Monday, October 27, 9 pm

Jessie drove up Nate’s long driveway four hours later than she told him she’d be back. Her heart pounded, in fear or anticipation she couldn’t tell. Maybe both.

It had been a miserable afternoon—more arguing with Emily, failing her Legal Research test, enduring snickers and slut-shaming from a table of female undergrads whose ringleader had picked up and read the gist of her and Nate’s contract when it had fluttered from her folder to the floor in the campus’s memorial union. She’d tried to swipe it away immediately, but the rail-thin busybody had honed in on the ‘companion’ terminology, drawing her own lurid conclusions. What if the co-ed was malicious enough to report it to the Law School Dean? Jessie’s entire career could be over before it even began. She would also probably go to jail. Pay fines. Humiliate Gramma and Grandpa, sending them both into a tailspin of stress-related health emergencies.

Horrors.

After that episode, she’d needed to be alone. She couldn’t go to Gramma’s or Dante’s or even her own damn apartment for fear Nate would come looking for her. She wanted to hold Scourge and cry into his smooth fur, but she couldn’t even indulge in that simple comfort because Scourge was staying with Mason, and no way could she go there either. Not after glutting herself on his enemy’s fierce then tender, all-night lovemaking.

Two nights in a row.

Ever since Em and Dante had left Saturday night, Nate had been like a man consumed, imprinting himself on her heart and soul. Forty-eight hours later, she ached all over. Scandalous, yet she could hardly think of anything else.

She’d driven from the university to Minnehaha Park hoping the fresh air would steady her. She’d hiked, gazed at the falls, thrown rocks off the bridge, and sat on picnic tabletops, staying much later than was wise, dusk having long since fallen. But something kept her from returning to the man she was beginning to obsess over. Things about him like how his voice sounded in the dark, how his eyes would twinkle as though lit from within by something not entirely human, the damned dimple that should be thoroughly boyish but steadfastly refused to be that innocent…

His targeted questions in an effort to know her better, and his arrogant, self-abasement to hide himself from her. He made her wonder and sigh and worry and…

Yearn.

During the four hours she’d been tardy, Nate had left five voicemails and twelve texts. Not only that, but multiple staff from TERRA had texted asking what was going on with her and the boss man because he had apparently lost his composure when no one had any answers about her whereabouts.

She hadn’t responded to anyone.

She put her car in park twenty feet from Nate’s garage, sighing into the silence as the engine quieted. As she reached for her messenger bag in the passenger seat, the mansion’s front door opened. Her gut twisted in a dozen coils to see Nate’s body backlit in the doorway, the warm foyer lights casting his face in shadows.

He waited there, hands balled into fists at his sides, unmoving like he was hewn from stone as she exited the car, her pulse hammering so hard against her neck she was almost light-headed.

Say something.

No. He was not her almighty master that she should have to feel like a truant.

His heavy gaze though.

She couldn’t see his eyes, but she felt them roving over her, searching, cataloguing, judging. What conclusions he came to, though, she couldn’t say. But the sensation was thick and palpable in the dry, breezy night.

She stopped five feet from the portico. Closer now, she could see the heavy, dark lashes that framed his eyes, the tautness of his face, could feel the strange mix of energies coming off him. She swallowed a couple times before she spoke. “Have I nullified the parameters of our contract?”

“Are you unwell?”

She almost laughed. “In mind or body?”

“If you are downtrodden or ill, it is my responsibility to provide for your care. You denied me such privilege when you needed my care most, and it displeases me greatly, Jess.”

This time she did laugh. The comment was so absurdly story-bookish. “No one is responsible for anyone else’s happiness.” Still, the comment warmed her.

“Maybe not, but I would like to try. You should have returned my calls.”

“I know.”

They looked at each other for a long moment. How was it that she could not really know him, yet feel like she could share her grimmest secret with him, and he’d not think less of her? That he would lay down with her darkness and never shame her the way she’d let those critical co-eds creep under her heart and lay their barbs. That he could take away all her worries and fears about her family and future with a snap of his fingers.

