Midnight Sins

Chapter 6

He was watching her again.

That night, Cara stood on the stage, feeling the swirls of magic and power around her. Desire beat in time with the music of the band. Driving higher and higher in the crowd, and in her own body.

Todd was in Paradise. She hadn’t looked at him yet, but she could feel his dark gaze on her body and pleasure filled her.

He’d come for her.

Slowly, she began to shift her attention around the room. Singing softly, the blues carried in the air as she voiced the old lyrics.

There. He was at the bar. Staring up at her. Face hard. One hand wrapped around a shot glass. He was dressed casually, in a pair of jeans and a button-up shirt.

She wanted him naked.

She was tired of pretending to be good.

Tired of fighting the need and hunger.

No more.

Giving up sex just really hadn’t worked out so well for her. One temptation, one very strong temptation, and she’d been screwed.

The song finished on a long, deep note. She drank in the energy, inhaling deeply as she bowed briefly to the crowd.

Not enough. Tonight she needed so much more.

And she’d have it.

She replaced the microphone. Nodded to the band. Moved easily across the stage, her skirt swirling around the top of her thighs as she walked. When she lifted her hand to the stair railing, she saw the faint glow on her skin. She wondered if Todd would notice it. Hoped that he didn’t, because she didn’t want to give explanations this night.

She just wanted to give pleasure—and take her own.

She felt other stares on her as she sauntered across the room. One man even reached out and touched her shoulder, but Cara froze him with a look.

There was only one guy in the bar who interested her, and he was the one she was going to claim.

Todd’s gaze never left her as she drew closer. He lifted the whiskey. Drained it in one fast gulp right before she reached him. The glass clattered against the bar.

“Hello, Detective.” She thought about asking him how the case was going. She’d heard talk in the bar about a body being found at the Dayton Hotel. She wondered if the murder was connected to the others.

“Cara.”

It was the way he said her name that got to her. Hunger. Lust. Tenderness.

She decided not to ask about the case. She didn’t want to hear about another poor soul who had been killed, not then. She wanted the few hours of the remaining night to belong only to the two of them.

These precious hours just after midnight. Playtime for the Other.

“You were good tonight.”

She motioned for Cameron to bring her usual drink. The sweet, ice-cold brew that she sipped after each performance. “Thanks.” Tonight, she’d been singing just for him. Had he noticed?

Cameron put the drink on the bar. Narrowed his eyes on her. Screw him. She neither wanted nor needed his approval. Hell, she never gave him a hard time when he hooked up with human women.

Cameron’s lips tightened when he caught her cold stare, but then he backed away. “Your choice.” The words were whisper soft.

“Thanks, Cameron.” And, yeah, it was her choice.

Or rather, Todd was her choice.

Cara leaned over the good detective, deliberately rubbing her body against his as she reached for her drink. She liked the way he smelled . The fresh scent of soap. A hint of aftershave. Man.

“We need to talk,” he told her, and his voice was harder than before. His hands lifted, caught her just above her elbows.

She took one slow sip from her drink. The icy liquid eased down her throat. Cara licked her lips and noticed the slight widening of his nostrils. He was catching her pheromones again. He knew the scent was richer, knew something was happening. She could see it in his eyes.

See the same hard lust she felt.

“We are talking,” she told him, wondering what his next move would be. She was putting on a bold front with him now, but the truth was, she was nervous as hell inside. If she had sex with him, if she gave in to her instincts, it wouldn’t just be about fun and games and a rush of sweet, sensual power.

You have a man you can’t control. Dr. Drake’s words echoed in her mind.

“You’re different tonight.” His hold tightened.

Yes. “Why did you come back, Detective?”

“Todd.” A pause. “I like it when you say my name.”

A costly admission. It gave her more power. He should know that. “Todd.” She obliged him softly. “Why are you here?”

“Maybe I like the band.” His lips hitched into the briefest of smiles and that sexy dimple winked at her. “Or maybe it’s the singer.”

Oh, but the guy was smooth. Humans were often so gifted with their words. Especially the men.

She’d known human men who could lie their way into almost anyone’s bed. But—

But Cara didn’t get the feeling that Todd was lying to her. She took another sip of her drink, conscious of the warm weight of his hands on her arms. She wanted those hands on other parts of her body. She wanted them out of the bar and back at her place.

