After Sundown: Redemption (27 page)

“You will sleep now,
palomita
. Sleep.”

Then everything went dark.

Chapter Thirteen

Christian carried Alyssa to his car. He drove out of the Old Town Scottsdale area and headed west on Camelback Road. They were going to his side of the tracks this time. He glanced over at Alyssa sleeping in the seat beside him. A primitive and savage satisfaction filled him. He was bringing his woman back to his lair, where he would make her his once and for all. She belonged to him. Not that weakling human, Tom. Christian let his anger roll over him as Arcadia’s green, lush, resort-like neighborhood changed to the high-end Biltmore area, to the office buildings of the shakers and movers of the Camelback corridor.

Alyssa made a small sound and he glanced at her again. Some of his triumph faded as he stared at her beautiful face. She looked so innocent, so vulnerable while she slept. He returned his gaze to the road. Guilt. That’s what he was feeling. He didn’t like using mind control on Alyssa. It wasn’t fair. But his emotions had gotten the better of him. Jealousy had reared its ugly head. Every time she had mentioned Tom’s name, the image of her and Tom making love crashed into Christian’s mind. He imagined her voluptuous body entwined with Tom’s and her cries of passion filling the air. It had been too much. Her denials had fallen on deaf ears. Christian’s baser emotions had taken control.

One instinct took over.

Make Alyssa his.

Fully. Completely. So that no doubt remained for either of them.

Once they reached the downtown area, Christian headed south on Central Avenue. This part of the city was quiet at night compared to farther south, where investors with a lot of money were trying to revitalize the city around the sports arena. Run down buildings had been replaced with lively new clubs, restaurants and well-known chain stores. As a result, more people were not only starting to frequent the area at night, but many were also moving into the newly built condos surrounding the renovation.

Christian headed west, towards Fifteenth Avenue and the historical Encanto District. That was his neighborhood. The older residences and large green gardens in this section of town appealed more to him than some of the new, more sanitized, desert landscaped housing developments in Scottsdale. The fact that the houses were spread apart on large lots and offered privacy to their owners was something Christian favored. Having a tall security wall surrounding his property also added to its appeal.

After punching in his private code on the keypad, the gates swung open and he drove onto his property. A sense of relief welcomed him immediately, as it always did when he arrived home. Here he could be himself. This was his refuge. The property had been paid off years ago, so was completely his. His castle. And now he was bringing home his queen.

Christian frowned in consternation.

His queen? Where had that come from?

He tried to ignore that last thought. But as he lifted Alyssa into his arms, he felt it. Possession. He wouldn’t deny it. He had won his lady and was bringing her home. Where she belonged. He brought her into the house and carried her upstairs to his bedroom. Laying her on his bed, he sat down beside her. Skimming his fingers lightly over her soft cheeks, he sent her a mental push. It was time for Sleeping Beauty to awaken.

* * * * *

Alyssa reveled in the feel of Christian’s hand against her cheeks. This was a wonderful dream. She sighed with pleasure. His hand was like the rest of him—strong and sexy. She practically purred when he ran it gently through her hair, massaging her scalp along the way. He had very talented hands. She knew that from experience.

He worked his way to her neck and tingles ran up and down her body. He drew little circles along its curve. Alyssa tilted her head to the side, so that he could have better access.

A seductive chuckle was her first indication that maybe she wasn’t asleep. Christian’s next words confirmed it.

“You better be careful, little girl, or this big bad wolf might be tempted to eat you.”

Alyssa’s eyes snapped open. Christian looked down at her with amusement. Yet the fire in his eyes was unmistakable. She felt pinned in place by his powerful stare. Burning desire left her breathless. He held her gaze a moment longer then looked away as he got off the bed.

Where was she? She sat up and looked around her. She didn’t recognize anything but the fact that she was in a bedroom. It was a modern room. Decorated in black, gray and tan, very masculine, but at the same time very tastefully done and extremely neat. There were no clothes or papers strewn about. Everything was where it should be.

The room would have almost been completely cold and impersonal if one item didn’t stand out like a sore thumb. It caught her interest and held it. It was a portrait hanging on one wall. It was large, with an ornate frame and was very, very old. Alyssa was not an antique expert, but she had been to enough antique shops and viewed enough portraits to know this one was done long ago. It didn’t go with the room. It was put there as if an afterthought, without any regard for the rest of the room. It looked like a family portrait.

Alyssa got distracted when she noticed that Christian was watching her closely.

“Where am I?”

He smiled. But his eyes remained wary, searching hers, as if looking for something.

“Welcome to my home, Alyssa. You’re the only human, other than my personal assistant, to enter it and leave…”

Alive.
Alyssa ignored the voice in her head that finished the last word of his sentence. The one he purposely left unsaid. She was the only human to enter his home and leave
alive.
Instead of fear, she let curiosity get the better of her.

“Your home?” she asked.

“Yes. I brought you straight from the office to my house. After the attack on you and Tom at the office, I don’t think you’ll be safe at your place, at least not until morning. Bazhena was injured, but one never can tell with a va—”

“Tom!” Alyssa interrupted, jumping up from the bed. “What about him?”

Alyssa saw Christian’s eyes harden.

