“What?”Focus, Ramsey.
“That he won’t be back.”
“You’ve made too much noise. Half the hotel was in the hallway.”And Balor knows that I’ll be on guard. He probably watched me leave—no doubt deliberately left the scent for me to pick up—and knew what the aftereffects of the change wouldbe. He had the opportune moment, but it’s gone now. But I can’t tell Sara.“Besides, it’s almost light outside.”
“Was it him? The Baylor guy?”
“I’m sure it was,” Lucas replied. “Remember the uneasy feeling I had?”
She snuggled closer. “Me, too. He was looking for the manuscript, wasn’t he?”
“Yes.” Suddenly he remembered his door was still open. “I’d better go get it.” Reluctantly he removed her arm from around his neck and slid her off his lap. “I’ll be right back.”
“No. I’m coming with you,” she said as she looked at him, her eyes still showing her fright and her lips trembling.
Her lips…full and lush and parted slightly. He dipped his head to lightly brush a kiss across them and heard her sharp intake of air. Her satin arms encircled his neck again and he ran his fingers through her hair, holding her in place as his mouth covered hers, gently at first and then with increasing pressure, drawing the bottom lip in and sucking on it, then softly kissing the corner of her mouth, teasing her.
She moaned and leaned closer, her breasts grazing him. His hands slid down her shoulders and around her back, and he pressed her against his chest as his tongue sought entrance. Her lips parted in invitation and he slowly explored her mouth, his tongue alternating between slowly encircling hers and thrusting hard and deep, only to withdraw and bedevil her lips with airy kisses until her own mouth and tongue were demanding more, thrusting inside his with a passion he hadn’t tasted in centuries.
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Cursing softly, he left a lingering kiss and got up to open the door.
“I wanted to make sure everything was all right,” the innkeeper said anxiously.
“Yes. It was just a nightmare,” Lucas replied. “Nothing to worry about.”
“Well, if you’re sure,” he replied. “But please, breakfast is on the house.”
“Thank you,” Lucas replied and closed the door. Sunlight was filtering through the window as the dawn awakened. And with it, the spell was broken.What had I been thinking? I know better than to give in to lust. The wolf…
He glanced at Sara, but she too seemed to sense the moment was over for she was tying a robe around her waist.
“We have a flight to catch,” she said. “Perhaps we should get dressed.”
He nodded. “I’ll grab a quick shower and be back to pick you up.”
It wasn’t until he was standing under the cold water, trying to ignore his still-hard erection that he realized the wolf hadn’t even growled.
Chapter Seven—Clues
Sara was quiet on the short flight from Halifax to Boston. She could still taste Lucas’s kisses and feel his strong arms embracing her, keeping her pressed against him. The thought of his tongue teasing her with alternating slow, gentle and then deep, long thrusts made her start throbbing at her very core.
She had to stop thinking like this. After Loser Number Three, she realized that she was attracted to good-looking men with an air of mystery about them. A hint of danger, even. Loser Number Three claimed to have worked for Homeland Security and wasn’t allowed to offer much information about his past. It had been a sheer fluke she found out he was married. The Loser before him raced sports cars on and off the track. And the first? An actor she’d supported because she was drawn to his “Rebel without a Cause” brooding personality.
And all three of them had been subtle in their approaches to her. No blatant flirting and smooth lines like Alan Caldwell used. Oh, no. That ruse would have been easy to see through. Her Losers had all “talked” to her, seemed to value her opinions, asked for advice. Made her feel like an intelligent woman. The passion they’d shared in bed left her no doubt they desired more than her mind. Then, frustratingly, they would disappear for days on end only to reappear dangling their charismatic selves as bait.
She had taken enough graduate hours in psychology to know it was the elusive factor that kept her interest. The fear of male commitment in a seemingly fantastic relationship was the lure a lot of females succumbed to. That “she” would be the one to change the guy. By the Goddess, there must be a Bad Boys of America Club somewhere. Her Losers would be card-carrying members.
She stole a sideways glance at Lucas, seated in the aisle seat beside her. He was working on his laptop again. Perfect example. He appeared to be all business and exuded enough pheromones to make a nun think about removing her habit.
This morning at breakfast in the dining room, he’d acted like nothing out of the ordinary had happened last night. Like he hadn’t claimed her mouth in hot, torrid kisses that left her breathless. Like his hands hadn’t glided along the rounded sides of her breasts as he caressed her back. Like there hadn’t been a promise of a lot more before they were interrupted. He had merely poured her coffee for her from the carafe left on the table and returned her purse to her.
‘What are you working on?” she asked finally.
He looked up from saving his file as the flight attendant was announcing preparation for landing. “Just some notes on Balor that I need to send to Gavin later. I want him to dig through some layers of protection.”
“Do you think Baylor will try again?” she asked as they entered the terminal.
He glanced down at her. “With absolute certainty. He wants a copy of that manuscript. He wouldn’t have broken his own M.O. and come himself if he didn’t.”
