"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
Riley used his thumbs to open her even more and gave in to her mute pleas. Driving his tongue into her with a hard, sharp push, he set up an in-and-out motion that pushed her higher and higher. He went deep, pulled back, then drove deeper again, the rhythm of his strokes increasing with each plunge.Oh god, she was almost there. Almost! Almost!Then he took her throbbing clit between thumb and forefinger, pinched it hard, and she exploded. The inner walls of her pussy spasmed over and over again, clenching around Riley's tongue, the climax racing to every part of her. She pushed herself up to him as hard as she could, riding that educated tongue, eyes shut tightly as she gave herself over to a storm of sensations.Eventually, the spasms eased off to tremors, and finally the tremors to aftershocks. Relaxed against the softness of the covers, she unclenched her fists and tried to concentrate on getting some part of her brain back. Lia was no stranger to oral sex, although she hadn't d
Riley gave that deep laugh that rumbled through her. Then his face turned serious. "But maybe I can take more time looking at it later, until I've looked my fill. If that ever happens.""Take off the rest of your clothes, now," she told him. "I want a chance to look, too."He pushed himself to his feet, toed off his shoes, and unfastened his jeans. She watched him ease the zipper down over the significant bulge pressing against the fly. Her eyes were glued to him as he pushed both his jeans and knit boxers down his thighs and kicked them off. Then he stood there, a sculpted statue of muscle and bone, with its dusting here and there of very fine dark-brown hair.Her eyes dropped to his cock, and her mouth went completely dry. It rose proud and thick and full from the dark nest of curls at his groin, the head a deep purple, a swollen vein wrapped around the thick shaft. Below, the sac with his testicles hung weighty against his thighs. Every hormone and pheromone and other kind of 'mo
I've lost my fucking mind.That was all Riley could think, the phrase replaying in his mind as he drove through the streets of Calderwood to his house. He didn't usually have hot, scorching, incendiary sex with a woman scant hours after he'd met her. That wasn't his style. But, with Lia, it was almost as if he hadn't had a choice.Come see my house.Take off your clothes.Let me slide my cock into you and never take it out.Jesus. Just holy Jesus!At thirty-five, he had certainly been with his share of women, some of them for long periods, others short-term relationships. But none of them had ever affected him right at his core, right smack in the middle of his heart, of who he was, like Lia Popescue. He wondered fancifully if she was a witch who had cast a spell on him. Not that he believed in witches, although since accepting the reality of Mike Volka as a shapeshifter, nothing was off the plate.All he knew was, since he first saw her, touched her in the library, every fiber