Dancing with the Devil (Nikki & Michael 1)

"And that is?"

A quick glance at his face told her little, yet she caught a wisp of uncertainty in his thoughts. And wariness. She unclenched her fingers against the wheel and bit her lip in indecision. She didn't want to voice her doubts, didn't want to hear his answer. And the demons whispering madness in her mind could never force her to do this. She just had to know.

"I want to know what last night meant."

His gaze, though hidden by dark glasses, burned into her soul. “What do you think it was about?" She couldn't look at him. “Was it only a means to ensure I slept through the night? When our minds merged, did you make me sleep?"

A tide of anger seemed to leap into the car and swirl around her. She kept her eyes on the road, hands tense against the steering wheel. She didn't want to face the fury she could feel building.

"You really aren't capable of trust, are you?"

She wanted to scream that she'd trusted him more than she'd trusted any man in her entire life—except, maybe, for Tommy. Only Michael wasn't just a man.

And this wasn't about trust. It was about deception.

Wasn't it?

"I have to know, Michael."

His gaze burned into her. She shivered and tried to ignore the worm of fear in her heart.

"Think about last night, Nikki. Think about what we shared. Look inside your own heart." No. Never again would she trust what she felt in matters like this. People died when she did. As the lights ahead changed, she slowed the car and risked another quick look. His face was still impassive, giving no indication he'd heard her thoughts. But even if he had, she still needed to know.

"You are a fool, Nikki. A fool who will not listen to her own intuition."

"Intuition has nothing to do with this.” Because intuition was telling her to trust him, telling her to grab on tight and never let go, no matter how he fought. But it had told her the same about Tommy, and it had never been more wrong.

"I have to ask, Michael. Surely you can understand that?"

"The only thing I can understand is the fact that I am a fool twice over." The sudden hint of weariness in his voice frightened her. She glanced at him quickly. What had he meant by that?

"I will not deny there is an element of truth in your fears. I had hoped you might sleep long enough for Jake and me to leave.” He took off the sunglasses and rubbed his eyes. “As for what it meant—I warned you before, Nikki. It can never be anything more than just a moment we share." His words cut through her. While she knew he couldn't stay, she'd hoped it might have been something more than just a physical release to him. To her, at least, last night had been something of a revelation. She'd never realized that two bodies could become one so completely. That two minds could share a dance so poetic, so full of desire and care.

She blinked and looked away, then shifted the car into gear as the lights changed again, and the traffic flowed on.

"Remember, I was not the initiator last night, nor am I made of stone,” he continued softly. “And there's one more question you should ask. Just who was using whom last night?" Heat crept into her cheeks, and she bit her lip. There was no denying the fact he was right. She had used him, used his warmth, the caress of his thoughts, to keep Jasper's nightmares at bay. But while she regretted her reasons, she didn't regret making love to him. Those memories she would treasure in the long years ahead.

"I'm sorry,” she said. “I was wrong. But so were you in leaving me." He made no comment, and she drove the final few miles to the office in silence. She parked in front of the building and glanced at her watch as she climbed out of the car. It was after five. She frowned. Why wasn't her car here? Jake had left before her...

Her psychic senses sprang to life, and pain ran like fire across her body. Only it wasn't her pain. It was Jake's.

Jasper's dark laughter whispered through her brain, a teasing gloat, edged with warning. If she wanted Jake to live, she would have to take his place.

Chapter Fourteen

Nikki gripped the edge of the car door and closed her eyes. She couldn't go back to Jasper ... Yet she couldn't let Jake die in her place.

"Nikki, listen to me.” Michael's voice seemed to come from a great distance. “He won't kill Jake just yet. He'll make sure we have enough time to attempt a rescue. Jasper likes his little games. Break the contact Nikki. Break it, now."

She bit her lip and concentrated on pushing Jasper from her mind. He evaded her grasp, as slippery as an eel, his laughter mocking. She gritted her teeth and pushed, hard. Jasper's poison slid away, but the effort left her trembling.

Michael turned her around and pulled her towards him. She leaned her cheek against the warmth of his chest, and wished she could stay in the safe circle of his arms forever. Why couldn't the rest of the world just go to hell and leave her alone? Better yet, why wasn't there a way to simply turn back the clock to the time before Monica and Jasper had walked into her life? Though that would mean not meeting Michael. Perhaps some good had come out of this whole mess, no matter how brief it was meant to be. After a moment, she sighed and pulled away. “If Jasper's moved in the daylight, he's stronger than you thought."

Michael shrugged, finally removing his dark glasses as he glanced at the sun. “It's nearly five, and the winter sun is weak. Besides, it was probably the zombies who grabbed him."

"Just how much do you know about Jasper?"

He shrugged a second time. “As I've said before, he and I are old foes. I make it my business to know my enemy."