Midnight Sins (Midnight #2)(45)
Author: Cynthia Eden

Well, until last night, anyway.

His fingers stilled on her breast. “How many other men have dreamed of you?” He growled the question at her.

Anger was in his tone. But so was…hurt? Cara lifted her hands. Curled her fingers over the hard muscles in his arms. “They don’t matter. The only one that matters now is you.” She meant that.

Dreams, fantasies, they were like wisps of smoke. Being with Todd, it was real, he was real, and the way he made her feel—

Like a real woman.

Not just a demon.

It was her turn to stroke his jaw. The faint sting of stubble rasped along her palm. “I want to be with you. Not the cop and the demon.” She was tired of the allegations. Suspicions. “Just the man and the woman.” Maybe it wasn’t possible, but, damn it, something was between them.

And she wanted to find out just what it was.

Could be hard, hot lust. A lust that would burn out with the pounding mating of their bodies.

But maybe it would be more than lust. That elusive something more she’d searched for so long.

Cara rose just a bit on her tiptoes. Wrapped her hand around the back of his neck and urged his face closer to her. Their lips met, mouths open. Need burning. She kissed him with all the raging passion in her, and he met her, kissing back, full force.

When the elevator lurched, she didn’t pay it any attention. She ignored the soft ding of a bell and enjoyed the slow thrust of his tongue and the skilled play of his fingers on her nipple.

There was a soft swish, and Todd hurriedly stepped back from her, pulling his hand and mouth away with a muffled curse.

Cara realized then that they’d made it to the basement. The elevator had started moving on its own. Damn it.

Todd glanced out of the elevator. His back was ramrod straight. “No one’s here.”

She didn’t particularly care.

But when he stepped from the elevator, her eyes narrowed and she followed him. “Todd—”

His eyes burned down at her. “I’m always a cop.”

The intensity in his voice made her stomach knot.

“The cop and the man, they aren’t separate for me. I do my job, twenty-four-seven. I live this job—and I want to trust you, but—

”

But. She felt the word hit her like a slap. “I thought we were past this. You said you didn’t think I was a killer.”

“I want to trust you.” The words seemed to be ripped from him. “But you didn’t tell me the truth about yourself until just hours ago—and even then, you didn’t tell me everything. I had to get the details from Gyth.”

Because she’d been afraid he’d turn away from her. “You don’t understand.” She had to swallow to ease the dryness in her throat.

“You don’t know what it’s like—”

“You’re damned right I don’t—and you haven’t told me.” A door opened near the end of the hallway, and from the corner of her eye, Cara saw Gyth exit what she figured was a stairwell. The words snapped out fast as Todd demanded, “Tell me this, baby, are the demon and the woman really separate for you?”

No.

Her expression must have answered for her because he nodded. “I didn’t think so.” Todd wasn’t touching her now. Not at all.

“We are who we are, Cara. No changing it.”

“I didn’t say I wanted to change.” She’d never longed to be human.

Not really.

“Take me as I am, and that’s the way I’ll take you.”

The grated words had her blinking in surprise. Was he saying—

He kissed her, hard. “And stay the hell out of anyone else’s dreams, baby.”

Before she could respond, Gyth was there. Glaring at her and Todd, with his nostrils flaring. A moment later, another door opened, one that brought her the scent of death and decay, mixed with bleach and the harsh stench of chemicals.

A tall, thin woman with coffee cream skin—a woman so beautiful Cara doubted she was human—stepped into the hallway. She frowned when she saw them.

“Smith, just the woman we wanted to see,” Todd called out.

The woman wore light green scrubs. Behind her, Cara heard the sound of jazz music drifting from the open door.

“I’m takin’ a break, Brooks.”

He sighed. “We need to look at the bodies.”

A stare that was as dark as night locked on Cara. “Who is she?”

Todd raised a brow. “She’s the expert you need.”

“What?”

“Remember, Smith? You said you were out of your ‘element’—well, trust me, for Cara—this is definitely her area of expertise.”

Smith’s gaze darted to Gyth. “One of yours, huh?”

“She sure as hell isn’t!” Todd snapped, just as Cara asked blankly, “One of his what?”

Gyth marched to the doctor’s side. Whispered to her. Cara caught the familiar “succubus” and the equally familiar “dangerous.”

“No need for whispers,” Todd said, grabbing her hand and pulling Cara toward the door. “Okay. I know what’s going on, I’ve been a blind idiot, but I get it now. I get it. ”

Smith’s stare was solemn. “You’re not an idiot. You’re just human, and I’m beginning to think that we’re pretty damn rare.”

Oh, but the doctor was very much mistaken. “Actually,” Cara murmured, “at the last count,” unofficial though it had been, “humans outnumber supernaturals two hundred and fifty-four thousand to one.” Give or take a bit.

Smith didn’t look particularly pleased or impressed by this bit of news. But after a moment, she turned around and marched back into the slightly chilled room.

Back to where the bodies waited.

Cara pulled in a deep gulp of air, tasted death, and knew this wasn’t about to be pretty.

Cara’s skin still seemed too pale when she crossed the threshold of the Crypt.

The impulse to comfort her, to wrap his hands around her delicate shoulders and pull her close, was strong. As strong as the impulse to kiss her had been in the elevator.

His shoulder brushed against hers, a subtle gesture to let her know that he was there.

She wasn’t facing this alone.

Smith kept glancing at Cara. Then at Colin. Then Cara. The woman looked nervous and…angry.

Colin had told him the full truth about Smith’s abduction earlier. He knew that one of the Other had kidnapped her and tortured her. Before that horrible experience, Smith had no idea that any creatures like shifters or demons really existed.