Reid was standing in the kitchen, still wearing nothing but his sleep pants, a broom in one hand, a dustpan in the other. He lifted his face when she padded into the room. “Stay on that side of the island, baby, until I can get this swept up.”
“What was it?”
“Just a glass. It was sitting on the island when I slammed that asshole’s head against the corner.” He winked at her and resumed sweeping.
She flinched, trying to avoid the visual. “Just a glass? Sounded like the entire back wall of windows from upstairs.”
He chuckled. “Nope.”
“I heard gunshots.”
“Luckily those were outside, and no one was injured. The police fired warning shots into the air.”
She swallowed. He was so calm. All she could do was watch as he emptied the dustpan into the trash and then came to her. He wrapped his hands around her biceps and stared into her eyes, all humor gone. His expression was guarded and serious. “You okay?”
She shook her head, biting her lip. She was still scared, adrenaline coursing through her body. But when he pulled her closer, tucking her head under his chin, she started to relax. His heart wasn’t beating as ferociously as hers, and her body began to align with his, her pulse slowing, her breathing evening out. All that from nothing more than his touch.
He threaded a hand in her hair at the nape of her neck.
She spoke against his chest. “You think it’s over?”
He sighed. “No.”
She jerked, lifting her face. “Why?”
“Because Nolan isn’t dead.”
She gasped, a weird noise escaping her lips.
“I don’t know how to put it more bluntly, but that’s the reality.”
“But all these men were arrested. How… What happened at the hotel?” Obviously, Reid knew more than she was aware of. He’d either communicated with Nolan, or the police had filled him in, or perhaps Laurence had shared.
“Nolan’s fine. The man sent to take him out of the equation is dead. Whoever orchestrated this charade is also in custody. Henry left with him a while ago, so I’m betting he’s a shifter. I hope he enjoys his nice jaunt to the Northwest Territories. He’s going to be there a while.”
She flinched. “You think it’s the shifter Nolan scented in the hotel?”
“No idea, but it makes me nervous.”
“Me too. Why would a shifter be after us? Why would a shifter’s loyalty be with a human criminal instead of our own kind?” It made no sense. And how did he find out about Reid and Adriana?
Reid squeezed the back of her neck. “We don’t have all the answers yet.”
That was for sure. “Where’s Nolan now?”
“Back at the hotel.”
“What do you mean, back? Where did he go?”
“He’s stubborn. Unwilling to wait in his room while shit was going down. He went to the meeting point.”
She leaned back several inches. “That’s crazy.”
“He apparently remained on the fringe, hiding, watching. The police took out the hit man.”
“Have you spoken to him?” When would he have had time to do that?
Reid shook his head. “No, hon. Laurence filled me in.” He licked his lips as he cupped her face with his free hand.
They stared at each other for a long time.
Her heart rate, which had finally subsided, picked back up.
When Reid’s lips slowly lowered to hers, she parted her mouth.
He closed the distance between their bodies by flattening one palm between her shoulder blades and hauling her chest against his.
Her breasts jumped to attention, her nipples hardening against his pecs. Suddenly the sweatshirt was too much clothing. Her hands landed on his hips, and she fisted the soft material of his sleep pants.
Their tongues dueled. She needed this. Needed to taste him. It was life-affirming. Maybe it was crazy to feel so much arousal so soon after the end of their ordeal, but she was a shifter, and her blood ran hot for this man who’d bound her to him less than an hour ago.
All the energy she’d exerted worrying about the threat to their lives switched to a new focus. Getting Reid out of these pants and consummating this binding.
It wasn’t imperative to the binding. The binding would be solid for the rest of their lives even if they never had sex, but that same connection brought their arousal to the surface with a force that could not be denied. It was as Nature intended.
For as long as grizzly shifters had been in existence, the draw to bind to another and then seal that bond through sex had been predominant. It was a part of life. Like breathing and eating. Grizzly shifters bound together for life. And they completed that attachment immediately after the binding with a bite and didn’t usually come up for air for days.
