And she felt something for him.
No longer able to deny it, and lacking the will to hide it anymore, Cheyenne inched her hand up his chest to wrap around his neck. Gently, she pulled him down to her, judging whether he felt the same way all the while. She had never done anything like this before, being forward with a man. It wasn’t that she was afraid. She just didn’t feel that innate pull to anyone else like this inexplicable one she did when she was with Erias.
From their very first encounter, their relationship had been volatile. S was only now realizing that it wasn’t hatred that caused them to constantly butt heads, but the intense passion flowing between them coupled with her own fears—and probably his, too—of commitment. O putting your heart out there and hoping the person you gave it to would care for and protect it with unfailing love.
And she realized now that she might actually love him. It was crazy, but somewhere along the line he had managed to make her feel something that no one else had ever made her feel…love.
Even as she thought it, she tried to reject it. Love took years to culminate. It took two people taking the time to learn one another and be able to see past all their quirks. Falling for someone in less than a week while struggling so fiercely with them the whole time, just didn’t happen.
Lust. That was all it was, all she was willing to cop to, because the alternative was just too dangerous to risk.
Her dreams come true. Would he be just as loyal? Treasure his woman; lay his life down to save hers? Lord help her, but she wanted to find out.
Staring up at him, her chest felt tight with anxiety at the possibility of being rejected. Her stomach was a sea of butterflies, and her mouth was watering profusely, as if it couldn’t wait for a taste of him.
Erias’s heart stilled as her nimble fingers crawled up his chest. When they touched his skin, every part of his body was electrified. And now, with her fingers woven into his hair and that innocent look in her soulful brown eyes, he felt…unsure.
There had only been once in his entire existence when he had ever been as terrified as he was when he thought she was going to die. After she had blacked out a moment of pure terror had overcome him and, in a moment of desperation, he had ripped the ropes from her wrists like they were made of paper.
She was dead weight in his arms as he moved to lay her out across the bed. And as he gouged his fists under her ribcage to dislodge the food obstructing her airways, all he could think was please not her.
The color was coming back into her cheeks now, her skin a vibrant shade of peach and rose. Her eyes held his, and he could swear they mirrored what he felt in his own.
And thanks to her near-death experience, he knew where he stood now. He wanted this woman more than he wanted his next breath. And thinking of Alastair’s visit, he would never let any harm come to her. Not by his hand or anyone else’s.
Pulling him closer to her, there was one question at the forefront of his mind. Was he good enough?
For centuries, he had made a career out of killing. He moved like a shadow, never staying too long in one place. And behind him he left a trail of empty beer bottles and used up women. He was empty. Soulless. What did he have to give a woman like her?
Nevertheless, for all the uncertainty, Erias couldn’t find the strength to deny himself one guilty pleasure: the kiss of the beautiful woman in front of him.
Cupping her head in his hand, he leaned in the rest of the way, slanting his mouth over hers, and pressed their lips together setting off a burst of fireworks behind his lids. Never had he felt anything more powerful. It was as if she were a conduit for Zeus’s lightning bolt.
Cheyenne melted when his mouth finally closed over hers. Never in her wildest dreams would she have thought kissing this man would have been so…magical.
And it made her wonder, was Sebastian on to something when he went off on that whole fairies jag at breakfast that morning? None of it made sense, but as Erias deepened their kiss, it didn’t really matter what the man was. All that mattered was that the empty place inside of her finally felt full. Like this was the puzzle piece she had been looking for in order to be complete.
Like he was what she needed to be complete.
Throwing herself into the kiss, Cheyenne played tag with his tongue, reveling in the feel of his hands as they found the sensitive skin of her stomach.
Feeling half out of his mind from the need to touch more of her, Erias moved her to lie on the pillow and eased his own self down beside her.
The vision of her—her dark hair splayed out on the crisp white linen, the dim lamp light casting a soft golden hue over her flawlessly pale skin and rose-colored lips; the way her t-shirt hitched up just enough to show a hint of a silver belly button ring– was spectacular.
He smiled at the way she sucked in her full bottom lip when he ran his finger across it, then bent down to taste the sweet softness of it with his own mouth.
Cheyenne couldn’t seem to stop herself from running her hand up and down the thick, corded muscle of his arms. They were so strong and the sheer size of him as he moved himself over her made her feel small and dainty. She loved the lean lines of his waist, the round, firm muscles of his chest, and the deep groove down his muscular back. Thank heavens he had taken his shirt off earlier because she would hate to be separated from his body by even the smallest scrap of fabric.
He was the perfect male specimen, and she wanted to study every inch of him under a microscope just to make sure he was real.
Running kisses down her throat, Erias made quick work of unbuttoning her top and was rewarded by her low, throaty moan. For once he was happy that he was a master at this game. There was nothing that he wanted more than to love this woman properly.
Looking down at herself, Cheyenne was a bit surprised to find that she was completely bare from the waist up. Her bra was thrown to the floor before she even knew he had it undone and was lying next to her discarded shirt. And if she didn’t stop him soon, her pants would soon join them.
