Hidden Crimes (11 page)

Her mother was cleverer than a fox, as she
proved with her next words. “What’ll it be, sweetie? Sit home
drinking cabernet with your mother or work out your frustrations
with a very handsome and willing man?”

“Fine.” Evina stopped Rita from pulling a
second glass out of the cabinet. “I’ll go. And I’ll be back before
breakfast.”

“Bring milk,” her mother said. “Rafi drank
the last of it yesterday.”

~

By the time, Evina parked in front of Nate’s
address, she was sweaty-palmed anxious. She was also uncomfortably
aroused. Too many fantasies of what she wanted to do to the sexy
wolf had accompanied her drive over. She couldn’t remember the last
time she’d simply showed up on a man’s doorstep. She would have
called ahead, but that had seemed too much like playing
supplicant.

Tigresses shouldn’t have to ask if they were
welcome.

She stepped out of the car with her nerves
trying to jump in too many directions. The area where Nate lived
was nicer than hers: more trees, more expensive better-kept
buildings. The four-story warehouse he called home was wider than
three of her neighborhood’s townhouses.

Tasteful brushed aluminum letters announced
the building’s name as “Alchemist’s Lofts.” Evina wondered if RPD
detectives earned more than station chiefs, or if not having two
kids to feed and clothe made the difference. Paul contributed now
and then, but regular child support wasn’t expected of male tigers.
The ones who were alpha enough to breed tended to have too many
offspring for that to be practical.

Maybe Nate’s a good saver
, she told
herself.

Stalling, she ran her gaze up the building’s
front. When he’d given her his address and private phone number,
saying she could get in touch with him anytime, he’d mentioned his
unit took up fourth floor. Though the hour was past ten, his lights
were on. When she strained her ears, she thought she heard faint
music.

That seemed promising . . . unless the sultry
R&B meant he already had female company.

“Rrr,” she growled underneath her breath,
disgusted with her dithering. If he had company, so be it. If she
wasn’t welcome, she’d live. The only truly lowering decision would
be
not
pressing his buzzer.

She marched herself to the glass front
security door.
N. Rivera
was the uppermost of the seven
buttons. At her mother’s insistence, she’d dressed up a bit. To her
dismay, the moment she pushed the buzzer, wet heat ran out of her
pussy to dampen the fancy panties she’d pulled on.

“Yes?” said Nate’s smoky voice, the answer
coming too soon for her to compose herself.

The building’s intercom was set high into the
wall. She lifted her chin to speak to it. “It’s Evina.”

A startled pause greeted that. “I’ll buzz you
right up,” he said.

~

Following Nate’s instructions, Evina took the
old-style freight elevator to his floor. He must have guessed she’d
enjoy working the contraption. Like any shifter, she had no trouble
climbing stairs—even if that involved jogging up them in three-inch
sandal heels.

He opened his door as she shut the accordion
gate behind her. Naturally, he was his usual smooth self. His gaze
slid over her leather miniskirt and snug wrap top. The blouse was
printed to look like a field of flowers. Her cleavage in the V of
the crisscrossed neckline was not subtle. When it came to admiring
that, Nate was no different from most men.

A wolfish smile spread across his face. “Dare
I hope this is a booty call?”

Evina lowered her brows and glared.

“You mean it is?” He laughed with quick
delight. “Oh let me shut my mouth and give thanks for my good
fortune!”

Resenting his charm and miffed at being seen
through so easily, she sauntered past him into his apartment. Her
first glimpse at that had her forgetting to guard her pride.

His place was huge—airy, modern, the ceilings
so high a tribe of monkeys would have felt at home swinging on the
exposed struts.

“Wow,” she said, taking in what looked like
museum-quality retro furniture. “Your pay grade must be a few
levels above mine.”

When she turned back to him, he’d colored up
slightly. “I save,” he said. “Most of my things are refurbished
eBay finds. And my mother left me some money after she died.”

“She was a cop?” Evina asked, suddenly
intensely curious.

He nodded. “It was a line of duty death. My
father cut out when I was four, so the two of us were close.”

The back of Evina’s eyes burned. Life bonds
were uncommon among tigers but not wolves. His father leaving
couldn’t have been easy.

