BELIEVE IN ME

Unbelievable - 2

Crystal Jordan

This one is for my editor, Bethany Morgan, who read the prequel and said, «Jericho must have his own story. No, really. I'm not kidding. Write Jericho's story.» And so it was and so it is.

CHAPTER 1

Cedarville, Oregon

Not all people need a guardian angel to find their soul mate. Then again, not all people have a soul mate. Guardians are only assigned to the ones who needed a little extra guidance, a push, some encouragement.

In other words, Tori Chambers worked with the lost causes. The stubborn, bitter, damaged, scarred, wary pains in the backside who needed to have a cattle-prod taken to them in order to get them into a headspace where they might actually fall for their soul mate. In ideal circumstances, only one of the two soul mates needed the help of a Guardian.

She was not currently operating under ideal circumstances. No, this assignment was a total bitch.

Hitching herself into a chair at the one and only beauty salon Cedarville had to offer, Tori dug a magazine out of her enormous handbag and began flipping through pages while she ran the details of this hellish job through her mind. She had a never-married-but-three-times-engaged and thrice-burned firefighter whom she'd been doing her level best to prod, cajole, kick and encourage to hook up with a twice-divorced hairstylist.

Mason Delacroix and Celia Occam.

Tori was holding up her end of the bargain, and for the first time she was damn thankful for having a stubborn client, because once Mason had decided he was interested, he'd latched on like a terrier and refused to let go. The problem was he was just determined to get in his soul mate's pants. He had no desire for a relationship, and there wasn't going to be a relationship if Celia's Guardian didn't get off her ass and do her job. It had been a year and Celia hadn't budged in her refusal to even consider a date with Mason.

Desperation twisted deep inside Tori. How much longer would she get before this assignment was considered a failure by the Powers That Be? Her belly looped into an even tighter knot. She couldn't fail. She just couldn't. With what happened to Guardians after they'd failed…

Fuck. Tori bit back the urge to spew the curse aloud, along with a few other creative, spleen-venting invectives. People would be horrified if old Mrs. Chambers ripped loose with the kind of swear words that Tori wanted to use. If she had known she'd be stuck in this little 'burb so long, she wouldn't have played a gossipy old biddy. At the time, she'd needed to be someone Mason wouldn't be interested in, so the role fit. Now, she just wanted to look like herself again for five whole minutes. She also wanted to get laid again, but a harmless old lady wouldn't have the kind of all night long stamina Tori did, which was at least what it would take to burn off the frustration of months and months of no sex.

She crossed her legs to squelch the need she couldn't do a damn thing about and flipped another page in the magazine while she waited for the new stylist at Occam's Razor to come fix her hair. Not that she cared about the white bun that coiled around her head. She was here to witness round one million in the battles of the sexes, when Mason had his weekly appointment with Celia to get his head shaved. He had a face and body that would put Vin Diesel to shame, and Tori had no idea how the woman had managed to hold out this long. She was ready to jump him herself. A sigh eased past her lips. As if she would. Guardians were strictly forbidden from fraternizing with their clients, and that went double for Guardians like Tori who influenced matters of the heart. However, other humans and other angels were fair game.

Unfortunately, the humans who would be interested in old Mrs. Chambers weren't exactly lighting Tori's fire. She wrinkled her nose.

A sharply drawn breath dragged her gaze up to the mirror, and she saw the reflection of a man frozen just behind and to the side of her. A man so flamingly gay, she had to bite her lip to hold back a grin. He was really working the stereotype in an over-the-top kind of way. Knee-high boots, tight silver pants and a black button-up shirt that hugged his painfully skinny body. He even wore eyeliner to make his silver eyes stand out.

Those eyes. God, she knew those eyes.

The hairs rose on the back of her neck, and she slowly turned her head to stare at a man who looked nothing like his reflection. Looking directly at him, she could see through the glamour that Guardians showed the world. She could see the man, the Guardian, as he truly was. Tall, broad, muscular, with dark hair that was just a little too long, and a face that was just a little too craggy to be handsome. But those eyes. Deep unfathomable silver pools. They were powerful, compelling, magnetic. They dragged at something deep inside her, wrenching at her very bones.

«Vitoria,» he rasped. He rolled the «r» in the traditional Spanish pronunciation of her name, just the way he had the first day she'd met him over a century and a half ago. He'd even managed to keep the soft twang of his Texas accent.

God help her. Not him. Anyone but him.

«Jericho.»

CHAPTER 2

«Jerry, you know Mrs. Chambers?» Celia's head cocked to the side as she studied them.

The world snapped back into focus, and Jericho shook himself. He glanced in the mirror, taking in Tori's altered appearance. Looking directly at her, he would have been able to see through her glamour as easily as she'd seen through his. For him, there would be wide amber eyes, long ebony hair, and golden skin rather than the pale features of Mrs. Chambers.

He flapped a dismissive hand at the other stylist, working the gay angle like nobody's business. «Oh, the two of us go way back, don't we, sweetness?»

«Yeah. Jerry.» Tori almost grinned at his performance before his long, callused fingers lifted to slide her hair out of its knot. The smile died before it fully formed, and she tensed to still the automatic shiver of pleasure that wanted to ripple through her.

No. A thousand times no. She was not going down that road again. It was because of him that she'd been stuck a Guardian for more decades than she cared to count. Hell, it was because of him that she'd died in the first place. Because she'd loved him and he'd just used her for sex, for revenge against her brother, for any number of reasons he'd never bothered to share with her, but none of them were the love she'd craved.

«Go out with me this weekend.» Mason's deep voice yanked Tori out of her unpleasant trip along memory lane. He flashed his most charming smile at Celia, who didn't so much as pause before she shot him down. The woman was on autopilot. Shaking her out of that would be tough, but from the look of things, that was Jericho's problem now. Tori sighed.

Celia kept her gaze glued to the razor she was using to scrape away the stubble on Mason's head. «No can do, champ. I'm leaving tomorrow for a hair show and won't be back for a week. Jerry can give you your regularly scheduled scalping while I'm gone.»

Mason cast Jericho a disgruntled look, and the other man just shrugged, swirled a silver cape around Tori's shoulders, and then continued to fuss with her hair.

«She's leaving?» Tori hissed, frustrated at yet another delay in a long line of them. At least this time she could take it out on someone. If anyone deserved her ire, it was Jericho. «How is this you doing your job?»

«Absence makes the heart grow fonder,» he murmured. «And you could try believing in me, for once. I know what I'm doing.»

Any response she might have made died on her lips when his rough fingertips slid against her skull, and her involuntary shiver couldn't be quelled this time. Her heart slammed against her ribcage, her lungs seizing as her long-denied hormones rioted. Heat and lust spun through her so fast it left her reeling, and all he was doing was gliding his fingers through her hair.

She cursed herself for a fool as she silently struggled against the pull he had on her. The struggle was a dismal failure. Her nipples hardened to thrust against her bra, and she crossed her legs tighter, but it did nothing to stop the empty ache that throbbed between her thighs. She could feel herself growing wet, the folds of her sex swelling. Sucking in a deep breath to try to calm her racing heart and slow her erratic breathing, she only managed to draw in his scent over the fumes of salon chemicals. The hot, masculine smell of him was so familiar, even after all this time, and the realization sent a harsh pang through her.

His fingertips moved down to work the tension out of her neck, and she swallowed a moan. Her body softened for him, some muscles loosening while others tightened to ready her for sex. Helpless anger roared within her, and she pinched her eyes closed in denial of one simple truth. If he ever tried to seduce her, she was fucked. In every possible way.

Just like she had been so long ago.

He leaned forward to grab a pair of scissors off of the counter in front of the chair and his lips brushed her ear. «Think of it this way, Celia being gone gives us a week to formulate a game plan.»

The last thing she wanted was to spend time with him, but the faster they got Mason and Celia together, the faster she could escape from Cedarville. And him. «Fine.»

«Dinner tonight? To discuss plans?» His scent filled her lungs, and the need within her twisted tighter. Damn fate for doing this to her, for shoving her back into contact with the last man in the world she wanted to see. Ever.

«I'll meet you next door.» A little diner occupied the space next to the hair salon. It had good food and, more importantly, booths that offered enough privacy for them to talk without being overheard. Anyone who listened in would think they were batshit nutty anyway, but it was best not to draw attention to themselves. Humans just wouldn't understand. Back when she'd been a human, she wouldn't have understood either, so she couldn't blame them.

His hands began expertly snipping away at her hair, trimming the ends and letting them flutter in tufts to the floor. She'd bet her afterlife he'd never cut hair before. That was how things worked as a Guardian. If you needed a skill for an assignment, it just came to you. If you wanted to look a certain way, you just did. There were no wings, no halo, no white light, no awe-inspiring powers. Maybe because the human-born angels were the lowest rung on the celestial corporate ladder, but maybe not. They didn't even have a superior they answered to-they were merely compelled to do the jobs they did. They woke up one day, their heads filled with the assignment at hand. And then they went to work. There was no fighting it, no trying to get out, no rebellion. This was what they'd been called upon to do, and they'd do it until they failed to get it right. End of story.

«All right, that should do it.» He brushed a few stray strands off the cape. His silver eyes met hers briefly in the mirror, and awareness she didn't want to feel tingled down her spine. «I get off at seven.»

