SEDUCTIVE SUPERNATURALS: 12 Tales of Shapeshifters, Vampires & Sexy Spirits (178 page)

She cocked a brow. “Wait. Hold on a second. ‘Just being me’ is acting like I’m in sick-in-love with you while you’re planning to leave me? Lovely, Commander.”

“Come on, Doc.” He pressed
save
on the refrigerator settings and came a few steps closer to her, then he leaned back against the counter in a way that made his shirt flatten over his tight abs. “It shouldn’t be that hard to pretend you have the hots for me. The women around campus think I’m quite a catch.”

Indignant laughter burst from her chest. “What women? Darlene said you were horrible. A grump, and a recluse, even. I was totally warned away.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. She thinks I’m horrible because I haven’t slept with her. Have you seen the way her wings move when she’s excited? Some guys may be into that, but it’s not my thing. Besides, I don’t date the women on campus. It might make me an anomaly, but a recluse—no. And grumpy? Sometimes my unit needs a good, firm boot in the ass, but otherwise, I’m a total sweetheart.”

She gave him a dubious look. “So you’ve never dated
anyone
on campus?”

That was hard to believe. Given the strange exchange between him and Lauren, Evelyn was pretty sure something had been going on between the two of them before Lauren had died.

“One time…and it didn’t end well. I vowed never again. When I need company, I go into town.”

“Company, huh? Do the locals know you’re a Sentinel?”

“I don’t talk about work in town. If I was so casual with that information, I wouldn’t be worth shit going undercover.”

“Yeah. Good point. But still, I bet they know.”

“I say I’m in construction.”

“Jesse. Look at you. You don’t get a body like
that
—” she gestured up and down his chiseled form, “—just from working construction.”

He met her eyes, his smile fading. “Careful, Doc. You keep eyeing me like that, and I’m going to think you don’t have the same workplace morals as me.”

Her cheeks warmed. He was right. She probably needed to do a better job at hiding her admiration of his…attributes. “Sorry.”

He shook his head and pushed up from the countertop. “No, that’s not gonna work. Look at your cheeks, turning all shades of red when I tease you. No one is going to believe we’ve ever slept together, much less so often that I’m bored with you. We need to work on desensitizing you.”

“What—” she started to ask, already breathless from the smoldering look in his eyes.

She gasped when he picked her up around the waist and lifted her rump onto the cold granite. Her heart stuttered when he plunged one hand into the hair at her nape and cupped her cheek with the other.

His lips hovered over hers, and his eyes filled her vision. “You are so fucking beautiful.”

Immortal Possession: Chapter Eight

When Jesse’s lips found her neck, sucking hard, and his teeth scraped her throat, her hands fisted in the cloth at his shoulders, and her head lolled to the side, giving him all the room he needed to continue. After a minute of the sensual assault, her heart was racing and her limbs going weak. She felt like she might melt right off the countertop, but Jesse’s strong arms were keeping her anchored, holding her firm.

He cupped her chin and stared into her eyes before pressing his lips to hers. His mouth was firm yet soft, and when his tongue darted out and licked the corner of her lips, her breath hitched and her mouth opened of its own volition, wanting more of him. She was starting to feel light-headed, her lungs barely remembering to expand and contract, and her energy whipping through her body in a frenzied current.

Jesse pulled back suddenly and his gaze went distant. “Yes, ops control, Dr. Vale is fine. We’re just training. I need you to shut off her vitals scanner until further notice. Can you do that? Thank you.”

She stared at Jesse, realizing her body was in such an uproar it had triggered a medical alert. She was somewhere between mortified and not giving a shit so long as Jesse kept kissing her.

He wrapped a long strand of her hair around his finger and then tucked it behind her ear. “Just breathe, Evelyn. Control your heart rate. We can be finished for now if you want.”

Her legs wrapped around his hips and shifted him closer, but still not close enough to give her what she wanted, not close enough to feel his thick length pressing into her where she needed him most.

“I’m not sure about my heart rate,” she answered, “but I’m pretty sure I’m still breathing.” Just barely. “You’re not stopping on my account, are you? How are we going to convince people we’re lovers if we can’t even make out for two minutes in the kitchen? Come on, Commander. Bring your A game.”

