Wind blew my hair in different directions as I peered at the ground fifteen stories below. “Don’t jump, lady!” a man called from the street. A brunette stood next to him, and even from up here, I could see that her gaze was wide and anxious.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” said the man only ten feet away from me. “You can just come off the ledge and go down the normal way.”
“Since when did normal ever apply to me?” I asked and turned my attention back to the concrete below. Jeez, it really was a long way down.
“Are you going to jump, or do I have to toss you off there myself?” An English accent decorated the words from another male bystander below. “Bloody hell, luv, make up your mind. It’s chilly out.”
One deep breath later, I had gathered my courage. Here went nothing.
I sprang off the balcony as if it were a diving board, keeping my body erect even in the free fall toward the rapidly approaching street. My eyes stung from the rushing air, and that instant surge of adrenaline made my heart pound. Only five more floors to go. Four… Three…
With a burst of inner energy, I willed myself to slow down, picturing waves of thickening water between me and the inevitable impact. The floors I passed stopped blurring together and separated into distinct shapes as my velocity decreased. When I hit the ground, I landed heavily, but I managed to stay upright on both my booted feet.
“Holy shit, Cat, you did it!”
Denise, my best friend, launched herself at me. When she reached me, she threw her arms around me. “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen!”
I laughed and returned her hug. It still felt strange to hear her call me by my real, albeit abbreviated, name. For years she’d known me as Cristine. My mom would forever call me by my birth name, Catherine. As for the English vampire behind her, I would always be Kitten, the name he’d first called me just to be sarcastic.
“You don’t want the side effects that come with being half-vampire, Denise. Although lately the perks have outweighed the perils.”
Bones, my vampire husband, laughed. “Happy to tip the scales for you, Kitten.”
I went from her warm arms to his cool ones, not minding the change in temperature a bit. “You didn’t have to catch me this time.”
“I told you that you could do it yourself. Just takes willpower and practice.”
“I wouldn’t have known it was possible if not for you.”
That was certainly true. Before him, I hadn’t known much about vampires at all, let alone what abilities I’d inherited from my very deadbeat father.
“Can’t you keep your hands off her for even a minute?” an irate voice asked, signaling that Tate and the rest of my coworkers had finally made their way down from the roof to join us.
Bones didn’t even look up. “No,” he said, and kissed me.
Several long moments later, a familiar cough behind me made me push him back.
“Very impressive,” said Don, my boss and uncle. “I must admit, Cat, your skills have broadened considerably since Bones has joined the team.”
Bones let out a snort of laughter. “You have no idea, old chap.”
I elbowed him, fighting the blush that came so easily now. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Tate scowling at Bones.
“If you’re done cuddling, we have actual business to discuss.”
I ignored Tate’s snippiness and so did Bones. “We’ll be right in, but I promised Denise something. She’s been waiting, and I’m sure she and Randy want to go home. Bones? Ready?”
He uncurled himself from me and gave a theatrical bow to Denise, his leather coat sweeping the ground. She giggled, letting go of her husband’s hand to place her arms around Bones’s neck.
“Hang on tight, madam. One amusement park ride, going up.”
Bones propelled them straight into the air as though yanked by a string. Denise squealed, but not in fright.
Tate shook his head. “Show-off,” he muttered.
Bones took her so high I was the only one who could still see them in the darkness. He flew in a circle around the entire military compound before zooming toward us and then coming down in a rush that had her legs flailing. Bones landed them both neatly on the ground and then handed Denise to her husband, who gaped at him. Randy had never seen him fly before.
Denise was laughing as she wiped away her wind-induced tears. “That was so much fun! If I were you, Cat, I’d make him do that every night! Come on, Randy, let’s go. Cat, call me tomorrow after you get up.”
They waved good-bye and I watched them leave with a smile. She knew that call wouldn’t come until the afternoon. Being half-vampire meant that I wasn’t a morning person.
“Can we get on with business now?” Tate said, pulling on my arm for emphasis.
Bones glanced at his hand on me and then smiled.
“Aw, shit,” Juan, one of my other captains, mumbled.
