needed to feel her body against his.
He felt the instant her anger
turn into urgency and deepened the kiss. A soft moan escaped her lips, and he
pressed his body closer to hers.
Frantic, his mouth demanded a
response from hers. He felt her hands go around his back, and he groaned
against her mouth, his tongue plunging deep and his hands gripping her hips
hard.
He lifted his head and, pleased,
found he wasn’t the only one breathing raggedly.
She opened her eyes and stared
into his, and he realized they had lost their icy edge. The crisis, it seemed,
had passed—at least for now.
“You’re making a nasty habit of
that,” she whispered, then nipped his lip lightly.
“We shouldn’t be doing this
here,” he said on a growl.
Grabbing one of her hands, he
started for her front door, his eyes inspecting their surroundings. He looked
to his left and remembered his first encounter with the wolf. The one, he
realized with an inward flinch, he’d never told her about. That wouldn’t go
over too well, he knew, but it wasn’t the time or place for that particular
conversation.
No way he was going to piss her
off again tonight by telling her about it either, but they needed to get
inside. The wolf—shifter—knew where she lived.
Lana’s grip on his hand turned
almost painful. When he looked at her, he found her eyes wide. He hated that
look of fear there, hated that he’d brought it on again. “I know you’re pissed,
and I’m sorry,” he said before she had a chance to say anything. “I should have
told you.”
She waved that off. “I’m not mad
about that again.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Wasn’t it?
“But—it knows where I live?”
His grip tightened around her
hand. “It’s okay. I’ll protect you, Lana. No matter what, I promise,” he said,
his tone edged with steel, trying to make it impossible for her to disbelieve
him. “But we should get inside,” he said as he took the keys from her hand and
unlocked the door. When she didn’t move, he nudged her inside. “If I suggested
you come to my house for the night, are you going to fight with me tooth and
nail over it?”
She chewed on her bottom lip as
she debated his suggestion. Just when he was sure she would say no, she said,
“Do you have Internet access?”
“Yes. I may not be completely
computer literate, but I do occasionally browse the web for fun. I even have an
email address,” he replied.
She chuckled. “That’s something
at least,” she said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “I have to be able to
work. I promised a client their website would be up and running within the
week.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Yes.” She walked over to her
computer desk. “Where were you born, Cole?” she asked as she unplugged her
laptop and slid it into the case. “Your accent isn’t that strong, but I can
hear the southern in it occasionally.”
“Really? Most people don’t pick
up on it,” he said with a shrug. “I was born and raised in Georgia. We lived there until I was eight, and then my folks decided they wanted to give California a shot.”
“What’s it like in Georgia? I was born and raised in Sunbay. I’ve been out of state a few times, but I’ve
never made it that far east.”
“Lana,” he said, his tone quiet.
Her shoulders dropped. “Yes?”
“I know you’re not that curious
about where I’m from and what it’s like.”
Her hand paused as she slipped
CD’s into her laptop case. She turned to face him. “I am, but you’re right.
There are just too many other things roaming in my mind right now, and I just—I
don’t know where to start, if I even want to start somewhere.”
“You’ve got to start somewhere.”
“What’s it like?”
“What’s what like?” he asked as
he sat on the edge of her couch.
“Being a shapeshifter?”
“It’s….” he paused while he tried
to think of an explanation that would make sense. “I imagine it’s kind of like
being stuck in the middle of a
He felt the instant her anger
turn into urgency and deepened the kiss. A soft moan escaped her lips, and he
pressed his body closer to hers.
Frantic, his mouth demanded a
response from hers. He felt her hands go around his back, and he groaned
against her mouth, his tongue plunging deep and his hands gripping her hips
hard.
He lifted his head and, pleased,
found he wasn’t the only one breathing raggedly.
She opened her eyes and stared
into his, and he realized they had lost their icy edge. The crisis, it seemed,
had passed—at least for now.
“You’re making a nasty habit of
that,” she whispered, then nipped his lip lightly.
“We shouldn’t be doing this
here,” he said on a growl.
Grabbing one of her hands, he
started for her front door, his eyes inspecting their surroundings. He looked
to his left and remembered his first encounter with the wolf. The one, he
realized with an inward flinch, he’d never told her about. That wouldn’t go
over too well, he knew, but it wasn’t the time or place for that particular
conversation.
No way he was going to piss her
off again tonight by telling her about it either, but they needed to get
inside. The wolf—shifter—knew where she lived.
Lana’s grip on his hand turned
almost painful. When he looked at her, he found her eyes wide. He hated that
look of fear there, hated that he’d brought it on again. “I know you’re pissed,
and I’m sorry,” he said before she had a chance to say anything. “I should have
told you.”
She waved that off. “I’m not mad
about that again.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Wasn’t it?
“But—it knows where I live?”
His grip tightened around her
hand. “It’s okay. I’ll protect you, Lana. No matter what, I promise,” he said,
his tone edged with steel, trying to make it impossible for her to disbelieve
him. “But we should get inside,” he said as he took the keys from her hand and
unlocked the door. When she didn’t move, he nudged her inside. “If I suggested
you come to my house for the night, are you going to fight with me tooth and
nail over it?”
She chewed on her bottom lip as
she debated his suggestion. Just when he was sure she would say no, she said,
“Do you have Internet access?”
“Yes. I may not be completely
computer literate, but I do occasionally browse the web for fun. I even have an
email address,” he replied.
She chuckled. “That’s something
at least,” she said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “I have to be able to
work. I promised a client their website would be up and running within the
week.”
“So that’s a yes?”
“Yes.” She walked over to her
computer desk. “Where were you born, Cole?” she asked as she unplugged her
laptop and slid it into the case. “Your accent isn’t that strong, but I can
hear the southern in it occasionally.”
“Really? Most people don’t pick
up on it,” he said with a shrug. “I was born and raised in Georgia. We lived there until I was eight, and then my folks decided they wanted to give California a shot.”
“What’s it like in Georgia? I was born and raised in Sunbay. I’ve been out of state a few times, but I’ve
never made it that far east.”
“Lana,” he said, his tone quiet.
Her shoulders dropped. “Yes?”
“I know you’re not that curious
about where I’m from and what it’s like.”
Her hand paused as she slipped
CD’s into her laptop case. She turned to face him. “I am, but you’re right.
There are just too many other things roaming in my mind right now, and I just—I
don’t know where to start, if I even want to start somewhere.”
“You’ve got to start somewhere.”
“What’s it like?”
“What’s what like?” he asked as
he sat on the edge of her couch.
“Being a shapeshifter?”
“It’s….” he paused while he tried
to think of an explanation that would make sense. “I imagine it’s kind of like
being stuck in the middle of a
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