"Waiting for you." He stopped when there were several feet between us. His familiar, musky scent swam around me, stirring memories of all the good times we'd had together. Memories that might just be a lie, like everything else from that period of my life had been a lie.
I raised an eyebrow. "And how did you know I'd be here this afternoon?"
"Easy. There aren't many doctors specializing in nonhuman fertility problems. I merely hacked into the computers of the half dozen listed here in Melbourne, and went through their files until I found you."
If Misha knew about my fertility problems, then he was involved in whatever was going on deeper than I'd thought. "And why would you be doing that?"
"Because I needed to talk to you, and I doubted whether you'd come to me willingly."
He was only half right. I wouldn't go to him willing, but I'd certainly fuck him willingly once he'd made the first approach. He - or rather, the information he could give me - was my path back to a normal life. "You and I have nothing to talk about."
His smile was warm, yet it did little to lift the calculation in his eyes. "Oh, I think we do."
I glanced past him, looking at the clock on the wall. "I have an appointment in ten minutes. You have three to say what you came here to say."
He raised an eyebrow, his expression mocking. "Then I will get straight down to business. I know Talon was giving you ARC1-23. I know why. And I know the results."
I raised an eyebrow. "And here I was believing when you said you had nothing to do with Moneisha or Genoveve."
"I didn't. But we both know that Talon giving you the drug had nothing to do with either of those places. Or anything else he was involved with."
Jack was right. This wolf knew a whole lot more about what was going on than any of us did. "He'd been trying to get me pregnant."
"As was I."
I blinked. "What?"
He shrugged. "Talon and I have been competitors for a long time. I thought it would be interesting to see what sort of child you and I could produce."
There was more behind his decision than just a competitive urge. I could see it in his eyes. "You're both mad."
"Maybe. It was certainly a risk on my behalf."
I frowned. "Meaning what?"
"Meaning, Talon was given no specific instructions other than to fuck you senseless in an effort to learn more about Jack. I, on the other hand, was told to keep away." Humor briefly touched his eyes, warming the chill depths. "I thought you worth the risk."
Yeah, right. I was really believing that. "I'm not in the least bit flattered. And why would it be risky for you to fuck or impregnate me?"
"As I said, I was ordered to stay away."
"So who gave these so-called orders?"
He gave another shark smile and sidestepped the question. "Did you know Talon was sterile?"
I nodded, and surprise flitted briefly through his eyes. "Interesting, because Talon certainly didn't."
"Talon thought himself the perfect specimen."
My voice was tart, and Misha's smile warmed, becoming genuine for the first time. "He was never one to see his faults."
"And you are?"
He shrugged. "It pays to know one's faults. That way you can work around them." He studied me for a minute, the warmth of his smile fading, sending a chill skittering across my skin. "I have a proposition for you."
"I don't want to hear it." Such a lie, but one Misha fell for hook and sinker.
"Oh, I think you will once you go up and see your specialist."