Demon Can’t Help It (20 page)

“Wow, that’s so spooky,” she managed to say once she stopped laughing.

“I know,” he agreed wholeheartedly, his eyes widening at the very thought.

Jo laughed again, but the laughter died on her lips as Maksim walked past them. His green eyes sought hers, leaving no doubt that he was aware she was here. Without even turning to follow his path, she knew he stopped and took the stool on the other side of her.

To confirm her thoughts, she heard him call out to the bartender.

“Hey sweetheart, mind bringing me another down here?”

The bartender smiled at him, clearly pleased with his endearment. She nodded and bounced off, happy with his attention.

As most woman would be, Jo supposed. And the idea rankled her.

Jo didn’t turn around, but she could feel him right behind her. His presence was like a physical touch across her back.

Maksim didn’t bother to slide the stool next to Jo away from her. He wanted to be in her space. He wanted her aware of him. But if she was, he couldn’t tell.

“Do you like being a director?” the guy who was standing far too close to Jo’s other side asked. He swayed slightly, and Maksim could see he was pretty well wasted.

Jo’s voice was muffled slightly, because she wasn’t facing him, but Maksim could still make out her words.

“Umm, yeah, I do.”

“Do you have pottery classes?”

Maksim raised an eyebrow and fought the urge to roll his eyes. Jo had given him the deep freeze just to go out and talk to this winner. He didn’t know whether to be insulted or amused.

“No,” Jo said slowly, clearly finding the guy’s question a little strange too. “No, we don’t.”

“Ah, that’s too bad. People like to do pottery.”

Maksim shook his head, unable to suppress his disdainful amusement.

“I guess that’s true,” Jo said.

“You know, you have really pretty eyes.”

Any hint of amusement evaporated, and Maksim couldn’t help looking at the guy.

The schmuck touched Jo’s hand, which had stopped swirling seductively around the edge of her glass. Maksim gritted his teeth as he watched the man’s thumb brush over the soft skin of her fingers. Jo didn’t pull away.

Before Maksim thought better of it, he shifted, his arm grazing Jo’s back. She straightened like an elastic snapping into place, aligning her spine, but she still didn’t look at him.

The guy rocked toward her. “You smell nice, too.”

Maksim scowled at the man, but the stupid, leery drunk was too lost in his interest in Jo to notice.

“Thank you,” Jo said, and still didn’t move her hand out from under his. Maksim fought the urge to pull her away. Pull her away and kiss her senseless.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Maksim couldn’t stop himself from turning on the stool to face the two of them. Now this he wanted to hear.

“No. I don’t.”

Technically that was true, Maksim supposed, but that didn’t matter at the moment. Her words still made him see red.

He hooked a hand under her elbow and tugged. She slid around on the stool like the seat spun on its own. Her dark eyes snapped open wide and her lips rounded into a perfect “o.”

“The hell you don’t.”

Maksim pulled her against him, so she was only half on her stool and mostly leaning against him.

And he kissed her soundly.

J
o froze for half a second, then melted into Maksim’s embrace. His lips moved possessively against hers, his teeth tugging at her lower lip, his tongue mingling with hers in an intimate way that made her whole body tingle.

Then she realized that someone was tapping on her shoulder.

“Um, excuse me.”

She jerked away from Maksim, looking over her shoulder at who was interrupting her. Interrupting one of the most sensual moments of her life. She frowned, not immediately recognizing who was speaking to her.

Finally her brain kicked in. “Cameron?”

Her new friend nodded, looking decidedly more sober than he had before. “Is this really your boyfriend?”

Jo opened her mouth to deny it, but Maksim reached around her and extended his hand.

“Yes, I am. I’m Maksim Kostova.” His voice was civil, but there was no mistaking the possessiveness, the resolve.

Cameron frowned at Maksim’s hand, but did accept, giving a quick shake.

“I’m sorry, man,” Cameron said, stepping back from Jo, establishing the appropriate amount of space between them. Clearly he didn’t want to upset Maksim further.

Jo glanced at Maksim. A smile curved his lips, but there was coolness there, a hard cast to his green eyes.

