possible. Use any means necessary to find out where she is.”
For a moment, they stared at each other in understanding, a slow, chilling smile curling Edward’s lip. Then Sebastian reached for a file on his desk and held it out.
“Of course.” Edward took the folder, pausing long enough to scan the first few pages. “I’ll be back.”
When the werewolf was gone, Sebastian’s thoughts turned to his “project”. He walked around his desk and made sure the office door was locked, before going over to the far wall and pressing a hidden button. A panel slid open, revealing a room filled with TV screens, each showing a different room in the house. He watched Edward leave, satisfied that the werewolf was doing as he was told, then turned his attention to the screen that showed the inside of Eve’s new room.
“Interesting,” he murmured, when he saw Eve, her dress torn open, and Ash, his hands flying over her eager body. Their mouths were fused together in a heated kiss. “Very interesting.” His eyes never left the screen as he sat in the leather chair and settled in to watch.
Chapter Ten
“Take me.”
That was all that Ash needed to hear. Eve’s fingers slid from his face to his shoulders to hold on as he lifted her up against the door and used a knee to part her thighs. Eagerly, her silky limbs wrapped around his waist, pressing her heat tight against his hard length. Moans of anticipation exploded from both of them in the second before their mouths fused together once more.
Heat radiated through him, scorching him from the inside out. He needed to be inside her. The fact that they were in very real danger seemed to melt away as Ash’s hunger for blood caved to a hunger for her body. He needed. Now.
Eve’s hands slid over his shoulders, through his hair and back down again. She had to have him closer, and pulled at him until he was crushing her against the door, his solid weight slowly stealing her breath. She didn’t care, he still wasn’t close enough. She wanted to crawl inside his skin and become part of him.
Ash’s hand moved between their bodies. His fingers brushed her damp center as he fumbled with his pants. She gasped into his kiss and thrust her hips forward, seeking the friction his fingers had rendered with that subtle touch. Finally, he was free from the slacks, his thick cock angling between them. A quick flick of his wrist had her thong tearing easily away from her body. Eve pulled back when she felt the head of his erection push into her moist folds. She went blind with pleasure with each new inch that filled her.
Ash thought he had finally died and had accidentally been sent to heaven. She was so warm and wet, her body yielding to him like it was made for him and him alone. With a growl of impatience, he thrust hard, impaling her fully on his shaft.
Eve started to spasm around him almost instantly, her fingers clawing at his shoulders, her legs tightening around his waist to hold him inside. Long, lusty moans fell from her lips as she rode out the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced.
Ash pistoned up into her, his hands flying over her sweat slicked skin, teasing her nipples and learning every curve. She smelled so sweet, her skin tasted so good. Her blood pounded in his ears and he matched his rhythm to it, his own climax coming hard and lightening fast.
Oh, God, Eve’s mind screamed as she felt her body start to throb again. Each of Ash’s thrusts pushed him deeper, harder, faster. His growls in her ear brought goosebumps to life on her flesh. His lips were buried against her throat, his teeth grazing the skin there. She tried to push down on him, wanting to take him impossibly further inside her, but she couldn’t get the leverage. As her second orgasm ripped through her, all she could do was hold on.
“Jesus, Eve!” His voice was a raspy breath in her ear as his cock pushed deeper still, only to retreat when the intense pressure of him had tears of sweet ecstasy filling her eyes. Once. Twice. On the third thrust, he slammed into her hard and, with a shout, toppled over the edge.
His face shifted into its vampire form, his fangs hovering over the vein throbbing in her throat. Her arms clutched his shoulders, her heat pulsed around him. Throbbed in his ears. He wanted that heat, needed that heat.
Eve’s eyes flew open when she felt the biting sting of his fangs sink into her skin. “Ash!”
