Eat You Up (A Shifter's Claim Book 2)

by Lucy Leroux

  “What—”

  Her question was drowned out by a blistering kiss.

  Nina’s knees buckled as her insides melted. Red swamped out her vision as her whole body responded to the devastating embrace. The pain in her head receded and her breasts swelled, her nipples pressing against the man’s chest as she grew wet.

  She didn’t mean to collapse in the man’s arms. It just happened. If he hadn’t been holding her, she would have fallen to the ground.

  The keen edge of her arousal was new and unfamiliar. Nothing in her experience prepared her for it. Nina was completely blindsided.

  The man finally broke the kiss. “I told you not to move.”

  Huh? “You’re the man from the plane.”

  She recognized her seatmate now. There was enough light at the edge of the parking garage to make out his full lips and sculpted cheekbones. His light brown hair glowed with gold at the edges. Up close, she could tell that his eyes were not blue, but a verdant green.

  This near she could also see there was no tell-tale ring around his iris. He wasn’t wearing contacts. How was it possible that such a color existed in nature?

  “Your eyes are like emeralds,” she blurted, then winced. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

  He smiled. It warmed his chiseled and forbidding features, a heat that turned her insides to gooey caramel. “I see you feel better now,” he said.

  He wasn’t sweating anymore, nor did he appear ill. “Are you feeling all right? For a minute, I thought you were going to break the armrest up there.”

  A corner of his lip turned up. “I apologize for making you uncomfortable on the plane. It’s better out here in the open air.”

  “Everyone could use more oxygen,” she pronounced stupidly, belatedly realizing she was still in the man’s arms.

  What was she doing? Get it together, woman. Haven’t you ever heard of stranger danger?

  She pushed away. “Sorry, but you were acting weird.”

  “I know.” He cocked his head, a hapless, disarming gesture. “Again, you have my apologies. But it’s better out here where I can stand downwind. You are less…potent.”

  “Excuse me?” Nina scowled. “You weren’t freaking out about flying? All that teeth-grinding, sweaty mugging was about my smell?”

  Incensed, she moved farther away, but her back hit the side of the wall. The man had her practically pinned against a car.

  The expression on the stranger’s face was relaxed and a little amused. A bit of his hair fell forward as he leaned closer, his eyes darkening as he stared down—way down. He towered over her.

  Warnings from the little piece of her brain still functioning buzzed in her ear like mosquitoes, but it was too difficult to focus on them as his lush lips parted again.

  “Allow me to introduce myself,” he said with a little old-world bow. “My name is Dmitri Ivanov, and I am your mate.”

  Nina’s head drew back, bumping the car in the exact same spot the suitcase had struck her. “Excuse me, but you’re my what?”

  Dmitri wanted to laugh, but he was too concerned when Nina reached up, touching the back of her head. When she closed her eyes in pain, he put his arms around her, wrapping her close to protect her from the wind until she relaxed, quickly recovering from the minor tap against the frame.

  Dmitri cupped her cheek with his palm. He was having a tough time keeping himself in check. True, he’d never laid eyes on her until just a few hours ago, but keeping his hands off her would have been too much to ask. Especially with the way her body was responding to him.

  Despite her injury, the signs of her attraction were too blatant to be mistaken. Her pupils were dilated. He could feel her body heating in reaction to his pheromones. Under her shirt, her nipples were hard and round. He couldn’t wait to bite them. This close, the unmistakable scent of her arousal wrapped around him like a vice whether he was downwind or not.

  “I’m so glad we’re finally alone.” His voice was guttural and pitched low. Heat pumped off him as Dmitri bent his head to take her lips again.

  His mate let out a tiny cry as he took her mouth. His body covered hers, gently pressing her against the side of the car while cradling her head protectively to prevent further injury.

  His tongue pressed against the seam of her lips, demanding to be let in. She hesitated for a moment, but her willpower was no match against an alpha’s mating call.

  He raised his head long enough to check the expression on her face. Nina’s eyes were unfocused, thoroughly muddled. He kissed her again, moving to cup her ass.

  Her arms crept up his chest until her palms clasped behind his neck. Elated, Dmitri scooped her up, slipping in between her open legs. Nina tasted like honey and walnuts. Dmitri had never realized how delicious that combination could be. The glutton in him spurred him to drink deeper. He ground against her, pulling her legs around his waist while cursing the barrier of their clothes.

  Unable to resist, he moved down, deftly undoing the zipper on her pants. Dmitri snaked his way inside, his fingers stroking over her cotton panties, tracing the seam of her wet slit. Her heat almost burned him, despite the barrier of the thin cotton.

  For a second, he was tempted to break into the car behind them. He wanted nothing more than to take her then and there, but a freezing cold parking lot was not the place to claim his mate. Growling in frustration, Dmitri broke the kiss, panting as he fought to catch his breath.

  The confusion in Nina’s expression cleared with the frigid breeze. It snaked through the lot between the cars, finding tiny openings in his clothing and presumably Nina’s. The cold didn’t bother him, but his mate was human. Their bodies were too frail for weather like this.

