judge, but I think a two-year-old sugared up on Pixy Stix could have done a better job on her hair. For her sake, I prayed her hair would grow back fast.
Aric covered his hand with mine and led me upstairs to my room. He sat on the bed and pulled me onto his lap. “What the hell was up with that?”
“Oh, you know girls.” I stood and patted his back like an idiot. “Why don’t you get comfy? It’s been a long night.”
Aric angled his head, scenting my nervousness. Thankfully he didn’t push and began to remove his shoes. I gathered my courage and moved to the dresser, watching as he loosened his tie and unbuttoned his collar. I sighed. The disheveled look totally worked for that wolf.
“Aric, could you help me unzip my dress?”
A hint of want sparkled behind his grin. “Yeah, I can do that for you, baby.”
The way he gradually pulled down my zipper told me he was ready to make love. I stepped away from him before he could take off my dress. Damn it, I’d worked hard on my ridiculous posing all afternoon. I couldn’t spoil the big reveal now. “Thanks, Aric. I’ll get the rest.”
“All right. . . .”
I turned my back and waited by the mirror as he returned to the bed and removed his clothing. When he was down to his briefs, I let my dress drop to the floor as loudly as possible. I tried not to glance at him for fear I’d be too embarrassed to continue, but I felt his eyes lock on to my body.
Aric swallowed audibly when I thrust out my bottom in the exaggerated way Taran had taught me. He growled when I bent over to pick up my dress and tossed it aside. I rose and flipped my hair back, causing his sound effects to intensify. Then, slowly, I ran my hands down my body.
Aric stood before me at once, his voice several octaves lower.
My hands slid up his chest as I forced my eyes to reflect an innocence his body had vanquished from its first touch. I licked my lips. “Seduce you,” I whispered.
Aric’s passion ignited mine. What happened next was a frenzied exploration involving lips, tongues, teeth, and hands. Our cries echoed loud enough to bash down the door, our movements forceful enough to collide the dresser into the wall.
When foreplay wasn’t enough, Aric carried me to the bed. He lay on top of me, our sizzling skin sliding against each other, our kisses wild and deep.
I clasped his wrist when he reached for the box of condoms on the nightstand. “You won’t need those anymore.”
The already burning fire in Aric’s eyes intensified into an inferno. He threw the condoms across the room. His head fell against my shoulder and he seized me tight, struggling to stay controlled. With a hard yank he pulled off my tattered thong. He entered me and began to move.
“Do you want me?” he asked between grunts.
“Yes,” I whimpered.
“Can I have you?”
“Then you’re mine.”
Aric’s cell phone alarm woke me from the best sleep of my life. He didn’t make a move to turn it off. Instead he continued to lie where he’d fallen asleep, with his face buried between my breasts. I maneuvered enough to shut it off, but even my movements failed to wake him. He looked so peaceful and content. I hated to disturb him, except I knew he couldn’t be late for work.
I stroked his long dark hair off his forehead. “Baby,” I whispered. “It’s time to wake up, love.” He still didn’t move. I glided my hands around his hard shoulders, but instead of his eyes opening, something else perked in attention.
Part of me was scared what we had wasn’t real and that it would end too soon. It was that same side of me that wanted as much of Aric as possible while I still had him. So I continued to caress him, triggering my excitement in the process.
My breath came out in quick bursts. Aric stirred. His nostrils flared once before he opened his eyes. My touch hadn’t succeeded in wakening him, but it seemed the scent of my arousal had.
He repositioned himself on top of me and kissed my neck. “Good morning, sweetness,” he murmured.
My back arched with pleasure. “Good morning.” There was no foreplay this time, but it wasn’t necessary. Aric hooked my leg over his shoulder, and we began our day.
Emme’s pale yellow light receded. “Did I get all of them, Celia?”
I examined my neck in the foyer mirror, trying my best to avoid facing Emme. She knew Aric and I regularly engaged in sexual intimacy. Still, I had to work up my courage to ask her to erase the evidence of his exploration. June in Tahoe didn’t allow for scarves or turtlenecks, and my scrubs hid very little. “Yeah. I think so. Thanks, Emme.”
Shayna fell into the sofa. Her droopy ponytail matched her mood. She wasn’t herself when Koda had to leave her to hunt. “Can I drive us to work today?”
“No,” the rest of answered.
I didn’t care at that moment how depressed she appeared. Shayna wasn’t allowed to drive us anywhere. Ever. If we had somehow slipped into comas and a tribe of cannibalistic pigmies were about to sacrifice us to their volcanic god, and Shayna behind the wheel was our only escape? I’d take my chances with the lava.
Shayna blew out a breath hard enough to flutter her bangs. “Did Aric give you any indication how long he and the wolves would be gone?”
I sat next to her. “No. I just know things aren’t going well. Every scent they pick up leads to a dead end.”
“Or a dead body.” Taran scrolled through her iPad as she paced. “Three more women missing. This time near Carson City.”
Shayna lifted her head. “Do you think they were with those three men Koda and the others found near Lake Tahoe State Park?”
“It’s possible. Considering the vamps, or whatever, continue to target couples on dates.” I rounded up my thick hair and attempted to tie it into a twist. It took a few tries since my hands couldn’t seem to work right. “And women out on their own.”
Emme helped me fasten my clip. “What do you think is happening to them? We know they’re draining the men, but . . .”
Taran shut the cover closed over her iPad. She brushed her hands over her arms as if something crawled along her skin. “I’d rather not think about it, Emme.”
There was a lot I didn’t want to think about. The fate of the women. The last few breaths of the men. How I’d fallen in love with a werewolf who hunted the supernasties of the world. And how his Elders held him responsible for it all.
I grabbed my purse and huge lunch sack, pausing when I caught Taran continuing to hug herself. “Are the nightmares back?”
She stared blankly out the window. “They haven’t left, Celia. They’re just getting more vivid.”
I moved to stand next to her. “Do you talk to Gemini about them?”
“Not really. They don’t happen much when he’s around.” Taran wiped the crease of her lid, removing a bit of eye shadow that had smeared. Makeup seemed like too much work. That’s why I never bothered. She examined the charcoal color on her fingertips. “I’m not looking forward to the night without him.”
“He makes you feel safe, doesn’t he?”
