by ML Guida
Walfea turned toward Sandra. “Sandra, can you tell us what happened before you were kidnapped?”
Color had returned to Sandra’s face, and she didn’t look like she was about to jump out of her skin.
“I had dinner with Steve, and the rest of Skye’s band.”
“I see,” he said.
Skye flashed him a crusty. “Don’t look like that.”
He cocked his eyebrow. “Like what?”
She sat straighter. “Just because Steve was there, doesn’t mean he had anything to do with Sandra being kidnapped.”
“I never said that.”
Sandra nearly spit out her whiskey. “Wait. He thinks Steve’s behind this?”
“Yes, but he isn’t.”
Walfea shrugged but didn’t argue.
Sandra grabbed an afghan and wrapped it around her. “Why didn’t Hector follow us? That’s not like him.”
Walfea could barely contain a smile. “Maybe he had a change of heart.”
Skye rolled her eyes. He was way too full of himself. “I just don’t understand how he knew where I was. Sandra, what exactly did you talk about at dinner? Maybe Hector was there and you didn’t know it.”
Sandra shook her head. “He’d be hard to miss.”
Walfea’s eyes turned serious. “What did you talk about?”
“I don’t know.” Sandra twirled the glass in her hand. “We talked about the Vandals’ last show, where they played––”
Walfea cut her off. “Skye, did your band ever play in Frisco?”
“No.” Her sharp voice didn’t seem to intimidate him.
“Are you sure? Did you ever talk about Frisco?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Frisco wasn’t a forbidden topic.”
This time, he cast her a hard look that made her think any minute he was going to issue her a ticket.
She raised her arms. “Okay. My band and I never played here, but when I was much younger, Steve and I used to come up here to go hiking or skiing.”
An ah-ha flashed in his eyes.
She glared. “That doesn’t mean anything, Walfea. Lots of people come up here for the same reasons.”
“But none of them are hunting you.” His low voice silenced her protest.
“Think, Sandra.” Walfea leaned forward on his chair. “Anything might give us a clue on how Hector tracked Skye down.”
Sandra put on her scientist face as if she were analyzing data. “The guys were really upset that they didn’t know where Skye was, especially Steve.”
Walfea narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
Skye blurted, “Because he’s my manager. We grew up together.”
Walfea refilled his glass of whiskey. “I thought you said he was older.”
“Not by much.”
Sandra stared into the fireplace. Her eyes brightened. “Wait. There was something.” She flipped her hand. “No, it was probably nothing.”
Both Skye and Walfea asked, “What?”
“Steve got a phone call and excused himself from the table. He seemed to be real nervous about the caller.”
“Mmmm.” Walfea cast Skye an I-told-you look.
Skye scowled. “Walfea, quit acting like Sherlock Holmes!”
“Who is Sherlock Holmes?”
“You don’t know?” Sandra blinked. “He’s only the most famous detective ever.”
Skye quickly changed the subject and bailed Walfea out. “Steve’s our manager. He could have been talking to anybody, and he might even have been negotiating a deal for us.”
“Maybe,” Walfea admitted. “Sandra, this is important. After the phone call, what happened next?”
“Nothing. It was getting late and I was tired, so I left.”
“Did anything else happen?” Walfea persisted.
“No, nothing.” She pushed her glasses up her nose. “That’s not true.”
Skye’s heart stopped. “What do you mean?”
“Just as I was leaving, Steve made another phone call. I overheard him whisper into the phone she’s leaving. I didn’t think anything of it until now.”
“No, you wouldn’t, would you.” But Walfea wasn’t looking at Sandra. He was looking at Skye.
Skye wanted to argue, but for the first time, doubt crept into her mind. Could Steve be behind this? Could he actually be supplying Hector information? “It can’t be true. Steve’s been more than manager. He’s been my big brother. He’s always protected me.”
Sandra clasped her hand. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”
But Skye could see it in her eyes. Like Walfea, she suspected Steve. She thought about the defiled mirror in her dressing room. Steve had sworn that Hector wouldn’t be able to get into her dressing room. He’d arranged the security. At the restaurant, he’d had two phone calls he didn’t want anyone to overhear. She knew him. He was hiding something.
She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that he would have betrayed her. He knew what Hector had done to her. None of the other guys knew everything that had happened that night.
But he did.
He’d been there when she was rescued.
“I just can’t believe Steve would do this. Why do you think he’d do such a terrible thing?”
“Maybe he’s jealous you replaced him as lead singer,” Sandra mumbled.
“No.” Skye shook her head. “Steve likes being our manager. He knows I’m the better singer.”
Walfea rubbed his chin. “Possibly.”
Skye refused to argue. He wasn’t going to change his mind, but neither was she. Steve couldn’t be guilty. But why did doubt creep up the back of her neck like a spider?
Chapter 12
Walfea stared at the flickering fire, reviewing everything Sandra had said. He got up out of the recliner and poured himself another whiskey. He was getting to really like the smooth amber drink.
Usually in cases like this, he’d talk it over with Dech. But his brother wasn’t here.
He was on his own.