The process had been put on hold for the last hour. The urge to have Reid become totally hers bubbled under the surface. It clawed at her skin from the inside. She slid her hands around to his back, her fingers digging into his warm skin as he angled the kiss to one side and devoured her.
His tongue danced around as if he needed to taste every inch of her mouth and then do so again. Meanwhile, Reid found the hem of her sweatshirt and dragged it up her body. He broke the kiss only long enough to whip it over her head.
Their mouths slammed back together moments later.
She needed to feel his skin against hers. She was still wearing her tank top and shorts.
When his hands found her breasts and molded them in his palms, she moaned into his mouth. She couldn’t breathe. Not enough oxygen was getting into her. She almost didn’t care.
She was aware of him backing her up but didn’t know where they were until her ass hit the wall. Flattened against the cool surface, she reached higher up his back, clawing at him. She needed him inside her. Now. Yesterday.
He pinched her nipples.
She moaned into his mouth.
He released her breasts abruptly, and his hands trailed down to her ass, wiggling between her cheeks and the wall to cup her globes and pull her tighter against him.
His cock was flattened to her belly, thick and hard beneath his sleep pants. Instinctively, she dragged her hands from his back around to the front and cupped his hard length for the first time, reveling in the feel of him beneath her palm. It was warm even under the pants. He groaned.
She needed more. She needed him inside her. She didn’t care that ten minutes ago they had been dealing with an intruder and eight people who wanted to take them hostage. Now was another time. Separated. Like before and after.
He slid a hand around from her ass to her pussy and cupped her through the cotton of her shorts. He broke the kiss, panting as he met her gaze. “My God, you’re so wet.” He slid his hand into her shorts and dragged two fingers through her wetness.
She rose onto her tiptoes, biting her lip.
His lips slammed back down on hers as if he could only stand those brief moments to catch their breath and then needed to taste her again.
She agreed. And then he slid a finger into her tight channel. Deep. It felt amazing. So fucking sensitive. She gripped his cock, wrapping her fingers around the length. She still hadn’t seen him naked.
Her concentration returned to her sex where his finger pulled out and then thrust back inside. So good…
Right?
Her mind flashed to visions of Nolan and Reid both bringing her to orgasm that first time on the couch in the cabin. They’d made her come twice. Flashes of Nolan’s mouth between her legs seeped into her consciousness. It amped up her arousal even now.
She closed her eyes, picturing Nolan’s mouth on her while Reid fucked her pussy with that finger. She squeezed her eyes tighter. This was wrong. Something was off. She shouldn’t be picturing Nolan while Reid fucked her.
From one second to the next she went from totally aroused and anxious to have sex to confused and more than a little freaked out.
Reid’s finger slowed. He pulled it out, stro
king it across her clit. She gritted her teeth even though his lips were still on hers.
He yanked his face back, his hand coming out of her shorts. He searched her eyes as he grabbed her hips. His brow was furrowed. For a heartbeat, she thought he had read her mind and was angry. Why was she thinking about another man when she’d just bound herself to Reid?
But then he spoke. “Adriana…” His hand came up to cup her face. His brow was knit together, but his word was soft. Not angry.
Her breath came out in sharp pants. She released his cock to grab his hips too. “Reid.” She didn’t know what to say or think or do. Worry and pain leaked into her chest, a pressure making her fear she would stop breathing.
“It’s not right,” he stated. He shook his head. “Fuck.” He licked his lips. “Oh, my God. Baby, it’s not right.”
She agreed. But what? What was this? What did it mean? They should be fucking now. He should be buried deep inside her, her mind consumed with nothing but Reid. Tears welled up in her eyes. Why was this happening?
Grizzlies didn’t bind and then not have sex. Ever. What was Fate trying to tell her? Had she made the wrong choice?
