Chapter 6
The minute Raze walked into his hotel suite, he felt as if the air had thinned.
Being alone was rubbing him the wrong way, which was opposite to his usual desire for as much solitude as possible.
There were too many stimuli in the world to allow him peace—the pounding of heartbeats, the steady surge of blood in veins, the various scents that betrayed mood and train of thought.
He avoided crowds when he could, but now it seemed he was stuck in an odd place where being alone was more miserable than being around others.
Rolling his shoulders back, he pulled the box of condoms out of a shopping bag and set it on the end table by the small loveseat. He left the new bottle of wine on the dinette table and tossed the bag in the trash, wondering what the hell to do with himself.
He ran both hands over his head and down the back of his neck, growling as he struggled with an unusual sense of anxiety.
This time-lapse from meeting a lover to fucking her was a step he’d been skipping for a few centuries.
He usually laid ’em where he found ’em, which worked for everyone.
If he’d hooked up with the bartender, it likely would have gone down at the club, in the back somewhere, quick and dirty.
Waiting for Kim was excruciating because it gave her time to have second thoughts.
He wasn’t sure what he’d do if she changed her mind.
She’d made him want her. Now, no one else was going to suffice.
Raze moved into the bedroom and plugged his iPod into the docking station, his tension easing a little as Hinder drifted out of the speaker.
Feeling confined by his clothes, he began pulling them off.
His shirt went first, followed by his boots, jeans, and boxer briefs.
He was tossing his clothes over the back of a bedroom chair when he heard the knock in the living area.
The surge of lust that hit him affected the steadiness of the first step he took.
Then it perversely strengthened his stride.
His purpose and focus narrowed to his body’s need for the woman on the other side of the door.
It was a base and elemental craving, purely physical.
Still, a part of him was distantly aware that her bold yet easygoing personality had tipped the scales enough to tempt him to this madness.
She was all wrong for him. So wrong. But he knew it would feel so damn right when he pushed inside her.
He pulled the door open. His breath hissed on a sharp inhale at the sight of Kim on his doorstep, dressed in a fitted white tank top and worn jeans that hugged her like a lover.
She’d let her hair down, freeing the riotous mass of inky curls to tumble around her slender shoulders and halfway down her back.
Her feet were bared by jeweled sandals, revealing toenails that were painted black and decorated with white flowers and swirls.
Gold hoops hung from her ears, replacing the diamond studs she’d worn earlier.
He was flattered she’d given thought to how she looked for him.
Presently, however, she seemed focused on looking at him.
“Wow,” she breathed. “Part of my mind is saying I should be freaking out that you’re answering the door naked. Another part is thinking: Holy shit, did I get lucky or what? Don’t turn out to be crazy, please. I really need this right now.”
The raging need inside him quieted. The soft plea in Kim’s voice and the momentary shadow of pain in her beautiful eyes altered the dynamic of his approach.
He caught her gently by the elbow and tugged her in.
When she cleared the door, he released it to shut by itself, and he lowered his mouth to hers.
Swallowing her gasp, Raze slipped his arms around her, stroking his hands up her spine and molding her slender body to his. Her duffle bag hit the floor, and her hands came up, one holding the back of his head while the other cupped his cheek.
The tender, encompassing nature of the embrace startled him even as it soothed the ragged edges of his volatile mood.
He lifted her feet from the floor, tilting his head to get a deeper seal.
His tongue stroked into her mouth, finding the taste of cinnamon and her natural sweetness.
He groaned, ravenous for her but unwilling to devour.
He’d thought he needed hard and fast. She’d thought so, too. They’d both been wrong.
She caught his lower lip between her teeth and tugged, her lips soft and wet, her tongue a velvet lash. He wanted those lips and tongue all over his body. Her hands, too. They were strong, sure, and confident. Her moan vibrated against him, luring his fangs to descend.
Not ready for that, Raze set her down reluctantly, his gaze locked with hers. She was flushed and beautiful, her eyes clear and open yet tinged with sadness. As he watched, tears welled and slipped off her bottom lashes.
“Oh, shit,” she whispered, releasing him to swipe at her cheeks. “I asked you not to be crazy, and then I get weepy over a kiss. I swear I’m not mental.”
