She climbed into the passenger side of the SUV, thinking how insane it was that her own car was also in his garage parked next to his. Even though he hadn’t permitted her to use it, she felt like an old married couple having it there, like she lived with him.
Did she?
She watched out the window as he drove, sitting on her palms to keep from fidgeting. They headed away from high-rises and the campus toward the north. Soon they were past the suburbs and driving in a less populated area.
That’s when it hit her. She sat up straighter, eyes wide, as she turned to him. “Are we going to run?”
He shot her a grinning glance and winked.
“Oh. My. God. You have no idea how good that sounds. I haven’t shifted in weeks. It’s so hard to do so in the city. In Silvertip I could shift any day of the week and lope off behind my parents’ house. Calgary put an end to that luxury."
“Then it’s your lucky day.” He set a hand on her thigh and gave a quick squeeze before releasing her to grip the steering wheel. It was enough to send an electric current running up her thigh and across her sex. She shivered, squeezing her legs together.
She spent hours every day fighting the attraction. It was going to be tough keeping him at arm’s length while they ran. Shifting was invigorating. It made her feel alive. That scared the hell out of her at the moment.
When he pulled off the highway onto a side road and then off that street onto an even sketchier dirt road, she got excited.
Half of Reid’s mouth was lifted when he pulled the car over. “If I had known how energized you would get from the idea of shifting, I would have taken you every day.”
She grinned, jumped down from the SUV before he could round the hood, and met him on his side. Before he could react, she grabbed his biceps, lifted onto her toes, and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. I needed this so bad.” Stepping back, she closed her eyes, inhaled to ensure they were alone, and let the shift wash over her. Thirty seconds later she was on all fours, pawing at the ground next to him. “What are you waiting for? Let’s go,” she communicated.
»»•««
Reid shook his head as he watched Adriana bolt into the woods. It was clear he’d been correct to assume she needed to shift and run free. Nevertheless, he was shocked by how animated she was. A side of her he’d not yet seen.
He hurried to shift and took off right behind her, working hard to stay in her wake. She was gorgeous in her grizzly form. Her thick brown hair looked to be the same shade in her bear form, equally thick and lush. The brief glimpse he’d gotten of her eyes before she bolted told him she was playful when she shifted. Excitement danced in her brown eyes.
There was no need to run right on her heels. She was safe. There was no other human or shifter in the area. He would be able to scent them. But he didn’t like her straying too far from him anyway. He could blame it on a desire to protect her. The truth was far different. He liked to be near her.
The last few days had been a bag of mixed blessings. On the one hand, planting himself within yards of Adriana at all times was sheer torture. Her pheromones made his brain foggy and his cock constantly alert. He had trouble concentrating and never fully relaxed even at night.
But it was more than that. Being with her was a pleasure. He enjoyed her. She was funny and cute and smart and sexy all at the same time. Her scent was intoxicating in human form and made his knees wobbly now that they were in grizzly form. Because he genuinely liked her.
And that scared him to death. Every day he fell harder for her, making him scared out of his mind at the prospect of eventually losing her.
It was painful not having more of her, not being able to hold her and kiss her and make love to her. Not having her in his bed. Physically painful. But nothing matched the thought of no longer having her in his life at all. He’d give up ever having sex for the promise of keeping her within reaching distance for the rest of his life.
She surprised him by how hard she ran. Pent-up energy had needed an outlet for a long time. A few times she doubled back, literally running circles around him. She was playful like a cub. It was impossible not to smile inside.
When they finally turned back toward the car, her gait slowing, he stared at her from an angle. He was falling hard. He was going to get hurt.
»»•««
Shocking Joe to the core, Vinny showed up at his office again after only two days of searching. “Found a potential problem, Mr. Stringer.”
“Really. So fast?”
Vinny narrowed his gaze.
Perhaps it was time to give him the benefit of the doubt. “What’d you find?”
“I should have worded that differently. It’s what I didn’t find.” He handed Joe a piece of paper. “Nolan Osborn. Accountant. Met with Rimouski on Friday. Hasn’t been back to his house since I started looking for him on Sunday.”
Joe sat up straighter. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. Kept a close eye on his place around the clock. The man hasn’t been there.”
“Fuck.” If that was the truth, Joe needed to find Osborn as soon as possible. If he knew something and already went to the police, it would make things that much harder. Not impossible. Just harder. “Can you find him?”
“Of course.”
God, he hoped Vinny didn’t disappoint him. If he even smelled like he wasn’t on the up and up, Joe would have him removed from society without even consulting with the boss. Joe narrowed his gaze. “What’s your secret, Vinny?”
Vinny frowned, his gaze never wavering. “No idea what you mean, Mr. Stringer.”
Joe chuckled. “Oh, I think you do. To be this close to Rimouski’s inner circle after only a few months on his payroll, you either have to be sucking his cock, or you know something. And since Rimouski is currently unavailable for blowjobs, I’m going with the latter.”
Vinny’s gaze narrowed more than usual. “I don’t know anything special, Mr. Stringer. I’m just a guy the boss hired to work for him.”
