The air in the truck cab grew thick, charged with the same electricity that had crackled between them on the balcony. Her pulse quickened despite the urgency of the situation waiting for her in the city.
“We don’t have time for this.”
“We have exactly as much time as I decide we have.” His hand tightened on her neck, drawing her closer. “My truck. My mate. My choice.”
“That’s very alpha of you.”
“Because I am an alpha, kitten.” His mouth hovered inches from hers. “Now tell me you’re here with me. Tell me you haven’t already run off into your head again.”
“I’m here.”
“Prove it.”
She closed the distance between them, kissing him with all the desperate intensity she felt. Her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him towards her across the center console. The gear shift dug into her hip, but she didn’t care.
He made a sound that was more growl than groan, his hands sliding into her hair, tilting her head to deepen the kiss. He consumed her mouth like he was trying to claim every part of her at once.
When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, his eyes were fully golden, the wolf clearly close to the surface.
“I want to mark you.” The words came out guttural, barely human. “Right here. Right now.”
“In the truck?” Her voice came out as a squeak.
“Anywhere.” His mouth traced along her jaw, down to the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. “Everywhere. I want my bite on your skin. Want everyone to know you’re mine.”
Her body responded to his words with embarrassing enthusiasm, heat pooling low in her belly. “I thought you said not in the car.”
“I said I wouldn’t mark you in the car.” He nipped at her shoulder, and she gasped. “Didn’t say I wouldn’t start here and finish elsewhere.”
“Adrian…” She forced herself to think past the haze of desire clouding her mind. “Derek needs me. The attack?—”
“I know.” He pulled back with visible effort, his chest heaving. “Believe me, I know.”
His eyes gradually shifted back to their usual golden-brown, though the hunger in them didn’t diminish. He ran a hand through his already disheveled hair, looking like temptation incarnate in the moonlight filtering through the windshield.
“When this is over,” he said, his voice still rough, “we’re going to have a very long conversation about what happens when you try to disappear into that head of yours.”
“A conversation?”
His smile was pure predator. “Among other things.”
She shivered, and not from the cold. “That’s not exactly encouraging me to hurry back.”
“Smart woman.” He leaned in for one more kiss, softer this time, almost tender. “Now. Tell me what you know about this attack while I drive. Don’t leave anything out. And if you start drifting off into analyst mode?—”
“You’ll pull over again?”
“I’ll do more than pull over.” His promise hung in the air between them. “Try me.”
He put the truck back in drive, pulling smoothly back onto the road. She retrieved her phone from the floor, but this time, instead of disappearing into the data, she talked.
She told him about the attack vectors. About the sophisticated coordination that suggested a well-funded operation. About thetroubling similarities to the probes she’d detected on the pack’s systems.
“The pack’s finances and TalkToMe,” he mused, his hands steady on the wheel. “What’s the connection?”
“Derek, obviously. He owns TalkToMe and has invested in the pack.”
“But why target both? If they wanted money, TalkToMe is the bigger prize. If they wanted to hurt the pack, there are more direct ways.”
