Ethan wanted all she had, all she was. But not like this, not out of desperation. He wanted Kayla to give herself to him freely.
4
Kayla gasped as Ethan’s mouth closed around her in the most intimate of ways, intense pleasure spreading through her limbs. He suckled her nub and she cried out, one hand on the wall, bracing herself, the other in his thick, dark hair.
She was so in tune to Ethan’s arousal, to his pleasure, she’d even had an orgasm with Ethan in her mouth. His pleasure had become hers. She could feel everything he did with more intensity than she’d ever felt anything in her life.
Her breathing grew faster as he licked and teased with tantalizing perfection. She could hear herself moaning, hear her soft sobs, and in a far corner of her mind, she knew this was wrong, knew she shouldn’t be with Ethan. But somehow she couldn’t be sorry. This was the fantasy she’d wished for come to life.
All thoughts turned to sensation as Ethan’s tongue worked her sensitive flesh, thrusting in and out, making love to her with his lips, teeth, tongue. Kayla moved with his rhythm, arching her back to give him better access, to feel more. She couldn’t get enough, couldn’t stop wanting and needing. His fingers worked her nub even as his tongue worked in time with her hips.
Without warning—no build up, no hint of imminent release—Kayla shattered, shuddering with the spasms of orgasm. Ethan’s tongue slowed, caressing her where it had once stroked, easing her to near completion.
But he didn’t allow her to come all the way down. Already, Ethan was on his feet, turning her to face him. “Focus on me, Kayla. Clear your mind and thoughts and focus on nothing but me. Breathe with me.” He inhaled and she did as he said, drawing a breath and letting it out when he let his out, reaching for his mind and finding it remarkably calming. They did this over and over. “Are you with me?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes. Yes, I think so.”
“Good.” He smiled. “Let’s get dressed and get out of here.”
In silence, they went to work dressing. As she reached for her panties, she remembered Ethan ripping them and heat rushed over her. She threw them aside and inhaled, refocusing on Ethan, clearing her mind, trying to block out the seductive beat of the music beyond the curtain.
By the time Ethan grabbed her hand and pulled her close, she was beyond ready for escape. He was right. She needed out of there.
His palms went to her cheeks; his eyes stared into hers. “Remember. Focus on me. Ignore everything and everyone else. You’re strong. You can do this.”
She nodded. He was right. She was strong. “But go now,” Kayla whispered. “Please. Go now.”
He didn’t question her demand, taking her hand in his again and moving forward, shoving aside the curtain. Kayla didn’t look at the stage, didn’t look at anything but the floor. They passed two more velvet curtains, and she forced blackness into her mind, refusing to consider what might be happening in those private rooms.
They turned down a narrow hallway and pushed through a door. Kayla looked up in time to see PRIVATE on its surface. Two steps into the room, they came to an abrupt halt as a dark-haired male vampire stepped in their path.
Kayla refused to look down, to cower like some weak female who couldn’t handle herself on her own. Besides, thanks to the strength and calmness Ethan was feeding her, she was feeling at least a little better.
She leveled her gaze just in time to see the stranger’s eyes rake her body.
“Who do we have here?” he asked, his attention fixed on Kayla.
Ethan didn’t move, didn’t speak, but Kayla felt the stir of anger and possessiveness in him. And she knew trusting him had been the right move. There was no way anyone would touch her with Ethan on guard.
“She’s no one of your concern,” Ethan replied, his tone sharp. “Why are you still here, anyway, Jac?”
Kayla studied the man as he focused on Ethan, reaching for his intentions toward his boss, but finding nothing useful. Everything was still too foggy, too clouded by the ache in her limbs, for her to be certain of this man’s intentions. Damn it. He could be the one, but she couldn’t be sure.
Jac gave Kayla another once over. “I was just leaving,” he said.
“That’s not an answer,” Ethan countered. “Why are you still here in the first place?”
