Authors: Eliza Gayle
A tiny spark of fear, heavily laced with desire for this man, coursed through her. He was still a virtual stranger she knew nothing about, yet her body clamored for him. Despite that knowledge, her anger dissipated further with every whispered word he spoke, her resolve to remain aloof fractured. “No games.” Her words came out on a broken whisper. Her heart pounded with every hard look he passed over her, not to mention the certain air of dominance that came across in his every word that made her want to do very bad things. The power made him impossible to resist.
“Are you ready to leave now?”
There was a tingling in the pit of her stomach at his question. She nodded.
“Good, I’ll escort you home.” He released her, and the sudden loss of his body heat startled her.
A sudden image of him hovered over her as she lay in her bed flashed through her. It didn’t take much to imagine him going much farther. Oh yeah, she wanted him bad and there wasn’t much point in denying it. “Okay, that’ll work.” She grabbed her belongings from behind the bar and hopped off the stool. “Night, Danny. See you tomorrow.”
“Sure thing, doll. You okay to get home tonight?” He looked at Caleb when he spoke.
She laughed. What was with the men she knew all trying to warn off Caleb with a look? “Yeah, I'm good. Nothing to worry about.” The two men stared at each other for a few seconds more before Abby grabbed Caleb's arm and pulled his attention away. “Let's go before I change my mind and leave you here in the bar with Danny for the night.”
Caleb allowed Abby to pull him outside and away from her overprotective coworkers.
“I’ll drive. My ride is right over there.” He pointed to a low-slung, black, classic Harley Davidson parked under the big parking lamp not far from the door.
“Mmm. Nice bike.”
He placed a hand at the small of her back and steered her toward his motorcycle. The firm press of his touch kept him close. Close enough for her to feel body heat radiating in her direction. To her surprise, her sex squeezed and her nipples peaked. For God’s sake it was just a hand touching her, not his dick. She really needed to pull it together.
“You don't mind riding on the back of a bike, do you, babe?” He wagged his eyebrows suggestively at her.
“Not at all. In fact, it sounds like a lot of fun. Something I could use a little of right now.”
“Well, no worries there, sweet, I've an endless supply of ideas to entertain you with.”
She looked sharply at him, piercing him with those incredible vibrant eyes of hers. His heart stuttered over that look.
Mine
.
A huge grin spread across her face. “I'll just bet you do.”
A low growl emanated from deep within him as he swept her into his arms. She merely went with the flow and wrapped her legs around his waist, letting him carry her the rest of the way. Her laughter continued as she rained kisses along his neck and face, her sensual scent wrapping around him like a blanket.
“Abby, if you want us to make it back to your place—” Her little teeth nipped at his skin, stopping his train of thought cold. He could smell her arousal all over her right now. It didn’t take much to imagine the sweet heat between her legs just waiting for him to take action. His body hardened more than he thought possible as he once again fought the urge to take her right here and right now. Hard and fast, thrusting his cock deep into her moist and ready sex.
Claim her.
The two words slid through his mind. Every cell in his body yearned for her taste.
One drop.
Caleb rubbed his tongue across his aching teeth. Sweat popped out across his brow as he fought the instinct inside him. As much as the thirst drove him towards madness, the throbbing head of his dick demanded equal attention. The need driving him wasn’t going away any time soon.
When her butt hit the seat of his bike, it was enough of a distraction to pull him from his immediate urges. Abby had no idea how close he rode to the edge or what that would mean for her. Her memories had not broken through so there was still a chance she could walk away from all of this unscathed. Taking a deep breath, he set her down and climbed on in front of her. With a tenuous grip on his desires, Caleb flipped the switch and the bike roared to life, vibrating solidly beneath them. A sound close to a purr eased from Abby's lips as she leaned forward against his back and tightly wrapped her arms around his waist.
He inwardly groaned.
