Along Came a Demon (Shadow Demons 1): A Bones MC Romance
Along Came a Demon: Chapter 2

The tunnel was dim and spooky. Merrily realized she was that stupid bimbo in the slasher movies the second the sparse lighting behind them went out. Sure, she could turn around and run with Bellarose but that would be even stupider. Was that even a word? She was moments away from hysteria and could do nothing to calm herself.

Thankfully, Rose didn’t seem affected in the least. She squirmed to get down, looking around them like it was a grand adventure. Maybe it was. Merrily just hoped it didn’t end in disaster. The feeling they were being watched was almost overwhelming. The itching between her shoulder blades intensified until she was so jumpy a spider would have sent her screaming. OK, so a spider could make her scream anyway but that was beside the point.

Unperturbed, Rose skipped through the tunnel, uncaring about dangers. The kid was fearless.

“Mommy!” she yelled, running forward, farther down the tunnel. “My cats! Look!”

As she rounded the corner, Merrily saw the two cats her daughter was so excited about. They waited just inside the tunnel where it opened up into a larger room. It was dark so Merrily couldn’t see much, but the cats were distinctive. One black. One white. The latter sat primly with its tail curled around its feet. The black one paced back and forth behind the white cat, stopping when it caught sight of Rose and Merrily.

The little girl gave an excited squeal and skidded to a stop on her knees. She scooped up the white cat, burying her face in its fur. She put it down only to give the black cat the same treatment. Both animals were limp as rag dolls in the little girl’s arms.

“Rose, be careful. They might not like people.”

“My cats, Mommy! I said I wanted a black cat and a white cat at my forever home! We’re here!”

Merrily sighed. “Rose, honey, we can’t live in a cave…” She trailed off when lights started coming all around them across the vast, open structure. The place had to be as large as a football field. Tables with computers and various tools were spread out over the entire area as if each space was its own project. Indeed, the whole thing looked like a huge laboratory.

“Whoa.” Rose put the cat down and walked farther inside. Merrily caught her arm and halted her.

“Wait, baby. We have no idea where we are.”

“You’re in our project room.” The male voice boomed throughout the room so loud Merrily covered her ears and Rose ducked behind her, following suit. “Sorry!” The same voice sounded, the volume normal this time, from about twenty feet away. “Forgot I had the mic on.”

“That was loud! You scared my cats away!” Rose stomped out from behind Merrily with her hands on her hips, scolding the man. “Cats don’t like loud noises, mister. You should be more careful.”

“Cats,” he said, looking blankly at Rose as he took a couple of steps toward them. Raising an eyebrow, he pointed at the two cats. The black one hid behind Rose, peeking out from the little girl’s leg. The other one, however, arched its back and hissed at the man, growling low in its throat threateningly. “You mean Satan and Hell Bitch?”

Rose clapped her hands back over her ears. “That’s a mean word!”

The man looked contrite. He had ginger hair and stubble on his face. His skin was fair, with a smattering of freckles. Now, he turned beet red. “I-I’m sorry.” He looked from Rose to Merrily as if he didn’t have a clue what to do, actually wringing his hands. “That’s just what we’ve always called them since they came here.”

“That’s not their names,” Rose insisted. “This is Smokey.” She indicated the black cat, picking it up. The animal, again, was limp in her arms, not fighting in the least. “That’s Snowball.” The white cat turned to her and gave a solid meow before turning back to the man and casually hissing again before turning back to Rose.

“Well then,” he said, seeming to get himself together. “I’m Giovanni Romano. You can call me Gio if you like.”

“My name’s Rose. That’s my mommy.”

Giovanni turned his gaze to Merrily. He took the several steps separating them and extended his hand in greeting. “Pleased to meet you, miss.”

“Merrily Dane,” she said quietly, not taking his hand. “Rose, stay close to me.” She didn’t dare take her gaze from the man. His unassuming manner was offsetting, but Merrily knew no one with access to stuff like this was harmless. “Where are we?”

“I told you. You’re in our project room. This is where I put together… special equipment.”

