by Sarra Cannon
A hiss squeezed from between his clenched teeth. Seven hells, she was going to kill him. Her hair grazed his chest like a thousand feathers. Her voice echoed, the call of a siren tempting to drown him in flames. He didn’t fear her fire. He reveled in the soft burn. It licked across his skin like hot waves and ignited his blood. Nothing, not one of his former lovers, had ever drove him, excited him, maddened him like her fiery frenzy. He feared one taste would never be enough.
She moved, innocently rubbing her wetness over the denim material and against his thickening length. The contact sent pinpricks of pleasure through him, causing his muscles to contract to the point of pain. His words came out raw. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
“Please Talon,” she said, rising so that her breasts met his mouth. “Show me.”
A growl rose in his throat. He tramped down the shifter call and concentrated on fueling the need between them. He cupped her breasts in his palms, admiring the two perfect handfuls. His teeth scraped along one rosy peak, soothing the ache with several long licks. His tongue trailed kisses along the silken mound to give the other equal time.
When Sera’s breaths grew to shallow gasps, he rubbed at her core, fitting two fingers inside. He caught the moan upon her lips and drove his tongue in a scorching kiss. Desire raged until she squirmed against him and broke away. “No more. I need you.”
He couldn’t have denied her for anything. Releasing her from his grip, he lowered her onto the couch and stood. He ripped off his jeans, but allowed her a moment to view him in the flesh. She’d seen him naked before in the alleyway in Phoenix, but this time would be all too different. He didn’t want to frighten her.
Her eyes traced his body from his hair down his face to his chest, lowering to his abdomen, and finally, resting on his manhood. Longing sparked in her gaze, morphing her natural chocolate brown eyes to a devastating gold. When she raised her arms in clear invitation, he had to stop himself from diving atop her.
Take it slow. At least one part of his brain functioned against his shifter instincts. She’s been hurt before. He covered her body with his, taking the majority of his weight on his arms. He stared at her soft pink lips and frowned when he found them trembling. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, but uncertainty coated her words.
“We can stop. You don’t have to do this.” He tried to keep the need from his voice.
A smile played across her face. Her eyes brightened to pools of pure gold. “No, Talon,” she said, wrapping her legs around his waist, beckoning him closer. “I want to be with you.”
He swallowed the emotion threatening to choke him. Her look captivated his senses. That’s how easily she could pull him under her spell. His heart jackhammered inside his chest. It wasn’t the undeniable attraction between them. No, it was something else he dare not name.
He shifted to the side and reached for his jeans. Rifling in the pocket, he grabbed a condom from his wallet and discreetly put it on.
Sera stared at him with wide eyes. Pulling away from her gaze, he met her lips. Their tongues danced together in a whirlwind of need. When the tip of his erection penetrated her, she tightened and went still. “Come on now, sugar, relax for me.” He coaxed her into compliance by lowering his body onto his forearms and leaving tantalizing kisses along her neck. She dug her nails into his back and settled into his arms. “That’s it.”
Inch by inch he dove inside her, allowing her body the time to accommodate him. The tension nearly undid him, but he fought to go slow. When at last he could go no further, he murmured in her ear, then kissed her hard. Her cry caught in his mouth. He didn’t dare move, but continued to entice her tongue into a heated rhythm.
When her hips began to buck against him, he smiled and pulled back. Long slow thrusts drew small whimpers from her. He kissed the silken flesh of her neck, increasing the pace. Her nails raked down his back, leaving a blissful sting. She moaned and met his every thrust. He wrapped her in his arms, shifting their positions so that he lay on the couch and she straddled his waist once more. As her body lowered to curl around his, he placed her hands on his shoulders and tightened his grip at her waist. She rocked atop him, finding a steady rhythm. He couldn’t stop his body from rising to meet her.
The fire blazed so strong, he feared the alarm would go off at any moment. When Sera threw her head back, her hair cascading around them like an amber wave, he felt certain it had. Her fiery sheath tightened around him, drawing every thought from his head. She breathed his name low and hot as her pleasure rocked her, causing her to collapse in his embrace. The depth of it had him straining toward his release until he thought he’d die from the tension. With her head upon his shoulder, he thrust into her twice more. When her teeth sunk into his the sensitive flesh at his neck, he exploded deep within her.
