Savannah Past Midnight (9 page)

My hands tremble then close into fists by my side as
self-loathing engulfs me. I can’t help but dread the crushing look
of disappointment that Katerina and Ambrose will give me when they
find out what I did tonight.
Never again. Never again will I run
the risk of drinking from someone I’m strongly attracted to. I
can’t be trusted. I’m a killer, a merciless killer.
Only
disgust for my vile actions holds back my unshed tears.

“
F
uckin’ stay down, man! That
guy is off the chain … need to let this one go!”

In a fog I hear Alex shouting at me as sweat and
blood drip down into my one good eye. I struggle to push up from
the concrete, not wanting Mr. T-Rex Dickhead to take tonight’s win
from me. The ribs on my right side are pulsating in white hot pain,
but I’ll take that shit all day long rather than lose like a total
pussy.
No, somehow he’s going down. I just have to find a way to
do it. Right fucking quick.

His Southern drawl is menacing as he warns, “Get off
that floor and I’ll make you regret it.” A wad of his spit lands
two inches from my face.

Nobody talks to me like that. Ever.

My entire body burns in agony as I force myself up
from the filthy ground. I do my best not to stagger sideways as I
get my feet beneath me. Staring at him, I silently wonder where the
hell this guy came from. I thought I knew all the toughest fighters
in the southeast. It’s not that he’s particularly skilled; the
sheer mass of him is a force to be reckoned with. I’m just shy of
six and a half feet and he’s got several inches on me and at least
eighty pounds of honed muscle. I know that there’s only one thing I
can do to fire myself up enough to beat him and I dread going
there.

As he stalks toward me, knowing that he’s already put
me through the fucking ringer, I force my mind to go back to that
night, the night she died, the night he blamed me for it, for
everything.

A red wall of rage rises up as I attack, launching
myself hard at my opponent.

“Holy shit! Fuck yeah! Lay into him, Brennan!”

Alex’s booming voice is like a distant echo as I go
completely crazy, finding the strength I was looking for to
savagely beat the man, imagining that he’s my piece of shit father.
Using my last reserves of energy, I let my fists go into overdrive,
slamming into him over and over without a scrap of mercy. His
sporadic hits that come between mine hardly register; I’m too far
gone for that. I haven’t a clue how I got him down to the ground
and beneath me, but at this point his face is quickly beginning to
resemble a large package of hamburger meat.

I have no regrets; he knows the game and would’ve
done the same or worse to me, given the chance. He nearly did. He
stops resisting and I’m hauled away, still swinging. It’s over, and
even though I’ve won, I feel sick. I push viciously past the
onlookers to get outside of the warehouse, needing air because I’m
about to puke.

The boxing tape hangs in bloody shreds off my
swollen, clenched fists held against my filthy Adidas track pants.
I’m shaking from the aftershock of the adrenaline spike as I pull
out my mouth guard, spitting out saliva and blood in the process.
With my tongue, I check my mouth to see if the gigantic bastard
knocked loose any teeth.

A hand slaps down on my sweaty back, and I twist my
head to see Alex standing there sporting a just-got-a-blowjob grin.
“Damn, son! That was fuckin’ epic.” He hikes a thumb over his
shoulder. “His pissed-off buddies are still tryin’ to haul him up
in there. Scary as shit to see you like that though—possessed
psycho motherfucker. I don’t know where you found that rage, my
man, but it sure won you the fight of the year, not to mention
paying out big time for your best buddy, who always bets double on
your crazy ass to win. Hey, you all right, man? You don’t look so
good.”

No fucking shit. I was just about annihilated by a
freak of nature.

Bent forward and still struggling to breathe
normally, I look up at Alex. “You know how to find people, right?”
His brow furrows. “There’s a girl I need you to find for me,” I
explain. “Tried without any luck for two weeks now.”

“I can try, what do you know about her?”

“Remember that night, down near your bar when the
cycle pulled up?”

“Yeah, the one that about gave you a hard on.”

I clutch my throbbing side and grit out through
clenched teeth, “Yeah, well it actually was the rider that got me
hard, not the bike, smartass.”

“You’re shitting me. That was a chick on that
Ducati?”

“Yup.”

“Fuck. That’s so hot. What do you know about her,
aside from her expensive taste in exotic cycles?”

I’m only willing to share the basics, not that he
would believe the rest of it if his life depended on it.

