Protected Read online

  “All you have to do is say the word,” he whispered. Lowering his head, he kissed her unhurriedly, his lips moving lazily over hers. Then, slowly, he drew away. “We need to get a move on, Vivian. Preferably before I combust here on the sidewalk. God, I want to be inside of you.”

  She shuddered in reaction to his words. Licking her lips, she caught his gaze with hers. “So maybe we should stay at your hotel tonight and go to my place in the morning?” That quickly, she had changed her mind.

  As he nodded, his nose brushed hers, his breath passing over her lips for the briefest of moments before his forehead touched hers. “Let’s get up there sooner rather than later. I would really hate to get ourselves arrested for indecent exposure.” Another kiss, then another, before he drew back with a groan. “Room, now, quickly,” he told her, taking her hand firmly in his. With determined strides, he headed for the building.

  “Couldn’t agree more.” She went with him, her shorter legs moving rapidly beside his. She skipped a couple of times, and when they got into the elevator, she was laughing. As soon as the doors closed, she settled into his arms and was swept away in a kiss that made her toes curl.

  Her back hit the wall as his hands burrowed into her hair, and he pulled her head back for his kiss. A low growl vibrated from his body to hers, causing her desire to ramp up. His erection rubbed against her belly as he did a slow grind with his hips and devoured her mouth.

  Viv lifted her leg and wrapped it around his thigh. She found herself yanking his shirt from the waistband of his jeans. Her hands hit his back, and she dug her nails into his skin in a frenzy to have him closer.

  He growled louder as he sucked on her lower lip, tugging hard. Then a subtle bell sounded, and he turned his head. A moment later, his hands landed on her bottom and lifted her so that she could wrap her legs around his waist as he began to walk through the hall.

  Vivian moved her fingers up Jason’s back and let her nails rake along the smooth muscles there. She ground her hips against the hard length of his cock and moaned, her head falling back. “Oh God. Yesss.” The words came out as a hiss.

  He stumbled slightly. Then her back hit a hard surface. Jason was panting as he fumbled near her leg, likely in his pocket. Her guess was right when a beep sounded and the surface at her back began to move along with him. His mouth was back on hers as the door slammed shut.

  As soon as it closed behind them, Vivian tugged at Jason’s shirt, drawing back so she could push it off him, but stopped when he put his mouth back on hers. She relished the way that he devoured her.

  When he let her up for air, they were moving again. She didn’t know, or really care, where they were going at that point. Only the barest of impressions about the room broke through his quick movement through the space. The only thing that did catch her attention, moments before she felt it under her, was the very large bed.

  Vivian looked up at Jason and grinned. She wiggled then and pulled one of the decorative pillows from under her, tossing it to the side.

  He was staring down at her intently. “I really, really hate to mess up this moment, but we need to talk about something first. I want to do it now, in case you decide I’m crazy and you want to run out of here.”

  “Can we talk later?” Vivian asked and rose to a seated position. She reached out and put her hand on his chest, stroking her fingers over it, then frowning. Cocking her head to the side, she put her hand over one spot and asked, “Why is just this one area hot?”

  Jason let out a breath and, reaching over his head, yanked his shirt up and off. As soon as he did, she could see the heavy scarring on his side that presumably wrapped around to his back. “Everything I’m about to tell you is the truth. You likely won’t believe me. You may run out of here screaming for the police. I won’t blame you if you do.

  “The reason that spot is warmer than normal is because the medallion that rests there is warming up. It senses you, my soul mate, close to it, and our emotions, which turn it into a sort of tuning fork. Kind of.” He shook his head and waved it off. “I was killed when a boat, my damn boat, actually, collapsed on top of me and crushed me to death. Someone got me free, put the medallion in place, and resurrected me. Around twenty-four hundred odd years ago.”

  “What?” Viv put her back to the headboard, watching him. “What do you mean?” She felt the bubble of protection rise up around her, something that was instinctive when she thought there might be danger. “I don’t understand. No one can be that old.” She gulped in fear.

