Синтия Иден - Hotter After Midnight

"Umm." Not really an answer. He made himself comfortable on her sofa, put his boots on her coffee table. "Nice. Real comfortable place you’ve got." His stare swept around the room, noting the bookcases, the light yellow walls, the big-screen TV. "I like it."

Well, that was just great.

Damn. She should have never let him in.

"You and I have a problem, Doc." He turned that bright blue stare back on her as she stood at the edge of the couch, glowering down at him.

Emily stared at him silently, waiting.

"You know what I am." His voice roughened slightly as he made this announcement.

She didn’t deny it. What would be the point?

His eyes narrowed fractionally as he studied her expression. "That’s not good for me. Not good at all."

A flicker of nervousness shot through her. She wasn’t sensing any sort of physical threat from the cop, but maybe she just wasn’t looking deep enough into him.

His hand snagged her wrist.

And her pulse skyrocketed beneath his grip.

"How much do you know?"

Emily swallowed, tried to figure out just how much she should reveal.

His hold tightened around her.

He was the one sitting down, the one forced to look up at her, but Emily had the feeling she was the one in the vulnerable position. "I–I know you aren’t human." Her voice came out softer, huskier than she’d intended.

She hoped Colin would leave it at that. Hoped he wouldn’t probe any deeper.

"Ah, baby, I already knew that."

She tried to tug her hand free, but his grip was unbreakable.

"You’re the Monster Doctor, the one all the local ghouls go to see." A faint trace of amusement underscored his words. But his eyes were watchful, intense, showing no echo of humor.

Her jaw clenched. "Let go of my hand."

He smiled at her, and his fingers fell away from her wrist.

Emily immediately sprang across the room, putting several feet between them. Nice, protective space. "Look, if you aren’t here to discuss the case, then I want you to leave." She turned her back on him, heading toward the front door.

"How do you do it?"

His words stopped her.

"How do you tell who’s human and who isn’t?"

She heard the soft rustle of the sofa cushions as he rose.

"That’s a pretty interesting talent you’ve got there. And I’m just dying to know exactly how you do it."

Emily cast a longing glance toward the front door. "I’m afraid you’re just going to have to live with your curiosity, Detective." Because she sure as hell wasn’t going to reveal her innermost secrets to a stranger. Yep, letting the guy inside had been a definite mistake.

"Hmmm." His breath blew against the nape of her neck. Emily jumped, startled to find him so close to her. The guy hadn’t made a sound when he’d crossed the room.

"I’d like to see your hair down," he muttered, and his fingers brushed against the bun she’d yet to unwind.

She jerked away from him. "And I’d like to see you leave. Guess which one of us is about to get her wish?"

His hard lips curved into a smile, a smile with a hint of real warmth. "Tough lady, aren’t you?"

She’d had to be.

His smile slowly faded. "But trust me, I’m a hell of a lot tougher than you could ever dream of being." And in a flash, he had her pinned against the wall. His strong, hard body pressed against her, his muscular thighs pushed between hers, shoving up her skirt, and his right hand locked around her wrists as he forced them against the wall over her head.

Her breath left her body in a startled gasp.

"Now let’s try this again," he growled. "Just how much do you know about me?"

His anger hit her then. Hot, fierce. Oh yes, the detective was enraged. He was also…

Afraid.

If the other cops find out what I am, they’ll kick me off the force. Make me leave. No one will trust me. They’ll all think I’m some kind of fucking animal, just like the guys back in Grisam did.

Mike tried to kill me. Because he knew. He knew, just like she knows.

She knows…

His thoughts hit her, hard, pummeling right through her mind.

She thinks I’m an animal…a monster, a-

"I–I don’t!" The words were torn from her. His thoughts were flying into her mind so quickly now. Too quickly. She tried to raise her shields, tried to block the onslaught of sudden images-

Colin, covered in blood, holding his shoulder, staring up at a pale man with a face full of freckles. "Why? Why?"

Colin, staring up at a burning house, his fists clenched, his face twisted in hate.

Colin, changing, shifting-

"Aaah!" She slammed her shields up. She didn’t need to see any more. Didn’t want to see what he’d become.

"Emily?"

She’d squeezed her eyes shut.

"I’m not going to hurt you."

Yes, she believed him. A hard rage was riding him, but Colin was still in control. She lifted her lashes, peeking up at him. "You don’t have to worry," Emily told him, completely sincere, "I’m not going to tell anyone about you." She’d been keeping secrets for people-patients, friends, strangers she met on the street-for years now.

He grunted. "And I’m just supposed to believe you?"

"Yes, you are." This close, she could see the flecks of gold in his eyes. And they were nice eyes. Not nearly as cold or hard as she’d originally thought.

"Sorry, Doc, but I don’t trust you for a minute."

Fair enough. She hadn’t trusted him either, until she’d gone tiptoeing through his thoughts.

Course, if he found out about her little journey, he’d probably just be even more pissed off.

"Do you know what I am?"

Emily nodded. No point in denying it now. "You’re a shifter."

His fingers tightened around her wrists, not quite, but almost hurting her. "How the fuck do you know that?"

"Ah…can you ease up there a bit, Gyth?"

His brows beetled.

"The hands," she elaborated. "Little too tight."

He eased his hold. "How do you know?"

"I always know." That was true. "I can tell with a look." Sometimes she could tell just by hearing a voice or catching a scent on the wind. When it came to the Other, she was definitely wired for them. "Your kind-you carry a glow with you. Like a bright shadow that follows you everywhere." The shadow of the beast.

He winced. "Can others see this damn glow?"

Not as far as she knew. "I’ve never known anyone else who can see the things I can." And she’d looked. Searched desperately for years. Especially back at the beginning, back when she’d thought she was crazy.

"Shit."

Yes, that pretty well summed up the situation. Emily wiggled her fingers. "Mind letting me go now?"

His nostrils flared and his gaze dropped to her lips. "Yeah, Doc, as a matter of fact, I do."

The woman smelled like sin. Like a delicious combination of roses, rich chocolate, and seductive female flesh, and he really, really wanted to taste her.

His canine teeth were starting to lengthen, an unfortunate side effect of his shifter blood. When he got angry or aroused, the beast tended to wake up.

And the good doctor had succeeded in both royally pissing him off and turning him on.

She wasn’t wearing her glasses now. Her eyes looked soft, sexy.

His head lowered toward her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" She stiffened against him.

The lady had a Ph. D. He figured she had a pretty good idea of what he was about to do. Slowly, deliberately, he brought his lips to hers.

Her mouth parted on a startled breath.

Perfect.

His lips brushed hers, his tongue thrust inside the wet warmth of her mouth.

Oh, damn, but she tasted good. His tongue slipped past the edge of her teeth, rubbed against hers. Stroked. Teased.

A faint moan rumbled in her throat and she kissed him back.