Viper Moon Read online

  I stuck my nose in the air and marched away. I went into the bathroom, showered, and dressed in a T-shirt. This time I put some stretchy leggings on instead of my panties. Just in case. I mean, he probably wouldn’t get in bed with me again. Probably.

  I went back into the living room and found Flynn reading a copy of Gun Digest. His long legs were stretched out, and one of the dark curls of his hair had fallen on his forehead. He had a soft smile on his face, as if something in the magazine amused him. Nefertiti had draped herself over his shoulders. I’d told the girls and Horus that he was one of us. They accepted him, but it seemed odd that he would accept them.

  “You actually like snakes?” I asked.

  “No.” He frowned. “I like this one, though.”

  He gently lifted Nefertiti from his shoulders, laid her on the couch cushion. She slid down onto the floor, crawled up the coffee table leg, and into her aquarium home.

  “Why don’t you do romance?” Flynn asked. I saw no mockery on his face, nor did I hear it in his voice. “It can’t be only the snakes.”

  “True. But all my romances end the same. I usually say, ‘Don’t mind the gun and knives, darling. I almost never use them. And, yes, I need to go out alone at midnight . . . You be sure you close the door on your way out.’ I’m told I’m too belligerent, too pushy.” My eyes narrowed at him. “What about you? No romance, either?” I was curious. Maybe he would tell me about the woman that had caused him so many problems, he’d sworn off relationships.

  “The career. I work a lot. Living with a cop is hard on a woman. My mother’s proof of that. I watched her sit and stare out the window some nights when dad was late. I knew she was afraid someone would come to tell her he’d been injured or killed. And then one night . . . He’d walked in on a robbery. Never had a chance.”

  “Didn’t your mother object when you wanted to become a cop?”

  “Oh, yeah. But she knew it was what I really wanted to do. What I had always wanted to do.” He moved his arm and winced as he did.

  “You’re hurt?”

  “Old shoulder wound. I tried to disarm some distraught teenager rather than shoot him. He was acting out his frustrations with society by robbing a convenience store.”

  I grinned. I lifted my sleeve and exposed the now almost invisible puncture wounds on my left shoulder. “This hurts sometimes, too, but Abby gave me something for it.” I went back to the bathroom and retrieved my jar of salve from the medicine cabinet. I wanted to know about romance and he talked career.

  I went back to the living room. “Take your shirt off. This will help.”

  He remained seated but stripped off the shirt. I sat beside him.

  Oh, shit. Oh, damn. What had I done? Such a fine body. I opened the jar and hesitated only a fraction of a second, but . . . he smiled. Damn it. He knew he was getting to me. He told his mother I was okay, but that wasn’t an okay smile. I smeared the salve on his shoulder, rubbing it into the thick muscle. Abby had added sandalwood to the mixture and the sweet fragrance filled the air. A thin scar ran down his arm. I turned sideways, and as I did, he laid a hand on my knee, cupping it gently.

  I swallowed hard. My mind screamed Stop! but my body almost vibrated in desire. I forced it away. He wasn’t for me. He’d called me a pagan gunslinger, after all.

  “How strong are you?” he asked. He stared intently at me. His hand was still on my knee.

  Was that a challenge? I could deal with that. “Stronger than you. Faster, too.”

  “Prove it.” He cocked his head and gave me a sexy, playful smile. No man smiled at me like that. Playful described only one man in my life, and that relationship ended in tragedy years ago.

  “Prove it? Okay.” Once I beat him, his masculine pride would send him sulking away. And, no, that was not bitterness I felt. It was practicality. If I didn’t stay practical, this man would break my heart. “Let’s go.”

  “Where?” He raised an eyebrow and sounded surprised that I’d accepted the challenge.

  “A place where you won’t get hurt again.”

  I led him out of the apartment and up the stairs to the apartment house’s flat roof. It was late enough on a weekday night that we would be alone. Last year, I had joined the other tenants in purchasing a large weatherproof cushioned mat for the kids to play on when the weather was nice. It measured twenty feet by twenty feet and we rolled it up and stuck it in the basement during the winter. My contribution to the cause came under the heading of self-defense. It meant that at least part of the year, I wouldn’t have yard apes running up and down the hall screaming at the top of their lungs.