With each passing second, Kayla felt clarity in her thinking. She watched as Jac’s jaw tightened, feeling the anger beneath his surface, tucked away but not hidden. “I had to pick up one of the girls,” he explained. “She wouldn’t come in without an escort. I’m leaving now.”
Kayla kept her attention on Jac, but she was in tune with Ethan, his distrust reaching out to her like a breath of air.
“See that you do,” Ethan ordered, his tone clipped. “I expect there’s much to attend to at Night Sins.”
Jac gave Ethan a slow nod. “I’m on it,” he said, turning on his heels and walking away.
Ethan eyed Kayla, as if checking to ensure she was okay. Seemingly satisfied with what he found, he started forward, following in Jac’s footsteps, his hand still wrapped protectively around Kayla’s as they exited the club.
As they pushed through the heavy steel door, stepping into the darkness of night, a covered driveway greeted them. Just beyond, a steady rain pounded the pavement, rain that seemed to wash away the haze of Kayla’s drugged mind and body. Relief flooded Kayla, inside and out.
Ethan murmured something to the doorman before turning to face her, positioning his body to block her from anyone’s view. Kayla had the distinct impression he was sheltering her, still in protective mode. She warmed inside with this realization.
He studied her intently. “Better?”
A smile touched her lips. “Thanks to you, yes. Not myself quite yet, but getting there.” Something was bothering her, though. “That man in the hallway—”
“Jac Martine. My Head of Security.”
He’d certainly be in a position to hurt Ethan if he wanted to. “You don’t trust him,” she stated.
“I used to or he wouldn’t be in the position he is now.”
“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t trust him.”
His gaze sharpened. “Are you saying he’s my leak?”
“I wasn’t myself enough to be one hundred percent sure, but what I got off him wasn’t good.” She pictured Jac and felt darkness. “No,” she said. “Don’t trust him.”
He turned his head and looked out into the rain. “There’s something you should know.” He hesitated, and Kayla could feel guilt and pain eating him up before he added, “All of the women who’ve been murdered . . . they were all once my lovers.”
Oh my God. “They’ve made it personal.”
He gave a sharp nod. “If I leave, they’ll claim the city. If I stay, they’ll hurt anyone close to me.” His gaze lifted, shifting to the rain, his jaw tense. Several seconds passed before he turned his attention back to her. “Only a few people would know who’d been to my bed.”
“Jac,” Kayla said, feeling sick as she realized the implications of what she was being told. “He gave the Brothers a list.”
“Seems that way,” Ethan agreed.
“Why?” she asked. “Why would he do such a thing? Does he have something against you?”
“Not that I know of. And believe me, I’ve tried like hell to figure it all out. It could be simple greed. I’m sure they’ve promised him plenty in return for his actions.”
A sleek black Porsche 911 pulled up beside them. Ethan turned and opened the passenger door for Kayla. She eyed him, his dark hair wild from her fingers, his expensive black pants and shirt tailored to accent his tall, broad frame. He had a quiet danger to him, a sleek perfection, much like the expensive car he stood beside.
Kayla stepped forward, sliding into the passenger seat, allowing Ethan to shut her inside. She stared out into the rain, hearing thunder sound in the distance. For a moment, she forgot the challenges facing her, forgot the Brothers. Instead, she thought ab
out what had happened between her and Ethan. The intimate way they’d shared each other’s bodies. And she felt no regret. She should, of course. But she didn’t.
A second later, Ethan settled into the driver’s seat, his spicy scent insinuating itself into her senses the way it always did. She was returning to normal, but that didn’t stop her reactions to Ethan. He always got to her.
Alone in the small, silent car, the stormy night closed in around them, rain pinging the windows with a seduction song. Ethan could have driven away but he didn’t. The things they had done together filled the air, a taboo that had to be dealt with.
At the same moment, they turned to each other. “Kayla—”
“Ethan—”
They laughed and Kayla spoke again. “Thank you, Ethan.”