“Not a problem. I know what a stunning woman she is. I’d be chatting her up, too, if she didn’t already belong to me.”

Jo shook her head slightly, feeling as if she had to be having some weird dream. Or she was on a reality show where the host jumped out and told her the whole thing was a joke. A spoof.

Maksim caught her hand, tugging at it.

“Come here,” he muttered roughly, right beside her ear, his voice causing ripples of arousal to shimmy down her spine. His broad chest brushed against her back. Another shiver made her vibrate with need.

He pulled her again, and she found herself sliding off her seat and between his legs. Then he situated her so her bottom was nestled against him, his arms wrapped around her waist. She held herself stiff, trying to comprehend what was happening, trying to decide how she should react, and definitely trying to ignore the very aroused, very hard penis prodding her rear end.

“Okay, well, umm,” Cameron looked around as if he too wasn’t really sure what he should be doing. After a few more befuddled looks around the bar, he raised his cup.

“Good to meet you.”

Jo wasn’t sure if that was directed at her or Maksim. Or maybe both. Despite his obviously impaired equilibrium, Cameron managed to stride away at fairly impressive speed.

Before Jo could turn to confront Maksim, Erika returned, her pacing slowing as she spotted them. Her dark brows were drawn together in puzzlement.

“Hey there,” she said once she reached them, clearly not sure what to say. Not unlike Jo—it was bewildering to say the least.

“Hi Erika,” Maksim answered tucking Jo closer to him. Not that he could get much closer without being inside her.

The idea of that made her shiver despite her confusion, which was starting to transform into irritation.

“Am—am I interrupting something?”

“No,” Jo said, trying to wriggle away from Maksim, but his hold didn’t loosen.

“Not at all,” Maksim agreed, his voice smooth and sexy and slightly amused, which made Jo’s ire flare even more.

“Okay,” Erika said, her gaze flickered between the two of them and she clearly didn’t believe their protests.

To prove that, she gestured over her shoulder. “I think I’ll head back downstairs to listen to the band.”

“No!” Jo reached out and caught her friend’s wrist. She didn’t want Erika to leave. Jo didn’t know what she intended to say to Maksim, and having her friend there as a buffer seemed like a good choice.

Erika looked down at where Jo’s fingers locked around her arm. But she smiled, giving her a reassuring nod. “Sure.”

Jo released her and Erika slid onto the empty stool she’d left before she’d gone downstairs again. Before more weirdness started in Jo’s life.

This might not be potentially paranormal, but it was just as strange as everything else in her life these days.

The arms around Jo tightened just slightly, adding to her confusion. Okay, maybe she could see him being jealous about another man’s attention, but what was he doing now? They’d had an arrangement of just sex. And even that had ended this morning. And she’d wanted it to end.

She’d thought he had, too, from his reaction to her coldness. And she hadn’t pegged him as the type to grovel.

But this wasn’t groveling, exactly. It was staking his claim. But she hadn’t expected that at all—ever.

“So, how are you enjoying working at the Community Center?” Erika asked in an obvious attempt to get the situation somewhere normal.

“I like it,” Maksim said, his face right beside Jo’s. His voice reverberating through her. Making her react. “And I think I’m good with the kids. What do you think, darling?”

Jo gritted her teeth. Why was he doing this? What was the point? She knew he was mad at her. Was he trying to make her look like a fool?

She couldn’t understand his plan.

He rested his chin on her shoulder, leaning his head against hers. “The kids seem pretty fond of me, don’t they?”

Well, no matter what the reason, he was manipulating her, and Jo did not like it.

“Well, these children are starved for attention,” Jo said, keeping her gaze directed at Erika and her voice even and pragmatic, “so they readily attach to anyone who is kind to them.”

“She doesn’t like to give me too many compliments, does she?” He chuckled and then pressed a kiss on Jo’s cheek.

Jo jerked away. “Don’t do that.”

“What? Are you embarrassed to show our affection in front of Erika?”

Jo didn’t answer. What was he doing? Why?

“You don’t mind, do you, Erika?”

Erika regarded Jo for a moment, then shook her head. “Of course not.”

Jo started to make a face at her friend, but Maksim’s fingers caught her chin and turned her face toward him.

