Chapter Eleven

By the weekend, Reid was slowly losing his mind. He was cohabitating with a woman he was certain was meant to be his mate, and they had spent six days skirting around each other. It was unnatural, and he wasn’t sure how much more of it he could take.

He had intentionally not even kissed her. Even though he knew Nolan had kissed her, he hadn’t taken advantage of the opportunity yet. Yet being the operative word.

It was a two-sided problem. For one, if he closed the distance between them and let his mouth settle over hers, he didn’t think he would have the willpower to stop at just a kiss. But more importantly, he was afraid after he let his mouth touch hers, his level of arousal in her presence would shoot up sky high and put him in a worse predicament than he was already in.

He knew Adriana was walking on the same eggshells. Half the time she even looked a little frustrated with him, as if she would prefer he make a move. Maybe to save her from having to do it.

They were sitting at the kitchen table eating the amazing enchiladas she’d cooked when she suddenly wiped her lips with her napkin, pushed her plate away, and set her elbows on the table. Shit.

“This thing isn’t as powerful for you.”

He flinched. What was she talking about? “What do you mean?”

“I mean your unbelievable willpower leads me to believe you aren’t as interested in me.”

He dropped his fork, not intentionally. It clattered to the plate. “Are you insinuating I’m not as attracted to you as Nolan is? Or not as attracted to you as you are to me?”

“Me. I’m talking about me. I can’t judge Nolan. I’ve only met him once, and it was like ten years ago at this rate. This has been the longest week of my life.”

“You and me both.” He reached across the table to grab her hand and held it between them. “You’re wrong. I’m dying a slow death.”

She lifted a brow. “Really?” The word was laced with sarcasm. She jerked her hand free and pushed from the table to pace back and forth in front of the sliding glass doors, the darkness of night behind her. “You drive me to school. You wait outside my classes like a stalker. You sit with me in the evenings while I study or watch TV. And then you make a hasty retreat to your bedroom. It looks so easy.”

“Easy?” His voice rose. “You think it looks easy?” He scooted his chair back, but he didn’t stand. He was afraid of how he might react if he approached her.

She made a deep frustrated sound that came from her chest and turned to face the window. “I can’t take it anymore.”

“Take what?” He stood slowly, knowing it was a mistake.

“The stress. The pressure. The scent of you all over this condo. The constant consuming need to touch you.” She set her forehead on the glass and moaned. “I have to get out of here before I lose my mind, Reid. The only relief I get is while I’m in class, and it’s only marginal then because I can still scent you in the hallway.”

“And you think it’s not the same for me?” His voice rose. He hoped he didn’t sound angry, but he wanted there to be no doubt he agreed with her. He felt every bit as intensely as she did.

She shook her head against the window. “No. I don’t.”

He took two long steps toward her back, and then he plastered her body between his front and the window before he could stop himself. He grabbed her hands, threaded his fingers between hers, and lifted them up to flatten them on the glass above her head.

She sucked in a sharp breath.

His cock had been stiff for days, even when he was sleeping, even right after he masturbated in the bed or the shower, even when she was in class. But now…pressed against the small of her back, it was about to explode.

He lowered his face to bury it in her thick hair, inhaling her shampoo. He’d smelled the faint vanilla scent all week and kept himself from getting high on it. However, at her inference, his control snapped. He nudged her hair out of the way and set his lips on her ear.

She shuddered, a small moan escaping her lips. Good. He could smell her arousal. It was the same thing he’d scented all week, but stronger. Not because he was closer, but because she was more aroused.

He teased her earlobe with tiny touches of his tongue before biting down on it gently and then releasing it. “I’ve never been so fucking turned on in my life. One minute with you sends my arousal higher than all other sexual encounters I’ve had combined. And that’s without touching you.”

She whimpered, tugging her hands slightly. But he didn’t release her. He wasn’t about to release her. He’d snapped completely now. She’d challenged him, and he was going to give her what she wanted. She would not doubt his attraction to her again.

He kept talking even though her body went limp and he had to hold her up with his torso against her. “I can’t sleep. I can’t think. It’s hard to swallow. I’ve jacked off in the shower twice a day since Sunday. I lie in bed flipping around because you’re across the hallway and not in my bed.”

She opened her mouth, but he stopped her.

