Breed of Envy (The Breed Chronicles, #02) (24 page)

His arms were incredibly tight now, even as I felt him physically relax. He exhaled deeply, and I hadn’t realized how tense he must’ve been until that moment. And then his lips were on mine and I closed my eyes and relaxed. I hadn’t realized how tense I’d been, either.

The kiss was sweet, slow, like he had no where else to be so he wasn’t in any big hurry. One of his hands stayed at my waist, on my hip, while the other sought out my hand. He linked his fingers with mine, squeezed our joint fist. And then, with his lips still locked on mine, he walked us backward. The backs of my legs hit something hard—the bed, I thought—and I started to fall, but Linc held on and then lowered us both down.

Slowly, he lay on top of me, his lips crushing into mine. The kiss that had started off sweet was harder now. One of his hands went to the back of my head, tangling in my hair, and he pressed my head up closer so he could deepen the kiss. His tongue danced with mine.

He stopped kissing me, but only for the two-point-three seconds it took for him to take his shirt off. I barely had time to blink and wonder what I was doing before his mouth was back on mine. I wasn’t really sure what to do. My brain misfired. I felt awkward, like I should be doing something, but my brain couldn’t think of what. Linc took one of my hands and put it over his shoulder. I put my other hand under his arm, around his back.

I clung to him, my arms tightening around his back. He made a sound, part growl, part moan, and pulled me even closer until there wasn’t an inch between us. The hand in my hair tightened and his other hand went to my thigh. He squeezed it, pulled it up until my leg bent at the knee. His hand slid down, gripped my hip for a second, and then under me to grab my butt.

I moaned and shivered. Linc tore his mouth from mine immediately. His chest rose and fell with each breath, and he didn’t say anything for a full ten seconds. “You okay? Did I hurt you? Did I go too far?”

Biting my lip, I shook my head. I couldn’t even manage a word. My own breathing was as ragged as his.

“You’re sure?”

I nodded, then managed a breathy, “Yes.”

“You’re shaking,” he said in a concerned tone.

I didn’t realize I was until he said it. It was from nerves, I thought, because I wasn’t cold or anything. I’d just never gone this far with a guy—not that it was far at all, but still. “I’m okay.”

“We can stop, Jade, or slow down, or—”

I was nervous, but it didn’t mean I wanted to stop. I liked his lips on mine, and his hands on me. I wasn’t ready for much more than kissing, but that didn’t mean we had to stop. Or did it? Did that make me a tease?

“What’s wrong? You’ve got your thinking-too-much face on.”

He’d think I was stupid if I told him, but then I’d feel stupid if I didn’t. “I like kissing you,” I said, “but I’m not sure I’m ready for a lot more, so I’m not sure if I should keep kissing you, because that might make me teasy or something, and I don’t want to be a tease—”

His finger over my lips cut me off. “A, I like kissing you, so I’m glad the feeling is mutual. B, I’m not looking for more either. Not right now. C, kissing doesn’t make you a tease. I can control my hormones. Mostly,” he added with a quick grin. “Either way, it doesn’t make you a tease.”

“Are you sure? Jennifer—one of the girls from The Pond—used to talk about it. She said guys didn’t like girls like that, so—”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to take advice from a chick you hated? One that hated you back and tried to make your life miserable?”

Put like that, it sounded stupid. “Well, no. But she knew guys. A lot. Way better than I do. This stuff?” I waved my finger at him, then at myself. “I don’t know how to do this stuff.”

His grin turned sly. “I think you’re doing okay. So whose word are you going to take? Hers, or the guy you’re making out with who happens to think you’re good at
this stuff
?”

I bit my lip again even as I felt a blush creeping into my cheeks. I didn’t respond because I wasn’t sure how to.

“So, wanna make out some more, or are you going to keep with the girly moment and over think things?”

I laughed and slapped his chest. “Oh, shut up.” I wasn’t having a girly moment. Much of one, anyway.

