Dark (18 page)

Solomon nodded. “Yes. And thus, I am off to begin setting up some
more security protocols in the Stronghold network.” He paused. “Lucy is
back
home with her parents.”

“I know. I talked to her a little while ago,” Eva said, smiling. “Thank
you for taking care of her.”

“It was my pleasure,” Solomon said, then turned and walked down
the steps.

Eva watched him stroll away, wondering if he knew that her best
friend had a crush on him. Lucy had switched her devotion from Bruno to Solomon
when he’d helped save her life.

“He has no idea,” Isaac said.

Startled, Eva turned to him. “What?”

“Solomon has no idea that your friend has a crush on him,” he
explained, eyes twinkling.

“Are you a mind-reader?” Eva asked, a little freaked out. She hadn’t
told anyone about her suspicions.

Greyson snorted.
“No, just a consummate
eavesdropper.”

Isaac bowed.
“Truth.”

“You listened to my phone call earlier?”

He winked.

Eva wondered if this was what it was like to grow up with annoying
siblings. “You can’t tell him,” she said to Isaac. “Lucy would kill me if she
knew anyone had a clue.”

“He won’t say a word,” Greyson growled.

Isaac stepped back, hands going up.
“Nope.
Not a word.”

“I’m so glad I’m an only child,” Eva muttered.

Isaac laughed. “I wonder what that’s like.”

“Stick around and you may find out,” Bruno said ominously.

Isaac backed away even more. “Yeah, no thank you. I think I’ll go
get a head start on setting up the sensor net with the spares we have.” He
pivoted and walked away.

Bruno ran his hands through his blonde hair, making it stand on
end. “I need to get out of here before I lose it.”

“Go. Everything we needed to do is done,” Greyson said.

“Yeah, for now,” Bruno said tiredly. “Take care, brother.” He
smiled at Eva. “And you too, my new little sister.”

Eva nodded, still not used to this kinder, gentler Bruno. “Thanks.”

He nodded and walked toward the bank of elevators at the back of
the building.

“I don’t know how he can live here,” Greyson said, rolling his
shoulders.

“He must be used to it,” Eva offered, feeling overwhelmed with all
the emotional signatures battering at her mind. Even though the crowd had
mostly gone, her brain felt like she’d put it through a wringer. “I don’t know
if I could live here again, though. Not now.”

“Will you miss it?”

She shook her head. “No. I always liked being in the woods better
than in the middle of a city.” She tugged on his arm. “Let’s go home.”

Epilogue

Greyson walked down the stairs, hoping Eva was still asleep. When
he saw her sprawled out on the bed, he grinned. She looked so
young,
he almost couldn’t believe she was his. When she
opened her eyes and smiled at him, the silver-shot green of her irises warmed
him from head to toe.

“Are you just going to stand there and stare at me?” she asked,
stretching. The arch of her spine pulled her white silk shirt taut over her
breasts. Not for the first time, Greyson’s breath caught as his eyes trailed
down her body. She was undeniably beautiful: long red hair, milky skin, and an
attitude that reminded him that even though he was centuries older than her,
she didn’t care. She always spoke her mind.

“I’m glad you didn’t listen to me,” he said, walking to the bed.
He’d just come in from an early morning run in the woods. He pulled off his
dew-dampened shirt and tossed it on the floor, enjoying the way her eyes
widened at the sight of his torso.

“Didn’t listen to you?” She went up on her elbows. “What are you
talking about?”

“Back when you were in high school. I’m glad you kept coming
around.” He put a knee on the bed and ran his knuckles over her thigh. “I
wanted you to leave me alone, but you never listened.”

“Ah,” she breathed, lying back down. “So, you’re saying you like
it when I talk back to you?”

He growled, irritated, even though he knew she was teasing him.

Eva laughed. “You were so grumpy, like the beast from that
fairytale.” She let her legs part. “Still are, sometimes.”

Greyson’s mouth went dry at the sight of her scarlet panties
peeking out from under the oversized shirt. “God, Eva, you drive me crazy.” His
cock pressed against the cotton sweats he wore, chafing a bit at the tip.
Frustrated, he stood back up and shoved them down, then climbed on the bed.

She grinned up at him. “Hmm, I feel a bit overdressed.”

In reply, he reached down and ripped her panties right off her
body.

“Holy crap, Greyson!” she protested, but he ignored her, grabbing
his cock and positioning it right at her clit. When he began to tease her with
the tip, she gasped. “You owe me a new pair of underwear.”

