Sadie Hart (14 page)

When she didn’t say anything else, Caine
leaned closer, “Are you willing to kiss me yet?”

He hadn’t thought the tips of her ears could
get any redder, but they darkened, the blush highlighting her
cheeks, and he found himself laughing. A deep, throaty sound that
reminded him eerily of a growl, but it was hardly menacing. Caine
dropped her hair and wrapped his hand around the back of her neck,
felt the shiver that danced through her at his touch.

He had every intention of the kiss being
light, just a quick taste of her to satisfy his curiosity. But when
her lips parted, welcoming him inside Caine found he couldn’t stop.
The woman was a walking contradiction. Soft in his arms, but hard,
unyielding strength when it came to her job. She melted against his
body as he pulled her flat against him, her tight nipples rubbing
along his chest, and Caine itched to slide a hand under her shirt,
to feel soft skin against his palm.

In one kiss Holly shattered what little
restraint he’d thought he had. She kissed him back, her tongue
slipped inside his mouth, tasting of the strawberry punch her
grandmother had made. Passion sizzled between them, her head
tilting back as Caine groaned and deepened the kiss, not wanting to
let go and knowing that if he didn’t they’d both end up naked on
her back deck. He drew her hips against his, reveling in the erotic
cushion of her thighs against his before he finally managed to pull
his mouth from hers.

A shiver ran through him with all the force
of an electric shock, withdrawal and wanting twining themselves
inside him. He brushed a thumb down her neck and watched as Holly’s
eyes drifted shut. One more kiss, he told himself, knowing damn
well it was a lie. He wouldn’t stop with just one. Caine leaned in,
unable to stop himself, when the sliding glass door slid open and
Star bounded out, barking happily as she dashed off into the
night.

Holly jerked, then stiffened as she glanced
towards the door. Caine guiltily turned to look, too, but whoever
had let the dog out was already back inside. He waited, staring at
the door, for her to pull away. Waiting for her to take that step
he wasn’t sure he could take. Instead Holly leaned into him, her
lips finding a sensitive spot under his jaw, and the rest of the
world, her family, the dog, the Hunter, simply vanished.

This time, he kissed her as he’d meant to.
Soft and slow, gentle. It was every bit as intense as the last one,
but instead of rushing headlong into the passion, Caine held
himself back, savoring the taste of her, the feel of her body
pressed against his. His hand on her hip slid up under her shirt,
delighting in the soft rolls of skin before he found the swell of
her breast. His fingertips lightly brushed her lacy bra, and it
ignited his languorous exploration of her mouth, into a heated,
desperate stroke of possession. Dominance. Cupping her breast in
his hand, he trailed soft touches over the nipple, the tender,
vulnerable underside.

Holly gasped and pulled away, one hand on his
chest as she struggled to catch her breath. Caine bent his head,
finding the crook of her neck and dragging teeth over the sensitive
skin. A light nip, and she gave an involuntary shiver.
“Caine...”

He grinned against her skin, gently squeezing
her nipple.

“Caine,” she repeated, stronger, but her back
arched, shoving her breast into his hand at the same time. He
kissed the hollow of her throat, lapping at the salty taste of her
skin.

“Ollie,” he murmured back, a laugh in his
throat as he wedged a leg between her thighs, jeans rubbing against
jeans as he nestled closer. He wanted nothing more than to bury
himself deep inside her, skin to skin. Instead, he slipped his hand
from her bra, pulled her shirt back down and kissed her again, just
a light, teasing brush of his lips against hers.

“Maybe you should have said no,” he said
softly.

A laugh slid from her, just a soft burst of a
sigh, and he found himself leaning in to steal her lower lip
between his teeth, nibbling. She tasted so sweet. Of strawberries
and a savor of something undeniably her. Sweet and bitter at the
same time. Caine let her go again, stepping aside. He kept one hand
on the small of her back as he led her down off the porch, into the
shadowy, purple-tinged land that was lost between day and dusk.

“When this is done I want a real dinner
date,” Ollie said, glancing away at the woodlands beyond.

“It doesn’t have to wait.” He pulled her to a
stop, turning her in his arms. “Your life shouldn’t have to be on
hold because of one sick bastard.”

