Black Dagger Brotherhood - Lover Eternal Part 14

"I'd rather be here talking with you than inside one of those females."

She recoiled a little at his candor, and then realized he wasn't being crude, just bluntly honest.

Well, at least she had one thing right: When he'd walked away after that soft kiss, she'd a.s.sumed it was because he hadn't felt any heat. Evidently she'd hit the nail on the head. He wasn't here for s.e.x, and she told herself it was good he didn't l.u.s.t after her.

Almost believed it, too.

"I was about to make some coffee, would you like some?"

He nodded and started wandering around the living room, taking note of her things. Against all of her white furniture and cream walls, his black clothes and heavy build were ominous, but then she looked at his face. He was wearing a silly little grin, as if he were happy just to be inside her house. Kind of like an animal who'd been chained in the yard and finally allowed indoors.

"You want to take off your coat?" she said.

He slid the leather from his shoulders and tossed it over to her sofa. The thing landed with a dull thump, crus.h.i.+ng the cus.h.i.+ons.

What the h.e.l.l was in those pockets? she wondered.

But then she looked at his body and forgot all about the stupid coat. He was wearing a black T-s.h.i.+rt that showed off a powerful set of arms. His chest was wide and well defined, his stomach tight enough so she could see his six-pack even through the s.h.i.+rt.

His legs were long, his thighs thick- "Do you like what you see?" he asked in a low, quiet voice.

Yeah, right. She was so not answering that one.

She headed for the kitchen. "How strong do you like your coffee?"

Picking up the can opener, she pierced the Hills Bros lid and started cranking like there was no tomorrow. The top fell loose into the grounds and she reached inside to pick it out.

"I asked you a question," he said, right next to her ear.

She jerked and sliced her thumb open on the metal. With a groan, she brought her hand up and looked at the cut. It was deep, bleeding.

Hal cursed. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"I'll live."

She turned on the faucet, but before she could get her hand under the rush he gripped her wrist.

"Let me see." Without giving her a chance to protest, he bent down over her finger. "That's a bad one."

He put her thumb in his mouth and sucked gently.Mary gasped. The warm, wet, pulling sensation paralyzed her. And then she felt the sweep of his tongue. When he released her, she could only stare at him.

"Oh... Mary," he said sadly.

She was too shocked to wonder about his change of mood. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Why?"

Because it felt so good. "How do you know I don't have HIV or something?"

His shoulders lifted. "Wouldn't matter if you did."

She paled, thinking he was positive and she'd just let him put an open cut into his mouth.

"And no, Mary, I don't have the disease."

"Then why wouldn't it-"

"I just wanted to make it better. See? No more bleeding."

She looked down at her thumb. The cut was sealed up. Partially healed. How the h.e.l.l- "Now are you going to answer me?" Hal said, as if deliberately cutting off the questions she was about to ask.

As she glanced up, she noticed his eyes were doing that glow thing, the teal blue taking on an otherworldly, hypnotic sheen.

"What was the question?" she murmured.

"Does my body please you?"

She tightened her lips. Man, if he got off on hearing women say he was beautiful, he was going home disappointed.

"And what would you do if it didn't?" she shot back.

"I would cover myself."

"Yeah, right."

He c.o.c.ked his head to the side, as if thinking he'd read her wrong. Then he headed out to the living room where his coat was.

Good lord, he was serious.

"Hal, come back. You don't have to... I, ah, I like your body just fine."

He smiled as he returned to her. "I'm glad. I want to please you."

Fine, dandy, she thought. Then lose the s.h.i.+rt, peel off those leather pants, and lie down on my tile. We'll take turns being on the bottom.

Cursing herself, she went back to making the coffee. As she spooned grounds into the machine, she could feel Hal looking at her.

And hear him take deep breaths, as if he were smelling her. And sensed he was... inching nearer all the time.

The forerunners of panic threaded through her body. He was too close. Too big. Too... beautiful. And the heat and l.u.s.t he called out of her were too powerful.When the pot was on, she backed away from him.

"Why don't you want me to please you?" he said.

"Stop using that word." Because when he said please, all she could think about was s.e.x.

"Mary." His voice was deep, resonant. Penetrating. "I want to-"

She covered her ears. Suddenly there was way too much of him in her house. In her head.

"This was a bad idea. I think you should go."

She felt a big hand land lightly on her shoulder.

