Authors: Savannah Stuart
down. She’d expected a cold reception from these werewolves but so far everyone was
incredibly nice. So much so, it scared her a little. All these wolves were so welcoming
and Nissa couldn’t help but wonder why her kind had been at odds with them for
centuries. She knew what her mother had told her about the Great War but this pack
didn’t seem like evil, conniving monsters.
31
Savannah Stuart
Leaning back in her chair, she answered another question and found herself smiling
at the sisterly banter between Paz and Marisol.
32
Dangerous Craving
“I really like your family—uh, pack,” Nissa said as they headed back to Thomas’
house. Now that they were alone again she felt the need to fill the silence.
“I think they were quite taken with you too.” His voice had a sensuous quality she
didn’t think she was prepared to handle.
“I was surprised by how nice everyone was.” She wasn’t sure why she told him.
Thomas shot her a quick glance and a frown marred his sharp features. “Why?”
She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t I be?” When she realized he probably thought she
meant it as an insult she shook her head. “I meant that as a compliment, Thomas. I’ve
never spent any time around your kind…well, except you of course.”
At her words, he relaxed a little but not much. His fingers gripped the steering
wheel a bit too tight and the muscles in his arms were pulled taut. She itched to reach
out and stroke his arm. Just to feel all that power underneath her fingertips.
The few lovers she’d taken since Thomas didn’t compare to him in any way. Not
only because he was a skillful lover but because he’d taken a piece of her heart when
he’d kicked her out of his life. Maybe more than a piece. More like a huge chunk.
“I’m sorry my mother wasn’t there. She’s looking forward to meeting you though.”
The words were sincere, but still surprising.
Nissa frowned. Somehow she doubted his mother was
dying
to meet her. Her own
mother would likely have a stroke if she found out she’d slept with a shifter. The
Gentry didn’t even like to intermingle with the common fae, preferring instead to marry
those of similar social standing. Shifters, humans—they were all off limits. Vampires
were accepted, but it was still a rare thing.
“You doubt me?” he growled softly.
33
Savannah Stuart
She turned to him. “I didn’t say anything.”
“I can still sense it. When I say my family wants to meet you, I’m not lying.”
“Well, my family doesn’t have any interest in getting to know you, Thomas. They
don’t know I’m here and if they did, it would kill them. My mother especially. Treaty or
not I don’t think they’ll ever truly accept the mixing of our kinds.” The words were
harsh but he needed to understand that just because times were changing, her family
never would. She desperately needed to keep him at arm’s length. Maybe if he realized
that their two worlds would never mesh, he’d back off.
“What about you? Do you care what your family thinks?”
No.
“Of course I do.”
“Even if they want to kill you?” His voice was soft, concerned.
She shrugged, but his words were another reminder of the real reason she was in
Miami. “I tried calling my mother again tonight.” She’d sneaked away to one of the
bathrooms and called barely an hour ago.
“And?”
“My sister answered again.”
“You’re sure she’s the one trying to kill you? You always said how close you two
were. Have things changed that much?”
Stark sadness filled her chest, spilling into her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
Her sister had been acting odd lately but actually trying to have her killed? It just
seemed too diabolical. But the proof said otherwise. And it burned a harsh hole inside
her. Her family might have their issues but trying to kill her? She pressed a hand to her
stomach to quell her nausea. “I didn’t think so, but I truly don’t know. I can’t take the
risk of trusting her until I know more. If I could just talk to my mother…”
He sighed heavily as he put his car into park. “You can stay with me as long as you
need, Nissa.” Thomas reached out and grasped her hand. When she tried to pull away
he threaded his fingers through hers. Instinct told her to yank her hand back, to make
34
Dangerous Craving
him let go, but her heart told her something entirely different. Instead, she let him
comfort her and she savored the simple act of holding his hand. Since it would probably
be the last time it ever happened, she tightened her grip.
“Nissa.” Her name on his lips was an unsteady growl.
The car was still running but the engine was barely audible. Sitting in his driveway,
she felt as if they were the only two people on the planet. As if someone wasn’t trying to
kill her. As if he wasn’t a shifter and she wasn’t fae. As if they
somehow
actually had a
shot at making a relationship work.
“We should probably go inside,” she whispered, though she wasn’t sure why. If she
spoke louder it would sound as if she meant the words. And she didn’t. She didn’t want
to go inside and she didn’t want to let go of his hand.
With his free hand he reached out and cupped her jaw. The grip was positively
possessive. His hand tightened as it slid back a few inches until he held the back of her
head.
Her mouth parted slightly as she stared into his dark eyes. It was all she could do to
breathe as their gazes clashed. Suddenly the interior of the car was too small, too stuffy.
The pad of his thumb stroked her cheek. “Stay in my room tonight, Nissa.”
Yes.
The word was on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to be in his bed right then.
Wanted to feel his mouth and hands covering her entire body. Wanted to experience the
type of raw, primal pleasure only he could give her. As she started to answer, the loud
blare of his cell phone split through the air.
Jerking out of his embrace, she tugged her hand away too. She clasped her hands
tightly together in her lap to cover her slight shaking. A rush of air entered her lungs as
she escaped his hold. She could breathe again. Letting him touch her was bad news.
When he did, she couldn’t think straight. Didn’t want to think, really. Just wanted to
feel.
Thomas cursed under his breath then yanked his phone out of his pants pocket.
“What?” he snarled. “Can’t you take care of this yourself… Damn it… You’re right, just
35
Savannah Stuart
give me some time. I’ll be down there soon.” As soon as he snapped his phone shut he
looked at her. Regret burned in his eyes. “I’m going to take you to Stephan’s house. I
need to go to the club and—”
“I’ll go with you.” The words were out before she could stop herself, but she didn’t
want to be separated from him. Apparently she really was a masochist.
