A Grave Hunger (16 page)

By the time I arrived at Robert's, Finlay had already left. Luke and Ryan helped me carry the bodies to the incinerator. The smell of charred flesh hit me hard as the door to the incinerator was opened, and I subconsciously took a step back. The action did nothing to alleviate the stench, it seemed to impregnate every particle of air.  I said a silent prayer for the families of the victims as the bodies were loaded inside, hoping that they would still be able to get some measure of closure without being able to bury their loved ones.

"You can take off if you want, Leah. We will handle the vamp," Luke said.

"You sure you don't need any help?"

"Nah, it's fine. Come ‘round tomorrow at 11a.m. and we'll let you know what info we get out of the fucker," Ryan answered.

I felt relieved that they had spared me from participating in the interrogation. I could only imagine what process they would use to extract information. Although it deserved what was coming to it, I still couldn't take part in torturing any living or dead creature.

"Thanks, guys. I'll see you tomorrow then." As I headed to the door, a thought suddenly struck me. I turned back to face the brothers.

"When I spoke to you yesterday you say that you were out of town. Why did you lie?"

The brothers exchanged another worried look. Ryan cleared his throat before speaking. "Finlay asked us not to include you in the hunt."

Both sets of eyes looked to the ground, refusing to make eye contact. A fresh wave of anger washed through me. The rage bubbled, barely under control.

"Why would he do that? I think I've proven myself as a proficient hunter." My voice sounded sharper than I had intended.

"You're a great hunter Leah...." He paused, clearing his throat again. "I think you had better let Finlay explain."

I didn't think I could be any angrier with Finlay. What the hell was his problem? Lying to me, hunting without me. I fumed at the thought of him including Luke and Ryan in his deception. And then there was the way he acted tonight, and the look that he had given me. I had saved his ass, the ungrateful bastard.

I pulled up outside my motel, slammed the car door loudly and stalked to my room, sending a glance toward Finlay's room as I went. The room was in darkness. He must still be at the scene. Opening the door, I headed straight for the shower. I peeled off my blood-soaked clothes and dumped them in the wash hamper. I scrubbed the stench of death from my body and tried to calm down. It didn't work. The hot spray from the shower usually relaxed me, but not tonight. I left the shower feeling as tense and angry as I had when I entered it.

I changed into fresh clothes and dragged a brush through my damp tresses. I had just finished drying my hair when I heard Finlay's car pull up outside.

He had some explaining to do, and God as my witness, I would find out what the hell he was up to.

Chapter 28

Finlay sent me a withering glare as I followed him into his room. I had never been so furious. My body shook with pure fury.

"What the hell was tonight about," I roared. He didn't reply. He stormed past me into the bathroom, grabbed a fresh towel and started tending his wounds. He washed off the dried blood that had caked his face and neck. I watched him silently, taking deep breaths to try and calm myself. It didn't work.

"God damn it, Finlay, if I hadn't followed you tonight, you'd be dead!" I was losing it. The fury was taking over.

He threw the bloody towel into the sink, and paced back over toward me. "I didn't ask for your help. I didn't want it, and I didn't need it!" He spat the words out with contempt.

He glared at me with two seething eyes. A red mist washed through me. Fury swallowed my common sense, and clouded my judgement. Without hesitation, I threw my hand forward until I came in contact with his cheek. The noise of the slap radiated off of the walls. I should have felt some kind of remorse, but I didn't. He glared at me murderously as his breaths came in sharp, ragged bursts.

He grabbed my upper arms painfully, and pushed my body backwards into the side of the chest of drawers behind me. The impact sent items crashing to the floor. His face was inches from mine. We glared at each other with neither one of us backing down. His withering glare slowly faded, and a fire consumed his eyes. He pulled me toward him, kissing me roughly. His hands ruffled through my hair, and held me closer to him. I responded hungrily as my anger spurred me on, blocking out any rational thinking or thoughts of consequences.

My fingers fumbled for the buttons on his shirt. When one popped off, I grabbed the collar and pulled it down, snapping all the buttons to the floor. He lifted me onto the side of the chest of drawers, and ripped open my shirt, kissing down my neck as he did so. I couldn't stop the trembling that rushed through my body as he roughly pulled off my shirt and bra.