* * * *
“I made soup and sandwiches if you’re hungry.” Brie paused at the door and looked down at Mark, who was sitting on the porch steps, cigarette smoke circling his head. She was determined to act as if nothing had happened between them in the kitchen, if for no other reason than to soothe her jumbled nerves. She hoped that he would get the idea and follow suit.
Mark didn’t answer right away. He took his time finishing his cigarette, crushed it out, and took one last sweeping look across the tightly knit trees in front of him. It wasn’t until he was sure he had tight control of the insane impulse to kiss her that he stood and turned to face her.
“Yeah. Thanks.” He walked around Brie to get into the house, careful not to touch her.
“Sure.” She waited until he was fully past her before turning to follow.
Mark was surprised to see that she had gone through the trouble of setting the table, with napkins and everything. Sandwiches piled high with turkey, cheese and lettuce were settled in the middle of dark blue stoneware plates, and the soup stood out in stark contrast against deep, cream colored bowls. Was that lemonade in two tall tumblers next to the place settings? The hominess made him a bit nervous, but he shook it off and sat down to start plowing through the soup.
Brie sat across from him, unfolding the cloth napkin she’d found in one of the kitchen drawers and laying it across her lap before picking up her own spoon and starting to eat. They ate in silence for a few moments, the only sounds the clink of spoons hitting dishes and the occasional light thud of a glass being set back on the table. It took her that time to get up the courage to ask the question that had pushed itself from the back of her mind. The fact that it was spurred on more by her need to know how long she would be stuck alone with him than actual concern for her sister caused her quite a bit of guilt.
“I was wondering…” she started, looking over at Mark, whose face was hidden on one side by his glossy curtain of hair. He looked up, pushing it back behind his shoulder and Brie was caught by the blue highlights dancing in it.
“What?” he asked, when she remained silent.
“Uh, well, how long until Eve gets here?”
He took another bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Tonight at the earliest, although I don’t expect that. A couple of days if they’re being watched closely.”
“What if…” She stopped, not wanting to voice her fears. He arched a dark brow as he waited for her to finish. “What if they don’t make it? I mean, is there a plan B, or something?”
“Yeah,” he said, and returned his attention to his bowl.
Brie waited a beat, then two, for him to answer in detail. Irritation had her twisting her napkin in her lap and she glared at the top of his head. “Well? What is it?”
With a sigh, Mark dropped his spoon in his bowl and pinned her with his black eyes. The expression on his face told her that she didn’t want to know.
“If I haven’t heard from them in the next seventy-two hours, I’m to assume the worst. At that time, I will take you back to your mother.”
His voice was strong, his words concise. He sounded so impersonal, like she was laundry that needed to be delivered. Anger and indignation heated her cheeks and narrowed her eyes. “Back to the island? Why?”
Mark shrugged and reached for his glass, draining half of the lemonade before looking at her again. “Guess your sister thinks you’ll be safe there. Come on, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t like to be back in the land of male servitude. Every woman’s wet dream,” he said with a sneer.
She rolled her eyes, but didn’t rise to his bait. “So, if they don’t show up, we’re just supposed to assume they’re
dead and not go back to look for them?”
“Listen, princess. If they don’t show up, the chances that they are still alive are slim to none. The best bet is to get your pretty little ass away from here as quickly as possible. I don’t like waiting as long as we are, but this place is well protected and Seth has connections that will get us out of the country without having to deal with the major airports. Which you can best believe Sebastian will be watching.”
She understood the logic, but it didn’t keep the oily sick feeling from swirling around in her stomach. The thought of Eve dead had her struggling to keep the soup in her stomach. “She’s my sister, Mr. Lynch. You can’t expect me to jet halfway across the world and slip back into my life on the island like she means nothing to me.”
“I can and I do. What do you think you’re going to do, Brie? Huh? You couldn’t even get yourself out of there, much less go back to find out what happened to her. Ash is my best friend, and the thought of him being only so much dust in the wind doesn’t exactly set right with me, but let me tell you, he would expect me to think of myself first.”
