When Luke pulled into the Bradford’s drive, he drove around to the back of the house before throwing the car into park, and turning to glance at Kat’s questioning look.
“We’re not going in the house,” he informed her, his gaze stoic.
The last thing he wanted was for Kat to have to go back into that house. He was fairly certain that no one had discovered the couple’s bodies yet, and he didn’t need Kat seeing that. “I want to see if I can pick up Harper’s scent back here. Her bedroom window is up there,” he said, pointing, and Kat nodded – knowing full well why he didn’t want to go in. And for a change, she had no desire to go against him.
With the way that her head was pounding and her stomach churning from her escapades at the club last night - she didn’t think she could take going in there. She watched silently as he got out of the car and walked over to the back of the house, below the open bedroom window. She was fascinated by the intense way he studied the area around him, his rock solid body alert - and so damn sexy. He moved with a lithe grace that was absolutely fascinating. It was smooth and sexy and…
Kat groaned inwardly at the path her wayward thoughts were taking her, and looked around – trying to keep her eyes off of the distracting wolf. She thought she saw a flicker of movement by the side of the house and leaned forward slightly to try and get a better look - but there was nothing.
She watched as Luke knelt down to pick up some dirt - bringing it to his nose and sniffing. He stood and walked over to Kat.
“She ran into the woods,” he informed her softly, leaning against the SUV. “We aren’t very far from town, so I’m hoping she went to a friend. I’m going to follow her scent a bit,” he turned and leaned in, bringing his full, perfect mouth close to hers. “Care to take a little stroll through the woods with the Big Bad Wolf, red?”
Kat swallowed the grapefruit sized lump that had formed in her throat, and shook her head. The last thing she wanted to do was to go traipsing through the woods with this arrogant – albeit gorgeous, ass! Especially with her being hung over and feeling as if she had swallowed saw dust.
“All right then,” he murmured, kissing her lightly on the cheek. “Stay in the car- and I do mean stay. I won’t be long. Just call out if you need me,” he finished with a devilishly heart-stopping quirk of his brow, and Kat grimaced.
She studied him as he walked away, all confident and gorgeous – and cursed him to hell as he disappeared through the thick patch of pine trees that bordered the property - her heart jumping to her throat. That man infuriated and calmed her all at the same time – and how that was even possible just completely stumped her. He had her mind, heart, body and soul all fighting against the other – and she hated it. It was as if she had no control what-so-ever over her emotions when he was near. And she had never felt so out of control in her life.
Again she saw something flicker from the corner of her eye and turned back toward the house. This time, she was certain that she saw something move. She looked for Luke, but he was nowhere to be seen and she cursed softly – trying to figure out what to do. Screw it! She finally decided. It couldn’t hurt to just check it out - besides, she thought with a grunt, she should - for all intents and purposes, be doing this on her own anyway. What did it matter if he wasn’t here? Who needed the mangy cur anyway?
Kat opened the door and slid out – wincing again as the damn sun hit her full on - not helping her headache in the least – and swore that she would never drink Tequila again. Her mind drifted to the feel of Luke’s strong arms around her as they had danced – the way his body had felt when he had pressed her up against him and kissed her - his mouth at her breast… and she mentally shook herself. Damn it! She needed to purge that man from her thoughts. But even as she tried to convince herself of that fact – she found her eyes instantly flicking to where the stubborn ass had disappeared through the trees, and she found herself longing to be walking along beside him.
She huffed in disgust at her weakness, and turned her attention back to the corner of the house. There it was again, a slight movement - and she hesitantly crept closer. When she reached the front of the structure, she pressed herself against the wall and peered around the corner.
Shit! Kat gasped, when she saw the two men walking around the front of the house - peering into the windows. She knew in an instant that these were witches from Lexie’s coven, and her heartbeat immediately accelerated as adrenaline shot through her system.
As she went to take a step back to go and find Luke - her foot snagged on a rock and she stumbled, inadvertently hissing out a curse as she did.
Their heads turned towards Kat in unison, and she heard the one growl. “That’s her.”
Kat turned, with the intention of running to where Luke had disappeared through the trees to warn him; but immediately stopped herself – not wanting them to know that he was with her. She had put him in enough danger already, and she didn’t need to lead these two assholes straight to him.
So instead, Kat took off running towards the woods at the side of the house – as far from Luke as she could. She crashed through the trees and ran blindly as she heard them cursing and running behind her.
In the next instant, Kat tripped and was painfully tumbling down a hill and rolling through the dirt and debris. She was stopped a moment later when she slammed into a tree, and felt an instant burning in her hip – knocking the breath right out of her.
“Holy crap!” She groaned – before pushing herself up and looking to see where the two men were.
They stood at the top of the hill, watching her intently, and Kat breathed a small sigh of relief - until one of the men lifted his palm out in front of him, and Kat saw the white streak of light shoot from it and head directly at her. She dropped to the ground in a flash as the electric current shot past her shoulder and hit the tree that had stopped her fall -burning a silver dollar sized hole in the trunk with an audible pop. Holy shit! Just what in the hell was that all about?
