Flare of Promise (Asylums for Magical Threats #3) (4 page)

Get control of yourself, Evans.
Clearing his throat, he finally murmured, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Leyna turned her head to meet his eyes. She still had gold flecks around the pupils.

He swore she drew in a breath, but her eyes remained neutral. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” She reached under the table and took his hand. The light brush of her fingers against his skin released a flood of desire. “Your hands are capable of so many things.”

Bloody hell.
She knew. “How?”

Tilting her head, her hair brushed the tops of her breasts. “Let’s just say I’m resourceful.”

“That isn’t a proper answer.”

She darted her eyes around the room. “I won’t risk saying anything more here.”

Will wanted to roar in frustration. But then he had an idea of how they could leave and talk alone. “Then there’s only one thing to do.”

Cupping her cheek, Will kissed her.

~~~

Petra had been so distracted by Will’s heat and strong jaw that she hadn’t predicted the kiss.

Yet as his lips moved against hers, she couldn’t bring herself to push him away. If nothing else, the kiss would cement their act of being on a date. Her cover ID required everyone to believe that. She couldn’t risk the mission.

Opening her mouth, she accepted his tongue with a moan.

Will’s strokes took on a sense of urgency, as if he were making up for lost time. Petra tried to hold back so as not to encourage him beyond what was necessary, but when he nipped her lip, her life as Petra Brandt vanished and she became Leyna Grunwald once again.

And the memories of Leyna wanted more.

Threading her fingers through his hair, Petra pressed closer to him. Will stroked, and she pushed back. They each battled for control with their tongues.
Damn.
Will had always been a good kisser, but the last two years had made him more demanding and possessive. A small part of her wondered what he’d do if they were both naked and in bed. Being at Will’s mercy sent a rush of wetness between her thighs.

Maybe her cover ID needed a hook-up to be convincing. One last night with Will might be necessary.

Yes, necessary. Not because she wanted to feel his warm hands cover her breasts as he took her from behind. No, because she didn’t want to give anyone the idea she was anything other than a one-night stand.

All too soon, Will broke the kiss and she cried out. The corner of the bastard’s mouth ticked up at the sound.

Petra might have just been manipulated. Taking a deep breath, she ignored the throbbing between her legs. Two could play at this game. Petra would turn the situation back into her favor.

As she stared into his eyes, she noted Will breathing as heavily as she was. Curiosity urged her to move a hand up his thigh to his groin and see if Will was as affected as she was.
 

Clenching her fingers, Petra’s rational side won out and she kept her hand in place. She merely asked, “Why did you stop?”

He leaned to her ear again. “I just needed to convince my colleagues that I want to take you somewhere and bed you.”

She resisted a frown. She had been right. “It was just a farce?”

“Of course. Provided you hang all over me as we leave, no one will think we’re doing anything but rushing somewhere to get naked. That way, we can find a place to talk in private.”

Disappointment flooded her body. It was irrational given she’d stomped on his heart by faking her death. She deserved him using her. But deep down, she’d always held on to the hope that if Will knew the reasons behind her actions, he would forgive her.

It might be too late for forgiveness.

Millie’s voice whispered into her ear via the transmitter. “I knew you weren’t as calm and collected as you made yourself out to be.”

A quick glance and Petra spotted Millie at the bar, nursing a glass of wine. Will had made Petra forget Millie could hear everything she was saying via the earpiece.

Ignoring her partner in crime, Petra whispered to Will, “Okay, then let’s get this show on the road. The sooner we’re alone, the sooner I can tell you everything, get you on the path to safety, and leave town.”

Rather than answer, Will placed a hand on the back of her neck and he nuzzled her cheek with his own. “Just make sure to play the part convincingly. A staff member is watching my every move.”

“Oh, I’m a pretty good actor these days.” Petra, ran a hand up Will’s chest and his muscles tensed under her palm. “You’ll see.” She lightly nipped his neck before licking the sting. “Ready?”

Will cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Let’s go.”

They both stood and Petra leaned against Will’s side, rubbing her hands over his chest and down to the fly of his jeans. Running a finger underneath the waistband, she brushed the head of his hard cock with her finger. Even though she only touched him through the material of his boxers, the memory of what he could do with all of those inches flashed inside her mind.

Holy crap. Control yourself, Brandt.
True, she hadn’t slept with anyone since Will. Merely kissing another guy had felt like a betrayal. But she wasn’t about to fuck up her mission and risk Millie’s safety because of her pent-up horniness. She could tease Will to get him to cooperate, unless circumstances forced her to sleep with him, which was always a possibility.

The second they hit the cool evening air, Will tugged her down the street and she whispered, “If we need to lose a tail, leave it to me.”

Will looked over at her and merely shook his head. Whether because he thought they might have someone following them or for some other reason, he remained quiet. The silence gave her an opportunity to go through several mind-calming exercises. She would need all of the control she could muster if she was to spend any length of time alone with Will Evans and leave him behind at the end of her mission.

