Close Protection (3 page)

“What, other than saving your ass you mean?” He snorted then winced as she scrubbed at the cut on the side of his head. She had to lean forward to do so and his scent rolled around her, driving deep into her lungs with each breath and sending a shiver through her blood. “Hey! A little more care please. You’re not scrubbing a floor, you know?”

She shot him a look, reminded of the deep gouges he’d left with his claws in her floor, but gentled her movements. Her voice was softer when she replied.

“Thank you. If you hadn’t turned up when you did, they’d have done far more damage. I didn’t expect Roth to push the point quite so quickly, or I’d have arranged for cover tonight.”

She dropped the used medical wipes into a sealable baggie, then stripped off her medical gloves and dropped them in afterward.

“There. All done. And it’s stopped bleeding already. You guys heal quickly.”

He smiled up at her and she stopped breathing for a second. The expression took him from merely good looking right through to devastating. The sort of smile that would charm the panties right off any red-blooded woman caught in his sights.

“Thank you. It…feels good. I’m Zane, by the way.”

“Ashlee.”

And just like that, the mood between them changed. The low level charge and awareness that had been simmering under the surface rose, coming to the boil as he held her gaze.

“You commanded my wolf, Ashlee. How did you do that? You smell human.”

Before she registered him moving, his hand was in her hair, fingers driving through her curls to massage the nape of her next. Her eyes widened as he pulled her toward him slowly, the strength in his hand and arm restrained but obvious. He could break her in half without breaking a sweat, but his touch was so gentle, soft, and the expression on his face open. He wouldn’t hurt her. She knew that without asking, the knowledge rising up from the depths of her soul.

Even in his wolf form he hadn’t hurt her, despite the fact she’d hit him around the head with a bit of wood. What about the ravening beasts in her father’s tales? Stories of men with hair-trigger tempers who turned at the drop of a hat into murderous wolves capable of killing anyone and anything—men, women or children—to satisfy their blood lust.

Tension rose between them, matching the heat humming through her veins. She took a shuddering breath and bit back her moan. He smelled so
good.
No fancy cologne for him. Just the scent of soap and clean man.

His thighs parted to let her slide and kneel between them, her smaller body protected by his all around her. She squeaked, a soft exhalation as he pulled her off balance, her hands out to catch herself against his chest. A chest that was a solid expanse of muscle covered in smooth satin skin.

“Human, yes…” Her mouth moved but she didn’t have any control of the words that fell from her lips. His nearness, the solid strength and promise of his body wrapped around her, was playing havoc with her senses. Her ability to think, to frame a coherent sentence, disappeared completely as he tilted her head up and looked down into her face.

“You smell too good to be human,” he whispered, his deep voice torn with longing. Duty and desire warred in his eyes. “Way too good. Are you sure you’re not part wolf?”

She shook her head as his lips descended toward hers. She shouldn’t be doing this, shouldn’t be here…shouldn’t let him kiss her. But she couldn’t move. Every cell in her body tightened in anticipation. He had to kiss her. She needed to feel his lips on hers.

“You’re gorgeous.”

His mouth crashed down over hers. Claiming and possessing with a heat and determination that she had no defences against. He groaned against her and tilted his head as he sought to deepen the kiss. His tongue slid along the seam between her lips, and she opened automatically. Allowed him entrance to the softest recesses of her mouth. He didn’t waste time.

His tongue sought hers, stroked along and wound around it as he teased her and dominated her by turns with just his mouth. She shivered, excitement racing through her veins in a heavy throb that held her in thrall. Her body tightened, heat tracing a web from the top of her head right down to her toes to hold her captive.

He thrust and withdrew his tongue, chuckling as he teased her, but she couldn’t summon any anger. Not when her breasts ached, heavy and needy, and her pussy clenched, liquid need dampening her panties.

He dragged a sharp breath in and growled. Normally it was a sound she associated with aggression, but not this time. This growl was all about need, heat and sex. Sliding his free hand around her waist, he hauled her up into his lap, the movement dislodging the cushion there.

