Eternal Pleasure Read online

  Since he didn’t look as if he was about to pull out his own cell phone, she handed him hers as soon as he climbed into the passenger seat.

  He did exactly what he’d said he would. She waited until he finished talking to Fin before asking the question.

  “Want to tell me how you knew that guy was behind the building?”

  Chapter Three

  Ty yanked at the tattered edges of his self-control, trying to close the gaping holes. He wasn’t ready to deal with explanations right now. Not when he could barely think.

  As he’d stood over the body, the scent of an unknown predator in his territory had triggered his hunting instincts. Ty’s aggression had roared back to life. Whatever had killed the man wasn’t human, but human or not, he’d find it and destroy it.

  Unfortunately, he was also busy dealing with that other equally demanding need, the one that couldn’t understand why he wasn’t already running his fingers over Kelly’s bare body, tasting every inch of her smooth, soft skin, and burying himself deep inside her. So far he’d controlled the “broadcasting” Fin had complained about, but only because he was concentrating like hell.

  “Well?”

  She threw him a glance, intense and so tempting he had to dig his nails into his palms to keep from touching her. Kelly’s scent teased and tortured, almost making him forget where and what he was. Almost.

  Taking a deep breath, he stared straight ahead. “I can sense when something’s wrong. Don’t ask me how. I just know.”

  Kelly nodded as though his explanation made perfect sense. “So it’s like a bam moment? Interesting. I’ve never met anyone who could do stuff like that. I didn’t think it could be done, but you made me a believer tonight. And what about earlier? You said you went into the woods to hunt, not to help those people.”

  Crap. Didn’t she forget anything? “Guess I didn’t make myself clear. I was hunting. For those lost souls who thought they could gain material goods by taking from others.”

  Hallelujah and pass the bullshit. Damn Fin and his stupid excuses for what the Eleven did at night. Why couldn’t they be undercover cops working to lower crime in Houston? That made sense. Ty thought about it. Okay, so maybe Fin was right. Undercover cops didn’t hire clueless, sexy drivers.

  “Uh-huh. Got it.”

  She didn’t say anything for the rest of the drive. Probably analyzing everything that had happened tonight and deciding whether she still wanted to be a part of Team Weird. He hoped she did. And not because of the sexual attraction he felt or what Fin had said about her having a “special skill.” He grinned. Who was he kidding? It was all about the sex. Wasn’t it? He stopped smiling.

  The apartment was in a three-story block of ordinary brick buildings. Parking in the rear. He guessed this was one way Fin hoped they’d blend in. Fin, on the other hand, didn’t give a shit about blending in as he lived the good life in his penthouse condo. Jealous? You bet.

  As they climbed the stairs to the third floor, Kelly looked worried. “What about clothes? Do you want me to drop you off at the Galleria tomorrow?” She frowned. “You never said why you didn’t have any luggage.”

  “I was doing some missionary work in Africa, and the airline lost my bags on the flight back to Dublin. Didn’t have time to buy new stuff before I had to catch the Houston flight.” He paused to glance down the hallway. Only four doors. Two on each side. He hoped Fin had rented the whole top floor. “No problem, though. Fin said everything I’ll need is in the apartment.”

  “Tough luck about your luggage. I’m in the apartment across from yours. Let me know if you need coffee or anything.” She pulled a key from her pocket and handed it to him. “This is for your place.”

  She had no idea what he needed. If she did, she’d be burning rubber out of the parking lot right now.

  “I’ll be fine. Go and get some sleep. You’ll hear from me tomorrow night.” He watched as she unlocked her door and disappeared inside.

  Only after she’d closed her door did he let himself into his own apartment. Even though he knew Fin would’ve whipped up his own brand of security for this place, and even though all he wanted to do was strip and fall into bed, he couldn’t abandon the habits of a lifetime. He checked out the four small rooms—white walls, beige carpet, and windows overlooking the parking lot. Basic and generic. Nope, he wouldn’t be doing any bonding with this place.

