First Taste of Darkness Read online

  But Blake was just staring at her.

  Goosebumps rose on her skin.

  “We’re going to need a statement from you, ma’am,” the redhead told her. “After we get you bandaged up, you’ll have to tell us what happened…”

  That should be easy enough. “Wrong place,” Jess murmured as she forced her eyes away from Blake. “Wrong time.”

  And it was time for her to get away from this place—and away from the man who seemed to see straight into her soul.

  Chapter Five

  “I shouldn’t be here,” Jess said as she crept forward into Blake’s hotel suite. Her steps were slow, uncertain, and when she glanced back at Blake, her face was far too pale. “I need to get home.”

  So she kept fucking saying.

  Only…I’m not ready to let her go.

  Blake shut the door behind him. He’d had to soothe the cops. Had to make sure that they had all the details they needed for their case so that they’d back the hell off.

  As soon as word leaked from the PD, he knew the media would be all over this shooting. It would be a feeding frenzy. A shooting, a kidnapping—with his notoriety, there was no way the press wouldn’t be screaming about this story.

  And about Jess.

  “The cops want you to stay in town for another night.” He kept the emotion out of his voice. Hard, considering the rage that still pumped through him. Rage that deepened when he glanced at the stark, white bandages on Jess’s delicate wrists—and the bandage on her throat.

  That asshole could have killed her.

  “I’ve had my fill of Sin City.” Her lips pressed together, then she gave a slow shake of her head. “This isn’t my idea of a relaxing vacation.”

  He stalked toward her. When she stiffened and fear flashed in her beautiful gaze, he stilled. “I told you before, I won’t hurt you.” Hurting her was the last thing on his mind. He wanted to protect her. To wrap her in silk and keep her safe from all the dangers in the world.

  She straightened her shoulders. “I didn’t…I didn’t tell the cops everything.”

  What the hell?

  “He drugged me, he took me to that motel, he forced me to contact you but…there was more.”

  Blake wanted to touch her. Because he wanted it so much, he did. Blake didn’t deny himself, not anymore. He eliminated the distance between them, and he put his hands on her shoulders. Fragile. She felt so incredibly breakable in his arms.

  If that bastard wasn’t already dead…I’d rip him apart.

  “The Night’s Heart,” she whispered.

  For an instant, his heart stopped. Then it began racing—a double-time rhythm. His back teeth clenched. “Now how,” Blake gritted out, “would you know about that?”

  “Because he knew, the man who took me. It wasn’t about killing you.” Her faint accent deepened as she slid from his grasp. “Well, not all about killing you, anyway. He was planning to make you tell him where the Heart was.”

  Carson had told him that it looked as if his place at the Landon Hotel had been tossed. Sonofabitch. “What else did the kidnapper tell you?”

  And why hadn’t she revealed this info to the police?

  “He told me the Heart—the Night’s Heart—was a big diamond.” Her head tilted as she studied him. “Big enough to buy you a new life.”

  His past was biting him in the ass. Good thing part of that past was now on a slab down at the morgue. I have to find out who that SOB was.

  “He wanted to buy a new life, too. He said the diamond would give him back the life he should’ve had.”

  Blake kept his expression guarded. “The guy was crazy. He abducted you, tried to kill me—”

  “Are you telling me the Night’s Heart isn’t real?”

  It was real all right.

  “Because I almost died for it tonight. No, I almost died for you.” She backed away. Turned away from him. “This is some honeymoon…”

  He caught her wrist and forced her right back around to face him. Forced her back against his body. He towered over her, and her scent—strawberries—wrapped around him. “Why?”

  A faint furrow appeared between her blonde brows.

  “You didn’t have to warn me that he was there. And when he had the gun, you pushed me out of the way. You put yourself at risk.” What the hell had she been thinking? “That was the most damn foolish thing I’ve ever—”

  “You’re welcome,” she told him, her voice sugar sweet.

  And he had no words.

  “I saved your life,” Jess continued, “now you can repay me by getting me on the first flight back home.”

  I don’t want you to leave.

