Dark Taste of Rapture (Alien Huntress #6)(57)
Author: Gena Showalter

A nod as she just kind of folded into herself. The numbness must be wearing off, grief taking over.

Hector packed up and took off, leaving the same way he’d come.

Twenty-four

RATHER THAN DRIVE BACK to AIR HQ and type up his thoughts, Hector picked up two coffees, black, downloaded a copy of every newspaper being offered that morning, and programmed his car to head to the business district.

There was something he had to do—something he shouldn’t do. A cold, callous crime, but also a public service, and one he would relish.

Took him half an hour to complete the task, and when he settled back inside his car, his knuckles were cracked and bleeding inside his gloves, but he was smiling. Time to get back to work. He programmed Dallas’s address into the console and was soon winding down the road, the scenery more dreary than before. Thick gray clouds concealed the sun. Mist rose from the ground, and acidic dew scented the air, seeping into the car through the vents.

The car’s sensors took care of the slowing, stopping, and turning, allowing him to lean back in his seat and close his eyes. Finally he could give in to thoughts about Noelle, if only to at last exorcise her from his mind.

After he’d left her place, he’d gone home, but he hadn’t gotten any sleep, had tossed and turned, his body on fire for more of her. For everything.

Of course, even now he hungered for her.

Temptation, man. He’d known it was more dangerous than his arms. Once you tasted the forbidden fruit, you would always crave more. Yet still he’d gone inside her house. Stopped in her bedroom, transfixed by her bed, wondering if she’d ever lain there and pleasured herself while thinking about him.

The way she’d looked at him while he’d hovered over her, as if he were a slab of ribs and she was dying of starvation, had melted any remaining resistance.

Yet now, even though Noelle’s honey was branded into his every cell, even though he could still feel her ni**les rasping against his chest as he ground his erection against her, could still see her face soften as he tongued her to orgasm, even though he would never forget the way she’d sucked him off so perfectly, she was free to date anyone she wanted.

He hadn’t asked for exclusivity, and she hadn’t either. Just a dinner date.

He’d never before been on a date. Not with Kira, not really. Not with anyone. Would he know how to make small talk? Hell, would Noelle even want to see him tonight?

Would she ask someone else out?

Great. Now Hector wanted to f**king murder any man who even thought about her.

He was a mess. This was one of the many reasons he’s always avoided relationships. Already he was jealous and possessive. Like arousal, those emotions weren’t good for him. He’d just … he’d never craved a woman like he craved Noelle.

He wanted her like he wanted air to breathe, and not having her now, now, damn it, now hurt.

Noelle would be embarrassed by his past, so even if they made something work, she would leave him later. He just couldn’t find a way around that fact. And if he was this much of a mess now, how much more of a mess would he be if they actually made love? If he’d actually tried to share his life with her?

If he harmed her irrevocably?

Can’t believe you’re even considering going for more. You’re a menace.

Hell, at this rate, he really would destroy her. He’d redone his tattoos before Ava’s wedding, but after what had happened last night, he’d already burned through some of the ink. And yeah, okay, he’d redone the tattoos this morning, would redo them every morning if necessary, but he was still treacherous. That wouldn’t change no matter what precautions he took.

Damn it, he had to break things off with her. Completely. He couldn’t risk being with her again.

When Noelle had dragged him on top of her, he’d felt the first sizzle and pop. Only thoughts of marring her flawless skin had given him enough strength to keep his arms pinned at his sides. Hadn’t stopped last night’s dreams, though. Dreams of going all the way. Of having her, in a thousand different ways.

Yeah, he should have called her this morning. She was a good agent, and besides, that’s what partners did. Worked together. That’s what she had probably hoped for. Fifty-fifty, equals in everything. Sharing details, and talking things through. He hadn’t. He still couldn’t. If he saw her, spoke to her, his good intentions would vanish like vapor.

Have to see her sometime. Not yet. Not now.

The car slowed, stopped, and Hector opened his eyes to find himself parked in the underground garage of Dallas’s apartment building. He gathered the coffees and his reader before striding to the elevator. A short ride later, he was walking down the long, narrow hallway that led to Dallas’s den of iniquity.

This was a nice building, one of the more expensive units in New Chicago, with clean walls, clean floors, and shield armor on the windows. Hector had been here a few thousand times, but this time he looked at it as Noelle might, comparing it to his own. His place lacked personality, Dallas’s did not. Soft scarlet carpet at his feet. Vibrant stone walls at his sides. Colorful portraits of flowers hanging in every direction.

Dallas and Noelle. They were a better match. Scowling, Hector knocked on the door harder than he’d intended. A few seconds later, that door slid out of the way. No one stood in the entrance, but Hector knew the agent had a camera hidden out here, monitoring everyone who approached. He walked inside, the entrance automatically sealing shut behind him.

“We’re back here,” Dallas called.

We? Hector followed the sound of his voice. He found Dallas and Devyn in the living room, on the couch, watching as a naked human female dusted the coffee table. She was short, curved, and stacked in all the right places, and any man with a fully functioning penis would have reacted to her.

Hector didn’t react to her. Only Noelle tempted him past his endurance. No one else compared.

He’d wanted to talk to Dallas in private. He should have guessed Dev’s presence, though. The boys were inseparable, and you couldn’t be friends with one and not the other. Kinda like with Noelle and Ava.

Now his body reacted, his shaft twitching, his arms heating, itching. Shit. “Your wife doesn’t mind you watching other women … work?” Hector asked Devyn as he set the coffees on the table, careful not to initiate any contact with the maid.

The king of the Targons never removed his amber gaze from the girl. “Silly boy. Bride called the service and picked her out for me.”

“You mean me,” Dallas corrected. “Bride picked her out for me.”