Chapter One

The bride almost left her groom at the altar. The temptation was pretty damn strong.

Normally, Kayla Kincaid wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything, but when she put one foot down on that too-red carpet at the Forever Chapel, her heart raced so fast that her chest hurt. She gripped the flowers in her hand, a small bouquet of daisies that the groom had grabbed from God knew where. There was music playing. Some sweet little old lady was nearby, stroking an organ and smiling, and Kayla realized that she had frozen after taking that single step.

This was her wedding day? How in the hell had this happened? She wasn’t supposed to be getting married. She should be hightailing it out of Vegas and not getting all sweaty-palmed around the daisies as she got ready to say I do.

How? How had this happened? Her death grip tightened on the slumping bouquet.

Then the groom turned toward her and flashed that megawatt smile of his. The smile that revealed all of his perfect, white teeth.

Oh, right. That was how.

Gage Riley waited for her at the end of that narrow aisle. The groom. She swallowed. He wasn’t dressed in a fancy tux. He wore jeans that clung to his lean hips and a black T-shirt that stretched taut over his muscled chest and those wonderfully big and broad shoulders that had probably made plenty of women drool over the years.

With his perfect, sculpted face, that rock-hard jaw, his wild mane of midnight black hair, and those sky blue eyes, he was the sexiest man she’d ever seen.

She managed to unfreeze herself and take another step toward him. Gage. Sexy, but dangerous. Oh, she knew he was dangerous.

He was also a job. Her assignment. And Kayla had her orders.

Get close to him. By any means necessary. In this case, any means included marriage.

But...

But this didn’t feel like an assignment.

The little old lady playing the organ began to frown at her. Gage just kept smiling. He looked confident. Strong. He had no doubt that they were about to be joined as man and wife. Kayla couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder. There were about five feet between her and the front door. Maybe…maybe she should just make a run for it. Before things went past the point of no return.

She tried to swallow again. The lump in her throat was getting worse.

Warm, strong fingers curled around her arm, just below her elbow. Kayla didn’t jump because she’d grown used to the silent way that Gage could move. Despite the guy’s big size, he was eerily quiet when he walked, and, jeez, Gage was fast.

“Going somewhere?” Gage asked in the deep, dark voice that sounded like sin in the night.

Very slowly, Kayla turned her head back so that she faced him. The smile had slipped from his face. Such a handsome face. He always looked so open and almost carefree.

But there was more to Gage than met the eye. Much, much more. Her gaze dropped to his lips. Sensual. She’d felt those lips on hers plenty of times. That had been the plan, right? Get close? Make him trust her?

Only marriage hadn’t been on her agenda. It had been on his. He’d pushed for this, and she’d realized that if she didn’t take this step, she’d lose her connection to him. Then the assignment would go to hell.

“It’s too late to run,” he told her. His hand lifted and brushed against her cheek. The caress was gentle. So at odds with the fierce strength that she knew he could wield. “I’d just follow you, sweetheart.”

She was killing the daisies. The little old lady had stopped playing and was now glaring at her in a not-so-sweet way. The minister—wait, was he a minister or a justice of the peace—or something else? Whatever. The man peered suspiciously at them from his perch near the front of the chapel.

Gage leaned toward her and his lips pressed lightly against hers. “It’s just a few simple words. Nothing for you to be afraid of.”

Kayla stiffened. “I’m not afraid.” Admitting fear to herself was one thing. Confessing it out loud, to someone else? No way.

Besides, she wasn’t really afraid. Nervous. That was all. A wee bit nervous. Gage was the one who should be afraid. He didn’t know just what he was setting himself up for here.

He didn’t know her. Not really.

If he did, he would be the one running.

Her groom-to-be had no idea that she’d stashed a gun in her purse. Or that she kept a knife—silver—strapped to her ankle. He didn’t know that she’d spent most of her adult life becoming a perfect predator, and he damn sure didn’t know that he was her current prey.

