As she moved, I could swear I heard her murmur, “Mine!”
Marilee
Iwasn’t going to touch my mate until the case was over. I swear I wasn’t. But then she looked at me with those huge green eyes, and I scented her arousal and I couldn’t help but get closer.
Kiss her,my wolf urged me.
It’s too soon,my vamp said.We promised the boss restraint.
Kiss her,the wolf insisted.
Silently I told them both to shut up. I probably could have restrained myself if Hazel hadn’t initiated the kiss. Then our lips touched, and for the first time since my wolf had woken up, both of my inner demons spoke as one.Mine!
Surging forward, I deepened the kiss, sliding my tongue into Hazel’s mouth as I took control. She made a little noise of surprise, opening for me, allowing me access to explore. I pressed my body against hers, pushing her against the door behind her and noting how well we fit together. As if we were made for each other. And if you believed mate lore, we were made for each other.
I wasn’t sure I believed in mates before, despite the fact that I’d watched coworker after coworker fall for their own mates. Part of me had always feared I was somehow defective. That was why my wolf never made an appearance. Surely a broken shifter couldn’t have a mate.
It never occurred to me that finding my mate would be the thing that would fix me. My wolf was getting more and more active in the two days since I’d met Hazel and then there was the spontaneous shifting today. I’d been too surprised to stop it, too freaked out to do more than let it happen. Shifting was something our kind learned to control when we were kids, but I’d never learned about that side of me since it was dormant. I had a good grasp of my vamp, but I’d need to figure out how to control my wolf too.
But not now. Now I needed to show my mate how I felt about her, even if she had no idea she was my mate.
I dropped my hands down to her hips, gripping her tightly as I rolled my pelvis against her, desperate for some friction. We were surrounded by the sweet scent of her arousal, and it only made me more excited. Hazel was as attracted to me as I was toher, and while I’d suspected it was true, it was a relief to know it for sure.
When my vision started getting a little fuzzy I broke the kiss, allowing us to catch our breath.
“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered as I kissed my way down her neck, stopping to nip at the skin at the junction of her shoulder. The place where I’d mate mark her when the threat had passed. Hopefully.
Bite now,my wolf offered helpfully.
It’s too soon,my vampire argued.Hazel doesn’t understand yet. She can’t give consent for a lifetime commitment.
Idly I wondered if now that my wolf had woken up I was going to spend the rest of my life listening to her argue with my vamp. But then Hazel reached around to squeeze my ass, and I forgot all about my inner beings.
I dragged her jacket off her shoulders, then pulled off her top, leaving her in just a red lacy bra. I lowered my head and sucked a nipple into my mouth, suckling her through the fabric. Hazel’s hand went to the back of my head, pressing me closer as I drew on first one nipple, then the other.
“Oh my God,” Hazel gasped. “That feels so good. Why does that feel so good?”
Ignoring the voices inside me telling me to answer that question, I surged up to take her mouth again, cradling her face between my hands as the kiss went on and on.
When I heard the door open next door, telling me that Allie and Martha had checked in and made it up to their room, I forced myself to take a step back. My coworkers’ arrival reminded me of Lois’s warning, and the reminder of how pissed my boss would be if she saw me kissing our client finally broke the haze of lust that was consuming me. I had a job to do. I couldn’t keep Hazel safe if I was a horny mess.
Although I wasn’t sure I could be anything but a horny mess until I’d officially claimed her. That was the only way my inner beasts would calm down, I was sure of it. I just needed to remember that I was the human. I was in control here.
And ignore the chuckling I heard inside me.
Hazel was still leaning against the door, her breath coming in ragged pants. “That was… that was… something.”
“Yeah.” I took a few more steps away from her, needing to put some distance between us. “But it can’t happen again.”
“Sure. Right.” She paused, then asked, “Why is that?”
“My job is to protect you. I need to focus on that.” There was a knock on the connecting door, and I felt grateful for the reprieve. “Lemme get that.”
“I assume we’re going to the cocktail reception and dinner,” Martha asked.
I looked at Hazel, who nodded in confirmation. “I need to make an appearance,” she said. “I have people to talk to.”
“Okay, then we’d better get cleaned up,” Martha said, looking between us like she knew exactly what we’d been doing. “Maybe comb your hair.”
