Page 35

Dressed in nothing more than Rhys’ oversized shirt I’d changed into after exploring, I sank into the cushions of the sofa. Closing my eyes, I wondered if it was night outside the mansion or if it was already morning. There were no clocks that I’d found inside the apartment. It was almost as if Rhys hadn’t wanted me to know how much time passed while he held me here in this lovely, gilded prison he’d built for me.

Was the night filled with dark, sultry hues of midnight encompassing the world?

Closing my eyes, I painted an image inside my mind. Stars scattered throughout the silkiness of the night sky. The moon shone high over the mountain tops, bathing the estate in a pale, soothing light. Lightning bugs floated over the thick, green flora flooding the night in earthy undertones with a hint of night blooming jasmine perfuming the air.

An otherworldly full moon sat high in the darkening skies above the mansion. A mixture of silver and lavender bathed the world in its illuminating light, revealing the beauty of night.

A smile curved over my lips as the scent of Rhys’ aftershave took control of my senses. As if he were within the room, I started conjuring an entirely new scene to play out in my mind.

Rhys’ earthy scent of masculinity danced in my nose. A soft undertone of bergamot and dark smoke wrapped around me, enveloping my mind in his powerful allure.

Lips touched against my forehead a moment before the pressure caused the cushions to sink from the weight of his form as he settled on the sofa beside me.

“You’re wearing my shirt.” He pointed out with a smoldering look simmering his azure abysses.

I couldn’t make my thoughts shut off. Not when he was this close at hand. Sitting beside Rhys was like being drunk with lust. He created a maelstrom of emotions that pressed down against my chest. Words eluded me as I licked my lips, ravenous with the need to taste his.

“I like it better on you, Love.” Leaning back, he slowly trailed his index finger over my collarbone. It caused a violent shiver to threaten to expose how greatly it affected me.

Rhys was entirely too sexual without even trying to be. The incubus side created an allure of need, one that promised to chew me up and spit me out. Rhys had a way of caressing every atom within me, charging them.

Sometimes it felt like I was standing beside a power line. One that created a palpable hum of energy in the air around me. It jarred my equilibrium and left me teetering on uneven ground. He knew exactly how to bypass my defenses. Rhys went straight for the kill without fucking around.

His touch was sure and confident. There was zero hesitation on his part. He knew if he continued touching me, I’d cave to my baser needs. He wasn’t wrong, either. One finger caused goosebumps to spread over my flesh as Rhys drew an imaginary infinity symbol on my exposed shoulder.

“What were you thinking about just now?” The raspiness of his voice caused a pulse to start throbbing between my thighs. His darkened eyes closed as his nostrils flared.

Inhaling his scent, I drank it into my lungs deeply. My breathing turned ragged, forcing me to work on suppressing the sultry moan seeking escape from my lips. The clenching of my thighs was threatening to give me away as he destroyed my decorum.

“I was wondering what time of the day it was. I couldn’t find a clock. When I didn’t find one, I painted an image of the sun setting inside my mind.”

“What did it look like outside?”

A shy smile played on my lips as I turned, studying him from beneath my lashes. “Dark.”

“Just dark?” His eyebrow shot up on his forehead as he asked the question.

“Of course not. I’ve got more imagination than that,” I scoffed, yet uncertain I wanted to elaborate more on my vision for him. Leaning his dark head back, he turned to study me with a curious look on his face. I couldn’t pinpoint what emotion it was, but it tugged at my heartstrings.

“That’s all I get? Dark.”

I wasn’t sure why his demeanor changed. I also didn’t want to break the peace we seemed to be settling into. Chewing on my bottom lip, I noted how his darkening gaze dipped to the action, then slowly rolled back up to hold mine in the bottomless azure depths.

“A full moon is out tonight. It’s silver with a soft violet hue flooding the world in an illuminating caress of light. A blanket of night envelops the sky with a silken midnight blue hue devouring all light. Countless stars sparkling throughout the backdrop.”

One side of his mouth curved into a smile as he searched my face before bringing his palm up, cupping my cheek. Licking my suddenly dry lips, I searched for something else to divulge, but words eluded me.

His thumb slowly drifted over my lips, then traced my jawline. “Did you not like the nightgown?”

