Chapter Fourteen
A s Anna and Evan returned to the hotel, a small knot of Chinese tourists were chatting in the lobby. As soon as she and Evan were visible, the ladies in the group waved enthusiastically at them.
“I’m surprised you aren’t worried about them ,” Anna said to Evan. “Those little old ladies are some of the most dangerous people I’ve ever met.”
“But they’re on our side, right?” he asked. “Besides, they’re not young. How much damage can they do?”
Anna took her time before replying. “Kublai Khan had many wives, but his favorite was Empress Chabi. She was a tiny woman, but intelligent and utterly ruthless in defense of her husband. Just as I am ruthless in my defense of my family.” She stopped walking to meet his gaze. “I would have thought those stories your grandfather told you would have taught you not to underestimate women with a mission.”
She smiled at him, then strode toward the ladies, bowing to them when she reached them. They bowed back and chattered at her in happy sounding voices with some fleeting glances his way. There was also giggling and whispering behind hands.
Evan stayed where he was for the moment. Had Anna known Kublai Khan’s wife?
Anna laughed out loud at something someone said and glanced at him with a considering expression on her face.
“Geez,” he muttered to himself. “I feel like I’m in a Jane Austin novel. All I’m missing is my cravat.” He turned to give the lobby a visual sweep, making sure no assholes had walked in.
“Evan,” Anna called out.
He spun back to her.
“We’ve been invited for tea and snacks. Would you like to go?”
He joined her and the giggling ladies. “You had me at snacks.”
The ladies giggled again. They definitely understood English.
“We’ve been invited up to their suite,” Anna said, as she threaded her arm through his. “This is an excellent opportunity to find out what sights they’re most interested in seeing, and make a plan to get it all done.”
“Sightseeing, right. And here I forgot all my maps and pamphlets.” He said it with a lot of sarcasm in his tone, but Anna gave him a funny look.
“You’re thinking of something sneaky,” he said.
“I’m thinking that a company providing tours of the city, running events for small groups, and other like services might be an excellent thing to create now.”
Evan didn’t have to think about it for long to see the advantages such a business would provide them. “It wouldn’t look strange at all then if you had visitors from any country in the world. It would be the perfect cover story.”
The group of ladies headed toward the elevators with Anna and Evan following behind.
“What do you think they want?” Evan asked.
Anna glanced at him and replied very softly, “To survive.” She sighed. “It is the game we’ve played for a very long time.”
Their meeting with the Chinese seemed to go well. The four immortals among them were scarily motivated to stay in the United States, and warned Anna and himself about the high chances of the Chinese government inquiring about their wayward citizens. The rest of their group were normal humans, but all related to the same family bloodline as their immortals.
Or the Chinese government might forgo normal diplomatic channels and simply attempt to kidnap or kill them.
Anna explained the deal she’d made with the CIA and Army Intelligence. Their guests were skeptical, but also willing to let Anna take the lead and negotiate for all of them.
It took a couple of hours to finish their meeting. The ladies had managed to coax Evan into drinking two cups of tea. A special blend, they said, for blood donors.
They went down to the lobby afterward, and even though it was only four in the afternoon, Anna felt...tired. She went to the front desk and asked to check in one of the suites near the top of the building.
The manager came out again and handled her request personally.
“We’re going to be here for a while,” Anna said, glancing at Evan. “Probably a few weeks, so put us somewhere that would work for a longer term than normal.”
Evan scanned the lobby again. There were a couple of guys talking near the entrance that were flirting with the hairs on the back of his neck.
“We have a few suites with a small kitchen and all the necessary dishes and utensils?”
“Excellent, can we order some groceries to be brought up?”
“Of course,” the manager said.
“I’ll call down with a list,” Evan said, putting his hand on Anna’s lower back. “Let’s check out the room first.” He crowded a little closer to the counter, and the manager quickly got the hint.
She handed them an envelope with their room keys in it and pointed at the closest elevator.
Evan guided Anna toward the elevators, not bothering to hide his looks at the guys near the front doors. He caught one of them glancing at them, and smiled.
“Are they a problem we need to deal with?” Anna asked, as if she were asking how the weather was outside.
“Nah, I recognize both of them. They’re Army.”
“Are they here to watch us or watch over us?”
