~ ELEVEN ~

Larissa woke up slowly, her body overly sensitive and aching, with Gabe’s arm wrapped around her and his hand cradling her breast. She loved the feeling of his solid body against hers. He made her feel cherished. He made her feel so much. He made her want to feel even more. After Scott had beat her and killed her baby, she’d spent many years refusing to feel anything. He hadn’t simply healed her soul. He’d taken her away, swept her into a new reality where the hope of experiencing the fiery passion of true love existed. 

Closing her eyes, she smiled. Her body was so damn hot, and so damn aroused. For a few seconds, she considered rolling over to face him. She wanted to touch his body, explore every inch of his body, but she didn’t want to do anything to lose the façade of being held by a true lover.

Startling her, he groaned in her ear. Then, his breathing deepening, he pulled her even closer, pressing the heat of his hard cock against her hips. “It’s not a façade,” he whispered, brushing his thumb over her nipple. “It doesn’t get more genuine than this.”

She laughed softly. “I know I didn’t say that aloud.”

While gently squeezing and massaging her breast, he teased her nipple with his thumb. “You were thinking very loudly.”

“Was I?” she asked, her heart racing as pleasurable sensations moved through her entire body and centered between her legs.

He moved his hips, grinding his hot, bulging shaft against her. “You woke me up.”

“I hope you don’t expect me to apologize.”

“Not at all.” He continued to move against her, massaging her breast and tugging her nipple.

“Gabe, I am…oh, god.” Pulsating heat centered between her thighs. She was so damn aroused. It was insane. Just his hand on her breast was going to push her over the edge. She wasn’t ready to have sex with him. She needed to stop him. She needed to find a way to get out of having sex with him without pissing him off. It wasn’t fair for her to lead him on when she knew she wasn’t ready.

“I thought I told you that I don’t want you to worry about sending me wrong messages.” His cock was swollen and as hard as a damn rock. He was very uncomfortable. But in a wonderful sort of way. Sure, he wanted her. He needed her. He ached to bury himself inside her body. But he didn’t mind waiting until she was ready.

“It’s not fair for me to keep teasing you.”

“I know it’s not time. Until it is, I can assure you that I will thoroughly enjoy being teased by you.” He was miserable, but he was in complete control for the first time in his entire existence. It amazed him. As a rule, he avoided situations that could possibly produce strong emotions. Good or bad, they let loose a side of him that he lacked the ability to control. Even the night before, with her ex he was mad as hell, he knew he would kill the bastard, but he was in control. He could never lose control in her presence. No part of him could ever place her life in danger.

“I’ve never needed anything to the point of actually hurting for it.”

He turned her around to face him. His possessive gaze moved over her face before settling on hers. “Good morning, beautiful.”

“Good morning.”

“Kiss me,” he whispered against her mouth as he gripped her thigh and pulled her leg over his hip. At once, despite the fabric of his pants separating them, she felt the heat of his cock against her entrance.

 When his tongue skimmed her lips, her entire body shuddered with anticipation, with pleasure. She kissed him, abandoning herself to the decadence of his kiss, of his hands moving over her body, of her core pressed against his hot arousal. She felt his desire and his need for her. It was as powerful as hers for him. His tongue found hers, danced with hers, made sweeping, swirling motions inside her mouth that unleashed wild, delicious, hot sensations throughout her entire body.

Then, putting himself in grave danger of having his ass kicked, he stopped. “I want to wake up every morning to your beautiful face.” Melting her heart, he managed to save his ass. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did.” She reached up and traced his jaw with the tips of her fingers. “What about you?”

“Never better.” He pressed his lips to her forehead, and then he rolled over and got off the bed. Keeping his back to her, he lifted his arms above his head to stretch. 

She sat up, grabbed her pillow, and threw it at his head. “You know I want to choke you right now, don’t you?”

Facing her, he laughed as he knelt to pick the pillow up. “I can’t imagine why.” He walked over to her side of the bed. “I thought we were sharing a very nice morning.”

“Very nice?”

“The best ever.” He handed the pillow to her. “It has been a spectacular morning. The best ever.”

“That’s better.”

He took her hands, lifted her to her knees, and bent down to nuzzle his chin on the top of her head. “I don’t want to leave.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. “But I need to get a few things done today. Can I see you later?”

She leaned back to look up at him. “I already can’t wait to see you again.”

“Call me if you need me.”

