Pleasures of the Night(19)
Author: Sylvia Day

It looked like an opal but appeared to glow from inside. She turned it over, but found that the mounting was solid silver in the back, leaving no place for light to pass through.

"I have no idea. It was a gift."

"From a woman?"

He took the space of one breath to relish the jealousy evident in her tone, then shook his head. "No. A favorite teacher."

"Good." Lyssa dropped it back beneath his shirt and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips to his, making him groan. "Back to work I go. Stay out of trouble."

His hands cupped her ass and held her to him when she tried to step back. "Not so fast."

Lyssa arched a brow at him.

"Did you eat?" When she wrinkled her nose, he had his answer, "You didn’t have breakfast, either. You need to take better care of yourself."

Twisting at the waist, he caught up the bag that rested on the corner of the desk. He tucked his ankles behind her calves to keep her close, and reached inside for the Styrofoam container and spoon. He caught the handle of the plastic utensil between his teeth and used both hands to pry the lid open. Instantly the delicious scent of potato-cheese soup filled the air between them. He retrieved the spoon and grinned when her tummy growled in response to the mouthwatering smell.

"That’s my favorite soup," she murmured, licking her lips in a way that goaded him to mimic her, his tongue following the lush lower curve of her mouth.

"I know." He scooped up a spoonful. "Open wide."

He alternated between feeding her and kissing her. It was as intimate as sex and just as moving. She laughed, her dark eyes bright with pleasure, and he wanted her. Wanted her this way, open and warm. He couldn’t wait to go home with her, to take her again. And again. And again. Indulging his every desire, every sexual whim, listening to the little whimpers she made when she was desperate for orgasm, wallowing in the lust that grew from the inside and worked its way out, not the other way around. Not for physical release, but for physical closeness, a connection as real as the one he felt inside him.

Then, when she was exhausted, her mind plunging straight through the Twilight into deep unconsciousness, he would be able to study the Stonehenge clue without distractions.

"No more," she protested, when the contents were two-thirds gone. "I’m going to burst."

"Just a little more," he coaxed, encouraged by the healthy pink flush that had replaced her previous paleness. He winked. "^xfou’U need your strength later."

She shivered in that delightful way that made his c*ck twitch, then opened her mouth, finishing every drop.

When she went back to work, she closed the door, and

Aidan returned his attention to the books he’d stolen from the Elders. The jeweled volume read as if it was part of a collection, referencing information he suspected was located elsewhere. The text he’d stolen from the Temple of the Elders was even more difficult, filled with words that no longer existed and were not the roots of the language they used today. But it was all he had, and he would make the best of it.

He pushed back from the desk and stood, rolling his shoulders to alleviate the stiffness brought on by too many hours of unaccustomed inactivity. Then he opened the door and took the hallway to the front desk.

Stacey arched her brows at him, the silent toughness belying the cute image her cartoon tropical fish scrubs portrayed. "What’s up?"

"Where’s the nearest library?"

"Hell if I know." She opened a drawer, pulled out the phone book, and slapped it onto the counter. "Here ya go. Knock yourself out."

Shit. Aidan caught up the book and turned, almost knocking over the elderly woman who had come up behind him.

"Excuse me, young man." Stooped at the shoulders and wearing hot pink sweats with a matching headband in her gray curls, she gifted him with a bright smile.

He grinned at her use of the appellation "young man," considering he was easily several centuries older than she was. "Entirely my fault," he said, steadying her with a hand at her elbow.

"Well, aren’t you a looker?" she murmured with a wink. "Would you help me carry out my Mathilda? She’s been sick lately and when I move her carrier, I jostle her too much."

Aidan bent and slipped his hand though the handle of the cat cage at their feet. "It would be my pleasure."

"You should keep this one around," the woman said to Stacey.

"Yeah? Tell him that," Stacey retorted. Then she smiled warmly. "I’ll be calling you Monday morning, Mrs. Laughin, to see how you and Mathilda are doing."

"Talk to you then, honey."

Aidan held the glass front door to the clinic open and gestured for Mrs. Laughin to precede him out, but once they stepped outside, she urged him ahead of her.