She wanted to trust…

Her eyes filled.

“Jessie.” He moved from the doorway, lifting her in his arms before she could even wipe her tattle-tale tears away. She tucked her face into his warm neck and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he walked briskly into the house and slammed the door behind them with his foot. He carried her all the way upstairs into her bathroom where he sat her on the white leather vanity stool, knelt between her legs on the marble floor and kissed her tear tracks until they were fully spent. Her fingers delved into his thick hair, pulling him to her in silent entreaty. Their lips met, a soothing seduction that layered tinder, kindling, logs in a perfect arrangement until her body grew aflame, comfortable and restless at once. His mouth slanted, full-bodied, hungry across hers, his fingernails scoring her hips before sliding up to shape her breasts as he translated her sighs and coaxed her shadows to tiptoe into the light.

She was coming to crave this unconditional acceptance.

Her neck arched as his teeth nipped the tender skin below her jaw. “Nate, I need.”

He stood her up, unzipped her jeans, and peeled them slowly down her legs. She cast herself into his care as he removed each piece of her clothing until she stood naked. She drank in the reverence in his eyes as he gazed at her, trailing his knuckles from her neck down over a peaked nipple across the persistent chubbiness of her belly, to the smooth skin where her thigh met her body, next to the carefully shaped strip of hair.

Her hands sought his chest where his heart thudded as steadily as the massive grandfather clock in his library. She began to unbutton his shirt when he traced his broad finger along her seam, gathering wetness before sliding back up at such a deliberate pace her legs began to tremble, her breath to hitch. He did it over and over, and all she could do was grasp at the folds of his shirt to steady herself as his eyes burned into hers. The fingers of his other hand curled under her ass, tilting her hips to open her further to his erotic assault.

“Sit down, Jess.” His low voice promised iniquity.

She could only obey.

The bench was cool beneath her buttocks, a respite from the heat of Nate’s clever fingers. He followed her down, pressing her thighs wide with his palms. His ardent gaze pinned her. “Grab hold of my hair and direct me. Use me.”

Her fingers slid into his dark hair as his head lowered, a gasp dropping from her lips as his mouth met her body full-on. A wave of obscene pleasure contracted her calves, her feet arching to her toes on the floor tiles. His broad tongue stroked, curling at the tip, as her hands guided him, encouraged by his growls of approval every time she pulled his hair.

Lord, the sounds. Moans, groans, wet sucking. Her entire body blazed from the wicked things he was doing and the indecent picture they presented in the mirror on the opposite wall.

He pushed her back against the edge of the counter, his hand splayed wide on her solar plexus. Through hooded eyes, she peered into the mirror at that hand—so masculine with its purple-blue veins and blunt fingernails flexing, biting, into her breasts. Her climax hit fast, hard, breathless. He shifted his hands to her buttocks to support her through her boneless finish.

She curled her chest down over his head, breathing against his sweaty temple as he pressed delicate kisses against her inner thighs, his fingers running soothing circles against her lower back. A thick knot began to weave in her throat. No one had ever made her feel so special. His manner bordered on overbearing, and she had disappointed him by not communicating with him, but all he’d wanted was connection. “I’m sorry I didn’t call,” she whispered.

* * *

The hitch in her voice solidified his growing conclusion. Even if his scar came back—which he was beginning to greatly doubt—one week with her wouldn’t be enough.

He slowly stood—forcing his muscles to ignore the charge and race of his pulse—and gathered her as close as possible, wrapping her in his arms, kissing every part of her his lips could physically reach. Her grasping hands and limb tremors expressed gratitude and uncertainty. He cupped her head in his palms. She opened her eyes, and his pulse climbed higher. There was trust in her gaze, and for once in his existence, he worried about what that meant.

He’d never lived up to someone’s trust. I will surely fail.

She was looking at him, and he was supposed to say something. Supposed to tell her how much he wanted to keep her by his side. How much these peculiar new feelings were tying him up inside. How he didn’t know what to do with them.

