Hunted by Darkness (Darkness #4) (23 page)

Screw it, if she left something behind she’d just replace it. She didn’t want to stay here a second longer than necessary. “Yeah, sorry, didn’t mean to scare you guys,” she muttered, turning away from the bed and heading into the bathroom. Ugh, why was he here talking to her? Couldn’t he see that she wanted to be left alone?

“Where’d you go earlier? How’d things go with your father? Bo said the guy demanded to see you or something?” he asked from the doorway.

She was surprised Ian was being all chatty. Without looking at him, she started tossing all her makeup and other stuff into her pink and black toiletry bag. “Things went fine,” she snapped, then winced. “Ah, sorry. Listen, Ian, I don’t feel like talking right now.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” Arms crossed over his massive chest, he watched her curiously. “What’s going on, because last I heard you and Bo were an item? Now you’re leaving and you look as if you want to murder someone.”

Well she certainly wasn’t going to tell Ian that she caught his brother with not one, but two females. Her heart actually ached as the scene played in her mind. She’d been gone for an hour. One, single hour.

And when she came back from her father’s, Bo wasn’t worried about her, wasn’t out trying to find her. It didn’t matter that she’d told him to trust her, that she would take care of things, she’d still expected him to be worried or mad at her. Or…something.

Instead he’d had his arms wrapped around two naked females—in one of his private rooms. She’d heard him murmuring to them, all soft. A burst of rage and jealousy slid through her, sharp and spiky. What if she’d known the females? His body had been blocking them so she hadn’t gotten a good look at their faces, but if it was someone she was friendly with…ugh.

Crack.

The bathroom mirror cracked right in the middle, the breaks spidering out in all directions, as if she’d slammed her fist into it. She wished she had. Scratch that, she wished she’d slammed her fist right into Bo’s handsome face.

“I don’t live here. Never did,” she finally muttered, zipping up her bag. When she went to move past Ian, he just stood there, his eyebrows raised.

“Move.”

Lips pursed, he stepped aside. “Come on, Nyx, talk to me. Whatever happened between you guys, it can’t be that bad.”

She was pretty much at her capacity for niceness. She just wanted to be alone to mourn what a jackass Bo was and what a fool she’d been. She couldn’t believe him. Gah, she couldn’t believe she’d fallen for his lies. As his words from just an hour ago replayed in her mind she felt her rage building again.

With shaking hands, she slammed her suitcase shut. When she tried the zipper she couldn’t get it to zip. Only when Ian covered her hands did she stop.

“I’ll get it,” he said quietly, zipping it up. “I’ll carry it downstairs for you too. You need to talk to Liberty before you leave.”

Dang it, he was right. Nyx hadn’t been thinking about anyone else but herself. She couldn’t leave without giving Liberty a way to contact her or saying goodbye.

Downstairs she found Rory and Liberty in the kitchen—which was now free of all her destruction. Ian must have cleaned it up.

“You’re really leaving?” Liberty slid off the stool she was sitting on.

“Yeah, but I’m not going far.” She still had her place to go back to. The only reason she’d come here was because of her crazy family. Bo had insisted she stay with him since his place was safe, protected. Staying here wasn’t worth the pain. “I’ll leave my cell phone number. If you need anything, just call me. It doesn’t matter for what. Even just to hang out.” The little time she’d spent with the human, she found she really liked her.

Liberty nodded, but then jumped at a slamming sound.

Nyx turned to find Bo storming into the kitchen, looking pissed.
At her!

Just like that Ian, Rory and Liberty scattered.

“What you saw isn’t what you think,” he snarled, advancing on her before she could think about moving. He grasped her upper arm, not hard, but with enough pressure that she couldn’t tug away without hurting herself. He kept moving until she backed up against the kitchen counter with nowhere else to go.

Angry that he was trying to use his bigger size against her, she thumped him on the chest with one of her hands. “I didn’t see you kissing two
naked
females?”

“No! I kissed the top of their heads, yes—”

“While they were naked! In one of your private rooms!” She couldn’t stop yelling now if her life depended on it.

“Damn it, woman! Let me explain.” He leaned down, his amber eyes burning bright. “It was Janae and Myla—”

It was like a dagger pierced through her chest. Nyx genuinely liked the two females and as far as she knew they’d never slept with Bo. Until now.

“No! I can see what you’re thinking. I didn’t fuck them. I’ve never fucked them. Don’t even let your mind go there. I was headed out to catch a flight to London when one of my guys told me Myla was attacked. I was just checking on them. They were both crying so I hugged them, comforted them. That’s it.”

“Wait… London?”

“Yes, to drag you back home.”

Nyx felt some of her steam start to fade, but not much. She wasn’t sure she believed him. “How’d you even know I was there?”

He leaned closer so that their noses were almost touching. “Because from the moment you left I called in every favor I had to find you. Drake’s mother knew where your father was.”

Guilt suffused her as all of his words hit home. There was no way he could know where she’d been unless he was telling the truth. He would have definitely had to make a lot of calls to find out. Which meant he wouldn’t have had time to get naked with two females. And…he’d been completely dressed. She winced at the way she’d overreacted. He wasn’t lying and the way he’d been holding the females in the room hadn’t been exactly sexual. She’d just seen the naked skin and heard him murmuring and had sorta lost it. “You didn’t promise anything to anyone, did you?”

“No,” he gritted out. “Arya told Drake and Victoria… Shit, they were on their way to pick me up from the club.” Growling, he leaned back and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I’ve gotta tell V I left.”

“What?”

“Victoria and Drake were going to head to London with me in the Stavros pack’s private plane.”

Nyx swallowed hard, starting to feel really, really awful. He’d been trying to find her and she’d totally overreacted. “Is Myla okay?”

