The rich ache grew, spreading like wildfire, becoming a kaleidoscope of sensations that washed through every single part of my body, building gloriously until I could barely even breathe. Then the shuddering truly took hold and I gasped, grabbing his shoulders, holding him closer, thrusting him deeper.
As the orgasm raked me, he came, his roar echoing through my ears as I twitched and moaned in sheer pleasure, until even that faded and all that was left was an amazing sense of peace and contentment.
He leaned his sweaty forehead against mine for a moment, blowing out a breath that washed warm air across my face, then slid to one side and gathered me close.
It was a nice sensation, being held so tenderly.
But it was also scary. Not just because I barely even knew this man, but because I now knew, without a doubt, that this was more than mere lust. This was the real deal.
And the timing absolutely sucked.
I closed my eyes against the sudden rush of fear and panic. Damn it, why would fate do this to me? Why throw my future in my face when my present was so full of danger? I might have ditched the tracker, but until I freed my mom and the kids, the scientists would remain a dark specter on my horizon. A specter that had proven more than ready to kill.
And I didn’t want to have to pray for Trae’s soul in the predawn morning as I had Egan’s.
“You okay?” Trae said softly.
I shoved the fears aside and forced a smile. “Yeah. Just a little mind-blown.”
“That was pretty amazing, wasn’t it?”
“Totally.”
After a bit more snuggling, he added, “We really can’t stay here like this.”
“I know.” But I didn’t move, wanting to delay that moment and enjoy the warmth of his body wrapped around mine just a little bit longer. “What time are we going to the house?”
He pulled away a little, and air swirled in between us, cooling the sweat still dotting my skin.
“The agent’s meeting us at ten. Which gives us about an hour.”
I frowned, and twisted around to look at him. “Agent? How can we possibly raid the safe if we have a real estate agent dogging our every move?”
“Because she won’t be dogging our heels. I’ll arrange a little distraction, then you’ll keep the old girl occupied while I find and raid the safe.”
“Will that work?”
I couldn’t help the doubt in my voice, and he smiled. “It has in the past.”
“You raid homes in broad daylight?”
“Best time. People are less watchful during the day.”
“And it’s more of an adrenaline rush, undoubtedly.”
His smile grew. “Undoubtedly. You want first shower? I’ll make coffee.”
I tossed off the covers and got out of bed. As I walked toward the bathroom, the daylight caressed my skin as warmly as Trae had minutes before. Part of me wanted to go back to his arms, to taste more of what he had to offer.
But time wasn’t something I had a lot of, and dallying in bed when I needed to be elsewhere would be nothing short of foolishness.
And I’d been foolish enough recently. But not, I thought, this morning. Whatever else happened, at least I had that moment to take with me.
I took a long, hot shower, and when I finally stepped out, I felt a muted echo of the vitality I felt every time I stepped out of the sea.
Unfortunately, this time there was no yummy man within eyesight to warm my skin to even greater levels and set my pulse rate soaring. But he was near—and the clink of a spoon against china and the delicious aroma of coffee invading the air suggested he hadn’t been idle while I’d drenched myself under the hot water.
I dried off quickly, then wrapped the towel around my body and headed out.
He looked up as I entered the main room, his cool blue gaze sweeping the length of me before coming back to rest on mine. He held out the mug of coffee and said, “I’ve made some toast, or there’s some cereal if you want it.”
I accepted the coffee and took a sip. Its taste was more bitter than I liked, but compared to the muck the scientists used to give us, anything short of mud would have tasted divine. And as the thought ran through my mind, an image rose. A cherub-cheeked man with a cheerful smile and blue eyes bringing us coffee. The same cherub-cheeked man holding a gun to Egan’s forehead. The cold light in his eyes as he threatened to press the trigger unless I dropped the gun I was holding. The splatter of his brains across the wall as I fired the weapon rather than release it.
“Destiny?”
I blinked, but the image of the blood and bone and brain matter seeping down the wall remained frozen in my thoughts, and suddenly I was shaking in cold and horror.
A hand grabbed mine and pried the coffee cup from my fingers. Then his arms engulfed me, pulling me close. And it felt good, safe, and gradually the shaking and the image subsided.
“What just happened?” he said, after a while.
I took a deep, shuddery breath, then said, “You remember asking me when we first met if I’d killed someone?”
“Yes.”
“Well, I have.”
“We both have, Destiny. But with good reasons, I’m sure.”
“You mean you’ve killed someone other than those men at the house?” I pulled back, and let my gaze search his. Darkness lay below the brightness. Darkness and old anger. “I thought you said that you hadn’t?”
“I never actually answered the question.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to scare you off.”
I laughed. “After almost running me over?”
He raised a hand and placed it over his heart. “I swear, the only reason that almost happened was your beauty. It had me entranced.”
I snorted. “This from the man who called me less than appealing?”
“Well, that was true at the time, too.”
“You have such a charming way with compliments.” I picked up my coffee and took a sip. My hands were still a little shaky, but nowhere near as bad as they had been. “Tell me about the other person you killed.”
The amusement died from his eyes. “Egan and I went after the men my father contracted to kill Sila.”
“So he didn’t actually do the deed himself?”
“No. But the intent was there, which was why Egan arranged for the ring to be stolen.”
“And that was the last time you saw him?”
He nodded. “He knew he had to disappear for a while, because our father would not stop until the ring was found and the thief was caught and killed.”
“So your father didn’t know Egan was behind the ring’s theft?”
“No. He thought he was pissed off and sulking. He’d been away from the clique for over a week when it was snatched.”
“Who did Egan hire to snatch the ring?”
“A will-o’-the-wisp.”
I blinked. “He hired a malevolent spirit?”
“They aren’t spirits, and they certainly aren’t malevolent. More mischievous. They’ve gotten something of a bad rap over the years.”
“The habit of leading travelers to their doom will do that.”
He laughed. The warm sound sent delicious shivers down my spine. “Just like air dragons consuming virgins and sea dragons attacking boats have given us a bad name?”
He had a point. “So how did he go about hiring this will-o’-the-wisp?”
“I’ve actually known her for a while—we protected each other’s backs while learning the trade together, and she owed me a favor.” He shrugged. “She made sure she was briefly seen, so that no suspicion could fall on Egan or me.”
“Then if no suspicion fell on you or Egan, why is your father basically blackmailing you into finding the ring?”
“Because I need the information he holds, as I said before.” He shrugged. “Tell about the man you killed. What did he do?”