She tilted her head and blinked up at him sheepishly. Kaylea nibbled on her bottom lip, and then admitted, “I, uh, I’m a virgin. Or rather I was a virgin.”
A virgin!
His memories and his mission came pouring back. She was a goddamn virgin—a virginal sacrifice—and now that he’d been inside her, he’d marked her for Hell. He began inching away, feeling suddenly ill.
Kaylea touched his arm and stopped him. “It’s okay, Brand. I wanted you to be the guy to take my virginity.”
He pressed his palms to his forehead and shook his head. “Oh, Jesus Christ, Kaylea. What have I done?”
“Brand.” She caressed his cheek in an effort to reassure him. “It’s fine. It’s what I wanted. In fact, I think it’s what we both wanted, maybe even needed,” she said with a smile in an attempt to lighten his mood.
The emotions passing over her glistening blue eyes made his stomach clench and tighten with apprehension. His throat dried and his hands began to shake uncontrollably.
He’d been greedy. So goddamn greedy with lust and need, he’d forgotten all about his mission. Could that have been what landed him in Hell in the first place? Greed—one of the seven deadly sins. Perhaps he had been a businessman and greed had been his downfall, and perhaps that’s why Lucifer had known he’d get the job done? Because, undoubtedly, greed would rule his actions and cause him to forget any rational thought?
Oh fuck!
What the hell had he gone and done?
Chapter Five
Kaylea’s heart pounded in her chest when Brand jumped from the bed and stepped away from, leaving cold where there was once warmth. What the hell was going on? One minute he was gentle and loving, and the next, as soon as he’d discovered he’d taken her virginity, he was acting like she had the plague. As she stared at him in mute fascination, silence fell like a death sentence.
Feeling suddenly very naked and exposed, Kaylea climbed from the bed and scurried around the room in search of her clothes. She hastily pulled on her jeans and blouse then turned her attention to Brand. Dark tortured eyes met hers and practically weakened her knees.
“What’s going on?” she demanded, despite the knot in her stomach telling her she’d rather not know.
“Kaylea…” Brand reached for her. A carefully placed hand on her shoulder had her inching closer in search of his heat. “Kaylea, I’m so fucking sorry. I got carried away. I never meant for any of this to happen.” Thick fingers tightened on her shoulder; his head dropped. “I never meant to be so goddamn greedy that I couldn’t control myself or my actions.”
He wasn’t making any sense. “Brand, please. What are you talking about? Never meant for any of what to happen?”
His chest rose and fell as he drew in a sharp breath. “I never meant to seduce you.”
“Brand, I was the one who seduced you.” She jabbed her finger into his chest to drive home the point. “I was the one who chased you into the lounge, and tired to entice you into my bed. In fact, it was you who seemed reluctant in the elevator, and it was me who pushed. Not the other way around. I wanted you to be the man to take my virginity, and I don’t regret a second of it.”
Everything in his eyes softened when they met hers. For one long drawn-out moment he just stared into the depth of her eyes. Pain etched his featured and his breathing deepened. He swallowed hard then broke the quiet. In a low, barely there voice, he said, “You’re about to.”
She was completely confused here. “What does that mean?”
“It means I’m not who you think I am.” He opened his arms and showcased his body.
Kaylea’s skin prickled as her eyes raced over his flesh and she looked at him, really looked at him. Faded scars and rope burns marred his skin—deep, purple blemishes that had been inflicted many, many ages ago. Her stomach plummeted.
“I was sent here by Lucifer, to find you and…” His words fell off as though he was unable to finish the sentence.
Her pulse skyrocketed. Oh God, how could this be happening? Why hadn’t she noticed the lacerations earlier? Had she been too far gone in a haze of lust to recognize those familiar scars?
“I wanted stop, Kaylea. I tried to stop, but then I don’t know what happened, it was like I was being controlled by another force, and couldn’t remember anything. And for some inexplicable reason I needed you more than I needed my next breath. I’m so sorry. I’m so goddamn sorry.”
She slowly backed away from him.
He raked his fingers through his hair and shook his head. “Kaylea, do you understand what this means?”
Her head bobbed slowly. She, of all people, knew the repercussions of sleeping with the devil’s henchman.
She felt her face pale like cream. “It’s too late for sorry, Brand.” Her voice was as shaky as her legs. “It’s too late for anything.”
He reached for her and she flinched away. “We need to figure this out. We need to stop this from happening.”
“Not we. Me. You’ve done enough as it is.”
“Kaylea, wait.”
Spinning around, Kaylea bolted out the door. She bypassed the elevator and ran into the stairwell. She rushed to the main lobby, taking the carpeted steps two at a time. She bit back the prick of tears as her mind raced. Oh Jesus, what had she gone and gotten herself into?
How could she have been so easily drawn in by the devil’s henchman? Then another thought suddenly struck her and her steps slowed. Brand had tired to pull back, but she was the one that had really forced the issue. Could he simply have been playing her? Making her beg for it out of sheer amusement?
Or, like her, had he been too far gone in a haze of lust to control the situation. Could they have stopped even if they wanted to?
