“Don’t bet on it, you smug asshole,” Pete murmured as he watched the scumbag disappear around the corner. “You know that guy?” he asked Olivia.
“No. I just met him tonight, and I only know what Marianna told me. He’s been trying to get her to hook up with him, but she’s not interested. I’ve never seen a guy try so damn hard after a woman has made it abundantly clear that she wants nothing to do with him. I asked her why she doesn’t just tell him to get lost, and she said something about not wanting to pick a fight or some nonsense like that.”
Pete knew exactly what kind of nonsense Marianna was talking about, and that bad feeling was growing by the second. Could it be possible that Hayden was her mate? Was she actually supposed to… he didn’t finish the thought or couldn’t. Either way, he would be damned if he let her get mixed up with a shit bag like that.
“Yeah.” Pete shrugged and fished the keys out of his pocket. “Well, you know how Marianna can be.”
“Mmm-hmmm,” Olivia murmured and walked to the door of the club. Before she went inside she threw one last comment over her shoulder. “She can be a real bear.”
Pete stood in the open door of the driver’s side and watched Olivia and Damien go into the club. He couldn’t help but wonder if good old Olivia knew more than she was letting on.
***
He pulled up in front of Marianna’s brownstone on 89th Street, and much to his surprise, she was awake. She’d been dead silent the entire ride home, and the few times he’d glanced in the rearview mirror, she looked completely passed out. Pete got out and opened the door for her and told himself that he was only opening it because it was part of his job—but that was a lot of crap.
He did it because it was the gentlemanly thing to do, and he couldn’t help but hear his grandmother’s voice in his head. A real man always opens a door for a lady. She’d been gone for over ten years, but her voice was still there. Pete wondered what his grandmother would say if she knew this lady could change into a bear. Would the rule still apply?
Every single thought was driven from him as a pair of long, shapely legs slid through the open door, and her stiletto-clad feet rested on the curb. He extended a hand as his gaze wandered leisurely from the tips of her black painted toenails, along the curve of her calf, all the way up her firm looking thighs, and finally landing on the hem of that barely there, little black dress. His mouth went dry, and his cock twitched as every cell of his body tuned into hers.
He was in an enormous amount of trouble.
“It’s as I suspected.” Her voice ripped him from his thoughts, and he forced himself to look her in the face. Her eyes smiled mischievously as she slipped her warm hand into his. “You’re a leg man.”
“What?” Pete blinked. He tightened his grip on her fingers and stepped aside so she could get out of the car. He cursed himself for getting busted ogling her like some kind of horny kid. What the hell was the matter with him? “No,” he added quickly, as he looked away. “I was just wondering how it is that you’re not freezing your ass off in that dress.”
“I’m warm-blooded. The cold doesn’t faze me in the least.” She stood on surprisingly steady feet as he helped her from the car. Twenty minutes ago she’d been stumbling drunk, and now she’s stone-cold sober? Perhaps she wasn’t as drunk as she let on.
Interesting.
“Uh-huh.” Pete narrowed his eyes and looked her up and down.
“Walk me up to my apartment?” A smile played at her lips as she sashayed to the steps of her building.
Pete shut the car door and joined her at the foot of the steps as he surveyed the surroundings. It was the cop in him. He never could breathe easy, especially in a city like New York. However, at the moment, everything looked clear, and there wasn’t a soul on the street except the two of them. Why would there be? This Upper West Side neighborhood may have been one of the only areas in the city that wasn’t still populated at three in the morning. However, if the Purists really wanted to get to her, they could blink their asses here in a matter of seconds—hence the gun.
He caught her studying him with an impish smile. She linked her arm through his and peered at him with a look that screamed trouble—and sex. Pete swallowed the lump in his throat and willed himself to keep his hands in his pockets.
“C’mon,” she whispered. “You’re my bodyguard and my chauffeur. You have to guard my body and chauffeur me all the way to my apartment.”
