“D,” Logan said louder with a smile.
“Sorry.” Yeah, not really sorry. He grinned back at Logan. “So, what were we talking about?”
Logan laughed at how ridiculous they both were acting. There was no denying that she was captivating. Sensual without being overtly sexual. Maybe the most humorous part of the whole thing was that she was his mate. As she continued licking and sucking her sugary fingers, oblivious to her effect on the males around her, it occurred to him that if Dimitri noticed, so would others. His wolf would not stand for it one bit. Sure, he might eventually share her with his beta but it’d be on his terms. And it would only happen after he’d claimed her, marked her as his own.
Logan sat solemnly at the head of the table in the conference room. When he’d renovated, he’d ensured that his office had an adjoining meeting room. Unlike the other rooms in his home, this room was uber-sleek, modern and secure. Twelve high-backed leather chairs surrounded the boat-shaped mahogany conference table. Trimmed in a black inlay, the well-oiled wooden surface gave off a sheen. A large flat screen monitor hung on the wall behind the captain’s chair. Overhead, a retractable projector extended from the ceiling.
Glancing over to Wynter, he almost regretted bringing her to the meeting. Concentrating on something other than how he wanted to tear off her clothes and get her back in bed was going to be a challenge. Beautiful as always, she’d pulled her wild hair back into a ponytail, exposing her sun-kissed neck and shoulders. The spaghetti-strapped royal blue sundress hugged her breasts and fell just above her knees. A hint of lip gloss shone on her soft lips; the same magic lips that’d been wrapped around his cock earlier this morning. She looked up to him with a small smile as she played nervously with the pen in her hands.
Logan quickly refocused his attention to Dimitri who ushered their fanged guests into the room. His face hardened as he nodded to Léopold who’d brought Étienne and Xavier with him. Zeke and Jake followed, cautiously eyeing the vampires. After everyone was seated, Dimitri sat next to Wynter so that she was safely nestled between him and Logan.
Wynter heart raced at the sight of the vampires. With his typical arrogance, Léopold gave her a broad smile as if he’d known she’d slept with Logan. Her face heated as he took his time undressing her with his eyes. A glance to Logan, whose eyes were flared in anger, told her the gesture was not unnoticed. When Léopold finally stopped looking at her breasts and caught her gaze, he nodded as if to say, ‘nice rack’. She rolled her eyes in disgust. Léopold may have been gorgeous, but he was trouble, big trouble. After that dance, a cautious smile was all she could manage. Shit, this was going to be a long meeting. Why was she here again? Yeah, that pesky virus business.
After reviewing schematics of a small abandoned factory in the Warehouse District, the group agreed on the side entrance. Wynter had tried to tell them that even though she suspected there were other scientists on the premises, the operation was small. It had to be considering the frequent relocation. Regardless, there had to be at least one room for the guards and maybe one for whoever was running the show. But Wynter couldn’t be sure because she’d never left the lab.
Every time they’d prepare for a move, it was on short notice. The guard would tell her to pack her equipment. From flasks to pipettes and test tubes to beakers, everything had its container. Similar to the portable labs being used by students in a university, they hadn’t relied on a sedentary lab. She wasn’t sure how they made quick work of relocating the larger, high priced ticket items like the microscope, incubators and centrifuges. But like clockwork, the next lab would be set up within a day.
After an hour’s deliberation, the team decided to let Léopold go in first. He suspected that someone in his line had created children for the sole purpose of protecting their endeavor. Logan was more than happy to let him deal with his own, but when it came to finding the killer, he wanted first dibs on meting out justice. It was the least he could do for Dana and Wynter.
By the end of the meeting, Logan’s wolf was strung out, not at all happy with the testosterone filled room. His lips formed a tight line, listening to Léopold pontificate about how he planned to kill his children. Digging his fingers into the chair arms, he observed how Étienne stared at Wynter a little too much. At no point did the vampire take notice that the Alpha watched him like a hawk. He wasn’t sure if he sensed a sexual intention or blood lust from him, but he wanted the blonde vampire out of his house.
“Enough,” Logan declared. He rose and placed his palms down onto the table’s smooth surface. “Devereoux, as much as I appreciate you cooperating with Acadian Wolves, I think we’ve covered everything. We’ll meet you there at nine.”
Léopold stood, giving a slight nod to Étienne and Xavier. Dimitri followed suit, intending to accompany them out of the house. As he did, Léopold boldly strode across the room, directly approaching Wynter. Logan growled, pushing in front of her.
The dashing vampire merely chuckled. “Alpha, you’ve found your wolf, no? I won’t harm her.”
“It’s okay, Logan,” Wynter stated calmly, determined to show no fear. She slid around Logan to face Léopold directly. Logan wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her close to him. “Monsieur Devereoux, I appreciate your help with this. They’ll come for me otherwise.”
“Brave fille. No matter what you think, I won’t let them have you…whoever they may be.” He reached for her hand, and Wynter found herself allowing him to take it. Logan visibly tensed as Léopold kissed the back of her wrist, letting it go as quickly as he’d taken it.
“This is important. We mustn’t fail,” she insisted. Wynter brought her palm to her chest, feigning courage.
“A lost battle is a battle one thinks one has lost,” Léopold stated.
“Sorry?” Wynter asked.
“Sartre,” the vampire quoted. “I’m optimistic, given that they haven’t moved.”
“We shall see tonight, won’t we?” Logan commented.
“That we will…that we will,” Léopold repeated, waving a hand in the air as he left the room.
By the time everyone was gone, Logan’s confidence regarding the probability of finding the killer had risen.
“Odd vampire, isn’t he?” Wynter noted.
“That he is. My gut tells me he abides by some code of honor, but don’t ever mistake him for anything but what he is,” Logan warned.
“A monster?”
Logan smiled. “Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster.”
She laughed. “Another quote?”
“Friedrich Nietzsche,” Logan confirmed. He took her hands in his. “We have a few hours before it’s time to leave. I know I should be encouraging you to go relax, take a nap or something sensible like that.”
“Relax, huh? How ‘bout a bubble bath? Or a massage?” She winked and dragged her finger down his chest.
“A bath sounds good to me as long as I’m in there with you.” Logan pulled her flush to him, burying his head in her neck and growled. “You drive me crazy, do you know that? I can’t keep my hands off you.”
Wynter giggled, growing aroused, loving the feel of his warm lips on her skin. She looked over to the table and gave him a sexy smile. “My Alpha,” she began seductively. “You know, I just noticed that this is a really nice table. Sturdy. Long. Hard.”
My Alpha? Logan’s cock thickened at her words. The table isn’t the only hard thing in this room, baby. He glanced to its wooden top then back to her with a smile.
“African mahogany. A friend custom made it for me. You like?”