Killer Love (22 page)

“I know.” His eyes held hers. She saw sympathy in them and turned away. She couldn’t handle him looking at her that way. Couldn’t afford to weaken toward him anymore than she already had. They fell silent and suddenly a rush of wind howled, rattling the windows.

She jumped, then gave an embarrassed laugh. “Sorry, spooked me a little.” Beyond the window, night had fallen. The darkness was broken only by the glare of stark white snow coming down from the sky. She stood. “I’d better go before the weather gets really bad.”

“I think it’s already bad. Maybe you shouldn’t try to drive in it.”

Uncertainly, she glanced at the window, then back at Luke. How long would she have to stay before it was safe to go out? Was it safer out there than in here with this man?

Before, it had been easier to resist him. His attitude of mistrust toward her had been a buffer between them. But now, with that light of kindness in his eyes, the softening of his features and the way he knew exactly what to say...she found him more appealing than ever. And, this room was awfully small...

Indecision kept her immobile as she stood awkwardly in front of the chair. In the next moment, the room was plunged into total darkness.

Chapter Fourteen

Unable to prevent it, she let out a scream. “What happened?” The words trembled out of her throat. “Dear God, what’s going on?”

“Don’t worry, probably just a power outage.” His voice came out of the blackness. “Are you okay?”

“How long will it be out? Can’t they do something about it?”

“Hold on, I’ll call the front desk.”

She couldn’t see him but she could hear him as he felt his way to the phone. Her entire body shook and her throat closed. She parted her lips, taking deep breaths through her nose and mouth.

After a short conversation, she heard him replace the receiver.

“It’s a power outage and the backup generator failed. They’re hoping to have it back on in a few hours.”

“
A few hours
?” She noticed the panic in her voice but couldn’t control it. She knew she was getting ready to totally freak out. She didn’t want to do that in front of Luke but she couldn’t stop. “I can’t wait a few hours. I can’t do this...”

“Hey, hey, don’t worry.” She sensed him move toward her in the darkness. Then his hands were on her arms, sliding down to take her cold fingers in his. “It’s going to be okay. I’m right here. Nothing can happen to you.”

She nodded but knew he couldn’t see her. He lowered her beside him on the bed, briskly rubbing her hands between his.

“I’m sorry.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. It was all she could manage with the block of fear sitting at the base of her throat. “I’ve just never seen dark this dark before.”

“Why are you afraid of the dark?”

She hesitated. “Just an experience from my childhood.”

“It might help to talk about it.”

Tell Luke about her mother? She’d never told anyone except Melanie. Not even Bryce knew, other than the few details that had slipped out when she’d been in the grip of a nightmare. “I can’t.”

“Okay. But if you want to, I’m here. And obviously we’ve got some free time on our hands. Not much else to do but talk, right? Unless...” He ended with an unmistakable leer in his voice.

She laughed. His teasing tone soothed her. She knew then that she could tell him. She
wanted
to tell him. She began slowly at first, then the words flooded out.

“When I was small, my mother had a nasty temper. My Dad was gone all the time. Like I told you, he was a cop. His job meant more to him than anything and he left me with her all the time, even knowing what would happen. Her favorite way to punish me was to lock me in a closet. It was so
dark
.”

She trembled and felt his arms go around her. He pulled her against the strength of his body and silently waited for her to continue.

“I thought there were bugs crawling on me,” she whispered. “That they were going to eat me. I thought a monster was going to suddenly materialize from the walls of the closet and take me away. She would leave me there for hours at a time. I kept waiting for my daddy to save me but he never did.”

“God.” His hands rubbed up and down her arms. Her body began to relax, the block in her throat slowly melted.

“I never knew what would set her off. I tried so hard to be good but there was no way I could be good enough. No matter what, I managed to make her mad.”

“It’s no wonder you’re scared of the dark.” His voice held sympathy but not the pity and aversion she’d expected. She was glad she told him.

