Authors: AJ Hampton
“
You left when I came, he should have told me. Why didn
’
t he tell me?
”
she whispered through the tears.
He crossed into her bedroom, set her on the bed and stepped away before he did something stupid. Li
ke licking the moisture from her che
e
ks, laying her back and sliding slowly inside her as he had in that fucking shower.
“
He never told you because he was ashamed of me.
”
Not waiting for a response, not wanting one, he turned and stalked from the room.
He
headed straight to the front door
, taking two stairs at time in his quest to get there quicker. O
nly pussies ran. Peter cros
sed the several feet to the door
,
each step a jab of needles. All the while, he
told
himself fast walking wasn
’
t a run if you
’
re feet never left the ground.
Coward.
The cold was a welcome relief against
Eva
’
s hot tears wetting his
skin
and he drew breath after breath of icy air
. He pressed back against the closed door to the house
, the wood freeze
-
burning exposed flesh
. Puffs of breath streamed from his mouth and nose. What was wrong with him? He flexed his fingers, felt claws straining for freedom. His skin itched, the tickle of fur just under the dermis an annoyance
, one he wasn
’
t giving in
to
.
Take her
, the leopard demanded.
Now
.
“
We are not going back in there
.
”
He
paced back and forth in front of the
arched-stone garage
for thirty minutes before
a
battered pickup pulled into the driveway.
Beside David, Becca sat in the passenger seat. Peter stood still and then straightened.
The leopard
s
got out of the truck, cast
their
gaze
s
toward the ground and
joined him.
“
Becca, go inside and make sure Eva stays in bed. If she needs anything, take care of it,
”
Peter said without preamble.
The teen looked up, quickly lowered her gaze.
“
Yes, Alpha.
”
And then, she was gone.
Wind gusted, tearing at his skin, and the first flakes of snow swirled down. The moment the ice hit his skin, it melted. Addressing David, he said,
“
I need you to shadow Eva. She goes nowhere without you.
”
The blond
lifted his head, confusion clear in his
blue
eyes.
He scooped a hand through his short strands, shook off the gathering snow.
“
Me?
”
“
Yeah, you. I didn
’
t stutter.
”
A blush crept over
his
face,
colored his pale skin. Peter knew the shade
wasn
’
t from embarrassment.
Th
e first
bitter
tides of anger
dulled the scents of winter,
and
he smiled
.
“
W
hoever killed Greg has his eye o
n Eva. She isn
’
t safe.
”
“
James…
”
David suggested.
Peter
shook his
head, cut the leopard off mid
-
sentence.
“
The old man wants to fuck her. Half this God damned town
wants to sink their
dicks
into her.
”
The knot of David
’
s Adam apple bobbed.
“
What makes you think I don
’
t want to…screw her?
”
Rage struck fast. He grabbed David
’
s lightweight flannel shirt, fisted the fabric and pulled the other man up until they were nose to nose.
“
First, don
’
t talk about screwing my mate.
Second, you
’
re batting for the wrong team
. It was bullshit what you pulled out there tonight, jumping in during a cha
llenge, but I get it. You wanted to protect Mark.
You
’
re a strong fighter and you
’
ve got balls of steel, I admire that
, but don
’
t do it again
. Now, are you going to
follow
your Alpha
’
s orders or do I need to kick your ass again?
”
Peter set him slowly back to the ground.
“
No one knows
I
’
m gay,
”
David said quietly, fists balled at his side
, ready to fight
.
“
I don
’
t give a flying
fuck either way. Do
what you want as long as you keep Eva safe. If one hair on her head is harmed, I
’
ll skin you alive
and wear your leopard pelt as a coat
.
Got me?
”
David nodded.
“
Yes,
Alpha
.
”
He pushed him away.
“
J
ust keep her safe. I
’
ll be close by. She goes nowhere without you. Understand?
”
“
Yeah, I got it. But
what do I tell her?
”
“
Tell her I told you to
.
I
’
ll deal with her.
”
David chuckled, and Peter narrowed his eyes.
The laughter cut off abruptly as if
controlled by
a switch.
“
What
’
s so funny?
”
“
You don
’
t know Eva very well.
”
“
Oh, f
uck off,
”
Peter growled,
kicked off his jeans and shifted.
Chapter Ten
The bright beams on Eva
’
s truck swept through
the swirling snow and spotlighted the one man she couldn
’
t wait to get her hands on
—
so she could maim him. Unsheltered from the elements, Peter stood with his back pressed against the two-car garage. Casual. Relaxed. As if he had every right to show up at her house uninvited.
