Chapter Eleven

Leah couldn't breathe. He had lifted her to his mouth as if gravity didn't mean a thing. She wasn't a light woman, yet she felt delicate with him.

She kissed him again. This war for control was intoxicating, even though she had no hope of winning. Yet everything inside her said she had his heart. Perhaps she'd win this kind of battle one day, but not today. What about her heart? For so long, she'd protected herself as everyone around her had passed on.

Jasper was immortal.

Mostly.

What if she let herself fall completely for him? Could she take the risk? She settled against his hard cock and then tried to lift up.

His hands captured her waist. "No. Not this way." Then he nipped her lip, sending desire down her body.

"What way?" she whispered, trying to keep up.

He stood and settled her knees on the warm shower tiles of the floor, bending her over the bench. Shock drilled through her, and then awareness.

"This way," he said, right behind her. He kissed her neck and then scraped his fangs along her vulnerable skin. She shivered. "You want this?" he asked, his voice a harsh rumble.

She nodded, her hands flat against the marble bench.

"Say it."

"I do. I want this." The steam rose around them, caressing her skin, encasing her in warmth. Finally. But something inside her felt empty, and only Jasper could fill her.

He paused at her entrance and then slowly entered her, inch by inch. Not slowing, not giving her any time to breathe.

She pushed back against him, widening her thighs, her knees slipping on the wet tiles. "You're too much," she protested, even as she tried to take more of him.

"No, I'm not. You're taking all of me, Mate." He sank his fangs into her neck, and pain lashed through her, followed by an erotic pleasure she'd never be able to describe. She cried out, and he powered all the way inside her.

His body over hers.

Hot and possessive.

She gasped, overtaken by him.

She couldn't move if she wanted to, and she didn't. He powered inside her hard and fast, going deeper than she thought possible. All she could do was close her eyes with her cheek resting on the cool marble.

The steam engulfed them. He hammered into her wildly, taking her as he drank from her neck, wildfire burning between her neck and pussy.

She shrieked as the orgasm took her, surprise lifting her and then dropping her so suddenly that wave upon devastating wave bombarded her. Heat and pain flashed on her lower back, and she knew instantly that he'd marked her again. Electricity zipped from that mark straight to her clit, and somewhere deeper, prolonging the orgasm until she could only let it take her where he wanted her. Whimpering, she finally softened.

Only then, he ground against her several times with his own climax.

Her entire body went lax.

He retracted his fangs and licked her neck, sealing the wounds.

She might've mumbled something, but words had no meaning.

He pulled out and then turned her around, careful to keep her from falling. Then he stood, holding her securely against him.

She blinked several times, searching for reality.

"Let's go," he rumbled. "It's time for bed."

Bed sounded great. "To sleep," she mumbled against his chest.

"Not a chance."

* * * *

Her body deliciously sore, Leah sat at the makeshift breakfast table, happily eating scrambled eggs sprinkled with cheese. The white linen tablecloth hung over her bare knees, warming her. Jasper had clothing delivered for them both somehow, and she'd donned one of his T-shirts and a pink pair of panties.

"I like this place." She quite contentedly reached for a crisp piece of bacon.

"Me, too." Jasper had drawn on jeans and nothing else, leaving his muscular torso bare, along with his feet. The guy could easily be a model for anything…so long as the advertiser wanted the dangerous look. There was nothing pretty about him.

He paced by the window with the phone to his ear. He must have gotten up early to order both clothing and food for them because bags of comfortable-looking jeans and sweaters for her lined the hallway, along with several pairs of tennis shoes and an absolutely lovely pair of black leather boots. She fully planned to wear those later today.

"Damn it." Jasper tapped his phone against his thigh.

"What's wrong?" She took a swallow of the freshly squeezed orange juice.

He shook his head. "I can't get ahold of either of my brothers. They should have checked in by now."

Leah frowned. "They could be out of range. Do you know where they went?"