The air in the room was chilly. The heat had stopped working with the lights, but where her body touched his was warmth. Sweet, safe warmth. It felt so good, so right. Her heart slowed to a steady rhythm. For the first time in her life, she felt almost safe in the dark.

“I shouldn’t have told you all that. I’m sorry I panicked. You must think I’m such a coward.”

“No.” His voice was husky. “That’s not what I think of you.”

Silence settled between them, unbroken only by the snow falling against the window and the sound of their breathing.

His touch slowed, burning over her back, her arms, becoming more a caress than comfort. Desire shimmered over her skin, settling low in her belly. She swallowed loudly, and closed her eyes.

“Feeling better?” He asked thickly.

“Mmmmhmmm.” She nodded and felt her hair brush against his face.

“Ah, hell.” He sighed a groan and his hand slipped to the nape of her neck, his fingers gently rubbing her scalp below her hairline. “You know what’s going to happen if we don’t stop this, right?”

She knew what was going to happen. Knew it shouldn’t but her body disagreed. Her body screamed for him to touch even more of her. “You know what scares me almost as much as the dark?”

“What?”

“If I died right now, Bryce would be the last person I had sex with. The last man that touched me. I can’t stand that thought.”

Her heart slowed as she waited...for what? She’d just invited him to make love to her. But of the two of them, she was certain he was the one most in control...the one that wouldn’t cross the line.

She was wrong.

She heard the surrender in his groan just before he tangled a hand in her hair and like a heat-seeking missile, his mouth found hers. He kissed her deeply, a melding of teeth, lips and tongue.

At the same time, his hands roamed down her sides to the edges of her shirt. They slipped beneath material and touched her bare skin. Breath hitched in her throat and she moaned, turning toward him.

He planted small kisses along her jaw line. His teeth caught her lower lip and gently tugged. She gripped his shoulders and pulled him to her, pressed her mouth against his, slipping her tongue inside, wanting more of him. Now.

Her fingers found the buttons of his shirt and she undid them, then skated her hands over his chest. The feel of his crisp hairs beneath her fingers sent a lightning bolt of hunger between her thighs.

He pulled his mouth from hers. She could feel him looking at her even though she couldn’t see him.

“Damn. I didn’t mean for this to...if you want me to stop...”

Somehow, the cloak of darkness made what they were doing okay. It didn’t matter, anyway. She was beyond the point of reason. Her body cried out for his. “Please, no, I don’t want you to...don’t stop.” She choked out the words.

He jerked her shirt over her head and the cool air slammed against her flesh. When he grazed his hand across her breast through her bra, she no longer felt the cold. In its place was a yearning, a hot aching need that consumed her.

He lowered her to the bed. His hands roved over her shoulders, arms, hips, creating electricity in her nerve-endings everywhere they touched. His callused fingers brushed over her belly, just below her navel and she gasped with pleasure.

“You’re skin is so soft,” he whispered. He kissed her shoulders, then his lips were on her throat.

She froze. Her hand flew to her neck, protecting the scar from his exploration. His hand covered hers and he linked their fingers together, dragging hers away. “You’re beautiful.
All
of you.”

She tensed as his lips moved over the scar, tenderly and without the slightest hesitation. She felt tears at the back of her throat.

Damn him for touching her in the only place that was forbidden. Her heart.

His mouth left her neck and found her nipple, sucking gently through the thin material of her bra.

“Yes,” she whispered, arching against him. His fingers slipped behind her and unsnapped her bra, moving it out of his way. Then his tongue was on the skin of her breasts, sliding along the sides, quickly flicking across the nipple, then back to the sides, back to her nipples, over and over again.

“Please,” she whimpered. His hands moved to the button of her jeans. He couldn’t get them unfastened so she helped. In moments, they were off.

She heard him undressing, then felt his bare skin against hers as he pulled her close. He kissed her again, devouring her mouth while his hands continued to explore her flesh.

Unable to see him, not knowing where he would touch her next gave the moment an added edge, a disembodied thrill that spiraled her desire out of control. His hand cupped her over her panties, moving back and forth across her wet heat. Her hips came off the bed, pushing against his hand, craving so much more...

