Sin City Collectors Boxed Set: Aces Wild, Ante Up, All in

by Amanda Carlson

  He felt her stiffen. “For what?”

  “For giving me a great distraction from the pain.”

  Her voice was measured. “I’m not trying to give you anything.” He knew she was extremely uncomfortable being kept in his embrace, but knowing she was leaking her energy was going to piss her off. “I was actually trying desperately not to give you anything…or take anything from you, but…but being this close is proving to be a challenge.”

  “It’s okay, really. I like it. Stop trying to block it. I told you before, I don’t mind. I was telling the truth. I have zero regrets about what happened between us earlier. And now, you’re helping me when I need it. The energy, or whatever comes out of you, gives me pleasure, and it’s currently camouflaging the pain.”

  She didn’t respond, but he felt her relax. He counted that as a win. He knew she was still weak and needed to feed, even though she’d been trying to hide it from him all morning. She’d kept up with him fine in the beginning, but he’d noticed her begin to lag over the last few hours.

  If these few moments wrapped up together helped them both, then so be it.

  Once the pain ebbed to almost nothing, he didn’t let go of Ginger. Instead, very slowly, he eased both of their bodies to the right, keeping her wrapped in his arms.

  “What are you doing?” she asked, alarmed as they began to turn.

  He expertly twisted her, so once her shoulder hit the ground, she was facing him. “I’m going to kiss you.”

  “What! Why would you—”

  The moment Luke’s lips touched hers, she was lost. They were soft and velvety, yet firm. She gasped at the contact, and Luke took advantage of it by slipping his tongue inside her mouth, tangling it with her own. He did it slowly—oh, so slowly—like he had all the time in the world.

  It was the softest, most devastating kiss she’d ever had.

  After the initial contact, their lips came together, feather light, barely touching, over and over again. The tips of their tongues flicked together, testing each other, never delving deeper, like they were both waiting for some kind of permission before it morphed into something bigger.

  Her hands slid up to his face. She needed to touch him. She moaned into his lips, finally giving them both the permission they craved. He immediately took control. His head tilted as his mouth sealed over hers, both of them frantic for a long moment—their tongues greedy for each other, plunging, pulling, and sucking.

  It was ecstasy.

  A kind she’d never experienced before. For a sex demon, finding this level of emotional stimulation was the equivalent of the highest of highs a demon could achieve, so she gave herself permission to get lost in the kiss.

  Time passed, but she had no idea how much. Luke’s kisses were too dazzling.

  She awoke from the haze once she realized something was happening inside her body. She was filling her well up, and the horror of it all crashed down around her. She was nothing more than a mosquito, sucking her food out of his body. Her stomach clenched. “No…no, no!” she cried as she broke the kiss and tried to squirm out of his grasp.

  But Luke held her tight, his arms solidly locked around her. “Ginger, it’s okay,” he soothed near her ear, his voice echoing his arousal. “I feel it, too. I know you’re feeding, but I’m fine with it. I’m still present. You’re not manipulating my mind. I’m giving this to you freely.”

  How could he be so calm? She was taking something that wasn’t rightfully hers. Rage filled her. “Let go of me! You know nothing!” She pounded her fists against his chest when he didn’t let go. “You can’t suddenly be fine with this. I’m not going to do this with you—”

  Instead of letting her go, his lips were aggressive, the kiss possessive.

  It was pleasure at its best, and it lulled her completely. It forced her to respond in kind, because if she didn’t, she might explode. Feelings bombarded her as she met his lashes with her own. Emotions she’d never felt welled inside, threatening to overtake her.

  Luke turned his head to deepen their contact, his mouth needy, and Ginger instinctively grabbed onto the back of his neck, pivoting herself up on her elbow while pushing him to the ground, tasting him, sucking him, consuming him with frantic need.

  He groaned beneath her. “Yes—” he ground into her mouth “—more.”

