“Not talking about sex right now.” That would come, later. “You’ve got a shifter on your tail, and as good as Tony and his team members are, I’m better.”
Her mouth snapped closed. No argument, because she knew he was telling the truth.
“That’s why you called me.” Her br**sts pushed against his chest, the ni**les pebbled. He’d always been a breast man, and the lady had some fine br**sts.
But business came first.
“I’m the best hunter in the area. You called me, before you called the cops, because you wanted my help.”
Still no denial.
“You want this guy stopped? Let me handle him.”
Secrets were in her eyes. Fair enough, he had his own hard stories to keep, too.
“You really think you can catch him?” Erin asked quietly.
A shrug. “I’m your best bet.” He believed that, one hundred percent.
“What will I…” Her gaze dropped even as her hands rose to push against his chest. Small hands with red nails to match her toes. “What will I have to pay for your services?”
He didn’t answer, not until that stare of hers rose slowly once more. And he didn’t back away from her either. “One hell of a lot,” Jude told her and enjoyed the widening of her eyes. “I don’t come cheap.”
Then he kissed her because he had to taste her. Her lips were parted and he drove his tongue deep.
Damn but she was sweet. He’d been a sucker for sweets as long as he could remember.
She didn’t fight him. Didn’t dig her nails into his chest or twist her head away. No, her tongue swiped against his and she gave a little rumble in her throat, a cross between a growl and a moan—and then he just stopped thinking.
And started feeling.
Lush female curves. Soft skin. Lips. Tongue.
His hands snaked down her spine, caught her hips—squeezed.
Nice ass.
His c**k rose toward her, swelling and hungering.
Her scent teased him. Those roses…and woman. The rich scent of her need, a fragrance that only made his arousal stronger.
And…something more. Earthier. Subtle, simmering just below the surface, but something familiar in the air.
Her hands shoved against his chest and Jude stumbled back.
Forgot the punch the lady packed.
Her lips, red and wet, tightened. “Is sex with me part of the deal?”
“No,” he told her truthfully. “It’s a bonus.”
Jude knew he’d said the wrong thing even as Erin sucked in a sharp breath. “Listen, shifter—”
He held up his hands and tried to ignore the hard-on that stretched the front of his jeans. “Easy. What I meant”—okay, so he’d never been real good with women and words—“was that the case and us—they’re separate.”
But he did plan on moving into her house, if not her bed, right away.
She’d be the most vulnerable at night. During the day, she’d be surrounded by lawyers and cops. Sharks and the police—they had to keep her pretty safe. But at night, when she went back to that big old house all by herself, she’d be a target.
Jude would make sure she wasn’t alone. Not until the freak was caught.
“You’re so cocky.” She shook her head. “You really think you can get any woman you want?”
He lifted a shoulder. “I don’t want any woman.” Just you. The need had been like a fist in the gut and a stroke to the groin from that first moment.
Like to like.
Maybe.
He’d heard about some shifter couples who were combustible in the sack. With sex and shifters, the human rules were ripped away and only the basic needs of the animals remained.
And the animals sure had a lot of needs.
But Erin claimed she wasn’t like him.
A good liar, his Erin. Just not good enough.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t deal with this now, Jude.”
Hmmm. He liked the way she said his name. Soft. Husky.
“I’m dead on my feet and I just—I can’t deal with this,” she said again.
Can’t deal with you.
Fair enough. The lady had been through one wild night. She needed to rest, and he wasn’t a jerk enough to deny her.
Tomorrow would be soon enough to get their partnership started.
“Lock the door behind me,” he told her.
Her eyes lifted toward the ceiling. “Yeah, because I was just gonna leave it open so every creep in the city could sneak in.”
Smart-ass. He liked that. Even rundown, she still had spirit.
A tough lady.
She’d have to be, in order to face what was coming.
He’d seen his share of psychopaths while working with Night Watch. The agency had earned its reputation for going after the scum of the earth for a reason.
They hunted those criminals that others wouldn’t, or couldn’t.
So he’d seen freaks, come upon scenes that had caused bile to rise in his throat and sweat to bead his upper lip.
The beast within had roared at the carnage, but the man had leashed him and gotten the job done.
Shadows lingered under her eyes. The woman was all but swaying on her feet. “Get in bed.” Next time, with me. “I’ll see you first thing tomorrow.”
He brushed by her, locking his eyes on the door. Don’t look back. The woman will make you weak.
With the freak shifter on the loose, he couldn’t afford to be weak.
“Thank you.” The whisper froze him at the door. Then, dammit, he looked back.
“I owe you, Donovan.” Back to Donovan, huh? “I won’t forget that you came for me.” She rocked on her heels. “I can’t remember anyone ever coming to my side so quickly.”
Leave or toss her on the bed. Jude sucked in a desperate gulp of air. The lady had no idea what she was doing to him.
That husky voice. Those deep eyes.
That scent.
Had the other men in her life been worthless idiots?
Nothing could have stopped him from getting to her side.
His head jerked in what he hoped was a nod. He yanked the door open. “See you…in the morning.”
The door slammed closed behind him. He waited a minute, two, then heard the snick of the deadbolt being thrown.
Good.
Jude took the steps three at a time and was down in the lobby, leaning over the registration desk, in less than a minute’s time. He slapped his hand on the counter, letting the twenties peak through his fingertips.
“Give me the room that connects to the lady’s.” No way was he leaving her alone. Jude planned to be close enough to hear even the whisper of fear from her.