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  She sighed and opened up to him. His hips moved at the same time as his mouth and tongue. Slow. Teasing. His cock slid in and out in a slow rhythm, building up the sensations in her.

  “Lucas,” she moaned as his mouth lowered down to her neck and the tops of her breasts, licking and kissing and sucking at her most sensitive areas, then moving up again to taste her mouth. His cock teased her tight passage, sliding along and causing pleasure to ripple through her. It was exciting. It was maddening. The pleasure didn’t crescendo as much as build up.

  “Stop teasing,” she begged, tugging at his hair. She felt him smile against her neck.

  “All right,” he rasped. “But you take what you want, sweetheart.”

  One moment she was under him, and the next, she was on top. He had rolled them over so she straddled him, his blue-green eyes blazing with lust. “Go ahead. Ride me, Sofia.”

  She gasped when he pushed up at her. God she’d never been so filled before. She braced herself on her knees, sliding him out of her before sinking down on him again.

  She set the pace, slow and steady at first. But soon, she was moving faster, the pleasure erasing the burning of her thighs as she rode him. He let out a strangled growl when she squeezed around him, his fingers digging so hard into her hips she knew it would bruise. She was so close … closer …

  “Lucas!” She sobbed his name when the orgasm took over her body, washing over her, making her want more. His hands found hers, their fingers entwined as her pleasure ripped through her. He let out a grunt as she felt his cock pulse inside her, his hips thrusting up erratically as his pleasure peaked. He reached down to pinch her clit which made her body shudder in surprise as another wave of pleasure coursed through her.

  She let out a whimper and collapsed on top of him. Her breathing was heavy and ragged, but as she pulled more air into her lungs, it slowed down to a more normal pace.

  She lay there for a few minutes on top of him, awareness slowly coming back to her as the feeling in her legs and thighs did as well. His cock slipped out of her as he shifted his hips. She moved her head up to look at him, only to find him staring back at her with those strange eyes. A hand cupped her chin and she turned to press a kiss to his palm.

  “Are you okay?” he asked in a soft voice.

  She couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face. “Yes. More than okay, although,” she looked around them, “you couldn’t have brought me to a bed?”

  “I had to have you,” he said.

  “I—” She let out a yelp as all of a sudden, she was swept up into his arms. Maybe it was the post-orgasm buzz, but how could she miss how fast he moved or how strong he was?

  “But don’t worry,” he nuzzled at her ear, “we’ll be making use of my bed a lot more.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Even in the darkness of his bedroom, Sofia looked so incredibly beautiful. He was glad for his Lycan eyesight, so he could watch her like this—curled up against his side, long, dark curls spread over her shoulders, her skin smooth like marble, and those lush lips parted slightly as she breathed evenly. He wanted her again, even more this morning, even though they’d already had sex twice after that first time.

  As he continued to watch her, his wolf lay inside him, quiet. For the first time, it wasn’t restless or fighting him or wanting to take over. It was simply content to watch her too. You and me both. He wished he didn’t have to leave this room, or this bed, ever. That he and Sofia could just stay here and not have to deal with the outside world.

  Whatever had possessed him to say those words to her, that this was more than sex for him? Well, it was the truth. This wasn’t about fucking or fulfilling a biological need. And he’d always been honest with the women he’d slept with in the past. If it was a one-night thing, he would tell them. If he was dating them and he lost interest, he told them too. He didn’t lie to women, and he certainly couldn’t lie to Sofia.

  She was beautiful and he admired her and the sex was mind-blowing, but there was still the irrevocable fact that she was human. Yes, this wasn’t just fucking and it was certainly not a one-night stand. But he didn’t trust humans and there would always be a part of him that would never fully trust her, so what would become of them?

  “You’re thinking awfully hard so early in the morning.” She still looked half asleep, with eyes cloudy and just the barest hint of a smile curving her lips.

  “I think you’re awfully beautiful.”

