Kane (4 page)

He stopped long enough to be polite in the
entryway, exchanging words with Jack and Melissa Fordham. Then he
hurried into the ballroom, looking for a familiar woman in red. He
smiled when he spotted her. Who knew she cleaned up so well? But
the smile quickly faded when he saw who she was dancing with. He
approached, stalking her through the crowd and fought down a growl
when he reached them.

“Nico.” He couldn’t quite keep his anger from
his voice though, and she shrunk back a little before narrowing her
eyes at him.

He gave the other man a pointed look at the
way he held her. With a grin the werepanther backed off, dropping
his arms to his sides. Kane was quick to pick up her hand and pull
her into the safety of his shoulder. It was a proprietary gesture,
a mark of possession, and it was noted by many onlookers. He didn’t
care. She went stiff next to him, and he felt her anger rising. He
didn’t care about that either. Much.

“Don’t forget you promised me another dance,
sweetheart.” Nico winked at her, and Kane wondered if it was just
impossible for him not to flirt.

“I don’t think so,” he answered for her.
“Don’t forget your position in the pack and who she is.”

Nico sobered instantly and studied him a
moment, then nodded. “I see your point.”

Kane hoped so. He’d hate to have kill someone
for thinking they could take liberties with the Alpha’s mate. A
silent understanding passed between them, and Kane knew the other
man understood his reaction. Somehow he managed to hide his relief.
This Alpha business was already getting old and tired.

Nico left, and he pulled Calista into his
arms, sweeping them up in the dance. She relaxed a little, and he
was struck again by how well they fit together, her small body
tucked up against his bigger frame, her breasts brushing over his
chest, his cock pushed against her lower belly. He held her too
close, but she didn’t pull away and damned if he cared. Society’s
rules tended to bend in interesting directions where shifters were
concerned anyway.

Much as he wanted to get lost in her, to
enjoy this moment with her, he forced his mind to work. Scanning
the crowd, he spotted several Special Branch agents and a few
people he didn’t know. He’d have to get them checked out. She
startled him out of his thoughts.

“Do you always treat your people so well?”
she asked, sarcasm heavy in her tone.

He was used to her sarcastic ways, used to
her questioning him. But not about how he ran his pack. He knew she
only had a vague understanding of how things worked and he should
excuse her, but he couldn’t fight off the anger that welled within
him. He was sick to death of the cat and mouse game they played. If
she wanted the right to question how he did things, then she’d have
to accept him. He smiled, a feral, fierce smile he’d never shown
her before. Her eyes grew wary, and he lowered his head to her ear,
stopping along the way to lightly nip the pulse pounding in her
throat. It skittered wildly, the sound and sensation pleasing to
his extrasensory abilities.

“When you accept me as your mate, Calista,
then you can question my motives. But not until then.
No one
questions an Alpha but his woman.”

She gasped, tried to move out of his arms,
but settled when he pushed his erection against her stomach, a
not-so-subtle reminder that her defiance turned him on.

“That’s not going to happen,” she said
emphatically.

He laughed, fought the urge to drag her out
like a caveman and prove otherwise. Her statement just made him all
the more determined, but judging by the mulish look in her eyes now
was not the time to push it. He decided to give her an explanation
instead, a novel thing for him.

“I have three…advisors. Nico is one of them.”
He grinned. “His position is pretty high. That wasn’t an
insult.”

She relaxed a little. “And for some reason
that excludes him from dancing with me? Because I’m human or
what?”

He snorted. She really didn’t get it or she
was playing dumb. Neither one boded well for him. She’d need a
crash course in shifter society or he’d need to constantly be on
guard against feminine wiles he hadn’t even been aware she
possessed.

“He can dance with you. As long as he
remembers who you are. Part of his job is to protect the Alpha and
his mate.”

She drew in a deep breath, which forced her
breasts to rise in a tantalizing display. He wondered if he could
find a conveniently empty room for a few minutes.

“I’m not your mate.”

“Yet.”

“Ever.”

“We’ll see about that, darlin’.”

