Full Moon Rising

I pulled off the wig and took out the lenses as I waited for the lights to turn green. Looking a whole lot less ghostly, I pulled into the hotel and stopped at the side of reception rather than out the front under the bright lights. After grabbing my purse from the security box behind the passenger seat, I did up my coat and climbed out. No sense in giving the woman the wrong idea

As it turned out, I shouldn’t have bothered. The woman at the counter wouldn’t have cared who rented the room as long as they paid up front. When I not only paid up front but asked for their best room—which turned out to be their one and only honeymoon suite—she practically danced on the spot. Obviously, times were a little tough with all the new hotels opening at the airport

I drove around to the back and parked. After opening the room’s door, I half carried, half dragged Qui

Returning the car proved no problem, so I headed over to the less exotic rental area and hired an everyday-type Ford

By the time I got back to the hotel, an hour had passed and Qui

“What are you doing back?” I asked, worried something had gone wrong

“We got in and out faster than we’d expected. Listen, I can’t talk long. Alex tells me a tracer has been placed on this number. You’ve got one minute, max.”

“Gautier ran into us as we were coming out of Brown’s room. He didn’t recognize me, but something tipped him off that Qui

“Alex mentioned that an alert had been placed on the car. She didn’t countermand it because we want to see where this all leads. You obviously coped.”

“Obviously,” I said dryly. “And no, I’m not hooked on the adrenaline rush of it.”

He laughed. “Did Qui

“Yes. And we found a couple of interesting files that speak of a White Phantom Project.”

“Good. Don’t worry about hurrying back because the cops have set up security checks on the freeway, and they’ll be there until peak hour. We can’t do anything else now until we have the cover of darkness again, anyway.”

A whole day to play with Qui

“What grid reference are you?” he continued

I hesitated, trying to remember the codes, then converting the name of the hotel into something that resembled map references. I passed them on, and he grunted

“Call if there’s trouble or if you shift location.”

“Will do.” I replaced the receiver, then walked over to the old spa that dominated the corner of the room. Big enough for two to play in. My smile grew when I saw the line of essential oils against the wall. Paying for the honeymoon suite had its benefits

I threw the coat and dress on the nearby chair and continued on to the bathroom to inspect my shot butt

It wasn’t bad, just a scrape that stretched from one cheek to the other. It hadn’t even bled much. I took a quick shower to wash all of Liander’s goop from my skin, then toweled off and padded naked to the bed. Qui

When I woke hours later, it was to the reality of flesh pressing against flesh and the pounding of desire through my veins. Breath caressed my shoulder, punctuated by butterfly kisses that sent shivers of pleasure coursing through me

When I stirred, his fingers brushed from my hip to my stomach and flowed upward. My breath caught in anticipation. Tension quivered through every muscle, so that when his thumb rubbed one aching nipple, it felt like I was going to explode. For several seconds, I couldn’t even breathe, the need was so bad

“Do you know how frustrating it is to wake beside a beautiful woman,” he said, the seductive lilt back in his soft voice, “and find yourself fully clothed?”

Oh, I understood frustration, all right. I’d been experiencing it, in one form or another, since he’d walked naked into my life

“Clothes have never stopped anyone with determination.” I turned around to face him. His dark hair was damp and his face free of the muck that had made his handsome features ghastly. I ran a finger down his still-wet cheek and outlined his lips. “How are you feeling?”

“As horny as hell.” His lips parted, drawing my fingertip into his mouth, sucking on it gently. Anticipation crashed through me. I couldn’t wait for him to sample other parts in the same ma

“How are you feeling?” he continued, after a few moments

“Much better now that you’re awake and aware.”

His hand was resting on my hip again and the heat of his touch flared through me, spreading like a wave that had my whole body tingling. He might want our first “real” lovemaking session to be a long slow seduction of the senses, but I didn’t think he had much hope. Not given the need that surged between us

“Do you remember what happened last night?”

He frowned, but there was a distracted look to his eyes as his fingers began another agonizingly slow journey up my body. “Not much after that cop reached my door.”

“He used a taser on you. Gautier did suspect us.”

“Lucky, then, that the woman with me was capable enough to take over when things got tough.”

I gri

“Right now, the car is the last thing on my mind.”

I raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on my lips. “So what is on your mind?”

“This.” His hand slipped behind my neck, his fingers tangling in my hair as he brought my lips to his. Suddenly we were kissing as if our lives depended on it. And maybe they did, because I’d sure as hell bust if he didn’t fully consummate the tension that had been simmering between us since the begi

After what seemed like hours we came up for air. The rapid pounding of my heart was a cadence that filled the silence, accompanied by the heated rush of blood through my system

I opened my eyes, stared into his. Saw the desire burning bright—desire that was both sexual and blood need. He was controlling both urges, but the first only just

He kissed me again, and whatever slivers of control I’d had were totally and irreparably smashed by the force of it. By the passion behind it

No one had ever kissed me like that before

But right then it wasn’t his kiss I wanted. I was ready for everything he could give

I pushed him onto his back and climbed on top, claiming him in the most basic way possible. He groaned, his hands sliding to my hips, pressing me down harder. I arched upright, echoing his groan at the way he filled me, completed me, in a way not even Talon had. It was almost as if I’d found that one perfect piece of the puzzle, the one and only fragment designed to perfectly fit the space that was me

He began to move, and thought became impossible. All I could do was move with him, savoring and enjoying the sensations flowing through me

Then he reared up and pulled my legs around his hips so that I was sitting in his lap, impaled by his body, my breasts crushed against his chest. His dark eyes burned into mine, stirring me in ways I’d never thought possible