The captain led her toward her new partner and that powerful aura that made her heart pound even harder. He didn’t bother to move or twitch at their approach. Not until they stopped in front of the hot tub filled with water that appeared to be boiling.
The music turned down on its own.
With his arms stretched out along the stone-carved lip of the tub, Luke still had his head leaned back against the edge as he casually sunned himself while he should be working. He wore a number of chains with charms she couldn’t quite make out and each of his fingers held a ring. His expensive sunglasses gave no clue as to his mood or where he was looking. “I just found my happy place, Elana. Don’t put me on task. Not right now.” His voice was deep and smooth, like whiskey and thick velvet. He should be on radio…
“Sorry, champ. Duty calls. Need you to get dressed and take Sorcha to Peachtree City to check out a Dire Wolf sighting.”
He scoffed nonchalantly. “The Dire Wolf lives on Witcher Road in Newnan. There’s not one in Peachtree City.”
“The call’s from the city police department that has had multiple reports. It’s legit. Need you to check it out. Maybe your friend has a relative?”
Growling like said Dire Wolf, he lifted his head to look at them. With a slow, seductive smile, he pushed his sunglasses up on top of his head.
As he did so, Sorcha had to look away.
Holy shit. She hated to be redundant, but it was all she could say. He was hotter than Hell’s half acre without those sunglasses.
How could you be even better looking without them?
It wasn’t fair or right.
Forget radio, this man should have gone into acting.
The last thing she’d expected was for his eyes to be an amber-gold so intense that they appeared to glow in the sunlight.
He was everything she hated in a man and yet he was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. This was the alpha male to rule them all.
Damn. Just damn.
With a deep, intimidating sigh, he rose up out of the water like the god Poseidon coming out of the ocean. All he needed was a trident in his hand.
Heat rushed through every part of her.
That made him grin even more salaciously. “Don’t worry, love. I know how irresistible I am and I try to keep it in check.”
Okay, that offended her. “Pardon?”
“Those are my superpowers…among others.” And with that, he left them and headed toward the four-car garage that was across the yard from their offices.
But as her gaze went over his sculpted back, she saw dozens of horrible scars. Some appeared to be from a whip of some kind, and others looked like knife and claw marks.
What the hell?
Had he been a lion tamer? What could have caused all those?
Scowling, she turned toward Elana for an explanation.
Elana shrugged. “I don’t even know where to begin and I’m not sure you’ll believe me if I tell you.”
Great.
“Can I request Christian as my partner?” she asked her captain.
“No, he already has one. But Luke isn’t what you think nor is he the egotistical monster you’re assuming.” Elana paused. “Actually, he’s worse, but again, not for what you think.”
“Meaning?”
And still Elana hedged. “Are you religious at all?”
