Part 2 (1/2)

He increased his speed and hammered into her wet flesh as she writhed, trying to move but held in place by his body and her pants. ”I like you bound. We're going to have to try that more often,” he said in her ear.

He loved her beyond redemption. Beyond reason. He would have done anything to have gotten her back. He realized and accepted that as her p.u.s.s.y sucked at him, pulling him back into her body's embrace.

He loved the way she smiled, her laugh, the fearless way she ran her business and stood up for herself. He'd been bowled over by the way she'd softened toward his brother and hadn't shown Alex any of her hesitation about having him with her in her house. He'd been afraid to admit it, but he couldn't deny it any longer. He couldn't hide behind love proxy words and phrases like he'd been falling for her or that he really enjoyed her. No. He loved her.

That realization, along with the way her p.u.s.s.y clutched at him, pushed him over the edge. He increased the pressure on her c.l.i.t and nipple as he felt his o.r.g.a.s.m build, rolling through his body from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. His scalp tingled, and he threw back his head, whispering her name as his pleasure unleashed and poured into her body.

After the waves had crashed over him and she'd come, he bent, laying his head on her shoulder. Breathing hard, he enjoyed the feel of her p.u.s.s.y muscles twitching and grabbing at him. Loved the heat of her skin against his cheek and the scent of her body, of clean sweat and coconut. The scent of their s.e.x mingled in the air.

Getting his breath back, he straightened and stood, tucking himself back into his jeans. Unable to resist, he pressed a kiss at the back of her neck.

Lissette bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out as her climax hit, not wanting to give him any more satisfaction at how much she wanted him. Eyes rolled up into her head, she held onto the bar as he came into her, deep and hard. His body tightened as her name came from him in a soft whisper.

She didn't want to feel the ache of his tenderness when he'd laid his head on her shoulder as he gently pulled out of her body. Didn't want to feel the pounding of his heart against her back and feel like she'd come home again. But she did. She did, and it scared her because if he wanted to hurt her, he very easily could. He had.

Taking the proffered towel he'd pulled from the stack on the bar, she sent him a grudging thank you. Pulling her clothes back on quickly, she laced her pants up without looking at him. She'd deliberately kept her gaze from him, knowing how the sight of him made her heart ache. At the same time, she missed that intensity of connection she always felt with him after they'd had s.e.x.

With a sigh, she grabbed her jacket and headed for the door but halted as he banded an arm around her waist, yanking her back to his body.

”Look at me.” No one could issue a demand like Stryker.

She steeled herself as she turned and saw his face. The tenderness there-softening the arrogant, regal features, the way his eyes burned for her, the sweet upturn of lips-it pulled at her, and she couldn't stop herself from reaching out to touch his hair.

”Please don't hold yourself from me. I can't bear to see you so distant. We can work this out. Starting tonight. There are only a few hours before sunrise, so let's get cracking.” He raised a brow. ”I'm hungry.”

Against her better judgment, she laughed. d.a.m.n the man, he was utterly charming. ”I've got to make this deposit. You'll have to come with me to the house. You won't be able to get in without me.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. ”Why? You think Dominic would take your side over mine?” His snort of disbelief brought an echo as she arched her eyebrow in his direction.

”No. But I revoked your invitation.”

”You did?” he asked, hurt on his face.

”Yes, Stryker. You're the one who started this whole thing! Why shouldn't I have revoked your invitation? Just a few hours ago I never wanted to see you again, d.a.m.n it!”

Even as she said it, she knew it was a lie. Knew she'd revoked his invitation to keep him out of her bed because if he'd come to her while she was drowsy, she never would have been able to resist her desire and love for him. She shoved a hand through her hair and made a loose knot that she quickly secured. ”Oh, never mind. In any case, you need me to get in my house.”

He gave her a look that meant he'd be taking up all of those issues later. ”And to getto your house, as well. I caught a ride with Nick.”

”G.o.d, you're so Machiavellian, it scares me sometimes. Come on, then. It is always nice to have superhuman back up to take so much money to the bank.”

He grabbed her hand and wouldn't let her pull away as they walked to her car. * * * *

Admittedly, she did take delight in driving just a bit more recklessly when he was in the car with her. Served the smug b.a.s.t.a.r.d right! Anyway, she needed to concentrate on driving instead of thinking about him. About being in love with a man who was basically a playboy with fangs. The last thing she wanted to think about was the fact that he'd never even told her he loved her. Plus, the comfort of scaring the c.r.a.p out of him was an added bonus.