“And you’re just telling me this to satisfy my curiosity?” Merrily’s heart began to pound. Had she and Rose stumbled into something worse than whatever men were already after her?

“Well, I suppose I shouldn’t, but, honestly, what else was I supposed to say?”

“I’m not stupid,” she said, really scared now. “I know when people stumble into something like this, they usually don’t stumble out alive.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” A male voice from behind them made Merrily jump. She whirled around and Giovanni was on her in an instant. He snagged her arms behind her with effortless ease, securing her hands with a zip tie. “Rose, run!” she screamed at her daughter, hoping the little girl could get away, knowing it was hopeless.

Merrily kicked out at the new man who was in front of her now. He caught her foot but didn’t hurt her. Rose screamed and the cats scattered. Snowball launched itself at Giovanni. The man yelled, letting go of Merrily to remove the cat from his back. The animal was out for blood, clawing and scratching the man’s back, face, and arms before jumping down and eyeing the newcomer as if he were its next meal.

“Azriel, get Hell Bitch out of here before I kick her like a fucking field goal!”

“Got my hands full with Satan, Alex. Fucker was never aggressive before! What the fuck?”

“You leave my mommy and Snowball alone!” Instead of running like Merrily had told her to, Rose attacked. Much like the cat, she struck out with her tiny fists on “Alex’s” leg. “And don’t you call Smokey mean names, mister!” she said to “Azriel.”

“Would everyone just calm the fuck down?” Alex said, raising his hands in surrender. “Giovanni, untie her hands. Why’d you do that anyway?”

The man didn’t answer but an instant later, she heard a snip, the tie was gone, and Merrily snagged Rose to her side. The child tried to get away but Merrily had a death grip on her. “Who are you? What do you want with us?” Merrily was about to lose her ever-loving shit. She’d never been so scared in her life. In the shelter, no one had actually touched her except for Rose’s angels. These guys clearly meant business.

“We were only trying to help you,” Alex said, his voice calm, his hands still raised. “You were in a very dangerous part of town, in the middle of what looked like a turf war. The two of you were in danger so we did our best to remove you from the situation.”

The two newcomers were impeccably dressed in expensive-looking suits that were probably tailor made. They fit the two flawlessly. They were big men with broad shoulders, thick arms, and wide chests that tapered down to narrow waists. Alex, however, had something about him that both frightened and intrigued Merrily. He seemed to look into her soul whenever he met her gaze. He was slightly taller than Azriel, but it was difficult to say who was bigger. Alex was definitely the more intimidating.

Merrily stepped to the side so she could keep all three men in her line of sight. Giovanni scrubbed the back of his neck, his face still red as if with embarrassment. “I just turned off some lights, hoping you’d stick to the ones that were on. I led you down here and…”

“Then you assaulted me!”

“I’m sorry about that,” he said, hanging his head like a naughty child. Merrily wasn’t buying it. “I thought you were going to try to bolt again and didn’t want to take the chance you’d head back into danger with the little one because you were afraid of us.”

“So you made it worse? Jesus!” Merrily recognized she sounded hysterical, but under the circumstances, she thought she was entitled.

Rose twisted her arm away from Merrily and marched up to Alex, tugging on the sleeve of the suit jacket he wore. “Mister, you need to not talk so mean.”

All eyes were instantly on the little girl. Merrily reached for her, but she just lifted her arms up to Alex as if she wanted to be picked up. The big man hesitated, then slowly bent and picked up the child, looking as uncomfortable as a man possibly could. Merrily took a step toward her daughter, but something stopped her. The expression on Alex’s face… It was equal parts fear, wonder, and oh-hell-no.

“Where’s my room?” Rose demanded. Merrily was just as dumbfounded as Alex looked. As a rule, Rose was usually reserved, shy around strangers. Not this time.

“Your room.” Alex looked like he wanted to hand her off to Merrily and run for the hills, but to his credit, he didn’t let the little girl intimidate him. Much.

“Yes,” she continued, completely unaware of the man’s discomfort. “I told Mommy when we got to our forever home I wanted a black cat and a white cat. So, now I just need my own room.”

