Things That Go Hump In The Night (11 page)

She had a brief, vivid flash of the two of them, naked, arms and legs wrapped around each other, and his cock moving inside her, hard and urgent.

The hot flash of desire that came with the image left her knees weak.

God, she wanted him so badly.

And the string bracelet, safely concealed by her wide metal cuff bracelet, pulsed an icy warning.

No. I don't have to listen to you anymore!

Nicole stumbled, and Gabriel's arm tightened around her, supporting her.

When they reached the parking area, which was squeezed into a narrow vacant lot between two skyscrapers, Gabriel stopped in front of a black Lamborghini Miura, as sleek and deadly-looking as an obsidian shark.

Nicole had noticed it earlier when she drove into the lot. It was hard to miss in the crowd of Priuses, VW Beetles, and Hondas like her own.

"Behold, the fun car," he announced in a deep voice.

"
That's
your car? Seriously?" Nicole admired it with lust in her heart. It was older than she was, a classic that cost twice as much as a house in a good school district. "And you're brave enough to actually take it out of your garage? Any chance you'd let me drive it?"

She felt Gabriel tense, and there was a short, appalled silence.

"—just kidding," she added, hastily. "I'd be too scared to take it anywhere. I couldn't afford to fix it if anything happened to it."

His laugh sounded distinctly relieved. "Maybe once we get to know each other better," he murmured.

"Well, you know what
my
car looks like," she said, pointing to where she had parked at the end of the aisle.

Reluctantly, she released her hold on Gabriel's waist. It had felt so
right
, walking with their arms around each other.

His hand stayed on her shoulder, and she looked up to meet his gaze.

"I want to kiss you," he said, his eyes dark and hungry.

Oh, yes, please!

His fingers skimmed her cheeks and slid into her hair. With excruciating slowness, he bent his head.

Nicole felt a jolt of fierce desire as his lips brushed lightly across hers, teasing, nibbling with feather-light touches. He felt so good—she wanted more.

She reached up and put her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, desperate to taste him. She touched her tongue shyly to his lips, hoping he would let her in.

Gabriel made a pleased sound. As if that had been the signal he'd been waiting for, his mouth became hungry, his tongue seeking.

Nicole lost track of time, her world reduced to the sensation of his mouth against hers and his hands holding her face as arousal throbbed through her, making her want more of him.

Gabriel was deliberately holding himself a little apart from her, so that only his hands and his mouth were touching her.

She wanted more, and she wanted it now.

With a silent growl, she slid against him and pressed her body against his, feeling satisfaction at the hard bulge that strained against the wool of his pants. He wanted her just as much as she wanted him.

And for right now, safe in public where they could only go so far, she was safe. She could let go and just
feel
.

Finally, Gabriel gentled his kiss. He drew away with lingering reluctance.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," he said, his voice husky.

She chuckled shakily, need pulsing between her thighs in time with every heavy beat of her heart.

"I started having inappropriate thoughts about you as soon as I met you," she confessed. "Even before I knew you liked slasher films."

Nicole raised her right hand and traced the line of his cheekbone. He turned his head and kissed her palm, sending a jolt of heat up her arm.

"Come back to my place," he said, his voice raw with a need that echoed her own. "Have a drink, look at my etchings...I don’t care, as long as we get to do more of
this
."

Gabriel kissed her, hard, and nipped her lower lip with sharp teeth.

Her wolf liked that. Nicole did, too, as she imagined what else he might to do her with his teeth.

Desire was overriding her usual reluctance to be alone with a man, to put herself in someone else's power.

She reminded herself that she was a
werewolf
. And Gabriel was just an ordinary man. She shouldn't be afraid to have sex with him.

She couldn't let her past bad experiences ruin the rest of her life.

"Yes," she said, and grinned at him to hide her sudden nerves. "Can we take your car?"

Chapter 6 – Post Traumatic

On the ride back to Gabriel's place, doubts—and nerves—started undermining the pure, hot desire Nicole had felt when Gabriel kissed her.

She tried to ignore the sick feeling gathering in her stomach and concentrated on the pure joy of sitting in a car worth over a million dollars, being driven by the most attractive man she had ever met. The growl of the engine vibrated through her bones, thrilling and scary at the same time.

Like the man sitting next to her.

Nicole drew in a deep breath, smelling the new, intoxicating component added to Gabriel's usual appealing scent. He wanted her. Badly.

Which meant she couldn't chicken out now.

Fuck you
,
Erik
, she thought fiercely.

"Is everything okay?" asked Gabriel, apparently sensing her sudden tension.

"Fine," Nicole said automatically. She added, "Just a little nervous, I guess."

He gave her sidelong glance, and she noticed how long his lashes were. God, he was gorgeous!

"I want you to be comfortable with me, Nicole. We don’t have to rush anything if you're not ready." He paused. "I have an espresso machine in my loft. If you like, I'll make you a cappuccino, we'll talk a bit, and then I'll drive you back to your car."

