I worked her through it, my fingers gentling as the aftershocks subsided. When she finally went limp against me, I withdrew my hand and brought my fingers to my mouth.
Her eyes widened as I licked them clean.
"Delicious," I murmured.
For a long moment, we just stared at each other, both breathing hard. Then reality seemed to crash back in and I watched the panic start to creep into her expression.
"Don't," I said softly. "Don't run from this."
"Jaxon, I..." She shook her head. "This was a mistake."
"No, it wasn't." I cupped her face, forcing her to look at me. "This was twelve years overdue. And it's happening again. Soon."
Her eyes widened. "We can't..."
"We can. We will." I kissed her forehead. "But not tonight. Tonight, I'm taking you home."
I helped her fix her jeans, my hands gentle now. Then I led her back to the motorcycle, ignoring the way she was still trembling.
This time when she climbed on behind me, she held on even tighter.
And when I dropped her off at her apartment complex an hour later, I made sure she knew I wasn't done with her.
Not even close.
5
REINA
Iwoke up on fire.
Not metaphorically. My skin was actually burning, sheets soaked with sweat, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. For a disoriented second, I couldn't remember where I was.
Then it all came crashing back.
Jaxon.
The motorcycle. The alley behind the ice cream shop. His fingers inside me while I screamed his name into leather.
Oh God!
I sat up too fast and immediately regretted it. The room spun, my stomach lurching. I barely made it to the bathroom before I was on my knees, emptying what little was in my stomach into the toilet.
When the heaving finally stopped, I slumped against the cool tile and tried to breathe.
This was bad.
My hand went automatically to my hip, checking for the suppressant patch. Still there. I'd replaced it last night beforebed, added an extra one for good measure. Two patches plus the emergency pills I'd taken.
None of it was working.
I could smell myself, my scent pouring out uncontrolled. Lilies and cinnamon so thick it was almost visible in the air. And underneath it, something else. Something that made my skin crawl with need.
Pre-heat!
I hadn't had a heat in twelve years. The suppressants had kept them completely at bay, turned my body into something manageable and safe. But now my body was rejecting everything, purging twelve years of chemicals in one violent revolt.
I crawled to the sink and splashed cold water on my face. My reflection stared back at me, pale and wild-eyed. My pupils were blown wide, my lips swollen from Jaxon's kisses. I could still smell him on my skin. Smoke and metal and pine.