But it was. Caine could see it, perfectly
clearly. She barely slept, and was losing weight because she hardly
ate. He’d seen the white board. She’d had a forced vacation
courtesy of her boss, and yet she’d still worked on the case at
home. Technically she was still supposed to be on vacation, but
she’d spent the whole evening giving him a comprehensive briefing
of the case, including details of the deaths they hadn’t
released.

Caine swept a finger over her mouth. She was
letting the Hunter rule her, utterly and completely. “Let me take
you out, Ollie. One night.”

She opened her mouth and he tapped a finger
against her lips. A silent order for her to hush. “This week.”

“And if—”

“What? He kills again? It’s nowhere near a
full moon.”

“But we need to find her.”

“And we will. But you need a break too.”
Caine could see the battle brewing inside her. She couldn’t even
fathom one night of simply relaxing. He wondered when she’d had a
full day of laughter, fun. Anything but a case. “One night with me
won’t kill you.”

“It might kill someone else.”

“No. Taking a break won’t put a knife through
someone’s throat. Only one person is out there killing people, and
it’s not you. Besides,” Cain said as he swept a strand of hair out
of her face. “If you’re too tired you can’t think clearly. You’re
beating yourself up, but everyone needs a break. No one is at their
best when they’re dead on their feet.”

Her jaw worked, but no sound came out, but he
saw the acceptance in her eyes. She knew what he was telling her
was right, she just didn’t want to quit. She didn’t have a damn
off-switch.

His knuckles brushed along her cheek. “You
won’t be giving up. You’ll be taking care of you so you can do your
job.”

She started to cave then, a slight smile
curving the corners of her lips, and Caine pounced. “How about
this: If something happens, we’ll call it a night, and we’ll meet
with your pack. If nothing happens, the night’s mine. No case, just
the two of us.”

Caine pressed closer, ready to dive in and
steal another kiss. “Say yes, Ollie.”

She laughed then, gave him a quick nod.
“Okay. Yes.”

“About damn time,” he said and kissed her
again.

Chapter Eleven

Ollie eyed
her low-cut blouse in the mirror. The dark brown matched the
checkerboard flats she’d selected for the evening, which were a
muted tan, woven with a matching dark brown, and bows on top of
each shoe. They were cute, and she’d had very few occasions to wear
them. Slipping into a pair of jeans, she figured she was just
casual enough, and just prettied up enough, that she’d fit in no
matter where they went.

She slipped the soft shoes on, loving the
comfortable fit, the fact that they instantly made her feel like a
dancer. Light on her feet, airy. Pretty. It was almost enough to
make her forget that there was a killer on the loose and she was
screwing around and going on a date. Guilt had her gnawing on her
bottom lip when Brandt knocked. “You’re taking too long. Thinking
too much, perhaps?”

With a grunt, Ollie yanked open the door.
“Normal brothers would discourage this.”

Brandt lifted a shoulder in half-shrug. “I
doubt it.”

“They’d protect their baby sisters from the
big, bad alpha.” She tried for pouty, but she couldn’t help the
smile that hedged at the corners of her lip, teasing and daring.
Brandt grinned back at her.

“I’m sure they would.” His grin turned into a
smirk as he leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his
chest. “But I’m also sure their sisters aren’t complete nutcases
trying to chase down serial killers with no sleep. Food and a night
of rest will be good for you. Besides, when I compare Caine with
the Hunter, Morgan comes out on top.” He winked. “For now.”

“Ha ha ha. Very funny.”

“I try.” He ushered her out of the room and
down the hall. “He’s already here. He’s been patient enough not to
eat anything for the last ten minutes. You look fine.”

Brandt stopped, “Beautiful, actually. You’ll
take his breath away. Which is not a thought I want to spend too
much time on. Makes me feel as nuts as you’ve been acting.”

“I haven’t been that crazy.”

“You know the term basket case?” Ollie’s eyes
narrowed and Brandt’s grin widened. “How about
‘handbasket-from-Hell’ case?”

With a playful shove, Ollie turned and darted
down the hall. Her shoes made soft squeaks against the hardwood,
and Star came bounding to meet her halfway, barking and bouncing,
long tail wagging. Ollie paused to kiss the dog on the head when
she heard the sharp intake of breath, the low grunt that followed
it.