“See, she doesn’t mind. So you shouldn’t, either.”

He leaned forward and kissed her. The kiss wasn’t aggressive or possessive, just a sweet clinging of his velvety soft lips with hers.

It unnerved her more than his first kiss of the evening had. And her body instantly hummed with intense need.

To Jo’s dismay it was Maksim who pulled away, and it took her a moment to realize that Erika was feigning a coughing fit to get their attention.

It worked for Maksim, while Jo had noticed nothing but him. She could feel her cheeks burning at how easily he got her to respond. But then, she wasn’t denying that she was attracted to him. She just knew they wouldn’t last. Not with the bombshell she was hiding.

“I think I will head downstairs. It sounds like the band is on break,” Erika said. She smiled, although the stiff curve of her lips revealed she was uncomfortable.

“No,” Jo said, her voice breathless, but still insistent, “please stay.”

“I really think you two have some things you need to discuss.”

“No, we don’t,” Jo said quickly.

“No, sweetheart, Erika’s right,” Maksim said, leaning forward so he could see Jo’s face. “We do have a lot to discuss.”

Jo opened her mouth to argue, because her gut told her she didn’t want to be alone with this man. Not in the strange mood he was in. But then she realized she had to talk about it. She needed to understand why the hell he was doing this.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Jo nodded, letting Erika know silently that she would be fine. Whatever Maksim was, he wasn’t dangerous. Well, not to anything but her heart. Which just seemed so crazy, given her initial opinion of him and the short time she’d known him.

“Okay,” Erika said, “I’ll be right downstairs near the stage, if you need me.”

“Thanks,” Jo said.

Erika gave her one more searching look, then headed down the length of the bar to the stairs.

As soon as she was gone, Jo tried to pull away from Maksim, but he kept her firmly positioned between his legs.

“Let me go,” she gritted out.

“In a minute.” Maksim’s lips nibbled the side of her neck. His lips were warm and wonderful, just the right amount of pressure, the right amount of nips and suction.

Her knees threatened to give out as she lost herself to the sensation.

But it was his fingers brushing gently over her belly that managed to snap her thoughts back to what was she had to do. And it wasn’t leaning back against his solid, broad chest, letting him make love to her.

She yanked away, turning to face him, making sure their bodies weren’t touching in any way.

“Maksim, why are you doing this?”

“D
oing what?” Not his snappiest of comebacks, but the taste and scent of Jo had him more unnerved, more aroused than he’d like to admit.

“Why are you acting like we are a couple?”

Maksim might be a little mush-brained at the moment, but not enough so that he was going to answer that one honestly. He’d been acting the way he was because he’d been blind, raging jealous.

He hadn’t initially recognized the emotion, because frankly he hadn’t ever felt it before, and really he didn’t understand what he was feeling until he was already heading down the bar toward Jo and the drunk, dullard college boy.

And when the dumbass had asked her if she had a boyfriend, he just knew he couldn’t hear her say no. He just couldn’t.

Boyfriend? Were demons ever anyone’s boyfriend? That seemed oddly incongruent. But in that moment, Maksim was damned well going to be her boyfriend.

“Maksim, didn’t this morning make things pretty clear?”

Hell, no. Nothing had been clear this morning. Her words, her stance, her reaction had all been as confusing as hell. And believe you me, he knew how confusing Hell was.

“I don’t think we really agreed on anything,” he said.

Jo stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“We agreed that things were too complicated. That the idea of just—” she dropped her voice, “having sex is not going to work out.”

“I don’t recall agreeing to any of that. I remember you saying that you thought things were too complicated, and when I asked why, you didn’t answer.”

She didn’t answer for a moment again, and he had no doubt she was replaying the events of the morning in her mind.

Finally she sighed. “Well, that’s the reason. Having sex isn’t going to work out for me.”

“Why?”

Jo shook her head, then fiddled with a nick in the bar’s glossily shellacked wood. “It just isn’t.”

“Because the sex isn’t working for you, physically?”

She didn’t answer, but just continued to finger the deep scratch.

“Because it sure seemed to be working for you last night.”