  The roof soaked up the day’s heat and now released it in vast humid waves. Sweat instantly formed on my skin as my body tried to compensate. We’d both be soaked in seconds. A single lightbulb over the stairwell door cast a sickly yellow glow that barely reached the safety railing around the roof edges. Thunder rumbled in the distance, the promise of a storm teasing the parched city.

  Flynn hadn’t put his shirt back on and he stood there, his skin shining and wet. Great Mother! I wiped my mouth to be sure I wasn’t drooling. Okay, but any desire would go away as soon as I pissed him off by beating him in a fight.

  I planted my bare feet firmly on the mat. “Take me down.”

  “You’re kidding.” He walked closer, moving with effortless grace.

  “Not kidding. Take me down.”

  He stood within reach now. “No. I don’t fight women.” Sexist bastard. My competitive spirit rose in me. “Hah! Afraid you’ll lose?”

  He stepped closer and I circled. I spun and kicked out at him, knowing I wouldn’t reach him, but backing him up just the same.

  Flynn charged.

  The force of his attack sent me peddling back, but I ducked low and caught his ankle and jerked it out. He went down. Shocked, I’d bet, but he gracefully rolled and jumped to his feet. He charged again. I pivoted and danced out of the way. I swallowed. Excitement rose in me, so much I had to force myself not to shove my hand between my legs and ease the fire.

  “This is fun,” he said. He laughed low and sexy, taunting me. “But how does it prove you’re stronger?” He held his arms out. “Come and get me.”

  He didn’t take me seriously, of course. He didn’t even move when I caught his arm and jammed my shoulder into him midbody. But then I rolled him over my shoulder, straightened, lifted him, and tossed him ten feet across the mat. He landed on his back and a great whoosh of air burst from his lungs. Not easy, that move, even for me, but I was motivated. This is, of course, what drove men from my bed. Not the snakes or the gun, but my need to win, to be the alpha.

  Flynn lay there for a moment, breathing deeply. Oh, shit. Had I hurt him?

  “You okay?” I went and knelt by his side. I squeezed my hands into fists, trying not to touch him.

  “Yes.” He sounded a little breathy. “How did you do that?”

  “Magic. Same as the snakes.”

  “Bullshit.”

  “Tell Nirah and Nefertiti. Flynn, you accepted them. Can’t you accept that I’m different? That I might be telling you the truth. That there are some things in this world you don’t understand?” He groaned. I leaned closer. Had I hurt him?

  Stupid. He grabbed me and rolled. I was on my back with him straddling my hips. He captured my wrists in a firm but not crushing grip.

  “You’re heavy,” I said. Not really, but, damn, he looked good leaning over me. He drew a deep breath, his face flushed, but his dark eyes focused on me. He wasn’t exactly handsome, but he was perfect. I’d lost the fight. I freed indomitable, repressed desire and let it flow through me. I’d pay the price eventually, but I had to have him now.

  “You tossed me across this mat like a kid.” He grinned. “What kind of vitamins do you take, the cavemen or the little dinosaurs?”

  “No vitamins. Nutritious meals. The basic food groups—pizza, burgers, and cheesecake. If I make it to my feet—”

  “You can’t.”


  I could. I wouldn’t. We were playing a delicious game and I didn’t want it to end too soon. Every inch of my body demanded that he never let me go. So greedy. I wanted more.

  “Tell you what.” He released my right wrist. “You can have one hand. How’s that?”

  “I can do a lot with one hand, Flynn.”

  “Such as?” His laugh came deep, low, and seductive. Great Mother, let him want me as much as I wanted him.

  I grabbed the hem of my T-shirt and jerked it up to expose my breasts.

  chapter 14

  Flynn gasped. Ah, the power of the unexpected.

  I arched my back and tossed him off. He landed hard and rolled, but I was after him. Then I straddled him as he had me and held his wrists as he had held mine. He struggled, but couldn’t break my grip. I wiggled against him. How totally gratifying. He was big and hard between my legs, rubbing me just right. Once I got our clothes off, got him inside me . . .