“What if, rather than need you, I want to hear your voice, or I want to see you.”

“Whether you need or want me for any reason, I’ll come running.” He turned away from her and walked out of the room before he was unable to leave. She was his center. More than anything he wanted to be hers. He would become anything she needed, anything she wanted. To be fair, he needed to go slow. He didn’t have any right to take her body until he bought his freedom from Adam and she truly knew him. She was his eternal mate. She was his to claim, but he would never claim her until he was free. And he would never claim her against her will. She had to know him. She had to accept him. She had to choose to be with him. She had to choose to claim him despite knowing he was a demon.

****

Knowing Joseph was waiting to talk to him, Adam opened the door and stepped out in the hall. “What can I do for you?”

“Demetri got the hell beat out of him last night.”

“Jax told me that they had trouble at the club. But from what I heard, Demetri tore the place up and killed a few vampires after Zack showed up looking for Emily.”

“The demon screwing with your mate had Emily. He nearly killed Demetri. I’m not fucking around with you. Demetri is damn lucky to be alive. He believes the demon was an Overlord.”

“That’s not possible. We killed them all.”

“Apparently they’re not as dead as we thought. He believes there’s a possibility Erebus is leading Evolved.” Joseph inclined his head toward Adam’s door. “If so Erebus is…”

“Where is Demetri now?” Adam interrupted.

“I’m sure he’s back at the club. He stayed at the boutique for most of the night. He was really fucked up.”

“You allowed him to stay at Mia’s Boutique?”

“I’m starting to warm up to him.”

“I’ll head over to the club to talk to him.”

“Where’s Sparky?” Joseph asked.

“I’m not sure.”

“Did he tell you what happened to Larissa last night?”

“No. Is she okay? I haven’t talked to Gabe this morning at all.”

“I’m indebted to him. He saved Larissa’s life. He knew she was in trouble before I had any idea there was anything wrong.”

Adam shrugged. “That’s not surprising. He promised to watch out for her after she was harassed.”

“He got rid of the troublemakers. He also saved her from her ex-husband.”

“He would’ve protected her from any man. It’s his nature.”

“Have you ever known him to have casual relationships with human women?”

“Never. You know he’s a firedragon. He’s careful around humans. He usually keeps a safe distance from them.”

“He stayed with Larissa last night.”

“Stop overthinking it. He would never hurt her in any way.”

“I’ve always respected your privacy, but I want to make sure you understand that I consider Larissa one of my closest friends. She is under my protection.”

Gabe walked right up to them. “You didn’t even know she had an ex-husband that had nearly killed her and vowed to finish it after he was released from prison. She’s under my protection.”

Joseph looked at him. “I would’ve taken care of it if I’d known.”

“You should’ve known.”

“What are you worried about, Joseph?” Adam asked.

“I don’t want to create a problem between us.”

“How do you think the fact that I protected her, comforted her, and healed her will negatively impact your friendship with Adam?”

“Healed?”

“She had a slight concussion.”

“Just be careful with her, Gabe.” Joseph said.

“Is that all?” Adam asked.

“For now.”

As Joseph walked away, Adam turned to Gabe. “Is there anything you need to tell me?”

“No. I’m just heading down to the bar to meet with Javier. He was able to find out some information regarding a few of our trackers. He believes they’re going to make a move against you.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“I never should’ve kept half of them around.”

“It was fun.”

“Not so much now.  I feel like I’m constantly looking over my shoulder now. Finding Hanna sure has complicated things. I don’t know if I can be what she deserves.” Adam shrugged. “I’m leaving to meet with Demetri.”

“Did something happen?”

“He got the hell beat out of him by the demon fucking with Hanna. Do you remember what I told you concerning Overlords?”

“Sure. You and nine others killed them a long time ago.”

“They might not be as extinct as we thought. I’ll let you know what I find out from Demetri.”

“Let me know if you run into any problems.”

“I will,” Adam said as he turned to walk away.

****

Larissa had fallen head over heels for Gabe, but after he left, she realized she couldn’t commit to him. She’d made her life. She’d chosen to be alone. She liked being in charge of her life. No one to answer to. No one to please. No one to disappoint. After last night, she knew he wanted more than a casual lover. He would never be content with a purely sexual relationship. While he would challenge her to change, she couldn’t. She didn’t want to change. Not with her life running so smoothly.