  Luckily for him, his mate had a body built for something else. He cupped the lush swell of her derriere, relishing the exaggerated curves. Her ass was almost as good as her full firm breasts.

  Dmitri considered himself a connoisseur of women. Nina was a rare jewel. Sexy, beautiful, and if the hospital I.D. was to be believed, an accomplished physician.

  She was also bright enough to distrust their connection. Nina pushed hard at his chest. He didn’t budge, grinning at her until the light in her eyes changed. But when she began to look scared, he slowly put her down, an unfamiliar sensation of guilt filling his chest.

  Chapter Four

  Nina struggled against the man’s hold. He let go of her of his own accord, and she breathed a sigh of relief. There was no way she would have been able to break away on her own.

  She sidled sideways, moving until she was no longer pinned against the car. Hurriedly, she zipped up her pants.

  “I don’t know who you are or what the hell you think you’re doing, but I have to go. I need to find the other rental cars.” Her voice was nowhere near as steady as she’d hoped.

  How could she have let a stranger touch her that way? What was wrong with him? Crap, what was wrong with her?

  A corner of the man’s mouth pulled down. “I told you—my name is Dmitri, and I am your mate.”

  Warning lights flashed in her mind. There was that word again. He is crazy.

  She backed away. “If you don’t get the hell away from me, I’m going to call the police.”

  Dmitri didn’t blink. “I don’t think they’re going to be able to get here anytime soon. This is a small town. I’m betting whatever emergency services they have are tied up with weather-related business.”

  Nina continued to retreat, her heart thumping as he followed, almost as if he were tracking her. Each step back she took was mirrored by one of his. “Then I’ll go back inside and find security.”

  “I would never harm you. I only want to get you out of this storm,” he said, his tone flawless in its sincerity.

  Okay, so he’s a committed crazy person. She held up a warning finger. “Why the hell would I believe anything you say?”

  Dmitri laughed. The husky sound hit her ears and ran down her spine, making her shiver. It wasn’t fear, so she autom
atically distrusted the feeling. Shoving it away, she spun on her heel, heading back to the main building.

  “I can get you to Boston.”

  Nina turned around. “What?”

  Dmitri waved around them. “There isn’t a soul in sight. Those few motorists foolish enough to brave this weather have already left. The break in the storm is rapidly closing. I don’t think you’re going to find much in the way of help inside. The airport is in the process of shutting down.”

  He pointed to a near-empty patch of asphalt just left of the main building. “While we were…getting to know each other, the staff was leaving the building. Cars from the employee parking lot were departing from over there. Even the ambulances are leaving. There they are making the turn at the end of the road.”

  Double crap. He was right. While he’d distracted her, there had been a mass exodus. Whoever was left in the airport was going to be stuck there for the night.

  She dropped her arms, letting her purse fall to the floor. “Damn it, I need to get to Boston.”

  “I doubt you’d be able to get a taxi from here at this point. Any driver with two brain cells to rub together is staying home today.”

  That was probably true, but she still wasn’t going anywhere with him. She’d break into one of these cars before taking him up on his offer. Nina didn’t think she could trust him. And she definitely couldn’t trust herself around him.

  Dmitri indicated a boxy SUV in the distance. “I took the precaution of ordering a car while we were still in the air. Given the fact you’re trying to get to Boston despite a low-grade concussion, I have to assume your business there is important. You can go back inside and try your luck with the skeleton crew in there, or I can drive you.”

  Nina clenched her teeth, thinking it over. Something told her he was right. If she wanted to get home, he was her only option.

  “I can give you my gun if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

  Her mouth dropped open. Dmitri held up a hand. “Before you freak out, it goes with this.”

  He reached into this pocket, fished out a black leather wallet, and flipped it open, displaying a shiny gold badge.

  “You’re an air marshal!” Unbelievable. “I thought you were a terrorist!”

  This time, he did laugh aloud. He knelt, opened the rolling suitcase she hadn’t noticed at his side, and pulled out a small lockbox. Rising, he gave it to her.

  She took it automatically, testing the weight of it. “Unreal. Did you seriously just give me your gun?”

  Dmitri crossed his arms. “If that’s what it takes to get you to trust me, yes.”

  She flicked her gaze over him, skepticism only getting stronger. “Like you couldn’t wrestle this away if you wanted to.”

  Dmitri put his hands in his pockets. “I’m not going to do that.”

  A frigid gust of wind hit them, but he didn’t react. It was as if it didn’t affect him. She was not so lucky. Her teeth began to chatter.

  “Tell you what,” he said, pulling out his phone. He tapped the screen, typing briskly before handing it to her. “Why don’t you follow these instructions to change the combination on the lock? It’s easy if you know the current code, which is zero-four-eight-one.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “What I should do is look up your credentials.”

  Dmitri lifted a shoulder. “I’m afraid a list of air marshals isn’t something you can find on Google. A little matter of national security.”

  He raised a key fob in the direction of the SUV. The distinctive beep and click of a car unlocking carried over to them. Dmitri pressed another button, and the engine started.

  “It doesn’t need to warm up, but that will start the heater.” He began to walk toward the car.

