Eternal Flame (Night Watch 3)

“Is that a technique you use a lot?” Icy words. “You seduce your way out of trouble?”

Jana swallowed. “I didn’t have sex with you as part of some master scheme.” She jumped from the bed and started searching the motel room. The obviously cheap motel room. She’d spent her share of nights in plenty of rooms just like this one.

“Then why did you?” Nearly a growl as some heat broke through the ice.

She found her pants and turned back to face him. “Because I wanted you.” For once, she’d just taken what she wanted. She’d known it wouldn’t last. “I knew we didn’t have any future.” Future-what was that? “I wanted you, wanted pleasure-so I took both.”

His green eyes glittered. “How many men have heard that line?”

She threw her pants at him.

The guy moved then-fast. He lunged across the room. His hands locked around her upper arms, and he yanked her close. “I didn’t turn you over, Jana. The FBI wanted you. They just wanted me to walk away, but I didn’t turn you over. “

She stared up at him. “Why?”

“Because I’m a f**king idiot.” His breath expelled in a rush. “Because when that woman fired on you, I was ready to rip her apart.” His head lowered toward hers. “Because when you fell, I lost control.”

A demon losing control? Never a good—

“Because once wasn’t enough for me.”

Her heart slammed into her ribs.

“I want you, I want the pleasure, and I’m damn well not done with you yet.”

Not done with her? Yeah, that was classy. That was- “You want me,” Zane said. Yeah, she’d just said as much. “I’m f**king on fire for you.” Jana knew a few things about fire.

“If this isn’t what you want, then say no, and say it fast.” His hold gentled. Stroked instead of captured. “But I’ve spent the last five hours watching you, worrying that you wouldn’t wake up—”

“I-I’m fine.” It wasn’t the first time she’d had that particular drug of choice fired on her. Humans woke up with no ill effects. Shifters had a bitch of a headache and demons—don’t want to go there.

“You’re not getting away from me,” he said, “not until I know what’s happening.”

Right then … “I don’t want to go anywhere.” And when she wanted to leave, she would. The demon wouldn’t stop her. No one would stop her.

He kissed her. She expected a hard kiss, a blaze of passion and anger and fire.

Instead, she got … gentleness.

Jana tensed and her hands lifted. Her nails dug into his arms. No, no, that wasn’t—

His lips caressed hers. Softly. So soft, and his tongue whispered into her mouth.

She used her hold and tried to pull him closer. She didn’t want soft. She didn’t want slow. She wanted—

Zane’s head lifted. He stared down at her, his eyes darkening. “It’s not gonna be fast this time.” The words sounded like a threat. He picked her up and held her easily in his arms. Control. He had it in spades at that moment. She could feel his strength, reined in, all around her.

Zane carried her back to the bed and lowered her onto the mattress. His hands skated down her body and caught the edge of her panties. “Not fast…” he rasped again, and slid her panties down her legs.

His fingers were rough, with calluses on his hands, but his touch was easy as he stroked her skin.

“You’re so damn beautiful,” he whispered.

Her breath caught.

“I think we need to pick up where we left off.” His jaw tightened. “Before you ran out on me.”

Hit. “You don’t want the problems I have to knock at your door.” His hands were movng up the inside of her thighs and talking was a bit hard right then. “You don’t … ah, I’m just a bounty, remember?”

“I don’t f**k my bounties.”

But he was about to f**k her.

“You stopped being a bounty the minute the cuffs hit the floor.” He eased her thighs apart and opened her wide to his gaze.

“What am I?” Because she needed to know. Not a freak, not a weapon, not—

“The woman I want.” His fingers touched the folds of her sex. “And right now, you’re mine.”

He was hers. Right then, hers.

Zane shifted his body, and his breath blew over her exposed sex, sending a shiver through her. “Let’s see just how hot you burn,” he said.

Zane put his mouth on her.

Jana nearly jerked off the bed. “Zane!”

His lips feathered over her sex. Then she felt the wet lick of his tongue, a slow swipe right over the center of her need.

Her heels dug into the bed and her hands grabbed onto his shoulders. Not to push him away-oh, no-to jerk him closer.

His fingers brushed against her, then one long finger pushed inside her straining core. In, out, that finger plunged in maddeningly gentle thrusts. Not enough. And his mouth kept caressing, that tongue stroking, and Zane tried to drive her out of her mind.

Her nails bit into him.

“Easy, baby. I’m going to enjoy you.” No, he was going to make her crazy. His finger pulled out of her. Her body tensed. No, she wanted—

His tongue pushed into her sex just as his thumb pressed against her clit. Jana’s breath choked out and her body went bow tight.

He growled against her, the vibration shaking through her sensitive flesh and that tongue-the demon knew how to use his tongue.

She arched her hips against him. Wanting more, needing …

His mouth left her. “Open your eyes, Jana.”

Her eyelashes flew open, and she found his black stare trained on her. The lamp on the nightstand threw weak light on the bed.

“You’re not coming, not yet.”

Oh, but she’d been close. She wet her lips. “This some kind of … torture?”

“No. Pleasure. Only pleasure.” His gaze was heavy lidded. “You said you wanted pleasure, remember?”

She’d also said she wanted him. “Take off your jeans.” She wanted them flesh to flesh.

He yanked his wallet out of a back pocket.

What—

And he pulled out a condom.

He’d planned his seduction. Why did that make her hesitate? So he’d known they’d sleep together again. Big deal, right? She’d wanted to sleep with him.

“Doubting, baby?” His fingers went to the buckle of his jeans.