Gage’s lips caressed hers once more in a light kiss even as he pulled the damaged daisies from her hand. When his head lifted, his blue eyes seemed even brighter. “Good. If you’re not afraid, then come marry me.” A thread of demand underscored the words.

Gage wasn’t usually the demanding sort. He was more easygoing, more⁠—

He tossed the daisies on a nearby chair and threaded his fingers through hers. “Want me to carry you?” His smile flashed again.

That smile of his was like her freaking kryptonite. No man should have a smile that melted panties. His did.

The organ began to play again. One foot in front of the other. Kayla took a deep breath and began to walk. One foot.

Gage was right by her side.

In front of the other.

Before she knew it, they were standing at the front of the chapel. The officiant smiled as the light reflected off the top of his bald head. He was talking. Nodding. Looking all pleased and happy.

Kayla couldn’t hear a word he said. Her heart raced too fast and too loud for that.

Gage kept a tight hold on her hand. Probably because he was afraid she’d make a break for it.

But Kayla wasn’t leaving. She’d never left a job before, and she wouldn’t start now. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Gage. Poor guy. He had no idea what was coming for him. Did he think this was some kind of epic romance?

Think again.

She was the predator. He was the prey. And, soon enough, he’d grow to hate her.

Gage nudged her. When she glanced up and found the officiant staring at her, Kayla realized she was supposed to speak. “Uh, I do.” That was what folks always said, right? Promise to love, honor, and cherish.

But what she’d really do…Lie, betray, and hurt.

Her chest began to ache. This wasn’t what she wanted. Why couldn’t things have been simpler for her? For him?

The officiant beamed. Gage’s strong voice rumbled beside her as he made his vow.

And she hated her life. Just once, she wished she could be normal. A woman in love—a woman actually marrying the man of her dreams. Instead of just being a woman who was using herself as bait to set up her groom.

Gage turned her toward him. Even over the too-loud thud of her heartbeat, Kayla heard the officiant say that Gage could kiss his wife.

“Hello, wife,” Gage murmured, and finally—finally—the wild drumming of her heartbeat quieted, because it stopped for a few seconds. “You’re mine, now. Forever.” The words held a hard edge that she’d never heard before in his voice.

Then Gage kissed her. Not the light, teasing kisses that he’d given her in the past. An openmouthed, hot, I-want-you-naked kiss that sent a shudder through her whole body.

She kissed him back just as wildly. Because despite all the other madness that was happening, Kayla did want her husband. And, before he found out the truth about her and this little fantasy came to a crashing end, she’d have him.

The hotel room was one of those ridiculous pink explosions that you found in Vegas. A romance-ready room. Heart-shaped Jacuzzi. Rose petals scattered on the floor and on the massive bed. Pink champagne chilling next to a box of chocolates on the bedside table.

But when Gage carried Kayla inside the decked out room, his bride didn’t so much as give the surroundings a glance. Her eyes—big, golden, fuck-me eyes—were on him. Her hands curled around his neck. “I want you.” Her soft confession.

Did she actually sound a little surprised by that fact?

Damn, sometimes, she was so adorable…he could just eat her. Actually, he would.

He couldn’t believe that he’d gotten her to marry him. The lady had sure surprised him on that one. He’d been expecting her to run as fast as she could.

But she’d straightened her slim shoulders. Lifted her slightly pointed chin. And let him drag her down the aisle.

A surprise, but he wouldn’t question fate. Not then.

Gage kicked the hotel room door closed and carried Kayla to the bed. He’d been wanting to get her naked and beneath him since the first night they met. Now that he had her in that room with him, nothing was going to stop him from claiming her.

Except…

Kayla put her hand on his chest when he closed in on her. Gage was leaning over the bed, more than ready to taste her, when her small hand slammed into his chest.

“I ...ah...need a minute.”

Seriously? She’d put him off for weeks. Tempting him with that sweet ass and those gorgeous breasts, and now that she was legally his, the woman was still putting the brakes on things?

He barely bit back a growl. A man’s control could last only so long.

