Born to Love (The Vampire Reborn Series) (Entangled Ignite) (16 page)

The sound of the bathroom door opening drew her attention.

Ryder strolled in, fully dressed. He walked to the shower and stood there, peering in through the steamy glass. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

She popped open the door just enough to poke her head out, but it was enough for sprinkles of water to escape and land on his perfectly polished shoes and splash against his black dress slacks. “I’m fine, but aren’t you a little overdressed to join me?”

He arched a brow. “Is that an invitation?”

She opened the door wider and blocked one of the jets to keep him from getting soaked. “Sure.”

He raked his gaze up and down her body. “You look so beautiful.”

She looked down at her body, so much larger and more cumbersome than the lean athlete’s build on which she had prided herself. It had taken her time to get used to the riper, lusher figure. She’d worried he wouldn’t find her attractive like this.

How wrong she’d been. He reached out, cupped her breast, and strummed his thumb across the tip, darker now with her pregnancy and much more sensitive. It beaded at his touch.

“So beautiful.”

“Then come join me.”

He smiled and stepped into the shower fully clothed. Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed her, the moment morphing into one where caring pushed away the desire that always simmered between them.

The water cascaded over them, warming their bodies. Soaking through Ryder’s tailored shirt and slacks, as he held her tight, stroking her with gentle sweeps of his hands along her back. His kiss went on and on, promising so much.

She returned that promise, raking her fingers into the wet strands of his hair. And whispered against his lips, “Let’s go to bed.”

The grin came, the shape of it alive against her mouth. “I thought you were too tired for sex.”

“Who said anything about sex?” With a playful shove, she pushed him away, stepped out of the shower, and grabbed a towel. She dried off as he followed her out, stripped off his dripping clothes and also dried himself. His gaze never left her.

When he was done, they walked to the bedroom together. She slipped into bed and he joined her, embracing her and tangling his legs with hers. Comfort rose high as they held each other close, their baby cradled between them, warmed by their love.

Sleep eluded Diana, her mind overflowing with thoughts about work and her future life, what it would bring.

Ryder brushed a kiss across her forehead. “Let it all go, darlin’.”

“There’s just so much to think about—”

“It’ll all still be there in the morning. You and the baby need to rest if you want to be of help to anyone tomorrow.”

He knew how to fight dirty. She would willingly sacrifice herself, but not someone else. Definitely not the baby.

Closing her eyes, she focused on the feel of her husband beside her. On the peace of being with him. Little by little, calm replaced her worried thoughts. Except for one that kept nagging her.

Not about herself, but of her friend, who faced a future as frighteningly uncertain as her own.

How was Maggie doing?

Chapter Twenty-five

Maggie peered over at the first-floor apartment in the familiar building. Despite the late hour, light spilled from beyond the window shades onto the sidewalk. A moment later a shadow passed by the window, confirming that the man who lived there was still awake.

It was now or never.

She walked to the door and hit the intercom button. From inside the apartment came a buzz, followed by David’s voice. “Hello? Who is it?”

“Maggie. May I come in?”

Silence followed for several moments. She hit the intercom buzzer again, engaging the speaker again. “David? Please, I’d like to come in.”

This time she was rewarded by the
snick
of the front entrance unlocking. She pushed through and walked to the door of his apartment. It opened and she stepped inside.

David closed the door behind her and leaned against it, bare-chested. Low-slung pajama bottoms rested on his hips, exposing the defined muscles of his upper body and arms, straining against the crutches despite his using the door for support.

“What are you doing here, Mags?”

She stepped toward him. “Why do you think I’m here?”

“Didn’t work out with Rafe, eh?” he bit out, a hard edge to his voice. His eyes were chilly with jealousy.

“The only thing Rafe can offer me is information about what I am. And what I’m about to go through. Maybe friendship. Nothing more.”

Rafe had shared a great deal with her tonight, but as nice as he was, and as attracted to him as she was, Rafe wasn’t David.

No one else would ever be David.

“I can’t offer you any more, either, Mags. There’s nothing left in here for me to offer.” He tapped two fingers against his chest.

She didn’t believe him for a moment. Leaning toward him, she said, “Liar.”

She’d been telling herself for days that she could stay away from him. That nothing was possible between them. Not the way she was now.

But she could no longer deny what she wanted. What she needed—despite their rocky past and her tumultuous future. She closed the distance between them and brushed her lips across his.

He gave a half-hearted protest.

She touched his lips again. And he finally gave himself over to her kiss. He opened his mouth to hers, responding to her love. Giving in to what they both desired with a moan that ripped from him and clutched her heart tight.

