Veilers - Veiled Target Part 18

His hands remained by his sides. Waiting for her cue. Her permission. Admission. If he didn't touch her in the next five seconds she'd explode, or implode. Or something like that. Her brain was a little fuzzy.

"I want you to touch me," she managed to get out with a breathless sound.

"And?" Deep, dark, commanding now.

"And kiss me." She remembered the taste of him and wanted more. So much more.

"And?"

To h.e.l.l with all his ands. "I want you to f.u.c.k me, devour me, ravage me. And then I want you to do it all again."

He traced his finger along the base of her neck and slid it down, feather-light, until it reached the top of the scooped neck of her s.h.i.+rt, the top of her cleavage.

"The way I feel, that could take all night."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

His eyes dipped to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She took a deep breath, positive her nipples poked through the thin cotton of her s.h.i.+rt. Then he looked up, and she stared into blue depths that had captured a piece of her from the very start. Right now she swore she saw a flame flicker in their azure color.

A second later he captured her mouth with his and pressed her hard against the bedroom door, sealing it shut. He wasn't the tiniest bit gentle, his chest crus.h.i.+ng hers, his stance capturing her center between his legs. Energy radiated off him, sending powerful s.h.i.+vers of need through her. With his palms flattened on either side of her head, he kissed her with purpose, his lips spreading hers so he could sweep his tongue inside. She kissed him back with equal vigor, like her next breath could only come from him.

She kept her hands at her sides, flat against the door, enjoying the fierceness of the kiss too much to distract herself with feeling him anywhere else at the moment. He moved his hips an inch to the side and, oh G.o.d. His erection hit her just right. The sensation had her so turned on, she needed to get rid of the clothing between them before she came just like this.

Warmth spread from the center of her chest, coils of pleasure pulsed deep in her belly. Hugh knew exactly where to slip his tongue, where to press his lips, how much give and take to allow. When he pulled back to nibble on her bottom lip, she opened her eyes and found him gazing at her.

Two could play this game, so she nibbled back. Creases on the sides of his face told her he enjoyed it. She wanted s.e.x to be playful and fun, and Hugh seemed to agree.

Without taking his eyes off her, he grabbed the bottom of her s.h.i.+rt and yanked it over her head. After tossing it over his shoulder, he took in every inch of her exposed flesh and let out a low, guttural sound.

"You're unbelievable," he breathed. "The most gorgeous thing I've ever seen." His gaze paused at her hip and a devilish smile took hold of his s.e.xy mouth. He'd noticed her own tattoo, peeking out of her jeans.

"You're not too shabby-"

He cut her off with another fierce, greedy kiss. He made love to her mouth with firm, teasing caresses from his lips and tongue, and her toes curled. Everything inside her tingled times a thousand. He kissed from her lips down to her neck, where he stroked and nuzzled, making her head fall to the side so he had easier access. He put his hands on her waist, moved them up her sides and slid them around to her back to unclasp her bra.

Then very nimble fingers skimmed over her shoulders to lead the straps down her arms. The kisses to her neck never stopped. When the bra hit the floor, he licked his way to her shoulder before pulling back once again to check her out.

Tess never paid much attention to her body. She wasn't blind to it, but she was so comfortable in her own skin she rarely looked at it. Watching Hugh rake his eyes over her now, she was glad she'd been blessed with what she had because he seemed to be rendered speechless.

To make him drool just a little bit more, she arched her back, pressed her shoulders against the door. Okay, so she wasn't oblivious to her feminine wiles. The gesture had the desired effect and he swooped in to capture her breast in his mouth. While he suckled one, his hand ma.s.saged the other, rubbed her nipple between his fingers, traced her areola.

Her head fell back against the door. The best, most arousing vibrations ever surged through her system and woke up every nerve ending in her body. G.o.d, it felt good to have his mouth on her, to have him groping her, fondling her, learning her curves. She moved her hands to the back of his head, ran her fingers through his silky soft hair.

Leisurely, he made his way down her abdomen, dropping kisses along the underside of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her sides, her belly b.u.t.ton. His hands roamed to her backside, cradling her a.s.s before moving to her b.u.t.ton fly.

After popping two b.u.t.tons, he hesitated. Traced the tattoo on her lower abdomen and she guessed he was wondering about it.

"I'll tell you about mine if you tell me about yours," she said.

"Later. I don't want to talk right now."

"You mean you're not going to whisper sweet nothings in my ear?"

He resumed the b.u.t.ton task. "Anything I might say in the next hour is not going to be sweet."