"Don’t wait for me," she said. "I’m so slow it’ll cramp those long legs of yours. That’s my car over there, the yellow Hummer." The horn sounded once and the taillights flashed as she disengaged the alarm. "You can just set her on the floor."

Following instructions, he had Mathilda settled securely on the passenger floorboard in no time, then he returned to Mrs. Laughin and offered his arm.

"Dr. Bates is a pretty thing, isn’t she?" she asked, shooting him a not-so-innocent sidelong glance.

"Yes, she is."

"I think she’s single. Hardworking. Smart. Got great taste in decorating, too. Best-looking vet clinic in town. And Mathilda loves her."

Aidan’s grin widened. "Mathilda has great taste."

"Yes, she does. I can always tell when a solicitor is at the door, because she piddles on the entryway tile."

Choking back a laugh, he opened the driver’s side door and watched as a custom step lowered from the undercarriage, enabling her to get up into the vehicle without his help. She surprised him by holding out a hundred-dollar bill.

"I don’t want that," he said.

"Take it. I got plenty My dear Charles, bless his heart, made us rich."

"I still don’t want it."

"I ogled your ass." She shook the bill at him. "Take the damn money or I’ll feel guilty for doing it. You don’t want to make an old woman feel guilty, do you?"

Laughing, Aidan took the money, determined to give it to Stacey as a credit to Mrs. Laughin’s account.

"Dr. Bates has a nice heinie, too," she said.

"Yes, she does," he agreed.

She beamed at him as she pushed sunglasses onto her face. "I knew I liked you. Now, go buy yourself something nice or something for Dr. Bates. Women like gifts. It was money well spent for me. Haven’t seen an ass as fine as yours in a very long time."

"Thank you." He waved as she pulled out of the parking lot, then turned in a circle, carrying the ridiculous hope that he would spot a library nearby. He didn’t, of course, but he did spot a mass transit bus roll by with a Discovery Channel advertisement emblazoned on the side.

He was willing to bet he could purchase the items he wanted, rather than borrow them. After all, he knew where the stores were, which was more than he could say for the library. Whatever his next move, he needed to make it quickly. Everything seemed to be working against him today, but he wasn’t giving up without a fight. He’d be damned if the night came and he had nothing to show for his efforts.

Returning to the clinic, he stopped by the desk. "Where’s Lyssa?"

"With a patient."

He set his elbows on the counter. "Can you give me an inch? Please."

She stared at him for a long moment, then sighed. "Exam One."

"Thank you."

Reaching the paneled door with a gilt-framed sign that said "Exam One" attached to it, Aidan knocked lightly and waited.

It swung open a moment later, and just like the first time he’d seen Lyssa sprawled upon golden sand beneath him, he felt as if he had been sucker punched in the stomach. Blond, curvy perfection with dark eyes that went from professional coolness to melted desire just from the sight of him. He caught the door frame for balance and breathed in harshly.

"Oh shit," she hissed, her fingers white where she gripped the knob. She stepped out into the hall to afford" them some privacy. "You should have warned me it was you before I opened the door."

"I knew it was you and it didn’t help."

She stared up at him with liquid, seductive eyes. He didn’t have to read her thoughts to know she was thinking the same things he was—hot sex, nak*d sweaty bodies straining together, the fierce, aching pleasure that was almost too much to handle. It had been this way from the beginning, the depth of desire between them that wiped out every other thought but the need to be as close as possible.

Unable to stop himself, Aidan reached out and cupped her breast beneath the open flap of her lab coat, his thumb stroking across her nipple and finding it already peaked hard.

Lyssa smacked his hand away. "Stop that. I need my brain cells."

His jaw clenched against the urges it wasn’t time to indulge in. Focus. On. The. Books. "I need to borrow your car again. Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead." Her pause was nearly imperceptible, but he caught it. "I’ll be done in an hour, though."

"I’ll be back long before then." He dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers, physically crossing the distance he sensed growing between them. Two steps forward and one back. "I won’t delay our talk for even a minute."

She sighed. "My brain is fried now."

