Passion Unleashed (8 page)

Her panic gave him the opening he needed. “Then I have a proposal. You let me tag along on your little treasure hunt, and I’ll keep my trap shut.”

“Absolutely not.”

He took a swig of whiskey. “I guess you don’t want the key that badly.”

Angry red splotches put color in her cheeks. “That’s blackmail.”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“I’m intrigued,” he said, and it wasn’t a lie. “It’s not often I find someone who does the same job I do. I mean, you’ve got the stuffy archaeologist types, but they do everything so slowly. So carefully.” He took her glass from her, took her fingers in his, and studied her fingernails. Short, square, strong. Not manicured, and kept in the perfect condition to be functional instead of pretty. “But you don’t do slow and careful, do you? You like the hunt. The chase. You like to jump in. Use your hands. You crave the rush. The burn.” His own adrenaline pumped through him at the mere thought of the rush of the hunt and chase, whether it be for blood, sex, or an ancient artifact.

A slow flush worked its way up from her neck to her scalp, and yeah, she was getting excited too. Aroused. He waited for her denial, but she surprised him by leaning in aggressively, mischief dancing in her chocolate eyes.

“You’re wrong about one thing,” she purred.

He angled inward so their faces were only inches apart. “And what’s that?”

“I don’t like it,” she said, her voice breathy and husky and bed-me-baby hot. “I love it.”

His eyes were riveted on her, his heart pounding hard. “Then it looks like we have even more in common than I thought.”

Taking her hand out of his, she sat back and studied him, seeming far more composed than he was. “I still don’t get why you want to do this.”

“Like I said, I’m free with my schedule. And why wouldn’t I want to hang out with someone I find so interesting? Not to mention beautiful.” Gods, he might as well be reading poetry to her, as foreign as his flattery was sounding. Foreign, but not insincere.

Something passed over her face, an emotion he couldn’t name. “Look,” she sighed, “I should warn you now that I’m not available. Romantically.”

“That’s okay. Neither am I.”

Her brows rose. “You’re married?”

“Nope.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Boyfriend?”

He shuddered. Any Seminus who had a thing for males would be in a lot of trouble, since they could only orgasm with a female, and if they didn’t get that release daily—several times daily—they would die.

“Not even close.”

“Then what?” She grimaced. “Or is that something I shouldn’t ask?”

“Depends. I’ll tell you why if you’ll tell me why.” He knew, but he wanted to see how she explained herself to men, wanted to get a read on how she felt about being celibate. As for his excuse, he couldn’t very well tell the truth, that his goal for the last eighty years had been to go through s’genesis so he could be as recklessly free with females as possible, with no ties he cared about and no worries other than where he was going to find his next fuck.

That hadn’t turned out so well.

He just prayed that this turned out better.

The bartender made himself scarce in that way they instinctively did when customers sank deep into conversation. Serena sat there in silence, wondering how much she should tell Josh. She had, after all, asked him to explain the rationale behind his romantic unavailability, so it was only fair that she should share her own motives. But she’d always kept the virgin thing to herself, figuring it was nobody’s business but hers.

Guys who knew she was a virgin either viewed her as a challenge or they figured she was nothing but a tease, and they had a tendency to get real pissy.

Only once had she let herself believe she could have a workable relationship, had thought she could handle intimacy without intercourse. That had been a disaster.

Matthew had been a senior in college and working part time for Val while finishing up his archaeology degree. They’d grown close over months of working together, and she’d insisted that they could have a romantic relationship without sex. For a while, they’d done well, a normal couple who went to dinner and picnics, movies and hikes in the woods. They held hands, hugged. Kissed

But eventually, she’d wanted more. The touching turned to hot groping sessions in which they both gave as good as they got, but something had been missing, and one night after a Christmas party when they’d both been drunk, she’d nearly given in to the desire to make love.

It had been a wake-up call for her, especially when he’d started talking marriage. How was she supposed to explain the fact that even after marriage she’d have to remain celibate?

“Serena? You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.”

