Excerpt
Stryker and Zara’s First Kiss…
Location: Charon’s boat, River Styx, the
Underworld…
…The boat heaved upward
as if struck from below, sending her airborne. Before she could conjure her
wings, Stryker shot up and snatched her around the waist, hauling them both to
the deck.
Flat on his back with her
sprawled atop his hard body, he grinned, much too pleased with himself for her
liking. “Told you it gets rough,” he shouted over the rush of water. “I never
lie to you, Angel Face.”
“That in itself is a
lie,” she shot back, wedging her fingers in the gaps between the bone flooring
and gripping tight while the chopping river tossed their ride. She could list
thousands of his deceptions. Fine, they were revisiting his loathsome past
behavior. “What about the time you stole the Ark of the Covenant? Or the Holy
Chalice? The Vatican heist? Or when you took Joan’s sword and—”
“Aw, c’mon, she deserved
it. She cut off the tip of my wing.”
“It regenerated, and you
had no right to bother her in the first place when she was busy saving—
“Hey, I gave it back.”
“I made you give it back,
demon.”
He laughed but the sound
was lost in the great roar of the river. Its turmoil increased, waves thrashing
over the bow as if their presence angered the river.
“Buckle up, baby.”
Stryker held her tight to his chest. The boat bucked upward and bashed down,
again and again. Freezing water sprayed everywhere, drenching them in seconds.
Zara shuddered, chilled to the bone, half expecting ice to form on her frame.
Cheek to cheek, Stryker
clutched her close with a hand cupping her head and one massive arm banded
around her torso. “Hang on Angel Cake, I’ve got you.” Warmth slid into her
quivering body, a soothing heat wafting from the demon. “Nice trick, right?” he
murmured into her ear, lips grazing her skin.
Teeth chattering, she
didn’t reply, too caught up in the sensation of his surprisingly soft lips on
the shell of her ear, and his spicy scent, an intriguing blend of cardamom,
cinnamon, and earthy, masculine musk.
Desire danced through
her, followed fast by denial. No. Please, no. Eternal enemy. Archnemesis. He’s
the bad guy. But her libido didn’t seem to care one bit about their
battle-filled past, or even their more recent clashes. Her treacherous body
relaxed against his, basking in the continued warmth emanating from him.
“Yes, baby. That’s it.”
His hand slid to her nape, and he exhaled against the sensitive skin of her
neck, setting off a flurry of butterflies in her stomach.
Trap. This had to be a
trap, right? Nothing good could come of a tryst with a demon. It didn’t matter
how loudly the hum chimed in her, or how wonderful his hard body felt under
hers, they couldn’t possibly—
Oh, no, now his clever
fingers kneaded the knots in her muscles, massaging the tension from her neck
and shoulders, making her melt.
His warm lips brushed her
ear once again. “Angel…”
She should stop him.
Really, she should. Then he nuzzled the hollow of her shoulder, and his soft
kisses eroded her superego’s usual iron will. […] Maybe, if she explored the
cosmic hum trying to call them together instead of running from it, she would
discover it meant nothing at all. Maybe, she could simply kiss him and move on.
She turned her head. He
stilled, one hot palm planted between her shoulder blades, the other lounging
on her lower back, his mouth so close their breath mingled. Goose bumps tracked
over her and not from the cold since she had Stryker as her personal space
heater.
Zara didn’t dare look
into his eyes, instead digging deep one last time to stop this insanity,
dredging up reasons this was a bad idea. Demon. D’uh. Longtime foe. Brash,
blunt, devious, conniving, opinionated, manipulative, flirtatious, and yes,
flirting was bad, so very, very ba—
[…] Lord help her, she
wanted him too. Her gaze clashed with his. Such pretty eyes for a demon, like
black onyx flecked with amber. He went statue-still beneath her, seemed to be
holding his breath now, waiting for her to…
Make a move?
She wrapped a lock of his
shoulder-length hair around her finger. Damp from the crashing river. Shiny,
deepest black. Silky, and as warm as his body. She tugged on it.
A groan escaped him, and
he kissed her.