“It’s okay.”
“You like picking up teary, emotional women?”
“You picked me up,” he corrected with a smile. “And there’s usually only one reason a woman like you picks up a guy like me. I’m not sorry to find out differently.”
“You thought I objectified you.” She ran a sheepish hand through her glossy hair. “I can’t say you’re entirely wrong about that.”
“I thought that’s what I wanted.” Impersonal, with expectations that were easy to meet.
But it turned out she was right—what he’d needed was her.
Giving her the oblivion she wanted would keep him busy in ways a quick and dirty fuck would never have done.
There was a connection between them, and he realized he needed that far more than an orgasm.
Obviously, Baron’s taunts had dug deeper than Raze had acknowledged.
Women didn’t connect with him beyond the physical; he didn’t give them enough of himself to get that close.
It wasn’t deliberate on his part; he just didn’t work that way.
He’d dealt with infatuation and even sexual obsession that women mistook as love, but it was always fleeting.
Quickly come and gone. But Kim…she needed what he was capable of giving.
It moved him that, for once, he could fill a need that was more than skin deep.
Her hand on his face slid upward, her fingers tracing the arch of his brow. “I’m glad I found you.”
He pressed his lips to her forehead, wondering what she saw in him that put warmth in her eyes. “Let me put your bag in the bedroom. There’s some wine on the table. Are you hungry? Want some room service?”
“You don’t have to wine and dine me.” She smiled. “I’m a sure thing.”
Stepping back, he picked up her duffel. “I’m still going to seduce you.”
“I won’t complain. I’m just letting you off the hook.”
With a sweep of his hand, he gestured her deeper into the room and headed into the bedroom.
He was about to pull on a pair of sweats when he glanced into the living area and saw Kim undressing.
He moved to the threshold, fascinated by the confident, efficient way she took her clothes off.
It was no striptease she was doing, no narcissistic display of her assets.
Raze leaned into the doorframe and crossed his arms. “I was going to put some pants on.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Why? I think we’ve seen each other at our most naked just a minute ago.”
“Okay, then.” Her open honesty was as arousing as her body. “Come here.”
She approached him in the same no-nonsense way she’d undressed, bringing the box of condoms with her.
He took her in, admiring the sleek lines of her lithe body and the unaffected sway of her trim hips.
The contrast between her dark hair and pale skin was stunning, framing a figure that had seemed modest while clothed but was perfectly, lushly proportional in the flesh.
“Why am I not nervous?” she asked when she came to a halt in front of him. “What is it about you that makes me so comfortable? I’ve never even walked around my own house naked.”
Raze tilted his head to the side, contemplating that.
Most mortals who met him sensed the predator he was.
It kept them on edge, which so many of his lovers found attractive about him—the hint of danger he exuded by his nature.
He was a hunter, they were his prey, and they felt it subconsciously.
That he put Kim at ease in a way she was with no one else, not even herself, was inexplicable. “I don’t know. But I like it.”
Her mouth curved. “Me, too.”
Uncrossing his arms, he reached out to her, lifting a glossy curl and rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger. “You’re very beautiful, Kim. You’re not the only one who got lucky tonight.”
“Thank you.”
His fingertips skimmed gently down her arm until they reached her hand.
He linked their fingers together and backed into the bedroom, pulling her with him.
As aroused as he was by her slender body, he was also conscious of the unexpected intimacy of them being so comfortable together.
Almost as if there was a longstanding familiarity between them.
A rare affinity he’d never found in his endless life.
When he reached the bed, he sat and tugged her between his legs, then fell backward onto the mattress, taking her with him.
As her body flowed over him, then melted into him, Raze closed his eyes and sighed, releasing the abnormal agitation that had been riding him hard.
Her hair slid over his skin, and her mouth brushed over his parted lips.
His entire body was hyperaware of her, every nerve ending tingling in anticipation of her touch.
I was wrong, he thought. Not hard and fast. Not with her. Slow and deep. Decadent. He could give her that, after all.
Wrapping his arms around her, he rolled her beneath him and gave her what they both needed.