“I — uh…” He cleared his throat and glanced over at Azriel. The other man shrugged, trying to smother a smile. Merrily noticed and something in her relaxed. These men had no idea what to do with a child, but they weren’t out to harm them. “Yes. Well.” He glanced at Merrily, lifting his chin. A mask of arrogance once again covered his face, as if this were all normal. “If your mom will kindly come with us, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

“Wait,” Merrily said, reaching for Alex’s arm. Her hand made contact with his hand curled under Rose where he held the little girl over his hip, and she was unprepared for the shock. A shiver of awareness went through her. When she would have pulled back, he turned his hand slightly and caught her fingers. Looking up at him, she saw his brows were drawn together, a recognizable look of confusion on his handsome face. Merrily hadn’t fully registered how good-looking Alex really was until that moment. The saying that kids were chick magnets when a guy held them was apparently true. With Rose snug in his arms and that adorable confused look on his face, the intimidation lessened. Somewhat. “What are you doing?” she managed the question with only a slightly breathy voice.

“Seeing to it you have a safe place to stay,” he said matter-of-factly.

“We can’t stay here.”

He turned the full effect of his penetrating gaze on her. Just like that, he was as intimidating as ever. This was a man used to giving orders and having those orders obeyed without question. “Where, exactly, did you plan on going? You were in a piss-poor homeless shelter. Do you have someplace better you chose not to use instead?” Rose gasped and covered her ears, giving Alex a glare. To his credit the man glanced at the child and muttered, “Sorry.” When Merrily lifted her chin defiantly but said nothing, he gave a curt nod. “That’s what I thought. Come with me, please.”

* * *

Alexei took them to the elevator and up to the third floor where the guest residences were. Here, the girls could have a comfortable, fully stocked suite with everything they’d need but personal items. Which Alex would see remedied immediately. The manor had eighty-seven rooms with seventeen suites, not counting his own residence. That occupied the entire fourth floor. Though his instincts screamed for him to keep his new charges as close to him as he could, Alex fought it. Instead, he gave them a two-bedroom suite on the floor below him.

“The cats should stay in the project room,” Alex muttered as he led them down the long hall.

“They like it better with me,” Rose told him. Her thin arms had encircled his neck and she sounded more sleepy than excited now. As if she’d heard his thoughts, the little girl yawned and laid her head on Alex’s shoulder. The feeling was so foreign to him, he nearly stumbled. Instead, he found himself nuzzling her silky head before he could stop himself.

“This place is like a fancy hotel,” Merrily muttered. “Does it come with room service?”

Alex got the feeling she meant it as a joke, but it came out nearly resentful, as if she expected it to be offered only to discover she couldn’t ever afford it. “Absolutely,” he replied without hesitation. “Any time of the day or night, anything you need. I’ll explain it all when I introduce you to Mrs. McDonald.”

“I was kidding,” she said with a sigh. “We can’t stay here.”

“You can and you will. I won’t discuss it further.” He was saved from her continued protest when they reached the end of the hall and the double doors leading to the room he’d let them use. He opened one, then the other. Rose stirred in his arms and lifted her head.

“Are we staying here?”

“You are,” Alex answered before Merrily could say anything. He set her on her feet. “This suite has two rooms. You get your pick, Rose.”

She grinned, and Alex could see she wanted to be excited, but her eyelids were drooping. “Smokey. Snowball. Come on. Let’s go to bed.”

Alex glanced to the side and saw the two cats had followed them. He shook his head. The cats seemed to have adopted the little girl as much as she’d adopted them. All three went to the closest bedroom. He watched as the little girl kicked off her shoes and crawled up on the bed. The cats jumped up and settled on either side of her, “Snowball” curling up but watching Alex warily, protecting the child. He closed the door and pushed a button on the phone but didn’t pick it up. Even this late, Ruth McDonald would have someone ready to answer a summons.

“Really, we can’t stay.” Merrily was wringing her hands, distressed.