The words get off falling from his lips did nothing to calm her rabbiting heartbeat. «Until seven, then.»

Jericho was waiting for her when she arrived at the restaurant, his big body dominating one of the tall wooden booths in the back. His long fingers toyed idly with the silverware in front of him.

«Mrs. Chambers, it's good to see you!» One of the waitresses offered a big smile as Tori stepped in from the door.

«Thanks, Lindsay. How's your mom doing?» The girl's mother had recently broken up with her boyfriend, and as the resident town gossip, it was Tori's job to make sure everyone knew she knew their business. This definitely wasn't a position she'd have wanted for a whole year. She felt twinges of guilt whenever she spread people's news around, but she had to keep up her cover.

«Mom's doing okay. I guess.»

Lindsay's smile wobbled a bit and Tori gave her arm a comforting pat. «It'll all turn out all right. You mark my words, young lady.»

«Thanks, Mrs. Chambers.» The girl pulled in a big breath and her grin became more genuine. «Where would you like to sit?»

«Oh, I'm meeting a friend for dinner.» Tori glanced up and found Jericho's sharp gaze pinned to her, taking in the exchange between the two women. She cleared her throat and tilted her head towards his booth. «Bring us both the special and some coffee, would you?»

«Sure thing, Mrs. Chambers.» Lindsay moved to obey while Tori approached the booth, sliding onto the bench opposite her worst mistake.

«Vitoria,» he said in greeting.

«It's just Tori now.» Unlike him, she'd done everything in her power to ditch her accent, her old identity. The rolling Spanish inflection had made her stand out in the United States when she'd needed to blend in. She rarely spoke her native tongue anymore-not unless an assignment called for it. Her job was her life now. She didn't need to be a beautiful, accomplished young lady any longer. There was no rich, doting husband to attract, no parties to host at her older brother's hacienda. A pang of longing went through her. She missed Enrique so much-her only family after their parents had passed away. They'd been devoted to each other, so much so that she'd insisted on accompanying him in 1836 when he rode with Santa Anna from Mexico to fight against the rebellious American settlers in Texas.

Rebellious settlers like Jericho.

So long ago, and yet she recalled every detail of that time as if it had been branded into her mind.

Lindsay glided up carrying a big tray, lowering it to the tabletop to transfer over the plates of steaming food and big mugs of coffee. Tori smiled at her. «Thanks, Lindsay.»

«No problem. Flag me down if you need anything else.»

«We won't need anything else,» Jericho replied with a quick grin before switching his gaze to the other side of the booth. Again, Tori felt pinned by the intensity that burned there. After this many years of living, she'd have thought some of his intensity would have lessened, but not so much.

To cover her uneasiness, she picked up her coffee and let the cup hide her face as she took a deep draught. Ah, caffeine. It wouldn't help at all in settling her jangling nerves, but she loved the stuff, so who cared? «So…Mason and Celia.»

«Yeah.» He picked up the fork he'd been playing with when she came in and applied himself to his food with gusto. «Those two aren't going to make this easy. The last year of failed attempts is just going to make it harder to get them to break down and actually trust each other.»

«Yeah, trust. It's a fickle thing.» If there was a bite of irony to her voice, she didn't bother to cover it. She'd trusted him, and he'd betrayed her. Discussing how to help him make a woman trust anyone was like twisting the knife that had been parked squarely between her shoulder blades for over a hundred years. Not that she was bitter. Much.

His gaze cut to her, so she busied herself with her own dinner. He took a sip of his coffee, and she could feel his gaze on her, willing her to look at him, to make that connection, but she refused to give him what he wanted. They had a job to do. The personal shit between them could stay good and buried for all she cared. She was never going there again with him. His fingers tapped a light tattoo on the table. «We have to make this work. The last angel may have failed these people, but I'm not going to.»

«Neither am I.» She looked at him, her eyes narrowed. «I have never failed a client before and I don't intend to start now.»

What they didn't say was that neither of them knew what happened if an angel failed. They were just…gone, replaced. Where they went was something no Guardian knew. Tori didn't guess anyone who'd failed got a promotion, but she didn't want to find out if the other option was a downward spiral to the hot spot. Some mysteries she'd learned not to wonder about. It was safer that way.

A pensive frown drew Jericho's brows together. «I had one assignment that didn't pan out.»

«I don't even want to imagine what that means.» A sick feeling hollowed out the pit of her belly. She told herself the feeling stemmed from the notion of going through that herself rather than the thought of Jericho coming so close to disappearing the way the angel he'd replaced here had been.

He sighed, shaking his head. He swallowed audibly, his voice hoarse. «The soul mate committed suicide. I had to hand my client over to a grief angel.»

«Damn.» I'm sorry. The words hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she bit them back. Offering sympathy, reaching out, would only make this situation worse for everyone concerned. Her heart twisted at the very idea of passing off a client that way, of having them hurt like that on her watch. For better or for worse, she came to care about all her people. In that, she knew she was lucky in her job. She got to help people find love-how the Guardians who dealt with ugly emotions like despair, depression, loss and suicide made it through the day was beyond her.

A shudder went through her. She was happy to keep her job, thanks so much. Failure was not an option. Mason and Celia were going to fall in love and they were going to be happy, even if she had to hog-tie their stubborn asses together for eternity. She stabbed her fork viciously into an innocent piece of broccoli.

«I don't know what you're thinking, but I know I don't like the look on your face.» Lazy amusement curled through Jericho's voice, and he settled back against the smooth wood of the booth.

She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, wrinkling her nose. «Just thinking we may have to hog-tie our clients together or something to make this work.»

«You always did have a fondness for being tied up.» The amusement was still in his deep tone, but laced with rough desire, with hot memories she'd tried to scrub from her mind long ago.

How he'd snuck into her brother's encampment, bound her and gagged her, stealing her away in the middle of the night to hold as a hostage. How he'd removed the gag when he'd gotten her back to his camp, and she'd challenged him, hurled every insult she'd ever heard at him, cursing him in four different languages. How she'd still been bound when he'd kissed her, stroked her, made love to her the first time. How she'd moaned and sobbed and begged him for more.

Her nipples hardened and wetness slicked her sex as the erotic parade marched behind her eyes. Goose bumps rippled down her skin, and her blood rushed hot through her veins. She barely managed to swallow the bite of food in her mouth without choking. Pain and lust twisted like wild things inside her, shredding her until she wanted to howl with the awfulness of it. Please, God, make it stop. Please. She couldn't bear this. Not now. Not again. Not with him.

«No response, huh? Tori.» He said the nickname slowly, as though savoring the taste of it on his tongue. «I like that. It suits you, darlin'.»

«Don't call me that. I'm not your darling. I never was.» She could have bitten her tongue off trying to snap her mouth shut. Too late. The words were out there, falling like heavy stones between them. She should have ignored his goading, shouldn't have mentioned the past at all, shouldn't even have acknowledged they had one. The very last thing she wanted was to rehash old times with him. The past was, by very definition, done and over with. It should stay that way.

His silver eyes zeroed in on her, made her want to squirm in discomfort. A flash of what almost looked like hurt flickered in his gaze. She repressed a snort. Right. She'd have to matter to him to hurt his feelings, and she knew she never had.

That was how they'd ended up in this mess. In life, they'd been soul mates, destined for one another, even though they were wary and untrusting, on opposite sides of a war. Then she'd risked everything to warn him about a surprise raid Enrique had planned…only to find her beloved in bed with another woman.

A stray shot fired during the raid had taken her life, but she'd already been shattered beyond repair.

She hadn't known it then, but their own Guardians had failed them, and when Tori and Jericho had died because of that failure, they'd been recruited to replace their angels. That was how it worked. Failure meant another angel replaced you. Failure resulting in the death of a client meant the client replaced you. It was just Tori and Jericho's misfortune that both of them had died that day. And it was just Tori's luck that a man she never wanted to see again, a man who should have croaked at a ripe old age before the turn of the last century, had followed her into unwilling immortality.

Fuck.

CHAPTER 3

Tori grabbed her bag, tossed more than enough cash to cover their meal onto the table, shot out of her seat, and ran like hell. She couldn't do this. She could not do this.

He caught her on the street, of course. Jericho had never been one to let anything go. His fingers wrapped tight around her upper arm, pulling her to a stop and forcing her to face him. She kept her gaze pinned to his chest, grating out as few words as possible. «I need to go home.»

She felt his gaze move over her, studying her-her face, her eyes, her breasts beneath the serviceable top she wore, her white-knuckled grip on the handle of her purse. «Fine. I'll walk you.»

Shifting his inexorable grip, he steered her toward the small bed and breakfast inn she owned-or, at least, the angelic woo-woo of her cover identity meant people thought she owned it and had owned it for years and years. Thankfully, it was close to the town square, which the diner faced. They didn't have far to go. Still, she was painfully aware of his hand on her skin as they walked through the square. She hated herself for being unable to squelch her reaction. She wanted to run screaming, she wanted to tackle him to the ground and do filthy things to his body. She wanted to beat him to a pulp for hurting her and ruining her one chance at happiness. She did none of those things-the town gossip didn't make gossip for other people to spread around.

His hand on her elbow would look like nothing more than polite and solicitous assistance to an elderly lady, but the rough calluses on his fingertips rubbed in slow circles against her arm. Goose bumps raced over her limbs again and she shivered, her nipples tightening to painful points. She hadn't been this turned on in over a century. Not since the last time he'd touched her.

