Good Intentions (The Road to Hell Series, Book 1) (20 page)

River

The flames from the fire reflected and leapt in his eyes when he looked over my shoulder. I was going to need a fire extinguisher if my cheeks burned any hotter. I had no idea what to say or do as he remained focused on what was going on behind me before looking at me again. Had he been on his way to join them?

Before I could decide between sprinting all the way back to the tent or melting into the ground, he clasped hold of my shoulder and turned away from the fire. For the first time, I realized he was wearing clothes. Did that mean he hadn’t been a part of what I could only consider some kind of orgy?

The profound relief filling me caused my knees to shake. He wasn’t mine, never could be, but I didn’t want him to be anyone else’s either. Then I recalled the woman from the cafeteria earlier; he already had been someone else’s, most likely
thousands
of someone else’s given his lifespan.

“I told you not to leave the tent alone at night.” His tone was far gruffer than normal.

His body vibrated with a different energy as he moved me down the hill toward the tent. Daring to glance up at him from under my lashes, I noticed the sweat beading across his brow and the firm set of his jaw. His head turned toward me, and a black eyebrow rose when he found my eyes on him.

I looked away hastily before responding, “I had to go to the bathroom.”

“The house is in the complete opposite direction.”

I couldn’t deny the truth.

His hand squeezed my shoulder. “It’s not safe for you to wander outside alone. You shouldn’t have disobeyed me, and you shouldn’t have gone near the fire.”

Yep, bring on the fire extinguisher. Maybe, just
maybe
, I could have gotten over him catching me gawking like an idiot if he had
never
mentioned it, but I should have known better. “I was curious,” I muttered.

He released a derisive snort. Stopping abruptly, he drew me back with him. Over his shoulder, I saw the distant flames leaping into the sky. I was still curious about what was going on there, about what it would be like… with
him
. My pulse raced as a throbbing ache spread between my legs.

“And did you have your curiosity answered?” he inquired.

“I, uh… I, ah… I guess,” I managed to stammer out.

“You guess? What did you expect to find?”

“I don’t know. What they were, ah… doing, do they do it often?”

“Every night.” My jaw fell faster than an apple from a tree. He folded his arms over his chest as he leaned back on his heels to survey me from head to toe. “Why is that so shocking to you?”

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” I murmured. “I didn’t know…”

“Didn’t know what?” he inquired when I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth.

I couldn’t stop my gaze from running over him. It lingered on his full mouth before traveling over his broad shoulders, tapered waist, and finally settling on the enticing bulge in the front of his pants. I bit my bottom lip and tore my attention away from it to look at anything other than him.

“Didn’t know
what
, River?”

The gravelly tone of his voice did funny things to my insides. “They looked like they were enjoying themselves.”

“Oh, they were.” The purr of his voice drew my attention back to him. “It is
extremely
pleasurable with a demon. We’re known for our stamina and… size.”

A shiver raced down my spine. The goose bumps breaking out on my flesh had nothing to do with the air blowing over my dampened hair and skin. I rubbed my arms, but found the sensation only made my body feel more alive.

When I looked at him again, I found his gaze latched onto the front of my shirt. Glancing down, I realized my nipples stood out against the thin material. I hadn’t bothered to put a bra on before going to use the bathroom, so they were now clearly visible for him to see.

I folded my arms hastily over my chest to cover them. When his eyes lifted to mine again, they were that striking gold color I’d seen only once before. My heart felt like it would explode out of my chest. It might actually latch itself onto him if it did, I realized in disgust—everything in me wanted to latch onto him.

“They do that willingly?” I croaked out.

“Didn’t they look willing?”

“Well, yeah,” I hedged, “I’ve never seen humans act like that before.”

A smile curved his mouth; it was anything but kind. “There are many things you’ve never seen humans do that they do often. You expected it of my kind though.”

“I don’t know what to expect of your kind,” I admitted.

“We take pleasure where we can find it, much like humans, except we have none of the reservations about it your species does. And we have
many
needs we satisfy as often as we can and with whomever is willing.”

“Why aren’t you at the fire with them?” I managed to get out past the lump in my throat.

“Because I don’t wish to be.”

“But you have been?”

“Many times.”

“And with many women.”

It wasn’t a question, but he replied anyway, “Yes.”

I couldn’t stop myself from wincing when the image of that woman from earlier, with her head in between
his
legs, blazed into my mind. A red-hot poker of jealousy pierced my chest. Just once it would be nice if he pulled some punches, but the only thing he ever held back on were things concerning and affecting
my
life.

Ugh, I hated them all, I decided.

“And now I have to watch over you,” he continued.

Nope, I simply hated
him
.

“I don’t need
any
one to watch over me,” I grated out. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m able to defend myself better than any other human here. So don’t use me as your excuse. Go, have fun.”

I spun on my heel to return to the tent, but his hand snaked out and his fingers enclosed around my wrist, jerking me back around to face him. I didn’t have time to protest before he pulled my body flush against his. My breath rushed out of me; my body reacted as if it were hit by an electrical bolt.

A blast of power rushed from him and into me. I moaned, and my head tilted back as I instinctively sought to get closer. I didn’t know if it was his desire causing such a rush, or if he’d let some of his defenses against me down, but I’d never felt this flood of energy from him before.