“Still a bit overdressed,” he said, ignoring her complaint. He took
hold of the bottom of her shirt and smiled at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.
He rubbed his prick against her pussy as he slowly drew the fabric up over her
arms until it tangled over her elbows. She wrapped her legs around his waist
and tried to get him to enter her, but he just laughed. “Not so fast, feisty
Eva.”

“Feisty?” she panted. “That’s a new one.” She tried to extricate
her arms, but he wouldn’t let her.

“Stay still,” he ordered.

She didn’t listen.
Typical,
he thought, pressing his weight
down on her arms. His empathy told him she was happy and not at all upset.
“Definitely feisty.”
He kissed her, swallowing her protests.
She tasted like morning and sunlight, and when she kissed him
back,
their bond only intensified the sensation of delight.
When he let her up for air, he watched her eyes widen as he slowly sank into
her body. She was so damn tight and his cock was so thick he worried he’d hurt
her, but she bit her lip and arched her hips. He slid all the way in and she
smiled triumphantly.

He shook her head at her and bit her lower lip. “Feisty.” He could
feel her pleasure in his body as his senses enveloped her and she fed the
energy back to him.

“Shut up,” she muttered, using her legs to get leverage. “Oh God,
you feel so good.”

He knelt up, dragging her onto his lap. She dropped her trapped
arms around his head and he thrust into her, nibbling down her throat.

“Get this shirt off me,” she told him.

“No way,” he replied, hands on her hips. As far as he was concerned,
this position was perfect.

She wiggled and he gasped as she ground her clit against his groin.
The next thing he knew, her hands were free and in his hair.

“Greyson, now, please move,” she begged.

He relented, grabbing her around the waist. He fucked into her
once, twice, then pulled out and flipped her over onto her stomach. She
squeaked, but then he was inside her again, her smooth back gloriously curved.
A scattering of freckles decorated her shoulders and he smiled. He’d kissed
every single one. When he reached down and played with her asshole, she went
still.

“You like that, don’t you?” he asked.

She nodded. He used her own arousal to smooth the way,
then
slid a finger inside. When she sighed, shoving back
onto his cock, he added another finger. She opened for him so beautifully; he
could barely keep himself from going off like a teenager. “Oh hell, Eva, you
make me feel like I’m not a million years old.”

She looked over her shoulder at him. “You are so ridiculous. Age
is all in the mind.”

He lifted his eyebrows at her and deliberately pulled out. When
she moaned, he put his cock at her anus and rocked. Tiny sparks of pleasure hit
his empathy, making his hips stutter.

“Oh shit,” she breathed, head going back down.

“Relax,” he commanded. “Breathe out.”

She nodded, and suddenly, he felt her body give way. His prick
sank in and she made a sound of pleasure that he would never forget as long as
he lived. When she tightened around him, he almost lost it. He clenched his
fists in the sheets and leaned down, taking short, sharp breaths.

“Don’t stop now, Greyson,” she said, rolling her hips.

He growled and pulled back, then thrust in slowly, reaching around
her to play with her clit. She shuddered, crying out, and then her climax hit
him like a freight train. He groaned, hips moving in sharp bursts, and then his
cock jerked as the pleasure took him over the edge.

A long time later he gently eased out and settled her in his arms.
Just as he was about to doze off, she spoke.

“What are we going to do about the Spiders?” she asked quietly. “The
thought of them massing around Alpha Centauri gives me the creeps.”

He sighed. “We’ll do what we’ve always done: be vigilant. Protect
our people.”

“It’s scary.” She picked at the sheet. “After my father died, I
thought I’d never feel safe again. And then I met you.” She stroked a finger
down his arm. “And then all this happened.”

He held her tighter. “My brothers and I have always managed to
keep Earth safe. You know I can protect you.” He felt her absorb his words. “And
I’m not going to leave you, I promise. I am not your father.”

She buried her nose in his shoulder. “I love you,” she murmured,
as if he didn’t know.

He smiled into her hair. “I love you too, Eva. I always will.”

The End

www.erinmleaf.com

Other Books by
Erin M. Leaf:

www.evernightpublishing.com/erin-m-leaf

If
you enjoyed this book, you may also like:

Forbidden by
J.J
.
Lore

Enchanting
Eilagh
by Khloe Wren

The Comanche Vampire by Lee Ann
Sontheimer
Murphy

Evernight
Publishing

www.evernightpublishing.com