When she turned away from him, he reached out and pinched her ass, making her jump and glare at him. He made a kissing gesture with his lips and then went back to her office.

When Stacey had gone out with him earlier, she’d taken him to a large mall complex that housed a couple of bookstores as well as clothing and other merchants. That’s where he intended to go in search of information about Stonehenge’s relationship to astronomy. He suspected a connection between the purpose of the stone alignment and the world his people had abandoned when the Night-mares had taken over. If he eventually linked fissure creation to the ancient monument in England, he wanted to make sure he understood as much as possible.

He hoped like hell he was on the right track. A dead end could cost Lyssa her life.

* * *

Chapter 11

"So you’re keeping Chad on a leash while you figure out what’s up with your hunk delivery?"

Lyssa glared. "No, Stace. I’m not keeping Chad on a leash. We’ve just agreed to stay in touch, as friends."

"And you still can’t remember meeting Aidan, only shagging him." Stacey leaned back in one of the little settees that graced the waiting room and shook her head. "Maybe he slipped you a roofie or something."

"Stacey! Christ. Look at him! He doesn’t need to drug women to get them in bed."

Setting her forearms on her knees, Lyssa closed her eyes. "’tbu know, I opened the door to Exam One and saw him standing there, and my toes curled? The only time my f**king toes curl is when I’m having an orgasm."

"You had an orgasm just looking at him?"

"Damn near." Even now, the memory of him leaning against the doorjamb in loose-legged jeans and white T-

shirt made her br**sts ache. Aidan Cross looked, smelled, walked, talked sex. Period.

"Wish I had a hair trigger like that." Stacey snorted. ‘"Kay, here are my thoughts. Maybe this is one of those deals like when a juror marries a serial murderer after the trial. The whole dangerous-bad boy-I’m-gonna-tame-him thing."

Lyssa stared.

"I’m just saying," Stacey said, holding up both hands defensively.

"Aidan is not a serial murderer."

"He might be if he’s Special Forces."

"That would be different!"

"Yeah." Stacey slumped back into the chair. "I guess so. Maybe you’re just crazy, or maybe he is. I hope it all works out and you’re happy, but man, I have my doubts. There’s something weird going on here."

Lyssa sighed loudly. "I think so, too."

"Here, take this." Stacey dug into her purse next to her and pulled out a pen. Then she tugged off the top and revealed an atomizer top.

"What is that? Mace?"

"Pepper spray. This shit’s nasty stuff. Justin messed with a tube once and damn near killed us both. Your eyes water, your nose runs, and your skin burns like hell."

Staring down at the innocuous-looking tube, Lyssa felt like crying. Could she be more scattered and confused? "You think I might have to use this?"

"Better safe than sorry. This guy is a stranger to you. Who knows what his deal is? No clothes, no money. It’s just bizarre. If he starts talking about religious sacrifices or says he’s an alien, you’ll be grateful for that spray."

"Fuck."

Stacey leaned over and squeezed her wrist. "Call me often over the weekend, or else I’m sending the cops over. And bring him to dinner at my place tomorrow. I want to see you in person."

"You’re freaking me out." Lyssa stood and began to pace. When she was with Aidan, she felt safe. Cherished. But when they were apart she was flooded with doubts.

"Put Aidan up in a hotel until everything is worked out and explained."

"Fine."

"Fine, you’ll do it? Or fine, shut the hell up?"

"Fine, I’ll find him a hotel."

When the rear door to the clinic slammed shut, they both turned their heads. Aidan appeared a moment later, his hair windblown and tousled in a super-sexy way, a bookstore bag in his hand. He’d bought sunglasses, which he pushed up as he approached, revealing blue eyes filled with pleasure and lust at the sight of her. He was walking his signature walk, the one that screamed, Hot sex. Beneath the thin cotton of his shirt, she could just make out the shape of his washboard abs and strong chest.

Her toes curled.

"Ready to go?" he asked in that deep voice with its luscious accent. That tone struck a chord deep inside her, once again creating a sense of familiarity that was soul deep.

Clutching the pepper pen tightly, she nodded. "Yes. I’m ready."