Entranced

Chapter Three

Heather didn’t like it, but she couldn’t find a reason to dispute Ida. Everything the woman had done and said since her arrival had been to help her, not hinder. With Ida’s assistance, Heather had even made progress with Chronicles, deciphering the last bit of the buried instructions in the pages. If this had been nothing more than a treasure hunt, she would have abandoned her quest long ago. But for years, Heather had felt less than worthy of her last name. She had no real business sense and didn’t like the myriad society balls and parties she’d been required to attend while growing up, when her parents had been alive.

Now she finally had a chance to contribute to the family, and without Owen’s interference. She had to do this.

Her part in the Stallbridge family fortune had been limited. She often let her brother control her votes during corporate meetings and contented herself by comanaging a few of their nonprofit organizations when she wasn’t devoting herself to healing those in need. All across North and South America, wherever and whenever called, she’d answered to a higher power, drifting like a nomad from hurt to hurt.

More than physical illness, Heather sensed and healed spiritual pain.

And speaking of healing…

She studied Jack, who watched her every move. Ida had gone down the block to visit with Jan for a while, leaving Heather and Jack to deal with each other. Not good. Heather really could have used the older woman’s presence to ease the growing tension.

That kiss earlier had nearly fried her senses. Pretending to be calm while her entire body yelled at her to hop on Jack and ride him into tomorrow had been the most difficult thing she’d ever done. Even now she could still taste him, a hint of hops from the beer he’d drunk mixed with his own brand of sexual aggression. All male and overpowering.

God, she’d never been with anyone so overwhelming. Beneath the flesh and blood, energy raged within him. The Source only added to his power, and she’d been drugged on him since that first hug.

Something about him intrigued her. She’d never gone for the bad-boy type. Heather studied him, saw those huge fists, the thick thighs, the broad chest, the square jaw. His eyes snapped with power, so light they looked almost unnatural.

“What?” he growled, watching her watch him. “Afraid now? A little late, don’t you think?”

“Get over yourself.”

She blinked in surprise, as shocked as he by her aggression. Heather was nice to everyone. Even Klaus and Ernst Baer, the heavy-handed creeps who’d tried to take way too many liberties at last week’s beer fest. To Ernst, she’d politely declined his company. She’d smiled at Klaus, carefully skirted him, and latched on to Jan, who’d been walking by at the time.

But Jack confused, annoyed, and scared her because he made her want him more than was healthy. More than was normal. She had a feeling that if she let him, he could disrupt her well-ordered world even more than Chronicles had. Heather knew that eventually this adventure would end. With Jack, she had the sense he’d stay with her, in thought if not in the flesh.

They stared at each other in silence.

“You know, you’re not what I expected,” he finally said.

“Oh? Care to explain what that means?”

He evaded the question. “Your brother asked me to find you. He was worried.”

Of course, Owen would be. The control freak didn’t like that she hadn’t called when he’d commanded. She loved him like crazy, but she had to do this without his interference. He wasn’t the one to make things right. She was, because she’d been the one to read the code hidden in the book. Only she could fix what her great-grandfather had broken. She had to go it alone.

Then again, Jack could be classified as interference, and Ida had clearly inferred Heather needed him. So perhaps she wouldn’t be as alone on this trip as she’d initially thought.

“You’re pretty,” Jack said bluntly. “Beautiful, actually.” His gaze went from her head to her toes and lingered in between.

She wished to hell her body wouldn’t respond, but for some reason, Jack got to her.

“But it’s more than that.” Jack rose from the couch and approached. Half of her wanted to flee; the other half forced her to remain and wait for the worst. “See, here’s the thing that bothers me. You say you can heal. Your mind is strong. But then, Owen’s powerful, so I’d expect you to be like him. But you’re more.”

“More, how?” she asked on a breath, once again too close to him and sizzling under their shared chemistry.

“What can you do, exactly? What’s your gift besides healing?” he asked as he put his hand on her shoulder.

She grew wet, her nipples stiffened, and she felt herself wanting to lean into his heat. Heather licked her dry lips and tried to answer without sounding as desperate as she felt. So she’d been without a boyfriend for months. Sex hadn’t been that high on her priorities for a while. But it had never been so all-consuming a desire as it was right now.