A suspicious light entered her eyes, and she
shifted against him, confrontation shining in her gaze. Desire
barreled thought him. God, he definitely needed to find that
room.

“I’m not your mate, yet you expect Nico to
treat me like I am. How many people know about me?”

He shrugged. There wasn’t a way to answer
that and keep her happy. Fortunately, the dance ended, and he was
able to stall. Taking her hand, he led her through the crowd to the
hall. A line crossed the entryway into the dining room to the
buffet. Instead of joining it, he pulled her down the hall, opening
the first door he came to and nudging her in. The door swung closed
behind him. He didn’t give her a chance to repeat her question.
Pulling her close, he locked his arms around her waist, bent to her
mouth, and devoured her.

The sweet taste of her lips burst over him
and her moan of arousal filled his ears. She didn’t fight him, but
she held back, held some of herself away from him. It was
infuriating. He slid one of his hands from the small of her back to
the bodice of the dress, placing it lightly over her heart. It
thudded, skipped a beat when he ran his fingers over the swell of
her breasts, seemed to stop a full minute when they danced over her
nipples. She pressed against them, and he knew she was looking for
more. More pressure, more pleasure. He’d be happy to oblige, but
under his own terms. He broke the kiss.

“Submit, Calista,” he whispered close to her
ear.

He kept his voice husky, full of the arousal
that all but consumed him, careful to keep the edge of command out
of it. She wasn’t quite ready for that yet. Her face pressed
against his shoulder, and she shook her head.

“Surrender to me, Calista. You won’t regret
it.”

He kissed a path along her jaw, back to her
lips. He kept the kiss gentle, slow. Coaxing. Finally she sighed
and molded her body against his. His senses sang in triumphant and
need; he kicked the kiss up a notch and he could smell her
response.

He picked her up and walked farther into the
room, trying to look around without breaking their connection.
Spotting what he was looking for, he switched directions and sat on
the sofa. She shifted, trying to get comfortable, and her bottom
caressed his cock. He inhaled sharply, afraid he’d burst before he
got inside her. This might not have been one of his brightest
ideas.

He played with the buttons down her back. He
appreciated the dress, but it was going to be a pain in the ass
getting her out of it. Not to mention back into it. The hell with
that. The dress could stay on. He’d watched her dress, and unless
she’d added it during the carriage ride over, there were no
undergarments on under that shift. He pulled the hem up to her
waist and lifted her, turning her so she straddled him. Then he
explored, elation filling him when his fingers found her bare and
delved through the soft curls to her cunt. He reached for the snaps
on the front of his trousers.
Finally.
He’d been waiting
hours to get inside her.

He got the first snap free, and then there
came a
tap, tap, tap
on the door. He groaned in frustration.
He should have expected it. Rheana peeked her head inside the door
and slid in quickly, closing it behind her with a soft click. Then
she turned her back.

“Sorry to barge in.”

He heard the snicker in her voice and knew
she wasn’t. Then to his regret, Calista stood and straightened her
skirts. He discretely re-buttoned his pants.

“It’s safe. Come make sure my hair’s
okay.”

Rheana sauntered over, not bothering to hide
her grin any longer and taking her time looking over Calista’s
hair.

She laughed. “Really, Kane. Sex at a party?
How cliché. Wasn’t the shower recent enough? You know, that wasn’t
quite what we had in mind when we talked about christening the new
lavatory.”

He groaned. It was bad enough neither of
those incidents made it to completion, but that she knew about
them? No doubt she planned to throw it in his face at every
opportunity. Why did he get cursed with a mate with a meddling
sister? Damn it. Maybe he could hurry her along.

“Is there something particular you wanted,
Rheana? Or is ruining my night enough?”

The sisters looked at each and burst out
laughing. He forgot his frustration as he watched, reminded again
that there were whole other facets to Calista he didn’t know. He
was going to enjoy peeling away her layers. Starting with that
dress.

“Well?”

Rheana sobered, wiping tears from the corners
of her eyes. “Yes, I did. Need something, I mean. Not the ruining
your night part.”