  She blinked. “It’s too early, and I haven’t had coffee, so I don’t know if that’s a compliment.”

  “It is.” He rolled her over, her body so pliant and soft under his. She spread her thighs easily, cradling his already hard cock between them. He growled, feeling her cunt rubbing along his length, smelling how quickly she became aroused. He knew he could slip into her right now and she wouldn’t protest. He desperately wanted to know how she felt without any barriers between them. Protection was one thing he was careful about, even with Lycan women. Sofia made him want to forget about that.

  But he used every last ounce of control he had to stop. Just for a second. Enough time for him to reach over to his nightstand and grab the last condom he had. He quickly ripped the packet open and put it on.

  She was wet and ready for him, and he braced himself as he plunged into her. Their joining was fast and urgent this morning, and she cried out as he pummeled into her with long, hard strokes. He made her orgasm twice before he did and then fell on top of her, his heart beating a mile a minute, and his lungs burning with exertion.

  He kissed her soft, damp skin and then rolled over, discreetly disposing of the condom into the bin before slipping back into bed. He gathered her against him, pressing her body against his.

  She sighed and turned her head. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “I should go.”

  He only tightened his hold on her, and his wolf growled in protest when she wiggled.

  “I have work, you know,” she said, but the doleful tone in her voice mollified him.

  “Then I’ll see you tonight.” He took in a long, deep breath as he nuzzled her neck, trying to make her scent imprint in his brain.

  “Yes, I—crap.” Her shoulders tensed.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s just … yesterday the captain asked me to relieve someone on stakeout duty tonight. It’s not hard, but I’ll be babysitting some techs in a van the whole night.” She twisted around to face him. “Tomorrow night?”

  “I—” He shook his head. “I have a family thing tomorrow.”

  “A family thing?”

  “Yeah. I can’t miss it.” He almost forgot what tomorrow was. Adrianna’s ascension ceremony. “My sister, Adrianna, is getting a … promotion and we’re celebrating. My grandparents and uncles are flying in.”

  “Oh, congratulations. Not that I’ve met her or anything.”

  He chuckled. “You’ve almost met her. She was with me at the diner in Jersey”

  “Ah.”

  He rolled her over so she lay on him, her chin propped up on his chest. “I wish we didn’t have to wait two days to be together again.”

  “But the world keeps turning. You have to go make your billions, and I have to catch more criminals.”

  He knew she was joking, but the reality of her job suddenly hit him. Brushing away a lock of hair from her face, he sighed. “You’re always careful when you’re doing your job, right?”

  “Of course.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re not doing this macho thing are you? You do know I’ve been a cop for years.”

  He could see the disappointment in her eyes, but he couldn’t help it. When he thought about how dangerous her job was, a surge of protectiveness rose in him and his wolf. It didn’t want her in the danger, and neither did he. “I know.” He tried to soothe her hurt feelings. “And I know you’re good at it.”

  “I am.” When she tried to move away from him, he held her tighter.

  “Sofia, I’m just co
ncerned.” He didn’t want her like this, with her walls up. “You’re a great detective. I’m just worried about those criminals you have to deal with. I don’t want to say goodbye like this.”

  “Like what?” Her voice was edgy.

  “With you, being mad at me for saying something wrong that I didn’t know was wrong.”

  Her expression softened. “And how do you want to say goodbye?”

  He took the opening and kissed her on the mouth, rolling her over onto her back. There were no more condoms left, so he pleasured her with his mouth, licking her to another orgasm. By then it was really late and she had to rush so she had time to go home and get dressed. He offered to have his driver bring her home, but she said she would rather take a taxi. He brought her outside, hailing a passing cab for her, then kissing her goodbye before she got in. When he turned back to the townhouse, he saw Reyes waiting for him by the door, his face expressionless, though the bodyguard did crack a small smile when he passed by.

