Keeper Under Fire (Graveyard Guardians Book 3)

by Jennifer Malone Wright

  Between kissing, she leaned into his ear and panted. “I need it harder.”

  Holy fuck, she was going to kill him. His fingers worked their way into her hair, gripping tightly and pulling backward just a little. “How hard?”

  A tiny gasp puffed out from between her lips but she didn’t answer. His grip tightened. “I said, how hard do you want it?” he practically growled.

  He was still inside her and she was moving her hips, grinding on top of him while he spoke.

  “I need to be fucked.” The words burst from her mouth.

  He grinned. “Oh do you now.”

  She smiled too. “I don’t make love … ever. Gentle isn’t really my thing.”

  In one fluid motion, he lifted her off of him and stood, placing her on the bench. “On your knees,” he ordered. “Hold onto the edge.”

  She did as she was told, securing herself with her hands. Her ass was still down in the water and he encircled her waist with his hands, then guided his cock into her. The first bit was gentle, as he got a feel for the position and then he began to pump faster, harder, pulling her toward him with each thrust.

  Water splashed and churned around them. He couldn’t see her face, but he knew she liked it from the sounds she was making. Standing above her, he found that her silver aura seemed to glow a bit brighter now. He didn’t know if that was just how he was seeing it, or if the auras really did change with emotions.

  He could feel her when she began to climax. Her core tightened against his cock, gripping onto him as if her body didn’t want to let go. He slammed into her one more time and then pushed himself hard against her.

  She exploded around him. Even in the water he could feel the heat radiating inside her and enveloping his cock. She slapped the edge of the tub with one hand, keeping her grip with the other as something between a scream and a moan released from within her.

  That was it for him. That sound of pure ecstasy was all he needed to trigger his own climax. As much as he didn’t want to, he cried out too, something along the lines of “Oh shit” gurgled out of him, hidden among his own moaning.

  Afterward, he slowed but thrust a few more times for good measure and he was glad he did, because he felt Liv tremor beneath him and knew she was having aftershocks. He let them dissipate and then pulled out of her.

  She stayed where she was for a moment afterward and suddenly a fear he’d never felt washed over him. Was she regretting it? Was she ashamed?

  Normally he didn’t give a shit what women thought of his performance when it was over. As long as he got his, then it was all good. Though, realistically he knew that women were never disappointed after a round in the sheets with him.

  But, Liv … he wanted to know that she enjoyed it.

  What in the fuck was happening to him? He leaves the Reaper society and turns into an emotional mess. This shit had to stop.

  Liv sank down into the water and then turned around and slid her butt up onto the edge of the hot tub so only her legs were still in the water. Her face was flushed and her eyes held a slight twinkle, portraying her feelings.

  Thank god.

  “You okay?” he asked, not knowing what else to say.

  She nodded and offered him a genuine smile, her eyebrows raised slightly. “Absolutely. You?”

  Turning, he began to search for his boxers. “I’m fucking fantastic.” He found the shorts and snagged them out of the water. Then, he waded toward her, placed his knees on the bench and leaned over, placing a hand on each side of her. “How could I not be okay after that?”

  She turned her head, perhaps afraid that he might kiss her. “Good.” She nodded. “We should probably head to bed. Our morning is going to come very early.” She slid backward, extracting herself from beneath him.

  Something in his stomach dropped. She did regret it.

  “Liv.” He lifted himself out of the tub as well. Slipping on his soaking wet boxers.

  She shook her head and bent to pick up her bra. “Don’t.” She turned to face him. “It was amazing.”

  He wanted to ask her why she was running away then, but he didn’t want to look like a needy little bitch. It was just sex. They both wanted it and now it was over. No big deal. So in the end, he nodded, agreeing with her and then followed her into the house.

  A mix of emotions that she had never felt before were closing in on her. She hadn’t expected this part of it. You never think about what it’s going to be like afterward.

  As soon as she’d pulled into her driveway she had made the decision. As Reese had pointed out, she was a grown woman and there was nothing wrong with going after what she wanted. Aside from Aiden being a Reaper … and an asshole, there was a serious mutual attraction between them.

  She had thought it was simply physical. Maybe it was. But, maybe it wasn’t. One-night stands were always easy for her to walk away from. There was no cuddling afterward. She rarely even kissed a guy. She couldn’t let herself get attached, knowing that she was just going to have to let them go in the end.

  And here she was, facing the aftermath of wonderful, no … amazing, sex and she found herself wishing she could curl up in his arms and fall asleep. What in the hell was wrong with her.

  Aiden was not the cuddling type, she could tell. Had she just made this attraction even harder to resist. She’d thought that maybe if they just got it out of their systems that it would make it better. Now a nagging feeling told her that had been the absolute wrong assessment.

  But holy shit, the sex had been fantastic.

  Still naked, she made for the bathroom so that she could take a shower and rinse the sex and chlorine off. She started the water, flipping the knob over to hot and let steam fill the room while she brushed her teeth.

