Wicked Surrender (4 page)

The only other vampire
in the room was a bodyguard
like him.
He stood back behind the blond
vampire
everyone referred to as Ariss. Another silly name.

The man was slender and taller than his six foot
three
by at least three inches. He was a regular day Frankenstein monster minus the bulk. Yet Jacks knew this man was easily one of the most dangerous
beings
in the room. His eyes weren’t just cold
—
they were de
ad. This
man had killed— a
lot. A man who’d lost all humanity.

His chest suddenly tightened as a memory flashed over him. He’d seen that look before. From his fellow
soldiers
coming back from war. Not the first timers who were just experiencing the shock of it all, but the fighters who had accepted their plot, embraced it, became it, and then lost themselves in the process. It was a
heart wrenching
sight to see.

The meeting adjourned, and they all shook hands
. F
irst day, first meeting done.

He caught up with Vera as they headed out of the war room.
“How long do these meetings usually last?” She looked up at him with haunted eyes, but a second later the look was gone and in place was a curvy smile.

“A few hours at most.”

“That’s not what I
meant
. How many days?” The teasing twinkle in her eye made him want to bend her over and spank her rounded ass. His cock applauded the idea. God dammit, no!

“Usually the negotiations go on for a week. No more than five days. Why are you getting bored already?”

“Not at all. Actually I
—
”

“Hey, wait up!”

Jacks and Vera turned to see Ariss hurrying towards them. Jacks stifled the urge to
inform
her
that
she could move quicker if she didn’t wear ridiculous dresses and heels. Shit, by time she reached them it would have been faster to go to her.

H
e thought Ariss was gorgeous before,
but
she was absolutely
stunning
up close. Her face was a picture of perfection. Her nose was thin and straight, her eyebrows were thin and rounded, her face small and
pert, which
filled out to a slender body. Yet she didn’t even make his cock salute. It was a shame to
o
because her eyes wer
e eating him up like a starved
woman
wanting a snack
.

“I’m sorry to keep you, but I’m afraid I didn’t get to meet you earlier. I always make a point to meet a man as good looking as you.”

Jacks frowned. Normally he loved his women fast and easy, but his cock didn’t agree this time. As he glanced down at
Vera,
he knew why. Vera outshined this fake golden goddess without all the glamorous clothes and makeup. Not only that, but
something
about Vera made him want to hold her down and give her a hard pounding to loosen her up.

“I’m Ariss, Ariss Luvina. It’s so good to meet you...”

“Jacks
on
Marsh
. Everyone just calls me Jacks though
,” he said gruffly and shook her hand harder than necessary. Her eyes twinkled at him
as
she sent him another perfect smile.

“If you’re not busy later I would love to have dinner with you. You seem like such an interesting man.
” Jacks refrained from snorting
but Vera didn’t. She arched a shapely brow at Ariss like she was nuts.
Well wasn’t that
a little interesting.
The urge to grin at her obvious dislike of Ariss was strong.

“Sorry
but no thanks. We’ve got to go,
”
Jacks said.

“By all means, go out with her. I’m sure she’d love to
have
her hands on you,” Vera said and spun away on quick steps. Jacks growled in his throat and went
to go after her
but a soft,
iron
strong hand on his chest stopped him. He glared down at Ariss.

“She’s right
you know. If not tonight, then you should come by room...anytime. I promise we’ll burn the sheets up together.”

Jacks sighed with and tossed her hand off his chest while touching her as little as possible. Then he stalked after Vera.

What the hell was it about her? She dro
ve him nuts. Tied him up inside
and dammit he hadn’t stopped thinking about kissing her since he met her. And that was months ago.

Making up his
mind, he knew what he had to do
and followed her to the bedroom.

Chapter Four

Vera slammed the bedroom door shut. Let the bastard have Ariss. Like she cared.
She didn’t.

She just didn’t like perfectly beautiful women
flirting with her guardian. That’s all.

T
he bastard burst into the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind him. That poor door was getting beat up for no reason.

She opened her mouth to yell at him
—
about what she wasn’t sure yet, anything at this point would work. But then he twisted the lock in the door and
a
ll words faded from her mind.

His eyes were dark again, smoldering with molten heat. His scent grew thick and luscious; it was male, sex, and something uniquely him all rolled together. The lykaen and woman in her wanted to roll around in that scent, nuzzle
it,
and hold it close.

Closer and
closer
he came until finally his body pressed lightly against her
s
. Her breaths came quicker and her nipples puckered against his chest. She licked her lips and looked up, up at him. His lips were pulled into a hard line. He looked like a man on edge. A man ready to explode.

Her mind was shutting down, her defenses deflating as quickly as a popped balloon. Where was the fire in her? The shield she
’d
erected around her body and her heart to keep something like this from happening. Was she forever doomed to face the same f
ate again and again?
She couldn’t lose control. She had to be in control.