“Give me a good reason why and I’ll look for a different alternative. One where you and Rose are safe.” It was nothing less than a reprimand, and she took it as such, flushing. Good. She knew he meant business.

“I –” Whatever she’d been about to say was cut off by the curt knock at the door.

“Ah. Good.” Alex took the three steps to the double doors and opened both wide. “Mrs. McDonald. I apologize for the late call.”

“No trouble at all, Mr. Petrov,” she answered, a genuine smile on her face as she appraised Merrily. “I had no idea you had guests in this room or I’d have welcomed them myself.” She looked back to Alex and he wanted to groan. He could already see the older woman making plans. Plans he absolutely would not participate in. Ever.

“Merrily,” he said, reaching out for her hand. To his surprise, she took it with little hesitation. “This is Ruth McDonald. She’s been with my family since I was a boy and knows this house better than I do. She’s my estate administrator as well as a good family friend. If you have any needs, you may bring them to Mrs. McDonald.”

“Pleased to meet you, ma’am.” Merrily extending her hand to the older woman. “We won’t be in your way and will be sure to leave the suite like we found it.”

“You’ll do no such thing!” Ruth looked outraged. “No guest in this house will ever do the cleaning. You make sure you mess the place up good or I’ll get my feelings hurt.” Merrily blinked and looked from him to Ruth, a lovely, bewildered expression on her face. “In any case, you’ll need breakfast in the morning.” She glanced past Merrily to the little girl already sleeping soundly on the bed in the next room. “What would the little one like?”

“Honestly, Mrs. McDonald, we’ll be fine.”

As he knew she would, Ruth lifted her chin, her lower lip quivering ever so slightly. “I assure you, the food in this house is excellent. If you’re worried you’ll be disappointed, I promise you, nothing could be further from the truth.”

Apparently, Merrily took the hint. With a sigh, she gave Ruth a genuine smile. “Of course that’s not the case. We’d love breakfast.”

“Excellent,” Ruth said, her face once again bright with her beautiful smile. “I’m betting silver-dollar pancakes for your girl and you…” She squinted at Merrily as if sizing her up. “Eggs Benedict with our special Hollandaise sauce. Do you prefer bacon or Canadian Bacon?”

“I’ve never had Eggs Benedict,” she said in a small voice. Merrily had a wide-eyed, almost terrified look on her face. Clearly, she was uncomfortable. Though he hated that the older woman had come to the room herself in the middle of the night instead of sending one of the other employees, he was suddenly relieved she had. No one could put a person at ease like Ruth McDonald.

“Then you’ll enjoy a new dish.” She looked so pleased, even Alex grinned. Merrily did, too. The girl had a lovely, if shy, smile. He wondered what she’d look like if she were truly at ease. “What else can I get you?” Ruth looked around. “I don’t see luggage. Was this trip not planned? I can get clothing if it’s needed.” This was why Alex loved Ruth so much. Beneath that innocent grandmother look she presented, the woman saw everything. She always had. When they were boys, he and his brothers and cousins could never get away with anything Ruth hadn’t noticed. Their parents might not replace them out, but Ruth always did. Now was no different.

“We’ll manage,” Merrily said.

“Nonsense,” Ruth said, waving her away. “Clothing from top to bottom. There are plenty of toiletries in both bathrooms for tonight, but I’ll make a list and get more for you tomorrow.”

“Honestly, we won’t be here that long. Rose and I will head out right after breakfast.” Merrily said it as if it was really going to happen.

“Before you go, Mrs. McDonald,” he said, looking straight at Merrily. The girl lowered her head, not meeting his gaze. “Is there some place you could fit Merrily into your staff? She’ll need a few days’ rest, but perhaps she’d be more comfortable if she felt she were earning her keep.”

“I’ve always got something for anyone willing to work. The pay would be more than this room is worth. I’d have to compensate her the difference.” Ruth pursed her lips as if working out the problem. “It would probably benefit you most, Mr. Petrov, if I paid her in cash. That way, if the situation is temporary, the paperwork will be kept to a minimum and would be one less thing for me. Should you decide to stay with us, my dear, we can work on a different arrangement.”