“God, Mags. This is crazy. I can’t offer you a damn thing,” he said, but tunneled his fingers into her hair and continued kissing her.

“I can’t offer you anything either, David. But I can’t keep pretending I don’t want you. You are all I’ve ever wanted.” She cradled his face, running her thumbs along the familiar lines of his cheeks and brows.

“Maggie, I took some pain meds just now. My arms…those stairs nearly killed me.” Worry and sadness married in his expression.

“It’s okay. We’ll deal with it.” She ran her hands down his arms, massaging the tightness in muscles that trembled from the strain of holding himself upright.

He gritted his teeth, and for a moment she thought he might change his mind. But then he nodded and jerked his head at his bedroom. She walked to his room and waited for him by the door. He came in and sat on the edge of the bed, setting his crutches aside. Looking at her standing there, he smiled and said, “I’m feeling a little underdressed.”

Smiling back, she slipped off her suit jacket, holster, and shoes, then approached him. The height difference between them was too great, so she dropped to her knees before him.

He cupped her jaw. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. With her hands on his shoulders she began a slow, deep massage along the broad expanse.

He sucked in a breath. “
Mmm
. That feels good.”

“I’m glad. I can’t even imagine the effort it took to climb those stairs.”

She continued with her massage, focusing first on one arm and then the other, easing the tightness in his muscles. As she moved closer to intensify the pressure, along her midsection she felt the thick rise of his erection.

And knew she’d made the right choice.

…

David’s gut clenched as his body came alive with her tender actions. He hadn’t thought it possible, considering the pain meds he’d taken. He’d known he would hurt after dragging himself up and down those stairs, and possibly falling on his face in the process, but male pride had egged him on. Thankfully, he hadn’t fallen. But he hurt like a bitch.

Maggie reached for his hands and applied gentle pressure. He caught hers instead, and said, “I want to touch you, too, Maggie.”

She smiled and brought his hand to her breast. He felt the tight bud of her nipple beneath the thin cotton of her shirt. She moved her hand away, and he circled the pebbled tip with his fingers, caressing it to an even tighter peak, tweaking the hard bud while she worked at the buttons of her shirt.

It fell away to reveal the lush curves of her breasts in a lacy bra. She laid her hands on his thighs, making his muscles jump as need slammed into his gut, tightening his balls and stretching his erection.

He sucked in a breath, steadying himself, and slipped off her shirt, letting it drop to the floor. Swiftly, he removed her bra, baring her to his gaze.

“You’re so damn gorgeous, Mags.” He cupped her naked breasts and caressed her nipples.

She drew in a shaky breath and reached for the waistband of his pants. “I want to see you, too.” She inched the zipper down and shoved the fabric aside, exposing his arousal. After a brief hesitation, she said, “Push up,” and when he obeyed, she yanked the cotton down his legs.

Before he could even react, she wrapped her fingers around his cock and stroked up and down the hard length. His breath stuttered in his chest as he jerked in her hand. He grasped her waist and urged her up so he could kiss her breasts. He sucked and licked them until she was shaking in his arms.

He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life. He always had.

Why the hell had he waited so long to admit it and get her back in his life?

…

Maggie moaned as need and desire nearly overwhelmed her. “I want more, David. I want you. Now.”

With a final stroke of his erection, she rose and took off the rest of her clothes.

“I’m not going to stop you, Mags. It’s been too long and I want you too much,” David said, and moved to the center of the bed to wait for her.

She straddled him as soon as she was naked, scooting up his body until she was poised above him. She stilled for a moment to see if he would change his mind…or if she would change hers.

“This isn’t going to be easy, with…everything going on now.”

“I know. But I’m sure, Mags. I’ve never been more sure of anything,” he said at her hesitation.

He grasped her thighs and with a heated look, urged her to join with him.

She sank down onto his cock and closed her eyes, relishing the pressure of him moving inside her. Happiness soaring through her at being with him again. At the hope that they could somehow deal with all that had happened and find a way to be together.

He shoved off the mattress with one arm and kissed the underside of her jaw. Working his way to her breasts, he suckled and licked her again. Each pull of his mouth and tongue created a wave of pleasure deep within her, and she moaned over and over as they washed across her flesh.

“That feels amazing,” she whispered.

He nuzzled against her breasts and she cupped him to her. Finally he moved in earnest, lifting her high, then thrusting her down sharply onto him.

“Damn, you feel amazing. All of you,” he said, his hands hard on her hips, urging her on.

She rocked her hips to his rhythm, dragging them ever closer to release.

