I smiled up at him before I could stop myself. “Love it.”
“You want to drive?”
His kindness unnerved me, and seeing a playful gleam in his eyes left me struggling to keep my balance on uneven ground. “You’re sure you’re okay with me driving it?”
“Of course. You’re a cop.” He shrugged and dropped the key ring into my hand. “You understand the importance of the speed limit.”
I raised a brow, and chuckled in spite of myself. “This car is over the speed limit when it’s in park.”
“I like the way you think.” His fingers caught my elbow and glided down my arm. Every feather-light caress from his large hand made me hungry for more of his attention.
I clenched my jaw, fighting to stop thinking about being in his arms again. If could trust myself to keep these urges on a purely physical level, it wouldn’t be a problem. Big if.
He had to have an endgame, but I couldn’t figure out his angle. Why was he being so nice after all I’d done? What was in it for him?
When we got to the car, I popped the locks. “Last chance. You’re really going to let me drive?”
He made his way to the passenger side. “You better fire up the engine before I change my mind.”
I sank into the driver’s seat and gripped the wheel while I investigated the gauges. Once I had the mirrors and the seat adjusted, I slid the key in the ignition and turned it. The engine roared to life.
Glancing over at my very well-built passenger, I grinned. “Your car rocks.”
His green eyes sparkled with fire. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” He opened the moon roof. “Wait until you hit the freeway.”
I merged onto Interstate 5 and made my way to the carpool lane before easing the pedal down even further. The Lotus sprang to life, eager to please. Within ten seconds, the speedometer needle was hovering over 95 miles per hour. The wind pulled at my hair until it danced around my face and up through the moon roof. The growl of the engine ran up my arms through the steering wheel until my stomach tightened in a good way.
Adrenaline coursed through my veins, raising my already heightened senses like a drug. I spared a quick glance over at my passenger to see if he was ready to take the keys away from me, but instead of being concerned, he seemed like he was enjoying it.
“Handles great, doesn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yeah, no high-speed death wobble when we hit ninety.”
“Too bad there are so many cars here. When I drove across the Mojave from Vegas it was deserted, so I took it up to 120. What a rush.”
A large shopping mall was coming up on our right, so I grudgingly made my way across the slower lanes of traffic. By the time we pulled into the mall, I was elated and unable to hold back my smile.
“Thank you for letting me drive your car.” I handed the keys back to him.
“You’re welcome.” He took them with a sparkle in his eyes. “I’ve never let anyone else drive it before.”
My eyebrows raised in shock. “And you trusted it to me?”
“We’re on the same team now, remember?”
But were we really? Or was he just waiting for me to drop my guard? As I got out of the car, my fingertips brushed along my collarbone, over the scar from Sebastian’s bite.
That was where trust got me.
The wolf hit the button to lock the car and took my hand. I already enjoyed his touch way too much. As our fingers entwined, I did my best to ignore my desire and focus my senses on searching for my stalker while also trying to look like a distracted couple.
It would be much easier if the wolf wasn’t so close to me. His scent, the way he touched me, the sight of his smile, they were all impossible to ignore. Raising my chin up a notch, I dug deep into my cover. We were a couple out for dinner and a shopping trip. I could do this.
While we walked through the mall, I remained on alert, ready to go after my stalker if he appeared. The wolf seemed to understand that our tail would have heightened hearing because he didn’t bring up Nero or the guy following us. It was nice knowing he had a brain to accompany the brawn he hid underneath his button-down business shirt. We ducked into a department store, and he bought a few changes of clothes before we wandered out to find some food.
Still no sign of the guy who had pilfered through my car.
The wolf led me toward an Outback Steakhouse at the end of the mall. “How does steak sound?”
“Sounds great to me.”
We walked inside and were quickly seated. After we placed our orders, he sat across from me, staring like he was memorizing my face.
“What is it with you?” I tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear.
“Nothing.” He shrugged, but didn’t break eye contact. “Do your parents know you sent your sister…away?”
I pressed my lips together, fighting the urge to confess my whole life story. Why did this man…no… I had to remember he wasn’t just a man. He was a werewolf—deadly—and he had every reason to want revenge. But instead he was asking about my family and letting me drive his Lotus. It didn’t add up. Some strings had to be attached somewhere.
Finally I sipped my drink and met his eyes. “I don’t know why you haven’t tried to kill me yet.”
“So you’re not going to answer my question?”
I shook my head. “Not until I understand why you haven’t tried to get even with me.”
He rested his arms on the table and leaned in closer to me, his intense gaze making my stomach tingle. “Believe me, I’ve asked myself why I can’t kill you many times.”
I wet my lips. “And what was your answer?”
He took my right hand, the same fingers that shot him with a Taser and then a bullet, and ran his thumb along my knuckles. For some reason it felt intimate.
“My answer? The sound of your voice makes the chaos around me vanish. The smell of your hair calms my soul. The sight of your smile tames the wolf inside of me, and touching your skin…” He glanced at our joined hands. “Touching your skin makes the broken parts of me whole.”
My throat tightened as I gently pulled my hand free of his. I wanted to bring back the angry wolf. I was comfortable with his snide remarks and verbal jabs. His honesty and kindness left me defenseless.
Sebastian had wooed me with poetry and false promises, I reminded myself. “Pretty words are what got me into this mess.”
He leaned back against the booth on his side of the table. “You think I’m just spouting off words to impress you?”
“How could you feel any of those things for a woman who nearly killed you?”
“Believe me, if I could turn off these feelings I would. In a heartbeat.” His jaw clenched and his eyes narrowed. “You have got to be the most impossible woman I’ve ever met.”
And we were right back into my comfort zone.
But for some reason it didn’t make me feel any better.
We ate our steaks in silence. I kept my attention on the meat and did my best not to sneak glances at him while I tried to convince myself that it was better this way. Once we got the werewolf who was tracking me, I’d find out if he’d told Severino about Nadya and plan accordingly. She wouldn’t be a fan of taking on a new identity, but there might not be another way around it. If my tracker told Nero about my sister, I’d have to hide her. Permanently.
Then I’d be back on my own searching for dirt on Nero to free myself.
I didn’t have room in my life for a “partner,” let alone a wolf.
He picked up the bill and we headed out to his car. We didn’t hold hands this time. He didn’t even try. It shouldn’t have bothered me.
Get a grip, Sasha.
As I followed him to the car I caught my stalker’s scent. I had my Glock drawn and ready just as quickly as the wolf crouched down between the cars. He was on the move before I could stop him. Shit.