Pete cleared his throat and started up the steps with her delicate arm still linked through his. He said nothing as she keyed into the building, and they walked up one flight to her apartment. For a brief second, he wished it was a fifth floor walk-up, just so he would have an excuse to keep her body brushing against his for a little while longer. He tried to keep his mind on the job and to remember that this woman’s safety was his job—and that she’s his buddy’s sister.
You don’t nail your buddy’s sister. It’s unbreakable guy code.
Her hip bumped enticingly into his as they climbed the last couple of steps at the top. Pete used every ounce of willpower to keep from looking at her legs or her spectacular cleavage. Sweat broke out on his forehead, and he tried to think of something else—anything else—except the woman on his arm.
“You know,” she sighed as she slid the key into the lock of her apartment door, “you’ve been driving me around town for the past two months, but I don’t think you’ve ever been inside my apartment.”
“Nope.” Pete stepped back, kept his hands in his pockets and both eyes on her. What was she up to? First she pretends to be wasted and bails out on that Hayden guy, and now, she’s hitting on him. What is her endgame with this?
Marianna flipped the lock and arched one eyebrow. “Care to break that streak tonight?”
He swallowed the urge to scream, hell yes, and instead bit out, “I don’t think so.” Pete shook his head even though his body was screaming yes.
“Are you sure?” she asked as she grabbed his tie and twirled it playfully around one finger. Her large dark eyes clapped onto his. She tugged the annoying garment and pulled him closer.
“Yes,” he whispered. Pete willed his body not to move, to be strong and hold his ground, but it was no use.
The enticing scent of peaches wafted over Pete as she held him captive. His hands curled into fists in his pockets as he struggled to keep from touching her and resisted the urge to lace his fingers through that silky looking hair. Pete bit back the driving need to taste her. His entire body hummed with arousal and awareness as the heat from her body radiated along his.
Her mouth hovered dangerously close, and her eyes glinted back with the unmistakable glaze of desire. It would be so easy to dip lower and take just one taste.
“Come inside,” she whispered.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion, and somewhere in that odd displacement of time and space, his mouth settled over hers. A rush of sweetness flooded him as her lush, gorgeous lips fused with his.
She tasted like peaches too… and champagne.
Marianna ran her tongue along his. He yanked his hands from his pockets and slipped his fingers into that long wavy hair that did indeed feel like silk. He moaned as she linked her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Devouring her lips, Pete pinned her against the door and drank greedily from her soft, pliant mouth. Her full breasts crushed against his chest, and all he could think about was getting closer.
His body, taut with desire, sensed every single spot where her heated skin touched his. However, amid the haze of lust he heard the voice of reason screaming at him to stop, listing all the reasons why he definitely shouldn’t be doing this.
She’s your friend’s sister.
She’s Amoveo, and you’re human.
She’s got some predestined shapeshifter mate out there, and you’re not it.
She can’t ever be yours.
“I can’t do this,” he murmured against her lips.
Pete squeezed his eyes shut and leaned
his forehead against hers. Breathing heavily, he pulled her arms from around his neck and stepped away. But as her hands slipped from his, he noticed with more than a little disappointment how quickly cold replaced warmth. Her tousled hair that just seconds ago had been tangled between his fingers spilled over her bare shoulders as she looked at him through confused eyes.
He wondered if she could sense his heart pounding. It felt like it was about to burst through his rib cage, and the wounded expression on her face only made it beat harder.
“Fine,” she seethed. Hurt and embarrassment flickered over her features as she turned her attention back to the keys dangling from the door. She looked at him like she wanted to kill him, or at the very least, kick him in the shin. “Forget it.”
“Shit.” Pete sighed in frustration and ran his hands over his face. “It’s not that I don’t want to, believe me,” he said softly. “But half an hour ago, you were completely shit-faced and hanging out with some other guy at the club.”
His jaw clenched as he fought for a plausible reason as to why he wouldn’t take her in that apartment and feast on that gorgeous body until sunrise. The truth was that all he wanted to do was spend the rest of the night showing her just how badly he wanted her, but that simply wasn’t in the cards.