She wanted Todd any way she could get him.

Cara lifted a brow. “So what is it that you want to talk to me about?” She could hear him easily in the bar, even though voices and music surrounded them.

He brought his face close to hers. Stared into her eyes and said, “My dreams, Cara. I want to tell you all about my dreams.”

The glass nearly slipped from her fingers. “Dreams?” He remembered them?

Men weren’t supposed to remember dreams of a succubus. Pleasure, passion—those were the only impressions meant to stay in a man’s mind. The succubus herself, well, she should be forgotten.

“You’ve been in my head,” he said. “Awake, asleep, I just can’t escape you.”

And she couldn’t escape him. “Do you want to escape?”

He brought his lips down onto hers. Kissed her once. A slow, leisurely taste of her lips, then a deep thrust of his tongue into her mouth. The human sure knew how to work his tongue.

When his mouth lifted, she wanted to moan at the loss.

“No.”

At first, she didn’t understand. Was he rejecting her? Then he said, “I don’t want to get away from you.” His eyes narrowed. “I just want you.”

“Do you usually get what you want?” She bet that he did.

“Sometimes I do.” For a moment, his lips tightened. “Sometimes I don’t. Guess that’s the way it is for us all, right?”

The way for humans.

“We can play the game, Cara,” he told her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms in a rough caress. “I can be the gentleman. Take you out on a dates. Movies. Theater. Whatever you want.”

He was what she wanted. The lust between them burned too bright for a slow courtship. She needed release. Pleasure.

Him.

Was it because he was a sensitive? Was he somehow magnifying the feelings of desire? It could be possible. Human psychics were rare. She’d only encountered a handful of others. Dr. Drake was by far the strongest she’d ever met.

Todd was strong, too, but his power was different.

Maybe because he didn’t even realize he had it. If he channeled his magic—

Well, she wasn’t exactly certain what would happen.

Her gaze dropped to the hands that still held her. She lifted a brow.

With a muttered curse, he released her.

Able to move more easily now, she pushed her glass back across the bar. Gave an almost imperceptible nod to Cameron. Despite his pissy mood, she’d managed to grill him about the detective earlier in the evening. Grudgingly, Cameron had admitted that the cop was known for being on the level. Not one to take a bribe or to “misplace” evidence. And, apparently, if the gossip around town was anything to go by, Todd had quite a reputation with the ladies. Not that she’d been particularly surprised by that news.

Cameron had also said the guy was a straight-up asshole, but Cam usually said that about human males.

Judging by Cam’s continued glare, she figured he was clinging tightly to his asshole theory.

“I’ve never really had much use for gentlemen,” Cara murmured, and the words were true. Of course, she hadn’t really met that many gentlemen.

“So what do you want?”

She leaned toward him. Put her hand on his chest so that she could feel the fast thump of his heart. “I want to get out of here. Go someplace dark and quiet. And I want you with me.” Under her. In her.

Now that she’d lowered the walls around herself just a bit, the lust was bursting though her body like water that had been contained behind a weak dam.

His jaw clenched. “You sure?”

“Very.” She smiled at him, stepped back. “But the choice is yours, Detective.” He was the one taking the bigger risk. He just didn’t know it yet.

She wouldn’t hurt him. She never hurt her lovers. Well, unless she meant to do so.

And she’d only meant to kill once.

A life for a life. Primitive justice, but it had been what her sister deserved.

She shook her head slightly, trying to push away the past. Now that she’d started thinking of Nina, that terrible night kept slipping into her mind.

This really wasn’t the time to think about death and darkness. With Todd, she only wanted to think of pleasure and life.

She held up her hand. Offering, waiting.

“There’s something different about you,” he said. “I know it.”

He was right, but he had no idea just how very different she could be. Perhaps she’d show him.

He reached for her hand.

The choice was made.

The whore had the cop under her spell. From the shadows, he watched as Cara and her detective left the bar…the human had his fucking hands all over her.

The fool didn’t know who—what—he was touching. And he sure as hell didn’t know what price he’d pay for his pleasure.

The others hadn’t known, either. They’d fallen so easily for Cara and her lying eyes. Fallen…then died.

