Vixen (Dark Protectors #11.5) - Rebecca Zanetti Page 0,40

your factory for me.” The idea warmed him, while the sight of her bloody on the ground chilled him at the same time.

She shrugged. “Yeah. You’re more important than a factory.”

Now she was trying to charm him? It was working. “How far behind does this put you?”

Her body visibly relaxed as they turned to business talk. “Only a month or two. I know the recipe, and the techs are mine, so we just need to get another production facility up and running. And buy the ingredients, of course.”

“Good. Have you ever seen shifters do that before?”

She nodded. “Sure.”

He licked his bottom lip. “So you knew about the percussion wave created when one of them shifted near you?”

She moved uneasily on the sofa, sliding to stand. “Well, kind of.”

“Tabi?” His voice softened, and she was smart enough to catch it. “What happens to a demon mind attack when a shifter turns into a wolf?”

She swallowed. “I don’t think that’s really—”

“Tabi.” He waited. Not so patiently.

“Fine. When a shifter turns to the animal form, most often, a demon mind attack no longer, er, works.” Then she rolled her eyes.

Mistake. Big one.

* * * *

Nerves jumped inside Tabi’s belly. So she rolled her eyes.

He came at her then. Full on, right for her. She was a second late in identifying the vibe in the room as scary, pissed-off immortal. She swallowed and sidled around the coffee table.

He stopped. One eyebrow rose.

She moved a little more, edging toward the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice gravelly and low.

“Thirsty?” If she could just get some air, she could figure this out.

“No.” He clocked her progress, looking big and bad and pretty damn sexy. “You done trying to make a run for it?”

It was one of her skills. “You’re in a mood.” One that was having the interesting result of heating her abdomen and softening her thighs. What was it about him?

“Good of you to notice.” He tracked her then, sure and strong steps.

She backed away, her heart thundering, her body healed. “What are you doing?”

“Settling things.” He reached her, his scent of smoke and honey wafting along her skin.

She took another step back, caught between the wall and his body. If she could just slide to the right, she could reach the kitchen. Although the broad spanse of his ripped chest all but begged for her mouth.

As if reading her mind, he planted a hand on the wall by her head, caging her. Easily. “I’d like to give you another chance to respond to my statement that you do not just breezily walk into danger that does not include you rolling your eyes.” While his voice was soft, his eyes were intense, and his body vibrating.

She couldn’t have rolled her eyes if her life depended on it. Plus, breezily hadn’t exactly described her actions. “I guess I could agree to those conditions.” Her lungs seemed to be fighting her.

“No more danger, Tabitha.”

She shivered from the heat in his eyes. Human, her ass. He was all immortal badass. “Danger isn’t my thing.” She tried to sound agreeable.

He traced his free hand along her jaw and down her front, between her breasts. “Right. You go into business with shifters, and you double-cross them.”

She gasped.

Now he rolled his eyes. “Please.”

Okay. Her grin even felt sassy. “No more business arrangements with shifters.”

“Good. No more beating up humans, either.” His fingers were gentle as he lifted the shirt over her head, baring her to him.

She shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t have to beat people up.” Although, those boys had certainly deserved it. She caressed over his chest and down his abdomen, tucking the pads of her fingers into each hard ridge. She purred.

He tangled his fingers in her hair and twisted, forcing her to meet his gaze. “No more casually walking into traps. In fact, no more traps. If there’s a trap, you find a way to not be in the middle of it.”

Well, he’d probably need some time to really figure out the immortal world. Half the fun of traps was springing them. She leaned up and licked along his too firm bottom lip.

His hands—both hands—manacled her hips and lifted her. Fast. Way faster than she could move. He pressed her back to the wall and leaned in, his nose touching hers. Those eyes, blue and dangerous and slightly amused. Yeah, he knew her. Somehow. Maybe this had been his trap all along. “Panties off,” he ordered, kissing her before she could respond.

Heck, yeah. She shoved them down,