But he pulled away. Stood. Began to strip.

Her eyes widened as she looked at his chest, and her pink tongue slipped out to lick along her plump lower lip. He had plans for that tongue. And for her.

Sexy little Kayla Kincaid. The first time he’d seen her, he’d gotten hard and territorial. One look, and he’d thought...mine.

Sometimes, you knew what you wanted with one glance.

She eased onto her feet. Stood beside him a moment. The top of her head barely skimmed his shoulders. Her dark hair—silky, curling lightly—drifted down her back as she tilted her head to stare up at him. “I’ll be right back,” she promised.

His gaze dropped to her lips. Full, red. Bitable. Just like the rest of her.

He did like to bite.

Kayla turned away and darted into the bathroom. Hurry back, sweetheart.

His control wasn’t lasting much longer.

He wanted her in that bed. Wanted her spread wide. And he wanted to hear her scream his name.

For almost two months, he’d played her game. Done the whirlwind courtship bit. Acted like the gentleman for her. Wore a mask to hide the real way he felt. The real way he was.

Playtime was over.

Kayla had her secrets. So did he. The time for a big reveal would come later. The time for fucking—yeah, that was now.

The bathroom door squeaked open. Gage turned to face her, still clad in his jeans. His eyes went to her face first. Heart-shaped, delicate—deceptively so. Her eyes were shining, her high cheeks flushed, and she looked⁠—

Excited. Gorgeous.

And naked.

His gaze swept down her body and the cock that was already up for her hardened even more against the zipper of his jeans.

Her breasts were small, but rounded perfectly with light pink nipples that he couldn’t wait to have against his tongue. Her hips curved, flaring, and the sight of her parted thighs had his mouth going dry.

Take her.

He’d waited long enough.

“Why are you still dressed?” Kayla wanted to know. He managed to drag his gaze away—okay, on the third attempt, he dragged it away from her pert breasts—and back up to her face. “I thought you were supposed to be stripping.”

He nearly ripped his jeans off. Then in one lunge, he was at her side. Gage lifted her up, holding her easily, and he thrust his tongue into her mouth. Her arms wrapped around him—and so did her legs. Her soft, hot sex brushed against his cock even as her tight nipples pushed against his chest.

He was gonna go freaking insane. Gage wasn’t a man accustomed to waiting, but for her, he’d tried. Can’t wait longer. Because he could smell the lush scent of her arousal. She wanted him. He was on fire for her.

His tongue met hers. Tasted. She was always a blend of sweet and spicy on his tongue. Innocence and sin. Such a mixed combination. One that fit her too well.

He pulled his mouth from hers and began to kiss a path down her neck. He was strong. Gage doubted that she understood just how powerful he really was, and he easily kept her lifted against him.

When his tongue licked over her skin, down low where her shoulder curved into her neck, Kayla shivered.

He’d make her do more than that.

His teeth scored her flesh. Bit lightly. Marked her. That was the way of his kind.

Her nails dug into his shoulders. Her breath came in ragged pants, and Gage could feel the slick wetness of her core against him. More.

He’d known she’d be like this. White-hot to the touch. Able to burn a man straight to the soul.

He lifted her higher and her soft gasp would have made him smile, if he hadn’t been so damn hungry for her. But there were no smiles now. No soft touches or kisses. There was only lust, blazing out of control.

He held her in the perfect position for his mouth, and he took her breast between his lips. He licked, sucked, and her breaths came even faster. His cock was so swollen it hurt, and he wanted to drive into her more than he’d ever wanted anything else.

“Gage!”

No, actually, he did want something else. He wanted her to come for him.

Still holding her, he headed for the bed. He lowered her onto the covers and rose petals slid beneath her. Their light fragrance mixed with the sweet scent that was just Kayla.

She was making him crazy.

Gage took his time licking and tasting her other breast. Her hands were on him. Her fingers slid over his back and urged him closer.

Not yet.

