She smiled at him and crooked her finger.

In the next second, he had her against the tiled wall of the shower. His mouth was on hers. Open. Their lips met. His tongue swept into her mouth.

His hands held her hips against the wall and positioned her perfectly. Jade arched against him even as her hand slid between their bodies. She found his cock. Stroked him. Guided his flesh to the entrance of her body.

No foreplay.

No more seduction.

She just wanted him.

When he thrust into her, she wanted to freeze that moment. His strength around her. His mouth on hers. His body in hers. Az.

But you couldn’t stop time. Couldn’t hold it close no matter how much you might want to.

He pulled back. Drove deep even as he cushioned her back with his hands. His mouth became harder, more desperate. She couldn’t even feel the water on her anymore.

Only him.

Her legs slid over his. Her hands held tight to his shoulders. The pleasure built inside of her, but she fought the climax.

Not too soon. Not yet.

Deeper. Deeper. He filled every inch of her eager sex.

Az’s mouth lifted from hers. His eyes stared at her, nearly blind with pleasure. “Only . . . you.” His growl. He thrust again. “Only . . . you . . . Jade. Only . . . want . . . you.”

And he was all that she needed. The past didn’t matter to her. What he’d done, what he’d been. In that moment, he was hers.

The pleasure crested, pounding through her on a climax so intense that she cried out as she arched against him.

He held her tighter. Thrust again. Again. When he came, she felt the hot splash of his release inside of her and the wild rush of his heart against her.

And the water poured down into the shower.

He lowered her slowly. Her sex contracted, holding him close as the aftershocks of pleasure rippled through her. She knew she should say something to him then, but she was scared.

Az had come to mean too much to her. She’d made a mistake. A very dangerous one.

She’d fallen in love again.

The first time she’d loved, her parents had died for her mistake. Her lover had turned on her, changed from caring to obsessed in one wild one-eighty.

Az was different. She knew that. Az was different because. . .

Because she knew he didn’t love her back. Couldn’t.

She squeezed her eyes shut. He wasn’t speaking either, but he was pulling away from her. It seemed like he always pulled away when the sex was done. Take the pleasure, nothing more.

She turned back into the blast of water.

Nothing more.

So why did it feel like he was everything?

Az used his power and conjured a fresh pair of clothes for them. Jeans and a T-shirt for him—a T-shirt that looked damn good as it stretched tightly across his powerful chest.

The jeans he gave her hugged her hips a little too close for comfort, but when she saw Az’s eyes drop to her ass and flare a bit in appreciation, Jade decided she wouldn’t complain—not about them or about the top that flashed a little too much cle**age.

Besides, she figured no matter what she wore, it was far better than the bloodstained duds she’d been sporting before.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, there was no sign of Sam. It looked like he’d split with his lady love. Hopefully, they’d taken that hellhound with them.

“So . . .” Jade cleared her throat and tried to act cool when her heart was actually about to gallop out of her chest. “You think this Mateo will be able to help us?”

“I think Mateo is one dangerous SOB, and when we find him, I don’t want you to leave my side.”

She blinked. Um, okay. “I get the feeling you know him.”

Az opened the back door of the club just a bit so he could gaze out. “I’ve dealt with him before. He owed Sam a blood oath, so he was bound to pay that debt.” He glanced back at her. “Without an oath like that, Mateo doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want. For a job like this, he’ll want us to pay.”

She tensed. “Pay what?”

“Whatever we’ve got.” He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. “If you thought Heather was dangerous, sweetheart, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

In fact, she’d seen plenty. She might not be some centuries-old angel, but she’d seen more than her fair share of blood and death while walking the earth.

“He’s not just a witch. He’s got powers that are dark, and believe me, they come straight from hell.”

She didn’t flinch or back away. Brandt had taught her to never back down, not even when she was afraid. Especially then.