With a growl, he continued his exploration of her neck, nipping and biting until she wanted to scream. “You know the things I want to do to, baby? You know what I want to do with those lips—” he ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip, “—what I want them to do to me? I’m so hot for you.”

“Show me,” she rasped.

His sweet breath against her face melted her and her panties grew damp. Then he looked into her eyes, and she knew he was going to kiss her again. She parted her lips, waiting to feel his mouth on hers. She’d never wanted anything more.

He pulled back, putting a couple of feet of distance between them, and cleared his throat. “Yeah, I guess that’ll do. Good job. It’s, uh…maybe not
desensitized
exactly, but you’re doing an okay job of acting like you want me. And that’s what we need.”

Evelyn jumped down from the counter, feeling so light-headed she thought she might just float away. Holy hell, why did he have to stop? “Good. So…that’ll work, right? I mean, so what if I turn a little pink? A blush of embarrassment and a flush of passion are so close, I don’t think anyone will know the difference.” Yeah, this was work. Just a job. But he was so good at his role that she’d almost forgotten.

“Trust me, you’ll do just fine.” Then he came another step closer. “But we may need a couple more of those.”

When he gestured to her neck, her eyes widened. “A couple more of what? Please don’t tell me you left a hickey on my neck! Oh my God.”

He snickered. “Your parents aren’t going to ground you, Doc. It just makes you look a little more…used. And where we’re going, prim and proper isn’t gonna cut it.”

“Yeah, fine.” Her neck still burned from his lips, like he’d branded her. “Go ahead. Two more, and that’s it.”

Jesse’s gaze went cautious, like she was trying to trick him. “Now?”

“Just get it over with.” She felt like a pervert. She knew this was just an exercise for him, but her body was wet and hungry for what he could give her. Her nipples were so hard they hurt, and she had a throbbing ache between her legs.

“Yeah, okay.” The smoldering was gone from his expression. Now he just looked oddly concerned. “Just let me…” he stepped around her like he didn’t want to touch her anymore.

“Oh please, Jesse. Now who’s the one who’s acting like he’s never seen me naked before?”

“I haven’t seen you naked. You can’t say the same.” He eyed her neck, appraising. “No, not two more. I don’t want you to look too trashy. Just one, I think. But maybe somewhere a little more provocative?”

Her heart was ready to burst by the time he got on his knees on the cold marble floor and drew her closer. His head was level with her chest, and when he caressed a hand over her skin and slid the edge of her blouse back, Evelyn sucked in a quick breath.

His lips traced back and forth above the swell of her breast before he latched on and sucked her skin into his mouth. Her nipples cried out, pressing against the cotton of her bra, begging for his attention. Her hands came involuntarily to his scalp, her fingers tightening in his hair. She ducked her head and dropped kisses into his hair as his tongue and mouth explored her cleavage. “Oh, fuck, I want you.” Her eyes went wide. “Did that sound fine? Should I say stuff like that?”

“Yeah.” Jesse’s voice was deep and gravelly, his nose and lips dragging along her skin. “Tell me again, baby.”

“I want you inside me, Jesse.” And she did. So bad.

His hands slid along her hips and cupped her ass hard, then suddenly, his head snapped up, and he opened his fingers wide, like he was putting his hands up at a thwarted robbery. “Okay, that should do it. I think we’re done here.” He got to his feet, his hair mussed and his eyes glazed. “I, uh… I’ve gotta… I’m gonna go find the restroom. Why don’t you start bringing the shopping bags in?”

He turned immediately and left the kitchen, leaving Evelyn with a burn so hot in her core that she thought she might disintegrate into ash. “Holy shit,” she muttered. This job was going to be a lot harder than she’d thought.

* * *

Jesse splashed water on his face and ran his head under the cold water of the bathroom faucet. When he realized there weren’t any towels in this bathroom, he pulled his shirt off and used it to dry his hair then threw it in a heap in the corner.

He had to calm this raging hard-on before he could face his partner again. What kind of monster was he to be giving in to this temptation? And what was it about Evelyn Vale that got his blood pumping more than any woman who’d come before her? It must have been some sort of self-sabotage—that’s all he could figure, because there was no one on the planet more off limits than Evelyn and no one he’d rather have naked and writhing under him.