The room spun. He squeezed his eyelids shut as pleasure so intense engulfed him. Heat burned in his muscles, in his bones. The fire rushed into his veins, pumping through his body like the ultimate adrenaline rush. Sizzling spirals sent him flying to new heights. Reds and oranges flew around him in a symphony of color. Aromas and sounds amplified so that he swore heaven’s scent smelled like sex in front of the fire and heaven’s voice echoed like the soft murmurs of the woman in his arms.
“Sera,” he said, rubbing his chin against her hair.
“Hmm?” Lethargy set upon her, its presence evident in the way her body relaxed into his.
“Nothing. Rest now.” He stroked her back.
“Rest?” She sprung up. Her skin flushed a light pink from their lovemaking and glowed with the warmth of the fireplace. “What do you mean, rest?”
“We still have a few hours before we have to leave.” His body already tightened in response. He tried to clamp down the lust, shocked it could rise to the surface so soon after what they’d shared.
“Exactly,” she smiled. “And I have no intention of wasting them.” She rose to her feet, pulling a groan from him at the loss of contact.
“What’re you doing?” He sat up to watch her cross to the door.
“Well, you got to shower earlier and I haven’t gotten the same chance.” She headed for the stairs. A shy smile lit up her face as she looked over her shoulder. Her voice waivered only slightly as she said, “Gotta make every second count and all. So if you’d like to join me...” Her voice trailed off, the sound of her steps echoed through the house.
“Going. To. Kill me,” he said to the empty room, before bolting up the stairs. The shower poured down hot, steaming the bathroom in a heated haze, but the fire between them burned far hotter. As he sucked in a breath and enveloped her in his embrace, he said low, “Ah well, it’s a good way to die.”
Chapter 17
HELIPAD ATOP VANGUARD TOWER, CALGARY, ALBERTA
Sera clamped her hands over her ears. The chopper’s blades cut through the rough afternoon winds. Gray clouds rolled above, threatening rain. She ran head down for the safety of the building’s rooftop entrance. Once inside, she rubbed her hands over her arms. The new red sweater and black leather jacket provided much needed warmth against the frigid Alberta climate, but came at a high price. She sighed, recalling this morning’s cold shoulder from Talon as he’d given her the clothes. After the earth-shattering evening they’d shared making love three times and sleeping in each others’ arms, she hadn’t prepared her head—or her heart—for the sting of his dismissal.
When the sun had risen that morning, Sera stretched in bed. The soreness in her muscles had done nothing to deter her good mood. She’d patted the pillow next to her thinking up a witty greeting for him. Her hand met empty space and cotton sheets. She called out for him, checked all the bedrooms upstairs, and tried to shrug off his absence as she headed for the shower. The hot water coated her from head to toe, easing the blissful ache in her body. When a knock sounded at the bathroom door, she jumped, banging her elbow against the glass door’s metal bar.
“Sera, you in there?” His deep barit
one voice sent her senses tingling and a renewed heat rushing through her blood.
“Yes, want to join me?” she said, trying for seductive though it came off more like a squeak.
He cursed, too low for her to make out the exact word, but the effect was crystal. “It’s better if I stay out here.” He cracked the door open mere inches. His arm alone darted into the bathroom to leave a pile of clothes on the counter. “We need to talk about last night.”
The statement sent ice into her veins despite the shower’s steamy heat. She’d dried off fast, dressed in the new clothes he’d procured for her amongst the safe house’s supplies, and met him in the hall—the other rooms held memories he apparently wanted to forget. After about ten minutes of his bland speech filled with words like mistake and emotionally unavailable, she no longer worried about setting him on fire. As anger burned her worse than any flame, she’d let him have a piece of her mind, then set about using the best defense mechanism she could muster—ignoring him.
