Dark Desires After Dusk (Immortals After Dark #6)(78)

When he worked his finger into her sheath, she spread her knees wider with a cry. She was losing control. Thunder boomed all around the building, quaking the walls.

He wanted this to last forever, but he was already on the verge. She needs to come first. As he withdrew and thrust his finger, he sucked her hard little clitoris between his lips, snaking his tongue over it.

She screamed, then took him deep. Her moans around his shaft sent him over. As she came, he groaned and licked, joining her . . . .

She rolled off him, sprawled beside him as they caught their breath.

“Who knew demons were so delicious?” she asked as he dragged her to his chest.

“Demon. Singular. Don’t be getting any ideas.”





36





The Northwest Territories

Headlands of the McKenzie Mountains

The sixtieth parallel was the last one before the Arctic Circle.

They’d passed the sign marking it several hours ago.

For the last four days, they’d headed ever northward toward the Canadian Rockies. The land grew starkly beautiful, the temperature holding steady at a balmy fifteen below. The sun never ascended much higher than the spruce tops, and it both rose and set two hours outside of noon.

Now she was waiting for Cadeon in the parking space—singular—at the White Tail Lodge, which promised to be the final outpost before serious, isolated wilderness.

In other words, their final destination.

The “Lodge” itself was a strange hybrid of trailer and cabin. On the gray siding, antlers were nailed to the side, spelling Wh te T il Lo ge.

Holly thought it should spell: We gave our lives for this??

As Cadeon bought supplies, she patched her laptop into her sat-phone to upload all of her day’s work into a Tim-free account.

The only lingering fallout from Tim’s betrayal was her anger and a burning desire to complete her code. And without the obstacle of her ex-boyfriend, Holly had few defenses against Cadeon’s appeal.

She was reminded of her last look at the Veyron. Without the prop of the truck, it had helplessly crumpled. Now without the guilt and sense of obligation, Holly was doing a free fall for the demon . . . .

She and Cadeon indulged—often. He happily allowed her to explore him, drawing a knee up, telling her to “Have at it.” They slept in the same bed. Each time, he wrapped his body around her so tightly, tucking her close to him. She wondered if he was following some innate demon instinct to protect her.

They showered together—one of the highlights of each day for her.

But he never tried to make love to her, even when she’d hinted that she’d be amenable to losing her virginity. Though she could tell how badly he wanted to take it, he still made no move to.

Was it only that he didn’t want to hurt her? Every day he noted how strong she was becoming. Did he doubt that she could handle the claiming?

Or was there another reason he resisted . . . ?

When he’d returned and finished loading up the back, she asked him, “What all did you get?”

“Food, staple goods—apparently eggs and butter are like gold if we do happen upon anyone north of here. And as many tanks of gas as we can ferry. I also found out that we’re going to have to cross a winter road.”

Winter road—a euphemism for ice beneath tires and possibly not much more. “No way around that?”

“Only way to get from here to there, love.”

*

“This is the checkpoint? It’s adorable!” Holly hopped out of the truck, gazing at the snow-covered cabin. “It’s straight out of a winter wonderland calendar!”

His female’s mood had certainly improved since the ice road. The normal—but loud—shifting of ice had terrified her, and she’d held on to the dashboard the entire way.

When a fox bounded by in the foot-high snow banks, she clapped her gloved hands in delight. “Cue the fox. How perfect!”

Cade found it too perfect with its blanket of snow on the roof and quaint chimney on the side.

She asked, “Are you sure this is the exact location?”

“GPS says we’re here.”

“I guess someone will meet us?” she asked, starting for the door.

But he swooped her back. “For all we know, this is an elevator to hell. I’m checking it out. Do not come in until I tell you to.”

He found the door unlocked and cautiously entered it. The pinewood floored creaked beneath him. The cabin was so spotless, even Holly would approve.

“Do you see any directions?” she called from outside. “I wanna come in!”

“Not yet,” he called back. “Still looking around.”

The interior was simple, with sparse wooden furniture throughout. There was a bathroom, a back bedroom, and a kitchen with a wood-burning stove and a well pump above the basin.

A claw-footed bathtub was situated out in the main room in front of the sizable fireplace.

The idea of seeing Holly bathing there, in front of a fire . . .

With each of their encounters over the last few days, he’d found it increasingly difficult to resist claiming her. His mind was constantly filled with thoughts of being inside her, his reasoning clouded by want.

She’d been regularly tiptoeing around the subject of sex, a question here or there, and he thought he knew why.