Her gaze said she wanted to put her faith him, but he didn’t know how to be the kind of man who deserved a woman’s trust. He was a manipulator, a betrayer, and if he ended up doing what he’d always done, how would he be able to erase the memory of these beautiful hours so he could sleep at night?

Erase the memories of the pain he might cause her.

Jessie wasn’t like the others he’d exploited who were just as selfish as he. She wasn’t innocent so much as…

Honorable.

It wasn’t a principle he had much experience with.

A little of the light died in her eyes at his continued silence. It stabbed at him. He brought his forehead to hers. “I never want to hurt you.”

She tilted her chin up so their noses touched. “You say that like it’s bound to happen,” she whispered.

“I…” He couldn’t breathe in the bubble they’d created. He leaned back, watching his hands as they slid down her cheeks to her neck, then shoulders where they kneaded at the tension that was growing once again. If he looked into her eyes, he’d promise things that would make him weak. Things that might distract him from his demon-hunting duties. “I’m not used to thinking of others. Not used to…caring.” He turned away, a strange sick heat crawling up his neck. What a foolish thing to say. He gritted his teeth as he sank to one knee by the bathtub and opened the tap, turning away from her perceptive gaze.

His skin was so prickly that he startled when her hands came to rest on his shoulders. Her voice settled some of his unease. “I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I agreed to this week, but I think it may end up being one of the grandest adventures I’ll ever have. And I just want you to know, I’m grateful for fairytale moments like these.”

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders from behind, her breasts pressed into his back. He closed his eyes and grasped her hands in front of his heart. Steam from the tub rose around them and clung to his clothes. She shifted, her teeth nipping his ear. His cock pulsed, straining painfully at his trousers.

“I want you, Nate.”

He groaned as he swiveled, stood, and swept her in his arms in one fluid motion. His mouth fastened hotly to hers for an aching moment before he lowered her into the tub, soaking his shirtsleeves so he wouldn’t drop her even an inch.

She sighed, then stretched languidly as she settled into the supple contours of the custom-made tub. Her breasts bobbed at the water’s surface, the rosy hue of her areolas more lovely than the pink of a sun-soaked horizon at day’s end.

“You are a temptress like no other.”

“Not tempting enough, apparently. You aren’t joining me?”

His gaze dropped to the strip of hair between her legs. “I am in torment with want of you, Jessica.”

Her calves slid together sinuously beneath the water. “Then?”

He forced his gaze from her sweet pussy to her face. Her smile was both shy and inviting. He wiped perspiration from his hairline, then walked to the counter where he lit three candles and dimmed the lights. “You naughty siren. Would you have me ruin my perfect plans?”

Her eyebrows rose. “What plans?”

“You could have found out hours ago. But now, you’ll just have to wait.” He turned toward the doorway, but swung back when the water sloshed violently. She stood in the center of the tub, water streaming down her curves, reflecting the contours of her voluptuous form, more breathtaking than Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.

“You’re really not going to join me?”

His heart leapt at the dismay in her tone. “This will be the most alone-time you’ll have for the next four days. Enjoy it while it lasts because by the time I’m through with your body, you won’t ever want to live without me.”

* * *

A delectable cream and herb aroma filled Jessie’s nose when her bare toes hit the bottom stair. She re-tied the flimsy belt of the sheer black robe Nate had laid out on her bed, and slowly made her way to the kitchen, unable to keep a nervous smile from her lips. The foyer and hallway lanterns cast gauzy light against the wainscot walls, the languid disposition of the house coaxing her back to the relaxed mood she’d had in the tub.

It had been a glorious bath, providing some much-needed perspective on her troubles. She’d work harder on the rest of her Legal Research assignments to raise her grade by the end of the semester. And even if her contract with Nate came to the Law Department Dean’s attention, her terminology was rock-solid. She’d made sure of it. Yeah, it might raise some eyebrows, but she’d dealt with much worse.

