If the cave-in hadn't killed him, eventually, starvation would have.

The vamp who'd attacked him had planned well, but he obviously hadn't counted on Maya.

And, Adam realized, he hadn't trusted her enough.

His hand flipped over, caught hers. Linked tightly with her fingers. He stared into her bright blue gaze.

Maya Black had saved his life. She could have left him. Taken his two hundred grand and walked out of the tunnels and gone on with her life.

She just kept surprising him.

Time for trust. He owed her trust.

Time to take a risk.

He just hoped he didn't frighten her. Adam didn't want Maya to be afraid of him.

"There's something you should know," he told her, and realized that his voice had hardened to a growl. He was just so damn nervous. "Maya, I-I'm not human." Never had been .

Her lips thinned. One eyebrow rose. After a beat of silence, she finally murmured, "No shit, Slick."

Adam blinked. "What?"

She climbed onto the bed, eased down beside him. Kept her fingers locked with his. "I knew from the first taste that you weren't human." Her left hand lifted, traced a gentle line down his throat. "Your blood was different."

And she hadn't said anything? "Why didn't you-"

"I don't want to talk now." Her lips were close to his. "Later-later you can tell me what the hell you are."

Another hard blink.

"Right now, Adam, I just want you." Her mouth brushed over his. So soft. So easy.

So right.

"I just want you," she whispered again.

He sure as hell wanted her.

She'd seen death enough times to know what the beast looked like. The lifeless eyes of a perp.

The bloodstained clothes of a victim.

The still body of a child.

Yeah, she'd seen death too many times in her life, and she'd been damn sure that she'd been seeing death steal Adam's life.

Not human. Hell, yes, she knew that. She wasn't a fucking idiot. But right then, she didn't really care what Adam was.

As she'd told him, she just wanted him, needed to feel his flesh against her. In her.

Needed to make damn sure this wasn't some twisted dream and that he was real.

Alive.

Because there'd been so much death in her life. Too much.

Her hand left his throat. Pressed against his lips. "You have to be quiet," she whispered. "Don't make a sound."

His brows furrowed. "What? Why?"

"Shh." They'd get to the whys later. She kissed him. A light, gentle kiss, a wet glide of her tongue past his lips.

Her legs straddled his naked hips. Her thighs pressed against his and his chest-the guy had a freaking amazing chest-pushed against her breasts.

His cock was swelling. Her hips shifted against him and she rubbed her sex over him, hating the denim that separated her from that hard heat.

But this time, she didn't want the sex between them to be hard and fast.

Not her usual style. She wanted something…different.

Her tongue rubbed against his.

She'd missed his taste in the last two days.

His hands were on her now. Sliding under the edge of her T-shirt and moving up her back.

Strong fingers. Warm flesh. Caressing. Stroking. Slipping around her body and cupping her breasts.

She hadn't bothered with a bra. Not much point when she'd been keeping a death vigil.

Until dawn. When the sun rose, his body had changed before her eyes. The bruises had faded.

The cuts and lacerations vanished. The bones snapped back into place.

Death had disappeared from the room.

Now, she wanted to reassure herself that Adam was with her once again, completely whole.

Maya wanted to touch every inch of him.

Just to make absolutely certain.

Her lips trailed kisses over the firm line of his jaw. Sucked lightly on his throat. The temptation to bite was strong. She could almost feel his blood trickling over her tongue.

Control.

There'd be time for blood later.

"I fucking love your breasts." Adam's voice rasped.

His fingers teased her nipples. And she loved his hands.

"Taste you," he whispered. "Want your nipples in my mouth." He eased her back and jerked her shirt up. Tossed it onto the floor. Cold air swirled over her skin. Then his mouth was on her. Wet and warm. Licking and sucking her nipple and sending liquid heat straight to her groin.

She bit back the moan that sprang to her lips.

Quiet.

Her hands skimmed down his bare arms. Such strong arms. The muscles beneath his skin were corded, tight with power. Her fingertips stroked his chest, found the hard brown nipples, and plucked.

Adam hissed out a sharp breath. "I need to be inside you. Want to fuck you so bad."

"Not yet." Not too fast, not this time. She pushed against him until she was sitting in his lap, chest to chest, groin to groin. "I want to touch you first." Every inch.

His hand settled on her ass. Clenched. "Don't make me wait too long." A warning.

A challenge.

A smile curved her lips as she drew her hand down the tight line of his abdomen. His body jerked beneath her touch. "Maya…"

"Shh. We don't want anyone to hear."

His lips closed over her throat. The edge of his teeth scored her skin. "I don't give a damn who hears."

Well, if that was the way he felt-

Her hand wedged between their bodies. Brushed against the curling thatch of black hair at the top of his thighs. "You didn't let me finish before." He'd taken her to orgasm with his mouth, turnabout would only be fair.

Besides, she wanted to savor his release on her tongue. She had a feeling it would be even sweeter than his blood. "Lay back," she ordered softly.

Adam growled, but slowly obeyed. His hair brushed against the pillow.

Her hand closed over his shaft.

The heat of his arousal nearly singed her hand.

She wanted him inside her. Thrusting, driving them both to the edge of sanity and the dark paradise of release.

Soon.

But first…her fist tightened and she pumped her hand up and down. Squeezing that thick length, not too hard-not too soft-but with a strong, steady pressure.

"Maya!"

He didn't care if they were overheard. Neither did she.

Up and down, she stroked. Again and again. Tightening, releasing. His breath grew ragged. His body slickened with sweat. "Don't wanna…come like this…" he snarled. "Want in…side you!"

And that was what she wanted. But she hadn't touched enough yet.

She released his cock with one last, lingering stroke. He reached for her, but she slipped just out of his reach. Maya put her hands on his legs, enjoying the feel of the resilient muscle beneath her hands. Her fingertips moved over him, smoothing over his powerful thighs and down to the heels that dug into the mattress.