“No. Listen to me. Don’t talk now. When your shower runs, my damn vision blurs knowing you’re naked in that hall bathroom and I’ve never seen your sexy body. When you lick your lips or bite that bottom one or purse them or even talk, I’m mesmerized. When you stand in my kitchen in your bare feet cooking, it’s all I can do to keep from swiping the food onto the floor and flattening you on the island.”

Another whimper. And her pussy was so wet. He didn’t need to touch it to know. He could smell it.

“I want to strip every inch of clothing off you, spread you open, and taste that sweet cream always dripping from your pussy. It’s like a drug. And I’m an addict.” He took a deep breath. “So no. You’re wrong. I’m far more attracted to you than you can imagine. I’ve been exerting a level of self-control I didn’t know I had. But I’m kinda done. Now I need your lips on mine.”

She started to turn around, but he held her firmly, his chest pressing hers against the window. He could see her hooded expression in the glass. She was aroused like a woman in the throes of passion who was about to come.

Several deep breaths. He needed some semblance of control, or he would go too far.

She twisted again. This time he let her, releasing her hands so she could wiggle around against his body. And then his cock was lodged against her belly, and her hands were on his hips. Her eyes were dilated. Her mouth open.

He cupped her face, angled her head slightly to one side, and claimed her mouth in the way he’d dreamed of for six days. He didn’t ease into the kiss. He took. He licked the seam of her lips to demand entrance, and she readily gave it up for him. If he thought her pheromones all over his house were bad, nothing compared to tasting her. His cock throbbed at the idea of tasting her all down her body. He would probably die if he had the chance to lick her clit or drive his tongue into her pussy.

He wouldn’t do anything like that. Not tonight. Not in the near future. Possibly never. But he wanted to be absolutely sure she knew how much he burned for her. After tonight, there would be no doubt.

As he kissed her, he knew he wanted one more piece of her. He wanted to feel her softness beneath his palms. When her hands flattened on his back and smoothed upward until she wrapped them around his neck, he released her face to trail his own hands down her sides.

The moment he cupped her breasts, she moaned into his mouth. And then she shocked him by sucking his tongue. He wasted no time grazing his thumbs over her nipples, feeling the hardness of those peaks through her thin shirt and bra. One of the many damnably sexy shirts she’d worn all week that fit her perfectly and showed off her assets because she’d designed them herself and had an eye for what was attractive on every fucking body type. Today’s selection was a dark brown blouse that had forced his attention to her breasts several times.

She rose onto her tiptoes, her mouth no longer actively participating in the kiss.

Yes. Damn. Yes.

To drive his point home—though he had no idea what he thought he needed to prove to her—he pinched her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

She gasped into his mouth and broke the kiss, panting, writhing in his hold.

He slowly released the pinch, smoothing his hands away from her breasts to hold her upright at her sides.

She lowered her forehead to his chest, her eyes closed. Hiding?

He set his chin on her head and breathed deeply for a long time, trying to catch his breath from the hottest sexual encounter of his life. No clothes were removed. No groping below the waist. No sex at all. And yet, he’d never been more turned on with any woman.

Yeah, this had probably been a mistake because it would hurt that much worse when Nolan came out of hiding and claimed her. Reid had no idea why Fate was torturing him like this. She was a cruel bitch. But he also knew in his heart this was a fight he would not win.

He would not even attempt to win.

She was his. No doubt about it. In the absence of another person also claiming her, he would have bound to her last Sunday before darkness descended. But the Universe had something else in mind. He only hoped he would one day understand Her freaky reasons.

»»•««

Adriana couldn’t breathe. No matter how many times she inhaled, it didn’t seem like enough oxygen filled her lungs. She also couldn’t face Reid’s gaze. It would destroy her resolve.

It would destroy her.

She shouldn’t have taunted him. What was she thinking? Had she truly been concerned about how much he felt for her? More likely she’d simply needled him into taking things to the next level because that’s what she wanted. Perhaps she’d subconsciously absolved herself of any guilt by forcing him to take the next step so she didn’t have to.

She got what she asked for. And then some.

For as horny as she’d been since moving into Reid’s condo, she’d had no idea how much worse it would be if they kissed. How was she going to manage now? Tonight? Tomorrow? She grabbed his T-shirt in her fists and wadded the material against his abs. Half of her wanted to pound into him with those fists. Damn him for making her feel so much more. The other half wanted to hold him more firmly against her so he would never let her go.