“You’re a bastard.” Brianne pushed away from the table, tears welling in her eyes. It was her turn to storm out on him. She did so quickly, so she wouldn’t be humiliated by her tears.
“Yeah, well, tell me something I don’t know.” Mark heaved a deep sigh and watched her retreating back. The door to the bedroom slammed, the solid wood adding yet another barrier between them. After a minute, he stood and started to clear off the table, feeling worse than he had in a long time.
* * * *
Around midnight, Mark gave up waiting to see if Ash and Eve would show and started to check all the locks to make sure that they wouldn’t get any unexpected guests of the werewolf variety. After one last look outside at the moonlit clearing surrounding the house, he started toward the bedroom. He didn’t hesitate when he reached the door, and was only slightly surprised to find that Brie hadn’t locked him out.
He walked into the dark room, his eyes adjusting quickly. He made no sound as he kicked his boots off and pulled his shirt over his head. He tossed them aside and glanced over at the bed, his gaze tracing the outline of Brie’s silent body. She hadn’t stirred once since he’d walked in. Her total lack of awareness of her surroundings annoyed the hell out of him.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Brie demanded, sitting up and clutching the sheet to her breasts the moment he pulled the covers back.
Mark started at how her violet eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight filtering through the window. He scowled and gave her a look that told her how stupid he thought that question was. “I’m going to bed.”
“In here? I don’t think so.” She gave her head a shake and yanked the sheet out of his hand.
He rolled his eyes and had to bite his tongue to keep from shouting at her. He was tired, she was mad. And he wasn’t in the mood to have an argument.
“Look, princess, that couch out there looks like it would have been a hit at the Spanish Inquisition. This is a king-size bed. I’m sleeping in here.”
“Shouldn’t you be waiting for your co-worker?”
He snorted. Ash would get a kick out of being called a “co-worker”. “He knows better than to show up here this late at night. He might be a vampire, but he can’t take Seth.”
“You can’t sleep in here, Mr. Lynch.”
“Would you quit calling me Mr. Lynch!” Mark snapped. All he wanted was sleep. That was all. She didn’t need to be so damned difficult about it.
“I’m sorry if that bothers you, Mr. Lynch, but I don’t feel comfortable enough with you to call you by your first name.” His jaw tensed, and even in the dark room she could see the annoyance on his face. Well, that’s just too damn bad, she thought nastily. Her heart was still raw from the idea that her sister might die, and he didn’t care.
“Get comfortable with it, ‘cause I won’t answer to that mister shit anymore. Now quit whining and let me get to bed.”
“No!”
Mark took a deep breath and clenched his fists. After he was sure he was calm, he looked back down at her. “Please?”
Whatever Brie was expecting him to say, that certainly wasn’t it. Her mouth dropped open in surprise and she stared at him for a long minute. “What?” she asked finally, in case she had heard him wrong.
“I said…” deep breath, “—please.”
From the way he sounded, she could tell that it took everything in him to use that word. Maybe that was why she felt herself nodding and letting her fingers fall from the sheet so he could climb into the bed. She stared at him, completely dumbfounded as he lay down and made himself comfortable, presenting her with the smooth slope of his back. She couldn’t help noticing the way the dark length of his hair made a striking contrast against the plain, white bed sheet.
When he was done shifting, Brie lowered her head to her pillow, not feeling the least bit tired. She was too aware of the man laying not half a bed away, the heat of his body reaching her over the short distance.
“Just for the record…” his voice broke through the silence that had settled over them, making her jump, “—I don’t want anything to happen to your sister, or my friend. But they both knew what they were getting into. We tried to get Eve to sit back and let us worry about it, but…”
“She browbeat you all into letting her help,” Brie finished with a sigh. “That sounds like my sister. She’s impatient and slightly overprotective. And, maybe, just a little bossy.”
“A little?” Mark said with a snort.
