Embraced By Darkness (Riley Jenson Guardian 5)

He buzzed me in and sent the elevator down. The security door into his apartment was open, but he wasn't waiting. I followed his rich scent through the living room and into the bedroom.

He glanced at me over the top of the book he was reading. "You look a mess."

"It's been a bad night at the office." I stripped off the tattered remains of my dress, then kicked off my shoes and headed for the shower. He didn't follow, didn't join me, and part of me was glad of that. I just needed some quiet time to wash away the feel of evil.

After I'd dried and combed my hair, I walked over to the bed and lay down beside him. He tucked his arm underneath my neck and pulled me closer without ever putting his book down. It was nice, just laying there, snuggled up against him, and I was tempted to let it stretch on. But he deserved the explanation I'd come here to give.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I shouldn't have disappeared like that without explaining. But I couldn't risk losing my quarry."

He sighed, and finally put the book down. "I could smell the fear on you, Riley. Do you know what it was like for me, knowing you feared whatever it was you were chasing, and yet unable to do one single thing about it?"

"It's my job - "

He turned onto his side, and pulled me closer, so that his warm length pressed against my cooler flesh. It felt good. Natural and safe and right, somehow.

Right in a totally different way to how Quinn had felt right.

Which didn't really make all that much sense.

"I'm an alpha," he said. "It's an alpha's duty to protect his pack. You, my frustrating, annoying, and somewhat daft woman, are considered part of that pack for as long as we are together."

I smiled and raised a hand, gently touching his cheek. "This evil was something you couldn't protect me from."

"Which doesn't negate my need to try." He took my hand and kissed my fingertips one by one. Warmth shivered up my arm and desire unfurled.

"I have warned you that my being called out on a job might happen at the most inconvenient times." I raised my free hand and lightly traced my fingertips along his side to his hips, then let them drop, lightly caressing the thickness of his erection.

"And I warned you that one day I will ask you to leave said job."

My hand stilled as I raised my gaze to his. "I can't leave yet. Not in the middle of a case, and not until we know the results of the drug I was given."

"I know, and I'm not asking you to do that now. But I do want you to make a decision."

I resumed my caressing, enjoying the way his flesh throbbed and jumped under my touch. "I know. And I promise, I'll make it soon."

He touched a finger to my chin and guided my gaze back to his. "How soon? As I've already warned, I'm an impatient man."

My gaze searched his, seeing the desire deep in those green depths. Seeing the emotion. Part of me ached to say yes, to commit to this big strong wolf and take the time to explore whether or not he truly was the one.

But I just couldn't. Not yet. I didn't believe in breaking promises, and if! committed, I would mean it.

Yet I was in the type of job where commitment and fidelity didn't matter one iota. Where the only thing that did matter was getting your man and bringing him down any damn way possible.

And sometimes, that included sex.

I might be a strong psychic, I might be able to make some people believe whatever I wanted them to believe - including the fact that they'd just had incredible sex with me when the only thing I'd been fucking was their minds - but there was no escaping the fact that, sometimes, real sex would be involved.

And that I would more than likely enjoy it.

Truth was, I couldn't commit to Kellen and do my job successfully. I might not have wanted this job originally, but I was stuck with it now. Besides, part of me really did enjoy the thrill of it. A hunter hunts, and there was no longer denying I was very much a hunter.

Yet how much longer could I put Kellen off? How much longer did I want to put him off? My dreams were right here for the taking, if I had the courage.

But after everything that had happened over the last few years, my courage when it came to emotional matters was extremely low. And part of me didn't want to take that final step just in case fate leapt out and crushed me again.

"Answer me, Riley," he demanded.

Oh God, oh God.