She flexed her fingers with a soft sigh and paused at the kitchen door, silently observing Nate as he moved along the length of the island, adding spices, herbs, and cheese to a dish. There was such an exquisite mystery and almost overwhelming masculinity to him. The broad shoulders boasted strength, as did the musculature of the forearms, and those hands. So sculptural. They could make her tremble with a single touch.

He pivoted, slipping the casserole into the oven, then turned to her, his lips curving, his gaze darkening as it skidded down her body. Her belly exploded with jitters as he crossed the space between them. His parting words—by the time I’m through with your body, you won’t ever want to live without me—replaying over and over as it had throughout her bath.

His fingers slipped under the delicate robe to clasp around her waist. She brought her palms to his chest, to slow things down as much as to feel the warmth of him. “You knew I was here as soon as I walked to the edge of the room.”

He didn’t deny the accusation, only brought his mouth to hers, his grip on her hips easing her forward to ride against the delicious ridge in his slacks. Her breath snagged in her throat. Her fingers made quick work of his button-down shirt, slipping it from his beautiful shoulders. It would be so easy to let their bodies do all the talking like the last two days. No one had ever made her so wanton, but no one had ever captivated her brain so potently either.

It’s not like you have a chance with him after this week, Jess. This is just sex.

Saturday night to Saturday morning. They only had four days and a few hours left.

She closed her eyes, offering her neck to his lips. Goosebumps flashed down her arms at his Latin whispers. So. Damn. Sexy. His thumbs feathered across her sensitized nipples as he walked her backwards toward a new piece of furniture in front of the fireplace in the breakfast nook.

The back of her calves hit the red leather, forcing her to abruptly sit on the supple, curving center of the large chaise. She’d never seen another piece of furniture like it. The rolled sides were uneven heights, like a wave in motion. She looked up at his enigmatic smile as his deep melodic voice instructed his house system to dim the lights. When he began to unbuckle his belt, her pulse surged, her body growing achy and warm. “So this is what a mouse under the lion’s paw feels like.”

“I’m not so sure you’re the mouse, Angel.” His pants followed the belt to the floor. Naked, exquisitely aroused, he walked behind her, lifting her leg and rotating her body so she straddled the chaise, her back against the high, rolled side. “How do you like the tantra chair? I bought it special for us.” His fingernails traced the outline of her breasts through the gauzy material of her robe.

She shivered and licked her lips, enjoying the darkness in his eyes a little too much. “Interesting placement so close to the kitchen. Cooking brings out the kinky in you.”

He straddled the low side of the chaise, facing her, lifting her legs and spreading them over the tops of his thighs. “You whet all my appetites, Jess.”

“You feel safest here, though.” And he seemed almost obsessed with food. The menu planning and shopping for it, eating it, playing with it. “What is it about food?” Her hands grasped his cheeks, bringing his dark blue gaze to hers. “Did you not have enough to eat as a child?”

His hand paused at the belt of her robe for the briefest moment, but it was enough to tell her she’d hit a nerve. He pulled his head from her grasp and began to stand, but she wrapped her legs around his trunk to keep his ass on the seat. “Talk to me, Nate. You know almost everything there is to know about me. It’s only fair that I know a little about the man who has no trouble stripping me bare.”

He looked at the wall above her shoulder. “There’s nothing interesting in my past.”

“I don’t believe you.” She brushed her thumb across his bottom lip. “I want to know what makes you happy, what makes you angry. I want to understand how a man can be so tender and generous, yet so inflexible and manipulative in other situations. What forces shaped you? Why are you alone? What happened to the scar on your belly or the gash on your cheek that healed right before my eyes? And why do you pay for sex when a million women would give anything for a night to feel as special as you make me feel every time you take me in your arms?”

He groaned and hugged her hard, pushing her cheek against his neck where his pulse raced. “Please don’t push me, Jessica.”

The uncharacteristic vulnerability in his voice shocked her. She’d second-guessed what she’d seen more than once in the past two and a half days. She’d always believed there were possibilities beyond the normal realm. Then again, Grandpa had always told her stress could make you imagine things that weren’t there.

