What a Demon Wants (18 page)

Pete laughed. “Not recently.”

She shrugged. “I guess you just look different when you’re up to no good.”

She smiled.

“Could be.” He joined her on the sofa.

“Post-shower towel action,” she repeated, with a chuckle. “Bad, bad, bad.”

“Who’s bad?”

Ellina turned to see Jude standing in the hallway door, wearing nothing but faded jeans, still drying his hair with one of her lilac-colored towels. He could even make lilac look masculine. Not the towel action Pete was referring to—but still good.

“Umm, we were just talking about the incident at the hospital yesterday,” she said.

Jude nodded, keeping his expression impassive as he watched Ellina’s friend.

Pete shook his head, looking thoroughly dismayed. “That is just so scary.”

“It was,” Jude agreed, looking at how closely they sat together. He still didn’t understand why, but something about this guy made him feel like he needed to make the boundaries around Ellina very clear. It made even less sense now that he knew about Pete’s sexual preference.

It wasn’t like this guy was planning to move in on his girl. Unless, of course, Ellina was wrong about him. Maybe she was, because for whatever reason, ole Pete just rubbed Jude the wrong way.

Jude walked over and touched Ellina’s shoulder, squeezing it gently.

“Feeling any better?”

She stiffened under the touch, but didn’t pull away. She nodded.

“A little.”

Pete took a drink of his coffee, then set it on the coffee table. “You know, I think I will go get beignets by myself. I seem to have a craving for them today.”

Ellina gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I wish I felt like going.”

Pete waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. You need to look out for you right now.”

He headed to the door, and Jude would like to say he was disappointed to see him leave, but he couldn’t.

Then Pete turned back. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in coming along, Jude?”

“Oh no,” Jude said automatically but managed to buffer his quick rejection with a somewhat believable smile and thanks.

Pete smiled back, his expression perfectly amicable, but Jude still got a vibe from the guy.

He didn’t like him.

As soon as the door closed, Ellina stood.

“I think I should get some work done,” Ellina said, picking up her coffee mug.

She glanced at him, her gaze dropping surreptitiously to his bare chest. Then she hurried out of the room, not waiting for Jude’s response as she disappeared down the hallway.

He couldn’t say he was nearly as pleased with her departure as old Pete’s.

In fact, he was very disappointed. Apparently she wasn’t going to address his earlier confession. But he wasn’t going to pressure her. She had to decide what she wanted for herself. He was serious about her needing to trust him.

That being said, he wasn’t above subtly trying to sway her.

He looked down at himself. His lack of clothing wasn’t just because he’d sensed someone in the house and he was in a hurry to see who it was.

He whistled to himself as he headed to the kitchen to make a little breakfast.

Chapter 19

Given all the things that Ellina had weighing on her mind—stalkers, hangovers, scandalous proposals—she was surprised to discover that by the time her house phone rang at around noon, she’d actually written about fifteen manuscript pages.

And even then, she didn’t have to stop working. On the second ring, Jude answered, and she could hear the low rumbling of his deep voice as he conversed with whoever was on the other end. But when, after several minutes, he hadn’t come to tell who called, she ventured from her office to find out.

As she walked past the kitchen, she smelled something delicious cooking. Chicken and onions with a hint of garlic.

Jude sat on sofa, working at his computer again. Much to her dismay, he still had on no shirt. And despite herself, she couldn’t help admiring the lean muscles of his shoulders and chest. She was again reminded of an Olympic swimmer. Her fingers twitched with the need to touch him.

“Hey,” he greeted easily, when he saw her. “There’s chicken soup on the stove, if you are starting to get hungry. Not my best effort, just jazzed-up canned soup, but it’s edible.”

She ignored that, irrational annoyance flaring in her chest. He was so relaxed it was as if he hadn’t said anything earth shattering to her. Of course admitting he was attracted to her probably wasn’t earth shattering to him. He’d probably done it millions of times before.

While she’d never gotten past heavy petting.

“Who was on the phone?” she asked, her tone not hiding her irritation.

“Oh, just a grocery delivery service. I placed an order online and they were just calling to confirm the address.”

“You ordered my groceries?”

He raised an eyebrow, surprised by her curt reaction. “Well we needed food, so I figured that was probably the easiest way. You were working, and I wasn’t about to go shopping and leave you alone.”

Even though it made no sense, more irritation rose up in her. Why was he being so rational, so considerate? She didn’t want that.

She didn’t say anything more. She just spun on her heel and headed back to her office. She sat down behind her desk, determined to focus on her writing, but it wasn’t working any longer.

He claimed he wanted her. Well, he didn’t seem overcome with the need now.

Make up your mind, girl. Do you want him to want you or not?

Giving up on work, she headed to the bathroom, locking the doors. Then she turned on the shower, but instead of preparing to take a shower, she sat on the closed toilet seat and dropped her head into her hands.