  He didn’t tell her that. She’d already been scared enough. But he wanted to be truthful with her, so he said, “I’ve never met anyone like you before.” And Blake still needed to know why she’d saved him.

  But more—he needed her. His hand rose and curved under her jaw. He was careful, so careful, not to touch her bandage. “I have a lot of darkness in my life.”

  The gold in her eyes had turned molten. I could get lost in her eyes.

  What the hell? Blake didn’t even know where that thought had come from. He’d never been into the poetic shit before.

  She’s different, and I might already be lost.

  He cleared his throat. “I didn’t want that darkness to touch you.”

  Her lips tilted up in the faintest of smiles. “We were just supposed to be lovers for a night. You didn’t know—”

  “I didn’t know what I’d found.” He did, now. “I want more than just a night.”

  Her eyes widened. “Blake—”

  He kissed her. He wanted to take and dominate—control, the way of his life. But he held back. He held back the lust and rage and he used care.

  With her.

  For her.

  Her mouth parted beneath his. Her tongue met his. Softly, tentatively.

  He loved the way she tasted.

  He planned to taste all of her again. He’d enjoyed a sample the night before. Now he craved her all the more.

  Her hands rose. Her nails sank into his shoulders, and she pulled him closer. Yes. Jess felt the same need that he did. The white-hot lust that hadn’t been satisfied by just one night.

  He needed her again. He’d have her again.

  Blake lifted Jess into his arms. He barely felt her weight.

  “One more time,” she said, her voice a husky temptation. “Before I go…”

  He didn’t argue. He just kissed her again. Kissed her deep, tasted her. His cock shoved against the front of his pants. Hard, full, eager. For her.

  Adrenaline still spiked his blood. Tension held his body tight.

  Too close to death. If I hadn’t gotten there…

  Blake shoved the thoughts away even as he carefully carried her back up to his bedroom.

  “I can walk, you know…This is sexy, and you’re strong and all, but I can—”

  He kissed her. He loved the way her mouth felt against his.

  Then they were in his bedroom. He lowered Jess onto the bed.

  His hands slid over her, never once touching her bandages, and he stripped her in seconds. He made sure he kissed her silken flesh. Her arms. Her legs. Those perfect pink-tipped breasts.

  “Blake!” She arched off the bed, reaching for him.

  Gently, he pushed her back. “Keep your hands down, leave them on the bed. I don’t want you hurt.”

  But she tried to reach for him again. “I don’t care about a little pain—”

  He did. Blake positioned her hands against the mattress. Then he moved back. Stood at the side of the bed and let his gaze sweep over her.

  He wanted to devour her. Every single inch.

  A quick yank sent his shirt flying across the room.

  She stared up at him, still in the position he’d directed. Her tongue snaked across her lower lip—so sexy—while she watched him.

  His hands went to the top of his pants, then he stopped.
“Tell me you aren’t married.” The words came out as a hard rumble. Demanding. Desperate?

  No, I’m never desperate. I haven’t been. Not since—

  “I-I’m not married.”

  He bent over the bed. His fingers slid over her thighs. “Good.” Some fool had let her go.

  I was almost a fool like that.

  He parted her legs. Eased between them.

  “I’ve never wanted anyone this way.”

  Her words made the blood heat even more in his veins.

  “I should be afraid of you.” Her voice was sin in the darkness of the room. “I should run—”

  “Baby, I’d just fucking follow you.”

  Then he did what he needed to do. What he craved to do. He put his mouth on her sex. Strawberries and cream. Good enough to drive a man mad.

  He tasted. He took.

  She came against his mouth. Once. Twice.

  It wasn’t enough. He wasn’t done.

  Not by a long shot.

  He licked her. Kissed her. Pushed his fingers into her tight core. His cock ached and he wanted to drive into her.

  But not yet.

  His breath blew over her clit.

  Another slow, long lick.

  “Blake!”

  No one who’d been before mattered. Not for him.

  Her hips bucked. His hands lifted, and he held her down against the mattress.

  Blake felt her come against his mouth again.