It had to be the Source influencing her arousal.

“Tell me,” he whispered. His breath fluttered over her mouth when he leaned closer.

She swallowed hard. “I told you. I heal, physically and psychically. All types of wounds.”

“So you’re empathic, then?” He put his other hand on her other shoulder and started rubbing, a gentle massage that made her boneless in seconds.

“N-no. Not empathic. I just sense the hurt and fix it.” She moaned. “Oh wow. That feels so good.”

“You’re tense.” His low voice barely registered. “Tight, smooth, and wet, I’ll bet,” he added in a growl before he kissed her again.

That first time, she’d been caught off guard. As fast and heavy as their interlude in the alley had been, she’d thought she could have stopped him before they grew too serious. But right now, she could do nothing but follow his lead, caught up in the man touching her.

Right now, Jack didn’t feel wounded at all. He surrounded her with his raw masculinity. Consumed by his scent, Heather breathed him in and clutched his thick shoulders. Her lips softened under his, and she opened her mouth wider when he penetrated with his tongue and took charge.

He groaned and walked her backward until she felt the wall behind her. Jack lifted her as if she weighed nothing and wrapped her legs around his waist. One hand held her up while the other found her breasts and played. Under her sweater, he pinched her nipples, and she ground against the hard ridge of his erection between her legs, cursing the jeans that separated them.

“Need to fuck you so bad,” he muttered against her ear, then kissed the sweet spot just under it. He fiddled with their clothes between them while he kissed her beyond sanity.

She lost her ability to think as they touched and caressed, before she realized he’d let go of her breast to unsnap her jeans. But what struck her most was that theirs wasn’t an animalistic coupling so much as a passionate exploration. The raging lust was there, but Jack didn’t pounce or grope her, not the way Ernst had. Jack gentled and stroked. He seduced with surety and ease.

Her shoes, pants, and panties dropped to the floor before he took her ass in his hands and lifted her again, aligning her with his waist.

“Yeah, baby. That’s it.” He kissed his way down her neck and sucked hard.

The small bite of pain had her crying out in pleasure. And then something thick and hot prodded between her naked thighs. She hadn’t felt him undo his own jeans, but she didn’t care. Not when he entered her and kept pushing. God, he was huge.

“So fucking tight. Let me in. Oh Christ.”

Jack continued to thrust, and she stared into his light-colored eyes, taken with the need there. The hunger for her. She dragged his mouth to hers and sighed into him. He felt so big, stretching her until he finally stopped moving. “Jack,” she whispered against his lips.

He groaned and kissed her back, then started moving again. In and out, at first gentle, then ramming harder and faster. She wanted more, and she arched off the wall to grind against him, loving the feel of his thick intrusion.

Nothing but having Jack come inside her, filling her up, made any sense. And then he tilted his hips and shifted, and she was coming, gripping him inside her while he stole her breath.

He pulled away from her mouth and buried his face in her shoulder. “Oh fuck. I’m coming. So hard. Yes.” He shoved deep one last time and stilled.

She swore she could feel him emptying, and she welcomed his bliss, letting it caress her own as she held him tight.

A few moments passed before he started to move again, slow thrusts while her legs remained wrapped around him as he took her there, against the wall.

Against Ida’s wall, in Ida’s house, where she might return at any moment.

Heather wanted to feel more embarrassed about her lack of restraint, but she was still coming down off her high. Jesus. Jack had given her an orgasm to end all orgasms. She’d come so hard around him. In fact, she felt something wet trickle down her inner thigh.

He came inside me.

They both froze and stared at each other.

Jack rasped, “Oh shit. I didn’t mean… I didn’t use anything.”

No protection.

“I, ah, I’m on birth control. And you don’t have to worry about disease with me. I can heal, remember? I’m never sick.” One thing Heather could definitely ensure—her ability to cure disease, wounds, anything physical short of death.

“Me too. About being clean. I always use protection.”

Jack sounded baffled, and she had a feeling he’d been taken as much by surprise as her.