Kat quietly chanted a protection spell as she unsteadily got back up onto her feet. In the next instant she heard one of the men scream out in agony. She jerked her head up and watched in stunned silence as he was taken down by a massive, black wolf. Luke.
The other man took off running as soon as Luke appeared and disappeared from sight as she cautiously made her way back up the hill. She heard the sound of a slamming door and tires screeching away, and cursed. Damn it! He had seen Luke! This was so not good.
When she reached the top, Luke was nowhere in sight, and she looked around in confusion. The witch lay on the ground – his lifeless eyes staring up at the sky, and Kat shivered – even as the urge to kick the asshole in the head swept over her. She shook it off and looked for Luke.
Just where in the Hell was the blasted wolf? She tried to brush the dirt and grime off of her as she began to walk stiffly towards the car. She scanned the area again for any sign of him, and when she found nothing, took off to the back to the house. She stopped short when she found him at the back of the SUV, slipping another one of his form-fitting black tees over his head, and silently wondered why the guy couldn’t just dress like a normal human being - and not a damn GQ model. Ugh!
Her eyes widened when he turned to face her, and she saw the look of pure fury written across his features. Oh, boy – the man looked like a volcano about to erupt she thought with a grimace, and swallowed nervously.
“Get in the car,” he growled – and for once, Kat did as he asked without uttering a single word.
Luke bounded around the front of the SUV and slid into the driver’s seat – trying desperately to control his anger. He threw the car into gear and tore out of the driveway - his hands gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were white.
Damn her! He silently seethed, not looking at the woman in question sitting so quietly beside him. The woman defied him at every turn! She could have been killed by those scumbags – and that thought terrified the shit out of him. The thought of wha
t they could have done to her caused his blood to boil. And the fact that he hadn’t smelled them only made him angrier. If he hadn’t come back when he did… Damn it! What in the hell did he have to do? Chain her to him!
He glanced over at her and found her staring out of the window, her perfect mouth set in a frown, and he knew that she was deep in thought. Well good! Hopefully she was thinking about what a complete fool she had been! He looked back to the road and headed for the motel, a muscle in his jaw twitching dangerously.
Luke slammed the door of the motel room shut with a thunderous crash –his eyes still snapping fire, and in the next instant, had Kat slammed up against it -his hard body pressing up against hers - his hand circling her wrists and yanking them up above her head and holding them there.
His narrowed amber eyes caught and held hers as he desperately tried to reign in his anger. “You listen to me, sweetheart – and you listen to me good,” he growled; his mouth, dangerously close to hers. “The next time you decide to act like a damned fool, and put yourself in harm’s way - I will not hesitate to throw you over my knee and paddle that sweet little ass of yours until you are black and blue! Do you understand me?”
Kat glared at him as she tried with everything that she had to buck him off of her – but he didn’t budge an inch – the man was a frigging mountain! And the motion only served to press her breasts harder up against him - and she inwardly cringed when she felt her nipples tighten instantly from the friction and she gulped for air. “Get… the…hell…off… of me!” She ground out; her own eyes sparkling with anger now - and Luke couldn’t help but notice how it turned them from hazel to almost green.
Luke smiled, and pressed himself closer – his muscular thighs caging her in. “Not likely, sweetheart,” he murmured huskily as his body instantly jumped to attention at the feel of her soft curves against him. “Not until you learn how to behave yourself.”
With that, his mouth lowered that fraction of an inch, and took hers - swift, fast and hard; with all of the hunger and desire that he had kept pent up over the past few days. Christ, he thought with a shake; she tasted like Heaven
He groaned as his tongue swept past her lips and met hers - instantly dueling with need - and Luke couldn’t help the slight smile that came to his mouth when he heard her moan softly.
This little hell-cat of his was certainly a passionate one, he thought and suddenly stilled. This little hell-cat of his? Where in the hell had that come from? Damn, but he was thinking and feeling things that he just shouldn’t.
If he had discovered one thing in the time that he had spent with Kat – it was that she belonged to no one. She was strong, brave and fiercely independent. But, even as the thought crept through his mind, another – stronger one pushed it away instantly, and all he could think was –we’ll just see about that. In time she would realize that they belonged to one another. He didn’t want to own her – he just wanted to love…
He shook the thought off for the moment, and pressed himself closer, grinding his now stone hard erection against her stomach, as his mouth worked its magic – staking claim to her warm contours.
Kat knew that she was in deep trouble. The feelings that this man brought out in her were dangerous - and she needed to put a stop to them immediately. But even as the thought crossed her mind, she found herself responding to him in a desperate, primal way. God, he just felt so freaking good! Just a little more…only a little more…
No! Kat silently screamed at herself! She had to stop this. She would only get him killed if he stayed - and if she went ahead and did what she so wanted to do with him – it would be impossible to let him go. She was already finding the thought of leaving him terrifying.
With all of the will power that she possessed - she broke their kiss and turned her head away from his warm, seeking lips. His full, delicious – utterly tempting lips!
“What? Is forcing a woman on your repertoire now, wolf?” she pushed out, panting slightly, and cursing the tremble in her voice. Oh geez, Louise – she sounded like a child.
