Worth the Risk (9 page)

cock upward into her tight sheath.

His balls pulled up painfully tight, but it was the sweetest pain he’d ever

experienced. Looking at her, touching her, being inside her was fucking heaven. He

wanted to claim her so badly he could feel his canines start to extend, but he forced

them back.

He might be ready but she sure as hell wasn’t. With a loud shout, he jerked upward

completely emptying himself. Even as he rode through his orgasm, his cock blindly

jutted into her until she’d completely sucked him dry.

She didn’t attempt to move away from him and for that he was thankful. He

tightened his grip around her back, encircling her waist and pulling her tight against

him. Their labored breathing and the heady scent of sex overpowered the interior cabin.

Traces of sadness lingered around her, but so did satisfaction and something else he

couldn’t quite put his finger on.

They needed to clean up and he had a lot of explaining to do before he left her with

his family, but he didn’t want to tear himself away from her just yet. And he really

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didn’t want to leave her alone tonight. His job meant a lot to him, but this case paled in

comparison to finding out what had caused her so much pain.

He’d give up taking down Perez for her and that thought alone terrified the holy

hell out of him.

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Savannah Stuart

Marisol tried to control the anticipation humming through her. She didn’t want

Stephan’s brother to sense what she had planned. It wasn’t as if he could read her

thoughts, but Stephan had sensed her emotions in the vehicle earlier and she had no

doubt his brother, Thomas, was just as astute. Maybe more so.

She was smart enough to realize that Stephan was blinded by his lust enough that

he hadn’t wanted to push her by asking questions about her family. She’d overheard his

conversation earlier with Thomas and she knew her grace period was coming to an end.

After tonight he’d no doubt want answers, but it probably wouldn’t matter after what

she was about to do.

She quickly shoved her cocktail dress, stilettos, phone, gun and purse into her

backpack then tossed it out the bedroom window. Thomas had already canvassed the

yard once so she crossed her fingers that he wouldn’t see her bag lying in the bushes.

Once she’d shut and locked the window, she hurried downstairs. Luckily, she

found Thomas in the kitchen. “Hi.” She hovered by the doorway, unsure how he’d react

to her request.

He nodded politely at her as he pulled a beer from the refrigerator. “Hi. Would you

like a drink or something?”

She shook her head. “No, uh, I was wondering…would you mind if I went for a

quick run along the beach?” He frowned so she rushed on. “I ran with Stephan earlier

and he said it’s private, right?”

“My family owns most of the houses for miles in each direction.”

“I’m just a little worried about Stephan. He obviously couldn’t tell me what he was

doing tonight, so I thought it would be okay if I just stretched my legs and worked off

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some of my tension.”
Lord, she was rambling and couldn’t seem to stop herself.
He was going

to say no. She could feel it in her bones.

“All right. Just don’t go far.”

Surprise bowled her over, but before he could change his mind, she hurried toward

the back door. “Thanks. And uh, would you mind not looking while I uh…” Most

wolves were unabashed in their nudity, but she didn’t relish the thought of Stephan’s

brother seeing her nude.

He frowned for a moment until understanding dawned on his face. “Oh right. Of

course. I’ll give you privacy.” He cleared his throat and strode from the room.

She rushed out the back door and changed as soon as she’d stripped. The pain

rushed over her as her bones cracked and realigned, but the adrenaline pumping

through her overrode most of her normal discomfort. She scanned the back of the house

just to make sure Thomas wasn’t watching through one of the windows—not that she’d

actually expected him to—before grabbing her backpack between her teeth and

bounding across the yard.

Her time was limited and she had to hurry or her friends wouldn’t wait for her.

* * * * *

Thomas cursed as he glanced at his watch. Marisol had been gone long enough that

he knew she wasn’t coming back. Something had been off about her, but he’d pushed

his instinct aside because she was his brother’s mate.

He wasn’t sure what she was up to, but if she planned to hurt his brother, he’d take

care of her himself. He tucked his clothes and cell phone into a small bag before

changing.

Picking up her scent wasn’t hard. She wore a distinctive jasmine perfume and there

was something else about her that was solely hers. Not to mention she had his brother’s

scent all over her. Being a wolf definitely had advantages.

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After trailing her a mile down the beach, her fragrance shifted back toward the

mainland, away from the water. According to Stephan, Marisol was a small dog so it

would be easier for her to blend in. He, on the other hand, weighed about one hundred

twenty-five pounds and he
looked
like a wolf. Whereas some of the others in his pack

had softer qualities and looked more like pets, nothing about him was soft. He knew he

looked ferocious in his shifted form so he had to be careful.

Sticking to the shadows, he managed to blend in as he raced through

neighborhoods. It wasn’t late, but the sun had set and most people were in for the

evening. The few cats he came across scurried when they saw him.

Her scent started to fade when he spotted her in human form, waving at someone.

She stood on a sidewalk in front of a modest sized house. She was half bent over,

slipping her foot into a high-heeled shoe. After straightening her dress, she shoved

something under a cluster of bushes.

He wanted to change and stop her, but by the time he shifted he wouldn’t be able to

put clothes on and catch her. Since running naked wasn’t an option, he was screwed.

Sticking to the shadows, he watched as she got into the backseat of a luxury car and

slammed the door. As the car sped away, he ducked behind a cluster of elephant ear

leaves and changed. After the pain subsided, he called his brother.

* * * * *

Marisol fought the guilt coursing through her. She was a complete and total

asshole. No doubt about it. Not only had she lied to the man she was falling for, she’d

lied to his brother too.

