Poor Marvin.
A classic bloodphobic vamp.
But the guy was making some incredible headway. At least he wasn’t afraid of the actual blood anymore.
No, now he could drink the blood just fine, provided he didn’t have to get it straight from a source.
As she walked, Emily clutched her keys tightly in her right hand. The garage was all but deserted, the fluorescent lights flickering above her. Her car waited up ahead, maybe fifteen feet away, and—
Someone else was in the garage.
The certainty came to her on an icy wave of knowledge as Emily’s psychic gift flared to life.
Hell. Who was—
She spotted the Jeep then. Parked behind one of the large columns. Nearly hidden from prying eyes. The perfect place to wait for unsuspecting prey.
Her shoulders slumped in relief when the driver’s side door opened. Of course. She should have known he would be there. When she worked late, he usually showed up, even if he was working on a case.
“Colin.” He stepped toward her, and for a moment, the glow of the shifter caught her stare. All shifters carried that glow, and as far as she knew, she was the only person on earth able to actually see it. The glow was a soft shine, kind of like a second skin. It was the beast glowing.
He opened his arms to her, man and beast, and she went to him without a second’s hesitation. He pulled her tight against the hard length of his body. Held her close against his heart. Just the way she liked for him to hold her.
“I thought you were going to start walking down with one of the security guards,” he growled, lowering his face to the curve of her neck and biting lightly.
Same old argument. “I can take care of myself, you know.” She was far from helpless. The guy should’ve realized that by now.
His head lifted. His blue gaze met hers. “Just do it for me, okay? For my sanity, will you promise to only come in the garage this late if you’ve got a guard?”
Emily gave a grudging nod. She didn’t like having to wait on security, but she would—for Colin. Hell, she would’ve waited that night, but she’d been in such a hurry to get home and see…him. “If I get the guards to escort me, does that mean you’ll stop stalking the garage?”
He didn’t answer. Just kissed her. A hard, deep kiss that had her moaning and wishing they were far away from the cold garage and instead in a warm, comfortable bed.
Her fingers curled over his shoulders, and when he broke the kiss, she was the one who almost howled in frustration.
“I need you to come with me to the station,” he said, voice soft.
Her eyes widened. “Wh-what?” Not the sensual night plans she’d been hoping for.
His stare was solemn. “I think we may need you on another case, baby.”
At his words, and at the darkness she saw lurking in his gaze, her sexy excitement began to fade.
“The place is deserted now. McNeal asked me to bring you in, see if you could look at the files.”
Her fingers clenched around the strong muscles of his arms. “Just what do you think we’re dealing with here?”
His hands smoothed down her back. There was tension in his touch and in his face. In the faint lines around his eyes and the tightness around his mouth. “A being that can kill a man with a touch.” A hard exhalation of air. “Know anyone like that, doc?”
Yes, unfortunately, she did. The cold from the garage crept through her bones, settled in her heart.
Cara.
Todd followed Cara back to her place. She waited for him on the steps of her house, anticipation building in her and making her heart drum far too fast.
When he joined her, lust had hardened his face.
She kissed him. Because she needed to. Her tongue snaked into his mouth, teased his. Pleasured.
Oh, but the night ahead was going to be so good. Because she was finally going to be bad.
She broke the kiss, gazed up at him. “No regrets, Detective?” There was still time to call it off, if that was what he wanted.
“Not a damn one.” He grabbed the keys from her hand, managed to unlock the door, then all but dragged her inside.
She’d always loved a strong man.
His mouth was back on hers before the door slammed shut behind them. Tasting. Devouring.
Cara had known it would be like this between them from that very first moment. She’d sensed it from the first look, and she was tired of fighting a hunger that just grew every minute.
The Monster Doctor had been right when she told her, weeks ago, that some instincts shouldn’t, couldn’t, be suppressed.
It was time for more pleasure.
Her fingers found the front of his shirt. Jerked. Buttons popped off and flew and she growled into his kiss.
His head rose, a hard smile curving his lips. “So that’s the way you want to play?”
Then his hands were on her. Not her shirt. On the fabric of her skirt. He shoved the soft cotton up, and then his hand was on her thigh. Fingers stroking.
Her chin lifted and her breath panted out a bit faster. Higher. Just a few more inches, and he’d touch her just where she wanted him to—
His fingers trailed over the crotch of her black lace panties. He licked his lips. “You’re wet.”
Because she was so turned on that her body was about to explode. The sexual tension between them was so thick she could see it in the air and the powerful rush from that need was driving her wild.
So much wonderful energy.
His fingers curled around her underwear. Gripped. Yanked.
The fabric gave way with a soft rustle. Then his hand was on her sex. Parting her folds. Fingers sliding into the creamy warmth.
Her skirt was bunched at her waist. Her high heels pressed hard into the floor. Her breasts, aching, swollen, pushed against the cups of her bra.
And she was about thirty seconds away from her first release with the good detective.
The very good detective.
His thumb caressed the hard button of her need and he drove a finger, broad and long, into her core.
Her lips parted on a moan, but he caught the sound with his mouth, drinking it in and then thrusting his tongue deeply past her lips…just as he thrust his finger into her body.
One finger.
Another.
The man had big hands—long fingers, strong.
So good.
A slow thrust. Withdrawal. The swipe of his thumb against her clit. A thrust, harder, knuckles deep—
The release hit her. A fast, hard pop of pleasure that didn’t satisfy. Oh, no, not even close. It just made her hungrier.
Her sex clenched around his fingers.
Oh, but this was going to be fun.
Cara brought her hands between them. Pushed against his chest.
His lips tore from hers. He gazed down at her, cheeks stained with color, lust on his face. Then he blinked, shook his head. “Cara, you look…different. So fucking beautiful, but—”
Shit.
The sensual energy was literally absorbing into her skin. The faint shine of the magic would be noticeable to him this close.
But not as noticeable if the lights were off.
She broke free of him, hating the loss of those clever fingers. Moving fast, she hit the lights and plunged the room into darkness.
He swore.
Stepping forward, she grabbed his hand. “Come with me.”
A rusty laugh slipped past his lips. “Right now, I think I’d follow you to hell.”
She stumbled at that. Had to choke back her instinctive protest. Finally managed to whisper, “The bedroom will be far enough for me.”