She turned her head to meet his gaze squarely, unflinching. «While we walk, let's discuss Mason and Celia. Then I'd like us to have as little contact as possible until this is over.»

Again, she felt him study her, but she refused to be discomfited by him. He faced forward. «We should definitely talk about the assignment.»

«Okay. Good.» Relief that he didn't push the subject of their interactions, past or future, made the air squeeze out of her lungs.

«You've done a great job of steering Mason in the right direction, but it's obvious to anyone-including Celia-he's just looking to score. And get rid of what has to be a serious case of blue balls.»

She choked, and a laugh exploded out of her. Wrapping her arm around herself, she tried to hold in the shrieks of laughter and not drop her purse. Hilarity made her voice shake. «I cannot believe you said that.»

A rich chuckle answered her, and she watched the lines crinkle around his eyes as his white teeth flashed in a wide smile. «The truth hurts.»

«Much like blue balls.»

His broad shoulder lifted in a casual shrug. «It's hard on a guy.»

«So I've heard.» She snorted on another chuckle. «I'll take your word on it.»

«They both have trust issues. They're wary. It's understandable, given their pasts.» His dark brows drew together, his focus turning inward for a moment. Then he sighed and his lips quirked in a small grin. «Which is pretty much the same old story for what we do.»

God, she loved his smile. She always had. He was freer with it now than he had been, which was good for him, and bad for her control. She'd always been a sucker for a man who could make her laugh. She slammed the brakes on that alarming and dangerous line of thought.

Jericho's breath caught. She shot a sharp glance at him in time to see him jerk his chin aside to stare at a tree as they passed another couple. She arched her eyebrows, but immediately recognized the chief of police and his wife, Aubrey. She smiled and nodded as they walked by, but the two were absorbed in each other and barely spared her a glance before they disappeared around a bend in the path.

«Your most recent conquest. Nicely done, by the way.» Her eyebrows lifted higher. «You're in a different disguise, Jericho. They won't recognize you.»

He grunted. «It's the eyes. No matter how many faces I wear, I've never gotten the eyes to change color.»

«And it's a distinctive color. That is a problem.»

«Not usually.» He shrugged. «I move around with my assignments, so I'm not in one place long enough for anyone to notice.»

True enough. Travel was the name of their game. «But you finished up with them, and there was a local project that fell in your lap.»

«Something like that.» Suddenly his eyes narrowed, flattening to a cold pewter. «You knew I was in town and you avoided me.»

Damn. Caught. She hurried her steps, heaving a sigh of intense relief as the inn came into view. She kept her voice light, her tone dismissive. «I gave you a hand. Not that the chief needed any urging, but when he asked about Aubrey's dating habits, I filled him in, encouraged him a little. I am the town gossip, you know. Information sharing is what I do. I also used the dachshund I was dog sitting for a friend to trip her up and get her carried into his house for their first date. You're welcome.»

«You avoided me.» The words shot from his mouth like bullets, and she felt his muscular body tense. He dragged her to a stop in front of the B&B.

«I had my own assignment to deal with. There was no need to interact with you, no need to draw attention to ourselves.» She set her jaw at a stubborn angle, daring him to refute her. His gaze heated with the challenge, and she almost groaned. Challenging Jericho was a mistake and she knew it. That was how she'd ended up flat on her back the night they'd met.

«Yes, there's no need to draw attention to ourselves. We shouldn't make a scene.» His hand lifted, and he stroked a single fingertip across her cheekbone, trailed it to her jaw, and down her throat, where she knew he could feel her pulse pounding. His movements were slow, giving her the chance to pull away. She didn't. God, she craved him. She always had, and it stabbed at her heart to realize she always would.

She swayed toward him, her brain short-circuiting as an image of them in the privacy of her bedroom, in her bed, formed and refused to leave.

«It's not working, acting as if this is about our job. I want you too much to pretend I haven't been hard since the moment you walked into the restaurant tonight. You're still the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.» His voice dropped to a low, silken purr that stroked over her nerves, exciting her, soothing her.

Her eyes closed as his words washed over her, undermining all of her righteous bitterness. Whether she liked it or not, she reacted to this man. No one could make her angrier, faster. No one could make her hornier, faster. This many months of celibacy only made it that much harder to resist the magnetic pull he had on her by just standing there and breathing. When he said things like that to her, used that tone of voice, it made fire flood her.

Swallowing, she glanced away and squeezed her thighs together to quell the ache between them. It was a wasted effort. «We're in public, Jericho. Don't forget when people look at us, they see an old lady and a gay man.»

«Then let's go somewhere private because within the next five minutes you're going to be under me, whether we're in public or not.» That stroking finger moved over her lips before curving under her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze, the steely, relentless determination that shone there. «I want you stripped and spread for me. I want my tongue in your mouth while you scream and sigh and moan. I want your nails digging into my back when I slide into that tight, wet little pussy of yours. I want to fuck you until neither of us can stand. And then I'm really going to get started on you.»

She wanted that. All of that. So much that every other thought fled, her hormones rioted, her body overruling her mind.

They made it to the small guesthouse behind the inn that she used for her home before he had his hands all over her, but it was a close call. The door hadn't even swung shut before his mouth covered hers and his tongue thrust between her lips.

A moan ripped from her throat. He tasted the same-like honey and hot, wicked man. Like heaven on earth. Like Jericho. She twisted her fingers in his silky hair, holding him in place while she tangled her tongue with his. Her body burned, ached with emptiness, wetness flooding her core until she thought she might cry if he didn't fill her soon. She rocked herself against him in shameless abandon, her nails digging into his scalp as she sought to communicate her need. He groaned, but didn't slow down.

His palms slid over her back, one dipping down to cup her backside and lift her body into his. The rigid length of his cock rubbed against the juncture of her thighs. A low, choking cry issued from her throat, and she rose on tiptoe, wrapped one leg around his hip, and tried to ride his erection through both their pants. God, she craved him as much as she ever had. More. She ground herself against him in a desperate search for orgasm.

He made a rough, guttural noise, both hands on her ass, lifting her off her feet so she could twine her legs around his lean waist. Stumbling forward, he pressed her back to the wall and rolled his hips against hers, rubbing his cock right where she needed it. Stars burst behind her closed eyelids, pleasure swamping her in a rush. They still had all their clothes on and she was a heartbeat away from shattering.

She arched helplessly in his arms, her mouth ripping free of his as she writhed against him. «I'm so close, Jericho.»

«Not yet, Tori. Not yet.» He tugged at her legs, disentangling himself from her grip. She moaned a protest, her nails digging into his shoulders. His voice was a deep rasp in her ear, his accent thickening with his lust. «I want to be inside you when you come for me, darlin'. I want to feel it.»

A sob ripped from her throat, and she clutched at him, her head rolling on the wall. Lust slammed into her in waves that threatened to drown her. «Hurry.»

His hands were busy on the fly of her slacks, wrenching open the zipper and shoving them and her panties down her legs. He lifted her out of her loafers and braced her against the wall again. Her legs automatically wrapped around his hips as she tried to keep her balance, but there was no balance to be had with Jericho. There never had been.

«I can't wait.» His words were little more than a breath of air against her lips before he claimed her mouth again. The smooth, hot head of his cock nudged against her slick folds. She had no idea when he'd unfastened his own pants, but she didn't have time to wonder as he slammed deep with one hard thrust. Her back bowed in reflex to the sudden invasion, the thickness of him painful after so many months of celibacy. But even the pain became a slicing, white-hot blade of pleasure. She screamed for him then, just as he'd wanted, the sound high, thin and wild, smothered by his mouth.

He pounded into her, his movements fast and rough and so damn exciting she knew she'd come in minutes, seconds. A sob caught in her throat at losing this connection so soon, emotion she didn't want to feel ripping at her control. His fingers bit into her ass as he hitched her higher against the wall, changed the angle of his penetration, made it even better for her. He hit her G-spot with every thrust, and his tongue still moved boldly in her mouth, his honeyed flavor assaulting her, his masculine scent filling her tortured lungs with every gasping breath.

He took every part of her and claimed it for himself.

One hand slipped inward, the fingers circling the tight bud of her anus. She moaned, shuddered, her heart hammering at the thought of him touching her there, taking her there. A single fingertip pressed inward, and she tore her mouth away from his. «Yes! Oh, yes. Jericho!»

He just chuckled, the sound dark and smoky, and worked his finger deep into her ass. His cock pistoning in and out of her pussy, his finger massaging the tight ring of her anus, the feel and taste of him after so long, stripped what was left of her control. Her body bowed hard, her head falling back against the wall. She exploded in one unstoppable rush. Her sex convulsed around him, her muscles clenching, milking him until her mouth opened in a silent scream.

A hoarse, guttural groan jerked from him as orgasm gripped him. He shoved into her once, twice, three more times before his fluids erupted inside her. It was enough to push her over the edge again, her pussy fisting tight as helpless shivers wracked her body.

«Tori,» he breathed, the word almost a prayer. Burying his face in the curve of her neck, he licked her, kissed her sensitized flesh.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed back the unwanted, unwarranted tears. Her mind refused to work, her thoughts drifting. She knew she should move, should push him away, but her muscles were as unresponsive as her brain, so she just stayed where she was, panting for breath, waiting for her racing heartbeat to slow. Waiting for reality to come roaring back to bitch-slap her.

