Scarlet (3 page)

Hot, sweet liquid rushed into her mouth, nearly choking her in her fervor to devour. It tasted so salty good she had to force herself to slow down for fear she'd get sick. She savored the next few bites, her hunger far from abated.

Red licked her muzzle and looked at what she'd been feeding upon. Morgan's lifeless face stared up at her, his eyes wide with shock.

No.
She shook her head, her mind refusing to believe what she was seeing.
It can't be.
She couldn't have. Yet there was no mistaking the identity of the man lying under her with his throat savagely slit.

Morgan was dead.

*    *    *

Gina woke up screaming, her body tensed in terror. Morgan grabbed her. She flailed until his low, soothing voice finally registered on her sleep-muddled mind.

The sun peeked through the curtains. "Shh, I've got you. It's okay. I've got you," Morgan said, rocking her gently in his arms. This wasn't the first time she'd had nightmares, but they never got any easier for him. He'd been sound asleep beside her, resting peacefully when she'd screamed. For a second, fear had engulfed him, then he'd remembered where they were. He'd scented the surroundings and known they were safe.

"You were dead," she sputtered, as tears streamed from her hazel eyes.

Morgan kissed her forehead. Her skin was hot and soft beneath his lips. "It was only a dream." He brushed the hair away from her face.

She shook her head.

"Look at me."

She pressed her face into his chest and sniffled. Morgan's heart clenched and he pulled her closer. He'd hoped by now her nightmares would've stopped, but if anything, they seemed to be getting worse. He fisted the sheets in helpless frustration. "Gina, look at me."

She scrubbed at her face with the palms of her hands to hide the tears, then met his gaze.

"See? I'm fine," Morgan said.

Without a word, she reached down and grasped his cock.

"What are you doing?" Morgan gasped as her warm fingers stroked his length. He couldn't think when she touched him. Couldn't reason. Could only feel. It was like that every time. He'd never admit it, but the feelings she evoked scared the hell out of him. It had been so long since he'd allowed a woman to get close. Sure, he'd had sex. Plenty of it. But this was different. She was different. Gina had swept past his defenses, laying him bare. He couldn't go back to his old existence, even if he wanted.

"I want to see for myself." She pushed him onto his back.

There was no way he'd stop her, even if he could. "But I'm supposed to be helping you," he said on a gasp as she gently squeezed. The last of his blood left his brain and headed south.

“You already have," she said. "Now stop fighting me."

Resistance was the last thing on Morgan's mind. He stared at the small, pert breasts peeking through her long, black hair. Her nipples grew hard in response. Morgan hadn't intended to seduce her or be seduced by her. He'd only wanted to comfort her after her nightmare. He continued to stare until his mouth started to water. He forced his gaze away from her chest and focused on her face.

From the smile playing on her full lips, Morgan realized that Gina had other plans, and they didn't include comforting. At least the sadness was gone from her eyes. He couldn't handle seeing her like that. It made him want to go into her dreams and kill something, or beat the crap out of the first person who made her frown.

Gina caressed him, drawing his attention to more immediate needs. Morgan licked his lips. "What do you plan to do with that now that you have its full attention?"

She shrugged. "I'll think of something."

Gina straddled his waist, locking her knees tight, then slowly lowered herself onto his bulging erection. She was wet, so wet. God help him. he couldn't resist her. She was temptation incarnate. Maybe if he were a stronger man, he'd be able to push her away. Make her go somewhere safe, somewhere far from him and the Others. But he couldn't. He'd fought for her. Marked her as his own. It had nearly cost him his life, but he'd won. He wasn't about to give her up. Not now. Not ever.

Morgan gritted his teeth as hot, moist woman surrounded him. His heart accelerated as he forced himself to remain still. This one was for Gina.

Once she'd seated herself, she stopped.

The muscles in Morgan's abdomen bunched and his thighs began to twitch. He tightened his hold on the sheets. They ripped as his claws extended.

Gina looked over her shoulder, then arched a questioning brow at him.

"I'm trying, darlin', but I don't know how much longer I can keep the beast inside." Morgan gave her a strained smile.

She rose to her knees until only the tip of him remained inside of her. The sound of shredding reached Morgan's ears as he buried his hands in the rest pad. She stayed there, balanced on his hard cock until he groaned in defeat. The second he did, Gina grinned and plopped down, her bottom slapping his legs.

Morgan's breath whooshed out of his lungs and sweat began to trickle along his hairline. She repeated the movement until he was panting and shallow growls were emanating from his throat. He released the covers, tossing away the shredded material, but still kept his hands to himself.

Gina met his gaze. "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you," she said, gyrating her hips.

His heart swelled at her words, snapping his self-control. Morgan grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her mouth down to his in a punishing kiss that left them both reeling. He thrust his tongue inside, tasting her femininity, her warmth, her courage—her love. He pillaged, savagely taking what she would give him and more. He couldn't get enough of her, returning again and again to dip in the warmth of her well. Morgan knew he was being greedy, but he didn't care. He needed Gina and she didn't disappoint. She matched him step for step, returning his passion tenfold.

