“That’s why you’re seeing things that aren’t there.”

  “Yes. But it seems the iron in your bracelet somehow scares him off. Or maybe it hurts him. Charley told us it would. I don’t know how she knew, but she told us iron was his weakness. That we could use it to fight him. To possibly escape the void.”

  “Did she happen to mention where to find said iron, what with you being in a void and all?

  “We didn’t get that far, but I think she had a plan.”

  “I’m sure she did. She’s pretty amazing.”

  “She is.”

  “About this body,” he said, swinging back around to the elephant in the room.

  “The doctor was attacked. But not by a possessed like you think.”

  He reached over and took her hand as though fascinated with her fingers. He ran the tips of his over the length of hers. It sent waves of pleasure spiraling through her body. “Then who attacked her?”

  She cleared her throat and tried to ignore what he was doing to her. “Her ex.”

  His gaze shot to hers.

  “Don’t worry,” she continued. “He’s dead.”

  “She killed him?”

  “No. But she fought back for all she was worth. She inflicted a lot of damage, but he was like a raging bull, striking blindly because she dared to reject him. He was still attacking her when she died. When I took possession, for lack of a better phrase.”

  “And you killed him?”

  “I did. Just barely. I was able to wrest control of the knife and, having just acquired an encyclopedic knowledge of human anatomy, knew exactly where to stab him to inflict the most damage.”

  “There wasn’t anything about him in the articles about her death.”

  “There wouldn’t have been. He wasn’t found with her. He ran afterward and managed to put several blocks between them. Since they’d barely dated and had never gone public—she’d picked up on the red flags left and right early in their relationship—the cops never connected the two.” She lowered her head. “It was blind luck that I found her when I did. That I was able to retaliate for her. I healed her body just enough to make survival plausible, then waited for help to arrive.”

  He turned to look out his window. “How do you know she picked up red flags?”

  “I have all of her memories. It’s how I can practice medicine. I know everything she did.”

  “So, you just took up where she left off?”

  “I did.” She drew in a shaky breath. “And now you know. I have to find Benji, but I need a favor.”

  He turned back to her.

  “Can I borrow your bracelet? I think it will keep Kursch out of my head long enough for us to come up with a plan. I’m hoping we can kill him before he catches wind of Elwyn.”

  “How do you know he hasn’t already?”

  “We don’t. All the more reason to kill him if we can.”

  He nodded in thought, a frown lining his impossibly handsome face. Sia understood. It was a lot to take in, even for someone with Donovan’s experience. His doubt crystal-clear, he asked, “And you and this high school kid are gonna save the day?”

  “Along with the others, if they’re still alive. If not, I’ll do it alone. I can’t let him find the girl destined to save humanity. I’ve grown fond of it.”

  “So, you’re going to sacrifice yourself for the teacup?”

  She deadpanned him. “Like you wouldn’t do the same.”

  “Of course, I would. Okay.” He clapped his hands together and rubbed them as though preparing to do a magic trick. “I’m in.”

  “In?”

  “In.”

  “Wait.” She shifted in her seat. “No. There’s no in. There’s just me and possibly Benji and, well, I don’t know about the others. We lost contact. But that’s it. You don’t get to be in.”

  “Right, because I’m only human.”

  She winced. “Sorry about that. But this isn’t your fight.”

  “If it involves the teacup,” he said with a glare, “it is absolutely my fight.”

  A sensuality laced up her spine, stealing the breath from her lungs. His masculine face showed a determination she didn’t dare question. His sharp jaw covered in that scruff that somehow had the power to transform her legs to jelly. The sprinkling of gray at his temples. The long lashes, and his rich, blue irises that sometimes sparkled from underneath. He was so darkly handsome. So devastatingly rugged. She could get used to being a human if she got to look at that every day.

  “You know I only called you a leech to piss you off.”

  She huffed out a soft laugh. “It’s okay. You’re right.”

