Tempting Evil (Riley Jenson Guardian 3)

"Do your" I cut in. "So why tell me earlier that you will have your revenge, no matter the cost?"

"Jack would not have let me in on this section of the mission, no matter how big a team player I was, and we both know it." His gaze moved beyond me. "Though why the horse-shifter is considered more worthy is anyone's guess."

It was the sudden flash of vehemence in his eyes more than the slight edge in his voice that suggested he wasn't exactly talking about the mission, and a fresh wave of annoyance ran through me. This man was always judging me, always questioning my choices. Expecting me to rise to his standards, when his standards were totally alien to a werewolf's beliefs.

"Kade is here because he plays by the rules. In the field, and in the bedroom." At least he was willing to accept what I was, the way I was - and what I was willing to give. Probably because a stallion played along similar sexual lines as a werewolf. Quinn just wanted to play it his way, and given he was a vamp and I was a wolf intent on finding my soul mate, that wasn't ever going to happen.

Kade's big hands pressed warmth on either side of my hips. Before I realized what he was doing, he'd claimed me in the most basic way possible, slipping so very deep inside.

"Playing by the rules has its benefits," he said, his deep voice somehow managing to be both mocking and amused. "You should try it sometime. It feels extraordinarily good."

Annoyance ran through me at Kade's actions, yet part of me also wanted to stick it to Quinn, to play along with Kade and make Quinn even angrier.

But then, common sense isn't exactly my strong point when I'm pissed off at someone.

So instead of stepping away from Kade, as sanity suggested, I pressed back against him, thrusting him deeper still. Quinn's eyes narrowed dangerously. Though he wasn't close enough to the stable door to actually see what we were doing, he was a vampire and an empath. He not only would have heard the sudden leap of my pulse, but would have felt the heated rush of pleasure and annoyance.

I met his gaze, held it. Awareness burned deep in those obsidian depths, an awareness that bounced right back to me, making my heart stutter and causing goose bumps to tremble warmly across my skin. Kade might be the one who'd claimed me sexually, but truth be told, it was Quinn I wanted inside - attitude, anger, and all.

Not that wanting him would make me go any easier on him. Quite the opposite, in fact.

"What are you intending to do next?" I asked, as Kade began to move ever so slightly, sending little quivers of pleasure shooting across my skin.

"I came here to inform you of my presence, and to get an update." His gaze was still on mine, and the awareness deep in his eyes had morphed into fierce desire.

The ever-pragmatic vampire might not approve of who was doing me, but he sure as hell was turned on by watching it. And who'd have guessed Quinn had leanings toward voyeurism?

"So you're not going to charge right in and kill Starr?"

"To do so might risk your safety, and Rhoan's. I have no wish to do that."

Meaning he had every wish to harm Kade. "In other words, you've realized it's not going to be as easy to get to Starr as it was to get onto his estate, and you'll bide your time until the chance appears."

"A very cynical statement."

"But a truthful one."

He paused for a second, his gaze filling me, consuming me, in a way that went way beyond anything physical. As if we were on the verge of sharing the best erotic dream ever, even though neither of us were asleep.

"Yes," he agreed softly, leaving me uncertain as to whether he was agreeing to the statement or the thought.

"If you didn't come here as a guard, you won't be able to move around freely." The words came out breathy, and it wasn't because of what Kade was doing. It was Quinn - the way our eyes connected, the way his thoughts seemed to be merging into mine, the sensation that we were becoming one in a way that went far beyond any sort of physical connection.

"The night is my servant." His soft words echoed around me, through me, full of power, full of passion. Somehow, he used the night and connection he'd formed between us to enhance the growing sense of intimacy and arousal, and it was a connection I couldn't fight. Not that I really wanted to. I wanted to see where he would take this. How far he was willing to go.

"But the day isn't."

"Not yet, it's not."

The heat in his eyes would have melted steel, and I have never claimed to be that strong. My body was trembling under the force of it, and though I was vaguely aware of Kade's body moving in mine, all my senses were attuned to Quinn. To what was happening between us. To what was building between us.

"The day will never be yours, Quinn. You are a vampire, and that is a fact you can never escape."

We both knew I wasn't only referring to the day, and his smile was almost arrogant. But oh so sexy.

"Do not bet on that. I have been around a very long time, and I intend to be around for many more centuries yet. All things come to those who are willing to wait."

"Not all things can be claimed with time."