Rhyannon Byrd - Primal Instinct 04 (16 page)

A little groove formed between her brows. “What do you
mean?”

“I mean you were different before we went into the
restaurant. Now it’s like you’re all closed down.”

“There’s no great mystery, Aiden. I’m just…back to my
usual self.”

She might have sounded sincere, but he wasn’t buying
it. “Bullshit. This isn’t you.”

“Yesterday was a fairly big shock to my system,” she
murmured, “and I was obviously reacting to it. But I’m usually much better at
keeping myself even.”

“Even?”

She squinted up at him, the butter-yellow sunshine
doing mesmerizing things to her fiery hair, as if it were streaked with crimson
and gold. Aiden was fighting the urge to reach out and touch it, digging his
fingers into the silken mass, when she asked, “Have you ever been around a
Mallory witch before?”

He thought for a moment, then shook his head,
realizing the answer was no. He’d known some Reavess, and even some Bailey
witches, but never a Mallory. “Can’t say that I have.”

“Well, if you had,” she explained in that same odd
monotone that was really starting to get on his nerves, “then you’d
understand.”

Pushing one hand back through his hair, Aiden searched
his mind for anything he might have heard about the Mallory. “Because of their
curse, they affect emotions, right?”

Olivia nodded, her gaze sliding away again as she
said, “If I wanted to keep my sanity, I had to learn to keep myself on an even
keel. Any strong emotion gets blown out of proportion when you’re around a
Mallory witch.”

“Well, for what it’s worth,” he muttered, “I liked you
better the other way.”

Her gaze snapped back to his, and he couldn’t help but
welcome the flash of temper that flared in her eyes. “I’m human, Aiden.
Remember? You shouldn’t like me at all.”

It was his turn to break eye contact, and he shoved
his hands into his front pockets, not trusting the hunger itching beneath his
skin, pushing him to act on impulse and just take what he wanted. “I have good
reasons for the way I feel, Liv.”

“Honestly, what is it with you?” The low words were
flavored with anger and accusation. “I mean, I keep trying to figure out what
you’re after, but you’re making my head spin. One second you’re pushing, then
you’re pulling back. You’re flirting, then you’re running from the room. It’s
like a freaking roller coaster. What in God’s name do you want from me?”

A muscle ticked below his right eye, his muscles
coiling for action, though he refused to move. “I want more than you could ever
imagine,” he bit out, wondering if she had any idea how much it had cost him to
pull away from her last night. To give her the space that she’d needed. How
much it’d cost him not to lay himself down on her when she’d been lying in bed
that morning, all soft and warm and more tempting than any other woman he could
ever remember having beneath him. “And I want it a hell of a lot more than I
should.”

Her eyes were huge, the smoky violet burning with
heat, luminous and bright, like stained glass backlit by the sun. Her mouth
trembled with all the sharp emotion she’d been trying so hard to hold inside.
“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy or not,” he countered in a deep voice roughened
by need, crackling like a bed of autumn leaves, “it’s going to happen between
us.”

“It isn’t.”

“It is. You might as well stop fighting it.”

“It doesn’t make any sense for you to want me!” she
burst out, that smooth shell of control cracking even further. “I’m a sexually
repressed kindergarten teacher and you’re a womanizing tomcat! We’re completely
wrong for each other!”

“What the hell does that matter?” he shot back, his
own gnawing frustration getting the better of him. “God, Liv, it’s not like I
said I want you forever!”

IT’S NOT LIKE I SAID I want you forever….

Whoa. Jesus. Had he honestly just said that to a
woman? To Olivia?

Nice one, man. You might as well have gone ahead and
told her you want to fuck her a few times, then walk away, leaving her behind
with your buddies while you go off and find someone else to screw around with.

Popping his jaw, Aiden wished he could turn around and
kick his own ass for sounding like such a prick. At the same time he wondered
what it was about this woman that made him act like such a jackass. He hated
the way she reacted to the callous words, that beautiful heat in her eyes
quickly fading to something brittle and cold. Or maybe that was simply the bleakness
of his own emotional wasteland reflecting back at him. Either way, Aiden knew
he’d messed up, and he fought hard to undo the damage. “But there’s no doubt
that I want you, Liv.”