In the next instant, Tate was tossed straight upward into the night like he’d been fired from a cannon.
My uncle cleared his throat. “Ahem?” he said pointedly.
“You’d better catch him,” I told Bones, speaking louder to be heard over Tate’s screams.
“I’ll catch the wanker,” Bones responded, snatching Tate in his grasp just before the other man splattered on the ground. Then Bones set him on his feet with none of the care he’d shown Denise.
“You keep your hands off her, or I’ll forget where you’re landing next time.”
“Fucking… tomb trash.” Tate panted, struggling to regain his breath. He hated heights, and Bones knew that.
Don gave Bones a reproachful look. “Was that really necessary?”
“You’d think the sod would have learned by now,” was Bones’s short reply.
I rolled my eyes. Don should have learned too. Bones couldn’t care less that my uncle disapproved of him chucking Tate like a Frisbee. As far as vampires were concerned, that was a mild response to Tate’s continued sulkiness.
“This has been great, but I can’t wait to go home,” I said.
“Actually, Kitten, we’re not going home,” Bones said, surprising me. Normally, he couldn’t wait to get away from the compound that served as home base for our clandestine “Homeland Security” operation. “I have to leave for a few days. There’s something I need to pick up in Australia.”
Alone? “You don’t want me to go with you?”
He drew me aside until no one from my team could overhear us. “Not this time.”
I was instantly on guard. “Why? What’s so important you have to go there yourself to get it?”
His face gave nothing away. Over two centuries of learning how to control his features also made Bones an unbeatable card player. “I’ll tell you afterward. Will you trust me and not ask why?”
“Depends. Is it dangerous?”
“Not at all. I’ll tell you everything when I get back, promise. As a precaution, I told Charles to look out for you while I’m gone. Don is aware not to have anyone on your team try to stake him.”
He sounded amused at the thought. Charles, or Spade as I knew him, was one of Bones’s oldest friends. He was also a Master vampire in his own right. My team would have a hell of a time trying to take Spade down.
“You are so paranoid.”
“Yes.” Shortly. Then with a softer tone, “Stay at the compound, Kitten, it’s safer. Max might know roundabout where it is, but he never knows when you’ll be here.”
I grimaced. Max, my father, had hired an assassin to blow my head off when he found out about my existence. Even though my new vampire marriage to Bones meant that I was now under his protection, we both knew that one day my father would come after me. After all, I’d sworn to his face that I would kill him. It was logical to assume he’d try to beat me at my game.
“I’ll stay here,” I said, trying not to let my reluctance show. “Call me when you land.”
He drew me into his arms. “One more thing. Don’t go on any jobs. If something comes up, it can wait until I return.”
“Fine. I don’t like the secrecy of all this, but… I won’t ask about it until you get back.”
He smiled. “Thank you.”
***
The next day Tate was waiting for me at the entrance to the administrative floor. “So, where did Mr. Wonderful go?”
“Did Spade get here?” I asked, ignoring his question.
“Yep. He’s in your office, where he’s made himself quite at home. You know, your lover really should give more notice before he orders all operations to come to a halt and takes off.”
“Something came up.” What, I didn’t know, but damned if I’d admit that. “Maybe you can call Bones and tell him he doesn’t have your permission? I’m sure he’ll turn right back around.”
Instead of snapping back a reply, Tate was silent. Then he said, “I’m such a dick sometimes, aren’t I?” in such an abashed tone, I stopped in mid-stride.
“Well…,” I hedged.
He laughed a trifle grimly. “Half the time he smacks me around, I know I deserve it. I hear some of the things I say, and I can’t believe it’s me talking. It’s hard, Cat. You know I love you; hell, everyone knows it. The team jokes behind my back about it. And you’re so happy with him. I never realized how depressed you were before he showed up. It also doesn’t help that he’s got one hand in your panties at every opportunity, but who can blame him?”
I didn’t know how to respond. His directness was refreshing, and his attitude problem of late was now gone. I finally settled on saying, “I wish it wasn’t this way, Tate. One day you’ll feel differently about me, I know it.” And since Bones wasn’t there to throw him a hundred feet in the air, I patted his arm.
