Determined to stick with my plan, I smiled. “Why don’t you join me?” Distance, Ellie. Remember, keep it just physical. “There’s just something about a naked man in the morning that sets me off. Especially when he’s wet.”
He said nothing as his gaze drifted over me. His erection spoke for him.
Then he sighed. “I’d like to withhold sex to get you to tell me what’s wrong. But I have no self-control when it comes to you.” He stepped into the shower, closed the curtain behind him, and pressed me against the shower wall. “We’ll talk later, baby. You can count on it.”
Before I could protest his high-handedness, his lips found mine. Like a switch, my mind shut down as feeling erupted within me, bypassing my hardening heart.
Chapter 10
Cadmus
I stared at the taillights of Ellie’s car through the window of her living room. She could say what she wanted, but the stubborn woman was running away. I curled my fist and forcibly withdrew the energy suddenly shaking the small apartment.
Breathing deeply, I retreated into myself, trying to understand how the best sex of my life had ended so badly.
Last night had been a dream come true. I’d finally had Ellie Markham in my arms, where she belonged. Waking up to find her wrapped around me in bed, I’d been helpless to deny taking her all over again. Like a fever heating my blood, she made me burn. Echoes of discord faded when I held her close, joining her in incredible climax.
But when she’d shot out of bed, leaving me alone and wanting, I’d known she hadn’t felt the same peace I had. What had I done to put that distress in her eyes? I knew for a fact she’d felt the same desire, the same rapture I had. Ellie was not a quiet lover. I liked the passion within my lovely Djinn. But recalling her wounded look in the shower, my enthusiasm dimmed.
Hurt and worried that I’d ruined something beautiful between us without knowing what I’d done, I sought refuge in anger. Trust a woman to muck up outstanding sex. No doubt Ellie was throwing conspiracies and evil motives my way. As if making love to the most desirable woman I’d ever met was a means to some nefarious end.
Did she really intend to visit her mother this morning, or had she lied to escape me? I swore and ran my fingers through my damp hair then dressed in rumpled jeans and an Outpour T-shirt. After making a pot of coffee, I stepped out onto her small balcony and inhaled the rich scent of earth, thriving pansies and burgeoning bulbs beginning to prosper in Seattle’s rich soil.
A faint vibration shook the air, an arch of danger mixing with a spreading Darkness I recognized. I turned around to see Jonas suddenly appear in the middle of Ellie’s living room.
“Ever heard of knocking?”
Jonas scowled. “Made yourself right at home, I see.”
The Djinn wore a dark brown vest and trousers, his powerful build showcased by the formfitting clothing. Deep gouges marred his left shoulder, a smattering of blood covered his temple, and a bruise lingered at the edge of his mouth.
“Been brawling again?”
“The wraiths really don’t like you Storm Lords. Or anyone bent on helping you.”
“Why are you helping us?” I watched Jonas like a hawk. “You’ve been feeding me that ‘it’s best for everyone’ crap for over a month. Tell me the truth, Jonas.” A sudden vision hit me as I stared at the Djinn. But unlike the other visions I’d had, this one brought no pain, only confusing possibilities.
The Djinn in Tanselm. Dark brethren grouping in what looked like the northern lands. Someone spoke to the gathering, where Light Bringers and Djinn stood together, uneasy, yet…accepting?
Lightning flashed, and Sin Garu appeared. His mouth gaped wide, sharp teeth and curled talons threatening as he flew over an Ellie I had never seen before. A woman with a queen’s bearing, wearing flowing robes of brown, who suddenly flamed in truth.
I rubbed my temples.
Jonas poked me in the shoulder. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing, hmm?”
“Just a headache from trying to figure out what the hell you’re doing here so soon on the heels of Ethim il Ruethe’s visit.”
Jonas stilled. “Ethim was here? When?”
“Last night.” I watched Jonas puzzle over the matter. “Problem?”
“No. What did he say, exactly?”
Perhaps Jonas could shed some light on Ellie’s strained relationship with her father. “He seemed to want to help Ellie with some problems concerning her schooling. But she didn’t look happy to see him.”