He’d left some significant parts of that statement
unspoken, but she’d heard them anyway.

“You mean you want me for sex.” A wry, crooked smile
played at the corner of her mouth. “And that’s supposed to be enough?”

He took a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “It
could be, if you let it.”

She shook her head, looking as if she was trying hard
to close down again. “Even if that was a sane idea, I’d be an absolute fool to
trust you.”

“For a relationship, yeah.” He pulled back his
shoulders, instinctively fighting against the guilt. God, it wasn’t as if she
was still going to want him around anyway, once she finally clued in to the
differences between them. Sooner or later she would come to think of him as an
animal—one who had been bought and used in the basest, vilest of ways—and then
those hot looks of lust would change, replaced by disgust. Or worse.

Yeah, it might be selfish, but Aiden knew he’d rather
not be around when it happened.

“But you could trust me for an affair.” He tried to
smile, but couldn’t really pull it off. “I’m great affair material, Liv.”

She started to laugh, but the sound was hollow, and
they both winced. “Affairs can be just as painful as relationships, Aiden. I
have no desire to be used and tossed aside.”

“You can’t be worried that I’ll use you, if you’re the
one using me.” He knew he sounded close to begging, but he couldn’t stop.
Couldn’t stand the thought of simply turning away from her, going back inside
the restaurant and finding some other woman to scratch the itch that she’d
started. What was the point, when he knew he’d walk away from whoever he chose
with this same raw, scraping need eating away at his gut, burning under his
skin?

No, the woman he wanted was standing right in front of
him, and in that moment he honestly didn’t give a damn that she was human.

He just wanted her.

“I’ll make you feel good, Liv. Seriously, this can be
all about you, if that’s the way you want to play it. Just me giving you
whatever you want, making you come like crazy, however many times you can take
it.” He finally allowed himself to move in, crowding her against the truck.
“Just…let me get close to you.”

“I can’t.” She wet her lips as she tilted her head
back, holding his stare. “It would be a mistake, and I need to focus on Jamie
right now. I can’t afford to get involved with you, even if it is just for
sex.”

“Sure you can.” Forcing an easy, boyish grin to his
lips, he shifted even closer, trapping her between his body and the truck. And
damn, but it felt good. Better than good. The intimate press of her lush
breasts against the wall of his chest, of her smaller body crushed against his
larger frame, was just about the best damn thing that he’d ever experienced.

“Take my word for it, Liv.” Lust gave a guttural edge
to his teasing tone. “I promise I’ll be cheap.”

She was still snuffling a soft burst of laughter under
her breath when Aiden lowered his head, pressing his mouth against the tender
side of her throat, his nose buried in the thick mass of her hair. The heady,
provocative taste of her skin sent a deep, pulsing burst of pleasure sliding up
his spine, curling around the backs of his ears, sharpening his breath. As he
braced his hands against the cold surface of the truck, caging her in, a low
growl vibrated in the back of his throat, the feel and scent and taste of her
burning through him like a blistering wave of heat. It seemed like some kind of
madness, how badly he wanted her, as if he’d been years without a woman, rather
than a mere matter of weeks. “You smell so good,” he groaned, his hands fisting
against the window in hard, tight knots. “Taste good. Feel good.”

For a moment her body remained rigid with tension and
remnants of anger, her breath panting and sharp against the soft sounds of the
morning. Her fingers danced along the bare skin of his arms, as if she wanted
to grab hold of him but was struggling to fight the temptation. Then she
trembled as he ran his tongue around the tender shell of her ear, nipping the
delicate lobe with his teeth, and the stiffness flowed out of her on a soft
groan, her head tilting to the side to give him better access as she whispered
his name.