Jo eyes snapped back to him. “That isn’t the point.”

“What is the point?” Maksim really did want to understand. He wanted her to say something, though he couldn’t say exactly what the something was.

“I just think it’s going to become too difficult. These things never really work out. Someone ends up getting hurt.”

“Are you afraid I’m going to get hurt? Or you?” Maksim’s first thought was to tell her that he’d never hurt her, but he held his tongue. Why would he tell her that? He couldn’t keep a promise like that. He wasn’t exactly a gallant knight who’d swoop in on his white charger and carry her off to safety and love.

He didn’t know how to love. Demons weren’t created with that particular ability. Coveting, lust, desire, craving, even obsession—those were all things that demons could disguise as love. But they never,
never
cared for some other soul more than their own damned ones.

Jo didn’t answer, and he wasn’t surprised. She didn’t easily let down her guard.

“Josephine, I won’t ever hurt you.”

He heard the words as if someone else had control of his body, as if he hadn’t just told himself that he couldn’t promise her anything akin to security or devotion.

Jo didn’t react. She clearly didn’t recognize what a huge pledge that was. Maybe if she knew what he was, she’d understand. But that was the trick, wasn’t it?

Telling someone you care about you’re a demon was bound to hurt them.

“You know,” Jo smoothed her hands down the skirt of her jumper, “I have to go.”

He frowned. He had just told this woman more than he’d ever told anyone, and she was leaving.

“We haven’t resolved this,” he said.

“I’ve told you already, I can’t do this.”

“Jo.” He started to reach out for her, but she shifted out of his grasp.

“No,” she said to him. “No.”

She was clearly upset, but he didn’t know why. Out of instinct, he poised on the edge of her brain, ready to jump in, tired of not having a clue what motivated this woman. But he stopped.

He told her he wouldn’t hurt her.

He rose from his stool and followed her, catching her arm in just a few steps.

“Jo, I think you are making a mistake. I think we have something pretty special starting here.”

Jo stared at him, the heartbroken look she’d seen so many times darkening her eyes to nearly black in the dimly lit room.

“Maksim, I just can’t.”

She extricated her arm from his hold and turned to walk down the length of the room. Maksim watched her, having no idea what to do or say to make her stop. To change her mind.

He didn’t want to hurt her. But letting this all go wasn’t an option. Without further thought, he jumped. He jumped right inside her mind.

Jo hesitated at the doorway into the stairwell. She gripped for the doorframe, overcome by a fullness in her head, like her brain was chock-full. She remained still unwilling to move, not because her head ached. It didn’t hurt, exactly—it just felt heavy and she couldn’t seem to think clearly. Thoughts came, but not in any consistent order.

She blinked. Then blinked again. Gradually the feeling dissipated. She had no idea how long it had taken for the strange episode to pass, but she was relieved that her thoughts seemed to be coming back to order. Her head felt normal, no longer crowded.

Using the wall for balance, even though she didn’t think she wasn’t going to pass out or anything, she entered the stairwell and started down the stairs.

Green neon light bathed the concrete steps, bright enough to make it easy to see, green enough to make it just a little disorienting.

She clutched the handrail, keeping her gaze focused on the steps. Three steps down, something ahead of her shifted, moving into her downcast line of sight.

She moved closer to the wall, offering the approaching person room to pass her. But the person stopped a few steps below hers.

When she looked up to politely acknowledge the person, she didn’t get out a smile or a courteous comment. Instead her mind blanked, her eyes fastened on the individual in front of her. Her mouth gaping wide in shock. No sound, no breath escaping her seized lungs.

No, it couldn’t be. Not here. But it was her. Long dark hair, wet and clumped together. Large eyes that Jo knew were was dark as her own. Thin, pale arms and legs bare and glistening with a faint sheen of water. This wasn’t just a flashing impression, a snapshot of an image. She was there—right in front of Jo.

“Kara?”

The name escaped Jo’s lips as her vision narrowed, rapidly fading to black. Only the faint sound of someone crying out her name reached her, before all light, all comprehension disappeared.

Maksim stood at the top of the stairs, when he saw Jo come to a sudden halt. Her hand clutched the railing, her knuckles gleaming white even in the pale green light of the neon beer signs.