“I appreciate all this, really, but I can’t stay past tomorrow.”

“Why don’t I leave you two to work out the details? I’ll just make sure everything is ready for tomorrow.” She opened her arms to Merrily, crossing to her before pulling the younger woman into a hug. “It’s lovely to meet you, my dear. Don’t let him bully you, but you do what’s best for that girl in there. Even if it means swallowing your pride a little.” When she let go, the worry was plain to see. The woman was genuinely concerned for Merrily, who she probably considered her young charge. Without further comment, Ruth left them, shutting the door behind her.

They stood there for long moments, Merrily looking everywhere but at him. Finally, he reached for her hand. “Come with me.” She hesitated but obeyed, placing her small, delicate hand in his.

As before, the second his skin touched hers, there was an acute awareness. Alex considered himself jaded. He was an attractive, wealthy man. He’d had pretty much any woman he’d wanted in his life. Never had he felt a pull like this toward a woman. It wasn’t an overwhelming physical attraction, though she was pretty. There was just something about her that made him want to wrap her up in his arms and keep her safe.

Okay, maybe there was a bit of physical attraction, because just the touch of her hand in his made his cock twitch. Why, he didn’t know. He just knew he wanted… something. Sex? Yeah. But it was more than that. Probably some small sliver of humanity in him trying to make a comeback. He’d seen her huddled under a bed trying her best to protect her daughter, and it had done something to him inside.

He ushered her to a plush couch in the living area and sat next to her, not letting go of her hand. “Now, tell me why you don’t want to stay here.”

She tried to pull her hand away but Alex was having none of it. Never before had he wanted a physical connection with someone like he did now. Being an insanely rich man, he was used to getting what he wanted. This was no exception. She and her daughter staying here wouldn’t be, either.

“It’s my problem,” she finally said. “Just leave it at that.”

“Unacceptable.” He raised an eyebrow. “Unless you give me a good reason why you should leave. And I should warn you, it would have to be a doozy.”

She sighed. “Look. I’ve got some people after me. I have no idea who or exactly why, but it has something to do with my father. I don’t want innocent people getting caught up in my problems.”

“Explain.”

Merrily turned her head, looking at the window where nothing but blackness stared back at her. During the day, there was a lovely view of the mountain lake. On calm days the snowy peaks reflected in the still water. On a clear night, when the moon was full at this exact time of night, the moon reflected on surface of the lake, giving another serene and lovely view. Now, the moon was obscured by cloud cover. With the lights on inside, there was nothing to see.

Finally, she spoke. “My father found me about three weeks ago. He came in the middle of the night and told us to get out of town and as far away as we could get. He warned me to keep us off the grid if possible. No debit cards. No cell phones. No digital footprint if I could keep from it. He babbled on about his employer being upset at him and said he might send someone after me and Bellarose to get back at him. He swore he hadn’t done anything wrong, but really. People don’t threaten to come after your family if you don’t do something wrong. Right?”

“Not usually. Continue.”

“I thought about kicking him out, chalking it up to him wanting something from us again, but he had pictures of my mother. What they’d done to her…” She shuddered, tugging her hand from his and standing to pace to the window. “She’d been alive in the first several images. By the time they’d finished the photos, she was long dead. The timestamps on the photos said it had happened over several days.” She lowered her voice to a near whisper. “It was horrible what they did to her.” Merrily was silent for a while after that before taking a deep breath and facing him once more. “I just couldn’t take a chance with Rose. So I ran.”

“I take it your father wasn’t part of your life growing up?” Alex asked as a way of easing her into talking about her family. He’d gather all the information he could, replace out exactly what her father had done and who he’d pissed off, then he’d go hunting. It was what he did.

“He left when I was five. He still sent the occasional Christmas and birthday cards, but I think that was mostly so he could keep in touch with my mother. And before you ask, I have no idea if he did it for money or sex or both. I just know that by him keeping in contact with us, he endangered Rose, even though I hadn’t lived with my mother since before Rose was born.”