  “I’ve walked the earth for a little over two millennia, Vivian. The man who found me, pulled me out from the wreckage, and gave me a new life and purpose is named Mercury. He was tasked by a goddess who has many names, to fight the rising darkness. We call them monsters, the evil ones. Like the goddess, they have many names, but unlike her, they are pure evil.

  “Everything they do, every life they take, is for the sole purpose of feeding their dark lord and bringing the earth one step closer to being overrun by true evil the likes of which the human race has never before seen. One they could never survive. There are pure souls out there, ones that are neither good nor evil, that we search for. We call them the vestal virgins, or VV’s for short. They have unique abilities, gifts, which they can use to help our fight, if they so choose, or can be used to further the path of the darkness.

  “You’re one of these vestal virgins, Vivian. You’re a descendant of a god, or goddess, somewhere way back in your lineage.” Jason reached out to the bubble around her, gently pushing until his hand slid through. He turned it palm up. “I would never hurt you, Vivian, but there are those out there that will.”

  No one had ever been able to get through her shield before. She found herself moving and putting her hand into his. “I believe you.” Oddly enough, she did. She believed in him. She trusted him, and she wanted more with him. She stroked her thumb over his skin and shook her head. She let the shield drop and added, “You look good for your age, by the way.” God, am I willing to trust him?

  But as soon as she asked herself that question, she knew the answer. She was more than willing to trust him, because she knew that there was more out there than could be explained.

  He gave her a small smile and shrugged. “The medallion keeps me looking as I did when I died. Well, except for a couple additional scars I’ve managed to pick up over the years.” His fingers closed over hers, but he didn’t pull. He just held them in a light hold she could leave at any time.

  “James and I are both here because Mercury, our boss for all intents and purposes, believed the murders were committed by the evil ones. They like going after pure souls, ones that are ripe with new beginnings and yet easily swayed. Anyone in their late teens and twenties are prime targets. Before they’ve learned some hard life lessons that make them wary of offers too good to be true. If the evil ones can get them at the perfect time and have them do something to tip the balance, then kill them, it’s an additional soul to feed their lord.”

  “That’s it.” She sat up, the names—and faces—of the victims clicking into place. “That’s what’s been bugging me.” She moved and tossed her arms around him, hugging him tight. “The people who’ve been killed. You made it click.” She put her hands on his cheeks and leaned back. “They all belong to the same support group.”

  Then she paled. “Shit. Fia is a member of that group, too.” She saw the questions in his eyes and licked her lips. “VA. There are eleven of them total.” She dropped her voice to a whisper and added, “Virgins Anonymous. They all support each other in a day and age where sex is all around us. All of them decided that they wanted to give that special part of themselves to the person that they were meant to be with forever. A while back, Sophia dragged me to one of the meetings. I’m not a virgin, but she’d just started going, and I wanted to support her.”

  Jason seemed to process the information, then frowned. “One or more of them could be a vestal virgin, Vivian. You need to get word to your sister. H
ave her warn them that a killer is on the loose, looking specifically for virgins. It’s not the whole truth, but it’s the most believable. Have her get them to suspend all meetings for the time being. A couple of weeks, at least.

  “Warn them all that they may already be targeted, that they need to stay in groups as much as possible, especially after dark. In daylight it’s not so important, but they shouldn’t take alleyways or any shortcut where there aren’t a lot of people. Can you do that?”

  She nodded, immediately going to retrieve her cell phone. When three calls to her sister went to voice mail, she groaned in frustration. “I can’t reach her,” she said, fear now living inside of her. “There isn’t a phone at the residence, and she isn’t answering her cell. I love her like crazy, but when she starts painting, she ignores everything else. Her phone’s probably at the bottom of her purse or shoved into a drawer right now.” She felt a little panicked. “I have to go there. The ferry starts to run again at five a.m. and I have to go.”

