Angel in Chains (The Fallen #3)(8)

Not quite what he’d expected. Before he’d entered the shower, Az had thought the human female was trying her hand at seducing him.

Others had tried. Tempted him.

But he hadn’t wanted them, not the way he wanted her.

He wanted Jade on the big bed in her bedroom. Wanted her open to him, her arms around him. Screaming for him.

He wanted to taste the pleasure that humans enjoyed so much. With her.

Every angel was tempted at some point . . .

“I know it’s none of my business. . . .” Her words had a husky edge that he found . . . sexy. “But,” she continued in that voice that seemed to stroke right over his flesh, “what happened to your back?”

“I fell.” Flat. The truth.

Her dark brows lifted. “You fell.” Jade gave a slight shake of her head and whistled lightly. “That must have been some fall.”

“It was.” He wanted to touch her again. Touch had been denied to him for centuries, and he hadn’t realized just how pleasurable it was to feel a woman’s skin against his.

So he stalked forward and let his fingers skate down her cheek.

Soft.

“You shouldn’t . . .” Her voice was like a whisper during sex.

“I should.” What else did he have to lose? His gaze locked on her mouth. Red, plump lips. “I want to know what you taste like.”

He caught the hitch of her breathing, but she shook her head. “I told you—”

Now he laughed. “I’m not scared of death.”

Her lips parted in surprise.

Az didn’t wait any longer. His lips took hers. Not a gentle, seeking kiss. He wasn’t much for gentleness these days. His tongue thrust into her mouth. Drove inside and took.

She tasted sweeter than strawberries. So sweet. His tongue tasted her and his hands curled around her as he pulled her body closer to his.

Her body was small, her breasts lush, and he wanted more.

His cock shoved against the towel, thickening and stretching toward her. He couldn’t pull away from her. Didn’t want to. Her lips sucked over his tongue and his whole body tightened.

He stumbled forward with her. Caged her against the wall and—enjoyed her.

Mouth. Tongue. Flesh.

The towel was in the way. He wanted skin to skin. He wanted to see the pink folds of her sex. Wanted to be in her.

Wanted, as he’d never wanted another.

Her hands curled around his shoulders. Her nails dug into his skin, and he liked the rough sting.

A growl built in his throat.

His mouth tore from hers, and he began to taste her throat. She trembled against him. Ah, she enjoyed that. Right there, on the curve of her neck and shoulder and— “No!”

His head snapped up, and he stared down at her. Her breasts were tight, hard peaks, pushing against his chest. Her hips had arched hungrily against him, and her eyes—there was no missing the lust in her stare. The same lust that heated his own body.

But the human was telling him no.

“Why?” Grated from him. Was it because he wasn’t . . . like her? He wasn’t less than human, no, he was— She trembled against him as her fingers slid down his arms. “I told you,” Jade said again, “I’m dangerous. You don’t want to be with me.”

He did. He wanted to be f*cking her right then.

“The best thing that you can do is to get away from me.” Her hands flatted on his chest and she pushed against him.

Az eased back a step. Just one.

She stared up at him with those green eyes that he suspected had probably broken mortal men. “That panther pack will be coming after me again. Coming after me and anyone who stands with me. So trust me on this, you don’t want to get caught in this war.”

Then she eased around him. Her body brushed his, a soft glide of feminine flesh.

“I’m going to shower,” she said. “You should—you should be gone when I come out.”

If that was the way the little mortal wanted things . . .

She headed for the bathroom. Didn’t look back at him. Why did that fact anger him? And why did he feel like he had to ask, “Why do the panthers want you?”

She paused with one hand on the door frame. “I guess I did something to make them angry.”

It would seem so.

“Now, they aren’t going to stop. Not until they kill me.”

A human against a pack of panthers. Hardly seemed like fair odds to him. A human against just one shifter wasn’t a fair fight.

“But this isn’t your battle.” She still didn’t look back. Why not? “You should leave while you have the chance. And don’t just leave my apartment. Get out of New Orleans. If you don’t, they’ll pick up your scent. They’ll hunt you down. They’ll rip you apart.”

Highly doubtful. “I’d like to see them try.”

She swung around in an instant. “I wouldn’t.” Soft. Wait, were those tears glittering in her eyes?

A mortal, crying over him?

“You helped me. You didn’t know me. But you . . . you saved my life.” She gave a fast, negative shake of her head. “Now let me save yours. Az, get the hell out of here, and don’t ever come back.”

She sounded like she meant those words.

Jade spun around and slammed the door behind her. A few seconds later, the water flooded on with a roar of sound.