Why was she so angry? Jude wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was being helpful, considerate. He was being kind.

And she didn’t know what to do with that, she suddenly realized. Because if she allowed herself to just accept it and trust him, and then he rejected her, she’d be devastated.

She sat there, for how long she didn’t know, trying to decide how to handle him.

What to do about the words he’d said to her this morning.

Beautiful words. But not ones she could believe. After all, even the people who did love her—Maksim, Pete, Jo—they didn’t know everything about her.

And she just didn’t believe Jude could really be attracted to her, care about her. Not when he saw the real her.

Suddenly an idea came to her. She had to take him at his word. Then once he rejected her, as she knew he would, she’d stop being attracted to him too. It would hurt like hell, but it would have the hope of him off the table once and for all.

Right now, she was enchanted with the idea of him. The protector, the caregiver, the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. But once she saw he had the same weaknesses as all the others in her life who should care about her—well, then she could move on, Taking a deep breath, she went to her room to ready herself.

“Jude. Could you come here?”

Jude frowned, striding to Ellina’s room. She’d been so upset with him, he was surprised she’d be calling for him. Something must be wrong.

Although he hadn’t sensed anything.

He pushed open her door, scanning the room, not immediately seeing her, because the last place he’d expect her to be was on the bed.

But there she was, reclining amid her fluffy comforter and many lace-edged pillows.

Her head rested on one hand, while the other toyed with the hem of the tiny little scrap of fabric she wore. Each movement of her wandering fingers revealed a glimpse of her thigh, only to cover it again.

Erotic peek-a-boo.

He stepped farther into the room, unable to stop himself.

“Ellina?”

He was confused. What was she doing?

“I’ve thought about what you said,” she told him, her voice low. “And I’ve decided I do want to trust you.”

His body reacted instantly to her words, even as his mind sent up warning flares.

This wasn’t the Ellina he knew. The Ellina he knew was not forward with anything but her opinions and her questions. This wasn’t right.

But still he moved closer to her as if she had a leash on him, and she was slowly reining him in. When he reached the edge of bed, she rose on her knees, her newly red hair billowing around her bare shoulders like a brilliant, glorious sunset. Her pale eyes were hooded, but he caught a hint of uncertainty there.

That was his Ellina. The unsure wanton.

She ran her hands over her nightie, and he realized it was the scrap of material he’d seen in her closet. Silky black with tiny polka dots. His eyes roamed over how the material clung to her lithe curves. It looked better than he could have imagined.

Knotting her fingers into the skirt, she eased the material higher and higher, stopping just below the soft mound that he ached to see. Touch. Taste.

Even as he told himself something wasn’t right about this, he went to her. His hands captured both of her arms just above the elbows, tugging her toward him.

His mouth found hers, his lips molding to hers hungrily, tasting her. He nipped at the soft flesh of her lower lips, then his tongue flicked over the places he’d bit, teasing her. She moaned, the low sound vibrating through him, making him groan in response. She was driving him wild.

Her beautiful body. Her sweetness. Her flowery scent. Her taste like warm sugar.

Part of her cotton-candy room.

His hands slid up her arms, to cup both sides of her head, his fingers tangling in her hair. He gently angled her head so he could better taste her, his tongue finding her. Tasting her velvety heat. Feeling her every shiver.

Ellina could feel herself changing, and she kept telling herself to pull back, let him see who—or what—he was making love to, but she couldn’t. His mouth felt too wonderful sculpted to hers. The hot rasp of his tongue, the tiny nips of his teeth.

Then his hand slid out of her hair and down her torso, finding her breast. His thumb swirled around the hardened nipple, teasing it.

She gasped, the sensation too much, too good, and she knew she had to stop him now. She had to be the one to show him her demon self. She couldn’t risk him being the one to pull away. The one to reject her, while she was helplessly responding to him.

So even though every cell in her body wanted to tug him closer, to allow him to continue the wonderful things he was doing, she shoved him away. Then she rose up on her knees, defiantly letting him see what she’d become.

She didn’t look down at herself, but watched his face.

His eyes widened as he looked her; they roamed over her in a combination of horror and fascination. Then he frowned, his brows coming together, and next she saw exactly what she knew she would.

Disgust.

Even though she told herself she knew it was coming, his look shattered her, splintering her into millions of broken, ruined pieces.

She had to get away.

She scrambled off the bed, shoving past him, racing into the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and locked it. Then she backed away, staring at the door as if she could still see him out there. Repulsed, sickened.

Her back hit the wall, and a sob escaped from her throat. Slowly she slid down the wall to the floor into a heap of tears and heartbreak.

Jude was furious. How dare she do that to him? She’d set him up, already knowing what he would see. Nothing about her seduction had been about attraction or affection.

It had been about proving a point.

Damn her.