Tess shuddered. "Hour?" Holy s.h.i.+t. "That's the s.e.xiest thing you could say right there."

He slid a finger along the edge of her panties and she sucked in a breath. His touch dipped lower. Unthinking, she widened her stance. He drew slow, lazy circles over the thin cotton, over the nub swelling with each unbearably good stroke of his finger.

"Please, Hugh. Get me naked."

"Soon." He slipped his finger underneath the material and she let out a moan. Pressed her palms against the door.

"Now." She wanted his fingers inside her, his other hand all over her, his mouth sucking her nipple. And that was just the start.

"Impatient, huh?" he said, voice ragged with eagerness too. He gripped her jeans. She wiggled to help ease them down, but halfway there the phone rang. The sound interrupted his momentum. He paused, listened to the second and third rings before saying, "f.u.c.k."

"Don't answer it." Tess knew-she knew-if he answered the telephone their extracurricular activities would end. And she desperately wanted to continue.

"I have to. It could be important." He stood, and she almost whimpered at the sight of the erection in his pants. He adjusted himself and went to the nightstand beside the bed.

"What?" he growled, bringing the phone to his ear.

Tess smiled. He didn't want to stop either. His frustration at being interrupted matched hers.

"You're sure it's going down tonight?"

Not what she wanted to hear. She pulled up her jeans, picked up her bra. Her body still thrummed from his ministrations. His taste, smell, handprints, lingering.

"Repeat that location, would you?"

She let out a deep breath. It sounded like they had the lead they'd been waiting for. After being cooped up in the house for a week, this tip-off was what they'd wanted, but the timing sure sucked.

Or maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

"I'll meet you there." He hung up and turned his incredible body in her direction. He frowned when he saw she'd dressed.

"Where we going?" She tried to ask the question to his face but couldn't keep her eyes off his chest.

He grabbed his s.h.i.+rt and covered himself before answering. "I'm going to meet a few Night Runners. It looks like we found where the Wolf Seekers are keeping Trey."

"By I you mean you and not me?" Bye, bye, residual l.u.s.t. If he thought he'd leave her here while he went out to fight or do whatever it was he planned on doing, he was sorely mistaken.

Big Bad Night Runner Hugh added his watch to his wrist. "That's right."

"And what makes you think I'll agree to that? I thought you knew me better." She sure knew him. Knew he'd try and protect her, do things the way he always had. By himself.

"It's not open for discussion."

"Exactly. I'm coming with you."

She stood in front of the door, blocking his exit. Reading his mind wasn't difficult. His wandering eyes were trying to figure out a way past her without engaging in force. Because if he tried to get by her before agreeing to take her along, she sure as h.e.l.l would put up a fight. And win.

"Tess." His voice softened, his disposition mellowed. "I need you to stay here."

Foolish man. "And what bulls.h.i.+t do you plan to fling my way to convince me of that? Come on. You know I'm not staying here."

"This isn't a Banoth we're up against." He ran a hand through his mussed hair.

Remembering her fingers in his mane, she tripped over her first attempt to reply. "Oh thank G.o.d. That thing stunk."

"I don't need your help." He took a step toward her.

Wasn't that just the bane of his existence? "I know. You don't need anybody's help. I don't either. So that makes us even. I won't help you. And you won't help me. Deal? We'll just team up as equals only looking out for ourselves. At the very least I can prove to be a distraction, don't you think?"

"That's the G.o.dd.a.m.n problem." His hand went to his mouth, where the back of his knuckle wiped at his bottom lip.

Oh. "What I meant to say was diversion. I can divert the bad guys."

He s.h.i.+fted his weight, growing impatient. "And who are the bad guys, Tess?"

She was about to answer Wolf Seekers, but stopped herself. The Wolf Seekers were humans. The Night Runners wolfen. Who did she think the bad guys were? Her goal here was to help him find Trey and in return get his help in finding Dobson. A wolfen. A bad guy. A guy that had killed. If the Wolf Seekers had hurt Trey, what did that make them? The line dividing humans and Veilers continued to blur.

Too many d.a.m.n questions swirled in her head.

"I told you I'd help find Trey and that's what I'm going to do. I've seen and done a lot of things, Hugh. I know I can offer a.s.sistance that no one else can, given my background. It's to your benefit to take me with you."

For a long moment, they stared at each other. The kind of stare that made her believe a link between two people was stronger than spoken promises and terms of endearment. She knew looking at him that he believed she could take care of herself. He only had to give up any rights to her. Rights he didn't have to begin with.