“I’m sorry.”

He smiled, either not upset about it anymore
or good at pretending. “Let me get you a glass of wine.”

Evina trailed Nate into the spotless kitchen,
noting with some amazement that he had two dishwashers. They were
Brownie Hygienics, a brand she could only dream about affording. “I
can’t stay long.”

“So this is one of
those
booty calls,”
he teased. “Planning to ride me hard, then toss my ass back in the
stable.”

“I wasn’t
planning
. Exactly.”

He pulled two beautiful balloon glasses from
the open shelving that was arranged like an art project on his long
side wall. “I’ll just serve you a couple ounces. I can see you’re
nervous, and I
do
want you to relax, but I understand you
might need to drive later.”

With a deftness that was wonderful to see, he
uncorked a bottle with an Argentine label. He poured a small amount
in each glass, turning the bottle like a wine steward. Then he
passed hers over.

“
A votre sante
,” he said, chinging the
delicate crystal rims.

“You should give lessons,” Evina said
dazedly.

Something in her tone caused him to lower the
glass before it touched his lips. “I’m glad you’re here, Evina.
Genuinely. I don’t mean to seem insincere. I’m just . . .”

“Really good at this?” she suggested.

Nate set his wine on the black marble
countertop. “I didn’t light candles,” he offered hopefully. “And I
did have time before you came up.”

She laughed, set her own glass down, and
stepped toe to toe with him. Time to give him her own honesty. “I’m
glad I’m here, even if your . . . extreme suaveness knocks me off
balance.”

Nate slid his arms behind her waist.
“Everything about you knocks me off balance. You are so effing
gorgeous you make me hurt.”

His dark eyes had taken on a luster as he
pulled her cautiously closer. Though their hips rested only lightly
together, Evina noticed certain developments had already taken
place for him. The ridge of his erection lay hot between them, its
size and hardness making her pussy squirm. “I thought about you all
the way over here in the car.”

Nate’s breath came faster. “What did you
think about me?”

“That I wanted to see you naked. That I
wanted your hands all over me in bed.” She cruised her palms up his
chest, over the simple black pocket T he wore.

“Would you like to start working on that
now?” he asked.

She covered his ears with her hands and
pulled his mouth to hers.

The kiss was good—deep, hungry, angling this
way and that as he took control of it. It seemed natural to let
him, to give way when he turned to press her lower body into the
shiny Italian cabinets.

“E-vi-na,” he moaned, his hips and cock
digging in. “You are the best thing that’s happened to me all
year.”

All year
struck her as a surprising
claim. He appeared to mean it. His hands ironed down her back,
around the curve of her leather mini where it clung to her
butt.

“Mmm,” he hummed, pulling her lower parts
closer still.

“I could use some help with this,” she said,
struggling to drag up his black T-shirt. “You’re taller than I
am.”

He backed off far enough to grip the hem with
both hands. He took a second to smolder at her, then whipped it
over his head.

“Wow,” she said, enjoying her eyeful of his
anatomy manual chest. Helpless not to, her caresses followed her
eyes, trailing up his ribs and circling his sharp nipples. She gave
each of these a quick love bite, not hard enough to break skin but
just to make him inhale sharply with excitement.

Smolder didn’t describe what his eyes did
then.

“That outfit is nice,” he rasped. “I think
you’d better take it off before I rip it.”

He lifted his hands, displaying the wolf
claws that were starting to extend. The sight of those small
erections made her shiver.

“Move back,” she said, her voice as rough as
his.

He retreated to the nearest of his two
dishwashers. She made a little presentation of stripping off her
stretchy shirt, letting him absorb the visual of her pushed up
breasts in the blue satin and black lace bra. He’d pressed his palm
to his heart by the time she reached behind herself to unzip the
miniskirt. A single push and wriggle sent the garment dropping
around her high-heeled sandals.

Thanks to Rita’s bullying, her bra matched
her underwear. Thanks to Evina’s genuine interest in impressing
Nate, the coordinated panties were a thong.

Nate’s eyes traveled very slowly back to her
face. “Women like you in underwear like that make life worth
living.”

