"i'm not like this either," she whispered, setting her hand over his through her tank top and moving it down to her breast. her fingers rested atop his and squeezed, urging him to fondle the heavy, aching weight of her flesh. "and you're not going fast enough."

"i'm going to fuck you. i can't help it." his brogue was so thick she could hardly understand him.

"hard and fast. then we'll start over. i'll make it good for you. do it right."

shaking her head, stacey leaned forward, offering the most private part of her body to him. "just do it. right or wrong."

connor rumbled something, then he tore open the box of condoms and broke into a foil packet.

she forced herself to breathe in and out carefully, willing her brain to feel less dizzy, telling herself that this was a one-night stand, not a goddamn relationship. he didn't have to be

"permanent" material; he just had to carry the right

equipment

her

some

consideration.

the man was best friends with aidan, who was a great guy. that didn't make connor a great guy, but it did make him slightly better than a complete stranger. and they were adults. they could indulge in a little gratuitous sex and still be civil. she wasn't repeating past mistakes, because she had no expectations that this would go beyond an orgasm. right? right?

stacey had almost convinced herself that this encounter was only slightly more involved that using a vibrator when connor grasped her thighs and lifted her effortlessly, stealing her balance in more ways than one. with a startled cry, she clung to the barstool and felt the world tilt.

then he was there, the fat tip of him notching into the slick, slitted entrance to her pussy. she moaned as he nudged and he made a soothing sound that might have calmed her if she weren't out of her mind with lust and a hundred other emotions.

"relax," he urged hoarsely. "let me in. i've got you."

panting, she willed herself limp, afraid that she would be too heavy and startled to realize that he held her aloft easily. he eased in an inch and she felt every groove and vein of him because she hugged him so tightly.

"oh!"

"touch yourself." connor shuddered as he fed more of his thick cock into her. "get yourself off.

you're so tight..."

stacey clung to the seat with one arm, while reaching a hand between her legs to rub. she was stretched wide and tight to accommodate him, which exposed her clit even further from its hood.

she was swollen, hot, slick; more aroused than she'd ever remembered being. he sank deeper, pushing with shallow, rapid digs that made her mewl and beg. her pussy fluttered around his cock and he groaned, his fingertips digging into the flesh of her thighs.

"that's it, baby," he whispered hoarsely. "suck me in. take all of me."

with a relieved cry, she climaxed hard, her fingers rubbing, her cunt flooding with moisture, easing his way. he thrust hard and hiked with a grunt. in a distant part of her brain stacey heard the phone ringing, but it didn't mean anything and a moment later all she could hear was the deafening rush of blood in her ears.

"hang on," he ordered. he began to pound her pussy in a savage rhythm, pumping high and hard, his powerful thighs flexing between hers. her eyes closed and her cheek rested against the hard wooden seat, sliding back and forth in her own sweat, her body on fire because his was. his cock was like a burning brand inside her. she was hot, but he was hotter.

unbelievably, the tension coiled tight again, building... growing... his heavy balls smacked repeatedly against her tender clit, the sound so erotic she shivered with renewed arousal. the rim of his cockhead grazed a tender spot inside her and she was instantly on the edge.

"oh god," she whimpered, "i'm coming again."

he spread her legs wide and struck deep, expertly stroking across that magic place inside her that caused her to wail in mindless pleasure. his satisfaction was tangible as she arched taut beneath his relentless drives.

for all his warnings of haste, he seemed in no hurry to come now that he was in her. unable to bear anymore and slightly afraid of what would happen to her if she climaxed that hard again, stacey reached between her legs and touched his swinging balls.

connor cursed and swelled, stuffing her full. "i'm not going to last..."

tightening down, she hugged him with her inner muscles. he jerked violently and with a guttural shout began to come. his cock strained and bucked with the force of his ejaculations in a brutal, wrenching orgasm. he lowered, taking her with him. first to his knees, then to his back, his sweat soaking her tank. his brawny arms circled around her. all the way to the floor.

where he held her with his lips to her temple, still coming...

chapter 5

"hi! you've reached dr. lyssa bates and aidan cross. we're sorry we're not available to answer your call right now. if this is an emergency..."

aidan hung up the phone with a muttered curse and flopped back onto the bed.

lyssa pushed up onto one elbow and stared down at him with her big dark eyes. "no answer?"

he shook his head.

