He gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing bright red as her body clenched more tightly around his shaft. She took it as a sign he was enjoying what she was doing, even if he refused to admit it.
“Why are you doing this?” he demanded.
His hands settled on her grinding hips, almost as if he was trying to control—and slow—her sensual movements. She ignored them and moved faster, her breath coming now in little gasps as she felt the tremors building up inside her again.
“Because I trust you,” she panted, tingles spreading from her center outward until they covered her whole body. “More than you trust yourself. You, and your hybrid half, would never hurt me. I know that in my soul.”
Tanner might have argued, but Zarina didn’t give him a chance. Switching into high gear, she bounced up and down on him even faster as she felt her orgasm beginning to crest.
That was the breaking point for him. His eyes went completely scarlet, and his upper fangs extended far enough to protrude over his lower lip. His big hands tightened on her hips, not to slow her movements this time, but to yank her down on his cock even harder so he was touching her in places she’d never known existed.
Zarina came not in a cresting wave but in an avalanche of sensations that felt like a fireball exploding inside her. Tanner drew her climax out as far as it would go, making her scream so loud, she was sure it echoed through the camp.
She was wondering if it was possible to pass out from so much pleasure when Tanner suddenly flipped her over onto her back, thrusting into her hard and fast. That was when she realized he hadn’t come with her. From the growls he was letting out, she knew that was about to change.
That was when she saw the most beautiful thing she could have ever imagined. Tanner had fully shifted, his fangs completely extended as he gazed down at her with nothing but lust, love, and adoration. There wasn’t a trace of anger or rage to be seen in his glowing red eyes.
She’d been right about him all along.
Then Tanner’s whole body stiffened as he shoved deep inside her and held himself there. The feeling as he poured his essence inside her was enough to make her orgasm again, but this time, she kept her eyes open. She didn’t want to miss a single moment of his pleasure.
Tanner bucked half a dozen times, drawing his climax out—and hers, too—before he collapsed against her, his face nestled comfortably in the curve of her neck.
Zarina wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close. They lay like that for a long time, their heartbeats slowly returning to normal and syncing up with each other’s.
“That was incredible,” she whispered, gliding her hands up and down his powerful back, tracing her fingers over the muscles. “And without making it sound like I told you so, I told you so.”
He chuckled, his fangs teasing her skin. “Yeah, I guess you did.”
She threaded her hand in his hair, urging him up so that she could see his face. He started to look away, like he was ashamed to let her see his hybrid features. She tightened her fingers in his hair, holding him still. She saw nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed of. Instead, she saw an amazing man she was insanely in love with.
That was when Zarina realized Tanner was never going to need the antiserum she’d created. While he was going to need a lot of work to help his PTSD, after making love with him—and his inner beast—she was sure that at some point, he’d gain complete control of his animal half. It would take time, but it would happen. Which meant she’d never have to have that conversation with him, the one where she described the drug’s possible unpleasant side effects.
Putting those thoughts out of her mind, she pulled Tanner down and kissed him, unconcerned by the presence of his fangs. Neither he nor his hybrid half would ever hurt her.
He hesitated for a moment but then gave in and kissed her. It was like he was finally letting it all go. The doubt, the worry, the fear. He kissed her like a man kissed the woman he loved.
“So, what now?” she whispered when they finally pulled away.
He grinned, displaying his fangs. “Now we make love for hours. And it’s going to be incredible.”
She returned his smile. “Yes, it will.”
Chapter 12
Tate crouched down beside Chase in the woods a quarter mile away from a gorgeous house on the west shore of Sebago Lake. The sun was just coming up over the calm body of water, burning off the morning haze. Except for the occasional bird sounds, the place was quiet.
“See anything?” Chase asked softly, like he was worried someone would hear them out here, even though it looked like there wasn’t another living soul within five miles of the place.
Tate looked through his binoculars, scanning first the forest and lakefront surrounding the house before focusing on the home itself. But there was nothing to be seen and hadn’t been since they’d gotten there ten minutes ago.
“Nothing.” Tate lowered the binoculars. “If Mahsood is in there, he’s playing possum.”
“If I had as many people after me as Mahsood does, I’d be playing some serious possum, too.”
It had taken the better part of two hours to collect all the photos and critical data from Bell’s basement, drive into Lewiston and break into a full-service UPS store, then scan and transmit the stuff to Kendra at her house. After that, they’d had to sit in Chase’s patrol car outside the store for another hour while Kendra dug through the data and got them the address and directions for this place. It had been owned by the Brannon family for close to seventy-five years, and Rebecca used it
