Sedona Suspect Read online

  She drew back with a smile. “Really?”

  I traced my finger along her jaw. “Really. I guess I was waiting for you.”

  She stared into my eyes, and there was that shadow of regret. I bent to kiss her lips, tender and slow. I rested my forehead on hers. “Just for tonight, no police are looking for you. There’s no pack. There’s no Collective. Tonight, it’s just you and me.”

  “Deal.” She kissed me and slid her hands up underneath my shirt, and I growled into the kiss, my blood pumping to my groin.

  I ran my hand down her back until I cupped her ass, kneading her flesh, aching to tear the nightgown off her. I needed to be skin to skin.

  Her fingers skimmed the edge of the tape on my chest, and she broke the kiss. “Did I hurt you?”

  “No.” I released her and took off my shirt, careful to keep from pulling at the stitches. I dropped it on the floor. “I’m okay.”

  Her gaze wandered over my torso, and the heat in her eyes did something to me. I fucking loved that she wanted me. She slid her fingers down my abs and unbuttoned my jeans. I was hard enough to cut diamonds by the time she lowered my zipper.

  Pressing a kiss to the center of my chest, she whispered, “Lose the pants.”

  I popped off my shoes and stripped off my jeans and underwear. She licked her lips as she studied me. My erection bounced, aching for her attention. I wrapped my hand around the shaft, my gaze locked on her face. “You’re so damned sexy.”

  She shook her head and lifted her eyes to meet mine. “Slow this time.”

  My entire body tensed, hungry for her. “As slow as you need.”

  Her sexy mouth curved at the corners. “Sit on the bed.”

  I did, and she stood between my legs. I ran my hands up the slick silk nightie to knead her breasts. Her head rolled back, and she moaned. I almost lost it right there. Her nipples hardened into tight nubs that strained against the fabric, and I was tempted to lick and suck them right through the silk.

  She bent forward and claimed my lips. Her long hair brushed the tip of my shaft, and my hips bucked. She reached down and stroked me so slowly I wanted to scream. I was simultaneously aching for release and yearning for this torture to last all night.

  Breaking the kiss, she knelt before me and looked up from under her lashes, her gaze locked on mine as she slid her lips around me. I groaned, burying my hands into her hair. Seeing her taking me in deeper was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever seen, until I noticed her other hand slide underneath the hem of her nightgown.

  Knowing she was touching herself while she sucked me had my heart racing. I worked my hips into her warm mouth, shivering as she hummed around me. I couldn’t take much more.

  “I’m too close,” I growled, tightening my fingers in her hair.

  Her tongue circled the tip as she pulled back. I panted, struggling to hold off my orgasm. She straightened, standing between my legs as I lifted the nightgown off her. It puddled to the floor, allowing me to feast on every inch of her body. I slid one hand around her to grip her ass and keep her close to me, then brought my other hand to the juncture of her thighs.

  I stared up into her eyes and whispered, “Your turn.”

  Watching her face, I took her breast into my mouth, licking her nipple slowly before sucking it into my mouth. Her back arched into me as my fingers explored her core. When I found her clit, I teased it faster until she panted, her legs turning rubbery. Something about holding her up, knowing she was mine in this moment, was like a drug. I wanted to make her come, to witness her surrender, and then make her mine all over again.

  Turning my head, I suckled at one breast and then the other while I stroked her faster. Her fingers tangled in my hair, pulling at it as her entire body tightened. I sank my fingers inside her and growled against her skin. She was soaking wet, and I needed to bury myself in her.

  Then something sparked in my brain. I looked up at her, wishing like hell I could forget, but once it had popped into my head, I had to say something. “I don’t have a condom. I was at the fucking grocery store, and I didn’t buy any.”

  She pushed me back onto the bed and straddled me. “I’ve got an IUD.”

  My ability to form words was lost as she lowered herself onto me. The only thing left was pleasure. She was made for me. Sex had never been this amazing. She was slick and tight, and I couldn’t get enough of looking up at her.

