Hawke didn't say a single word, gave no indication that he'd noticed her state of dress as he put his hand on her lower back and herded her to the door.
She almost went.
Halfway there, she dug in her heels, determined to make him admit he wasn't just here to pick up a pack member who'd had too much to drink. But one look at his face and she knew it'd be a very bad idea to confront him here. She could see Nicki and Evie over his shoulder, frantically shaking their heads. Jason was wincing, but edging forward while Kit and Tai had begun to shoulder their way through the crowd—as if to protect her.
Their loyalty ignited a deep warmth with her.
But this was a private war.
Sliding her arm through Hawke's, she pressed her breast against the part of his arm bared by the short sleeves of his white T-shirt. "Where's the car?" She didn't bother to slur her voice. His senses were too acute to have missed the fact that she was stone-cold sober.
In response, he untangled his arm from hers, put his hand on her lower back again—the touch a hot, rough shock that made things low in her body clench—and walked her out.
"Good luck," the bouncer muttered as she passed, not even making a token attempt at pretending he was going to stand in Hawke's way.
If she'd been him, she wouldn't have either.
Because unlike the other night, Hawke didn't look pissed. This was an anger that went deeper, ran far colder. Why the difference, she didn't know . . . until they got to beside the SUV, and he leaned down to growl, "You smell of another man."
Her body flared with sensation at the heat of him so close, but she wasn't about to surrender and lose the ground she'd gained. "Yeah, well, I'm not a wolf, but I'm guessing you smell of another woman."
He bit her. No warning, no nothing. His teeth just sank into the curve where her neck flowed into her shoulder. She jumped, felt his hands lock onto her hips. Her spine was melting, her skin taut in expectation—but if she gave in now, it was all over. Think, Sienna, think. Close to impossible when he was surrounding her, when he was taking her over. Damp heat bloomed between her legs, and his nostrils flared. Oh, God.
Acting more in self-defense than as a result of rational thought, she raised a fine line of X-fire where he gripped her.
He wrenched away with a snarl. "You burned me." The wolf. Very much the wolf.
Raising her hand to her shoulder, she touched the lingering heat of his bite. "Just a warning." She'd been careful not to burn, only to threaten. "I don't like having your teeth in me."
His eyes gleamed. "Liar."
She couldn't hold back her gasp as he was suddenly in her face again, but found the will to say, "Did you take out that ad?"
He traced the bite mark with his thumb. "Why are you half-naked?" An almost careless question . . . except that his free hand was on her lower back again, and this time, he was using the rough pads of his fingers to stroke the strip of skin bared by her top. Slow and easy. And again.
She shivered.
"You're cold."
He'd thrown her into the SUV and come around to take his seat before she knew it. They were already halfway down the block by the time her heart stopped racing enough that she could speak. "I don't want to go home." Part of her was terrified because she had no idea what to do with him in this kind of a mood, but retreat was not an option. Not when she was playing for keeps. "Hawke? Are you listening to me?"
Picking up a bottle of water from the holder between the seats, he said, "Wash off his scent."
Her thighs clenched at the possessive demand in that tone, but she folded her arms. "No."
A low growl filled the SUV, tightening her nipples to painful points. Unsettled—though not shocked—by the visceral depth of her response, she was attempting to find some kind of solid ground when he wrenched the car to a stop on the side of the road and turned. "Then I'll do it." Pale, pale eyes gone night-glow, a voice so calm as to make it patently clear the predator was well and truly off the leash.
Difficult as it was to withstand the impact of his dominance, she reminded herself his wasn't the only power in the vehicle. "Touch me and I'll singe your eyebrows off."
A shrug. "They'll grow back." Tugging off the scarf she'd used to tie up her hair, he dampened it in the water.
"Hey!" She pushed back at him as he crowded her into the corner.
"You wanted to play, baby." Soft words that had her freezing in place. "So we'll play."
Her mouth went dry as he ran the damp cloth over her lips with piercing focus. She knew she should protest his actions, but her voice seemed to have deserted her with him so close—so big and gorgeous and furious that he took over every inch of space, every breath of air. "There," he murmured, running the cloth down her neck and over her shoulder before leaning down to press his lips to the bite mark.
Arousal twisted through her body, until she had to sink her teeth into her lower lip to still her moan. That wasn't an erogenous zone. She knew that. And yet she didn't dare move for fear he'd stop the delicious torture. Another kiss, wet and hot. His hair brushing against her skin as he licked the mark, each strand a searing brand.