They both groaned when his cock began to lengthen and harden inside her again, expanding to stretch her from deep inside. He straightened away from the wall, wrapped his arms tight around her, and walked unsteadily through the open bedroom door. Cradling her close, he lowered them both to the cool, smooth quilt, and sipped soft kisses from her lips as he went.

He leaned back just enough to peel her shirt off, unsnap her bra and fling the soft cotton garments away. His big hands cupped her breasts, lifting them for his mouth. Her breath tangled in her throat as anticipation sliced through her. God, but she wanted his mouth on her. She arched her back in offering. He grinned, flicking his tongue out to wet each tight nipple. «I have to say, women's underwear is a hell of a lot easier to get rid of now than it was back then.»

Her laugh sounded more like a needy whimper. «You're telling me. You never had to wear a damn corset.»

«Thank God for that.» And then he took her nipple in his mouth to suckle, and a deep moan burst from her. Sheer pleasure arced from her breast to her loins, and her pussy clenched hard around his cock. He groaned, setting his teeth into her nipple in response. She squealed, a fresh tide of wetness flooding her sex. Her hands lifted to his shoulders, her nails digging in deep, raking down his flesh. He grunted, swirling his tongue around and around her nipple before he shoved it hard against the roof of his mouth.

A low cry was the only articulation she could give to the heat, the need, the desperation exploding within her. Her thighs cinched on his waist as she tried to pull him deeper, squeezing him with her inner muscles, milking him until he shuddered and finally, finally began moving inside her. Her hips undulated beneath him, their harsh breathing, soft groans and slapping flesh the only sounds in the room. The scents of sweat and sex perfumed the air, a drugging aphrodisiac that made her burn.

She closed her eyes to savor how amazing it felt to have him over her and in her again, his heavy weight pressing her into a soft bed, his wide cock making her body work to accommodate him. It was pleasure and it was pain and it was exactly what she craved. An addict getting her fix after so many sober years on the bandwagon. He ground his hips against her clit, and she sobbed, digging her heels into the backs of his muscular thighs.

«Look at me, Tori,» he demanded. «I want to watch you come.»

She obeyed and was snared by his silver gaze. She had no idea what he saw in her face, but triumph and possession and a myriad of other emotions she couldn't name blazed across his expression. Her movement faltered, some belated caution rising to the surface of her consciousness.

«Nuh-uh. None of that.» His eyes narrowed, and his fingers slid between them to flick over her clit again and again until she strained upward and danced on the ragged edge of orgasm. Still, she couldn't look away from him. The dark flush running under his tanned skin, the kiss-swollen lips, the gleam of desperate hunger in his gaze. It was the desperation that captivated her. Jericho had never worn such a look before, not once. Lust, fury, greed-yes. Soul-deep desperation-no.

She wanted it to mean something, wanted it so badly, it shamed her, made tears well in her eyes and streak unchecked down her cheeks. His palms rose to frame her face, and he nuzzled and licked her tears away. When he kissed her, she tasted the salty moisture on his lips. The gentle reverence of the kiss was such a wild contrast to the roughness of his thrusting cock that it made her sob into his mouth, made her hotter and wetter, her inner flesh clinging to him. He angled his hips, slamming deeper, harder and it sent her flying.

Her pussy clenched in rhythmic spasms that went on forever, dragged her under until she had no sense of time or space. There was only Jericho's hands and mouth and muscular body driving her beyond sanity and into pure sensation. Every heavy thrust sent another orgasm screaming through her, made her throb around him. Tingles broke down her arms and legs, shivers she couldn't control wracking her.

«Tori, I-« His words broke off in a low groan as she came again, her thighs tightening on his flanks, her pussy wringing his cock. He shuddered and jetted deep inside her, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he gritted his teeth. «Oh, God, Vitoria. My Tori.»

He sank down on her, his heavy weight crushing her into the mattress. Sweat sealed their bodies together, and she could barely drag air into her overtaxed lungs. Her muscles went slowly limp, still shaking in the aftermath. Her legs fell to the quilt, and she sighed. He grunted, heaving himself to the side so she could breathe again. He hooked an arm around her hips and dragged her back against him. Within minutes, his breathing leveled out into that of deep slumber. She stared at the ceiling, her thoughts hazy, and she felt hollowed out by what had happened, what she'd never thought would happen again.

What should never have happened again. Reality returned in an awful rush, her gut clenching as nausea burned away the lingering tendrils of contentment that wound through her. Jesus, what had she done? Was she insane? Did she have some kind of crazy need to commit emotional suicide?

Tears burned in her eyes as she turned away from him, curled into herself, and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle a harsh sob. It caught in her throat, threatening to strangle her. What the hell was wrong with her? She'd just rolled right over and spread her legs for him, like nothing bad had ever happened between them, like he'd never betrayed her. He was her soul mate, and she had no defenses against him. With him, she was so fucking weak. Pathetic. Needy. A huge failure. Just as she'd always been.

No wonder he'd turned to another woman.

CHAPTER 4

He was already inside her when she woke up, the first rays of dawn flickering through her window. She arched, her body already hot and slick and more than ready for whatever he wanted. His arms were wrapped tight around her torso, her back to his front, and he rocked against her in infinitesimal strokes that only aroused her more.

«Good morning.» His sleep-roughened voice slid over her nerves like velvet. His big palm slipped down to spread across her lower belly, pressing her deeper into his thrusts. «Did you sleep well?»

«Mmm…» A more articulate answer was beyond her. No, she hadn't slept well, but at the moment, she didn't care. All she wanted was for him to fuck her harder, faster, until the only thing she could think about was the mindless drive to orgasm. A deep pang passed through her as she realized she wouldn't-couldn't-tell him to stop. She wanted him too badly. She clenched her jaw tight as her need to protect herself warred briefly with her need for his touch, for connection, for pleasure. Swallowing back a hopeless, helpless moan, she gave in to the ecstasy he offered. Later was soon enough to kick her own ass for her weakness, her stupidity, her failure. Her hand wrapped around his imprisoning forearm, her nails digging in as she sought the freedom to move.

Ignoring her wordless demand, he flicked his tongue over the sensitive tendon that connected her neck and shoulder. She shivered, her nipples tightening in reflex. He noticed-of course he noticed, Jericho had never missed the merest hint of response from her-and his other palm moved to fondle her breasts, his fingertips whispering over her flesh. Just the way she liked it. How had he remembered after all this time? She gasped, her head falling back on his shoulder, her torso bowing outward as she struggled against his superior strength.

It was almost as good as when he tied her down to sex her up.

Just the thought was enough to fan the flames of her excitement, to make her wetter.

As if he'd read her mind, a chuckle vibrated through his broad chest. «Not this time, darlin', but soon I'm going to tie you to this bed. That fancy wrought-iron headboard will do just fine for what I have in mind.»

Oh, God, it would. She tried not to imagine it, and failed. Molten lava pumped through her veins, sped by her racing heart. Jericho bit her neck lightly and the unexpected sting made her cry out. She rocked her hips back, trying to take him deeper, to push him into going faster. Reaching back, she clamped a hand on the muscular globe of his ass, her nails gouging deep. «Now, Jericho.»

«Yes,» he gritted between clenched teeth. His hips bucked, and finally he gave her the hard penetration she craved.

The smack of his skin against hers, the hard impact of his belly on her backside, echoed in her bedroom. The bedsprings squeaked underneath them, the antique bed frame creaked. Their low groans and soft cries added layer upon layer to the carnal symphony they played together. Sweat dampened her skin, and her muscles strained as she pushed herself harder. More. She wanted more. She wanted everything.

He slipped his fingers down between her legs, rubbing her clit in time with his strokes, letting his movements drive her harder against his fingertips to increase the already unbearable friction. She was wet, hot. Her pussy clenched once, and he made a rough sound of pure pleasure that turned her inside out, it was so good. The way his cock filled her was perfect. It always had been, it always would be. She blinked back the sting of tears and clutched his arm, held tight to the moment she was in.

Shudders began building deep inside her, orgasm rising high and hot to claim her. She held it off, wanting to stay right here where everything felt good and right and perfect. Clenching her inner muscles did nothing to aid her, and a sob of despair slid from her. Too soon. It was ending far too soon.

«Shh, shh, darlin'.» His voice soothed and aroused, stroked over her as effectively as a caress. His free hand lifted to toy with her breasts, to pluck and twist her nipples until she bit her lip against another sob. «Trust me-I'll give you what you need.»

No, he wouldn't. She knew that, knew it all the way down to her soul, and it ripped at her, an agonizing pain that made her scream. Then he lunged deep within her, deeper than he'd been before, and the scream changed as she shattered. Her body exploded with an ecstasy that consumed every piece of her. She convulsed in his arms, her pussy flexing on his cock in rhythmic waves that dragged him down into the whirlpool with her.

«Tori, Tori, Tori.» His come flooded her, and they rocked together, savoring every single moment of the fiery pleasure they generated together.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Agony and ecstasy pulsed through her in equal measures that could only be defined by one whispered word-«Jericho.»

There was nothing else to say.

The morning was wonderful.

