The Renegade Hunter (21 page)

"What is it?" Jo asked, and tilted her head back to peer at him.

Nicholas lifted his head, pausing when he noted the glossy sheen on her hair.

Withdrawing one arm from around her

waist, he brushed a hand over the tightly bound strands, his fingers coming away greasy. Raising his hand, he sniffed at the oily liquid, and then glanced to her face, his eyebrows rising when he saw some on her cheek as well.

"What is it?" Jo asked again, frowning at the liquid he'd removed from her hair.

"Motor oil," Nicholas said wryly. "You must have got it on you when you were rolling around in the back of the van. It's old so I bought a bottle of oil in case..." His words died off as Jo stepped away from him to raise her hands to feel her hair. His gaze then dropped over the rest of her and he grimaced. She had it all over her. The bottle must have opened.

The back of the van was probably covered with it now too. It looked like she'd rolled in it.

"Ew," Jo muttered, glancing down and catching sight of what he had.

Sighing, she let her hands drop from her hair and

moved past him. "I'm going to shower and find something less 'car mechanic' to wear. I'll be quick. You heat yourself some pizza and open the wine, I'll be right back."

Nicholas turned to watch her go, telling himself he'd best get used to it. He suspected soon she'd be walking away and not returning. When Jo disappeared from view, Nicholas turned to collect two plates and a couple of wineglasses. He set them on the counter and then moved to the wine rack to consider the selection as he heard a door close somewhere in the bowels of the apartment. It was followed by the muffled sound of running water that sounded far away, and Nicholas wondered where the bathroom was, and then frowned as he realized he hadn't seen anything of the apartment other than the kitchen.

Deciding it was in his best interests to check out the rest of the place and all the exits in case of problems, Nicholas turned from the wine rack to do a quick exploration. He passed back out into the hall, and then walked through the living room, noting the black leather and chrome furniture, and state-oftheart entertainment system before continuing on into a hallway that had three doors off it. One door was closed, the sound of rushing water coming from beyond it.

The bathroom, obviously, Nicholas thought, and forced away the sudden image in his mind of Jo stripping her clothes and stepping under a steaming spray. It wasn't an easy task, mostly because he was enjoying the vision. Of course, he'd prefer the reality, but that was definitely out of the question. Jo would take her shower, he would let her eat and then tell her what he'd done to make himself a rogue, and quickly return her to the enforcer house when she requested it.

Nicholas had no doubt she would.

Pushing that thought away as firmly as he had the image of Jo showering, Nicholas glanced into the first open door, and then flipped the light switch on. The room had been set up as an office with a desk, an expensive leather chair, and shelf after shelf of books, most of them legal in nature. He flipped off the light and moved on to the next room. This light was already on and the closet doors open to reveal the first signs that Sam had actually moved out. The closet held only a few items of clothing, what he suspected were rejects left behind when she'd taken the rest of her clothes. Hopefully Jo would be able to find something among them to replace her own oil-stained clothes.

His gaze slid to the bed next, taking in the voluptuous red satin comforter and arrangement of pillows on it. For one moment Nicholas envisioned Jo lying on that bed, her naked body pale against all that deep, rich red, and then he forced himself to look away and moved back out of the room to retrace his steps back to the kitchen.

Nicholas had reached the wine rack when the sound of the shower died. He glanced toward the door, but then forced his eyes back to the wine to consider the selection, eyebrows rising as he noted the bottles with little blue penguins on them.

For some reason it made him smile. His gaze slid over the other bottles, but then returned to the penguins, and he picked one of those. It had been fifty years since he'd had wine and he had no idea what was considered good, but three out of the six bottles bore the penguins and suggested it was a house favorite.

Taking the bottle, he crossed back to the counter, found an opener and quickly uncorked it and set it aside to breathe as he opened the pizza box.

Nicholas had two slices on a plate ready to go in the microwave-whatever that was-and was pouring wine into the glasses when Jo padded back into the kitchen. Setting down the bottle, he glanced over his shoulder and then turned and simply watched as Jo crossed the room toward him. Her feet were bare, her hair damp, and her face completely lacking makeup.