A smile curved his lips even as his hands clenched into fists.

Cara should have learned by now—the humans weren’t for her.

Just how many would he have to kill before she learned her lesson?

Dr. Emily Drake stepped out of the elevator and into the dimly lit parking garage. It was late, well past midnight, but her vampire client hadn’t been able to make it into the office any sooner. And Marvin had insisted on seeing her. Seemed he’d almost taken blood from a human the previous night. The near miss had so rattled him that Marvin had been physically sick ever since.

Poor Marvin.

A classic bloodphobic vamp.

But the guy was making some incredible headway. At least he wasn’t afraid of the actual blood anymore.

No, now he could drink the blood just fine, provided he didn’t have to get it straight from a source.

As she walked, Emily clutched her keys tightly in her right hand. The garage was all but deserted, the fluorescent lights flickering above her. Her car waited up ahead, maybe fifteen feet away, and—

Someone else was in the garage.

The certainty came to her on an icy wave of knowledge as Emily’s psychic gift flared to life.

Hell. Who was—

She spotted the Jeep then. Parked behind one of the large columns. Nearly hidden from prying eyes. The perfect place to wait for unsuspecting prey.

Her shoulders slumped in relief when the driver’s side door opened. Of course. She should have known he would be there. When she worked late, he usually showed up, even if he was working on a case.

“Colin.” He stepped toward her, and for a moment, the glow of the shifter caught her stare. All shifters carried that glow, and as far as she knew, she was the only person on earth able to actually see it. The glow was a soft shine, kind of like a second skin. It was the beast glowing.

He opened his arms to her, man and beast, and she went to him without a second’s hesitation. He pulled her tight against the hard length of his body. Held her close against his heart. Just the way she liked for him to hold her.

“I thought you were going to start walking down with one of the security guards,” he growled, lowering his face to the curve of her neck and biting lightly.

Same old argument. “I can take care of myself, you know.” She was far from helpless. The guy should’ve realized that by now.

His head lifted. His blue gaze met hers. “Just do it for me, okay? For my sanity, will you promise to only come in the garage this late if you’ve got a guard?”

Emily gave a grudging nod. She didn’t like having to wait on security, but she would—for Colin. Hell, she would’ve waited that night, but she’d been in such a hurry to get home and see…him. “If I get the guards to escort me, does that mean you’ll stop stalking the garage?”

He didn’t answer. Just kissed her. A hard, deep kiss that had her moaning and wishing they were far away from the cold garage and instead in a warm, comfortable bed.

Her fingers curled over his shoulders, and when he broke the kiss, she was the one who almost howled in frustration.

“I need you to come with me to the station,” he said, voice soft.

Her eyes widened. “Wh-what?” Not the sensual night plans she’d been hoping for.

His stare was solemn. “I think we may need you on another case, baby.”

At his words, and at the darkness she saw lurking in his gaze, her sexy excitement began to fade.

“The place is deserted now. McNeal asked me to bring you in, see if you could look at the files.”

Her fingers clenched around the strong muscles of his arms. “Just what do you think we’re dealing with here?”

His hands smoothed down her back. There was tension in his touch and in his face. In the faint lines around his eyes and the tightness around his mouth. “A being that can kill a man with a touch.” A hard exhalation of air. “Know anyone like that, doc?”

Yes, unfortunately, she did. The cold from the garage crept through her bones, settled in her heart.

Cara.

Todd followed Cara back to her place. She waited for him on the steps of her house, anticipation building in her and making her heart drum far too fast.

When he joined her, lust had hardened his face.

She kissed him. Because she needed to. Her tongue snaked into his mouth, teased his. Pleasured.

Oh, but the night ahead was going to be so good. Because she was finally going to be bad.

She broke the kiss, gazed up at him. “No regrets, Detective?” There was still time to call it off, if that was what he wanted.

“Not a damn one.” He grabbed the keys from her hand, managed to unlock the door, then all but dragged her inside.

She’d always loved a strong man.

His mouth was back on hers before the door slammed shut behind them. Tasting. Devouring.

Cara had known it would be like this between them from that very first moment. She’d sensed it from the first look, and she was tired of fighting a hunger that just grew every minute.

