A Dark Kiss of Rapture (4 page)

“Ha! That’s not funny, Kim.” Delia looked at
the others. “Tell her she’s out of her mind. Stop her.”

Justin looked up as she stood. He shook his
head. “Sorry, Dee. She’s not changing her mind. She’s got the devil
in her eye.”

“Leave off, Delia,” Rosalind said, fanning
herself. “That guy was seriously hot. I’m rooting her on. Go, Kim,
go. Rock his world. Make him beg.”

Delia groaned. “Oh my god, you’re all
whacked. I’m calling your brother.”

“If it makes you feel better,” Kim said
dryly, bending down to kiss her friend’s cheek. “Go for it. See you
guys Monday.”

“If you’re still alive then!” Delia yelled
after her. “You sex-crazy maniac.”

Kim was smiling all the way to her car, but
when she slid behind the wheel her humor was gone. Replaced by a
hotter, more pressing emotion. There was a gorgeous, dangerously
seductive man waiting in a hotel room for her. A man who was aching
and lonely, just like she was. For tonight, at least, she wouldn’t
have to take a damn pill to fall asleep.

CHAPTER 4

The minute Raze walked into his hotel suite,
he felt as if the air had thinned. Being alone was rubbing him the
wrong way, which was so opposite from his usual desire for as much
solitude as he could wrangle. There was too much stimuli in the
world to allow him peace—the pounding of heartbeats, the steady
surge of blood in veins, the various scents that betrayed mood and
train of thought. He avoided crowds when he could, but now it
seemed he was stuck in an odd place where being by himself was more
miserable than being around others.

Rolling his shoulders back, he pulled the
box of condoms out of a shopping bag and set it on the end table by
the small loveseat. He left the new bottle of wine on the dinette
table and tossed the bag in the trash, wondering what the hell to
do with himself.

He ran both hands over his head and down the
back of his neck, growling as he struggled with an unusual sense of
anxiety. This time lapse from meeting a lover to fucking her was a
step he’d been skipping for a few centuries now. He usually laid
‘em where he found ‘em, and that worked for everyone. If he’d
hooked up with the bartender, it likely would have gone down right
there at the club, in the back somewhere, quick and dirty. Waiting
for Kim was excruciating, because it gave her time to have second
thoughts. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she changed her mind.
She’d made him want her. Now no one else was going to do.

Raze moved into the bedroom and plugged his
iPod into the docking station, his tension easing a little as
Hinder drifted out of the speaker. Feeling confined by his clothes,
he began pulling them off. His shirt went first, followed by his
boots, then his jeans and boxer briefs. He was tossing his clothes
over the back of a bedroom chair when he heard the knock out in the
living area.

The surge of lust that hit him affected the
steadiness of the first step he took. Then it perversely
strengthened his stride. His purpose and focus narrowed to his
body’s need for the woman on the other side of the door. It was a
base and elemental craving, purely physical, but a part of him was
distantly aware that it was her bold yet easygoing personality that
had tipped the scales enough to tempt him to this madness. She was
all wrong for him. So wrong. But he knew when he pushed inside her
it was going to feel so damn right.

He pulled the door open. His breath hissed
on a sharp inhale at the sight of Kim on his doorstep, dressed in a
fitted white tank top and worn jeans that hugged her like a lover.
She’d let her hair down, freeing the riotous mass of inky curls to
tumble around her slender shoulders and halfway down her back. Her
feet were bared by jeweled sandals, revealing toenails that were
painted black and big toes decorated with white flowers and swirls.
Gold hoops hung from her ears, replacing the diamond studs she’d
worn before. He was flattered she’d given thought to how she looked
for him.

Presently, however, she seemed focused on
looking
at
him.

“Wow,” she breathed. “Part of my mind is
saying I should be freaking out that you’re answering the door
naked. Another part is thinking: Holy shit, did I get lucky or
what? Don’t turn out to be crazy, please. I really need this right
now.”

The raging need inside him quieted. The soft
plea in Kim’s voice and the momentary shadow of pain in her
beautiful eyes altered the dynamic of his approach. He caught her
gently by the elbow and tugged her in. When she cleared the door,
he released it to shut by itself and he lowered his mouth to
hers.

