“I won’t break, Marcus,” she whispered in his ear. His body stilled. Then, as if a switch had been tripped, his long arms wrapped tightly around her, bringing her as close to him as he could. She wrapped her arms around his neck and arched as he drove deeply into her. They hung suspended as one entity, each wide-eyed at the depth of sensation they extracted from the other. Jax closed her eyes and let him take her away to any place he wanted to go. In the mad rush of their union, they rolled onto the floor, Marcus buffering her fall with his big body.

Out of nowhere, a fierce orgasm caught hold of Jax. Then, in a wild race against her next breath, it crashed with such velocity inside her that she screamed digging her nails into Marcus’s shoulders. The waves so intense, so deep and so long, she literally thought she would die from the thrill of it. He moved deeper inside of her as she came, never once letting up with his wild pace.

When the last wave receded and her body lost most of its strength, he swelled thicker inside of her. Jax felt his quickening. He pressed his palm to her chin and pushed back her head, exposing her neck as she arched her back and took him deeper inside of her. His touch sparked another harsh wave of desire. It caught immediately. Jax’s eyes widened. Dear Lord, she didn’t know if she could physically survive another orgasm.

“You can do it, Jax,” he harshly said as he lowered his lips to the throbbing artery in her neck. “Keep up with me,” he whispered against her slick skin. He licked the thick artery and, as their bodies prepared for devastation, he urgently asked, “Let me to drink from you.”

“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes.”

His fangs sunk into her neck. Jax cried out and closed her eyes in sweet sublimity. Her body exploded from within. She clung to his body as he drank from her. She wanted him to take more.

As her body undulated, she pressed herself closer to him, reveling in the intimateness of his coming inside of her as she came with him, of him taking her blood into his body. If only she could take the same from him. As the thought swirled in her head, she felt his body swell. He jerked away from her neck and pressed her back into the twisted sheets, his body still inside of hers. His lips glistened with her blood. Jax arched, reached her lips to his and kissed him deeply, tasting herself on his lips.

The darkness nearly overcame him. Barely, Marcus controlled it as the ridiculous urge to press her against his chest and give her his lifeblood overcame him. If he did , they would forever be connected. It was so damn tempting.

She was everything he’d known she’d be. And more. And knowing it, he knew she could not live. She would be his end if he allowed it.

The agony of that realization hit him hard. He threw his head back and cried out as the final wave of his orgasm hit him. His body pounded into hers. His body needed the violent release. When it ended, he collapsed beside her on the floor.

Breathing heavily among the damp, wrinkled linens, it took only seconds for him to realize he wanted more—needed more. More sex. More blood. All of her. But if he took more, he would lose it all. He needed to leave. Now, and not look back. She would get them both killed.

As winded as he was, it only took him moments to recover. It took his partner much, much longer. As he pulled away from her, she lay with her eyes closed, gasping for breath. He closed his eyes and tried to probe her thoughts. He felt her fear, her excitement, and he was glad to know any thoughts of that pig who had violated her were far away. He wished he could erase them for her, but he didn’t possess that power. At best, he could read her emotions and soothe her with his thoughts. He wondered if having taken his blood, though only a slight bit, she could read his emotions, as well. The idea bothered him.

He turned to his side and studied her, slick and breathless beside him. Her full breasts rose and fell with each harsh breath she took. Her pink nipples were hard, her breasts full, round. And soft. He resisted the urge to rub his cheek against them. His gaze traveled down her belly to the jagged scar there. He scowled.

Lightly he traced a finger along the raised skin.

“Don’t,” she commanded grabbing his hand, halting his touch. She turned to face him, her eyes blazing angrily.

He didn’t push it, but he didn’t withdraw his hand, either. “What happened?”

She sat up, shook him off, and grabbed her knees to her chest. “Nothing that concerns you.” Standing, she strolled to the open bathroom door, wrapping herself in feigned composure, as if it had been body armor. She paused and, without looking over her shoulder, said, “I want you to leave.”

Marcus snorted and stood. He walked slowly up behind her. “Why?”

“Because I’m tired.”

He lowered his lips to her right shoulder. “Me too.” He kissed her, not wanting to leave and not buying her sudden show of bravado. “But I need to shower before I go.”

Her body stiffened. “Go shower in your own room.”

He slid his arm around her waist and brought her against him. He closed his eyes and inhaled her wild scent. God, he wanted to go back there with her again. “Jax, I’m afraid we have a problem.”

She tried to face him, but he clamped his arm tighter around her. He felt her heartbeat accelerate and her blood whoosh in her veins. “What problem is that?”

He turned her slowly around, entwined his fingers through hers and raised her hands above her head, pressing her up against the wall. “I want you all over again.” And God help him, he never wanted to stop. He lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. Her body sparked against his. The mad rush of her desire hit him broadside. His body swelled in response.

“Be gentle this time,” she whispered as she gave herself over to him.

Hours later, just moments away from the first rays of the sun breaking through the night, Marcus stood over the sleeping body in the big rumpled bed. Her hair was still damp from their shower. The impression from his body still embedded in the sheets beside her. Once had not been enough for him. He’d taken her in the shower, then once more in this bed. He was insatiable. As he buttoned his shirt, his cock thickened. There was so much more he wanted to do to her before he had to stop. He cracked a small smile. She had begged him to stop in the shower. Begged him for more in the bed until, finally sated, he had relented and laid down beside her as she’d tumbled into a deep sleep.

Her creamy skin had paled. Dark crescents framed her eyes. Marcus sat down on the edge of the bed and brushed her dark hair from her neck. Her skin was cool to the touch. He traced his fingertips along the slight bruise marks his fangs had made. In a few hours, they would be barely visible, by tonight gone. He brushed his thumb against the marks. Jax stirred slightly and softly moaned.

Had he taken too much from her? He felt a hint of something he’d not felt in a long time. Guilt. Guilt, even though she’d given so freely of herself.

“Jax,” he called as he gently shook her.

She moaned slightly and reached out for him in her sleep.

“Are you all right?”

She smiled and nodded.

Marcus smiled in return. He gazed toward the sliding glass door. The dark was beginning to gray. He had less than an hour to go to ground.

As he shrugged on his jacket, Marcus contemplated his next move with Jax Cassidy.

It was obvious she was not going to willingly give him the information he wanted. But what if she were telling him the truth? That she was an independent and not associated with the organization Rowland called in? Part of him wanted to believe her; part of him knew he shouldn’t.

During his twenty-eight years as a human and the last seven as a soulless immortal, he had never felt more alive. She made him realize how much he wanted to live again. In an unexplainable way, she gave meaning to his lifeless existence. Until he had no choice, he would not give up the sensations she elicited from him. Not until he absolutely had to. He strode to the door and looked at her one last time. She looked sated, content. At least one of them was. He exhaled loudly. He still had a job to do. He’d just take a different approach. As he thought of her two cohorts down the hall, he smiled. Looked like he’d have to get his hands dirty after all.