started to close the window. âIf you donât cooperate, I canât keep you safe. Weâve talked about this. If itâs the kissâ¦â Frustration weighed in his voice, his movements, his everything. âItâs okay, Eavan. We can pretend it didnât happen. People react differently to stress, andâ¦itâs not a big deal.â
Not prey.
He was too close though.
âIâm sorry,â she whispered.
âItâs okay. I told you that.â Cillian turned to face her. He was not even three steps away.
She stared at his mouth. Just another taste. The tip of her tongue darted out.
He froze, but he didnât run. âItâs okay.â
She wasnât sure if he was giving her permission or still forgiving her. It didnât really matter. She closed the space between them. It was all she could do to speak, but she warned him: âYou should run now.â
He didnât move.
So she kissed him. She had both legs around him, and he walked forward until she felt the wall behind her.
She pushed herself tighter to him. âMore.â She pressed her lips back to his, lifted herself up enough that she could reach between them and unbutton his jeans. Her skirt was around her hips, leaving only her underwear between them. She ripped it away; the sound of tearing cloth brought an encouraging sound from Cillian.
They were on the floor. She was straddling him, moments from crossing the line she swore she would not cross.
Better sex than murder.
She pulled away and looked down at him.
I could swallow his final breath as he â¦
She lowered herself onto him and shuddered. Sex and death, all at once, she could have it all. She licked her lips and leaned forward.
âEavan!â Suddenly, Muriel was there, pulling her backward. The small vampire was more than a match for Eavan.
Muriel pulled Eavan off Cillian.
Eavan hissed. Muriel slapped her.
Cillian looked dazed. He scrambled to his feet, naked and somehow already aiming a gun at Muriel.
âGet in the car,â Muriel said, or perhaps repeated, if the way she bit off each word was any indication. She stayed like a guard between Cillian and Eavan. âAnd tell him who I am, Evvie, before he tries to shoot me.â
âFriend,â Eavan forced out. Forming words just then was a trial, but she did it. âMurielâs a friend. I called her.â
Cillian lowered his gun.
Eavanâs gaze followed the lowering weapon and fell on Cillianâs very beautiful naked, just-out-of-reach body. She tried to step around Muriel. âIâm fine here.â
Muriel sighed. âIâm sorry about this, Mr. Owens, but until sheâs thinking clearly, itâs for the best.â
Then she punched him.
Chapter 8
E avan had a violent case of the shakes by the time she was a mile away from her apartment. It was a little mortifying to think that Muriel had seen her so out of control with a human, but at least she had been there to stop Eavan.
âI owe you,â she said, not looking at Muriel yet.
âSweetie,â Muriel drawled, âyou always owe me for something or other. You just count yourself lucky that I donât call in all those chits.â
âWhy did you stop me?â Eavan had heard Murielâs lectures on âgiving inâ often enough that she was a little surprised.
Muriel glanced over at her, taking her eyes off the road long enough that it gave Eavan a pleasant shiver of danger. When Muriel looked back at the road, she answered, âWhen you choose to cross those lines, Iâm good with it, but itâs not my place to help you cross themâ¦unless you decide in advanceâ¦preferably with me along for the ride.â She flashed a fanged grin at Eavan.
âIâm not sure Iâll ever be woman enough for you,â Eavan admitted.
Muriel laughed, not cruelly, but in that way that made clear that she knew secrets that the rest of the world
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