She smirks and then she stands to walk to a door and opens it for us. Her soft auburn hair falls to her shoulders. Her eyes are dark, smoky blue, and they have a depth that shows experience beyond her years, giving her a delicate but mysterious edge.

"Heath is a total creep, and he knows it," she almost growls. "He's one person I'd like to break my no-violence rule for."

"I think that goes for all of us," Kane murmurs while carrying me through the doorway, and then I feel a plush bed beneath me as he puts me down.

"Let me know if you need anything," she says while shutting the door behind her.

"At least she's not psycho for you." I sigh while turning over on my side, avoiding looking at him.

"Definitely not. Sierra is Deke's girl, and she's pretty cool... like a sister to me." He walks over to a dresser and pulls out a tee-shirt, and then tosses it to me. "You can sleep in that, or I can see if Sierra has something you can borrow."

"I'll stay in my clothes because I'm leaving the second I'm sober."

His sweet face is taken over with agitation.

"Alyssa, you're not getting sober until you get some sleep. Change or I'll change you."

That shouldn't turn me on, so why does it?

"Fine. I'll change," I mumble while sitting up and pulling my shirt over my head.

He coughs and turns his back, and I let a laugh free.

"Like you didn't see more last night. Afraid you'll feel the urge to run off again?" I taunt.

He turns back around as I slip on his shirt, and then he walks over to me to pull my lips to his, devouring me by surprise. He jerks my hips to his and rips my pants free from my body.

Heat floods through my veins, burning me alive from the inside in the most divine way. Damn he tastes so good.

"Shit," he murmurs while backing away. "I didn't want to look because I knew it'd be hard as hell to stop myself, but I'm not some asshole like Heath who's ready to pounce on a girl while she's drunk."

"You didn't have a problem stopping yourself when I was completely sober."

My snarky comment forces a wince from him. He runs his hands through his hair, demonstrating how terribly frustrated he is.

"Please don't keep punishing me for that," he groans. "I've already explained it and told you I was sorry several times."

Sorry doesn't piece back together my dignity or my confidence. How's a girl supposed to feel?

"I'm not punishing you, I'm just stating the obvious."

I try to ignore the throbbing desire to straddle him right now, but it's almost overwhelming. One thing that helps me is the fact I really don't feel like being turned down a second time.

He sighs as he climbs into bed beside me, and then his arm drapes around my waist as he pulls me to him.

Now that he's touching me, it makes it all the harder to deny the throbbing ache inside me, pulsating at the spot no one has ever gone. When his arousal brushes against my back, I shiver.

"Kane, you're not exactly making this easy on me," I mumble, and his sharp intake of breath follows my words.

"Sorry. This isn't easy for me either."

He uncoils from my body, and then he rolls over to the other side of the bed to leave me all the more distraught and yearning for his touch.

I close my eyes tightly, praying for sobriety and sleep both. Maybe I can make it through the night without dreaming about him.

Chapter Five.

The sun blinds me as it peers through the enormous window in front of my face. Shielding my eyes, I climb free from the bed to hear laughter and animated conversation on the other side of the door.

"Hey, I found the best new video," one of the guys laughs out. "You have to see it."

"Not right now. I'm trying to get Alyssa some breakfast ready before I take her home," Kane murmurs in objection, and I tense up.

I definitely don't want to see him right now... not after the idiot I looked like last night.

I start picking up my clothes and stepping into them as quickly as I can. My bra is nowhere to be found. Apparently I shed it during the night while I was sleeping, and right now I don't have time to find it.

I open the window to the balcony, and I grimace when I see how far down it is.

I hate using magic.

I force the ladder on the ground to rise to the window, and I tuck my high-heels under my arm as I climb down quickly. With a flick of my wrist, the ladder slides down and back into its place before I run like hell through the woods Kane forbid me to travel without him.

After the first briar tears at my foot, I pull on my heels, deciding to brave the woods in shoes never meant for hiking or running. I forgot I broke one of the heels off, so now I have to run like a gimp idiot through the patch of forest. This walk of shame is by far the worst one ever experienced, and I'm still a damn virgin.

I stumble onto the sidewalk, and then I remove my heels again as all the judgmental eyes of the quiet street fall on me.

Small town slut.

It'd be great if I actually got to have sex while being a slut.

I look over my shoulder, worried someone I actually know is going to see me, and then I feel myself colliding and arms wrapping around me to steady me as mail drops to the ground.

