I scrubbed a hand across my face to wipe the rain away—uselessly, as it turned out—then turned around and splashed my way back to Karen Herbert’s car.
Thankfully, the keys were still in it. Maybe demons couldn’t carry them in wraith form—who knew? Certainly not me. Hell, I still wasn’t sure what to think when it came to
that
revelation.
I climbed in, started the car up, and turned the heater on full blast. But I didn’t go anywhere because I wasn’t entirely sure where to go. Part of me wanted to go home, get warm, and consume the coffee and chocolate I’d been anticipating earlier.
But the other half of my soul hungered for pleasures far more carnal. The full moon was near and the moon heat was rising. Quinn might be happy playing his games, but I wasn’t about to sit around waiting to discover the point of it all. I had base needs, just like he did.
So why was I not roaring off to one of the werewolf clubs right now?
Damned if I knew—except for the fact that I wanted
him
tonight, not some random encounter with a stranger.
Which was probably the whole point of his “let’s frustrate Riley” mode of operation. He wanted me to want him, and only him.
Which meant he was aiming for exclusive, even though he knew well enough that exclusive wasn’t something I wanted with a vampire. Particularly seeing he could never fulfill the one desire that had been mine for as long as I could remember.
Kids. A family of my own.
I thumped the wheel in frustration, torn between wanting him and
not
wanting to want him. Between needing to ease the ache and wanting to undertake the journey with him even if the destination wasn’t where I wanted to go.
In the end, the ornery part of me won out. Whatever I might or might not desire, there was one thing I could never change. I was a werewolf and sex was part of our nature, part of my soul. Whatever else happened in my life, that was the one thing I could never change.
The one thing I didn’t
want
to change.
But even so, I didn’t immediately head to the clubs. Quinn might be the one I wanted right now, but he wasn’t the only man in my life. And if I didn’t want to play with strangers—which I didn’t—then I had only one other option.
So I picked up the phone and rang Kellen.
“Sinclair speaking.” His voice was gruff, and edged with a tiredness that had my eyebrows raising. I knew he’d been working hard of late, trying to get his freight business fully moved down to Melbourne so he and I could spend more time together, but right now, he sounded like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Kellen? It’s me.”
“Riley?” he said, and the tiredness in his voice was suddenly overrun by a warmth that had my heart doing odd little flip-flops. I might want Quinn more than could ever be good for me, but there was no denying my growing connection with this wolf. It might not have the same strength as the connection that Quinn and I shared, but we’d also had a whole lot less time together.
Something, I thought in sudden annoyance, Quinn had been doing his best to ensure. Something I’d done very little to fight, despite earlier intentions to see them both equally.
Which was odd, really.
“I didn’t expect to hear from you for a few more days,” he continued softly. “Thought you’d be out with O’Conor.”
The way he said Quinn’s name spoke volumes, but then, they’d been less than chummy long before I’d come on the scene.
“He’s got business to attend to. I thought I’d give you a call instead.” Which sounded like he was second choice, and I guess in some ways, that was nothing but the truth. Even if Kellen was more of a possibility when it came to fulfilling my dreams than Quinn could ever be.
He didn’t say anything for a moment, but I could almost taste the annoyance he was undoubtedly trying to control. Kellen liked being second about as much as Quinn did.
“I’m not up to going to the clubs tonight,” he said. “I’ve been working for the last forty-eight hours, and the movers have only just left. The place is a mess and I need to get my office in working order for tomorrow.”
He’d bought an old five-story hotel on Spencer Street—just several doors down from the Southern Cross railway station—a few months ago, and had been busy renovating ever since. The last time I’d been there—which was only two weeks ago—the four office floors had been completed, but the fifth-floor living quarters were nothing short of a mess. But if he was finally moving in, then he must have finished them.
“I wasn’t suggesting a club. I thought I might buy some wine and pay you a visit.”
Again he paused. “Will you stay the night?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether you intend to worship my body as it deserves to be worshipped.”
He laughed, a low, throaty sound that had my blood racing. “I did promise that last time, didn’t I?”
“Right before you fell asleep.”
“Riley, we had ten hours together.”
“And you couldn’t manage eleven?” I teased lightly. “Your stamina is sorely lacking, wolf.”
“Well, I doubt I could even manage ten hours in my current state, but I do promise suitable body worship and good sex. Will that do?”
“Nicely.” I glanced at my watch. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
“Hurry.”
I did. I pulled up in front of the grimy bluestone building in precisely seventeen minutes, and stopped my borrowed car right behind his gleaming new Mercedes. It was a four-door rather than a two-door—he apparently preferred the room in the back. It was room we’d put to good use on several mind-blowing occasions.
Anticipation shimmered across my skin as I climbed out of the car, a heat not even the chilly night air could temper. I walked up the steps, pressed the buzzer, then glanced at the security camera.
“Come straight up,” he said, as the front door buzzed open.
I walked through and headed for the waiting elevator, then went up. When the elevator stopped and the doors swished open, I walked across the secure area, but before I could press the buzzer, the metal security door opened and Kellen stood there.
He was a lean and muscular brown wolf, though he was more chocolate in coloring than the muddy tones so often seen in the brown packs. His face was sharpish but handsome, his eyes the most delicious shade of gold-flecked green. Right now, those eyes were filled with a hunger that ripped across my senses and made my blood boil.
I stopped and raised a hand to his whisker-covered face, even though all I wanted to do was inhale the thick spicy scent of him, let it fill my lungs and soul as he wrapped his arms around my body and claimed me thoroughly.
