attraction rose like a siren call. She undulated her hips, only a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to drag a groan from him as she rubbed his cock.
Caroline brushed her fingers lightly over his forehead, careful to avoid the cut. “Dangerous business, getting involved with bears.”
“I warned you.” He held her hips tighter and ground her over his aching length. So good, yet a million miles from what it was going to be like to sink into her warmth.
She thrust her fingers into his hair, her cheek against his. Her breasts crushed to his chest, intimately close but for the scrap of material she wore and his clothing.
He’d never wished for the magical ability to strip so hard before in his life. Not even the time he’d woken as a teen choking on his own T-shirt after accidentally having shifted in the night.
He moved her again. And again. This throaty little noise escaped her, and lust flared like a white-hot poker. One second more, and he’d forget all decorum and have her naked and bent over the back of the chair. He’d take her and make her scream.
She nibbled on his earlobe, and he fretted perhaps he wouldn’t even make it to the
Her regretful sigh surprised him.
“Too bad we’re only getting involved for political reasons.” Another sigh, air brushing his cheek as she sat back, opening a space between them.
His bear screamed
She cupped his cheek. “I understand though. Politics are very important, and you can trust me to do everything I can to help you.”
When she would have wiggled off his lap, he held her immobile. “Where are you going?”
She rolled her eyes. “To try on the gowns and stuff that I need to be a pretty political assistant to you. D- uh.”
Somewhere this had taken a wrong turn. “Wait…”
He couldn’t hold her in position without hurting her, so he released his grip, her warmth fading as she stepped back, hands folded demurely in front of her.
“See, if we were actually dating? Then we might have a few other things to discuss, but since this is all political, well. I’ll just have to keep my disappointment to myself.”
Oh fuck. “It’s not that I don’t—”
“What? Find me attractive? Of course it’s not. We did kiss yesterday, and it was kind of fun, but I find mixing work and play isn’t a great idea. No problem. Glad to have that all straightened up. I’ll be the very best political assistant you could wish for.”
She stepped onto the platform. Tyler dragged a hand through his hair feeling a little as if a train had just hit him. Especially when she squatted, knees wide, finger raised to her lips. Every part of her open to him, her breasts nearly spilling from the corset top.
“And Tyler?”
“Yes?” He somehow dragged his gaze back up to hers.
“Don’t think you can take any liberties while I’m assisting you. No kisses out of the blue, no secret groping. I’m the one in charge of this, and unless I decide I want you, hands off the goods.”
She rose to her feet, one hand presenting herself like the treasure she was. The sexy display ended when she planted her fists on her hips again. The bold move at the finish was racier than she probably realized.
Well, hell. That hadn’t gone nearly the way he’d expected.
The limo brought them up the winding mountain road toward their destination for the evening. The windows of the distant manor glowed amber and gold in flashes through the trees.
On the bench seat to her right, Tyler had remained silent for the past twenty minutes of the ride. After helping her into the limo, Justin had taken the seat across from them, and alternately grinned or fought to keep his amusement from showing.
Caroline ignored them both and folded her fingers together to stop from fidgeting. The dress she wore had a slit up one side that kept falling open if she didn’t keep her knees pinned to the leather seat. The dress itself was gorgeous. Soft silvery silk that clung to her curves, the deep V of the neckline magically staying in position over the bra Monsieur Stephan had fit her in, and she had to admit, the man knew how to make the girls look the best they ever had.
From the elaborate hairdo one of the shop assistants had created for her unruly blonde hair to the tips of her freshly manicured toes, Caroline was a fancy woman. A soft shawl lay over her shoulders to keep the chill in the air at bay. The three-inch heels on her feet were frighteningly comfortable—she would have sworn they were old and broken in, and not brand new from the box.
Yes, in an hour and a half flat she’d been packaged prettily for the evening. Still had no bloody idea what was coming next, though.
After her little ultimatum in the lingerie shop, Tyler had nodded curtly then vanished with a final comment he’d be back for her at six thirty. Even the fact he’d walked out with an obvious erection hadn’t been enough to satisfy the frustration raging through her.
Shifters didn’t think of intimacy the same way most humans did. She understood that. She really did.
Easier attitudes toward sex she could handle. But totally ignoring attraction and making it all about a job? Fuck that noise. Even when she’d gotten involved with Evan, the relationship hadn’t been completely about what they could do for each other outside the bedroom. There’d been an honest attraction between them.
Caroline resisted the urge to swing a fist and thump Tyler on the chest. She’d thought there was an honest attraction between her and the bear as well, but it seemed Mister High and Mighty couldn’t even confess to that.
No. She wasn’t about to become some kind of
Why couldn’t someone want her for
She kept her woe-is-me sighing to a minimum, but the truth remained. After spending so long around shifters, after knowing how she had to act to impress them, she was tired of being taken for granted.
Evan suggested she trust her gut instincts. Right now her instincts told her there was a big
The realization should have scared her out of her mind.
They were still about ten minutes from their destination when Justin broke the silence. “Tyler updated you on all the clans you’ll see tonight?”
Caroline twisted to stare at Tyler. “Gee, no. Was he supposed to?”
Tyler’s gaze narrowed in warning. The rampant who-gives-a-shit rising inside made her glare back.
Justin cleared his throat. “Well, yes. But—”
“Tell her,” Tyler cut in.
Justin held up his hands, eight fingers raised. “The vote today was between eight clans. Four go on to the next round, and it’s almost a given which they will be when the count is completed tonight.”
He dropped one hand and flicked fingertips as he named names. “Harrison, Ainsworth, Nakusp and Halcyon. Each time we vote, the clans who are eliminated become a bigger factor. It makes a difference who they rally behind. Tyler has his supporters, but unfortunately so does Ainsworth.”
“Makes sense. Who will be here tonight?”
“All eight clans from today’s vote.”
Caroline tossed her mad away and focused on Tyler. “You hope to convince some of Ainsworth’s followers to switch sides?”
Tyler shook his head. “Unlikely. Even if they wanted to, he’s got a tight-fisted grip on most of their lives. No one will attempt to rock his boat from the inside.”
She wasn’t getting this. “We are talking Canadian shifters, right? You make it sound as if he’s got his clan in slavery.”
“You think people have to live in foreign countries to be cruel tyrants?” Tyler snapped, and Caroline
