Danil’s Mate(9)

And with an even further plummet of her stomach, she realized there was a coating of dust over everything. Smashed beakers on the counters and animal droppings on the floor. All signs that this particular operation had been out of business for months.

“Shit,” she murmured, swinging down from the roof and landing quietly on the floor. At least she didn’t have to be in complete stealth mode anymore. But she was deeply frustrated. Every time she got a new lead on where to find these assholes, catch them in action, they’d already moved on, months before her. It was the opposite of a high speed chase.

Dora leaned in the window, peering to see if there were any clues she’d missed when a stick cracked in the woods behind her.

Dora froze, knowing full well that she was currently backlit by the dull glow of the security lights inside the building. It suddenly occurred to her that she was standing in the dead of the night in the middle of the Washington State wilderness. Though the reasons she’d gone to ask the Malashoviks about bears had been subterfuge, they now suddenly stood up. She supposed she would rather not meet a bear in the flesh right now.

Turning slowly, her back against the brick wall behind her, Dora peered into the woods, knowing with a crawling of skin, that whatever was in there could see her a hell of a lot better than she could see it. Well, worst came to worst, she could swing back up onto the roof. Hopefully whatever it was couldn’t climb.

A light night breeze ruffled the pines, throwing deep shadows through the already dark trees and Dora saw a glinting green for just a moment. A primal terror raced through her, lacing her blood with zinging adrenaline as she realized there was a large animal not fifteen feet from her. The breeze came again, tossing shadows, and Dora saw them again. Twin points of reflection. Two big, green eyes staring at her. And the flick of a tail. She blinked hard. Saw a flash of orange. It was ridiculous. Not possible. But Dora could have sworn she was looking right into the eyes of a-

No. Couldn’t be. Dora blinked and the night shadows swirled around, swallowing up whatever it was that she thought she’d seen. Her eyes couldn’t see it anymore. But her body could feel it. Something raced up her spine and for the first time since she’d hopped the fence, she felt real fear. She hadn’t been scared when she’d thought she might run into whoever was running that lab. But she was worried now about whatever had just slunk back into the forest.

Another night, she decided. The testing site was abandoned. Hadn’t been touched in at least a year. It would hold for another night.





***



Danil pulled a hairbrush through Dora's hair as she leaned back in between his legs and purred like a kitten. It felt so good. The sun on their faces, the scratchy hairs on his legs rubbing her soft skin. She knew they'd have to get up soon. But for now they spread out in the living room, the afternoon sun streaming in over them. Dora's eyes closed for just a second before they popped back open as he took her earlobe between his teeth.

"No sleeping," he growled, his accent thick.

One of his hands trailed down the side of her neck, tightening slightly in a delicious possession of her body. A body that he'd fully claimed. He touched her with the familiarity of a man who knew exactly what she needed and exactly how to give it to her.

His hand continued traveling south, down the center of her chest, between her breasts, intentionally ignoring the sensitive points of her nipples. She mewled in protest, wiggling slightly in his lap but he hushed her, his lips at her ear.

"Don't be greedy," he growled. "You'll take what I give you."

And she did. His searching hand found the wetness between her legs and it was all Dora could do to keep still, to let him work his magic. And magic it was. Her body bucked and arched as a powerful release took over her.

"Danil," she whispered his name like a prayer. Like an ancient, powerful word.

"Shit." Dora sat straight up in bed, rolling her eyes at the heavens and cursing herself. Her blood raced with her release and every centimeter of her skin was tingling and over-sensitized. This was getting ridiculous.

It was the millionth time in two weeks that Dora had woken up, panting and thinking of Danil. Damn sexy Belarusian lawyer. She rolled out of her bed and toward the shower. It was barely light outside but she knew she wasn't getting any more sleep.

He was doing dirty things to her almost every time she got a chance to get some shut eye and it was driving her crazy. In more ways than one.

Spokane wasn't a small town, but she'd seen him from afar or bumped into him almost every day since their almost-kiss. It didn't help that she'd gotten hauled into the precinct twice more. Luckily they weren't charging her with anything. At this point, most of the cops found it sort of funny. But not Danil.