The Monster Doctor had been right when she told her, weeks ago, that some instincts shouldn’t, couldn’t, be suppressed.

It was time for more pleasure.

Her fingers found the front of his shirt. Jerked. Buttons popped off and flew and she growled into his kiss.

His head rose, a hard smile curving his lips. “So that’s the way you want to play?”

Then his hands were on her. Not her shirt. On the fabric of her skirt. He shoved the soft cotton up, and then his hand was on her thigh. Fingers stroking.

Her chin lifted and her breath panted out a bit faster. Higher. Just a few more inches, and he’d touch her just where she wanted him to—

His fingers trailed over the crotch of her black lace panties. He licked his lips. “You’re wet.”

Because she was so turned on that her body was about to explode. The sexual tension between them was so thick she could see it in the air and the powerful rush from that need was driving her wild.

So much wonderful energy.

His fingers curled around her underwear. Gripped. Yanked.

The fabric gave way with a soft rustle. Then his hand was on her sex. Parting her folds. Fingers sliding into the creamy warmth.

Her skirt was bunched at her waist. Her high heels pressed hard into the floor. Her breasts, aching, swollen, pushed against the cups of her bra.

And she was about thirty seconds away from her first release with the good detective.

The very good detective.

His thumb caressed the hard button of her need and he drove a finger, broad and long, into her core.

Her lips parted on a moan, but he caught the sound with his mouth, drinking it in and then thrusting his tongue deeply past her lips…just as he thrust his finger into her body.

One finger.

Another.

The man had big hands—long fingers, strong.

So good.

A slow thrust. Withdrawal. The swipe of his thumb against her clit. A thrust, harder, knuckles deep—

The release hit her. A fast, hard pop of pleasure that didn’t satisfy. Oh, no, not even close. It just made her hungrier.

Her sex clenched around his fingers.

Oh, but this was going to be fun.

Cara brought her hands between them. Pushed against his chest.

His lips tore from hers. He gazed down at her, cheeks stained with color, lust on his face. Then he blinked, shook his head. “Cara, you look…different. So fucking beautiful, but—”

Shit.

The sensual energy was literally absorbing into her skin. The faint shine of the magic would be noticeable to him this close.

But not as noticeable if the lights were off.

She broke free of him, hating the loss of those clever fingers. Moving fast, she hit the lights and plunged the room into darkness.

He swore.

Stepping forward, she grabbed his hand. “Come with me.”

A rusty laugh slipped past his lips. “Right now, I think I’d follow you to hell.”

She stumbled at that. Had to choke back her instinctive protest. Finally managed to whisper, “The bedroom will be far enough for me.”

He was giving her too much, too soon, and she was so greedy that if he didn’t hold back more, she just might try to take everything.

They were at the foot of the stairs. Her porch light shone through the picture window, casting just enough illumination over the steps for them to see and move easily.

The rooms at the top of the landing were in darkness. Perfect. They hurried up the stairs.

His hand was warm against hers. The door to her bedroom stood partially open. With her left hand, she shoved against the wood, and it opened fully with a soft creak.

She stepped forward, heading for the brass bed she loved.

He didn’t move.

“Todd?”

Her vision was sharper than a human’s. Even in the dark, she could make out his form. See the tension he held in check.

“Why do I want you so much?” He asked. “I swear, I can’t even breathe right now without tasting you.” He moved a few inches forward, and the moonlight spilling through her bedroom window fell over his face.

Her pheromones filled the air. No way to control them now.

But she could smell his scent, too. The warm, rich scent of man. With every breath that she drew, she inhaled him.

And she could taste him on her tongue.

“You feel it, too, don’t you?” He asked, and there was a demand in his voice.

It. The need. The lust that was almost overwhelming. Hell, yes, she felt it, too.

“I’m safe, Cara. I need you to know that. I use protection, always use it.”

Good to know. She was immune to human diseases, but he wouldn’t understand that if she told him. And it was honorable that he wanted to tell her of his health.

A gentleman.

It made her want him even more.

She tugged against his hold.

“Cara?” He released her.

Her fingers immediately went to the waist of his jeans. Found the buckle of his belt. She unhooked it, then she began to work on the snap of the jeans.