Hearing a knock on the door, she rushed to open it, expecting to see Gabe. “Good morning, Joseph. Today is my day off. What’s up? And make it quick so I can get back to doing nothing.”

“I just wanted to check up on you.”

“I’m fine. I am truly sorry about last night.”

“Don’t apologize, Larissa. It wasn’t your fault. You were the victim of a crime. You should’ve been notified about his release.”

“They notified me.”

“Why didn’t you say anything to me?”

“I never expected him to come around. It has been twenty years.”

“You can come to me about anything.”

“I know. I just…I really didn’t think I would see him again.”

“Have you had any more trouble with Adam’s men?”

“Gabe got rid of the troublemakers. And, FYI, I’m not stupid, Joseph. I know you know he took care of it.”

“I just want to make sure you’re doing okay. Has Gabe given you any trouble?”

“He’s my friend. And I don’t care if you don’t like it.”

“I am only asking because I am concerned. I care about what happens to you.”

“He cares about me. He’s not a bad man.”

“He’s not what he seems to be.”

“What does that mean?”

“He’s dangerous.”

“Not to me. He’s good to me. Very good to me. I don’t care what you think of him.”

“I understand. But I want you to remember that you can come to me if you have a problem with him.”

“My personal life is none of your business. You need to back off.”

“You don’t need to get mad. I care. That’s all. I care about what happens to you.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just stressed out.”

“Can I do anything to help?”

“No.”

“Let me know if that changes.”

“Most of the time I want to rip your head off. As a business partner, you suck. But as a friend, I couldn’t ask for more. Thank you. I know you got rid of Scott for good. It’s a huge relief. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I had to worry about him coming back around.”

“I am here for you. And, just so you know, I enjoy pissing you off as a business partner.”

“I figured that out years ago.”

“What about Gabe?”

“I told you to back off.”

“Would you tell me if he was giving you any trouble?”

“No. I wouldn’t have anything to do with him. I am not a pushover. I would never allow anyone to treat me poorly.”

“Enjoy your day off. I promise to hold the fort down all by myself today.”

“No interruptions?”

“Not one.” He walked out and shut the door.

She knew damn well he’d screw something up and she would have to deal with it, but that was fine with her. Truth be told, she loved her life, her job. For the moment, she decided to go for a swim.

****

Shortly after Adam left, Hanna heard a knock at the door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see Adam. “Why did you knock? What’s up?”

“I have bad news for you.”

“What?”

“It’s over. Things have changed. I want you to leave.”

“What?” she asked, shaking her head in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

His eyes, she noticed, were darker than usual. In fact, they were nearly entirely black. Also, she felt the presence of pure evil. “You need to leave the hotel.”

“Right now?”

“Get your things and I’ll walk you out.”

“I don’t have anything here.” She hesitated, realizing that something was seriously wrong. Adam wasn’t just mad at her. She felt his contempt for her. “You know that.”

“I don’t have any desire to argue with you, Hanna. I have things to do. I want you to leave. And don’t return.”

The instant she stepped out into the hall, she knew she’d made a terrible mistake. He was a demon, but he wasn’t Adam. “You’ve done enough for me. I don’t need an escort.”

“I’m not doing it for your benefit. I intend to make sure you leave the property.”

When she got on the elevator, she struggled to maintain her composure. Being in a confined space always caused her anxiety to rise. Being in a confined space with a demon from Evolved terrified her. She moved to the opposite side of the elevator, keeping as much distance from the other demon while carefully projecting shock and anger towards Adam for giving her the boot.

Briefly, she considered reaching for Adam, but she knew better than to make any attempt to reach out to him. The other demon would likely feel her doing it. It took every ounce of strength she possessed to walk rather than run through the lobby. She knew he was right behind her.

Once she made it out the front door, she turned to take one last look at him to make sure he wasn’t following her. Glaring at her, he crossed his arms over his chest. His dark eyes were as cold and icy as death.

 “Thanks for everything, Adam.”

He didn’t respond. He continued to glare at her.

She turned and walked away quickly, placing herself in the middle of a crowd moving down the sidewalk. She kept going until she turned the corner. Then, once she was sure the demon couldn’t see her, she ran until she couldn’t take another step. Stopping to catch her breath, she realized she’d left the cellphone and money clip Adam had given her. She knew she needed to keep moving. Rather than try to merge with Adam and accidently connect to the other demon, she decided to keep moving and wait for Adam to find her. She knew he would come for her as soon as he realized she was gone.