He collapsed onto her, pressing her against the sandy ground, satiated and relaxed for the first time in what felt like months. He kept his cock inside her, enjoying the feel of her pussy fluttering around him in little aftershocks of pleasure.
After a couple minutes, he roused enough to slide off to one side. His softened cock slipped out of her. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, just underneath the ragged marks left by his teeth—marks that, he noticed, were already beginning to heal.
She lay relaxed against him for only a couple seconds before she stiffened. “Someone’s coming.”
Shit. He’d been so wrapped up in fucking her, in the sight and sound and smell of sex, he hadn’t paid much attention to his surroundings. She was right. A new scent invaded the air. A scent he recognized.
Declan.
“It’s all right,” he muttered, getting to his feet and helping her up. “It’s just my friend Declan. Stay behind me,” he added, thinking to preserve her modesty. He turned toward the sound of Declan’s footsteps in the gravelly sand.
From behind him he heard a noise and twisted to see the tail end of a wolf disappearing between two bushes. Marie was gone.
“Son of a bitch!” She was fast. Sully debated a moment about going after her, but if she could shift into her wolf form and be on the move that quickly…he’d never catch up with her.
Declan came up over a small incline, one dark brow rising upon seeing Sully. He drew in a breath and glanced around.
“She’s gone. Long gone.” Sully walked forward, wincing when his foot came down on a sharp stone. He frowned and walked past Declan. “You know, this is pretty inconvenient, being starkers when you turn back into your human form.”
“Tell me about it.” Declan chuckled. “Although in the right place at the right time with the right woman, it’s pretty damn convenient.”
Sully thought of Marie. His cock perked up in interest. “Down, boy,” he muttered.
“What’s that?” Declan asked, taking a few jogging steps to catch up to him. Sully knew his friend had heard his comment, since his hearing was as enhanced as Sully’s.
“You heard me. I can see where this could be rather inconvenient, too.”
“Not if you’re in the right place at the right time with the right woman.”
“Oh, shut it.” Sully walked carefully between two tall cacti, ducking his head to avoid one of their massive arms. “What’s this called again?”
“Saguaro,” Declan said, giving it a Spanish inflection so that the g sounded like an h. “This is a cool place, isn’t it? Nowhere else like it on Earth.”
Sully gave a noncommittal grunt. “A ski weekend in Switzerland is cool. Safari in Africa is cool. Trudging past cacti twice as tall as me with sand in places I’ve not had sand before is not cool.”
He picked his way across the gravel driveway of Declan’s property, heading toward the guest casita.
“Well, I came to find you to tell you that dinner’s ready.” Declan stopped near the front door of the main house.
Sully glanced back at him. “Give me a few minutes to get cleaned up.”
Declan nodded. “Just go ’round to the back door and come on in. We’re being informal tonight and eating in the kitchen. It’s only family, after all.” He grinned and went into the house, closing the door softly behind him.
It’s only family.
Sully snorted. Yeah, just one big happy werewolf family. He curled his fist against the urge to slam it into something. Like Declan’s smarmy face.
He glanced back toward the desert. He didn’t know who Marie was or why she’d run from him—or why she’d tried to kill him and then let him fuck her—but he was sure as hell going to find out.
Chapter 4
Oh, God. Oh, God. OhGodohGodohGod.
Olivia skidded to a stop beside her car and shifted back to human, suffering through the pain in panicked silence. When she was human again, she grabbed her clothes off the backseat and dressed as fast as she could. Her heart thudded behind her ribs, less because of exertion from the mile or so she’d just run and more due to fear.
Leaving her shoes and socks on the back floorboard, she slammed the door shut and ran around to the driver’s side. She opened the door and retrieved her keys from beneath the seat, then got into the car and started it up.
Olivia pulled the door shut and put the car in gear, spitting sand and gravel beneath her rear tires as she pulled away from the side of the road.
