“Are you going to call them the dark side the whole time?
His chuckle was strained. “Nah, I’ve gotten it out of my system.” A long pause ensued, followed by Tucker’s jagged sigh. “Dammit, Mary. How long can I pretend I’m just holding you to save you from falling?”
More than ever, she wanted to wrap herself around his big body. Felt almost compelled by her own femininity to do so. His bluntness and honesty only magnetized her more. Still, she had to stay true to her obligations. Her upcoming marriage was not a love match. It was in name only. A bargain being struck. This apparent attraction to Tucker didn’t mean she lacked loyalty. But after just a brief space of time, she was already beginning to bond to him and that—that was dangerous. A distraction she couldn’t afford. “I think m-maybe we passed that time limit a few minutes ago.”
Mary wiggled in his embrace, trying to get her feet back on the floor. In the course of getting down, the juncture of her thighs rode hard and downward over a bulge in Tucker’s pants and she sucked in a labored breath. His hands flew to her backside and gripped, rocking her against that protrusion once, hard. Stumbling forward, stopping just short of the opposite wall. Mary whimpered in her throat, giving in to one squeeze of her knees around his hips, another mutual grind of soft to hard, before he quickly settled her on the ground, both of them leaping backward as if they’d been burned.
“Jesus.” Tucker’s footsteps paced away, came back. “I’m sorry.”
“No, it was me, too…I…”
Despite their apologies, despite the fact that they’d just learned the importance of keeping some distance, they gravitated closer, closer, again, until they were inches apart, his body heat warming her front. Everywhere. They were so close, she could almost feel his concerned eyes tracking over her, hear the grinding of his jaw. “You don’t belong where you’re asking me to take you, Mary.”
Mary thought of the conversation she’d just had with Tilda. What was at stake. Everything. “Please. Don’t try and dissuade me.”
Tucker made a harsh noise, as if a small explosion had gone off in his chest and his body heat deserted her. “Me? Trying to dissuade you, kid? Nah.” She listened to him pick up her suitcase and then their fingers were hesitantly intwined, so he could pull her down the stairs and out into the cool nighttime air. “I’m, uh…” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to say a quick goodbye to my friends. Do you want to wait in the car? I warmed it up for you.”
“Thanks,” she said slowly, trying to reach out and read his emotions, but he’d locked them down tight. Why did that cause a finger of dismay to trace up her spine? Almost like she’d been robbed of the ability to draw air. “Yes, I would.”
Sitting inside the car a minute later, Mary centered herself. Took some deep inhales and exhales, running her hands over everything. The heat-giving vents, the cross dangling in the rearview mirror, the worn leather of the seats. She touched the steering wheel where his palms would curl and circled a finger around the cup holder. Touched her cheek to the glass of the passenger window. Getting her bearings, learning her surroundings. And all the while, she chewed on what Tucker said. How he’d said it.
Me? Trying to dissuade you, kid? Nah.
Something about the way he’d said those words caused Mary to repeat them over and over. By the time Tucker climbed into the driver’s side and started the car, she realized why.
He’d been lying.
“Are you kidnapping me?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Oh dear.” The car was already moving and her fingers curled into the edges of the seat. “I misjudged you, did I?”
She heard his swallow. “That depends. How did you judge me?”
“Um. Kind of…like a boat on the lake in the sunshine.”
The vehicle jerked a little, as if he’d accidentally depressed the brake. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse. “Well this boat can’t bring you somewhere dangerous. I can’t, Mary. Can’t leave you on the dark side of a war and drive off.”
“But you have to bring me to Hadrian.”
“Hadrian?” The leather steering wheel creaked. “Is that his name?”
“Yes. You need to leave me in his care. You have to, Tucker.”
“Why? Your mother’s alliance? It’s going to cause death and destruction. I’ve only known you for one night and that can’t be something you want. So why?” He laughed, but the sound cut itself off quickly. When he spoke again, his voice was so low she could barely hear it. “Do you have feelings for him? I assumed you didn’t. It sounded like you’ve never met.”
“I don’t.” Why did this exchange seem so deeply important? “We haven’t met and I don’t have feelings for him. In fact, our marriage will be in name only.”
The car swerved a little and he let out a long breath. Several moments passed before he continued. “All right.” His tone was far less tense. “Then why?”
“Because in exchange for wedding Hadrian, he’s going to give me sight.”
Chapter 4
Once an idiot, always an idiot.
For a minute there, he’d actually fancied himself a hero.
Rescuing the damsel in distress.
That had to be why she’d chosen him, right? Out of a room full of capable people. Because she wanted help. Needed to get out of her current predicament of being betrothed to a monster—and Tucker was just the sucker for the job. An easy to convince puppy dog with a set of wheels and hearts in his eyes for the pretty girl, to say nothing of the wood he’d be sporting for the rest of his “life” after holding her in that stairwell.
Damn. The smell of her neck, the taut give of her hip. The way she’d granted him just one single grind of her pussy, before taking it away like forbidden fruit. Was it wishful thinking that she’d wanted to kiss him? Maybe allow him even more? It had to be. Unfortunately, his stiff johnson was all too ready to believe it. And that wasn’t good, because she was forbidden fruit. Betrothed to someone else. Whether for love or underworld clout, there was a wedding set to take place and he wasn’t even the ring bearer, let alone the groom.
Get your head together.
Both of them.
Here was his chance to do something important. To help this beautiful fairy who made his heart feel like it was being ransacked. But his rescue mission had been nothing but a ridiculous scenario he’d created in his own mind. She wanted to be taken to Hadrian.
This vampire could give her sight.
Honestly, if he didn’t laugh about that, he might cry.
Other men always had their trump cards over Tucker. Good looks, job in finance, humanity. But this. Curing her blindness? He hadn’t seen that coming. No pun intended.
They weren’t even out of Coney Island yet and he was already pulling the Impala over.
“He’s going to give you your sight.” He stared at his white-knuckled hands on the steering wheel. “How is he going to do that?”
“Hadrian is a vampire now, but before that, he was a sorcerer. He’s been practicing in the dark arts for a century.” She twisted a button on her shirt. “My family has something of a history with sorcerers. I was born with my sight, but an enemy of my grandfather cursed me before I was born. I lost the ability to see on my first birthday.”