Joe chuckled again. “Yeah, well I’ve got a beachfront property in Saskatchewan I’m selling if you’re interested in that too.”
Vinny’s brow furrowed, his aggravation palpable in the room. “I won’t let you down. It’s in my best interest as well as yours to get the boss out of custody. Why would I jeopardize my job?”
Why would he? That was the million dollar question. Joe sincerely hoped he never found out.
Chapter Eleven
By the weekend, Reid was slowly losing his mind. He was cohabitating with a woman he was certain was meant to be his mate, and they had spent six days skirting around each other. It was unnatural, and he wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take.
He had intentionally not even kissed her. Even though he knew Nolan had kissed her, he hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity yet. Yet being the operative word.
It was a two-sided problem. For one, if he closed the distance between them and let his mouth settle over hers, he didn’t think he would have the willpower to stop at just a kiss. But more importantly, he was afraid after he let his mouth touch hers, his level of arousal in her presence would shoot up sky high and put him in a worse predicament than he was already in.
He knew Adriana was walking on the same eggshells. Half the time she even looked a little frustrated with him, as if she would prefer he make a move. Maybe to save her from having to do it.
They were sitting at the kitchen table eating the amazing enchiladas she’d cooked when she suddenly wiped her lips with her napkin, pushed her plate away, and set her elbows on the table. Shit.
“This thing isn’t as powerful for you.”
He flinched. What was she talking about? “What do you mean?”
“I mean your unbelievable willpower leads me to believe you aren’t as interested in me.”
He dropped his fork, not intentionally. It clattered to the plate. “Are you insinuating I’m not as attracted to you as Nolan is? Or not as attracted to you as you are to me?”
“You and me both.” He reached across the table to grab her hand and held it between them. “You’re wrong. I’m dying a slow death.”
She lifted a brow. “Really?” The word was laced with sarcasm. She jerked her hand free and pushed from the table to pace back and forth in front of the sliding glass doors, the darkness of night behind her. “You drive me to school. You wait outside my classes like a stalker. You sit with me in the evenings while I study or watch TV. And then you make a hasty retreat to your bedroom. It looks so easy.”
“Easy?” His voice rose. “You think it looks easy?” He scooted his chair back, but he didn’t stand. He was afraid of how he might react if he approached her.
She made a deep frustrated sound that came from her chest and turned to face the window. “I can’t take it anymore.”
“Take what?” He stood slowly, knowing it was a mistake.
“The stress. The pressure. The scent of you all over this condo. The constant consuming need to touch you.” She set her forehead on the glass and moaned. “I have to get out of here before I lose my mind, Reid. The only relief I get is while I’m in class, and it’s only marginal then because I can still scent you in the hallway.”
“And you think it’s not the same for me?” His voice rose. He hoped he didn’t sound angry, but he wanted there to be no doubt he agreed with her. He felt every bit as intensely as she did.
She shook her head against the window. “No. I don’t.”
He took two long steps toward her back, and then he plastered her body between his front and the window before he could stop himself. He grabbed her hands, threaded his fingers between hers, and lifted them up to flatten them on the glass above her head.
She sucked in a sharp breath.
His cock had been stiff for days, even when he was sleeping, even right after he masturbated in the bed or the shower, even when she was in class. But now…pressed against the small of her back, it was about to explode.
He lowered his face to bury it in her thick hair, inhaling her shampoo. He’d smelled the faint vanilla scent all week and kept himself from getting high on it. However, at her inference, his control snapped. He nudged her hair out of the way and set his lips on her ear.
She shuddered, a small moan escaping her lips. Good. He could smell her arousal. It was the same thing he’d scented all week, but stronger. Not because he was closer, but because she was more aroused.
He teased her earlobe with tiny touches of his tongue before biting down on it gently and then releasing it. “I’ve never been so fucking turned on in my life. One minute with you sends my arousal higher than all other sexual encounters I’ve had combined. And that’s without touching you.”
She whimpered, tugging her hands slightly. But he didn’t release her. He wasn’t about to release her. He’d snapped completely now. She’d challenged him, and he was going to give her what she wanted. She would not doubt his attraction to her again.
He kept talking even though her body went limp and he had to hold her up with his torso against her. “I can’t sleep. I can’t think. It’s hard to swallow. I’ve jacked off in the shower twice a day since Sunday. I lie in bed flipping around because you’re across the hallway and not in my bed.”
She opened her mouth, but he stopped her.
“No. Listen to me. Don’t talk now. When your shower runs, my damn vision blurs knowing you’re naked in that hall bathroom and I’ve never seen your sexy body. When you lick your lips or bite that bottom one or purse them or even talk, I’m mesmerized. When you stand in my kitchen in your bare feet cooking, it’s all I can do to keep from swiping the food onto the floor and flattening you on the island.”
Another whimper. And her pussy was so wet. He didn’t need to touch it to know. He could smell it.
