Continuing my exploration, I traced the edges of his muscles through his stomach, chest and arms.

“Are you trying to drive me crazy?” His hands covered mine.

I smiled up at him. “Maybe.”

With a soft growl, he flipped me onto my back. The reverberation echoed from his chest into mine, and I shivered, feeling the tension between us grow thick with wanting each other.

He lay over me, his skin a heat that rivalled the flames beside us; I squirmed underneath him, watching his eyes dilate.

Dropping his mouth to mine, he kissed me as if he would devour me whole, and I returned the sentiment. Nipping at my lips, he pulled back, and then proceeded to start his own exploration over my body. Shoulders, neck, belly and inner thighs. It was like he was avoiding all the sweet spots. On purpose.

I gripped his broad shoulders, digging my nails into his skin as I arched under his mouth, tried to align him with what I wanted his lips on. He laughed softly. “Impatient?”

“You are such a tease,” I whispered.

“Just returning the favor.”

With a groan, I gave up trying to make him do anything and just surrendered to the sensations. Skin on skin, it was the first time in a long time I’d felt so connected to someone; so safe. His mouth moved over me, hands trailing paths of burning fire as he teased my body into a trembling mass of muscle and flesh.

I grabbed his hair and pulled him upward, tired of waiting. Taking his lips, I kissed him hard, begging him between breaths.

“Please, Liam, please.”

He didn’t listen, just continued on at a pace that drove me out of my mind with wanting him. Kissing his way down my throat he bit lightly along the edge of my collarbone, finally making his way to the edge of my breast.

My body screamed with desire, and I loved every second of it. Still, I didn’t want him to think he was going to have all the fun. With a quick twist I flipped him onto his back, and straddled his hips. “You are going too slow.”

He smiled up at me, dark eyes full of desires I could hardly wait to taste. “And you are going too fast.”

I ran my hands down his chest, feeling each exquisite inch of muscle tremble under my fingertips. Resting my hands on the waistband of his pants, I shimmied backwards taking his pants with me.

“These are seriously in the way.” I flipped the clothes behind me. He gave a low growl of pleasure, the sound rippled along my spine and sent a delicious shiver through my body. My eyes went to his hip, were the Guardian has slashed him open. The wound was already closed up, healing as if it had been weeks and not a few days. Lucky indeed, the power the Shamans had drawn up must have spilled over into him helping him heal fast.

Liam sat up, wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against him, redirecting my flow of thoughts. Hovering just above him on my knees, the feel and throb of his erection pressed against the tight warmth between my legs. I tipped my h*ps toward him, brushing against his erection, shuddering at how close we were. Liam’s eyes closed and he let out a low groan. “You really are a tease.” I moved to take him into me, but he put his hands on my h*ps to keep me from sliding down onto his shaft. “Not yet, Rylee. There’s no hurry, the fire is a long ways from out.”

I glanced at the fire pit, saw the dying embers. “Actually—”

The look in his eyes struck me. He wasn’t talking about the fire pit. He was talking about us.

“Oh.”

Rolling to the side he took me with him, the length of our bodies fitting together in a simple movement I felt helpless against; but not in a way that freaked me out. There was no denying this, and for once I wouldn’t try.

Feeling bold, I slid my hand down between our bodies, slipping past his erection to cup him, squeezing ever so slightly. A sharp hiss of breath escaped his lips. I smiled thinking I was in charge, the one running this sexy show. Not so much.

He dipped his head and took one nipple gently between his teeth , drawing it into the deep warmth of his mouth, his other hand teasing along the edges of my inner thigh until he pressed his fingers into me, swirling in the heat that was building between my legs.

Gasping I arched into him, all thoughts of being in charge fleeing my brain. Unable to stop myself, I thrust my h*ps into his hands, noises I barely recognized slipping out of me. Heat, desire, the smell of Liam’s skin; I shivered with the whirlwind that rose within me, bursts of lightning seemingly dancing along my skin as my body bucked under his hands and mouth.

“Liam, please,” I begged, feeling the need to finish this with him.

With a groan, he gave in, sliding into me with a single smooth thrust and I wrapped my legs around his waist almost jerking him into me, our bodies moving together, a dance as old as time.

We rode the momentum, our skin slick with sweat, breath coming in short sharp gasps as we rode the wave, cresting at the top together. Trembling, he held himself slightly above me, staring down into my eyes.

“That was worth the wait.”

I smiled up at him, my body singing his praises. “You bet your sweet ass it was.”

