Dark Promises 2: Demonic Obsession Page 8

  “I didn’t kill that woman,” he said softly, hypnotically. “I know you doubt me right now and probably with good reason, but I swear it wasn’t me.”

  “I know,” she answered automatically, good old Ann Elizabeth always trying to avoid a fight.

  “No, you don’t. Not yet. But you will. I’ll show you somehow.”

  His gaze held hers, his eyes burning with intensity. She shivered at just the eye contact, remembering how soft and warm, then hard and demanding, his mouth had been against hers. She begged her legs to run, to get her far away from whatever danger she saw behind his gaze. But she didn’t move. Curiosity overrode nerves. She needed to stay, to find out exactly what he was and why he was in Stone Harbor, and how it involved her.

  Most of all, she wanted to find out why he affected her so strongly, when not even her ex-husband had been able to do that during their marriage. Not for the first time since they’d met, she wondered if his skin would smolder if she ran her hands over his chest. Would his breathing hitch? Would he groan?

  Would he touch her the way he had that first night, with an intimate familiarity that shook her to her toes? Just the thought of that kiss sent shivers down her spine. She licked her lips, almost an involuntary reaction as she remembered how quickly the kiss had gotten out of control.

  His expression darkened considerably and he drew a deep, slow breath. “Unless you want me to kiss you, I suggest you keep your lusty expressions to yourself.”

  She sucked in a breath as her body cried for his kiss. She secretly reveled in her ability to invoke such strong desire in a man, even if said desire had her entire psyche tied in double knots. “I don’t know what I want.”

  That was a lie. She knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted Eric, in her bed, naked, all night. But at the same time, it was too soon. She hadn’t known him nearly long enough. Confusion reigned inside her, warring thoughts telling her to run, and to stay and find out what he really meant to her. She felt him in her mind again, teetering on the edge of her consciousness and making her doubt if any of her thoughts were actually her own. She threw her hands up in frustration, letting out a sigh of irritation. “Stop it.”

  “Stop what, Ellie?”

  “Get out of my head,” she ground out, glaring at him. “I can’t think straight with you messing with my thoughts.”

  “I know the feeling.” He sounded…annoyed, which caught her by surprise. “It works both ways, Ellie, even if you don’t know how to control it yet.”

  “That can’t be.” She shook her head furiously, wondering if this was some kind of a dream. Vampires she could handle, but ambiguous supernatural beings who forced their way into her thoughts and wormed their way into her grandmother’s good graces without her permission were a little too much to take. She covered her face with her hands, hoping she’d wake up in her bed, back in the life she once thought boring.

  He stepped closer and ran his finger along her temple, back and forth. “I’ve heard it could be this way, but I never believed it.” He sounded like he was speaking to himself more than her. “Not until I met you in the park, and all my priorities changed.”

  His words gave her pause. She took her hands off her face and looked at him uncertainly. “Excuse me? And don’t give me any of that ‘the one’ crap because I’ve heard it all before and I don’t buy into any of it.”

  He smiled. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers.

  The feather-light kiss lasted only seconds, but it set off warning bells all over her body. The jolt that passed from his lips to hers made her forget everything she wanted to say, everything she needed to ask. The man was a master of distraction, and she grudgingly admired that in him.

  He pulled back and closed his eyes. When he opened them, his gaze was wild, and too intense to take. He begged her with his gaze to open up to him, to let him into her trust and her bed. The sensual promise in those eyes made her weak. Her body shut down the sensibilities of her mind, not giving her the chance to back away.

  “Do you want me to walk you back home?” he asked, his brows rising in offering. His stance shifted in an obvious attempt to look unthreatening as a grin broke out over his face. He had her, and he knew it.

  She shook her head in resignation, frowning at him. “Not yet. But don’t think I won’t walk away from you if you don’t behave yourself.”

  With Todd, she’d made the mistake of not trusting her instincts. They’d told her to forget him—that he wasn’t worth her time and would only hurt her in the end. But she’d been young and stupidly in love and had ignored what her mind told her, with disastrous results.

  With Eric, her instincts told her the opposite. He’d never hurt her, at least not intentionally, and she could put her trust in him. It would all work out in the end, one way or another. At least she hoped it would. She still didn’t know if the instincts were real, or manufactured by the man in front of her.

  For the first time in a long time, she decided to let fate take her where it would. If she’d learned anything from Amara and her psychic abilities, it was that it was nearly impossible to change the future. She’d been raised to believe she could control her own destiny, yet time and again it slipped away from her, into the hands of some unseen power. If she couldn’t change what would happen, she might as well enjoy the present before it was gone. She wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him down for another kiss.

  His mouth covered hers, much more intimately this time. He thrust his tongue between her parted lips, darting in and out of her mouth in a move that blatantly mimicked the sex act she so desperately craved. He backed her up a few steps into the trunk of a large tree and cupped her chin in one of his hands, tilting her head up to deepen the kiss. He swallowed her moan when the back of his other hand brushed across her nipples, covered only in a thin cotton T-shirt. Her nipples instantly puckered against his gentle touch and she dug her fingers into his shoulders to pull him even closer.