Blinking repeatedly in confusion, I shook my head slowly. “It was fine. This just smelled better . . . like you,” I whispered, swallowing past the lust swelling in my throat. I hadn’t meant to admit that to him. “I missed the scent of your aftershave the most.” Or that.

“Not me? Just my aftershave?” The way he watched me exposed how much he was enjoying teasing me. “Not this?” he asked, then leaned in close to place feather soft kisses over my face.

“Rhys,” I whispered breathlessly.

“Yes?” His lips brushed against mine briefly, issuing feverish breath over my trembling ones. His tongue flicked out, tempting my lips to part, but vanished before I could obey their silent command. “I love how you smell when you’re aroused, Love.”

“You can smell when I’m aroused?” I asked breathlessly, unable to stop my breathing from coming out in labored, heavy pants.

I felt the curve of a smile against my lips, causing a tightening in my belly. Butterflies slowly began flapping their wings in my abdomen, forcing a soft, whispered moan from my lips. Rhys’ mouth pressed against mine, as if he intended to kiss me. Only, he didn’t kiss.

The warmth of his mouth against mine was everything I’d ever wanted. This man was my ruination and my undoing.

A hoarse whisper escaped my lips. “Kiss me.” Rhys’ hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me into his kiss. His tongue snaked out, sliding along the seam of my mouth, as if he sought more than verbal consent. Opening to his kiss, I closed my eyes as his tongue slid against mine in a dance as old as time itself.

Rhys’ pained groan caused a ball of need to grow in my center. A white-hot ball of tension that only he could ease. The feral sound vibrated deep in his chest, causing a smile to curve over my mouth.

The man didn’t merely kiss you. He fucked you with his mouth. He stole my air, slowly feeding it back to me. His palm slowly trailed down my spine, cupping me beneath my ass, lifting me onto his lap. It forced me to straddle his hips, exposing his lengthening cock.

“Rhys,” I whispered, afraid to break whatever spell we were under by speaking.

“Stop thinking, Love.” Lifting his hips, he showed me exactly how hard he was right now. It caused my stomach to churn with the need I’d ignored for entirely too long. “Just go with it. You can stop this at any time you want.”

Resting my forehead against his, I closed my eyes against the smoldering heat simmering in his azure precipices. Without opening them, I slid my hands deliberately down his solid, muscular chest. Grabbing the button of his suit vest, I pushed through the slit of material, opening it. Sitting back, I stared into the azure abyss of his gaze that promised to consume me, drowning me in its fervent depths.

I should’ve stopped—whatever it was that was happening between us. The truth was, Rhys removed all intelligence from my brain with a simple touch of his lips against mine. I didn’t want to stop it, though. I craved the pleasure he could give me. The absolute, mind-boggling, bone-shaking pleasure this bastard had shown me before was addictive.

I craved him like a drug in my system. I longed to feel the exhaustion that came after he’d finished slaking his dominance and need against my soft, pliable body.

Rhys’ head turned to the side, lifting his ear as he captured my hands in his much larger ones. Scooting to the edge of the couch, he pressed his hard cock against my aching, needy sex.

“If we don’t stop now, I won’t be able to,” he warned in a hoarse, sensual tone.

Licking my lips, I placed my hands on his wide shoulders, fighting for the strength to stop before neither of us had the willpower to do so. His cock twitched between my thighs, forcing my clit to swell with need. Pushing up from the couch, I backed up and turned, leaving him to watch me slinking away.

“Remington,” Rhys called out to me.

“No,” I whispered past the swelling in my throat. “You and I don’t work, Rhys. Oil and water, remember? Enemies to lovers might be my favorite genre, but we’re not a work of fiction.” Spinning on my heel, I left him standing in the living room as I moved down the corridor, heading for the bedroom.

“Nyx is coming,” he called down the hallway, forcing my step to falter. Turning, I stared at him. “I asked Acyn to bring her to visit. Her condition is precarious, but she was insistent on seeing you.”

Hope flared through my chest as I wrapped my arms around my midsection. “She’s coming? Right now?” I failed to conceal the anticipation from my tone. Taking only two steps closer to him, I placed my hand against the wall to hold myself up as dizziness caused my head to swim.

“You’re eating. Now,” he growled. Strolling toward me, he slid his hand to the small of my back, then guided me to the kitchen. “She’ll be permitted to visit if you agree to eat something.”