So she did the only thing she thought of in that chaotic moment and wrapped her arms around his neck, leaned into his strong body, and kissed him.

The world spun, the earth moved, shattering under her feet.
He froze for half a second, and then slanted his head and took over the kiss with such skill, such force
,
that she had no choice but to succumb to it.

His lips were full, warm, and pliant against hers. His tongue slid into her
mouth
searching,
plundering
. She clung to him like a leaf to a tree in a storm. His hands stroked her back, reached down to cup her
ass,
then pressed her hard against him. Never had she felt this strong flush of desire.

She couldn’t get enough of his lips. How were they so soft? Why did he taste so good?

Groaning, she held him tighter
uncaring of the soft, needy noises leaving her
throat,
or
that
her hips
arched anxiously
into his. The earth moved again as his tongue glided hot and wet into her mouth
. The wet touch triggered and answering dampness inside her
.

His tongue was raspy;
it
reminded her of sandpaper
but not nearly so abrasive. Then there was a hard wall against her back.

He tore his mouth from hers and buried his face in her neck. “God you’re so beautiful. You drive me mad, Vera.”

She had the urge to tel
l him flattery wasn’t necessary
that her body was fully on board
with
whatever he could dish out. But the
reprieve
from his kiss gave her a moment to think. As his mouth worked delicious magic against the soft skin of her throat, Vera thought frantically.

Jacks pulled away to glare down at her
“Dammit, what’s wrong? I can feel the change.” He pressed his hips against her and
let her feel the st
eel hard
press of his c
ock. His touch burned her, fueled a wild fire inside her.

For a human he was observant. Did the man have to
unnerve
her so?
She broke eye contact
with him
to stare at a point across the room.

“I just...don’t know where this is going. Don’t know if I want it to go there or anywhere. I don’t even think I like you.” Because you scare me deep inside. So much more than Dmetri ever did.

His hands gentled on her body and turned soft and caressing over her shoulders, arms, and back. If her body grew anymore
soft,
she’d be pudding on the floor.

“I may not be able to answer those first two questions, sugar
,
but I can answer the last. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a soldier, it’s to trust your instincts. And both of ours are s
inging in perfect tune together
.” He drew his lips up her neck and she arched to give him more room as she struggled to breathe.

“You like me, Vera. Your body likes me, wants me. I can feel the damp heat of your pussy through your tight little jeans as easily as if they were a clump on the floor.”

Her heart was pounding in her chest, her
ears
.
When ha
d
she become baby
to him
? She’d be lying if she said she didn’t love the sound of it.

Fingers curling into his back, she clung tight as his tongue laved at her lips then claimed them. His kiss was hard, demanding. He cornered her body against the wall
,
and his tongue shot into her mouth mimicking a primitive action that she wanted inside her where she was wet and painfully empty.

Somehow she managed to drag her mouth from his to rain kisses along his hard jaw and neck. His pulse leapt under her lips and she smiled faintly. The predator inside her relished his heat,
his
scent, his blood. She licked his pulse then bit over his skin.
He growled a deep, pleasured
sound
and tightened his grip on her ass.

She continued her torture on the other side of his neck. God, he smelled so good. She licked at him like a kitten with milk as she ran her hands over the strong muscles of his back. This man was everything that was
strong
and masculine in the world
,
and her beast was whimpering inside.

Cool air on her ass brought her mind swerving hard back to reality. He’d managed to
unbutton
her pants and shove them down to her thighs, and she hadn’t even realized it. Now he groaned deep in his throat as he cupped, squeezed, and massaged the rounded globes of her ass.

“Ahh, baby. You’re fucking perfect.”

The first skin on skin contact was too much. She moaned high in her throat and panted as her mind tried to process all the sensations at once. He took advantage of her situation and dove down to clasp on her hard nipple through her shirt. His clever lips tugg
ed and pulled on her
,
creating a
n answering lick of heat between her legs.

It was too good. Way too good.

His fingers curled around the bottom of her cheeks and teased the wet cream of her through her panties.

“Jacks,” she pleaded.

“I know baby, I know. I’ll take care of it.”

Those words sent her common sense slamming back into her. Control. She couldn’t lose control.

Growling with
the beast in her throat, she grabbed him by the hair and yanked him back from her breast. When he looked up at her with startled passion on his face, she kicked out one of his legs and fell with him as they tumbled to the ground.

She didn’t wa
ste any time
but climbed over him, resting her aching core over the hard length of his cock. They both groaned and fought for each other like wild animals. If she wasn’t absolutely certain she’d bet he was a lykaen. No human had passion like this, could make her beast whimper for him.

Their mouths caught and fought against each other with tongues and teeth as she caught the hem of his shirt and started to tear it up. She had to know what he looked like finally.

Was he smooth, coiled with muscle, or hard and hairy? Her stomach clenched and she yanked up his shirt, pulled her mouth away to see a patch of dark skin dusted
lightly
with black hair.