Fury built inside of her, the imminent explosion of rage leaving her shaky and on edge. She
’
d had three
long
days to think. To stew. To imagine every way possible she could kill Peter Marx and whether she
’
d get away with it. How dare the jerk sweep into her life, turn it upside down, and then ignore her?
She stared at the object of her ire, his thin, black flannel shirt stretch
ed
tight over his shoulders and biceps. In the shine of the truck
’
s lights, his eyes gleamed with some emotion she couldn
’
t quite pin down. Lust or menace. Most likely menace considering the state of Grady
’
s face she
’
d seen yesterday when he
’
d tracked her down at her clinic.
When the truck stopped, Peter pushed from the wall and stalked forward. Muscles shifted and bulged, his cotton shirt doing nothing to hide he was a well-primed male. Her suddenly damp hands itched to run up his chest and curve over his broad shoulders. No. Her hands longed to close around his throat so she could strangle him.
The truck was barely in park, the engine off, before she threw open the door and descended into the cold, dark night. No way was he getting the upper hand. She
’
d had days to plan her argument, to phrase and rephrase all the things she needed to say. As hard as she could, she shoved the door closed. The resounding thud did nothing to appease her wrath.
“
You fucking asshole.
”
Not what she
’
d planned to say, but the words were worth it to see the crack in his composure, the falter in his cocky swagger.
She met Peter in the middle of the driveway. Standing toe to toe with him, she looked up with a glare she
’
d had seventy-two hours to perfect. Wind gusted, blowing strands of hair in her face she didn
’
t even bother to push away. He opened his mouth, but she stepped closer and spoke over him.
“
I told you to leave Grady alone. Did you listen? No. You broke his nose.
”
Her fists clenched at the memory of Grady
’
s handsome features marred by his red, swollen nose and the dark bruise on his right eye.
From there, her perfectly prepared speech flew straight to hell. She pushed against his chest, sent him back a half a step.
“
What gives you the right to come into my life, my town and beat up my friends?
”
Shove. Another half step.
“
If that wasn
’
t enough, you assigned me a fucking babysitter. Do I look like some defenseless teenaged girl to you? And now, here you are at my house after three days of avoiding me!
”
Peter
’
s jaw clenched. He took
a
single step forward, closing the gap between them. He towered over her, his every word coming with an angry cloud of moisture.
“
Your life. Your town. Your
friends
. That
’
s real fucking rich, Eva. You could
n
’
t
give a shit about any of these people! They don
’
t know you any better than you know them. Greg kept you isolated, his own personal treasure. And, your asshole cop is lucky I didn
’
t rip out his throat. The only reason I didn
’
t kill him was because I didn
’
t want to hear you complain about it.
”
She lifted her chin and let the red-hot rage warm her blood. She didn
’
t care if his words held truth o
r
not, or how hard they were to hear out loud.
“
I
’
ll give you something to complain about. Grady didn
’
t mean to hit me. He apologized. I accepted. End of story.
”
“
Is that so?
”
Murder darkened Peter
’
s eyes. He stepped forward, forcing her to stay on her toes and bring their bodies flush, or retreat. She stepped back. When he spoke again, it was through gritted teeth.
“
Did you kiss and make up?
”
Another step back. Damn it. A sneer twisted his mouth.
“
Did you let him push up your skirt and fuck you like you let me in your truck? Did you scream and beg for it?
”
Her mouth dropped open. The balled hand she had ready would have connected with his cheek if he hadn
’
t anticipated the move. In one seamless move, he caught her wrist mid
-
swing, wrapped her arm behind her back, and wrenched her tight against his chest. A low grumbling noise vibrated through the night. His cock, hard and long, dug into her stomach. A shiver coursed through her, the anticipation of what he offered tightened things low in her body whether she wanted
it
to or not.
“
I think you
’
re forgetting who
’
s in charge. Who you belong to.
”
She pushed at his chest with her hand.
“
It sure as hell isn
’
t you,
”
she spat, shoved harder at the wall of muscle trapping her.
“
Let. Me. Go.
”
He grabbed the back of her neck with his free hand, held her firm as if she were some unruly kitten. Paralyzed, she could do nothing but stare up at the harsh lines of his handsome face. Lust struck hard and fast, an unwanted response to his dominance. She arched against him ever so slightly, an involuntary reaction
,
she told herself. His mouth lowered, hovered over hers, the heat from his breath thawing her trembling lips.
“
I
’
ll say when I go and when I stay.
