Sparks zipped through her, lighting every nerve on fire. “I was not,” she murmured against his mouth.
“Pretty girls who lie get punished.” He kissed her, being gentle, making her forget all about being punched in the face. “Would you like to be punished?”
Her body did a full-on tremble that ended with her pressing her thighs together as her clit ached. She kissed him back, sliding both hands up and over the hard ridges of his bare chest. “You have got to stop threatening me,” she murmured, digging her nails into his firm skin.
He kissed along her jawline and nipped her earlobe. “Isn’t a threat if I fully plan on carrying through. Is more like a promise, don’t you think?”
She chuckled and angled her neck so he could have better access. They had so much to figure out, and yet she wanted to keep on touching him. Keep on being touched by him. “These feelings. Are they because of the mating?” There had to be a rational explanation.
“No. They’re because I’ve lost my mind and I doubt you ever had yours.” He tunneled his hands through her hair and leaned in to kiss her, still gentle but somehow insistent.
Why did she get the feeling he always held back? “Stop treating me like I’m fragile.”
“You are fragile.” He slid his tongue into her mouth. “You’ll always be fragile.”
She paused. “I won’t get stronger?”
“No. You’ll become immortal with no extra strength or powers.” He leaned back, a frown drawing down his eyebrows. “Didn’t I explain that?”
“Nope.” Shoot. She was planning on becoming a serious immortal badass. Oh, well. She could punch with the best of them right now, and she was a damn good shot with a gun. “So no extra abilities?”
He ran his thumb down her cheekbone, spreading warmth along her skin. “Your empathic abilities will increase, and you’ll gain my ability of abnormally fast reflexes, probably. But no extra strength.”
Well, it would be cool to be super-fast. That was something. At some point, he had to see her for her strengths. “I could’ve taken Ginny, you know.”
Displeasure curved his mouth. “It’s silly for you two to fight. Don’t let it happen again.”
She reared back. So much for arousal. “You have got to stop telling me what to do.” She’d ask if he still loved the blonde, but did it matter? They were temporary, and he had a right to his life again. After she’d regained all her strength. Stepping away from him, she tried to calm her raging hormones. “Enough is enough, Jared.”
“You’re my mate,” he said, his chin lowering.
“So the hell what?” She put both hands on her hips. “Aren’t you leaving town soon?”
“No.” A gleam she couldn’t recognize glinted in his eyes. “I’m staying right here to keep you alive and out of trouble. Turns out it’s going to be a full-time gig.”
Oh, he did not. “Thanks, but no way.” She reached down and started replacing the books onto the coffee table.
“Did you pack?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “I was a little busy throwing punches with your ex-lover.”
“Never slept with her.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “You have fifteen minutes to gather whatever you need. We’re leaving here.”
They’d never slept together? Was that why he’d never gotten over the woman? It was the curiosity? The wondering? The one who got away? “Why do we have to leave?” she snapped.
“Because apparently whomever is after you has hired hit men. Remember the guys shooting at us after our nice pizza dinner? I’m thinking staying at your apartment isn’t the wisest course of action.”
Well, when he put it like that. Even being sarcastic, the vampire was somehow sexy, yet she needed to concentrate. “My attending the retirement party did flush out somebody. What do they think I know?” Whatever it was, Walt hadn’t shared. Why wouldn’t they believe that? If she knew anything, she would’ve come forward by now.
Jared shook his head. “I don’t know, but I have a team investigating.”
She caught herself. “A team?”
“Yes. Forensic and detail team. They’re going through all e-mails from the station, tracing your movements and Walt’s. They’ll find out what happened.” Jared moved toward the kitchen. “Go pack, Veronica.”
A team? “They won’t go through my patient files, right?” What kind of team could a vampire put together anyway?
Jared shrugged. “Probably.” He held up a hand when she started to lambast him. “They don’t care about your patients and won’t let any information leak. But they will be thorough.”