“Before now.” He started to withdraw from her but didn’t move more than an inch before he surged back inside. “Fuck. I need to pull out, I know. But…”

To Heather’s shock, he was still hard.

“I can’t explain it. It’s you,” Jack protested, and he didn’t sound happy about it.

Before Heather could think to complain, he shoved even deeper inside her, and she gasped. Such pleasure, such intensity in their joining. She watched him watching her as he fucked her, each jolt sending a spear of pleasure through her tired body.

“God, you’re hot.” Jack groaned as he looked down at her chest. “I want to suck them. Pull up your sweater.”

She wanted him to, so she pulled up her sweater and tugged down one cup of her bra. He latched on to her nipple and sucked, and a burst of heat surged between her legs. He held her with little effort, taking her like he had every right.

Heather wanted to be upset over the situation, but she felt too weak to protest. Instead she pulled down the other side of her bra and demanded, “Suck this too.”

Was that her? That needy, hoarse woman crying out when he nipped her breasts and tightened his teeth around her nipples?

Jack pulled away from her breasts and kissed her, sucking her willpower while fucking her into submission once more. He mashed his pelvis against her and surged deeper into her womb, and she moaned into his mouth, awash in the sensation of being possessed by a force greater than her own.

By Jack.

She didn’t realize she’d started to mentally reach into the dark areas of his essence before she layered his energy with her own. Jack thrust harder, faster, and she met him push for push, needing the darkness, needing the power latent in an equal, worthy lover.

He moaned and shuddered, and his second orgasm set off her own, the release of his energy addicting, such a rush. She held him to her and took everything.

And in that moment, she knew this journey would become much, much more complicated than she ever might have imagined.

JACK COULDN’T DO more than float in pleasure as he finished coming inside Heather. For the second time without protection. It made sense not to worry about disease if she could heal, and she’d said she was on birth control, but fuck it all, he hadn’t known that the first time he’d had unprotected sex with her. Where the hell was his common sense? Leeched out of him by the hottest pussy and tightest ass he’d ever felt, apparently.

He groaned and withdrew, aware of the mess he’d made. He’d come hard, and to his shock, a big part of him liked that he’d come inside her.

“I have to clean up,” she said with a calm she couldn’t possibly be feeling. She stared down at his cock, now finally flagging.

Did she like what she saw? He was still covered in cum and her cream and that heady scent of sex between them.

“Yeah.” He didn’t know what to say or do. He’d never been so out of his mind in lust. Not ever. And he’d felt nothing but joy while taking her. No recriminations or upset about being led by his dick.

Just like he’d been with Melissa.

Stunned he’d been so stupid, he could only watch as she reached for her clothes on the floor, then turn and walk quickly and steadily down the hall, presumably toward the bathroom.

Jack shook his head and quickly cleaned himself up in the kitchen using some paper towels and lemon hand soap. Christ, now he’d smell lemons and think of Heather and sex.

He waited for her in the living room, wondering how to handle this. Pretend it hadn’t happened? Apologize? He couldn’t exactly accuse her of leading him on, not when he’d kissed her first. But then, Melissa had once used a psychic to manipulate him into doing all sorts of distasteful things. Maybe Ida had worked some mind magic on him before leaving him alone with Heather. Getting him all primed and pumped on that addictive Source as well as Heather’s fine body.

Heather returned to the living room with her hair in a braid, which emphasized the delicate features of her face. She was fully dressed and calm. But when she met his gaze, she blushed a bright red. She looked so damn sweet, embarrassed yet meeting him eye to eye. He didn’t know what to think about her. He trusted Owen, when he trusted few people, and this was Owen’s little sister.

Oh shit. Yet another complication to add to this mess.

“I, ah…” Heather paused. “I don’t know what to say. I want to blame the energy around us, but we kind of suit. I think. I mean, I could be wrong. But I don’t normally have sex with strangers.” She glared at him, her cheeks a bright pink, as if waiting for him to blame her for something.

“Okay.”

She looked taken aback. “Okay?”

