Redemption by Eleri Stone Page B

Sophie?”
    He chuckled when she didn’t answer, scraped his teeth against her neck before releasing her. “I think I like it too.”
    He pressed her down to the narrow cot, repositioning her arms above her head. She was bare below the waist and he was still fully dressed except for the belt she’d managed to get off him. He slid his body along hers, the rough denim scraping her delicate skin and making her squirm. She hooked her ankles over the backs of his legs and arched up to feel his cock, hard and straining against the zipper.
    “We’ll break the cot.”
    He flashed a wide smile. God, she loved when he smiled like that. It lit his whole face and did funny things to her heart. “I’ll buy you another.”
    When he slipped his fingers beneath the hem of her shirt, she stiffened and sank slowly back to the mattress. “Don’t.”
    Keeping his eyes fixed on hers, he spread his hand and those long, beautiful fingers splayed over the tense muscles of her abdomen. His hand, calloused and warm, rested there in a possessive claim, thumb stroking a slow arc from her hip bone toward her navel. And damn him, it felt so good. It was hard to gather up the will to make him stop. Maybe…maybe she didn’t have to…
    But then his hand started to creep up and she panicked. Blood cold, heart hammering, she rolled, nearly falling off the cot and making him jerk back in surprise.
    “I said don’t.”
    His hand still curved around her hip where he’d caught her before she could fall. He didn’t move but when his gaze met hers, she could see him calculating just how far he could push her. It scared her how far she’d already let this go. This was supposed to be a casual fling and he was breaking the rules, asking for more than she was ready to give. She sat up, sliding her arm across her stomach. Everything inside her went cold. She didn’t want this. She didn’t need it. “You need to go. Now .”
    He looked startled, concerned and confused. “Sophie—”
    “No. Damn it,” she snapped. “You. You pushed too far.”
    He looked at her for a long time and she thought he might push even further. Disturbingly, a small part of her wanted that. But finally he left without saying a word.
     
    “No, Nic. I’m not fucking sure about a damn thing. The Yaguara’s a mutant. The other smelled like wet dog but he’d gone to a lot of trouble to disguise the scent.”
    “Who the hell would work with a wolf? Even if he was a mutant—” His brother sounded distracted. He was a pilot and from the way he shouted into the phone and the roar of noise in the background, Adriano was pretty sure he was at the airport.
    “That’s why I’m calling you,” Adriano snapped and could have bit his own tongue. He needed to keep this casual. He needed information but he didn’t want Nic involved in this mess.
    After a brief silence, Nicolas asked with forced ease, “Do you need me there?”
    Adriano cursed silently. He shouldn’t have called. He’d thought Nic might know if there was a group operating in the area. Surely one well-funded enough to make a jaguar and wolf work side by side would have provoked more than a few rumors. If the Yaguara had somehow pissed off the wolves, Nic should know about that too.
    Nic didn’t know shit but he was worried now and that was the last thing Adriano wanted…needed. He’d caused his family enough trouble. He was lucky Nic was still willing to take his calls at all.
    “No,” he said harshly, then moderated his tone. “No. It’s nothing. I was probably mistaken. I only wanted to see if you’d heard anything.”
    “I don’t like you working alone.” Adriano heard the sound of a door closing and the background noise faded abruptly. He’d rather hear the engines than that note of concern in his brother’s voice. Nic was younger by three years. Adriano should be the one protecting him. Not the other way around.
    He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a harsh breath. “I’m not alone,