Instinct Ascending: Rabids Book 2 (34 page)

“I did my research. After you started displayin’ Hybrid attributes, back when Pell took blood samples…” He took a deep breath and plunged in. “I may have asked Pell to test your blood, and to mix it with mine.”

“Oh.” Amiel’s brows rose in surprise again.

“I hope that doesn’t make ya mad. But I feared, what with the way I was feelin’ every time I was near ya, with the way ya looked at me sometimes, it was just a matter of time before my strength to resist ya ran out. I needed to know if I was puttin’ ya in danger, bein’ so near.” He stood, running a hand through his hair.

“If somethin’ as simple as a kiss could mean me signin’ your death warrant...” He paused, eyes shifting to meet hers, a tortured gleam within the dark storm churning there. “I’ve feared killin’ the ones I loved all my life, Thumbelina. It would crush me if I was the cause of your death. Absolutely crush me.”

Her heart skittered wildly inside as she lost herself in the current of his tortured gaze. She slowly rose from the chair. “I assume the test had good results.”

He tensed, nodding cautiously as he watched her move to stand before him. Her hands found their way to lightly grasp his wrists where they rested at his sides. 

“Is there anything else you think I should know?” she murmured. He swallowed.

“Like I said, I ain’t got no idea what I’m doin’. I meant it when I said I got no experience with women. Absolutely none,” he clarified, accent becoming more marked in his nervousness. A tremor ran through him as she ran her hands lightly up the backs of his arms, taking her time and leaving a trail of goose bumps on their way to his shoulders. 

“I think you’re not giving yourself enough credit. You’ll be just fine.” Her hands moved to slip up into his hair. 

“Sure about that, kid?” he asked shakily. She nodded, deliberately pressing into him. He cleared his throat nervously. “How do ya know?”

“Because it’s all about instinct,” she whispered, moving to stand on her tippy toes. Her lips brushed his mouth with each word, teasing. “And if there’s one thing I know about you, Harley, it’s that you’re intensely good at mastering your instincts.”

He closed his eyes, shivering as his hands rose to grip her waist. His fingers tensed, kneading her flesh and timidly pulling her closer. She smiled against his lips.

“See? You’re already catching on.”

“What do I do now?” he breathed out shakily, hooded eyes opening to seek out hers.

“You’re thinking too much. Trust your instincts, Harley. Let go of everything but that.”

He tensed, wild panic echoing through the current. “Instinct has to be controlled, tamed. I can’t just let it go; I’ve seen what happens to the ones who do. I could hurt ya.”

“You never have, and you never will,” she assured him, pouring every  ounce of her confidence into her gaze. “Instinct isn’t always bad, Harley. Sometimes, it’s the wildness of instinct that takes your breath away.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, hard. She tried again.

“You’d never hurt me like that. I’m the center of your storm.”

His eyes opened, a small amount of hope building within those azure blues. “When I’m fightin’, I can trust it. But with you? I don’t know if I can.”

“Does your Hybrid want to hurt me?” Amiel looked deeply into his eyes, asking his Hybrid as much as she asked Harley. His head ticked to the side in thought, the negative head-shake nearly instant. Yet still the frown remained.

“But I don’t know that I can trust it to not take things too far. It
does
want that.”

“The Hybrid instinct is part of who you are, Harley. It’s part of what I love about you. And if I ask you to stop, you’ll stop. I trust you.
All
of you,” she said pointedly. She could almost feel the Hybrid and man watching her separately, assessing her and the situation. And she definitely felt the moment when they became one in agreement on their respect for her boundaries. Her hand pressed to his heart.

“You’ve always taken care of me, Superman. Now it’s your turn to let me take care of you.”

His eyes widened slightly. His pecs flexed beneath her touch, chest rising with increased pace of breath. Swallowing hard, he dropped his eyes to her lips, and, ever so slowly, his hands reverently slipped upward to cradle her face. She smiled encouragingly when she saw the return of sheer panic in his gaze.

He was her big, bad protector, but he was truly vulnerable and innocent in this respect. He'd spent his entire life being strong, burying any emotions that he felt made him weak. He loved and he was loyal to the bone, there was no doubt of that in her mind. But he held himself aloof, apart, from even those he loved most. His mother had destroyed his relationship with women, and Tandy was hardly big on physical affection. She could imagine him going through most of his youth without a hug. Sure, her own mother had been distant, her father missing from a large part of her life. Yet Jaron had hugged her daily when home, and she had hardly been lacking in the relationship area, thanks to her overbearing mother. She found it oddly humbling that she was the voice of experience here.             