  Her long hair fell around us like a curtain, keeping the rest of the world out. I lost myself in her eyes as she rode me, grinding her body against mine. She leaned down, kissing me, and I held her close, rolling us over and winced when I pulled at the stitches in my chest.

  “Are you okay?” She whispered.

  “Yeah.” I kissed her as I ground my hips into her. “Forgot to be careful of my shoulder.” I nuzzled her lips. “Totally worth it.”

  She grinned, and nibbled at my lower lip, drawing a growl from my throat as I slipped my hand between us.

  I whispered against her ear as I worked my fingers in time with our thrusts. “Come with me, Tash.”

  I slammed my hips into her as her inner muscles clenched, milking me right over the edge with her. I clung to her, gasping for air as the aftershocks washed through me.

  As we both relaxed, she loosened her grip on my back with a breathless chuckle. “I might’ve left a mark.”

  I slid free from her and rolled onto my back so she was on top of me again. She settled onto my chest, next to the bandaged spot. She fit so perfectly in my arms. I kissed her hair. “I love you.” The words fell from my lips without any filter, and I didn’t even care.

  She lifted her head, staring into my eyes with a gentle smile on her lips. “Is that your wolf talking?”

  I cupped her cheek. “This is all me.”

  She raised a brow as she nuzzled into my touch. “How do you know?”

  I searched her eyes for any hint that she might be teasing me, but it seemed to be an honest question. How could I put it into words?

  “I don’t think if I could’ve faced this past week and still be standing without you in my corner.” I shook my head. “It’s more than that. I…” I needed the blood to get back up into my fucking head so I could find the right words. “Jane Austen makes all this talking seem easy.”

  She laughed, and the sound made me warm all over. “I wasn’t trying to put you on the spot.” Her laughter died away, and her eyes were like a window into her past, to the girl who had been left at that boarding school. “My parents loved me, but I don’t think anyone else ever has, and I know I haven’t loved anyone, either. I’ve read the books, but I—” She broke eye contact and settled against my chest again. “I’ve done things I can never take back. When I look in the mirror, I think, how could anyone ever love me?”

  I rolled her over and propped myself up on my elbow so I could see her face. “I see a survivor. I see a woman did what she had to in order to keep Severino from eliminating her.” I stroked her hair back from her forehead, memorizing every line of her face. “I’m guessing since you have this room and new clothes that you got the bank to let you into your safe-deposit box without your ID. Plus, you’ve managed to get around Phoenix without getting picked up by the police. You’re smart and determined and so damned sexy.” I kissed her lips and rested my forehead on hers. “And once we get the police off your back, you’ll be able to be whatever or whoever you want to be.”

  She kissed me again and whispered, “I’d like that.” She stared up at me and traced my lower lip with her finger. “A little werewolf told me you have insomnia. Is that true?”

  The abrupt change in subject surprised me, but she was still here and maybe she even accepted that I loved her.

  And I did. Saying the words out loud made any barrier I might have had up to compartmentalize my feelings evaporate. I loved this woman, and I didn’t want to spend another day without her.

  “Yeah. I’m a shitty sleeper. My brain gets churning, and I have a hard time shutting it off.�
� I pressed my lips to her forehead. “Sleeping on your lap was probably the best I’ve slept in months.”

  “I’m glad,” she whispered.

  There was something in her eyes that worried me, though. A distance. I raised a brow, and the fear that tonight might’ve been her saying goodbye swelled. “Why do I feel like you’re on the edge of bolting out of this room?”

  She sighed and stared at the ceiling. “I did get into my safe-deposit box today. I have new identification and cash, but—”

  “Why does there have to be a but?”

  She chuckled, her eyes sliding over to meet mine. “Because I do like you, and if I’m being honest, I did imagine living happily ever after in your beautiful house. But if I did that, I’d just be climbing into another cage.”

