Eternal (Shadow Falls: After Dark #2)(13)

He cared.

He looked at her. Waiting. Waiting for something.

Her heart ached from indecision and her need to offer him something made that pain increase. Finally, she found one truth. One truth that she could offer. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

She lifted up and pressed her lips to his. It must have been enough, or at least enough for now, because he kissed her back.

Chapter Seven

Steve’s lips were warm, his taste addicting. And the magic, the magic that was pure Steve, happened. Della let go of all her issues, all the heartaches, fear, and haunts from the past, and she let herself be pulled into nothing but the kiss. The wonderful feel of his lips against hers.

That feeling led to more feelings. Tingling. Wants. Desires.

It led to them shifting. Getting closer. To them reclining, side by side on the sofa.

In a few minutes, they were even closer. Their arms and legs entangled, their hearts beating together. Even at her vampire temperature, she burned … on fire from his hard body pressed against hers. Lost in how his soft breath felt on her neck.

His hand slipped under her shirt and she didn’t stop him. She wanted this as much as he did. Not that she planned to let it go too far, but this … this was what she needed. This was following orders. This was being a teen.

But then she heard them. Voices. Voices and footsteps coming toward the cabin.

She gasped and caught his hand. “I think we’re about to have company.”

He growled and lifted his head from the sensitive spot he kissed on her neck. “Do you want to kill them, or do you want me to?”

She giggled.

When she met his sexy, hooded eyes and saw the heat and desire there, her breath caught and the same emotions filled her chest. If she hadn’t heard the voices again, she would’ve caved and gone back to kissing him. This place, this wonderful place she went to forget things, could also make her forget her limits. Sooner or later they weren’t going to be able to stop.

Was she ready to go there with Steve?

Oh, hell, she’d just found another thing to worry about.

*   *   *

After a good-bye kiss filled with with pent-up frustrations, Steve walked her outside through the back door to avoid the approaching company. “I’m heading out in about an hour,” he said.

She nodded and laced her fingers with his. “Be good.” An unwanted vision of Jessie filled her head.

“You, too,” he said and she could guess what he was imagining.

He gave her hand a squeeze then leaned down and kissed her again. The birds and soft whisper of the breeze played background music.

That kiss was probably about as hot of a kiss as they should be indulging in, she thought, but then she found even that brief feel of his lips on hers to be alluring.

She only got a few feet away when her phone dinged with an incoming text. Her heart raced thinking it was Chase. But she didn’t check it until she got in the mix of trees—pines, a few oaks, a maple or two—away from Steve’s line of vision. The thought of hurting him sent a sharp pain to her chest.

And yet, if right now Steve was getting a text from Jessie, it would hurt like hell. If Steve cared even nearly as much about Jessie as she did Chase, Della would be damn pissed.

Shit. She had to be hurting Steve. But how could she fix it?

Two choices. Only two. Let him go or refuse to work with Chase on the case. Refuse to ever have anything to do with Chase again.

The realization tumbled around inside her like a ball of thorns. A few tears threatened to fall as her phone dinged again.

She looked at it.

Not Chase. Burnett. The message read, Come to the office.

She didn’t hesitate.

When she stormed into his office, he glanced up. “I hope you were close—if not, you came too fast. I’ve warned you not to—”

“I was close,” she said and it was only half a lie. She had been close, but she probably still came quicker than he would have liked. At least being Reborn came with a few perks, superspeed being one of them. “What is it?”

“I got a call from the Vampire Council.”

“Are they approving Chase and me working together with the FRU?”

“No. One of the council members called to ask if we’d heard from Chase. He missed a meeting with them and isn’t answering his calls. They say this isn’t like him.”

Della felt her blood pressure rise. “Do they think something happened to him?” She could still recall how he’d moaned when he’d taken her blood inside him during her rebirth. When he’d willingly done it, willingly taken on the pain to save her. I don’t love you, period. I go back and forth on even liking you.

“No. He seemed more concerned that I’d convinced him to work exclusively with us. When I assured him that wasn’t the case, he insisted that you would know where he was. They said he’s been obsessing over you lately.”

Obsessing? She shook her head. “He hasn’t called or texted me since we saw each other at the falls. If he had, I’d tell you.”

“That’s what I assured them,” he said.

Della pulled out her phone again and typed Chase another message. Worried. Vamp Council looking 4 u. U ok?

She stared at her phone, her lungs tight, praying he would text her back.

When it didn’t ding back in seconds, she looked up at Burnett. “Maybe I should go look for him.”