He grasped my hand and brought it to his lips, faster than I believed him capable of. I should have remembered that he’d been imbibing heavily of vampire blood in preparation for his upcoming change into becoming a vampire.
A slow whistle interrupted whatever Tate had been about to say. I turned around and saw Baron Charles DeMortimer, aka Spade, at the end of the hallway.
“Now I owe Crispin money,” he drawled. “He said your fellow would have his hands on you in five minutes. I bet on fifteen. Appears I lose.”
Spade always called Bones by his human name, Crispin. Vampires were downright confusing when it came to remembering how the hell to address them.
“Tate, back away,” I said, flashing Spade a rueful grin. “Bones probably gave him orders to terminate.”
Spade’s chuckle didn’t deny anything.
Tate let go of my hand and his attitude was back with full force. “I should be flattered. If Boneyard thinks she needs a chaperone around me, I’m further along than I realized.”
“You can both cool it,” I said tartly. “I’ve worked almost five years with you, Tate, so I think I can handle not falling back with my legs open in less than three days.”
Spade came forward and kissed my cheek. “Crispin doesn’t doubt your fidelity. He simply feels that your empathy toward this sod would give him false hope. When you’re in love with the unattainable, any scrap of pity can be misinterpreted.”
“You arrogant piece of—” Tate began.
“Have you met Don?” I interrupted. Bones might take Tate’s incessant insults, but I didn’t know how Spade would react. He might snap his neck.
“The gray-haired gentleman? I saw him, but we weren’t introduced. This one forgot his manners. He led me straight to your office and then practically guarded the door.”
I sighed. “Come with me, Spade, I’ll show you around. Tate, don’t even start. He and Bones have been friends for over two hundred years, so he has no intentions of infiltrating our operation. God, sometimes you’re as suspicious as my mother.”
I brought Spade to Don’s office and introduced the two men. Don eyed the hand Spade extended to him for a long second before finally shaking it.
“Don’t be offended by that,” I said with a laugh. “Don’s always wary to shake a vampire’s hand after seeing what Bones did to someone else’s with a handshake.”
“Ah, of course,” Spade said, his mouth curling down. “Crispin told me he should have just killed Danny Milton that day instead of years later.”
Don was shocked. “Bones was the vampire who kidnapped Daniel Milton out of his hospital room when he was under Witness Protection? And killed him, you say?”
Had I forgot to mention that? “Yeah. He went to Ohio looking for me and found Danny instead. Bones green-eyed him into spilling what he knew about me, then killed him so he couldn’t repeat it.”
I still wasn’t happy about Danny’s murder, even though there had been no love lost between us. Bones had stated that Danny would have gotten me killed one day and that was that. Dinner for Rodney the ghoul.
Don lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “One less potential leak to worry about, though so many vampires know about you now, it’s hardly relevant anymore.”
Spade watched the interaction between me and my uncle with interest. “You are nothing like your brother,” he said to Don.
Don straightened. “You know Max? Exactly who are you to my brother?”
“No one except a friend to his sire. I met Max a few times while visiting Ian. Didn’t think much of Max—he seemed shifty.”
That was an understatement if I’d ever heard one. “Ian made Bones, but who made you?” I asked. “Bones told me the story of that day, but he didn’t mention who the other two sires were. Unless it’s rude to ask.”
Vampire etiquette still escaped me sometimes. It had been so much easier when I just killed them.
Spade waved dismissively, his black, spiky hair moving with the gesture. “You may ask me anything, Cat. Mencheres changed me. You remember him, don’t you?”
How could I forget? Unadulterated power aside, he’d settled the dispute over who got to keep me when Ian and Bones were arguing over me like a cut of beef. Ian had gotten the hots for me after I nearly killed him. People get turned on in strange ways, if you ask me.
“I remember Mencheres. He’s old, isn’t he? He felt… different,” was all I said.
