Primal Heat 05 - Darkness Reborn

in the curve of her neck, his body shaking against hers.
    "Cort—" She started to lift her head to look at him, to see if he was crying, but he tightened his grip on her head, forcing her face back to his chest, refusing to allow her to look at him.
    Keeping her out.
    Isolating her.
    She realized he wasn't a partner in her grief. She was alone, still alone, always alone.
    All the anguish came cascading back. Raw loneliness surged again, and she shoved away from him as sobs tore at her throat. She couldn't deal with being held by him when the sense of intimacy was nothing but an illusion. "Leave me alone."
    Kaylie whirled away from him, keeping her head ducked. She didn't want to look at him. She needed space to find her equilibrium again and rebuild her foundation.
    "Damn it, Kaylie." Cort grabbed her arm and spun her back toward him.
    She held up her hands to block him, her vision blurred by the tears streaming down her face. "Don't—"
    His arms snapped around her and he hauled her against him even as she fought his grip. "No! Leave me alone—"
    His mouth descended on hers.
    Not a gentle kiss.
    A kiss of desperation and grief and need. Of the need to control
something.
Of raw human passion for life, for death, for the touch of another human being.
    And it broke her.
     

Sneak Peek: KISS AT YOUR OWN RISK
    (The Soulfire Series, Book One)
    (Humorous Paranormal Romance, Available Now)

    "Let's get it done." Blaine grabbed her arm and began to propel her down the sidewalk.
    "My car is the other direction—"
    "We'll take mine." He nodded ahead, and Trinity saw a large, black motorcycle parked up beside the curb.
    She stopped. "I can't ride on that."
    He frowned. "Why not?"
    "It's...dangerous." It was the best word she could think of. She didn't take risks right now. She kept all emotions tucked deep away inside, held tight like steel netting was wrapped around her. The motorcycle...too wild. Too adventurous. Too passionate. Too everything she didn't dare to be.
    "Been riding for over a century. I'm good." He strode toward it, not bothering to wait for her. "I'll keep you safe."
    "No." She was already walking toward it. She had to touch it. To feel what that kind of freedom felt like. She laid her hand on the seat. The leather was soft, but it felt tough at the same time. The chrome was gleaming. The wheels were immaculate. It was the ultimate expression of daring to take on life, of refusing to go gently, of feeling the passion and fire burn through her until she wanted to explode. Of embracing risk and danger.
    It was everything she couldn't afford.
    Not in this moment. Not with the spider edging so close to the line.
    Right now, she needed to keep a stranglehold on her emotions. It was about self-control. It was about showing she could manage the cravings and desire burning inside her. It was about driving her Subaru below the speed limit while wearing her seatbelt.
    Blaine swung his leg over the seat, straddling the huge machine like he owned its soul. Like it was a demon he controlled by his mere presence. "Just got it. Nice, huh?"
    "I can't ride that."
    "You're my ticket to freeing Christian." He held out his hand to her. "Trust me, I'll protect you. No chance you're getting hurt with me around."
    "It's not that." She clasped her hands behind her back, against the urge to climb on there with him. She could almost feel the wind blowing through her hair, that sense of being utterly free in a way she never had been. Ever.
    He turned the key, then punched the ignition button. The engine roared to life, so loud it drowned out the thoughts in her head. It thundered in her chest, made her body vibrate, reducing her to nothing but a physical, visceral reaction to the power and freedom it offered.
    He didn't bother with a helmet. He didn't bother to shout above the din. He just jerked his chin at her and revved the bike with a twist of the right handlebar.
    She saw the determination in his eyes. He was man who wasn't going to lose his race for Christian's life.
    He wasn't even considering it. He'd do whatever it took, and he'd succeed.
    She wanted to be like that. She wanted to be so sure, so confident, so certain in who she was and what she wanted that she never doubted herself again, never feared the monster within. She wanted to wake up in the morning with that same expression that Blaine was wearing. The one that knew, without a doubt, that she could have anything and everything she wanted.
    Maybe she'd been going