  He got ready for work and was soon on his way to the office. As he walked by David’s desk, he greeted his assistant good morning. As usual, his wolf went on full alert, clawing at him, trying to get to the human. It seems the good mood it had been in was now gone. Damn animal. He took a deep breath, trying to find good memories to ground him. Of course, the first thing that popped into his mind was this morning, of Sofia on his bed. Instantly, the wolf calmed down.

  “Good morning, Mr. Anderson,” David greeted. “Your calendar has been updated. Your first appointment is with Mrs. Vrost.”

  “Thank you, David.” His wolf growled, but he pulled it back, then headed into his office. What was wrong with his wolf today? He honestly thought that now that Adrianna was safe, it would at least mellow down. She had Darius to protect her, and Lucas knew he would do anything for her.

  He settled down into his chair, going through his emails and messages. But he could only half concentrate on them because his mind was still on Sofia and their incredible night, wishing he didn’t have to wait so long to see her. He was glad they were able to make up this morning, but it didn’t change the fact that she would always be in danger.

  His wolf’s hackles raised, thinking about her old partner and that mob boss. Bianchi. He didn’t know the man personally, but if he was the head of a successful organized crime family, he didn’t grow his empire by letting police detectives testify against them. A dread came over him. Surely Sofia or her boss had thought about Bianchi retaliating or possibly doing what he could to stop her from testifying. Lucas wanted to make sure she was safe, but short of locking her up and putting armed guards on her, he didn’t know how. If only there was a way he could get close to Bianchi and find out if he had plans for her.

  “Lucas?”

  Astrid’s voice cut through his thoughts and he immediately straightened his posture. “Hello, Astrid.”

  “Are you … all right?”

  As a Lycan, she could probably feel his wolf getting worked up. “Yes, I’m fine. Shall we begin?” They had briefings at least once a week, since his own ascension ceremony would be coming up as well. He wanted Adrianna to have hers first though, and he was going to decide on a date after tomorrow night.

  She sat on the chair opposite him. “We have a couple of things to discuss. First.…”

  The meeting with Astrid distracted him from most of his thoughts. Being Alpha was still important to him after all, and there was so much they needed to do.

  “Anything else?” They had spoken for the good part of an hour at this point.

  “That’s about it.” She closed her tablet PC. “I should get going, Nick wants me at the security office. Oh, wait!” She snapped her fingers. “Yes, one more thing. Reyes needs some time off.”

  “Of course.” His bodyguard had been working long hours and extra shifts for the past weeks.

  “We’re still looking for someone to cover him tonight. If we can’t find anyone, do you think you can stay at The Enclave? Just until he comes back.”

  “Sure.” Maybe it was a good thing Sofia was working. There was no way she’d be allowed to visit him at the clan’s super secure private compound. In fact, it had magical protections just to make sure humans ignored the mini-city hiding under their very noses.

  “Great! That’ll save me a lot of work. I’ll leave word with David either way.” Astrid got to her feet. “I’ll see you around. When you see her tomorrow, tell Adrianna I said congratulations.” With a final wave, she headed toward the door.

  “Wait, Astrid.” An idea popped in his head. Of one way he could find out about Bianchi.

  Astrid spun around. “Yes?”

  “Your uncle Quinn, he still works for Lone Wolf, right?”

  She quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah?”

  “Do you think I could have his contact?”

  “Sure, but you can call the office.” She frowned. “What do you need him for?”

  Hesitation made him pause. However, he chose Astrid as his Beta, which meant he had to learn to trust her. “He’s a hacker, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I have something I need to ask him. Not related to Fenrir or the clan. But it has to be discreet, and I need the best.” As future Alpha, he knew about Quinn Martin, of course. He was the Lone Wolves’ resident hacker and information specialist. He hoped he wouldn’t ask too many questions.

  “Yeah, Uncle Quinn’s good. But if you want the best, then you gotta talk to his kid. My cousin. Let me find that number …” She took her phone from her pocket and tapped on the screen. A beep from his own phone told him she had sent him a message. “There, I sent it to you.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. And Lucas?”

