He nodded, his eyes moving from her face and traveling down her body. With his heightened senses, he could see the slight bulge of the shirt where her nipples strained against her bra, could smell the sweet, sensual aroma of her sex, which proved her need for him. How could he have thought her simply pretty? She was beautiful. His gaze moved back to her lips and he growled softly when her tongue snaked out to wet them.
Conall was through with niceties and human formalities. His hand encircled her waist, and he pulled her against him and the obvious arousal he was in no way trying to hide.
***
Vivienne gasped, neck arching as she looked up at him. If there were ever a time she should struggle, this was it. She didn’t know him, and a heap of other reasons as to why she should pull away were reeling in her head, but this was the only man, in her twenty-three years of existence, who made her ache. She wasn’t completely naïve about the things that happened between men and women, but never before had she been this interested. She could almost see them together, see images she’d never encountered before. Him above her, taking her as she arched and cried out under him. She above him, neck thrown back, as he held onto her breasts. They were so vivid.
His face lowered to hers, and then his lips were against hers, soft and hard at the same time, dominant and yielding. Oh sweet merciful God. Her hands locked around his neck and she undulated against him, dragging a feral-sounding groan from him, from Conall. Yes, that was his name.
Conall.
***
Conall suddenly pulled away and took a step back. She came forward, her arms reaching for him again, but his hand held her firmly as he briefly scanned the crowd of people. A woman stood behind her, staring at them in open-mouthed shock, but save for her, only a few of the humans gathered seemed interested. He looked over to the workers—his pack. The bartenders were all staring at him, but when he turned to them, they pretended to be busy. He didn’t need to look to know that Raoul and Sloan were staring at each other and also at him as if he’d grown another tail. Joshua, too. And probably all of the waitresses.
This was forbidden, something their people had preached against since the beginning of time. He was a werewolf; she was human. He should not have such a stark attraction to her—as if she were his…his mate! The wolf lifted his head and howled. Laws and tradition be damned! He wanted her, and he was going to have her.
He pulled her back against him and leaned toward her ear. “Come with me.”
A hand slipped into his hair and he resisted the urge to growl his pleasure. Her fingers were soft and gentle. They would feel even better against his fur. With her body against him, and her fingers in his hair, he couldn’t help his next actions. His hands slid around her back, and then over her buttocks, feeling the soft globes in his hands, as he hauled her against him once more.
“Yes,” she murmured against his neck, sounding breathy and willing. “Yes.”
That was all he needed to hear. Conall was about to lead her upstairs, to the private apartment that served him when he was in the city, when Vivienne was suddenly tugged away from him. He spun and his anger only grew when he recognized that a human male now stood before her, his arms crossed over his chest as he sized Conall up.
“Whoa there, buddy. She’s not going anywhere with you,” the man said firmly, and Conall looked behind him to see that Vivienne was still staring at him with the same stark, naked need he was sure reflected in his eyes as well.
“Step aside, boy,” Conall snarled, baring his teeth in clear warning to this stranger. If the man didn’t do as he said, he was going to attack and bedamned whoever witnessed the transformation and the murder of a human.
***
Max had just been about to close the deal with a particularly busty redhead who’d been following on his heels for the last ten minutes. If she could look at redheads, then so could he, he decided in a way that even he admitted was very childish. He was about to suggest that he and the Jessica Rabbit doppelganger take a little trip, to the bathroom or a nice secluded corner, when Drew approached him, frantic, about something happening to Vivienne. He’d reacted immediately and followed Drew to where two lovers were embracing passionately, except one of the lovers was his best-friend and the other was some random guy! He knew it was her birthday, but Vivienne would never do something so…out there. So the only other logical thing was that she was completely plastered. Or drugged.
“Okay, old man,” Max replied sarcastically, the three or four shots, not to mention the stout, doing nothing for his instincts. “We’re going to leave now so just cool it.”