“I believe you.” And son of a bitch, he did. He couldn’t have said why. He didn’t trust people he didn’t know. Melissa had screwed him over royally, and he thought he’d more than learned his lesson then. But this entire day had been one of the strangest in his life, and against all reason, instinct told him to trust her. Heather had made him feel so good. Twice. “I can’t tell you why that happened.” He sighed. “I mean, yeah, you’re sexy as hell. I’m attracted to you.” Any man would be. He didn’t see a weakness in telling that truth. “But I don’t fuck around on the job.” Not anymore.

She seemed relieved, and he felt better for having eased her worry.

Again, he hated that he felt manipulated somehow. Yet he couldn’t get a handle on his feelings. Even before he’d come to Drei-Gewalten, he’d felt something for Heather because of her stupid picture, the one no longer burning a hole in his front pocket. Not since he had the real thing right in front of him.

“Let’s just blame it on the Source. Makes more sense than anything I can come up with,” she murmured.

He nodded and forced himself to take a mental step back. He couldn’t have feelings for her. Nothing more than a bad case of lust. She was a job, period. End of story.

“Good.” She let out a breath. “My pack is ready to go. I have everything I need to get to the Source and back. When it gets darker, we’ll head to Jan’s to get your pack. Then hopefully we’ll finish this and get the hell out of this weird town. I love Germany, but Drei-Gewalten is more than I’d planned on dealing with.”

“Yeah.” Another thing that had been bothering him. “Heather, you said you tried leaving but couldn’t.”

“About the fourth day here, I wanted to go, Chronicles or no Chronicles. Ida had me convinced it wasn’t safe to stay here. These people can really hold a grudge. And they hate the name Stallbridge with a passion. It’s weird, but the animosity is still very much alive more than a century after some old feud.”

“So Ida said.”

“Their laws are archaic. A Stallbridge can be put to death on sight. The Baers don’t like you? They can throw you in jail. No due process, no right to counsel. Just locked up.” She looked at him with clear green eyes. “I don’t like any of the Baers, but Ernst is the worst. He’s grabby and doesn’t like to be told no.”

Jack wanted to haul her into his arms and promise to protect her from all harm. Then he wanted to find Ernst Baer and beat the shit out of him. So he did neither and waited for her to continue.

“But I was nice about rejecting him, and he’s giving me time.” She snorted. “As if a few days will make me drop my pants.” She met Jack’s gaze and turned bright red. “I mean, with you it was… It’s just… I didn’t mean…”

“Trust me. I get it.” It helped to see her so flummoxed, experiencing the same confusion he felt.

“Right.” She blew out a breath. “Well, so I tried to leave. I’d get close to the yellow gate, and one of the townspeople would find me. Then I’d be drinking cocoa or dancing at a festival. They have parties around here just about every day. It was like I was under a spell, because I’d get near that gate, and then someone would just appear right next to me.”

“What about the road? That’s how I got here.”

“I saw you on the road. I tried to go that way, but believe it or not, if you walk a few feet past the bend, where you came from, it dead ends in forest.”

“Not possible.” He’d driven for miles on that road. He sure the hell hadn’t been four-wheeling through the forest in his rental car.

“It shouldn’t be, but it is. All the other paths in town lead back to the main street. Trust me; I’ve tried to get away. This place is so off from anything I’ve been around, and I’ve been around some really weird stuff.”

Heather shook her head, the end of her braid just brushing the tips of her breasts. Breasts Jack had recently sucked but hadn’t seen, not really. He’d have to remedy that next time.

Next time? Internally shaking free of lustful thoughts that had no place in a mission, he focused on her words.

“I’ve talked about me. What about you?” she asked.

“Me?”

She nodded. “Owen said you’re special, that you and the people who work with you are psychic. Is that right?”

What the hell. Owen knew, and both he and Heather were psychic themselves. It couldn’t hurt to tell her. “I was part of the government’s Psychic Warfare Program, one of the original members of the PWP, in fact. We lasted a few years before some idiot bigwig took control of the program from the admiral running it and ruined everything. Psychic power for personal gain is a big no-no. It made the powers that be nervous about how strong we’d gotten.”