“A bit of both.”
She reached out and tapped the up key for the elevator, giving him an amused grin. “You know what I’ve noticed about you?”
He raised his eyebrows. “No, what?”
“You’ve never lied to me.”
He thought about that for a moment. “I lied to Ledger and I lied by omission to others, but no, not to you.”
The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside.
“Why?” she asked, as the doors closed and they began their assent to their floor.
“I knew the moment I walked into that room where you and Brian were being held that I couldn’t lie to you.”
“Why?” she asked, again, her voice so very soft.
“Because, I walked into that room and saw you. Heard you, watched you try to protect Brian, and I knew. I knew you were my future. A relationship built on lies never lasts.”
She stared at him for a long time, until the elevator dinged and the doors opened on their floor.
She broke eye contact with him and walked to their room, used the electronic key to open the door, and walked inside.
He followed, closing the door behind him, then locking it with the deadbolt and chain.
Anna turned slowly until she was facing him, then took a step toward him. Another, and another, until she was so close he could feel her body heat penetrate his clothing. There was something hesitant and vulnerable about her. As if she’d taken off all the masks and finally showed him who she really was under all the names, personas, and responsibilities she carried.
He lifted one hand to cup her face. “Anna?”
“I’m afraid,” she whispered.
“Of what?”
“Of what I’m feeling.” She trailed her fingers along the edge of his shirt where it met with his neck. “Happiness is something I dared not hope for, not for a very long time.”
Her fingers trembled as she petted him and her breathing had turned shallow.
He took her hand off his neck, nosed her fingers open, then kissed her palm. “When was the last time someone, anyone, took care of you?”
She blinked a couple of times. “I...don’t remember.”
God damn selfish assholes.
“Next time I see Baz, I’m going to kick his ass.”
She jerked against him, her eyes wide. “What? Why?”
“Because he obviously hadn’t been paying attention to anyone but himself.”
She curled one hand around the edge of his body armor. “Please don’t attack him. He’s really very dangerous.”
“He’s my friend, and friends don’t let their friends neglect members of their family.”
She continued to frown, and he knew he was going to have to work on convincing her that he knew how to handle Baz.
“You look tired.” He took her hand and pulled her into the suite. “Let’s find a bed, and a nice hot shower.”
“I’m not going to sleep, not like you,” she said, resisting his pull only slightly.
“No problem, I’ll sleep. You’re going to rest.” He glanced at her face. “Do you need more blood?”
“I do, but I don’t want—”
“Anna, how much blood have you taken from me?”
She dropped her gaze. “I didn’t measure it.”
“Are you trying to tell me that after eight hundred years of drinking blood, you can’t tell how much you took?”
She sighed. “All together, I took about a unit of blood.”
“You bled more than that.”
“No, not really,” she said to his neckline. “Our bodies heal wounds quickly.”
She still wouldn’t look at him.
“Anna,” he said tilting her face up, so she’d meet his gaze. “Take just a little more.”
When she opened her mouth to refuse, because that refusal was written all over her face, he spoke before she could, “I promise to drink a big glass of orange juice and have a good steak dinner when I wake up.”
She stared at him with big eyes and a downturned mouth. “I’m scared,” she said, her breathing becoming choppy and her gaze dropping to the front of his flak jacket. “I’m scared I’ll take too much.”
She was scared all right, but not of that.
He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him. She clung to him, burying her nose in the fabric covering his chest.
He leaned his head down so he could whisper in her ear. “You’re scared I’m going to bail on you. You’re scared I’ll become resentful of your long life and other advantages, and leave you. Or even betray you to those who would use you.”
She jerked herself out of his hold and was ten steps away faster than he could blink. She stared at him with horror all over her face. “I never said that.”
“No, but you have been hurt by those you loved in the past. You said so. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what those circumstances might be.” He smiled at her. “But I’m not one of those morons. I’ve known about you for years. I know who you are as a person, not as some kind of superhero.”
Evan walked up to her and cupped her shoulders with his hands. This time, she didn’t look away. “I know the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I know that if you had a choice, you’d never have chosen the life you’re living. I know you do the best you can and you frequently do things that don’t benefit you in any way.”
“What do you want from me?” she asked, her tone still hesitant.