His hands worked their way up her back until they fisted in her hair in a similar fashion to how she fisted his shirt. Did he have the same thoughts? Hopefully, he didn’t want to punch her, though she couldn’t blame him if he did. Gradually, his hands flattened, tangled in her hair but holding her tight. “You gonna doubt me again?”

“No.” She shook her head against his chest, loving the feel of his rock-hard pecs against her cheeks. Strength. Protection. The very things she fought against. “I’m sorry.”

He chuckled. Thank God. “I’m not.”

She lifted her face. She couldn’t hide forever. She knew a flush covered her cheeks. She was embarrassed about her outburst and the way she’d completely lost all her faculties in his arms. She forced a smile. No, it came naturally.

His fingers, threaded in her hair, gave a tug, forcing her head to tip back more. “Woman…”

She grinned wider.

And then his phone rang.

It was on the kitchen table, but the ringtone was the one he’d set for Stanton. They both froze for a moment, and then Reid let go of her and spun around to take the call.

Adriana lurched forward too, grabbing the back of a kitchen chair to brace herself.

Reid didn’t even lift the phone. He simply tapped the screen and put Stanton on speaker. “Stanton?”

“Good. I caught you. Is Adriana with you?” He sounded winded. Out of breath. Scared…

“She’s right here. We’re on speaker.” Thank God Reid didn’t take the call in private and try to hide anything from her. She would have killed him.

“Nolan’s been compromised. He reached out to me telepathically. He’s on the run, and he left his phone behind.”

Adriana froze. Her body tightened with fear. Oh God. Please God. Don’t let this be happening.

“What happened?” Reid asked.

“He was in his hotel room when three men approached his door. He scented them and grew concerned when they didn’t keep moving down the hall. When he looked out the peephole, he knew they were after him. They looked like thugs. One of them was holding a keycard. Nolan panicked.”

“Shit. Please tell me he got away.” Reid flattened his palms on the table and leaned in closer, his stress palpable in the room.

Adriana was silently freaking out as she waited for Stanton to continue.

“Lucky for him, he had already made a plan. His room was on the third floor. It was a smaller, out-of-the-way hotel somewhere. He didn’t tell me where. But there was a fire escape, and he immediately used it to get out of the building. Whoever was at the door obviously didn’t put anyone outside the hotel on the ground because Nolan evaded them and ran.”

“Fuck,” Reid shouted, lifting one hand to reach for Adriana and draw her closer.

She hadn’t realized how badly she’d been trembling until he tucked her into his side and literally held her upright with his arm around her waist.

“Where is he now?”

“On the run. He communicated all this to me as he grabbed a taxi. He wants you to pick him up.”

Reid pushed off the table at that declaration and looked down at Adriana.

No way in hell was she going to be left behind. She could read the panic in his eyes as he considered both his horrible options. He would never leave her unattended. But he also didn’t want to put her in harm’s way. And there was no time to make alternative plans.

“I’m going to text you the address. He’s going to have the taxi drop him off several blocks from his location.”

“Getting in the SUV now.” Reid released Adriana slowly, seeming to be unsure if she could stand on her own.

Maybe a moment or two ago he would have been right, but now her adrenaline had kicked into high gear. She raced across the room to grab their coats while Reid picked up the phone. She led the way down the stairs to the garage two steps at a time while Nolan continued to listen to Stanton.

The man’s next words made Adriana stop dead at the bottom of the stairs with her hand on the doorknob. “Reid, there’s something else.”

“What?”

“Nolan believes a shifter is involved.”

“Shit.”

“Yes. He’ll explain, but be careful.”

“You know I will.”

Adriana yanked the door open and rushed to the passenger side of the SUV while Reid climbed into the driver’s seat. Seconds later they were on the street driving too fast while the GPS barked out instructions.

She put her seatbelt on as they rounded the first corner and held on to the handle above the door with a firm grip, her other hand braced against the dash.

The woman in the GPS indicated they were ten minutes away from their destination. Thank God. Adriana wasn’t sure she could survive a long trip. Her nerves were shot as it was.

Friday night traffic in Calgary was dense. Every turn took too long. Every red light was excruciating.

“Where are we going?” Adriana asked. “This area doesn’t look safe.”

Reid nodded. “It’s intentional. I know exactly where we’re going.”

“How?”

“I’ve been there before.”

She shivered, not wanting to ask why. The answer would probably make her lose her dinner. She scanned the area closely as they approached, needing to see Nolan before she would truly believe he was safe. What if someone followed him?