Josh swirled the whiskey in his glass, and she shook herself out of the past, which was one of the most unpleasant places she could be.

“Right. No, um… it’s okay. I just feel sort of silly telling people this.”

“Telling people what?”

“I’m celibate,” she blurted.

There. She’d said it. She tossed back her drink.

“And?”

“You’re not going to ask why?”

“Does it matter? I said I wanted to join you in your treasure hunt. Not get into your pants.” He winked. “Though I won’t lie and say that I won’t fantasize about it.”

The idea that he might have her naked in his head made her wildly hot. But that didn’t change the fact that his mind was the only place he could see her naked. “Why should I believe that you’re on the up-and-up?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, and she must have been wearing her skeptical face, because he snorted. “Hey, if I was on the hunt for a piece of ass, I’d be prowling some loud, obnoxious bar in Rome, not strolling around Alexandria, Egypt. Right?”

She blinked at his candor. “I suppose.”

“So, you’ll let me tag along?”

He stared at her with his piercing blue eyes, the light of victory already dancing in them. He thought her acceptance was a given, and God, it was tempting. Especially if he was serious about ratting her out to Val. But she wasn’t one to cave in to blackmail or smooth lines no matter how drop-dead gorgeous a guy was.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I work better by myself.”

The utter shock on his face nearly made her laugh. He was a man not used to rejection, and he had to be smarting.

She glanced at her watch, felt a stirring of disappointment that it was so late, because between the demon, the multi-vehicle pileup, and the banter with Josh, tonight had been rather enjoyable. “I should be going. I have an early morning ahead of me.”

“At least let me try to convince you on the way to your room.” He pushed smoothly to his feet, a panther uncoiling from rest. He held out a hand, and for a ridiculously long moment, she hesitated.

“You’re very serious about wanting to go with me, aren’t you?” She finally took his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet.

He looked at her, the intensity in his expression so overwhelming that she took a step back, but he tightened his grip and brought her against his hard body. “When I say I’m going to do something, I do it.” His thumb skimmed over her fingers in lazy strokes, making her breath hitch, making her hyperaware of the contact between them. “And when I want something, I get it.”

Oh… God. The dark, seductive tone in his voice reached deep inside her and just grabbed at her womb. And wow, his eyes said, “I’ll take you to bed and take you to Heaven.”

“You’re very sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

“When you can’t be sure of anything else in this crapped-on world, you have to be sure of yourself.” He let go of her hand but only to touch her shoulder in a move that was innocent, but still stirred her dangerously. “Let’s go.”

The walk to the elevator seemed to take forever. Serena was acutely aware of Josh’s presence, his light touch, the hot brush of his jeans against her leg when he bumped up against her. By the time they reached the elevator, her mind was so scrambled that she actually had to concentrate in order to remember her room number.

The moment the doors closed Serena wished they’d taken the stairs. The tiny, enclosed space seemed to magnify the erotic energy pulsing off him, until the entire car was charged and her skin was tingling. As Josh’s fingers drifted over her shoulder in a lazy up-and-down motion, the very air became thick with sensual awareness. She might be a virgin, but she wasn’t naive or innocent, and she recognized sexual tension when she saw it… and felt it.

He waited for her to exit before he joined her, his long strides bringing him alongside her in half a dozen steps. A secret, wicked part of her wished he’d walk ahead of her so she could watch that extremely nice rear, encased in well-worn jeans.

“Your steps are very light,” she said, stupidly and for lack of anything else to say, but it was true. He moved like a cat on the prowl.

“I’m a hunter,” he said simply, and then he came to a sudden halt in the deserted hallway.

Startled, Serena froze. The last time he’d done this, a demon had been stalking her. “What’s wrong?”

He was looking at the floor, hair falling forward so she couldn’t see his expression.

“Josh?”

He lifted his head, and a predatory gleam sparked in his eyes. “I want to kiss you. I’m going to kiss you.”

When I say I’m going to do something, I do it.