Jericho dragged her out of bed after their pre-dawn mattress romp and coaxed her into getting coffee from the best shop in town, Bean There, Done That. The little cafe was owned by his last client, Aubrey, so Tori went in to buy the liquid ambrosia alone, but then they meandered through the park and down a few quiet side streets-not talking…just being. It was nice. She liked it way too much and it sent a sick little twist through her stomach. She swallowed the mouthful of latte she had before she choked on it.

His eyes were pure mercury when he glanced down at her. «My apartment is just over there.» He tilted his head to indicate a pretty three-story converted Victorian across the street from where they were standing. «We still have hours before we need to be at work. Let me make you breakfast.»

That wasn't all he wanted to make.

Bleakness flooded her soul. She couldn't tell him no. She didn't even want to. Even if it was for her own good. «Okay.»

She followed him into the building and up the stairs, knowing it was a mistake, knowing she was going to get hurt, knowing that the only way to protect herself was to set the ground rules. As far as he'd ever know, she felt the same way he did, the same way he had felt from their first meeting. This was just sex, a good lay, a great fuck. There was no lovemaking, just hot, wild, lusty sex. If they didn't drag her battered heart into the equation, if they focused on the physical, and on the present, she might survive this.

Then again, it wasn't as if she could die again, was it? She'd already given everything she had. Body, heart, soul, life. Everything. And still she had failed.

Sucking in a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and stepped into his apartment. She wouldn't fail again. She was stronger than she had been, and she had a hell of a lot more experience. A hundred plus years on Earth would do that to a person. She wasn't the naive, sheltered girl she had been. She could survive this. She could survive Jericho, she could survive losing this connection again, she could and would do her job and walk away. She'd done it before, and while things were more complicated this time, it didn't mean she couldn't do it again.

Until it was time to leave, she was going to indulge herself in the sexiest man she'd ever known. She knew herself well enough to know she had no choice, so she wasn't going to fight it. The past was beyond her control, but the present and the future were hers to shape. Even angels had some free will, and she was going to exercise it.

Jericho shut the door and flipped the lock. The place was homier than she'd expected. The furnishings were comfortable and a little worn around the edges, heavy dark wood that was a direct contrast to the light beach house wicker at her cottage. It was very much Jericho, and nothing like the overtly gay man he was playing for this assignment. His inner sanctum. She slid her hands in her pockets and chuckled. They turned to each other, and she opened her mouth to tease him about it when he cupped her face between his big palms. The expression he wore was serious, but light glinted in his eyes. Her breath tangled in her throat, and her heart skipped a beat. She swallowed, tried to grin and break the sudden tension of the moment. He stroked a thumb over her lower lip, and her smile died before it fully formed.

Bending forward, he brushed his mouth over hers. The kiss was infinitely tender, underscored by the passion that always blazed between them. She hummed in her throat and let herself melt against him. Her breasts flattened against the wall of muscle that made up his broad chest. Flicking her tongue out to lick his lips, she parted them and found her way inside his mouth, reveling in the taste of him. Sweet, rich honey. She moaned, wriggling to get closer, twining her fingers in the rough silk of his hair.

Rising on tiptoe, she fitted her sex against his cock, writhing against him like a cat in heat, rubbing her breasts against his chest to stimulate her nipples. Her heart pumped her blood wild and fast through her veins, the scent of him, the flavor of him, the sheer size and heat of him made her pussy go slick, the folds plumping as her body readied itself for sex. Her fingers tightened in his hair, tugging as her need spiked. She bit his lower lip, sucking it between her teeth.

He groaned and pulled away, searched her face, gave a little smile, and then planted a few more soft, warm kisses on her lips. «I told myself I was going to talk to you, not dive on you the moment the door shut, but you just have to look at me and my control goes haywire.» He trailed his fingertips across her jaw. «We need to talk. About us. What we're doing, where we're going. And especially where we've been. I have a lot-«

«No.» She jerked back, stepping outside of his arm's reach, moving away until her legs pressed against his big dining room table. It hurt to deny herself contact with him, but she had some self-preservation left. Pulling in a deep breath to calm her racing heartbeat, she forced herself to recall the gut-wrenching moment when she'd walked into a saloon to find him sharing a bed with a whore. Sure, they'd argued, he'd dumped her back off in her brother's camp, but really? That was all his soul mate had meant to him? A convenient lay? Less than a day after they'd parted, and he'd paid to fuck another woman. The memory was a splash of cold water on her overheating hormones, a stab of utter agony to her heart. She narrowed her eyes at him, her shaking fists clenched at her sides. «You want this thing between us, that's fine, but the deal is we do not talk about the past. At all. Ever. It didn't happen.»

«It did happen.» Now it was his turn to narrow his eyes, and she saw rage burn in his gaze, but he banked the emotion, and his voice was almost even when he spoke. «Just trust me for once and listen to what-«

«No.» She shook her head and folded her arms protectively over her chest. «Not just no, but hell no. You want to keep getting hot and heavy with me while we're working together on this assignment, then we don't talk about anything that went on before now. That's over. We already failed the test. It doesn't matter anymore.» She met his eyes, refusing to back down. She'd already had to piece together a broken heart once before, and she doubted it could stand a second round. «That's the deal. Take it or leave it.»

«I'll take it.» He jerked her against him, and the fury he no longer tried to control made his eyes an incandescent silver. «Let's start now.»

His mouth slammed down over hers, his tongue thrusting into her mouth to demand a response from her. She gave it, matching his demands with her own. They fought for control of the kiss, biting, sucking and nipping at each other until their skin was hot to the touch, burning up. Their breathing was nothing but harsh rasps, and they groaned into each other's mouth. She tasted blood, but didn't know if it was his or hers. It didn't matter, the copper tang of it drove her excitement to a primitive, carnal place.

They came together with the same speed and urgency of the night before, but instead of desperation, this was a furious claiming. All the building anger, pain and desire they couldn't deny exploded between them. She grabbed the front of his shirt and ripped it open, the buttons scattering in every direction. Then her hands were on his chest, thumbing his flat little nipples. He groaned, broke the kiss and wrenched her shirt over her head. Her bra shredded under the same treatment, but his mouth was on her breasts, sucking her hard, making her back bow as pleasure speared straight to her pussy. Her inner walls clenched on nothingness, and she shuddered.

He bit her nipple, batted it with his tongue and bit her again. She gritted her teeth on a scream. Her fingers fisted in his hair, twisting until he grunted at the pain. «Fuck me, Jericho.»

«Whatever you want, darlin'.» The words were harsh with sarcasm, strained with unsated lust.

Grabbing her shoulders, he spun her around and forced her to bend over the table. His hands jerked open her pants and shoved them and her panties down her legs. She kicked them aside, her heart pounding as she heard the clink of his belt buckle, the rasp of his zipper, and then he crowded between her thighs. His cock was like a thick, hot pipe pressing against her buttocks, sliding into the crevice. His arms wrapped around her torso, one hand moving down to shove into her sex. She bucked against him, but it did nothing to dislodge him. She was caught, trapped, and it made the flames licking through her even hotter.

Three big fingers filled her pussy, stretching her. He didn't give her time to adjust, just thrust high and hard into her soaking channel. This time, there was no holding back her scream. It was too much, and not nearly enough. He worked her until she thought she'd faint, her wetness growing with every plunge of his fingers inside her. He pulled from her abruptly, making her cry out at the loss. Using her own moisture, he slid those same fingers one by one into her backside. Shudders wracked her body, and she whimpered when his other hand took the place of the first, filling her pussy. It was more than she could bear. She came, screaming. Her sex milked his fingers, tingles exploding over her skin as she rocked herself between his hands.

Fire flashed in her blood, sweat slid down her temples, and all she could do was let her head fall back as she moaned. «Jericho. My Jericho.»

«Yes,» he groaned, the sound tormented pleasure. «God, yes.»

His fingers jerked from her ass, and she felt him position his cock at the entrance of her anus. Oh. Jesus. A whimper fell from her throat, and his thick cock pressed her wider than his hand had. The tight ring of her anus bore down on him, and she forced her shaking muscles to relax, to accept the hot invasion. Anticipation pumped her blood even faster through her veins, a sizzle of ecstasy arcing through her overloaded system. He worked his cock deeper and deeper. She fell forward on her palms, bracing herself on the smooth wood table so she could move with him, take all of him. He thrust slowly at first, but picked up speed and force until his taut belly spanked against the softer curve of her buttocks.

The heel of his palm rotated against her clit, and her breath caught in shock. His hand worked her pussy to the same rhythm as his cock in her ass. His fingertips rubbed the thin layer of flesh between her two channels, stimulating her to a point she'd never reached before. Her nails raked across the tabletop, her back bowing as he fucked her hard and rough. Taking her. Possessing her. His palm slapped against her clit with each movement of his hand, his pelvis grinding into her ass. A wave of ecstasy hit her, almost taking her over the edge. Almost. God, she was so damn close. A few more strokes of that big cock in her anus, a couple of flicks of those clever fingers and she would break. He paused for just a moment, a fraction of a second, but it was enough to make her cry out in desperate longing. He couldn't stop now. She'd throttle him if he tried.