“As I told you earlier, your boyfriend will be fine. I don’t think Bazhena planned on or expected to see him last night. And since she is in a weakened state, I can’t see her using her remaining strength to go after him tonight instead of you. It’s you she wants for some reason. Everyone else is just a side dish.”

Alyssa shuddered at the memory of Bazhena licking her lips and looking at her like she was food. Her ability to follow through on that look was unmistakable when she recalled the way Tom had looked. She would never forget the sight of the tear in his throat, or the blood spilling endlessly out of it. He had been badly injured, but his uncanny recovery, thanks to Christian, made her believe that her friend would be okay.

She released a sigh of relief. “Thank you for helping Tom. He means a lot to me and—”

Her words cut off abruptly as she found herself pressed backwards and pinned to the bed. Christian lay over her, his face inches from hers. A growl rumbled deep in his throat. He kept his weight balanced on his elbows, so he wasn’t hurting her, but there was no way she was going anywhere until he let her.

“I don’t want to hear about you and your lover,” he said through clenched teeth.

Alyssa knew she should be scared by the fury in his eyes. Knew she should be in shock over everything that had just occurred. But, instead, she felt really, really irritated. Her little encounter with Bazhena had been enough for one night. She didn’t need this from him right now.

“He is not my lover, or my boyfriend,” she bit out, trying to push herself up.

Her struggles didn’t faze Christian.

“Your aunt told me a different story.” His eyes narrowed dangerously.

“My aunt told you whatever she could to get you to do what she wanted you to do.”

Christian still looked disbelieving.

Alyssa blew out an exasperated breath.

“Tom and I are and have always been just friends. End of story. Now will you let me up?”

Alyssa managed to squeeze her hands between them and give Christian’s chest a little push. He ignored her actions as he searched her eyes. He looked uncertain now. As if he finally realized all may not be what it seemed.

The feel of his solid chest against her hands made her want to flex her fingers to test its hardness. Suddenly he invaded her senses. His closeness. His strength. The way he stared so deeply into her eyes. The spicy, seductive scent of him. The feel of his hard contours pressed against her curves. Her body kicked into overdrive. Her nipples hardened against his chest and a pulsating ache began between her thighs.

“You and he are no more than friends?”

Alyssa stared into Christian’s mocha-colored eyes. She wanted to lose herself in those eyes. Her irritation faded as desire burned through her. Deep, dark, silk sheets in the middle of the night desire. The kind that would leave her panting for more.

“Alyssa?”

“Huh? What?”

An arrogant looked filled Christian’s face and he gave her a knowing smile. His uncertainty from a moment ago was gone. His deliberate smirk ruffled her feathers. He was just a little too sure of himself. He knew what she was thinking. That she was his for the taking. Alyssa steeled herself against the lust that was threatening to overtake her.

“Will you get off of me now?” Alyssa tried to sound impatient and irritated, but instead her voice came out husky and soft.

His smile widened.

“Gladly. But first you need to answer my question,” he said easily.

Too easily.

“Question? What question?” she asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

Instead of answering, Christian brought his mouth close to her ear. He blew softly into it and chills ran down Alyssa’s body.

“Are you mine to take,
palomita
?”

His words rocked her. There was no other word for it. As the last syllable left his lips, Alyssa’s body became his. She sucked in a gasp as the fire he ignited inside her flamed out of control. Her body became sensitive to every point they touched. She reveled in the feel of his hard chest under her flexing fingers. The press of his hips against hers was unbearably light. Tilting hers upward, she strove to bring them closer.

“I sense your desire,
mi amor
. I feel it too. The scent of your body is calling out to me. Can you deny it?” Christian asked before he captured her earlobe with his mouth and sucked on it lightly.

His teeth grazed along the edge as he pulled away and looked down at her once more. The passion and possession in his eyes were undeniable. It left her shaking with need. It left her wanting to be possessed by him, completely. So completely that she was sated to the point that she could barely move. Yet she hesitated. Could she let herself go? Open herself like this? Need him so?

Christian must have sensed what she was going through. Though his face remained tight with passion, tenderness filled his eyes. It was the tenderness that got her. It was like a soft breeze running over her in the midst of a raging heat wave. The intense desire she felt was still there, but it was different now. The gentleness in his eyes told her what his words hadn’t. Her heart was safe with him. He would handle it with care.

Something blossomed inside her. The knot in her chest she never realized was there loosened and released. A smile she couldn’t hold back if her life depended on it spread across her mouth. Then the tears came. She didn’t want them, not now. But they didn’t listen. They slowly slid down her cheeks unchecked.

Without a word, Christian leaned closer and kissed one as it fell. She continued to cry and he continued to rain kisses all over her face. He murmured soft words in Spanish in between each touch. She didn’t understand what he was saying, but somehow they made her feel better. The tears slowed and eventually stopped. Christian’s mouth drew closer and closer to hers with each kiss. Once he reached them he hesitated, hovering just above her lips, no more than a whisper away.

Alyssa needed this. She needed him, now. Her hunger could wait no longer. Lifting her head slightly, she tried to press her lips against him. Christian pulled slightly up and away from her.

“Say you want me,
palomita
. Say the words I crave to hear.” Christian’s voice was hoarse with need.

Alyssa didn’t hesitate.

“I want you, Christian. I need you, only you.”