Kayla’s legs were parted, and he stood between them at the side of the bed. The perfect position to thrust deep, if he’d wanted to thrust.

Not yet.

He wanted another taste. A far more intimate one.

His gaze dipped to her sex and her legs widened even more. “Do you know…” His voice was so dark he knew it sounded more like a growl than anything else. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to put my mouth on you?”

Her lashes lifted. She stared back at him with glinting eyes and flushed cheeks. Then Kayla shook her head. He saw the flash of hesitation in her gaze, the innocence that he’d learned could appear and vanish in an instant. She tried to come off so tough and assured, but that innocence kept slipping out.

His knees hit the carpet as he lowered his body between her splayed legs. Gage wrapped his hands around her hips and pulled her to the edge of the mattress so that her thighs brushed against either side of his shoulders. “Since the first night, you came into the bar”—his bar—“wearing that short black skirt, and I kept wondering if you had on anything underneath it.” He’d looked at her and gotten hard. Wanted. Craved. “And I wanted to shove that skirt up…” Gage put his hands between her thighs and loved her gasp. “And find out.”

Her eyes were on him. So wide. So deep.

He’d been insane for her. The need always pulsing in his body, but Kayla hadn’t let him get close enough to fuck. Not that first night. Not all the nights since. They’d danced around each other for weeks, becoming closer and closer, but deep kisses and heavy petting had been all that he’d gotten from her.

Until tonight. Until they’d drank until one a.m. at his bar, then slipped out to find a chapel.

Now he had her. There’d be no escape for her. Or him.

His fingers slid into her. She was wet and tight. Perfect.

But he didn’t just want to touch with his fingers. He licked his lips, then Gage put his mouth on her. Her hips bucked up against him as she gasped out his name, but his left hand just rose again and locked around her hip, holding her easily in place.

He let his tongue slide over her sex. Sweet, slick, and delicious. Hot. He used the fingers of his right hand to open her to him. To press lightly into her even as his tongue raked over her clit.

She wasn’t trying to pull away anymore. Kayla was pushing against him, and her body was eager for more. Fair enough, he was more than eager, too.

He devoured her. Gage’s mouth took and tasted even as his fingers thrust into her. She moaned and shivered and her body tightened beneath him.

He wanted her to come against his mouth. Then she’d be ready for him. He didn’t want to hurt her the first time, so he had to make sure she was ready for him.

And her taste...sweet and rich. Better than the most decadent of chocolates. And decadent chocolate had always been his vice.

One of them, anyway. He had quite a few.

He pulled his fingers back and thrust his tongue into her. His thumb pushed down on the center of her need and she came, jerking beneath him.

Gage pulled back, savored her taste on his tongue, and knew that he now had a new vice. Her. The lady was at the top of his list.

He’d have more of her. All of her. Now. He reached over and yanked out one of the condoms that waited inside the nightstand. Part of the romance package. The hotel knew how to please its guests. He was about to be pretty fucking pleased.

Because he was finally having her.

He donned the condom, and two seconds later, his cock pushed against the entrance to her body. Her eyes were on him. He couldn’t go easy anymore. He’d used the last of his control. But she was ready now. She had to be.

Kayla arched against him, and Gage thrust balls-deep into her core. A ragged groan ripped from him because she felt so good. Tight. Wet. Hot.

He pulled back, but her sex clamped around him, gripping like a fist along the length of his cock.

So good.

Her eyes were open and on him. “Give me more,” she whispered.

And he did. Gage drove into her, deep and hard, and the bed squeaked beneath them. Rose petals were going everywhere, and he didn’t give a damn. All that mattered was taking her. Claiming her.

In and out. He thrust again and again. Her legs wrapped round him, holding him tightly. Her nipples stabbed up into the air, and he just had to taste one again. He leaned forward and took one pebbled nipple into his mouth.

Her fingers sank into his hair. “Gage!” Her inner muscles tightened even more around him as her body stiffened. Her second climax was close. Hell, yes.