Mary stepped out of his reach, choking up. He was health and vitality and raw s.e.x and a hundred other things she couldn't have.

He was so totally alive, and she was... most likely sick again.

Mary went over to the slider and opened it. "Leave, okay? Please just leave."

"I don't want to."

"Get out. Please." But he merely stared at her. "Christ, you're like a stray dog I can't get rid of. Why don't you go pester someone else?"

Hal's powerful body stiffened. For a moment it seemed like he was going to say something harsh, but then he picked up his coat.

As he swung the leather around his shoulders and went for the door, he didn't look at her.

Oh, great. Now she felt awful.

"Hal. Hal, wait." She grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry. Hal-"

"Don't call me that," he snapped.

When he shrugged off her grip, she stepped in his way. And really wished she hadn't. His eyes were utterly cold. Chips of aqua- colored gla.s.s.

The words he spoke were sharp-edged. "I'm sorry I offended you. I can imagine it's a big G.o.dd.a.m.ned burden to have someone want to get to know you."

"Hal-"

He pushed her aside easily. "You say that one more time and I'm going to put a fist through the wall."

He strode outside, walking into the woods that ran down the left edge of her property.

On impulse, Mary shoved her feet into a pair of running shoes, grabbed a jacket, and shot through the slider. She ran across the lawn, calling out for him. When she got to the forest's edge, she paused.

There were no branches snapping, no twigs cracking, no sounds of a big man walking. But he'd gone in this direction. Hadn't he?

"Hal?" she called out.

It was a long while before she turned and went back inside.

Chapter Fifteen

"You did well tonight, Mr. O."

O stepped out of the shed behind the cabin, thinking Mr. X's approval was such bulls.h.i.+t. He kept the irritation to himself, though.

He was barely a day out of the Omega's clutches and not really in the mood to get all worked up.

"But the male didn't tell us anything," he muttered.

"That's because he didn't know anything."

O paused. In the dim dawn, Mr. X's white face glowed like a night-light.

"Excuse me, sensei?"

"I worked him over myself before you got here. I had to be sure I could depend on you, but didn't want to waste an opportunity in the event you were no longer solid."

Which explained the male's condition. O had a.s.sumed the vampire had just fought hard when he'd been abducted.

Wasted time, wasted effort, O thought, getting out his car keys.

"You got any more tests for me?" You p.r.i.c.k.

"Not right now." Mr. X checked his watch. "Your new squadron should be here soon, so put those keys away. Let's go inside."

O's revulsion at being anywhere near the cabin made him lose feeling in his feet. The d.a.m.n things went totally numb on him.

But he smiled. "Lead on, sensei."

When they were indoors, he went directly to the bedroom and propped himself against the doorjamb. Even though his lungs had turned into cotton b.a.l.l.s, he kept his cool. If he'd avoided the s.p.a.ce, Mr. X would have thought of a reason to send him into it. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d knew that poking fresh wounds was the only way to determine the extent of the healing or the festering.

While slayers filed into the cabin, O took stock of them. He didn't recognize a single one, but then the longer a member was in the Society, the more anonymous he became. With hair, skin, and eye colors fading to pale, eventually a lesser just looked like a lesser.

As the other men checked him out, they glared at his dark hair. In the Society new recruits were at the bottom of the ladder, and it was unusual for one to be included in a group of seasoned men. Yeah, well, f.u.c.k that. O met each of them in the eye, making it clear that if they wanted to take him on he was more than happy to return the G.o.dd.a.m.ned favor.

Faced with the possibility of physical confrontation, he came alive. It was like waking up after a good night's sleep, and he relished the surges of aggression, the good old need to dominate. It a.s.sured him that he was as he had always been. That the Omega hadn't taken his core away, after all.

The meeting didn't last long, and it was standard stuff. Introductions. A reminder that every morning, each one of them had to check in via e-mail. There was also a refreshment of the persuasion strategy and some quotas for capture and killing.

When it was over, O was the first to head for the door. Mr. X stepped in front of him.

"You will stay."

Those pale eyes held on to his, watching, waiting to see a flash of fear.

O nodded once and spread his stance. "Sure, sensei. Whatever you like."

From over Mr. X's shoulder, O watched the others head out in the manner of strangers. No talking, eyes straight ahead, bodies not touching even casually. Clearly none of them knew one another, so they must have been called in from different districts.

Which meant Mr. X was reaching down into the ranks.