The unexpected declaration made Serena’s mouth drop open, but not a single sound came out even as he moved toward her. Her feet remained frozen in place, even though her pulse pounded and her mind screamed at her to run in some sort of fight-or-flight response. But neither was going to happen, because she couldn’t flee, and neither could she fight.

His hands came down on her shoulders, his grip firm and unyielding as he pushed her back against the wall. “You want this, don’t you?”

She wanted to say no, but that would be a lie. She’d never wanted anything more, which, at the moment, made this man the most dangerous person on the planet. “Yes.”

His smile was pure male triumph as he took his hands from her shoulders and braced them high above her head so he was caging her in but not touching her. She had to tilt her head back to look at him, and she wondered if she looked the way she felt, like a mouse trapped by a cat.

Slowly, he leaned in, sinking to his forearms against the wall. He was close, so close she could feel the heat radiating from him, could hear the soft intakes of each breath even over the pounding of her pulse in her ears.

His mouth descended. Her knees shook, and thank God she was propped against the wall, because she felt like she could fall over at any moment. Panic wrapped around her chest like a steel band, and no, she couldn’t do this. Something told her she’d never be the same—

His lips claimed hers, not gently. Ravenously. Unapologetically. As if he did this all the time, and she supposed he did.

“Open for me.” His voice, a husky, resonant command, had her obeying without a second thought, and in an instant, he took what he wanted. His tongue slipped inside her mouth to stroke her teeth, the roof of her mouth, and then it slid against her tongue in a fierce, wet caress.

Her body ached, arching without her consent as though seeking his, but he still didn’t touch her—the only physical contact between them was where their mouths connected. He was seducing her with nothing more than his tongue, giving her a taste of what she was missing in her life.

God, she wanted more. Right here, right now.

Even so, she found herself murmuring against his lips, “I can’t do this.…”

Josh pulled back slightly. Too far, yet not nearly far enough. “I’m scaring you,” he whispered. “But you aren’t afraid of me. You’re afraid what I’m doing will lead to more.” He let his lips brush hers, barely, but with such passion that she gasped. “Don’t worry, Serena. If I wanted more right this moment, you’d know. My hands would be sliding up under your shirt so I could caress your breasts. I’d pinch your nipples, just a little, until they peaked so I could swipe my tongue over them.”

Oh, yes. Her body sagged, but he caught it with his, pressing up against her and pinning her to the wall.

“I wouldn’t stop there.” His lips skimmed her ear. A shiver went through her, and heat licked between her legs. “I’d drop one hand to your waist, but I don’t know if I could be patient enough to unbutton your pants, or if I’d just rip them open. Either way, I’d get in. I’d find that sweet place between your legs with my fingers, and I’d play until we were both panting. You’d be wet and ready for me when I dropped to my knees and replaced my hand with my mouth.”

She made a noise, something between a squeak and a moan as she pictured everything he was saying. No one had ever spoken to her like this, and the thrill shot straight to her core, which was going wet for him just as he’d said.

“Please…” She trailed off, unsure if she was begging for him to stop talking like that or to continue, because her mind had gone fuzzy and her body had gone liquid. But it was time to turn the tables.

Hooking her leg around his calf, she tugged while pushing against his chest. The unexpected movement caught him off guard, and she spun him around, easily putting his back into the wall—though she got the impression that he could have stopped her if he’d wanted to. His breathing was steady and even, while she was struggling for each breath. She’d almost think he was completely unaffected by the searing sexual tension between them, but his gaze was sleepy, heavy-lidded, and when she dropped her eyes, she saw the impressive evidence of his arousal behind the fly of his jeans.

“Look,” she croaked, “this has to stop. You might have stepped out of the pages of Playgirl, but I can resist even you—”

Josh drew her hard against him and kissed her again, a possessive, yet gentle meeting of lips that once again left her breathless and reeling. He thrust his muscular thigh between hers. His hands dropped to her hips, and he held her steady as he rocked his leg against her.

The pressure was incredible, and she knew without a doubt that she could come like this. Easily. Maybe she should. The pleasure streaking upward from her core was overwhelming, and she was arching into him all by herself now, taking what she wanted…