With a stabilizing breath, she slowly slid her palms down his chest, over his abs and finally around to hook into the loops of his jeans. He shuddered beneath her touch, and she could feel his desperate need for closeness radiating through their bond. Her strong protector and champion was just a lonely boy, desperate for love, on the inside. In that moment, she was determined to give him every ounce she possessed. 

“Kiss me, Harley.” She leaned so close, her lips brushed against his feather-soft mouth with each word she spoke. “Stop thinking, and start feeling. You want me, your Hybrid wants me. Work together for what you want. Claim what’s already yours.” The moment the words slipped from her lips, his mouth met hers, barely there, tense, and hesitant. Her lips parted slightly, encouraging him yet letting him adjust, letting him set his own pace. He pulled back a little, looking in her eyes as though to assure himself she wasn’t displeased with his efforts. She gave a gentle tug on the loops of his jeans, giving him all the encouragement he needed. Leaning in, he tested a few more gentle pecks. The caress of his lips slowly became more confident, more curious.

She moved her hands to press flat to his chest, smiling when the muscles flexed beneath the touch. She rather enjoyed that little quirk of his, the way his muscles reacted to her touch. Her fingers clutched at his shirt, the action seeming to fuel his confidence further as his body pressed hers back against the wall. His lips opened against hers, and she gasped.

Despite her best intentions to let him take the lead, she deepened the kiss, hands sliding into his hair to hold him closer. Harley tensed, and then groaned into her mouth. His thumb stroked her jaw, fingers slipping through her locks as his hand then made its way down her neck, over her shoulder, and down her back. It came to rest on her hip, firmly gripping it, pulling her closer.

“Are you sure you've never done this?”  she gasped, coming up for air. He moved his lips to press sweet kisses along her jaw. The shivers were back in full force, racing across her skin, sending jolts of heat across every inch of skin Harley touched. She relished it. He pulled away enough to meet her eyes, a shy smile on his lips.

“Never,” he swore adamantly.

“Well then... I think it's safe to say you're a natural.”

His smile gained an edge of confidence, making it that much more breathtaking. Smirking, she stood on her tippy toes, hands on his shoulders. “Don't get too arrogant, though. I think you still have plenty of practicing to do.”

His brows rose, smile brightening. “I’m very dedicated to practicin’. I’ve been known to spend hours at a time, practicin’, every day.”

Her heart flipped as he leaned forward, stealing her breath with kisses that grew more expert by each touch. Minutes passed, maybe hours, as they tested the new boundaries of this relationship. Never once did he or his Hybrid nature press her for more. It matched what she gave, never overstepping the boundaries. Eventually, out of breath and momentarily appeased by their heated makeout session, they ended up cuddling on her bed. Harley stared at her in awe, lightly running his fingertips down her arms, along the lines of her face, down her neck.

“You never cease to amaze me, kid. Just when I think I’ve hit the height of ya, ya pull somethin’ new out to throw me through a loop.”

Amiel grinned contentedly. “No pressure. I’m going to have to start learning new circus tricks, like tightrope walking, to keep you in the element of surprise.”

His hand went to his heart, wincing. “No new tricks, please. There’s only so much this heart can take. I’m pretty sure I’d have a heart attack if I saw ya up so high on a rope. You’d fall and break your neck on the first step.” He grinned cheekily, and she scowled playfully.

“Well, so much for my amazingness, gosh.”

He grinned, resting his forehead to hers, so content, so relaxed. She loved it. And she loved that she was the one who had been able to bring this feeling to him.

“Go on a date with me.” The words were spoken with such quiet confidence that she paused for just a moment to take in the true depth of what he’d said, the leaps and bounds he was taking.

“A date?”

He nodded against her. “Yeah. I’ve never been on one. I want that with ya, too.”

Her heart melted at the sincerity in his voice. “Okay, when?”

“Day after tomorrow?”

“Sure. I don’t have a job anymore, so I’ve got all the time in the world.”

“You’re gonna have to tell me about that.” He pulled back, grinning brightly. “I wanna know what my lil hellcat’s been up to while I was away.”

“Your wish is my command.”

His smile was heart-stopping. He rolled on his back, pulling her along with him so that she lay on her side, arm sprawled across his chest. He grinned contentedly, humming a grunt of approval. Amiel smirked, resting her head against his shoulder.