The worry on Reid’s face slid away, and he smiled. What was he smiling about?
A tear escaped to run down her cheek. “Reid?”
He shook her by the hips. “Baby, don’t you see?”
No. She most certainly didn’t see anything.
He chuckled. “We’ve had it all wrong all this time.”
Obviously. But why was this making him happy? “Reid?”
“It’s not about choosing. It never was. You belong to both of us.”
What?
Reid released her hips and grabbed her hand. He yanked almost too hard to get her to follow him as he glanced around and then raced up the stairs, nearly dragging her with him.
She was confused and so worried, but she followed. She had no other options.
When they reached the master bedroom, Reid swiped his phone from the bed and used the one free hand to both hold it and touch the screen.
She set her other hand on his chest and stepped into his space. “Who are you calling?” she asked. They had questions. Yes. But did he think someone had answers?
His grin grew wider. Suddenly he spoke. “Nolan. Thank God.”
It all clicked into place. She understood. Holy shit, she understood. Her smile was slow, but she finally joined him.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Nolan pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at the screen. Reid? Why would he be calling? He should have been fucking the daylight out of Adriana by now. Making her his in every way after the delay.
He considered ignoring the call. After all, he needed to be packing the rest of his shit so he could move to another safe house. An officer was picking him up in five minutes. Not only did he not have time to talk to Reid, but it would be too painful.
Maybe someday the pressure on his chest would lessen, but it wasn’t going to happen as abruptly as he’d expected.
It almost seemed cruel for them to call him. Like they were rubbing it in. They probably wanted to make sure he was okay. A friendly call. But tonight wasn’t a good time.
Something told him to answer the call though. His next thought was that they were still in danger. So he connected. “Reid?”
“Nolan. Thank God.”
“What are you calling me for?” He didn’t mean to sound angry, but it came out that way anyway.
“Get over here. Like now.”
“Where?” What was Reid talking about?
“My condo. Call a cab or get a ride or something. Just get here.”
“Why?” That seemed like a horrible idea. And yet, his chest tightened further, and the thought of seeing Adriana made his cock stiffen too. No. It was a very bad idea. The worst. “I can’t, Reid. I’m waiting for the police to pick me up, and then I’m heading to another location. I’m so tired.” In so many ways.
“Not tonight. Shake the cop. Get your ass here.”
“Reid? What the hell?”
“It’s not what we thought,” he continued.
“What isn’t?”
“The binding. We had it all wrong.”
He had no idea what Reid was rambling about, but he also didn’t want to discuss it with him at that moment. The pain was raw and growing.
Reid continued. “Nolan, listen to me. She belongs to both of us.”
“What?” Nolan’s voice rose to a pitch he hadn’t ever reached before. His hand shook, making him fear he might drop the phone.
“Adriana. She’s as much yours as mine.”
Nolan lowered himself to the chair, hope rising inside him. “What are you saying?” Did he dare understand this correctly? “Didn’t you bind to her?”
“Yes. But that’s it. All I did was bite her. The binding is complete between us, but it’s…not right.”
“You aren’t making sense.” Nolan gripped the arm of the chair with his free hand.
“Actually this is the first time anything has made sense in a week. Adriana Tarben belongs to both of us,” he repeated. “Get your ass here and bind to her before the two of us self-combust waiting.”
Nolan tried to breathe. He couldn’t make sense of what Reid was saying.
“Nolan?”
He swallowed. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“Cab. Downstairs. Now.”
He nodded, his chest loosening. Jumping to his feet, he spun around and stuffed the last of his belongings into his suitcase. Everything he’d had at the previous hotel had been moved to this one, courtesy of Carl Schaefer or someone he’d hired to do so.
He needed both hands. “Be there in ten.” He stuffed the phone in his pocket, finished packing in record time, and raced out of the room and down the hall. One minute after ending the call, he was in a cab, shouting the address to the driver.
