Mating Fever by Susan Hayes
Carnage
“There are some things in life worth a little pain and punishment.” Carnage heard the words coming out of his mouth, but he hadn’t meant to say them. Shit, he hadn’t even meant to think them. It was like he was possessed, most likely by the throbbing hard-on trapped in his pants. No woman had ever affected him this way, not in life or in all the centuries that followed.
“I’m worth a whole lot of pain and punishment. Not that you’re ever going to find out.” She glowered at him, her blue eyes gleaming with an inner light he found mesmerizing.
He yanked on the chain binding them, hard enough to bring her into his arms. “I’m starting to think you might even be worth dying for.”
Centuries of ironclad control shattered in seconds as he slanted his lips across hers. She tasted of chocolate, sweet and sticky, a dessert he wanted to devour. He crushed her body against his, feeling the lean lines of her body fit seamlessly against his own. The beast in his soul howled in triumph as he laid claim to her mouth.
He expected her to fight him. He was even looking forward to it, and she didn’t disappoint him. Her teeth closed on his lower lip with enough strength to draw blood. The taste of him on her lips sent his hound into a frenzy. He wanted this, wanted her marked with his scent, with his blood, so that everyone would know she belonged to him, and him alone.
“Mine,” the word came out in a low growl.
She tore her mouth from his, stomping on his foot hard enough he was thankful that his boots had steel toes. “What are you, a seagull from that fish movie? I’m not yours.”
He locked his arms around her and lifted her until her feet were dangling several inches off the ground. “You’re wrong. You are mine, Leta.”
“I’m not wrong. You’re insane. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want you to take me to see Lucifer. Now!”
“No.” Car couldn’t think straight, couldn’t focus on anything but the woman in his arms. No one was taking her away from him, not even the Devil himself.
“Put. Me. Down,” she insisted and kicked him in the shin.
“Not doing that, either,” he told her, then lifted his head as the distant wail of sirens caught his attention. “Fuck.”
“Looks like we’re going to see the big guy whether you want to or not. We sure can’t stay here any longer. The nice lady in the diner must have called the cops when she saw the big, scary biker coming after one of her customers.”
“Or she saw her customer pull a knife on a total stranger and then try to set the place on fire. You’re not exactly innocent here, sweet cheeks. In case you’ve forgotten, I did invite you to come with me, nice and polite like. You’re the one who went all stabby-stabby.”
“Either way, we’re going to Hell now, right?”
“Wrong again.” Car whistled sharply, and his bike started on its own. With a throaty roar it revved up then peeled out of the parking lot, headed for the open road.
“You’re fucking kidding me. Your bike is a robot?”
He chuckled. “Nope. My bike used to be a horse. I’ll introduce you to him another time. For now, he can lead the cops a merry chase while the two of us go somewhere we won’t be interrupted. And before you try to roast me again, keep in mind that I’m fireproof, and so is everything else where we’re going.”
“And where—”
He teleported away while she was still mid-sentence. There was only one place he could possibly take her. It was insane, but it was also the last place Luc would think to look for a bounty hunter that was supposed to be on a mission.
He would have to bring her to his home in Purgatory.