Jericho's deep rumble reverberated in her ear, the tone silky, dangerous. «Deny it all you want, darlin', but we belong to each other. You belong to me.» His hot breath washed over her skin, making goose flesh break down her limbs. His thrusts became wilder, fiercer. «I don't have to talk about the past for you to know you're mine, Tori. Mine. You always have been, you always will be. You'll never be free of me, you'll never get the feel of me off your skin, the taste of me out of your mouth. You. Are. Mine. My soul mate. Just plain old fucking mine.»

«I hate you!»

He laughed at her, bit the back of her shoulder, licked the stinging flesh until she panted. «No, you don't. You only wish you could.»

He was right, damn him.

Those wicked fingers rubbed her G-spot, and he shoved his cock deep in her ass, deeper than he'd ever been before and she was lost. She shattered, pushed beyond her endurance. Her inner muscles clenched around his fingers, his cock, and her entire body undulated against him in wanton abandon. Her skin felt too hot and too tight to hold in the ecstasy roiling through her, splintering her into a million unrecognizable pieces.

The last thing she heard before reality dissolved around her was his growl of «Mine.»

Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed forward. He caught her, cradled her against his chest, brushed her sweat-dampened hair away from her face, kissed her temple. He whispered something against her skin, but she didn't hear it. Consciousness slipped away, and she welcomed the sweet nothingness of oblivion.

CHAPTER 5

Tori dreamed about her last day as a human every night that week, her subconscious's constant reminder to keep her guard up around Jericho, to not get too close, to never repeat her past mistakes. Because she might help other people fall in love, but her final hours as a human proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was a failure in the love department-always had been, always would be.

She just wished the details had grown fuzzier with time, but they hadn't. The nightmare always started in the same place. She and Jericho arguing. Again. She'd wanted to see Enrique, to assure her brother that she was all right. She'd hated that she knew he'd be worried, and she'd been certain if she explained to him how she felt about Jericho, that he'd understand, that he'd give them his blessing. Jericho didn't want to release her as his prisoner, but her insistence had finally paid off and he'd returned her to her brother-or maybe he'd just gotten sick of listening to her, and his sexual toy had been less fun to play with. Her reputation had already been tattered beyond repair, so the damage to her brother's honor had been done.

The reasons didn't matter, in the end. All that mattered was that things hadn't gone the way she'd planned. She'd been such a naive little idiot. Enrique hadn't understood-he'd refused to let her go back to a man who'd stolen her virtue. Nothing she said would make him believe she loved Jericho, that she didn't want to live without him.

Her mind was locked in the dream, wanting to change how it ended, kicking and screaming and railing at herself, but it always ended the same. She could only watch and wait and live through her own demise over and over again. It was like Groundhog Day on crack.

She'd managed to escape Enrique's guards during the chaos of preparations for a surprise raid, and ridden her horse into the little backwater Texas town Jericho and his men occupied. Getting lost in the dark twice, terrified she wouldn't be able to warn Jericho in time, her memory tormented her with every moment of the horrifying panic of that ride. One of Jericho's men had reluctantly told her where to find him-the local saloon. The brothel. She hadn't wanted to believe, but she couldn't deny the truth that faced her-her brother had been right, Jericho had only used her to taunt an enemy, and she was a fool. She'd blurted out the information about Enrique's plans, that Jericho and his men were in danger, and then she'd staggered out, too broken, too numb to know or care where she should go next. She'd just gotten back on her horse and left. Jericho hadn't tried to stop her, hadn't come after her, hadn't cared that she'd been caught in the raid. He hadn't cared that she'd died trying to save his life. And he certainly hadn't had the decency to live and make her sacrifice worth something.

Every morning she jerked awake, back in her own bed, but sweat-soaked and shaking. Jericho was always there, reaching out to soothe her, and that soothing led to sex. Which meant her nerves were shot. Her senses were overloaded with both the remembered pain of Jericho and the overwhelming pleasure of being in his arms again.

It was enough to make her crazy. It sure as hell kept her a regular and loyal customer of Bean There, Done That. Caffeine was the only thing getting her through the days. She swallowed and offered Mason a smile when he noticed she'd stepped into line behind him. «Your Celia will be back from her convention tomorrow.»

She'd often accidentally run into him at the coffee shop, so if it was a little more often than usual this week, no one wondered why. If she could get in just a little encouragement here and there, it wouldn't hurt. Keep him thinking about his soul mate, remind him he wanted her.

Mason grinned his pirate's grin, showing even white teeth. «She's not my Celia. Yet.»

«Well, she's a fool to turn you down, young man.» Tori threw in an extra little old lady creak to her voice and patted his brawny arm.

He laughed, his eyes dancing with real amusement. She got the impression he was bemused and a little touched that the kindly old town gossip took such an interest in his campaign to win Celia over. «Why, thank you, ma'am. I think so too.»

Sweeping his arm in front of him in a roughly gallant gesture, he let her step up to the counter and order her coffee first. He really was a nice guy, if they could just get him and Celia on the right track. Tori sighed, her smile crumbling when she turned her back on him.

Even with the ugly nightmares, the days had whipped by, time racing when she wanted it to slow down. Dread settled like a cold, twisted knot in her belly. For better or for worse, this thing with Jericho would be over soon.

Somehow, her subconscious's less-than-subtle nightly memos weren't enough. She was more in love with him than she ever had been before, and it made her want to vomit. Maybe she should have been surprised at the depth of her reaction, but she wasn't. Soul mating was her business, and she knew from personal experience what happened when things went wrong. Maybe that was why failed soul mates became this kind of Guardian. Who better to understand the importance of their missions? Who better to appreciate the difficulty, the agony, of falling in love?

Jericho had kept to their deal. He hadn't brought up their painful past, and Tori did her best to block out the nightmares and pretend it had never happened, to live in the now, to absorb the utter joy of being with a man crafted specifically for her.

It almost worked. When she was in his arms, she could almost forget. Almost.

As much as she loved every moment she spent with him, talking to him, being near him, a part of her would never belong to him, a piece of her heart and mind would never let her go all the way. And she was grateful. It would make it easier when they parted. She knew that, and still she ached. Ached for what was to come, and for what could never be.

She swayed on her feet, and Mason caught her elbow. «Whoa, Mrs. Chambers. You okay?»

His gaze had sharpened with both concern and professionalism. As a firefighter, he had medical training. Shit. She tried not to wince, straightened her shoulders, and offered the most genuine smile she could muster. «I'm just fine. Don't you worry.»

Nodding easily, he didn't relinquish his grip on her arm. «Why don't I walk you back to the inn anyway? Just for my piece of mind.»

It wasn't a request, and she knew it. Her grin was more genuine this time as amusement stole through her. A guardian angel couldn't get sick, couldn't get hurt, couldn't die. His anxiety was touching, and only made her more determined to get things right for him and his soul mate. She and Jericho may have screwed the pooch for themselves, but as Jericho had said, they wouldn't fail these people.

The trip to the bed and breakfast only took a few minutes, and she left Mason on the sidewalk to try to bury herself in the business of the inn. Cover story or not, she had to keep it running smoothly. It gave her something to think about besides Jericho and their assignment, so she was grateful for the distraction. She checked the rooms, chatted with guests, served tea and cakes, then immersed herself in paperwork. A typical workday, and the routine of it after a year was soothing. Her night manager rousted her from the small office behind the check-in counter at just after seven that evening, shooing her toward the back door and her little cottage.

Jericho would be there soon. He'd made sure they spent every night together this week. Sometimes in her bed, sometimes in his. So, she waited, anticipation creating a lovely buzz in her system-or maybe it was just her brain buzzing from too much coffee and too little rest. She puttered around, put in a pan of lasagna for dinner, took a basket of clean laundry into her bedroom to fold and put away. The house was quiet, peaceful. It reminded her of the solitary life she led, and how lonely it could be. Banishing the unwanted thought, she forced her attention to the task at hand. She was hanging a dress in her small walk-in closet when Jericho arrived. She didn't hear him come in, she just became aware of him standing in her bedroom, watching her with that intent gaze of his.

«I took dinner out of the oven to cool. It smells great.» He braced his shoulder against the doorjamb to her closet.

«Thanks.»

Without trying, he dominated the space, his shoulders blocking the light streaming in from her bedroom. She reached overhead to jerk the chain attached to the overhead light. The naked bulb flooded the space with brightness, and she blinked to clear the sudden spots from her vision. Finished putting away the last of her laundry, she turned to exit. Jericho was still there, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he stroked a finger down a jumble of silk scarves she had dangling from one hanger. When he met her gaze, his expression was considering, but the tiny smile that twitched the corners of his lips was pure sin.

«These are pretty.»

She swallowed, trying to generate some moisture in her suddenly parched throat. «I like them.»

«I'm glad.» His voice dropped to a low rumble that reached down deep inside her. «Take off your clothes.»

«Jericho…»

«Things have been so good this week, haven't they? Better than ever, for me, anyway. But I want more from you. I've been dying to have you at my mercy, Tori. Let me. You know you like it, you want it. I want it.» Some emotion she couldn't recognize flittered through his gaze, quickly masked behind a persuasive little grin. He plucked up a handful of the scarves, sliding them between his long fingers. She stared, mesmerized. «Let me please you, Vitoria.»

She hadn't let him tie her up in the last week, deliberately. He'd hinted, but she'd always managed to distract him. It was too intimate, too trusting. But the effect of days on end with him, the sweetness of it, had drugged her. A slow, insidious contentment had wound through her. She closed her eyes, swallowed, her heart twisting in her chest.

