A Caress of Wings (8 page)

“It was good to get out in the sunlight for a few hours. I need to make an effort to do it more often.”

“Whatever the reason, it’s good to see.”

She squeezed his hand. “You’re a good friend, Carriden.”

“Friend?” He frowned, obviously considering the merits of the word over others they’d used, such as “colleague.”

Laughing softly, she headed toward the door. “Think about it. You might like it.”

Chapter 10

Trevor glanced at his watch for the hundredth time as he paced the walkway in front of the Elephant Bar. It wasn’t quite seven and he’d already been waiting almost half an hour. God, he was nervous. And anxious. Siobhán had been so skittish. He was afraid she wouldn’t show up. Then he’d have to track her down somehow . . .

“Trevor.”

He spun at the sound of her voice and stared as she approached, riveted by her perfection. He’d never seen a woman so stunning. She was petite and delicate in appearance, her piquant face framed by a trendy cut that suited her features perfectly. She was lush and curvy in all the right places, and yet she was a tiny thing. The top of her head barely reached his shoulders.

“Siobhán.” His voice was deep and gruff, his blood pumping fast and hot. He was struck with that feeling of
rightness
again, the bone-deep certainty that he was where he was supposed to be with the woman he was supposed to be with.
You’ll know
, his sister Stella had told him long ago.
When you find the one, you’ll know.

“Have you been waiting long?” she asked, her words laced with a gorgeous resonance that vibrated through him.

“Twenty-eight years. Give or take a few weeks.” He caught her up in his arms as if they’d known each other for months rather than moments. “What took you so long?”

Her hands went to his shoulders, her stunningly blue eyes shining in the glow of the streetlamp behind him. “What am I going to do with you?” she asked softly.

“I’ve got a list.”

That made her laugh, and his breath caught at the beauty of the sound.

She brushed his hair back from his forehead, her gaze sliding over his face in a warm caress. “I wish I could keep you.”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to. You won’t be able to get rid of me.” He adjusted his grip, aligning her body to his and marveling at the fit. As small as she was, her curves melded precisely with his, as if they were two halves of a whole. He wasn’t the kind of guy who thought in terms like that usually. Dating was fun. Women were fun. He loved the female gender as a whole, and certain members of it with feverish enthusiasm, but he’d never been blindsided like this.

“Is there someone in your life?” he asked. “A boyfriend, a lover, a significant other?”

Shaking her head, she said, “I told you, romantic relationships aren’t possible for me.”

“I get it. You’re talking to a reformed commitment-phobe. I’ve said that very thing countless times. We’ll just take it easy for a while, okay?” He wanted to add the word “exclusive” in there somewhere, but was afraid to scare her off. Still, he couldn’t bear to share her. Not when he
knew
she was his. Knew it absolutely. “Let’s go in and sit down. We can talk over dinner and drinks.”

Her gaze lowered to his mouth and his dick twitched shamelessly. “You won’t get offended if I don’t eat, will you?”

“You’re not hungry?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Listen, I don’t want to freak you out, but . . .” He hesitated, knowing he could really fuck this up.

“But?” she prodded, meeting his gaze again.

“I grabbed a hotel room nearby. Not because I thought I’d take you there tonight,” he assured her hastily. “Just because I planned on shooting for a follow-up breakfast date.”

“Really?” she asked drily, with a sparkle in her eyes. “Either way, you’re very optimistic.”

“More like unable to accept failure. Not about this. So you want to grab a bottle of wine and go there? I got a suite, so the bed’s in a different room. We can just sit in the living area and talk?”

It took her a long moment to answer, one in which he could see her visibly struggling with the idea.

“Or we can go into the restaurant,” he offered. “I’m fine with whatever you’re most comfortable with.”

“No. Let’s go to your hotel.” Siobhán exhaled in rush. “I don’t have much time, so quiet would be good.”

Her allusion to the end of their evening got him anxious again. “Okay. Let’s go.”

*  *  *

Siobhán settled on the small sofa in Trevor’s hotel room and noted the carry-on and duffel he’d been carrying earlier. “You were supposed to travel today.”

He tossed his black suede jacket over the back of an armchair and took a seat on the sofa beside her. “Yes. I’m part of a scholarship program Gadara Enterprises is sponsoring at the University of North Carolina. I’m an EMT with an Army medic background, so I’ll be attending med school.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“Yeah. This morning I thought my life couldn’t get any better. Obviously, I was wrong about that.” He reached for her hand, linking his fingers with hers. “What do you do?”

“I study infectious diseases.”

Trevor grinned. “We’re both in the health field, then.”

She could see he thought that was another sign they were meant to be together. “I work in an underground laboratory. Weeks can go by during which I see only my colleagues. Today was the first time in a long time that I’d seen the sun.”

His smile faded. “Are you working for the government?”

“Not quite.” She looked down at their joined hands. “But the disease I’m presently focused on does have some military applications.”

“Are you trying to save lives or end them?”

“I’m searching for a cure.”

His breath left him in a rush. “That’s good. I couldn’t see it being the other way. Not with you.”

Siobhán squeezed his hand, loving his tender healer’s heart. “Maybe you’ll see now why it’s not possible for us to date. You need to go to North Carolina as soon as you can. You shouldn’t have missed your flight today.”

“Hang on.” He stood up and went to his duffel bag, then returned with the envelope of photos she’d left for him at reception. He sat and poured the pictures out onto the sofa cushion between them. “This is my sister’s family. The only family I’ve got left. This is my newest nephew. He was named after me, but I’ll never get to see him in person.”

She looked up into his face, trying to gauge his feelings about that. “Oh?”