“Don’t fight it.” The order was thick, husky…raw
hunger pouring through his veins in a heavy, visceral surge. Gripping her hip
with one hand, Aiden quickly shoved the other under her hair, his long fingers
holding her in place as he kissed his way across her jaw, until he found the
lush, petal-like softness of her mouth. The wind rushed against their bodies,
pulling at the long strands of their hair…whipping at their clothes as he ate
his way past those soft, strawberry-flavored lips, his tongue rubbing against
hers, urging her to kiss him back. Her taste melted through his body until he
could feel it all the way down in his bones, and he growled from the heady
sweetness, deepening the kiss.

“Aiden,” she cried breathlessly, her tender lips
moving against his, creating a slick, delicious friction, her nails digging
into his biceps. “We’re outside. In broad daylight. We could be seen.”

“I’ll hear anyone who comes back here. I promise I
won’t let anyone see us,” he choked out, the clipped, rough sound of his voice
proof that the predator in him was gaining the upper hand. Again he was caught
by how strange it was…the fact that he was actually getting off on kissing her.
In the grand scheme of things, it was such an innocent act compared to what he
usually did with women, and yet he couldn’t get enough of it.

Then again, there wasn’t anything all that innocent
about the way their mouths were sealed together, the kiss turning hotter, slicker…hungrier,
more devastating with each second that ticked by.

“Gotta touch you,” he growled, no longer sounding
human as he pushed his hand between her legs. He cupped her sex in a hard,
possessive hold, and even through her jeans he could feel her heat, the scent
of her need growing stronger, rich and warm and sweetly spiced. It made him
want to release his fangs and sink them into her shoulder, marking her…holding
her in his grip as he tore off her clothes, lifted her against the truck and
shoved himself into her with a hard, hammering, throw-your-head-back-and-scream
kind of drive.

“I can’t think,” she whispered, arching against him,
and Aiden could feel the rise of pleasure twisting through her, rushing for
release. “Aiden, I’m not sure I—”

“Just let me,” he groaned, shaking, his body
tight…slick with sweat. Warnings roared through his brain like shots from a
cannon, but he beat them back, shutting them out.

It’s okay. You can handle it. Just take what you need.

In the rational part of his mind, Aiden knew he was
only telling himself what he wanted to hear so that he could get her against
him. Get more of her taste in his mouth. He’d convince himself that she was as
harmless as any other woman, if it meant he could have more of this. He needed
it too badly. Needed her softness under his hands, that enticing scent filling
his head, sinking into his skin. Needed to take in the sumptuous, delicate
details and know firsthand just how she felt. How she tasted in all those
secret, intimate places.

And really, wasn’t he worrying for nothing? Keep his
emotions under control, and there wouldn’t be any danger. Just a physical,
carnal exchange of pleasure.

Except that his heart was pounding like a damn
jackhammer.

If you let her, she’ll betray you. You know how fickle
humans can be. How quickly they can turn on you. The words were whispered in
his mind, but they weren’t his beast’s. No, the animal wanted her just as badly
as Aiden did. This was his fear speaking, its chilling voice scratchy and thin,
like a hiss. She’ll cut you deeper than any blade ever could. Bleed you out
until there’s nothing left but meat and bones.

He didn’t need the internal lecture. He knew the kind
of threat she posed. But he didn’t give a damn. Before she could tell him no,
he flicked the top button on her jeans and shoved his hand inside the top of
her panties, not even bothering with the zipper. He swallowed her hoarse cry of
surprise with his mouth, thrusting deep with his tongue as he pushed his hand
deeper, past the soft hair on her mound, not stopping until he’d found the
smooth, moist flesh buried there between her quivering thighs. Until he’d
delved into that hot, humid paradise.

He gasped her name, forcing her legs farther apart
with his knee so that he could reach more of her, the tender folds of her sex
like warm, drenched silk as he spread her open, circling one blunt fingertip
around the delicate opening. “You’re melting for me,” he whispered against her
mouth, her breath panting and sweet as it pelted against his lips. “Like honey,
Liv. I bet you taste incredible.”