But Vinny didn’t dwell on it. “Nina has an Arabian Nights theme going.” He grinned. “Meet the burly harem guard.” He took a swoop at thin air. “You have a problem, look for the sword.”

Got it. “Much better than you with a chain saw.” We’d lost three trees during his stint as a gardener.

We headed downstairs to find Lucien waiting. He looked fantastic in an understated black suit and a blue tie that set off his eyes.

I felt his gaze touch me and it was all I could do not to trip down the last three steps.

“Is the research department working on Slimprol?” I asked, just to have something to say.

“They are,” he said slowly.

I couldn’t help remembering the way he’d touched me the night before. Clearly, he was thinking of it, too.

He ate me up with his eyes. “You look amazing.”

I snorted. “You’re only saying that.”

“No, I’m not.”

I moved close enough for him to smell my honeysuckle perfume. “You just want to bite me,” I said, my voice huskier than I would have liked.

He took my hand as I tried to breeze past.

“Maybe,” he said, drawing me back, his hand cupping my chin, his thumb grazing my lower lip. “I also want this.”

His mouth brushed mine once, twice. The thrill of it slapped through me. I grabbed his head and deepened the kiss.

My body collided flush with his. And those parts that had ached in frustration roared back to life.

God, I’d waited so long for something like this. I deserved it.

Lucien wanted me. It was a heady feeling.

If I should have been kissing him.

I broke away, trying to keep my breath even and failing miserably. “We said no kissing.”

A brief flash of stark emotion crossed his features. Good. “You said no kissing,” he said, with his infernal logic. He nipped short kisses along my jaw, as if he couldn’t quite help himself. “Do you like it?”

Too much. My breasts felt heavy as he nuzzled my earlobe. “That’s beside the point.” One of us had to be sensible.

It probably should be me. I ran my hands down his shoulders and arms, feeling the heavy weight of his suit jacket. Then again, maybe the whole sensible thing was overrated.

He pressed tight against me.

Oy vey. What was I getting myself into?

Yes, I found I enjoyed touching and being touched. But we were pretending here, playing roles. I’d forgotten that last night. When this was over, he’d be sent on another job for the Vampire Council and I’d be returning to my pack. Alone.

He lowered his mouth to mine again and I let him. I let him kiss me into a heart-pounding fury until I forgot all about what I’d said I was going to do.

He slid his hands down to the small of my back, tempting me closer, but I didn’t need any help. I rubbed against Lucien like a cat, savoring every rock-hard inch of him.

“You like it,” he said, drawing back just long enough to grin at me with boyish pleasure before he devoured me again.

Damn the man. He was good at making me forget just why I said I’d never kiss him in the first place.

“I like it, too,” he whispered against my lips.

“I can tell,” I said, wriggling against him, a victorious twinge lancing through me when I felt just how much I affected him.

Lucien wasn’t the jaded creature I’d first imagined. He was a man. Admittedly an immortal one, but a flesh-and-blood man all the same.

His expression softened as he saw the change come over me. “What are you thinking?” He tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.

“Hmm ...” I mused, enjoying the sexual power I held over him. “I’m thinking you need to kiss me again.”

I beat him to it. I took the lead this time as I tasted him, savored him. Our kiss deepened as he pushed back. He wanted me. We drove into each other. He wanted me so bad.

I’d never had this with a man. Sure, maybe I’d had a few meaningless flings, but no one like Lucien.

To the males of my pack, I was a dare, an experiment. But this affair with Lucien went much deeper. It was both alarming and exhilarating.

“Okay, come on. Break it up.” The front door creaked open with Vinny behind it. “I got the car started, for all you noticed.”

Lucien drew back a fraction. His lower lip glistened. God I wanted to kiss him again.

“We’ll walk,” he said, turning his back on Vinny.

Vinny stood on the front stoop, arms crossed. “What? You think I’m nuts? You two will never make it.”

Lucien raised his hand and the door slammed shut.

“Real nice!” Vinny hollered from the other side.

