The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3)(28)

The covers shifted. A little moan escaped her. She was probably fondling herself, seeking to tempt him or maybe find release. Either way, he didn't care. His body gave no reaction. This is what my life will always be reduced to: f*cking and leaving. I'm pathetic.

He adored women. They were his life's blood and he'd always taken care to soothe their emotions, plump their self-esteem. More and more, he just didn't have the energy for it.

"Paris," she whispered, breathless. "Replace my fingers with yours. Please."

"Sounds as if you're doing a good job. The room's paid up for the rest of the night. I'll leave you to it."

"Leave?" She jolted up, reached for him and dragged a fingertip down his side. "Stay. I'm begging you."

"Forget me. I've already forgotten you." He strode out of the room, out of the hotel, and never looked back.

HAVING AWOKEN in Reyes's bed alone, another turbulent nightmare swirling in her mind, Danika had realized she couldn't do it. She couldn't stay here, no matter her purpose. Not with Reyes. Just being near him affected her in a thousand different ways, none of them good.

"The Darkest Pleasure"

Every time she spied him, hate should have filled her. Hate and rage and violence. But every time she peered into the dark fathomless pools of knowledge and pain that were his eyes, she experienced...something else. She drowned, pieces of her dying then quickly reforming for him. Him. Not her family, not her own survival. Him.

How could she forget her purpose like that? How? Kidnapped all those weeks ago, and now bereft of even the miserly life she'd built, how could she still want to reach out to Reyes? To be held by him? Comforted? Even pleasured? How did he slip into her most private fantasies and rouse her animal needs?

Not knowing what else to do, she'd sprung from the bed and raced from the bedroom. She'd gotten pretty far, then backtracked, fearing that a wrong turn could land her face-to-face with one of Reyes's friends. Her legs had finally given out, and she'd stopped here at the staircase.

She wrapped her arms around her middle, trying to conserve warmth. The cold had returned full force, and she shivered. Only one thing had managed to warm her: Reyes.

"Danika!"

Speak of the devil - or rather, demon. Reyes's voice echoed through the hallway behind her, panicked and as sharp as a razor. She propped her head against the stair railing, fatigue and dizziness swamping her. I should run. She remained in place. Like a fool, she was eager to see him.

"Danika!" He sounded closer.

She didn't waste her time responding. He would find her soon enough. No reason to help him.

"Dani - "

Her name trailed off as a gust of air brushed the back of her neck. He must have stopped abruptly. She couldn't see him, even peripherally, but she could feel his heat all the way to her bones. God, he was warm. Her shivers faded.

Then suddenly he was there, sitting beside her, his thigh brushing hers. Jolts of electricity shot through her veins, running the length of her entire body. She gulped.

For a long while, they simply sat in silence.

Finally, she glanced over at him. Her gaze traveled from his mud-coated boots to his ripped jeans. Up his powerful arms, which were resting on his thighs. Three deep grooves were etched into his skin. Blood had trickled and dried.

He was peering down at the steps, but he must have felt her gaze because he moved his arms behind his back and braced his weight on his elbows, placing his face out of sight.

"You hurt yourself again," she said, trying to tamp down a wave of concern.

"It's nothing."

"Nothing." She snorted. "You're the clumsiest man I've ever met. You're always scraped up and bleeding."

A pause, then, "Did you think to run from me?"

"Yes." There was no reason to deny it.

"Why?"

"As if you have to rack your brain for the answer."

"No, I mean, why did you stop?"

Afraid of the truth and too tired to weave a lie, she ignored the question entirely. "Why do you and your friends want to kill my family? You've never given me a reason. To my knowledge, we hadn't insulted you, trespassed or done anything to deserve...this."

He sighed heavily, wearily. "No, you did nothing wrong. And I do not want to kill you."

Whether he spoke true or not, she didn't know. Either way, she reacted. Her heart sped up as though it had just heard the starting shot of a race, beating so swiftly she feared it might burst out of her chest. His voice had been laced with a husky rasp, the words broken. A lump formed in her throat, and she had to swallow it to be able to speak. "That isn't what you said last time. Last time - "

"We will not speak of last time. It is over. Done."

"No. It's not done." Anger rose inside her, hot and hungry, giving her a flare of strength. She slammed a fist against her knee. Her leg bounced up in reflex. "It will never be done."

"Do not hurt yourself, Danika," Reyes said, sounding just as angry as she felt.

"Funny words coming from you. Last time you threatened me. Told me I would die if you found me. Well, you found me."

His head whipped to her, his eyes suddenly piercing all the way to her soul. Dark, sultry, the onyx orbs practically alive. "I said that, yes. I have since proven I cannot hurt you in any way."