“Apparently there was a bit of a screw-up and the military reported me killed in action. They paid out four hundred thousand dollars in life insurance money, which my sister used to set up college funds for her kids and to move into a bigger house. Gadara Enterprises has some government contracts and contacts, and they worked something out so that my sister gets to keep the money if I stay dead. I’m not sure how that all worked out, but I know my sister really needed the money and I can’t pay it back, so the best thing for all of us is for me to let them believe I’m gone. I’ll never be able to call or send gifts or stop by.”

Siobhán set her hand over his and gave a comforting squeeze. “I’m sorry, Trevor.”

She knew Raguel would’ve strengthened the fictional background story with mental suggestions that eased Trevor’s focus on the logistics and possible workarounds.

“I’m telling you this,” he went on, “because I want you to know that I understand how these things work. I know the difficulties some of these government arrangements can cause. But I don’t think that means we have to throw away any chance we have of seeing where this can go.”

His tenacity moved her. That trait had helped him survive the pit he’d lived in for a year. It was also likely to cause problems between them if she left him with any memory of her at all. The best thing she could do would be to wipe him again, then leave him sleeping on the couch with a plane ticket from Ontario to North Carolina on the coffee table.

The firm weight of conviction and resignation settled over her. She knew he was okay, that he would continue to be okay. She knew from seeing him in the atrium at Gadara Tower that he would be content, even happy. That was enough for her. She could live with that and be satisfied with that. She’d have to.

Calmly, she took the photos from his hands and put them back in the envelope, then set them aside on the coffee table. Trevor watched her, his eyes heating as he judged her mood. It was as if he could see inside her and knew that her heart was beginning to beat faster, that excitement was quickening her blood. She wanted more of him before she said good-bye for the last time. She wanted to feel his lips on hers . . . his hands on her bare skin . . . the weight and heat of him against her . . .

For just a moment.

Tilting her head up, Siobhán offered him her mouth. He stared at her lips, his breathing quick and audible.

“Siobhán . . .” He slid closer. His arms circled her slowly and carefully, as if she might bolt if he moved too fast. “I won’t say no. I can’t. But this isn’t why I brought you here.”

“I know.” She’d seen his intentions when she touched his hand. He was actually afraid to take things to the physical level, afraid she wouldn’t believe his sincerity if he did.

But she did believe him. And she trusted him. Cared for him. Wanted him.

His hands bracketed her spine, pulling her closer until she was pressed flush against him. He groaned softly when her breasts flattened against his hard chest and she shivered, startled by the fiery sensations of pleasure that spread through her veins.

“Don’t be afraid,” he whispered, his breath caressing her lips.

“I’m not.” And she wasn’t. Not anymore. She was beginning to think any punishment she might face would be worth this.
He
was worth it. “Kiss me.”

His mouth sealed gently over hers, his lips so soft and warm. Desire surged through her and she leaned into him, her hands pushing into his silky hair to cup his scalp. The sound he made, something raw and lustful, pulsed through her in heated waves. She gasped and his tongue stroked deep into her mouth. The flesh between her legs tingled and grew hot. His hands were everywhere—in her hair, down her back, against the side of her breast. He pushed beneath her sweater, his palm pressed flat to her naked skin. A whimper escaped her as he scorched her with his touch.

“My god,” he breathed hoarsely, pressing her back into the cushions. “I want you, Siobhán. I’m burning up with wanting you.”

Her eyes were squeezed shut against the surfeit of emotions battering her. She couldn’t think, couldn’t remember why they couldn’t be together like this. It felt too good, too
right
. “Trevor—”

His weight settled over her, his long frame stretching out atop hers. He pushed his forearms beneath her shoulders and anchored her as his mouth slanted over hers. His passion was evident and wild, his kiss demanding and seductive at once. Every thrust of his tongue made her body tighten in anticipation. She kissed him back greedily, catching his tongue and sucking on it with an innate, instinctive rhythm.

With a practiced nudge of his knee, Trevor spread her legs and settled between them. He cupped her buttock in one hand and lifted her into a skilled roll of his hips, pressing the hardness of his erection directly against the spot between her legs that throbbed for attention. She moaned as her body seized in startled delight, the seam of her jeans adding the perfect amount of pressure.

His lips traveled across her cheek to her ear. His chest lifted and fell rapidly against hers, his breath gusting hotly. “You feel so good. So soft and warm.”

He rocked against her again, murmuring praise as she shuddered with her growing need for him.
“Shh,”
he soothed. “Don’t fight it. I’m going to make you come like this. Then I’m going to strip your clothes off and make you come with my mouth.”

Her nails dug into his back as his passionate words inflamed her senses. Her body writhed beneath his, confused by the rush of hunger it had never experienced before. She was desperate for more.

She struggled to relax, afraid she’d hurt him if she lost control. “Trevor, please . . .”

“I love the way you say my name.” The tip of his tongue followed the outer curve of her ear and made her cry out as her breasts swelled and ached. “I’m going to end the night inside you, Siobhán, and start tomorrow the same way.”

His voice was guttural now, his touch growing stronger and more possessive by the moment. “You’re mine,” he growled, lifting his head. “Look at me and say it.”

Siobhán forced her heavy eyes open, her gaze focusing on his face as he rose above her and stroked his hips against her, making her feel every hard inch of him as he slid between the lips of her sex through their clothes.

She froze, her eyes widening with stunned horror. Trevor looked down at her with a hunger she knew all too well, his handsome face tightened by lust and need, his mouth red from her kisses.

“Trevor,” she gasped, her heart breaking as reality penetrated the haze of pleasure. She was instantly taken back to her first horrible days on earth, when she’d watched the brilliant blue of angelic irises turn into the molten copper of vampiric eyes.

His inky hair gleamed in the light of the table lamp, his smile widening into a predatory grin as he licked his fangs and eyed her with the glowing amber gaze of a vampire.