He wanted to make this personal? Fine. Two could play that piano. She could make this very personal. And, fortunately for her, she knew just where to start.
Before she did though, she’d stop off in town and kill a human or two. But then she remembered her newly formed plan and hesitated.
“Damn.” She’d have to settle for a bloody rare steak instead.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
ROXY TURNED GRIM over and watched how the blade glinted in the light like a razor-thin sheet of ice. All of the black pearls were still embedded in the hilt. It was gorgeous, just as she remembered. She almost couldn’t believe it was real.
“Santiago, I can’t tell you what this means to me to have this. Thank you.” Tears stung her eyes but she didn’t care.
Mary Alice had done so much for her and to finally give this back to her was almost incomprehensible. She’d dreamed of what it would be like. How she’d hand it to the woman and know that this closed a dark chapter in both their lives. It wasn’t often that you got a chance to repay someone who’d done so much for you.
Maybe they could both move on now. Hell, who was she kidding? Mary Alice was much more pragmatic than Roxy and had moved on years ago, whereas Roxy still needed answers. It was a debt that needed to be repaid.
He shrugged. “No big deal. When I saw the Darkbloods with it, I wondered if it could be the same blade, so I grabbed it.”
“No big deal?” she repeated. “Santiago, you went out of your way to rescue it from the fire.”
She recalled how they’d encountered the one remaining Darkblood as they were spiriting Yvonne away. The whole place was ablaze when they climbed over the desk into the library. Santiago had kicked out a window and they clambered outside, but just as they passed a spindly maple tree doubled over by the weight of the snow on its limbs, they caught wind of the Darkblood. Santiago sprinted across the snow and quickly took care of the guy. Instead of coming straight back as she’d expected, he ran into the burning building. She had no idea why until he came out a few moments later, sweaty, covered in soot and holding Grim.
“Nothing, not even this blade, is worth your life.” A knot in her throat made it hard to say anything more.
He didn’t look at her. Didn’t he believe her? Didn’t he realize how incredibly happy she was that he not only rescued her and Yvonne, but that he retrieved this blade for her? Sure, he might be doing it out of loyalty for a fellow Guardian, but it meant the world to her.
She set the knife down on the credenza then turned back around to face him. He’d shifted his weight as if he was going to move away but she grabbed his hand instead. His dark gaze met hers, but she couldn’t quite read his expression.
Was he sad? Disappointed for some reason? She knew he was still concerned about Dom, but according to Mackenzie he was doing much better, and the prognosis from Dr. DeGraff was that he would be making a full recovery. They were well on their way to discovering the source of the leaks. With her heightened abilities, she was confident she could ferret out who wasn’t being truthful, although from what Cosette was able to remember, the so-called traitor may actually have no idea he was being used.
She ran her hands up his arms, over the tattoos on his neck and cupped his face. His light stubble made a raspy sound as she rubbed her thumbs over his jaw. Maybe he couldn’t understand why she hadn’t left the young woman when the situation seemed hopeless—she’d heard enough of his motivational speeches to his people about how Guardians couldn’t be expected to save every human. But she couldn’t just walk away and he knew it. So despite this difference in philosophy, he supported her. Didn’t make her feel as if she were wrong or foolish or that she had to abide by his way of doing things. Even though he was the CO, he let her be herself and didn’t try to force her into his way of thinking. It took a pretty amazing man to do something like that. His appearance in the doorway of that tiny smoke-filled room was the first time she realized how hard she was falling for him.
Standing on her tiptoes, she slowly kissed him. She wanted to draw out the seconds to breathe in and sear to her memory everything about him.
He smelled faintly of pine and citrus from the body wash in his shower. She’d forever associate those scents with him. She ran her fingers through his short, slightly damp hair then down over his shoulders and back. His muscles flexed with power under her hands. And his chin, with its stubble, chafed against hers. Like roughing up the surface of your nails so the polish adheres better, a small amount of pain was good. It made the pleasure of the kiss more pronounced.
He tasted like mint, probably from one of those toothpicks he liked to chew on, and she slipped her tongue past his lips. His mouth moved against hers, kissing her back, and she suddenly needed more. As if sensing this from her, his demeanor changed. He went from letting her be in charge to taking control himself.
He kissed her deeper as if it was his turn to drink her in. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her close with a jerk and she gave a little gasp. The steel-like hardness of his erection rubbed against her hip, and she realized just how desperately she needed to feel him inside her. To emphasize this fact, a delicious warmth curled low in her belly as her body was readying itself for him. There’d be no need for foreplay.
She fumbled with his fly as he shoved her against the wall, but she had no trouble finding his erection. Her fingers barely fit around it.
He groaned as she moved her hand up and down his length. “Keep that up and I won’t last long.”
“But I want to put my mouth here.”
“No, we do this together.”
Somehow he’d managed to remove just one of her legs from her jeans and shoved his knee between her thighs, forcing them wider. Grabbing her bottom, he lifted her up and her legs went automatically around his waist. The warm head of his shaft skimmed her inner thigh as he settled her lower.
Until.
There.
He found her.
And in one thrust, he was inside.
