This is perfect, Lia thought, as she turned onto the little narrow dirt road. She'd searched the entire area around Calderwood on Google Earth and discovered hundreds of acres of forested land at the edge of an area of older homes. How lucky was she the town had a nice little park right at the outskirts. Perfect for her needs, especially this late when no one would be around. She could park here, deep among the trees in a place where it looked like no one was ever around and there was no chance of being discovered or disturbed.She took her time opening the driver's door, scanning the area just in case, but there didn't seem to be anything moving except the animals and birds that made this their natural habitat. The night was cool but pleasantly so, a perfect night to shift and run. Quickly and efficiently, she stripped off her clothes, folded them, and placed them on the car seat. Clipping her car keys to a lanyard, she slipped it around her neck. Obviously in her wolf form, she had
Lia closed the book she was scanning and pulled another one from the big pile n the table. She'd gathered several volumes from the research section and carried them to a table in the main area of the library. If she sat there, she could watch for Jamie Volka whenever she came into the general area plus establish her presence as a diligent researcher. Maybe Jamie would come over and question her about the books she was studying and they could open a conversation that way.After two days, she'd discovered what a busy place the library in Calderwood was. Between reading hour for the toddlers, book clubs looking for new titles, people of all types looking for reference manuals, and the general population checking out books to borrow, people were always coming and going. A good thing because that way she didn't stand out too much.She hoped.And she loved the place. It had all the library smells that tickled her senses - wood gleaming with lemon polish, the richness of leather bindings,
As he drew closer, a jolt of electricity hit her like a massive power surge. She didn't remember if the mere sight of a man had ever turned her on so instantly and, for a moment, she could only stare at him.Damn!"Miss Popescue?" His voice was deep and rumbly, like warm molasses sliding over small pebbles.A shiver skated along her spine.Mate!Ohmigod! Where had that come from?She frowned. How had he gotten her full name? She'd only given her first name to Jamie for the signing. Oh, of course. Her temporary library card. She forced herself to be calm as she looked at hm. "Yes?"He held out a hand. "Riley Morgan. Is it okay if I sit down with you for a minute?"Lia put her hand in his, and that jolt of electricity suddenly increased by ten thousand volts. The instant they made contact, an image flashed in her mind of the two of them together, naked, skin to skin, his mouth on hers, and - Oh, holy mother. Not now, not now, she tried to tell herself. But every part of her bod
"Of course." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Jamie tells me you were at her book signing on Saturday. That you asked her to lunch."Lia's pulse trip-hammered. Thank god for her wolf senses that stomped on the apprehension swirling through her. If only she could do the same for these other feelings that slammed her. How could it be possible the man she was so instantly linked to could be here to cause her trouble? She folded her hands in front of her and leaned forward slightly."I wasn't aware that inviting someone to share a meal was a crime. Or that sitting here doing research was a problem." She lifted one hand and waved in the general direction of the rest of the main area. "Other people spend time in libraries without getting hassled by the police, I'm sure." She waved at her stack of books. "Like I said, I'm only doing some research. Period.""Jamie indicated she'd feel more comfortable if I chatted with you a little. We don't get many strangers hanging around in our library."
Harmless.The word bounced around in Riley's head as he sat opposite Lia in a booth at the restaurant. That was definitely not the word he'd use to describe her. Sensual was one word that came to mind. Luscious was another. Tempting. Oh, yeah, tempting. Because she definitely tempted him. The volatile impact the moment he walked over to her table had shocked the hell out of him. Other women had affected him, tempted him, appealed to him. But not like this. This was something completely different, and it unsettled him because he felt it was something so much deeper.The call from Jamie last night had tweaked his interest. But when she'd asked him to please check out this woman she was sure was stalking her, the last thing he'd expected to find was a petite woman with a body that begged for him to strip it naked, eyes the color of cobalt, and blonde hair that looked like a cascading silver waterfall. When she'd preceded him into the restaurant, his eyes had fastened of their own accord
This has to be the craziest thing I've ever done.Lia repeated it to herself numerous times during the afternoon. She asked him questions about his interest in Romania and the things he'd learned. She did her best to pluck as much information out of him as she could, but he really didn't tell her anything she hadn't learned from her grandparents. At the end of the day, Lia realized she had no more information about Jamie than she'd started out with.What she did learn as the day grew longer, however, was she was more attracted to Riley Morgan than she had ever been to another man. Just being with him had her nerves sizzling and her pulse doing the jive. She kept picturing him without his clothes, all sleek muscle and hard body. She had known since puberty shifters had extremely strong sex drives. In point of fact, she took certain herbs to help her control it. She wondered if even a massive dose could take the edge off what she was feeling for the very sexy Detective Riley Morgan.S
"Come on in." Riley opened the door and stepped aside so Lia could precede him."Wow!" was all she could say.The architectural design told her it was an older home but, obviously, Riley had put his heart and soul into it. The hardwood floors gleamed, reflecting the rays of late day sun slanting in through the wide, multi-paned windows and warming the rooms. Comfortable furniture in beige leather and the same green as the trim faced a fireplace and the big screen television hanging above it.Of course. Men and their toys.Riley tossed his keys into a pewter dish on a little table by the front door and, before she could ask to see the rest of the house, pulled her into his arms."Now I can give you a real kiss," he told her.Tunneling his fingers into her hair, his hand clasping her head, he took her mouth in a kiss she felt in every tiny part of her body. There was nothing tender about this one, nothing tentative or testing. This kiss stole her breath, heated her blood, and sent
"Will you take off your shirt so I can touch you, too?" She heard the faint tremble in her voice.He didn't answer her, just yanked his shirt over his head and let his gaze bore into hers like a laser. Tempted at the sight of his very masculine, very well-muscled chest and the fine sprinkling of hair that dusted it, she gave herself a treat. Bracing her hands at his waist, she leaned forward to flick her tongue over each of his bronze male nipples. A slight shudder raced through him, so she did it again. At the top of her pussy, his cock lay thickly against her, and she felt it swell and flex at the touch of her tongue to his chest."Jesus, Lia." His voice sounded tight, and his hands gripped her bare shoulders. "Have a heart. I'm right on the edge here as it is."She gave a giddy little laugh. "Already?"He slid a hand over to tilt up her chin. "Would you believe, since I laid eyes on you? But I want to take my time here, not rush things, if that's even possible. I don't want to m