  “No, I’m not. I wanted the truth. Now, I have it. You’re ethereal, Doc. A beautiful soul wrapped in a beautiful body.”

  “You think I’m beautiful?”

  “Very.”

  “And you think this body is beautiful?”

  “I do,” he said, humor sparkling in his eyes.

  He took a sip of bottled water right as she asked, “Would you like it?” Then he coughed for the next five minutes, and she wanted to be humiliated. She tried to be, but she couldn’t quite manage it. She wanted him, and there was no time like the hours leading up to one’s certain death to get the juices flowing. The heart racing. The desperation skyrocketing. It was now or never, and she knew it. “I’m sorry,” she said as he wiped his mouth on the bottom of his dark gray T-shirt. “Would you like a tissue?” She grabbed her bag and began combing through the contents.

  “It’s okay. This isn’t my shirt,” he said, pressing the shirt tail to his mouth like a kid.

  Too bad. It showed off his sinuous forearms and thick biceps perfectly. But it was the abs he’d just flashed that undid her.

  “Should we, um, do you want to get a hotel room?” Was he actually nervous? Because butterflies were currently dive-bombing the lining of her stomach. Still, she figured him for a pro. He certainly looked the part.

  “Well,” she said, looking around, “your windows are pretty tinted. And you have that nifty sun shade for your windshield.”

  “Wait. Here?”

  She took a deep breath to muster her courage and crawled over the console to straddle him.

  His surprise only lasted a moment. He reached down and adjusted the seat so the steering wheel was no longer cupping her butt. Instead, his hands were.

  She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his. Yep. That same delicious tension coiled low in her abdomen just like the last two times she’d kissed him. The sensation intensified when he slid his tongue along her lower lip, and a soft whimper escaped before she could stop it. Embarrassed, she pulled back and dropped her gaze. “By the way,” she said, a warmth spreading over her face, “I’m a virgin.”

  * * * *

  Donovan froze. He held her against him until he could collect his thoughts. It took a while. After staring at her for a solid sixty seconds, he asked, “You’re a what?” just to confirm.

  Her huge eyes found his again, a stunning mixture of caramel and deeper browns with flecks of sea-foam green sprinkled throughout. “I mean, this body isn’t, but I am. I’ve never... you know.”

  “Ah, got it.” That made more sense. Not that a beautiful, successful woman couldn’t be a virgin. The odds were definitely against it, though. “So, I’ll be your first,” he said matter-of-factly. No pressure.

  “Technically. I mean, I know what to do. Technically. I’ve just never actually put that knowledge to the test.”

  “Is this a test?” he asked, grinning at her. She seemed more nervous than he was. “Tests were never my strong point in school.”

  “What was?”

  “Girls, mostly.”

  She giggled. There was no other word for it. A short, soft bubble of laughter escaped her, and he found her even more enchanting because of it. “Why aren’t I surprised?” she asked.

  “I can’t imagine. But first things first.” He slipped the metal bracelet off, pushed the two ends together to close the circle, and slid it onto her much slenderer wrist. “It’s still too big.” He went to take it back but she snatched her hand away.

  “It’s perfect.” She lifted it to study as though examining a cluster of diamonds. “But you really shouldn’t have.” When he only grinned at her, she added, “I feel like I’m leaving you vulnerable by taking this.”

  “He’s not after me. I’ll be fine.”

  She dropped her wrist and her gaze. “Should we start then?”

  He lifted a brow. “Start?”

  “Yeah, you know. It.”

  “Ah.” He tried not to smile. He failed. This was going to be fun. “Where do you suggest we begin?”

  “Oh.” Her eyes rounded as she thought about his question much more intently than he’d imagined she would. “Right. Well, music seems to be important.”

  “Music.” He nodded and fought that errant grin again. The fucker. “What would you suggest?”

  “I’m not sure.” She pressed her mouth to one side as she considered it. “Maybe something bow-chicka-wow-ish?”