“You’re just a big, fluffy lion wanting cuddles, aren’t you,” she teased. He huffed, but didn’t bother correcting her as he fiddled with the watch on her wrist. His eyes suddenly widened, pulling the watch closer to his eyes in the dim lighting.

“Is that the real time?” He glanced at the clock by her bed, and rolled off the bed. “Crap, I gotta go.”

“Hey, I was just teasing. You don’t cuddle. Cuddling is for wimps, and you certainly aren’t a wimp. You are big scary lion, hear you roar. Rawrr!” 

He scoffed before leaning back over her, caging her against the mattress.

“You’ll have to hear me roar later. I was supposed to be back at Foundation an hour ago. They’re gonna be ticked, especially since I’ve been MIA all week. And if I’m any later, I’ll be put on probation, and y’all won’t get to get your butt kicked at the gym tomorrow, or go on an amazin’, life changin’ date with me the day after that.”

His lips pressed to hers in a quick kiss that was only quick in the sense of how fast it turned into a longer, deeper kiss. Grumbling, he finally pulled away from her, swiftly moving to the other side of the apartment as though afraid he’d never escape. Amiel couldn’t help but follow him, drawing him in for yet another kiss as he opened the door.

“Remember, date with a full course of butt kickin’ tomorrow.”

She grinned, fingers lingering on her lips. “Can’t wait, Superman.”

He offered another heartbreaking smile before rushing down the hall. Amiel shut the door, slumping against it with a dazed, dreamy smile. Wow, did that boy know how to kiss. She fanned herself, feeling slightly lightheaded and dizzy. Pushing away from the door with a chuckle, she set about preparing for bed.

Amiel

“Come on, put your weight into it, spaghetti arms!” Harley chuckled. He stood bare-chested, skin slicked with sweat, arms clasped behind his head. His shoulders were drawn forward, his whole body curving in slightly so that every muscle in his torso was flexed. Amiel laughed, a little breathless as she slammed her fists into his abs.

“Hush, you! It’s like punching a bowl of jelly. I’m afraid I’ll lose my hand inside it if I hit it any harder.”

Harley laughed, loud and hard, the most easygoing laugh she’d ever heard. He’d been doing it for the last two hours of their training, and it was the best medicine any heart could ask for.

“There once was a girl with arms of spaghetti. Couldn’t tell rock from a bowl full of jelly,” Harley teased, in an Irish-accented, singsong way.

“Okay, what’s with the spaghetti references? I’m still waiting for the grand reveal of your training surprise involving tomato sauce.” She grunted, pushing her arms to swing harder.

“What?” Harley’s nose scrunched up, distracting her with its cute factor. She stood straight, taking a breather.

“You told me we were going to train harder so I could learn control. I asked how, and you just smiled and said ‘tomato sauce.’ So what was that?”

“Oh, that. I just didn’t know what to say, so I threw that out there. I was probably hungry.” Harley shrugged, laughing harder when she gave him an annoyed look.

“Are you kidding me?” Amiel shouted, throwing shorter, more powerful jabs into his gut.

“That’s been buggin’ ya this whole time, ain’t it?” He preened.

“No!”

“Sure.” He smirked, before finally holding up his hands in surrender. “Ow! Okay, okay, hellcat, that’s enough! Leave my bowl full of jelly alone.” He gave her a pouty look that was completely undermined by the permanent grin that quirked his lips. “Ow. I think you broke a rib.”

“Aww, did the wittle baby get hurt?” Amiel smirked, mocking him.

“Yeah, I think I need ya to kiss it better.” Mischief twinkled in his eyes.

“I have a better idea.” She pressed closer, sliding her knee between his. He immediately sobered, watching her carefully.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Lay down and take a nap.” She hooked her leg around the back of his ankle and pushed as hard as she could, off-balancing him. He tipped over, but her plan didn’t work so great, since he pulled her down with him, strong arms wrapping around to trap her as he fell. He chuckled as she squirmed against him, trying to escape.

“Okay, but only if you take a nap too.”

She squirmed until she managed to slip out of his grip. “You’re slippery when ya get all sweaty and worked up. Like a greased pig,” he teased, making a grab for her.

She jumped out of the way with a triumphant laugh: one that was cut short when he swept out a leg and knocked hers out from under her. He moved to tackle her, but she rolled away, coming up into a crouch. He took a step forward, she took a step back. He moved to the left, she moved to the right. His devilish smirk grew as he made a false leap toward her, sending her running behind the punching bag with a squeak.

“What’s a matter, kid, afraid of the big bad wolf?”