“Gladly,” he said. And then his lips were back on mine and I forgot about everything else.

C
HAPTER 13

Linc and I hung out together the rest of the night and the following day. On Saturday afternoon, Linc informed me I was going with him on his hunt, because he’d already told Greene just that, and that I didn’t have a choice in the matter. To him, it was a settled deal. I didn’t argue this time. If he really wanted me there, and had in fact told Greene, then I figured he really meant it.

After his big declaration of you’re-going-with-me, he made me go to the gym with him. Normally, I really hated the gym, but I had to admit I had fun watching Linc. He usually went alone, because he knew my aversion to all things exercise, so it was a nice change. He made me do everything he did, but only half as much. If he did twenty repetitions of something, I did ten. If he used thirty-pound weights, he made me use fifteen. It made me feel slightly girly, especially when the weights seemed really light.

I was mesmerized by the way his muscles moved and worked. His back and neck were straight, revealing the lines of his shoulders blades when he did what he called triceps kick-backs. I about drooled when he lowered part of the bench so he could do crunches on it. His abs contracted and relaxed, and I nearly dropped a dumbbell on my foot because my focus was completely shot. Linc had killer abs.

After that, I decided it was safer to just watch and not try to participate.

I never thought watching a guy in the gym get all sweaty would be appealing, but when it was my guy, apparently I liked it well enough.

Linc’s eyes were cool and calm and his face was set in concentration. He still told me what he did and what it was called, but as soon as he started the exercise, it was like nothing and no one else was around, like it was just him and the equipment. Sweat poured over his face, beaded down the line of his spine. He was shirtless, wearing sweatpants that hung on his hips. How could sweatpants be sexy? I’d asked myself that question over a dozen times in the hour we’d spent at the gym, and I never came close to finding an answer except to say it was all Linc’s doing.

As we were picking up our towels and water bottles, Peter walked into the gym. He looked at me. “Can I have a minute, Jade?”

“Sure.”

Linc tossed his towel over his shoulder. “I need to go grab a shower,” he said. “Do we meet you in the weapons room?” he asked Peter.

“No. Just meet us outside in an hour.”

Linc nodded, then waved bye to me.

As soon as Linc was gone, Peter’s entire expression changed from light and easy to something darker, like he had bad news to deliver.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

Peter stepped closer. “Look, the Director asked me to keep an eye on Linc, so I could judge his behavior and see if he’s ready for this.”

“He’s been studying for this for over a month,” I argued, immediately defensive. “He’s ready.”

Peter’s hand shot up. “Hey, I’m not saying he is or isn’t. I’m just letting you know how this works. The director told Linc he could do this, and he won’t go back on his word, but if Linc isn’t ready, Director Greene’ll postpone the hunt until he is. And before you argue,” he said before I could do just that, “a lot of people think they’re ready for this when they really aren’t. It’s my job to make sure he is. I don’t necessarily like it, but it has to be done. It’s not safe for him, you, or any of us if he isn’t ready.”

“So why are you telling me this now?” I asked, my tone questioning, confused.

“Because I’ve been watching him, too, and he seems okay. But today is the day. Today is the day when it really counts. I want your help. I’ve known Linc longer, but I’ve got a feeling you know him better than anyone else here.”

“I don’t want to spy on Linc,” I said, suddenly weary.

“I’m not asking you to spy on him. I’m asking you to do what you do best. Ask him questions. Talk to him. Go over everything with him. I know you’ll do it anyway; isn’t that what you’ve been doing for the last two months?”

“Well, yeah, but that was—”

“To help him prepare. And that’s what he needs still. It’s important to him, and I know you know that. But it’s important to me and the other hunters as well. He’s one of ours, Jade. All of the Prospects are.” His expression softened slightly. “We look after our own. And I’m not looking for a reason to cancel or postpone the hunt—I’m looking for reasons not to. You’re one of ours, too, so I’ll trust your judgment on this one. If, by the time we’ve found the demon, you say he’s still ready, then that’s all the confirmation I’ll need.”