“Ohh ... telekinesis!” I said, impressed.

“I have all kinds of things I’d like to show you,” Lucien said, moving in to seal the deal.

I hated to think Vinny might be right, but, “We might actually have to go.”

“Damn.”

I nuzzled him. “Yeah.”

Lucien’s amusement faded, replaced by something primal. “One more kiss.” He took me with such force it was a wonder I held on. I was aware of every touch, every caress of his mouth as my senses came vibrantly alive. The hot glide of his tongue sent heat washing through me. It was all I could do not to climb the man as he deepened the kiss even more.

He groaned as I cupped his butt and pressed him tighter against me.

Lucien wanted me. He wasn’t afraid to admit it—or slam the door on Vinny. That part had actually been kind of fun.

But could I really have an affair with him?

I hated weres who paired with vampires. Well, maybe not Tia. But I couldn’t stand the type. I didn’t want to be the kind of woman who needed a man, much less a vampire.

Heck, I didn’t even need my pack. I was fine on my own.

Wasn’t I?

I arrived at Nina’s house with a satisfied Vinny and a frustrated Lucien. I knew how the vampire felt. My body was screaming for five minutes, okay four—okay, one minute alone with him.

Maybe after the party, I reasoned, trying to get a choke hold on my raging libido. As it stood, Tia had worked hard in order to secure us an invite. She’d probably agreed to paint Nina’s toes for the next year. It burned me to see how the Predators treated her.

Vinny watched us walk in the door, promising to “arrive” shortly after.

Nina lived in a modern-style home with lots of clean lines. The front room was done in black and white, with zebra and gazelle fur accents. Charming. Low pillows and flowing fabric accents gave a nod to the Arabian Nights theme.

A stoic vampire with bowl-cut hair and a long black salt-and-pepper beard greeted us.

“Samuel.” Lucien nodded to him, holding my hand. His thumb caressed the soft skin below my wrist. “This is my wife, Mitzy.”

“The women are in the living room,” he said to Lucien, as if I wasn’t there.

Fair enough. It was Lucien’s job to question the vampires. At the moment, I didn’t envy him. Samuel seemed like a cold fish.

Strange that Nina would ally herself with an unusually grim vampire. Then again, my job here wasn’t to question lifestyle choices, just potential murderers.

My shoes were already digging into the sides of my feet. It would be nice to take a load off.

A mouthwatering scent filtered in from the kitchen.

I found the wives perched on Nina’s impossibly white couches and chairs. Tia in white. Francine staring daggers at me in red. And an Indian woman in a gorgeous blue dress who literally growled. Bliss.

The coffee table in front of us was covered with plates of caviar and crackers, pine nut puffs, and all kinds of tiny appetizers that looked like they each took about an hour to make.

“Help yourself.” Nina, who wore a black dress at least two sizes smaller than mine, waved a hand toward the display, as if daring me.

None of the wives had so much as touched a plate.

“I’ll wait until dinner,” I said, my stomach protesting. Now that my body wasn’t pulsing after Lucien, I remembered that I hadn’t eaten lunch. “You have a fantastic home.” I took a seat, ignoring the way my dress shifted sideways.

“You want a tour?” Bliss asked, wasting no time.

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. She knew.

“Sure,” I said, “why not?”

Let’s get it over with. She could try to tear me apart, but I was all wolf.

I stood. I gave myself decent odds, especially if Lucien jumped in.

Tia cast a worried glance my way. I could see the indecision eating at her.

“Mitzy—” The were rushed after me as I was about to leave the room with the tiger. Once she made it to me, she scrambled for what came next. “You have a smidge of something on your dress.” She scrubbed with bare fingers at the area next to my back zipper. “I’m scared,” she whispered in a rush.

Me too.

“Thanks for saving my hide this afternoon,” I murmured under my breath.

“I didn’t,” she said, growing desperate.

“You did.” I turned to her, keeping my voice low. “You’re strong, Tia. You have to be. You’re on my team.”