Midnight’s Master (Midnight #3)(49)
Author: Cynthia Eden

"They’ll check back within the hour and let me know what they find." He walked behind the bar.

Poured a shot of whiskey.

He downed the liquid in one gulp. "Patience has an in with most of the demons in Atlanta. They all owe her or they want to f**k her. So if any of them know anything about your missing girl, they’ll tell her."

They all owe her or they want to f**k her.

"Do you?" She asked quietly as her heels clicked across the floor. Being in Paradise now, it seemed surreal. No vampires. No witches.

Just them.

"Do I what?" His fingers were clenched tight around the glass.

"Want to f**k her?" That bitter taste in the back of her mouth was jealousy. Patience James was a looker. Could have passed for a succubus. Tall. Ballerina thin. Model pretty.

And a demon. A strong one, just like Niol.

"I already did."

Her eyes narrowed. The glass in his hand shattered.

Niol blinked and looked down. "Damn, love, didn’t know you had that in you."

Neither did she. Hell, had she really done that?

And how had she done it?

He shook his hand and shards of glass littered the bar top. "Guess this is the part where I say she meant nothing to me or some shit like that, huh?"

"Did she?"

A shrug. "I like Patience, always have. The woman’s cutthroat, but loyal."

Not exactly a description of a one-night stand. "Then why aren’t you with her now?" Why are you with me?

He pressed his hands into the marble top, ignoring the broken glass. "Why aren’t you with that prick PhD?"

"Because the prick screwed around on me with some blonde looking for an easy A." Her own hands fisted on her hips. "And while I’m not cutthroat, I am real big into loyalty."

A grunt. "So you don’t want the ass**le back?"

"No. No. I want-" Her lips pressed together. Maybe she’d better bite back that answer for the time being.

"What? What do you want?" He jumped over the counter. Jumped over it in one wild leap.

Okay. That was impressive.

Niol grabbed her arms and jerked her close. "What do you want?"

Too close. She could feel his breath brush over her face. Feel the hard edge of his flesh against her. The straining ridge of his arousal jutting against her hip.

And his eyes…she could see herself in those eyes. A desperate reflection.

But she wasn’t the only desperate one. She could see that in his eyes, too.

"Who do you want?"

"You." Asshole. Demon. Niol.

The devil with the heart he fought to keep hidden. But she was learning the truth about him. One slow moment at a time.

"And I f**king want you." He kissed her. With lips and tongue. With hands stroking and taking.

With body pressing and yearning.

The same way she kissed him.

"Not Patience." The words were growled against her mouth. "She isn’t you."

Holly raised her lashes. She caught his jaw. "She better not be in your bed again, either, demon.

I’m not into sharing." Zack could tell him that. The jerk had actually looked afraid when she’d torn into him that morning so long ago. He’d stumbled away from her, eyes wide, sputtering an apology.

"Good. Because if you look at another man, if you touch him, you’ll find out just how dangerous I can be."

"Idiot." The word tumbled out. "Who would compare to you?"

He smiled at her. Smiled and nearly broke her heart because that curve of his lips-it was real.

I’m falling for him.

He caught her waist in his hands. Lifted her. Spun and set her on the edge of the bar.

The smile turned reckless. Wild.

Her Niol.

Not falling. She’d already fallen. Headfirst. For a man who she knew wasn’t looking for happily ever after. Niol would run screaming from a picket fence.

Holly swallowed. Now. Focus on now.

His fingers pushed under the edge of her skirt and the now, oh, yeah, it picked up a whole lot of importance.

"I want you. Right here. In my Paradise."

A shiver had her tensing. Here? They were alone-she sure hoped they were, anyway. But a bar?

Okay, she’d had her share of sexual encounters. Even made love on a beach once, but a bar…

"Trust me." He leaned forward. Kissed her neck. Right under her left ear, in the spot that made her close her eyes and moan.

Yes.

"There’s no one here to see you come…but me."

Trust.

He licked her neck. Niol eased his fingers up a bit higher, skimming the sensitive tops of her thighs. The bar’s edge cut into the back of her legs, but she didn’t care. Holly was too focused on Niol.

And his mouth and tongue.

Such a skilled mouth.

The edge of his teeth scored her flesh.

"Are you wet for me, love?"

Her panties were getting soaked.

"Because I’m hard for you. So hard and ready to feel the warm, creamy clasp of your sex all around me."

Her hand slid between them. Found the long length of his c**k through his jeans. Oh, yeah, he was ready.

And she was more than ready to have him inside.

His fingers brushed the crotch of her panties. A rumble sounded in his throat. "Just the way I like."

He stroked his index finger along the crevice of her sex. A long, slow swipe that pushed the cotton against her flesh and made her want-

So much more.

Not nice and slow. Hell, no. Fast and wild.

In the bar.

This time, the thought sent a shudder through her. Not fear.

"You’re so wet."

That finger was under her panties. Pushing between her folds and into her core.

And he was so-so damn . She fumbled with the snap of his jeans, hunching her shoulders so that she could reach him better. Holly managed to jerk down his zipper and she heard his hard hiss of breath.

Then the length of his c**k spilled into her hands. Long and hard. Warm. Strong.

His touch on her sex, in her, wasn’t enough.

Her br**sts ached. The ni**les pebbled against her blouse.

The bar top felt cold against her, while he was burning hot. "Niol…"

He yanked the panties away.

Finally.

But this wasn’t going to work. She was a bit too high and-

Niol grabbed her and twisted, sitting her on top of the nearby bar stool and coming flush between her thighs.

This’ll work.

He guided his c**k into her sex, one hard inch at a time.

No condom.

Flesh on flesh.

So good .

His teeth clenched and sweat beaded his brow. Hell. The man was trying to be easy with her.

When had she ever asked for easy?

Her legs wrapped around him, squeezed tight. If he wasn’t gonna take, then she sure would.