The long walk back to the makeshift airfield, the hours in the small turbo plane, the switch to the helicopter, and the ride in the chopper had been filled with strained silence. Now, as they rode the elevator down the seventy stories of Vanguard Tower and prepared to ambush her father at his office, she found the rift between them unbearable.
“So,” she said a minuscule sound after hours of disuse. She cleared her throat, opting for small talk over the emotional turmoil this morning brought. Not that she didn’t have some more choice words for him, but it would have to wait until after she dealt with her father. So, yeah idle chatter it was. “Why’d we land on the biggest skyscraper in Calgary?”
Talon glanced at her. A flitter of hope flashed across his face before he hid it behind a stoic mask. She bristled. If Mr. Hot and Cold thought he was getting away with his attitude and blowing off their night together that easily, well he had another thing coming. “Later.” She gritted her teeth.
“What?” he said. His brow furrowed.
“Nothing.” Her jaw clenched tighter. “Asked about the building.”
“Oh. It belongs to Arthur Vanguard, CEO and mogul of Vanguard-Hoff Corporation. He’s also the head of PCD Unit 4, which is comprised of Districts 8 through 10.” He nodded his head toward the lobby’s rich marble and stone fireplace as they exited the building. “Needless to say, his districts have a bit more funding than ours.”
“Oh.” Sera brushed her hair from her face as the wind whipped down the street.
He guided her to the passenger side of a black Escalade, pausing with his fingers wrapped around the door handle. His words came out strained. “Sera, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean for this morning—”
“Talon.” She held up a hand for him to quit talking. “You made it clear how you feel...and how you don’t. Last night was a mistake. There’s nothing more to say. So, let’s not drag this out, okay?” Her chest constricted. Not screaming her pain here and now took all of her willpower, but opening up that can of worms wasn’t in the cards. She needed her strength to face her father. Talon and that baggage had to wait for now.
His blue eyes darkened to a muddy grayish hue. He nodded once with a locked jaw, and almost ripped the door off its hinges as he held it out for her.
“Thanks,” she muttered, holding back the eye roll, and hopped inside. The door slammed shut with a grim finality, but Sera ignored it, admiring the truck’s interior instead. The sleek leather and satellite radio reminded her of her sweet baby back in Phoenix. The cops still had her Jeep locked up at the impound lot and refused to release it until the Buckhorn investigation closed. Even more reason for her to solve these damn crimes, as if she didn’t have enough cause with the creeps attempting to kidnap her, kill her, or who-the-hell-knows what they wanted to do with her.
The engine kicked on with a rush and Talon took off. Her father’s office was about fifteen minutes away. Although from Talon’s driving, he seemed determined to make it there in five. Sera didn’t mind. She reveled in the speed and cracked the window to feel the wind in her hair. When she caught him staring at her, she shrugged and snapped, “What?”
“You’ve got a thing for going fast?”
His heated look sent her body temperature soaring, even though she swore not to let him affect her. “Yeah, so? I like horsepower. Got a problem with it?”
“Not at all.” He pulled his gaze back to the windshield, but his knuckles blanched white on the steering wheel.
“Good.” She rubbed a hand along the dashboard. “This baby’s nice, but my Jeep 4x4 at home would eat it for breakfast.”
“Of course she’d have to have a thing for trucks too,” Talon mumbled under his breath, but Sera’s acute hearing picked up his words. She suppressed a smile. Maybe he isn’t quite so aloof about us as he let on. Good. An inner warmth circled her heart at the possibility, which she promptly trampled. No reason to soften on his dumb ass. She scowled at her weakness.
Best concentrate on seeing dear old dad again, pet. Guy poked his invisible nose in.
Sera flinched, unprepared for Guy’s invasion. She hadn’t so much as heard a peep from him in awhile. Yeah, uh-huh. I’m on it. She assured him, though why she even bothered, she couldn’t say. Are you alright?
Your concern is touching, pet. He laughed that mocking sound that grated every nerve ending. Keep your eye on the prize and don’t worry about me.