He crossed to the bathroom door and pounded, the whole frame shaking under his fist.

“Let me in, Ellina.”

“Go away,” she cried, and he could hear tears in her voice. Tears she’d created herself. He refused to feel sympathetic about this. Those tears were her own self-pity. She wouldn’t get his pity.

He pounded again.

“Damn it! Open this door now.”

She didn’t answer this time. Instead he heard the shower hiss to life.

More rage filled him. He wasn’t going to let her ignore him. But he also knew breaking down the door wasn’t going to do anything but scare her.

And scaring her was not what he had planned.

He turned and searched for something that would help him. On her dresser, he spotted a business card.

Erin McCarthy

BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Sorry, Erin, but right now you are my lock pick.

He returned to the door and slid the laminated card underneath the latch. Then he wiggled it back and forth. It took him several tries, but eventually he heard a little click. He just hoped Ellina didn’t.

Thanks, Erin.

He tossed the card back onto Ellina’s bureau.

Quietly he twisted the knob and pushed the door open. Ellina was not in the room proper, which meant she had to be in the shower, because he could feel her there. That electrical bond that always drew him.

Silently he stepped to the shower and eased the curtain open. She stood with her back to him. He stared at her, amazed. Her skin was deep red and iridescent. It shone in the light and glimmered through the streams of water almost as if she were a mermaid.

It was beautiful. But even more beautiful than her skin was her body. The long length of her legs, the curve of her backside, the shallow indentation of her spine.

He closed the curtain and carefully shucked off his jeans. Then, fully naked, he stepped into the shower behind her.

Ellina’s tears fell silently, mingling with the shower spray. She didn’t want to see herself, so she kept her face turned up, letting the water wash over her, even though she could tell it wasn’t washing away her demon self. That wasn’t happening, because, despite her hurt and anger, she was still aroused. Still turned on by the man out there who’d damned near broken her heart.

Hell, he had broken her heart. Because, whether she wanted to admit it or not, she was falling for him.

She pulled in a deep breath, willing herself to stop crying. She braced her arms over her head and rested her head on the cool tile wall.

She’d be okay. She would.

Suddenly she felt hands on her, sliding around her sides, over her stomach. She froze, terror choking her. She tried to turn, to see her attacker, but she found her front pressed against the tiles. The hard length of a male body caged her against the wall. A nude male body.

“Shh, it’s just me.”

Jude’s low, rich voice was next to her ear.

“Jude.” Her voice was uneven. She trembled, and she wasn’t sure if it was with fear or delight. His hands still rested on her belly, his chest tight against her back.

What was he going to do? She’d really angered him, and she was afraid what payback might be.

“That was a pretty nasty trick,” he said. His hands grazed up and down over her stomach. Her skin, scales, seemed to vibrate under his touch.

“I’m sorry.”

“Mm-hm,” he said, his lips right beside her ear. She couldn’t tell if that was acceptance of her apology or not. All she could really tell was his breath was warm, even in the steamy mist of the shower.

“Really not fair,” he said. His hands moved higher, his thumbs brushing the underside of her breasts.

She nodded, but that was mostly just a mindless bobbing of her head. She would likely agree to anything with him pressed against her like this.

Then his hands cupped her breasts and she knew she’d agree to anything. His fingers moved to her nipples, swirling around and over them. Her breasts felt heavy, aching. He teased them, making her arch into his palms.

“Not fair at all,” he said.

Then he squeezed both nipples and she cried out. Something between pleasure and pain shot through her body.

His hands left her breasts and she whimpered. She wanted more. She started to tell him that, but he bit the side of her neck, his teeth sharp and delicious. She whimpered again.

His hands skimmed over her stomach, slowly slipping lower and lower, until he found the small nest of curls between her thighs. One hand remained there while the other moved back up to her breast.

As he swirled and tweaked her nipple, the fingers of his other hand parted her, slipping inside her. One finger going deep, his thumb stroking the little nubbin at the top of her sex.

Ellina cried out again as he continued to stroke her. Another finger joined the first, stretching her. She writhed against him.

“Please,” she begged.

“Please what?” his voice whispered against her ear.

She shook her head, not sure what to say, what to ask for. But she needed something.

Whatever it was, it was close, but she couldn’t quite reach it.

Then he spun her around to face him. His eyes roamed over her, and she could see they weren’t filled with disgust. Or revulsion. Or even pity. His eyes were burning hot, like green fire.

Jude lowered his head and sucked one of her nipples. She cried out his name, her hand locking in his wet hair. He turned his head and lapped the other one.

She whimpered. God, he was killing her.

Then she watched as he sunk down to his knees. She stared in amazement as he parted her and buried his face in the thatch of curls.

Then his tongue was where his thumb had been, swirling around her clitoris, licking her, tasting her. Her knees shook at the intensity of it, and she had to use his shoulders to steady herself.