  Flynn laughed. “I concede. Can I look at them again?” “What? I should reward a loser?”

  “Only if you want to.”

  “Okay.” I released him, but I didn’t move.

  He laid his hands on my thighs and slid them up across my waist and under my shirt. He cupped my breasts and rubbed his thumbs against the nipples. Great Mother, they sent shock waves of pleasure down my body. My hands closed into fists.

  “They’re hard,” he said.

  “So is something else.” I gently moved my hips against him.

  “It hurts, too. Maybe you could rub some of that cream on it.”

  “And make it go numb?”

  “Ah, on second thought, not a good idea.”

  Sweat glistened on that sleek, magnificent body. I relaxed my hands and laid them flat on his chest. His heart hammered under them. His scent, his own personal odor, rolled off him as his body released moisture to compensate for temperature and exertion. I leaned forward and licked his skin. His body tasted salty and quite wonderful.

  “I’ve never met anyone like you,” he said. Flynn’s fingers slipped through my sweat-soaked hair. “I shouldn’t even like you.”

  I rubbed my cheek against his and spoke softly in his ear. “Nefertiti, Nirah, and Horus are nice. Busting Bastinados is fun. But you haven’t even touched the Barrows and the Darkness, Flynn. You’ll get your turn to despise me.”

  “That’s my decision,” he said. He spoke with determination. “How about another round?”

  “How about a shower and a bed?”

  I pushed myself to my feet and walked toward the stairs. He followed me. No matter what he said, the time would come when he would look at me and ask if I was worth the strangeness he’d seen in and around me.

  But not tonight.

  He had my shirt off the moment the door to my apartment closed behind us. I shivered as the cooler air played across my skin, but then my heart rate rose to compensate. He grasped my face in his hands and gave me the kiss of a lifetime. So warm at first, then savage. His arms wrapped around me and he maneuvered me backward toward the bedroom, toward the bed. There was an animal in him, primitive and dangerous.

  Into the bedroom, to the bed, he pushed me down so I lay on my back. He stood over me. Not a hint of this deeper wildness had crept into the controlled personality he’d shown me before.

  “The pants. Take them off.” His voice was deep and rough.

  I slipped my thumbs in the waistband and pushed the fabric down over my hips. He grabbed them and pulled them off my legs.

  I’d made love, passionate love, before, but I always controlled things—when, where, and how.

  But not tonight.

  I am a fighter, rough and hard, a warrior, a stealthy predator, all things that could be male or female. Never had I felt so much desire, been so willing to let go of cherished personas of power that had ruled my life.

  The only light came from a small lamp across the room, enough light to glitter in his eyes as he gazed down at me. Enough light to cast a glow over his body. I wanted what I’d never wanted before. To belong to a man. Not a casual lover, but a man who could match me in violence—should he choose to do so. I wanted him to ravish me.

  He shuddered.

  “Your turn,” I said.

  He popped the button on his pants and unzipped them, then stripped.

  The Earth Mother had given this son everything, from that beautiful face and powerful muscles to his rigid cock. How could I bear it when he eventually left me? He wouldn’t just run away, not this one. Not his nature. He’d politely thank me and close the door.

  But not tonight.

  He placed one knee on the bed and bent over me. His finger traced my mouth, down my throat, and circled my nipple. He pinched and gently tugged.

  I whimpered. All my nerve endings stood at attention, pleading for more.

  His fingers trailed on down and he pushed his hand between my legs.

  “You’re wet,” he said.

  I tried to say yes, but I choked on the word. I twisted under his hands, under his caresses. A powerful yearning filled me, the desire to connect with this man both physically and emotionally. Every part of his body appealed to me, tortured me with a longing I’d never felt before—the curve of muscles, strong legs, gentle hands, and that wonderful mouth.

  “Please.” I reached for him and pulled him down on the bed beside me. His hand never left the damp hollow between my legs. His fingers probed deeper and spread ripples of delight racing up my body. I touched him, everywhere except where I wanted to. So hard and swollen, I was afraid I’d make him come too soon. But thanks to his magic hand, my own body was close to where I needed to be.

