"You sure?" He uttered a strained chuckle before softly brushing a kiss against the tip of her nose, her chin, the edge of her mouth. Each touch scorched her, weaving a seductive web in her mind.
"Let me have your tongue again," she said, desperate. Achy. Needy. "I want to suck it, just like you said."
"God, I like an eager student." He complied and once more his tongue swept into her mouth.
She moaned at the first touch. His erection rubbed between her legs, thick and hard. She wanted him; she'd always wanted him. He'd become an obsession over the years and now his very closeness wrapped her in a cloak of sensuality.
As their tongues danced and sparred, she arched against him. He kissed her as if he was completely absorbed in her, as if nothing else mattered but holding her and giving her pleasure. His hands found her breasts and kneaded them. Pure heat lanced to her deepest core. Her blood electrified. How she longed to shout her love for him, but too easily did she recall his reaction when surface women had done that. He hadn't been able to get away fast enough.
"See. They do fill my hands."
"Take off your clothes," she whispered. "I want to feel your skin against mine."
This time, he moaned. Her desire became more intense, drowning her with sensations sweeter than the richest honey. Then...
His thoughts filled her mind. I want her. God, I want her. She tastes so damn good. I need her. I - What the hell are you doing James? She's not for you. Push her away. Push her away, she's dangerous.
Jewel jerked from his clasp, her breath ragged. The words she's not for you, push her away echoed in her head. Hurt, she covered her swollen, moist lips with her hand, then quickly tied her robe, shielding her nakedness. Gray's pending rejection stung and battered her pride. If they'd been flesh and blood just then, she might have slapped him - or kneed his precious General Happy.
So many times she'd watched him kiss other women. He'd never pulled away - never thought to pull away. He'd always lingered and savored, moving slowly, prolonging the pleasure for as long as possible.
Why could he not be the same with her? Why?
His hands gripped her forearms, his breath just as ragged as hers. "Why did you stop? I'm not done with you."
So he wouldn't see her hurt expression, she turned away from him. "You will live now, Gray. Your body has already begun healing. It's time for me to leave this place."
Silence.
Silence so heavy it weighed upon her shoulders. No protest, no begging her to fall back in his arms. Why did she have to love this man? Why did he have to mean so much to her, when she obviously meant so little to him? He thought her dangerous, of all things. As if she would ever hurt him.
"My God," he gasped, releasing her completely and stumbling back.
There was such horror in his tone, she whipped around, gaze dragging over him. "What's wrong?" His eyes were wide, the lines around his mouth taut. "I can read your mind."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Marina, Queen of the Demons, studied the vast expanse of the forest, her extraordinary gaze cutting through thick foliage and mounds of dirt and rocks. Flames from her army's crackling fire illuminated the surrounding trees, casting shadows and light in every direction. Smoke billowed toward the skydome, a curling, scented stream of ash. Frustration gnawed at her with the determination and frenzy of a hungry beast.
The murdering human was nowhere to be seen. More importantly, her favorite slave was no where to be seen.
"Damn this," she growled, hands tightening into fists, sharp claws biting into her skin.
Calling a halt to the search and commanding her army to make camp here had not been easy. Not when she was desperate to regain possession of the girl. Yet with every minute that passed, Marina lost more and more of the girl's scent. Morning was due to arrive at any moment, and while the harsh rays of dawn would not kill her, her people hunted best in the dark, their eyes too sensitive for the day.
Now she would have to wait, and the knowledge curled her lips in a scowl. Where was the slave? Where had the human hidden her? Humans. How she loathed them. The gods amused themselves by sending some to Atlantis and watching the ensuing chaos. But one human