The shock on her face registered for only a moment before it was replaced by a cool mask. “Yes, I can feel my migraine coming on. You have a good night too, Lucas.” She left without even looking back at him, head held high as she entered the building.
Reyes gave him a curious look. “Home, sir?”
“Yes.” He leaned back in the seat and waited for the car to start moving. Maybe he should have accepted Barbara’s invitation. He was sure she could make him forget his name with those magic fingers. But no, it wouldn’t be fair. Besides, his wolf wouldn’t have given him any peace. It seemed to hate Barbara with a passion, why, he didn’t know. It didn’t react this viscerally to her before, or any woman. Anyone except Sofia.
When the car slowed to a stop in front of his brownstone, he let himself out and walked up the stoop steps to his door. He was fishing his keys from his pocket when he felt his senses go on alert. Her scent called to him before she did.
“Lucas.”
He closed his eyes, wondering if he was hearing things. The last time he heard his name coming from her was Saturday night. “What do you want?” he asked without turning around. Slowly, he began building his defenses. His walls going up so high that nothing would be able to tear them down.
“I wanted to apologize.”
And just like that, those walls came crashing down. Slowly, he turned around. Big mistake.
Sofia looked so stunning in the moonlight, her hair tumbling down her shoulders, eyes so big and luminous as she looked up at him from the bottom of his stoop steps. “How long have you been waiting here?”
“A while.” When she let out an involuntary shiver, he realized that her cheeks were red and her lips were pale. She tugged her coat tighter around her.
“Fucking hell, Sofia.” He hopped down, then tugged at her hand, dragging her up the steps. Opening his door, he pushed her inside. “It’s freezing out. You could have gotten sick.” She looked vulnerable right now. She really could have caught a cold or pneumonia, which was a reminder of her humanness. But right now, he couldn’t really care less. He took her hands into his. Just as he thought, they were like ice. Using his own palms, he rubbed them for warmth. “And what do you mean you came here to apologize?”
She hesitated. “I just … I was wrong. You have the right to your privacy, and I’m sorry.”
“You were doing your job.” Her hands seemed sufficiently warm now, but he didn’t release them.
“I know I can be like a rabid dog when I find something and …”
“What made you change your mind?”
She cast her eyes downward. “Just … I did my job. I thought I connected the dots, but it turns out there was nothing to connect.” Straightening her shoulders, she faced him. “I want to offer you my apologies. From me and on the behalf of the precinct. If you want to file a harassment suit, then I wouldn’t blame you.”
“Harassment suit?” Shock coursed through him. Did he fall asleep and was now waking up in a bizarre alternate universe?
“Yes.” She swallowed. “But I hope you won’t. Because although we can’t be friends—”
“No, we can’t.”
She faltered. “We can’t be friends. But I hope we can part without any bad feelings.”
“You’re right.” The disappointment on her face was obvious. When she tried to pull her hands away, he held them firmly. “We can’t be friends. And we’re definitely not parting.”
He took a step forward, and he had to admit he enjoyed the way her expression turned to surprise before he kissed her.
She didn’t respond at first, and her body went stiff. He pushed her back against the door and trapped her with his body. When she sighed against him, he deepened the kiss, sweeping his tongue into her mouth to taste her. She was so sweet, and so utterly Sofia.
Arms wound around his neck, and he moved his hands down to the front of her coat, his fingers deftly opening the buttons and shucking the damn thing off her and onto the floor. He bent down to cup the back of her thighs to lift her up into his arms.
She let out a surprised gasp, then a moan as he pressed his lips to her neck before wrapping her legs around his waist. He carried her into the living room, then sank down onto the sofa, letting her settle on his lap.
He needed her bad, needed to feel her bare skin, but the damned blouse she was wearing was in the way. So, he unbuttoned the front, nearly tearing them off. His patience was rewarded by the sight of her beautiful breasts encased in black lace and silk.
“Lucas,” she rasped when his mouth sucked on the spot where shoulder met her neck. His lips moved down, blazing a path lower, over the top of one breast and down to the center were her nipple strained against fabric. He latched onto the nub, sucking it through the silk.
She cried out and ground her hips down. The brush of her against his hard cock nearly made him come in his pants, and so he rolled her over, pushing her down on top of the cushions. He pulled the cups of her bra down, exposing those lovely nipples. Pink and perfect, just as he’d thought. Taking one bare bud into his mouth, he teased her with his tongue, making her cry out.
Her fingers dug into his hair, pulling at the roots with just enough force to make him moan. His hand snaked down her bare, flat belly and slipped under her trousers and panties, skimming over the soft skin and traveling lower still. When his fingers slid past her neat curls and pressed against her pussy, he groaned
