Touched by Darkness (39 page)

pulsing against her.

Her own body's response was immediate, her

breasts swelling, wet heat flooding her lower

extremities. Damien knew—his senses were too

keen to miss her reactions. Still kissing her, he let

his fingers tease against her crotch for a brief

moment, then swept his hand up to cup her breast.

She reciprocated by cupping him back, only much

lower, and it was like throwing gasoline on a fire.

Need and heat exploded between them, and things

got a little crazy.

She jerked his shirt open; he unbuttoned her jacket

and unsnapped her bra. They couldn't get enough of

each other, kissing and touching, the fire now a

roaring inferno. She got his belt unbuckled and his

pants unzipped. He groaned as she freed him and

wrapped her hand around his hard length.

Wildness flared through her, along with an intense

craving for physical and emotional intimacy. She

slipped down to kneel before the chair. Damien had

given her back her humanity, and she wanted to

revel in it. She wanted to take him to the depths of

an intimacy he'd been avoiding. To let him know

what she had just learned herself.

That it was good to feel again.

#

As Kara knelt between his splayed legs, Damien

knew what she was going to do. He was too far

gone to resist, could only watch as she looked at

him with those luminous gray eyes, as she lowered

her head and took him into her mouth.

Then sensation decimated all rational thought—not

that there had been much during the past moments

of sensual frenzy. Moist warm heat stroked him, as

silky auburn hair tantalized the inside of his thighs.

All he could do was lay his head back and take the

exquisite torment.

Until it was almost too much, and he was on the

edge of exploding. He wanted Kara along for the

ride, so he stopped her, pulling her up with him as

he stood. She tried to protest, but he swung her into

his arms and carried her to the bedroom, then

stripped off the rest of their clothing. Bits of mental

clarity returned, but he ignored the clamoring

warnings.

He shouldn't be indulging in this, couldn't be what

Kara deserved and needed. Yet he'd been alone and

isolated for so long, he couldn't step back from this.

It was like letting the wind loose and then trying to

corral it, or attempting to stop a tidal wave. He

knew on some level that giving in to his feelings

would damn him, but he was determined to taste

paradise before he burned in Hades.

He needed this too desperately to take his time with

Kara. Placing her on the bed, he feasted on her like

a starving man, his mouth flowing over satiny skin.

She didn't seem to mind, arching against him,

trying to touch him in return. There was no talk,

just her sweet moans, and the pounding of his

heart.

Her breasts were as sensitive as he remembered,

only this time he got to taste them, to swirl his

tongue over turgid nipples, and hear her breath

catch. With hands and mouth, he got to map the

curve of her body, the texture of her skin, as he

moved down her.

He discovered she had a tiny gold ring in her navel

—which was sexy as hell—and that she was a true

redhead. Her natural feminine scent beckoned, and

he lowered his head to kiss her intimately. He

focused on giving her pleasure, vaguely aware of

her fingers tangled in his hair, of the breathy sounds

she made. He hurled her over the edge, savoring

the way she cried out his name. He slid back up, his

own need now taking center stage.

"Damien," she whispered. She pulled his head

down and kissed him fervently. Settling between

her legs, he took her wrists and pressed them

against the pillow, and began sliding inside her.

"No." She wiggled free and pushed against his

shoulders. "Lady's choice, Morgan."

With a groan, he allowed her to shove him onto his

back and straddle him. "Kara, you're going to—" he

groaned again as she lowered herself over him,

sheathing him to the hilt, "—kill me."

She smiled wickedly, began to move, way too

slowly. "Oh, I think you'll survive."

She was right, although at one point, he felt certain

he'd died and been shot like a rocket into the

heavens. But then, as he gradually returned to terra

firma, he knew he'd survived very nicely.

#

Sara Thornton checked her appearance in the

corroded wall mirror in the small space that served

as a foyer. She wasn't sure tonight was a good idea,

but she hadn't had much of a life since David— She

blocked the thought before it could complete itself.

Had it only been eight weeks? Sometimes it

seemed like it had happened an eternity ago, while

at others, it felt like only yesterday that he'd gone

off to fish in the Blanco River, and never returned.

She pushed the thoughts away. She needed to get

out—had to get out, before the four walls of the

tiny house closed in on her. She couldn't believe her

babysitter hadn't cancelled, after Wednesday

night... Zorro had seen more unusual happenings in

the past two months than it had all of Sara's adult

life.

A knock came on the front door, and she thought it

might have been nice if David had gotten around to

putting in the peephole he'd been promising for

years. But who would have known there was a

murderer living in Zorro? She cracked the door to

find Luz standing on the narrow cement steps.

Opened the door to let her in.

"Thank you for coming. I thought maybe with what

happened with Matt and all, you'd—"

"I need to stay busy," Luz interjected. "I need to

just keep going, as if...." She shook her head.

"I know." Sara closed the door. "I was sorry to hear

about Matt."

Luz glanced around, her face unusually pale and

devoid of emotion. "Where are the children?"

