Poisonous Desires

by Selena Illyria

  Nadia frowned; her stomach flipped. She flagged down her waiter for a mint mocha with extra whipped cream. “Okay, spill.” She wouldn’t ask about the rehab center, not yet anyway.

  “Okay, there are these werewolves’ wives who want to do a bake sale, but they also want to lace them with Katnip. I don’t know why, but I’ve made them believe that I’m the only game in town.” Rex began to eat.

  Nadia let the info turn over in her head. “Why would werewolves want to lace their baked goods with Katnip? It has no effect on them.”

  Rex chuckled. “Yeah, but this bake sale isn’t going to be for the wolves, it’s going to be selling to the felines and other paranormal species as well as to humans.”

  Nadia frowned. “Why? And why baked goods?” She had an idea, but she didn’t want to give Rex something about her that Urban didn’t have.

  Rex took a sip of his coffee before answering. “Because you have to cut the drug with something. Too strong, and it will kill instantly. You want your clients to walk away alive so you can get more customers after they’ve sampled things. And anyway, if they fuck with werewolves, regardless of whose wives they are, they’ll be exiled from the pack, possibly killed.”

  A sinking feeling started in her stomach. “Who are these wives?”

  Rex rattled off a list of five werewolf alpha bitches, and Nadia swore. “Are you serious? I can’t go after them. It doesn’t matter who I’m working for; I’d be killed. Why are they doing this?” She also doubted Torger would defend her or stand by her when she presented her case to him.

  Rex pointed his fork at her. “That is the million-dollar question. From what I can tell, there are no money problems to speak of, so maybe boredom? Maybe they got inspired by that TV show about the mom who sold drugs and decided they could make some extra money?”

  Disgust spoiled some of Nadia’s appetite. “Ugh. It’s one thing to deal with felines, but werewolves, especially alpha bitches. You’re sure about this? That they’re behind this?” They had the how but not the why, and it bothered her. Alpha bitches didn’t do shit like this on a whim; there had to be a purpose behind it.

  Rex leaned forward. “So what do you want to do? I could talk to Torger, get you in on the investigation if you want.”

  “No, no, no. He can’t know I’m in town. Do you have proof of this?” She needed to know if all of this was speculation or actuality before she made her move.

  Rex nodded. “Yes, they’ve approached me for a large order of Katnip. They told me it’s for a bake sale, to spice things up. They told me they couldn’t risk traveling with their stores of Katnip, so they have to buy locally.”

  Great. Nadia needed to know more about this case, and this didn’t help her much. “Okay, give me the specifics of the case, from the beginning, please. I want to make sure I have all the information before I make a decision.”

  Rex gave her a winning smile. “Sure thing.”

  He went over his info. Why he was helping her, she didn’t know and didn’t really care. All she needed to do was figure out the who, which she now knew, get evidence, and turn it over to Torger, and if he didn’t do anything, take what she knew to Zerik. Sounded easier than it was.

  Rex leaned back against the backrest of his chair. “So, now we know the who, but we don’t know the why, and we have no evidence. Last night during the meeting, Poppy took away my cell phone, recorded our conversation we had, and kept the video. I was patted down for a wire by one of the women.” Rex didn’t look pleased to be felt up.

  Nadia could only marvel that werewolves were doing this deliberately to feline-shifters. “What do you need from me?” She hated to take a backseat, but in this case if she let Rex do all the heavy lifting, that meant less work for her. Plus, that meant she wouldn’t be out and about and possibly getting caught by Urban.

  “You—” Rex pointed his fork at her, “—are going to let me deal with the details. I’ll call you in at the end. They know me. To introduce you could make them nervous, and I don’t need them anxious or suspicious. Besides, I already told them I work alone. You can handle the cyber-research, right? Get a track on their pasts and see if you can find the why?”

  Nadia dragged the last of her pancake through the syrup and ate it. While she chewed, she gave herself some time to think. She swallowed the last of her milk, called over the waiter again for a mocha with extra whip, and glanced over at Rex. “Yeah, and it will be better for me. Torger’s not my biggest fan.” If only Urban could be.