" Maya. "

She crouched between his spread thighs. His cock stretched straight into the air, the wide tip dark red and glistening with a bead of moisture. She murmured as she leaned forward, her mouth open and hungry. Her lips closed over him, greedy for that small drop.

He cursed and his fingers clenched in her hair.

Her tongue swirled over him, circling the head of his cock. Maya had known she liked the flavor of his blood, and his cum was just as good. Sweet, with a spice of tang. She sucked on his length, wanting more, more.

He grabbed her under the arms, pulled her up. "In…you." His face was red. His eyes blazed.

"Not in your mouth, damn…tempting though it is." He swallowed and his eyes fell to the jeans she still wore. "Get out of them, and let me in. "

She'd wanted to savor him.

Now, she just wanted to fuck him.

Maya rolled away, darting from the bed. She needed a minute to get her control back. Just a minute…

Her fingers shook as she unsnapped the button at her waist and then fumbled with the zipper.

Just a minute.

The jeans hit the floor.

Her fingers caught the edge of her cotton panties.

And Adam caught her.

His hands closed over her hips, and he shoved her back against the nearby door. "Can't wait."

His cock pulsed against her stomach.

Definitely healed.

Her thighs clenched.

And so did her sex as anticipation filled her.

His fingers pushed between her legs, slipped under the panties, and drove up into her core.

"Adam!" Okay, screw trying to take it slow. She wanted him inside.

"You're ready and you smell so…damn…good." His fingers withdrew, and he jerked the crotch of her panties to the side. "I need to take you, now. "

Her hips rocked forward.

He snarled and caught his cock in one big fist. His left hand positioned her and then that hot length drove into her.

Yes! Adam caught her legs, lifted them as he thrust his cock deep inside her.

So full.

Her legs wrapped around his hips. Her claws dug into his ass. She didn't worry about hurting him with her strength, not anymore. She knew Adam could take whatever she had to give.

Her back rapped against the door as he plunged into her. Plunging deep and forcing that cock straight to the tip of her womb.

Her inner muscles closed over him eagerly, gripping his shaft, holding tight as he thrust.

His fingers dug into her hips and he yanked her away from the door. "Deeper." She could barely understand him. Didn't really care what he was saying.

His cock slipped over her clit and she moaned.

"In…deeper." They fell onto the bed. His cock drove balls-deep inside her. Again, again.

She thrashed beneath him, fighting for the release that was just out of reach.

But so temptingly close.

He raised her legs, pushing her thighs against his shoulders, and shoved deep.

The bed rocked beneath them. Squeaked.

She clenched her teeth, turned her head away from him, and fought the sudden, desperate urge to bite.

His shaft withdrew, plunged. His rhythm was fast, hard.

Perfect.

Maya's orgasm hit her. White-hot pleasure blasted through every inch of her body.

She tasted blood in her mouth, realized it was her own, that her fangs had pierced her bottom lip.

Adam shuddered against her, called her name on a long, fierce groan.

As the waves of release pulsated in her sex, Maya turned her head and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

No, definitely not human.

As if there had ever been any doubt.

"So…" Maya began, her voice a slow drawl, "I think it might be time we had that little talk of ours."

She was lying in bed beside him, propped up on one elbow. Her eyes were blue again, not the burning black they'd changed to during her orgasm.

And, damn, but she was something else.

His heart still pounded like a drum, and his thighs actually shook.

Sex with Maya was freaking great.

The best of his very long life.

He'd never planned to get involved with her. To care.

But he'd learned long ago that great plans often went to shit.

"Adam?" A frown narrowed her eyes.

"Give me a minute," he said and decided to tell her, quite truthfully, "I'm still trying to recover."

For a moment, one brief split second in time, she smiled. Actually smiled at him. A real smile, not one of those sarcastic, kiss-my-ass grins she usually wore. No, this smile was different. Her face softened, changed from pretty to-

Beautiful.

Oh, shit.

But then the smile vanished, disappearing as if it had never been there, and she studied him with a slightly distant expression in her eyes. "So what are you?"

A strange conversation to have in bed. Probably not the right place. They were both also still naked, which served to make him horny as hell, but when Maya heard what he had to say, well, he doubted she'd be feeling a return of her lust.

Maybe that's why I needed her so much. I wanted one more time with her, before-

"Not a demon. Although when I caught the scent of smoke around you a few times, I thought you might be an L10."

He'd learned to mask his scent over the years, but sometimes, if he became angry enough, the beast inside overpowered even the strong chemicals in his system.

"Figured at first you were a shifter. Maybe a wolf or a bear."

Adam climbed from the bed. Rifled through the closet until he found a pair of his jeans.

"Huh." He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Maya had sat up in bed. She hadn't bothered to cover her breasts or any part of her sexy little body. With an effort he managed to look at her face.

Her head tilted slightly to the left. "Must be bad if you're jumping out of bed."

No, the move had just been a way to fight the temptation to jump her again.

Business first.

Pleasure, if she'd have him again, later.

"I am a shifter," he told her, pacing toward the bed. "Of a sort." A very ancient sort .

"Go on."

He hadn't shared this secret with many. The first had been his childhood friend Richard.

The same friend who'd tried to butcher him twelve short days later.

The second, well, that had been his intended bride, Isabella. He'd shared his secret many, many years after the bloody encounter with Richard. He'd thought of not telling her, but if the woman was planning to spend every night of her life with him, he figured she'd deserved to know.

Isabella had thrown herself from the cliffs near his home. Her body had never been recovered.

He'd grieved her for years. Wished he'd kept his dark secret.

No, definitely not a good track record.

But Maya wasn't really in a position to judge. She wasn't exactly normal, either.