She didn’t think he’d followed her, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
God. She’d just had sex with Rory Sullivan. The man she’d gone there to kill.
Talk about fucking things up.
But, as usual after transitioning from wolf to human, she’d been so aroused she probably would’ve humped the first man that came along. That it was Sully threw a huge kink in the works.
“Can you possibly make things any worse now, Liv?” She glanced in the rearview mirror and breathed a small sigh at the clear road behind her. Turning her gaze back to the roadway ahead, she concentrated on driving to the hotel. If O’Connell hadn’t come when he did, she could have taken advantage of Sully’s…relaxed state and tried for another kill.
But all her mind could focus on was how sated she felt and how hot the sex had been and what a great body he had and…
Not on how she could go about ending his life.
By the time she reached the hotel a few miles away she’d managed to work it around in her mind to the point that what she’d initially thought of as a mistake might very well be turned to her advantage.
He’d be curious. And still angry that she’d attacked him. She could use that as a way in.
She just needed to run into Sully again. She’d get up early in the morning, shower, use her citrus perfume, and park downwind of O’Connell’s. Then if they went anywhere, she could follow and let him find her.
Over dinner, Sully tried to ignore the way Declan kept eyeing him, but by the time Pelicia went to the kitchen to fetch dessert he’d had enough. “What?” He glared at the Irishman.
“You can blame me all you want for this”—Declan leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table, clasping his hands loosely—“but it won’t change what’s happened. And if I had to do it over again, I would.” His jaw tightened. “I’d do anything to keep Pel safe.”
Sully drew in a deep breath. Like him, Declan was a natural protector, and would let nothing stand in the way of keeping his woman safe. Sully understood that. Hell, he even appreciated the depth of Declan’s love for Pelicia. It didn’t mean, though, that he appreciated being the “nothing” that had stood between Pelicia and a werewolf.
But what was done was done. Declan was right about that. He needed to move on and deal with the changes occurring in his life.
Pelicia walked back in with a lemon meringue pie and a carafe. She set the carafe down, saying to Declan, “Would you pour the coffee, please?”
Declan did as he was asked. As she set the pie on the table, he leaned forward and swiped the tip of his finger through the meringue.
She swatted at his hand, the frown tugging at her mouth not matching the twinkle of good humor in her eyes. “I swear, you’re worse than a two-year-old.”
“Just don’t believe in waitin’ when I see a good thing.” He grinned and leaned back in his chair.
“Well, you need to wait. Sully’s our guest. He gets served first.”
“I thought he was family.” Declan lifted an eyebrow and folded his arms over his chest. “See how you rate?”
“Higher than you, of course.” He ignored Declan’s scowl, which he knew was just for show, and accepted the small plate Pelicia handed him. Picking up the dessert fork, he cut into the tip of the pie and lifted the piece to his mouth. Sweet and tart exploded on his taste buds. “This is good,” he said around the mouthful of pie.
“The local grocery store’s bakery does a wonderful job with pies and cakes. While I enjoy cooking, I do
n’t do as much baking, so it’s nice to be able to just run down to the corner and pick something up.” Pelicia gave Declan a plate that held a piece that was easily a quarter of the pie. “You let me know if you want more, Sully. With your metabolism, you’ll burn through those calories in no time.”
He gave a nod and took another bite.
Pelicia picked up her coffee cup and turned, and Sully realized she was leaving the room.
“Aren’t you havin’ any pie, darlin’?” Declan reached out and touched her hip.
She shook her head. “I’m too full from dinner. I’ll just put a little extra sugar in my coffee.” She grinned. With a glance at Sully she said, “Besides, I think you blokes need to talk. Or throw a few punches. Whatever.” She left the room, humming under her breath.
“That sounded rather like the theme from Jaws.” Sully forked up his last bite of pie and leaned back in his chair.
“Well, we’ve the sharp teeth at any rate.” Declan stood and stretched, bones cracking loudly enough that Sully heard them. Then he realized that it wouldn’t have to be all that loud for him to hear.