“Don’t.” An order.

She tilted her head back. “It’s gonna be pretty hard for this to work with your pants still on there, stud.”

A surprised bark of laughter rumbled from his throat and Cara’s own lips curved.

Damn. How long has it been since I even felt like smiling with a man?

“Ah, baby, don’t worry. The jeans will definitely be coming off.” His fingertips trailed over her arms. “But I’d rather get you naked first.”

She liked her plan better, but…Cara’s fingers rose, began to lift up the hem of her shirt. She tossed it onto the floor. Unfastened the front clasp of her black bra.

Humans and their inventions. Sometimes they could be damn clever and sexy.

Her breasts sprang free. The nipples were tight with arousal. She wanted his hands on them. His mouth. But first—

With a swift move of her fingers, she shoved her skirt down her legs. It pooled around her ankles and she stepped out of the trapping fabric. She kicked her shoes across the room. “Better?”

He growled.

She took that as a yes.

“Your turn.” Then her hands were on him. Unsnapping those jeans. Sliding down the zipper. Discovering a pair of boxers beneath the rough fabric of the jeans.

Then finding his cock. Aroused. Long. Wider than her wrist. Warm to the touch and pulsating with desire. She stroked him, a long caress from root to tip, and heard with pleasure the sound of his ragged breath.

“Don’t tease, Cara.” An order given with glittering eyes.

“I’m not.” She stepped back. Moved to the edge of her bed and felt the mattress against the back of her thighs. Her hands were literally itching to touch him. To give pleasure. To take pleasure.

And power.

Just a touch. So simple. So gentle.

A touch could bring paradise or pain. Such was the way of her kind.

Lucky for Todd, she wasn’t too much into the pain. Never had been.

“Tell me, Detective,” she used the title deliberately, “just what do you like? A woman in control? Or do you like to keep the power?”

He swore softly. Shed his remaining clothes with an economy of motion. “I don’t care much for games,” he muttered, and she saw him reach into the back pocket of his jeans. He pulled out his wallet, reached inside for something. Probably protection. After a moment, he stalked toward her and tossed a small packet onto the bed. “I just care about getting you under me in, oh, the next five seconds.”

Her lips parted to reply—

But he had her pinned to the bed, legs spread, arms anchored to the soft mattress above her head in, oh, three seconds.

The man might not like games, but he sure liked being in command.

The ridge of his arousal prodded against her sex. Todd was more than ready. So was she. He could thrust deep and hard into her right then and she wouldn’t—

“I’ve dreamed about you.”

Dreams he shouldn’t have remembered.

“I want to know if your breasts feel as good against my tongue, in reality, as they do when I’m dreaming.” Keeping his hold on her wrists, he lowered his head, the faint stubble of his five o’clock shadow scraping across her flesh in an electric caress that made her gasp.

His lips closed over her left nipple. His mouth was warm, wet, and his tongue, as it curved around her areola, so damn skilled.

Todd Brooks certainly wasn’t an amateur when it came to pleasures of the flesh.

Good. Neither was she.

A moan filled the air. Her moan. She lifted her hips, rubbing against him and loving the friction of his body against hers.

His mouth opened wider and he began to suckle her. Strong. Hard.

“Todd!”

His head lifted. “You taste the same…just like my dreams.” He turned his attention to her other breast.

Oh, damn. Sensual energy filled her body. She pulled her arms down, easily breaking his hold. “I can show you…ah, that’s good…a reality that’s a hell of a lot better than any dream.”

His mouth moved to her stomach. Began to kiss a heated path over her flesh. “You seem like a dream. A beautiful, fucking dream that I have no business having.”

Underlying his words, there was a hint of anger that puzzled her. But then she felt the stir of his breath on the curls that shielded her sex and she forgot about the anger. His hands caught her thighs as he shifted his body. He pushed her legs farther apart, spreading her even more.

“I never got this far in my dreams.”

A damn shame to her way of thinking. She would have enjoyed the hell out of this particular act. Damn phone call.

“Before I take you tonight, I’ve just got to taste you, right here.” He parted her folds. Pressed his lips against the throbbing center of her need.

Then she felt the warm, wet lap of his tongue. Swirling around her entrance. Oh, damn, but that was great. Great.