“Told you,” Brandt said and disappeared into
the kitchen, no doubt going back to the dinner he and Nana were
already sharing.

Ollie slid her fingers through Star’s long
coat, reveling in the silky white fur as she hid her face on the
other side of the dog. She could feel Caine standing in the front
foyer, knew he was watching her, waiting. Slowly, she blew out a
long breath and stood, smoothing her hands down her shirt to press
out the wrinkles for probably the hundredth time. His dark gaze
tracked the movement, lips parted, and she watched as his tongue
darted out, and then she realized she could actually see his
muscles tightening, smell his wolf close to his skin.

My, my, what big teeth you have.

Caine’s gaze flicked up to her, a predatory
grin slashed over his face, as if he could hear the thought.
“Stunning. You look absolutely stunning.”

Heart racing, heat flushed through her,
warming her straight down to her toes, and she could feel a scarlet
blush burning over her cheeks. “Thanks. Where are we going?”

Then she spotted the woven picnic basket at
his feet and didn’t bother to hide her surprise. Caine snatched it
off the ground and tilted his head towards the door. “If I took you
anywhere else, you’d never relax. Here, you’re close if anything
goes wrong.”

He pulled open the door, waving her outside
with a courtly gesture. It was a mini-vacation, a night away, but
one that showed just how well Caine understood her. The smile that
touched her face was genuine, her heart so full of relief and
gratitude it ached. “Thank you.”

“It’s still going to be a night without the
case. I haven’t quite figured out what we’re going to talk about,
though.” He reached forward and swiped a strand of her hair behind
her ear and winked. Suddenly playful, teasing. Ollie wasn’t quite
sure how to handle this side of him.

“But I’m sure we’ll think of something,” he
finished.

Caine followed her outside, Star circling
them both, her long nose always pointed at the basket, and Ollie
found herself laughing. “Star—”

“Let her stay. I packed more than enough
food, and I’m sure she’d like a good, long moonlit romp.” His eyes
glittered at that, the shadowy brown suddenly brighter, and for the
first time she could imagine the almond color they must be when he
shifted.

Dusk had already wiped away any traces of
day, leaving the sky dark. A deep blue, like the color of the ocean
where the water is so deep ships could dive for miles. The trees
behind her house were nothing but lingering silhouettes, a shade
darker than the sky, faintly outlined by the stars and the partial
moon.

“How are we going to see well enough to
eat?”

Caine’s wicked smile made Ollie’s heart pick
up speed, and it bumped even faster, when she saw the slip of
fabric he pulled from the basket. “Close your eyes.”

“This is not the way to win a woman’s heart,”
she said, but obeyed, pointedly ignoring his soft chuckle.

“We’ll see about that,” he whispered, close
enough that the warmth of his breath seeped into her skin, tickling
down her neck and into the wide scoop of her shirt. A shiver danced
down her spine, anticipation humming. Caine tied the blindfold in
place, looped an arm through hers, and led her away from her
house.

He moved slowly, giving her time to test each
step, but she realized after a few moments that they were following
the dirt path that wove into the forest. She guessed they were
heading towards the clearing she and Brandt had played in when
they’d visited Nana during summer vacations. They’d built so many
forts over the years that there were still half-constructed ones in
the trees, and weeds and wildflowers eating away at the ones on the
ground.

Sure enough, Caine took her hand and wrapped
it over the large, coarse rope of their old tire swing. In one
smooth movement, he scooped her up and slid her legs through the
swing, setting her easily inside the old tire. He gave her a soft
push from behind and whispered, “Stay.”

Like she would ruin this. No one had ever put
this much thought into a date for her. Dinner and a movie, while a
classic, and exactly what she’d been expecting, had nothing on
this. “My, my, Mr. Wolf,” she whispered under her breath, grinning
at the instantaneous chuckle it brought from him, “What clever
ideas you have.”

He caught the swing from behind and jerked
her to a stop, her back pressed against the heated length of his
chest. She leaned into his touch. Caine leaned down to skim a kiss
over her jaw. The coarse hair of his goatee left her skin tingling
as he pulled away, loosening the blindfold and letting it fall
away. She blinked into the darkness. Nothing but trees and the
remnants of an old fort. And light?