”
He slammed his mouth to hers cruelly, its force drawing her mouth open. She tasted blood where his canines nicked her lip. Peter gave her no choice to retreat, no chance to do anything except accept his brutal kiss.
She pushed her fingers through his hair, gripped him close and slid her tongue against his, took back as much control as he
’
d let slip free. He tasted of whiskey and mint. He smelled like winter and man. A slight angling of their heads deepened the kiss and had Peter shoving his hand between her legs.
Just where she wanted him, distracted by sex. Pulling back, she scraped her teeth across
h
is lower lip, sucked. He groaned. Then she bit down as hard she could. His blood stung her tongue,
the taste
almost as satisfying as the sound he made.
He let go of her immediately and stepped back. Fingers pressed against his bleeding lip, he dabbed. In the darkness, his blood looked black. She moved out from between the wall of his chest and the truck.
Her heart beat wildly, the ferocious noise too loud in the silence. One look at his face told her she
’
d miscalculated. She
’
d wanted his anger, payback for how easily he manipulated her body. Lust shone in his eyes. Roused and ready to conquer, the animal within took control.
Wary, she backed toward the front door, carefully placing one boot behind the other. If she went down, it was all over. He
’
d have her pants torn, her bare ass on the cold snow, and his cock driving into her before she could blink.
“
That
’
s twice you
’
ve made me bleed, Eva.
”
There was a distinct, animalistic growl to his voice.
She lifted her chin.
“
Now we
’
re even.
”
“
Not even close,
”
he purred, stepping forward to chase, anticipation dancing in his eyes.
Three feet from the entrance, she stalled, her front door opening unexpectedly. The sound both startled and welcomed her. James. She
’
d forgotten she
’
d agreed to meet with him tonight to go over some documents he
’
d insisted she needed to sign. Turning, she pressed her back against the wall so she could keep both men in sight.
“
Eva, you all right?
”
James asked, leaned a stocky shoulder against the door jam
b
.
Peter snarled, and for a moment, she wondered if he
’
d shift forms while clothed.
“
What the fuck is he doing inside your house?
”
One more foot to go, she scooted sideways. She glanced between James and Peter. The heavy currents of testosterone stopped her in her tracks. Gripping panic knotted her stomach, the anxiety making her sweat despite the cold. Left on their own, the two leopards would tear each other apart. The expression on her uncle
’
s face, dark and unpleasant, matched Peter
’
s.
“
I invited him here,
”
she said with only the slightest waver.
In the blink of an eye Peter was in front of her, hand pressed against the wall next to her head. He leaned in close, exposed his canines. Damn, why did he have to be so sexy?
“
He has a key,
”
he demanded, less a question and more a statement of the obvious.
She swallowed.
“
The entire Pard has a key. This is, was, the Alpha
’
s house, a safe haven for anyone who needed it.
”
Peter leaned close, wrapped his hand around the thin scarf protecting her neck, and squeezed. His silent warning, a reminder of her how fragile she was. He stared into her eyes.
“
Do you have any sense of self
-
preservation? Someone murdered Greg, is after you, and half the God damn town has a key to your house.
”
“
Hey,
”
James growled, stepped from the threshold and into the now heavily falling snow. Another blizzard. Another cold, Alaskan night.
“
Stay out of this,
”
Peter hissed to James.
“
You can consider whatever
‘
date
’
you two had planned for this evening cancelled. Leave.
”
The anger she
’
d nursed rekindled and snapped.
“
He doesn
’
t have to go anywhere. This is my house.
”
“
Actually, it
’
s
my
house. Greg was
my
father. I
’
m his rightful heir. I checked, and darlin
’
, he never legally adopted you. In fact, you have no birth certificate, no social security number. The only place you exist is in this shit
hole of a town.
”
She got into his face, words flying unbidden.
“
I existed to Greg.
”
Staring into his eyes, she let the second part of her sentence hang between them. She existed to Greg. Peter
ha
dn
’
t.
Silence descended. Peter
’
s nostrils flared, and beside her head where he rested his hand, claws scraped the chunky gr
a
y stone. A cold expression darkened his eyes, cut her to the bone.
She turned to James and didn
’
t bother to smile. He wouldn
’
t have noticed anyway. Her uncle stared at Peter. Peter stared at her. She, well, she just wanted everything to stop. As if popped with a knife, her anger deflated, left her flat and empty. Suddenly exhausted, Eva doubted she
’
d have energy to eat let alone undress before falling face
-
first into bed.
“
You know what, James, maybe it is better if you go home. I
’
ll come by
Lost Isle
in the morning. Peter is leaving and I
’
m going to sleep.
”