Page 70 of Seduction in Blood
He stood to face me. At first, the move appeared predatory, but he leaned against the edge of the fireplace, arms crossed. He wasn't going to sit if I wouldn't. But there was more to it, and I realized he was deciding on the best answer. "It has differing effects on humans. With the severity of your injuries, your system would use the properties of my blood to heal you." He lifted a shoulder, his smile chagrined. "I might have given you a touch more than necessary, but I wasn't sure of the extent of your internal injuries, only that you were bleeding out. Once your body healed, my blood would have energized your system, something like a supercharged battery. It should wear off by morning." He studied me. His brows pinched together, forming tiny lines on his forehead. I’d seen that look before. There was something more, but he wasn't going to say it. His expression became guarded, as if he was irritated with me.
He didn't get to be more upset than me.
"I'm not going to apologize for saving your life."
He had me there. And if he was hiding something, no amount of whining or coaxing would make him spill it.
"Will Lucas take me back to my apartment, or should I call a cab?"
He glanced at my suitcase. "You're not leaving."
His voice was so low I was sure I misunderstood. "I was supposed to do a job for you, and in return, my debt would be cleared."
He shook his head. "After the trial period. Which you completed two nights ago."
I blanched. "You can't change the terms in the middle of the contract."
He snorted. "And what do you know of vampire and shifter contracts?"
I couldn't reply to that.
He strode toward me until he'd backed me to the window. "I noticed your wandering eyes that evening The Wolf dropped you at my door. You were more interested in the knickknacks than the discussion about your future. But the contract clearly stated I had a seven-day trial period to determine if your skill met my needs." He sighed and picked up a lock of my hair.
I turned my back to him. Our clothes brushed, the sound erotic to my ears, and I flushed from the heat he radiated. My gaze landed on the gravestones, but I didn't really see them. They blurred as I recalled that first night, remembering it as he had.
"You're right. I wasn't paying attention." I huffed out a breath and went with the truth. "I was confused and angry at being traded from one person to the next like someone's hand-me-down." I shook my head, bringing everything into focus. "And I admit, I was a bit terrified."
"Another testament to your ability to handle adversity. All I saw was a bored young woman, who might have been assessing my valuables while making a list."
I couldn't help but smile. He didn't know how right he was.
He stepped back, and the cool air he left behind felt wrong. I already missed his warmth, and I touched my lips as the remembered taste of his heated skin teased my senses.
"It's impossible to clear a debt of your size with one simple job. Not after expecting more from the Alpha Overlord. Your near-death experience notwithstanding."
The Alpha Overlord. I hadn't heard that phrase before, but there had been rumors that the lead alpha, the wolf that led them all, lived somewhere in the States. Now, it made sense why he was simply called The Wolf. He was top dog, and I rode in his limo, chatting as if he was just another shifter worried about his own small territory, not the frickin' world. Hell's bells. When I fell into something, I always seemed to start at the top.
He studied me, his gaze filled with emotions I couldn't begin to dissect. "I still need your skills."
There it was.
Now, it made sense—why he'd saved my life. My job wasn't finished. I wanted to push him away, race down the stairs and through the door. The hell with the suitcase. I'd leave as I came, with nothing but the clothes on my back. Besides, I had to get back to my old life. I needed to know what Christopher was up to and whether April was involved.
Then he was closer. I didn't know whether he'd taken a step, or I had.
He stroked my cheek, and I couldn't move if I tried. Where was that pent-up energy when I needed it? He took another step until I had to crane my neck to look at him. His familiar scent washed over me. The one that curled my toes and made my nether regions tingle. The heat rolled off him, and it drew me in.
"We're not finished, the two of us." His lips drew closer until they brushed mine. He hovered, and it required every bit of waning strength to not pull him down until his lips devoured mine.
After a long minute, he brushed his lips against my hair before stepping back. Maybe I imagined it, but either way, the magic broke. He stepped back to the fireplace—all business. More time ticked by until I began to fidget, but he continued to stare at the cold hearth. He finally looked at me. "This is my new offer. Your debt will be cleared after the mission, whether we achieve my goal or not. Your efforts toward that end will be sufficient. If we are successful, I'll add a bonus—half of what you owe me in cash."
Earn back half my debt? That was a lot of money. Ginger and I could afford a better neighborhood. Hell, we could go anywhere we wanted and live comfortably.
"There are conditions."
Of course, there were, but I waited to hear him out.
"You'll do as I ask—no questions, no extra side jobs. You'll do nothing without asking first, and you'll stay here with your existing freedoms."
