Absolute Surrender (8 page)

It took her straight back to when he’d bitten her. She had to restrain herself from touching the spot on her neck. He hadn’t left a mark but the sensation still lingered.

“What are you doing here?” She tried to get her mind to function again.

He strolled in, the door swinging shut behind him. Those mercurial eyes took in everything with one sweep before settling back on her. “It’s a gym—open to all, I believe.”

No way! He couldn’t have. “Did you join?”

“Yes, and you’re my
personal
trainer.”

She speared him with a glare at his droll comment. Snapped, “Dream on, pal. I may be a trainer but I don’t get personal.”

“Really?” His dark voice told her that if he was of a mind, she’d hand over her best friend to the
demoniis
for a tumble with him. Oh Lord. She scrambled to find her balance, because truth was, she’d probably giftwrap Kira, too.

“I’m Aethan.”

“And here I thought it was Sarcasm.” She headed for the armchair. Far safer, she decided, than to tackle him to the floor and take a bite of his scrumptious mouth.

“I see your temper hasn’t improved.”

She heard the smile in his voice. Knew he followed her, because every inch of her felt too warm.

“I don’t have a temper.” She sat down and realized too late she was at a horrible disadvantage as he towered over her. “I am—
was
a calm and rational person until you showed up,” she grumbled.

His gaze brightened in amusement and his brief smile floored her. Oh, why couldn’t her stupid heart settle? Give her time to build up her defenses again.

“If you want to see my boss, you missed his office by a mile. It’s at the front. Can’t miss him. Big, good-looking guy, really buff. Lots of tatts.”

The amusement faded from his eyes, leaving behind gray diamonds. Echo wondered at her stupidity in taunting him. The last time she did, he bit her.

“He means something to you?”

Wariness settled in her at the bite in his tone. “Sure. He’s the guy who pays my salary. If you came to see me, you caught me at the wrong time. I have another session in ten.”

The tension eased out of his big body. His expression relaxed, as much a stone could.

Aethan planted one hand on the armrest of her chair and she drew back, her lungs seizing. A swathe of silky blue hair, escaping its confines, swung forward as he leaned toward her. His seductive scent of warm male and leather was like fighting a riptide, one determined to suck her in.

He cupped her chin and tilted her face to his. “Breathe,” he said softly.

How could she, when a vacuum had sucked out all the air in the room?

The door opened.

“Hey, Echo,” someone called. Her barely functioning brain recognized the voice but hers had deserted her. “I’ll come back later.” Laughter followed Chris when he left again.

Try as she might, she couldn’t break the hypnotic allure of Aethan’s gaze.

Aethan.

God, even his name sounded hot. There was just something so compellingly seductive about him...argh! This wasn’t helping her situation. She was grateful he had no idea how her body responded to him, short of sliding his hand between her legs—

Dammit! She bit the inside of her lips and squeezed down on her inner muscles.

His dark eyes narrowed. “You wear contacts?”

As if someone had dumped icy water over her, her libido fizzled out and she brought herself back on track again.

“Damn, you caught me.” She wrenched her face away from him. “I thought I could get away with it.”

He just had to bring
that
up. As if nature hadn’t been cruel enough in
blessing
her with cursed pheromones, she got mismatched eyes along with it. Brown was simple, safe. She wasn’t some Aussie Shepherd, for Christ’s sake!

“It must be really heavy.”

The low cadence of his voice tugged her back. Her gaze flickered to his. “What?”

“That chip you carry around like armor, keeping everyone at a distance,” he murmured, brushing a thumb across her chin.

She desperately wanted to push him away, needed the breathing space, but didn’t dare. Even if she could command her limbs to move, she didn’t want to touch him, not with the way she felt. Besides, a man like him wouldn’t budge unless he wanted to. She’d learned
that
two days ago.

Echo dropped her gaze to his swaying ribbon of hair and gave into temptation. Like silk, the strands slid between her fingers. “Is this real, the color?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

His mesmerizing voice filled her with sensual suggestions. Why did he have to say that? Echo swore she could feel his hands on her skin, the slide of his body between her legs, his mouth devouring hers—

Laughter in the corridor jerked her out of her moment of madness and she dropped her hand. Leveling him with the same cool look she used on her disruptive students, she said, “That’s my cue.”

He straightened. Amusement flashed in his dark eyes again.

Damn, she should have known her attempt to intimidate would amuse him. Jerking to her feet, she rushed past him. Christ! The man had the ability to make her forget where she was. She glanced down at the mug she still held.
Bloody hell
!

She came back, set it on the table, and headed for the door.

“Echo, wait.”

That magnetic pull of his voice had her stopping. Damn, damn, damn! She wanted to be gone from this erotic web he’d spun around her.

She turned and faced eyes gone impossibly cold. How the heck did he turn himself off so easily when desire still blazed a trail through her body?
Wait
. He knew her name? Of course he did, he must have asked Becky. One look from him and the blabbermouth receptionist probably spewed out everything he wanted to know.

She scowled. “What?”

