by Maya Banks
The man turned glittering eyes on her. The corners of his mouth quirked upward in a fake smile. “You needn’t concern yourself with my use for them. All I need from you is their delivery. Eli Chance alive. The other two…” He shrugged. “Dead or alive. Doesn’t really matter.”
“No,” Jonah broke in.
The man turned in surprise back to Jonah. “No?”
“That’s what I said,” Jonah said evenly. He snapped his fingers at Mad Dog and held out his hand for the folder. When Mad Dog handed it over, Jonah shoved it toward the man. “We have no interest in taking the job.”
Tyana leaned forward. “Jonah—”
He held out a hand to silence her, his expression black. He turned back to the man. “I’m sorry you’ve wasted your time, but we don’t have any interest in this assignment.”
The man studied Jonah for a long moment before turning his gaze to Tyana. Then he shrugged and turned away. “Let’s go,” he said.
Tyana watched him leave, a sense of frustration beating against her temple. As soon as the man had disappeared from view, she rounded on Jonah.
Before she could spit out a single word, he held up his hand. “There won’t be any arguments, Ty. Not over this. At the moment I don’t even want to ponder the coincidence of this man appearing from nowhere asking us to deliver Eli Chance on a silver platter.”
“But—”
“But nothing,” he said firmly. “The subject is closed.”
She sighed, shutting her eyes against the overwhelming urge to throttle him. He was like a freaking steel beam when he made up his mind about something.
She got up and stalked over to the window, watching as the helicopter lifted into the air. She’d never felt so damn helpless in her life. Not even during the days in the orphanage when she and D had lived every moment in fear.
Warm hands gripped her shoulders, kneading and soothing.
“We’ll find a way to help D, baby,” Mad Dog murmured. “You’ve got to relax. You can’t take on the world by yourself.”
Her shoulders slumped underneath his hands, and her head bowed.
“What do you say you and I head to Paris for a little R and R? It’s been a while since we cut loose and had a little fun together.”
“I can’t leave D. He might need me.”
Mad Dog turned her around to face him. “Jonah will be here with him, and Marcus is coming out tomorrow to check D over. He’ll be fine.”
Tyana reached out to twirl a strand of Mad Dog’s hair around her finger, indecision wracking her brain. “You know Paris is my weakness.”
He grinned charmingly. “I’ll even take you to Aviation Club de France and let you lose some of my hard-earned cash.”
She looked beyond his shoulder to Jonah. She raised a brow in question.
“I’ve never tried to keep you on a leash, Ty,” Jonah said dryly. “You don’t need to ask my permission. You and Mad Dog go and have fun. D will be fine here with me.”
Impulsively, she threw her arms around Mad Dog’s neck and hugged him tight. He wrapped his beefy arms around her waist and squeezed her just as hard. Then he smacked her on the ass.
“Go get packed. I’ll get the chopper ready, and Jonah will call and make sure the jet is fueled and ready when we hit the mainland.”
Eli watched her across the intimate club setting as she collected chips from another pot she’d won. Her eyes glowed with excitement as she stacked her winnings. The man at her side grinned and nudged her on the shoulder. She laughed and turned her wide smile on him. The two were obviously close, and Eli wasn’t fooled by the man’s easygoing demeanor. He hovered protectively over her.
Which begged the question. If she was intimately involved with the rather large guy glued to her side, what the fuck had she been doing in Eli’s bed just days ago?
He felt a surge of irritation.
He knew exactly why she’d been in his bed. She was using him. For what he didn’t know, but he was going to find out what the hell she wanted. And if she was a threat to his team.
His team. His lips drew into a thin line. He didn’t have a team. A team implied an organized unit. Something with a network. Back-up. What he had were three men he felt a deep responsibility for. Members of his former team. A team that used to be recognized by his government.
Now they were a group of men without a country. Cut loose and ignored as long as they played by the unspoken rules. Play dead. Disappear.
Only now, his mystery woman threatened their obscurity.
When he was sure he was unobserved, he recorded a few shots of the couple with the mini camera chip concealed in his palm. He’d upload them and zap them over to Gabe at the first opportunity.