While he saw the advantages of that, he still wasn’t so sure he liked it.
He pushed away from the table and got to his feet. “I’ve lost my desire to plant my fist in your face. Though, knowing you, you’ll give me reason enough in the not too distant future.”
“An’ aren’t you just the comedian?” Declan shook his head and wandered into the living room. “So…you want to talk about your new friend?”
Sully shot him a look. “Not particularly.” He walked over and stared through the patio doors. It was dark now; the living room behind him was reflected in the glass. But if he focused hard enough he could see the desert beyond the reflection. The tall silhouettes of the saguaro against the darker night, stars twinkling in the inky sky.
Movement caught his eye, and he watched a lone coyote wander along the edge of the yard on the other side of the oleanders. It paused and looked toward the house as if sensing it was being watched. Then it started on its way again, at a faster clip than before.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that you just ran into another werewolf—and a female one at that—by accident?” Declan’s voice held a sardonic note that wasn’t lost on Sully.
“What part of me saying ‘not particularly’ when you asked if I wanted to talk about it didn’t you get?” Sully turned and looked at his friend.
“The part where you really didn’t mean it, boyo.” Declan folded his arms over his chest and rocked back on his heels. “This could be the best thing that ever happened to you, if you let it.”
“The best thing…” Sully stared at Declan. The man had to be kidding. If Sully didn’t lose his job over the attack on that suspect, he sure as hell wasn’t going to get his next promotion when he should. This situation was the farthest thing from being the best thing that any thing could be.
A red-gold haze settled over his eyes. He blinked and shook his head, trying to make it go away. A growl left his throat.
“And you goin’ all wolfie on me isn’t gonna change anythin’, either.” Declan’s voice, the brogue a bit thicker, sounded tinny, yet loud.
Sully’s breath came fast and hard, his lungs laboring to provide oxygen to a beast that wanted to be let loose. Looking at Declan, who stood alert, his shoulders slightly hunched and hands held loosely at his sides, weight balanced on the balls of his feet, Sully decided to let the fur fly.
With a growled epithet he launched himself at Declan. The other man met him halfway, his eyes wolf-amber and a snarl coming from his mouth. Their bodies came together, bones and muscles thudding, fingers gripping for purchase. Sully had one thought—get Declan on his back, make him show his vulnerable belly and throat.
And get him to admit that he’d ruined Sully’s life.
Sully drew back his fist and slammed it into Declan’s jaw. The other man’s head snapped back, but he charged right back, his own fist flying toward Sully’s face.
Sully ducked the blow and rammed his shoulder into Declan’s belly, taking both of them to the floor. He ignored the pain in his knees as they smashed onto the hard tile.
Dimly he heard Pelicia’s voice, vaguely saw her skirt around them to the patio doors, which she shoved open. Over the sounds of night creatures he heard the dryness in her voice as she muttered, “I meant for you to take it outside.” A slight pause, then a disgruntled, “Werewolves.”
Sully had no interest in stopping the fight long enough to be civilized and move it outdoors. If he ended up trashing Declan’s house, so much the better, since Declan had trashed Sully’s life.
He grunted as Declan slammed his fist into Sully’s side. Another fist to his face, snapping his teeth together. Sully growled and mashed his fist into Declan’s face. He winced at the pain of bone meeting bone, but when blood welled from Declan’s split lower lip, raw, savage satisfaction rippled through Sully. He rolled off his friend, getting to his feet in one fluid move.
“You sure you wanna go here, boyo?” Declan stood. Reaching up, he wiped blood from his split lip. When he looked at Sully, his eyes still held flecks of amber, though the wildness of before was muted. “It isn’t going to change a damn thing.”
“Might make me feel better,” Sully muttered. He flexed his right hand, feeling the sting of battered knuckles already fading. That still surprised him. He and Declan could go ten rounds this way, and still be able to go ten more. Twenty, even.