His tongue drove deep inside her.

Her hands clamped in his hair, held him close, just where she wanted him.

His fingers were working her sex now. Plucking. Teasing. Rolling her clit between his thumb and index finger. And Todd kept using that wonderful tongue to lick her—then to drive deep into her sex.

Not just great. Damn fabulous. She was going to come again. A hard, blast of release that would send power rocking through her. She was going to—

He pulled away from her. The moonlight spilled onto his face. Cara saw the need. The fierce desire. “When you come this time,” he gritted, “I’ll be buried as deep in you as I can get.”

Sounded like a fine plan to her.

His right hand reached for the foil packet. He ripped it open with his teeth. Rolled the latex up the length of his cock.

He pushed his aroused flesh between her legs. The head of his erection prodded her straining entrance, just slipping inside her sex.

Her lips curved into a full smile as she gazed up at him. This was what she’d thought of giving up? She must have been absolutely crazy. Or really, really desperate.

Todd worked his cock inside of her—slowly. One inch at a time. There was sweat on his brow, glistening on his body. He was trying to stay in control. Not wanting to hurt her.

Sweet, silly human.

As if he could ever hurt her.

Besides, she’d always liked it a bit rough. Not pain, of course, she didn’t really like that, but rather hard pleasure.

Cara twisted her body, rolling suddenly and taking them near the edge of the bed. When their bodies halted, she was on top of him, knees on either side of his hips, and his cock was buried fully inside her.

“That’s better,” she whispered, and she began to move. She lifted her body up, then drove down. His hands clamped on her hips, fighting her for control of the tempo and depth.

Her sex was tight and swollen from her previous climax, but she was more than ready for him, and he filled her so wonderfully well that every move had her body tightening with delight around him.

The thrusts became increasingly harder. She moved faster and faster. His fingers bit into her waist. The power in the room beat at her, at them, the waves so strong that a faint hum filled the room.

The release was close. A spark of electricity shot through her body. Blue sparks flickered in the air around them.

Todd’s eyes had squeezed shut, so he missed the burst of light. He never stopped thrusting. And she never stopped taking him.

So much energy. Hers for the taking .

Just as he was.

His eyes opened as he pushed up, caught her breast in his mouth and lashed the nipple with his tongue.

“Todd!” Her delicate inner muscles clamped tight around him and the climax that had been just out of her reach flew toward her.

Her right hand slammed down on his chest, driving him back against the bed. The power would come now, come crashing over them both.

She probably should have warned the guy before. She should have—

“Ah!” The scream was hers. Exultant.

He bucked beneath her, roared his release and the driving power of his lust pounded powerfully in the heart that drummed just below her hand.

The sensual power broke free. As they climaxed, as the pleasure lashed their bodies, the feelings magnified. They shuddered, gasped.

Cara threw back her head, wild with the rush, but her hand never left his chest. Her body stayed joined to his, and as the magical waves shook her, her head dropped over his.

Her lips found his. Carefully, she breathed her magic into him. Shared the power.

She’d never given any of her sensual power to another before.

But she didn’t want to just take from him.

He wasn’t like the others.

His heartbeat, already too fast, began a mad, driving beat.

Her tongue stroked past the entrance of his mouth. Found his. She kissed him until the powerful rush of magic and climax began to ease.

Then she lifted her head and forced herself to meet the gaze that she knew would hold a thousand questions.

Because Todd had to have just realized that sex with her was far, far from normal.

His chest ached, and a goddess rose above him.

Her small hand slowly lifted, and his heart finally began to slow down.

Jesus. He’d just had the best fucking climax of his life, hands down. For a second there, he’d actually been afraid that he might pass out. A damn embarrassing admission for him.

But in between the pleasure that had made his back bow off the bed and his toes tingle, something else had happened.

When she’d placed her hand over his heart, for a moment, it had felt like she was branding him. And he’d felt…her.

Her hunger. Her need. The feelings had been heady. His body had trembled with an unknown power.

A power he couldn’t wait to feel again.

Damn, but he felt fucking good. Like he’d slept for twenty hours good.

Like he’d had the best orgasm ever good. One that had been far, far from normal…because he’d felt her release, too.