She was pretty sure she either cried out or moaned. Or maybe that was him.
“You feel…so amazing, Roxy. I’m not…going to last long.”
She loved hearing that. “I do?”
“You’re hot and—oh, God—very silky.”
Her inner muscles tightened around him immediately and every nerve ending tingled as if it were on fire. At this angle, the base of his shaft rubbed perfectly against her sensitive bud.
“And you’re incredible, Santiago. Perfect.” And as she said those words against his lips, she knew she wasn’t only referring to the sex.
In this position, big, sweeping motions were impossible, but the lack of friction didn’t matter. They fit together perfectly, moved together perfectly. She could feel it coming. And she was pretty sure she couldn’t wait for him.
“You’re close, aren’t you?” His breath rasped in her ear.
“How…how can you tell?”
“You’re tightening around me. In little waves that seem to be getting stronger and stronger.”
“You…you can feel that?”
“I’m acutely aware of everything you do.”
She had a feeling he meant more than just lovemaking, but right now that was all she could think of.
He brushed the hair from her neck and she knew instantly that he was searching out her vein. Her heart did a little somersault as if it were calling out for him to take what it was offering.
“Are you…close, too?” She could hardly think clearly enough to form the words.
“Extremely” was his husky reply.
His breath was hot against her skin as a powerful surge of pleasure radiated from her core. She wanted to scream and shout from all the rooftops, but instead she gripped his shoulders and hung on. Her toes curled and every part of her body went a little numb except for where they were joined.
“There. That’s it, my love,” she thought she heard him say. “Let yourself go.”
She was still climaxing when two sharp
points struck her flesh. Although he’d taken her blood before, it still surprised her. She should’ve been ready just in case, but she sucked in a sharp breath anyway. Immediately, his thumb began stroking her jaw as if to soothe her. And it worked. The searing pain lasted just a moment before morphing into an even deeper pleasure.
“Yes, Santiago,” she heard herself say. “Oh, my God, yes.”
He groaned and his shaft pulsed impossibly thicker. Two quick thrusts were all it took for his seed to be pumped deep into her body.
* * *
HE AWOKE TO find Roxy sprawled over him, her silky blond hair covering his chest. Besides doing it against the wall, they’d made love several more times in bed like a couple of first-time youthlings who didn’t know when they’d have a chance to do this again. He rubbed his hand along the channel of her spine. She was trim and athletic, but not overly skinny. She had curves and he loved that about her. One of her hands was between his legs and he became aware that he was growing hard again.
Not only was he physically attracted to her, but he was falling for this woman who had such a unique combination of strength and vulnerability that he found so incredibly attractive.
He’d taken her blood again. Normally, he refrained during sex, but with Roxy it was a natural part of the process, like foreplay or climaxing. If they continued this charade of a relationship and continued making love, would he always feel this way? Recalling how her blood made him feel—strong, powerful—he had a feeling he would never tire of it. She was an addiction and he didn’t want to be rehabbed.
But a relationship with her made no sense. Not only did they live on opposite sides of the country, but it was clear when she got Grim back that she wasn’t ready to move on from Ian. A part of her still loved him, and Santiago was selfish enough that it bothered him. Besides, she deserved a better future than the one that would be inevitable with him anyway.
If his parents were right, that the males in his family were not meant to be monogamous and couldn’t be trusted, then he definitely wasn’t the right man for Roxy. She’d been through too much in the past. She deserved a better man than he was, someone who was capable of loving only her. Someone trustworthy and honorable.
He started to move away from her, but Roxy stirred and her hand brushed his balls.
What he wouldn’t give to be the right man for her, he thought as he grew harder. He’d slay demons and dragons for her, cherish her, support her hopes and dreams. He’d make love to her every day, and if she and the good Lord were willing, the union would be a good one and there would be children.
But this wasn’t a fairy tale—this was real life, and in real life things rarely worked out the way you wanted them to. He didn’t want a family who would only be hurt when he fucked up.
Careful not to wake her, he got up and grabbed his robe from a peg in the closet. He planned to head to the kitchen for something to eat or see if anyone was in the game room, but there, in the corner next to his favorite pair of boots, sat the UV light. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d used it. Weeks ago maybe, right after he and Roxy had arrived. The thing had been his crutch for so long that he felt almost awkward looking at it now.
Glancing toward the bed, he noticed Roxy was awake, staring at the ceiling with a far off, melancholy expression.
He came to her and sat down. “Did I wake you?”
“No, I’ve been awake for a while. Thinking.”
He climbed in next to her, forgetting about his plans to raid the kitchen. “About what?” He twisted a strand of her hair around his finger and marveled at how many different shades of blond there were.
She pushed herself up on one elbow and leaned over him. He couldn’t help but notice how natural it felt to have her leg crooked over his and her breast resting on his chest. Although he wanted to make love to her again, he was sated for now, content to just be in bed with her, talking.
“I’m thinking about Ian’s mother, Mary Alice, and how she’ll react when she knows we found Grim.”
He remembered what the two Darkbloods said about the owner of the blade and shoved it out of his head. It couldn’t be true. “You two are close.” Was that what happened to mothers and almost daughters-in-law?