“Fine,” I conceded softly.

In the kitchen, he pulled out a chair and nodded his head, staring at me expectantly. Harrumphing, I sat down and watched him as he marched toward the fridge. There, he rolled up his sleeves before opening the door and pulling out several things from within.

“What are you making?” I asked inquiringly.

“Soup,” he stated as he pulled out a pan and a carton of broth.

Rhys grabbed a wok and began cutting strips of beef and green onions, along with a few other vegetables. Once the broth began to simmer, he added a dab of butter to the wok and sautéed the vegetables before adding the strips of beef.

He moved easily around the kitchen, as if he did it every day. The aroma of his cooking wasn’t unpleasant. It was shockingly inviting. My stomach growled, causing one side of his mouth to lift in a knowing smirk.

“I honestly didn’t know you could cook,” I admitted.

He laughed without mirth, then turned to study me before speaking. “Nyota had a food allergy when she was little. We didn’t know about allergies back in that era. That meant we had to get creative to ensure she made it to immortality,” he confessed.

My eyebrows pushed up on my forehead. I had never considered how people with allergies may have survived. Of course, they had more basic things back in those days. None of the processed shit we put into our bodies nowadays.

“She was lucky to have you.”

One dark eyebrow lifted before his head slowly bobbed in response. “Lucky to have us,” he corrected. “It took all of us to raise her. Nyota was rather feral as a child.”

I tried to imagine Nyota as a child. A clap of laughter escaped before I could prevent it from leaving my lips. My palm landed against my mouth, and my shoulders shook. Rhys’ expression silently questioned me, forcing clarification from me.

“I was trying to imagine her as a child. Keep in mind, it’s the same girl who shouted ‘ halt, who goes there?’ when the alphas showed up at the house. She’s stiff, admittedly. I adore her, but there’s no way she was a feral child.”

He chuckled as his dark head slowly shook in reply. “I assure you. My sister was unquestionably wild. There was a time when I wasn’t sure she’d make it to her immortality. I’d promised my father to ensure she survived, meaning I had to keep my word.” A dark look slid over his face before he turned, stirring the veggies. Pulling the skillet from the burner, he dumped it straight into the pan.

“I wish I’d been raised with my brothers.” My brothers were close, but not close enough to have assisted me with anything other than weaponry or training.

My life would’ve been much easier if I’d had someone who looked after me other than Winchester. Not that I wasn’t thankful for her, but having a father figure would’ve been nice to have known. That feeling of protection added to the layer of security everyone needed. I’d never had it until I’d met Rhys.

“Your brothers didn’t help raise you?”

Shaking my head slowly, I looked anywhere else but at him. “I had Winchester. She raised me. She was enough for me.”

“Roslyn didn’t raise you?” I caught the catch in his voice. Anger resonated in it as he’d said her name.

“She didn’t even give me a name. We weren’t worth one to her. When we did get names, it was after what weapon we’d fired first.”

“You have a middle name.” Turning back toward him, I nodded. “Alaina isn’t a brand name for a weapon.”

“Winchester named me, Rhys. She wanted me to know I was loved. None of the others has a middle name. We had other siblings. Ones who never received names. They are buried in the forest around the cabin. Well, where it stood before it blew up.”

Rhys’ eyes thinned before he moved to the cupboard to retrieve a bowl. Silently, he grabbed a ladle, then strolled to the stove again. Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I twisted my lips as I inwardly chided myself for bringing up my childhood.

“Our child will be worth more than what it can do for us.”

“Unquestionably so,” I agreed without hesitation. “I’m not her, Rhys. I won’t be a bad mother.”

“You’ve named our child Bullet.”

My lips parted before clamping shut. Rubbing my temples, I exhaled a shuddered breath. “I only called the babe that because, at the time, that’s what size it was. That wasn’t supposed to stick. I didn’t want to name our child without you. I would’ve done so if you’d remained out of our lives, but it wasn’t my intention to do so.”

Rhys placed a steaming bowl of ramen before me. My stomach growled with approval as the delicious scent of beef and vegetables hit my nose.

“Wow. That smells divine,” I whispered without meeting his stare, afraid to see anger simmering in it. A gasp left my lips as he kissed my forehead.