She laughed. How could she not when he was
this generous with his praise? “Take down your ponytail,” she said,
wanting to see his hair spread around those broad brown
shoulders.

“Undo your braid,” he returned.

Evina’s hair was longer, and he finished
before she did. Despite being available to help, he didn’t offer.
He seemed to enjoy watching her unbind herself. His clawed hands
curled tellingly at his sides, the bulge of his erection sinfully
enticing. Its shape was outlined so clearly behind his zipper she
had no doubt it pointed upward in his jeans.

The slant of it couldn’t have been more
rakish.

“There,” she said, shaking the last of her
dark curls free. The lowest tendrils were tickling her hips.

Somewhat to her surprise, the sight poleaxed
Nate. “I want you on top of me,” he declared, soft and guttural. “I
want your hair hanging all around us while you ride me.”

His intensity was catching, clutching at the
soft flesh between her legs. “Where’s your bed?”

“Opposite corner of the loft.”

“Get me to it fast, and I’ll give you a
reward.”

Her tone was teasing, his snarl of answer all
business. He grabbed her off her feet as only a shifter could,
zipping her across his home so quickly their surroundings blurred.
They landed on his wide platform bed with a mutual gasp for
air.

His sheets were impractical white
silk—forgivable, considering how fine Nate’s lean body looked lying
back on them. Not wanting to ruin the fabric, Evina kicked off her
shoes.

That done, she didn’t waste an instant
attacking his zipper.

“God,” he said as she freed the button. She
wrenched the tab down next, careful not to clip him but quick
enough. His penis was hot and thick as she extricated it from his
jock. Lust flushed its skin darkly.

Evina knew exactly what she wanted to do to
it.

“Fuck,” he gasped when she slid her lips over
the hot satin of the head.

He bucked into her, like he couldn’t control
himself, his half-clawed fingers forking through her hair. She took
him to the verge of her throat, her alpha’s command of her reflexes
able to handle pressure there. He groaned and heaved, his narrow
ass thumping on the mattress as he went up and down. Evina pressed
her forearms down on his hips. She needed strength to prevent his
writhing from jerking him out of her.

“Ahh,” he cried as she tightened her lips
still more and sucked upward.

Her tongue dragged a lightning circle around
his cockhead’s rim. Half dozen times she repeated this suck and
tease, knowing his most sensitive nerves would love the slick
friction. His claws tightened in her hair, his whole body straining
for more pleasure. Evina sank down once more and swallowed against
his glans.

Fluid spurted into her throat. She wanted it,
wanted to suck him up until he was empty. Nate let out a growl that
sounded more wolf than man, every muscle in his body clenching as
he willed his ejaculation to cut short.

Evina was impressed. Only alpha tigers could
control themselves like that.

A second later, she found herself flipped
over and on her back beneath him. That pushed her buttons like she
wouldn’t have believed. Nate’s muscular thigh slid between her
legs, her thong absolutely useless for hiding how sopping wet she’d
grown. The noise he made when he realized this was surprisingly
like a purr. Strangely panicked, Evina pushed at his chest. She
liked what was happening too much, and the feel of him weakened
her. The force of his heartbeat shook his bones and muscles.

“I thought you wanted me to ride you,” she
panted.

Eyes glowing like gold flames, he lowered his
head and kissed her.

No word existed to describe what she did but
melt
.

She opened to him—mouth, arms, even her
energy seeming to part and give his access. He moaned at her and
she moaned in answer, wrapping her legs around him to hold him
close. Long delicious minutes passed while they tasted and stroked
and rubbed against each other. To her delight, wolves seemed to
like this as much as tigers. Nate managed to get her fancy bra off
without tearing it. He brought both hands up to squeeze her
breasts, using careful claws and strong fingers to tease the nerves
within her nipples. Her vaginal muscles began to flutter, though it
was difficult to say whether this was due to the stimulation or his
obvious relish for touching her.

Because he’d curtailed the climax she’d tried
to drive him to, he was twice as wound-up now. All the while as
they writhed together, his cock trickled pre-ejaculate on her skin.
The pulse inside its hardness was wild and uneven.