“You look a mess,” I said softly.
“That’s because I am a mess.” He caught my hand and drew it down to his lips, kissing it lightly. “You think you can deal with that?”
“Messy is a very sexy look for you.”
“I’m glad you think that,” he said, stepping backward and drawing me through the door. He slammed it shut, then drew me into his arms. His body was warm and hard against mine, his gaze fierce.
“I have so needed to do this,” he added, then his mouth was on mine, plundering, our tongues tangling, tasting, urgent and hungry.
It was a kiss that had my heart racing and body aching. A kiss that made my soul shiver and stir. A kiss that had the urgency rising, until I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Could only want.
And I did want.
Badly.
He pushed me backward until I hit the wall, then his hands were on me, his fingers scorching my flesh as he stripped off my clothes. I tore off his shirt, unbuttoned his pants. We touched, caressed, and teased each other, until the already raging desire reached boiling point. And then he was lifting me, filling me, liquefying me, and his thick groan of pleasure was a sound I echoed. He began to move, and there was nothing gentle about it. His body plundered as his lips had plundered, and the rich ache grew, becoming a kaleidoscope of sensations that washed through every corner of my mind. Then the shuddering took hold and I gasped, grabbing his shoulders, wrapping my legs around his waist and pushing him deeper still. Pleasure grew again as he thrust and thrust and thrust, until a rapturous, mind-blowing orgasm hit us both and sent us sliding into blissful satisfaction.
When the tremors finally eased, he laughed softly and rested his forehead against mine. “So much for taking time to worship your body and seduce you senseless.”
I laughed, resettled myself on the floor, then ran a hand down his hot, scratchy cheek. “We have the rest of the night—are you trying to tell me you can’t manage a bit of worship and senseless seduction in all that time?”
His grin was all cheeky, dangerous charm. The sort of charm that could melt a girl’s heart and have her panties off in a second. Not that I had panties to worry about right now.
“It’s a tough task,” he said softly. “But I think I’m up for it.”
I skimmed my gaze down his body then gave him a saucy smile. “I do believe you are.”
“Then let’s not waste a moment.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me across the box-filled living room and toward his bedroom.
He certainly didn’t waste another moment.
And boy, did he worship.
A
shrill ringing dragged me from the depths of sleep. I flopped an arm out from under the covers and groped blindly for my cell phone. I found it on the fifth attempt and dragged it back under the covers. Kellen slid his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to the warmth of his body.
I snuggled back against him, flicked the receiver on the cell, and said, “Uh?”
“Gee, I absolutely love the level of conversation I get from you when you’ve just woken.”
And I absolutely hated the fact Rhoan could be so damn cheerful when
he’d
just woken. It wasn’t decent—not before several cups of coffee, anyway.
“If you rang me to say that, I’m going to tell Liander what you did last night then step back and watch the fireworks.”
“You are such a bitch.”
“I’m a wolf and I’m female. Being a bitch comes with the territory. What’s your excuse?”
“Living with a bitch.”
I snorted softly. “What do you want, wiseass?”
“What time are you supposed to report to work?”
“Oh, crap.” I was obviously late, otherwise Rhoan wouldn’t be asking the question. I flicked the covers off my head and cast a bleary eye the clock’s way. Nine-fourteen.
Yep, I was late.
“Jack wants to know how soon we can expect your presence.”
“I’m at Kellen’s.” Which wasn’t that far away from the Directorate, so at least I didn’t have to battle too much traffic. “But I have to shower and dress, so give me half an hour.”
“Don’t be any later. He’s in a mood.”
Oh great. That meant something hadn’t gone well and it didn’t matter if that something was in his private life—though I actually wasn’t sure if he
had
a private life—or his work life. We’d be made to pay. “I’ll be there.”
I hung up.
“Work?” Kellen asked.
“Yeah. They want me in ASAP.”
“You want the usual coffee before you go?”
I twisted around and kissed him. “That would be fantastic.”
His green eyes sparkled in the early morning light, doing all sorts of things to my hormones.
“Fantastic would be you staying in bed with me,” he said.
“I can’t.”
“I know.” He slapped my rear lightly. “Go have your shower. I’ll handle breakfast.”
I went. After showering and dressing in record time—which made twice in twenty-four hours I’d achieved this miracle—I had a quick cup of coffee and some toast, shared a more leisurely kiss good-bye with Kellen, then headed down to my borrowed car.
I got there only a few minutes over my half-hour deadline. But by the time I parked, went through all the scans and security checks and then headed down to sublevel three and the old conference room that had become the daytime division’s temporary headquarters, another ten minutes had slipped by. Jack swung around as I entered, green eyes as stormy as I’d ever seen them. Yep, the shit had hit the fan somewhere along the line last night. Hell, being late was pretty much a common occurrence where I was concerned. It had never bothered him before and I doubt it was the cause of his anger now.
Even so, I opened my mouth to apologize, but didn’t even get a chance to say the words before he was in my face and roaring.
“What the hell were you doing last night?”
“Having some of the best sex of my life.” I paused a beat, then added dryly, “You obviously
weren’t
.”
There was a muffled snort from behind us. Rhoan. I didn’t react, just met Jack’s bloodshot, green-eyed stare with a calm I certainly wasn’t feeling. I hadn’t seen him in full rant mode often, but I
had
seen him. And if there was one thing I’d learned after nearly eight years of being a liaison and his personal assistant, it was that it was better to use humor to diffuse the situation than to fire back. Which is what my instincts were clamoring to do.