"Hey, whoa," a familiar voice chuckles out.

I turn to see Thad - fresh, clean, and looking just as sexy in the sun as he did under the moonlight.

"Hey," I bumble out.

"I guess you had a rough night," he says, amused, while staring at my bare, bleeding feet, my heels in my hand, and my previous night's clothing. Not to mention, I'm sure my hair is a hot mess.

"Um, yeah, you could say that. I ended up crashing with someone I know after getting a little too drunk to make it home."

My embarrassment has to be radiating from me with a blinding glare.

"I see," he says with his adorable grin, while his soft, blond hair strums through the fingers of the gentle breeze.

He kneels down and examines my bleeding feet, making me self conscious because I feel so icky right now. I'm glad humans can't read auras. I'd be mortified if he was an aura reader.

"Have you got anything to clean that up with?" he asks while standing back up.

"Um, I'm sure I do. Don't worry about it."

"Let me come help you. You definitely don't want an infection since you said you have to stand on your feet at work."

Sighing, I nod. I really don't know the first thing about cleaning up a wound. I've always had an overprotective mother to do that for me.

"You sure you don't mind?" I ask while walking by him, noticing his house is directly beside mine.

Great. As if I need another guy clogging up my head.

"Positive, where do you live?"

I let out a laugh as he picks his mail back up.

"Right beside you."

He smirks, a menacing twinkle flashes in his eye, and then he stands to his feet to follow me.

"I guess I should bring you a cup of sugar or something sometime."

I chuckle lightly at his corny joke.

He's so tall, like Kane, but he's tanner, and his shoulder are a little broader. His hips are still seductively narrow, like the dark-haired man who I've now slept with but still haven't slept with.

This town shouldn't be allowed to have so much sex appeal. It's too small. If the humans are this hot, I dread seeing the immortals.

"Wow, this is really nice," he murmurs as he follows me in.

"Thanks," I murmur softly as we head inside, then I feel a little sad as I think back to Kane walking in here just a couple of nights ago.

"So, let's see your foot," he ushers while motioning for me to sit down.

"It's both of them," I mumble while gripping my head in embarrassment.

"Should I ask why you felt it necessary to run home in broken shoes through the woods?"

I laugh bitterly while dropping my head back on the couch, and he gets up.

"Long story short, I didn't mean to spend the night with this person I know, so I snuck out while I could."

A knowing grin falls over his lips, and he bobs his head in a nod.

"Ah, one of those friends. Been there. So where's the alcohol, Band-Aids, and stuff like that?"

Not really one of those friends.

"Under the sink in the kitchen. Thank you for doing this, by the way," I murmur as he heads into the kitchen.

"What are neighbors for? The way I see it, small town people tend to band together and shut out outsiders. We'll have to start our own little gang."

I laugh lightly, amused by his positive outlook, and he smiles warmly as he walks back in while carrying an armload of supplies.

"Well, I owe you for this. My feet are not exactly very pretty right now."

He places a small bowl of water at my feet, and then he walks out again.

"I'll take care of it."

Suddenly my door swings open, and my head whips around to see Kane towering over me.

"Shit, Alyssa. You scared the hell out of me. How did you leave this morning?" He takes a steadying breath as he tries to calm down, surprising me with his worry.

I hadn't thought about my disappearance scaring him.

"You guys must have been in the kitchen or something," I lie.

"Why the hell did you just leave? And what's wrong with your feet?"

He slides around to be in front of me as he inspects my disgusting feet covered in dirt and matted blood. I didn't like Thad seeing them, but I sure as hell don't want Kane to see them.

I start curling them away from his view just as Thad walks back in with an awkward smile.

"I'm about to clean them up," he says, making Kane's head whip around, his eyes narrowing.

"And you are?" he prompts.

"I'm her neighbor. She sort of ran into me this morning - very literally - on her way in."

Kane relaxes slightly, returning his gaze to my dreadfully embarrassing feet.

"Ah, well, I'm here now. I'll take care of it," Kane says dismissively, picking up my foot.

"Stop, please. This is so embarrassing," I grumble while trying to pull my foot back.

"Did this happen last night or this morning?" he sighs.

I try cling to what shred of dignity I have left by refusing him an answer, but he stares at me expectantly, his eyes telling me he's more stubborn than I am.

"This morning," I mumble reluctantly.

Kane swears under his breath, scolding me with his eyes just before he resumes his examination.