Fierce Obsessions

He looked at her through narrowed eyes for a moment. “All right,” he finally said. “We forget it.”

His easy agreement disappointed her, though she’d expected it. Her raven didn’t like it either. “Fine,” she clipped.

“Fine.”

Riley ran a hand through her hair. “Savannah and Dexter will probably be here soon. Be gone by the time I get out of the shower.”

Before he could say another word, she turned and headed into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She fairly staggered to the counter, tripping over thin air. Apparently walking would not be her strong point today. God, she needed to lie down. Forever.

Riley cringed at her reflection in the mirror. Her mascara was everywhere, her eyes were bloodshot, and her hair looked like a bird’s nest.

She was never drinking again. Never. And she totally meant it this time.

Fumbling through the cabinet, she dug out the Tylenol and swallowed two with the help of the tap water. Staring at her reflection yet again, she frowned. Where had the bruises come from? And wait, had Tao actually marked her neck? Damn, he really must have been wasted.

Knowing that water alone would not get off all that mascara unless she was interested in rubbing her skin until it was raw, Riley plucked a makeup remover wipe from the pack. Cleaning off the mascara, she cursed herself for being such a—

The door hit the wall with a thud that made her jump. Riley whirled around so that the room spun once again, causing her knees to buckle. Tao stood in the doorway, his jeans on but unbuttoned.

For a moment they just stared at each other. Tao had an intimidating predatory stillness about him, exuded an unshakable confidence and too much smoking-hot badass-ness for Riley to deal with—yes, she did know that “badass-ness” wasn’t a word, but it sure did fit.

She waved her hand, ushering him out, as she said drily, “Nothing to see here.”

Jaw tightening, Tao kicked the door shut and stalked right to her, making lots of muscles ripple and clench deliciously in his shoulders and hard chest. “Now, if you’re done talking bullshit, let’s have a real conversation,” he rumbled, planting his hands on either side of her, caging her in against the counter. “You don’t want to forget last night, Riley. You want to do it again. Over and over. Which is a good thing, because that’s exactly what I want.”

Um, she might have been down with that plan if the guy didn’t dislike her so intensely. A girl had her pride. Even her raven had her objections, despite how much she wanted him. “Look, it was fun and all—”

“It was more than fun.” He nipped the fleshy part of her lower lip. “I swear I can still taste you. Still feel you squeezing my cock. If you expect me to walk away and forget what it’s like to be in you, tasting you, exploding deep inside you, you’re out of your mind.”

Well, considering that was the last thing in the world she would ever have expected him to say, just maybe she was out of her mind. “You were supposed to regret it.”

He scowled, looking incredulous. “I was supposed to regret it?”

“That was what I figured you’d do.”

“Well, you figured wrong. I don’t regret it, and I don’t intend to forget it.” He went nose to nose with her. “And I won’t let you forget it either.”

CHAPTER TWO

Tao gripped the marble counter hard, fighting the urge to touch and taste and take. His cock was so hot and hard it was uncomfortable to walk. Well, of course it was. The object of his every fantasy stood before him, deliciously naked. The air hissed and crackled with a sexual energy that beat at his control. It was a struggle not to let his eyes stray down to those pretty breasts.

He’d wanted Riley Porter from the very moment he laid eyes on her. Wanted to taste that gorgeous mouth, bunch all that dark iridescent hair in his hand, and see her violet eyes glaze over as she came with a scream. Wanted to explore those sweet, lush curves and high breasts that made him long to take a bite. Her fantasy mouth was full and sultry—he’d wanted to take a bite out of that too. And last night, drunk out of his mind, that was just what he’d done.

He had no idea how either of them ended up in her room, but he remembered whipping off her dress and throwing her on the bed. Remembered the feel of her pussy hot and tight around his cock, her hands pulling at his hair, her claws practically shredding his skin, her heels drumming into the base of his spine. And what a birthday treat that had been.

The memories made his cock throb painfully. Even now—while his stomach churned, a sour taste coated his tongue, and it felt like someone had smacked his head with a slab of concrete—he wanted nothing more than to shove himself inside her and fuck her raw. Hell, just her scent alone could do that to him. The blend of dark-red fruit, coconut milk, and black lace was like a magnet to him and his wolf.

In the beginning the wolf hadn’t liked her at all, since she continually toyed with his patience and refused to recognize anyone’s authority but her own. But she’d charmed both Tao and his wolf over time and earned their respect with her wit, her fearlessness, and the protectiveness she displayed toward the young.

“They’re just tits, Tao.”

He hadn’t realized he’d been staring at them until then. Tao forced his eyes back to hers. “Your nipples are hard.”

“So is your cock.”

Fuck, he’d walked right into that one.

She rubbed her temple. “Can we do this later? I really don’t think I can function well enough for a conversation.”

Good. That would give him an advantage of sorts. “No, we’re going to do this now. Last night was no mistake, Riley. It was always going to happen. You know it. I know it.” He breezed his thumb over the bite mark he’d left on the curve of her shoulder. His wolf released a soft, contented growl, liking the sight of his brand on her skin. “The hell of it is you’re not even my type.”

Bristling, Riley lifted a brow. “Because I’m not inflatable?”

“Because you’re trouble. You might look harmless enough, but I know crazy when I see it.” He tapped her nose. “You, little raven, are far from sane.”

She smiled. “I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Tao ground his teeth. It seemed impossible to offend her. It was probably a good thing, really, because it wasn’t wise to upset a raven. They were fierce, vengeful creatures with a wicked temper who always went for the face in a fight. Riley’s temper seemed to be hard to trigger, but he knew it would be a sight to behold if she ever lost it. A perverse part of him wanted to see it.

“For the record,” she began, “you’ve already told me that I’m trouble. Multiple times, in fact. It’s why you’ve been a shit to me since day one.”

“I’ll admit that I don’t handle change well, and my natural reflex to strangers is to reject them. I also have a problem trusting lone shifters, which is pretty common.” Most loners had been banished from their pack by their Alphas for a serious crime, and they often became guns for hire to earn money and protection, hence their particularly negative reputation. “You wouldn’t tell me why you’d become a loner, which didn’t help. So, yeah, I was a shit to you. But once I was satisfied that you mean no harm to this pack, I eased off.”

“But you still don’t trust me, do you?”