One dark brow arched. He didn’t question what she referenced. “Considering the pleasure involved, I hardly think you need to thank me.”
“Yes,” she said, meaning it. “I do. You could have . . .” Her lashes lowered as she considered her choice of words. Every option seemed crass or overly familiar.
His voice was low, seductive. “Made love to you all night?”
That he spoke of making love registered instantly in her mind. Yet, she could feel he was still in protective mode, despite the fact she no longer needed it. His words could simply be part of the role he was still playing.
“Yes,” she said. “Exactly.” Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Why didn’t you?”
“Don’t think I didn’t want to,” he said, reaching for her hand and brushing his lips across her knuckles. “When I make love to you fully, Kayla—and I will—it won’t be in a moment of drugged lust. It will be in a moment of truth.”
Kayla felt her stomach tighten, felt her insides warm. Not with the drugged lust he mentioned, but with something else, something more alluring and sensual, something enticing.
Tasting temptation had simply fed a desire for more.
5
For several minutes, Kayla and Ethan rode in silence. With effort, Kayla pushed aside her feelings for Ethan and focused on business. She had no time for sex and sins. Her world was about saving lives and protecting innocents.
And though she was eager to get home to her computer, knowing the Council could well have sent her reports to investigate, her mind raced with the implications of all Ethan had shared about the Brothers.
“Maybe what happened tonight is a good thing,” she mused out loud.
Ethan glanced in her direction and then looked back at the road. “I didn’t know we questioned how good it was.”
She smiled and shook her head. She wasn’t talking about the sex. Clearly, he was. “I meant we have a perfect chance to set a trap. You said the Brothers are targeting women who’ve been with you. Now, I’m one of those women.”
His rejection was instant. “They have no clue who you are, and we’re keeping it that way. The other victims worked for me. They were easy to find.”
“Then hire me. Let’s make it easy for them to find me.”
“No.”
She frowned, irritated at his assumption that he alone could make this decision. “Yes,” she said, her tone biting. “Better me than someone else. I was born into this world to risk my life. It’s what I do.”
“I said no, Kayla.”
It was an order, and one she didn’t intend to take. He should know by now his bossy attitude would get him nowhere with her. She didn’t like fighting dirty, but he left her no choice but to hit him hard.
“You’d rather let another innocent woman die?” she asked, pushing his buttons on purpose.
“I’ve invited all my staff to stay at Night Sins,” he said, glancing between her and the road. “They’ll be safe.”
Okay, so she hadn’t seen that one coming. “You can’t babysit them every second. And even if you do, the Brothers will change strategies, and you’ll be back to square one. We have a real window of opportunity, Ethan. A chance to get to whomever is calling the punches.”
“Making you bait isn’t going to lead us to the Brothers.”
“It might. We just need to think it through. At least we have a starting point.”
“Kayla—”
She cut him off. “Nothing stops me from marching into Night Sins and announcing myself. We both know Jac will remember me. I’m doing this, Ethan. With your help or without it. It would seem to me it’s in both our best interests to do this together.”
Ethan eyed his mirror and cursed. “We’re being followed.”
“See,” she said, feeling a sense of accomplishment. “It’s done. I’m exposed.”
“It’s not done. They don’t know who you are and they’re not going to.” He took a sharp right and shifted gears. He handled the car as if it were a part of him, taking another sudden turn.
Kayla held on to her seat as Ethan cut a sharp corner and backed into a dark ally, killing the lights. The car following sped by. Ethan smiled, his blue eyes sparkling through the darkness around them. “Let’s find out who they are, shall we?”
He flipped the lights back on and eased the car back onto the road, becoming the pursuer.
Kayla smiled, impressed as always with Ethan. She’d seen him in battle a time or two, and his sharp mind was as much a weapon as his honed body and warrior skills.
