Unforgiven (The Forbidden Bond 2) (21 page)

“I will go to the upper level with you.”

Derek silently led the way, checking around every corner before proceeding. He opened a door in a far flung corner of the library Brandi had never visited before. She was pretty sure she could scream her head off and still not be heard once the solid door was closed and locked. Not a very comforting thought.

A dim light shone on a desk in the left corner of the room that looked more like a conference room or a study hall than a storage room. There was a large table consuming the center of the room and various desks spread out sporadically against the walls around the perimeter. The white walls and overhead fluorescent lighting fixtures made the room look much more utilitarian than the rest of library.

“Okay. You have me here. What do you want, Derek?” She couldn’t look at him. It would be too easy to sink into those soulful, dark eyes.

“First off, I was concerned because I was shot at on your property. I worried that you hadn’t made it back to the house safely.”

“I don’t believe that. Not that you were shot at, because I’m sure the warriors on patrol would shoot first and ask questions later after what happened to my dad and brother, but that you didn’t know if I was safe. I have the feeling you keep a close enough eye on me to know I was fine by the following day. So that’s not the reason you’re here.”

He smirked at her and stalked slowly closer as she backed away. Before she knew it he had corralled her into the back right corner where a blanket was spread on the floor.

“If you think I’m going to let you screw me to keep you from taking me away from here, you have lost your mind!” She was angry and insulted. Before she could blink, he was on her pinning her shoulders, glaring down at her with black eyes.

“Do you think I would try to take what you didn’t freely offer me? I may be many things, Brandi, but a rapist isn’t one of them,” he growled.

“Why not? You kidnapped my sister. You broke into my house and the Council hall. You threatened to take me if I didn’t follow you. Why wouldn’t I believe you would demand what you want in exchange for my freedom?” she hissed back at him. Derek’s expression melted from anger to defeat. He backed away and sunk to the blanket on the floor before reaching under the nearest table to pull out a small cooler.

“I had planned to find a public place like a park or something to do this so you would feel more comfortable. You know, so you could scream for help if I scared you. I just wanted to see you. But I couldn’t get you alone long enough to ask you to come on a picnic. It was stupid. I should know better.” He ran his large hands through his dark, wavy hair.

“You will never see me as anything other than the Master’s minion. That is, after all, exactly what I am. And instead of talking to you, I acted like the animal I am and manhandled you. I’m sorry. I just…you make me crazy.” He rose to his feet and walked to the door before turning to look at her with suspiciously wet eyes.

“Don’t let the food go to waste.” He paused, “Damn this is hard. All I want to do is walk over there and wrap my arms around you.” He turned away and cracked the door to be sure the area outside was clear. “I won’t bother you again. I’m really sorry if I scared you, Sparky.”

The reminder of the nickname he had given her was what did it. He was one of only three people that knew about her pyrokinetic power. He knew, but he had never told anyone. She bet the Rogue would reward him handsomely for that information but he hadn’t told.

“Wait. Derek, don’t go. You just scared the shit out of me. You have to admit after the last couple of years I have good reason to be jumpy.” He looked back at her, not convinced she really wanted him to stay. She wouldn’t beg. She sat down on the gingham blanket, yes he had actually found a red and white checked blanket for their picnic, and she began to dig in the cooler.

“Let me do that,”Derek said from just behind her. He moved so silently she hadn’t heard him approach. He made them both paper plates of chicken salad, fruit, cheese, and crackers. He offered her a choice of diet or regular colas before settling in to devour his food. They ate in silence but he kept stealing furtive glances. The food was delicious and she actually cleaned her plate, not something that happened often anymore. After the meal was finished and the cooler tucked away, Derek stretched out on the blanket like a contented cat. Brandi settled herself against the wall to watch him.

“Tell me about your mom,” she said. His body stiffened. “Not the bad parts. I mean the stuff from when you were young, before the Rogue.”

Derek relaxed and began to speak. His mom’s name was Sheena. He loved the unique name and as a kid he imagined one day his own daughter would have the same name. He told her about the smell of tart apples and summer rain that always reminded him of his mother. He spoke of days playing in the park with his mom and picnics with plain peanut butter sandwiches because he didn’t like jelly. He recalled early memories of what life had been like for the son of a single mother.

