Argeneau Family 12. The Renegade Hunter(63)

Jo grabbed for his shoulders, kissing him frantically as he pressed her back against the wall and drove them both wild, and then she tore her mouth away with a cry as he suddenly thrust into her.

Nicholas paused then. Breathing heavily, he briefly rested his forehead against her neck, and then raised his head enough to lick her throat, kiss it, and then nibble a trail up to her ear.

Jo moaned as he withdrew and slid into her again, pressing her back into the wall.

"Is this enough adventure for you?" he growled, and then chuckled breathlessly when she nodded. "Good," Nicholas murmured, then caught her lips in a gentle kiss before thrusting almost violently into her again. Breaking their kiss again then, he added, "The real adventure is seeing whether we can make it to a soft surface before passing out."

Jo blinked her eyes open and peered at him. "How—?"

Her question died on a gasp as he suddenly stepped back from the wall, taking her with him, and turned toward the end of the hall. Jo's legs tightened instinctively around him, but she needn't have bothered, his hands were clasping her bottom, holding her in place as he started up the hall.

"Let's see how many steps it takes to blow our minds," Nicholas said through gritted teeth as he walked, their bodies rubbing together with each step.

"Oh God," Jo breathed, burying her face in his neck and closing her eyes as wave after wave of mounting pleasure rushed through her. She suspected they wouldn't make it to the bed and just hoped the padding under Sam's carpet was a soft one.





CHAPTER 13





"That's a serious expression."

Nicholas glanced down at Jo. She lay half on his chest, her face questioning and raised to his. They were in the bed, finally. On the first attempt they'd made it only halfway up the hall before their passion had overwhelmed them both. He'd done his best to protect Jo as he'd lost consciousness, and supposed it had worked. She'd seemed fine when he woke up. Not that he'd gotten the chance to ask her. She'd awakened before him and immediately decided to finish what she'd tried to start in the living room. Nicholas had woken to find himself fully erect, her mouth working over him, and both of them halfway to exploding all over again.

Jo had woken up before him the next time as well, but they'd made it to the bedroom door that time. It had taken two more tries to get to the bed. The last time, they'd woken up at almost the same time and had made it to the bed before their mutual need had overwhelmed them. This time, Nicholas was the first to wake, which was a shame because it had given him a chance to think.

"What's the matter?" she asked, worry clouding her face.

Nicholas hesitated, but then said, "Nothing. I was just thinking."

Jo was silent for a minute, and then asked, "Nicholas?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me about your wife," she said quietly.

Nicholas stilled briefly, his mind suddenly blank. He had no idea what he should say.

"You said you were married and she was a life mate too?" Jo prompted.

Nicholas let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and nodded. "Yes."

"How long ago was it that you and she—?"

"We met, married, and she died all in 1959. It was the best and worst year of my life… until now," Nicholas added solemnly, and knew it was absolutely true. He had been fortunate enough to find another life mate, a very rare occurrence, and he was going to have to give her up. Definitely best and worst.

"Did you not turn her?" Jo asked, frowning.

Nicholas shook his head. "She was born immortal."

"But…" Confusion reigned on her face for a moment and then she shook her head. "But then how did she die? If she was immortal, she should have—"

"Immortal isn't truly the proper word for us,"

Nicholas said on a sigh. "We can die, it's just harder to kill us than a mortal. Illness won't do it, and being shot will only incapacitate us until the bullets are forced out, but decapitation or having our heart removed can kill us."

"And Annie had one of those things happen to her?" Jo asked with a frown.

"Annie was decapitated in a car accident," Nicholas said quietly. "She and the child she carried, our child, died."

"Oh," Jo murmured. "I'm sorry."

Nicholas remained silent, but bent and kissed the top of her head.

"Was it her you were thinking of when I woke up?" she asked quietly.

"No," he assured her, and then sighed and admitted, "I was just wondering how they found us at the hotel."

Jo closed her eyes briefly and sighed. She then shifted off him and moved to pull the sheets and blankets over them both before sitting up to lean against the pillows at the top of the bed. "That's my fault. Apparently they were able to track my bank activities and found out I'd made a withdrawal from the hotel store's ATM."