That set off another fit of laughter,
thankfully shorter lived.

“Sorry about that. I can’t find Isadora.” She
turned to meet Calista’s gaze. “You know how she hates these
things. I thought maybe she snuck out and went home.”

Calista frowned and shook her head. “She
wouldn’t have left without telling us.”

Her statement spurred him into action, and he
strode to the door. Flinging it wide, he turned to them. “Let’s go
find her. I’ll get some of my men to help.”

“They already are. One of them at least. Nico
told me Calista was in here, then he went to look for her.”

“Good. Stay together, ladies.” At Calista’s
curious look, he winked and added. “No point in finding one sister
only to lose another.”

She rolled her eyes, her opinion of his stab
at humor obvious. They entered the ballroom, and he spotted Nico by
the doors leading into the garden. He waved them over, and they
fought their way through the crowd. Nico didn’t look worried, thank
God. That eased his mind a bit. He should have been watching out
for Isadora, not trying to indulge his personal desires.

“She’s out here,” Nico said, holding the door
open for the ladies.

They all exited, and he saw Isadora sitting
on a nearby bench talking with Alec. The vampire gave him a look
filled with venom. He raised his eyebrows. Looked like Alec’s
concern for Isadora was a little more than impersonal government
work. When Calista and Rheana approached, he stood and came up to
Kane. His hands were clenched at his sides and his body thrummed
with the need to throw a punch. Kane recognized it--he’d been there
often enough over the years.

“You’re supposed to be taking care of
her.”

“She looks fine to me. Unless you’re saying
she isn’t safe with you?”

Alec took an aggressive step forward, and
Kane felt Nico tense at his back.

“She came out for air, but when she got out
here she thought she heard someone calling her. She was walking
into the maze when I stopped her.”

CHAPTER THREE

Kane cursed under his breath. They all knew
what that meant. Vampire. He looked over, trying to be casual as he
searched the shadows behind the women. Calista was watching him,
that curious expression back on her face. She knew something was
up. They were going to have to have that talk soon. For now, he
wanted them home and safely inside a building he knew he could keep
secure. She must have sensed the direction of his thoughts because
she gathered her sisters and came to him.

“We’re going to call it a night.” She turned
to Alec and nodded. “Thanks for watching my sister.”

“You’re most welcome,” he answered. He met
Isadora’s eyes and bowed low at the waist. “Good evening,
Izzy.”

Nico ran around to the front of the house to
find their carriage while they went inside to make their excuses.
The Fordham’s were surprisingly easy to find and gracious about
their guests ditching the ball so early. Outside, Nico was waiting
and helped the ladies get inside. Then he dropped into the shadows
and shifted. Kane gathered his clothes. Nico would follow in his
panther form while Kane climbed up into the box with the driver. At
his nod they took off.

It was a short ride to the house. He listened
to the murmur of the women’s voices over the clatter of horses’
hooves while watching Nico from the corner of his eye and trying to
remain alert. It didn’t take long to reach the house, and he jumped
down before they came to a complete stop, tossing Nico his clothes
as he did. He waited until the other man was dressed and waiting at
the door before opening the carriage door and helping them out.
Isadora, Rheana, then Calista. She exited, gun drawn, and glared at
him.

Ushering them inside, he eyed the weapon
warily. Nico tensed when he saw it, and Kane shook his head to warn
him off. Calista in a mood was volatile, an explosion waiting to
happen. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t kill him, but she might be
pissed off enough when she heard everything to try and maim
him.

They walked in the entryway and Isadora
yawned. “I’m going to turn in. I don’t know why I’m suddenly so
exhausted.”

He had a pretty good idea but he didn’t offer
it up. Rheana looped her arm through Isadora’s and led her to the
stairs.

“Me too,” she said. “Lock up, Calista?”

“Sure. As soon as I kick these two out.”

Rheana laughed and climbed the stairs with
her sister. She paused at the top and looked down, a mischievous
look on her face.

“Should I tell the cook to expect one more at
breakfast, Kane?”