Then he opened his eyes, and for one brief moment our gazes locked. And deep beneath the hunger in his golden eyes, deep beneath the heat that made them glow like fire, there was both anger and determination. And a need just as intense.
Heaven only knows what he saw in my eyes.
He grabbed my arms and thrust them above my head, holding them secure in one large hand while he lifted my butt with the other. Then he rammed himself into me, and it felt so good I slammed my head back against the wall and howled.
This was no gentle mating. His movements were hard, rough, his body pummeling mine, hitting the right spot again and again, until I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, could only feel. And oh god, it felt good. I came, hard, a scream of pleasure tearing itself from my throat and sounding suspiciously like his name.
He came just as hard, his body jerking as his seed shot into me, his face twisting as if in agony.
Then it was over, and the pleasure began to fade, until there was nothing left but sweat, the battle for breath, and the horrid realization that no matter what excuses I'd given myself, I'd come here for this.
I might blame the wolf, but the wolf, like the vampire, wasn't the sum of me.
And if there were two parts of me at war, then it wasn't the wolf and the vampire, but rather heart and soul.
Right now, locked in this man's embrace, I wasn't sure which part of me would win.
Or which part I wanted to win.
And that was a scary thought.
"Well," he said, amusement briefly touching the corners of his eyes as he tucked a stray strand of sweaty hair back behind my right ear. "That certainly gave the neighbors something to talk about."
I glanced across the darkened street, and saw that we did indeed have watchers. Normally I wouldn't mind, but for some weird reason, this time I did.
Maybe part of me was ashamed of my actions.
I pressed my hands between us and pushed him away. He resisted for a moment, then smiled and stepped back.
"Why are you here?" He turned around as he spoke, stepped over our clothes and walked naked down the hall.
My gaze drifted to his butt, then I shook my head, grabbed my clothes and followed. "Do you still have your bugs in at Dante's?"
All the doors were open, but aside from a bed in one of the rooms, the house was practically empty. There wasn't any form of security equipment that I could see.
"Yes, but it's not set up here. Why?" He pushed open a door and walked in. I followed, my gaze sweeping the small basic kitchen before coming back to Kye, drifting down the muscular V of his back before coming to rest on his well toned butt. I clenched my fists against the sudden need to touch him.
"Because a suspect I was following went into Dante's, and I'd prefer not to go in after him."
He paused in the middle of making coffee and looked over his shoulder. "Why are you reluctant to go into Dante's? You're many things, Riley, but a coward isn't one of them."
I crossed my arms and leaned a hip against the counter. "I don't like Starke."
He raised an eyebrow. "I would have thought not liking someone was something of a career hazard for guardians."
"And I make it a habit of avoiding the ones I dislike if there are other options available."
He returned to his coffee making. "So that little dance out in the foyer was a way of softening me up?"
"No, that was out-of-control need. I'll do my best not to let it happen again."
He laughed—a sound so cold and harsh that a chill ran down my spine. "We are destined to be one, whether we like it or not."
And he didn't like it. Not one little bit. At least we had that in common. "If you're so intent on fighting this, why keep insisting that I come to you?"
He looked over his shoulder, his locking on mine. There was something very chilling in those warm amber depths. "Because to control it, I have to face it. So here I am—and here I will stay—until I have a leash on this. On us."
Oh god, oh god… I didn't have the strength to keep on fighting this. I couldn't. Not when I hungered so. "The bonds that bind us only grow stronger the more we are together. It would be better if you simply left—"
His hand crashed down on the counter top, the force so great he cracked the stone. "I will not retreat from this. I will control it."
All I could do was stare at him. This man really was crazy.
After a moment, he turned around and offered me a coffee cup. The explosion of anger might have gone, but the embers of it still burned in his eyes.
I clasped the cup and took a sip. The rich scent of hazelnut teased my nostrils, and that only succeeded in increasing the turmoil.
"I have several jobs at the moment, so it gives me time to concentrate on this." His gaze came to mine again and the sensible part of me trembled. Not in fear of the man, but in fear of what I saw there. This wolf might want to control both the situation and me, but he had no intention of actually letting go. "And while I am here, I will have what is mine."
"I will never be yours, Kye."
"If I reach for you now, you would be mine for the taking. We both know it, Riley."
He was right. As much as I might want to deny it, as might as I might fight it, he had my body and he had my soul. But he did not have my heart. That I would protect against his assault with my life itself.
I sipped my coffee and said nothing. After several minutes, he smiled. It was a twisted, bitter thing. "What time did your suspect enter Dante's?"
I glanced at my watch. "Twenty three minutes ago."
His gaze narrowed a little. "Was he a dark haired man with a hunched demeanor who walked like a predator?"
"Yes." I hesitated. "I thought you said your surveillance equipment wasn't here."
"It isn't. That doesn't mean I can't access it from here. Phones can do amazing things these days."
I guess they could. "What made you notice him?"
"The mere fact he didn't look like the usual type of customer Dante pulled in."
"So you can supply me with a photo of him from your system?"
"I can do more than that. I'll pull up his information." He paused, considering me. "But if you want it, there is a cost."
I snorted softly. "Like I was expecting you to give me something out of the goodness of your heart."
His grin was fierce. "I have no heart. You'd do well to remember that."
"Oh, trust me, I do." I shoved the coffee on the counter top and crossed my arms. "What's your price? Another fuck?"
God, the mere thought had me trembling in anticipation.
Fate needed to be shot.
"Yes and no." His voice was flat, and yet there was an odd hint of amusement teasing his mouth. It made me want to kiss him again, and I hated that. Hated myself for wanting it. "I want you to stay with me."
"What?" I stared at him for a moment. "Why?"
He shrugged. "Maybe because it's the last thing you actually want. Or maybe because I want your vampire to understand just what it's like to know that his mate is in the arms and the bed of another."
He was a bastard. A bastard.
Although that wasn't exactly a new revelation.
"I'm not spending the night with you."
"Then you don't get your information and you risk more people dying."
"Maybe I'll just call the Directorate and confiscate your entire system."
"And maybe I'll just call the man following your brother's mate and give him the go ahead for a little target practice."
Anger and fear surged in equal amounts and I lashed out. Though I moved with vampire speed, he moved almost as fast, and the blow barely even brushed his chin. Even so, there was enough strength behind it to send him sprawling backwards.