“She became like a mother to me when Ian and I first met. My own mother passed away a few years before and although she didn’t replace Mom, she filled that void in my heart, you know? And when everything happened with Ian… Well, she was my most ardent supporter.”
“What exactly did she do for you, Roxy? You’ve never told me why the two of you are so close.” It did seem unusual that a mother of a slain Guardian would support someone suspected of having been involved with his death.
“If it hadn’t been for her and her family’s influence, I probably would’ve been brought up on charges even though the evidence they had against me was nil.”
He blood heated and his fingers gripped the sheet beneath him. It was that goddamn Dax Sturgeon, out to prove himself as a hotshot new region commander. “He used you, Roxy. Saw you as a way to up his political capital. Some people need to knock others down in order to climb up and make themselves look taller.”
“Ha. Mary Alice said something similar.” Roxy flopped back on the pillow and stared at the ceiling. “She always hated that guy. But you know, I was almost ready to quit the Agency all together. I was tired of the bullshit, but she convinced me to stay, to apply to the newly established Tracker academy. Said I shouldn’t let one asshole cause me to give up what I loved to do. I’m not sure what I would’ve done had I quit, so I’m glad I listened to her.”
He twirled his finger around a strand of her hair again. Hearing her say this was bittersweet. A tiny part of him wanted her to say that she hated her job and would move out here to be closer to him. But he supposed it was just as well that she didn’t.
“Are you going to notify the Council that we’ve located Ian’s blade?” he asked. “I’m sure they’d want to present Mary Alice with it during a formal presentation.”
Roxy sighed. “It’s a nice thought, but Sturgeon is still the CO down there. He’d be the one doing the presenting and I know she’d never want that. She hates the guy even more than I do. I’ll just bring it back to her myself.”
“What if I did it?”
Her head snapped up. “What are you talking about?”
“It doesn’t need to be the Guardian’s actual CO who makes the presentation. I’d be honored to present it to her.”
“You’d do that?” She pushed up on one elbow again and stared at him, the specks in her golden eyes sparkling more than normal.
“Like I said, I’d be honored, but only if you think she’d be up for it.”
“Oh, God, she’d love it.” Roxy planted a quick peck on his cheek. “She lives for tradition and formalities. She celebrates all the old holidays and finds an excuse to throw an elegant party for any occasion. This would mean so much to her.”
“We could make the presentation at the awards ceremony gala. Many of the West Coast VIPs will be here and it will be quite the affair.”
“Do you think there’s time? It’s just a few days away.”
“If you can get her up here, we’ll make it happen. You’ve met Jenella. She’s capable of organizing anything. After you confirm with Mary Alice, we’ll get the ball rolling.”
“Thank you,” she said against his lips. “This will be wonderful. It means the world to me. I…uh… Thanks.”
He thought she was about to say something else, but with a sigh, she got up and padded across the room. Naked. Despite the fact that he should be thoroughly sated, all the available blood in his body rushed to his groin again.
He adjusted his growing erection. “Where are you going? Are you coming back?”
In the doorway to the bathroom, she turned. The light from inside silhouetted her breasts, stomach and hips. “I’m going to take a quick shower then head into the field office.”
He didn’t want her to leave just yet
. “The bed’s warm, but only when you’re in it.”
She smiled at him but didn’t budge. “I want to hang out in some of the common areas, make sure I’ve talked to everyone here. Cosette has no memory of who she slept with, but at least I know now that I’m trying to find a male.”
Before he could convince her to climb back to bed just for a few minutes, a knock sounded at the door.
Roxy cocked her head and sniffed. “That’s weird. It’s Arianna…and she has food. I’ll be right there,” she called. Grabbing her T-shirt and yoga pants from the back of a chair, she cast him a glance as she quickly got dressed. “Wasn’t she up at the safehouse with Cosette?”
Santiago pulled up the sheets, making sure he was covered. “I thought so.”
When Roxy opened the door, Arianna was standing there with a tray of food. “Rise and shine. Sorry to bother you guys, but I heard voices so I knew you were awake.”
“Oh, my God. You brought pastries.”
Santiago sat up. Pastries? As in cinnamon rolls?
“How did you know I was famished?” Roxy took the tray from her and brought it over to the bed.
A gooey cinnamon roll stared him right in the face. Yes!
“Thank you—both of you—for finding Cosette’s sister,” Arianna said from the open door. “She’s still being checked out by the medical staff, but she’s going to be all right. These goodies are courtesy of Cosette. Their mother owns a French bakery back home and the sisters can make just about any kind of pastry there is. She’s been so worried about her sister that she’s been baking up a storm ever since she got up there. It’s been like therapy for her as she waited. Of course, Jackson’s in heaven. We left so quickly last night that I didn’t grab my things. When Cosette heard I was driving back, she insisted I bring you some goodies.”
Santiago laughed. Jackson’s eating habits were legendary.
“Tell her thank you,” Roxy said, breaking off a piece of the cinnamon roll and popping it into her mouth. “Oh, my God, this is amazing. You don’t know how starving I’ve been lately. She should seriously open up a bakery herself.”
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