  Rex gave her a wide grin. “Boss man doesn’t like outsiders who could screw up investigations, and you, honey, have trouble written all over you.”

  His gaze roamed over her body, a leering look in his eyes that made her skin crawl. Nadia studied her dining companion. He was handsome enough, if you liked a face with all sharp angles. His confidence could be appealing, if she didn’t feel he was projecting a false bravado. All in all, there was only one man she wanted, and she couldn’t have him.

  Nadia held out her hand. “We’re partners on this, nothing more. Besides, you’re not my type, and I’ve got a man.” It pained her to add that last part when she wasn’t really sure about it.

  Rex grabbed her proffered hand and gave it a shake. “Okay, deal. He’s a lucky man. Bet you make life really interesting for him. Although he better mark you ASAP. I’m not the only one sniffing around.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  Nadia ignored the gesture and pushed back her chair. She slipped her index finger and thumb into her bra and withdrew a moderate amount of bills. Nadia threw down the money and a generous tip and turned to leave, only to stop short. Urban stood at the entrance of the café, his eyes a shining golden color that sent an icy finger down her spine. He looked like he was trying to hold himself back. Unreadable emotion flitted across his face. Nadia wasn’t going to be able to continue dodging him.

  “Fuck.” She shuffled toward him, praying he wouldn’t make a scene. Well, at least a scene that didn’t involve sex. Her pussy and clit began to throb as her temperature rose and her nipples tightened. The urge to sink down to her knees and apologize was on the tip of her tongue. Her body reacted automatically, relaxing with the expectation of its master command. Yeah, I’m really fucked. She walked up to him, head bowed with fists clenched.

  Chapter Four

  Urban stared at Nadia. Shock reverberated through his body as blood pooled in his groin and filled his cock whether he wanted it to or not. He studied his woman. There were dark smudges under her eyes; she looked wired with energy and yet ready to crash. With her head bowed, he felt as if he’d walked into one of the many private rooms that they’d used to act out scenes and fulfill their deepest fantasies. His traitorous dick jerked in response while his jeans became far too tight for comfort. He growled, turned on his heel, and strode out of the café before he could do something he’d regret, like taking her in his arms and kissing the life out of her or yanking down her jeans and spanking her in punishment for not telling him she was in town. He ignored the twinge in his heart at seeing her and fullness of emotion that weighed on his chest at the very knowledge that she was so close to him and yet still so distant.

  He struggled to breathe past the lump in his throat as he took in the dark bags under her eyes and her usually glowing skin that had lost that healthy halo. She tucked a few strands of dark brown hair behind her ear. It was shorter than the last time he’d seen her but still fell to her shoulders in a thick curtain. She wore a tight T-shirt that stretched across her full chest and showed off her trim waist. The jeans she wore sat low and hugged her hips. She wore simple black boots that peeked out from under the flared hems. She wore no jewelry; her makeup was simple gloss, and there was nothing else to detract from her natural beauty. Ever since he’d told her she was perfect without all the artifice she’d stopped being heavy-handed with her mascara and blush, and her lips had gone from thickly put on to a light swipe of lip gloss. His fingers and palms tingled to touch her face, cup her cheek, and thread his f
ingers through her hair. His lips ached to feel the press of her mouth on his. The urge to press himself against her body and feel the softness of her curves melt into him tugged at his gut.

  To distract himself from giving in to that urge, he threw a glance over at the table she’d left. Urban recognized a werewolf from Torger’s department; what he did and why she was meeting with him was not his concern, for now. He knew some ways to make her tell him why she was here and why she was having breakfast with that guy rather than fucking him senseless in his bed for the rest of the morning. Breakfast forgotten and his appetite gone, he walked as far from the café and parking lot as he could get and waited for her to follow him. He didn’t doubt she’d come after him, not in fear or worry but because, like him, she couldn’t not be near him. They were like magnets: they’d meet, connect, and then repel each other. He had to be patient.

