“I think I prefer to keep a very careful distance between us at the moment,” she informed him. “I have things to do this evening, and being distracted by you isn’t one of those things.”
His eyes narrowed on her as he moved to his discarded clothing and pulled his jeans from the pile.
“What did you have planned?” he asked, as he pulled the denim over those spectacular legs. “I thought we’d have dinner together.”
She suddenly wished her evening was free after all.
She was too easy, she told herself. A wimp. A wuss. A horny fool.
“Regretfully, I have to decline.”
Actually, she was ready to dress and run home right now rather than face the pain she knew was coming. If it weren’t for her own past and the knowledge the killer evidently had, then she would do just that. Maybe.
Her gaze flickered over him again, from his muscular legs encased in denim to the dark bronzed flesh that stretched across his chest. He was one of the most handsome men she knew, and one of the most alluring Breeds she had ever met.
It was truly not fair that man had created such animalistic beauty in so many different forms. Breeds were known not just for their genetics, but for their intense good looks and superb physical condition.
“You’re aroused.” His sudden statement sent heat coursing through her face. “You’re always aroused around me, Cassa, yet you’ve never flirted, never given any other hint of interest. Why is that?” Suspicion darkened his eyes.
“Because I didn’t like the games you played?” She arched her brows. “You and your brother are known for more than your good looks, Cabal. Playing with your toys together is one of the nicer descriptions that I’ve heard of your little playdates.”
They had, at least at one time, been known for sharing their women.
A smile creased his lips then. “Tanner’s mated now, you know that. We no longer share our toys, as you call it.”
That smile was too knowing and too damned sexy. Cassa stared back at him with an impending sense of finality. The past was indeed catching up with her, in the worst possible way.
She breathed out roughly. “I don’t have the patience for Breed games this evening, Cabal. I have a job to do here. Maybe I’ll see you tonight.”
She moved for the change of clothes she had laid out on the dresser earlier.
His arms dropped from his chest as he advanced into the room, his head turning, his gaze roving over the small living area and the laptop.
When he stopped, he was only a few feet from her, his gaze pinning her as his expression turned dark and foreboding. “Stay out of the park area,” he told her, his voice chilly with warning. “It’s not safe right now.”
“It doesn’t work that way,” she answered firmly, when everything inside her was warning her to back down. “You don’t tell me what to do simply because you’ve mated me.”
His lips thinned. “Make it work that way, Cassa.”
“Then give me the information I need,” she told him. “Tell me what the hell is going on and why Breeds are cleaning up after a killer.”
He knew what she knew. He had been in that valley, he and Dog, possibly working together, had ensured that she made it nowhere near the area.
Cabal’s brows lowered heavily over the glitter of gold in his green eyes. Irritation marked his expression as well as his gaze.
“You don’t want to be a part of this,” he finally told her, his voice low. “The killer has targeted you, Cassa. I know you were contacted. Jonas has already talked to your editor concerning it. Go home, let me take care of this. That’s my job.”
At least he wasn’t lying to her anymore.
“You had no right to talk to my editor, and I’m already a part of it,” she argued. “Your killer made certain of it.”
“And haven’t you questioned why?” he snapped furiously. “You’re a target most likely because of that bastard Watts. He was involved with the Deadly Dozen up to his f**king eyeballs and you know it.”
Yes, she had suspected that much. One of the men in that grainy picture, the one more hidden than the others, the one she couldn’t quite place, resembled Douglas too closely.
“I’ve always been a voice for the Breeds, Cabal,” she informed him. “If Tanner is the face of the Breeds, then I’m the voice, you know that. I’ve made certain of it. The killer is obviously targeting the Breeds and their standing in society. If Douglas was part of the Dozen, then that would make it even sweeter for the killer. It discredits me if the world finds out. It would make it appear as if I were playing favorites to make up for his sins.”
He shook his head. “And the killer is targeting much more than Breed standing in society, we both know it. Now I’ll ask you again. Why are you involved in this?”