Despite herself, Brie smiled. “Okay, maybe a lot.”
“Damn right.” Mark’s voice was muffled by a huge yawn, and she felt him shift again. “Goodnight, Brie.”
“Goodnight.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, burying her face in her pillow. “Mark.”
* * * *
“Ash,” Eve gasped again, her fingers tightening reflexively on his shoulders.
Tears pricked her eyes as she felt his mouth pull on her throat, taking her life. She tried to struggle, but she was still caught between the door and his body, his length buried deeply inside her. Resigned to her death, one arm circled his neck, the fingers of that hand lacing into his hair and caressing his skull.
Good bye, Brie, she thought as her eyes drifted closed, tears leaking through to course down her face and splash on his shoulder.
As quickly as he had bitten her, Ash’s teeth were gone and his tongue lapped gently at the twin punctures on her throat. Her eyes snapped open in surprise and she tried to turn her head to look at him.
“Mine!”
Eve’s entire body went slack with the fierce possessiveness in his word, the implications of it rocking her. Any fear that she may have been feeling slipped away to be replaced with the most wonderful sense of peace she had ever known. She felt protected and cared for, even though their circumstances were far from safe.
Her heart swelled in her chest. She tightened her arms on his neck and her mouth opened on a single word. “Yours.”
Power seemed to flow through them, around them, binding them like arms. Warmth spread liquidly from the point of the bite through her veins, and Eve felt a different sort of climax sliding through her. She could almost feel him, like he was inside her skin. A sense of completeness, of belonging that she hadn’t felt since she was a very young girl washed over her.
Almost hesitantly, Ash raised his head, his face human once again. His ice blue eyes were filled with an emotion that Eve had never seen. It was deeper than friendship, more potent than love. “Do you understand, what just happened?”
“Not in the slightest,” she admitted with a tired smile. He reached up to brush the tears still leaking from her glittering eyes; his touch so tender, more slid down her cheeks. “Do you?”
“Yeah.” He briefly dropped his gaze, his voice sounding almost shy. Her heart somersaulted in her chest in response. “You accepted my claim.”
“W
hat does that mean?”
Ash smiled at her, the tilt of his lips one of sadness. “I think we should probably, uh…” He looked down at the remnants of her ruined dress.
She followed suit and laughed. “Yeah. I sure hope there are some clothes around here. Otherwise, I’m shit out of luck, huh?”
She gasped and they both moaned in loss when Ash slid from her body. He set her gently on her feet. She clutched his arms to keep from slipping straight to the floor. He kept a hand on her waist until he was sure she was steady, then went in search of something for her to wear. A quick search of the dresser and closet produced nothing.
“Here, take my shirt.” He quickly unbuttoned it and slipped it off. He held it out to her, but she was frozen against the door, her wide eyes riveted to his torso.
“What did he do?” Her voice was shaky, stripped of its normally brassy strength.
Ash’s attention dropped to the damage, and he shrugged. Many of the wounds were healed over, the little bit he took of her blood having already sealed the edges of the worst. The savage hunger had ebbed away, as well, at least for the moment. He could still feel it faintly, gnawing at the edge of his consciousness.
“Put this on,” he said again, holding it out to her.
Eve noticed the blood stains on the material and almost lost the contents of her stomach. It was either wear it, or run around naked. She took it with a trembling hand and slid it on, fresh tears sliding down her cheeks when her fingers brushed over the stiff, crimson stains.
“Hey, I’m all right,” he said softly.
“That doesn’t look all right. And when you first came in here, that didn’t look all right.” She reached out to his chest and traced her fingers over the various slices in his skin. Anger raged through her.
“I’m sorry. I was … out of control. I haven’t fed in a long time and well…” He waved a hand in front of his wounds to let her know that they certainly hadn’t helped the situation.
“Come on. Let’s get those cleaned up.” She linked her fingers through his and led him to the bathroom despite his continued protests that he was all right.