Reluctantly, he released her, their lips parting in a loud smack. "I love you. And now that I've found you. I'm not going anywhere," he said. "Do you hear me? I'll always be here for you."

Gina grinned and proceeded to ride him into oblivion.

chapter three

Red and Morgan entered the sheriff's station an hour later. They'd showered and changed into fresh clothes in preparation for the long day ahead. Red had interviews to conduct, even though technically she didn't work for the Nuria sheriff's department yet, since her transfer orders hadn't arrived. Her tenuous position made it awkward with the other deputies.

Good thing she was used to awkward.

She looked at the empty desk outside of Morgan's office. Maggie wasn't in yet. She must have had a busy night with Jim Thornton, the director of the dissecting lab, since she normally beat everyone into the office. They'd been carrying on for more than a year and no one had known until last month, when a disheveled Maggie had been spotted coming out of Jim's lab.

Red grabbed a spare metal desk in the back of the room. She'd just opened her notes for the first interview, when Maggie rushed into the room, tossing her oversized purse onto the desk. She was a soft-spoken woman of moderate age, who'd lived and worked in Nuria her whole life. The last twenty years had been spent at the sheriff's station, keeping everything and everyone in tiptop shape. She took her management job seriously. Red thought sometimes too seriously.

"Sorry I'm late," she said, fiddling with her brown curls, which lay in disarray around her head. Half her shirt hung loose, while the other half had been haphazardly tucked in.

"Rough morning?" Red asked.

Maggie blushed and then gave her a once-over. "You're one to talk."

"Touché," she said. Despite the fact Maggie had given up on Red ever controlling her change, they were still comfortable enough with each other to tease on occasion. She hoped that eventually they'd become friends just as she and Jesse had. Red hid her smile behind the compunit on her desk and went back to work. If the applications she'd read through were any indication of the quality of the recruits, it was going to be a long day.. ..

*    *    *

"So why do you want to join the team?" she asked.

"You have pretty eyes, has anyone ever told you that?" the redheaded applicant named Hank asked. He sat across from her with his elbows resting casually on her desk.

Red stared at him until he sat up straight. Why had she volunteered for this job, when she could be cleaning her guns instead? "Yes. Now answer the question." she said.

Undeterred he kept up his onslaught. "Would you like to go to lunch sometime?"

She blinked at his audacity. "You do realize you're at a job interview, right? I mean I know it's confusing given the men running around with badges and laser pistols, but try to stay focused."

"I
am
focused." He gave her what Red was sure was supposed to be an engaging smile, but it came off more like a leer, since his eyes roved over her chest at the same time. "It doesn't have to be
all
business. Does it?"

Red shook her head and typed in the word "reject" by his name. "Next."

That was the fourth applicant who'd tried to ask her out. Normally that wouldn't bother her, but it had never happened before her wolf raised its furry head. She'd been around plenty of male recruits in her last job. Thousands to be exact, and only two had ever asked her to . .. well, it hadn't been to dinner. One she'd accepted. The other she'd told to go to hell. Bannon Richards hadn't liked her since.

But that didn't explain the sudden interest from the recruits. It could be because they thought it would help their chances, but Red didn't think so. There was something in their eyes. In the way they looked at her. It was predatory and she didn't like it one bit. It raised her hackles, made her want to lash out. And for someone not in control of her wolf, that could be a very dangerous prospect.

The morning crawled bloodied and beaten into the afternoon. Red's voice had grown hoarse from shouting "next" so many times. Every applicant she'd interviewed had given her good cause to dismiss them. The faces of the rejected blurred before her tired eyes. Red didn't know how much longer she could keep this up.

Someone cleared their throat. Red glanced up and realized she'd forgotten all about the potential recruit she'd been about to interview. With sandy blond hair and freckles dotting his cheeks, the man across from her didn't look old enough to shave, much less serve on the new tactical team. Maybe she was just jaded. After all, she'd started at about his age.

She looked down at the list of innocuous questions on her compunit, then back at the new recruit. "So why do you want to join the Nurian Tactical Team?" She paused as it dawned on her that she couldn't remember his name. She flicked her gaze at the screen once more. "Anthony."

"I was told you'd give me a laser pistol," he said, grinning like the answer should please her.

Red heard snickers from the people around her, but chose to ignore them. Someone had to do this, and since Morgan was busy making sure Nuria ran smoothly, that left her.
"And'!"
she coaxed, waiting for Anthony to continue. Surely, joining a tactical team meant more to him than carrying a weapon. If not, then this would be a very short interview.

The man fidgeted and looked flustered. "And I thought going on patrol outside of Nuria would be cool." A hopeful expression lit his face.

Red stared at him until he shrank a little under her gaze. "Those aren't exactly the reasons we were looking for. This is a serious job. One where lives are on the line. If you think this is a joke, then you're wasting my time and yours."

"I don't think it's a joke." He sat forward with newfound determination. "I can't spend my life raising hogs like my folks. Just tell me what you want to hear."

"I shouldn't have to," she snapped. "But here's a hint. We want to hear that you want to join so you can look out for your people. That you want to join because you think justice should be for everyone, not just purebloods. That you understand in this line of work death is always just around the corner."