I nod, shifting position against the wall, bringing her attention back to me without having to step any closer. “You seem to be avoiding me lately. Then the refusal for another date. What’s going on?”
The scent of her arousal drifts in the air toward me, proving she’s not as unaffected by me as she’d like me to believe. “Can you tone down the sexual vibe?” Her voice cracks with the strain. “I’m barely hanging by a thread here.”
Immediately I cut off the outpouring of pheromones. The air clears in the space of a few heartbeats. “Done. Now, come clean. I know you’re interested and yet you’ve refused me for a second date. Did you lie about having a boyfriend?”
A shadow crosses her face. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend, that was true. I just changed my mind about going out with you again so soon.”
Her puckered nipples strain against the tight fabric of her shirt. Her breasts are small enough that she doesn’t need a bra. Not wearing one works to my advantage—she can’t hide her response to me.
A slow smile spreads across my mouth. I glance down at her chest and back up, purposely calling attention to her arousal. “Really? Your body begs to differ.”
Heat suffuses her cheeks. She shrugs and her tone comes out flat. “We can’t always get what we want.”
I push off the wall and cross the hall to stand in front of her. “What happened, Raine? Last week you invited me back to your place.”
Her eyes flick to the door again, her discomfort at my nearness quite clear. “And you refused!” One tiny hand lifts to my chest, halting my advance when I would have pressed against her. “It turned out to be for the best.” Her face shuts down. “I need to go.”
The metallic click of the releasing door lock shatters the silence, spurring me into action at the sight of her disappearing form. I’m not giving up without a fight. I feel something for her dammit, even if I’m not sure what it is.
“Raine, wait!” I rush after her, catching the door before it closes, and leap down the three stairs to the back parking lot.
She turns, keys clutched in her hand, ready to get in her car. The anguish on her face fuels me forward. I close the space and pull her stiff form into my arms. Before I have a chance to think things through, I lower my lips to hers and capture her mouth in a kiss.
Ignoring the desire to plunder her softness, I hold back my animal instincts, tasting her sweetness in a tender brush of skin on skin. A spark of yearning burns between us and I deepen my pressure, gently running my tongue along her lower lip. With a soft moan she succumbs, opening her mouth to mine as stress melts from her body.
Running a hand over her silky cap of hair, I lightly cup her skull, angling her head for better access. Eager for more, my tongue ventures inside, licking her top teeth and sparring with her own shy advances.
Very soon our ragged breathing is the only sound in the deserted lot. I playfully nip her bottom lip and an anguished cry rips from her throat, right before she pushes me away.
“I like you, Jon. A lot.” She raises a stiff arm to hold me at a distance. “But there are things going on that you’re unaware of.”
The passion boiling through my veins makes my voice harsher than I’d like. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She jolts, like I’ve physically smacked her. Fear skitters across her face, chased away by firm resolve. “You need to leave northern Virginia.” She yanks open her car door and rushes inside. The engine turns over while I stand with my mouth agape. “Trust me. It’s for your own good.”
Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure, Magic
Chapter Five
I sit in my jeep for thirty minutes, contemplating what the hell just happened. I know I didn’t misread her attraction; our scorching hot kisses prove there’s chemistry on both sides. Could she have some crazy ex-boyfriend stalking her and she lied to spare me the drama of having to face the nutjob?#p#分页标题#e#
A snort huffs through my nose. Highly unlikely a werewolf would worry about that kind of crap.
Or could she currently be involved with someone and she lied about being available? That idea rings more true than the first. But why sound so doom and gloom and cryptic, telling me it was better if I left for my own good? I shake my head, reining in the angry impulse to punch the steering wheel.
She said I didn’t have to worry about poaching on existing pack territory, but how is it possible she’s living as a lone wolf in an area I know is inhabited with other werewolves. I was attacked on campus by a werewolf only a few hours from here. Romeo and Elsa had been traveling on business when they heard of my bizarre animal attack.