Rising onto my toes, I gasped when the movement brought the bulge between his legs into contact with the yearning, sensitive area between my thighs. I didn’t know what possessed me to do it, but I rubbed against him, crying out when the motion caused pleasure to scorch through my body.

I felt crazed and out of control for him as I ground against him again and again. The whole time, he watched me from those amber eyes, his body unmoving as his erection swelled further.

Breath heaving, I gradually regained control of myself as the initial rush ebbed. The pulse of his power continued to beat against me, but I could handle it now without feeling as if I were going to crawl all over him and tear his clothes off. However, my fingers still itched to shred his shirt from him, to run my tongue over his body, and taste his fire-scented flesh.

He leaned over me, inhaling deeply and causing a fresh firestorm to go through my body when his eyes blazed brighter than the sun on an August afternoon. His head turned into mine, his nose pressing against my ear as he inhaled again. I was afraid if I moved even a centimeter, I would somehow ruin the moment or break the spell.

Then his fingers released my wrist and slid up my arm. I barely perceived his touch on me, yet my skin felt seared by his caress. His hand cupped my cheek within his palm and lifted my head toward his. My eyes fell to those enticing lips I’d craved to feel against me for so long now. I held my breath as I waited for something, anything.

He remained unmoving, seemingly torn as he stood against me. Just when I was about to yell at him to end my torment, he bent his head and his mouth claimed mine. I’d thought the original wash of power had been jolting, now I nearly screamed as his mouth slid hotly over mine and something surged up between us.

A dim crackling noise barely penetrated the haze of passion consuming me. When his tongue traced against my lips, my knees gave out. His hands on my waist kept me standing when his tongue brushed over my mouth once more. On a sigh, I parted my lips to his.

His tongue slid into my mouth, tasting me in deep, penetrating waves that stoked the fire within me higher. I’d never been kissed with such hunger and reverence before. He branded me with every thrust of his tongue against mine. I couldn’t breathe, but it didn’t matter as our breath mingled together until I couldn’t tell if it was his air or mine I inhaled.

He easily plucked me off the ground. I could sometimes set things on fire and see my opponent’s future moves, but when he held me, I felt incredibly small and fragile. I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. Some of the pressure in my chest eased when I rubbed my aching breasts against his solid pecs and broad chest.

The low rumble he emitted vibrated his chest and caused my nails to dig into his nape. The heat of his body and the thrusting motions of his tongue made the wetness between my legs spread. Lifting myself, I slid my aching center back down over the bulge pressing against me. My body bucked in reaction to the delicious sensation the movement caused.

His hands clenched on my waist. “Fuck,” he groaned against my lips when he lifted me up and slid me down him again.

Feeling as if I was rapidly spiraling out of control, my tongue slid over his lengthening, bottom two fangs before running over the top two. Like the hard length of him I could feel swelling in his pants, his fangs grew longer the more aroused he became. They didn’t scare me as they probably should have; instead, they fascinated me as they grew against my questing tongue.

His grip became almost bruising as his body shuddered. I was so awash in the overwhelming sensation the friction of my body sliding over his caused that I didn’t realize he was striding across the earth while carrying me until I heard the flap on the tent pulling back.

Too fast, this is happening too fast
.
Remember his attitude about sex.

However, my damn traitorous body told that sane, still somewhat logical part of my brain to
shut
up
. I had to admit I much preferred my body’s instincts on this one. Kobal never broke our kiss when he ducked beneath the flap.

His hands slid under my shirt, burning into my skin when they flattened against the small of my back. I was lost to the sensation of his strong, calloused palms running over my flesh to settle against my ribcage before he lifted me off his waist. My eyes opened to find his startling amber ones burning down at me.

The image of that woman in the cafeteria blazed back across my mind. Had he looked at her like this too? A cry escaped me, but it had nothing to do with the fervor shooting through my system and everything to do with the idea of him with someone else. I jerked my hands away from him and stepped out of his hold.

Now that the contact with him had been broken, reality returned, and reality told me nothing good could ever come of the two of us. I would only end up with a broken heart, and he would end up with different and numerous women sometime in the near future.

“I can’t.” I took another step away from him.

“River,” he growled, coming toward me.

“No, I can’t. I’m not enough for you. I can’t be. I’m not one of those women at the fire. What you need isn’t what I can give you.”

I took another step away and held up my hands to ward him off. He wasn’t at all deterred by my words or my next step away from him as he took another one toward me. “You can give me exactly what I need.”

“Oh, God,” I panted and moved further away.

A sardonic smile curved his mouth. “God most certainly isn’t here. Something you should be grateful for, considering what I anticipate doing to you. And all of it will be wickedly sinful.”

My eyes widened at his words. I wanted to scream at him that I wouldn’t be used for sex, that I wouldn’t be willing to share him with anyone else, but I bit the words back. I would only be leaving myself vulnerable if I said those words to him.

He would leave if I told him to. He may be a demon, he may be horny and rock hard, but he wouldn’t force me. I knew that and I couldn’t reveal to him how much I was coming to care for him. Not when he was willing to ease his needs whenever and with
who
ever he could.

He snatched hold of my palms and held them before him. Whatever argument I’d been about to unleash died away when golden-white sparks flickered over the tips of my fingers. The sparks crackled between us, firing like the sparklers I’d played with once as a child, before all Hell literally broke loose.

I’d seen the strange electrical currents dance over my fingers briefly before, but never this vividly or strongly, and I’d never experienced the surge of power that I felt from them now.