He ran a hand through his dark hair. "They were hunting. We usually go in pairs, but we each had an assignment last night." He looked her over, and a blush spiraled into her cheeks, heating them.

"I'd say you did your job," she quipped.

He smiled, looking much younger. In just the jeans with bare feet, he was the epitome of masculinity. A tattoo that matched the brand on his palm and her lower back covered his right shoulder: the Maxwell crest. Would the marking on his palm lighten now that he'd branded her again? Nia had said that usually happened. He lifted the phone to his ear again and turned away.

Leah pushed her plate a little to the side to reach for a piece of toast, and something caught her eye. Tilting her head, she tugged out a folded piece of paper and slowly opened it.

Dearest Leah,

I'm sorry to contact you this way, but we must keep life under the radar. I know you very much want to meet me. If you do, and come alone, I'll release the seven women I have waiting on ice to take to Kurjan headquarters. Come to Chateaufield Airpark within two hours. One life for seven isn't bad. No? I hope you and I can reach a friendship.

Very truly yours,

Wallace

She stilled and read the note again. Oh, for goodness' sake. As she saw it, she had two choices. One, hide the note, get dressed, and escape Jasper to see if she could save those women. She looked over her shoulder at him, at his broad shoulders.

He stood staring out at the Eiffel Tower, his back one hard line of muscle. Or she could ask for his help, and they could work together. What kind of life did she want to have? She was so tired of running and living out of hotel rooms. Last night, she'd gotten a glimpse of what they could have, who they could be. She'd been fighting losing her heart for so long that she hadn't noticed he already had it. Priding herself on being a risktaker didn't mean a thing if she didn't actually take a risk. With him. That quickly, as usual, she made up her mind.

"Jasper, I have a note from Wallace here."

He turned around. "What? The Kurjan?"

She lifted the paper. "I found the message folded nicely under my very deliciously scrambled eggs."

He reached her in one long stride and looked down to read the note. His phone buzzed, and he lifted it to his ear. "Dax, where the hell are you?" Jasper winced. "How many of them? No, don't worry about it. You were lucky to get out of there alive. Where's Klyde?" Relief crossed his expression.

Leah lifted one eyebrow.

"Klyde is fine. Headed toward Italy after one of the Kurjans. We have allies there to help him," Jasper whispered to her, obviously repeating Dax's news.

Good. So, everyone was safe. Leah tossed her napkin onto the table.

Jasper continued speaking with Dax. "We just received a note. Wallace has reached out to Leah. Where are you? Oh, good. Yeah, I'm in the penthouse at your favorite hotel. I'll leave a note for you to come up. Okay." He clicked off.

"Is Dax all right?" She turned away from the delicious food.

He nodded, a muscle clenching in his jaw. "Yeah, he ran into a squad of six. He's on his way here. Sounds hurt."

Frankly, it was a miracle he'd survived a squad of six Kurjans.

"What do you want to do?" she asked.

Jasper read the note again. "We don't have time to amass a force, and I doubt the Kurjans have a full contingent there. As soon as Dax arrives, we'll come up with a plan."

She stood and walked over to the bags of clothing to find a dark pair of jeans to tug on, along with a green sweater. The socks were cashmere, and the boots felt like supple leather against her skin. "We'll need weapons."

He paused and turned, fully looking at her. "You're not going."

She took a deep breath. "I am. This note was directed to me, and he thinks I'll sneak off and meet him. He won't be expecting you or your brother."

"You want me to use you as bait?" His eyebrows rose, and an incredulous expression hollowed the deep valleys beneath his cheekbones. His eyes swirled more green than blue.

She shrugged, trying to hide her quickening breaths. If they fought about it, she wouldn't win. "Bait or an ally, I don't really care, but the note's addressed to me, the initial job was mine, and if we're going to be together, we need to work together."

Jasper rocked back on his heels, staring at her. With the framing of the window behind him, he looked large, formidable, and slightly pissed. "Leah, my entire job is to keep you safe."