Swallowing her gasp, Raze slipped his arms
around her, stroking his hands up her spine and molding her slender
body to his. Her duffle bag hit the floor and her hands came up,
one holding the back of his head while the other cupped his
cheek.

The tender, encompassing nature of the
embrace startled him even as it soothed the ragged edges of his
volatile mood. He lifted her feet from the floor, tilting his head
to get a deeper seal. His tongue stroked into her mouth, finding
the taste of cinnamon and her own natural sweetness. He groaned,
ravenous for her, but unwilling to devour. He’d thought he needed
hard and fast. She’d thought she needed that, too. They’d both been
wrong.

She caught his lower lip between her teeth
and tugged, her lips soft and wet, her tongue a velvet lash. He
wanted those lips and tongue all over his body. Her hands, too.
They were strong and sure, confident. Her moan vibrated against
him, luring his fangs to descend.

Not ready for that, Raze set her down
reluctantly, his gaze locked with hers. She was flushed and
beautiful, her eyes clear and open, yet tinged with sadness. As he
watched, tears welled and slipped off her bottom lashes.

“Oh, shit,” she whispered, releasing him to
swipe at her cheeks. “I asked you not to be crazy and then I get
weepy over a kiss. I swear I’m not mental.”

“It’s okay.”

“You like picking up teary, emotional
women?”

“You picked me up,” he corrected with a
smile. “And there’s usually only one reason a woman like you picks
up a guy like me. I’m not sorry to find out differently.”

“You thought I objectified you.” She ran a
sheepish hand through her black-as-midnight hair. “I can’t say
you’re entirely wrong about that.”

“I thought that’s what I wanted.”
Impersonal, with expectations that were easy to meet. But it turned
out she was right—what he’d needed was her. Giving her the oblivion
she wanted was going to keep him busy in ways a quick and dirty
fuck would never have done. There was a connection between them,
and he realized he needed that far more than he needed an
orgasm.

Obviously, Baron’s taunts had dug deeper
than Raze had given the man credit for. Women didn’t connect with
him beyond the physical, he didn’t give them enough of himself to
get that close. It wasn’t deliberate on his part; he just didn’t
work that way. He’d dealt with infatuation and even sexual
obsession that women mistook as love, but it was always fleeting.
Quickly come and gone. But Kim... she needed what he was capable of
giving. It moved him that for once he could fill a need that was
more than skin deep.

Her hand on his face slid upward, her
fingers tracing the arch of his brow. “I’m glad I found you.”

He pressed his lips to her forehead,
wondering what she saw in him that put warmth in her eyes. “Let me
put your bag in the bedroom. There’s some wine on the table. Are
you hungry? Want some room service?”

“You don’t have to wine and dine me.” She
smiled. “I’m a sure thing.”

Stepping back, he picked up her duffle. “I’m
still going to seduce you.”

“I won’t complain. I’m just letting you off
the hook.”

With a sweep of his hand, he gestured her
deeper into the room and headed into the bedroom. He was about to
pull on a pair of sweats when he glanced into the living area and
saw Kim undressing. He moved to the threshold, fascinated by the
confident, efficient way she took her clothes off. It was no
striptease she was doing, no narcissistic display of her
assets.

Raze leaned into the doorframe and crossed
his arms. “I was going to put some pants on.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Why?
I think we’ve both seen each other at our most naked just a minute
ago.”

“Okay, then.” Her open honesty was as
arousing as her body. “Come here.”

She approached him in the same no-nonsense
way she’d undressed, bringing the box of condoms with her. He took
her in, admiring the sleek lines of her lithe body and the
unaffected sway of her trim hips. The contrast between her dark
hair and pale skin was a stunning one, framing a figure that had
seemed modest while clothed but was perfectly, lushly proportional
in the flesh.

“Why am I not nervous?” she asked when she
came to a halt in front of him. “What is it about you that makes me
so comfortable? I’ve never even walked around my own house
naked.”