”Must you drive like you believe you're in a NASCAR race?”

”You're going to damage my door by ripping the leather! Let go. You're gripping it too tight. Wuss. And why do you have to talk that way? Like you're in a book and born a century ago instead of in the early 1960s?”

He snorted but refused to take the bait. ”You don't need this little car anyway, Lissie. Why not let me buy you a nice, big, safe SUV? Hmm? This tiny thing is a death trap, and humans are so fragile.”

She held back a grin at his worry over her safety, but she couldn't stop her heart from beating faster at his concern. ”Can an SUV go from zero to sixty in 0.4 seconds? I think not. Plus, this car is hot and s.e.xy. It gets me major action.” She knew she was playing with fire but it was irresistible. It was a good way to keep her distance. And anyway, she was annoyed with him, and he was too fun to antagonize.

”Lissie, if you get any so called action from anyone but me, I'm afraid I'd be most upset. You're hot and s.e.xy enough as it is. The last thing you need is something to add to your allure. You don't know what it does to me to watch other men want you. I don't share. Not now, not ever. Because, Lissette Norris, you are my woman.”

The giddy female that lived inside her jumped up and down, squealing at the words but, the other woman, the one who lived in her head, scowled. It made that woman nervous, vulnerable. His woman indeed! Oh, okay, so she liked hearing him say it. She was in love with the pig.

”Hmpf.” She had to content herself with that because she didn't have anything else that wasn't embarra.s.sing or a total lie.

The bank run was quick, and she wasn't lying when she said she felt better when he was with her. Superhuman back-up was a big bonus to having a vampire for a boyfriend. Well, there were other bonuses, too. Heh.

”What are you laughing about?” he asked as they pulled into her driveway.

Like she was going to tell him and inflate his ego one bit more. ”Nothing. Just thought of something funny. Come on, I need to re-invite you.” She approached the front door, tamping down the urge to laugh at his grumbling over her revoking his ability to come into her house at will.

Walking inside she turned back to face him. She did wait an extra two or three seconds to tease him and finally uttered the words, ”Xander Stryker, please enter my home.”

Walking in through the door with a glare at her, he growled. ”I can't believe you did that.”

She held her tongue until they were safely inside her bedroom. Once she'd closed the door, she turnedto him with a glare of her own. ”I can't believe you didn't have enough respect or feeling for me to cometo me in person andask if Alex could stay. And then you sent me flowers? Instead of coming over here toapologize in person?” Her voice threatened to break.

”I do respect you, Lissie. I sent Henry because I had a huge amount of work to do last night, and it needed to happen before Alex got to town. Christ, you know the tribe doesn't run itself. I had to deal with the new properties we've just acquired and signing off on payroll. And I didn't come over last night because I knew how angry you were, and I wanted to give you a bit of s.p.a.ce. Didn't you like the flowers?”

The look on her face was sour. ”What? You think this can be fixed by some pretty posies? You think you can just buy me off? You only came today because of Alex!”

”Bulls.h.i.+t! Don't you tell me what I think, Lissie. I came tonight because there was nothing else I could do. I wanted to see you. And yes, I wanted to bring Alex over personally. I would have been here earlier, but I had to stop to feed before I went.” After he said it, he realized the stupidity of telling her such a thing.

Her eyes narrowed, and her back went ramrod straight. Where just moments before, the heat of her anger radiated from her, there was now ice.

Her jaw opened just wide enough to let out the words, but they sounded sharp and deadly. ”Well, youcertainly can't leave yourdonors waiting. I suppose it's good to be reminded of my relative importance inyour life. After all, I'm just the human you're f.u.c.king.”

He was standing before her gripping her upper arms in a firm but gentle hold, lips set in a tight line before she could blink. ”Lissie, you're seriously p.i.s.sing me off.” One of his hands pulled at the waist of her pants, bringing her body flush with his, and the laces popped open.

”d.a.m.n it! Those pants cost me three hundred dollars,” she protested, trying to slap his hands away before he could do any more damage.

But that d.a.m.n vampire speed thwarted her as he pulled them from her body and tossed them aside. ”I'll buy you new ones!” he said in a growl.

”That's not the point!”