“So you just quit?” She sounded skeptical.

“We had a choice to be reassigned or start over. That admiral I mentioned? He’s a good guy and has friends in high places that took care of us. Not that he didn’t owe us a few favors for service above and beyond.” He missed Admiral London, though he didn’t miss the admiral’s wife. Not quite human, powerful beyond belief, and the woman had a habit of interfering in his life too many times to call it coincidence.

He wondered about this weird fascination with Heather. He understood her physical appeal. Hell, he had a pulse. But he wanted to know more about the whole package, and it had nothing to do with the mission and everything to do with getting closer to the woman on a personal level. “So what do you do when you’re not playing with cursed pornography?”

She sighed. “Chronicles isn’t porn, and it’s not cursed. Like I told you before, I can heal what’s broken. That applies to more than broken bones but to broken organizations as well. I tweak psychic energy to make it more in tune. Like with the Stallbridge charity organizations. I usually audit them twice a year to make sure everything is on the up-and-up. I can tell when the energy is fractured.”

“Yeah?” He wondered if she sensed anything about him. He disliked the notion of being easy to read.

She nodded. “This town is so full of energy that it’s hard to read anyone unless I’m actually touching or standing near them.” Her deep green gaze fastened on his. “You’re very strong, but you have deep wells of pain. I didn’t mean to but touched them earlier.”

“I felt it.” He’d sensed her trespass, but the gentle touch, the lightening of his pain merged with pleasure, had distracted him from her encroachment. “Don’t do it again,” he growled.

She didn’t respond, just stared at him with those big beautiful eyes. Her gaze traced his face, and he had a hard time not taking her against the wall again. The woman had a strong effect on his libido that didn’t make sense. Unless she was fucking with him, and he couldn’t see it.

“Are you trying to mess with my head?”

Her eyes widened. “No. Why?” She sounded nervous and lowered her voice. “Is something attacking you? I don’t sense anything, but I could be wrong. Are you hurting anywhere?” She stepped forward and grabbed on to his arm, then closed her eyes. She opened them seconds later. “I don’t sense any pain, well, other than what was there before.”

“Damn it. I said cut it out.” His growl sounded more like an embarrassing purr when she stroked his forearm.

She seemed lost in thought. “You’re huge. I mean, you must work out all the time.”

He had to clear his throat to respond. Damn, but around this woman, his cock was on fire and ready to slide inside her again. “I have to work out. It helps me stay in control.” Actually, the genetic manipulation that had enhanced his natural psychic ability years ago, courtesy of the US government, had also increased his sensitivity to stimulation. Jack had to physically work out to control his psychic and emotional stability.

That need for continual physical activity had made a gym the ideal place to start a new life. The workouts kept him and the team sane, provided income, and served as the perfect cover to blend into normalcy.

“I like to work out too,” Heather said.

“There are better ways to burn off stress than lifting weights.” Jack stared at her fingers stroking his arm. She looked small next to him, yet Heather was no petite female.

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” He took her hand and guided it to his cock pressed hard against his jeans. When she gripped him tight, he swore. “Fuck, yeah.”

The sound of Ida’s voice and the jiggling of the front doorknob jerked them apart, and Jack turned to head into the kitchen. He doused his overeager libido by downing a huge glass of water. Then he took another and clutched the kitchen sink for support. He controlled his emotions. He wasn’t controlled by them. What the fuck was Heather doing to him?

Ida entered the kitchen. “Ah, good. Heather tells me you two have come to an understanding. The sun has set, so it is time to go, yes?”

Jack nodded. “Yes.” Sooner I get Heather back, the sooner I can get her the hell out of my head.

“You mean heart,” Ida corrected with a wink.

Had she just read his mind? Before Jack could ask what the hell she’d meant, Ida hobbled to the door.

“Heather, grab your pack. Jack, time to meet Jan. And remember, it will take both of you to get off the mountain alive.”

It took him a minute to realize she spoke about him and Heather, not him and Jan. “Yeah, yeah,” he grumbled. “Let’s just meet this Jan guy and get the hell gone.”

“Amen,” Heather said with feeling.