Nipping at the soft skin at the nape of her neck, Rome closed his eyes to the sensations washing over him, the need, the hunger. It was bigger than anything he’d ever felt, consuming him with every second he was near her. His dick ached to be inside her, to claim her.
No!
No. Rome did not claim any female. He did not believe in the joining—the Elders’ philosophy of one true mate for every shifter. The desperate need and undying hunger they predicted when that mate was finally found were myths, something they’d made up to romanticize the dark sexual hunger of the shifter species.
Rome had that hunger. He had that darkness within him. It was living and breathing, coursing just beneath the surface every day of his life. His sexual cravings were tame compared with the majority of other shifters in the tribes. Still, they were darker than most humans were accustomed to. He felt that darkness swirling through him now, threatening to overtake him, to pour out onto this woman.
She moved slightly and his fingers slipped between her velvety folds.
“I don’t know why this is happening,” he admitted through clenched teeth. “It just won’t stop.”
He brushed over the tightened nub of her clit and she moaned, relaxing in his arms. Applying the slightest pressure, he toyed with the nub, loving the tiny sound of her muted cries in the otherwise silent room.
“I can’t stop touching you. Wanting you.”
“I don’t want this,” she whispered but parted her thighs ever so slightly in contradiction.
“You can’t help but want it. Neither of us can.”
“No.”
“It’s not going away.” It wasn’t, it was getting stronger.
Tracing his finger along the slickness of her vagina, he found her entrance, pressed one finger hungrily inside. She bucked, her head falling back onto his shoulder. Rome kissed the line of her neck, nipped her skin, pushed another finger inside her and moaned.
“I want you. Right here. Right now,” he growled, pressing his thick arousal into the crease of her bottom.
“No,” she sighed, her heart beating wildly. “No.”
Her words drowned in the sound of someone knocking at her door and Rome cursed. She pulled away from him then, glaring at him as she pulled her robe closed tighter.
“I’m saying no, Rome. And I want you to go. Now!”
“This is not over,” he whispered. “You can’t just will it to go away. I know, I’ve tried.”
“It is over! Despite what you’ve convinced yourself of I don’t want you touching me that way. It’s inappropriate. I want to keep my job.”
Rome rubbed a hand down his face. “Your job’s not in jeopardy. But your life may be.” The minute the words were out he regretted them. He hadn’t wanted to scare her. Fear would most likely lead to carelessness, and he couldn’t afford for her to be careless about her safety right now.
“What? Are you threatening me because I won’t sleep with you?”
He grit his teeth so hard his jaw almost cracked. “No. That’s not what I’m saying.” Rome took a deep breath, cursed again at the persistent knock at the door.
“I have to get that.”
“Who is it?”
She’d already walked past him toward the door. “If I said my boyfriend would that make you leave any quicker?” she said over her shoulder.
“Not at all. He’d be the one leaving,” Rome spoke as his cell vibrated on his hip.
“You’re an arrogant—” The rest of her remark was lost as he read the text message.
Rome looked up to see she’d opened the door. An older woman was standing there, holding a cat in her arms.
The cat spotted Rome and hissed, baring its teeth, arching its back in defense.
Kalina gasped, jumping back away from the door.
“Calm down, kitty,” the old woman crooned. “Kalina, she’s not going to bother you. I tell you that all the time. You’re probably scaring her.”
But Kalina wasn’t listening. She was already moving deeper into the apartment, putting the couch between her, the door, and the woman with the cat.
“Mrs. Gilbert. Ah, what can I do for you?”
“Kitty and I heard yelling,” the woman said, eyeing Rome suspiciously. “We wanted to come over and make sure you were all right.”
“I’m, ah,” Kalina stammered and looked at Rome. “I’m fine.”
Rome cleared his throat and took a step toward the door even though the cat was still hissing and narrowing green eyes at him. “Everything is just fine, ma’am. I was just leaving.”
“You were, huh?” the woman said, still giving him the stink eye. “Well, you go on and leave. I’ll just stay a few minutes.”
Rome gave her a tight smile as she stepped into the apartment and he stepped out. On his way the cat took a swipe at him with its small paw. Rome only glared at it a second before the cat shrank back into its owner’s arms.
“Oh my,” the woman said holding her cat closer.
“Have a good day,” he said. “I’ll see you soon, Kalina.” He looked at her one last time before turning and walking down the narrow hallway.
Again Kalina gasped. Not because of Mrs. Gilbert’s cat, but because Rome’s eyes didn’t seem the same.
“You should watch who you let in here,” Mrs. Gilbert was saying as she closed Kalina’s door. That cat of hers was still making noises but didn’t dare leave Mrs. Gilbert’s arms. Kalina kept her distance, her chest filling with an unfamiliar feeling. Not quite fear, but definitely anxiety, like something was about to happen, something she wasn’t sure was good or bad.
Chapter 11
“What’s so urgent I had to drop everything and come over here?” Rome had left Kalina’s apartment when all he’d wanted to do was drag her into that bedroom and drown himself in her for the next few hours, or days.
She’d definitely be safe in his arms. He wouldn’t have to worry about the Rogues or why they were hunting her in the first place. As long as she was with him, she’d be all right. And the reason that was so important to him, well, he didn’t have to think about that. Not right now.
They were in X’s condo, which looked exactly as it had the first day he’d moved in here. The furniture was dark, contemporary, and sparse. X always said he didn’t need anything but a bed, which he rarely used for reasons Rome still didn’t understand.
High ceilings and crisp white walls made everything they said echo as if they were in a huge auditorium. The floor-to-ceiling windows were fitted with custom-made room-darkening blinds that always stayed closed. The entire place made Rome feel like he was in a hospital or a morgue, it was so still and sterile. Watching X’s large body move through the place so mechanically only made the scene more dismal.
“I had a chance to scan that disk Bingham gave you at the party,” X began in a dour tone.
He immediately had Rome’s attention. Last night after their run-in with the Rogues and their recuperation at Rome’s place, Rome had given X the disk to run through the FBI’s virus program and spyware. He had most of the same technology on his home computers, but the FBI could also crack any encryption that may have been put on the disk. Besides, X had more experience with computers and such than Rome did. Whatever was on the disk, X would make sure it was clean and ready for Rome’s perusal.
The investigation into his parents’ murders had been a long-harbored vendetta for Rome. As his two closest friends, Nick and X had joined in the search a long time ago. The Assembly knew nothing about their quest. Dragging a hand down his face, Rome sighed. “What did you find?”
“Nothing traceable. It’s old, mid-1980s I’d say. The information was encrypted with a fairly simple