  Her head whipped back at the sound of his voice, like she’d been struck with a cattle prod. She felt stung, and her lips throbbed. What was she doing? She couldn’t allow this to happen. She had to stop it. “You have no idea what you’re saying! You can’t want more! This is insanity. I’m not doing this with you, Luke.” She tore herself out of his grasp and rolled away, her breath coming in short gasps. After a moment, she placed her palms on the ground and eased herself up into a kneeling position.

  “Ginger, I’m sorry,” Luke said as he rolled onto his side. “I didn’t mean to force you into anything you didn’t want to do. It’s okay—”

  “Don’t ‘okay’ me!” She was livid. She knew she sounded like a child, but it was all she could manage as she stood. “You know nothing about how this all works. You can’t just suddenly be okay with us doing this. This is…this is—”

  “How normal people who are attracted to each other interact?” He sat up and slung his arms loosely around his knees like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  She almost stamped her foot. “It may be normal for me, but certainly not for you. I just sucked your emotions out to feed myself. You should be—”

  “Angry?”

  “Yes! And stop finishing my sentences. You hate sex demons—remember? You think we’re—”

  “Sexy as hell?” His face looked hopeful.

  “Arrgh!” She did stamp her foot. “This thing between us—” she gestured into the space between them “—is not going anywhere, do you understand? You have sex demon hang-ups. Your infatuation, or whatever this is, has to stop. You need to move on! This is so not happening.”

  “I’m not moving on. Why should I?” He stood. His hair was all mussed up, and he looked like he’d been thoroughly kissed, his lips full and red.

  She had to take a few gulps of air as she ran the back of her hand over her mouth. Her lips held a lingering heat, and she flushed. “Because I said so!”

  He took a step toward her. “That’s not good enough. I know you’re attracted to me. That thing we just shared—” he gestured to the ground “—was insane for all the right reasons. We’ve been together for a month now, and the chemistry between us has been steadily moving upward. We’ve both been trying to deny it, but after that kiss, there’s no saying it doesn’t exist. Ginger, I really, really like you, and I want to see—”

  “Hold it right there!” She held up her palm to stop his movement and his words. “If you don’t stop talking, you’re going to say something you’re going to regret. I’m done having this conversation. What we need to be doing is finding my brother—not having a discussion about whether or not to hook up. And, by the way, the answer to that is still no.”

  “I don’t want to.”

  She gaped at him. “What? We’re here to find Damien. That’s why we’re standing in this place together, and in order to do that, we have to go inside that cave.” She flung an arm out toward the boulder, which despite the sonic boom, still covered the entrance.

  “Damien isn’t going anywhere. We have time,” Luke said. “But, that’s not what I meant. Ginger, I don’t want to hook up with you. I want something more. I think I’m falling—”

  “You’re not thinking clearly.” Ginger let out an exasperated noise and stalked away, giving Luke her back. “That’s just my influence over you talking.” She spun back around to face him. “This is exactly why you don’t like sex demons, remember? You can never tell what’s real or not! And that…and that thing we just shared…wasn’t real.”

  “It felt real.” For the first time the shifter looked a little unsure. “I didn’t feel any influence from you whatsoever. We were just two pe
ople thoroughly enjoying themselves, lost in the moment. I know the difference—and how could you possibly know how I feel anyway?” Luke’s expression changed to hurt. “This is the first time we’ve dared to have this conversation, and I’m just trying to tell you what’s in my heart.”

  “Your heart?” she sputtered. Ginger’s anger had bubbled over too quickly. On the flip side, it was giving her more emotional energy to add to the stockpile she’d just received from his super-stellar kisses. “You hate sex demons! How could you forget that after one kiss?” Her voice couldn’t have sounded more astounded to her own ears. “You can’t stand there and pretend you don’t have a past that includes years of hatred aimed at me and my kind. An incubus wronged your family and took your father from you. The entire time we’ve been together, I’ve seen your disgust firsthand when you think I’m not looking. I’ve seen you evaluate me, trying to ascertain if I’m the one influencing your budding crush—” she held up her hand to stave off his argument “—and don’t you dare tell me I’m wrong.”