She scrambled in a bag to find a belt, another black leather item she swiftly slid through the loops of the jeans. "I understand that, and a part of me appreciates that mentality, but I've been chasing these guys for a long time, Jasper, and he's the final one. You know what I did as my job. I can handle myself."

"I'm aware of that," he said, his greenish-blue eyes warming. "But these are immortals. Kurjans. They're not humans."

"I know, but as I see it, one criminal is as good as the next."

He studied her for several long moments. "All right, but if this is the last name on the list, then you cross him off and come to Montana."

She smiled. "I would love a break from this. I'm not saying I won't return to work or find another way to do what I need to do, but I am completely open to taking some time off in Montana and then figuring a plan forward."

"Together," he said.

Her heart warmed. "Yeah. Together." She idly wondered if he had any idea that his grandmother and Ivy already had a computer center set up in Nia's basement and a campaign ready to launch. That was probably news for another day.

Jasper took the phone toward the bedroom, barking orders to his subordinates the entire way.

Leah hustled toward the table and finished her orange juice. She had learned to eat when she could while in the middle of a mission.

The outside door dinged, and Dax stalked into the room, a cut on his cheekbone and blood down his neck. Bruises covered his hands while blood and dirt marred his clothing.

"Hey, Dax," Leah said, looking him over. "You need blood?"

He snorted. "I can't take yours and end up with a rash. I'll be okay. I'm going to hop in the shower real quick. How much time do we have?"

Jasper strode out of the bedroom, wearing fresh jeans and a black T-shirt. "We've got half an hour until the guns arrive, and then we'll go."

Leah brushed her hair away from her face. "He won't be expecting me for a couple of hours, thinking it'll take me time to evade Jasper."

Dax looked at his brother. "How many women have they kidnapped this time?"

"At least seven," Jasper muttered.

Dax's jaw clenched, his green eyes darker than normal. The wound on his face started to stitch together.

"Did you leave any alive?" Jasper asked.

"Unfortunately," Dax said. "Vester got away."

Jasper cracked his knuckles. "That's okay. Let's finish them one at a time. Go take a shower."

Dax walked toward the main hallway before stopping. "Word of warning. Benny discovered that the Kurjans blew up his penthouse because of us."

Jasper winced. "I figured. We're going to owe him a whole building."

Dax sighed, his shoulders lowering. "According to Benny, we owe him a block." He walked into another of the guest bedrooms.

Jasper exhaled. "Unfortunately, Benny's not kidding. We probably do owe him a block of properties in Paris." He shook his head. "We know better than to borrow a place from him, but it's just so convenient."

Leah rocked back on her feet, making sure she could run in the boots if necessary. "I don't know the area by the small airport."

"We'll need intel." Jasper pressed a number on speed dial and lifted the phone to his ear.

"Hey, Chalton," he said as someone apparently answered. "I need a favor. Can you get me a satellite image of the Chateaufield Airpark? My best guess is that it's about twenty clicks west of Paris in a small, rural area." Jasper listened for a couple of moments. "Yes. I'm aware that my enemies blew up your uncle's penthouse the other night because of my current mission. How have you already heard about the explosions?" He grimaced. "He sent out a family newsletter?"

Leah winced. That did not sound good.

Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes. We will buy him a block of property somewhere. I promise. Now, will you help me? Thank you. Just send the surveillance photos to this phone number. I picked it up earlier today." He sighed. "Yes, Chalton. I realized there were a lot of toys in that penthouse, and I promise they'll all be replaced. Thank you."

He clicked off, shaking his head.

Leah snatched another piece of bacon. "Benny sounds like a character."

"Oh, he's something," Jasper said. "For now, one thing at a time. I'm allowing you to use yourself as bait, but that means I know your location at all times, and if I tell you to run, you do it."

"Of course, Jasper," she said placatingly.

His eyes narrowed.

Yes. This was her op, and she would make sure it succeeded, no matter the cost.