His mouth found her breast again and he took it in with his tongue, warm and hot, sucking, licking, driving her mad with need. His whiskers abraded the soft flesh of her breasts as his mouth traveled over her, creating a sizzling trail of fire.

She reached down and felt him, smooth and hard against her hand. “God...” His harsh groan reverberated over her flesh. He hooked a finger in her panties and tugged them off. His fingers slipped inside her, his thumb pressing against her center, stroking and kneading until she felt the first waves of release move through her.

“Oh, yes.” Her entire body shook with the force of her orgasm. Her skin was like a living thing, aching, burning and pulsing from the tremors moving through her.

When the last of the quaking was over, she slid against him, smoothing her lips over his shoulders and chest, flicking her tongue along his skin.

His scent filled her nostrils, and she breathed deeply, reveling in the masculine feel and taste of him. She sensed him shift until he was over her. She held onto his biceps, feeling his muscles bunch and contract beneath her fingers.

Then he was inside her, moving slowly, filling her with his warmth. She wrapped her legs around his back and arched to meet him. He moved more quickly, rocking his hips back and forth against her.

“I want you to come again,” he groaned.

“Yes.” Was all she could manage as the force built once more. Flames shot through her veins. A long shudder racked his body and his lips grabbed hers, kissing her deep and long while the explosion shook them both. The moment lasted forever, yet at the same time was over much too soon.

He relaxed against her, smoothed the hair from her face and kissed her forehead, tightening his arms around her. No longer distracted by passion, she became aware of the cold. The room was like a freezer, biting fiercely into her skin. Luke pulled the covers over them. She lay against him, listening to the thump of his heart against her ear. His chest rose and fell with long, steady breaths.

Now that she was sated, reality reared its ugly head. The dark couldn’t totally erase what had happened. It was bad enough that she had given in to her desires, that she had made love to a man she wasn’t sure she could trust. The horrible, dreadful truth was that he’d made her feel more than just passion. Something stronger than lust had invaded her body. She couldn’t afford to feel that way about Luke. Couldn’t afford to feel that way about anyone.

Loving someone made you their victim. And she’d sworn a solemn vow to herself that never again would she be a victim.

****

Luke hovered somewhere between awareness and oblivion. He’d never felt so completely satisfied. He’d never in his life experienced what he’d just experienced with Jade. Her every touch had been a shock to his system. A welcome and bone shattering shock. Sliding into her silky warmth had been like coming home. Like being where he was supposed to be. Where he never wanted to leave.

She felt so soft against him now. Her body conformed to his in all the right places. Just thinking about what had happened between them, feeling her soft breath on his skin...he felt a stirring once more and knew he could take her again, right now.

His tantalizing thoughts were shattered when she abruptly scooted away from him to the edge of the bed.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“Getting dressed.” Tension permeated her tone. “Dammit.”

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find my clothes.”

“You going somewhere?”

“It’s cold so I want to get dressed and yes, I need to go home.” Her voice was clipped, almost as cold as the air in the room.

He didn’t point out that they’d both been plenty warm sharing body heat beneath the blankets. Apparently, the party was over. His growing erection began to fade. He swung his legs off the bed and felt for their clothing. He identified hers and tossed them to her.

“Thanks,” she muttered.

“No problem.”

They dressed in silence. He heard her move around in the darkness, then a thump.

“Shit.”

She’d obviously bumped into something in her hurry to flee. To hell with her. They were mature adults and they’d had sex. No big deal yet she was acting like it was the end of the world.

“The weather hasn’t improved and the power is still out. You might as well relax and wait until at least the lights come back on.”

“I can manage. I need to go.”

“Look, I’m not going to bite you or rape you or anything like that. I’m sorry about what happened since you’re obviously pissed about it but I can guarantee you it won’t happen again.”

He wasn’t sorry and he couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. But he knew it had been a mistake. He’d been obsessing enough about Jade before he’d made love to her. Now that he’d had her...well, he didn’t think it was going to be easy to let her go.