Even so, she couldn’t seem to make the words come out when he popped the snap on her jeans and slid his hand beneath the material.
Licking his way back up her body, he laved her breasts before finding her mouth again. When his tongue dipped into her mouth, his fingers mimicked the movement below.
Cheyenne was in heaven. The most incredible sensations assaulted her. As he continued to touch her, she wondered, was this what it was like to have sex? And if it was, how had she managed to deny its guilty pleasures for so long? How had she managed to share a bed with Kris, a gorgeous guy with a killer smile and a huge sex drive to go along with his inflated ego, and never once explore this path?
And the more she thought about it; Kris and Erias were eerily similar. Not just in personality either. Just about everything about them was the same. The height, the build, the eyes. She couldn’t get past those eyes. Vibrant blue. So clear and radiant they were almost painful to look at but so stunning you couldn’t bring yourself to look away.
Berating herself for thinking of Kris at a time like this instead of enjoying the pleasure Erias was bringing on her; Cheyenne kissed him with a fervor that would make even Cathy blush.
Tangling her fingers in his long dark hair and hooking her legs around his, she pushed against him, forcing him onto his back, and followed until she could look down on him.
His lids were heavy with desire as he looked up at her. He ran his hands across every inch of exposed flesh, causing a shiver to run down her spine and goose bumps to erupt all over her. And the weirdest thing, she wasn’t even cold. It actually felt good. Laying her hands on his chest, she trailed her fingers over his pecks and over the ridges of his stomach, enjoying how his reaction mirrored her own.
Her body ached for him, but she wasn’t about to let herself go there. She hardly knew the man. And from what she did know, he wasn’t someone she should be getting involved with.
He was rough around the edges. He was angry and sarcastic and so
hard to handle. He had thrown her across rooms, electrocuted her, and almost made her choke to death.
In the end, though, he had saved her life and there was something inside of her that craved more. Something that told her that this is where she should be. It was a feeling so strong it was impossible to ignore.
He had always thought he preferred the frail, easily dominated females. The kind he dwarfed and out powered, but when she had flipped him over, it made him crazy. He loved that she had taken charge like she had.
Looking up at her, letting his eyes rove over her naked body, he wanted more than anything to make the rest of her clothes disappear, but that would probably put a damper on their good time, and he wasn’t one to fool with a good thing. He had the distinct impression that she was the kind of woman who, if pushed too fast, would freeze you out like a snow storm in Alaska.
Rocking against the hardest part of him, Erias strained against his jeans. Little E was begging for release, and he wasn’t too far from begging for it himself, but he had to have some control. No woman liked a five-minute man.
Easing her on to her back again, Erias took the opportunity to remove the rest of her clothes, but as he peeled his own off, he didn’t miss the apprehension riding high on her delicate features.
Instead of climbing on top of her, he slipped under the blankets with her and pulled her into his side. He stroked her collarbone, hoping that taking his time would ease her mind. He wasn’t sure why she seemed scared, but he was going to find out.
“You look like a frightened kitten,” he said, meeting her wide eyes, which she quickly turned away. “Did I do something wrong?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not you,” she said in a small voice. “I’ve just never…you know, been with a man before. This is my first time. I’m a virgin.”
Oh. Well, if that wasn’t pressure. “You mean they still make those?”
Glowering up at him, Cheyenne crossed her arms over her chest. “Yeah, they still make those.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, sweetheart.” He chuckled. “It’s just hard to imagine someone your age…” Seeing the firelight dancing in her eyes; he wisely stopped talking before he caught one of her right hooks. Why were women so touchy about their age? “I mean, I haven’t met many virgins in a long….long time.”
“I was taught that it was special and shouldn’t be given away lightly.”
“Then you were taught well.” Armed with knowledge, Erias didn’t exactly feel right about taking something from her that she had coveted for so long. It was obviously very special to her, and he didn’t want her to regret him taking that in a night of misguided emotions brought on by an accident.
Rolling onto his back, he put some distance between them and turned out the light.
“What are you doing?” Cheyenne asked, hating the almost panicked sound in her voice. “I thought you wanted to…”
“I’ve changed my mind,” he grunted out, knowing full well he probably sounded like a total asshole, but he was the one dealing with a raging hard-on that refused to go away.
Silence fell over the room for several long minutes. Cheyenne wasn’t sure what to make of the abrupt change in him. First, he couldn’t seem to keep his hands off of her. And now, he didn’t seem to want anything to do with her at all.
“Did I do something wrong?”
He heard the note of insecurity in her voice as it quavered. “No, you did nothing wrong at all.” Just don’t start crying. He hated criers. He never knew what to do. What to say. He had never been good with emotions when he was mortal, and he wasn’t any better now. As if he had time to practice between identity changes and demon slayings?
Yeah, right.
She turned her back to him trying to hold it all together. It just figured, the one time she was willing to put herself out there, and she gets rejected. And the worst part, she didn’t even know why. Hot one minute, cold the next. Was she too fat? She hadn’t worked out at the gym in a while, but she always stayed so active. She didn’t really think that it had made that much of a difference, but could it have?