“Yeah, she’s okay. She and her mate are.”

She placed a tentative hand on his chest, wondering if he’d even accept her touch. She should have trusted him. “I’m sorry, Bo. I just saw…and I thought…” Ugh, she didn’t even want to say it.

“It fucking hurts me that you’d think that about me!” Now he was the one shouting, but there was such a raw vulnerability in his voice and on his face that it shredded her. “I would never cheat on you. I’d rather cut off a body part than touch another female like that.”

“I know. I should have trusted you more. I’m so sorry.” She let her hand drop as more panic assaulted her. What if she’d committed some relationship sin? What if he didn’t forgive her—

Bo’s mouth crushed over hers, hungry, demanding.

Nyx grabbed hold of his shoulders and leaned into the kiss. She knew they still needed to talk, should definitely talk…but he tasted so good, felt so good as she pressed her body against his.

His tongue teased against hers, the erotic little strokes making her melt against him. Still high on the emotions from earlier, she felt more than just relief that she didn’t have to leave, to walk away from Bo. She couldn’t even put into words the emotions racing through her right now. She was glad he wasn’t holding it against her that she’d freaked out.

Bo groaned into her mouth as he grabbed her by the hips. He pulled back, nipped her jaw a little harder than she’d expected. “You’re never fucking leaving me again.” The soft growl against her skin reverberated through her.

“No.”

“I love you,” he snapped out, the words giving her whiplash.

She froze, her fingers digging into his shoulders. Breathing hard, she looked at him, wondering if he’d just said it in the heat of the moment. “What?”

“I fucking love you.” The words were almost a snarl.

“Why do you sound angry about it?”

“It’s confusing! I never thought… I didn’t think I was capable of feeling this much for someone. I’m a half-demon! If I lose you…” Stark terror filled his gaze as he trailed off.

She cupped his cheeks hard. “I love you, Bo. And I’m not going anywhere.” Deep down she knew she could trust him. She
did
trust him. She’d worked with him for a little while now and she’d never had that reaction to seeing him with females hanging on him. But she’d been feeling raw after dealing with her father. Still, it wasn’t an excuse. “And I really am sorry I overreacted. I do trust you.” She planned on showing him, not just telling him.

His mouth was on hers again, energy humming through him as he held her tight to him.

Feeling frenzied with the need to have his skin against hers, she tore at his shirt, shoving it up until he thankfully took over. Some distant part of her brain told her to hold on, that they should go upstairs. But screw it.

The place was big and the others had fled the kitchen earlier. Nyx wasn’t waiting to have Bo. She felt a sort of mating heat she’d heard shifters talk about. The thought of anyone touching him made her crazy and the thought of him
not
being inside her made her equally so. Or maybe it was wishful thinking. Whatever it was, she felt positively crazed to feel him inside her, pushing deep, over and over.

She wanted him to claim her with an urgency she didn’t quite understand. Before his shirt had hit the ground, he grasped the hem of hers, had it pulled over her head.

“Upstairs or here?” he demanded, slicing her bra free with one of his talons.

She hadn’t even realized he could unsheathe them in his human form. Before she’d blinked, he’d retracted it. “Here.”

In response, he dipped a head to one of her breasts, sucked her nipple hard. Heat flooded between her thighs as he teased the hard bud with his tongue and teeth. Her clit pulsed as her nipples beaded even harder.

She grappled with his pants. This time was going to be hard and fast. He’d been so careful with her last night. Every time they’d come together she’d wondered if he’d been holding back. At least a little bit.

There was no room for that now.

His hands were all over her, stripping her down to nothing in seconds, before she’d managed to even get his pants off.

Breathing hard, he looked down at her, his expression harsh, hungry. “I want to mate with you.”

It didn’t come out as a question, but she saw it in his eyes. She didn’t know how half-demons mated though. Or if he just meant in the general sense. “Me too.” A small part of her wondered if it was too soon, but she knew herself, knew there wouldn’t be another male for her.

She felt Bo in her bones, in her blood.

“I have to mark you.” The words were a savage growl.

She just nodded. The most primal part of her wanted Bo’s mark on her, whatever it might be. She wanted the world to know he’d claimed her. “Do it.”

Before she realized what he intended he flipped her around, the threads of his control completely shredded away as he bent her over the counter. She felt exposed, a little vulnerable, but she knew Bo would never hurt her.

After today she realized that if she was all in, she
had
to trust him. Had to let stuff that didn’t matter go. The past didn’t matter, just the way he’d always treated her. From the very beginning. From the moment she’d walked into his club she’d felt that sizzling, instant attraction.

But it had blossomed into so much more. His protectiveness of her had been what had won her over. She’d never had anyone care about her the way he did.

She’d do anything for this male.

“You’re so fucking beautiful.” Again, his words were savage, as if they’d been ripped from him.

She loved that at his core he wasn’t polished, that everything was raw and primal. That was the way he made her feel, stripped down until he saw every part of her.

His chest pressed against her back as he held her against the counter, pinning her in place. Cool air rushed over her breasts. When he slid a hand around her middle, moved down, down… She sucked in a breath as he stroked his middle finger over her clit.

He’d learned her body so fast, knew how to make her crazy.

Right now she ached for him. She tried to push back against him, but he was immobile. Her inner walls ached, empty, needing to be filled by him. When she tried to move her hips again, he grabbed onto one, held her firm.

A shudder racked her, his display of domination waking up something inside her. Though she wanted to writhe against him, she stopped moving.

He nuzzled the side of her neck as he continued stroking her. The feel of his teeth oh-so-gently raking against her skin as his wicked finger pushed her closer and closer to climax had all the muscles in her body pulled taut.

“I’m close,” she rasped out even though she figured he already knew.