  He had to refocus every ounce of strength in his body to keep from laughing. To hide his face, he leaned past her to turn on the radio. “Let’s just see what’s available.”

  “Right. Good idea.”

  After a quick search, something appropriately smooth came on.

  “Oh, Rihanna!” she said, clapping softly. Then, as though embarrassed, she added, “This is a good song.”

  “I’ll take your word for it. What next?”

  “Hmmm.” She tapped her chin with an index finger. “Well, I don’t want to seem forward—”

  “Of course, not.”

  “—but you should probably take off your shirt.”

  “Just me?”

  She glanced down at her zippered hoodie. “Good point. I mean, it’s only fair, right?”

  “Fair is fair.”

  “Fair is definitely fair.” She started to unzip the hoodie but stopped when he didn’t move to do the same.

  When she pointed her chin at the T-shirt, he reached for the back of the collar and lifted it over his head. He could’ve sworn he heard a soft gasp, but he wasn’t sure.

  He tossed Swopes’ tee onto the passenger’s seat, and she slowly lowered the zipper on her hoodie without taking her eyes off his chest. He suddenly worried that his tattoos would turn her off. She didn’t seem to be bothered, but there was an entire demographic that found them appalling. Which was probably a big part of the reason he’d gotten them in the first place. Nothing like presenting himself as a hellraiser to keep the puritans at bay. He was a walking defense mechanism. Would she see through him? Did he care?

  With a jolt of surprise, he realized that he did. But why? He’d never cared. Then again, he’d never met anyone like the doc. And that was before he knew what she was. Most of the women he’d taken to his bed had practically begged him to do so. He’d never hit on a woman in his life. He’d never had to. But the doc was different. He could see himself begging for her attention. Willingly. Gladly. Desperately.

  When she literally separated one tooth of the zipper at a time, her movements painstakingly slow, he couldn’t take it any longer. He took the zipper out of her hands, slid it all the way down, and peeled the jacket off her shoulders.

  Her powerful scent engulfed him. Exotic and sweet, it surrounded, saturated, and stirred, pumping blood into his cock. When she started on the buttons of her white blouse, he didn’t have it in him to wait. Praying the garment didn’t cost more than his Harley, he took the edges and ripped it open. Her breasts, held by the barest hint of a lace bra, spilled forth, and for a moment, he was mesmerized. Until his gaze dropped to her stomach. To the side of her ribs. To her right shoulder.

  It was like someone threw a bucket of ice water on him. No, not ice water. Boiling honey. When she went to cover her midsection with her arms, he didn’t let her. He took hold of her wrists and locked them behind her back for a better look.

  Scars of every size and shape adorned her beautiful body, and his blood turned bitingly cold. He didn’t realize how much so until she winced and jerked her hands out of his grip.

  “I’m sorry,” he said, but it was too late. He’d ruined the mood. He bit back a curse when she pulled her shirt together and climbed off his lap.

  Chapter Nine

  Know thy lane and

  stay the fuck in it.

  —Charley 1:12

  Sia could hardly blame Donovan for being shocked. For finding this body unattractive. For finding her unattractive. She pulled the shirt together, her shoulders inching up as she tried to climb out of his lap.

  He stayed her with two large hands on her shoulders.

  She fought a sting at the backs of her eyes but couldn’t look at him. Humiliation tore through her like a wildfire, hot and all-consuming. She’d been too brazen, too bold when she had no right to be. He was a god compared to her, and she was barely even human.

  “It’s okay,” she said, trying to wiggle out of his embrace. “We don’t have to do anything.”

  “We’ll get to that. Are you sure he’s dead?” he asked, his voice hoarse and yet razor-sharp.

  She frowned. “Who?”

  “The man who did this to you.”

  She huffed out a laugh. “You forget, he didn’t do this to me. He did it to Dr. Lucia Mirabal.”

  “You said he was still attacking when you entered her body. Do you still have the memories of what he did?” he asked, his eyes glittering with anger. “Do you remember the knife cutting into this gorgeous flesh?”