She locked her gaze with his as he guided her body to do his bidding. His words of love and praise quickened the desire inside her, drawing her right to the brink. Making her shake with need, holding him deep inside her until she could no longer wait to slip over the edge with him.

He drove his hips upward as she sank down, working together to reach the peak. They tumbled over together, their mingled cries echoing the pleasure pulsing between them.

And she knew anything was possible, if only they were together.

Dragging in a breath, the smell of their arousal filled her senses, and from deep inside came a low growl of satisfaction. The animal sound of it shocked her right out of the delight she’d been feeling.

“I’m sorry!” She jerked away from him in embarrassment, wanting to flee, but he tightened his hold and kept her near.

“Don’t be,” he said, his blue-eyed gaze clear and compelling. “And don’t run like I did. I won’t run away from you again. No matter what.”

“I’m scared, David. I don’t even know what’s living inside me.”

“Remember what you told me. That we would work something out. We will, Maggie. I don’t want to be without you anymore, no matter what,” he repeated.

She wouldn’t question the change in him, or whether it would last. Life was too uncertain to let such doubts steal the happiness of the moment. She’d worry later about tomorrow and all it might bring.

With a surge of her new strength, she shifted their bodies until they were nestled together between the sheets, hearts beating with the fast rhythm of the lovemaking they had just shared.

Slowly, their heartbeats calmed, and passion morphed to peaceful bliss as they snuggled together for the night.

But thoughts of what she was becoming filtered into Maggie’s brain, robbing her of sleep.

“Don’t think about it, Mags. We’ll find a way,” he reassured her, clearly sensing her unease.

But she’d heard those words before. She uttered them herself as he’d rolled out the door, and out of her life.

“Yeah. For sure,” she lied, and held back the despair that washed over her.

Tonight she wanted to savor this time with him. And enjoy what might have been. If only things were different.

The harsh light of reality could wait until morning.

Chapter Twenty-six

Diana took in David’s sleepy-eyed face and paused.

“Rough night?”

Bright color blossomed on his cheeks and chased away any hint of tiredness. “Had a lot on my mind,” he mumbled.

Uh-huh
.

He had never been a good liar, so his denial only confirmed what she’d been hoping for—he and Maggie had done more than just talk last night.

“Were any of those thoughts related to the case?” she teased.

The pink deepened to red and he stammered, “Some. Mostly about the hostile shifters.”

And maybe about a former lover turned werewolf?

But she didn’t press him. “Worried they’ll find Jefferson first?”

“Aren’t you?”

She shrugged. “I suppose their brand of justice might be more emotionally satisfying…”

“But we can’t let emotion prevent us from doing the right thing,” he finished.

“Exactly.” She rubbed a finger across her lips, contemplating their next course of action. The BOLO on Jefferson had not yielded anything so far, nor had their visits to any of his known addresses. Their suspect had been persona non grata to the full-blood shifters, but clearly not to some of the half-bloods. Not if he’d been meeting them in the tunnels and inciting them to rebel. Which he had, according to the were-rat leaders.

“Did Weasel strike you as a trustworthy type?” she asked.

David’s full-throated laugh confirmed her own opinion of the Dark of the Moon bouncer.

“Me, neither. Do you think you can get his real name and run him for any priors? Maybe we can sweat him for some additional information.”

He grinned. “I like the way you think, Di. Want to meet back here for lunch?”

“Only if you’re buying,” she said, appreciating the change in her old partner and hoping it was here to stay.

“I’ll think about it. What’s your plan for this morning?” He started gathering the reports they’d gone over into a neat pile.

“I’ve got a meeting with Jesus to go over the case status, then I want to check if Maggie has anything new to add.”

His earlier flush roared back over his cheeks, and he was suddenly very interested in the stack of papers.

Oh, yeah. Something had definitely happened between David and Maggie last night. Something good, Diana suspected.

She decided to beat a retreat to spare her partner. His emotions were probably too new and unsettled to be open for discussion.

“See you at noon for lunch,” she said, and headed for the door.

David grumbled, “Why so early?” as he always had, along with cracks about her healthy appetite.

But now she had a really good excuse. “Because the baby can’t wait that long for food.”

With a wave, she walked down the hall to the ADIC’s corner office, and ran into his administrative assistant, Katie, in the anteroom. The woman gave her a glacial once over, and Diana wondered how it was possible that such a tiny, unarmed female could make her want to run and hide.

“Is ADIC Hernandez expecting you?” Katie asked, frostiness in every word.

“He asked me to come by this morning with my report. I’ll wait if he’s not free.” Diana tipped her head at Jesus’s closed door.

