“I’m sorry. I should have told you,” she said, trying to take a step back. Where she thought she would go she had no idea, but her survival instincts were in full force. Since she couldn’t fight, they’d picked flight.
His hand snapped out, wrapping around her throat as his thumb pressed up under her jaw.
“I told you never to run from me,” he growled, reaching out with the other hand to trigger the stop on the elevator.
The sensible response would have been to apologize and go pliant in his hold. To not do anything his alien instincts might consider a challenge. Unfortunately, Elise had never been very good at doing what was expected of her or even what was sensible. Cornered, she did what she’d always done… She fought back.
“What did you expect?” she snapped, unable to help the tears in her eyes. They weren't tears of fear. They were tears of frustration at herself for getting into this situation. Tears of anger because she’d been stupid enough to fall for Casanova’s pretty words and lies years ago.
Their marriage had been over almost as soon as it had begun, something she should have relegated to the past long ago, but even now he was causing her problems. If she hadn’t been married, she and Cade…
“You’re angry,” she glared up at him. “And I don’t know why or how you’ll react next… Or if I’m in danger here. It might have escaped your notice but humans have really fucking good survival instincts.”
He looked down at her, the tension between them at a breaking point. Then he smiled, darkness in his eyes becoming heated and his thumb stroking along the underside of her jaw.
“Really?” he murmured, his growl becoming soft purr. “And those really fucking good survival instincts tell you that being in an enclosed space with a predator is a good thing?”
“Yeah well,” she huffed, trying to snatch her jaw from his grip. “I didn’t claim to be sane. Now did I? So sue me.”
“I have no idea what that means,” he murmured, crowding her against the side wall. Her back hit cold metal, the heat of his hard body pressing into her from the front. She gasped, looking up at him.
“We didn’t get the chance to finish last night,” he breathed against her lips, and her body went weak and needy against his. “And all I’ve been able to think about this morning is tasting you again.”
She managed a small, shaky laugh. “As long as that’s good tasting, not anything freaky with teeth.”
“We’re not cannibals.”
He smiled against her lips and all her attention focused on the slight brush of his mouth against hers. He had to kiss her. She needed it more than she needed her next breath or the next beat of her heart.
“Humans and Lathar are genetically related, which is why we’re compatible.”
“Compatible?” she murmured as she slid her hands up his heavily muscled arms and around his shoulders. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
“Yeah… for starters.”
He leaned down and claimed her lips in a hard kiss that brooked no argument. Not that she planned on offering any. At the first touch, she whimpered and opened up for him in invitation.
A soft growl in the back of his throat, he gathered her closer and plundered her mouth. His tongue stroked against hers, wicked temptation as heat licked through her body. Need pooled low in her groin as she pressed closer to him. She met him kiss for kiss, sliding her tongue against his in an erotic tangle.
Their breaths were shared, each movement against each other becoming more urgent than the last. Finally she tore her mouth from his, a flush staining her cheeks as she realized she rode his thigh. Dry humping against the leather.
“Errr… we can’t do this here. They’re going to be looking for us.”
He smiled, leaning down to place a soft kiss against her lips. “We’ll continue this later. And talk more.”
She bit her lip as he let her go, making sure her feet were firmly on the floor again before he moved over to trigger the elevator into motion. “What’s there to talk about?”
He looked over his shoulder as they reached their floor. “Everything. You think just because you had a mate before that I’m giving up?”
He smiled and she shivered from the top of her head all the way down to her toes.
“You’re mine, Elise. Get used to the idea.”
Elise didn’t know what to say so she simply followed the big alien warrior from the elevator.
This level was given over to the alien guests, but a number of human staff walked the corridors—hospitality staff to see to the needs of their guests along with maintenance and security staff. And she was convinced every single one of them knew what she and Cade had been up to in the stopped elevator.
The lab was a couple of corridor intersections away from the elevators, and for some reason every member of staff on this level decided to walk by them. The flush on her cheeks rose in intensity until it was a level that could rival the sun itself.
She bit back her groan as she spotted a familiar figure up ahead. Jim Strickland was one of the sergeants on base and instrumental in organizing the poker nights they all enjoyed on the first weekend of the month.
Tall, well-built, and cute with curly dark hair and blue eyes… He had the kind of cheeky grin and dimples that she usually went weak at the knees for. But he had absolutely nothing on the dangerous beauty of the man who walked at her side.
“Ms. Beaufort.” He nodded.
It might’ve been her imagination but she was sure she spotted amusement in Strickland’s eyes as he passed them by. Her stomach dropped into her shoes.
Shit. Strickland was one of the surveillance team, and from the direction he was going, he’d just come from one of the hidden observation rooms. Had they put cameras in the elevators without her knowing?
Bile rose and her hands shook. Fuck.
She had practically dry humped Cade’s leg in there. She went to great lengths to keep her personal life private, but what if they all knew? What if the surveillance of that little clinch in the elevator was making the rounds already?
She managed to keep walking in a straight line, her back rigid as her brain went a mile a minute. But by the time they reached the corridor outside the lab, she knew she couldn’t go on. The idea of Strickland and his team knowing what they’d been up to was bad enough, but the idea of facing all of the Lathar was even worse.
“I can’t do it. I can’t go in there.” She started to backpedal, eyeing the door like it was a pit of vipers about to strike. “You could smell me… They will be able to. Oh shit, I can’t go in there. And you’ll have to tell them I’ve been caught up with something—”
He put his hand on her arm, stopping her backward flight, and looked down at her with confusion. “What you mean they’re gonna be able to smell you?”
She bit her lower lip, worrying the plump flesh between her teeth. It was a bad habit, one that often left her lips sore.
Drawing closer to him, she whispered, “You could… smell. You know, when I got turned on?”
God she never thought she’d ever say that sentence to a guy. His expression cleared, the light of realization in his eyes as he gave a small chuckle.