His head lifted because he wanted to watch her come. One thrust. Another. Then her lips parted as she called out his name. Pleasure flooded over her features. Her eyes lit with golden fire. Her cheeks flushed an even darker pink.

And she came around his cock.

Gage exploded inside of her, letting his own release pump through him. The pleasure nearly ripped him apart, pulsing in his blood and giving him a heady rush that had Gage clenching his teeth and holding her even tighter.

This, this was beyond just sex. Beyond the fleeting pleasure he’d known with other women. This was fucking fantastic.

Gage leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

Kayla jumped, as if she was startled by that gentle touch, and her eyes widened as she looked at him. “That was…” She licked her lips. “It⁠—”

“It was the start,” he told her, smiling, and getting hard within her again. Need another condom. Good thing that box in the drawer was full. “And, sweetheart, the pleasure is only gonna get better.” He’d guarantee it.

He’d finally gotten Kayla exactly where he wanted her—and Gage wasn’t going to let her go.

So he put his mouth back on her delectable body. This time, he skimmed his lips over the raised scars that slid over her shoulder, and he knew that the night was going to be incredible.

The faint light of dawn slipped through the curtains when Kayla eased from the bed. Gage still lay tangled amid the covers, and his dark lashes cast shadows on his cheeks. Unable to help herself, she paused and just stared down at him for a moment.

He looked so peaceful. The lines were smoothed from his face. The wild power of his eyes was shielded by his lowered lids.

Just a man. That was what he looked like then. With his tanned skin appearing even darker against the crisp, white sheets, with a rose petal in his hair—he just looked like a man.

Not a monster.

She turned away and crept toward the bathroom.

He was a man, and she was supposed to just be a woman.

If only. Life sure had a way of sucking.

Kayla shut the door behind herself. After taking a deep breath, she glanced up and stared at the reflection in the mirror. Her lips were swollen. Her eyes glittering. Her hair was an insane tangle around her face. She didn’t know how many times she’d climaxed, but she did know that Gage was the best lover she’d ever had.

Yep, he was at the top of her big list of four men. She figured he’d be staying at the top for a very long while.

She straightened her shoulders. There were some faint red marks on her neck. Marks that Gage had left. She’d left her own share of marks on him, too. They’d been wild. Fierce.

Happy.

Just like a real honeymooning couple.

She glanced away from the mirror, almost hating the sight of her own reflection. Why couldn’t it have all been true?

Because her life wasn’t a fairy tale. She wasn’t some princess who got to live happily-freaking-after in a castle.

I’ve always been more the wicked queen type.

And Gage wasn’t Prince Charming, no matter how tempting he appeared to be.

Kayla reached for the handbag she’d put in the bathroom hours before. The bag, her clothes, and her weapons. It was almost six a.m. Just minutes away. That meant her call would be coming in three, two, one⁠—

Kayla answered the phone before it could even fully vibrate in her hand. “The job is done,” she told her boss. The job. Her marriage. Getting close to Gage Riley. She’d done everything she was supposed to do.

“Not quite,” came the rumble of Lyle McKennis’s voice. “But you’re real close, Kincaid.”

Her hands tightened around the phone. Close wasn’t good enough. Close wasn’t⁠—

“Actually, you’re killing close,” he continued, voice cold and flat in her ear. “You’re the only hunter who’s ever been able to slide under Riley’s radar.”

Because when Gage Riley saw her, he saw just a woman. Not a hunter.

“You know what he’s done,” Lyle said. “You know what he is.”

Yes. She looked up and forced herself to stare into the mirror again. She stared past her own reflection. Gazed at those marks on her neck.

“He’s sleeping now, isn’t he?” Lyle murmured.

“Yes.” Why was her body starting to feel so cold? Numb?

“Then it’s time.” Satisfaction purred through Lyle’s words. “Make sure you use silver.”

What other weapon would she use? Nothing else would work, not on Gage.

“Go kill your new husband,” Lyle ordered, “and give the world one less monster to fear.”