Lifemate Connections: Eryn

react.

If you look as good as I think you do, that's going to be a little hard.

Oh, I expect you're going to be more than a little hard by the time I've finished with you.

Damn it, woman, what have you got—

You'll soon find out, she cut in, then cleared her voice and added loudly, 'Leon? Leon Harvey? I'm about to enter the room, and I do not wish to be shot.'

The sound of a safety being clicked off was unmistakable in the sharp silence. 'Do it. With your hands up.'

She raised her hands and entered the room, glancing immediately to the right.

And there she saw Grey.

Beaten and bloody.

Bruised and naked.

Tied spread-eagled to the wall behind him by silver chains that had burned deep welts into his wrists and ankles.

Fury rushed through her, but she swallowed it down and carefully schooled her face to blankness. Looking to her left, she raised an eyebrow at the man holding the gun aimed at her head and said calmly, 'That the man Marshall wants me to give the full treatment to?'

Chapter Seven

The big man with black hair and bay-colored skin didn't even blink. 'What are you blabbering about, woman?'

'That man.' She waved a raised hand toward Grey, ensuring her skirt rode up a little bit more as she did so.

Damn, that's a mighty fine thatch your flashing there, came Grey's comment. But I do wish you'd stop flashing it at all and sundry.

It's my thatch, and I'll damn well flash it where I want.

She hesitated, then said softly, God, you look like shit. To the guard, she added, 'Is he the man Marshall wants treated?'

I'm far better than I look. Marcia didn't seem to want to cause me serious damage just yet. And I can see I'm going to have a lot of trouble keeping your wilder tendencies all to myself.

She hid her smile and kept her gaze on the guard. Hunger flickered in the shifter's dark eyes, but there was no other reaction. 'What do you mean, treated?'

'What do you think I mean?' She allowed a saucy smile to touch her lips, and lowered her voice a notch. 'There's more than one way to kill a man, you know. And some of them can be both delicious and extremely, extremely, painful.'

He frowned. 'I don't know anything about this.'

'Then call Marshall and confirm it, because my time is expensive, and I don't think he's going to be happy if we stand here wasting it.'

The big man continued to stare at her, the gun in his hand unwavering. 'I think I might. I don't like the feel of this.'

'Fine. Shoot me or call him. Your choice. Just do something because my arms are getting a little tired hanging here above my head.' She wriggled her fingers, making the skirt rise and fall again.

He was a man. His gaze wavered briefly, and the heat in his eyes grew. Though his heat was nothing compared to the furnace running through her mind.

'I believe he should be at Dan's diner right about now,' she continued, 'waiting for his next… er… date. If you hurry, you should catch him before he gets down to business with her.'

Marcia has a meeting with you?

I have twenty minutes to get there. Which left her five minutes to free Grey, and no time to play with this guard.

You can't meet with him.

I not only intend to meet with him, but I intend to stop him.

Not alone, you won't.

The guard frowned. 'How do you know all that?'

'Maybe the fairies told me,' she said dryly.

'He's paying you?'

'Big dollars for a few hours work.' She arched an eyebrow, letting her gaze slide slowly down his well muscled form. 'If I hurry just a little, shifter, you and I might be able to have a little fun before the boss gets back.'

He lowered one weapon and raised the other. Even from where she stood, it was obvious the rumors about horse shifters were true. Man, he was big.

Too big for her liking.

'Is that a yes?' she added, staring pointedly at his erection.

'I can't see how you'd know what you know if you weren't on the books,' he said. He pointed his chin at Grey. 'What do you intend to do?'

'Oh, lots of delicious things.' She lowered her arms and lightly slapped the whip against her leg. 'I usually work alone, but an audience might add to the fun. You want to watch?'

I thought the idea was to get him out of the room?

The idea is to getting him so aroused by what I'm doing to you that he's not thinking straight, enabling me to get close enough to Taser him unconscious.

Hang on, say that again? What you're doing to me? What exactly are you going to do to me?

I'm not going to let this outfit go to waste, that's for sure.

His brief smile shimmered through her mind. Remember, what you do to me, I shall do to you.

And, oh, she couldn't wait.

She tried to calm the excitement racing through her veins and said to the guard. 'Why don't you drag that box you were sitting on over to that corner there?'

She pointed the whip to the corner to the right of Grey. It put the man more in front than on the side, and would keep him from seeing the Taser tucked into the back of her skirt.

'Sounds fine to me.' His voice was a little roughened by desire, and she smiled, feeling better about herself than she had in months. At the very least, the last few days had proved that, despite the sexual drought, she'd lost none of her allure as a woman.

She waited until the guard had positioned himself, then strode over to Grey.

I have never seen a sexier walk, Grey commented, smoky eyes gleaming with amusement and desire.

Hush. You're supposed to be dreading what I'm about to do.

When you're looking like that? Darling, no man would be capable of dreading what's coming.

The endearment made her heart do an odd little jig. She stopped in front of him, and pressed the whip lightly against his balls. 'It seems the victim desires me.'

The victim knows exactly what you're capable of, and hungers for more.

She flicked the whip upwards, lightly striking his shaft. He jumped, even though he had to know she would never hurt him.

'By the time I'm finished, this will strain and quiver to sink itself into my flesh, and you will be so mad with desire you would rip out your heart if that is what I want.'

Definitely. Aloud, he said, 'Lady, you kid yourself.'