He started down the stairs, realizing something was wrong and just as he would have grabbed her, she crumpled.

“Jo!”

He tried to catch her, his fingers brushing the back of her dress as she lurched forward, escaping his hold. Maksim watched helpless, sick, as if in slow motion she rolled down the stairs and hit the wall below, ending up in a crumpled heap at the base of the stairwell. She didn’t move.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he reached her side, kneeling. He started to scoop his arms under her, his first instinct to pick her up, to protect her. But some logic surfaced through his panic.

What if she’d broken her neck, her back? He rose, shoving a hand into his pocket, finding his phone. He dialed 911.

“There’s been an accident,” he said as calmly as he could to the voice on the other end of the phone.

He answered the subsequent question as he returned to her side, gently touching her face, her hair. She was warm. She was breathing. That had to be good, right?

Once he was certain the medics were on the way, he rose again and stood in the doorway, scanning the bar until he spotted Erika swaying by the stage, watching Vittorio.

Maksim waved. He made several attempts before he caught her attention, but once she saw him, deep concern marred her features and she hurried toward him.

“Jo fell,” he said simply when she got to him. He moved aside to reveal Jo’s prone body to her friend.

Erika cried out, shocked and clearly scared.

Damn, he was scared, Maksim realized. Terrified.

Erika dropped down beside her, touched her face and hair in the same searching way he’d just done. She turned to glare up at him.

“What did you do to her?”

He gaped at Erika, stunned that she was blaming him, then his breath left him as he realized she was right. This was his fault. He didn’t physically push her down the stairs, but he’d created the reaction that did.

He’d jumped in her head, and whatever had happened to Jo was a direct result of his selfish action.

Erika didn’t wait for him to answer. She jumped up. “We need to call an ambulance.”

“I called 911.”

“Okay.” She looked back at Jo, clearly debating something. “You wait here,” she finally said, although leaving him alone with her definitely wasn’t her first choice. “I’m going to get the others.”

She narrowed a warning glance at him, and he nearly told her he would never do anything to hurt this woman, but stopped himself. He’d just made that vow to Jo directly, and look at her now.

Oh, God, look at her.

So he only nodded.

Erika dashed away, and soon Maggie, Vittorio, and Ren were all there, all checking Jo. All talking in low, concerned voices.

All looking at him accusingly.

And he couldn’t say anything in his own defense. So he left them with her and walked outside the bar to see if the paramedics had arrived.

In the distance, Maksim heard a siren and within minutes, even with the pedestrian-laden streets, an ambulance managed to weave its way through the crowds.

“She’s this way,” Maksim said, approaching the EMTs before they could even jump out of the vehicle.

Sprinting back to the stairwell, Maksim called out for the friends to step aside. They did so, only resenting his order for a moment.

Maksim then watched helplessly as the EMTs did their jobs, immobilizing Jo’s neck, checking her briefly for broken bones, then carefully sliding her onto an AZ backboard—stabilizing her neck.

Two of the men lifted her, their movements fast but steady. Maksim followed right behind as they wheeled her out to the street.

“I’m riding with her,” Maksim said as they lifted her into the ambulance.

“No,” Erika appeared at his side, addressing the medics, “we’re going to ride with her.” She gestured to Maggie, who looked even paler than a lampir normally did.

“I only have room for one of you,” a medic with tree-trunk-sized arms and a barrel chest said, giving them an impatient look.

Maksim turned to the two friends. “Please. Let me go with her. Please.”

Erika looked as if she was going to argue, then Maggie touched her arm. “Let him. Jo needs to get to the hospital now. We’ll meet them there.”

Erika still looked like she wanted to disagree, but she nodded, knowing Jo might not have time to wait while they bickered.

Maksim hopped up into the ambulance taking a seat beside Jo. Another EMT, a woman, who now took Jo’s blood pressure and other vitals.

Carefully, Maksim took Jo’s hand, again pleased that her fingers were warm, but amazed at how fragile they felt against his palm.

“You are going to be okay,” he murmured to her, pressing those delicate fingers against the side of his face.

God, he prayed she would be okay.