The real me would never kill an unarmed man.
I’d made sure he couldn’t chase me and shot his ankle instead.
And I’d never felt worse.
A couple of ThunderCats crowded into the elevator, and we enjoyed a few floors of awkward silence until we could step out. We didn’t speak until we were safely inside my room.
“Thank you for helping my sister. You had every reason to say no.” I swallowed what little bravado I had left and gave honesty a shot. “I can’t let her get involved in this. She’s all I have.”
I stared into his eyes, my stomach tying in knots. The last man I trusted had lied to me, killed a man under my protection, and bitten me. With all I’d seen on the force, the dark underbelly of humanity, I’d set aside my cynical views on love and opened my heart anyway.
And it ruined my life. Now my sister’s life was in jeopardy, too. A rough lesson that love without honesty wasn’t love at all.
Aren was different, willing to die for the ones he loved—I’d witnessed it firsthand. But my record in good judgment when it came to men was tarnished. I’d been fooled once, and I would never let it happen again.
Since then I kept all my relationships physical. My heart remained safely stowed away where it couldn’t get me into any more trouble. Nero actually encouraged promiscuity. Sexually transmitted diseases were an anomaly for jaguar shifters. Something about our DNA kept infections and viruses away, and unplanned pregnancies were seen as a bonus to the organization.
I’d had a couple of flings while inside Nero’s walls, but it ended when I realized the doctors were monitoring my cycle. Infertility lowered my value considerably. Luckily my marksmanship kept my stock high enough to stay alive, so that’s where my focus needed to be.
Discovering there wouldn’t be any children in my future was unexpected but not devastating. I’d raised my sister from the time she was in elementary school, leaving me more a mother than an older sister already.
And I wanted her to remain untouched by the Nero machine. I’d give my life to keep them from her.
“We’ll keep her safe.” That quiet courage shone in his eyes again, battering my emotional walls. He opened his arms and wrapped me inside his embrace.
Although my mind screamed for me to pull away and keep my distance, my arms moved around him. For the first time in months, I wasn’t alone.
“Why are you helping me after all I’ve done?”
He drew back just a little and tilted my chin up. I drank in his crooked smile. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he whispered.
I stared into his eyes, watching his smile gradually fade away. His fingers slid along my chin and back into my hair. My lips parted, and my breath caught in my throat as his gaze wandered over my features like I was the only thing in the world that mattered to him.
Finally he kissed me.
Chapter Nine
Aren
The wolf inside me howled as her body molded close to mine. Her lips were soft but not fragile. She was cautious but not resistant as she returned my kiss, allowing me to taste her. This was my mate, and I wanted more. I held her tighter, closer. God I couldn’t get close enough to this woman. Our tongues explored with an unspoken hunger, passion, need.
She spread her fingers wide against my chest, sliding her hand up until her fingertips brushed the skin along the base of my neck. The heat of her touch scorched my skin. My pulse pounded and with my hips pressed against hers, there was no hiding how much I wanted her.
And I didn’t care. She was my mate. Mine.
I claimed her lips over and over again, savoring the warmth of her mouth. She moaned into the kiss, and my gut tightened. I’d never wanted anyone like this before. Passion burned hot through my entire body as I crushed her against my chest, wishing we didn’t have clothes between us. My hand slid up her back, brushing over the bulge of her gun.
Reality slammed into me, and without any warning, Sasha broke the kiss and stepped back.
I raked my fingers through my hair, watching her, waiting. If she expected me to apologize she was going to be sorely disappointed.
I’d never be sorry for kissing her.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and shook her head while she stared down at her shoes. Finally she flipped her silky hair back and met my eyes, her lips still swollen from the hungry kiss we’d shared. Her mouth drove me crazy. I wanted to kiss her all over again.
I wanted to do more than kiss her.
“So if you’re here in Los Angeles, who is picking up my sister in Reno?”
Her radical change in subject made my head spin for a second.
“Jason, one of my Pack mates.” I pressed my lips together and struggled to rein in the lust burning a hole in me. With my hand in my pocket, I shifted my raging erection inside of my jeans as nonchalantly as I could. I felt like I was in high school again. “He’s a doctor. Adam told him she’s a nanny who’s going to help Lana with the babies for a while.”
“Would the Pack hurt her if they found out she was my sister?”
I wanted to deny it, but I also didn’t want to lie. “I don’t think so. Adam figured she won’t be with them long, and the fewer people that know who she really is, the easier it’ll be to hide her.”
“Good.” She nodded, lacing her fingers together. “That’s good.”
I watched her, wondering if I was the only one who felt the incredible chemistry in that kiss. Then I reminded myself this was the same woman who shot me, and she was still armed. I was probably lucky to get away uninjured. That thought sobered me up.
But it didn’t stop me from thinking about the way her body felt pressed against mine.
I cleared my throat, wishing I could clear my head. “Any idea where this guy is?”
Sasha shrugged. “Probably Massachusetts. He found out my sister lives there.”
“When he comes up empty back east, he’ll come back out here looking for you. You’re his only lead, right? And when he does, we need to flush him out into the open.” I sat down at the desk and grabbed the hotel notepad and a pen. I glanced back over my shoulder. “I’m better if I have a list. What do you know about him so far?”
She walked over and stood behind me, intoxicating me with her scent. I fought the urge to swivel the chair around and pull her into my lap.
“His scent is definitely werewolf. He’s got my cell phone number and used it to send me a creepy text.” She hesitated for a second. “Last night he also took my underwear out of my backpack while I shifted. There’s a good chance he’s got other plans aside from anything Nero is paying for.”
Rage shot through me before I could rein it in, and the pen busted in my hand. Usually I was a master at controlling my emotions, but the thought of some other wolf lusting after Sasha kicked my territorial animal instincts up a few notches.
My voice was low, guttural. “He did what?”
Sasha walked toward the window. “My underwear was missing from my bag. He either wanted to scare me, or he gets off on imagining what he’ll do when he catches me. Either way, he’s not all business.”
Oh, I wanted to give him some business he’d never forget.
I got up, managing to control myself just enough to keep from shoving the chair across the room. “That last informant I took out in Vegas—”
“The one who stabbed you?”
“Yeah. He told Nero you didn’t die in Tahoe that night. I think he got your Vegas location to them before I…”
I didn’t finish. She already knew what I’d done.
“This new guy could be a bounty hunter they hired to bring me back.” She hesitated for a second and added, “Or an assassin.”