Scared of Spiders

He’s going to kiss me. And not a brief peck like he’d given her in the SUV-which, though short, had sizzled. Josie’s heart rate sped up, and she tilted her head to look up at him. His green eyes blazed, and he looked like he would speak, but as if thinking better of it, he instead dipped his head to kiss her.

Forget the foolish fumbles of her teenage years and the inept gropings of her adult ones. In Clint’s arms, Josie discovered what the kiss of a man should feel like. Fire: unadulterated, skin-scorching, tummy twisting, panty wetting fire. He kissed her as if she were the most desirable woman in existence. He devoured her lips as if they were the most decadent treat imaginable. And when he pressed her against the hardness of his desire- for me-she mewled in want. Crazy, inexplicable, this insane attraction between them made no sense, but, oh, did she want more.

She clung to him, pressed herself against his solid body, hating all the clothes that stood between them.

A spitting hiss sounded along with a yelp. Clint drew back from her to glare at his feet. Befuddled, Josie followed the direction of his look and saw her cat Snickers with her fur standing on end, growling and hissing at Clint.

“Snickers,” she admonished, extricating herself from his embrace to pick up her extremely unhappy cat. Snickers, however, wasn’t interested in cuddles. With a swipe of her paw at Josie’s hands, she bolted with a trailing yeowl into the apartment. “Sorry about that. I guess she doesn’t like wolves,” said Josie with a shrug, not able to completely stifle the smile that tilted her lips.

Clint’s lips quirked, and she shivered at the burning look in his eyes. “Don’t worry. By the morning, I’m sure we’ll have come to an agreement.”

Josie blushed at his unspoken words. Let him stay the night? She was tempted. Throw caution at the wind and indulge in what would surely be the most erotic experience of her life, but when reality finally intruded, where would she stand? Probably on the outskirts watching, and if she was still employed, crying as Clint ended up eventually turning to another woman. Another werewolf with courage like him. “I… I’m sorry. I like you, really I do, but so much has happened and so fast and…”

He swooped down and shut her up with a hard kiss. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to rush you. Go have a hot bath, relax, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

It wasn’t until she shut the door-after another befuddling kiss that turned her legs to wobbly noodles-that she processed his words.

But tomorrow is Sunday. Was he coming back? Would he kiss her again? I really shouldn’t let him because, honestly, I know there’s no way I can keep a man like him forever. I’m just not interesting or brave enough. How tempting, though, to indulge in the pleasure he offers, even knowing of the heartbreak and disappointment that will eventually follow.

Speaking of disappointment, what about Brandon? I guess by kissing Clint, and really, really liking it, I’ve made my choice. She couldn’t deny the way Clint made her body sing. She also wasn’t a slut to toy with two men at once even as she found herself attracted to them both. Honor and decency stated she not lead Brandon on, even if she hadn’t decided whether or not to take things further with Clint. She only hoped Brandon wouldn’t take offense.

If I were a braver woman, more of a femme fatale, I wouldn’t bother deciding between two. I’d take them both to bed.

On that naughty, erotically pleasing thought she went to sleep, and had very pleasant dreams indeed for a change.

Chapter Four

Brandon stood with his arms crossed over chest in front of the rogue when Clint returned to the warehouse. “I see you left one alive,” Clint stated with flinty eyes.

“Not for long,” growled Brandon with clear menace. He’d found the unconscious rogue during cleanup and held off killing him in the hopes they could get some answers.

The rogue wolf stared at the ceiling with a half-smile and didn’t utter a sound. Brandon didn’t like it. A normal person-especially a shifter-would attempt to struggle, plead, or even try to strike a deal. The eerie stillness the pup displayed while Brandon manhandled and trussed his ass to a chair was unnatural.

“Has he said anything?” Clint asked.

“Actually, I was just about to start the questioning. I wanted to make sure the pack had the cleanup under control.” That and Brandon didn’t trust himself not to kill the rogue for daring to have threatened Josie. When it came to his little mouse, his protective side knew no bounds. With Clint here, he’d have someone to rein him in if the greasy pup said the wrong thing.

Clint gripped the pup’s chin and forced him to face him. “What’s your name?”

The rogue’s eyes came into focus, and the smile on his face deepened. “Lucky me, if it isn’t the alpha himself. The name is Joe.”

“Who do you answer to?”

Joe rolled his eyes and smirked. “Wrong question.”

Clint frowned at him, a scowl that had made more than one shifter roll over and bare his belly, but Joe just laughed. Brandon didn’t like the sound and showed his displeasure by swinging a fist and cracking it against Joe’s jaw.

“Answer him,” he growled.

But Joe, flexing his jaw, just laughed louder, a strident sound that irritated the ears like nails on a chalkboard.

Abruptly the mirth cut off and the rogue’s face turned serious. More disturbing though was the way his eyes bled from brown to pure black. Joe spoke, but Brandon shivered at the words, for it became evident, Joe was no longer home.

“Stupid dogs. It’s not who I am that matters, but what I want. Have you figured it out yet?”

Clint bent down until his face was inches from Joe’s. “Since we’re so dumb, why don’t you explain it to us?”

Laughter erupted again, a chilling sound that Brandon gritted his teeth against. “He’s fucking with us. Let’s just kill him.”

“Please do,” begged Joe. “I shan’t miss this one or his incompetent brothers. And besides, there’s plenty more dogs for the taking. Perhaps you’d like to offer yourselves up in their place.”

Clint growled. “Never. And I promise, whatever and whoever you are, I will kill you.”

“But first you have to find me.” Chilling laughter erupted, and Brandon wanted to clap his hands over his ears at the madness in the sound. Joe’s body trembled in its bonds, and his eyes rolled up in his head. Harder and harder he shook, the insane laughter bubbling forth along with gouts of blood.

Brandon could only watch horrified as the rogue with blood pouring from his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears convulsed to death.

Clint looked at the corpse dispassionately. “Well, that was a waste of time.”

“What are we going to do?” asked Brandon, more shaken by the display than he would admit.

“Burn the body.”

“I meant about whomever was mind-controlling the rogues?”

Clint’s eyes glinted with steel, and his low answer echoed with menace. “Exactly what I said. Find him and kill him of course.”

* * * *

Back in his subterranean dwelling, the Master of the rogues snapped out of his trance. The loss of the dogs was regrettable but in the long run not important. He’d never truly expected them to beat the alpha, but he did enjoy the tendrils of wariness and fear the attack spun. But forget the web of entrapment he wove, of more interest and