Spade smiled. “You look so human I forget you can feel us as another vampire can. Yes, he’s very old, and one of the most powerful vampires in existence.”
I changed the subject because something about Mencheres unsettled me in ways I couldn’t explain. “Let’s get you a room, Spade. If you’re babysitting me, you may as well have a bed. I’m beat myself—I didn’t sleep much last night.”
Don turned away in a flash of disquiet. Spade’s smile turned knowing. God, me and my big mouth. Why didn’t I just draw them a picture?
Spade’s grin widened. “Yes, I am rather knackered. I’ll take whatever abode is near to yours, thank you. Don”—he faced my boss—“you can be assured I shall be no trouble to your men. My only purpose is to ensure Cat’s safety.”
Don looked mildly offended. “Bones doesn’t think she’ll be safe even inside these walls?”
Spade held open the door for me and gave my uncle a look. “He values her above all else. Why wouldn’t he be overprotective of what he can’t bear to lose?”
Don had no response to that. Neither did I. Instead, I left to show Spade to his room.
***
There were barracks for my team downstairs on the third sublevel. Simple, military-style accommodations. Two cots to a room. Few amenities. Not that Spade needed one, but they didn’t even have private toilets. The shower and bathroom facilities were on either end of the hall. My shower was at the farthest side of the sublevel and it was private, so I offered it to Spade.
“No need for me to put on airs, Cat. You don’t want your team thinking all vampires get preferential treatment, do you?”
“Just a thought. You might be shy.”
He smiled. “Few vampires are. That’s nearly the first thing to go after the heartbeat.”
“You’ve heard that Bones is going to change over Tate, I suppose?” I sat on the cot, adding an extra blanket for myself by taking it from the second bed. There would only be one occupant in this room. Spade didn’t need to watch me that closely.
“I did. Can’t say I agree with the decision, but it’s Crispin’s choice. I for one wouldn’t endow another man with this kind of power if he openly lusted for my wife. I’d kill him instead.”
The casual way he made the statement didn’t make me doubt its sincerity. Vampires weren’t all bark and no bite.
“Maybe he just trusts me. Besides, if he killed Tate out of spite, I’d be furious.”
Spade shrugged. “All a matter of respect. Tate shows contempt with his blatant affection for you. One day he may well go too far, and then your wrath will be wasted because the deed will be done.”
I fluffed the flat pillow twice before giving up. “I disagree. After all, Bones didn’t kill Noah, and I was engaged to him.”
“Speaking of that, did you know many people in the undead world think Crispin only married you to provoke Ian? Ian also thinks it was a sort of payback, since Crispin knew how much he wanted you. The fact your former fiancé still lives only increases the weight of this rumor. They figure if Crispin truly cared for you, he would have slaughtered your human paramour first thing.”
That stopped me in mid-snuggle. “From what Ian and Mencheres both said, you vampires take your blood-vow marriage real seriously. Why would Bones make that kind of commitment if he only wanted to piss off Ian? Seems a bit extreme to take a grudge that far.”
“You forget the exception. Death releases a vampire from marriage. You are after all part human, and much more susceptible to demise than a vampire. In your line of work, who’s to say you’ll even live out the year? That’s what people reckon, making Crispin’s marriage to you potentially a short commitment.”
I had never thought of that. “Do you believe that?”
He smiled. “No. Nor does anyone who knows Crispin. Ian would realize it himself if he weren’t so fixated on his injured pride. I’m only telling you this so that when you hear it, and you will eventually, you won’t let it trouble you.”
I smiled back, mollified. “If that’s why they think Bones married me, then why did I marry him? What do the busybody undead gossipers say about that?”
Spade chuckled. “Oh, for his shagging, of course. There wasn’t a dry feminine eye in the house the night he declared himself to you. You are as hated as you are envied.”
Nice. Just what I liked to be reminded of. “Yeah, Annette was kind enough to fill me in on that. She told me all about his penchant for multiple women at once and how he outshined the countless other poor schmucks she’d fucked. If there were women crying that night, she cried the hardest.”
He shrugged. “What do you care about them? When you were missing, Crispin only thought of finding you.”