  “You’re not wrong.”

  “See!” Her open palms hit her hips. The man was the most exasperating male she’d ever come in contact with. He was too calm for his own good. He should be raging that she’d just taken advantage of him, not tell her things that lingered in his heart.

  “Listen, I admit it. In the beginning I was wary. I was confused, but I can explain. It was because of that very first night we spent together in that motel room. I couldn’t sleep because the feelings I had for you overwhelmed me—they were stronger than anything I’ve ever felt about anyone. But the more I got to know you, and the more time we spent together, I realized you weren’t responsible, it was me—”

  “Save it,” she said as calmly as she could. “I don’t want to hear any more. You don’t get to do this. I don’t care if you think you like me. Your issues aren’t going to vanish into thin air just because you think I’m nice or—” she did air quotes “—‘I’m not like other sex demons.’ The fact of the matter is, us being together would be disastrous. Let me break it down for you: you’d have your bit of fun, making sure I fell for you. Then you’d begin to have doubts about being with a succubus, begin to question your sanity. In the end, you’d dump me, leaving me with a broken heart. And let me tell you, a broken heart for a sex demon is akin to killing us.” She flung her arm out between them. “I refuse to go there with you.” Stunned, she watched Luke’s face break into a wide grin. Then he tossed his head back and laughed, which was not the response she’d been hoping for. “What is wrong with you? Are you addled in the head?”

  “The evil plan you’re outlining—which isn’t true by the way—includes you falling for me.” He nodded like he was in on the joke—except she had no idea what the joke was.

  “Ah, yeah. So what?”

  “That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard! It means there’s a chance for us.”

  She crossed her arms. “No there’s not. I have a newsflash for you. You’re handsome, engaging, smart, sexy, and funny. I could be any girl and I’d be falling for you right now, especially after that kiss. This has nothing to do with us, per se, and everything to do with you being who you are, which, pure and simple, is a slayer.”

  He took a step forward and she took one back. “You’re completely wrong about that. This has everything to do with us—particularly you. The way you’re pinning this lothario thing on me is nuts. I don’t charm the masses by flashing my dimpled grin. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Most girls actually annoy the hell out of me, and I have the very unkind reputation of letting them know that.” She noted his raised eyebrows. “Yes, I’ve dated, and I’ve had relationships in the past, but all of them have left me wanting. And over the last month, I’ve figured out that something is you.”

  “Okay, where are the hidden cameras?” She mocked, looking around. “Am I getting Punk’d right now? I don’t care if you think you’re a monk under all those abs.” She swept her hand in front of his lean body. “How you think about women has nothing to do with how we ladies get girl ‘stiffies’ the moment we see you. That happens automatically because you’re attractive and charming, whether you realize it or not.”

  His face looked frustrated, and Ginger enjoyed it. “Then let me prove to you that it’s you I want, and no one else,” he said.

  “No.”

  “Then I’ll do it anyway,” he argued. “And I’ll start by not killing your brother.” He opened his palm and began to tick his fingers one at a time as he continued forward. “Next, I’ll continue my dogged pursuit of your innocence once we get back. Then, I plan to tell everyone how I feel about you, including my mother and brother. Then I’ll keep asking you out until you say yes.” He tapped his pinky. “Finally, I won’t stop proving to you you’re dead wrong about me, and make you realize that we can be a good thing together if you give us half a chance.”

  “None of your finger ticks explain away your dislike of my kind. My father hated sex demons, remember? I come from a long line of despising. He loved my mother, but he destroyed my brother, and I’m not up for repeating the past—no matter how much you pursue me. Have you ever given thought to children? You’d suddenly find yourself related to the thing you hate most in the entire world! I am not interested in being a party to you regretting your life.”