She whimpered in protest as he pulled away for a second to part her legs either side of his hips. Then he was back, plundering her lips, his hands in her hair to hold her in place for his mouth. Excitement tightened her stomach as she settled down, feeling the hard bar of his cock between her legs, pressed against where she needed him the most.

Frustration rolled through her. He was gloriously naked, and here she was still fully clothed. His hand, large and strong, closed on her breast over her shirt, and she forgot to breath, the sensation almost overwhelming her.

His chuckles were gone as he ground her down over his cock, the rigid hardness pressing against her clit to send sparks of pleasure spiralling through her. He followed it up with a quick tweak to her nipple, the pleasure-pain rolling through her system like wildfire. She gasped against his lips, the sound lost in his mouth as he drew her tongue in and sucked on it.

She needed him, had to have him. There was nothing else for it. Her entire body quaked with the need to feel his skin sliding against hers…to feel that thick cock sliding deep inside her, filling her, stretching her…

The sharp jingle of a cell-phone going off made her jump. Zane cursed and dragged his lips from hers, breathing heavily as he reached for the clothes she’d dumped on the couch next to him.

Dazed, she watched as he dug out the ringing cell, flipped it open and growled. “Holder.”

Now that he wasn’t kissing her, sense returned like a speeding bullet. A chill rolled down her spine, chasing all the feely-good stuff away as she realised she was seated on a naked werewolf’s lap, dry humping him with her shirt half open. God alone knew what would have happened if she’d been wearing a skirt. No, correction, she knew
exactly
what would have happened. A few more seconds, her panties would have been history and he’d have been balls deep inside her.

Her pussy clenched hard, her cheeks flaming in response. God, what kind of a slut was she? She didn’t do this, not with men she’d just met. And definitely not with men who weren’t even human.

“Reinforcements are on their way to get things cleaned up.”

Snapping the phone shut, he watched her as she did up her blouse with trembling fingers. He didn’t bother to cover himself, his cock standing thick and proud against his stomach as if to proclaim his masculinity.

She looked away, her cheeks burning even more as a whimper tried to escape, but she locked it down. He wasn’t just big, he was
huge.
And heaven help her, she wanted some of that cock.

“We still have a little time. Come back here, sweet thing.”

“Nu-uh, no can do.”

She shook her head and redoubled her efforts to do up her shirt, but the last button was turning out to be a total bitch, slipping and sliding under her fingers. She flicked a glance at him, all smugness on the couch.

“You’re a werewolf. I don’t
do
wolves.”

Chapter Four

She didn’t
do
wolves.

Three days later Zane could still hear the contempt ringing in Ashlee’s voice as she dropped her coup-de-grâce. Didn’t. Do. Wolves. Fuck that then, he didn’t do snotty humans who couldn’t get over the fact that theirs wasn’t the dominant species on the planet anymore.

But hot
damn
could the woman kiss.

The growl tumbled from his throat before he could stop it, his breath visible on the cold air as he breathed out. Standing in the small recess that the door of the bar provided against the elements, he took a drag on the cigarette in his hand, his eyes almost crossing as he watched the cherry end light up.

The air that streamed into his lungs was clear. He’d never smoked so it was fake, an electronic cigarette without an insert. Just a prop. One that gave him a reason to be out here and survey the area without being too obvious.

Right not though, he didn’t care about obvious. These pixie bastards had attacked a defenceless woman—he put aside the fact that she’d damn near battered him to insensibility with a chair leg and called his wolf—so they were going to pay. Painfully. And he and his team were going to be the ones to hand their asses to them. On a plate.

His cell jingled in his pocket, the jaunty tune reminding him of the kiss in the office it had interrupted. Fucking thing. Just a few moments more and he’d have had her under him and the cell could have gotten screwed.

Despite Ms.
I Don’t Do Wolves
assertions, she’d been hot for him when he’d had her in his arms. Her passion ran deep under that pretty little face and human body. It called out to him to mine for it and tap into what he knew was a deep seam, then impale her on his cock and take her to heaven and back.

He shuddered as he pulled the phone from his pocket, dick springing to life again. He’d only just got the fucker to go down after coming out here. Thoughts of Ashlee were
not
helping.