  He looked up. Her eyes were wide, the gold blazing. Her cheeks were flushed.

  She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.

  “You…” Jess whispered. “I want you…in me…”

  He rose above her. Thrust—

  Fuck, I didn’t use anything!

  Her sex closed around him. Tight. Hot. Wet. Driving him out of his mind. Blake thrust. Withdrew. Thrust—

  Protect her. The words screamed through his mind, and Blake forced himself to withdraw from Jess.

  “Blake?”

  His body shuddered. He grabbed for the nightstand drawer. Yanked out a foil packet. “I’m clean, baby.” She was his first slip. Ever.

  “S-so am I…”

  His eyes squeezed shut. Thrust into her. Go bareback. Take her. “You could get pregnant…” He put the condom on. Then he drove into her, as deeply as he could go.

  The bed jerked beneath his thrusts. His control tore, shredded, and the beast that he tried to keep in check—the man he truly was, deep inside—broke free.

  He took and he took, and Jess climaxed around him. The delicate contractions of her sex sent him over the edge.

  Her taste was on his tongue. His cock buried deep in her body.

  Pleasure slammed through him.

  Jess was alive. She was safe.

  And she was fucking his.

  ***

  The knife was coming at her. Blood was on the blade. She tried to scream—

  “Wake up. Wake up, Jess. I’ve got you.”

  His voice. Blake. His arms around her.

  Her eyes flew open. At first, Jess only saw darkness, but then her vision adjusted, and she could make out Blake’s shadowy form, surrounding her.

  She was in his bed. Could still feel him between her legs.

  The nightmare slipped away. “I-I’m sorry,” she managed. “I just—”

  He swore and pulled her against his chest. “You don’t get to apologize, baby. I’m the one who pulled you into hell.”

  And she was the one choosing to stay there, with him. But the devil was supposed to be tempting, wasn’t he? And Blake Landon could sure tempt. When he touched her, it was almost as if she forgot who she really was.

  She only knew need. Only wanted him.

  “Talk to me,” Blake demanded. He cradled her against him so that her head rested over his chest. His heartbeat seemed fast, but so strong beneath her ear. The sound pushed away her fear.

  “What do you want me to say?” Jess asked him. She would be content to just stay there in his arms, listening to his heartbeat.

  “I want to know about you. Every secret you have.”

  That made her laugh. Strange. After everything that had happened, Jess hadn’t thought she’d be laughing in the darkness with him. “I don’t have secrets.”

  “Everyone has secrets.” His hand stroked over her back. The touch was probably meant to soothe her, but when Blake touched her, Jess found herself hyper aware of him.

  “I don’t,” she whispered.

  “Then how’d you wind up honeymooning alone in Vegas?”

  But she wasn’t alone. She had Blake. “I picked the wrong man. Someone I thought I could trust. Someone who was supposed to be safe.” She’d done exactly what everyone told her she should do. With thirty coming up fast, she’d given into the pressure. Gotten engaged. Been the good girl who did just as she was directed.

  “You don’t strike me as a woman who plays it safe.”

  And, again, she found herself laughing.

  His heart beat faster beneath her. Her fingers skimmed over his abs. Truly incredible abs. “Trust me, back home, safety is pretty much my middle name.”

  Silence, then… “Where is home?”

  “A little spot along the Florida coast. The water is so blue there, the sand so white…it’s paradise.” And she did love her home. The ex who waited for her there—him she wasn’t so wild about.

  “And what do you do in paradise?”

  “I paint.” Some of her work went in the local galleries. The tourists paid pretty well for it. She got by on what she earned from those sales. She’d never be rich, not on Blake’s level, but that didn’t matter.

  She’d been happy with her life. Before Joe Burns. Before she listened to the gossips and the people who thought they knew what was best for her. “I made a mistake,” she said, voice soft and husky. It was easy to confess in the dark. “I shouldn’t have ever agreed to marry a man I didn’t…I didn’t love.” The truth was there, stark and cold. “I think he knew how I really felt. I think that’s why he turned to—”

  “The man is a fucking idiot for not doing everything he could to keep you.”