  It didn’t take her long to catch up to him, walking, not running at a quick clip.

  “Urban,” she murmured in her contralto smoky voice that sent rivulets of desire pouring through him. Again his heart twinged, the rhythm speeding up as he absorbed her presence and allowed himself to savor the warmth of her nearness. Up close, she looked wearier than what he’d seen at a distance. His heart ached for her. He wanted to take her back to Torger’s cabin, curl up around her, and order her to sleep. Once she was rested, then he’d make love to her and punish her for not telling him she was in town. If she hadn’t known that he was in Draven’s Crossing that was one thing, but still, none of this discomfort or annoyance would be taking place if they’d communicated. He pushed back on that thought and knew that he wasn’t exactly as forthcoming about where he would be from day to day either. God, we’re so fucked up, he thought.

  “Nadia,” he replied. His fingers itched to trace the curve of her cheek, feel the silkiness of her skin, and his body demanded that he connect the loop of electricity that sparked off her and press himself against her. His cock gave another jerk. He reached down and ground the heel of his palm into his erection to stop the sensations flitting along the stalk before he did something stupid and stripped her out of her clothes to slide into her silken heat. He gritted his teeth as the pain burst in his groin, only to fade and turn to a dull throb. She watched his movement without saying a word. Nadia shifted from one foot to the other but didn’t move away. Her tongue darted out to slicken her lips, bringing attention to her plump lower lip. With a groan, he shook his head and tried to refocus on the issue at hand: them being in the same city at the same time without calling each other. At least, that was his concern. There was a bigger issue at hand.

  “Why are you here?” he asked, his voice soft, lulling to his ears, as if he was speaking to an anxious animal ready to bolt at any moment.

  “Business,” she replied with no further explanation. Her gaze skittered away but then returned back to meet his eyes.

  Again he studied her style of dress and her posture. Although she seemed relaxed, tension radiated from her in small waves. Her shoulders were down, her chin lifted, and her gaze darted around them, but every few seconds it would settle on him and then move around again. When her eyes focused on him, he felt a shiver run through him as his body tightened. Her arms hung at her sides, no longer balled up into fists, and her legs were spread; she leaned forward a bit, but not enough to make him think she’d attack him. He raised an eyebrow at her.

  “Business that means you could get hurt.” It wasn’t a question; he always suspected, but never researched, that what she did required violence at times and a need to know self-defense. Her body was lean, athletic in build, but had enough curves that he had something to grip on to when he drove into her. Another burst of heat bloomed in his stomach to spread throughout his body. A wave of arousal tried to rise, but he shoved it back. He needed to know why she was here.

  She shrugged, and he swore. “I can’t do the Werewolf Summit and worry about you at the same time.”

  Nadia’s sensuous lips curled into an amused smile. “No need for that. I have backup.” She looked back in the direction of the café.

  “Him?” Urban shook his head. “No, he’s one of Torger’s, and I doubt Tor would want you two working together. You are trouble, after all,” he said with a chuckle.

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “Moi? Ennui, non.” As if to prove her point she stepped forward, rose on tiptoe, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her fingers buried into his hair, which had grown longer since the last time they’d been together. He’d been meaning to get it cut, but it felt good to have her fingers play with the strands. Her fingernails scratched at his scalp before she pulled his head down for a soft kiss. He melted against her and wrapped his arms around her waist, settling his hand on her lower back. For a moment he savored her lips against his before he opened his mouth, and his tongue darted out to tease the seam of her lips. She opened up for him and could taste what she’d had for breakfast, right down to the chocolate in the mocha she’d had.

  He felt her hand cup the side of his neck as he lost himself in the feel of her in his arms once again. The kiss turned deeper, hungrier until they were mashing teeth, biting each other’s lips, and their tongues twined in a need to take control. His thoughts turned fuzzy as his lungs burned for air. As much as he didn’t want to break the connection, Urban pulled back, panting. They were out in the open, exposed, and yet all he wanted to do was drag her against the nearest tree, rip off her clothes, and plunge into her wet heat. He tilted his head back and moaned when he felt her nails drag down over his chest and abdomen until she stopped to cup and squeeze his needy cock. “Fuck.” The word dragged out of him on a whisper as her palm rocked against his erection.