~~~

Since all the employees of the AMT research facilities lived inside the mountains in one of two employee wings, Will couldn’t take Leyna to his quarters. Instead, he was taking Leyna to a hotel recommended by one of the other male staff members. Given its reputation as a hotspot for hook-ups, he was counting on the man following him to stay outside the hotel and not barge into their room.

Although after their kiss and Leyna’s finger brushing his cock, Will was having a hell of a time concentrating on anything but his straining dick. The woman had lied to him and broken his heart. He shouldn’t ache for her kisses or the light caress of her fingers. Yet every time she touched him, it brought back the happy years they’d spent together.

He remembered the first time he’d seen her. They’d both been new graduate students at University College London. Another classmate had invited him to a small study group. However, that classmate had had a family emergency and the study group had ended up being only Will and Leyna. As they'd started talking, the hours had flown by. Not much studying had been done, but he’d managed to coax a date out of the sweet woman with a sharp wit and ability to laugh at herself.

Glancing at Leyna’s profile at his side, he decided that woman was gone. His Leyna never would’ve lied to him. No, she would’ve talked with him and together they would’ve found a solution to stay together.
 

Maybe their time together had all been an act.

Will would listen to what Leyna had to say and then wash his hands of her. Otherwise, he’d never finish his important work and discover where
Feiru
latent abilities came from. Said abilities were a risk to the safety of the entire
Feiru
race because of their unpredictability. Not even the human agency tasked with keeping the
Feiru’s
existence a secret, the
Feiru
Liaison Office, would be able to cover up thousands of new abilities popping up around the globe.

There was also the issue of Will’s freedom.

His determination renewed, he turned down the final street and tugged Leyna into the hotel.

At the front desk, he pulled her against his side as he paid for a room. The whole time, Leyna’s hands roamed his chest and back, sending waves of fire and electricity through his body.

The bloody woman played her role a little too well.

Will clenched his jaw to keep from outwardly reacting. Each brush of the blasted woman’s finger turned his cock harder, but he’d be damned to let his face flush or breathing quicken.

Somehow, he managed to finish paying for a room without tugging Leyna close and kissing her again. As they made their way down the hall, every step he took only heightened his awareness of her heat at his side. He also noticed Leyna’s soft curves had been replaced with toned muscle. Glancing down at her, he wondered what her daily life looked like these days.

They reached their room and Will unlocked the door. The second he and Leyna stepped inside, he swung her around and pinned her to the door with her arms over her head. “Start talking.”

Leyna merely raised her chin. “Not until I know we’re safe.”

Will growled. “No one could know we’d be in this room at this moment. I think you’re stalling.”

Her eyes flashed. “Let me go or I will make you let me go.”

He leaned down closer to her face. “Then try. We’ve both changed and I may have a surprise or two of my own.”

“So do I.”

She moved to kick him in the crotch, but Will stepped to the side and turned Leyna to face the door. With her hands behind her back, he used his body weight to keep her pinned in place. “You’re going to have to do better than that.”