  His words shocked her and had Jess’s head rising up.

  She started to pull away from Blake, but he caught her. Held her easily. Kissed her—a kiss so deep and hot.

  Her hands pressed to his chest. She opened her mouth more, kissing him back just as fiercely. And-

  His mouth broke from hers. “You’re changing things for me.”

  Her breath heaved out. “I don’t understand.”

  “You will.” His fingers slid over her cheek. “I promise you that.”

  Then she heard a fierce pounding, one that made her jump. The sound—a knocking?—was coming from downstairs. The front door?

  Blake slid from the bed. Completely naked, he stalked for the bedroom door. Her gaze swept over him. Damn fine ass. Strong, wide shoulders and-

  He had a tattoo. She’d never noticed it before because she’d been distracted by…other…things. But he had a tattoo on his left shoulder. A twisting, black snake.

  A snake wrapped around a big, dark diamond.

  Blake reached for the doorknob.

  “Clothes!” she hissed at him.

  Blake glanced back at her. He smiled—his smile made her chest feel weird. “For you, baby.” Then he yanked on his pants, just the pants, and headed toward that fierce pounding.

  Jess grabbed a robe that waited on a nearby chair. She rushed after him, nearly tripping on the stairs. The man shouldn’t be so calm! It was the middle of the night. What if the person on the other side of the door was a threat? Another attacker? “Blake…”

  He glanced through the door’s peep-hole. His hard jaw firmed even more as he yanked open the door. “Why the hell aren’t you still in the hospital?” Blake demanded.

  And the guy Blake had called his chief of security—Carson—walked inside. Carson’s left arm was in some kind of sling, and his face seemed pale, the faint li
nes near his eyes and mouth deeper. “You know I hate those damn places.”

  “You were shot—”

  “And you were right. It was a through and through. I’m fine.” Carson’s dark eyes lit on Jess. She saw surprise flicker in his gaze. “Ma’am,” he murmured, but a guarded tone had entered his voice.

  She finished climbing the last few stairs. Her fingers fisted at her sides. “I’m so sorry that you were hurt trying to save me.”

  “I was trying to save my boss.”

  Okay. She cleared her throat. “I still hate you were hurt.” She was sure getting the message that this guy didn’t like her. He was shot, guess he’s entitled to his fury.

  But Carson’s gaze wasn’t furious as it swept over her. It was…suspicious. “We need to talk,” he said, turning his attention back to Blake. “Why don’t you send her back to the bedroom…”

  Jess sucked in a sharp breath. Her own fury spiked. “Listen up, buddy—”

  “Jess stays,” Blake snapped in the same instant. “And you need to watch the tone, Carson.”

  Carson blinked a few times. “I, uh, sorry.” He shoved his right hand through his hair. “Forgot how you…were…with her.”

  What was that supposed to mean?

  “But it’s about the Heart,” Carson continued, voice roughening. “She doesn’t need to know—”

  “I already know about the Night’s Heart,” Jess interrupted, trying to sound as if she knew a whole lot more than she did. “I know the diamond is what the kidnapper wanted all along. But he didn’t get it.”

  Carson’s hand dropped. He studied her with new interest. “No, he didn’t.”

  Blake came back to Jess. His arms curled around her, and he pulled her against his chest. “How did he know about it?”

  “Because the guy is Jeremiah Finn’s son, Hayden.”

  She felt Blake tense behind her.

  “Looks like he’s been after you for a long time,” Carson continued. “More of the past…” His lips twisted into a grim smile. “More that’s going to be buried in the ground soon.”

  Maybe she should have waited in the bedroom. Jess didn’t want to hear this—because it scared her.

  Blake scares me, but I still feel safe in his arms.

  Jess wasn’t sure when she’d jumped on board the crazy-train, but apparently, she was enjoying the ride.

  “Just thought you’d want to know…” Carson turned back for the door. Then he hesitated. “The Heart is secure, isn’t it? Because, boss, you know I’ve said…one day, that diamond could be the death of you.”