slick, wet, naked body.
Too late.
Chapter Fourteen
Hot water ran down my feverish skin, unable to calm the fire smoldering in my belly. Everything about the man called to me. Seeing him in his shorts and nothing else stole my breath away. And his kiss was pure sin. Delicious.
And undeserved.
How could he think we’d ever be “even”? I hurt him, not once but twice. And spare him my self-loathing?
Oh, please.
He barely had a glimpse of the depth of my self-loathing. Bastard.
I didn’t warrant any kindness, least of all from him. I’d almost killed him for no other purpose than to get what I wanted. No one else mattered to me.
How could I ever make anything right again after that?
I leaned back into the shower, closing my eyes. Lather ran down my hair, my back, my legs, and in my mind it was his fingers. I replayed the way his muscles tensed beneath my hand when I’d helped him with the yoga posture. His tanned skin enticed me to touch and taste.
My pulse was racing by the time I turned off the shower and reached for the towel. I needed to get a grip or I was going to be useless against the werewolf stalker who was after me.
The cold dose of reality went a long way to chilling my desire.
My head had to be back in the game, not distracted, daydreaming about Aren’s touch. I had work to do. The bounty hunter’s weapon was in the other room, and I should’ve already inspected it for serial numbers or anything else I could use to trace its owner. Instead I’d been fighting with a way-too-sexy-for-his-own-good wolf who had me so off-balance it made it tough to think straight.
With the towel back on the rack, I reached for the robe and wrapped it around myself. Holding my breath, I opened the bathroom door. Aren was sound asleep on the sofa bed. A sigh of relief escaped my lips. I could deal with him later.
Quietly, I made my way over to the bags from the mall. Stashed in the large Macy’s bag was my stalker’s gun, the silencer still attached. As I lifted it from the bag I quickly realized it was a Beretta.
A military Special Forces weapon.
I brought it into the bathroom so I could inspect it under better lighting. I couldn’t find any identifying markings. The serial numbers were scraped clean.
Who was this guy?
I gathered my wet hair and pulled it over the front of my shoulder. Mr. Severino hadn’t been messing around when he hired this bounty hunter. Could he still be part of the military?
Doubtful. There’d be too many questions. But judging by his weapon of choice, I had to assume he’d been a Green Beret at some point.
Maybe in the morning Aren could give me a visual description of him. He said he’d recognize him if he saw him again.
I turned the Beretta over in my hands. Goddamn. Special Forces. Maybe Severino didn’t want me back after all.
He wanted me dead.
I needed to talk to Sebastian. If Nero still had ties with the military, he would know. Could the Army have known one of their own was a werewolf? They couldn’t have. No one believed werewolves were real. Did they? My mind raced with a million scenarios all at once.
I massaged my temple and turned off the bathroom light, moving back to the main room. I placed the gun on the table by the television, careful to stay away from the window. My stalker hadn’t tailed us back to the hotel, but it was only a matter of time. No sense taking stupid chances.
The bed seemed huge and empty. Against my better judgment, I walked over to the sofa bed and sat on the arm. Sprawled out across the mattress was a man who’d risked his life to save mine tonight. He was stubborn, smart, and way too sexy to ignore. And while he slept on his stomach, the only thing covering him was a white hotel sheet, draped across his hips.
Before I could stop myself, I leaned over to brush a lock of his dark hair behind his ear. His sleeping face was peaceful, not frustrating.
My gaze wandered over his masculine features to his lips. Just remembering the way he kissed me sent heat pouring through my veins. He shifted his broad shoulders, and I almost wished he’d open his eyes. Maybe if we had sex it would relieve some of the crazy tension between us and I’d be able to concentrate again. One night couldn’t hurt…
It’d been over six months since I’d shared a bed with a man. Maybe I was thinking with the wrong body part.
The big empty bed taunted me across the room. I should’ve walked over there and gotten under the covers before I did something I might regret.
Instead, I ran my fingers lightly down his back. His bright green eyes opened and his gaze was instantly latched on mine, demanding and full of silent questions. He rolled onto his side, facing me, and started to say something, but I knelt down and pressed my finger to his lips. The last thing we needed was another argument.
“Don’t talk,” I whispered.
He kissed my fingertip in answer and brought his large hand to my face. My head warned that we were going to scratch an itch, nothing more, and as I lay beside him I bargained to enjoy this. Just for tonight.
His lips caressed mine, slow and sensual, his warm breath teasing my skin. He ran his hand down my body and unfastened the tie on my robe. Before he made any move to open it, his eyes met mine, analyzing my reaction.
This was my chance to say no. He was giving me an out.
In spite of everything, he respected me.
My inner voice taunted me. I shouldn’t be in this man’s arms. He should have a woman worthy of his love and affection, not a fallen cop who tried to kill him for her personal gain.
Sensing my hesitation, he pulled me close and kissed away my doubts. His lips fed on mine, and my entire body responded. I moaned when our tongues touched, my fingers sliding back into his hair. He silenced my inner voice. It didn’t matter if I was worthy of his attention or not. I wanted him, needed him.
“Just for tonight,” I whispered before I gasped.
He rolled over me, and my robe opened, pressing his warm skin against mine. My pulse raced with need. “We’ll see.”
His lips trailed down my neck as his hand rose up slowly from my hip, along my stomach, until he finally cupped my breast. Another gasp escaped my lips as his thumb brushed over my nipple. My back arched, my entire body aching for his attention. His touch sent a current through my bloodstream, heating me from the inside out.
I ran my fingers down his back, my nails biting into his skin as his lips closed over my breast. His hips pressed against mine, our bodies eager to collide. Watching his mouth on my skin, the rest of the world ceased to exist. I wanted to touch and know every inch of this man.
His eyes met mine from under his brow, passion and fire burned in his gaze. I pulled him back up to me, and our lips fused together in an urgent kiss. We rolled again until I was on top, straddling his waist, my hips grinding into him. He pulsed through his shorts and my body answered, hot and wet.