“I'm ready, Caleb, let's go.” With a brief and barely successful thought to control, he kicked the stand free and rode the bike out of the parking lot. The familiar rumble of power beneath him soothed some of his frayed edges. With the wind blowing in his face and Abby’s arms wrapped tightly around his waist, he imagined the possibilities of what could have been under different circumstances. He missed the kiss of sunlight on his face during a morning ride. Abby was beautiful in the dark but he imagined her glowing gorgeous by the light of day.
Caleb increased his speed and Abby tightened her hands across his abdomen. His stomach tumbled. He’d forgotten the incredible feel of a woman wrapped around him on his motorcycle. A byproduct of his self imposed isolation in his private life. He’d learned long ago that getting attached to a human only brought about heartache and complications.
And then he’d heard Abby sing.
Now he couldn’t get her out of his head no matter how hard he tried. Caleb accelerated until the small town lights became a blur at the edge of his vision. Abby pressed her face into his back, causing him to grind his teeth against the sudden surge of renewed hunger pulsing through the engorged length of his dick.
Fuck, there was no way they were getting through this unscathed. The simmering sexual need went both ways and he wasn’t strong enough to deny it. He’d never imagined this assignment would be anything more than a simple protection detail. Now he knew differently.
A short ride later, at her direction he stopped in front of a small blue bungalow surrounded by a row of hedges.
Killing the engine, he waited for her to step off the bike. “Cute place.”
“It's a rental. Barb at The Drummer gave me a pretty good deal on a short-term lease. It’s actually a nice little house.”
“Short term, huh? Not planning to stay long?”
She stood in front of him with a faraway look in her eye. “Not sure what I'm going to do. Until today I had no clue about my past. But someone out there knows me and they know I’m here.”
“You're referring to the envelope you got in the mail today.”
Abby inserted her key into the lock of her front door, pushing it wide to allow them both entry. “I may not know who or why it was sent to me, but I do know it was mailed from Tennessee. It might be worth my time to go there and see if anything or anyone there sparks a memory.”
An emotion he didn’t want to name speared through Caleb's chest at the thought of Abby leaving without him for the likes of Tennessee. Fear? Annoyance? Something more? No. She couldn't leave. He wouldn't let her. An alarming possessiveness for this human woman coursed through him again.
His gaze followed the curve of her spine even as he followed her into the darkened room. The outline of her full, shapely ass encased in the snug denim drew his attention like a magnet. Nearly holding his breath, he watched her gently sway forward. Blood rushed in Caleb’s ears while he imagined scoring the flimsy fabric from her legs for his first glimpse at her perfect flesh. The desire to bite the soft spot between her neck and shoulder was overwhelming.
When she reached for the control of a lamp, he stilled her hand with his own, pulling her back around to face him. The lovely expression on her face awed him. She stared up at him with an incredible mix of desire, strength and fear.
“Leave it off.” His voice was husky, revealing his need and arousal in a few syllables. He trailed his hand up her arm, savoring the smooth, silky skin of
his
woman. His sensitive hearing caught the increase of her heartbeat along with the accelerated flow of blood through her veins. The swish of her lifeblood called out to him. His fangs descended into his mouth with a painful ache and a powerful need to feed. To taste. To claim.
“Maybe we should—”
Caleb cut her protest off with a hard, demanding kiss. His tongue forced its way into her hot, sweet mouth, seeking and tangling with her tongue. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her roughly against him, pressing his stiff arousal against her soft belly. He longed for the feel of her naked skin against his as he put everything he felt into the passion of their kiss. For a fleeting moment he imagined the empty hole in his soul disappearing. Over the years he’d grown so dark on the inside he’d begun to consider that the last of his humanity had left as well. With Abby in his arms the desolation he’d hidden well began to dissipate.
Holding her firmly in place with one hand, Caleb began stroking the soft curves of her lower back and buttocks. Abby curled into him, releasing a moan into his mouth.
When her hands reached under his shirt and touched his skin, he jumped as if burned. She grazed his nipples, and his hanging-by-a-thread control snapped. Sexual hunger clawed at him. He was simply dying for her.