And that shouldn’t have been possible. How the hell had it been possible?

“I-I don’t want to talk now.”

Her voice dripped honey and sex. Still within her depths, his cock began to stir again.

His arms skated down her spine. He needed to touch her.

Everywhere.

Was her skin glowing? The pale flesh seemed strangely luminous in the dark, and her skin sure felt warm to the touch. But a human’s skin didn’t glow like it was lit by a fire from within.

I’m not even human, lover. The words from his dream whispered through his mind.

No, no, that—

“We can talk in the morning. I’ll explain everything to you—tomorrow. If you…want to know about me.”

Oh, yeah, he did. He wanted to know everything.

But not at that moment. He shoved the doubts and questions aside. For that night, they were just going to be a man and a woman. Two people who wanted each other very, very badly.

Dawn could bring out the truth.

For now…

Reluctantly, he lifted her body off his hips—and it was so easy. Like the woman was as light as a feather.

He was so ready to go another round.

“Don’t leave.”

What? Did he look like a moron? “I’ve gotta clean up.” Find another condom. “Then I’m coming back to bed.” He reached out a hand. Traced the line of her nipple. “Because I’m not even close to being done with you.” Would the next climax be as strong? Would he actually feel the power of her release again?

It was almost like he’d touched her soul.

He’d never been so close to another person. He knew that he should be scared, or at least a little alarmed, but—

He wasn’t. At least, not yet.

Though for a minute there, when her hand had pressed against his chest, he’d had an uncomfortable flash of poor Michael House.

He’d been too far gone to stop then, but apprehension had risen in the back of his mind, for just a moment.

Fucking ridiculous.

Cara wasn’t a killer. Her alibis had checked out. She was the best sex he’d ever had—the perfect lover—and he was a damn lucky man.

“Hurry back,” Cara whispered, and the husky sound of her voice made his cock twitch. He saw the white flash of her teeth as she smiled.

“Because I want you inside me again,” she said.

That was sure as hell where he wanted to be.

Yeah, dawn could bring reality. For now, he’d take his goddess and the dreams she offered to him.

The killer returned to the scene of the Dayton murder.

Going there was stupid—no denying it, but there really hadn’t been a choice for him. The compulsion to go to the scene had been too strong to resist.

A line of yellow police tape marked off the room. The door was closed. Sealed shut. The same garish plastic tape crisscrossed the windows.

He gave a moment’s thought to breaking into the hotel room, but decided the risk just wasn’t worth it. The body was long gone, so there really wasn’t a point to forcing—

A police cruiser circled the parking lot. Shit. He made a quick slide back into the shadows.

Damn it. It shouldn’t have happened this way. The plan had been different.

That poor bastard hadn’t even been on the list.

A door opened to the left. A young girl peeked out, then pushed a cleaning cart forward.

Perfect.

“Excuse me, miss…”

The girl let out a quick squeak of surprise.

He stepped into the light. The cops were gone. It was safe now. For the moment, anyway.

“I want to ask you a few questions.” Power pulsed beneath the words.

The girl’s eyes went blank. She wouldn’t remember the questions later—so she’d get to live.

“Y-yes, sir…”

And he would get his questions answered.

Because before he dealt out his punishment, he had to be certain of the crime.

Good partners were so very hard to find.

Only a few women enjoyed the bittersweet mix of sex and death.

“Tell me about the body you found. Every. Single. Detail.”

The girl began to talk and his hands balled into fists with every slow word that she uttered.

He’d known, of course, the instant he’d learned the man’s name.

But when the sweet young thing before him started talking about the blood and the knife that the cops had found…

Fuck. The last betrayal he’d expected.

By the one woman he’d trusted.

Oh, yes, he was gonna make the bitch pay .

She’d been his perfect bait.

Pity.

Now he’d have to add her name to his list.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” he told the girl softly, and bent to give her a light kiss—and to steal a wisp of power.

The girl swayed before him.

He stepped back, left her. He couldn’t very well kill her—finding a woman’s body wouldn’t fit the MO he’d created.

Not that the last murder fit, either—because of that whore.

But he’d show her. He’d find her, and make the bitch beg. Let her know that, before the cold hell of death, there could be such sweet, hot pleasure.