“I’m so glad you wanted to come out tonight. This party is supposed to be

amazing.” Talia, the tall blonde Marisol had gone out with last night, glanced at her in

the rearview mirror from the driver’s seat.

Marisol plastered on a big smile. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

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“I can’t believe Antonio Perez is actually having a party at his house. I’ve never

been before but I heard the place is absolutely sick. Three stories, a tennis court…”

As Talia and the other two girls in the car droned on, Marisol managed to answer

their questions and laugh when appropriate. Still, it was impossible to fight the nausea

threatening to overwhelm her. This was supposed to have been easy. All she needed to

do was get Perez alone and she’d kill him. One shot. That’s all she needed. Then all the

guilt and suffering she’d experienced over the past year would go away. Even if she

died. Especially if she died. It was her fault her family was dead anyway. Maybe she

didn’t deserve to walk away after killing Perez.

Her skin felt too tight for her body and it was almost impossible to breathe. She

actually had to focus on
not
changing. Her thoughts strayed to Stephan and even

though her heart rate increased, the desire to change decreased. If she could just keep

her attention on him and what they’d shared together, she could control her body. Of

course if she did that, she also had to focus on her guilt at lying to her mate, but that

was just the price she had to pay.

When they finally pulled down Perez’s long, winding driveway, two armed men

stopped their car. After checking the trunk, the men waved them through. Marisol had

been banking they wouldn’t check their purses. After all, who was going to hide a gun

in a small clutch? Besides, no one was dumb enough to try to kill Perez when he was

surrounded by armed guards.

Well, no one but her.

After they’d parked, Talia hooked her arm through Marisol’s. “Come on, let’s head

around back to the pool area.”

The other woman was a little flighty, but she was incredibly sweet and Marisol was

thankful she’d been willing to pick her up as late as she’d called. Blood rushed in her

ears as they walked along the stone path leading to the backyard. Loud music and

voices trailed around the palatial monstrosity.

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Savannah Stuart

Almost as soon as they rounded the corner, a man carrying a tray of champagne

greeted them. Just to keep her hands busy, she took one. Scantily clad women, men in

suits and armed guards milled around the backyard. White twinkle lights were strung

up around the gazebo and waiters with trays of food and drinks casually mingled with

everyone.

Scanning the crowd, her gaze automatically landed on Stephan. With his height and

size, he stood out anyway, but now that they’d slept together, she’d be able to pick his

scent out anywhere. It was almost as if his scent had grown stronger, been etched in her

memory.

As she drank in the sight of him, his head turned and his dark, penetrating eyes

locked on hers. He looked at her as if he’d like to swallow her whole. But he didn’t look

surprised to see her. No, he looked angry, as if he’d been expecting her.

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath.

“Oh isn’t that Stephan Vasquez?” Talia cooed. “I heard you went home with him

last night, naughty girl.” She said something else, but Marisol zoned out as Stephan

stalked toward her.

She was on the other side of the yard, but he moved effortlessly through the mix of

people. His dark eyes were practically gleaming as they zeroed in on her. When a tall

brunette touched his arm, he glanced to his side and Marisol took the opportunity to

hide.

Ducking behind Talia, she grabbed her friend’s hips and used her as a shield. Talia

was slim, but she was tall.

“Oh my God, what the hell are you doing?” Talia laughed.

“Hide me. Let’s get inside,” she whispered.

Talia giggled loudly but did as she asked. Sidestepping a few people, they hurried

toward the back entrance of the house. “I take it you don’t want a repeat of last night

and he does.”

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Worth the Risk

Marisol peeked around Talia’s lithe form and spotted Stephan talking to the woman

who had grabbed his arm. Unwanted jealousy sparked through her like a brush fire, but

the fact that he looked annoyed and bored went a long way to soothing her annoyance.

“We’re almost there,” Talia muttered under her breath.

Once they ducked into Perez’s house, Talia plucked the champagne glass from

Marisol’s hand. “This is my payment for helping you out. And you better not think

you’re getting away without telling me what’s going on with Mr. Tall, Dark and

Dangerous. Was he bad in bed?”

She opened her mouth with a lame excuse when a shriek from a few feet away

interrupted them. A girl Marisol vaguely recognized ran up to Talia and embraced her

in a drunken hug. She knew it was shitty to abandon her friend, but Marisol skirted

through the thick throng of guests until she was able to duck into one of the downstairs

bathrooms. It was down one of the hallways and away from the crowd. She hadn’t seen

anyone come this way so she figured she was safe for a few minutes.

Once inside, she locked the door and dumped the contents of her purse onto the

counter. She unfolded the printed layout of Perez’s home and pinpointed where she

was. Getting this had cost her a lot of money, but it had been worth it. Apparently he’d

had an additional room built and a steel door with biometric security installed. She

wasn’t sure what was behind it, but whatever it was, it was important to him.

Now all she needed to do was find a place to hide and wait for the party to end.

Once she got him alone—or relatively alone—she was going to do what she had to. She

re-folded the paper and shoved it and everything else back into her small purse. As she

eased the door shut behind her, a large hand clamped over her mouth and another

hand snaked around her waist, pulling her flush against a strong body.

She started to scream when Stephan’s scent slammed into her. Lord, she hadn’t

even smelled him coming. She’d been too caught up in her plans. Before she could think

about struggling, Stephan opened the door and practically toppled over her into the

bathroom.

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Grasping her by the shoulders he swiveled her around so she was facing him. His

fingers bit into her skin through the thin material of her dress. “What the hell are you

doing here?” The question was asked calmly, but there a deadly edge to his voice that,