“How do you know I won’t lie?” I asked quietly. I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t be biased. This
was
important to Linc, so important to him.

“Because you’re too honest for your own good. And because I know you realize that Linc getting what he wants isn’t necessarily the best thing for him, not if there’s a chance he’ll get himself killed in the process.”

He had a point. But damnit. I didn’t want this on my head. I didn’t want to be the one with the power to call this off.

When I didn’t answer, Peter shrugged. “It’s you or me, Jade. I just thought it’d be easier coming from you.”

“I’ll do it,” I found myself saying, despite everything in me screaming that it was a bad idea. “But I don’t have to like it.”

Peter gave me a sad smile. “No, you don’t. It’s one part of being a hunter that sucks, and it doesn’t get any easier, trust me.” He rested his hand on my shoulder briefly, then he turned and walked away.

I let out a deep breath and cursed Peter and Greene and myself, and then I sent up a silent prayer.
Please, let Linc be ready. Because I don’t think I’m ready to stop this from happening.

*~*~*

I barely had a chance to get dressed after my shower before someone—Linc—pounded on my door. My hair was still dripping wet when I answered it. “Is it time already?” I asked him. I thought my shower was fast, but had it actually been longer?

He strode in, went to my bed, and sat down. “No. I just can’t wait in my room anymore. It’s too quiet.” He leaned back, gave me a once over that had heat rushing to my cheeks. One eyebrow rose. “Sorry. I should’ve waited.”

I closed the door and turned to face him. I smiled. “It’s fine. Just let me dry my hair and we can go wait outside, if you want.” I ducked into the bathroom and dug out the hair dryer. The sound buzzed in my ears loudly, so I didn’t hear Linc move in the other room and only knew he had because I caught a peek of him a few minutes later, just standing there watching me. I probably looked like an idiot, bent at the waist with my head down. I straightened quickly and my hair flew everywhere, covering my face and eyes.

He closed the distance between us. “Not a bad look,” he said, his tone kinda husky as he brushed aside my hair, “but I like this one better.”

“Which look?”

“This one,” he said, then his hand went to the back of my head and he kissed me. It only lasted a minute, maybe two, but it felt like electricity flowed through me the entire time. When he broke the kiss, his hand was still at the back of my head.

I smiled. It was about the only movement I could manage. “What was that for?”

“For me. For good luck.” His smile was slow, sly, and sexy as hell. “And because I could.”

My smile turned into a grin.

He pulled me close against his body, leaned his head down until his lips brushed across my neck. He groaned. “C’mon. Let’s get outside before I start something I’ll definitely want to finish.”

*~*~*

When we went outside, Peter was already waiting. It was just after four, so the sun was high. The sky was, thankfully, clear. The last weather report I’d seen called for rain, but that’d been two days ago. Mother Nature had apparently changed her mind. I was fine with that. Hunting in the rain didn’t seem like fun.

Adam and Dale were waiting, too, standing outside one of the CGE’s signature vans. There was another van behind it and I recognized Harry through the windshield, so I waved at him.

“Alright, here are your vests,” Peter said, handing us each one. “They’ve already got your weapons in them—including your nano-sword, Jade, and a new nano-staff, Linc. Put them on and load up.”

Though the vests had more powerful weapons, I still carried the lipstick knife thingy Linc had given me for Christmas. It probably wouldn’t do much good, but I liked having it. Peter eyed me as I stuffed it into one of the vest pockets. “What?”

“You’re bringing lipstick on a hunt?”

Linc shot me a grin. I just shrugged at Peter. “You never know when you’ll need lipstick,” I said, completely deadpan, and then I ducked in the back of the van before I laughed.

I heard Linc mutter “girls” under his breath as he took a seat beside me. I shook my head, trying not to smile.

Peter and Adam jumped in, then shut the doors. I heard the front van door shut a second later as Dale got in. “Ready,” Adam said, tapping the partition that separated the front from the back.