Eternal Temptation Read online

  “Let me take you into town.” No, no, no. He might be looking for her there. She didn’t even know where she was. He could be anywhere.

  “You know, I really don’t feel so good. My head is throbbing like an SOB and my stomach hurts because I haven’t eaten in forever. Do you think it’d be okay if I stayed here for awhile?” Surprisingly, he stiffened so hard it was a wonder his spine didn’t snap. And while what she said was true, she held her breath on the last part. She needed to make a plan and for that, she needed time. Daniel wouldn’t find her out here. She made sure to cover her tracks.

  For a moment, she thought he was going to say yes, but then he shook his head. “I can’t do that. I’m sorry. You’ll have to go.”

  With a feminine sniffle, she pouted and softly stepped towards him. His body tensed harder, his eyes tracking her like a hawk. She stopped before him and rocked back on her heels unsteadily. Immediately he reached out and grabbed her. She took advantage of that touch and leaned into him, resting her unhurt cheek against his big chest.

  “You’re so big,” she said into his shirt. “Please just let me stay for a little while. I really don’t feel good, Darien.” A part of her felt bad, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy and she was pretty good at reading people. But in her defense, it was only a partial lie. She didn’t exactly feel great after meeting a fist earlier that day. The nightmare she’d had was only a glimpse at how scary he was in person.

  She felt a gentle pull on her hair, almost too soft to tell, but when she looked over at it; his hand was still at his side. A sudden, startling realization hit her. She gasped excitedly, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her nose there. His arms came around her waist, his fingers digging into her. She didn’t know if it was to push her away or to keep her close, but she did know his touch sent a hot rush of pleasure through her body.

  She inhaled his scent and had never in her life been so aware of the man in her arms. Each second was tense as she waited to see what he’d do. He had to let do this. She’d never smelled anything like it. When he did nothing, she smiled against his neck, her tongue peeking out and almost touching his warm, very warm skin.

  There was no mistaking the way his hands dug into her waist then or of the way her heart fluttered like a bird in her chest. Suddenly, he was bending over her, his fingers gentled, cupping her closer, inexorably pulling her into the heat of his body. His breath wisped over her ear and down to her neck where she felt the warm press of his nose against her skin. The sensation had her head falling to the side and her pulse thudding rapidly.

  She heard him inhale, filling those big lungs with air. Then he was exhaling slowly and she hoped he was savoring her scent like she was his. In a stunned voice he said, “Vampire.”

  Her lips curled into a smile, the bruises on her face forgotten as she stood in this man’s arms. He smelled amazing, like nothing she’d ever smelled before. A mixture of animal, earthy rain, and spice. And this close, she knew he wasn’t human, yet he wasn’t vampire.

  “What are you?” she whispered, afraid that her voice would break the spell that he held her in. His hand was so warm at her back, his breath tickled her neck and she wished he’d put his lips on her right there.

  “I’m lykaen.” Giddy pleasure rushed through her. He started to straighten so she quickly brushed her fingers up his nape and through his hair. It was thick and slightly coarse and though she couldn’t tell from this position, she could feel its weight--he kept his hair long. She almost sighed; he was just trying to be sexy now.

  He pushed her hips away and she let him, but she kept her hand in his hair, her back arched against his hard chest.

  “I’ve never met a lykaen before.” Her eyes fell to his mouth. What would he taste like? Suddenly she had a dark, irresistible urge to lick his mouth.

  Would he taste how he smelled—like rich decadence that reminded her of dark chocolate and fresh rain?

  She reached for his lips with hers ‘till she was braced only on his chest and her tippy toes. His eyes darkened, fell to her lips, and her stomach clenched in pleasure. She’d never wanted a man to kiss her so much in her entire life. Please. She stayed a bare inch away and simply felt the breath from his parted lips mix with hers. He had nice lips, the kind she wanted to lick and nibble and tug on. Her hand flexed in his thick, dark hair and then she closed the last inch between them.