"maybe connor is still sleeping and stacey ran out for a bite," she suggested.

"maybe. we'll have to try again later on the cell phone when we cross back over into san ysidro."

he watched the pendant he had given her for protection swing gently between her full breasts.

when they'd first met, she had been plagued by restless sleep, a result of her uncanny ability to block both guardians and nightmares from her dreams. now she was a vision, her pale skin kissed by the sun, her eyes no longer marred by shadows, her lush figure filled out and not so lean.

but as wonderful as the package was, it was the contents he loved-her kindness and compassion, her deep love for him, and her desire for his happiness.

"are you sure it was a guardian you saw earlier?"

she asked for the hundredth time, her hand caressing the hard ripples of his naked abdomen.

"pretty damn sure. either that or an elder. we'll know for certain when we head back over there and i search her room."

lyssa's wince caused him to cup the back of her head and pull her down for a quick, hard kiss to her forehead.

"trust me," he urged.

"i do. you know i do." she sighed, her thick lashes lowering to hide her thoughts. "that doesn't mean i'm not going to freak out when you put yourself in danger. the thought of you hurt terrifies me."

"i know how you feel, hot stuff, because i feel the same way about you. that's why we have to follow through. if we're being hunted, i have to know." aidan lifted his hand and rubbed a lock of her hair between his fingertips. "we need to know if she's after you, or the taza. or both. shit, maybe she's here for something we don't know about yet."

lyssa sat up and arranged herself against the headboard. she sighed, the sound blending with the waves that crashed on the beach outside their balcony. "being the key sucks."

he hummed a soothing sound. "i'm sorry, baby."

there was nothing more he could say and they both knew it.

"it's worth it to be with you." her sweet voice was low and fervent.

he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. "want one last beer before we check out?"

her smile affected him deeply, tempting him to stay in bed longer when they really had to be going. aidan sat up and left the bed before his heart overruled his brain, something it did often because he loved lyssa so much. it drove him crazy that he couldn't shake the feeling that their time together was limited, that there was an hourglass somewhere draining the sands of time.

for an immortal, that was saying something. and what it was saying wasn't good.

"you're always taking care of me," she murmured.

"looking after me, supporting me. i don't know what i'd do without you."

"you'll never find out, hot stuff."

lyssa stared into the dark blue eyes of her lover and hated the anxiety that vibrated deep within her, the feeling of dread and doom that was making her nauseas. her instinctual response to hearing that a guardian was nearby was to run far away, not hunt them down and find out what they wanted.

she watched aidan move to the table by the open sliding glass door. he used his pocket knife to slice up one of the dozen limes he'd picked up yesterday, then he cradled a handful of slices in his palms and carried them back to the nightstand.

enamored with the sheer beauty of his body, lyssa was riveted by the view of aidan approaching in a delicious display of golden rippling abs and outstretched hands dripping lime juice. well over six feet of pure, unadulterated, luscious male. the man of her dreams. literally.

a man who'd left everything behind to be with her. a man who was determined to save her from his own people who wanted her dead, regardless of any risk to himself. she loved him so much it burned like fire in her chest, making it hard to breath.

"do you ever consider that protecting me, working for mcdougal, and hunting the artifacts are altogether too much for you to handle by yourself?" she watched him sit on the edge of the mattress and reached out to rest her hand atop his shoulder. the muscles bunched as he popped the cap off the bottle and stuffed the opening with a lime slice. the scent of his skin, something exotic and spicy, hit her at the same moment as the smell of tangy citrus. "if there is one guardian here, there could be more."

he twisted and met her gaze head on. his irises were an intense deep blue, resembling a rich sapphire. unique, just as the rest of him was.

sculpted jaw and winged brows, raven-black hair, and a body built for a woman's pleasure. he was hard, chiseled, and dangerously gorgeous. and he was hers. she refused to lose him.

"i know." he passed the bottle to her, then reached for his own.

the powerful muscles in his arms flexed with the movement, inciting shivers of sensual awareness in her. they'd spent all day in bed, indulging in one another, yet she wanted him still.