Raze tilted his head to the side,
contemplating that. Most mortals who met him sensed the predator he
was. It kept them on edge, which is what so many of his lovers
found attractive about him—the hint of danger he exuded by his
nature. He was a hunter, they were his prey, and they felt it on a
subconscious level. That he put Kim at ease in a way she was with
no one else, not even herself, was inexplicable. “I don’t know. But
I like it.”

Her mouth curved. “Me, too.”

Uncrossing his arms, he reached out to her,
lifting a glossy curl and rubbing it between thumb and forefinger.
“You’re very beautiful, Kim. You’re not the only one who got lucky
tonight.”

“Thank you.”

His fingertips skimmed gently down her arm
until they reached her hand. He linked their fingers together and
backed into the bedroom, pulling her with him. As aroused as he was
by her slender body, he was also conscious of the unexpected
intimacy of them being so comfortable together. Almost as if there
was a longstanding familiarity between them. An affinity so rare
he’d never found previously in his endless life.

When he reached the bed, he sat and tugged
her between his legs, then he fell backward onto the mattress,
taking her with him. As her body flowed over him, then melted into
him, Raze closed his eyes and sighed, releasing the abnormal
agitation that had been riding him hard. Her hair slid over his
skin and her mouth brushed over his parted lips. His entire body
was hyperaware of her, every nerve ending tingling in anticipation
of her touch.

I was wrong
, he thought. Not hard and
fast. Not with her. Slow and deep. Decadent. He could give her that
after all.

Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled her
beneath him and gave her what they both needed.

* * *

Kim wiped her mouth with a napkin. “You’ve
seriously never seen this movie before?”

Raze lay on his side with his head in hand,
his gaze moving from the television to where she sat cross-legged
on the bed beside him, drowning in his shirt. “Never even heard of
it.”

“Wow. I love this movie.” She stabbed
another piece of impossibly tender steak with her fork and lifted
it to her mouth, her attention only partially on
The Ghost and
the Darkness
. The naked man sprawled across the bed next to her
was much more fun to look at. “Patterson went to Africa with a
dream and a plan. And then he had to fight to hang on to it. I just
love that. Do you like it?”

“I like watching it with you.” He smiled and
ran a fingertip down the side of her thigh. “I like watching you
eat, too.”

“I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I
don’t usually get hungry after sex, but I’m freakin’ starving now.”
Of course, it wasn’t usual for her to have sex for nearly three
hours nonstop either. She was pretty sure that if her damn stomach
hadn’t growled, he’d still be inside her now. The thought made
goose bumps sweep over her skin.

“Are you cold?” he asked, displaying that
amazing perception she’d appreciated all night. It was the nail in
her coffin, she knew. There wasn’t a woman alive who could resist a
man who paid attention to her, who made her feel like she was the
only other person in his world.

“No.” She pushed aside the longing that kept
reminding her it was there, just under the surface, waiting for her
to acknowledge it. “I’m feeling piggy eating while you’re not.”

“Don’t. I’ll get something when I need it.”
He squeezed her gently, then let go. “And you’ll need the
energy.”

Invigorated by the promise of more
mind-blowing sex, Kim ate faster. Raze turned his oddly beautiful
gaze back to the television, and she let her mind sift through the
impossibilities of the evening.

Christ, he was beautiful. It was stunning
how gorgeous he was. His features were heartrendingly perfect, from
the bold slash of his brows to the strong line of his jaw. His eyes
were compelling, the irises lit like amber in candlelight. His lips
were sinful, not just in their sensual shape but also with what
they could do to the female body. His nose was elegant and his
cheekbones a work of art. Everything about him was divine.
Like
a fallen angel
, she mused fancifully—blessed with looks that
drove every rational thought from a woman’s head and totally wicked
enough to take advantage of that gift.

She almost sighed like a smitten
teenager.

And the best part was that the miracle of
him was more than skin deep. Despite his devastating
attractiveness, she was as comfortable hanging out with Raze as she
was with any of her friends. There was no awkwardness, no wariness,
nothing to ruin the easy companionship between them. It was in her
nature to be cautious. Not only was that trait necessary for the
painstaking work she did, but it was also how she’d been raised by
a family of cops. You could never look close enough, dig deep
enough, or be careful enough.