Matteo stood between Viktor and me. “The young male shifted and marked his scent all over the place. With the wind blowing, I couldn’t track him.” He put his hands on his hips and lowered his head.
Viktor tapped his watch. “We cannot exhaust our time and resources searching for runaways. Perhaps after we deliver the two siblings, we can search the woods. It is unfortunate that she could not see the necessity of protection.”
Blue scooted closer to the edge and lifted her head. “I’ll look for them as soon as I can. They’re probably long gone by now, but they won’t get far on foot. Not many people trust hitchhikers.”
Matteo was giving me a funny look.
“What?” I asked.
“I smell lust on you,” he said matter-of-factly.
My cheeks heated, and I dodged his stare. Chitahs were unnecessarily invasive when it came to emotional scents, and the residual smell on my clothes must have detailed a lot about my evening.
More than I wanted anyone else to know.
“You tricked me,” he said.
“How so?”
“You promised me a kiss with no intention to honor your word. Not if you’re mated to that Vampire.”
“Technically, I didn’t promise to kiss you. I just promised you would get your kiss. I know lots of women who would leap at the chance with a stud like you.”
His eyes narrowed.
Viktor branched away and attended to the twins.
I faced Matteo. “Wouldn’t you rather have money? After everything you’ve done, you deserve a nice fat paycheck. I’ll give you half my salary for this job. That’s a lot of supplies you can buy for your home.”
Matteo’s masculine features and distinct bone structure hardened to stone beneath all that long hair and his beard. He didn’t accept my offer, but the doleful look in his eyes reminded me of how important the kiss was to him.
Why would this be his last kiss? Was he swearing off women, or did he want to end his life? Maybe it was none of my business.
I’d promised him a kiss. A simple, harmless kiss. Yet in my heart, delivering that promise felt like a betrayal to Christian. It would mean nothing to me, but it might mean something to him. At some point our job might require us to get close to someone else for information or setting a trap, but this was different. I hadn’t tried hard enough to negotiate a deal from the start, and now I’d painted myself into a corner.
“I’ll do it,” Blue volunteered.
I blinked up in surprise.
Still on her side, Blue tucked her hair behind her ear and lifted her head to win the Chitah’s attention.
Matteo looked between us with disappointment. “That wasn’t the deal we made.”
“Am I not suitable?” she inquired. “My scars don’t reach my lips. Close your eyes and pretend I’m a whole woman.”
He gripped the ledge and leaned in close. “You, female, are exquisite. I am not worthy of your lips.”
I snorted. “But mine will do?”
He gave me a look so icy that it could have given me frostbite. “You’re my mortal enemy. It means less. This female is closer to my Breed. We have similar traits and family values. I just wanted the memory of a kiss, not the hope of a life I’ll never have.”
Blue shifted her sapphire gaze up to Matteo. “Let me kill any hope you might have, Chitah. I’m not sentimental about kissing, so I won’t be keeping the bed warm for you at night. I don’t want a mate. But if Raven promised you a kiss, I’ll gladly pay her debt. I owe you.”
His head jerked back. “Owe me?”
“For carrying me here. For lending me your coat.”
Matteo reacted as though someone had told him the earth was flat. “I did what any decent male would do for a wounded female. You are not beholden to me.”
