the narrow passage or heading back for the street? The sound of traffic had picked up. Hopefully that meant there were more people out and about, making it harder for her would-be captors to attempt another grab for her.
Hoping that she was making the right decision, she trotted the short distance back to the street, pausing only long enough to figure out where she was in relation to the condo.
Even though most of the dwellings on the street were similar, Joss’s place was easy to pick out of the crowd. It was the one with a pissed-off chancellor standing on the front porch. Mad or not, Conlan represented safety.
She broke into a dead run, ignoring the tears pouring down her face. All that mattered was that Conlan had spotted her and came charging down the street to meet her halfway.
* * *
“Never mind, Rafferty. I just spotted her. I’ll call you back in a few.”
Conlan cut off his sputtering employer without a second’s thought and broke into a run. He was going to throttle Kat for scaring him, but not until he hugged her within an inch of her life. She had some explaining to do, but all that really mattered was that she was back, alive and unharmed.
Or maybe not. There were dirt streaks on her pants, and her jacket had a jagged rip in the sleeve that hadn’t been there yesterday evening. And unless he missed his guess, those were tears glittering in her eyes as she ran toward him, the expression on her face a mix of terror and relief.
When she was just short of his reach, she launched herself straight into his arms, calling out his name. Sobbing his name, was more like it. He swept her up into his arms and jogged back down the sidewalk, not stopping until they were both inside and the dead bolt was thrown to lock out the rest of the world.
There were things he should be saying. Plans to be making. Not happening. Not now. He needed to know she was his, that she hadn’t abandoned him, not after last night. He’d marked her as his, and he was going to remind her of that fact.
Where? The bed was too far, the kitchen table too small. That left the couch. He half dragged, half carried her across the room.
“Strip off your pants,” he snarled.
Her eyes widened in shock or maybe in surprise. He couldn’t tell and didn’t care. All that mattered was that she willingly did what he said. As soon as she kicked them off, she laid back and spread her knees apart, her own hunger showing in her eyes. When he knelt in the space she’d made for him, he freed his cock, pressing against her core.
“Hold on, honey.”
Then he took her, relieved that she was already slick with desire. It was fast; it was furious; it was perfect.
His eyes blazed bright as he demanded, “Promise you won’t ever leave me like that again.”
“Conlan! I can’t—”
“Yes, you can. Promise me, Kat. Now.”
He punctuated each word with a kiss on the small bruise that was all that was left of where he’d taken her blood during the night. How had they lived without this for the past three years? The answer was simple. He hadn’t been alive at all until she came back into his life. He kept up his demands until she broke and gave him what he wanted.
“Promise me, Kat. I need to hear it.”
“I promise, Conlan, I promise!”
His smile was triumphant as he nipped her shoulder again, stopping just short of breaking the skin. Even so, it sent a fresh burn of heat pouring through him, centering at the exact point their bodies were joined.
All too soon, she was shuddering in his arms, and he was pouring out his own pleasure. As soon as the tremors began to fade, her tears started.
They didn’t last long. He held on tight and stroked her back with slow circles as he pressed a soft kiss to her temple and whispered a promise to keep her safe. When the tears finally stopped, he helped her back into her jeans and righted his own clothes. After fetching a warm washcloth from the bathroom, he wiped the last of the tears from her face.
When he noticed she was still trembling, he asked softly, “Are you hurt or scared?”
She drew a shuddering breath. “Mainly scared. A few bumps, nothing major.”
“Did I hurt you just now?”
“Not at all.” Her smile was a bit