Alex looked at her long moments, and for the first time, really saw her. When he’d gotten his first look at her, he’d assumed she was a child herself. She was slight of build and much shorter than his own six-foot-five-inch frame. He’d taken it into stride when he’d figured out she was Rose’s mother, but he knew she was still very young. “How old is Rose?”

“Four. Almost five.”

“And how old are you?”

She flinched, turning away from him. “Put that together, did you?”

“I know you had to be pretty young when you had her.”

“I just turned twenty-two.” She put her chin up and met his gaze, fire in her eyes as if she dared him to belittle her for it.

“You said you hadn’t lived with your mother since before Rose was born. Have you been on your own or do you have a partner?”

“Just me.” The defiance in her gaze was almost palpable as she stared him down, daring him to say something negative.

Alex shrugged. “Good.”

Her delicate lips parted, making Alex want to slip his tongue between them. “I don’t understand. How is that a good thing?”

“It means I have one less person to worry about,” he snapped. In reality, he was thinking he wouldn’t have to kill the man for her. “Tell me about the father of your child. Could he be involved in this thing with your father?”

Merrily shook her head. “No. I haven’t seen him since…” She trailed off, turning away again. “No.”

“I need names,” Alex said, trying to be gruff. Needing to be gruff when all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms. What was it about this particular woman that brought out his protective instincts when all he’d ever wanted to do was push any women who got to close away?

“I don’t see how this matters.”

“It matters because the more I know about you, the better I can contain and eliminate the threat to you and Rose.”

She shook her head. “I appreciate it, but I can’t let you be any more involved than you already are. I shouldn’t be here. I will admit, however, this place just screams ‘security-at-every-turn.’ I’d be lying if I said that didn’t make me feel safe for the first time in three weeks. Thank you.”

“Names,” he said again, not letting her off the hook.

“Fine,” she snapped, losing her temper. He liked that little bit of fire. Liked it maybe too much. “My father’s name is Steve Black. Rose’s father is Daniel J. Maddison III. I doubt he even knows he has a daughter. His parents didn’t approve of me or my pregnancy and paid my mother for me to have an abortion. I’m sure they’ll want to sue or something if they replace out about Rose.”

“Let me worry about that.”

“No,” she said, balling her fists at her sides. “I can’t let you worry about that because it’s not your problem. Don’t you get it?” To Alex’s utter horror, tears formed in Merrily’s vivid green eyes, making them look glassy. One spilled over and she dashed it away with a snappish movement. “Once you take this to Daniel, his father will get involved and, one way or another, Rose and I are the ones who will suffer.” She glanced at the room where the little girl slept soundly with the two cats curled up beside her. “Rose doesn’t know her father because Daniel chose not to be a part of our lives before she was born. I’m not going to start some custody battle with him now that I have no hope of winning. That little girl is all I have. I love her more than my next breath and I won’t let Daniel or his parents into her life until she’s old enough to defend herself.”

“Defend herself physically? Did they hurt you?” Alex knew he probably looked murderous, but he couldn’t help it. He was a highly intelligent man, but everything he’d experienced with her to this point made him look about as bright as a burnt-out light bulb. All this alpha going-protective-on-a-woman-he-barely-knew bullshit wasn’t going to cut it. He had no idea if they’d abused Merrily in any way, but he knew that wasn’t what she meant.

“No, though I’m pretty sure his mother wanted to. Daniel and I were wrong for each other from the beginning, but we were young. I knew he didn’t love me. Deep down I knew. Like a fool, I gave him exactly what he wanted and wasn’t smart enough to insist on protection for myself. Anything to make him happy.”