“Thank you for not choosing one without me. Bullet isn’t horrible, but I’d prefer we meet our child before choosing a name that might not fit them.” Sitting beside me, he leaned back in his chair, smirking at the wide eye, shocked look on my face. “Eat. I enjoy watching you consume your food, Love.”

Lifting the spoon, I blew on the mouthful of deliciousness simmering in it. Once I was sure I wouldn’t burn my tongue, I devoured the bite. The savory taste of roasted beef seasoned to perfection erupted over my taste buds. The earthy, deliciousness of sauteed mushrooms, scallions, and green onions filled my nose, causing a moan to grow in my chest. He’d somehow managed to boil an egg, as well as add soy and a hint of ginger rolled onto my tongue.

“Oh my god,” I gushed, shocked at the explosion of various flavors bursting like a flavorful orgasm over my tastebuds. “I might come . . . I mean, not like orgasm. You know? Of course, my vagina isn’t going to eat the food. Jesus, rice, and crackers on Ritz, Remington. Shut up!”

A burst of laughter caused me to jump as my jaw dropped at the sound of Rhys’ genuine amusement. Warmth rushed through my chest, stinging the back of my throat as tears burned my eyes.

“I love the sound of your laughter,” I blurted, then slapped my hand over my lips. “I didn’t mean that.” I stammered, then groaned. “I did mean it. I love the sound of it,” I admitted. “It’s so rare that, when it happens, I’m caught off guard by it.”

The smile he gave me reached his eyes. It caused my heart to increase beats to a dangerous, rapid tempo. Rhys wasn’t merely handsome. The bastard was the personification of masculinity in a handsome package.

“Close those pretty lips, Love. If you don’t, I’ll be feeding you more than ramen at the table.”

I swallowed, only to choke on saliva. Rhys was up and around the table, pounding on my back before I’d even formed a comprehensive thought.

“Breathe!” he demanded, as if I were choosing to choke on nothing more than my spit. Heat seared the tips of my ears as I shook with embarrassment at being an idiot. “Jesus, woman.” The worry in his tone wasn’t faked.

“The village called. They want their idiot back.” A groan fought to escape, but I forced it back down my throat. The heat crept down my throat, burning my chest.

“Did you just call me an idiot?” he asked.

“No. I’m the village idiot,” I muttered, then shoved a spoonful of delicious springy noodles into my mouth. Chewing, I closed my eyes as I inwardly chided myself.

“You’re not an idiot. You’re brilliant, Remington.” Rhys pushed the soup away from me, then took the spoon and placed it into the bowl before kneeling in front of me. He placed his palms over my cheeks, then carefully studied me.

Tears pricked my eyes. They threatened to fall, ruining the moment, seeming to be my new specialty. Trying to look away was futile. Rhys smiled as he watched me squirming under his scrutiny.

“Stand up,” he ordered, then rose to tower over me. Pinching my chin between his thumb and forefinger, he lowered his lips against mine. “It’s only the hormones, Remington. It’s nothing to be ashamed about. I love the vibrancy of your captivating eyes when the threat of tears makes them bluer than should be possible,” he assured me before brushing soft kisses over my cheeks and forehead. “I’m being a selfish man. Your best friend is standing in our living room.”

My eyes rounded as I slowly turned, eyeing the doorway. Sliding my stare back to him, I grinned as he nodded.

“Go before she succeeds in strangling my brother to reach you.”

I didn’t hesitate to rush into the living room straight toward Nyx. Both men screamed as we slammed into one another, hugging as we both burst into tears.

“I thought you died!”

“I thought you died!” she reiterated. Her arms tightened around me before she yelped, then pushed me away as if I were a leaper.

“What’s wrong?” Heat shot through my center, rolling from head to toe as if I’d stepped onto a ride at the fair. “Wow, what the hell?” Arousal flooded my core, forcing me to tighten my thighs as fear of it trickling down my thighs entered my mind.

“I’m so sorry, Remi,” she whispered with a pained look pinching over her delicate features. “Holy shit. You have an actual bump!” Her palm slid to my abdomen, cradling it lovingly.

“Nyx,” Acyn muttered as he rubbed his palm down over his face. Nyx’s violet eyes rounded as she yanked her hand back, then focused on my face.