As soon as the first tear hit her pillow, he was wrapping his arm around her and pulling her back into him.
“It’s nothing you did wrong,” he breathed into her hair.
“Then what is it?” she asked, barely holding herself together. She hated crying. It made her uncomfortable and she knew it made others uncomfortable, which just made her even more uncomfortable. It was a vicious circle.
“I just don’t want you to wake up tomorrow morning and realize you made a huge mistake.”
“A mistake? Why would you think I would think that?”
“I don’t know. Hero envy?”
Cheyenne crinkled her nose up even though it was dark as pitch in there, and she knew the benefit of it was lost on him. “Gee, you’re not egotistical at all are you?”
“Actually, I know it might seem like that to most people, but I’m really not.” It was just a defense mechanism. He hated people getting too close. They always died in the end, and he found it easier just to push them away before they even had the chance to decide they might like him.
“Mm hmm, okay then. If you’re not an egotist, then you should know I’m not one to make many mistakes. I’m a big girl, and I know what I am doing.” Rolling onto her back, she reached up to touch his face. “And I definitely don’t have hero envy...even if you did save my life. Which I am totally grateful for.”
He was completely lost when she rolled the rest of the way into his arms and threw her leg over his hip. Her kisses were hot and moist against his jaw, and when he slipped inside of her, he thought he might die from the sheer pleasure of it.
Chapter 16
He had only one explanation for why he had done it. Jealousy.
And a small case of self–preservation.
Scratching his nails across his scalp, Behr paced the confines of the opulent bedroom waiting for her return. It was crazy. He’d never considered himself a narc, and he definitely never made it a habit to go back on his word, but when he was sent to check in on Erias, he had flashed into a beautiful scene of the two of them, limbs tangled and sheets in disarray…
The longing he felt in his heart was almost too much to bear. He wanted the slice of happiness that he knew would never come for him. And since he couldn’t have it, he was determined not to be alone.
Misery loved company.
So while they slept peacefully in each other’s arms, Behr set out to report his findings to Persephone, just as she had requested. Now he sat inside her bedchambers waiting while she did some investigating.
He regretted what he had done with every fiber of his being. In one moment of weakness and jealousy, he had possibly destroyed his only friend’s life. As if they all didn’t have little enough to live for, he had taken the only thing that meant anything to him since his death.
Love.
Damn it all, if he could just get out of here he could try to warn him. As it was, the little bitch had taken all of his clothes and weapons before leaving. And now he was stuck in her frilly palace with nothing more than a bed to sit on and a fireplace to warm his naked body.
He just hoped to the gods that her husband didn’t find him before she came back. He hadn’t heard too many good things about the man. Besides, anyone who could run this joint had to be a badass. Behr had barely slipped through with all of his vital organs intact.
Standing before the dancing flames, watching as they licked at up the hearth walls, he hoped even more that she didn’t decide to take any liberties while he was in this vulnerable state because he’d hate to have to smack a bitch and get thrown into the sea of perpetual agony for it.
That would really suck. Not that he deserved anything less for his treachery.
With nothing more to do but wait, Behr rested his forehead against the mantel and let his mind wander down memory lane.
Her muscles were deliciously sore as she stretched and turned over in
his arms. That’s where he’d kept her all night; in his arms as if he was afraid she’d disappear if he didn’t keep her close. They’d made love several times throughout the night, Erias’s appetite for her insatiable.
And she’d loved every minute.
She still couldn’t believe that she had waited as long as she had to do it, but she was grateful she had saved it because her night with Erias had been amazing. Better than her wildest dreams, even.
Looking at him now, she traced her fingers over his face, across his cheekbones and down the bridge of his nose. He was a beautiful man. For all his strength and ferocity, last night she had experienced a softer side of him. A gentle side that she was sure he kept well-hidden from the outside world.
He’d made her feel beautiful. Taking his time, he’d worshiped every part of her body, taking precious care not to hurt her, just as she realized now he’d be the kind of man to take just as precious care of a woman’s heart if she was willing to trust him with it. And she wanted to trust him.
She did trust him.
Snuggling in, Cheyenne tucked her head under his chin and pressed a soft kiss to his chest, right over his heart, and closed her eyes, breathing in his masculine scent.
Erias was a good man, of that she was positive.
His arms constricted around her, squeezing the breath out of her, and he whimpered, then cried out a sound of pure agony that shook her to the core.
“Erias,” she managed, trying to push against him. “Wake up, you’re dreaming.” When he only seemed to get angrier and his hold on her tighter, she panicked. Raising her leg, she jammed her knee into his crotch, not enough to cause him lasting damage, but enough to shock him awake. And he did wake up.
A jolt of pain shot up through his crotch, and Erias woke with a start. Glancing around the room, the first thing he noted was that he was free of the nightmare. The second thing was Cheyenne. She was lying beside him, her face still glowing from a night of love making.
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