I surrendered, giving myself over to him completely as I felt strong hands push me down to lie flat along the length of the unit. A strangled moan escaped my lips as he leaned forward and lavished his attention on my breasts, licking and sucking one nipple, then crossed to the other. His hands swept down to my navel, and he pulled off my jeans in one rushed movement. Quickly, his hand was inside my panties, rough fingers circling my sensitive flesh. I felt my body tremble, as his skilled fingers teased my aroused nub, sending blood rushing to my head and making me dizzy. I had wanted this for so long, and the anticipation only magnified the pleasure. The urgency for him was becoming a fever that spread and burned through my body.

I pushed myself upright. The need to explore his body was overwhelming. My hands slid down over his broad chest. Fingers explored his firm muscles as I let them drift down to his jeans to unbutton them. Gently kissing along his neck and upper chest, I reached inside and wrapped my hand around his hardness. He murmured my name as my hand slid up and down his length, his intimate tone sent a shiver through my body and flamed the desire for him hotter still.

He grabbed my hair and pulled, yanking my head upwards so he could devour me again in a deep kiss. Pulling me closer still, he pressed his hard manhood against my moist panties. The tension was almost unbearable. I wanted him, needed him.

We frantically pushed our clothing aside and succumbed. I gasped as I felt Finlay enter me in one smooth thrust. He cried out as I dug my nails sharply into his back. My body shuddered as his thrusts came fast and hard, sending wave after wave of pleasure pulsing through my body. He knew what I wanted. I wanted to forget the pain and hurt of the last few weeks. I wanted to push aside emotions, and just rely on instincts - pure animalistic cravings. I knew he needed that, too. I pulled him closer as he became more insistent, more urgent. My blood blazed through my veins like an inferno, searing and burning. The tension between us built, growing stronger with every movement, until I fractured around him and exploded forcefully. He joined me seconds later, burying his face in my shoulder to muffle his shout.

After a time, he lifted me and carried me to the bed, settling me down gently. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me closer to him. We lay silent, except for our ragged, panting breaths. The sound of a sigh snapped me from my reverie. I looked up at him to see him run a hand through his hair. My heart sank. He regretted us being together. I instinctively pulled away from him.

“Listen, Scotland, I need to . . ."

"Don't. It's fine. I know what you're going to say. You don't need to, it's fine." I cut him off. The tone of my voice betrayed my attempt at nonchalance.

I threw back the covers, and swung my legs over the bed, searching for my clothes that were strewn across the room.

"Hey, where are you going?" He pulled me back into the bed, and rolled on top of me, pinning me down with the weight of his body. "What did you think I was going to say?" His eyes, just inches from mine, registered alarm.

"You were going to say that what just happened was a mistake. You regret us being together. It's fine. I get it." I had to look away because I was afraid that if I kept eye contact with him, it would give away how I really felt. He was silent. His fingers messed with his hair once more.

"It's fine. I get it," I repeated, feeling that I had to break the awkward silence between us.

"Scotland. . . Leah. I don't regret us being together. I've wanted this for a long time. It's all I've thought about since I met you." His face showed a multitude of emotions that I couldn't place. I frowned in confusion.

"I need to tell you why I went hunting without you, and why I lied." Now it was him that couldn't hold eye contact.

"Ok," I replied, spurring him on. He sighed, cursing quietly under his breath. I had never seen him look so self-conscious before.

He cleared his throat. "I've lost a lot of people I love in my life. After Robert died, I realised that I can't lose you, too. I couldn't bear it if I lost you, too."

"You're not going to lose me. And, I feel the same way about you. It would kill me if something happened to you. You're my best friend."

He frowned. A sadness washed over his face. I didn't understand what I had said to cause such an agonising response.

"Finlay, talk to me. What is it?"

"God damn it, why is this so difficult?" He closed his eyes, and cleared his throat. I felt his body tremble slightly as he took a steadying breath.

"I'm trying to tell you that I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you, Leah." He opened his eyes and regarded me, searching my face for a response. I don't know what he saw, but it wasn't the reaction that he wanted.