He picked up a glossy magazine and held it up as he saw her rise from the table and head presumably to the ladies’ room. With a quick glance to make sure her bodyguard hadn’t spotted him, Eli moved in the woman’s direction.
He followed her discreetly until she ducked into the bathroom. He stood, waiting at a distance, and wondered for the hundredth time who she was and what her story was.
The Aviation Club de Paris catered to a rather exclusive crowd. Mostly bigger names in poker. The wealthy and the famous. Judging by the amount of chips he’d seen in front of the woman and her escort, she wasn’t short on cash.
When she reappeared from the bathroom, he watched as she returned to her table. A few minutes later, she and her escort collected her chips and left the table. They cashed out then exited the club. The man hailed a taxi, and they clambered in.
Eli stepped outside as the taxi sped away. He hurried down the street until he could step into an alley and shift.
The rush burned over his skin. He didn’t stop to savor the sensation as he usually did. There wasn’t time. Even before he was fully transformed, he streaked toward the distant cab. He rode the wind, coalescing into tiny particles of gasses.
Ten minutes later, the taxi pulled to a stop in front of the Royal Hotel on Avenue de Friedland. The couple stepped out and walked laughing into the hotel.
Eli wrapped around the strands of her hair, absorbing her fragrance until his every molecule smelled of her. He rode the elevator up with the couple. Stayed glued to his mystery woman until she stopped in front of her room.
To his surprise, her escort ruffled her hair, forcing Eli from his perch. Then he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before walking a few feet down to the next room.
So they weren’t sharing a room. Interesting, indeed. And very convenient as far as Eli was concerned. Certainly made things easier for him.
When she entered her room, Eli swirled to a corner, shimmering there as mist as he watched her prepare for bed. She stripped from the silk sheath, and as much as he liked the view of her in just lingerie, he was damned sorry to see the dress go. It fit her like a dream, adhering to her every curve.
The room pulsed and vibrated around him as she pulled her bra and panties off and slipped a satin camisole over her head. For the first time he could remember, he had difficulty maintaining his form.
His human form called to him, begging him to shift so he could touch her, caress her skin. Who was he fooling? Yeah, he wanted, needed, to know who she was and what she was up to, but he was interested in her in a far more personal way.
She’d gotten under his skin as few women in his lifetime had. He should be pissed that she’d laid him out at their last meeting, but instead he was more amused by the little spitfire. He wouldn’t underestimate her again, and that would even the playing field.
As she settled among the covers, her soft, even breathing filled the room. Still, he waited patiently, wanting to make sure she had drifted off to sleep. Why, he wasn’t sure, since he intended to wake her, but he wanted the element of surprise.
When he was sure she was sleeping, he floated over to the bed, becoming a wisp of smoke, so thin he would barely be visible.
He feathered across the hollow of her throat, circling her neck and back around befo
re sliding lightly over her full lips. He stroked her cheek, imagining it was his lips following the curve of her jaw.
He chuckled to himself when she brushed her hand across her face and turned her head to the side.
You won’t escape me so easily this time, little firebrand.
He continued his smoky seduction, sliding underneath the neckline of her satin nightie. The material lifted the slightest bit and rippled as he swirled around her nipple.
She sighed and twisted restlessly against the sheets. He licked at the turgid point, leaving a damp trail as he shifted between smoke and mist.
Soon, he floated lazily up her body again and danced across her lips. They parted and a gasp escaped her mouth. He allowed himself to tighten, straining between his human and elemental form. He hovered above her, flashing eerily transparent. If she opened her eyes now, she’d see a faded image of his human form.
Unable to resist, he lowered his lips to hers. His touch was light. He wasn’t fully shifted so his body conformed to hers, a ghostly apparition flush against her.
He kissed her again, licking over her lips, inhaling her sweet moans. When she stirred again, he gave over to his elemental form, coalescing as a plume of smoke once more.
Suddenly her eyes flew open and she rolled off the bed in a heap of legs and covers. Eli shot upward, hovering over the bed as he looked down at her.
She scrambled up, looking warily around her, her pupils dilated. She fumbled with the lamp on the nightstand and soon the room was bathed in soft light.
Her chest rose and fell with exertion.
“You’re going nuts,” she muttered. “Have great sex one time and your brain becomes mush.”