"Thank you," she said, gratefully, and immediately berated herself for being a coward.

Ten minutes ago, she'd been ready to tear his clothes off in the middle of a parking lot. And now she was ready to settle for coffee and conversation?

No, no, no. I'm not going to let you fuck this up, too, Erik.

"Can we go slow? I love how you made me feel when you kissed me, and I want more. I just—" she swallowed hard. "Might not be ready to go much further tonight."

"Take as much time as you need," Gabriel said, his voice low, warm. It slid around her senses like hot butter. "I don't mind waiting, because I know when you're ready, we'll be spectacular together."

Relief coursed through her, mingled with guilt. Gabriel was a good guy. And he deserved better than a messed up...werewolf.

A fresh wave of nerves rose inside her.

Oh God, what if something happened, and he found out?

Gabriel slowed the car and turned into a short driveway. He hit a remote, waited for a steel door to rise, then drove into the ground floor of an old garment factory.

This must be the loft he had mentioned. It was only a block away from a wide, palm-lined promenade that led past old wharfs now housing trendy nightclubs, restaurants, and shopping centers.

Gabriel parked the Lamborghini, and Nicole left the embrace of its molded leather seats with some regret.

She looked around the vast, empty space of the old factory floor and spotted Rafe's motorcycle parked some distance away as well as Gabriel's Tesla sedan and an old, lovingly maintained Mercedes convertible.

There were a number of other cars parked here, ranging from a large, beautifully restored vehicle with the running boards and sleek curved panels of the 1930s to the clean, ultra-modern lines of a BMW sedan.

One partly disassembled sports car was raised on a lift in one corner of the building, which had been outfitted as a repair station. Nicole saw a large workbench, rows of gleaming wrenches and other tools hanging in neat rows along the wall, and a number of cabinets.

"That's Rafe's little hobby-land, though he hasn't had much time for it lately. He likes buying old cars off Craigslist and restoring them for sale to collectors," said Gabriel, coming up next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders.

She relaxed into his touch.
Safe
. Why did he make her feel so safe?

He pointed the voluptuous, dark red classic car parked next to his Tesla. "That's a 1938 Talbot-Lago. It's extremely rare, and it belongs to Michael. Rafe restored it and gave it to him as a birthday present."

"That's a hell of a cool birthday gift," Nicole said, looking at the car in awe. "Wait—your brothers live in this building, too?"

"Yes. We've always been a close-knit family, and when we heard that this factory had been converted to lofts, one loft per floor, we figured it would be perfect—lots of privacy, but easy for us to hang out together. Rafe has a truly amazing home theater—we all get together at his place during hockey season to watch the games."

Gabriel steered her towards an elevator along one of the far walls.

As they passed the large, gunmetal-gray BMW sedan, Nicole saw an old, battered white Toyota Corolla parked next to it.

She smiled at how out-of-place the sturdy little car looked here among the collection of luxury cars and classics.

Plus, it was reassuring to see that someone in these parts was driving a car older than hers.

Gabriel shook his head ruefully as they walked by the Toyota.

"I don't think Katie will ever get rid of that car. She loves it like a pet."

"Who's Katie?" asked Nicole, hoping it wasn't an ex-girlfriend.

"She's one of our neighbors. She's engaged to Andras, who's a cousin of ours. Katie and Andras live on the top floor—he's an investment banker and works at one of the venture capital firms that got Archangel off the ground."

They entered the elevator, and keeping his arm around her, Gabriel punched the button for the third floor.

Then he began brushing butterfly-light kisses along the outside of Nicole's ear, sending a delightful shiver down her neck and spine, straight to her groin.

Becoming a werewolf had heightened all of Nicole's senses—hearing, taste, smell, sight, sound, and touch. She was inhumanly strong and fast now, but her skin was also much more sensitive to pain...and to pleasure.

Gabriel seemed to understand this instinctively, keeping his caresses light and teasing, raising the temperature inside the elevator until Nicole's wolf stirred and took action.

Nicole frantically fought for control, but not before she had pinned Gabriel to the wall of the elevator. She kissed him hungrily, her mouth devouring his lips before moving down over the strong pulse at his throat. At the same time, she ground her hips shamelessly against his hard erection.

He groaned, his hands sliding over her back and hips, pulling her closer.

And then the elevator dinged and came to a halt. The door opened, and Nicole pushed away from Gabriel, stumbling a little on shaky legs.

For an instant, she wondered if she should apologize for attacking him like that, but remembered he had apparently been enjoying the experience.

She found herself in a long hallway with only two doors. One was labeled "Fire Escape," and the other was painted a cheerful red, with a gold "320."

She felt Gabriel's hand come to rest on the small of her back, enticing and comforting at the same time.

"Home sweet home," he said, sounding a little breathless. "Though that was the best elevator ride I've had in a long time."

Nicole laughed despite the renewed attack of nerves that accompanied the sound of his key in the door. "Why 320?" she asked.