He returned to the recliner. His hand trembling, he tossed back the whiskey. Heat flooded through him. He was more convinced than ever that Steve was up to his neck in terrorizing Skye, a mistake he’d lived to regret.
He and Dech had always been a pair solving cases. He hadn’t performed any type of security since Sutois. He was worse than a green recruit. He was damaged. Second guesses weren’t allowed in this business.
Sandra and Skye were depending upon him. What if they were placing all the cookies in the wrong jar?
Sandra yawned and stretched out her arms. “If you don’t mind, the whiskey is hitting me. I haven’t slept for at least twenty-four hours. I’m going to go to bed.”
Skye gave Sandra a big hug. “Of course. Sleep tight. You’re safe tonight.”
Sandra unwound herself. She glanced at Walfea as if she wasn’t sure. “I hope so.”
“Don’t worry. You are.” Walfea sipped his drink and put his feet up on the ottoman as if he hadn’t a worry in the world. A big fat lie.
“Goodnight.” Sandra waved her hand then headed down the hallway to a spare bedroom that was across from the master bedroom.
Skye settled back into the sofa. “Your arrogance never fails to amuse me.”
“You don’t trust me?” He couldn’t hide the disappointment in his voice.
“I just pray you’re not underestimating Hector.”
“I’m not.”
Her penetrating gaze made him wonder if she guessed his insecurity. He was the first one to look away. The whiskey churned in his gut. He was her mate. His job was to protect her, to convince her that he was the big bad bear–not a cowering cub.
Skye grabbed her crutches.
“What are you doing?”
She hopped up onto one leg. “I’m going to make myself a drink, then I’m going to go to bed.”
“I’ll make you a drink.” He headed for the counter.
“You’re sure Hector can’t get to us?”
“Yes, I
have an alarm system securely around the house.”
“Hector can easily dismantle a security system.”
“Not this one. There’s no wires and if he tries to enter, he’ll be shocked, unable to move.”
“We have…”
“No, you don’t. The security system is based on body temperature, specifically yours, mine, and Sandra’s.
“Another security weapon from Aria?”
He handed her the drink. “Yes.”
Their hands brushed over each other. Rather than moving to the recliner, he sat next to her on the overstuffed coach, wanting to be close.
She offered a weary smile and stared at the roaring fire. “Good. I don’t think Sandra could handle another confrontation with Hector.”
“Or you.” He gently tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. He was surprised how badly his hand was trembling.
“Or me.” She sipped her drink.
When she lowered her glass, Walfea clasped her chin, turning her to face him. Her eyes mesmerized him, and he could barely breathe. God, he wanted her.
“Thank you for saving Sandra.”
He brushed his thumb over her cheek. “You’re welcome.” He tilted his head and his lips captured hers, not a light kiss, but a sensual, demanding one. He could feel her trembling as much as he was. Women had never scared him.
Until now.
She freed herself from his grip panting. “What are you doing?”
Her warm breath unleashed his desire. He stared at her bruised lips. “I was kissing you.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready.”
His chest tightened, and his bear whined. “Why?”
“Because of Hector.”
He stroked her silky hair. “You can’t let him control your life.”
Tears glistened in her eyes. “I don’t want him to. I really don’t. But knowing someone close to me gave him my number, then seeing him again and the memory–”
He wiped her tears off with his thumbs. “Then, let me create new ones.”
She scooted away from him to the other side of the couch, which was like a slap to the face.
He dropped his arms. His throat closed up, and a sharp jagged pain dug into his chest, like someone ripping out his heart.
Without looking at him, she said, “I don’t want to be alone tonight.” Her low voice shocked him, cutting off his breath.
“You won’t.” Not sure what she meant.
She put her hands on his chest. He was sure that she could feel the rattling of his heart.
“I want to sleep with you tonight.”
“Shades, you’re testing me. I don’t know if I can just sleep next to you.”
Her lips curved into a smile. “Who said anything about sleeping?”
Afraid she’d changed her mind, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to her master bedroom. She was still clutching her glass. She finished what was left in one gulp.
Did she need it to go through with this? Her confidence in him was underwhelming.
He sat her on the king-size bed that had about a dozen pillows. He removed the glass from her fingers.
She clasped his other hand. “You’re shaking.”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Good, so am I.”
Their eyes locked. He smiled and sat next to her. “I promise I’ll make new memories for you.”
“I’m counting on it.” She kissed him briefly on the lips, stealing his heart.
This close on the bed, Skye could study his face, the hard angles, the shape of his mouth, the scar that ran down the side of his face, his tense eyes full of desire. She was keenly aware of the woodsy scent of his skin and the broad width of his chest, only inches away.
He was so tall that he took up most of the king size bed. Sandra was across the hall, but she always slept like the dead.
Or at least she hoped she would.
“If you become uncomfortable, no matter where we are, no matter how uncomfortable, we’ll stop.”
“Not many men can promise that.”
He gently pushed her down on the thick comforter. “I’m not a man.”
God, she kept forgetting he wasn’t from Earth. A freaking shape-shifter from outer space.
But he made her want to throw all caution to the wind.
