Accidentally...Over?(22)

"The only thing I know is that the cosmos hates me and wants me dead."

"You mustn't take it personally," he said.

Nooo. Why in the world would she take that personally? "Well, lucky for  me," she said. "I've always tried to focus on being grateful for what I  have." And right now, she was grateful for a place to call home. A place  filled with memories of her family and as good a place as any to die if  that was going to be the case. She just wished that her death didn't  mean the end of the world, too. Not that she actually believed it would  end.

Okay. Maybe someday. But in twenty years? All because she didn't do something?

"No, woman, you are mistaken," he said, his voice filled with deep  conviction. "We fight every step of the godsdamned way, every godsdamned  moment, for every godsdamned inch. We never give up. We never given in.  Complacency is the devil if there was a devil. Which there is not.  There's only Cimil. And her unicorn. And her very powerful vampire  ex-pharaoh mate who wouldn't know a smile if it bit him on his cold  immortal ass."

"Did you just say ‘vampire'?"

"I am nodding."

She was glad he had pointed that out. "Okay. Now I've heard everything."

"Once again," he said, "you are mistaken. You've only scratched the surface, I assure you."

What could he possibly mean? Did she even want to know?

"Ah," he said, "we have arrived. I will tell you more once we are inside."

"Oh, goody. Can't wait."





Eleven





Máax had been wrong. Very, very wrong. A first, really. After all, he  was a god. And a damned magnanimous one. But ignoring his connection to  Ashli, and the accompanying desires and emotions, was not feasible. The  hold grew stronger with every passing second. And now, that little thing  called logic, which he prided himself on having mastered many millennia  ago, had deflated like a punctured life raft. And it didn't seem to  matter how much logic he puffed back into the godsdamned thing-you  cannot be with her; you will be entombed for all eternity; it is unfair  to both of you to pursue your desire-logic hissed out of the gaping  hole.

Simply put, he wanted her. Quite badly.

Earlier, as they'd stood on the beach while she spoke to that silly  Fernando boy, who followed her around like a godsdamned puppy, Máax  hadn't been able to resist marveling at her sensual beauty. The way her  short white cotton dress hugged the shape of her petite, athletic frame  when the wind picked up and how those tiny little straps highlighted her  delicate neck and that sun-kissed, cocoa-brown skin made him realize  how stunning she truly was. She simply radiated beauty-the timeless sort  that could make a man feel lucky every day of his existence.                       
       
           



       

Then he'd noticed her beautiful hazel eyes shimmering in the sunlight as  she'd looked up at Fernando. That had been what triggered his bout of  jealousy. He didn't appreciate any other males looking at her. He most  certainly didn't appreciate her looking at them.

Hisssss …  Adios, logic. Because she was his.

Fucking hell. This bond was turning him into a childish, immature, weak …   No! You are a god. You fear nothing and no one. You need nothing and no  one. You never give in to weakness. You never fail.

Now more than ever, he needed to remind himself of that because the  situation had become significantly more challenging. Not that it  concerned him. He would prevail. However, the moment the news came in  about the plane blowing up, it became obvious that a force much more  powerful than he'd realized was determined to hamper him from saving  Ashli.

Remain focused and all will be fine.

But you're a fucking mess! He scolded himself. His emotions threatened  to get the best of him, his temper was barely in check, and his cock on  high alert every two minutes. Down for fuck sake!

This was not going well. For the first time in Máax's existence, he  began to worry that he might fail a mission. Sadly, it would cost  everyone dearly if he did.



When the SUV pulled into her driveway Ashli immediately felt like  Dorothy returning to Kansas. Sure, she'd only been gone for about an  hour, but …

There's no place like home, no place like home, no place like home.  Except that some of Oz had returned with her. Case in point, Mr.  Invisible and his trusty pack of men in black.

And Death is hunting you. Don't forget that.

No, she knew she wasn't out of danger, but the Spanish-style cottage was  a little slice of heaven. She couldn't imagine living anywhere else.  Which was good, because …

"You are not to leave your home for any reason, do you understand me,  Ashli? Not for any reason." Máax opened her front door (it flew open all  by itself), and the two suited men from the SUV immediately went inside  to inspect. She felt like the president.

Yeah. Of Wacky Town.

"But," she protested, "I have to go to the café and-"

She felt Máax's warm, sweet breath bathe her face as he growled right into it. "Not. For. Any. Reason."

"All clear, we'll be outside. The other six guards will be here in five  minutes." The two suited men exited the front door and closed it behind  them.

"Cuh! We'll see." Obviously, she wasn't going to win this argument. Not  that she needed to. They could say anything they liked, but it wouldn't  change two facts: she was going to live her life as she always had, and  she wasn't afraid of dying.

She headed toward the kitchen to prepare a sandwich and some iced tea.  She opened the fridge and began pulling out bread, cheese, and ham-

"Nope." Máax snatched away the food and shoved them back inside her  fridge. "Soup. You will eat soup." Cabinets started opening and  shutting. "Where are your canned goods?"

"You're delusional if you think I'm going to stay indoors, eating soup."  Not when the most beautiful ocean was right outside her doorstep. And  dammit, there were carbs to be had. Lots of comforting carbs!

"This is temporary, woman. Suck it up and quit your complaining."

"How temporary?"

"In a week or so"-Máax rifled through her cabinets, his quest for soup  unrelenting-"I will return to the time from where I came. If you are  still alive, then we will have succeeded."

"You're joking. You honestly think this will blow over in a week?"

She heard him scratch his stubble. "I admit that I am at a loss as to  why the Universe desires your death. I've never seen anything like it;  however, this cannot go on indefinitely. Nothing is constant in this  world except change, and eventually, the Universe will seek to balance  out the scales some other way." He paused and scratched again. "I've  also never failed at anything. Ever. You will survive."

Was he saying that to comfort her? Regardless, she couldn't resist liking him for it. More than she should.                       
       
           



       

"Ugh. The soup is in the pantry." She walked over to pick out her own  dang can of lunch. Máax's heavy steps followed. She felt like she had an  invisible watchdog on her heels. A really, really large watchdog.  Thump, thump, thump.

"Exactly how tall are you again?" she asked.

"Seven feet."

"Holy crap. You're huge." She plucked a can of chicken soup from the shelf.

He snickered. "I am a god. We are known for the categorical perfection  of our form." He paused. "And quite …  large, as you've seen for  yourself."

Had he meant that suggestively?

Does it matter?

According to her libido? No. Because her mind ran with it, pulling  together bits and pieces of what she knew about him to create a wickedly  delicious man-collage. Piece number one: The time she'd smacked him  with a shovel, she'd groped the rippled plains of his upper torso and  abs. She remembered how they'd made her sweat, how they made her crave  more. Piece number two: The outline of his body when he'd emerged from  the ocean. An awe-inspiring tower of rippled muscles with incredibly  wide shoulders and thick, bulky arms. Yum. Piece number three: She'd  touched his trouser snake-minus the trousers-in the car. Without a  doubt, his body was the embodiment of raw, hard masculinity.

Oh, boy. The gorgeous picture of the man in her head instantly triggered  a reaction that …  well, frankly, made her grateful the guy wasn't a mind  reader. Her entire body pulsed with involuntary tingles of raw, sensual  need. Sweat began to trickle down the small of her back, and the heat  began to build in the most private of places, including inside her bra  where her hard, tingly nipples pushed outward.