  She already mourned the loss of Jason. “And the group—I know they meet once a month. I … I think they’re supposed to meet next week. They don’t keep names or whatever. At least, they didn’t make anyone write down their names when I went to that meeting with Fia, so I don’t know,” she said, worry making her repeat herself.

  “I’ll take you,” he said. “I don’t want you going alone, not now that I’ve found you.” He slid his arms around her, pulling her to him as he pressed his forehead to hers. “We should sleep. We’ll get to the ferry in time, I promise. I’ll alert James, because I want to take him as well. I’m hoping we won’t need the backup, but I’d rather have it.”

  Vivian nodded. She wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I feel bad because … I wanted to do more with you than sleep.” And she never just jumped into bed with people. Ever. “So, what do you mean, ‘now that you’ve found me’?” She wanted to hear it again, that he needed her in his life as much as she felt she needed him in hers.

  “You’re my soul mate. The medallion heating, the intense need we feel … all signs that you’re mine. I’ve been looking for you for a long, long time, Vivian. Where you go, I go. Period.” A finger under her chin tipped her face up for his kiss. “I’m going to make love to you, soon. But first things first, we need to make sure your sister is safe and see if we can’t warn the other members of her group. Then, you and me, somewhere nice and private and absolutely no fucking clothing between us for hours, maybe even days on end.”

  That had Viv shivering. She licked her lips. “We’ll order food in to be delivered. We’ll just have each other.” She moved so that she was tucked in nice and close to him, her ear against his chest, the beating of his heart a comforting sound. “I think I could see myself falling in love with you one day,” she admitted.

  He gave her a squeeze, and she felt his chin come to rest on her hair. “I think I’m already in love with you,” he said softly. A small ripple went through him before he gave her another quick squeeze. “We should clean up and get to bed. We only have a little over four hours before we need to leave for the ferry. Grab one of my shirts to sleep in, if you want. There’s a couple spare toothbrushes in the bathroom. I need to call James.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t want to move, though. She wanted to stay where she was. “Or we could just both strip naked and sleep in each other’s arms, skin to skin?”

  Jason rubbed a hand over her back. “However you want, Vivian. As long as you’re comfortable, that’s what matters most to me.”

  She nodded. “If we aren’t able to do anything else, I want this at least. Even though I know there’ll be plenty of time later—” She paused, then frowned and asked, “What about when I get old? Will you keep going without me? How does that work? I don’t have a medallion, so I’ll grow old and die, right?”

  “No, your life will tie to mine,” he said. “When we’re together the first time, we’ll bond. A thread that already ties us together will get stronger, thicker, and your life will entwine with my own. However long I live, so will you, as you are at the exact moment we are first intimate.”

  She had no idea how she felt about living that long, but Vivian nodded, not stopping to analyze the relief that coursed through her at his words. She wanted to know more about the connection and was curious if he had an ability like she did. She wondered if he could shield, too, or if he was like Fia and nature bent to his will.

  “Okay. Go do whatever you need to,” she finally said, forcing herself to concentrate on the situation at hand.

  “I’ll make that call to James. I don’t think you’ll want to hear most of his language. He tends to get pissy when I interrupt his time with the fairer sex. It’ll only take a couple of minutes, but it’s best not to burn your tender ears.” With a kiss to her cheek, he helped her off his lap. “Be quick. I’ll be waiting for you when you come out.”

  “You had better be,” Vivian teased him and all but raced for the bathroom. Once the door closed behind her, she looked at herself in the mirror and shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was doing this. She had never been so impulsive. But she believed everything he said, because she felt in the pit of her very soul that he was being completely honest with her. He was telling her the truth and that was both terrifying and exciting in the same breath.

  After she did her business, she brushed her teeth, then walked back out to the bedroom, wrapped only in the robe that the hotel supplied. “Your turn.”