Eli chuckled to himself. So she was thinking about him, or maybe, like before, she sensed his presence. He certainly couldn’t fault her instincts. And he damn sure didn’t fault her performance in bed.
She slowly rose from the floor, hauling the covers back onto the bed. She stared around the room, taking her time assessing every nook and cranny. Then she looked up. Right at him.
How on earth did she manage to pinpoint his location every single time?
Her eyes narrowed as she cocked her head to one side.
“Fucking pervert,” she growled. “Get your ass down here so I can kick it again.”
Chapter Four
Tyana balled her fingers into tight fists at her sides and readied herself for the coming confrontation. The hairs at the nape of her neck prickled and stood on end, just as they had that night in Singapore, and there was a chill in the air. She knew he was here. She felt him.
A slight shift in the air alerted her to Eli’s movement just seconds before he materialized at the end of the bed.
He stood in a relaxed pose, studying her indolently. She glared and sized him up.
“How did you know I would be here?” she demanded.
He cocked one eyebrow at her. “How did you know I’d be in Singapore?”
She shrugged. “Lucky guess?”
“What do you want?”
Her eyes narrowed. She eased sideways, putting more distance between her and the bed. Eli backed a step away, his stance growing more wary. Maybe he remembered the last time she put him on his ass.
She smirked. “Afraid of a girl?”
His eyes glittered with amusement. “Afraid I’ll make you want me again?”
She didn’t dignify the remark with a response.
She closed in and the two circled each other, hands up, feet barely making a sound across the floor.
“You know, I’d much rather fuck you than fight with you.”
She lashed out with a fist only to have her punch blocked by his forearm.
“Well, if you insist,” he murmured.
Annoyance bubbled just under the surface, not that she’d give him the satisfaction of reacting. He irritated the piss out of her, and nothing would give her greater pleasure than taking him down again.
She feinted right with her fist then kicked low with her foot, catching him just below the knee. She grinned when he stumbled back and caught himself on the desk.
“Feisty little wench.”
She glared him down and closed in again. He was toying with her, and that pissed her off. Hell, everything about the man made her want to grind her teeth.
When he made a move toward her, she danced back, then kicked again, this time connecting with his thigh. Inches from his groin. She grinned when he covered his privates and backed off.
“Now, sugar, we can’t have any fun tonight if you damage the goods.”
She rolled her eyes. “If I had meant to kick you in the balls I would have, cowboy. Now shut the hell up and fight. Or are you too much of a pussy to fight with a girl?”
Before she could blink, he rotated and executed a sweeping kick. She landed on her ass and quickly scrambled up before he could take advantage.
She rubbed her butt as she cautiously circled him once more. He gave her a lazy smile and winked.
“My mama always taught me it wasn’t respectful to hit a girl.”
“What about a bitch?” she challenged.
“Are you just wanting me to hit you?” he asked.
“Who says you’ll get the chance?”
She purposely let him get close and then she punched him right in the chin. His head snapped back, and he wiped his face with his hand. He lost some of the teasing look, and she smirked again.
And then he disappeared.
She whirled around, trying to get a bead on his location. Damn shifter.
A prickle of awareness skated down her spine, but before she could react, two very human arms snaked around her from behind and trapped her arms to her sides.
“Now, sugar, why do you want to be all violent?” he purred in her ear.
She reared her head back, satisfied when she made contact, and he grunted in pain. She twisted and kicked, but he held on to her.
He picked up her struggling body and tossed her onto the bed. She landed with a thump and rolled over just as he came down on top of her.
An electric shock scorched up her body as his heat bled into her skin. He yanked both her arms high over her head and held them as he stared down at her.
“I believe this round goes to me.”
It shouldn’t be legal for a man to be this sexy, and worse, to know it. Perfectly straight, white teeth flashed as he grinned. Bastard had probably read her thoughts.
“Yeah, so what are you going to do about it?” she demanded.
He transferred her wrists to one hand and propped himself up off her body with the other. It wouldn’t be too hard to escape since he was only holding her with one hand, but damn it, she had no desire to go anywhere at the moment. Not until he did something about the unspoken promise in his eyes.
