Unleashed Temptation (5 page)

She’d never been so affected by anyone before. And she’d never been bowled over by

one kiss either.

Heat and cream dampened her panties as he slowly trailed a hand down her back

toward her backside. When he cupped her ass and squeezed, she moaned into his

mouth.

This was crazy. They needed to get inside now before she let him take her up

against her front door for anyone to see. Pulling her head back she kept her hands

around his neck. Before she could say one word, he stepped away from her.

“Shit,” he muttered and raked a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry…I’m…” His

words trailed off as he turned on his heel and jogged toward his vehicle.

A tight knot formed in her stomach as he tore out of the driveway. She’d been

ready to throw herself at her boss. Her boss!

Groaning aloud, she opened her front door and locked the door tightly behind her.

Part of her wanted to hide her head in the sand and not go into work tomorrow. Or

ever. But she knew she couldn’t do that. Finding a job so quickly had been a miracle.

Not to mention the pay and the benefits were fantastic. Besides, he was the one who

kissed her. If he had a problem, then too bad. He could just deal with it.

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Unleashed Temptation

Nick steered his 1968 Dodge Charger into his Aunt Melina’s long driveway. Unlike

most of the pack, his aunt preferred living closer to the city limits of Miami instead of in

Key Biscayne. There were almost a dozen cars already lining the street and three

currently in the driveway. He didn’t see Carly’s car, but Alex had told him she’d be

picking up the redheaded vixen so he knew she was already here.

For the past three days he’d been able to avoid her. There had been a few awkward

moments, but he’d mastered his Houdini act. Kissing her had been the dumbest move

he could have made. He wanted to talk to her about it and apologize, but he was afraid

if he tried to talk to her, he’d kiss her again. Not to mention, he wasn’t sorry and he

doubted he could feign it.

A bang on his window caused him to jump. Just as quickly, his heartbeat returned

to normal when he saw his younger brother, Stephan, standing there. He inwardly

cursed. For the past week all his senses had been off kilter. He should have smelled

Stephan. Instead all his energy and thoughts were focused on Carly.

Immediately he opened the door. “Hey, Bro, surprised to see you here. Tell me I’m

not the last one.”

“Just about.” Stephan slapped him on the back and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Are you working a case right now?” Nick locked his car before shutting the door.

“Nah. Just came off one. Thought I’d see the family before I got reassigned.” His

brother raked a hand through his dark hair.

“You need a haircut.” He shook his head as they walked up the steps. Stephan had

been working for the Drug Enforcement Administration for the past four years.

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“Tell me about it… Hey, who’s the hot redhead Alex brought? She smells like sex

and—”

“She’s off limits. To you, to anyone. She’s mine,” Nick growled. The second the

words were out of his mouth, he knew it was true. It was the only thing that made

sense. Carly
was
his. He’d stopped looking for a mate a long time ago. And he’d never

thought his mate would be a human. But it was the only thing that explained his intense

attraction to her.

He turned to face his brother as they reached the front door of his aunt’s two-story

Mediterranean-style house. “You understand what I’m saying?”

“Oh, shit. Never thought I’d see the day. You actually think she’s your mate? A

human?” Stephan asked.

“Just stay away from her,” he bit out.

His brother chuckled and opened the front door.

“I’m serious, Stephan. I’d hate to kick your ass if—”

The second they stepped onto the tiled foyer, his Aunt Melina grabbed both their

arms and fired questions at them like a machine gun. “Stephanos, where did you sneak

off to? Nicolas, you’re late! And where’s Thomas?”

“I think he’s working, but Stephan wanted to ask you about that salon you go to.

He needs a haircut.” Nick dropped a quick kiss on her cheek and headed down the long

hallway toward the kitchen. He threw a glance over his shoulder and grinned at his

scowling brother.

If he allowed her, his aunt would hold his ear captive for half an hour. And he had

more important things to worry about. Like finding Carly.

In the kitchen he found three of his younger female cousins whispering around the

table. When they saw him they all giggled.

“What’s so funny?” He looked back and forth among them.

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Unleashed Temptation

Athena, one of his favorites, answered. “Nothing much. Alex just told us a story

about you when you were our age.”

He frowned. Athena wasn’t more than fifteen or sixteen in human
and
shifter years.

She was barely a pup. When she turned twenty, her aging process would slow down

immensely, allowing her to live hundreds of years. Hell, maybe longer. It wasn’t as if it

was an exact science.

He remembered quite well what he’d been like back then. It had been over a

century ago and he’d been living in Greece.

Sighing, he thought of his hometown of Leontio. Being a shifter had been a lot

easier back then. Greeks in general had a lot of respect for wolves and mythology and

the thought of the paranormal wasn’t scoffed at as it was in so many other places

around the globe. “Where exactly is Alex?” he asked through gritted teeth.

With a big, knowing grin plastered on her face, Athena nodded toward the back of

the house. “Back porch. Hey, where’s Thomas? I haven’t seen him in like, a month, and

he promised to help me with a school project on the history of Greece.”

“He’s working,” he answered absently as he opened the back door.

Wherever Alex was, Carly was sure to be also. As he stepped onto the back porch,

he swept his gaze around the throng of people. There were about twenty-five of his

relatives and friends of friends, shifters and humans alike, eating and drinking. A few

sat in lounge chairs around the Olympic-sized pool, some stood in clusters, and one of

his uncles and two male cousins stood around the grill arguing about a football game.

His Uncle Cosmo had remarried a few decades ago and now his pack had a new

generation of werewolves who were more in touch with their human side. They’d all

grown up in the city and while they understood their heritage and their order in the

pack, they didn’t seem to take things as seriously as his generation.