“He’s on a call. I’ll let him know you’re waiting,” Katie said with only a slight thaw in her professional chilliness.

Brrr
. Diana plopped down into one of the plush leather chairs in the anteroom, and took the opportunity to surf through her e-mails on her smartphone. She spotted one from Maggie with a file attached. It was the report on the DNA samples from the fur the wolf pack had provided, as well as the new evidence from the two dead vandals at Randall Newark’s brownstone.

Bingo
. Both were a match to the earlier crime scene hits.

They now had enough evidence to identify their killer. But how would they ever create a believable final report? Much less explain to the families of the victims what had happened to their loved ones?

“Special Agent Reyes?” Katie called loudly, pulling Diana’s attention from her smartphone.

“Sorry. Just going over some reports,” she explained, and clicked off the phone, feeling like a kid sent to the principal’s office.

To her surprise, a sympathetic look came over the other woman’s face. “It is okay to take a little down time, Special Agent Reyes.”

Diana smiled in thanks, and walked into Jesus’s office. He was sitting at the desk, but seeing her, he came around to give her a friendly hug.

She blinked. “Did I look like I needed that?” His immediate shift into non-boss mode had thrown her.

“You look a little tired and distracted.”

“We had a late night yesterday and I’ve got lots to report.” She dropped onto one of his visitor chairs.

Jesus crossed his arms and leaned against the edge of the desk. “What have you got?”

She ran down the results Maggie had just forwarded, as well as the information they’d learned from their visit to the shifters. Then she told him about her plans for the day. “I need to speak to Maggie about these reports, then David and I are going to pick up a shifter who might be able to give us a lead on Jefferson, or some of his friends.”

Jesus peered at her intently, his look hardening slightly.

“Is there some concern, Jesus?”

“You’ve been going non-stop on this case for days, running yourself ragged.”

“I can handle it,” she shot back, but there was a thread of uncertainty woven into her tones that her friend immediately noticed.

“Want to tell me what’s really going on with you?” he asked.

She blew out a harsh breath, rumpling her suit pants with her fingers as she hesitated. Where to start? Emotions and thoughts were spinning round and round in her head and heart, but Jesus would understand.

“In no particular order. I think Maggie and David are involved again. The chill between David and me has thawed. I know who killed four people, but if I tell anyone other than you they’ll think I’m nuts. Last but not least, the toxic cells causing me problems are back…and may be in the baby, too.”

Jesus’s jaw tightened, all casualness gone in an instant. He moved to the chair beside her and took hold of her hands. His were overly warm, but she knew it was because that inner chill was starting in her body again, evidence the contamination in her blood was returning.

“Are you worried that the whole Maggie and David thing will have an effect on the investigation?” he asked, picking the easiest topic first.

She shook her head. “Not in any negative way. If anything, having them together may eliminate other distractions.”

“Like Rafe Lazaro?”

She nodded. “Like Rafe. Although we’ll have to deal with what Maggie may be going through.”

“Yes. Eventually,” Jesus said, then prodded, “What about you? Can you focus on the case—”

“Absolutely. I want to close this case before— Melissa wants me to go in for some tests. Umbilical cord blood sampling. It may put me out of commission for a few days.”

“What can Michaela and I do to help?”

“How is she doing?” Diana asked at the mention of his dhampir lover who’d been injured a couple of months ago.

“She’s better. Still not 100%, but better, thanks,” he said.

It was Diana’s turn to offer comfort. With a squeeze of his large hands, she said, “Michaela was hurt pretty badly. It may take time for her to fully recover, but she will. She’s tough.”

“I know, but I worry. The Slayer Council has cut her off, so she’s alone now.”

Diana shook her head. “No, she’s not. She has you, and all of us. We’ve got her back, whenever she needs us.”

Jesus offered her a terse smile. “I appreciate that. The same goes here. I’ve got your back, too, Diana, so what can I do to help?”

She thought about all that needed to be done, and decided there was one task in which Jesus would have a decided advantage. “As much as I don’t want to bail on David,” she said, “I think our witness might be more cooperative if you went with him. They respect size and muscle, and you’ve got plenty of both.”

Jesus nodded and grinned. “I’m yours. So what’s this witness’s name?”

“Weasel. Little guy, but strong. Looks like a ferret, and is probably as wily as one.”

“Weasel, huh? Let me guess. Shifter,” Jesus replied and with a final reassuring squeeze, rose to return to his desk chair.

“Yep, shifter. Which raises the next issue—our report. My gut instinct is to write this up as a psychopath who kills his victims while disguised as a large animal. The disguise is his way of becoming the werewolf he believes himself to be.”

