He should have driven away from Manhattan as fast as he could. But instead, he found himself parking just across the street and sitting inside the car, staring at the restaurant’s facade. His imagination was running wild, thinking of Adrianna and Blakely, cozying up to each other in such a romantic setting. How would the night end for them? Would he take her home as he promised? But whose home? Hers or his?
He wasn’t going to wait to find out. Pushing the door open, he strode out and walked across the street, ignoring the blaring horn of the car that nearly collided into him.
The maître d’ was all smiles when he walked in. “Do you have a reserv—hey!”
He pushed the young man aside and made a beeline for the corner table where Adrianna sat with her back to the dining room. As soon as he approached, Blakely sent him a furious look.
“What are you doing here?” he asked with barely masked distaste.
Adrianna turned her head. “Darius?”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Miss Anderson, but there’s an emergency.” The lie slipped out of his mouth with practiced ease. “It’s your sister. Miss Julianna.”
“What?” She shot to her feet. “Did something happen with the new recruits?”
“I can’t say for sure,” he said. “But it’s important we leave right away before the traffic conditions worsen.”
She was already on her feet and had her purse in hand. “I’m sorry, William. But I have to attend to this.”
Blakely looked skeptical, but didn’t protest. “Of course, Adrianna. As Alpha, I totally understand.”
“Rain check?”
“Of course. Anytime. Good luck with your crisis, and let me know if I can assist you.”
“Thank you for understanding.” She looked at Darius. “Well? Let’s go.”
He led her outside to the car and opened the door for her. She didn’t even protest and slid right inside.
“What’s the emergency?” she asked, her voice frantic. “Is it the mages?”
“I will explain when I get out of the city and onto the highway. It will be easier when I’m not trying to navigate New York traffic. “
She slunk back into the seat. “I’ll call my mother.”
Fuck. He locked the car doors and stepped on the gas.
“Dammit!” She tossed her phone back in her purse. “Straight to voicemail.”
That had bought him a few minutes for now, but who knew how long before she discovered his deception. It was a good thing the office wasn’t too far from the Holland Tunnel, but still, he pushed his car to the legal speed limit and soon they were out of Manhattan.
“So, tell me what happened!” she exclaimed as soon as they were on the highway. “I need to know what to expect.”
He kept his eyes on the road and gripped the wheel tighter.
“Darius? What are you—” She stopped, then sucked in a breath. “You Goddamn liar!” she screeched. “There’s no emergency, is there?”
It was a good thing he was already speeding down the highway when she realized the truth. And he was also glad he had a special device built in for his car—one that kept all the doors locked from the inside with the flick of a button right by his thumb on the wheel. While surely, she wouldn’t try to jump out of the car while he was going seventy-five miles an hour, he wasn’t going to take any chances.
“I’m going to call my mother! And my father! You’re going to pay for this!” She reached for her purse.
“And what will you tell your parents?”
“That you’re kidnapping me!”
“Kidnapping you?” he snorted. “I’m kidnapping you back to your own home?”
“Argh!” Adrianna continued to hurl insults at him, using every imaginable curse word she likely knew in two different languages. He remained calm throughout the drive which probably irked her more.
She must have gotten tired because halfway through the drive, she slumped back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest, silently fuming. Darius knew he had to have some sort of plan when they arrived because she was not going to be happy.
When they approached the house and he slowed down, that’s when she discovered the special locks.
“Goddamn you! Open this door!”
He slid into the garage and waited for the door to close before he let himself out and walked around to her side. He was also glad for the bullet proof glass he had installed as it muffled out the unholy screeching Adrianna was doing from inside the car.
As soon as he opened the door, she pounced at him, swiping her hands at his face. He caught her delicate wrists easily. “Stop. Stop, Adrianna.” She struggled against him, and so he pinned her hands against the car. “Put your claws away, lupoaică, you’ve made your point.”
Her eyes blazed with a fury he’d never seen before. “Made my point? What the hell are you talking about?”
“If you wanted to make me jealous, then I’m happy to say that you’ve succeeded.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes. You don’t have to go out another date with Blakely to catch my attention.” Or anyone else, for that matter.
“Ha!” Her eyes narrowed into slits. “And then what? You get to have your Mila and I’m supposed to stay at home like a spinster aunt? What about my needs?”
“If you have needs, lupoaică, then I will be the one to satisfy them.”
He pushed her against the car, trapping her body with his before his mouth captured hers. She struggled, but as he continued feasting on her sweet mouth, she melted against him.
His tongue pushed into her mouth, seeking more than just the taste he had before. Her sweet scent was being drowned out by her arousal, fueling his own desire. He wanted her to know how much she turned him on, so he rubbed his erection against her core, making her whimper with need.
He needed her bad.