  My defenses rose as I shook my head. “I’m not trying to pin you down or put you in a cage.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “Can I finish?”

  I nodded, fighting to rein in my fear. She was naked in bed with me. I wasn’t losing her.

  She focused on the ceiling again. “I’ve thought about it a lot over the past couple days. I went from my parents’ house to Brightwood Academy to Nero, and then after Severino died, when I could’ve pursued something else, I traveled to the satellite facility. And instead of buying a condo or finding an apartment, I stayed in a dorm there.” She shook her head and met my eyes. “I was afraid. I don’t know who I really am, or what I want to be, or what I can be.” She ran her hand up my chest, avoiding the bandage. “I guess I’m saying that if I’m going to be your mate, I should figure those things out first.”

  My chest hurt, and it wasn’t from my stitches. “You’re asking me to watch you walk out of my life.”

  “I’m asking you to trust me.”

  I lay on my back beside her and ran my hand down my face. “I don’t understand.”

  “You’re the only person on this planet who really knows me.” She rolled onto her side to face me. “If fate brought us together, can’t you trust me to find you again?”

  “How can I just stand by and watch you walk out that door?” I took her hand, threading my fingers with hers. “We don’t have to live together. Take all the time you need. But don’t ask me to spend another day without you in my life.”

  I ground my teeth to keep from pleading anymore. My gaze locked on hers, and the answer was right there in her eyes. I’d found my mate, the other half of my soul. I loved her.

  And now I needed to let her go.

  CHAPTER 21

  Natasha

  The pain in his eyes threatened to shake my resolve. It would be so easy to walk out of this hotel room with my new identity and move out of the dorm and right into Dex’s beautiful home.

  Too easy.

  How could I make him understand? I couldn’t find the right words. Maybe there weren’t any. “I don’t want you to bring me into your pack as an assassin. I’m thirty-eight years old, and I have never lived on my own. How pathetic is that?”

  “Nothing about you is pathetic.” In spite of the pain I was causing him, he was still trying to comfort me. I did not deserve this man, this wolf. And here I was, his one true mate about to walk out that door. If I didn’t come back, he’d be alone in that house forever.

  I was asking for a hefty amount of trust.

  “If Vance gets the charges dropped against me and Sloan keeps his word and wipes my record, this will be my chance to make my own choices.” I rolled my eyes as tears threatened to fall. “I’m terrified.” I shook my head, and a sad chuckle erupted from my tight throat. “I’ve had people pointing guns at me and never been this scared.” A single tear escaped the corner of my eye. “I hate that I’m hurting you.”

  He reached out to tuck my hair behind my ear, his blue eyes shining. “It’s funny. My whole life I thought finding my mate meant I’d just win her heart and we’d live happily ever after, but here we are, and all I want is for you to be happy.” His voice cracked, dropping to a raw, throaty whisper. “It’s tearing my fucking heart out, but you’re right, this is your chance to be the person you were meant to be. You should take it.”

  I cupped his cheek in my hand, searching his eyes for any trace of a lie, but his aura was clear of any black or gray, and his heart and soul were right there for me to see in his intense gaze. I kissed his lips and whispered, “Thank you.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “No. Don’t thank me for watching you walk out of my life.”

  I rested my forehead against his. “Not forever.”

  A muscle tensed in his cheek. “It’ll just feel like it.”

  I slid my hand down his chest. “Don’t give up on me.”

  He covered my hand with his. “It’s ripping my damned heart in two, but I’ll be right here cheering you on.”

  My lips parted, but the only words that I could find were, “I love you.” I blinked, and my pulse fluttered. “I love you, Dex.”

  He kissed me hard, his tongue plunging deep into my mouth as he rolled over me. I spread my legs, wrapping them around his waist as he slid into me, joining our bodies with an urgency that stole my breath. He growled as we clung to each other, our bodies writhing together, aching to be even closer, to heal the hurt.

  He moved his hand between us, stroking me to multiple orgasms before he finally followed me over the edge and erupted deep inside me again.