Having always lived in a family of means Brandi couldn’t imagine what life would be like if you had to do without. He told the story of the great love his mother claimed to have for the father he didn’t know. At some point his hand had come to rest on Brandi’s bare foot that rested on the blanket. He continued to tell her little snippets of memories he could recall from his life before the Rogue. He had been eight years old when they went to live under the Rogue’s influence. Somehow, before he finished speaking, Brandi found herself resting her head on his arm. He didn’t try to touch her, only allowed her to get comfortable using him as a pillow.

They fell asleep like that, relaxing in the quiet support of someone who wanted you around, someone who wanted to hear your stories and tell you their own. She drifted off with the aroma of sun dried laundry surrounding her.

Hours later, the sound of a phone vibrating brought them out of their sleep. She was wrapped in his arms with a leg resting over his hip. The position was so intimate and his body so warm, she forgot he was not the man for her. She forgot to be wary of his intentions, to fear his past and his future. He was looking at her like a gift he knew he couldn’t keep. She felt cherished, wanted.

His scent pulled her in to him. He smelled delicious and warm making her crave him like the purest blood. It was disorienting and thrilling. Her body was hot and hungry after hours spent resting in his arms, surrounded by his essence.  Brandi kissed him. His lips were stiff and shocked at first, but he quickly melted into apliant, hot male. She vaguely remembered that this wasn’t their first kiss. They had kissed that night in his friend’s guest bedroom. She had made the first move that night too.

Brandi’s tongue teased the seam of Derek’s lips until he allowed her entrance into the dark sweetness of his mouth. His taste was intoxicating and confusing. She needed to get closer, search deeper for the source of her need. The light from across the room cast a warm glow over their tangled bodies and the beauty of his face. His irises flashed to midnight, his face flushed with heat and need when his gaze roamed over her body wrapped around his. He met her stroke for stroke in a duel for supremacy she suspected he’d let her win. She knew he didn’t want to scare her after his behavior earlier, preferring her to take the lead.

One hand twined through his hair to hold him right where she wanted him, the other roamed over his hard male form, from shoulders to waist band, exploring every inch of his washboard perfection while she reveled in the flavor and strength of him. Derek was as perfectly formed as any runner or swimmer would be. His long, lean muscles and narrow hips called to her. She wanted to taste it all. Feel his skin pressed against hers. He still didn’t touch her and she wanted him to, needed him to caress her body. Her hand lowered again to his waist band, pulling at the fastening. He tasted so good, felt so right.

His phone buzzed again. “Shit. Sparky, I have to get that.”

The fog lifted slightly with his words. Then she remembered. This was wrong. She was wrong to want him. He wasn’t her man. Shame and embarrassment had her running for the door before he could reach for his important call. It was likely a new assignment. Brandi wondered if she were just an assignment for him. When she raced out of the Council hall and peeled out of the parking lot, she wondered if he would take her in if the Rogue demanded it. She knew he would do it for his mother. Or the memory of whom his mother had once been.

****

Temptation was a bitch. Greyson and his team had just spent over a week in close quarters with a fiery red head that made it very clear she wanted to try him on for size. The entire week he spent preparing Candice Hughes for the rigors of deployment with a Wrath team had been a test in patience for Greyson. She had flirted, smiled and teased, but he had kept everything above board.

Thankfully, once they were deployed Candice was all business, but God almighty she was hot. It wasn’t like Greyson wasn’t in need of sexual release. Brandi was a handful in bed. He had trained her well in the art of lovemaking and what an eager student she had been. She knew how to build him up to towering heights of need. Brandi would pleasure him to near pain before she rocked his foundation to watch him crash at her feet. She had also learned to submit to his need for total domination when that was his inclination. His nymph could be a demanding temptress, a sweet little submissive, or an equal partner in pursuit of ecstasy.

So, no, he had no reason to stray but he was also not a blind man. Candice had a body that had the guys on the team begging for mercy every night when she stripped down to her little boy shorts and tank top at lights out. Because she insisted on receiving no special treatment, Candice bedded down with the men, which had actually become a bit of a problem. The team seemed to be getting a little restless from lack of sleep, or more likely, lack of release.