“Do you know what he’s doing now?” I impulsively asked.
Spade started to laugh. “He didn’t tell you? That’s priceless.”
Okay, it must not be dangerous, or I didn’t think Spade would be so amused. “Well?” I prodded.
“Wouldn’t dream of spoiling the surprise, so don’t ask. You’ll know before long, I’m certain.”
I chucked one of the small pillows at him in exasperation, but he caught it and handed it back to me.
“Go to sleep. I’ll speak to you later.”
***
Hours later I reached over, grasping empty air when there should have been cool flesh. My eyes snapped open, and for a second, I thought I was in bed at my old house in Richmond before Bones found me. Alone, like I’d been for years.
The door flew open and Spade was there. “What’s wrong?”
“Huh?” I looked around, fully conscious now and remembering why I was in bed alone. Spade relaxed when he saw my cubicle was empty.
“Bad dream?” he queried.
“How would you—” I began, then stopped. “My heart rate, right? My, you’re being attentive. Have you been listening while I sleep? I hope I wasn’t talking as well.”
His lips twitched. “You might have been. The snoring would have drowned that out.”
I snorted in an unladylike fashion. “Did Bones tell you to say that? He always makes fun of my snoring, but personally I think it’s a lie. My mother never told me I snored.”
He laughed outright. “Then she was being gracious.”
In mid-stretch, I stopped to give him a jaded look. “You clearly don’t know her to assume that. Didn’t Bones ever tell you about her?”
His laughter subdued, but the twitch was back. “Not in any terms I would repeat.”
It didn’t offend me. Whatever Bones had called her, she’d deserved it. Trying twice to murder him allowed him a few unsavory comments where she was concerned.
“I’m off to shower and then to the Wreck Room. That’s what we call the training room. You’re coming, I assume?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
Thirty minutes later, I felt a refreshing surge as the sun set and darkness fell. Some things about me were more vampire than human, and my affinity for evening was one of them. Even as a child, I’d had a hard time going to sleep until it was close to dawn. I glanced at my watch as we entered the Wreck Room. Most of the team was inside training. They kept nocturnal hours also due to the nature of what we hunted.
“Querida.” Juan greeted me, stopping what he was doing and coming over. “Tate tells me you’ll be staying with us for a few days. Qué bueno, I’ve missed you since you’re always gone with that pale, pulseless man. No offense, amigo.”
Juan had mellowed considerably about vampires since he’d gotten chummy with Bones. Now he constantly pestered him for tips on how to seduce women. Bones spoke Spanish; I didn’t. It scared me to think of all the ribald conversation taking place under my nose, but Bones had laughingly refuted my attempts to discourage him from mentoring Juan in that area.
“Kitten, if he’s going to shag every woman that holds still long enough, at least he should be doing it properly. Heavens knows I’m helping them more than I am him,” had been his reply to my outraged protest.
Jeez, I was in trouble if that memory was enough to make me miss him again.
Spade looked around the training area with interest. It was about the size of two football fields, complete with obstacle courses that had shifting ground, ropes for rappelling up the faux building sides, impromptu mock attacks, and sudden blackouts. Roughly half of the sixty troops that made up my team were here, panting away under the relentless eyes of my four captains.
“Who is that?” one of the newer recruits, Jeffrey, whispered to the sweating guy next to him. Both were on the other side of the huge room, and none of my older team members were nearby to warn them that I could hear them.
“Got to be another monster, look at his skin. It’s like hers. Man, she sure likes her dick room temperature.”
“Don’t,” I said, gripping Spade’s arm when he would have done something about that. “They don’t know I can hear them. Let’s see how far they’ll take it.”
“This one’s a brunette,” Jeffrey went on, heedless. “Whatcha think? Dracula—or his college roommate?”
They both snickered. Dumb jerks hadn’t even looked up to see who was around. They’d learn.
“Cat, I was just talking to Cooper, and… What’re you glaring at?” Tate walked up, giving me a curious look.
