The Pursuit by A. E. Jones

release her fingers, she could see his fangs were fully extended. He was the most gorgeous male—human or supernatural—she had ever seen.
    “I have missed you, Talia.”
    “I’ve missed you, too.”
    She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his. So soft, so perfect, as if their lips were made to be pressed together. Two pieces to a puzzle. No. She couldn’t think about what they could have had, what could have been. This would be her goodbye to him. In the future, when he thought of her, hopefully he would remember this moment instead of her betrayal.
    * * *
    Jean Luc’s lips tingled. Actually tingled where they met Talia’s. He thought he had remembered what it felt like to hold her, to make love to her. He had played it over and over again in his mind. But the reality was so much more delicious than his memories.
    He leaned back and looked at her face. At her eyes sparking gold. “Are you sure you are well enough for this?”
    She smiled, and it was like a siren call, and he was lost in a turbulent sea.
    “I’m fine. Your blood healed me.”
    She licked up his jaw and nipped his earlobe, and he groaned aloud like an inexperienced virgin. She chuckled and ran her hands down his arms, grasping his hands with her own before tugging him toward the bed.
    He stopped, and a sadness filled her eyes, as if she expected him to turn away. He kissed her hard, and then let go of her hands to walk to the door. He pulled the door blinds and locked it.
    “Visitors would be unwelcome at the moment.”
    He flashed to her, grabbing her around the waist. She laughed and rested her hands on either side of his face. Talia kissed him again, but this time the softness was replaced with hunger and passion as their tongues danced together.
    They fell on the bed, a tangle of limbs and wet kisses.
    “Help me get out of these scrubs.”
    The claw on his index finger suddenly appeared, and he sliced down the center of the top and then the pants. Within seconds, she lay naked before him, and blood surged through his body like lava. She was his once again, and he was not about to let her go.
    He stroked his lips along her neck to her pulse point, where he kissed and suckled lightly. Her lavender fragrance enveloped him, but he would not bite her tonight. She was still not fully recovered, and he would not risk it. But soon, he would once again draw her blood into his mouth and into his soul.
    His lips traveled south, and when he teased her nipple, she moaned. She reached for his shirt and yanked it over his head. He stood for a moment and divested himself of the rest of his clothes. Her gaze felt like a physical caress as it moved over him. She held out her hand, and he grasped it, crawling over her.
    He wanted to worship her slowly. But all thoughts of languid exploration evaporated when she ran her hand down his length and steered him to her. It had been too long, and he wanted her too much. He slid inside her in one stroke and held himself against her. Perfectly still. Willing his heart to beat in rhythm with hers so there was only one heartbeat between them.
    Only then did he finally begin to move.

 
    Chapter 15
     
    Talia hurried down the hall. She had slipped away from Jean Luc, her mission clear. It was time to end this with Chris.
    “Talia?”
    She hung her head at the sound of his voice.
    “Where are you going?”
    She turned and faced him. He had dressed again, although his shirt was open, his chest and stomach on glorious display. “To get some air, Jean Luc.”
    His eyes narrowed on her, as if trying to unlock her secrets. “Why do you insist on being alone? On pushing me away?”
    “I needed you tonight. But we can’t go back again, Jean Luc. You have to let me go.” She swallowed. “When this case is over, I’m leaving. Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be.”
    He opened his mouth to argue, but she held up her hand. “Please. Go find Renato and figure out who is doing this before someone else gets