  Nodding to her, he rolled his eyes as he spoke into his phone. “Yes, you have until four. After that, I expect you to be dressed and ready to move. Good, I’ll see you then.” He hung up and tossed the cell onto a duffel bag on the floor. To her, he said, “Two minutes, and I’ll expect to see you in bed, without the robe.” He brushed his fingers over her cheek as he went past her into the bathroom, shutting the door to cut off her ogling of his behind.

  Vivian shook her head but dropped the robe and climbed up into the middle of the mattress, naked as the day she was born. Pulling the blanket up and over her, she turned to watch the bathroom door and wait for him to come out.

  True to his word, two minutes later he stepped out, shutting the light off in the room behind him and striding toward her. He was completely, utterly naked. Dropping his clothing to the duffel, he kept moving, not pausing even when he got to the bed. Instead he crawled right up to her. “You’re staring,” he said, a smile on his face as he watched her.

  “How can I not?” She licked her lips. “You are—” She couldn’t describe just how amazing he looked. He had scars that crisscrossed his body, and they looked ancient, but it was him. He was tall, with dark hair and eyes, yet his attraction was more than physical. It was in the way he looked at her that had her pussy creaming for him. “Wow.”

  “Hardly, but thank you for the overly generous compliment.” He reached out and yanked on the blanket. She had a death grip on it. “I think it’s only fair that I get to look at you, too. Especially since I have an internal bet going on with myself that I have to know the answer to before I can sleep.” He gave another light tug.

  “And what would that bet be?” She sat up, pushing the bedding down to her feet and holding her hand out to him.

  Typically, she felt very shy about baring her body, but this time she couldn’t, not with him looking at her like he was. She wanted him to touch every single inch of her skin, and even though she was terrified for her sister, she wanted him now. She had to trust that Fia would be safe, that if anything, nature would protect her. And there was nothing Vivian could do until she got to the island. So why shouldn’t this moment be for her and Jason? “Well, come on. What’s your bet about?”

  “Freckles, mainly, and you do have them,” he said. He traced a finger over her chest. “They’re even lighter than the ones on your face, but they’re there. The other one was…” Jason sat back a little and chuckled. “Well, that answers that.” Still laughing softly, he moved so he was nex
t to her and slid under the blankets.

  She pulled the covers up and around her shoulders, moving so that she could put her leg over his and rest her head on his upper body. “Okay, what was the other question?” she asked, rubbing her cheek over his skin and closing her eyes, her arm wrapped around his middle.

  He drew her in closer, his other hand landing on her hip. “Whether you were au natural, trimmed, shaved, or bare. I was wavering between trimmed and bare. I like that you get waxed, though. Will make it very enjoyable when I finally get my mouth on you like I’ve been fantasizing about.”

  Vivian shivered, loving the way that sounded. “I … I’ve been bare like this for years. I did it at first just to say ‘this is me,’ but then I continued to do it because I like it. It’s not that enjoyable when you get waxed, but at least you only have to do it every six weeks or so, so that’s a good thing.” She pressed a kiss to his chest and hugged him again. “I’m glad you like it,” she added very softly.

  He was silent for a moment. “Vivian, I should warn you now—I’m very dominant in bed. I don’t mind letting go, now and then, but for the most part I have to be in full control. With my training, it’s necessary, but I know that not all women are able or willing to be submissive.”

  Heat crept into Viv’s cheeks, and she didn’t turn her face up to him. Instead she whispered into his skin, “I’ve only had a couple of lovers before you. The ones that I had never felt right because I’m not overly dominant in bed. I think I’ve waited for someone to come into my life, for you to come into my life, to take control of our loving. I think … I’ve been waiting to become someone’s submissive and just didn’t know it.”

  “We’re made for one another,” he said quietly. “We each bring something to the relationship that’s unique to us, that the other doesn’t have. It’s the way it should be. Everything has to be in perfect balance for the connection to work as it should. I’m not saying we won’t have to work at it … we will, until we find the balance that works best for us.