Beg Me to Slay by Unknown

struggled to breathe. Gabe stared into her eyes without saying a word. Was he already regretting being with her, worried that she was in more danger from demons looking to attack his weak spot? Or was he hoping she remembered that this was a no-strings-attached night?
    Maybe she didn’t want to know.
    His lips brushed hers, and they untangled their limbs. Gabe sank onto the pillow, and she lay beside him, her head resting over his heart. The sound of its steady beat calmed her. What was she afraid of? This was what she wanted, needed. Wasn’t it?
    Her mind refused to quiet. She’d never been a casual sex kind of girl. In fact, if this was a one-night stand then it was her first. But it probably wasn’t the only one for Gabe… He’d told her the demons made it impossible for him to risk a relationship, yet he had a box of condoms in the glove box of his car.
    Always prepared.
    Did every woman who hired him get this “service”?
    Suddenly she felt naked. Really naked.
    Tegan got up and crossed the room to her closet.
    “Where are you going?” His voice still had that throaty tone that made her pulse race.
    Wrapped up in her robe, less exposed, she glanced his way. “I need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
    His smile faded. “We’re the only ones here. You don’t have to cover up.”
    “I’m just a little cold.” She made a beeline for the bathroom and closed the door.
    Tegan turned on the faucet and closed the lid on the toilet. She sat down, the soreness of her body making her chest tight. Now that the blood had returned to her brain, her mind wouldn’t shut up and leave her alone. She’d needed him with every fiber of her being, but now that she’d had him, she wasn’t sure where to go from here. Could she leave it at just one night? Something meaningless and easily cast aside? Is that what he wanted?
    Suddenly she was in deeper than she ever intended.
    …
    Gabe rested in bed, the afterglow snuffed out by Tegan’s quick departure. He kept replaying the night in his head, searching for anything that might have upset her.
    It distracted him from the desire simmering in his heart, the words that nearly spilled from his lips. He wanted more than one night with her. This was more than lust and passion. Holding her in his arms filled the chasm of emptiness inside him. He clenched his jaw.
    What he wanted would get her killed.
    Staring into Tegan’s eyes, feeling her cling to him… Shit, it was amazing. It went beyond physical. This woman understood what he was and still wanted him. He’d always kept the slayer part of his life a secret. Even Laura hadn’t known who he really was and what he did.
    Getting naked physically was one thing, but being stripped bare about who he really was heightened every touch. This wasn’t good. Tegan awakened parts of him he thought had died the night he’d found Laura’s body. She was smart, sexy, and… He sighed, glancing toward the bathroom.
    And now she’d been locked in the bathroom for almost fifteen minutes with the water running.
    Gabe got up and went to the door, tapping on it lightly. “Tegan? You all right in there?”
    He was pretty sure he heard a sniffle. Damn it. He pulled his hair back from his face and took a deep breath.
    Her voice came through the door. “You don’t have to wait up for me. I can sleep in my reading chair.”
    The chair? What the hell? He did his best to bury his frustration. “No one is sleeping in the chair tonight.”
    She yanked the door open. He almost flinched.
    “I’m not paying you to be my boyfriend. We don’t have to pretend it was anything more than sex.” She pressed her lips together for a second. “Really great sex.”
    “I’m lost here.” Gabe rubbed his hands down his face. “Where is this coming from?”
    She kept her arms crossed in front of her, holding her robe shut tight, as if she hadn’t been naked in his arms a few minutes ago. “I should have put it together earlier, but apparently