Not a problem. I won’t waste my energy. She cut off his pestering with a rendition of a Jethro Tull tune. The 1970s classic about a dirty hobo pissed off the leech every time, so she pumped up the bass on her inner radio. A gnawing uneasiness crept over her psyche. “Why does he keep popping in and out?”
“Who’s popping in and out?” Talon spun around a sharp curve fast enough to send her thoughts spinning along with the truck.
“Ah nothing.” She shook her head in an effort to clear it and focused on her surroundings.
Pulling into a metered parking spot in front of a steel gray building, Talon flipped into reverse and angled the truck. “We’re here,” he said. “You ready for this?”
“Yeah.” She opened the door, quieting the roar in her stomach. “I’m ready.”
— —
Sera tapped her nails along the receptionist’s desk, noting the bare remains of the red polish with a frown. “Gods, I need a manicure,” she mumbled, picking at the polish and waiting for the woman to get off the phone. “The second this shit is over with I’m treating myself. Hell, maybe I’ll go for a whole spa day.” The prospect brightened her mood for a couple of seconds before the Playboy wannabe receptionist with the down-to-there blouse and up-to-here skirt hung up the phone and opened her mouth again.
“Ms. Benenati, I’ve told you already, you and your friend will have to be patient.” She held up the office schedule for the tenth time. “The Senator has important meetings lined up all day.”
“Maybe you didn’t catch me the first ten times I said it, Pamela.” Sera wrinkled her nose at the woman’s bright yellow nametag that clashed horribly with her pink cardigan. “My friend over there is a PCD agent.” She waved a hand at Talon, who stood against the far wall on the phone again. “And we’ve been waiting patiently for over three hours to speak with the Senator. If he can’t give us a few minutes to discuss a friggin’ murder investigation, not to mention the fact he could be in danger, then why the hell should we stick around any longer?”
“I understand the importance. But government matters take precedence.” Pamela adjusted her designer glasses and leaned over to reveal a good four-inch valley of cleavage. The haughty look on her face said they wouldn’t be seeing the Senator for another three hours. “Of course, he’ll try to see you as soon as possible.”
“Precedence? Oh really? Well, how about this,” she scratched her nails along the desk and met the receptionist’s eye, “you tell Senator Marsh his daughter, the one he abandoned eight years ago, is here to know why he’s sold her out to some murdering psychopaths.” She rose to her
full height, happy the new knee high black boots added inches to her frame. Looking down on the stunned receptionist wasn’t the most charitable thing Sera had ever done, but damned if it didn’t give her satisfaction to wipe the smug look right off the woman’s face. “See if that gets us in a little faster.”
Mahogany eyes widened into large circles as the receptionist’s mouth opened to match the shape. “His daughter?”
“That’s right. Now run into his office and tell him the news.” Sera cocked her hip to the side, one hand resting on her thigh. She huffed and cast a meaningful glance in the direction of the back office.
“Ye-Yes. Alright.” Pamela’s heels clicked on the floor as she disappeared down the hall.
“About time.” Sera snapped at Talon to get a move on.
He gave a hasty goodbye to the caller and trotted over. “We in?”
“Yeah. The playboy bunny’s informing dear old dad of our presence.” She pointed in the direction the reception went. “Everything okay?”
“Meg’s dug up another address. Might lead us to the blackmailer.” He stuck the phone in his back pocket. “My team landed a few hours ago, so I put them on it.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “We don’t even know for sure if the deadbeat was being blackmailed.” Her gaze wandered to the long hallway.
“Evidence is pretty solid, Sera. But we’ll know more when we get it from the source.” He grasped her shoulders and started to lead her toward the office. When she resisted, he stopped and loosened his grip. “You okay to do this?”
“I can handle the old man.” Her tone brokered no argument, but her lips quivered regardless of her resolve. She pushed Talon’s hands off her. He made to speak, but she held up her palm. “Let’s just get this over with.”
The receptionist gave them a cool stare when they walked up to the plain wooden door. The sign on the front read Senator Marsh in gold letters. “The Senator will see you now.” She turned the knob and cracked the door, before sashaying back to her post.