  “Now,” I said. “Oh, please now.”

  “Cass.” His breath came out ragged. “I wanted—I forgot. I don’t have any protection with me. It’s been so long.”

  “I won’t get pregnant, Flynn.” There was no point in telling him I hadn’t had a period since I was eighteen and accepted the Earth Mother’s call to service. Let him believe I used birth control.

  His hands roamed over my body and the heat of his skin against mine burned like the sun had on the asphalt outside. I loved the taste of him and his scent that drove me beyond anything I believed possible. I had to move, or I’d be the one coming too soon. I had to slow down. I pushed his hand away and rose up so I could touch him. I traced his mouth with my fingers, his nipples, that flat stomach, but I stopped short of where I wanted to go. I teased it with a brief kiss. He groaned and I felt like I’d won some great prize.

  He suddenly grabbed me, rolled me over, and was on top again.

  His lips closed over mine for a long, sweet time. My nerves danced everywhere he touched me with his mouth or hands. My fingers played along his skin. He raised himself and I spread my legs to welcome him.

  I cried out when he slid inside me, not in pain, but in the sheer joy of having him. I writhed, but he held me tight and steady against him.

  When I breathed, I drew in his scent, until the world consisted of the power of his presence stroking my ecstatic nerves. In his embrace, I could feel my heart pounding, something the greatest of my fears had never produced.

  “You are so beautiful.” He slowed his movement, prolonging my agony—and ecstasy.

  When I could no longer hold out, I crashed, rolling down into pure delight. Delicious pleasure burned my nerves. He moaned and shuddered. The world disappeared around us, leaving only two people lost in each other’s arms.

  “Wow,” I said when I could catch my breath.

  He rolled off me and dragged me on top of him. He lay warm and solid under me.

  “I suppose we should take a shower,” he said.

  “Suppose we should.” I fought the urge to giggle.

  “Ladies first.”

  “That generally leaves me out.”

  We rested and made love again and he continued to surprise me. Gentle, at times, then rough, we explored each other’s bodies, laughing softly as we did. We’d get close to the
edge, then pull back and explore more sensations. Like saying One, two, three, go! ten times before you finally get the nerve to leap off a high diving board—and drowning when you hit the water.

  When I finally surfaced and my muscles stopped quivering, I found myself lying on damp sheets, as if we’d brought the steaming outside air in with us and the air-conditioning had failed. He lay beside me, breathing softly in my ear.

  We didn’t shower. We simply clung together and caressed each other until sleep dragged us down. Before sleep came, I realized what was missing from my life, or at least that part of my life. Joy. Pure joy at being with someone. It would end badly, but the joy I would keep and cherish forever.

  I woke during the night. The lamp was off and the room dark. I reached for Flynn and found his place empty. He stood across the room, his shape outlined against the window. I had a good idea what he was thinking.

  “Flynn, we will find her,” I said.

  He came back to the bed. He sat beside me and laced his fingers in mine. “She was six the year I graduated from the academy. When everyone stood to applaud, Selene jumped on her chair so she could see over the crowd and wave at me. Her face was shining so bright.”

  He lay beside me again and I stretched out against him. My mind, operating on sensory overload, kept banging thoughts together like Ping-Pong balls in a bucket. One thought screamed, Fool, don’t get in too deep! Another cried that this man was what I’d wanted and needed all my life. Another taunted me with my rough Huntress persona and farm girl upbringing. What would he want with me, this cool, educated man who had given his life to protecting not only his family, but strangers on the streets of Duivel. I lay beside him while he slept, touching him occasionally, listening to him breathe, until the sky grew lighter and another day began.

  chapter 15

  August 7—9:00 a.m.

  “Where do we go today?” Flynn asked.

  “Couple of people I need to talk to. I call them the spectators. Don’t have a life or a job, so they watch everything.” We’d snuggled in bed until eight. Great Mother, how nice to have him with me. I knew he’d probably leave eventually, and that made me sad, but right now things were fine.