“Forgive me if I don’t shift gears as quickly as you do,” he snapped. Looking into her stormy eyes, a potent mixture of pent-up lust and frustration boiled over and made him sound harsher than he intended. “Besides, I don’t think Dante would appreciate it.”
It was a low blow to turn the tables, but he needed to find a way to put out the flames as quickly as possible, and ticking her off seemed like the most efficient way.
It was a shitty thing to do, and he knew it.
“Typical.” Marianna glared at him through furious eyes. “First of all, that guy at the club is a complete asshole, and I pretended to be drunker than I was, so I could get out of there and get away from him. Secondly, you have done nothing but ogle me and flirt with me from the moment you laid eyes on me, so don’t act innocent and shocked by my proposal.” She poked him in the chest with one finger, which hurt more than he expected. “And lastly, my brother doesn’t get one damn bit of say about who I bring into my apartment or my bed.”
Pete opened his mouth to say something, but Marianna slammed the door in his face before he could say anything else. Nothing killed a hard-on like having a door slammed in your face—except maybe that wounded look in her eye when he rejected her.
Pete swore under his breath and headed back downstairs. He needed a cold shower and a few hours of sleep before he’d have the strength to face her again. He wasn’t sure if she’d cool off anytime soon, but there was one thing he knew with absolute certainty… now that he’d had a taste of her, he only wanted more.
Chapter 3
The indigo and silver haze of the dream realm surrounded her like a warm blanket, but this time it was different because she wasn’t alone. Marianna wandered through the fog of the dream realm, as she’d done countless nights before, but tonight another energy signature permeated the air.
Pete was here.
Her heart raced as dozens of questions swarmed her mind, but her volatile stream of emotions made the fog thicken and the colors pulse vibrantly. She stood for a moment, struggling to get her bearings amid the swirling clouds.
All Amoveo walked the dream realm in search of their predestined mates because the spiritual connection was a crucial part of the mating process. She’d spent endless hours searching for that one person the universe selected for her, and she had practically given up… but he was here.
Marianna closed her eyes and sent her own energy signature, her spiritual fingerprint, in search of his, hoping she could pinpoint where he was.
In the club, she’d heard his voice clearly in her mind, but she suspected he had no idea what he’d done. He didn’t know what she was or that the Amoveo existed, so how could he possibly be aware of how significant that telepathic contact was?
What puzzled her most was why hadn’t it happened sooner. She’d spent a good deal of time with him over the past two months, so why now? If he really were her mate, then why wouldn’t the connection have been made when they first met?
Frustration clawed at her. She shook her head, trying to clear out the confusion and litany of questions, and refocused her energy on finding him. If Pete were her mate, whether he was human or Amoveo, they would have to connect in the dream realm. The mental connection was more crucial than the physical one.
Physical? Damn it. That’s about all she could think of since that kiss. Her mind wandered to the sinful taste of him, and she bit her lip. He tasted like a warm summer night. Hot. Desperate. Urgent. Intense. Over far too soon.
Her plan was to kiss him and prove that this man, this human, couldn’t possibly be her mate. However, the instant his mouth touched hers, she knew that he was. There was no denying it, but she still couldn’t wrap her brain around it.
Her mate was human.
She knew that the only way to absolutely, positively prove it once and for all would be to find him in the dream realm. Hybrids could dream-walk, at least that’s what she’d heard from her brother. But she’d never heard of a human dream-walking before.
What the fuck is going on? Who’s there?
The deep timbre of his voice cut through the cobalt-hued mist that pulsed and rippled. Marianna’s heart raced as his mind connected with hers. The fog dissipated, and in seconds the dreamscape clearly revealed itself—but it was not at all what she was expecting.
The realm she stood in wasn’t created by her. For the first time, she’d been pulled into someone else’s dream plane—Pete’s.