Nolan couldn’t stop tapping his fingers on his thighs as the cab driver made his way across Calgary. It was the middle of the night. There wasn’t much traffic. But the city didn’t sleep. Lights were everywhere, buildings loomed, cars filled the streets. It wasn’t far, but it seemed like a hundred miles. When they finally pulled up outside Reid’s condo, Nolan tossed some bills at the driver and grabbed his stuff. He rushed toward the front door, which opened before he could get there.
Reid stepped outside, his face beaming. He grabbed Nolan’s bags and hauled them inside.
Adriana, wearing nothing but a tiny white tank top and soft pink sleep shorts stood two feet inside the door. She was chewing on her lower lip, her face a mixture of excitement and concern. Curiosity.
Nolan dropped the computer case he’d worn over his shoulder and rushed toward her. His only thought was touching her. Holding her. Finding out if this insanity was true.
The second he cupped her face, he knew in his soul Reid was right. He searched her eyes.
She sighed, her shoulders lowering. “He’s right,” she whispered.
“You’re sure?”
“Never been more certain of anything in my life. I need you to bind to me too.”
Nolan glanced at Reid who had shut the front door and dropped Nolan’s suitcase. He stepped up beside them and set a hand on Nolan’s shoulder. His other hand wrapped around Adriana’s neck. “She belongs to both of us.”
“I see that.” Nolan let himself believe it as he smiled and turned his gaze back to Adriana. He leaned forward and set his forehead against hers. “I love you. Do you know that?”
She smiled back. “Yes. I love you too.” She lifted onto her tiptoes and grabbed the front of his jacket to pull herself up to his lips.
The moment her mouth touched his, he melted, wrapping his arms around her and flattening her body to his. He couldn’t get enough of her taste.
Her hands went to the zipper on his jacket and pulled it down.
Reid was behind him, pulling the sleeves off. “Before you two get completely carried away, let’s go upstairs. We can fuck on every
surface of the house all night if you want, but let’s start with my bed.”
“Mmm.” Nolan agreed, though he was reluctant to break the kiss. He did it anyway and then reached down to sweep Adriana into his arms.
She squealed, grabbing his neck.
Nolan took the stairs two at a time, sensing Reid on his heels. When he hit the master bedroom, he could smell the two of them, potent on the sheets. Had they already had sex? Not that he could blame them. He was simply curious.
“Nolan.” Adriana’s voice was soft. She cupped his face. “Set me down. Take off your damn clothes.”
“So bossy.” He dropped her on the bed a few inches higher than necessary, making her bounce.
She rose onto her knees.
Reid climbed up behind her, straddled her shins with his legs, and wrapped one arm around her body under her breasts. He brushed the hair off her shoulder with one hand and kissed her neck.
Nolan whipped his shirt over his head and kicked off his shoes. He spotted the location where Reid had bitten her and salivated. He considered removing his jeans and then opted to bind to her first.
Closing the gap, he reached for her face. His gaze slid to her full breasts resting against Reid’s forearm. The tank top needed to go. “Take off her shirt,” he ordered.
“He is bossy,” Reid teased as he dragged the cotton over her head and then resumed holding her around the waist, tucking her body against his.
She squirmed.
Reid held her still.
“It makes me so horny when you hold me like that.” Her voice was dreamy now. Arousal evident in every syllable.
Nolan lowered his face to kiss her lips briefly. Damn, she was gorgeous. Her nipples were so rosy and tight. He couldn’t take his eyes off them. He considered dipping his mouth to the upper swell of her breast and sinking his teeth into the delicate skin there. Would it hurt?
“You’re taking too long,” she muttered.
He smiled.
She narrowed her gaze, looking mischievous. And then she shocked the shit out of him by wrapping one hand around the back of his neck and tugging him closer. She kissed the corner of his lips and then nibbled a path toward his ear. When her tongue hit the edge of the lobe, he groaned and grabbed her waist. “You took too long,” she whispered.
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