Candice was a magnificent woman. She could handle a weapon, as well as any man, and hold her own in a fist fight. What she lacked in size and strength she made up for in tactical knowledge and street smarts. She had the whole package. Beauty. Strength. Intelligence. Confidence. And she was old enough to have earned those character traits the hard way. Greyson had to respect Candice. He could also admit to certain chemistry between them but, Candice just didn’t compare to his Pixie.

No one had ever made him burn the way Brandi did. She was well muscled from years of athletic training, but there was a delicate femininity to her form that made his protective instincts flare to life. He loved the way she made him feel needed and missed her terribly when he was gone. No one had ever really needed him or clung to him trustingly like Brandi did. A lot of women had trouble dealing with a man who was gone and out of touch so often.

Grey knew the nymph would steal his heart the first time she smiled up at him from her sick bed, sleepy and kittenish. She had touched his face and told him what she thought of him with one word.

“Beautiful”

That moment would live in him forever.

“Greyson, may I have a private word with you?” Candice called to him.

He’d finished unpacking his gear from the mission they just completed after a tedious debriefing with Gage and a few other Wrath team leaders. All he wanted to do was go home and fall face first onto his bed for about twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep.

“I’m kind of in a hurry. What’s up?” He didn’t want to be rude but his weary brain was beyond social niceties.

Candice’s face fell a bit and he felt like an ass. He was assigned to be Candice’s contact on the Enclave. If she had a problem or needed information it was his job to provide it or find someone who could, thanks to his status as low man on the team. Babysitting, or in this case cop-sitting, was getting to be a real chore.

“What? Do you have a date at the mall or something?” was her snide retort.

“Excuse me? I’m sorry, Candice, but what in the hell are you talking about?”

“Nothing.” She blushed all the way to her roots. “I didn’t mean to snap. I’m just tired.”

Candice was nervous when she stepped into his personal space and placed a small hand on his bicep. It was an odd effect for the confident woman.

“I would like to take you out to dinner. Like a date.” She blushed again. Greyson was dumbstruck.

“What do you think?” she asked hopefully.

“I’m sorry, but I have a girlfriend. I have to decline,” he replied politely.

“Is she really your girlfriend? Or are just dating? I can see why you keep the tart around, but if you’re only dating I don’t see the problem. I mean, what you could possibly have in common with the kid. I don’t even think her fangs are sharp yet.” Candice blurted the insult and seemed to immediately regret it.

Greyson shook off her hand and walked away. He wouldn’t stand there and listen to anybody try to tear his girl down. If Candice had been a man, Greyson would have laid her out on the pavement.

TWELVE

Derek made a hasty retreat from the Council hall library, leaving behind the blanket and cooler. Nate had called and woke him from the best sleep of his life and interrupted what promised to be the hottest sex of his life. Brandi looked on the outside like a woman that would be content to let a man take the lead in bed, but that was a part of her fabricated image. She had been hot, controlling and sexy as hell. Derek knew the scent of his human blood combined with her sleepy mind had contributed to her easy acquiescence to the needs of her body, but he didn’t care. He had wanted her so badly for so long that he was willing to take all the help he could get. In those quiet moments of loving, the shifting in his chest that started the first time they faced off snapped and everything fell into place. Brandi was meant to be his, no matter that he didn’t deserve her. It just felt so right, like she was fixing all the rips and tears inside him. She felt the pull too. He would do his best to win her and let her decide the rest.

Brandi had all but melted into him. It was beyond sexy when she demanded control of their kiss by grabbing his hair and holding him in place for her possession. Her small inquisitive hands had explored the plains of his chest and shoulders until his length throbbed with need and ached to be buried in the darkest, sweetest place on her curvy little body. She writhed and rubbed her heat against him but he never touched her, afraid to startle her back to her senses, Derek let her do as she wished without interference. His eyes had crossed when Brandi began unfastening his jeans. That’s when Nate’s second call broke the spell clouding Brandi’s mind. She took off but he couldn’t chase her. He was late for his monthly visit that the Master allowed him to have with his mother. It wasn’t a kindness, but the proof of life the Master knew was required to keep Derek in line. He was the Master’s fist and the male that would take down any vamp that threatened the Master’s leadership. He was also the tool most effective at bringing in other vampires when needed, so the Master kept a tight grip on Derek’s leash.