“You’re the psychologist, Diana. If you think you can sell it in your profile, I’ll run with it,” Jesus said, alleviating one of her concerns.

While it would definitely be a stretch, it was the only possible way to put a human face on the killer and offer closure to the victims’ families.

Providing closure was one of her main reasons for working for the FBI. Because she understood the need for it on a personal level. Until her father’s killers had been caught and brought to trial, every day had been filled with anguish and rage.

“David and I agreed to meet for lunch to finalize plans,” she told her boss. “I’m going to bring Maggie in on the discussion, too.”

Jesus nodded. “Meet in the war room?”

“At noon,” she said, and was on her way out when she stopped to look back at her ADIC and friend. “Thank you for everything.”

He gave her a puzzled look. “For what?”

“Your support. Forcing David and me back together.”

He shrugged his broad, massive shoulders in a matter-of-fact way. “Had to happen, Reyes. I couldn’t have my best team at odds. Although Santos and Alexander might be giving you a run for the money in that category.”

“I doubt that,” she said with a smile at the mention of the newbie team with whom she had recently worked the Broadway Butcher case. To everyone’s surprise except hers, the couple had recently gotten engaged. But she’d seen the caring between them as she worked alongside the team. Along with something else—Helene Alexander’s goddess powers.

Not even Jesus knew Helene’s secret—that she was actually Nemesis, the goddess of vengeance.

Diana hoped Helene had finally learned the difference between vengeance and justice…which brought Michaela to mind once more. Like Helene, Michaela had a one-track mind in her role as a Slayer. Even though the young woman was apparently on the outs with the Slayer Council, Diana suspected Michaela still intended to carry out their brand of justice—death to any vampire who killed or turned a human.

Would Michaela make an exception if Ryder must one day turn Diana, to save her life, and the life of their child?

Arriving at the door to Maggie’s office, down in the basement next to her lab, Diana knocked and waited for her friend’s “Come in.”

As she entered, she saw that David wasn’t the only one looking a little sleepy that morning. Even at this later hour and after a very large coffee, judging from the tall paper cup on Maggie’s desk, her friend still bore smudges of tiredness under her eyes and in the slight droop of her shoulders.

“Late night?” Diana kidded, with a wiggle of her brows.

A knowing smile ghosted across Maggie’s face. “Don’t play coy. We’ve been friends for too long for that.”

Diana eased onto the chair in front of Maggie’s desk and held up her hands. “Spare me the TMI details. All I want to know is, are you happy with the outcome?”

“Yes, but confused,” Maggie replied, and took a bracing sip from the coffee cup before adding, “I don’t know where it can go. Maybe nowhere.”

“Only time will tell, Mags. Just don’t give up on it. Or him.”

“I spent time with Rafe last night, too,” Maggie said.

Diana’s eyes opened wide. “Whoa. A threesome? I didn’t think that was your speed,” she said, wide-eyed.

Maggie laughed as she’d intended. “Rafe and I had a long talk over some fabulous pierogies and kielbasa. He told me what he’s been learning with Brendon, and how he can now stay alert and in control when the werewolf emerges.”

“Unlike the night he bit you. You do remember that part, right?”

Maggie sighed and sipped her coffee. “Yeah. It’s hard not to be angry, but I believe him when he says he barely remembers. Apparently that happens often during the first few shifts, if you haven’t been trained.”

Diana dug back into her recollection of the discussion with the pack leader. “But some shifters don’t remember and can’t control themselves during the cycle. Like Brad Jefferson, do you think?”

“Yes. Although Rafe tells me that Brendon doubts the claim about Jefferson’s lack of control.”

Diana doubted it, too. The man had managed to lure the pack leader to a trap and seriously injure him with poisoned claws, and also stir up trouble with the half-bloods. Not the actions of a man out of control. “I agree. Which means Jefferson is a lot more dangerous than we first believed. For all we know he can shift at will, and may be stalking another victim as we speak.”

“Or he could be using these killings to lure out the were–pack leaders for some reason,” Maggie mused.

Diana had also suspected that, after the discussions last night. “If Jefferson has managed to convert enough half-bloods to his ideas, he could be planning to take out the pack leaders in one fell swoop. Especially now that they’re hunting for him. He knows it’s him or them.”

Maggie nodded. “Brendon has doubled security around his wife and on his patrols with Rafe, but you saw how determined and overly confident the other alphas behaved.”

She had. “And arrogant. Convinced of their own infallibility. Never a good mix. The question is, which of them will Jefferson strike at first?”