«Please…» But she didn't know what she was asking for-for him to stop tempting her, for him to give her exactly what he'd offered.

The light in front of her shifted, and when she looked at him again, she saw he'd stepped back to allow her to pass him. She swayed until her breasts brushed his chest, and when she met his gaze, he groaned at whatever he saw there. Tossing the scarves across the foot of the bed, he reached for her, had them both naked before her brain could even fully acknowledge what she was about to let him do. Despite all her very good reasons, her resistance crumbled. It always did with him. This thing she had going with him now would be over soon, and she would never have this chance again. So, she'd take it. Her eyes were open, she knew what she was doing. She just hoped her heart survived.

He stretched her arms over her head, looping silky fabric around each of her wrists and then attaching them to the swirls of wrought iron that made up her headboard. She tested the bindings, tugging at them while he repeated the process with her ankles. The muscles in her thighs tensed in an automatic motion to protect herself from so much vulnerability, but she couldn't close her legs, couldn't move. A shudder ran through her when he flipped on the bright bedside lamp, framing her in a circle of light that made her feel even more exposed.

Excitement whipped through her, even though she reminded herself this was temporary insanity. He moved between her thighs, forcing her legs even wider. His cock was a hard arc that danced just under his navel, pre-come already rolling in slow beads down the long shaft. The sight made her belly clench and molten heat pumped through her veins. She waited for him to touch, to take, but instead he just stared down at her. When he spoke, his voice shook. «You are so damn beautiful.»

She swallowed, made a smile quirk her lips. «You're not so bad yourself, cowboy.»

It was nothing less than the truth. Jericho had a gorgeous body-the kind that made women pant, all broad shoulders and narrow hips, rippling abs and tight pecs. Plus, he was hung. She tried not to drool, but this was a fantasy come true. Bound, naked, and offered up like a buffet for his pleasure. With any other man, that might be a problem for her, but this was Jericho. She knew he'd make it good for her. In that, he'd never failed her.

He reached for her. His dark hair fell over his forehead as he leaned forward, his heavy-lidded gray eyes shining with naked desire. Her nipples tightened when his gaze touched them, and she strained against the silk scarves, wanting to get closer to him. That she couldn't only made it better for her, made her burn. A fine tremor ran through his hands when he stroked over her collarbone, down to shape her breasts in his palms. Her breath caught as his callused hands stimulated her sensitive nipples. He lifted her breasts, kissed the soft, plumped curves. His touch was gentle, and far too slow to satisfy her. She was so ready when he took her nipple into his mouth and began to suckle that she screamed and jerked on the scarves. Tears blurred her vision and tingles flowed in rippling waves over every inch of her flesh. She was damp, flushed, ready for him to take her and there wasn't a damn thing she could do to hurry him up. God she loved this, loved him, loved the way he touched her, kissed her, pleased her. She gritted her teeth to suppress the urge to tell him. Giving him that much would destroy her, and she knew it. All she could do was take what he offered-sex-hot, sweaty and dirty.

The smooth, hard head of his cock brushed over the lips of her pussy. Need clawed at her, made her writhe in response. She arched herself for him, a silent offering, a demand, and he chuckled. The sound was nothing short of sinful, and it ratcheted up her anticipation even further. «I can't wait much longer, Jericho.»

«Yes, you can. You will. And you'll like it.» He moved down her body, his broad shoulders keeping her thighs spread wide, and his breath whispered over the moist folds of her swollen sex. «I promise.»

She whimpered, tugging hard on her bindings, desperate for the wild, mindless pleasure only he had ever given her. The first stroke of his tongue on her pussy made her jolt, scream and twist. His lips closed over her clit and sucked. The breath exploded from her lungs and she couldn't drag in enough oxygen to plead, beg, and cry for more, for relief, for anything and everything he had to give her as long as he kept that wicked promise. Her muscles throbbed with the strain of pulling at the ties on her ankles and wrists, but she couldn't lie still. She craved him so much.

His rough, callused fingertips brushed up the insides of her thighs, raising goose bumps on her flesh and making her shiver. He teased the lips of her sex before easing two thick fingers into her slick channel. The rhythm he set for her was hard, punishing, his fingers and tongue working her until her eyes rolled back in her head. Her entire body shook, fire flowing through her in scorching waves. Her pussy spasmed, locking tight around those fingers. Then he twisted them, hooking his fingertips until they rubbed her in just the right place. A high wail broke from her throat as she convulsed in his arms. Still he pushed her, stroking her and sucking her wet flesh until the need rebuilt, until she was sobbing with the force of a second orgasm rocketing through her.

«Jericho. Jericho, please. I need…I can't…please.»

«Oh, but I think we've already established that you can.» He all but purred the words, his lips brushing against her clit as he spoke.

She licked her lips, trying to focus. «I want you inside me, Jericho.»

«I want to be inside you,» he whispered, his cool breath on her hot flesh making her pussy clench around his fingers. «I want to be deeper inside you than you've ever let anyone. Even me. I want you to trust me enough to let me in that deep.»

The words sent an ominous shiver down her spine, and she knew he was talking about a lot more than trusting him during sex. It was more than she could give him. She closed her eyes, pulling at the silk around her wrists. She wished it was just the bindings that made her helpless in his embrace, but she knew it wasn't. He didn't need to know that though. She swallowed, moaned when his hand began thrusting again. «Jericho, please…»

He sighed, and she could feel his disappointment roll over her, and it hurt to upset him. She knew she shouldn't feel that way, but logic and emotion were two very different things. Rising on his elbows, he settled over her and slid his cock into her. It was so good she wanted to cry.

The hair on his chest rasped her nipples, and she couldn't help how she arched under him to increase the stimulation. He moved within her in tiny thrusts that drove her mad. She lifted her face for him to kiss, wanting his lips on her skin, but he just smiled down at her. His fingers stroked over her cheekbone, and the way he looked at her, so hot and sweet and tender… God, it was the look he used to use when she'd told herself he loved her. What a joke. And, in the end, the joke had been on her. She turned her head into her arm, unable to bear the memories that bombarded her, but she was tied down, so there was no escaping him, even if she wanted to. She shivered. What a horrible, awful mess.

«Don't look away from me, darlin'.» He feathered a kiss over her jaw. «Be here with me.»

Meeting that silver gaze that always saw too much, she waggled her bound wrists. «I'm not going anywhere.»

His gaze searched her face for long moments before a look of stubborn determination molded his features. «That isn't what I meant, but it'll do. For now.»

The slow strokes of his cock picked up speed, and she wished she could wrap her legs around his waist to lift herself into his thrusts. As if he'd read her mind, he angled his hips so he moved within her just right. It was so perfect it was painful, and something crumpled inside her. God, it was going to hurt to lose him again. She stared up at him, wanting to see his every expression, wanting to remember every detail. Wanting something to offset the ugly way things had ended the first time.

Squeezing her walls tight around him, she smiled when he groaned for her. She saw the moment his control snapped, felt the shudder that wracked his big body. He plunged into her hard enough to make stars burst behind her eyes, and she gasped. He buried his face in her neck, but his rhythm didn't falter and his cock filled her again and again, his sharp hipbone slapping against her clit. Orgasm shimmered through her, building so high and fast, she had to bite back a scream.

His bellowing breath rushed against her throat. «No one else has ever done this to you before, have they, Tori?»

«Only you.» As if she'd ever been able to let anyone take control of her pleasure this way. As if she'd ever put herself out there again after how monumental her failure had been the first time. She bucked beneath him, jerking at the silk ties. She wanted him to go even faster, to push her over that blissful edge.

«Only me.» His voice was warm, possessive. Dangerous.

A warning sounded in her mind, distracting her from the drive to ecstasy. Her movements faltered.

His didn't.

If anything, he only made it worse, going faster and deeper, just the way she needed him to. He pounded into her, grinding against her clit, and sent her careening into ecstasy. Her sex pulsed around him, and she did scream then. His head lifted, and his gaze snared her. There was nothing but him, her whole world narrowed to this moment with this man, this fulfillment. Her pussy milked his cock, the contractions rippling deep within her, her orgasm going longer than she'd ever experienced before. He kept thrusting, kept dragging it out for her. She whimpered, writhing in her bindings, her skin so sensitized it was almost more than she could bear. «Come with me, Jericho.»

Shuddering, he gave her what she wanted, coming hot and fast inside her. His eyes closed, and he groaned, the sound rough and helpless. «I love you. I've loved you since that very first night. I love you so fucking much it's enough to kill me again.»

Shock punched her in the belly, knocked the breath out of her lungs. Then reaction kicked in. The agony was like ripping open a festering wound that had never healed. Bitter rage screamed through her, blackened her vision and she heaved underneath him. «Untie me, Jericho! Untie me right now.»

His reaction was immediate. He lunged for the scarves that bound her, letting her loose. She jackknifed on the bed, scrambling to get away from him. He caught her wrist to steady her when she tripped over the tangled bedspread. «Don't touch me,» she shrieked, ripping her arm from his grip. «Don't you touch me ever again.»

«Okay. Okay, let's just be calm for a second.» He lifted his hands in a placating gesture, wariness and hurt flashing in his gaze. «I'm confused by what's happening here. I told you I loved you and-«

«Liar.» The word exploded from her throat. «You never loved me. Never. Don't even try to feed me that line of bullshit. Those words never crossed your lips, not once. Don't try to rewrite the past, Jericho. I was there.»