Wiggling her arse against his groin, Will bit his lip to keep from making a noise. His head might not want to react to Leyna’s touch, but his traitorous dick didn’t care and begged for more friction. She wiggled again and a small groan escaped Will’s lips.

Leyna’s voice was husky as she whispered, “At least your body still wants me.”

He gritted out, “Good thing my mind is stronger.”

She moved her hips in a slow circle. “Is that so?” She moved again. “Then me telling you how wet and swollen I am for your cock won’t affect you at all?”

Suddenly, all he could think about was stripping Leyna and pounding into her from behind. “Stop it.”

“Why?” she purred. “Your body tells me what your mind doesn’t. Fuck me, Will. I’m burning for you.”

The rational side of his brain knew Leyna’s words and actions were probably a trick. Yet as desire pounded through his body, he knew nothing would get done until he was naked and inside her. He would finally be able to say good-bye to the woman who’d broken his heart.

Lightly tugging her hair, he murmured, “Don’t expect me to make love. I’m going to fuck you once as a good-bye. Then we’re going to talk.”

He tugged again and Leyna moaned. “Will.”

“I’m going to let you go and give you thirty seconds to undress. Do it, and I’ll take you. Try to pull something and I won’t be so gentle next time. Understand?”

“You were never this alpha before.”

He nibbled her earlobe before answering, “Sex first and talk later. Nod if you understand.”

For a split second, Will thought Leyna was going to say no. Then she gave a curt nod and he smiled. “Good.” He stepped back. “Thirty seconds, Leyna. Starting now.”

~~~

Petra’s original plan of distracting Will with her body had backfired. What had been one butt wiggle had turned into a dangerous game of desire and lust.

The combination of throbbing between her legs and her heart hammering inside her chest made it impossible for her to think straight. Controlling lust was easy with a stranger. However, it proved much harder with someone you’d dreamed of nearly every day for two years.

All it took was stripping naked to make her dreams a reality.

Will moved closer and his hot breath brushed against her cheek. What she wouldn’t give to feel it against her bare stomach, her thighs, her breasts.

Damn it. So much for being professional about this.
She could fight her body, or she could satisfy it and move on.

Petra was honest enough with herself to know nothing would get done until she’d sated her traitorous body’s yearnings. After all, one quick fuck wouldn’t hurt anyone. Millie should be watching them and would create some sort of distraction if danger approached.

After nodding to his question, Will released her and gave her thirty seconds. Taking a deep breath, she clicked on the scrambler device in one of her other many hidden pockets to block out both Millie and anyone listening in. Then she turned to keep an eye on Will in case he tried something.
 

Yet as she took off her purse, tugged her blue sweater over her head and tossed it to the side, all Will did was drink her in slowly with his eyes. The heat she saw evaporated the last of her reservations; they both wanted this.

Unzipping her pants, she then kicked her shoes off and wiggled out of her pants, careful not to let anything hidden in the pockets fall to the ground; she might need the tools later.

Finally standing in her bra and underwear, she motioned toward Will. “Your turn.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Not until you’re naked.”

Damn, the steel in his voice was new. Leyna would’ve hated it, but Petra liked it far more than she would admit.

Taking one bra strap off and then another, she tugged it down to reveal her breasts. Will growled and her nipples turned to points in response.

She unclasped it. The scrap of material fell to the floor and she placed her thumbs under the waistband of her underwear. Petra could turn back and say no. Hell, she could take out the stun gun from her purse and incapacitate Will before he reacted. But the memory of her finger brushing against his hard cock was the last bit of convincing she needed to tug off her last piece of clothing and raise her hands at her side. “I’m done. Why do you still have your clothes on?”

Will’s gaze rose from her body and met hers. She shivered at the hunger she saw there.

He ripped off his shirt and pants. Petra barely had time to drink in the sight of his chiseled abs and long cock jutting from his body before he tore open a condom and rolled it down his dick.