and deep, until it felt as if there wasn't an inch he hadn't delved. Pleasure rippled across her skin, became a pulsing need that grew more urgent as his stroking quickened. He kissed her neck, burned a trail with his tongue down to her breasts, then took one nipple in his mouth and sucked hard. She groaned, arching against him, wanting it faster, harder. He complied. When he came a second time she went with him, her whole body shaking with the force of it.
But the moon fever wasn't finished yet.
He pulled her to her feet, picked her up and carried her to the bed, where he continued to make love to her until the flush of dawn touched the skies and the pile of condoms was severely depleted. But the fever finally left his eyes, and the last time they made love it was her he saw. Her he made love to.
Her he left as he went to sleep out on the sofa.
Kat pulled on her sweater as she walked through the living room. Ethan still slept on the sofa, the blanket tangled around his hips, revealing the lean planes of the body she now knew so well. She let her gaze linger on him for a moment, her pulse stirring as she remembered the feel of his skin against hers, the heat of his touch — the way he'd claimed her, at first with such ferocity, then later with such tenderness and passion. She swallowed to ease the sudden dryness in her throat and walked on.
It was barely eight and, after his efforts last night, she really didn't expect him to surface for another couple of hours. Which was a good thing, because she wasn't entirely sure what she was going to say to the man who could create such magic with his touch and yet refused to allow the slightest bit of intimacy afterwards.
Gwen was in the process of carrying a large tray of food over to the table when Kat entered the second cabin. She took the tray from her grandmother's hands and placed it on the table, then walked over to the small coffeemaker and poured them both a cup of coffee.
'You feeding an army?' She sat down and surveyed the platters of bacon, eggs, Danishes and fruit.
Gwen's eyes twinkled. 'Thought you two might need some sustenance after last night.'
Kat grinned despite the slight flush of heat to her cheeks.
Last night the walls could have been thinner than air, and she wouldn't have cared. 'The man does have stamina, I'll give him that.'
'He's a werewolf and the moon is rising. That's a given.'
Gwen plucked a Danish from the plate and began eating it. 'As long as you were careful, that's all that matters.'
Kat gave her a long look. 'We're not sex-mad teenagers.
Both of us are able to contain our hormones long enough to take care of that .'
'Maybe, but listen to an old woman who knows what she's talking about and make sure you keep your wits about you, because as the moon gets closer, he won't.'
She stared at her grandmother for several seconds. She'd lived with this woman all her life, and still there seemed something new to discover almost every week.
'You had a werewolf lover?'
'Oh, yes.' Gwen's reply was more a sigh. 'And a most enjoyable six months it was, too. They're very athletic lovers.'
She could vouch for the stamina, but the athletic part was still to be discovered. But then, Gran had always been more adventurous than she was, and even now thought nothing of making love some place horribly awkward or public. 'Are they all… wary… of intimacy, or is it just mine?'
Gwen frowned. 'Werewolves can be strange beasties.
Did you know that they mate for life?'
Kat blinked. 'How can that be possible if they screw themselves silly every full moon and aren't particularly fussy about with whom?'
'That's sex. Most men separate sex from love, but in a werewolf's case, that line is more defined. But when he gives his heart, it's given forever.'
Kat swallowed a lump of suddenly tasteless bacon. 'So the lack of intimacy might very well mean — ' 'He's already given his heart, and all that is left is sex.'
Gwen reached across the table and squeezed Kat's hand.
'But don't take that as gospel. Not until you've asked Ethan.'
'He doesn't have a girlfriend or wife. I did check that before I got involved.' She grimaced slightly. 'I'm not a home-wrecker.'
Although it sounded as if it didn't really matter if she was, especially if werewolves considered sex and love to be two entirely different things. Though she wasn't sure she would ever understand the differences, it really didn't matter. She wasn't a werewolf. Wouldn't ever be anything more than a means of release.
Which was kind of sad, given the level of intimacy and understanding they'd reached during their lovemaking last night.
'What's in his past?' Gwen asked.
She shrugged. 'Something, I'm sure. He certainly views women in a somewhat harsh light, and he certainly doesn't trust us.'
'Us? As in you and me, or women in general?'
Kat grinned. 'Both.'
'Someone's hurt him in the past.'
'Obviously.' The question was, had he given his heart to that someone?
And why did she even care? It wasn't as if there could ever be anything more between them than there now was.
Because of their jobs. Because his instinctive hate for his werewolf half would undoubtedly extend to shifters like herself. And because he hated kids and, above all else, she wanted them.
Gwen patted her hand again. 'Just enjoy your time with him. Werewolves can give you that, if nothing else.'
Maybe, but she was getting a little tired of being nothing more than a good time. She wanted something else. But she wasn't going to find that with Ethan. Wasn't likely to find it with anyone in the near future, either.
She finished the rest of her meal, then picked up her coffee and leaned back in the chair. 'What's on the agenda for today?'
'I think you should fly around those hills this morning and have a look around. Those zombies didn't spring from nowhere. They must have a nest up there somewhere.'
She nodded. 'This soul sucker has vampires, werewolves and zombies at its beck and call. That's a little unusual, isn't it? I mean, both vamps and werewolves are fairly strong-willed. I can't imagine them being yoked to the beck and call of another for long.'
'That might depend on how old this thing is. And what exactly it can do.'
'Well, it can obviously raise the dead.'
'And if it's ancient, it might have a lot of dead it can raise, so be very careful out there.'
'You tried to scry yet this morning?'
Gwen sighed. 'Yes. Couldn't see a damn thing. I get the feeling they're waiting to see what we do next before they decide their next move.'
'Which would mean they consider us a threat.'
'This thing is not stupid.'
'I never thought it was. Anything else?'