Laughing, we collapsed on the pile of furs, but I kept my legs wrapped around his waist when he made a move to get off me.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I asked, sweetly, batting my eyelashes up at him.

Laughing softly, he shook his head, bending to nip at my ear. “Absolutely nowhere.”

16

Doran was waiting for me as I stepped out of the sweat lodge, robe gripped around my waist. The grin spread across his face. “If I’d known what the morning’s activities were going to be, I’d have offered to go in with you.”

Crap, did that mean everyone knew? The four female Shamans were sitting on the back porch, smiling out my way. Apparently so. I wasn’t ashamed, it was just, well, your first time with someone, you don’t exactly want a welcoming committee afterward.

“Was he any good? I didn’t hear any screaming after I was done with you.” Doran smirked, and I did the only thing I could think of.

I punched him in the nose. The cartilage crunched under my fist, and Doran wheeled away, laughing and yelping. Yes, I said laughing.

“Bitch, I’m glad I didn’t bed you. You Trackers. So God-damned touchy!”

“That’s for talking to Jensen, you ass.”

Liam stepped out behind me, his pants and shirt on, even if the shirt was un-buttoned. I clenched my robe against the sharp, winter wind. It was cold, but I didn’t feel like anything was going to kill me. Running barefoot across the frosted ground, I leapt up the stairs and raced to the back bedroom.

Closing the door behind me, I was surprised to see Alex passed out on his back, snoring loudly. Grabbing my clothes, I started to pull them on, calling to the werewolf.

“Alex, come on, we’ve got to get going.”

He startled awake, rolling off the bed with a thump. Peeking up at me over the edge, he lifted his nose and sniffed the air.

“Rylee mates the boss?”

Scrunching my face up, I nodded. If he thought Liam was the boss, all the better. “Yes.”

Snorting once, he scratched at his butt with his claws, pulling them out to give them a sniff before saying anything. “Okey dokey.”

That was it? Damn, I’d been expecting a full-out war again with him growling at Liam and me trying to step between them. This was good, life was looking up.

I paused in dressing to reach for Ricky, Tracking him easily. Still asleep. That was too weird. Though I preferred him not to have to see whatever the dumb ass Troll was up to, I didn’t like that he had been unconscious for so long.

Gathering up my weapons, I strapped everything down and headed back out into the main house. Louisa was there, talking quietly with Liam.

“Keep an eye on her. If for one instant” —she held a pointy finger up to his nose— “you think there is a speck of the venom left, you bring her back to us.”

The agent nodded, his dark hair tousled with sleep, but his eyes were keen and alert. I fought back the—what I knew would be goofy—smile from my lips.

“Thank you Louisa,” I said.

“You’re welcome.”

Silence, then; no ‘thank you’ would be forthcoming from her. Shaking my head, I touched Liam on the arm. “We should go. Ricky is waiting on us.”

Eve was waiting outside, her head dropped so she could speak with Eagle. We approached them, not making any effort to hide ourselves, but still, Eve jumped when we got close.

“Rylee, you are well?”

“I am. Can you take us back to the Landing Pad?”

She bobbed her head once, glanced at Eagle, and then lowered herself so Liam and I could climb on. Again, Alex would ride in her claws.

As we lifted from the ground, Eagle gave a shrill cry and Eve answered it with one of her own. She made swift time though, between Louisa’s and Dox’s place, the wind blowing in our favor.

Dox came rushing out, and I gave him a double thumbs up. Scooping me up into his arms, he gave me his trademark bone-crushing hug. Or at least, he started to. I was yanked out of his arms and shoved behind Liam so hard I actually stumbled.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” I shoved the agent.

He turned to me, his eyes wild, skin flushed as though with fever. Shit, maybe he had an infection? No, the sweat lodge would have helped with that.

Dox though, didn’t seem bothered, not at all. He took a look at O’Shea, a look at me, and threw his head back with a bellowing laugh. “Shit, I didn’t think you’d actually bed him, Rylee!”

O’Shea didn’t move, but something shifted in him, a tensing of muscles, a moment of pressure in the air. I lifted my hand. “Don’t ruin this, not now, not here.” Of course, the minute I sleep with the guy, he gets all weird and possessive.

This was the last thing I needed, and yet my heart stumbled almost as much as my feet had. I’d thought, for a brief second, O’Shea was different. That he wouldn’t be an ass. What was I thinking?

O’Shea shook himself, a tremor rippling through him, and he finally turned to face Dox. I couldn’t see the look that passed between them, but I could guess. He grunted a “Sorry” at the ogre and then brushed past him, through the motel and right out the other side.