The more Nyx touched me, the more heightened my aroused state grew. My back arched as a sultry moan burst from my lips. My nipples hardened as my breasts grew heavy with lust. My clit swelled, aching to be touched or sucked on.

A tingle that refused to be ignored started between my thighs. A thundering noise pounded in my ears as every muscle in my body grew tense. The air quickened in my lungs, growing faster with each breathy moan escaping my lips.

“Something’s wrong,” I whispered as I placed my hand between my thighs, moaning as pleasure shot through me, even as my legs threatened to give out beneath me.

Rhys made a strangled noise as he grabbed me, then shielded me behind his large frame. “Nothing’s wrong, Love. You just hugged the equivalent of a newborn nymph who can’t dampen her pheromones.” A loud, lusty cry burst from my lips as my fingers pinched down my clit. “Be a good girl and stop touching yourself until you’re alone.”

“I’m so sorry, Remington!” Nyx whined as Acyn’s amused chuckle sounded from somewhere within the room, but I wasn’t focused on him. I was zeroed in on the scent of Rhys’ aftershave, along with his unique scent.

“We’ll be back tomorrow. I’m not sure if you should thank or curse me, brother,” Acyn announced with amusement crammed in his tone.

“Bloody hell,” Rhys growled, then turned, peering down at me with the hungriest look I’d ever seen simmering in his azure orbs.

I shivered at the ravenous look as he drove down over my frame. The moment the door sounded, I felt the need to strip down and take what I needed from him. I knew what happened when you held a newborn nymph. It was like drinking the most powerful aphrodisiac in the world.

“I can assistant you without fucking you if that is what you want, Love.”

I shook my head as I reached down, gripping the hem of the oversized shirt I wore. Yanking it up and over my head, I dropped it on the floor. Rhys hissed as he took in my naked form bared before him.

“I don’t want your assistance,” I admitted huskily.

Rhys’ incubus pheromones were on overdrive. It felt like I was standing next to a downed power line, one that was pulsing power into the air. He invoked lust, more than I’d felt from hugging my best friend who would be getting an earful after I’d finished slaking my lust on the man currently staring at me like a buffet he wanted to feast on.

I physically trembled with anticipation of what was about to happen between us. The air around us was charged with sex clinging to the molecules. The scent of dominance drifted off Rhys in thick, seductive waves.

I felt the sleek, slippery arousal coating my pussy. I could smell my sex as it swelled with the need to be fucked like a bitch in heat. I’d never needed fucked as hard or as violently as I did right now.

“I’m not capable of remaining in the apartment knowing you’re touching your pretty cunt, Love. I’m not that strong where you are concerned.”

My breasts and loins swelled, as if his words caused instant inflammation from the need to be touched, kissed, and fucked by him. The desperation to have him between my thighs became savage, primitive.

Rhys could make the need lessen. He’d turn me inside out and leave me in a heap of ashes when he’d finished with me. His proximity was making the need to have his skillful lips wrapped around my clit, sucking it between his teeth . . . too fucking much.

“I don’t want you to watch or assist me. I want you to fuck me.”

“Thank fuck,” he growled as he gripped the back of my neck, jerking me against the hardness of his frame. “You’re certain you want this?”

“Positive, Van Helsing.” Tears pricked my eyes, then rushed down my cheeks as relief flooded through my chest. I’d feared he’d force me to beg him for what I needed, but he wasn’t. His other hand slipped between my thighs as he issued a growl when they slid through the sleek arousal coating my nakedness.

“Already messy for me, my sweet silver.” Azure clashed with the electric blue of my stare. The possessiveness burning in his gaze had arousal dripping down the inside of my thigh. “You are so fucking perfect.”

A whimpered gasp slipped from my lips as he dragged his finger over my clit. I needed him more than I needed the air sustaining my life. Right now, he was the fire fueling the raging inferno sizzling through my soul.

“I need you now. Please make it stop aching.”

“Are you going to be a good girl and beg me to fuck you?”

I may have been a little too quick to assume he wouldn’t make me beg. Not that I wasn’t willing to do that and much more if it ended with him wrecking me. Wanting Rhys wasn’t an issue. I wanted him, even when I hated him. He was my god, and I was his devoted disciple who’d worship every moment of him destroying me.