  Ty glanced around his bedroom. Okay, no Nine hiding under the bed. Kicking off his shoes, he pulled the CD Fin had given him from his pocket, then padded over to the desk where the promised laptop waited. For the next twenty minutes he matched faces with names. He had a good laugh at the end. It was the only time he’d felt like laughing all night.

  No, wait. Kelly had given him a few cheerful moments. She’d be exciting in or out of bed. It’d be tough keeping her safe, though. Ty already knew she didn’t follow orders.

  So what would happen if she found out about the Eleven? Had Fin thought all this stuff through? Probably. Ty didn’t even try to figure out the twisted maze that was Fin’s mind.

  He yawned. Maybe everything would be clearer after he got some rest. Fin had promised to feed them info while they slept. He dragged off his clothes, then pulled back the covers and was asleep as soon as he hit the mattress.

  But when the dreams came, he wished they hadn’t.

  Ty tossed and turned all night as Fin downloaded explanations along with battle plans. And when he finally woke, Ty thought nostalgically about his little plot of earth under Newgrange.

  Kelly lay across her bed as she got ready to make the last of her calls before the sun set and Mr. Hot and Oh-So-Scary put in an appearance. She’d saved Jenna till last because her sister was way too nosy and always managed to hook an “extra” onto “ordinary” without even trying. Jenna could make vanilla into a sinister flavor. God knows what she’d do with Ty’s dark chocolate.

  “Why didn’t you call sooner, sis? So what happened last night? Tell all.” Jenna didn’t waste time on ritual greetings like “Hello” and “How are you?”

  “Nothing much.” Ha. Let Jenna find something interesting in that. “I picked my client up at Bush and drove him to the apartment.” No use leaving even the hint of an information trail for Jenna to pick up with her ultra-sensitive nose for news.

  “Uh-huh.” Jenna’s tone said, More info because I know you’re holding out on me.

  Kelly sifted through last night’s events to find a few that would appease Jenna while telling her nothing important. “I’m just getting around to calling you because I got a late start. I stayed in bed as long as I could this morning because the boss’s secretary, or whatever Shen is, said that Ty would do most of his prowling at night.” Prowling. The word fit the man. It took Kelly only an instant to realize it was also the wrong word to say out loud to Jenna.

  “Oooh, sounds sexy and dangerous. You always liked large predators.”

  “In the zoo, Jenna. With lots of walls and wire between us.”

  “What’s he look like?”

  “Umm, tall, dark hair.” Megalicious with a dash of deadly.

  “How did he make you feel?” Jenna was into vibrations, auras, and emotional connections.

  As God was her witness, Kelly hadn’t meant to tell her sister anything, but it just came rushing out. Her need to confide in someone overwhelmed her. “Scared. When I first saw him, he terrified me. No reason. The fear was just there. And then, wham, I took this major erotic hit. It wasn’t a smooth sensual feeling. It was all jagged glass and burning coals.” The words were barely out of her mouth when she realized what she’d said.

  “Oh, wow, sis.” Jenna’s voice was filled with excited awe.

  Damn, major blunder. “Yeah, it freaked me out too. But after a good night’s sleep I realized it must’ve been one of my crazy PMS moments. It’s the right time of the month. You know I’m the poster girl for mood swings. Sure it was bizarre, but I’ll deal.”

  “Hmm.” Jenna didn’t sound
convinced.

  “Look, Ty is incredible looking, but he’s still just a guy. He didn’t say or do one thing to trigger what I felt.” How did she feel about his…gift, which she definitely was not mentioning to Jenna? Kelly frowned. She had no clue.

  “Sure.” The wheels in Jenna’s head were making a whirring noise as they spun.

  Panicked, Kelly tried to distract her sister. “Anyway, I had time to waste after I got up, so I tried to make this place a little homey. Couldn’t. These rooms are Bland and Boring Central. Then I played the flute for a while.”

  “Good.” Jenna wasn’t listening. She was thinking. From long experience, Kelly knew things always ended badly when Jenna thought too much.

  Maybe if she babbled on long enough, Jenna would lose her train of thought. “I called Mom. More of the usual. She warned me about home invasions, kidnappings, global warming, and the coming apocalypse.” Kelly didn’t think she’d introduce Ty to Mom.

