Chapter Twelve
The bright rays of the sun filtered through Jamie’s blinds, annoying her. She’d been totally comfortable before Mr. Big Ball of Heat and Light had forced her awake from her peaceful slumber. She wished for about the millionth time that she could throw a shoe at the sun, because the bastard star totally had it coming.
Her head throbbed. Too much late-night fun with Lucan, too many drinks, and not nearly enough water only made her mouth dry and a little scratchy. Not that she would trade the previous night for anything.
Jamie had never experienced that kind of pleasure. She didn’t even know you could.
She smiled just thinking about everything they had done. Over and over and over again, Lucan had brought her to the brink. She didn’t even think it was possible to go that many rounds. No man she’d ever been with before had. Then again, Lucan was a hybrid and not a normal man.
When she tangled herself in the sheets, she could still feel the tenderness that great sex always brought. And this wasn’t just great. Best ever and mind-blowing might be more accurate descriptions.
Jamie was glad she didn’t realize what she was missing out on before. It would have made Lucan avoiding her earlier much more painful.
Maybe she needed to give him a playful punch in revenge, but after a little more fun. She hoped he was ready for a morning round or two. She didn’t care about her throbbing head.
If he were still asleep, she’d just have to wake him up with the help of her hands and mouth.
Jamie reached an arm out on the bed, expecting to find a huge, solid man lying next to her. Instead, cold and empty sheets met her hand.
Jamie opened one eye and stared at the other side of the bed.
Empty.
Huh. So much for her morning fun. Maybe Lucan was in her kitchen cooking up breakfast in bed.
She sniffed the air. Nothing delicious. She didn’t hear any water running in her shower.
Jamie frowned, and her stomach tightened. No. It couldn’t be.
“Lucan?”
No answer came from the apartment.
“Damn it.”
Normally she would have gotten out of bed and looked around, but Lucan wasn’t a normal man. He was a hybrid with super hearing, and it wasn’t like she lived in a big place. If he were nearby, he would have heard her.
The implications made her stomach knot even more.
Jamie glanced around the room. He’d dropped his clothes on the ground the other night, but now they were all gone.
A runner, a damn runner.
“Son of a bitch,” she grumbled, and squished her face back into the pillow.
After all that super-sex, the super-human hybrid had skulked off like any other normal man in the end.
Jamie let out a loud groan.
Really, she should have expected it. Lucan hadn’t exactly promised her roses or breakfast in bed. In fact, she remembered him distinctly saying that she was his for the night.
She’d thought at the time he was just being passionate, but apparently he was just making his expectations clear.
That was it? One night? One lousy night?
Jamie sat up and glared at the room. She wanted to throw something, but that wouldn’t do any good. She rubbed her temples.
No. It was too damn unfair. There was no way she was going for that. Not with how amazing that one night had been, not after she’d finally caught Lucan’s attention. She could go a lifetime, or ten, and not meet another partner like him.
To top it off, she was fairly certain they were now mates or whatever. That’s what she’d overheard about the way hybrids worked. They weren’t supposed to be able to have just one-night stands. At least, that was what she’d thought.
Mates? The term was still so animalistic to her, but she knew it had meaning to his people. She wasn’t totally sure what it all entailed, but the quick way Wendy had gotten so wrapped up in Cato now made sense.
Wendy had been a bit evasive about some of what had gone on with Cato, but she’d let a few things slip. Jamie always sensed there was something more than just finally meeting the right guy. Of course, if she was having mind-blowing sex like that every night, it’d be explanation enough.
Jamie couldn’t deny though that she felt a deep pull to Lucan that went beyond just sex. It felt like it was the most logical thing in the world, and it really wasn’t. Her brain screamed at her about how she should be taking it slowly, but her body and very soul told her that Lucan wasn’t just a boyfriend, he might be her soulmate.
In any other situation, with any other man, she would be slapping herself and telling herself that she needed to get a grip, but with him, she didn’t want to.
The hybrid world was different. It moved in different ways than any of them could ever guess. Just because they looked like men didn’t mean they were fully human.
The more she thought about what had happened, the more she grew frustrated and confused. Everything she felt seemed right, but that suggested Lucan felt the same strong pull. Why in the hell was he running away like some guy she picked up at a club? Especially if they were mates?
Jamie sat up in bed and let the blanket fall off her. The feel of the cool air conditioning was refreshing after such a long night.
Maybe she needed to fight for Lucan to show that she really did feel the pull. It could be some weird hybrid cultural thing they just didn’t talk about. God knew normal men and women had all sorts of stupid rituals.
Whatever the truth was, she wasn’t going to let Lucan run away without feeling a little pain.
Jamie threw the covers to the side and climbed out of bed to find the sexiest lingerie she owned: a black see-through corset with matching panties and garter belt with stockings. The ultimate seduction weapon.
She slipped the soft lace material on and stared at herself in the mirror.
Oh, it was perfect. A little makeup and some heels would put the whole thing over the top.
“Run out on me, will he?” she said, and grinned. “Wait till he sees what he’s missing.”