Beneath a Darkening Moon (10 page)

A quiver that was all desire ran through him. He brushed a kiss across one bare shoulder, running his tongue over her skin, tasting the familiar, tangy richness that was all Vannah.

“How do you want me?” he whispered, and lightly nipped her ear.

A matching shudder ran through her, and the tempo of her breathing became ragged. “Hard. Fast.”

He was rigid against her, aching for release, but he fought the need pounding through his veins, wanting to prove to her that while it might be fast and furious between them, it was never going to be without passion.

“How fast?”

“Very fast.” Her voice was little more than a gasp.

“Good.” Because fast was really the only option this first time—she’d made very sure of that.

He pressed her forward over the back of the sofa and gently kicked her feet apart. As she braced herself, he slid a hand over her rear, enjoying the feel of her silky skin under his rougher fingertips. Then he was delving into the warm, wet part of her that he ached to enter. He caressed her for several minutes, then slid first one finger, then two, into that hot wetness—stretching her, readying her. She pushed back against him, riding his hand with increasing urgency as her muscles pulsed around him. Her skin
was feverish, flushed with desire, and the smell of her arousal tested his strength, his will, until he was all but shaking with his need.

He pressed his thumb against her clit—stroking her, teasing her inside and out, until her breathing was little more than gasps of pleasure. As the tremors of her orgasm began, he grabbed her hips, holding her still as he thrust deep inside her. She groaned—a rich sound of gratification he could only echo. But as much as he wanted to, he didn’t move, just enjoyed the moment of being deep within her, her flesh pulsing around his, her scent filling his every breath.

Then the urgency of the moon bloomed, and he began to rock, gently at first, then harder, faster. He claimed every inch of her, delving so deep her whole body shuddered with the force of his movements.

She was moaning, twitching, and the sounds of her pleasure had the red tide rising until it became a wall of desire he could not deny. He came—a hot, torrential release whose force tore a groan from his throat.

But the moon and he weren’t finished yet. Not by a long shot. When he regained his breath, he withdrew and tugged her around to face him. Her eyes were aflame with a mix of hunger and annoyance, though what she was annoyed about he had no idea. But before she could say anything, he claimed her lips. He kissed her, caressed her, licked every inch of her, until her scent and her taste were once more imprinted on every fiber of his being.

He made love to her, over and over, until the long hours of the night began to fade into the dawn of a new day.

Then he left her—but only because she demanded it.

S
AVANNAH WOKE TO
the shrill, annoying sound of ringing. She muttered an obscenity and hugged her pillow over her ears, willing the noise away so she could sleep.

But it didn’t stop. She tossed the pillow aside in frustration and groped for the phone.

“Hello?” she said, her voice as groggy as she felt.

“You forgot to set your alarm again, didn’t you?” Kel said, her tone far too chipper for this early hour.

Savannah squinted at the clock. So okay, it wasn’t actually as early as she’d guessed, but considering she’d crawled into bed at five a.m., it meant she’d only managed four and a half hours of sleep. And
that
was nowhere near enough. Not after all the energy she’d spent over the long, and admittedly glorious, night. Cade might be many things, but an indifferent lover certainly wasn’t one of them.

She yawned, and then realized Kel was saying something else. “What?”

Kel sighed dramatically. “I said, Ronan’s been drafted into helping that caramel-eyed floozy collect names,
and that starched boss of hers is sitting in your office demanding to know where you are.”

Cade was up already? Good God, the man had stamina. She blew out a breath and threw the covers off. “Tell him I’ll be there in ten. And have a cup of coffee ready.”

“Will do.”

She replaced the receiver and padded to the bathroom for a quick shower. It was only when she was getting dressed that she realized Cade still had her mauve bra. In the rush to get home, she’d forgotten to ask for it back.

Last night had been as hard and fast and detached as she’d hoped—and the best darn sex she’d had in a long time. She and Ronan were good together, but there wasn’t that spark that made the sex between her and Cade so very intense. She and Ronan were just good friends, and that’s exactly how they made love.

And I can hear you purring all the way from my side of town.
Neva’s amused thoughts whisked into her mind.
I’m gathering last night went well?

Very well. Unfortunately, though, I’m not going to make it for breakfast. I’ve been called into the office
.

You’re the boss. Can’t you make them wait?

Amusement ran through Savannah.
In this case, no
.

Well, damn. I wanted to hear all the juicy details
.

And there were plenty to tell, but she pulled her thoughts away from the enticing images of Cade’s naked, sweating body, and said,
I’ll come into the diner tonight for dinner. We can talk then
.

I’m not going into the diner today. My feet are ballooning, and Duncan has commanded me to stay home and rest.
She gave an unladylike snort.
Normally
I’d tell him where to shove such a command, but unfortunately, he’s right
.

Savannah plopped down onto the bed and shoved on her boots. It had to be wonderful to be loved like that, she thought. To have a man who adored you so much that he’d lay his life on the line for you.

Your turn will come, Sav. It’s only a matter of time
.

Yeah, so she kept telling herself. Only she had a horrible suspicion that fate had already given her a chance, and that maybe there were no more chances left for her.

I’ll drop by after dinner then, and bring along the foot bath
.

Oooh! Thanks
.

Savannah cut the connection, then grabbed her keys and ID off the dresser and snagged her handbag off the back of the door as she headed for the stairs. She lived above the florist shop at the western end of the main shopping strip. Most days she walked to work. But with two murders in the last week, she’d begun taking the truck. Just in case.