  His mouth left hers to trail hot, wet kisses along her throat. He licked and sucked and nibbled, unerringly finding all of the places that made her weak-kneed and wanton. With a harsh groan, he pulled his mouth off her throat and nuzzled into her hair.

  “You taste incredible, Ellie.”

  She moaned in response as he lightly flicked her nipple.

  “I want you so bad. So damned bad.” His voice was a harsh growl that echoed through the stillness of the woods around them. “Are you wet for me?”

  She felt every detail of his lips as they moved against her ear. “Yes.” Her body cried out for his touch. She ached for him, needing to feel him between her legs. She shifted, pressing her pelvis against him. He took the hint, moving his hand lower until he cupped her mound through her shorts.

  “I bet you’ll be so tight when I sink my cock into your sweet pussy.” He growled against her ear. “But you’d take me all the way, wouldn’t you?”

  She moaned again, which surprised her since he was barely touching her. Goddess, the things he said aroused her unbearably. He knew it. He drove her to the brink, made her nearly mindless with need until she forgot everything but the feel of him against her. She pulled at the neckline of his shirt, wanting to rip the soft material away from his skin. She recalled the strange dream, remembering how turned-on she’d been when she’d woken up. That was nothing compared to how she felt now. She felt drugged, needy, and desperate.

  His breath skimmed her neck as he spoke. “You’re so turned-on right now. I love seeing you like this. You have no idea how hard you’re making me.”

  She ground her hips shamelessly against his hand. He used his body to press her more tightly against the tree trunk, stopping any further movement. The rough bark bit into her back and she cried out. Eric swallowed her cry with a deep kiss.

  “Do you know what I want to do to you?” he asked when he pulled his mouth away.

  She shook her head, eager to hear what dirty thoughts ran through his mind. She was
sopping wet now, and they were both still fully dressed.

  “I want to strip off all your clothes and lay you down on the leaves.” He ran his tongue over her throat and she shivered with delight. “Then I would spread your legs and kneel between them, and lift your body up to my mouth. I’d lick you until you came, and then I’d thrust my tongue inside you to feel your muscles clenching around me.”

  She very nearly came right then and there. Her legs buckled and she clung to him for support. She whimpered, wishing he’d do just what he professed to want. “Please.”

  He shook his head. “Listen to me. I’m not finished yet.”

  Neither was she, but with any luck she would be soon. If he’d just shut up and strip her, they could both walk away very happy.

  “I want to pound my cock into you and make you come again. Would you like that, Ellie?”

  Yes! She didn’t care how or where, she just knew she had to have that cock inside her soon, before she exploded from sensory overload.

  Eric leaned down and closed his mouth over one of her nipples, his tongue dampening the fabric of her shirt. He had her moaning and begging for more in seconds. He unzipped her shorts and slid his hand inside, his fingers stroking the sensitive folds of her sex. As he pushed one finger inside her, she dug her nails into his upper arms, trying to hold herself upright.

  His mouth left her breast and he brought it to her neck, his teeth sharp as they scraped along her skin. Her resulting shiver was almost violent. She didn’t usually like sex rough, but she had a feeling it would be different with Eric. She could let herself go, enjoy everything, and trust him to take care of her. He ran his tongue from her collarbone to her jaw and back again, punctuating the rough satin touch with the gentle nip of his teeth.

  At the same time, he slid his finger in and out of her cunt and brushed his thumb over her clit. She whimpered, trying to control the urge to scream a primal yell she was sure would drive him over the edge of gentle into something wild. How did he do this to her—make her forget that he was keeping secrets, and make her care more about climaxing than her own life?

  All of her resolve to take things slowly, not to let him get to her too soon, vanished. She wanted more. Her greedy body absorbed and relished all his attention. She tried to hold back and cling to the moment of ecstasy with everything she had, but her body exploded in a starburst of light and she came hard, sagging against him. He held her up, kissing her softly until reality returned and she realized she was up against a tree, in the middle of the woods—in the middle of the afternoon—with a man she’d known for a couple of days. Not very smart.

  She didn’t care. She hadn’t been in control of her normal thought processes at the time. It had been worth every second.

  She reached for him, but he stepped away, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to go that far.” Gently he pulled his fingers from her wet folds.

  Neither had she, but she wasn’t complaining. Or apologizing. “Forgive me if I don’t understand what the problem is here.”

  He sighed and paused, his muscles taut. When he spoke, she heard the tension in his voice. “I only wanted to kiss you. I tried to tell myself that one kiss would be enough, but obviously, I was wrong. I want more, but now is not the time.” He looked at her, his gaze so intense and hot it was scary. The lust she saw there conflicted with his next words. “I really didn’t want to rush things with you.”

  Her body screamed, “Please rush things”, but her mind thanked him as it slowly took back control.

  “You’re not the only one who’s confused, Ellie,” he said softly, his gaze boring into hers. He lifted her chin with his thumb and kissed her forehead. “This thing between us is tearing me apart, too.”

  She wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what he meant by that.

  Chapter 7

  “You got the flowers,” Eric said as they walked into her kitchen a few minutes later.

