Page 19 of Pawsitive Data

Lucas kissed her.

His world narrowed to nothing but Emma.

The first touch of his lips to hers ignited something primal and possessive. She made a soft sound of surprise that quickly turned into a sigh of surrender, and his beast roared in triumph. Her scent bloomed with desire, wrapping around him like a drug – jasmine, lightning, and pure need.

He meant to be gentle. Meant to maintain some semblance of control. But then Emma’s fingers slid into his hair, her nails scraping lightly against his scalp, and his last thread of restraint snapped.

Lucas growled into her mouth, pressing her more firmly against the wall as he deepened the kiss. She tasted like sunshine and brilliance and home. His mate. His perfect, impossible mate who saw his true nature and wanted to study it instead of run.

Emma kissed him back with the same enthusiasm she showed for research, all curiosity and passion and fearless exploration. When his fangs dropped slightly, she didn’t pull away – she traced them with her tongue, making him growl again.

“Fascinating,” she whispered against his lips. “My necklace is heating. Perhaps?—”

He silenced her scientific analysis with another kiss, this one harder, deeper, letting his beast show in the possessive sweep of his tongue and the sharp edge of his fangs. Emma melted intohim, her heart racing against his chest, her scent turning molten with desire.

His hands slid down her sides to her hips, pulling her tighter against him. She gasped into his mouth, and the sound made his claws emerge, pricking lightly through her silk blouse. The tiny pain should have frightened her. Instead, her scent spiked with arousal.

“Emma,” he growled against her throat, fighting the urge to mark her right there. “You need to stop smelling like that.”

“Like what?” But the breathy quality of her voice suggested she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

“Like you want me to show you exactly how a shifter claims his mate.”

She shivered, her fingers tightening in his hair. “Maybe I do.”

THIRTEEN

Lucas pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, knowing his own had shifted to pure gold. Emma’s pupils were blown wide with desire, her lips swollen from his kiss, her entire body trembling against his.

“Really?” he rumbled, nipping lightly at her bottom lip.

She arched into him as his hands tightened on her hips. “Though I might need multiple trials. To ensure accurate results.”

Zayne’s pointed cough barely registered through the haze of mate need and desire. “As fascinating as Dr. Greene’s dedication to research is, we still have an intruder to deal with.”

Lucas growled, not taking his eyes off Emma’s flushed face. “Later,” he promised roughly. “We’re going to discuss your scientific methodology in detail.”

Emma’s answering smile was both brilliant and wicked. “I’ll prepare my research proposals. With very thorough physical trials planned.”

His beast purred at the promise in her voice. “Go name your lab equipment,” he murmured against her lips. “Before I forget we have actual work to do.”

“So responsible,” she teased, but her scent betrayed how affected she was by his proximity. “Though I should warn you – I have a lot of equipment to name. And many, many experiments to design.”

Lucas stole one more kiss, letting his fangs scrape gently across her bottom lip. The tiny moan she tried to suppress nearly undid him.

“Go,” he growled.

Emma’s laugh was breathless as she slipped from his arms. “Science never waits. But...” She looked back at him, her eyes bright with promise. “Neither do I.”

Lucas watched Emma disappear down the hallway, every instinct screaming to follow her. Even now, he could track her location by scent – jasmine and lightning moving toward the labs.

“You know,” Zayne said, far too amused, “when you said you were hiring a brilliant scientist, you failed to mention she’d have the entire council wrapped around her finger within five minutes. Was she really trying to collect DNA samples from her attacker before we showed up?”

“With a paper clip and pure determination.” Lucas couldn’t keep the pride from his voice.

“While explaining genetic markers to him?”

“She called his muscle density ‘fascinating’ while he was trying to be threatening.”

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