She would have looked about twelve were she not wearing a sleek, red silk robe that clung in spots where she'd still been damp when she'd donned it, emphasizing that her figure was a woman's.

"It's the only thing Sam left behind that will fit," Jo said wryly as she reached the counter. "She's as skinny as a rail. So I threw my clothes in the wash and this will have to do until they're dry."

"It's lovely," Nicholas said, frowning when he heard how husky his voice was. Clearing his throat, he picked up one of the glasses of wine and held it out to her.

"Mmm, Little Penguin," she said, glancing at the bottle on the counter as she accepted the glass. "It's my favorite among the not ridiculously expensive wines. Sam's too."

"That explains the three bottles then," Nicholas said with amusement.

Jo smiled and took a sip as she moved around him to the microwave. She opened the door, grabbed the plate of pizza, and placed it inside.

Nicholas watched as she started hitting buttons, but knew he'd never be able to replicate the action himself. It seemed if he was going to be eating again, he had some things to learn. Though it was possible his desire to eat would disappear once Jo was out of his life as it had when his first life mate, Annie, had died.

Swallowing at the painful thought, Nicholas turned and picked up the other wineglass to take a drink. Losing Annie had been hard, but he knew losing Jo would be harder. She wouldn't be dead, but simply beyond his reach. He would forever be the poor and hungry young lad peering at the fine cake in the shop window, able to see the sweet that lay beyond, but never to touch or taste it.

"A couple minutes and we can eat," Jo announced, turning toward him as the microwave began to hum. "Do you want to eat at the table or in the living room?"

Nicholas stared down at her silently, watching her drink from her glass.

When she lowered it, her lips were wet and a

drop of the red liquid remained on her lower lip, just one drop of the smooth wine, trembling there, but it fascinated him.

Nicholas couldn't seem to tear his eyes away, and then it began to roll off and her tongue slid out to catch it and he growled, "The table."

"Okay," Jo murmured. "Well-"

Whatever she'd been about to say died and her eyes widened in surprise as he suddenly took her wineglass and turned to set it on the counter with his own. Nicholas then turned back, scooped her up, and carried her to the table. Her eyes were wide and questioning when he sat her there.

"What are we doing?" Jo asked uncertainly, but he knew she had a good idea of what he was up to. He could smell the excitement coming off her and could see her nipples beginning to grow and harden to press against the silk of her robe.

Nicholas raised a hand to lightly brush one finger over the pebbling nipple through the silk and growled, "I'm hungry."

"Oh," she breathed.

Nicholas smiled and raised the finger to run it over her lips, feeling how soft and giving they were. He then let it trail to her throat, and finally down to follow the collar of her robe. Jo shivered as his finger slid along the neckline, cresting the

curve of her breast, and then he suddenly changed direction, moving to the side and pushing the cloth before it until he exposed her breast.

Jo's breathing had become low and fast, but stopped altogether when he paused to run his finger lightly around the nipple he'd exposed. He knew she was excited, her response was hitting him too, and he felt it shoot upward in strength as his finger followed the circle around the pale rose areola, lightly brushing the outside of the darker nipple as it went.

"Nicholas," she half breathed and half moaned.

Smiling, he bent his head to rasp his tongue over the erect tip. The shiver that caused in her rolled down his own back as well and made him close his lips over the nipple and draw on it lightly, and then more urgently as their mutual excitement grew and reverberated between them. This was another sign of a life mate-shared pleasure, his feeling hers and her feeling his. The first time he'd taken her in the hotel, Nicholas hadn't gotten the chance to enjoy this. Wound up as they'd been from the shared dream, their first time had been a blur of need and urgency driving them on, but this time he intended to enjoy this aspect of their relationship, he decided, and released her breast to straighten abruptly.

Jo blinked her eyes open and gasped as he suddenly tugged her robe completely open, revealing all of her to him.