“A partner. A lover. A friend.” He grinned. “I know it seems fast, but I fell in lust with you as soon as I opened the door and saw you on that bloody gurney, resting like you were at a resort.” He slid one hand up her shoulder until he could stroke her bottom lip with his thumb. “I fell in love with you when you tried so hard to protect Brian from Ledger’s bullshit.”
“Love me?” her voice wasn’t just low, it was small.
“I know it seems quick, but...”
“I fell in love with you when you told me you blew up that building all so you could give Brian and I an opportunity to escape,” she said, a tear rolling down her face.
“I guess, as gestures go, it was kind of big,” he admitted.
“It wasn’t the bomb or your willingness to use it,” she said, a smile warming her eyes and lips. “It was your unconscious, unhesitant, unshakable belief that I could escape without having to rely on you to save me...and you called me ‘Sunshine’.”
He frowned. “Well, of course. I mean...is that so...weird?”
“Very,” she replied, snuggling up to him and putting her arms around his neck. “You already treat me like a partner, and that’s...rare.”
He leaned down to kiss her softly, a barely there touch of the lips, but it incited his whole body to riot. The kiss deepened, her tongue inviting his inside to play. He tried to bring her closer, so he could feel her body against his, but all his gear was in the way.
“Shit,” he muttered. “I don’t want to let go of you because I think I might die if I’m not touching you right now, but I’m wearing all this crap and—”
She burst out in the biggest belly laugh he’d ever seen on any person in his entire life. It shook her whole body so hard, she lost contact with him, then lost her balance, and fell up against him.
“Whoa,” he said, catching her before she hit the floor. He set her on her feet. “You okay?”
It took her a moment before she could talk, but she finally managed to catch her breath. “That has to be the most romantic unromantic thing I’ve heard anyone say. Ever.”
They stared at each other for another second, then they both burst out laughing.
He started undoing the straps that held his body armor in place and she took each item as he handed them over. He also took off his boots, then grabbed her by the hand and towed her into the bedroom’s bathroom.
They both stripped and got into the shower, the hot water running red for a few seconds as it went down the drain.
Anna brought his head down so she could kiss him.
Adrenaline hit his system like a lightning strike.
“You were right.” she said, her voice husky. “This is so much better without clothes.”
He made himself stop so he could meet her gaze. “I want you so bad I’m surprised I haven’t burst into flames, but...”
He kissed her. He couldn’t help himself.
“But?” she asked, avoiding his mouth so she could nibble on his neck. Not take blood, but flick her tongue across his skin, then suck.
He nearly came just from her attention on his neck and rubbing his cock against her sleek, slippery skin.
“But I want to take my time,” he said, his breathing deep and uneven. “And drive us both to the edge again and again.”
“Then we should get clean very fast,” she said, with a grin.
She was so absolutely adorable. He laughed again and hurried to wash. If he spent more time making sure she was thoroughly soaped and rinsed than himself, well, she paid more attention to him, so that was fair.
They stumbled out of the shower, unable to keep their hands off each other, dried off hurriedly, then managed to get to the bed.
“You’re so damn beautiful,” he told her as he positioned himself over her. He stroked his hand down from her neck to her generous breasts, stopping to tease her nipples. Her waist curved inward before flaring out at her hips.
“What do you like?” he asked coming down to kiss her. Again and again and again.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Going slow. Savoring the pleasure. As you said, riding the edge .”
Her words lit his blood on fire. “Your wish is my command,” he said, then kissed her, deep and possessive, while his hands played and pleasured her breasts.
She writhed beneath him, her hands in his hair, on his back, then on his cock. The sensation was so electric, he nearly came right then, but managed to hold the orgasm back by the barest of margins.
“I’m not sure,” she said, panting. “Slow is a good idea this time.”
“No?” he asked, sliding down her body as he kissed his way down her neck. If she kept stroking his cock, he was going to explode. “Why not?”
She put her hands on either side of his face and coaxed him to look at her. “Because I ache, Evan. I need you.” Her pupils were blown wide and her skin was flush with desire, but there was desperation in the tightness around her mouth. That was unacceptable.
He chuckled. “As my lady commands.”
He didn’t, however, rush. Her pleasure was his goal, so he paid special attention to her breasts for long moments. He sent one hand down her body, circling her clit then dipping inside with one finger.