  “He’s a vampire, Kelly. It all fits. Dark, dangerous, only comes out at night, can project emotions. Did you check out his teeth?”

  Kelly blinked. What? “You need some serious downtime, Jenna. That tabloid you’re writing for is warping you.” The sound of the doorbell almost lifted her off the couch. Talk about nerves. “Someone’s at the door. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Relieved, she hung up before Jenna could expand on her vampire theory.

  Her visitor pressed the bell again, hurrying Kelly along. Probably Ty, but why visit her when all he had to do was call and ask her to have the car ready? A lifetime of Mom’s warnings and the memory of the dead man made her glance through the peephole before opening the door. She frowned. What the…

  She pulled open the door. The woman waiting on the other side grinned at her.

  “Hi, I’m Neva.” She was tall with long legs, big boobs, and short red hair. Tight leather pants along with a leopard-print jacket and heels completed the picture. “I’m Q’s driver. He’s in number 304.” She nodded down the hallway.

  That was news to Kelly. No one had told her Fin was putting another man in this building. Why? Maybe she should’ve asked a few more questions. But all the money she stood to earn sort of clouded her judgment. She shrugged the thought away. Nothing illegal was going on. You walked away from a crime scene last night. Not really. Fin had reported it. Hadn’t he? She’d check on that later. And even if they’d stayed, they wouldn’t have had any information the cops could use. There, guilt banished.

  “I’m Kelly. Can I help you?” Shen hadn’t said anything about how they should dress. She’d opted for jeans and a pullover sweater. They seemed more missionary appropriate than Neva’s getup.

  Neva’s smile was friendly. “Yeah. My man wants to visit your man in about half an hour. He says for you to pass it on.”

  Kelly lifted one brow.

  Neva laughed. “Hey, I’m just the messenger. Q said Ty is sort of jumpy. Doesn’t like to be startled by someone strange showing up at his door. Do I buy that?” She shrugged. “As long as they pay my salary, I dance to their tune.” She offered Kelly a finger wave before heading back to her room.

  It seemed weird had just morphed into crazy. Shaking her head, Kelly walked across the hallway and rang Ty’s bell. Was she a little nervous about seeing him again? She thought about Jenna’s vampire and smiled. Yeah, she had a few quivers low in her stomach, but not because she expected an undead bloodsucker to answer the door.

  As his door swung open, Kelly braced herself just in case yesterday’s emotions replayed themselves. Nothing. Thank you, God. Wait, there was a low sensual hum, but she figured that was just part of Ty’s sexual force field. He was that kind of guy.

  He leaned against the doorjamb, thumbs hooked over the top of his jeans. They tugged at the waist just enough to make the jeans ride low on his hips. No shirt—muscular chest with a fine dusting of hair and a flat, ridged stomach. Yum, yum. Was that a professional reaction? Probably not. Sighing, she continued her inventory. No shoes. No webbed feet. She could cross devil off her list.

  She took a deep, fortifying breath. His scary index was still sky high, but it wasn’t the same as last night. This was a good scary. Dark and dangerous all wrapped up in a big, muscular body with a hard, male face.

  “One of Fin’s men sent his driver to tell me to tell you that he’ll be knocking on your door in a half hour. Evidently he doesn’t think you can handle a stranger visiting you.” She waited for his laughter.

  He didn’t laugh. “Yeah, that was probably the smart thing to do.”

  Kelly waited for an explanation. Ty didn’t offer one.

  “Since he won’t be here for a while, come on in so I can give you a rundown of where we’ll be going tonight.” He stepped aside so she could pass him.

  Obviously it didn’t occur to him that she’d say no. Well, he was the boss. Still, her gaze skipped around the room when she walked in. What was she expecting: a body propped up in the corner, a whiskey decanter filled with blood? She tried to block the sound of Jenna’s mocking laughter from her mind.

  “Coffee?” He pulled a T-shirt over his head.

