Keri Arthur - Dangerous Games

"I'm not at the Cattle Club."

I swore internally. What was I going to do to get out of the date tonight? There was no way on this green earth I was going to go anywhere near the Hellion Club. I wasn't that damn dedicated to the job.

"I'm at the Hunter's Club," he added.

Curiosity stirred. The Hunter's Club was a fitness club, so what sort of exercise had people making choking noises? "Well, I can come along and watch all the pretty men exercise while I'm waiting for you."

"Or you could come along for a massage and spa treatment. On the house."

"So you don't want me watching all the pretty men?"

He laughed. "To be perfectly honest, no. Besides, watching men sweat will probably get boring after a while."

Not for a werewolf. I grinned. "What time do you want me there?"

"If you're coming for a treatment, how about in an hour? It takes a few hours to go through both."

"Are you going to be my masseuse?"

"You can bet on it, babe."

Anticipation thrummed through me, and suddenly it was all I could do to remember that this boy was bad, that he could be dangerous, and therefore had to be treated with caution. And that caution should be applied equally to the club, especially if those odd noises were anything to go by.

"I've gotta go home and change first, so I might be longer than an hour."

"I'll be here waiting," he said simply, and hung up.

I replaced the receiver and turned around to discover my teenage ogler had gained a couple of mates—all armed with phones. A wise werewolf would have been discreet and shifted shape but I couldn't see the harm in giving a few boys a cheap thrill.

A blue Ford pulled to a halt beside the phone booth and for a moment I thought my Hashing days were about to be cut to a sudden halt by the long arms of the law. Then the passenger door was Bung open and a rough voice said, "Get in."

And suddenly I understood Sal's earlier amusement. The voice belonged to Cole. Obviously, she didn't realize she was actually doing me a favor. Grin widening, I blew the boys a kiss then climbed into the car.

He took off before I was even buckled in. "Those boys are going to have wet dreams for the next fortnight."

"If it's only for a fortnight, I'll be most disappointed."

He chuckled softly, and I raised my eyebrows. "The shifter is amused, not annoyed?"

He glanced at me. Despite his amusement, wariness still held sway in his pale blue eyes. "Oh, I'm pissed off about having to rescue a damn wolf careless enough to lose her car and her clothes, but at least I'll get overtime."

"So I'm not going to get a lecture about wantonly flaunting myself in front of a couple of young males?"

"I was a teenage boy once myself, you know. Those kids are going to be heroes to their peers." He gaze swept down my body, lingering long enough on my breasts to send a warm flush through my system, then he looked back at the road. "There's a coat in the back if you're getting cold."

"I'm aroused, not cold."

"I know." He glanced at me. "I'm just being polite."

"Are all wolf-shifters as uptight as you?" I twisted around to grab the coat, making sure my breast brushed his arm as I did so.

His eyes narrowed slightly, but all he said was, "You want to punch your address into the nav-computer?"

"Before or after I cover up?"

"Before." He looked at me, amusement twitching lips that suddenly looked lush and kissablc. "I never said I wasn't enjoying the view."

"So there's hope for you yet?" I leaned forward and punched my address into the computer, aware all the while of his gaze lingering on my breasts. The shifter was a boob man, obviously. Just as well I wasn't built in the stick thin mode of most weres.

"There's always hope for me. But for you? Not a chance."

I grinned and leaned back, curving my back a little to show off my assets to full advantage. "Never challenge a werewolf, Cole. You'll always lose."

"In this, I think not."

"Game on, then."

He looked at me, clearly amused. "It takes more than a good set of breasts to get into my bed."

"So the challenge is to discover what else it takes? I think I'll enjoy that."

He shook his head and didn't reply. The rest of the trip was spent in silence. I didn't bother putting on the coat, just draped it over my lap and legs to keep them warm. The atmosphere in the car was pleasant, and yet filled with an underlying tension that was all arousal and desire. The shifter might not want to want me, but he did. While I took great delight in knowing that, I didn't push things. Cole obviously was going to be a long-term project—but one I had no doubt I could win over.

He pulled to a halt in front of my place, leaving the car running as he glanced up at the old warehouse building. "Looks as though you have plenty of room up there."

"We do. And big windows." And a great big bed you'd look good lounging naked on.

He met my gaze, the scent of his lust spiking sharply. "In which you undoubtedly flaunt yourself."

"And why not? The neighbors don't complain."

"No surprise there." He looked away. "I'll see you at work sometime."

"You will, shifter. I'll make sure of it."

He looked at me again, but didn't reply. I climbed out of the car and walked up to the steps, aware of his gaze following my naked butt and this time working it for all I was worth.

He roared off as I opened the door. I grinned to myself, anticipating the challenge he presented, and ran up the stairs to my apartment. The door was locked, but a hard punch in just the right spot soon fixed that. Neither Rhoan nor I could see the point of good quality locks when the door itself was thinner than cardboard and the old lady who owned the building refused to ante up for better ones.

Of course, locks didn't keep out vampires, either—a point made obvious when I spotted my handbag, cell phone, keys, and clothes sitting neatly on the coffee table. I had no doubt my car would be parked up the street somewhere. How nice of Quinn to return them all.

I had a quick shower to freshen up, then pulled on my gym gear and filled a bag with a couple of dresses, some toiletries and some makeup. I had no idea where Jin intended to go after my treatments, so it was better to cater to all eventualities.

I grabbed my purse and cell phone, then called a cab. Ten minutes, they said. Knowing from past experience that it was more likely to be twenty than ten, I headed for the kitchen to make a coffee. The doorbell rang before I could take two steps. I opened the door to find Cole standing on the other side, his hands in his pockets and looking more than a little put out.

"Don't tell me," I said, raising my eyebrows, "that you've decided to taste a little werewolf action after all?"

"Hell will freeze over first," he muttered. He thrust a hand through his thick silvery hair. "Jack just called. There's been another body discovered and he wants us both there."

The woman lay on her back, her arms and legs spread wide, like a starfish. She was naked, and there was an almost rapturous expression frozen onto her dead features. As if the manner of her death had aroused her to the point of fulfillment.

Just like the other women we'd found.

A shiver ran through me, but I wasn't entirely sure whether the cause was horror, or the odd chill in the air. A chill that spoke to an awareness deep within, one that suggested we were not alone in this warehouse.

That dead things abided here.

I rubbed my arms and let my gaze slide down the woman's white body. Like the other victims, she'd been opened up from neck to knee, and all her main internal organs removed. There should have been a lot of blood after a kill like this, but there wasn't—and in many ways that was far worse. Because it meant someone had drained her—drained her while they sliced her and removed her organs. Drained her while she lay there with that rapturous look on her face.