She swallowed hard at the change in his tone, the way his body language shifted, turning into a beast on the prowl. Excitement stirred in her, pupils pulsing as her other side let her know it was up for this new game growing between them.

“What’s the matter, Harley, afraid of having to work for your reward?”

His pupils flared, Hybrid rising to answer her coy challenge. And his grin,
oh his grin
, became a dark medley of every bad boy crush every girl on the planet ever dreamed of. And it was all hers for the heart-melting pleasure.

“Then you’d better run for it, little red,” he growled in a dark but playful tone. Her eyes widened as he crouched, and she realized it was game on. She took off running, seconds before he sprang into attack. She felt his fingers brush the back of her tank top, barely missing, and she let out a startled laugh. She dropped to the ground, sliding under the punching bag, her leg shooting out to slam the bag back toward him when she came out on the other side. He lithely dodged around it, once again barely missing her as she sprang to her feet and ran across the room. He was gaining on her, so she took the offensive.

Kicking off one of the pillars in the room to give her leverage, she twisted and shot back at him. His eyes widened as she flew toward him, and he had just enough time to hold out his hands to catch her. They went down, rolling with the fall, both fighting for top position. Amiel grinned triumphantly as she straddled him, her knees trying to pin his elbows to his sides. He easily flipped her over, weight coming down to squish her into the mat.

“I win,” he mumbled, breathing heavily with more than exertion. Amiel swallowed, drowning in his gaze. The pupils were dilated, leaving only a thin ring of arctic blue, and she could feel his Hybrid staring back at her. She felt how much it had enjoyed their little game. Its open evaluation, its acceptance and longing for her drew Amiel like a riptide, dragging her along in its current. Her Hybrid sat at the surface, eagerly devouring every ounce of it, answering his in an entirely primal way. Amiel swallowed, shifting about with a nervous energy that bounced around inside like a hyper ping pong ball. In her shifting, Amiel’s legs tightened around Harley's waist. Seemingly unconscious of the reaction, he pressed closer, pressing her further against the mats. Her mind scrabbled for something to say.

“So.” The word came out in a whispery form, her throat suddenly very dry. “What about the tattoo? What do we do about that?”

His Hybrid eyes slid along her skin until they reached the tattoo. His fingers followed, ever so lightly tracing the lines. Her eyes fluttered shut, breath sifting through parted lips.

“Let me worry about that.” His reply was quiet, consoling, yet held such a depth of strength that Amiel never once doubted that he would take care of it, take care of her. He always had and always would. Even when she made stupid mistakes like she had last night. He was a true friend, and something infinitely more dear to her heart. Dangerously so. She didn’t have the chance to worry about losing her heart to him. She already had, so long ago that she wasn’t even sure of the exact moment it had happened. But falling for someone wasn’t that scary, not when you had a man like the one before her.

Leaning on one elbow to keep his full weight from smooshing her, Harley’s other hand slid down to grip her waist. It squeezed, kneaded, and her body arched upward of its own volition, trying to press impossibly closer to him. They were lost in their own world, the two of them, Hybrids so wrapped up in one another it was difficult to tell where she ended and he began.

She became deliciously aware of everything around her. She had that tingly feeling that happened when the hairs on her skin stood on end, skin tightening from the effect; the sensation that always came with Harley's presence. Only now, with him so intimately close, the sensation was swiftly shifting to perilous new levels. Harley's breath danced across the overheated skin of her neck and face as he stared down at her. She was filled with the heady desire to feel it skate across every inch of her skin. The air in the room was suddenly heavy and warm, carrying the scent that never failed to enthrall her. With everything so intensely magnified, she was able to better identify the intricacies of his smell. It was a spicy musk of cloves, cinnamon and leather. Like Christmas and Thanksgiving on the back of a motorcycle. Harley.

She breathed deeply, nostrils flaring to drink in as much of the scent as possible. It stirred a wild yearning within her that she had only felt whispers of in her most tantalizing of dreams. It terrified, it thrilled. Her fingers clutched at his shoulders in a desperate way, unsure if it was to push him away or pull him closer. Their eyes met, and that dark swirling within her roared to fevered life.

Eyes narrowing, he leaned in. Only a breath of space separated their chests, which pressed together with each intake of air, sending the chaos inside her careening further. He might as well have been a furnace, the way she could feel the heat radiating off him, feel it kissing her skin like the rays of midday sun. One large, dangerously graceful hand shifted to press against the floor beside her head, the stubble on his jaw lightly scraping the skin of her cheek. The urge to turn toward it struck, and she blinked hard, trying to clear the fog shifting across her mind, blocking her inhibitions. She was fairly certain that wanting to lick someone’s scruff just wasn’t normal, or at least not allowed at this point in their budding relationship.