  Kelly didn’t quite manage to squelch her stab of disappointment. “Sure. Lots of milk and sugar. I guess you were right. Fin did take care of you.” She settled onto the couch.

  “Yeah. He’s good with those kinds of details.” Ty disappeared into the kitchen and came out a minute later with two cups.

  She got the impression Fin wasn’t great with other details. “Where will you be saving souls tonight?” Kelly took a sip of coffee, hoping he wouldn’t see her amusement. She couldn’t imagine anyone looking at that hard face backed up by all that hard muscle and refusing to be saved.

  He drew in a deep breath. “First off, I don’t belong to any church, and I’m not saving souls for any god.” Holding her gaze, he took a gulp of his coffee.

  “No church? No god? I don’t get it. I mean, Fin said you were missionaries.” She was totally confused. But why should she be surprised? Ty had taken her out of the state of Texas the moment he slid into her car last night. She’d crossed the border into a state of permanent befuddlement.

  Setting his cup on the coffee table, he rose to pace in front of the couch. “Fin gave you the wrong impression. We find people who’re down and out, try to give them a second chance.”

  “Oh.” Wasn’t much she could say to that. “You came a long way to give people a second chance. Weren’t there any people in Ireland who needed help?” She did some mental wincing. This was none of her business.

  He paused before answering. “I’m not from Ireland. I was just staying there for a while. I was born in Colorado. Fin and all of us worked together a few years back. We decided to join up again.” Ty stood to the side of the window, looking out. “I understand you had another job before Fin offered you this one.”

  That was a neat change of subject. “I worked part-time at the zoo to help with college expenses. Mom is a veterinarian and Dad is the Director of Animal Programs, so I grew up around exotic animals. The job didn’t pay much, though.”

  “Didn’t your parents make enough to help you?”

  Her pride rose up and hissed at him. “I pay my own way. Always.”

  He just nodded.

  Her turn to ask a question. “Where’re we going tonight?”

  “First we’ll eat at a Mexican restaurant near here.”

  She nodded. “I’ll drop you off and then—”

  “You’ll eat with us.”

  “That’s not the usual—”

  “I’m not the usual. You’ll go to dinner with us.”

  “Fine.” Whoa, dominant male sighting.

  “Then we’ll visit a few clubs.” He was good at not being specific. “You’ll stay in the car when we go into the clubs.”

  “Sure.” Kelly had learned her lesson last night. Every time she got out of the car to follow him, bad things happened. Tonight she’d sit back and let him do his thing alone. She glanced at her watch. “Guess I’d bett
er clear out before this guy shows up. Thanks for the coffee.” She’d never thought of herself as a coward, but Kelly had a feeling she didn’t want to be a part of their meeting.

  She could feel Ty watching her every move with unblinking intensity as she put her coffee cup in the kitchen. His gaze made her feel like…prey. Confusion followed that thought. Prickles of fear hurried her out of his apartment even as a surge of excitement trailed her into her own. The excitement made no more sense than the fear had.

  Closing her door, she leaned back against it. Time to get her act together. She’d drive him wherever he wanted tonight while remaining cool and emotionally detached from everything having to do with Ty Endeka.

  Just before she moved toward her bedroom, she heard someone pounding on Ty’s door. The mysterious Q had arrived.

  Ty couldn’t answer the door with a snarl on his face. He had to put his predator instincts aside. This was his partner, not someone competing with him for supremacy. Now that they were both away from Fin, things should be easier. But that didn’t mean they wouldn’t want to tear out each other’s heart at the beginning.

  He didn’t know which of the Eleven Fin had chosen to work with him. Ty hated suspense. He needed to get this over with. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he opened the door.

  “Why’d you take so long to answer the freaking knock?” Glaring back at him was the black-haired guy who’d had so many questions the night before.

  “Why didn’t you ring the damn bell like everyone else?” He motioned the man into his living room because he couldn’t make his lips form an invite without growling. Reluctantly, he stood aside to let the guy pass him. What he’d been before, still was, thought that letting another predator into his home was dumb.

  “You first.” The man’s expression said he didn’t trust Ty either.