  “Urban,” she whispered and peppered kisses over his neck and down the center of his cotton-covered chest.

  “Yellow,” he muttered, and much to his annoyance felt her still with her hand over his denim-covered dick. He took a deep breath and blew out it through his nose. “Not here, and not now. Not until you tell me why you’re here.” Urban managed to grasp at the little control he had and refused to rock his hips against her hand.

  She sighed. “Urban, I can’t—” she started.

  He cut her off. Urban looked down at her; acid churned in his stomach, burning away some of his arousal. “Why? I can make you tell me.” He hated to use that card, but if she screwed up things for the Werewolf Summit, Torger would have both their heads. And he couldn’t have that. There was too much at stake.

  Sadness filled Nadia’s brown eyes, pain flitting across her face. “No, don’t, please. Don’t use sex like that,” she whispered as she withdrew her hand from his erection.

  Urban took a step back and took a few more deep breaths. Distance; he needed to put a few feet between them. “You can’t fuck up the Summit for me, please. Tor put me in charge. I need things to go smoothly,” he pleaded.

  Indecision flared in her eyes. Her shoulders slumped, and her body became rigid. She reached across the front of her body and gripped her wrist. Nadia looked down and away from him; she took a step back and leaned away from him. Her lips pressed into a tight line.

  More acid churned in his gut. He ran a hand through his hair. Urban didn’t like where this was going. He didn’t like fighting with her, not one bit. “Shit, tell me, please, baby.”

  She rubbed the back of her neck and fidgeted with the hem of her shirt before she finally answered him. “There’s already a problem,” she whispered.

  “Fan-fucking-tastic. Tor’s gonna kill me.” He let out a groan before he asked for the details. “Spill it, now,” he commanded.

  She lifted her chin in defiance. “I don’t have all the facts; I can’t tell you supposition. Besides, I don’t want to involve you unless I have to.”

  Urban allowed his anger to fill him. “So you’re shutting me out once again? I never get to know what you’re doing, where you’re going, or who you’re with.” He knew he was allowing his bigger problems with her to substitute what was going on,
but he couldn’t help it.

  She snorted and moved closer. “The pot can stop calling the kettle black. Spooks shouldn’t throw stones; they may bounce back and hit you in that broad head of yours.”

  “And when did you figure that out?” he demanded, hating that he was that transparent to her and she was still a mystery to him.

  “On the first night we were together. You don’t act like you do unless you’re with The Company or some other private espionage firm. I’ve worked with enough of you to know how you act,” she pointed out. “You marked all the exits, you were alert of our surroundings the whole time, you refused to go into any room that didn’t have more than one door, and you kept guiding the conversation toward who owned the club we were in, even when you were told that it wasn’t an issue. Despite the great sex, you were always aware of how long we were in the room and where possible weapons were. I was there to unwind; you were there with a purpose that had nothing to do with sex. The owners of the club were robbed the next day, and it was reported they had ties to an eco-terrorist group. They didn’t report a breach of the security system. The media said it was a professional job.” She gave him an unemotional look.

  That transparent. She’d marked him from day one but had never said anything. Interesting. Urban resisted the urge to ask who she’d worked with, jealous that they’d gotten to see a side of her he’d only glimpsed or suspected existed. He felt as if a cold wind had slammed into him and filled his body. Words sprung into his mouth that he had to bite back, or else he knew he’d lose her. Instead, he drew in a deep breath through his nose and blew it out through his mouth. “Is there anything you can tell me? Like why you didn’t call me and tell me you were in town? We could’ve done dinner. I’m gonna need as many reprieves as possible this week.” He decided to not pursue the issue of what they knew about each other and focus on the issue of now.