My hand was still on Spade’s arm, just in case. “Who’s the kid with Jeffrey? Apparently neither one of them believed the lesson about advanced senses, since they’re prattling away like two teenagers. Concentrate. Try to hear them.”
Tate cocked his head. With the daily blood he’d been drinking, he should be able to hear them if he mentally turned up the volume in their direction and managed to filter the other noises out.
“You paying attention to this?” Dave asked, sidling up to me.
“Shh!” Impatiently from Tate.
“…at least now we can check out her ass without getting thrown through the air. Bones has radar when it comes to someone looking at his all-you-can-eat treat. She’s a full-service menu for him—blood for dinner, pussy for dessert. I bet she—”
“Are you out of your minds?” Angus, one of my seasoned team members, interrupted him. “Sorry, Cat, they were taking a breather,” he added to me. “They won’t be doing that again soon.”
Angus hadn’t raised his voice when he switched between speaking to Jeffrey and me. The new recruits stared at him, bewildered.
“She’s all the way over there, she can’t hear us!”
Angus shook his head. “She heard every word you said. See her hand on that vampire? He’s probably licking his lips, deciding which one of you he’s going to drink first. Leftovers go to Dave.”
“But—” the one named Toby began and got a smack to the back of his head.
“Move it, soldier.”
Angus marched the two reluctant men over to us. Juan had been filled in on the dialogue by Dave as they approached, since he hadn’t heard on his own.
“Well, hello boys,” I drawled when Angus shoved them the last few steps. “Some recruits weren’t paying attention to who was around when they spouted off at the mouth, hmmm? So, you two think I’m an all-you-can-eat treat, huh? That’s funny, because to a vampire or a ghoul, you’re food. Dumb food, but hey? Who refuses to eat a burger because the cow was stupid, right?”
They stared at the ground, carefully avoiding my eyes. Now for the fun part.
“Men, fall out!” I roared. The thirty-plus soldiers ceased their activities and came to stand in rows in front of me.
“All right, men, Jeff and Toby here have concerns. Now, who else has been mouthing off about my sleeping with a vampire? Come on, step forward!”
No one moved. There was some shuffling of feet and a few coughs, but no takers. I smiled.
“I’ll get the names of the other bigmouths, believe me, and because whoever it was didn’t step up, now they’ll get both legs broken as well as a severe beating. Don’t you know? Cowardice gets you hurt worse. And as for you two.” Back to Tony and Jeff. “Like my ass, huh? You’re about to get real familiar with it kicking yours!”
I punched both of them in the mouth to punctuate my point. This kind of crap had to stop before someone got hurt. Or worse. Death took anyone, even the imbeciles.
“All right, boys…” I gestured for them to form a circle, then cracked my knuckles and rolled my head around my shoulders. “Let’s get started.”
***
My cell phone rang seven hours later. I was still in the Wreck Room, and so were all of the team. Well, those that weren’t in the medical lab being pumped full of Brams. I snatched my cell up and answered it breathlessly.
“I miss you so bloody much, Kitten,” were Bones’s first words. “Thought I was being unselfish to leave you where you are, but it’s the last time I’m doing that.”
The frustration in his tone made me smile. Bones hated to fly, and he’d been cooped up in a plane for over fourteen hours. At least I’d been able to relieve some of my aggression.
“If I knew that was why you wanted me to stay, I would’ve insisted on going. We could have renewed our membership to the Mile High Club. You would have enjoyed your flight more.”
A snort of laughter squeezed my heart. “Infinitely more. I can’t wait to see you again. Tell Don you’ll be unreachable for two days, sod how much he’ll bellow.”
I wasn’t about to argue. “I’ll tell Don something came up.”
His chuckle was instant. “Right you are. Now, let me speak to Charles.”
I handed the phone over to Spade, who had wandered by.
“Crispin, I’ve just had the pleasure of watching her pummel her poor crew into a state of misery these last several hours. She’s just spectacular to observe. Liking your solitude?”