  In the mirror, she saw Aiden pass by the bathroom door, which she had forgotten to close. She was so used to living by herself that things like closing doors were easily forgotten. Like it mattered anyway, that Reaper had seen every inch of her naked body.

  He paused, glanced in at her and their eyes locked in the mirror. She gripped her toothbrush tightly and then relaxed. “You can have the shower in a few minutes. I just need to rinse off.”

  “It’s your shower. Take as long as you want.”

  “I…”

  He shook his head. “Don’t. Liv. I told you, it’s just sex. Acting like it never happened is what people do when it’s just sex.”

  “This feels … awkward.”

  He grinned. “I’ve seen naked women before.” His eyes glimmered mischievously as his eyes moved away from hers and ran the length of her, from head to toe.

  “That is not the awkward I was talking about.” She rolled her eyes and stuck her toothbrush in her mouth to finish brushing her teeth. She expected him to leave, thinking that the conversation was over. But he remained, standing in the doorway, leaning on the frame and staring at her.

  She finished brushing, rinsed her mouth and set her toothbrush in the holder and turned to face him. “What?”

  He didn’t respond. He just stood there, his smoldering gaze holding her captive as he stared.

  “Stop staring at me.”

  Before she knew what was happening, he’d taken three long steps into the bathroom and had her pushed against the sink. His arms were around her waist and his lips crushed down onto hers.

  Fire erupted all over her body and she didn’t even care. The burn between a Keeper and a Reaper, their weapon, their protection … it was no longer either of those. Now … it had become a raging fire that entrapped both of them within its flames.

  Without missing a beat, Aiden reached for the shower door and yanked it open. Then, he gripped her waist and lifted her up so that she could wrap her arms and legs around him.

  Any common sense she had was now gone. She clung to his amazingly muscular body while they kissed and he carried her, not so carefully, into the shower. Her back slammed into the cool tile wall as the warm, steaming water sprayed down over the top of them.


  Somewhere in the shuffle, he’d taken off his boxers so the moment her back hit the wall, he thrust upward, entering her in one swift movement.

  Unable to help herself, she moaned and threw her head back. Instantly, Aiden’s lips were on her neck, kissing and licking as he pumped his hips, thrusting into her, over and over again. His hands still held her legs, holding her up so she stayed in position.

  This time was faster for both of them. Her orgasm came from out of nowhere and pleasure swept over every inch of her body. That, combined with the electric sizzle of the burn between them, made for one hell of a climax.

  He came at the same time. She felt him grow even harder within her and then he released a loud moan before slowing to a stop.

  They were both panting and breathless. The room had filled with steam and water continued to spray over both of them. Aiden released her legs but kept her pinned to the wall. She was glad he did, too. At the moment, she wasn’t sure that her legs would actually hold her. He buried his face in the crook between her neck and shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  A small laugh escaped her. “You don’t seem like the type to apologize after shower sex.”

  He laughed too, a small chuckle that was muffled because his head was still bent into her. “No, I’m not. I guess there’s a first for everything.”

  “That’s right.” She patted his back. “You’re a bad ass. Now what exactly are you sorry for.”

  He lifted his head, pulling back just enough so that he was able to look her in the eye. “I didn’t mean to just …” He paused, appearing to be mentally searching for the words, “jump you like that.”

  Surprise washed over her as she realized what he meant. “Oh. I see. First of all, I would have kicked your ass all the way back to the Empress’s dog house if I didn’t want it and you tried to force it on me. Second, I did want it, and I told you earlier that I like it rough. So relax, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

  As she stared at him, letting herself look into his emerald eyes that were usually so cold, she found herself wondering what had happened to him. He seemed like a completely different person than he had been a few days ago. She didn’t know if she preferred asshole Aiden over softy Aiden, but there was definitely a difference.

  “Well, since the water’s on and we’re both already in here, can I join you for a quick shower?”

  “Of course, but we better hurry because I think the hot water is about to run out.”

  While they showered, Liv took some time while shampooing her hair to admire Aiden’s body. She’d seen it when they were at the pool and in the hot tub, but she hadn’t taken much time to really enjoy the muscular physique that he obviously worked very hard for.

  “Quit checking me out, Keeper,” Aiden joked when he caught her looking.

  She shrugged. “I’m just enjoying the view.”

  “I think you enjoyed a lot more than just the view.”

  She nodded appreciatively, “That I did.”

  After the shower, they both wrapped in towels and disappeared in their own rooms to dress for sleeping. Liv pulled out a tight camisole tank and a pair of cotton shorts. She was officially tired. They had stayed up far too late and needed to leave in about four hours. Not much, but what was one more night with barely any sleep.

  She had just finished pulling up her shorts when she heard a soft rap on the frame of her open bedroom door. Aiden peeked around the corner, “Hey … I’m going to sleep now.”

  The awkward was back. Normal people didn’t stay in the same house, have two rounds of mind blowing sex and then go to sleep in their own rooms. It felt like they should at least say something besides, ‘sure thing, see you in the morning.”

  “Okay. I am too,” she answered.

  He fidgeted for a moment in her doorway, looked down at the floor and then back up at her. “Cool. I’ll see you in the morning then.”

