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Authors: Lora Leigh
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to be. The wolf normally took his duties a bit more seriously. He was supposed to frighten, not tease.
“I’m not going back there.” She strained against the tugging animal. “Now let me go.”
The shirt ripped, but Lobo wasn’t about to be deterred. He grabbed at her pants leg instead and pulled back sharply, sending her to the ground, flat on that pretty ass. Luc expected her to be up, fighting, raging; instead, he watched as she merely sighed wearily.
“Dammit. I’m going to kill Maria,” he heard her mutter. “I swear to God, first chance I get, I’m killing her.”
There was a deep sigh of resignation before she laid her head on her upraised knees. She was breathing roughly as Lobo watched her with canine curiosity before turning back to Luc for guidance.
Luc watched her curiously. She had to be aware he was there, but her whispered words still bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He knew Maria was slick, she had to have been to sweet talk her way out of so much trouble over the years. The reports he had seen on her various court appearances were astounding. She could sway a judge better than the most accomplished defense lawyer. She had walked away more than once with a slap on her wrist and a firm lecture rather than the jail time she should have received.
He couldn’t blame the judges or the prosecutors too much, though, because right now, he wanted to believe every excuse out of her mouth. And the thought of that didn’t set well with him at all.
Mason meowed plaintively from within what appeared to be a pillowcase converted into some type of sling.
“Be quiet, Mason,” she mumbled. “If I let you go you’ll become dog food. Is that what you really want?”
She was quiet now. As though she knew it wasn’t going to do her any good to fight any longer. Conserving her strength, he thought in amusement. As aroused as he was right now, it might be the sensible course for her. He was so damned hard that if he did manage to get her into a bed, it would be a long time before she got out of it.
Shaking his head, Luc walked toward her, staring down at the mass of red-gold curls that had been tied back behind her neck, revealing the perfection of her pale profile. He hesitated in touching her. Rather, he stopped inches from her feet and stared down at her with what he hoped was a forbidding expression. It wouldn’t do for her to see how easily he was softening toward her. Or how much he desired her. She was becoming a hunger. A need. In little more than a few days she had set his senses on fire, and despite the confusion, he found he had little resistance against it.
“Are you ready to go back yet?” he asked her sternly, pressing his lips together tightly to still the grin that would have edged them.
“Not really.” Anger laced her tone as she kept her face buried at her knees.
She had to be exhausted. Despite her best attempts to appear as though she wasn’t cleaning the house, several of the rooms damned near sparkled. He couldn’t understand it. When he first set out the wealth of cleaning supplies he had bought her she had lifted her lip in contempt. But with each room he dragged her to, the improvement had been almost immediate.
Luc bent his knees, lowering himself until he could stare into her eyes whenever she deigned to look up. She kept herself still, refusing to raise her head.
“You proclaimed your innocence almost convincingly the other day,” he said softly. “Then you do exactly what I would have expected of Maria. Only a guilty child runs from her punishment, Catarina. Not an innocent woman.”
“Oh God, the world has gone insane!” Her laughter was edged with disbelief as she shifted the cat to her side and sprawled out on her back, staring up at the black velvet, star-studded sky. “Did he even hear what he said?” she seemed to demand of the heavens. “A crazy man has kidnapped me. Have mercy, please,” she prayed with exaggerated patience before staring
“I’m not going back there.” She strained against the tugging animal. “Now let me go.”
The shirt ripped, but Lobo wasn’t about to be deterred. He grabbed at her pants leg instead and pulled back sharply, sending her to the ground, flat on that pretty ass. Luc expected her to be up, fighting, raging; instead, he watched as she merely sighed wearily.
“Dammit. I’m going to kill Maria,” he heard her mutter. “I swear to God, first chance I get, I’m killing her.”
There was a deep sigh of resignation before she laid her head on her upraised knees. She was breathing roughly as Lobo watched her with canine curiosity before turning back to Luc for guidance.
Luc watched her curiously. She had to be aware he was there, but her whispered words still bothered him more than he wanted to admit. He knew Maria was slick, she had to have been to sweet talk her way out of so much trouble over the years. The reports he had seen on her various court appearances were astounding. She could sway a judge better than the most accomplished defense lawyer. She had walked away more than once with a slap on her wrist and a firm lecture rather than the jail time she should have received.
He couldn’t blame the judges or the prosecutors too much, though, because right now, he wanted to believe every excuse out of her mouth. And the thought of that didn’t set well with him at all.
Mason meowed plaintively from within what appeared to be a pillowcase converted into some type of sling.
“Be quiet, Mason,” she mumbled. “If I let you go you’ll become dog food. Is that what you really want?”
She was quiet now. As though she knew it wasn’t going to do her any good to fight any longer. Conserving her strength, he thought in amusement. As aroused as he was right now, it might be the sensible course for her. He was so damned hard that if he did manage to get her into a bed, it would be a long time before she got out of it.
Shaking his head, Luc walked toward her, staring down at the mass of red-gold curls that had been tied back behind her neck, revealing the perfection of her pale profile. He hesitated in touching her. Rather, he stopped inches from her feet and stared down at her with what he hoped was a forbidding expression. It wouldn’t do for her to see how easily he was softening toward her. Or how much he desired her. She was becoming a hunger. A need. In little more than a few days she had set his senses on fire, and despite the confusion, he found he had little resistance against it.
“Are you ready to go back yet?” he asked her sternly, pressing his lips together tightly to still the grin that would have edged them.
“Not really.” Anger laced her tone as she kept her face buried at her knees.
She had to be exhausted. Despite her best attempts to appear as though she wasn’t cleaning the house, several of the rooms damned near sparkled. He couldn’t understand it. When he first set out the wealth of cleaning supplies he had bought her she had lifted her lip in contempt. But with each room he dragged her to, the improvement had been almost immediate.
Luc bent his knees, lowering himself until he could stare into her eyes whenever she deigned to look up. She kept herself still, refusing to raise her head.
“You proclaimed your innocence almost convincingly the other day,” he said softly. “Then you do exactly what I would have expected of Maria. Only a guilty child runs from her punishment, Catarina. Not an innocent woman.”
“Oh God, the world has gone insane!” Her laughter was edged with disbelief as she shifted the cat to her side and sprawled out on her back, staring up at the black velvet, star-studded sky. “Did he even hear what he said?” she seemed to demand of the heavens. “A crazy man has kidnapped me. Have mercy, please,” she prayed with exaggerated patience before staring
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