"I shouldn't have said anything. That was stupid," he grumbled as a heartbreaking look crossed his face once more. He rolled off of me, and lay on his back beside me on the bed. I teared up at his display of tenderness. I had never seen him be so open. He was usually so detached from his feelings, and such a typical macho man.  An involuntary smile crossed my face. He loved me. I've been fighting it for so long, and worried about letting myself open up. Now that our barriers were down, I realised I loved him too. Leaning over, I kissed him tenderly on the lips. He watched me with curious eyes.

"I love you, too."

A large grin spread across his face as he reached up, and cupped my face in his hands. He kissed me gently.

"You know, this isn't how I wanted our first time to be. It wasn't how I pictured it," he said gently.

I frowned. Was he saying he didn't enjoy it? I thought it was pretty amazing, and full of passion and heat. Embarrassment flooded my cheeks as I realised he didn't feel the same way.

"No, no . . . I didn't mean it like that. The sex was great, really great." He smirked, eyes sparkling playfully before turning serious. "But with you, I want something more."

"Something more?" My brows creased in confusion.

"Hmm, it would probably be easier just to show you."

He leaned over and brushed my hair from my face before gently kissing me. The kiss was tender and loving, and yet it was filled with a heat that had my stomach knotting in anticipation. His lips moved slowly to my neck, licking and kissing a path down to my collarbone.

"You are so beautiful. You have no idea how long I've wanted this."

I didn't get a chance to reply. His lips were on mine once more. My hands messed through his hair, pulling him to me. I gasped for breath as his lips left mine, and moved once more down my neck until they reached my breasts. I let out a soft moan as he gently tugged upon my nipples with his teeth. The action sent my heart racing, and left me panting for breath.

He took his time exploring my body, driving me wild with anticipation.  Kissing, licking, and gently biting down to my navel. Then, as he moved lower, he showered attention on the inside of my thighs. I watched him move from right to left, and back again while he patiently dressed my legs with sweet pecks of affection. Lifting his head, he shot me a glance. A wicked grin spread across his face. He was teasing me. His lips made their way back to my belly, and moved up towards my breasts. Finally, they met my lips again.

"You're evil. You know that?" I said in between kisses.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The innocent look in his eyes was betrayed by the smirk playing on his lips.

"You are such a tease," I responded.

"A tease!" Mock hurt tinged his voice. "I'm just savouring the moment. I've been waiting a long time for this. I want to enjoy every part of you."

"Well, the feeling is mutual. Maybe it's my turn now," I replied, pushing him onto his back. My lips explored his muscular chest, moving down to his navel. His fingers gently tugged under my chin, pulling me upwards before I could move any lower. My lips pouted in disappointment.

"No, sorry, this is my turn."

"Not fair," I grumbled.

"You won't be saying that soon," he joked, burying his head in my neck.

"Promises, promises."

He snickered, and it was a deep, throaty sound that reverberated through my neck as he kissed the spot just under my chin.

His lips moved slowly, teasing and tormenting as he licked, sucked, and kissed every inch of me. Pushing apart my legs, he slowly licked from my left knee, higher and higher, until my body felt the fire burning through me once more. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as I realised the moment I had been patiently waiting for was almost here. The anticipation was becoming a frenzy. He abruptly ended the torturous teasing as his light, delicate touch pushed me into an intense hysteria. My body pulsed frantically, pressure built, surging through me until I felt like I would implode. I couldn't stop trembling as he positioned his body on top of mine. He took my hands and entwined our fingers together in a loving act. I closed my eyes in anticipation as I felt his hardness pressing into me.

"Open your eyes," he whispered.

I obeyed. I felt him ease inside tortuously slow. I arched my body to welcome him. His rhythm was slow and attentive. His touch earlier had been raw, hard, and animalistic. This was tender, loving, and romantic. It felt as though my body might combust as he sent wave after wave of pleasure pulsing through me.

"Finlay, please. . ." I pleaded, writhing against him. Each precise movement pushed me to the edge, and I was begging to be pushed over the precipice.

His green eyes flashed with desire as he watched me. He was intrigued by my reaction. He leaned over and gently kissed me as our bodies rocked together in unison. His eyes pierced into mine, which served to heighten the fire further still.