He kept his distance from the black Mustang ahead, the soft hum of the Porsche making it easy to keep hidden. “Do you know the car?” Kayla asked.
“No,” Ethan said dryly. “But I have a good feeling I know where it’s headed.”
He didn’t say more and she didn’t ask. Kayla figured she’d figure it all out when they got to wherever they were going. Ten minutes later, they pulled into the parking garage of Night Sins.
The Mustang pulled into a spot between two other cars and Ethan hid the Porsche within the cover of two trucks. When he reached for his door, so did she.
He paused and glanced over at her. “I don’t suppose telling you to stay in the car would do me any good.” It wasn’t a question.
“You suppose right.”
“That’s what I thought,” he murmured and reached for his door.
As quietly as possible, Kayla eased outside the car and around the back bumper to come up beside Ethan. And she saw what he did. Jac walking toward the hotel.
“I guess we just confirmed our suspicions,” Kayla said when she knew Jac was out of hearing range.
Ethan didn’t respond, reaching for his cell instead and hitting a speed button before saying to her, “I’m taking you home.”
She didn’t get a chance to argue because he was already on the phone and getting back into the car. Kayla slid into the passenger side again just in time to hear his short conversation.
“Rigo. It’s Ethan. Our leak is Jac.” There was silence for a moment. Then, “Don’t let him so much as breathe without me knowing about it. I’ll be back to the casino as soon as I can.”
He ended the call and put the car into drive. “Are you sure you can trust this Rigo person?” Kayla asked, not comfortable trusting anyone at this point.
“I trust Rigo,” he said, pulling out of the garage. “When I began having suspicions about my staff, I called for help. Rigo and I served together in my government’s Secret Services.”
“Really?” She’d researched Ethan when she’d learned he was in her city and the Council had told her he’d once held a high position in his government. Even getting them to tell her that had been like pulling teeth. “I had no idea you were once SSA.”
“Not was,” he said, maneuvering the car out of the garage. “Am. I am still a member of the SSA. I told you I was assigned this city just as you were by your Council.”
“The casinos and clubs are all just covers?”
“Being a big part of this city’s economic structure allows me added resources.” He gave her a sideways look. “How do you think I get the leads I give you? Or show up at just the right moment when you need help? I could do
more if you’d let me.”
The Council didn’t allow such things. They considered a low profile the best way to avoid exposing the paranormal world. “You know my restrictions.”
“I understand the Council’s philosophies all too well. I also know times have changed. With the Brothers present, we have a new playing field with new rules.”
“Maybe you should listen to your own words. The Brothers are endangering innocents and the secrets of our world. Even if our governments can’t work together, we can.”
He gave her another sideways look. “It’s not about that.”
“Then how is it, Ethan?” she challenged. “Because that’s how it seems. Why would you risk innocent lives rather than let me help?”
Ethan pulled to a side street several blocks away from Kayla’s apartment, obviously trying to throw off anyone who might follow them. He killed the ignition and turned to her, his arm going behind her seat. The small space shrunk, turning intimate.
His voice was low, intense. “Did it ever occur to you that I don’t want you to end up like the Watcher before you?”
There was a charge in the air, electric and hard to ignore. Why did he care? She wanted to ask but held her tongue.
It was Ethan who ended the silence between them. “I need to get back to the hotel.” He reached for his car door and got out. She did the same. Before she could move toward him, he started walking toward her apartment, obviously expecting her to follow.
She threw her hands up in frustration, but she didn’t waste time standing there. Instead, she darted after him, catching up with a double step and grabbing his arm. “Ethan.” He turned to face her. “I don’t need an escort to my door. I patrol the streets every night.”
“Humor me. I’m walking you to the door.”
Enough of this crazy debate. She firmed her jaw and gave him a hard stare. “And I’m packing a bag and coming to the hotel with you.”
He didn’t blink, didn’t move. For several seconds, he just stood there, looking at her. Finally, he said, “There will be conditions.”