She breathed deeply of the lush scents drifting from the shop, but she didn’t bother to say hello to Anni, the latest in a long line of managers—and probably the least successful. Mainly because Anni loved to chat and often forgot to charge customers for the flowers they walked out with. But as much as Savannah enjoyed the older woman’s company, she couldn’t afford to waste any more time today. She buzzed open the back door and stepped out, wincing a little as the sunshine hit her eyes. She raised a hand to shade them and saw a piece of paper barely
visible under the sprinkling of snow gathered around the truck’s wiper blade.

“Goddamn, not again.” She’d warned the local pizza place three times now about coming onto private property to shove their flyers under car wipers. For as much as she understood that they were new and needed to advertise, they were technically breaking the law.

She ripped the paper from under the blade, hit the remote to open the truck, and climbed inside. She gave a cursory glance at the paper as she threw her bag onto the passenger seat and then froze.

It wasn’t an ad for the local pizza place.

It was a threat.

Against her.

You’ll pay for your part in Rosehall’s destruction
.

Several words immediately sprang to mind, but none could be said in polite company. Or with Anni hanging out the back window of her shop, trying to catch her attention.

She ignored the old woman and stared at the note, letting the implications sink in, feeling fear stirring in the pit of her stomach.

Ronan was right. They were coming after her as well as for Cade. And while she’d suspected as much, she’d been hoping she was wrong. She’d loved Rosehall—at least until she’d become aware of the true reason behind its existence. It wasn’t a celebration of life as everyone had been told, but rather a temple to death and vengeance.

She dropped the note on the seat and climbed back out of the truck. Then she grabbed her phone out of
her bag, calling the station as she knelt, and took a careful look under her truck.

“Kel,” she said, as soon as the call was answered. “You want to get Steve over to my place straight away with a fingerprint kit.”

She had one in her vehicle, but she wasn’t touching the truck any more than necessary. The fact that she’d already jumped into it and nothing had happened suggested she was being overly cautious, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Trouble?” Kel asked, concern in her voice.

“Yeah. You’d better tell him to bring Mr. Jones along, too.”

“Will do.”

Savannah hung up and glanced across at Anni, who was waving frantically. With a sigh, she approached. “Sorry, Anni. I really haven’t got time to talk today.”

“It’s all right, dear. I just wanted to tell you I saw the Harvey kid sneaking about your truck when I drove in this morning. I chased him off, but I thought you’d like to know.”

There were definite benefits to living above a shop run by the town busybody. “You’re talking about Honor Harvey’s kid, Denny?”

Anni nodded, sending her long gray curls bobbing. “It was about six.”

“Did he do anything to my car?”

“He was shoving a note under the wiper. Squealed like the baby brat he is when I yelled at him.”

And she’d slept through all of it. Some ranger she was. She glanced around at the sound of a car pulling up and saw it was Steve and Cade. “I have to go. Thanks for letting me know, Anni.”

The older woman nodded and made a show of retreating. But Savannah knew she’d still be paying attention to the events unfolding in the parking lot.

Sighing, she walked across to the gate. Steve had circled around to the trunk of his car, probably to retrieve the fingerprinting kit, but Cade was stalking toward her, all grace and power.

She flared her nostrils, drawing in the wild scent of him, letting it fill her senses. Heat flicked through her veins—a warning that the moon’s call had not eased with the coming of day. Desire sparked deep in his eyes, letting her know he was more than aware of what she was feeling. Then that flicker was gone, leaving his expression cool and blank.

He was keeping his end of their deal. She had to wonder if she could do the same.

“What’s happened?” He stopped in front of her, swamping her senses with his tangerine scent and overwhelming masculinity.

“Someone left me a note.”

“Where?”

“Under the wiper. I didn’t read it until I was in the truck. That’s where I left it.”

He nodded, his gaze sweeping her, leaving her tingling. “They left nothing else?”

“I had a quick look under the truck, but that’s about it.”

He nodded. “I called Anton. He was on the bomb squad before he transferred over.”

She raised an eyebrow. Going from the bomb squad to the IIS was an unusual step. “I don’t really think our killer wants to blow me up. At least not this early in the game.”

“No,” he agreed. “But he does seem to enjoy taunting us. Any idea when the note was left?”

“The lady who runs the flower shop caught Denny Harvey, a local kid, leaving it this morning. You want to come with me to question him, or would you prefer to wait here?”

“A
kid
delivered the note?”

She nodded. “Our local hoodlum, who’s into scaring human visitors and swiping their cars for joyrides.”

“Sounds like a charmer.”

“Oh, he is.” All leather and attitude, but little true toughness.

Cade glanced around as a second car pulled up. “Anton’s here now. I’ll go talk to him, then I’ll come with you.” His navy eyes seemed to gleam briefly with amusement, and his voice dropped as he added, “It’s always such a pleasure.”

“Don’t play on words,” she warned softly. “Not here.”

His lips twisted. But whether it was a smile or a grimace, she wasn’t entirely sure.

“That wasn’t in the rules we agreed on.”

“But keeping this thing a secret was.” She crossed her arms. “I hate this whole situation, Cade.”

Which was both the truth and a lie, because she didn’t actually hate being with him. Couldn’t, when his very presence seemed to bring her senses alive in a way no other wolf ever had. But her hormones weren’t the sum of her, and she had no intention of being fooled a second time.

“I don’t care if you hate it or not.” Though his voice was even, there was a gleam in his eyes that suggested
annoyance, and the force of it seared her skin. “There’s no escaping the moon this time. Or me.”

“So you’ve said.” She stepped back from his presence, and suddenly the air seemed so much cooler. “I’ll just go get the keys from Steve.”

“I’ll meet you at the car.” He spun away, every step radiating anger.