“I want to strip every inch of clothing off you, spread you open, and taste that sweet cream always dripping from your pussy. It’s like a drug. And I’m an addict.” He took a deep breath. “So no. You’re wrong. I’m far more attracted to you than you can imagine. I’ve been exerting a level of self-control I didn’t know I had. But I’m kinda done. Now I need your lips on mine.”
She started to turn around, but he held her firmly, his chest pressing hers against the window. He could see her hooded expression in the glass. She was aroused like a woman in the throes of passion who was about to come.
Several deep breaths. He needed some semblance of control, or he would go too far.
She twisted again. This time he let her, releasing her hands so she could wiggle around against his body. And then his cock was lodged against her belly, and her hands were on his hips. Her eyes were dilated. Her mouth open.
He cupped her face, angled her head slightly to one side, and claimed her mouth in the way he’d dreamed of for six days. He didn’t ease into the kiss. He took. He licked the seam of her lips to demand entrance, and she readily gave it up for him. If he thought her pheromones all over his house were bad, nothing compared to tasting her. His cock throbbed at the idea of tasting her all down her body. He would probably die if he had the chance to lick her clit or drive his tongue into her pussy.
He wouldn’t do anything like that. Not tonight. Not in the near future. Possibly never. But he wanted to be absolutely sure she knew how much he burned for her. After tonight, there would be no doubt.
As he kissed her, he knew he wanted one more piece of her. He wanted to feel her softness beneath his palms. When her hands flattened on his back and smoothed upward until she wrapped them around his neck, he released her face to trail his own hands down her sides.
The moment he cupped her breasts, she moaned into his mouth. And then she shocked him by sucking his tongue. He wasted no time grazing his thumbs over her nipples, feeling the hardness of those peaks through her thin shirt and bra. One of the many damnably sexy shirts she’d worn all week that fit her perfectly and showed off her assets because she’d designed them herself and had an eye for what was attractive on every fucking body type. Today’s selection was a dark brown blouse that had forced his attention to her breasts several times.
She rose onto her tiptoes, her mouth no longer actively participating in the kiss.
Yes. Damn. Yes.
To drive his point home—though he had no idea what he thought he needed to prove to her—he pinched her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.
She gasped into his mouth and broke the kiss, panting, writhing in his hold.
He slowly released the pinch, smoothing his hands away from her breasts to hold her upright at her sides.
She lowered her forehead to his chest, her eyes closed. Hiding?
He set his chin on her head and breathed deeply for a long time, trying to catch his breath from the hottest sexual encounter of his life. No clothes were removed. No groping below the waist. No sex at all. And yet, he’d never been more turned on with any woman.
Yeah, this had probably been a mistake because it would hurt that much worse when Nolan came out of hiding and claimed her. Reid had no idea why Fate was torturing him like this. She was a cruel bitch. But he also knew in his heart this was a fight he would not win.
He would not even attempt to win.
She was his. No doubt about it. In the absence of another person also claiming her, he would have bound to her last Sunday before darkness descended. But the Universe had something else in mind. He only hoped he would one day understand Her freaky reasons.
»»•««
Adriana couldn’t breathe. No matter how many times she inhaled, it didn’t seem like enough oxygen filled her lungs. She also couldn’t face Reid’s gaze. It would destroy her resolve.
It would destroy her.
She shouldn’t have taunted him. What was she thinking? Had she truly been concerned about how much he felt for her? More likely she’d simp
ly needled him into taking things to the next level because that’s what she wanted. Perhaps she’d subconsciously absolved herself of any guilt by forcing him to take the next step so she didn’t have to.
She got what she asked for. And then some.
For as horny as she’d been since moving into Reid’s condo, she’d had no idea how much worse it would be if they kissed. How was she going to manage now? Tonight? Tomorrow? She grabbed his T-shirt in her fists and wadded the material against his abs. Half of her wanted to pound into him with those fists. Damn him for making her feel so much more. The other half wanted to hold him more firmly against her so he would never let her go.
His hands worked their way up her back until they fisted in her hair in a similar fashion to how she fisted his shirt. Did he have the same thoughts? Hopefully, he didn’t want to punch her, though she couldn’t blame him if he did. Gradually, his hands flattened, tangled in her hair but holding her tight. “You gonna doubt me again?”
“No.” She shook her head against his chest, loving the feel of his rock-hard pecs against her cheeks. Strength. Protection. The very things she fought against. “I’m sorry.”
He chuckled. Thank God. “I’m not.”
She lifted her face. She couldn’t hide forever. She knew a flush covered her cheeks. She was embarrassed about her outburst and the way she’d completely lost all her faculties in his arms. She forced a smile. No, it came naturally.
His fingers, threaded in her hair, gave a tug, forcing her head to tip back more. “Woman…”
She grinned wider.
And then his phone rang.
It was on the kitchen table, but the ringtone was the one he’d set for Stanton. They both froze for a moment, and then Reid let go of her and spun around to take the call.
Adriana lurched forward too, grabbing the back of a kitchen chair to brace herself.
Reid didn’t even lift the phone. He simply tapped the screen and put Stanton on speaker. “Stanton?”
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