I shifted in my seat. “A couple.”
“Like your wolf likes mine?”
I had to look toward the ceiling and away from Wick’s intensity. “No,” I breathed.
“Well?”
Wick’s attention weighed on me, causing my wolf to pace and whine to be let out. “Well what?” I said to the light fixture.
“Well, am I right?”
Exasperated, I flung my hands up in the air and glared at him. “Wick, stop it! My cat potentially bonding with another isn’t the only thing that makes this a bad idea.” I waved my hand between me and him in case he misunderstood what ‘this’ was.
“Like what?”
“Like when I fail to find out who hired Landen in five days and Lucien orders you to deliver me to Clint. Or when Clint tires of me as his new pet and Lucien orders you to dispose of me. Are you strong enough to break his hold on you?” I jabbed a sharp finger into his chest. “Are you?”
“He might spare you if we were mated,” he said, not answering my question. His avoidance was answer enough.
“Really?” I sounded doubtful.
Wick looked away, giving another silent answer before a low growl escaped his lips. I stared at his mouth, mesmerized by the sound. Wick took advantage of my distraction to step in and envelope me in his arms before I had a chance to escape.
“We will be together,” he whispered into my ear. His breath blew my hair out of the way and sent tingles down my neck. “You will not scare me away so easily. When this situation with Lucien and Landen is done, you will have no more excuses. We will be together.”
Wick pulled back. His espresso eyes, flecked with gold told me more about how he felt than his words—he cared for me and he wanted me. The air tinged with the scent of his determination. I liked the woody undertones.
Before I had a chance to shake my head and utter more objections, he pressed his lips to mine. Soft as silk, and pliable. He moved them over my mouth as if savoring the taste, flicking his tongue out to stroke my own. Without meaning to, I leaned into his body in answer.
Gaining reassurance from my reaction, Wick’s kiss made a smooth transition from gentle and hesitant, to hot and heavy. His lips demanded a reaction and his tongue forced my mouth to open more, give more. Slipping a hand around my ass, he hoisted me up and pushed me against the wall. I wrapped one leg around him. His hard erection pressed against my core, sending shivers of pleasure racing up my body, flooding my mind. I couldn’t think. His other hand roamed up my body and whatever objections I had, fled with each stroke of Wick’s thumb against my nipple.
“Mine,” he said. A demand, statement and request all at once. Wick pulled back to search my face. Pleased with what he saw, he dipped back down and renewed his plight to make all my nerve endings sing. He hoisted me up farther. Wrapping my other leg around him, I straddled him with my back against the wall. His hands cupped my ass and he dropped his head down to rain kisses on my breasts. The skin on skin contact surprised me. What happened to my shirt? And my bra?
His mouth enclosed around my right nipple and any further questions flew from my mind, replaced with an emotion that needed no words, a feeling as primal as our natures. Wick moved us away from the wall and walked toward the stairs.
The decaying scent must’ve hit our noses at the same time. We flinched in unison. Wick dropped me and whirled around.
“Am I interrupting?” Allan’s smile spread wider. “This brings a whole new meaning to screwing the pooch.”
“How long have you been there?” Wick demanded. He turned to offer me a hand up, but I’d already clambered to my feet, knowing without Allan’s smug expression that he’d been there for a while and in our heads. My nails bit into my flesh as my hands clenched, not liking the idea at all that Allan had been privy to my thoughts at such an intimate and vulnerable time. I scanned the room, located my shirt and threw it on without a bra.
Allan chuckled and shoved off the wall to approach Wick. “Long enough to enjoy the show and know why you shielded so strongly before.” He paused to slide a slow evaluating look my way. “An interesting development, to say the least.”
Wick growled at Allan’s approach and positioned his body in front of mine. I pushed him aside and stood beside him. I was capable of defending myself. Wick shot an annoyed look in my direction, but didn’t go all alpha on me. Points for him.
“It makes me wonder what else you’ve been able to hide.” Allan stopped a few feet in front of us. “Is there anything more we need to know about our dear little Andrea?”
“No,” Wick bit out. His lie wrinkled my nose.