He focused on slowing his heart rate, focused on not thinking about the sweet flavor of her skin under his tongue and how badly he’d wanted to pull her bra lower and suck her nipple into his mouth. He tried not to think about her soft, sensual moans and the way she’d melted into him. He would definitely not think about how she’d wrapped her legs around him, drawing him closer to her hot, wet center.

But all of this
not
thinking about it wasn’t helping his erection…at all. Minutes ticked by, and he couldn’t get his damned cock to listen to reason. He might be able to kiss her neck in the name of training, but if he sucked her pert nipples or worse, let his hands go where they really wanted—straight under her silky panties—he was so screwed. He wanted Evelyn so much he thought he might lose it. He’d never wanted anyone this bad. What in the hell was wrong with him? He was a lousy fucking bastard.

A small tap sounded at the door. “Hey, Jesse. Do you need anything? You know…toilet paper or something.” She sounded so mortified, he wondered how long she’d been out there, gathering the courage to ask.

“Thanks, but I’m fine.”

“Okay. I could run to the store…”

He laughed and fished around under the sink, then he cracked the door open, keeping his lower half safely on the other side of it. “The mission prep team has us fully stocked, so no worries.” He held up the paper in question.

“Oh, cool.” Her pretty cheeks were always pink around him. He would miss that when she really did become desensitized to being near him…or when she found out the truth later about the steward’s plans to fire her and she ended up hating Jesse for his part in it.

“Hold on,” he told her and pushed the door shut. There was nothing better to kill his libido than thinking about what Clark had planned for Evelyn after this mission was done. He couldn’t let that happen. It was hard to influence the steward’s decisions, but maybe if he could show Clark what an asset to the team Evelyn was, he would let her stay.

For all that talk about her dangerous, raw energy and low possession threshold, they’d only had one issue so far, and Jesse had solved that with a taser. Of course, they’d been in a certified haven for most of the time he’d spent with her, but still…an idea was beginning to take root in his mind. Could he prove to the team that they couldn’t live without the doc? As for him, he hadn’t known her long enough to say he didn’t want to live without her, but he could say that Evelyn Vale was the type of woman he could happily spend years getting to know.

Jesse adjusted himself, bringing his softening shaft flat against his body. He hung the roll of paper on the dispenser, grabbed another, and opened the door. “Ready to explore the upstairs?”

Her eyes lit. “Yes!”

“For the lady, should you need one upstairs,” he said, presenting the toilet roll to her with a deep bow.

“Thanks.”

“Looks like they stocked us up pretty good, but they forgot towels in this bathroom. I had to use my shirt.”

Evelyn’s gaze lingered on his bare torso. “The old ‘had to use my shirt’ routine, huh? Yeah, you just wanted to show off that chest.”

It was Jesse’s turn to blush now. “I swear. Look it’s wet and in the corner over there.”

Evelyn laughed. “I’m just teasing you. Come on, let’s go see the upstairs. I think this house may even be more spectacular than Jesse Hayes’s body.”

He cast her a dubious glance. “Seriously? First Lauren says I’m going soft and now you. Shit, I’m going to hit that gym like a fucking hammer today. There’s supposed to be a full setup in the basement.”

Evelyn nodded, her expression somber. “I would if I were you. I hate to tell you this, but you may still have half a percent of body fat on you somewhere.”

“Meet me in the workout room tonight in some yoga pants, and I’ll let you show me the parts you want me to work on.” He loved the way her eyes glittered when she was giving him shit, and he loved the way her mouth parted slightly when he said anything even remotely scandalous. He wanted to tackle her to the floor and kiss the crap out of her, but at the thought, his cock stirred, and he knew it would be a very bad idea.

In the foyer, there were two symmetrical staircases leading to the second floor, each beginning near the mermaid mosaic and then curving around the first floor in an arc. Evelyn stood at the bottom of the staircase to the right and then narrowed her eyes in challenge. “Bet I can beat you up the stairs!”

Jesse waited until her foot touched the third step then he sprinted for the same staircase, taking the steps three at a time and flying past her short, pistoning legs. Just to be an ass, he leaned against the wall and yawned as she made it onto the landing. “Bout time you got here.”

She snorted. “No fair. I thought you were going to take the other staircase, like a real race.”