Nicholas met her gaze, watching her as he clasped her knees and drew them apart so he could step between them. He then slid his hands around her back and lifted her, forcing her to arch upward so he could merely bend his head and lave first one nipple and then turned his head to do the same to the other. Jo clutched at his shoulders, her head dropping back on a moan as he licked, nipped, and suckled her, sending wave after wave of need and excitement coursing through them both.

"Nicholas, please," she moaned, wrapping her legs around his and pulling him tight against her, but he knew this might be his last chance to be with her and he wanted it to last. He wanted it to be something he could remember on all those long, lonely nights ahead.

Reaching up, Nicholas caught her hands in his and pulled them away from his shoulders as he pressed her back on the

table with his own body. Holding her down, he then released the nipple from his mouth and ran his mouth down over her stomach, pausing to dip his tongue into her belly button. She smelled of oranges. Obviously it was a result of the soap she'd used in the shower, but Nicholas couldn't resist licking and nibbling her sensitive skin, making it jump and tremble as he moved lower to trail his mouth along her hip bone.

Jo was gasping and panting now, her body trembling and her nails biting painfully into his hands as she held on to the hands holding hers. But Nicholas hardly felt the nip of her nails, his own body was awash with the same mounting excitement she was experiencing... but it wasn't enough. Hooking the nearest chair with his foot, he drew it behind him, and dropped to sit on it. Nicholas then released her hands, spread her legs wider, and drew her forward to make a meal of her.

Jo screamed, her hips bucking on the table as Nicholas buried his face between her legs as if she were a slice of melon.

She felt his tongue rasp over her sensitive core, and then closed her eyes and gasped for breath as he proceeded to drive her crazy. Her body was suddenly as taut as a bow string, her muscles straining toward the satisfaction he promised, and her brain was hit with wave after rebounding wave of pleasure that seemed magnified with each rush and soon became almost unbearable.

Either she would find that satisfaction or she would explode into a million pieces, Jo thought dazedly, grabbing at the table edges and squeezing until it hurt. Just when she thought it would be the second option and that her mind would shatter under the pressure, Nicholas suddenly rose up between her legs. She blinked her eyes open to see that while he was still fully dressed, his jeans were open. She closed her eyes again on a moan when he caught her by the hips, drew her forward, and finally thrust himself into her.

Nicholas froze then, and Jo forced her eyes open to see that his own eyes had closed. His face was a portrait of what appeared to be pleasure-pain. Jo waited a heartbeat and then clasped her legs around his and sat up on the table to touch his cheek.

When his eyes blinked open in surprise, Jo whispered, "I'm hungry too," and then kissed him, her hips shifting against him in demand. A sigh slid from his mouth to hers and then Nicholas began to kiss her, his arms enveloping her and his hips beginning to move, withdrawing and then thrusting into her again and again until the world shattered around them and they fell into the gentle darkness waiting for them.

Jo woke up to find herself splayed on the table like some sort of human sacrifice. Her body was sated but a bit chill, her legs were hanging off the table, dangling in the air, and Nicholas was nowhere in sight. Frowning, she sat up, drawing the robe around her as she did, and started to slip off the table, nearly stepping on Nicholas. Pausing abruptly, she teetered on the edge of the table and gaped at the man lying slumped on the floor at her feet.

"Nicholas?" she said with alarm, and managed to drop to the cool tile surface without stepping on him. Jo then knelt at his side and reached for his face. The moment her palm touched his cheek, Nicholas rolled over, his eyes opening.

"Oh, hello," he mumbled sleepily, reaching for her head and drawing her down as if to kiss her, but Jo resisted.

Pressing against his chest, she took in his eyes and coloring, trying to see what had happened to put him on the floor.

"What happened? Are you all right?"

Nicholas chuckled at her concern and sat up. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips before shifting to get to his feet and drew her up with him.

"Maybe you shouldn't get up," Jo said fretfully as they straightened. "You seemed to have passed out or something and-"

"I'm fine," he interrupted her soothingly. "I just fainted."

"Fainted?" she asked with dismay, clutching at his hands. "Are you short of blood or something? Do you need to feed?

We can-"