Suddenly, Reid pulled over in front of an abandoned building with a large awning that protected a deep entry cove. He had barely come to a stop before disengaging the locks as Nolan rushed from the dark corner and yanked the back door open. In less than a heartbeat, he was in the car, and Reid was peeling away from the curb.

Adriana twisted in her seat to see him. This was only the second time they’d been in the same place in person. She drank him in. Other than the fact that his hair was a bit messy on top, from hand combing it most likely, he didn’t look like a crazed man on the run. He wore a brown leather jacket, jeans, and loafers.

Shockingly, he appeared far calmer than she felt. He reached over the seat and grabbed her shoulder. “Take a breath, babe. I’m fine.”

Adriana inhaled deeply. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath.

He smiled warmly and turned his attention toward Reid. “I figured you’d know exactly where I would be.”

Adriana glanced at Reid. He had known. “How?”

Reid nodded, his eyes on the road as he drove nearly too fast to get away from the area. “I hid a client there once for several hours. Nolan and I joked that we’d remember the spot if either of us were ever in a bind.”

There was nothing to joke about today, but she was certainly glad the two of them had had that conversation. It kept Nolan safe tonight.

“Is your grandpa’s cabin still habitable?” Nolan asked Reid.

Reid took the next right turn, leading away from the city. “I haven’t been there in a few weeks, but I assume it’s fine. Water and electric are still on.”

“At this point, water and electric would be a luxury. I’ll settle for walls and a roof.”

Reid chuckled. Chuckled. How could he find even a morsel of humor in this outing?

She turned to look at him, shaking. “I thought you were from Ottawa?”

He nodded again. “My parents moved there when I was a baby when my dad took a job there. Both of their parents were from this area of the country. None of my ancestors are living now, unfortunately, but my grandfather left me his cabin. I love having this little piece of him.”

It was unusual for shifters to die so young. “You’ve lost all four grandparents?” Three of hers were still living north of here.

“Yeah. My parents were older when they had me after years of infertility. I was a surprise.” He smiled. His memories were fond. She hoped she met his parents one day. She would if she bound herself to him. But if she didn’t… She wrapped her arms around her middle, the chill back.

Nolan squeezed her shoulder again. “You’re shaking. Come back here.”

She glanced at the road, wondering if that was a wise choice with Reid driving so fast.

Reid pulled over to the side of the street, surprising her. “Go on. Be quick.”

She unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed over the seat as ungracefully as humanly possible.

Nolan grabbed her waist to help her as she nearly fell into his lap. Apparently, that was his goal anyway because he angled her so that she indeed sat sideways across him and then nodded at Reid. “Keep driving.”

He cupped her face. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine.” Her voice was too high pitched. Shaky. “Men were after you. What if they’d broken into the room? What if you hadn’t been able to go out a window?”

“But I was, and I’m okay now.”

“Except people are still looking for you.” She couldn’t calm her voice. She leaned back a few inches to glance down at his body, half expecting to find him missing some parts.

He chuckled. “I didn’t lose a limb, babe. I’m in one piece.”

“For how long? This is too dangerous.”

He sobered. “It’s not ideal, and I hate that you’re mixed up in it, but the less chivalrous side of me has never been so glad to see anyone in my life.”

“You mean me, right?” Reid joked as he entered the highway heading west.

“Both of you.”

“So what’s the plan? You going to hide out at the cabin indefinitely?” Reid asked.

“No. But I’d like to let the authorities stew for a while before I contact them. I’d also like to know how the hell someone found me. I haven’t left the hotel room in five days. I even cracked the window a few times thinking I might need some air to counteract the carbon dioxide build up,” he teased, giving her a squeeze and a wink. “That’s how I found the fire escape and knew the window wasn’t painted shut. Thank God.”

“Your dad said there was a shifter involved,” Reid said.

Nolan sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest. “I’m sure of it. He wasn’t one of the three men standing at my door, but a shifter has been hanging around for two days. I have scented him in the hallway several times even though he always continued to walk by without stopping and didn’t seem to have a room on the same floor.”

“Did you make contact with him?”

“Hell, no. I blocked that son of a bitch.”

Adriana flinched at his outburst.

“Scenting an occasional shifter in downtown Calgary isn’t super uncommon, but they don’t usually stay in hotels for no good reason, and I’d bet my last dollar this one wasn’t a guest of the hotel.”