«Never loved you?» His laugh was an ugly, painful sound. «Hell, woman, I never stopped loving you. I couldn't. And God help me, I tried.»

«Right,» she sneered. Tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them back. She wouldn't cry in front of him, and he sure as hell didn't deserve her tears. He wanted to have this out? Drag the past into the present? Fine. Jericho always got what he wanted anyway, so she might as well give it to him. With both barrels. «That's why I found you in a brothel, draped across a prostitute's bed. If I remember it right-and I do-you left me with Enrique and never bothered looking back. Yeah, you loved me. You loved me so much, you couldn't even go a whole night without a woman to warm up the bed. You never stopped loving me, but I sure was easy to replace, wasn't I?»

Fury flushed his face, and he loomed over her, every muscle in his body taut with rage. «That wasn't what happened. I never even looked at another woman, let alone touched one while we were together. I took you back to your brother like you wanted, and I was so fucking miserable about it, I got drunk enough that I couldn't see straight. Hell, I don't even know how I got up the stairs to the room you found me in. I passed out, and I didn't wake up until you came to get me. Nothing else happened.»

Her laugh was every bit as horrible as his had been. God, she hated herself for still loving him. Her voice was little more than a scathing hiss, bile burning the back of her throat. «Nothing happened in a prostitute's bed? Sure. Of course. Right. That's an easy claim to make now, but I know what I saw.»

«You know what you think you saw. You know what you wanted to see.» He caught her arms, and she tried to jerk back, but he tightened his grip, giving her a little shake. «And that was always our problem, wasn't it? Hell, it's still our problem. You don't trust me. Sure, you'll give me your body, you'll come for me so often I don't know how either of us is walking straight, but you'll never believe in me. Believe in us. You may have said you loved me back then, but you've spent every second we were ever together, then and now, just waiting for the other shoe to drop, waiting for me to hurt you, waiting for me to leave you, waiting for us to fail. The only person you actually trusted was your yellow-bellied coward of a brother.»

«You leave Enrique out of this!» She tried to wrench herself from his grasp again, but couldn't. He was too strong, and she had to settle for glaring at him. «The man's been dead for a hundred years or more, and you still have to attack him. The only thing I ever asked you for was to not hurt him, but you denied me, said you'd kill him without a second thought. So, tell me, Jericho, exactly what did you ever do to make me trust you? We were enemies, and you made it very clear I was a sexual convenience. I'm sure you enjoyed ruining my reputation to spite my brother. It was always about you and him, wasn't it? It was never about you and me. There was no us to believe in. I was just a pawn in the game you two were playing.»

His silver eyes blazed to liquid mercury, and he shook her again, harder this time, his breath bellowing from his lungs. «You make me insane. You did then, and you do now. I couldn't keep my mind on anything but you, let alone figuring out how to dick with your brother's mind. I should have known his attack was coming, but I let myself get distracted by you.»

«So now you're blaming me for your death?» Despite herself, tears sprang into her eyes. She blinked them back and finally managed to squirm out of his grasp. Her legs felt like limp noodles, so she stumbled to the end of the bed, grabbing the footboard for support. She looked up at him, and let herself ask the questions that had nagged at her for over a century. «Why, Jericho? Why didn't you leave when I told you to? I sacrificed so much to go to you, to save you. I betrayed my country, I betrayed my only family. I died to give you the chance to live. Why didn't you run? Was it really so important to kill Enrique? Was it worth your life?»

She expected him to spout some bullshit about honor and duty and standing his ground and not being a coward, but instead he met her gaze head on. «I did run. We were outnumbered, and I knew it. I told my men to retreat, put my lieutenant in charge, and then I chased after you. They were overtaken anyway, but…I was coming for you, not to kill your brother.»

«Wh-what?» Of all the things he could have said, that stunned her the most. Jericho would never admit to abandoning his men to an inferior officer. Unless it was true. She shook her head, tried to pin down her reeling thoughts.

«But to answer your earlier question-no, I don't blame you for my death. I blame your brother, since he's the one who killed me.»

All the blood drained from her face and she clenched her fingers into the iron footboard. «No. No, he couldn't have.»

«He sure as hell could have. He did.»

«It-it had to have been an accident.» She swayed where she stood, her stomach twisting into knots. «He knew how I felt about you. He would never have done such a thing.»

Jericho snorted. «You have no idea how much I would have given for even an ounce of that trust, but the truth is what it is, darlin'. Enrique put a bullet in me. He knew it was me, and whether he knew you loved me or not, it was no accident.»

He had to be wrong. It had to be a mistake. Enrique had been devoted to her, and she'd worshipped him. She couldn't have been so wrong about him. They couldn't both have betrayed her. «Stop. P-please, stop.»

His pewter eyes flashed. «I did what you asked. I didn't go after your brother. And when he found me holding your dead body in my arms, he shot me like I was a rabid animal because I refused to give you to him.»

«Noooo.» The word was a low, keening plea. Not that. Please, God. Anything but that. Her fingers fisted in her hair, trying to block out the truth. She'd begged him, pleaded with him to leave her brother alone. Her last remaining family member, her blood. And it had cost him his life. She'd murdered the only man she'd ever loved as surely as if she'd pulled the trigger herself. Shame curled her spine, and she buried her face in her hands. «It's my fault. It's my fault. Oh, God. I failed you and it's all my fault. We died because of me.»

«No.» He wrapped his arms around her from behind, his lips nuzzling the nape of her neck. «No, Tori, it's my fault. I failed you. I should never have let you walk out of that saloon in the first place, but I was too hurt that you didn't trust me not to cheat on you, that you dared to have any doubts, that you needed an explanation. I was too stubborn to see that if I'd just reached out to you then, given you what you needed, I might have had everything I ever wanted. But I couldn't swallow my pride enough to tell you that you were everything, and I let you leave thinking you were nothing.» He crushed her to him, squeezing her so tight he compressed her ribs. Almost as if he never intended to let her go again, and a sob ripped from her throat at the thought. «It would have cost me so little, just a few words, but I was too fucking stupid to see it. So, we both died. I watched the life drain out of you, and I still never told you I loved you. I've been waiting a long, long time to say those words.»

«Jericho.» His name was a breathy sob on her lips. She didn't know what else to say, what else to do. He was right-she'd never really trusted him, not all the way, not with everything. She'd trusted her brother instead, and she'd been wrong. «If I had only-«

«No.» His soft lips brushed her shoulder. «No more of that. No more worrying about failure. No more blame. We both did things we regret. A lot of things. But we can't change the past. We can just move forward from here-and I want to move forward with you. I want a future.» He swallowed audibly, there was a hesitancy in his voice that she'd never heard before. «If-if you want me too.»

«I…I…» Her mind spun in circles, far too much information jockeying for supremacy in her mind. Jericho had come after her that night. He'd cared. Tears slid down her face as deep sobs wrenched out of her. He rocked her in his arms, crooning soft comfort to her, just…holding her. Somewhere in that dark and ugly storm of guilt and realization, some fragile fragment of joy began to surface. Her soul mate hadn't betrayed her; he'd loved her. He still loved her, and he was here, now, with her. They had a second chance, if only she dared to reach out and take it, if only she was willing to trust it.

Trust. It had always come down to trust, just like he'd said. Trust, and her fear of failure. Pain cinched around her heart at all the time they'd lost, at the life they'd lost. In their own ways, they'd both been unable to truly believe in their love enough to reach out, to make that final step, and it had cost them. But they didn't have to repeat those mistakes. They'd both learned, both grown in the time they'd been separated.

«I love you, Vitoria.» He turned her to face him, his silver gaze open and more vulnerable than she'd ever imagined possible. He didn't hold back, everything he felt was there for her to see. His big hand smoothed her hair back. «My Tori. I love you. I always have. I always will. There was never anyone else. I would never betray you. I love you. If you don't believe anything else I ever say, believe that.»

«I believe you,» she whispered, tears still slipping down her cheeks. «I love you too.»

His beautiful eyes closed, and the skin drew taut across his sharp cheekbones. «Say it again.»

«I believe in you, Jericho.» She reached up to curve her palms around his face, waiting for him to look at her again. «I believe in us. I love you. I never want to spend another day apart from you.»

«I love you.» He buried his nose against her temple, his lips brushing her ear. «God, how I love you.»

She swallowed and let herself hold and be held by him, letting herself trust that their love could last, that they wouldn't fail this time. Just…letting herself absorb the miracle of him. She'd waited so long, needed him so much.

Leaning against his chest, she hugged him tight as sudden fear speared her. «Wait. We're not human anymore. Do you think we'll be allowed to stay together?»

«Oh, yeah.» He smiled against her skin. «The Big Man wants soul mates to be with each other-look at what we do for a living. We're working together from now on.»

«How can you be sure?» If Heaven compelled them to go to different jobs, that was that. Guardian angels didn't get a say in these things. Her heart sank, tears filling her eyes. To have found him again, only to be forced to separate, would be more than she could bear.

He chuckled, the sound rich and warm, and it made her toes curl. «Because I had two assignments, darlin'. Celia…and you.»

Content

BELIEVE IN ME
Unbelievable - 2
Crystal Jordan

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5