"Michael's in his room, and Julie is at the Millers,

two houses north of here. She's supposed to be

home by eight. There's leftover macaroni and

cheese in the fridge, peanut butter and jelly on the

counter." Sara hesitated. "You sure you want to do

this?"

Luz's expression became determined.
"Sí.
I
want
to

do this."

Sara felt a rush of relief. "Okay. . good. Well, then,

I'll get going."

"Where will you be?"

"Beth Gonzales and Mary Roberts and me are

going down to Gruene for dinner."

"To the Gristmill and maybe the Dance Hall?" Luz

asked discerningly.

The lure of a drink called to Sara; she could almost

taste the whisky going down. But she didn't like the

knowing smirk on Luz's face. "Maybe. But I

deserve a good time. I've been workin' my fingers

to the bone, taking care of these kids and trying to

hold things together ever since David went off and

drowned."

"Of course you do. Go on, and don not worry about

los niños.
They will be fine."

Sara did, grabbing her purse and coat, and feeling a

heady rush of freedom as she left her

responsibilities behind her.

#

Oh... God...
Kara dug her fingers into Damien's

slick shoulders. Her back was pressed against the

wet shower tiles, her legs wrapped around his

waist, with him deep inside her. She needed just a

little more... just a little harder.

He gave it to her, stroking in a powerful rhythm as

the water pounded around them. Her spine felt

fused to the tiles, but she didn't care. She came

apart, detonating like an atom bomb. Wrapping her

arms around his neck, she held on for dear life as

she dissolved into fine particles that felt like they

were flying at light speed into outer space.

Much later, she stumbled into her bedroom, her

towel flapping around her, and collapsed on the

bed. She'd forgotten about the phenomenal Sentinel

endurance, and that it was enhanced by water, but it

was coming back to her now. She lay there and

drifted for a few moments, listening to the faint

sounds of Damien moving around the bathroom

across the hall, then the blow-dryer going on.

Their relationship didn't appear altered by non-

conduction sex, maybe because they simply weren't

talking about it. Last night, she'd felt Damien draw

away from her as soon as they left the bedroom.

Although they'd slept together later, she'd been the

one to curl against him.

She'd also been the one to instigate lovemaking this

morning, but he hadn't refused; he'd even taken the

lead once things heated up, giving her two

shattering orgasms before he found his own release.

Once they got out of bed, however, it had been all

business.

They'd visited the three known murder scenes—

those of David, Doris, and Matt—and this

afternoon, attempted another conduction. Despite

the powerful sexual crescendo, they hadn't been

able to garner any more information on the Belian.

After dinner tonight, when Damien went to shower,

she had joined him. One thing led to another, and

the shower ended with a very satisfactory outcome.

She knew her actions were wanton, but she also

knew her moments with him were fleeting.

The three times they'd been in the throes of non-

conduction sex, he had been a passionate,

intoxicating lover. But after each time, he withdrew

emotionally.

Kara got up, retrieved her robe from the bathroom,

and put it on. Then she sat on the bed and toweled

her wet hair. Despite the myriad concerns nagging

at her, she couldn't stop thinking about Damien.

That's when the realization hit her, with the impact

of a physical blow.

She was falling in love with him.

Stunned, she dropped the towel. What was the

matter with her? Why couldn't she go for the

normal
men? Because... maybe she wasn't

supposed to. She'd been born to be a natural

conductor for certain Sentinels; her son was a

Sentinel. If there really was a divine plan, as

Damien insisted, then maybe this was part of that

plan.

She drew her knees up and rested her chin on them.

Damn.
She had no idea if Damien returned that

love, but if he did, she might never know it. Oh,

she knew he cared. She knew it on a primal level,

as evidenced by his protective attitude, how he

looked at her when he didn't think she was aware of

it. And by the way he touched her during

lovemaking, with the same reverence Richard had

shown her.

Damien might never admit to his feelings, even to

himself; he would probably never be willing to

commit to a relationship. Maybe she should feel

hurt, but this wasn't a high school crush, and she

fully understood. She knew Sentinels had to be

careful that their conductors didn't fall in love with

them. They carried tremendous responsibilities, and

faced very dangerous—and often fatal—situations.

All too often, they lost loved ones, as Damien had.

She didn't know if he could ever get beyond the

emotional baggage from his past.

She would have to live with that. Life would go on,

and so would she. One day at a time, just as she had

done after Richard died. She had Alex to think

about, and taking care of him was a full-time job—

in addition to her medical career.

Yet the irony of the situation wasn't lost on her.

She was finally ready to love again—with a man

who might not be capable of returning that love.

#

It was late Saturday night. His grandparents had

gone to bed, and Alex was in his room, looking at

the day's treasures. They'd gone to the Tennessee

Aquarium in Chattanooga, which had been totally

iced, and he'd gotten some great souvenirs. He

really liked the "Shark Dudes" T-shirt and the

ceramic otter mug (he planned to drink hot

chocolate in it tomorrow) that Grandpa had bought

him. With his own money, he'd gotten a cool plush

Day-Glo stingray for his mom.

Still too hyped to sleep, he put the items on the

dresser, got into his pajamas, and turned on the TV.