Without speaking, he lowered his head and closed his mouth around her nipple, through the satin material of her camisole. She flinched when his teeth grazed over the point. To her dismay, a small moan escaped her lips.
His head came up, and he grinned again. Cocky bastard. It was time to change the dynamics of this little rendezvous. She wanted him. No sense denying it. But she was going to have him on her terms. He’d dictated the action the first time, but screw that.
She slid her knee between his legs, wrenched her arms free and rolled hard, landing on top of him with her knee jammed against his balls.
He didn’t fight, much to her disappointment. He just lay there staring at her with those sexy dark eyes. The earring glinted in the lamplight, and his black hair lay strewn on the pillow.
“This begs the question, now that you’ve got the man at your mercy, what are you going to do with him?” he drawled.
“Oh, shut up,” she muttered. She lowered her lips to his and took him. Hard.
Their tongues tangled, wet, hot. His hands yanked at her camisole as her fingers tugged at his shirt. She fumbled with the fly of his jeans, becoming impatient when she couldn’t get it unbuttoned.
He toss
ed her camisole across the room, and then he pushed her aside. “Give me just a second, sugar, and I’m all yours.” He rolled over and shimmied out of his jeans. His shirt, shoes and underwear went sailing through the air and hit the wall.
He flopped back onto the bed. “Now, where were we?”
She straddled his body just below his groin and stared down at his turgid erection. Unable to resist, she reached out and touched it. It bobbed and jerked in reaction.
She closed her hand around the base, warm, soft, yet so hard. “I hope you brought your own condoms this time, cowboy. I wasn’t exactly planning to run into you again.”
“If you’ll let go of that, sugar, I’ll run into the bathroom and get one. In case you didn’t notice, these highfalutin hotels come stocked with all the necessities.”
She eased off of him and sat on the edge of the bed as he got up. He strode naked to the bathroom, giving her a prime view of his ass. His very nice ass.
Tyana groaned and closed her eyes. Since when did she go around eyeballing a man’s ass? And why this man? Why was there such a powerful attraction? He irritated her, even as she wanted to bite him, lick him and explore all those nice sexual feelings he inspired.
She was determined not to analyze this. Just go with it. Enjoy it. The closer she got to him, the more she could learn about his stability and if there was a way to help D.
Satisfied with her reasoning, she reclined on the bed to await Eli’s return. Not that she needed a reason to have sex. She could enjoy it just like the other billion people on the planet.
“Shut up,” she muttered.
She looked up when she heard Eli. For a moment, she second-guessed her decision to indulge in sex with this man. Was it the end of the world? No. But she’d feel better if she just beat him to a pulp and pried what information she needed from him.
“Now where were we?” Eli said as he lowered his body onto the bed next to her.
She shoved him onto his back and resumed her position astride his hips. “I believe we were here.”
He held his hand out, the condom package between his fingers. “By all means.”
She tossed the condom onto the bed beside them, in no hurry this time. If she was going to indulge, then she was going to opt for more than a quick tumble. She wanted to touch, explore, experience what she’d been missing out on.
She scooted down his legs but kept her knees on either side. She placed her palms on his thighs and slowly moved them up his body, enjoying the roughness of his skin and the slight scratch of hair.
When her hands reached his firm stomach, she leaned down and gently blew over the head of his cock. He sucked in his breath—in anticipation? Her tongue darted out, and she tasted him. No condom interfered this time.
She ran her tongue around the blunt head and then down the length of his shaft. His hands balled into fists at his sides as he moaned.
Addicted to the feel of him against her lips and loving the sounds of appreciation he made, she became bolder and took him into her mouth.
She sucked deep and smiled as he arched into her. He filled her, and she wanted more. Her tongue stroked up and down as she continued to tease and taunt him.
His hands, no longer content at his sides, tangled in her hair, pulling her down to meet his impatient thrusts. She gripped his hip with one hand and curled her other hand around his cock. She squeezed and worked her fingers up and down, following the motion of her mouth.
“Jesus Christ, you have to stop.”
The statement sounded ragged. Like it had been ripped from him under duress. She stopped her upward motion and held the tip in her mouth as she looked at him. He stared down at her, his fingers gripping her hair. His eyes glittered with need and had an almost pained quality to them.