  “Bright and early,” she agreed.

  He spun on his heel and left. Confusion slammed into her. He acted like he wanted her to invite him in or something, but that was absolutely not going to happen. She couldn’t let herself get attached. It was bad enough that he was sleeping under the same roof.

  She’d just slipped underneath the thin blanket and sheet on her bed and lay back into the blissful softness of her pillow when Aiden appeared at the door again, but this time he barged right in. “Fuck this.” He marched toward the opposite side of the bed and threw back the covers.

  Liv bolted straight up into a sitting position. “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded.

  Aiden, wearing only a pair of shorts, then proceeded to climb under the covers, making a show of pulling them up over his chest. “It’s feels fucking weird going to bed in different rooms after all that awesome sex.”

  “It’s just sex, remember.”

  “You don’t have to remind me.” He closed his eyes as if he were trying to fall asleep right then.

  “Aiden. You don’t have to do this. We can’t fall asleep in each other’s arms. We can’t even touch without it eventually hurting.”

  His eyes opened and he turned his head toward her. “I know that.”

  “Then just go to bed.”

  “I am in bed.”

  “Oh my goodness. Seriously? What the hell is wrong with you? Where is Aiden and what have you done with him?”

  He sat up as well, twisting his torso so that he was facing her. “For fucks sake, Liv. Your family is supposed to be helping me if I help them. I don’t think fucking their sister is exactly the best way to get on the good side of any of them. Shit, Even Jack would probably shun me for this.”

  Her eyes widened. “So you’re in here to make sure that they don’t think you took advantage of me?”

  “Yes … no … fuck.” He threw his hands up. “I’m trying, for once, to do the right fucking thing, okay! The whole thing with your family is true. No, I don’t want them to think I took advantage of you. I don’t want to ruin any relationships with them … or you.” He added the last part in a softer voice.”

  Liv opened her mouth to say something and then changed her mind. It took a full minute before she spoke. “Aiden, we don’t have a relationship to ruin.”

  “I don’t mean that kind. I mean friendships, partnerships … whatever they are between any of us.”

  “And,” Liv pointed out, “If anyone took advantage of anyone, it was me taking advantage of you. I’m the one who started it.”

  He nodded. “That’s valid. Still, I don’t think any of your family would see it that way. I’m the bad guy in this scenario.”

  He was a bad guy. He was the guy who kidnapped her sister and was ready to turn her over to the Empress. He was a Reaper, who fed on the souls that she was born to protect. He was trained to kill people and not think twice about it.

  But, he was also a man who was changing. It didn’t happen all at once. He helped them more than once when Hannah was in trouble, he helped them in the recent battle, and he was still helping them.

  “I don’t understand how sleeping in my bed is supposed to make anyone feel different about you. Also, I don’t plan on telling anyone about this, so no one will know anyway.”

  Aiden lifted a cynical eyebrow at her words. “You do realize we are talking about your family here. They are going to know.”

  “Well, I’m still not telling them and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t either. Now I need to get some sleep, so if you want to stay in here then fine, but let’s get some rest so we don’t die tomorrow.”

  “Deal.” He lay back against the pillow and closed his eyes again.

  Rolling her eyes, Liv also lay back on her pillow. Only problem was that she wasn’t sure how much sleep she was actually going to get with him lying right next to her.

  A cool breeze wafted in through the open bedroom window. He could hear the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking, and all the other noises of the night.

  He couldn’t sleep. Liv was beside him,
breathing deeply as she slept. They had both lay there for a long time, unable … or unwilling, to let slumber take them. Eventually, Liv drifted off, but he was left to the sounds of the night and his own thoughts.

  He had made himself look like a total jackass. Liv probably thought he was all love struck or some shit. After he’d left her to go to his room, he hadn’t felt right about leaving. It was a first for him in many ways. He’d never cared one way or the other about staying or leaving, but he always left after a night with a woman. It was always sex, that was it.

  He had told Liv that is all it would be between them, but even when he had said that to her, he knew it wasn’t true.

  He liked her. As in, liked her enough that he enjoyed being around her, not just someone to use for his own good time.

  And that was where his problem was. He had absolutely no idea how to act around someone he felt that way about since he’d never felt that way before. Sure, he had crushes when he was a kid, but nothing that was real.

  Seriously, he had to get over this shit. He and Liv couldn’t even touch each other without feeling the burn between them. They came from warring factions that had been enemies for generations. This had to end.

  He could run, get the hell away and leave the Keepers to deal with their own shit. But, that wasn’t his style. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but what had happened between them should not happen again, that much he knew for sure.

  Liv stirred next to him and a tiny whimper slipped from her lips. He turned on his side so that he could look at her. Her dark red hair was spread out over the pillow and her lips were slightly parted. Her silver aura glowed brightly around her, pulsing with the rise and fall of her chest beneath the thin blankets.

  Another small noise came from her and then she thrashed a bit, turning her head one way and then the other. “No,” she suddenly cried out her arms shot upward, covering her face.