  “Yes?”

  She put her hand on her hip. “You will tell me if I need to know anything with the clan, right? So I can do my job properly?”

  Technically, Sofia and Bianchi weren’t clan-related. “I promise.”

  She nodded her head and then left without another word.

  Lucas grabbed his phone from his desk and opened the contact Astrid had sent him. “Huh.” He didn’t expect that. Was this person really the best? Astrid wouldn’t lie to him about this. His finger hovered over the screen. He thought back to their conversation this morning, about him being macho. This might be an invasion of Sofia’s privacy. His wolf growled at him, and for once he understood. This was about her safety. He tapped on the contact.

  After two rings, the caller on the end other picked up.

  “Good morning, this is Acme Crematory Services. You bring ’em, we bake ’em.”

  Raucous music played in the background so Lucas raised his voice a decibel. “Uh … I must have the wrong number. I’m looking for Lizzie Martin?”

  A feminine chuckle burst through the line. “Yep, that’s me. What’s up?”

  “Uh, hey, Lizzie.” Only a year or so younger than him, he tried to recall the last time he’d seen Lizzie. He remembered playing with her when they were kids at various parties and picnics. “This is Lucas.”

  “Who? Wait, hold on.” There was shuffling and then a shout of, “No, Dad, I will not turn off that racket … yes it’s music, and I need it to work … you know what, I’m going to turn it up louder.” The music he heard in the background became a full-out cacophony of wailing guitars and cymbals. A second later, he heard a thunder of footsteps, a muffled male voice, then a loud crash before the music completely stopped.

  “Seriously, Dad? That was my favorite speaker.” Lizzie let out an incredulous gasp. “You have no chill! Ugh!” There was a deep breath. “Sorry, who is this again?”

  “Lucas,” he repeated. “Lucas Anderson.”

  “Lucas—” Another gasp, then a nervous giggle. “Oh. Hey. Mr. Anderson.”

  “Lizzie, please. I watched you streak down the backyard of our Long Island house during our annual Fourth of July barbecue. You can call me Lucas.”

  “I was like, a toddler, right?” she asked.

 
He laughed. “Yeah. You were probably six.”

  “Oh, good.” There was a pause. “So, what’s up, Lucas?”

  “Astrid gave me your number. She said you were the best hacker around.”

  “Weeeeelllll, I don’t know if I’m the best, but I’m flattered you called me anyway,” she said with a chuckle. “So, what can I do for you? Do you need me to hack into some secret government files? Or change your competitors’ stock prices? Or maybe I can help you overthrow a South American dictator?”

  “You can wha—you know what? Never mind, I don’t want to know.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. “I just need you to find some information for me about someone. Anthony Bianchi.”

  She cleared her throat. “Um, you mean the Don of the Bianchi Crime Family and current guest of the New York State Penitentiary System?”

  “Yes, that one.”

  “I need you to be more specific. What kind of information do you want on him? About his childhood? Business dealings? What he had for lunch?” she asked.

  “You need specifics?”

  “If you don’t give me specifics, it’ll be like walking around in the dark. Unless you want to know everything about him, but that might take a while to compile.”

  “Oh, I see.” That made sense. But where to begin? He supposed he only needed to know one thing about him. “Well, if you could cross-reference anything important about him that happened in the last year before he was arrested and the name Sofia Selinofoto. I mean, Detective Sofia Selinofoto of the NYPD.”

  “Uh-huh.” There were audible clicks on a keyboard in the background. “Gotcha. I’ll see what I can do.”

  “Thank you. Let me know your fee, and I’ll take care of it.”

  She chuckled. “Fee? Nah, I won’t even break a sweat with this one.”

  “I insist—”

  “Pshaw, don’t worry about it.”

  He didn’t want to have her work for free. “Well, how about we say I owe you one?”