A low hiss emanated from him as he grabbed the hem of her shirt, dragging it over her head. The smooth, ivory skin of her shoulders led to black lace-covered breasts. Black lace that gave him a tantalizing glimpse of hard berry-tipped nipples. Holy hell.
“If you need to say no, do it now. I can’t stop again.”
With hooded eyes she answered, “Not saying no.”
Caleb started a slow trail downward with his mouth, he nibbled and nipped her fair skin, lingering only for a moment at the rapid pulse beating at her throat. Reaching the juncture between her breasts where the bra clasped together, he tore the scrap of lace apart with his fangs.
Creamy, heavy breasts spilled into his hands, his fingers stroking along the curved undersides. Her soft moan, along with the dark look in her eyes, spurred him further. Though it wasn’t as if he could have stopped now if he wanted to. And the painful pressing of his dick against his zippered pants was proof positive that he did not want to stop.
She threaded her fingers into his hair, gripping the locks tight, trying to pull his head closer. Caleb dug deep for the will to remain calm. Her eagerness would be his undoing if they weren’t careful.
He reached up and pulled her hands free. “No, Abby. I’m in control. Allow me to take charge of your pleasure. Trust me to know what we both need tonight.”
“But I need more, and I need it now.” She whimpered.
He tightened his grip on her hands, lifting them above her head. “If you can't control your hands as I wish, I'm sure I could find something around here to tie them up.” Her eyes widened at the same time her mouth opened to protest. He put his fingers to her lips. “Be careful what you say to me, darlin. False denial will push me over the edge and I scented the spike of your arousal at every word I spoke.”
His warm breath stroked against her cheek, eliciting an uncontrolled shiver. She found it impossible to deny the truth when the truth moistened her pussy and slickened the tops of her thighs. Her legs trembled with the force of her need for this man; it scared the hell out of her, but there was no backing down now.
“Please, Caleb, please.” Her voice lowered to a hoarse whisper. “I need you.” She knew right away that her statement of surrender broke a barrier between them as a glimpse of something different passed through his eyes before pure, unadulterated passion flooded out of him. Her breath left her lungs in a rush when he latched on to her left nipple. His tongue swirled around the sensitive tip before his teeth bit down enough to have her gasping over the pleasure/pain.
Abby arched her back, pushing her body tighter against Caleb's hard form. Caleb forced her legs apart by slipping his leg between hers, pushing his denim clad, rock hard cock, rasping against her covered clit. Seeking more sensation, she undulated her hips against him, and Caleb pulled back a few inches out of reach.
He released her hands and stepped away from her. “Take off your clothes for me, Abby.” His simple command had her belly clenching with desire. Eager to have his hands back on her as soon as possible, she gripped the waistband of her jeans and unfastened and removed them in record speed. She hesitated a moment before pulling her tiny lace panties off, and Caleb gave her a pointed but silent command to continue.
Pulling them down her legs, she stepped free and stood back to face him, completely nude and ready for whatever he had in mind for her. She might have been embarrassed or nervous if she hadn't been totally under his spell. At least that's what she felt like, as if Caleb had her under a sexual spell.
Caleb backed through the doorway into her bedroom, beckoning her to follow him. He pulled her into his arms, enfolding her in another soul-searing kiss as his hands roamed and explored her entire body, touching her from the curve of her shoulders along the smooth line of her spine to her ass. Her body jerked in his arms when his fingertips edged along the crease of her buttocks, teasing and massaging as he dipped toward her forbidden area.
“Breathe, baby, breathe.”
She exhaled the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding, then took a few extra deep breaths to control her reactions.
He turned her toward the bed and backed her up against the mattress. “Lay down on the bed, Abby.”
She eased herself onto the soft cotton sheets and lay back on the pillows, awaiting his instructions. She spread her legs and ran her hands up her thighs straight to her sex. When her fingers would have tangled in her jet-black curls, he reached out and covered her hand with his own. Together their hands stroked the outside of her soaked pussy, and when her finger brushed against the hood of her clit, he applied a firm, steady pressure, pushing her one step closer to the orgasm she couldn't wait to experience.