  “Yes, and I would have thanked you for them, if I’d been able to find you.”

  He frowned. “I told you I had to go out of town for a little while.”

  His expression told her he wasn’t used to having to answer to anyone. He didn’t look upset, just confused.

  “I suppose you should have a way to get a hold of me. I’m staying at the Harbor Inn, but I’m not there often. Let me give you my cell phone number. I can’t promise I’ll answer it, but I’ll try my best.”

  He tore a sheet of notepaper off the pad on the counter and scrawled two numbers on it. “The top one is my cell number. The bottom one is just in case of emergencies.”

  Emergencies? She gulped at the thought. Given the situation, that word took on a whole new meaning. “What kind of emergencies do you expect?”

  He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, obviously uncomfortable with the question. “Look, I’m not always able to answer my phone, and if I’m not close to you I won’t be in touch with your emotions. It’s too much to explain right now. But if anything ever happens and you can’t get in touch with me, call that other number. Sam always answers, and he’s willing to help.”

  She looked at the paper in her hand, waiting for it to burst into flames or something equally ominous. She didn’t like the sudden shift in Eric’s behavior, or the direction of the conversation. “Who’s Sam?”

  “My boss.”

  “You’re boss, huh? Where do you work?” Now was the perfect time to ask the questions she’d been holding for the last couple of days. “What exactly do you do for a living?”

  He paused a little too long before he answered, guilt flashing in his eyes. “You don’t want to know.”

  “Actually, I think I do. I need to know.” Something told her not to ask—that she wouldn’t like his answer—but she had to find out. “Please, Eric. Nothing you can say will shock me.”

  He laughed, his tone tinged with bitterness. “Oh, I think you’re wrong about that. You’d be surprised at the things I could tell you. You’d probably have nightmares for weeks.”

  “You obviously haven’t told me the truth about your occupation, or much else. If you want me to trust you, you’re going to have to start being honest with me.” Please, trust in me enough to be honest with me. I really need that from you.

  He glanced at the ground, scuffing the toe of his shoe on the linoleum. “I guess you could say I’m a bounty hunter, of sorts.”

  “A bounty hunter? Like a bail-bond recovery agent?” That wasn’t such a bad job, was it?

  He didn’t speak, just shook his head slowly, his gaze making it clear to her that the questions needed to stop. “Suffice it to say that I take care of some of the evil in the world, and I’m very good at my job. Don’t ask any more questions about it. That’s really all I can tell you without scaring you off, and believe me, that’s not my intention.”

  She turned away, unsure of what to do next. His closeness set her on edge.

  He came up behind her and hugged his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. “I won’t ever hurt you, Ellie. I can promise you that. I’ll take care of you.”

  She’d known this guy for less than a week. “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep. You never know what’s going to happen.”

  She felt his nod against her hair. His hand came up to her rib cage, stopping just short of her breast, and an unsettling thought hit her.

  “How many women have there been in your life? How many have you promised the same things to?” She braced herself for the answer, knowing she wouldn’t like his response.

  “That’s another question you’d be better off not asking.”

  She gulped even as her body warmed to his touch. “A lot?”

  He sighed and brushed a kiss across her hair. “There are three hundred and sixty- five days in every year, Ellie, and I’ve lived through roughly a thousand of them. Keep that in mind as you go fishing for information. There’s a lot about me you’re better off not knowing.”

  She swallowed hard, ready to press on with her
questions even though she knew his answers might hurt her. “So that’s what, hundreds of women you’ve promised to take care of and protect? And that’s supposed to make me feel special?” She did not want this kind of information, yet she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

  Eric held her closer when she tried to break out of the circle of his arms. “Actually, I’ve never promised to care for and protect another woman, not unless I’d been paid for it as part of a job. I’ve never wanted to. You’re the first. The only.”

  Some of her anger deflated, replaced with confusion. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Oh.” He laughed. “And before you read too much into this, keep in mind that I don’t come with the same emotional baggage you humans do. When I meet a woman, I know right away if there’s a future for us. I don’t bother with any of that ridiculous courting stuff. At least I hadn’t, until now.” He gestured to the flowers on the table.

  She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Did he just admit to courting her? Is that what this was all about? What did he mean about emotional baggage?

  What did he mean by “you humans”?

  She remembered Amara’s passing comment about cats. Ellie hadn’t thought much about it at the time, but now it seemed to fit the situation. “You wouldn’t happen to have a cat, would you?”

  She felt him stiffen behind her. When he spoke, his voice sounded tight. “No, why?”

  “Just curious.” She took a deep breath, steadying herself for what was to come. “So should I assume you’re some kind of lycanthrope?”

  He barked a laugh, but she felt his arms tighten around her and his breathing change. “Where did that come from?”

  “I figured if you didn’t have a cat, you must be a cat. It’s pretty simple, really.”

  He let go of her and turned her around, his eyes burning. “What do you know about lycanthropes?”

  “Not much. Don’t look so worried. I don’t shock easily. A couple of my close friends are vampires.” So was a former lover, but she’d keep that little bit to herself for now. “But I didn’t think it was possible for a lycanthrope to live thousands of years.”