  She was pushed away so quickly, it took her several moments to realize what had happened. Her quick gaze caught sight of his back leaving the cabin. The kiss had been so fast she almost could tell herself it didn’t happen. But as she ran her tongue over her lips and tasted him, she knew the kiss was real.

  A small smile flirted around her lips as she stared at the empty, dark doorway. Why did her kiss send him running? She’d felt his heart pound against her hand when she kissed him—he must have liked it. Nibbling her lip, and feeling better than she had in ages, she followed her giant outside.

  * * *

  What the fuck was the matter with him?

  I almost kissed her. Hell, I almost let her kiss me. Shit, he knew that was a bunch of bullshit. He did let her kiss him. It was short and... Sweet. Very sweet.

  God dammit. He ran a rough hand through his hair and paced a path into the ground. This was the last thing he needed. Hell, beyond the last thing he needed. He’d take a beating every day before this.

  His tongue darted out over his lips and he closed his eyes as her taste soared through him. Delicious, warm, sweet pleasure. Slowly, his eyes opened. She tasted like cherries or strawberries. Something fruity yet womanly. He sucked his lip in his mouth and licked it, savoring her essence. His beast snapped its teeth at him. Growled its need. Her, it said. His heart pounded in his chest. Impossible.

  He smelled her a second before he heard her. Not meeting her eyes, he grabbed the pot he used to cook in over the fireplace and walked past her to get into the cabin. She had to go; there was no other choice.

  She smelled too good. Looked so fresh and pretty. His heart throbbed painfully. He would not dishonor Dana’s memory.

  Sorting through the groceries he’d bought earlier, he started making dinner. He kept his back to her, not caring how rude he was being. After he stirred everything together and set the cauldron-style pot on the hook, he turned it over the fire.

  Good, just keep busy. He had to get rid of her. Already his cabin was beginning to smell like her. He hardly slept as it was, the last thing he needed was to have more sleepless nights--dreaming of a red-haired flirt. His beast growled in warning. Fine, it wasn’t red. It was dark copper with shades of blonde and brown thrown in. Finally, his beast nodded in contentment.

  “So Darien, what do you do?”

  He set logs into the fireplace, doused them with lighter fluid, then lit them. The smell of charring wood filled the cabin and he sighed, not entirely happy, as it drowned out her scent.

  “Nothing,” he said finally. He took the only chair in the cabin and faced it towards the fire.

  She snorted. “Nothing. I doubt that. You look like a man who likes to keep busy. So don’t be shy, tell me what you do.” He closed his eyes and counted back from ten.

  “I work with wood.” He had to get her out of here.

  “Like a carpenter?” She sat up on the side of the bed and kicked her legs back and forth over the side. “Yeah,” he said gruffly. He wanted to turn his chair away from her, but that would be too obvious and something told him that that would hurt her feelings. And some very stupid, too soft part of him didn’t want that.

  “Do you have a woman?”

  The abrupt change in topic had him faltering for an answer. He wasn’t a liar, but he almost did.

  “No.” Shit, should have lied. Her smile was sweet and way too sexy. He turned away from her. “After dinner, you’re leaving.” The cot dipped as she stood up. He watched her wearily; he never knew what this woman was up to. She took a seat against the wall near the fireplace, stretching her legs out before her. He
’d always enjoyed tall women, the kind that could wrap their legs around him as he rode them, but this little thing would be lucky to do that.

  Guilt flared hot and deep. He was a fucking disgrace. Spitting on Dana’s memory as he sat here with a semi-hard dick wondering how far this little vampire’s legs would spread for him. Shit. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

  “I can’t leave after dinner. I’m hurt and I need your help.” Darien’s gaze shot to hers. She sounded almost desperate. He didn’t believe that shitty story she told him about fighting a moustache-wearing woman. No, a man did that. She was probably on the run, too. His chest swelled in pride--good for her. Seeing her delicate face covered in dark, ugly bruises made his own fists curl. He’d love to show the motherfucker who did that a thing or two.

  He shook his head and stared into the fire, much safer than looking at her eyes—blue. “Then after we eat, I’ll take you to town. Or the hospital. I’ll pay for whatever you need.” She frowned, her eyes glazing over with a look of such raw pain that Darien’s breath caught. Suddenly she smiled and crawled towards him. God her smile alone could knock a man dead.