“You sure?”
“I’m probably not dressed appropriately but—”
“You look gorgeous, Nissa. You could be wearing…” He shook his head and kicked
the car into reverse. “You’ll be the most beautiful woman there tonight, trust me.”
Thomas said the words with such sincerity, something long buried inside her fluttered.
Thomas gripped the steering wheel tightly as he headed down Ocean Drive. Nissa
had been ready to say yes. He’d seen the decision in her eyes. Until that damn phone
had rung. Then it was like she’d been wrenched out of a trance.
Now he wasn’t sure she’d agree to share his bed tonight. The night actually hadn’t
been half bad. Not as bad as he’d expected anyway. The entire pack had been
welcoming and Paz hadn’t brought her human friend she’d wanted to set him up with.
Nissa had seemed like she’d had a good time, which was important. If he wanted to
convince her to make a life with him, she had to feel like she belonged.
The second he pulled up to the club, one of the valet drivers opened his door and
another opened Nissa’s. Thomas didn’t miss the way the young kid stared at her. He
seemed almost mesmerized as he looked her over from head to toe. When his gaze
reached her face again he gave her a goofy grin.
Thomas’ inner beast growled but he refrained from pummeling the kid. Hell, he
couldn’t blame him really. Hooking his arm around her shoulder, Thomas steered Nissa
through the front door. He savored the feel of her against him. Even for a shifter he was
tall, but so was she and he liked the way her entire body molded to him. It was too bad
they had their clothes on.
36
Dangerous Craving
A familiar song blasted through the air. The downstairs area of his club was always
louder. Men and women danced and moved in rhythm with the hip-hop beat. Next to
him, Nissa relaxed. The action was subtle and if he hadn’t been holding her so close he
might not have noticed.
The music soothed her.
He’d forgotten how much she liked to dance. Okay, maybe not forgotten exactly.
He’d forced the image of her dancing from his mind because it always got him hot and
hard. Before they’d met, her family had lived everywhere, including Egypt and Turkey.
She’d learned the sensual art of belly dancing at a very young age. Years ago she’d
performed many private dances for him.
His cock pressed painfully against his pants. Damn it, he didn’t need to be meeting
with his staff with a raging hard-on.
“Hey, boss.” Bruno ducked out from under one of the bars as they approached.
“Where are they?” Thomas asked. Bruno had called to let him know his best
bartender and his best cocktail waitress had been ready to exchange blows. Whatever
the problem was, this was something he needed to handle himself.
“Your office. I’ve got someone covering for both of them.”
“Thanks. This is Nissa. Don’t let her out of your sight.” It was not a subtle order.
Bruno’s eyes widened slightly as he nodded. “Of course.”
Without giving her a chance to protest, Thomas pulled her close and captured her
mouth with a dominance he knew would throw her off-kilter. She tasted sweet,
probably from the wine she’d been drinking earlier. When he pulled back, her green
eyes practically glowed. She ran her tongue along her bottom lip in a seductive manner
that had his cock begging for release. So he turned away before he did something
stupid like throw her over his shoulder and find the nearest secluded spot.
As he made his way to his office, he pushed down his inner wolf. Everything inside
him told him to claim Nissa. Take what he wanted before she left again. His human side
37
Savannah Stuart
would never do that but the fierce battle waging inside made him uneasy. He took a
deep breath when he reached his office door. Once the throbbing of his canines pushing
against his gums subsided, he opened it.
“She’s stealing my customers!” Ally jumped up from her seat.
Stephanie rolled her eyes at the other woman and shook her head. “She’s crazy.”
Sighing, Thomas shut the door behind him. This was going to take a while.
* * * * *
Winding her way to one of the dance floors, Nissa let her hips sway with the music.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone dancing. Or done anything fun, really.
Lately she’d been so consumed with Gentry business and trying to figure out who
wanted to hurt her she’d been afraid to let her guard down.
But now she was with Thomas. In beautiful, sunny Miami. No one knew she was
here. Sure, she and Thomas had already crossed an invisible line. One she knew she
couldn’t come back from. In the end she’d get hurt again but that didn’t mean she
couldn’t enjoy herself. Just for a little while.
The rhythmic thump streaming in from the speakers was hypnotic. Exhilarating.
Using her gifts, she projected a tiny bubble of space around her to keep others at a safe
distance. Technically she was just spreading her wings, but humans couldn’t see them
unless she allowed them to.
Closing her eyes, she let herself be swept away with the sounds. None of the music
was familiar but it flowed through her like a rich wine, making her loose-limbed and
relaxed.
One song bled into another. She wasn’t sure how much time passed but when a
harsh-sounding rap song blared through the speakers she slowed her movements. As
she began to make her way off the dance floor she spotted Thomas.
He stood on the stairs that led to the VIP room. As he tracked her movements, his
eyes were hungry. For her. She didn’t know how long he’d been standing there but it
38
Dangerous Craving
was obvious he liked what he saw. The gleam in his gaze was potent, needy. Like he’d
bared his soul to her so she could see every little thing he wanted to do to her.
Years ago she’d given him many private dances. Something she’d never done for
anyone else. Had never wanted to. Now she knew why. It was something special they’d
shared together and even though she’d been so hurt by him, he’d always held a special
place in her heart. Even if it killed her, she wanted to experience everything Thomas
had to offer again.
Pulling her wings in, she strode across the floor. She wove through the masses of
people, determined to reach him as quickly as possible.
Turning sideways, she tried to avoid a couple grinding on each other. When she