They stood in a heavily wooded area, which reminded Marianna of the Catskills, where her brother had a cabin. The impossibly tall pine trees were dappled with snow, which continued to fall around them in fat, lazy snowflakes, and Pete stood in the middle, looking bewildered. Clad in jeans and a plaid flannel shirt, with an ax in his hand, he looked like a lumberjack. The poor guy gaped as if she’d materialized out of thin air—which she probably had as far as he was concerned.
His dark eyebrows flew up, and a smile cracked his handsome face, as he looked her up and down. Now this is what I call a dream. He swung the ax, lodged it in the hunk of wood he’d been chopping, and stalked slowly toward her, but she held her ground, uncertain of how to handle the situation.
When, exactly, was she supposed to tell him what she was? Or what they were to each other? Is she supposed to just blurt it out in the middle of a dream? Probably not. Wouldn’t he simply dismiss it as only a dream? Why didn’t all this mate crap come with instructions?
Pete closed the distance between them until his body was just inches from hers. His heated gaze skimmed her up and down as his thick energy signature circled her like a rope and willed her closer. It was even stronger here in the dream realm and more intoxicating as well. She almost felt stoned and willed herself not to jump his bones like the sex-starved woman she was.
Really? Marianna cocked one eyebrow. What does that mean? I’m the woman of your dream or something like that? she asked playfully, realizing that this definitely wasn’t the time to tell him who she was. She decided to let him take the lead and see where things went. So now that you have me here in your dreams, what are you going to do with me?
Pete trailed one finger up her bare arm. Anything I want, I suppose, he murmured seductively. Marianna shuddered and let out a sigh as his skin sizzled along hers. He slipped his fingers beneath the thin strap of her nightgown and brushed his thumb along her collarbone, all the while never taking his eyes off hers. But you know what I really want?
No, this is your dream… so why don’t you tell me?
I want to know what turns you on. He caressed the sensitive skin along her neck as he whispered to her. Tell me.
A smile crept over Marianna’s face, and her libido went into overdrive. He wanted to know what turned her on? H
e was more concerned about her needs and desires, even though this was his dream. Now that was sexy… and the answer was simple.
You, she breathed. The way you look at me. It’s as if you can see right through me, and somehow, I know that even if I wanted to hide from you—I couldn’t.
Marianna licked her lower lip as her eyes wandered over the hard planes of his face. Goddamn she wanted him, and if he didn’t make a move soon, dream or no dream, she was going to lose her senses and maul him. But since one rejection a night was all her ego could take, she let him maintain control.
You’re right, he whispered. I do see you. Pete slipped his arm around her waist and tugged her up against his rock-hard frame. You’re the most spectacular woman I’ve ever laid my eyes on. You’re gorgeous, tough as nails, smart, and you don’t take crap from anyone. He pushed the strap of her nightgown down, traced the curve of her shoulder, and blazed a trail of kisses along her throat. I know the secrets you keep, Marianna, he said between kisses. I know what’s underneath this satiny skin.
You do, do you? Amused and turned on, Marianna arched back, allowing him access to the sensitive skin. Her eyes fluttered closed as she sank into his firm embrace. The snow fell gently, and Marianna could swear she heard it sizzle as it hit her heated skin. Her hands found their way underneath his shirt, and she ran her nails along his lower back. So, what is it that you see?
Pete kissed his way back up her neck and nibbled on her ear, but before he could answer her, the low, menacing growl of a bear rumbled through the dream realm. Pete spun around and instinctively shielded Marianna’s body with his. What the hell? He glanced over his shoulder at her. That’s some rotten timing.
Marianna clung tightly to him as a pair of familiar, glowing black eyes glared back from the shadows of the trees. Only one person had ever looked at her with such unmistakable disdain—Artimus.
His massive furred body lumbered out of the shadows while keeping that deadly glare locked on Pete. His clawed paws left craterlike footprints in the once pristine snow, and his dark energy signature soiled the serenity of the realm.
Undone (The Amoveo Legend) Page 3