“Is that what it would be?” He asked, his eyes locking with hers, and his voice low and silky. Kat quickly diverted her gaze – not wanting him to see her bold faced lie.
“Yes,” she stammered – refusing to look at him. “I’m telling you, Benji. You need to get it through that thick skull of yours once and for all. We just wouldn’t work.”
Luke let go of her wrists, but didn’t move away. Instead, he curled his fingers around her chin and he lifted her face to his so that she would look into his eyes; and the challenge that they held.
“How do you know unless you try,” he murmured - and Kat felt every bit of her resolve dangerously slipping down a steep, slippery slope.
She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and glared at him. “Trust me – we wouldn’t. You’re just too damn egotistical for my tastes.” She tried with everything she had to sound flippant, but realized with a slight cringe that she had failed miserably. What she sounded like was a damned fool!
Luke smiled, and leaned forward, gently taking her bottom lip between his teeth and sucking lightly - and Kat knew beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if he had not been holding her up – her knee’s would have given out on her and she would have landed on the floor a pile of mush.
“Is that a fact,” he whispered - his voice soft and whiskey smooth. “For some strange reason, red – I just don’t buy it.”
“Go to hell, dog-breath.” She snapped – more angry at the fact that he was right - than she was at him. All she wanted to do at the moment was to grab him by the hair and pull his mouth back to hers - to lose herself in the spicy taste of him.
Luke laughed and grabbed her leg - pulling it up around his waist so that his erection touched her at her core, and she gasped – feeling that instant heat coiling in her belly – demanding to be noticed. “You’re not very convincing, red,” he whispered, a moment before his lips took hers once again - and it was Kats undoing.
Kat just couldn’t fight it any longer – she just didn’t have the strength. She wanted this man more than she had ever wanted anyone before. And although she wanted much more than just a one night deal - she knew that there could never be more.
Every moment that he spent with her just put his life deeper and deeper in danger – but the feel of him against her as his mouth ravaged hers was just too good to pass up. At least she could have this one night…one night of complete and total bliss - something that she could carry with her forever; and only pray that it would be enough.
With a will of their own – her hands plunged into his hair and pulled him closer as her hips strained against his. She felt, more than heard, the growl that came from him, and a moment later she was being tossed over his shoulder, walked across the room of the dingy hotel room - and then tossed across the bed – causing her breath to come out of her in a loud whoosh.
Luke looked down at her, his amber eyes glowing with an intense heat - and smiled. And although the smile was cool and predatory, Kat felt her insides melt. She was the prey - and she couldn’t have felt better about it. God, how she wanted this!
Without saying a word, he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it across the room – his hands instantly going to the button of his jeans, and removing them as well. When his task was finished, he crawled onto the bed and over to her.
His eyes never leaving hers – held them prisoner in their feral gaze - causing her body to tingle.
“Now, let’s just see about getting you out of these filthy things,” he whispered - his voice dangerously low and oh so sexy -and Kat found herself unable to speak. Her mouth felt like she had swallowed an entire bag of cotton balls.
All she could do was watch in wonder and deep appreciation, as his muscles moved and flexed as he painstakingly undid the button of her jeans and slowly glided the zipper down.
She gasped when he laid his warm hand flat on her stomach; underneath the dirty tank top that she wore – the heat from hi
s touch causing butterflies to take flight. Butterflies? She thought with a groan – Hell, it felt like she had a whole flock of Condor’s taking off in there!
After what seemed an eternity, his hand glided slowly up to her ribs, between her breasts, and finally to the neckline of her shirt. In an instant, the tank was ripped down the middle and thrown to the floor.
“Hey, you jackass,” Kat spit out – her temper instantly flaring, “that was the last one of those that I had!”
Luke chuckled, his mouth twisting up in a grin. “Sorry, sweetheart, it just wasn’t salvageable,” he informed her softly – his attention going back to the task of slipping off her jeans. He slid the heavy fabric down her legs – his eyes still holding hers, and the intensity of his gaze was beyond arousing. It was raw and erotic, and Kat felt her belly tremble as heat spread throughout her entire body in a rush.
When he had finally removed them, he tossed them over his shoulder and grabbed the waistband of her panties. With a quick tug -those too, were ripped from her and thrown haphazardly across the room.
Kat leaned up on her elbows and glared at him. “You keep that up, Tonto - and I won’t anything left to wear!”
“Do you hear me complaining?” he replied wickedly, as his eyes scanned her body in a slow, appreciative appraisal - which caused Kat’s skin to instantly come alive. Lowering his head, he softly kissed the inside of her calf. “At least this way, I’d have a better chance of keeping you from going out and getting yourself killed like a damned fool.” He whispered against her skin between his soft, lingering kisses.
Kat was about to tell him to go to Hell - but she was suddenly acutely and painfully aware that her voice had left her the moment his lips met her overheated flesh. Her head fell back and she shuddered as his lips made their way up her leg to her thigh - leaving a white-hot trail of sensation in their path, and she realized that her arms were shaking.