“Live dangerously.” He walked to the bar, opened the hand-blown bottle and poured the pale gold liquid into two silvery shot glasses. “I’m not trying to get you drunk and I’m not trying to seduce you.”
“That’s too bad. You probably could have gotten away with both.” It occurred that she really needed someone confident like Kai to sweep the cobwebs out of her life and force her out of her protective shell.
He handed her a shot, then linked his arm through hers. “I just want one kiss.”
With her elbow bent she lifted the shot to her lips. “To the capture of the skinwalker.”
“To us.” He toasted.
The first taste of tequila was fiery and strong. A moment later a slightly smoky almost vanilla-like note flooded her tongue. Impulsively, she tipped her head back and gulped. The tequila burned going down like swallowing a flaming sword. “Oh my God!” She gasped.
He finished his. An intense expression smoldered in his eyes. Taking the shot glass from her, he set it on a table. “Come with me.” Grabbing her hand he lead her to the window. They looked out on all of Vegas sparkling beyond. The view was dizzying, almost like gliding over the city in an airplane.
With her head spinning, she turned away from the overwhelming spectacle. “It’s almost too beautiful.”
“So are you.” Kai caught hold of her wrists, drew her arms above her head and pinned her against the cool glass. He nuzzled his face in her hair, pressing close, his solid body formidable. An erection that couldn’t be ignored grazed her thigh. Breathless, she looked into his eyes, wanting to believe that she truly was the cause of such passion.
He released her wrists and brought one hand to her chin. With a slow, teasing touch, he stroked his thumb along her bottom lip. “You have such a pretty mouth.” He tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her with soft, sweet pressure followed by the sweep of his tongue.
The heat of his kiss and the faint hint of tequila on his lips ignited her senses. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him like a life raft. He took hold of her hips and lifted her against the glass. Her legs locked around his hips. The sensation of twining herself around him sent her heart racing and left her wanting more.
She tilted her head back, waiting. His kiss became more demanding. With breathtaking tenderness, his kisses slipped from her lips, to her throat, to the ticklish little spot above her collarbone. With eyes closed, she allowed herself to surrender to the splendor of his touch.
The phone rang.
They both started.
She adjusted the top of her dress. “Is that my phone or yours?”
He tapped his pocket and eased her to the floor. “Mine.” Digging into his pocket he removed the phone and looked at the screen. “I don’t know the caller. I’ll let the message go to voice mail.”
A moment later the phone beeped. “Kai, this is Sam. It’s an emergency. There’s been a development. We need you in the lobby...”
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Chapter Four
Excerpt from Betting on Bear
Tabitha Conall with Michelle Fox
Sherriff’s deputy and naiad Naya Krena wakes with no memory of the last twelve hours, only to discover she’s lost the prisoner she was supposed to hand over to Vegas detective and bear shifter Brick Hardiman—and Hardiman is knocking on her door.
Chapter 1
If that phone didn't stop ringing, Naya Krena swore she’d pull out her damned gun and shoot it.
Her head pounded. Worse, when she opened her eyes, the ceiling above her head was white. White, off-white, the kind of white you'd see in a lot of bedrooms—but not hers. Her bedroom ceiling was a swirl of blues, waves of color that made her feel like she could dive right in.
This was not her home.
She sat straight up, the pain in her head spiking. The room around her looked stale—tan walls, tan carpeting, two double beds and a picture of something abstract on the wall. A hotel room, no question.
The phone started ringing again. This time, she grabbed it. Not even looking at caller id, she held it to her ear and snapped, "Krena."
"Where the hell have you been?"
The growl on the other end of the phone could only belong to one person. "Hardiman. What do you want?"
"What I want—" he bit off the word, "is for you to tell me your room number so I can come up and get the prisoner."
In a flash, everything came back to her. Well, not everything. But enough so she knew she was up the Styx without a paddle. "We're just waking up," she said in a rush. "We're not ready for you yet. Call back later." She hung up.
She'd hear about that later. No one hung up on Brick Hardiman. Hades, if she listened, she'd probably hear him snarling from the lobby.