“So wet,” he rumbled. “So soft.” He gazed into her eyes as he positioned his cock at the entrance to her body. “So mine ,” he growled as he pushed inside, sliding in and in until he was deep, deep inside her, her body tight and hot around his.
***
A nna stared into Evan’s gaze. His eyes all but glowing with carnal intent; possessive, protective, passionate, and...selfless.
Selfless . His whole focus was on her.
Her pleasure, not his own.
He gave himself to her, and even now that he was inside her, he waited to be sure she was with him.
No man had ever cared this much about her desire, her needs, her trust.
If she hadn’t already fallen in love with him, this would have accomplished it. Since she did love him...well, it was time to show him.
He filled her up until he was all she could feel, hot and hard inside her. Pleasure simmered inside her blood, and a craving for more took hold, took over her thoughts, took her to a place she’d never been before.
He’d become her home .
She tightened her inner muscles around him, then released. Tightened and released, tightened and released.
His eyes grew wider. “Holy shit, are you—”
She did it again, and he began to perspire, so close to the edge of orgasm he couldn’t even talk.
“Some people,” she said, continuing to stroke him with her inner muscles. “Can wiggle their ears.” She ran her hands up his back to his shoulders and took a good grip on them. “I can do this.”
He shuddered, closing his eyes briefly. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”
She lifted her head and ran her tongue up his throat. “Why on earth...would you want to do that?” She let her head fall back and smiled at him. “Fuck me.”
He bared his teeth at her. “You want me out of control?”
“I want you. I don’t want careful. I want you .”
“As my lady commands,” he whispered again, then pulled out of her, slowly, slowly, slowly. His cock hit places inside her she didn’t know existed.
He wasn’t going slow when he powered back in. It was forceful, strong, and exactly what she needed.
“You feel so good,” she moaned, as he set a hard, fast pace. The delicious slide of him, in and out, tightened the coil of pleasure inside her until she hovered right on the edge. “Harder,” she begged.
“Fuck,” he grunted, and slid his hand between them to flick her clit.
She exploded with an intensity that dimmed the world to a distant island, before it came rushing back.
Evan was chanting in her ear, “Anna, Anna, Anna.” As he poured himself into her. After a few more moments, he began to relax and buried his face against her neck.
She clung to him, breathing heavily, and realized tears were rolling down her face. She wrapped her arms around him tight.
His head came up and he stared at her. “Anna? Are you all right? Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she managed to squeak out of a throat clogged with more tears. “No, I just...it was so...I’ve never felt...that loved before.”
A huge smile lit up his face. “So, these are happy tears?”
“These are good God when can we do it again tears.”
He laughed outright, which helped calm her, and she stopped hiccupping.
She closed her eyes and snuggled into him.
He rubbed one thumb over her cheek. “Have a snack.”
She opened one eye. “Just a small one, and you have to promise to eat and drink well for the next several days.”
“I promise.” He angled his neck over her mouth.
She licked the salty sweat from his skin, then nicked his vein with the smallest of punctures.
He was delicious, but she was careful to take only what she needed and no more.
He groaned when she licked his skin until the wound closed.
“You like that,” she said, not bothering to hide the wonder in her tone.
“I like being able to give you something so basic and necessary. I like knowing you have a little bit of me inside you.”
“Is that really how you see it?”
“Yes.” He studied her face for a long time before adding, “We should have never met. You were born centuries ago, and if it weren’t for an extremely rare set of circumstances...it scares me how mostly impossible it should be for us to know each other.”
She snorted. “Life doesn’t care about impossible things, the odds, or the rules human beings attempt to use to define it. It just is, and it does as it pleases.”
“Didn’t Albert Einstein say something like that?”
“He was talking about our existence and the universe, but probably. He liked to putter about, smoking, and thinking.”
Evan laughed. “You met him?”
“We were on a boat ride together for a weekend. At first, he wasn’t interested in talking to me, until I made a comment about how as a species, humanity is stupid because we don’t learn from our mistakes. We had a long talk about that.”
Evan yawned.
“Rest,” she urged him.
He looked at her, hiding nothing of his thoughts or feelings from her. “Stay with me?”
She snuggled closer and put her head on his chest. “I will meditate to the beat of your heart.”