Nick mentally shook himself as he zeroed in on Carly. Even if he hadn’t been able

to smell her sweet scent, she was the easiest to spot. In a sea of dark-haired men and

women, her red hair and fair skin was like a beacon.

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Savannah Stuart

Unwanted jealousy jumped in his gut when he spotted her talking to a man he

didn’t recognize. She held a glass of white wine in one of her slim hands and was

smiling politely while that randy bastard practically undressed her with his eyes.

Fuck that.

If she was his mate, he needed to clear the air with Carly if he was ever going to get

a decent night’s sleep again. Not to mention he owed her a big apology.

In a few long strides he stood in front of Carly and the man.

“Carly.” Her name rolled off his tongue. For the past couple nights he’d fantasized

about saying her name as she rode him.

Her pretty blue eyes widened as she shifted to face him. “Oh hi, Nick.” When she

bit her bottom lip in that adorable way he was coming to love, he bit back a groan.

“I’m Dennis.” The other man nodded at him politely, but he couldn’t mask the

wave of disgust that rolled off him.

Nick stared at the man for a moment. His green eyes had a strange quality, but Nick

couldn’t place him. The guy smelled human, but there was something else there too.

Something earthy and slightly familiar? Nick inwardly cursed himself. He was sizing

this guy up just because he was talking to his woman. He didn’t give a shit what the

guy smelled like. “Nice to meet you,” he said through clenched teeth. “Hope you don’t

mind if I steal Carly for a second. Shop talk.”

Nick didn’t wait for a response as he hooked his hand under Carly’s elbow and

steered her toward two lone chairs by the pool.

“What are you doing?” she muttered.

“Do you want to sit?” He motioned to the lounge chair.

“Fine.” She sat and when she crossed those long legs, his cock jumped to attention.

Following suit, he sat next to her. She wore white shorts that showcased her sinfully

long legs and a turquoise halter top that showed off her graceful neck. The thought of

raking his teeth over that delicate skin caused another unwanted reaction.

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Unleashed Temptation

“How’s your car running?” It had taken him about an hour Tuesday night to figure

out what was wrong, but it had been an easy fix. He’d even changed her oil.

“Better than before, actually, thank you. Do you really want to talk about my car?”

Carly’s annoyed voice sliced through the air as she changed the subject.

He cleared his throat and forced himself to maintain eye contact. “We haven’t had a

chance to talk since…ah…” He cleared his throat again. Damn, it shouldn’t be this hard.

“Since you kissed me.” Her words were tight and restrained.

“Right.”

“And whose fault is that? You’ve been ignoring me all week,” she snapped. The

unexpected fire in her eyes and the heat in her voice made him change tactics.

He hadn’t realized just how feisty Carly was. “You’re right. I should have talked to

you sooner. I’ve never behaved like that with an employee and I owe you an apology.

Hell, I owe you more than that. If you want to file a sexual harassment charge against

me, you have more than enough right to. I won’t fight you.” Werewolf or not, he was a

man first and he’d had no right to treat Carly the way he had. Even if Carly had

returned the kiss, he was her boss and he’d put her in an awkward position.

Her brows furrowed as she stared at him. Finally she spoke. “Did you enjoy the

kiss?”

Did she even have to ask? “It’s all I’ve thought about the past three days.”

She took a sip of her wine then met his gaze again. “Me too… I don’t want to file a

harassment charge against you, Nick. Trust me.”

“Then what do you want?”

“You.” Her mouth dropped open after she spoke, as if she’d surprised herself.

“Damn, I shouldn’t have had that second glass,” she murmured as she averted his gaze

and placed her near-empty wineglass next to her chair.

Shit, the woman was sending all his good intentions out the window. The twinge of

lust he’d smelled a few days ago was now full blown. The spicy scent rolled over him

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Savannah Stuart

with an unexpected intensity. He’d been walking around with a permanent hard-on the

past few days and feeling doubly guilty for practically mauling his new employee on

her first day. And she still wanted him? “Do you want to get out of here?” His words

came out strangled.

Her eyes widened for a split second, but she simply nodded.

“Good. I’ll tell Alex you’re not feeling well and that I’m taking you home.” He

glanced over his shoulder. No one was paying attention to them. “Head through the

house and I’ll meet you out front in a few minutes.”

Her cheeks had turned pink, but she nodded and stood on shaky legs.

He waited in his seat for a minute longer to compose himself. Once he’d managed

to get his thoughts and body under control, he found his cousin, gave her a quick

excuse, then managed to avoid talking to anyone as he escaped out the front door. He

knew Alex hadn’t believed him and considering the lusty vibe he knew he was putting

off, Nick guessed every shifter in the house knew exactly why he was leaving.

Nick found Carly leaning against his car and his breath caught in his throat. He

doubted she was trying to be sexy, but all he could envision was her stretched out on

his hood wearing nothing but a pair of heels.

“Do you want to grab a bite to eat or hit up some of the clubs? My older brother

owns one on South Beach.” Somehow he managed to string a coherent sentence

together. She might have said she wanted to leave, but she didn’t say she wanted to

head back to his place and fuck for hours.

She glanced down at herself then back up at him. “I’ll need to change first.”

“No problem.” He bit back the disappointment. He hated the Miami nightlife and if

it wasn’t for the fact that his brother owned a club, he’d never go in the first place. He

might have offered to take her out, but all he really wanted to do was get her back to his

place and flat on her back. Or against a wall. Or bent over the side of his bed. He’d take

her wherever and whenever she let him.

After opening the door for her he rounded the car and slid into the driver’s seat.

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Unleashed Temptation

“Was one of your brothers here earlier?”

He glanced in the rearview mirror before backing out. “Yeah, why?”

“I did a double take when I saw him. I thought it was you until he turned around.”