No imagining the hard length of his shaft flush against her groin, though. Or his lips and teeth at her ear. She couldn’t speak past the pounding of her heart in her throat. He eased back to untie her robe and let the folds of the material drape open. She looked down between their legs, his erection straining toward her, his broad tip shiny with his desire. His hips and torso pushed her more firmly into the cushioning at her back, his hands grasping hers, dragging them to the chair’s uppermost curve above her head, pinning them down. She shifted the angle of her hips, restless and seeking. Her eyes met his, in all their intensity and need. When he slid inside, her whole body quivered in welcome. The fullness, the heat, the absolute strength of him—driving, consuming…

Addicting.

She spread her legs wider, the carnality of his breathing, the dark promises in his eyes, loosening the last threads of her reserve. Every sense amplified. The shifting, bunching muscles of his thighs and buttocks as he ground into her mercilessly. The slick slide of their joining. Her breasts crushed against the wall of his chest. His taste as she licked the underside of his stubbled chin, salty. The orange, lime and ocean scent of him in, around, and throughout her being.

Her fingernails scored his back as a long moan pealed from her throat.

“Bloody hell, Jessie, yes.” His legs straightened to stand, his hands going under her armpits to slide her up the chaise so her back was nearly horizontal—weightless—balancing on top of the back rest curve.

She lifted her head, her eyes drinking him in, her breasts jolting with every thrust. “Sssoo good.”

His nostrils flared, his eyes fierce as he pumped into her. “You are mine, Angel.”

Her body arced inward, her fingers reaching for the silky strands of his hair, her forehead touching his as the climax ripped through her. Vision dark, her body a tight mass of elaborate sensations that flew apart as suddenly as they contracted. His arms hooked beneath her lower back, his body curling over her, his muscles on lock-down as his own savage ecstasy chased hers. His body pulsed thick and heavy inside her, filling her, a bond she’d never regret. She turned her face toward his warm neck, the sweet serenity of their connection blasted with a cold dose of reality. “Oh God, we didn’t use protection,” she whispered, afraid to kill the moment, but more afraid of the consequences. She’d ovulated several days ago, but still…

Scary for a variety of reasons.

He nuzzled her temple with his lips before lifting his head to gaze at her. The soft lights above them shadowed his eyes. He smiled forlornly and ran a hand through her hair so affectionately her heart squeezed.

“You have nothing to fear from our lovemaking, Jess.” He pulled her up, tugging her into his embrace. His lips pressed against the top of her head. “I am clean, and I can no longer produce children. I’ll make sure you never want for anything. Even after our week has passed.”

A lump crowded her throat. He couldn’t have children? And what did he mean by taking care of her after this week? “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

He used the side of his finger to bring her chin up. He didn’t say anything for a long moment. “I never make promises—period—so we’ll both just have to deal with that. Now, I’m going to feed you, and you’re going to tell me why you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders when you showed up four hours late. After that, you’re going to show me how sorry you are for keeping me waiting. And you’re going to do it,” he pointed back down at the tantra chair, “right there. Otherwise, I shall make you drop to your knees in the hallway at TERRA.” The wicked smile on his face made her uncomfortable in frankly uncivilized ways. His knuckles trailed down her left nipple. “Do you understand?”

Her legs shifted against his, her body striking up that low hum again. “Depends.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? On what?”

“How good supper is.” She spun out of his arms with a laugh, incredulous at her lightheartedness after such a shitty day. She raced around his sex chair to put the massive kitchen island between them.

He stalked her like an animal, his gaze glued to her breasts. “I shall enjoy seducing you into submission, Jessica. In fact, I think I will make your screams a pre-requisite before supper.”

She squealed as he lunged over the island, landing in front of her, pushing her into the dark walnut cabinetry, his muscular body pressing tightly against hers.

“I’ll only scream if I want to.”

The challenge in his eyes made her knees weak. He smiled as his head descended and his fingers sought her softness. “We’ll see about that, Angel.”