Katie Reus - His Untamed Desire

Neil’s eyes grew wide as his head snapped in Hector’s direction. When he made eye contact, he took a step back. “Shit. Sorry, man. I thought you were Leta’s brother.”

“I am.” Hector was surprised he’d managed to squeeze those two words out.

“Oh . . . I just assumed you guys were friends because of Leta. I didn’t know . . . Sorry, sorry,” he repeated as he backed away.

The only thing that made Hector feel a little bad for the guy was how red his face and ears had turned as he mumbled a good-bye and practically ran from the restaurant.

“Sorry about that,” Daphne murmured as she picked her sub back up. She said it so casually, as if this was an everyday occurrence and he figured it was. She probably got hit on all the time, something his jaguar didn’t like at all.

“You don’t have anything to apologize for.” Hector shrugged even though he felt anything but relaxed. He knew Daphne would be pursued by members of her pack and his human side understood why. She was gorgeous and at the prime age to mate. His animal side was just plain pissed that other males wanted her. And until—or if—they were mated, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

Once they finished their meal, he paid and they made their way to his Ducati. She’d been driving it all day and he had to admit it was hot watching her slide onto it. With Daphne’s long legs and lithe form, she looked so damn graceful.

A few blocks later she palmed the keys and swung them around her fingers once. “I feel like there was no losing that bet for me. I get to drive your ride and . . .” She trailed off and flushed, but he knew what she was thinking.

He leaned against her until she had to sit on the bike. Holding onto the handlebars, he embraced her with his body and didn’t stop until his lips lightly brushed against hers. “And?”

“And I had the best orgasm of my life,” she whispered.

Her words sent a jolt straight to his cock, which had been in a perpetual state of hell all day. Just being around her kept him aroused. The best orgasm? Hell, they were only just getting started. “Let’s get out of here,” he growled.

She nodded, her dark eyes glinting wickedly. He tried to tell himself that he’d show restraint tonight no matter what, but wondered if he was fooling himself. He’d never wanted a female so badly in his life. The need to mate and claim was almost overwhelming him.

Turning, she slid onto the bike and he got on behind her. His erection pressed up against her, but there was no helping that. Having Daphne in front of him like this brought up so many vivid and erotic fantasies. He’d love to take her from behind and sink his canines into her as they made love. The thought of bonding and mating with her didn’t scare him at all. The realization stunned him, but also soothed his inner jaguar.

After checking to make sure they were clear—Daphne was very careful with his bike—she pulled into traffic and zoomed away. She was a fast but aware driver, and as she zipped through traffic, he tightened his grip on her hips. He loved feeling her body against his in a way that floored him.

They were only two blocks from her home and the need and energy pulsing through him really made him wonder how the hell he’d be able to take things slow. They’d never talked about him staying over again, but he wanted to if she’d let him. And if she let him into her bed— Fuck!

Hector’s head snapped up at the sound of screeching tires. A black SUV had pulled in from the oncoming lane of traffic and was gunning right at them.

They were going to be hit head-on in two seconds. He tensed, wrapping his arms around Daphne and wishing he could completely protect her, but she violently swerved.

They made a hard right and slammed into the curb. The turn was too sharp and the bike caught on the edge, throwing them forward. He tried to hold on to her but the impact was too much. He flew through the air over the sidewalk and slammed into a tree before bouncing back onto the pavement.

Pain ricocheted through his entire body and he was pretty sure he’d cracked a rib, but he jumped to his feet. The SUV was squealing away, but all he could focus on was Daphne’s unmoving body sprawled face down in a patch of grass before him.

Panic humming through him, he raced toward her.

With his heart in his throat, Hector slowly rolled Daphne over onto her back. When she blinked at him, some of his tension eased. Being a shifter made her incredibly strong and resilient, but seeing her lying motionless had ripped his heart out.

“I’m sorry about your bike,” she said, her voice raspy.

An invisible fist tightened around his heart. “Fuck the bike. Are you okay? Is anything broken?”

Pushing herself up so that she was sitting, she stretched her arms out in front of her and moved her legs. “I’m good.” Glancing up and down the sidewalk, she frowned. There weren’t any humans walking by and no one in traffic had stopped for them. “Pissed, though. What was that jerk thinking?”

Hector wasn’t sure it had been an accident. Before he could voice that thought, Daphne looked at him with concern etched on her face. She gently cupped his cheek. “Are you okay?” She ran her hands down his shoulders and arms, as if inspecting him for injuries.

He’d been in worse situations, but he liked the concern she was showing. “I’m fine.” Unable to stop himself, he gathered her in his arms, hugging her close. Inhaling her jasmine scent soothed his raging inner jaguar. Someone had tried to hurt Daphne and that wouldn’t go unpunished.

After a few long moments, she pushed at his chest. “You’re going to suffocate me.” Her voice came out garbled.

Though he didn’t want to let her go, he wanted to get her the hell out of there. “Let’s get you home.”

As they both stood, his gaze on Daphne, she winced at the bike. It was on its side, scratched up, and the front light was busted. When her dark gaze met his, he could read what she was going to say before she did. “You don’t think Troy was behind this, do you?”

The thought had definitely crossed Hector’s mind. He hadn’t scented the vampire while they’d been out today, but they’d also been in the heart of New Orleans where it was sometimes difficult to decipher everything. The perfect place to blend in if you were a supernatural being. “What does he drive?”

“I have no idea.” She shook her head as she wrapped her arms around herself. Her sweater sleeves were torn and he could see traces of blood, but no injuries because she would have already healed.

“We’re going to see Angus at the crack of dawn tomorrow.” He wanted to take her tonight, but Daphne looked shaken up and so vulnerable. He wouldn’t add to any of her stress.

She nodded once. “Okay.”

“And I’m staying over again.” He’d been hoping she’d ask him to anyway, but after this, he wasn’t letting her out of his sight.

Daphne let out a sigh of relief and he knew in that moment he wouldn’t attempt anything sexual tonight. She’d just had a scare and the last thing he ever wanted to do was take advantage of her. He just wanted to be there for her tonight. The need to protect and soothe her was almost overwhelming.

He righted the fallen bike and started it. He was thankful it didn’t give him any problems, but he was definitely going to have it looked at. Luckily they only had a few blocks to go. “I’ll drive.”

When she didn’t attempt to argue, he slid on the front and savored the feel of her wrapping herself around him. Yeah, if the vamp was behind this, that fucker was going to pay.

• • •

“You weren’t kidding about the crack of dawn.” Daphne glanced at Hector as they strode up the walk toward her pack’s mansion. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon and it was colder than normal. The ride over had been nice since no one had been on the road, but her lungs burned from the chilly air.