Hotter After Midnight (Midnight 1)

“We need your statements, you just can’t—”

“Yeah, I can.” He kept walking. Giving a statement wasn’t exactly his top priority right then. He needed to be careful what he revealed to the other cops. It wasn’t like he could just say that a couple of demons had roughed him up.

The last time he’d tried talking about the Other, his partner hadn’t taken it well.

No, Mike hadn’t taken the situation at all well.

And when Colin had shifted, hoping to prove to his partner that his words were true, well, then things had truly gone to hell.

Because Mike, the guy who’d watched his back on the street, the guy who’d graduated by his side at the academy, had pulled his gun and tried to kill him.

Sometimes folks just didn’t take well to the truth.

So lying was the only option.

It was a pity that a cop had to lie. But, well, lying was better than dying.

It was a philosophy that worked for him.

They rounded the street corner. The Jeep was waiting, not a scratch on it.

Colin exhaled a rough sigh of relief. He opened the passenger door for Emily, ushering her inside. He wanted to get out of that neighborhood, fast.

But he’d be back. He planned to come back and have a nice, long chat with Niol.

He didn’t trust the demon, not for a minute.

Colin hurried around the Jeep and jumped inside. A patrol car cruised past him. Good. At least backup had arrived and they were searching for the perps.

Though it was doubtful they’d find the bastards.

He drove quickly through the night. Traffic was slim, the streets dark. Emily sat quietly beside him, but he could practically feel the hum of her thoughts.

He turned off the interstate, took a left at the stoplight.

“What the hell are you doing?” Emily had finally snapped out of her reverie. “This isn’t the way to my house!”

No, it wasn’t. Colin shifted easily and kept driving. “I’m not taking you home tonight.” It’d be too dangerous. Those demons could be waiting for her.

Definitely not a risk he was willing to take.

Besides, he wanted her with him, wanted—

“Then where are you taking me?” From the corner of his eye, he saw her fingers clenching around the door handle.

“Relax, Doc.”

“Where. Are. You. Taking. Me.”

“My place.”

“The hell you are!” He heard the faint scrape of her nails digging into the upholstery. “Turn this Jeep around and take me home.”

“Sorry, Doc, no can do.” Not that he wanted to, anyway. “In case you’ve forgotten, there are demons after us.”

“I haven’t forgotten—”

“And as an officer on the Atlanta PD, it’s my responsibility to keep you safe.” Oh, that sounded good. And it was true, mostly.

He did want to keep her safe.

He also wanted her.

So whether the doc liked it or not, she was going home with him.

And once they got to his place, well, what happened next would be entirely up to her.

Chapter 6

“You’re playing He-man again,” Emily muttered as she paced in front of the fireplace. She would not admit, would not, that she actually liked his place. Liked the homey, relaxed feel of the wooden house.

Colin had gone all king-of-the-jungle on her again. Hadn’t asked if she wanted to spend the night at his place. No, he’d done the whole I’m-a-man-I’ll-keep-you-safe routine on her. It made her want to scream.

“In case you’ve forgotten,” she snapped, “I saved your ass tonight.”

“And I saved yours.” He was leaning against the fireplace mantel, his arms crossed over his chest. “Guess that makes us even.”

“Even?” Not in her book. She hadn’t kidnapped him.

“Relax, Doc. You can go back to your nice house tomorrow. But I can’t let you leave tonight. It’s too dangerous.”

“And it won’t be dangerous tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow those bastards might not be on the street. The uniforms could pick them up tonight.” He stared at her, his blue gaze hard and determined. “Get used to the idea, Doc; you’re staying here.”

If she wanted, she could leave. She could stomp out of the house, use her cell phone, and call for a taxi to take her home. She didn’t have to listen to Colin, but…dammit, he was right. It was safer for her to stay at his place for the night. Until they found out who’d sent those goons after them, it made sense to stick together, but she didn’t have to like the situation.

And she definitely didn’t like the idea of staying at Colin’s house, alone with him.

Her heart was beating too fast, and a tight ball had lodged in her stomach from the moment she’d realized where Colin was taking her.

What would happen? What did she want to happen?

“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable, Doc?” Colin inclined his head toward the couch. “I’ve got to go clean up.” Then he was gone, disappearing down the hallway, quietly shutting a door behind him.

Emily frowned. The man had nearly ran from the room. Pretty much mid-argument. That was odd.

“Colin?” She stepped toward the hallway. The wooden floor creaked beneath her. “Colin, are you all right?” Now that she thought about it, there had been a tension on his face. And he’d looked the slightest bit pale.

He just fought off four men. It stands to reason the man would look pale and tense.

She crept forward. “Colin?”

A nagging worry filled her. What if he was hurt? Trying to hide his wounds?

She could hear the rush of running water. Emily paused next to a white door. The bathroom, she figured. She didn’t want to burst in if nothing were wrong, but…

Something isn’t right. Her instincts were on high alert. Her fingers curled around the doorknob. “Can you hear me?”

He jerked the door open. Stood gazing down at her, his chest bare, red water dripping from his fingers.

Red water. Blood. “Oh God, you’re hurt!”

Colin stepped back, shoved his hands under the pouring water that sprayed from the faucet.

“Colin?” She grabbed his arm. Felt his muscles tense. “Dammit, where are you hurt?”

His hands clenched beneath the water. “The blood’s not mine.”

Not his? Emily yanked his hands up, stared at the now-glistening fingers. There wasn’t so much as a scratch on him.

She looked up, gazing into his eyes. He was close to her, so close that the warmth of his body surrounded her. Her eyes fell to his chest. Bare. Strong. Tight, with hard muscles. Covered with a light coating of midnight black hair.