The reply he got in return sent Spade into delighted snickers. “Oh, you do sound out of sorts. I owe you money, by the by. It was three minutes before your potential changeling had her hand to his lips. The rest of her men might long for your swift return, but he doesn’t. Bloke even seems to like it when she beats him, probably because it’s the only time she touches him, wretched sod.”
“Tattletale,” I barked.
Spade ignored that. “Don’t bother yourself over her, Crispin, I won’t let her out of my sight. See you soon, mate.”
“He sounds entirely too happy for my liking,” Bones commented when I was handed back the phone. “Don’t make it so pleasant for him, luv. Neglect your toothbrush or something.”
That made me laugh, and he made a soft sound when he heard it. “Blimey, I’m getting off before I hop the next flight without retrieving what I’ve come for. I’ll ring you again before I get on the plane to come back. I love you, Kitten.”
“I love you too.”
The connection severed, but I didn’t let go of the phone. Absurdly, I wanted to hold it, like it was a tie to him. Then with a shake of my head, I turned back to my troops.
“Rest time’s over, buddies. Who’s next?”
There were no takers. I was about to pick the most weary face among them when there was a polite tap on my arm.
“If I may?” Spade said, with a gleam in his eye. “You’ve owed me a rematch for years.”
I laughed at his reference to what had happened the first time we met. “How rough do you want to play? Knives, swords, staffs, or hand to hand?”
“All of it,” was his response.
My smile widened. That’s the way I liked it too.
“Back off, boys. Watch and learn,” I called without taking my eyes off my new opponent. Spade removed his shoes and shirt, leaving him only in his pants so his movements would be less restricted. Since I was in flexible spandex, I didn’t have that concern.
“Well, sir.” I tossed a staff at him and held mine at attention. “Shall we dance?”
***
A little over a day later, Spade and I were at the airport, waiting for Bones to come off the plane.
“You don’t have to stand here with me,” I commented. “Driving me over was enough, thanks, but you know we’re taking a shuttle back to the hotel from here.”
Spade had been practically glued to my side for the past thirty-eight hours while I’d taken out my frustrations on my men, even calling more in from off-duty. If anyone missed Bones more than I had the past couple of days, it was my team. They had been all smiles as I left for the airport with Spade.
“You’re perfect for him, you know,” he said, ignoring my advice. “Checking in to the nearest hotel on the airport grounds in advance so all you have to do is run straight there instead of driving the arduous forty minutes back to the compound.”
I didn’t allow myself to blush. “He’ll be exhausted from the flight and the time change. I’m only being considerate,” I said primly.
Spade didn’t comment. After a moment, his eyes narrowed. “I can feel him, he’s almost here. Don’t bother with a shuttle, I’ll drive you to the hotel myself. See you in front.”
I stood as close to the arrivals entryway as security would allow, craning my neck to see around the throngs of people. True to Spade’s prediction, I soon saw Bones striding though the passengers waiting to collect their luggage. He had only one bag slung over his shoulder, and he moved with long, predatory steps that easily outdistanced those in front of him. His eyes met mine, and the rush of joy I felt at seeing him made my heart skip a beat.
Bones pulled me to him, slanting his mouth over mine before I could even smile at him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he lifted me off my feet, running his free hand down my back.
I could feel people staring at the blatant display, but I didn’t care. Only the knowledge that the hotel room beckoned gave me the incentive to push him back.
“Let’s get your stuff and leave. Spade’s waiting with the car.”
He lifted his head but kept his eyes closed for a moment. When he opened them, they were hazel but not glowing. Blazing emerald would have attracted too much attention.
“This is all I have, we can go. Best hurry. Charles might have to pull off the road and take a walk, because I want you right now.”
The flat concentration in his voice made my belly clench in anticipation. We nearly ran to the exit, his hand gripping mine.
Spade had the passenger door open. Bones threw his single suitcase across the seat and then gathered me into his embrace, slamming the door behind him. The car took off without even a hello exchanged between the two men since Bones had already returned to kissing me.
“Wait,” I gasped, coming up for air. “We’re almost at the hotel I checked us in to.”
“Brilliant you are, Kitten.” He smiled. Then to Spade, “Drive faster.”