  My hold on him didn’t loosen as the aftershocks rippled through me. We kissed over and over. I couldn’t get enough of him. I’d never be strong enough to walk away, not now. Maybe never.

  He slid free of me and pulled me into the sanctuary of his arms. I breathed in his scent, trying to memorize every part of him. I did love him. But I needed to figure out how to love myself, too.

  His breathing slowed and deepened. I peered up at his sleeping face, and my heart melted. I loved that although he usually struggled to sleep, he could with me. I threaded my fingers through the back of his dark hair and swallowed the lump in my throat.

  This wasn’t going to be forever.

  I carefully slid out of the bed and got dressed. I threw my clothes into my new duffel bag and picked up the little plaque he’d bought for me. My vision blurred.

  Think only of the past as its remembrance gives you pleasure. —Jane Austen

  It was from Pride and Prejudice. My favorite book. No one had ever been so thoughtful or kind to me.

  I looked over at Dex. Every memory of him brought me pleasure, even the one of him telling me to get the fuck off Asher’s property. A smile curved my lips. I’d never met anyone so loving and loyal as the man sleeping in that bed.

  So why was I packing a bag?

  I ran a hand down my face, silencing the scared little girl inside me. That man snoozing in the bed deserved a mate who was just as strong and amazing as he was, and I wanted to be that person with all my being. Not an assassin from Nero but Natasha Sokolov, a woman who could bring something to world besides death.

  I tucked the plaque into my bag and pulled the notepad and hotel pen over. I wrote a note and went to the door, quietly slipping out of the room.

  This wasn’t an ending. It was a new beginning.

  CHAPTER 22

  Dex

  I woke the second she wiggled out of my arms, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t trust myself not to plead with her to stay. I never wanted to wonder if she regretted being with me, and if I pressured her to stay, I’d always worry that she did.

  When the door clicked behind her, I rolled facedown onto her pillow, breathing in her scent and growling out all my frustrations. There was a panicked part of me that yearned to chase after her. What if I never saw her again? She was my mate, and I just let her vanish from my life. I didn’t even know her new name.

  I sighed and lay on my back, staring at the ceiling while I struggled to get a grip on the wave of emotions threatening to drown me. Sleep wasn’t going to happen. I got up and went to the table. The roses were still there, but the plaque was gone.


  And she’d left a note.

  Dex—

  I know I gave you my word that I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye, but this isn’t goodbye.

  This is “see you soon.”

  I love you.

  Tash

  I smiled as a tear rolled out the corner of my eye.

  “See you soon, baby,” I whispered.

  I didn’t know how long it would take for her to come back, but I’d wait a lifetime if I had to. She’d be worth every second.

  I got back to my place just before sunrise and showered. Reality settled in like an unwanted houseguest when I checked my voice mail. Two clients requesting updated completion dates and lots of condolence calls about Deacon.

  Time to get to work.

  My work ethic had always been strong, but as one day bled into the next, I pushed myself even harder, working longer hours, doing anything to distract myself from thinking. As the days wore on into a week and then another, a new numbness grew. Without my mate and my twin brother, loneliness licked at the gaping wounds in my heart. I was starting to understand Mr. Darcy a little more. There was no getting Natasha out of my system, and it was agony.

  My phone buzzed, and I glanced at the screen, surprised to see General Sloan’s name on the text message.

  Let Natasha know she’s clear.

  Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who didn’t know how to find her. Another text from him popped up.

  I’m heading to the Wolf Pack Bar. I’ll buy you a beer.

  I could use a beer, and if Sloan was buying, that was even better. Plus, it would keep me out of my empty house. Natasha had only been there once, but I couldn’t even shower there anymore without remembering the way her wet body had felt pressed against mine and hearing the echoes of her moans.

  When I got to the Wolf Pack Bar, there were only two other cars in the parking lot. I opened the door, and Madison looked up from the bar. “Hey, Dex. You’re early.”