She put her hands on his chest to find his beating heart in the same place as a man’s. What about the rest of him? Her curiosity overpowered her fear. She edged her hands down his shirt and slid them underneath, resting her hands on his warm skin, taking away the icy chill that had plagued her earlier.
“You feel like a man.”
“Did you…expect I’d have scales?” His voice was hoarse as if he struggled to get the words out.
“Not scales…fur.”
He gasped, as she moved her hands over his skin. She lifted his shirt high to gaze at his sculpted abs and ribs. Her fingers brushed over each of his nipples, tracing small circles around the sensitive flesh that stiffened into hard little peaks. He tilted his head back, groaning. “You’re playing with fire.”
“Daring’s my middle name.” She pressed hard on his chest. “Lay on your back.”
His eyes widened, but he obeyed. Something Hector would never had done. He liked to be the master and her the slave.
He looked at her with hooded eyes. “You want to be in control?”
“Yes.”
“Here, I thought…I was seducing you.”
She put her tongue hesitantly on his chest, then followed the same path her fingers had gone until she reached a nipple. She sampled the flesh as if she were lapping up root beer foam running down the glass. He hissed and arched his back, allowing her to take more of him into her mouth. Her teeth gingerly caught the skin, pulling the dark disc inside her mouth. It was spicy, not what she’d expected. She’d thought he’d taste different. What else was the same and what was different?
She could feel him turn rock hard against her stomach. He ran his fingers through her hair, pressing her to him. His breath was warm over the top of her head. She didn’t know if it was the whiskey or the boldness of her curiosity, but she wanted to see more of him–especially his cock.
She crept one hand down his side to unbutton his jeans.
“Shades!” His voice was strangled as if he were in pain.
“Is this all right?”
“More than all right…Don’t stop.”
She fumbled undoing the button with her shaking fingers, but finally managed success. She pulled the zipper down.
“You’re not wasting any time.”
She gave him her best seductive smile. “No, I’m not.”
His muscles were taut and rippling beneath her touch. Just the way she liked it.
Breaking even more boundaries, she slipped her hands inside his jeans and what she found there arrested her breath in her throat. He filled her two hands and his rippled cock strained upward. She’d never touched one so big and so textured.
“You’re testing me, aren’t you?” He panted furiously.
She stroked him, enjoying how he shook beneath her touch. “I am.” She pulled away from his breast, then kissed and licked her way down his hard-slab of muscle. He was magnificent, putting most men to shame.
She had to see his cock, had to see if she could even accommodate his size. She tugged his jeans down his hips and his anatomy sprung forth. It was at full attention and a bit of cum glistened on the tip.
OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod
Her heart and lungs were paralyzed. Her daringness leaped out the window. “God, you’re so big.” She wasn’t a virgin, but jheeeze.
“Security bears are bred to be bigger in every size.”
“I don’t know…”
“Yes, you…will. Mates are made for each other.” His voice was raspy and filled with passion, along with that annoying little arrogance that always made her want to argue with him.
“We are, huh? You said if I wanted to stop…” She met his heated gaze but couldn’t sh
ake the doubt that he’d rip her in two.
“You’re serious?”
She rolled to the side, not being able to take her eyes off his thick cock. “You said you’d stop.”
He put his arm over his face, his chest rose up and down. “I will… Just give me a minute.”
Skye couldn’t do this to him. “No, wait.”
He dropped his arm. “What?”
Her heart thumped hard, mimicking an old child chant with each beat––do it do it do it. Her throat ran completely dry, but she was determined. She got on all fours and almost laughed at his questionable face. She kissed the tip of cock, surprised his cum tasted salty like a man’s.
“Skye!”
Ignoring his anguish cry, she licked his cock as if it were a rippled ice cream bar. She opened her mouth wider and took him inside, bobbing her head up and down. He whimpered beneath her and rocked his hips slow at first, but it didn’t last long. She fingered his smooth balls.
He called out her name and hot seed spilled her into her mouth like a gush of water, which was surprisingly pleasant.
“Sorry,” he panted. “I couldn’t control myself.”
Skye wiped her mouth. “Most guys can’t. You tasted…”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Tasted like what?”
“Like spicy seltzer water.”
He burst out laughing. “Never heard that one before.”
She smiled. “Well, there’s always a first time.”
He clasped her wrist, then slowly pulled her up. “It’s my turn to return the pleasure.”
Tingles broke out all over her. She couldn’t stop thinking of his hands and mouth on her skin, and his magnificent cock pumping inside her.
“I don’t…know.”
He ran his hand over the folds of her shirt, tracing the swell of her breast, making her shudder. “Please. Just say stop, and I’ll stop.” He cupped her between her legs and she squeaked.
He smiled. “I promise you won’t regret it.”
“I bet I won’t. If I say stop, you will?”
He nuzzled her neck. “I promise.”
“Okay,” she whispered, hoping this wasn’t another mistake.
He pushed her shirt up. “Shades, you’re beautiful.”
Her heart was pounding so fiercely she thought she was heading right back to the emergency room. The skin across her breasts tightened. He pushed down her lacy bra and his mouth was on her nipple, sucking slow at first, then harder and harder, his tongue swirling, moist patterns on her flesh.