  “How about this, lykaen. I’ll leave tomorrow if you feed me.” His eyes narrowed.

  “I’ve already offered to feed you. It’s just rabbit stew, but it’s good.” She threw back her head and laughed. The sound was soft and wily, just like her.

  “What?” Unease filled his gut.

  Her eyes widened as she smiled. She stopped crawling scant inches from his leg. He had the urge to move his leg away from her...and an even stronger one to open up wider and put her between them where she belonged. Damn. Not once in the days since Dana and the baby’s death had he even gotten hard for a woman. Yet this one had him going hard and soft in a minute+. The sooner she got out, the better.

  “Have you forgotten what I am, Darien?” She laughed softly and smiled up at him with another naughty look.

  “Shit.” Yeah, he’d forgotten. His head hasn’t been screwed on right since he carried her back here. A mistake—most definitely. He’d met a couple of vampires, but he didn’t exactly hang with them. “How much would you need?”

  “Not too much, but you’re a big man. I’m sure you could fill me up.” He almost groaned aloud at the thought of doing just that. His lips suddenly felt dry and he envisioned sinking his cock deep into her. She’d be wet and so soft.

  “If I feed you, then you’ll leave? My offer still stands to drive you to town.” Sometimes he really hated his soft spot for women, especially troubled women and this one had it in spades.

  “Yes, but not until tomorrow.” He stood and went to stand at the doorway. Fresh chilled air swept into the cabin but did nothing to douse the scent of stew and vampire.

  “Why can’t you leave tonight? I don’t want you here.” Truer words had never been spoken. Several moments of silence passed and he turned to look at her. She was staring into the fire, that raw look in her eyes. Seeing that look felt like having his heart set on fire while it still beat in his chest. She turned back to him though and smiled, the glimpse of pain wiped away.

  “Honestly I’m afraid I might have a concussion, but I don’t have insurance either, and well, I’ve never been a fan of hospitals. They start to see you regenerate fast and they kind of freak out,” she said, tossing her hands in the air with a shrug. “I’ll make a deal with you, Darien. Let me take a bite from you and I’ll leave nice and quietly tomorrow.” Her pink lips curled up on her unbruised side.

  He thought about it, weighing the odds, then finally, nodded slowly. She smiled brilliantly like he’d just given her a gift. He turned away so he didn’t have to see it. Guilt weighed heavily on his chest.

  “So when can I have my snack? I’m starving.” Her words were soft and husky.

  Against every instinct, every nagging sensation inside him, he turned to her. The impact of seeing lust in her eyes was harder than he thought. He took a deep breath and brought his beast to the surface. It helped to steady himself, to bring his warring body back under control.

  “Let’s get this over with.”

  Chapter 3

  The lykaen giant looked so troubled as he took his seat back at the fire. Cassandra couldn’t help but wonder why he was out here alone. Why wasn’t there some woman around to help him ease the pain that was so clearly etched in the lines around his eyes?

  Crawling to his side, she took his hand in hers. He tensed, but slowly relaxed until his fingers hung loosely in her hand. His skin was so much darker than hers. Where her hands were smooth with a tint of pink, his were speckled with dark hair around his knuckles and rough spots grazing his palm.

  “Get it over with.”

  “Well, since you asked so nicely.” She hid a smile.

  He looked away and she wished she knew what he was thinking. She’d never felt this draw to another person before. Though she’d never met a lykaen before. She’d probably wake up tomorrow and realize he wasn’t a tall, sexy, giant with a weight of pain hovering around him like a black cloud. Maybe lykaens just had an animal magnetism that made her feel this way. That pushed her to take blood from a man who clearly hated the idea. Yeah, this lykaen totally has mojo. She barely covered her laugh.

  His jaw grinded left then right. His poor teeth. Well, she supposed she better put him out of his misery. The man looked like he was about to have a tooth pulled out with a wrench and not about to lose a little bit of blood.