“Absolutely, mate. I can see you need your sleep.” Laughter vibrated under his words. “Ah, here we are. You can ring me later about how you fared.”
I’d picked a room on the top floor near the elevators. Less people to disturb if we were closer to the low-flying planes. In the elevator, I dropped my plastic room key as Bones kissed my throat and rubbed his body sensually against mine. He picked it up, glaring at the shocked elderly couple who had the misfortune to be in there with us.
“Mind your own business,” he snapped.
Thankfully they didn’t get off on our floor.
The hall was empty when we stepped off the elevator. I jerked my head in the direction of our door, already unzipping his pants. We stumbled into the room where a Do Not Disturb sign already hung on the knob. When I checked in, I knew we’d need it.
“Don’t even think of foreplay,” I said, already burning with desire. I threw off my coat and backed toward the bedroom. Bones followed, mouth locked on mine as his hands slid underneath my skirt to bunch it at the waist. The mattress was high off the ground, hitting the back of my thighs as his upper body covered me while he remained standing. Fingers ripped off the thin material of my panties. He cast them away, and I wrapped my legs around him while he thrust inside me.
“Yes, oh God, yes.” I groaned, thrashing under him.
He straightened for better leverage, gripping my waist with one hand. The other untied the sweater I wore, unclipped my front bra snap and unbuttoned his shirt. His pants had fallen to the floor already.
“You’re so hot inside. Like wet fire. I love to feel you, Kitten.”
Each pumping motion of his body felt sharper to me. My skin was oversensitized from PMS, my breasts fuller and more tender, loins heightened to exquisite sensation. Bones didn’t have to increase pace or force to feel like he was slicing through me straight to the center. Moans became shouts and shouts became screams of ecstasy. Nerve endings stretched, winding faster and tighter together until they snapped with a rush of aching heat that vibrated from the inside out. Even my fingers tingled.
“A thousand tiny hands.” Bones groaned in satisfaction. He slid up the bed to where he lay fully on top of me, still pulsating within.
“What?” I could barely speak.
Pale arms held me closer. He nuzzled my neck, pushing my hair back. “That’s what it feels like inside you when you come. Like a thousand miniature hands pulling me in deeper, squeezing me, burning me. It’s incredible. You strip my will from me each time. Do you know what I’m going to do to you now?”
No idea I would have responded, but all that came out was a cry. He rotated his hips in an erotic twist that arched my spine and made me rake my nails down his back.
“I’m going to bite you,” he whispered.
I wound my fingers in his hair and pressed him to my throat.
A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Not there, luv. Here.”
He ran his hand between our joined bodies to rub his thumb over my clitoris. I jumped from the contact. He moved down my body, his other arm holding my legs. His tongue delved into the top of my crease before flicking in a series of licks. Then a slow glide from top to bottom, seeking. I trembled under his mouth, helpless. Somehow my skeleton had been replaced with jelly. He moaned and then swirled his tongue over my clit.
“I love you,” he murmured, then bit.
The white light descended, blotting out everything in a blizzard of rapture that transcended pain while matching agony for sheer pleasurable intensity. It took reason, will, and sanity on a merry ride through the wonderland of chaos. Time blinked by, minutes fusing into microseconds. When my eyes focused again, Bones had his hand clapped over my mouth to silence the shrieks that couldn’t be stopped. He shuddered repeatedly on top of me, in the throes of his own release, before relaxing with a final groan.
Shivers still rocked me. His hand left my mouth since my screams had died down to ragged panting. My throat was sore from the muffled cries. The first time he had done that to me, I’d been insensible for thirty minutes and lost my voice. Since I figured I could still talk, this must have been shorter.
“Blimey, now I can think straight again. I felt like a rabid animal before. Knew I could only hold out another ten minutes, and how is that fair to you?”
Who in the hell is he talking to? I wondered in a daze of afterglow. Chiseled arms lifted me and carried me into the bathroom.
“Still out of it, hmm? Just as well. You’d faint if you saw the bed. Broken like a bunch of twigs. No one makes anything durable anymore.”