He growled and pounded harder, his entire body shuddering as he came.
Three more thrusts into her, almost lazy ones, and he stilled.
Her heart thundered against his chest. Little aches and pains instantly flared to life along her body. Holy crap. She leaned back against the wall, her eyelids half closed as she studied him. “So. Do we have those things straight now?”
“Not even close.” His lips twitched while his chest heaved out. “When I met you, I figured you needed saving.”
“I did.”
“Yes, you did. But that’s not what you need now.” His eyes somehow darkened even more. He kept her easily in his hold, his cock still hard enough to stay right where it was inside her.
Caution. She should feel caution, but she was too satisfied. “What do I need, Jared?”
“Why did you lie to me?” he asked, his voice a shade lower than mere curiosity.
“About what?” Desire roared inside her again, right where they remained joined. She moved a little, not surprised when he kept her in place. His strength was unreal, and the corded muscles along his arm only hinted at his power. “What did I lie about?”
“About your illness. You were poisoned.” He tilted his head to the side.
Oh. That. “It’s my problem, and I’ll figure it out.” Man, she owed him enough, considering he’d saved her life. Her father was wrong. She was smart enough to figure a good case out. For now, it would be nice if Jared started moving again.
“That’s not how this works.” He leaned down and nipped her lip—none too gently. “If you’re in danger, I handle it. Life really is that simple, and the sooner you figure that out, the better.”
She stilled. He was joking. A quick look at his face, at his hard expression, erased that thought. What year did he think it was? “Who do you think you are?”
“Your mate, baby. Apparently it’s time to teach you what that means.”
Chapter 6
Jared’s phone buzzed before he could finish making his point. Grabbing it with one hand out of the back of his jeans, which were down around his knees, he lifted it to his ear. Not once did he release Ronni’s molten gaze. “What?” he snapped.
“Meet at Grizio’s Pizza for a late dinner,” Chalton said without preamble. “I have news on Ronni’s condition as well as Saul’s case.”
Jared slowly withdrew from his mate. Her eyes widened, and her body clenched as if to keep him inside. His answering grin shot color into her pretty face and irritation into her stunning eyes. “We’ll be there. Call Theo.”
“I already talked to Theo. He’s pissed you left him with Ginny,” Chalton drawled. “Please tell me you’re not falling for her bullshit again.”
At the moment, there was only one woman on his mind. “I’ll see you at Grizio’s.” He clicked off.
Ronni’s feet hit the floor, and she pushed him with both hands against his stomach.
He decided not to move.
Her head snapped up. “What do you want?”
Now that was a damn good question. At the moment, he wanted to bend her over the back of the sofa and fuck her hard. Very hard. But they had work to do, and he’d have to calm himself until later. “I want to figure out who tried to kill you and also ensure there are no more threats coming for us. I’m thinking we’ll do that over pizza.”
Interest filtered across her face. “I could eat.”
“Good. We also need to get on the same page. No more hunting killers by yourself.” He slid both hands down her arms.
She shoved again. “How are those abs even real?”
He looked down. “Huh?”
“Nothing. We’ll talk about it later.” She sidled out from the side, and he allowed it this time. “I need to grab some jeans.”
“And a coat,” he reminded her.