"Why not? It's not like the Post Office cares. Rafe decided his loft was 221b." He shrugged and, opening the door, drew her inside.

She followed him into a vast, windowed space with hardwood floors and lots of colorful rugs...and books everywhere, crammed into dozens of bookshelves that lined every wall that wasn't a window and piled in messy stacks around the perimeter of the room.

Magazines lay scattered over a large dining table and the wide, low coffee table that stood in front of an enormous sectional sofa that looked like it could seat a dozen people.

Oddly for a bachelor pad, Gabriel did not appear to own a TV. There was a stereo system tucked between two overstuffed bookshelves, and speakers mounted around the room, but no video equipment of any kind.

Well, maybe he didn't feel the need, if Rafe's home theater was all that.

Despite the cheerful disorder, the loft looked spotlessly clean. The dark granite countertops in the open kitchen gleamed, and no smudges marred the front of the stainless steel appliances.

"Would you like some coffee?" Gabriel asked softly.

Nicole shook her head. His hand was on her hip, making it easy—and yet so difficult—to turn to face him.

She looked at his handsome, sensual face and felt hot desire warring with the cold pulses of sensation that traveled up her arm from the hidden string bracelet.

Erik had been able to make sex hurt worse than anything she had ever experienced before or since. She wanted Gabriel so badly and thought sex with him would be very good—but she still felt sick with apprehension and remembered terror.

What if Erik had managed to mess her up permanently? Nicole hadn't had sex since she managed to escape from Erik. Until now, she hadn't wanted to.

But Gabriel made her feel deliciously urgent things that she had almost forgotten during her long drought.

Just being touched and kissed by him made her feel whole again. What would actually sleeping with him be like?

Gabriel's dark eyes smoldered.

"In that case, can I get you to kiss me again like you did in the elevator?" he whispered.

He moved to the decadent couch and sat on it in an inviting pose, his arms spread wide along the back.

Nicole kicked off her shoes and followed him warily. She wanted him. Oh God, how she wanted him!

But things were about to get real, and she was about to discover whether Gabriel had meant what he said about taking things slow or whether he was going to try to pin her down and—

The bracelet pulsed again, sending a wave of bad memories through her. She gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the sensation.
No. You don't get to control me, not any more.

"Hey, you know what would make me the happiest man on earth right now?" Gabriel said softly.

Startled, Nicole looked at him, at the mischievous expression that contrasted with the erection pushing at the front of his pants.

"What?" she asked warily.

"If you sat on my lap and did whatever you wanted to me." He wriggled his fingers. "Would it help if I promised not to move my hands?"

She stared at him. How did he know that she was worried about being pinned, held down?

Then, deliberately, she hiked up the hem of her cocktail dress and straddled his lap. His leg muscles were rock-hard against the insides of her thighs, and she liked the way it felt.

"I actually fantasized about doing this while we were having dinner," she told him, and he laughed.

"Great minds think alike?" he said, just before she took his face in her hands and kissed him.

True to his promise, he submitted to her, returning her kiss with enthusiasm, letting their tongues engage in an urgent, thrusting dance of courtship. When she finally moved away from his mouth, they were both panting.

She placed tiny kisses along the strong line of his jaw, reveling in his spicy scent, and he tilted his head back, eyes closed, baring his throat in a silent plea.

Her teeth ached with her wolf's desire to mark him, to show the world that he was
hers
, but Nicole stopped herself from doing more than nibbling with her lips and tracing the line of his pulse with her tongue.

With shaking fingers, she reached to loosen his tie and unbutton his shirt. She slid the tie over his head, undid one shirt button, and stopped, waiting for permission to continue.

He opened his eyes. "Don't stop now," he said hoarsely.

She fumbled open the rest of his shirt buttons with desperate haste.

Gabriel's chest and torso were beautiful, hard with sculpted muscle, his pectorals lightly dusted with black hair that narrowed to a thin line down his belly before disappearing into his pants.

He was so very responsive to her touch. She liked how his breath caught when she brushed one of his cinnamon-colored nipples with edge of one manicured nail.

It tightened to a hard point as she played with it, and Gabriel squirmed, panting.

His movements brought the hard ridge of his erection against her soaked panties. A sharp jolt of pleasure wrung a gasp from her.

Experimentally, she rolled her hips, rubbing herself shamelessly against him.

It felt good, so
very
good...

"Nicole," Gabriel groaned, after a few pleasurable moments. "Stop...
please
. Or I'm going to come."

With an effort, she stopped moving her hips. God, he looked so sexy like that, with his hair tousled and his shirt open and his expression desperately hungry.

"Don't you want to come?" She moved her hands lower, toying with his belt buckle.

Nicole wanted see all of him now.

Wanted to wrap her fingers around his hard cock.

Wanted to see if she could make him lose control.

Wanted to see him lost in the throes of pleasure that
she'd
given him.