"Stop looking at me like that." She put her hands on her hips and stomped her foot.

"I don't have time for this s.h.i.+t." He finally took his attention elsewhere, looking around the room for something. He found it in the corner on a chair and took haste to retrieve it.

Her purse.

He tossed it, catching her a little off guard. "If you're coming, you'd better at least have some protection."

The gesture filled her with appreciation. "Thanks. You never know when I might need some Chapstick."

"This isn't a joke," he growled, leading with his shoulder to knock her off balance and push past her to open the door. "There's a good chance someone could die tonight."

She prayed it wasn't him.

Chapter Twelve.

The Ducati maneuvered through busy streets quick and easy. It also purred, the sound music to Hugh's ears because it calmed his nerves. He tried focusing on that as Tess wiggled so snug against his backside he wanted to forget what the h.e.l.l he needed to do and take her back to his bedroom.

Her closeness made it difficult to think about anything but what had almost happened between them. And how he craved her more than anything now. After tasting her lips, her neck, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, he wanted to lick every inch of her, mark her as his. She needed to stay alive in order for that to happen.

While racing into possible danger, he told himself to stop worrying, stop giving a d.a.m.n about anything other than finding Trey. Tess was an eliminator with sights on him. Their alliance equaled short term. She didn't matter-but if anything happened to his young apprentice, he'd never forgive himself.

They headed into the seedier part of town with smaller, unkempt streets. Trash littered the broken sidewalks, bars trimmed windows of mom and pop shops, and a foul stench hung in the air. Cars with flat tires or broken windows appeared every block or so, buildings needed new stucco and paint.

Dane's call had been about a fight between a couple of Wolf Seekers and Night Runners. Dane was certain the brawl started because the pack members had zeroed in on Trey's location-and most likely the Wolf Seekers' home base. They needed to strike, he'd told Hugh, before Trey was moved to a new location.

Slowing his speed, he took a corner and downs.h.i.+fted. Their destination came into view. According to their research, the old deserted public library had remained unoccupied for the better part of two years. Adjacent to it was a small park. Lots of gra.s.s, a few trees, a park bench. With tall streetlamps illuminating the area, it still looked like a nice place to relax. A little slice of heaven in a dilapidated setting.

He veered around to the side of the park and brought the bike to a stop beside a large tree trunk. Humidity hung in the air, the temperature warmer than usual for the end of September. With zero breeze, the tree leaves and gra.s.s blades didn't sway in the slightest, yet the smell of charcoal made his nose twitch.

Traffic sounded in the distance, far enough away to guarantee some privacy on the quiet street.

Dane approached, followed by a few other Night Runners. The younger wolfen wore faded scratches on their faces, a few rips in their clothes. Hugh's gut clenched.

Wolf Seekers knew how to fight Night Runners. They knew where to strike with the mercury knuckle bands they wore. They knew how to shoot a tranquilizer to slow them down.

He watched Tess take in the park and building. She knew exactly where they were and only arched her brows at him when she caught him looking at her. She had actually found Trey. A tip from one of her sources had led them to this location. She spared a glance at Dane before studying the other pack members. By the way she narrowed her eyes, he could tell she was trying to formulate an opinion about something.

"We've got confirmation that Trey's inside," Dane said. He didn't acknowledge Tess.

"Good. You and I will go in, get Trey and get out. Boys, you'll take up the perimeter and give us the signal if anyone else approaches. I don't want anyone getting hurt if we can help it. Tess, you'll stay here and watch the bike."

Now that he knew for certain Trey was inside, he wouldn't leave without him.

"I'm not-"

Hugh cut her off. "You will watch the bike."

"I will-"

"Not move from this spot." He got in her face. "Do you understand me?" He didn't care that it sounded like a threat. All he cared about was keeping her safe.

She crossed her arms and didn't say a word. He took that as her acceptance and moved toward the library with his men.

Before they reached the building, however, a group of Wolf Seekers spilled out the front door, looking left and right. When they caught sight of Hugh and his men, they froze. In the middle of their huddle stood Trey.

His mouth was swollen, one eye black and blue. A deep cut bisected his left eyebrow. With no time to waste, Hugh stepped forward and called out to the Wolf Seekers. "Let him go."

A man Hugh recognized as the ringleader came forth. "You offering to take his place?"

"If that's what it takes to get this done peacefully."

The man chuckled. "Since when are Night Runners peaceful?"