“Gettin’ that sour puss of yours pounded would make you feel better?” Declan’s tone suggested he was surprised by the notion. Even as Sully watched, the wound on Declan’s lip knit closed. Declan held up his hands in a boxer’s stance. “Well, I’m more than willin’ to oblige. Let’s go.”
Sully let out a sigh. “You’re a son of a bitch, you know that?”
“Aye, I’ve heard it said before.” He bounced around a bit, shuffling his feet and punching his fists toward Sully. “Come on, then.”
“You’re also an arse.” Sully sighed again and plopped down on the sofa.
“I’ve heard that said before, too.” Declan punched the air a few more times, eyebrows raised with a “Sure you don’t wanna go again?” look, then shrugged and sat down in an armchair. “Well, that was highly…unsatisfying. I hope you did better with the woman out in the desert.”
“Fuck you.” Sully slouched down and leaned his head against the back on the sofa.
“Get in line.”
There was silence between them for a few moments. Then Pelicia walked into the room. “Are you done? Or should I leave the doors open so even more bugs can get into the house?”
Declan got up with a grin. He closed the patio doors and went over to his fiancée. Enfolding her in a hug, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “She has a thing about bugs,” he said to Sully.
“And wrongheaded men, too.” She shot Sully a look. There was much less sympathy there than had been before. It appeared her patience with his whinging was nearing an end.
He couldn’t blame her. There wasn’t anything he hated more than a man who sat around pissing and moaning over the hand fate had dealt him. If you couldn’t change what happened then you just handled it as best you could.
He hadn’t done a very good job of handling it so far.
He’d have to do better.
The next morning, Olivia took her place in line at a small coffee shop near O’Connell’s and tuned in on the conversation taking place a few tables away.
“I’m telling you, she tried to kill me. She had her teeth in my throat.”
Even though their voices were muted, Olivia had no trouble hearing Sully and O’Connell as they talked at a corner table in the local coffee shop. She paid for her chai and took a seat nearby, out of Sully’s direct line of vision but close enough he’d be able to spot her when she wanted him to. She made sure to slouch so that the big guy at the table in front of her further hid her from view.
She’d doused
herself liberally with her citrus perfume, so she smelled very lemony. The big guy at the next table looked up at her and frowned.
Maybe too lemony, but she wanted Sully to see her when she wanted it to happen. She lifted an eyebrow at the guy blocking her view, and he shifted his gaze to look away.
“And so you had sex with her.” O’Connell’s voice was dry.
“Shut it.” Sully huffed an aggrieved sigh. “There’s something familiar about her.” His voice dropped a notch. “I know I’ve seen her before. I just can’t place from where.”
Olivia scrunched down. The only place he could have seen her was outside his town house in London, when she’d gotten out of the cab. But he hadn’t seen her face, she was sure of it.
“Does it really matter?” O’Connell made a gruff sound. “What we need to know is why she tried to kill you, boyo.” O’Connell’s Irish brogue thickened. “And knowin’ who she is would get us started.”
That was her cue.
She picked up her container of tea and started toward the door.
“That’s her,” she heard Sully mutter, then the scrape of chairs. Hard fingers wrapped around her arm, just above her elbow. “I think we need to talk, Marie. Don’t you?”
Sully hustled the woman out of the coffee shop, Declan on his heels. Surprised that she didn’t struggle, he nonetheless kept a firm grip on her arm as they walked to Declan’s SUV. He was glad that Declan had decided to leave the Mustang at home and drive the big SUV instead. The larger vehicle would be much more conducive to holding a conversation with this tricky little wolf.
After Declan unlocked the vehicle, Sully opened the back door and helped her in, then climbed in behind her. Declan got in on the other side, effectively blocking her inside the SUV.
“Now, Marie. Let’s start from the top, shall we?” Sully turned in the seat to face her, which crowded her back against Declan, who didn’t budge.
Discomfort flitted across her face before she schooled her features to impassivity. “The top of what?”
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