“Go.” Limos’s voice was muffled against Arik’s chest. “Get her.”
Arik gave Reaver an I-got-this nod just as Limos grabbed his wrist. “Thank you for coming,” she whispered. “Dad.”
Twenty-Eight
Harvester stood at the edge of the jungle outside of Limos’s remote beach house, her skin caressed by the steamy tropical breeze, her bare feet buried in the sand. The simple pleasure of warm sand on her skin was something she never thought she’d feel again when she was hanging from meat hooks inside a frozen wasteland in her father’s realm.
Yeah, this was amazing. And she owed it all to the male in scrubs walking toward her with long, fluid strides. The fact that he was no longer an angel didn’t diminish his powerful presence in any way. The mere sight of him made her heart flutter madly.
Technically, he wasn’t supposed to look upon an angel who served in Heaven unless he was given permission, but she wanted him to look. As much as he wanted to.
Oh, on many levels, she was still furious with him. Wasn’t sure she could ever trust him. But she supposed none of that mattered anymore, and she wasn’t going to spend what little time they had fighting. Besides, as the Horsemen’s Heavenly Watcher, they’d be seeing a lot of each other.
“Hi,” she said lamely.
He didn’t say anything. He kept coming at her, his expression serious, and the delicate flutter turned to an ominous thud. Was he angry?
He halted a few yards away, his nostrils flaring, his chest heaving. Burning, raw masculinity emanated from him, and Harvester’s body went hot with feminine appreciation.
“First,” he said, “thank you for getting me out of Sheoul and saving my life.” His voice was guttural, warped with emotion she was afraid to name. But he was wrong. He’d saved her life. “Second, we’re done hurting and hating and going through the bullshit.”
She inhaled sharply. After what happened at Tel Megiddo, she should have expected this, and it was inevitable, after all, but it didn’t stop sensation of her heart being shredded.
Squaring her shoulders, she tried to hide the hurt. “It’s probably for the best.”
Especially given that she was going to have to officially give herself to Raphael tomorrow night.
“I’m glad you agree.” In three strides Reaver was on her, his mouth crushing hers. “No more bullshit,” he said against her lips. “I want you. I think I’ve always wanted you.”
Shock and joy tangled so fiercely inside Harvester that she nearly crumpled to the ground. With a sob of relief, she arched against Reaver and lifted her thigh to hook around his waist as he pushed her backward against a tree.
God, he was a spark and she was dry tinder, and when his hand dropped to her ass to hold her for a slow roll of his hips that rubbed his rigid length against her core, she nearly burst into flame. The cool breeze coming off the ocean did nothing to help ease the heat. If anything, the reality that she was here in this tropical paradise with the male she’d loved and hated for centuries… the same male she’d loved and hated for the past few years… made it all that much hotter.
Reaver pelted her cheeks, jaw, and throat with hungry kisses. His breath fanned her skin, scorching her as he worked his way down, over her clavicle and then lower, to where he flicked his tongue under the V-neck of her silk tank top.
In the distance, Limos’s servants’ laughter rose above the crash of waves and the calls of the sea birds flying overhead.
“Not here,” she whispered.
Reaver dragged his tongue between her breasts as she flashed them deep into the jungle, to a crystal pool off a well-worn path from Limos’s house.
“Perfect.” Reaver stepped back just enough to help relieve her of her top. When she tried to shove down her matching black leather miniskirt, he circled her wrists and held them against her belly as he dropped to his knees in front of her. “No.” His voice was commanding. Hungry. So sexy she didn’t mind that he was taking control. “I get to do this.”
Releasing her wrists, he slipped his hands beneath the hem of her skirt. His palms were smooth and hot, and her thighs quivered as his thumbs stroked her sensitive skin.
Lifting his face, he caught her gaze. His gem-blue eyes smoldered as he slowly slid his hands upward. Inch by agonizing inch, he caressed her legs, kindling a sensual fire that threatened to set off an inferno. She started to pant before she felt the first brush of his fingers against her tender flesh.
“No panties,” he said roughly. “Damn, I’m so going to take advantage of that.”
Please, please take advantage.