  “Ginger, that would nev—”

  “We’re done here. We have a mission to complete. I plan to give my brother the chance to live a normal life, and after that, I’m out of here. I’m certain you’ll find someone else. So let’s go.” She spun on her heel, not giving the shifter time to form his rebuttal. She was done with this. She marched up to the spellbox they’d tucked behind a tree for safekeeping and took out a spell.

  Then she walked with purpose toward the boulder. If Luke wasn’t going to move the rock willingly, she was going to make it rain.

  Ginger couldn’t have been more wrong about him if she tried. She was a stubborn, strong-willed woman, two traits he admired—most of the time. He didn’t love them today.

  But she did have a point.

  Luke hadn’t had time to explain how wrong he’d been about sex demons his entire life. Mason had been evil. It was true. He’d also been a sex demon. But evil came in all shapes and sizes, and it had been shortsighted of Luke and his family to label an entire group of people based on one horrible experience.

  In the past few days, since he and Ginger had been in such close proximity, he’d taken the time to analyze his feelings closely. He was now 100 percent certain that she hadn’t intentionally swayed how he’d felt at any point during their time together.

  She’d physically charged him, yes.

  There was tangible energy to her magic, and when it touched him it burrowed into the core of his being. It made him alive in a way he never had been before, like waking up from a long, uneventful sleep to suddenly find himself living. He could understand not everyone liking the way sex-demon magic made you feel.

  But he loved it.

  When they’d come together a moment ago, a volcano of emotion grew instantly inside him, readying itself. He knew the sole reason it did was to feed Ginger, but it didn’t matter. It made him feel amazing—like he could run a thousand marathons and never tire. It was incredible to him that he could sustain her, giving emotion freely. It truly wowed him.

  After everything she’d said, he was fairly certain Ginger didn’t understand it fully herself. He couldn’t blame her. She’d been oppressed her entire life and grew up ashamed of who she was. She claimed her father had only hurt Damien, but that was a lie. She’d been affected just as much—if not more.

  The first chance he had, Luke was going to sit her down and explain exactly how his feelings had changed—and make her see reason.

  But now wasn’t the time.

  He watched Ginger stop in front of the boulder, the spell in front of her. From where he stood, he could see the liquid inside was black.

  “Hey,” he called as he jog
ged forward, “what exactly are you planning to do with that?”

  She didn’t bother to turn. “I’m going to blow it up.”

  Alarmed, he said, “After what just happened with the ward, don’t you think that’s a bit on the hazardous side? You said spells were color-coded, but you never mentioned black. What’s it going to do?’

  “One of two things,” she answered, finally turning her gaze on him. “It will disintegrate the rock, or it will blow it to pieces. Either way, once it’s done, we’re in.”

  “Disintegrating sounds great,” Luke replied quickly. “But the blowing-up part? Not so much. How about we use that spell as a last resort? Let me try to move the boulder physically first. All I need to do is separate it from the mountain a few feet, enough for us to squeeze through.”

  Her expression was tired. “Fine. But if it takes you more than five minutes, I’m using this.” She wagged the spell at him.

  “Agreed.”

  She edged out of the way, and he moved forward. No ward was there to kick him back, so it was just a matter of strength.

  He braced one arm along the side of the mountain and positioned his feet at an angle to the rock. The boulder jutted out a few feet, so he had some room to use his body as a wedge. He called on his wolf for strength as he closed his eyes. Then he heaved.

  It didn’t budge. Not even a centimeter.

  He drew in a long breath, exhaled, and shoved again. This time, he planted one of his feet against the wall and used his thigh.

  Very slowly, the boulder began to shift away from the mountain.

  First an inch, and then a foot.

  “Arrgh,” he panted. It was, by far, the heaviest thing he’d ever tried to move.

  “You’re doing great,” Ginger coached from the sidelines. “Just a few more inches and we’re good to go.”

  He slid into the opening, maneuvering his body into the tight gap he’d just created to get a better angle. Now he could use his back. He braced his forearms on the wall, one inside and one out, and pushed, his arms straining.