  He moved quickly. Before she knew it, he’d climbed into the SUV. It pulled alongside her a moment later. The vehicle was a hunter green Range Rover, and it appeared to be brand new. Dmitri reached across the passenger seat, throwing the door open.

  A waft of welcome heat hit her in the face.

  Biting her lip, Nina turned back to the airport building. Through the glass, she could see some of her fellow passengers. One, a woman, was settling on a bench, presumably for the night.

  She turned back to the open door. The vehicle was high enough that she didn’t need to bend over to speak to the driver.

  “All right. I’m coming. But if you touch me, I’m shooting you with your own gun.”

  Dmitri didn’t answer. Instead, he hit a button, the rear door lifting automatically. She circled the car, put her suitcase in the back, and closed the hatch. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself before straightening her shoulders and making her way to the passenger side. Nina climbed into the seat, setting her purse at her feet. She also kept the gun case, clutching it tightly in her lap. Tension stretched over her, keeping her muscles tense. She stared straight ahead, wondering what she had gotten herself into.

  Chapter Five

  Americans were too trusting. All he had to do was flash a badge at them, and they instinctively believed it was real.

  Well, his was technically real. He’d paid a premium for it, and the profile and identity that was crafted specifically for it. Dmitri only used his air marshal cover on certain jobs, quick ones that required the insurance a firearm provided. If his task was a little more involved, he had Cass ship special equipment and arms directly to the site. They would be waiting for him at his hotel or safe house along with his standard pack of provisions.

  The latter procedure was neat and clean, but also restricting. In his experience, a client always overestimated the time needed to pull a job. Dmitri liked being able to pop in and out without having to haul a suitcase full of gear around. It was why he only traveled with one change of clothes and, if necessary, the gun. If he needed anything else, he bought it and added it to his client’s bill.

  He peeked at his mate out of the corner of his eye as he pulled onto the highway. God, she smelled amazing.

  Nina was gripping his gun case, holding it between her and the door. It was cute that she thought her actions would keep it from him if he’d been determined to get it, which he wasn’t. If holding the gun was what it took to make her feel safe with him, then it would do…for now.

  She kept peeking at him from under those dark lashes. They’d been on the road for almost half an hour before he sensed she was finally relaxing.

  “So, what do you?” he asked, a grin playing on his lips. He knew the answer, but was curious about the details.

  “I cut people open for a living,” she said in a warning tone.

  He laughed. “And where do you do this? A hospital or a funeral home?”

  “Boston Memorial.”

  “And do you do this cutting on the living or the dead? Or does Boston Memorial not have a pathology department?”

  She huffed. “The living. I’m a surgeon. Cardiothoracic.”

  Dmitri let out a low whistle. A doctor was one thing, but he’d been expecting something a little more girly like a pediatrician. Well, mucking about with hearts was kind of romantic, he supposed.

  “And how long have you been an air marshal?” she asked.

  “Oh, a while,” he said, keeping his eyes on the road. There was a flare of heat and tangy musk from the passenger seat. His answer frustrated her.

  “And it pays well, does it? Or did you win the lottery?” she asked skeptically. “You bought this car just now, didn’t you? It still has the temporary plates with dealership name on them.”

  “I ordered it from the plane. It was obvious the rental agency was going to be wiped out by the time we landed.”

  “And your profession pays well enough to be able to be able to buy a car just like that?” She snapped her fingers, not even trying to hide her suspicion.

  It was a fair question. Government agents didn’t make much. He wasn’t wearing one of his ten thousand-dollar suits, and he’d been seated in coach next to her. She was smart to be skeptical.

 
; “It does when you moonlight. I combine my pitiful salary with a few side contracts,” he replied. “The job I’ve been hired to do in Boston would pay for ten of these.” And then some.

  He didn’t have to glance over to know her expression was dubious. Everything she was feeling was right there in her scent. There was no uncertainty or confusion. She was coming across so clearly. Dmitri had never been so tuned into someone. It was like reading a book that he wanted to eat. He grinned.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “That you don’t believe me, but it’s fine. Eventually, you’re going to know everything there is about me.”

  Fear crept into the air. He turned to her. “What’s wrong?”

  Her dark eyes flashed. “I don’t like it when you say stuff like that. A—it’s presumptuous. B—it’s super creepy.”

  Okay, no destined mates talk. He was going to have to win her the old-fashioned pre-Twilight era way.

  He flashed his most disarming smile. “It’s a long drive to Boston. I hope you’re not going to keep mum the whole time.”

  Her mouth twisted. “No, I won’t be ‘keeping mum’. I thought you were Russian? That’s your accent, right?”

  “I am,” he confirmed. “But I’ve spent a lot of time in the UK, and have lived all over.”

  “Really?” There was something in her tone that most people wouldn’t have noticed.

  “Have you ever lived abroad?”

  “No. I was offered a fellowship last year to do a specialty rotation in London, but I turned it down.”

  “Why?”

  She turned away, fixing her gaze out the window. “Family reasons.”

  Hmm. “So, what’s happening in Boston that can’t wait?”

  For a minute, he thought she wasn’t going to answer. “A wedding.”

  His heart reached down to squeeze his balls. “Not yours, I hope?”