Dressed in black leather and brandishing a weapon, she was long and lean and deadly. A light sheen of sweat covered her face, making her skin glisten. She wore no makeup but needed none, striking enough without it.
He already knew her lips were soft. Now he wanted to peel away her clothes and discover the woman beneath.
They might be enemies, but that just added spice to the mix.
“I’ve faced more dangerous than you.” The light from the chandelier caught the reddish tones in her auburn hair, making it snap like fire.
“I seriously doubt that.” Anticipation threaded through him. First, he’d spar with her, and then he’d fuck her.
“You know what I am, don’t you?”
No point in lying. “You’re one of Lucifer’s bounty hunters.”
She nodded slowly, as if he’d confirmed something she’d already suspected. “So, you know what I’m capable of.” The knife flipped between her fingers.
“Yes.” Drawn to her beauty and strength, he took another step toward her. Lust pulsed through him, powerful and deep. He hadn’t desired a woman this badly…ever.
“What are you?” She took a step back, putting herself in the middle of the hardwood floor with an expanse of eight feet on either side of her, giving herself room to fight.
Smart move.
“I could say I’m your worst nightmare, but that’s so clichéd.”
“Then why do I think you’re not joking?” Her slender throat rippled when she swallowed.
“Because I’m not. I won’t harm you unless you try to hurt me.” For a second, she glanced at the floor.
She’s here to kill me.
He’d suspected as much. It didn’t matter, didn’t change the fact he still wanted to have sex with her.
Some might find that disturbing. He called it foreplay.
He curled his fingers inward and made a come-and-get-me motion. She frowned and glanced down at the knife in her hand. “You want to fight?”
“Isn’t that what you came here for?” he countered. Would she try to kill him now, or would she backtrack and seduce him, trying to make him lower his guard before taking a shot?
Maccus was more alive than he’d been in a very long while. Aware of the cadence of her breathing, the pungent scent of blood and sweat from her body, combined with the faintest hint of soap.
Morrigan stalked toward him, her long legs closing the distance quickly. Outwardly relaxed, he was ready for anything. The sharp blade remained loosely clasped in her hand by her side.
She walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
…
It was official. She’d finally gone over the deep end and straight into insanity. What else could explain her actions?
This was the perfect opportunity to kill Maccus. But it was too easy. When he’d made the comment about being her worst nightmare, he hadn’t been joking. Everything about him screamed that he told the truth.
If she as much as lifted her knife against him, he’d stop her. And then he’d kill her.
Dying was something to be avoided at all costs. And deep down, she’d always regret it if they didn’t have sex. She’d been cold for so long. People thought Hell was fiery, but everyone’s experience was different. For her, it was cold. It was always being on the outside, never able to trust anyone, having to be aware at all times that someone or something might try to kill her.
But mostly, it was knowing that Lucifer could come for her at any moment and take what little freedom and pleasures she had.
It had been ten long years since she’d had sex.
She couldn’t trust Maccus, but she wanted him.
His lips were warm and firm and welcoming. He tasted masculine and powerful, smelled of a combination of soap and leather. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the caress. The smooth metal of her blade lay against his nape. He ignored it and kept on kissing her.
His hands slid down her sides and gripped her hips, his heat seeping through the layers of her clothing. He lifted her off her feet as though she weighed nothing. Her nipples pebbled in response.
His body was a well-honed machine of thick muscle and sinew.
God, he makes me hot.
She wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to get closer. One massive arm banded around her back and the other under her ass, holding her easily. His strength was enormous.
Whatever he was, he was indeed a powerful creature, one who didn’t fear one of Hell’s bounty hunters. She pulled away from his lips and kissed a path along his firm jaw and down his thick neck before inhaling deeply. Not a shapeshifter of any kind, or at least none like she’d ever encountered. Not a vampire, either. Those creatures always seemed to have a scent of blood clinging to them.
He nipped at the curve of her throat, not hard enough to break the skin, but just enough to give her a jolt and make every cell in her body stand up and take notice.
“Are you going to stab me or fuck me?” he whispered in her ear, his breath teasing her skin and sending a shiver down her spine.
She slid the flat of the blade along his neck and shoulder before slipping it back into its sheath. “Fuck you.”
“Good choice.” He kissed her again, and this time she lost herself in his dark embrace. This wasn’t smart. He was her target—a dangerous one at that—not her lover.
She didn’t care. There was something about Maccus that drew her, made her risk the devil’s ire and the possibility of an eternity of torture in Hell.
That should have scared her to death, but every inch of her was alive with anticipation. She’d forgotten what it was like to look forward to something instead of dreading it. Or worse, feeling nothing at all.
He moved, walking with her deeper into the apartment. Each step he took slid her breasts against his chest and her mound against his erection. It was past time to get naked and rub herself all over him, to see what he looked like under all that leather.
I can’t wait.
Anticipation humming inside her, she was taken aback when he carried her through the bedroom and into a bathroom. “The bed is that way.” She pointed over his shoulder.
The corners of his mouth twitched. She held her breath, wondering if he’d smile. It was becoming a goal. But his lips remained in their familiar firm line. “Thought you might like to get rid of the blood first. But if you don’t care, it doesn’t bother me.”
She had the sense that not only wouldn’t it bother him, but he might actually enjoy it. When he paused, she shook her head. “Definitely shower.”