“I want you to stay off the streets at night.”

“Why would I do that?”

***

Why
?

She would ask him that, the stubborn female. “Because
demoniis
are on the hunt for those with any kind of psychic abilities. I don’t want you in their sights.”

She’d taken down the
demonii
at the cathedral easily enough. He didn’t need to be clairvoyant to know exactly how she spent her nights. Her next words confirmed it.

“Look, I’ve been killing those fiends for a few years, I’m used to this. And why do you care what happens to me, anyway?”

Aethan closed the distance and grabbed her arm. “Killing
one
demonii
is a helluva lot different than battling a horde of them. They get you, you
will
die. Do you hear me?”

“I am aware of the risks.” She tried to shrug off his hold. “Getting hurt is part of the job—collateral damage and all that.”

His ire shot up at her careless words, at the utter disregard for her life.

“You think this is some thrill-seeking adventure?” He yanked her to him. The delicate, musky scent of her arousal wasn’t helping matters, and all he could focus on was laying her on the table and tasting her right between—

“I know exactly what
I’m
doing.” Her hands slammed against his chest and slapped him back into awareness.

“What? Being on top of the fuckers’ menu list?” he growled in her face.

She leaned back and rammed a finger into his chest. “I’m willing to risk that to keep this place safe. How about you?” she challenged with another poke.

His blood buzzed in fury. He was seconds from kissing the hotheaded female into submission. Instead, he grabbed that annoying finger and bit it.

She froze.

Deliberately, he licked her finger, slowly sucking on it, and saw confusion tingeing the desire in her eyes. A strangled breath escaped her, and she tugged her finger free, balling her hand into a fist.

“This isn’t about me,” he said, edgy now. The taste of her on his tongue made him all too aware of how easily she was getting past his rigid control.

She glowered at him, but kept her hand at her side. “Fine, don’t answer me. But until you’re willing to do so, you don’t have the right to tell me what to do.” Then she tipped her chin at him, stubbornness written all over her tempting face. “How did you find me?”

Protective urges he thought long dead, burst free. He didn’t want anything to happen to her. But from her mulish expression he was fast losing ground.

“How I found you?” he repeated. “For that answer you’d have to be alive to find out, because I sure as hell am not getting into that right now.”

“What is wrong with you?”

“Your unbelievable recklessness is what’s wrong!
Demoniis
are
cruel, vicious, and cause death wherever they go. They’re nothing like the demons who choose to—”

“I’m well aware of what
demoniis
do. I’ve seen it.”

“If you know the risks, then stay off the damn streets!”

“Oh, cut the crap. You want me to stay off the streets, then come up with a better explanation than the one you gave me.”

“You’re one pig-headed female,” he bit out in frustration. And had to clamp down the urge to shake some sense into her. “You want a reason?” His voice changed, filling with menace. “Hunting
demoniis
is my job. The gods help you, I find you on the streets, I
will
lock you up some place if it means keeping you safe.” His eyes bored into hers. “Go ahead, test me.”

She whirled away, outrage sparking off her. “You’d have to catch me first!”

The door banged shut on her words.

Scowling, Aethan stormed out of the gym. Echo had no clue how far he’d go to keep her delectable ass safe.

CHAPTER 6

Echo drew in a breath as she stepped out into the chilly evening air. She still seethed with irritation and the icy touch of early winter felt good on her heated face.

Lock her up, will he
?

She’d see about that. And that infuriating man had bitten her again. Okay, maybe it was her fault for stabbing him with her finger. Dammit, it was just her finger, not like she used a dagger.

She pulled on her coat and took the few stairs up to street level. Backpack hitched over one shoulder, she hotfooted it toward the warmth and comfort of the Peacock Lounge on East First Street.

Echo pushed open the door to the bar. The overwhelming odor of beer, fried food, and smoke greeted her. A flat-screen TV, suspended above the corner of the bar, replayed highlights from a recent hockey game.

She found Kira taking orders at a table. There was a bounce in her friend’s step as if she moved to some inner rhythm—music only she heard. Echo waved and headed for the bar. She squeezed in between a heavyset man and a woman, whose overpowering perfume made her head swim. Breathing shallow, she rummaged in her coat pockets for change to buy a drink.

“Your usual.” A misty glass of Pepsi appeared in front of her. Echo looked up and met Jon’s warm gaze. Tall and lanky, his short blond hair appeared like dull gold in the dim lights. Jon worked the bar part time.

“Thank you.” She set the money on the counter and tried not to think about the crush he had on her. “So, how’s university?”

“Uni’s good, but not the shit—” A sheepish grin spread across his face as he took the money. “I mean the stack of assignments I have holed up in my dorm.”

Someone at the end of the bar called out his name. He glanced away, nodded, then gave her a wry smile when she said nothing else, and went to serve the customer.

Echo picked up her drink and took a sip. At least Jon didn’t chase after her, or make a nuisance of himself...a shiver ran down her spine. She glanced up and encountered the malevolent stare of the other bartender, Neal.