The nerve of the guy! Alexei decided right there he’d kick the kid’s ass on principle. “Okay. I have a starting point. You rest here. Tomorrow, you and Rose can explore the house and grounds. Please don’t try to leave. Mrs. McDonald will introduce you to the staff and show you the daycare we have in-house. Rose will be taken care of while you work and you’ll live here until I’m satisfied the danger to you and the girl is gone.” He met her gaze steadily. When she turned away, he took the few steps separating them and cupped her face, forcing her to look at him. “In the meantime, I want you to cooperate with Mrs. McDonald when she brings you and Rose clothing or anything else she says you need. Don’t fight her.” Another tear slipped down her cheek and Merrily tried to free herself from his grasp. Alex was merciless, putting his other hand on the other side of her face. “Don’t look away from me, Merrily,” he said softly. “Take a couple days to rest and recuperate from your ordeal. Let Ruth do what she does, and I’ll take care of the rest. After that, if you still want to leave, I won’t stop you. But perhaps you’ll replace you like it here.”

Finally, she nodded slightly. Alex was so relieved he wanted to kiss her. Instead, he settled for memorizing her face. But when her lips parted, he found himself falling forward, until their lips were pressed together.

The shot of lust was immediate and hard. Alex had to fight a groan, but he heard Merrily’s little whimper. Her hands clutched at the front of his shirt, bunching the expensive material. He had no idea if this was her way of holding him to her or if she simply held on for dear life, but Alex had — had — to kiss her.

Somehow, he found the presence of mind to separate from her long enough to look into her eyes, to see if she was afraid or, worse, disgusted with him. He halfway expected her to slap him. Lord knew he deserved it. He was offering her a safe haven. A job. A means to save herself and her daughter and get the hell out of Dodge if she wanted. Would she think he expected the use of her body in payment?

What he saw in her eyes was such a mixture of everything it made him growl. She was definitely interested in him as a man, but she was also terrified to turn him down. “Just one more kiss, Merrily,” he whispered against her lips. “I’m not taking my payment from your body, but I have to kiss you again.”

“Okay,” she managed. Alex could feel the fine tremors going through her body. Her hands still clutched at his shirt, and he was thankful. At least she wasn’t rejecting him outright. He knew she’d have no idea what to make of this. Hell, he didn’t either. But the need… the hunger. All for her.

Never in his life had Alex experienced such a visceral reaction to a woman. It was all he could do to keep his kiss gentle. Especially when her hands adjusted her grip. She gripped the muscles of his chest, her fingers flexing and relaxing, kneading like a little kitten. Her return kiss was tentative, but she seemed to want to explore as much as he did.

When she whimpered beneath him again, he backed her up against the wall, one hand going behind her head, the other circling her back, holding her to him tightly, giving her no way to get away from him. He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth over hers with a little more force, letting her know how much he simply wanted to take her and damn the consequences.

Alex knew this was wrong. Knew he was taking advantage of a woman much younger and so much more inexperienced than he was in more ways than one. She would likely expect things from him after this. Truth be told, he’d give her anything she wanted if he knew he could have free use of her body.

That thought brought back his sanity when nothing else could. Would she expect money? Luxuries? Would she expect them to be in a “relationship” now? Why did that thought not give him the anxiety he’d always felt when a woman got clingy?

Ending the kiss slowly, Alex pulled back, needing to see every expression on her face. Her eyes were still closed, a look of complete and utter bliss on her face. Her cheeks were the lightest pink, her lips kiss-swollen, giving her an adorable pouty look. When her eyes fluttered open, they sparkled like deep, clear emeralds. She didn’t look like a woman who had landed the “big fish,” she looked like a woman who’d completely lost herself in the moment and enjoyed it for the intensity of the pleasure she received.

As he watched, reality slowly began to take hold of her. Instead of elation or any number of other emotions, he saw shame. Humiliation.

“Don’t.” His command was a sharp reprimand. “That was nothing more than a kiss between a man and a woman who are attracted to each other. Don’t make it into something it wasn’t.”

“I can’t stay here,” she whispered. “Please. Just… just let us go.”

Alex felt his face harden and couldn’t stop it. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you leave. Not until I know you’re safe.” When she opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with one more hard kiss. “Go to bed. Rest. Forget this ever happened and take the protection offered within this manor.” He stood back abruptly, needing to be away from her before he did something really stupid. Like take haul her pretty little ass upstairs to his bed.

When she nodded once, he turned and left the room. God help him, he knew that wouldn’t be the last time he’d kiss Merrily Dane.