“You didn’t recognize the scent I take it.”

“Nope. Never smelled this man before.”

“So what’s the plan?” Reid asked.

“Hide out for a few days in the cabin and then use your phone to call the police and let them know I’m alive.”

“You still willing to trust the cops?” Reid asked.

“You see another alternative?”

Adriana wrapped her hand around Nolan’s and held on as if he were a life force while she let these two hash out the plan.

“We could stay at the cabin indefinitely until the trial gets closer. It’s certainly safer than the city. No one’s going to find you there. Hell, it’s so remote even I have trouble locating it, and it’s been in my family for fifty years. It’s a bitch to locate in the dark.”

Nolan rolled his eyes and winked at Adriana, making her stomach flutter. How could he be playful at a time like this? “Don’t even try to convince me of that shit. You could get there on foot blindfolded. I’ve even been with you when we arrived in grizzly form.”

“So we stay there,” Reid declared as if it was settled.

Nolan shook his head, his gaze penetrating her so deeply she licked her lips. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Can’t do that. Adriana has classes. You have a life.”

“You might have noticed I don’t have much of a life right now. It revolves around Adriana and now keeping your ass alive since it would seem the law enforcement in Calgary is incapable.”

“Hey,” Adriana quipped. “I resent that statement.” She leaned forward and reached with one hand to bop the side of Reid’s head.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t enjoying every moment of your company. I just meant I have no other place to be right now.”

“Awesome, but I have classes on Monday morning, and I need to get some homework done before then. I didn’t exactly grab my backpack on the way out the door. So, my hands are tied. I’ll need to return.” She decided to taunt him with her next sentence. “Feel free to stay with Nolan in the cabin though. I’ll be fine on my own. You two could probably use a bonding weekend.”

Reid laughed. “She’s so cute when she tries to be manipulative.”

Ignoring him, Adriana gave a little push against Nolan’s chest, needing to get off his lap and buckle into an actual seat. She tried to tell herself she was concerned about her safety, but the truth was, she was more concerned about her sanity if she remained sitting on Nolan’s lap. He enveloped her. His scent, his heartbeat, his breath, his touch, the firmness of his chest and arms. The erection pressing into her thigh.

Besides, she was frustrated with her botched efforts to remain in a state of fear and unease that was slowly being replaced by arousal and desire in this most inopportune moment. Who got horny ten seconds after rescuing someone from imminent danger?

The worst part of all was there was no way for her, as a shifter, to hide her arousal from either man. And Reid was liable to drive off the road at the way her body was reacting to his best friend’s presence.

“Sit still, Adriana,” Nolan whispered, gripping her hips. Did he have any other tone in his repertoire besides authoritative? In this case, she was even more frustrated because when he made demands like that, her nipples jumped to attention. What the hell was wrong with her? She wasn’t the sort of woman who liked to be bossed around. She’d made that perfectly clear on so many occasions. Except every time he made a demand, she reacted contrary to reason.

She even stopped moving when what she should have done was squirm even more until he agreed to release her into a seat of her own. But she liked being on his lap. She didn’t want to like it. It was making her uncomfortable in front of the man who’d plastered her against the sliding door in his condo less than an hour ago and chased her brain cells from her head with the most potent kiss of her life.

Not that she had a giant list of kisses to compare it to.

“Your mind is racing,” Nolan whispered in her ear, his lips so close he made her shiver.

“You make me unable to think,” she retorted.

“And you’re sure you could think better if I let you off my lap?”

She sighed. He was right. But her discomfort had more to do with the fact that Reid could see, hear, and smell every single detail. What kind of woman would let a man fondle her like this so soon after having her toes curled by another man? She’d lost her mind.

Other than a stiffness and slightly closed-off connection coming from Reid, he didn’t seem angry. Frustrated maybe, but not angry. Insanity.

The testosterone inside the SUV was potent and making it hard to breathe. She was literally growing faint. Or maybe that was from the crash after her adrenaline rush. Either way, she relaxed into Nolan’s grip and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. If he was going to insist on holding her all the way to the cabin, she didn’t feel the need to make it easier on him.

Resting her lips close to the crook of his neck would serve as a constant reminder of his need to bind to her. Right in the sweet spot. And she knew she was hitting it with every breath because the table turned and Nolan was the one squirming now.