  A wicked thought flirted through her as she turned his palm up. She traced the whorls and lines etched into his palm and debated telling him. Her eyes couldn’t help but stray across his thigh, which was easily wider than her hips, and she had big hips. She’d never really noticed a man’s legs before, but this one filled his jeans up so tight and hard she had the urge to pull them down and feel if his legs were as hard as they looked.

  “Get it over with before I change my mind.”

  She laughed. “Anything you say, Darien. Lykaen...” She started to lean over his wrist. The pulse danced below like music to her ears.

  “Cassandra—”

  “Cassie,” she corrected gently.

  “If I start to feel weak, I won’t think twice about snapping your neck and tossing you into the fire.”

  There must be something seriously wrong with her because his threat did nothing to scare her. If anything, it made her shift a little to ease the growing heat in her sex. Besides, who was he kidding? This giant was obviously a great big softie.

  She pressed her lips to the heated pulse at his wrist. He was thick and hot under her lips. Breathing grew hard as a languid passion consumed her. His warm blood teased her beneath the pliant press of his skin.

  She rubbed her cheek against him, suppressing a moan, and then her tongue darted out to taste his skin. She felt the tension build up in his arm and leg as she leaned her side into him.

  More licks across his hot skin. Her eyes closed in ecstasy. He tasted...amazing.

  Pleasure tugged at her, lulling her into a desire-filled fog as she passed more and more licks over his wrist, wetting his skin and simply, tasting. She couldn’t stop the moan that left her lips anymore than she could keep her fangs from dropping. She pressed her lips to his rapid pulse one more time then pulled back and struck.

  She felt his fingers curl into a fist. She ignored it. Had only one rampant thought in her mind—hunger.

  He tasted unlike anything she’d ever had before. His blood was raw, untamed just like him. It was rich and thick, almost sweet as he went down her throat.

  He filled her too quickly and already she was nearly done. She could feel his power filling her, dizzying with its power. She opened her eyes to see his reaction as she took him now in soft, gentle pulls. Did he feel this incredible sensation like she did? Whatever she was feeling, she knew he felt it a thousand times more powerful.

  She moaned around his thick wrist. She was right not have warned him about the vampire’s bite. He needed this release. Her eyes tracked over
him, memorizing this moment into memory. His head was thrown back, his long thick throat swallowing hard as he breathed deeply, fast. She wanted to bury her teeth into that thick neck and feel the rush of his blood against her tongue. Eyes hooded now, she trailed them down to his spread knees; his cock was a hard press against his zipper. Any second now and she expected to see it burst through the zipper.

  He must have sensed her eyes on him, because he languidly pulled his head down to look at her. His eyes were so raw with desire that an answering wave of wet cream escaped her sex. She twirled her tongue around the puncture wounds and sucked more, gently pulling his life essence into her mouth.

  He growled, the sound so wild and untamed, her nipples beaded in answer. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Then he did something that surprised the hell out of her.

  His free hand jerked down that zipper she’d been eyeing so curiously a minute ago, reached in and pulled out his thick, long swollen cock.

  Cassie moaned at the sight of it and sucked harder on his wrist. He groaned too and wrapped his big hand around his cock. Cassie nearly climbed over him at that point but something made her stay.

  She watched entranced as he squeezed the swollen head, creamy with his arousal, and then started pumping himself fast. With each pump of his hand, Cassie felt an answering pull deep within her wet sex. She was going to come, just from watching him.

  Her eyes flicked up to his and butterflies danced her stomach at the unwavering heat she saw in his gaze. He looked not at himself, not at the ceiling, but straight at her with eyes so raw with pleasure, she wanted to peel off her clothes and open herself to him. He would master her body, own her, push her. She could see it in every inch of his body, in the power he exuded.

  She wanted to do this for him, make him feel good for once. She twirled her tongue around his wrist and drew quick sucks from his wrist--knowing what it would draw from him. His eyes glazed over, his fist worked faster, and then he groaned--the sound deep, rough, and unused as thick semen spurted from his cock and dripped down over his jerking hand and shaft like a waterfall.