She had a suspicion, however, that a decent cup of coffee, something to eat, and a good hour or so of loving might take away the rest of the ache.
The storm raged, making conversation almost impossible as they drove back to the cabin. Not that she minded.
There was a certain intimacy in sitting here, cocooned in warmth, the sound of rain pounding on the car's roof mingling with the swish of wipers. And Ethan caressing her thigh as he drove, warming her more thoroughly than any car heater ever could.
She was almost disappointed when the car slowed and he moved his hand to change gears. She opened her eyes to discover they were back at the cabins.
"If those lights are anything to go by, you're grandmother's still awake," he said. "You want to go in and give her an update?"
"We'd better." If they didn't, she'd just come in to see them. "Besides, she might have heard from Seline while we were out."
They got out of the car and raced for the door. Gwen opened it as they neared, and heat and warmth rushed out at them.
"Lit the fire in your cabin, too," she said. "Thought you might appreciate it."
"Thanks." Kat took off the two jackets and hung them over the chair to dry. "You heard anything from Seline yet?"
"They found some text that looks promising. She hopes to have it transcribed by morning." Gwen's gaze narrowed slightly. "I'm gathering the Mara got away again?"
Kat nodded and held out her hands to the fire. "With the kid, unfortunately. The farmer's son took me out before I had a chance to follow it."
Gwen looked at Ethan. "And you had no chance of following it?"
He shook his head. "I couldn't even smell it, let alone see it."
"So the Mara is invisible even when it's holding the kid?"
Kat turned and warmed her rear-end. "The kid was invisible, too. I didn't feel any sort of psychic shield, so it has to be some form of magic."
"Psychic shield?" Ethan asked as he stripped off his wet shirt.
Kat tried not to stare at all the lean muscle on show, then gave it up when she realized her grandmother was openly enjoying the view, and Ethan didn't seem to care.
"Many vampires have the ability to touch your mind and make you think they disappear into shadow," she said.
"But the reality is, your brain simply stops seeing them."
"So is this Mara some form of vampire, or a spirit?"
"It could be both." Gwen disappeared into the bathroom and came back with towels she tossed to both of them.
"So, we — or you — try to hunt down this thing in the morning."
Kat nodded. "We'll start with that cabin Ethan found. The zombies have to be guarding something."
"It could just be a trap," Ethan said.
"The only way to know if it's a trap is to spring it."
Gwen's voice was grim. "You two had better go get something to eat, then grab some sleep. I've got a feeling it's going to be a long day tomorrow."
But hopefully, in the end, a more successful one than today, Kat thought. "Have you eaten?"
"Yep. I'll stay here and work on zombie deterrents." She hesitated, her eyes twinkling mischievously as she added, "With the all the noise of the storm and such, I'm not going to be getting much sleep anyway, am I?"
"I guess not," Kat said blandly. She could feel Ethan's gaze on her. Feel his sudden amusement. "Just make sure you set the warding stones again."
"I have. Stop fussing and go get warm."
Kat walked into the other cabin and discovered two meals of steak and fries waiting for them in the fridge.
And the coffee machine on and ready. She zapped the meals in the microwave and poured two cups of coffee as Ethan squatted near the old record player.
"What do you prefer?" he said. "Elvis Presley or Frank Sinatra?"
"There isn't anything more modern?"
"It's them or jazz, and personally I'm not a big fan of jazz."
Neither was she, though Gwen was, so she'd certainly heard enough of it over the years. "What Elvis albums we got?"
"Compilations. Ballads, mainly."
"That'll do." Right now, Frank singing I did it my way was not what she needed. Especially since the man she was with had every intention of doing just that and to hell with what might be happening between them. The microwave beeped. She gathered the ketchup and cutlery and put everything on the table. "Dinner's ready."
"Nothing like soggy fries after midnight," he said, smiling ruefully as he sat down opposite her.
"I didn't think cops where overly fussy about when and what they ate." She picked up her coffee, savouring its bittersweet taste.
"We're not, which is why most of us develop ulcers later in life."
"I would think job stress would have something to do with that."
He shrugged. "It doesn't help."
She covered her fries in ketchup, picked up her knife and dug in. "Did you always want to be a cop?"
"Not especially."
"So why did you become one?"
"Had to do something once I left home."
She studied him for a minute, noting his closed expression, and said, "You don't want to speak about the past?"
His gaze met hers. Pain briefly lit the nut-brown depths.
"Not especially."
"Why not?"
"Because it doesn't matter anymore."
"It matters to me." Because she needed to know, needed to understand, what was going on in his head, if not his heart.
"Then it shouldn't." His gaze hardened a little, became more wolf than man. "Don't look for what isn't there.
Don't expect me to give anything more than what I already have."
"I know, I know, it's just sex for you." And she didn't believe it any more now than she had originally. She pushed away her half finished steak. "So, what are you waiting for? Let's get down to it."
He studied her for a minute, then sighed and looked away. "Don't do that."
"Why not?" She rose and stripped, throwing her clothes in a pile beside the table. The warm air caressed her skin, but it was the hunger suddenly visible in his eyes that made her hot. "This is what you want, isn't it? A willing partner? Sex when you need it?"
His gaze skimmed her then leapt away. His need intensified, burning the air. "Don't push, Kat. Not like this."
Pushing him sexually was exactly what she had to do. He needed to see there was a difference between what he wanted and what they actually had. Even if he never admitted there was a difference, even if he still walked away when this case was over, she needed to do this.
"Why not?" She walked around the table and stood in front of him. "You want sex. I want sex. What's the problem?"
His mouth was a slash of anger, his body tense. But his eyes glowed, and the scent of his desire was so strong she could smell it. The wolf was very close to gaining control.
While she suspected that might not be pleasant, she trusted him not to hurt her.
Desperation glinted briefly in his eyes, only to drown in the hunger. "I will not — " She snagged him with kinetic energy and dragged him to his feet. Then she pressed herself close and kissed him.
With a growl deep in his throat, he wrapped a hand around the back of her neck and held her still and hard against him. He tasted her deeply, thoroughly, and she fought the need to return it in kind. If he wanted nothing but sex, she was going to make damn sure that was all he got.
His touch became demanding, almost forceful. She quivered, fighting the sensations coursing through her, fighting to remain passive. He clasped her rear, pressing her closer still, so that all she could feel was the hammering of his heart and the pulsing heat of his erection.
A heat she ached to feel deep inside.
He kicked aside the chair and pushed her back against the wall. Pinning her with his weight, he rubbed his hardness against her. It felt so good she had to bite back a groan.