The hand on her hip slid down, over her thigh, pausing at the knee to give it a squeeze before pulling it tighter to his waist. His nose ran the length of her jaw, the shell of her ear, skimmed down her neck as his palm slid back up her thigh, leaving trails of fire in its wake. Amiel's eyes fluttered shut and she sighed when he growled deep in his throat, teeth lightly scraping across her neck. His lips followed, soft kisses peppering her skin.

Amiel's fingers clutched at his shoulders, pulling him closer; Hybrid desires intermeshing with her own made her feel bold, confident, strong, primal and wild. Everything that she
wasn't
in real life, but had always dreamed of being. Floating in the haze of predatory need, she felt like she was in a dream. And right now, she couldn't care less if this was reality or not. She just wanted, needed, more. Her nails skimmed up his sides, and she smiled devilishly as he shuddered, pressing his head into the crook of her neck, ragged breath tickling down into her shirt, across her chest. With unerring certainty, he found her frantic pulse, pressing a devout kiss to it.

Every touch, every breath, every flare of his heat laid further claim on her soul, until she felt that he was devouring her. And she loved every moment of it, all too eager to surrender to the torrent carrying them both away. She sank her fingers into his deliciously soft, golden hair, tugging lightly. He froze for a moment, before lifting his head to rest it against her forehead.

“You undo me,” he murmured gruffly, caressing her jaw with his thumb. The tone and action were so at odds with one another: gruffness and gentility. They were so entirely Harley. She smiled softly.  They lay like that for a long moment, both breathing heavily, both weathering the storms within. Ever so slowly, he pressed her legs down, so that they slid down his legs and finally lay flat on the mats. With a deep, fortifying breath, Harley stood, pulling away from her. Amiel wasn’t sure if she should be grateful for his self-control, or cry. It felt like he was tearing away a piece of her soul, as he put space between them. He caught her gaze, eyes mirroring her own torture.

“Don’t go lookin’ at me like that, kid. I’m hangin’ by a primal thread here.”

She grinned mischievously, pushing upward on the mats. Harley’s gaze turned wary. “What’s goin’ on in that head of yours, kid?”

She climbed to her feet, smug expression in her eyes. “Oh nothing. I just
won
. That’s all.”

His bad boy grin came back into play, immediately making her insides all squishy and crazy. “I think you’ve got your definitions of win and lose mixed up there, short stuff.”

“Did you just call me short?”

“Maybe. Whatcha gonna do about it?”

Amiel narrowed her eyes playfully, about to spring into action.

“Harley, we need to… whoa!” Cajun’s voice suddenly rang out in the gym, startling them both. They had been so wrapped up in their little game of cat and mouse, they hadn’t even heard Cajun enter the building. Now he stood at the top of the stairs, eyes bulging. “That is the potent smell of love in the air, if I ever did smell it.”

Harley sighed, rubbing his eyes. “What are ya doin’ here, Caj?”

“Foundation’s sending us out on a call, and you aren’t answering your phone.” His eyes shifted toward Amiel and he winked. “Though I can see why, now.”

Harley stiffened at her side, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to meet his eyes to be able to feel his emotions battling, between his Hybrid protections of her and knowing his brother was teasing him. She smiled, making an effort to put those conflicts at ease.

“I’m just showing him what it means to win. He’s confused about the concept.”

Harley’s muscles loosened somewhat, and he sent her a wry grin. “Uh huh. Whatever, kid.” He turned back to Cajun. “Where are we meetin’?”

“Over on Lebuck.”

“I’ll be there. Let me get her home safe first.”

Cajun nodded, sent her another wink and headed down the stairs.

“Open a window before you suffocate on the love!” he shouted up the stairwell, his laugh easily heard even after he shut the door. Harley released a long-suffering sigh.

“All right. I gotta go. But I got somethin’ to show ya, first.” He grinned, pulling her along behind him, back down the stairs. “Close your eyes, it’s a surprise.”

“You’re not going to dump a vat of tomato sauce on my head, are you?” she asked, closing her eyes and playing along.

“Good idea. I’ll save that for next time,” Harley said, the sound of a door opening meeting her ears. He came up behind her, hands closing over her eyes, and ushered her forward. After a few feet of blind, awkward, shuffling steps, his lips pressed to her ear.