  “I do,” she admitted. “Like it happened yesterday.”

  “Then he did it to you.”

  “No, Donovan. He didn’t. What that woman went through...”

  “And you, in turn. Don’t downplay that.”

  She gave up and answered his question. “Yes, I’m sure he’s dead.” She tried to climb out of his lap again, but he held her fast.

  “We were in the middle of something.”

  “It’s okay. Really. I need to go anyway.” But his hands tightened around her upper arms, his thumbs rubbing over the material of her blouse like cat tails, the movement comforting.

  “Do you think the scars have somehow changed my feelings toward you?”

  “Why wouldn’t they?”

  “Did my tattoos change your feelings toward me?”

  That was a good question. They did, in fact. The first time she’d treated him. How could she explain it? “In a way, yes.” She felt him tense beneath her, so she quickly explained. “They made you even more alluring. More forbidden.”

  His sapphire irises glittered with what she hoped was interest. “And your scars do that for me.”

  “How?” she asked, her tone filled with the doubt she felt to the depths of her soul.

  “They show what a fighter she was. What a survivor you are. They are as beautiful and foreboding as you are, and I would very much like to pick up where we left off.”

  She lifted a shoulder and examined the unpolished nails on her right hand. “I guess we can. This body has strong feelings for you.”

  “Only the body?” he asked, his voice soft with humor.

  “I feel stupid, though. I know what to do, but I’m doing it all wrong.”

  He captured her chin. “Trust me, gorgeous, you are doing nothing wrong.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “If I do something stupid, you’ll tell me?”

  He raised three fingers. “Swear.”

  “Were you even a Boy Scout?”

  “Of course. I would never betray the code.”

  She narrowed her eyes on him and said, “So, if I do this...” Right before she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his, but only for a second.

  He tilted his head as though his interest had been piqued. “That’s certainly a good start.”

  She nodded. “How about this?” She ran a hand down his chest, across his stomach, and over his rib cage.

  His muscles flexed under her touch, the ridges that covered his lean midsection fascinating her. “That works, too.”

  “What about this?” She shrugged the shirt off her shoulders and began unfastening her jeans, her fingers shaking more than she would have liked. This whole seduction thing was proving far more complex than she’d thought. Even though she was the actor, and he the act-ee, she felt like she was the one being seduced every time he gazed at her, his narrowed lids making his irises glisten all the more.

  He watched her hands with something similar to hunger, and she noticed his chest rising and falling a bit quicker than it had before. That fact delighted her.

  She managed to unfasten the button and get the zipper halfway down, but the restricted space was becoming a problem. “Hold on,” she said before scooting her butt over the console and reclining on the passenger-side seat. Once there, she shimmied the jeans over her hips and down her legs, only to realize she was wearing boots. “Keep holding on. I’m still on this step. Withhold judgment.”

  “Not. A. Problem.”

  She eased into a crunch to peer at him from over her knees. Or one knee. The other leg was in the air as she tried to get the boot off. Even so, he studied her, his expression part tax assessor and part wolf. Whatever he was thinking, she liked it. The muscles in his jaw bunched as he watched her work, and his tongue slid out to lick his top lip.

  When she finally got the damned boot off, she kicked off the jeans, but he slid a finger into her powder-blue panties, the backs of his fingers brushing over her clit in the process, spiking something wonderful deep inside her.

  “These, too.”

  “Okay.” She peeled off the lingerie and sat up, her breaths now coming in short bursts. But he was gone. “Donovan?” she asked just as the back door opened.

  He climbed into the back seat and said softly, “Come here.”

  The butterflies in her stomach took up strategic positions and attacked with a bloodthirsty kind of vigor. She filled her lungs then stood to scale the seat. Once she was halfway, he helped her, lifting her over the backrests and onto his lap, where she once again straddled him. She settled onto him, not missing the outline of his cock between his legs.