“Holder,” he growled, his voice more animal than human as he held the phone to his ear.

The conversation was short and sweet. Zane’s brow furrowed as he flipped the thing shut a minute later. When Ashlee had called the Agency in, she hadn’t just gotten him and his team to stand guard over the bar. Eloise had also thrown in dealing with the threat completely, something Zane was all in favour of. No point in a quick fix if the problem was going to come back when he and his team left. No, they needed to cut the head off the snake so it couldn’t come slithering back.

But so far none of the teams sent out to find Roth and his gang of bully boys had had any luck. Not a trace of them at all. It was like they’d disappeared off the face of the earth. Or into a pixie barrow. Zane sighed. If they had a barrow, then the chances of the Agency finding it were zero. A part of Faery attached to the human world, barrows couldn’t be tracked unless they wanted to be, and most of the time they were fiercely loyal to their pixie packs.

Flicking the cigarette off, he pocketed it. Time to go back inside. If he stood leaning against the bar, perhaps he could conceal the state of his body until the damn hard-on went down. As soon as he thought it, he knew it wasn’t happening. Once he got back inside, Ashlee would be there, and then his control over his wayward cock was gone. Completely gone. The damn thing was like a puppy where she was concerned. Up and begging for fucking attention all the freaking time.

A prickle of awareness lifted all the hairs on the back of his neck and stopped him mid-turn. Lifting his head, he directed a hard gaze at the dark alley opposite the bar. His eyes narrowed. He was being watched from the darkness within, but even his preternatural senses couldn’t penetrate the shadows nor the stink of the un-emptied dumpsters to pick out either visual or scent.

Didn’t matter though. There was only one person who would be having Bishop’s watched. Roth.

“Come and get us, you bastard,” he growled softly, flicking a mocking salute at the darkness as he turned and walked back inside.

When he pushed open the door, warmth and noise wrapped around him like a blanket. The bar was full, happy customers chatting and having a good time while the small dance floor in one corner was packed. Too intent on their own evening’s pleasure, no one bothered with his ‘arrival’ apart from Ashlee, who had shot a concerned look at the door as soon as it opened. Recognition and relief flowed over her face as she saw him, and maybe something else as well. Pleasure? Zane grumbled in the back of his throat. No way was Ms.
Too Good for a Wolf
pleased to see him
for
him. No, she’d be more pleased to see that the protection she’d paid for was worth the money.

Bringing his mind back to work, he scanned the room for his team. Pride filtered through his big frame as he found Trent stationed on the other side of the room, exactly where Zane had ordered him to stand earlier. The big guy looked just like a statute. If the half-gargoyle had moved a muscle, Zane would be surprised. The only hint of movement was his eyes, constantly aware and watching the room.

Nodding in approval, he looked on to find another member of his team, Destiny, helping Ashlee out behind the bar. The two women were the same height, both tiny. Where Ashlee had curves to tempt a saint, Destiny was slender and so delicate it appeared that a stray breeze would be enough to snap her.

Nothing could be further from the truth. The hints of green in her ice-blonde hair weren’t artistic streaks. The tiny woman was a dryad, one with a chilling habit of wrapping any available wood around her opponents, idiots that pissed her off, or people who dared to talk to her before her morning coffee. The bonds then turned into living coffins that crushed them to death. To say that she wasn’t a morning person was an understatement. Zane couldn’t think of anyone better to station in a room with so much wood. One hint of trouble and Destiny could have all of their pixie friends boxed and dealt with in seconds.

He worked his way through the crowd, ignoring Ashlee’s little wave to head towards the back of the room. The last members of his team were out in the back alley, guarding it from another attack. If Trent and Destiny were bad-ass, then these two were totally off the scale and heading over the
never fuck with
horizon.

Baron and Duke were inseparable. Twin dragon-shifters, they did everything together. Lived together, worked together. Some said they even shared their women. As far as Zane knew, they had never actually pulled that off, since one or both always managed to say something to get them slapped within seconds. And that was just the women they didn’t scare off in the first place.