“Name’s Cosette. No last name that I know of. Cycle’s
rare, like I thought, a 1299 Panigale S. I’d be shocked if there
were more than five of ’em in the entire state of Georgia. Lives
alone, apparently. No address or place of work known.”

“Got a cousin, Josh, works over at the DMV. He might
be able to pull somethin’ up on the owner of the bike as a favor.
That and I can ask around. Savannah’s not a big enough place to
hide in for long, especially not when someone’s looking hard.”

“Appreciate it, man.”

“I’ll let you know. Hey, lemme give you a lift home.
You’re in no condition to get on that chopper.”

“Good call. Need to settle up with Mace first.”

“Go get your cash from the little bastard. I’ll wait
for you in the truck. I’m parked right around the corner.”

“Thanks.”

“You got it, brother.”

I’m walking back toward the warehouse, peeling the
saturated wraps off my hands, when the sexiest voice on the planet
says smoothly from behind me, “Next time you might want to have
more of a say in your opponents, cowboy. That was a tight win. My
call? You got lucky.”

I straighten my shoulders and turn around slowly, a
smile on my face. “Yeah, well I’m glad you liked the show,
babydoll. And when it comes to fightin’, I always seem to be kind
of lucky ’cause I’m
that
good. Surprised I didn’t see you
watchin’—then again, he had me a bit preoccupied. You lookin’ for
some company tonight, wildcat? I could definitely use an extra set
of hands cleaning up these wounds—that is, if you’re up for
it.”

Her eyes track over my wrecked body, following the
trail of cuts and multicolored bruises. She sighs, “I don’t know if
I should be suspicious or flattered that you’ve been digging for
intel on me. What in the world am I going to do with you?”

I give her my best devilish grin. “Anything you like,
wildcat, and hopefully it’ll be illegal in most states.”

She laughs and shakes her head.
Does she have any
clue how gorgeous she is?

“All right, you win, again. I’ll take you home. Go
settle up and let your friend know that you have a lift.”

“That’s all good, sugar, but your ride’s only a
single seater, remember? Can’t fit a big man like me on there with
ya.”

“Who says I brought the motorcycle? I drove a car
tonight, and by the way, my bike is registered under a false
address. A necessary precaution against nosy cowboys.”

“You’re a handful, you know that, princess?”

“Better that than being dull.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely.”

***

“So I suppose that whatever you’re behind the wheel
of has gotta be somethin’ straight outta
The Fast and the
Furious
?”

Whipping the black Audi R-8 to the curb about a
hundred yards from his house, I glance over and grin at him.
“Bingo.”

“Sweet ride, wildcat. Never been in one of these
before. Would ask what you do to be able to afford it, but not sure
I wanna go there.” He glances down at the blood stains that his
fresh injuries have left on the light-colored seat. “I’ll come back
out later and wipe down the leather, promise.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I think your focus right
now should be on those nasty gashes of yours. Let’s get you inside
and cleaned up so there’s no possibility of infection setting in.
That place you fight in is definitely lacking in any concept of
hygiene.”

He starts to laugh and suddenly winces, his right
hand flying up toward a particularly deep gash above his eye. “Stop
making me laugh, woman. It’s fuckin’ cruel.”

I shut the car off, reach back and grab the bag full
of items I’ve just picked up for him from the twenty-four-hour
convenience store two blocks away. Stepping out, I go around the
back of the car, thinking that it’s witty banter like this that
draws me perilously closer to him. I’ve had several physical
relationships before, but nothing of real depth and never with
anyone who made me laugh and feel so desirable. There’s an
undeniable connection between us, a unique understanding this
brusque, mysterious human offers me that draws me into his
seductive web.

I did my best to stay away. I really did.

He tries to stifle a muffled groan of pain while
unfolding himself from the low slung sports car. He’s still
shirtless and his battered left hand is clutched tightly against
his ribs.

“Hand me the keys. Let’s get you inside.”

“They’re in the front zipper of my backpack.”

“Got it.” I snag the keys, hand him the backpack, and
step up to his front door.

Once inside I set the bag down on the small island. I
take out the Gatorade and Advil and place them on the wood. Within
seconds I feel his heat closing in against my back, making me go
still with nerves and raw lust.

In his low drawl, he says quietly against my hair,
“Don’t matter why you came back, just that you did. I would’ve
found you, Cosette. I hope you know that. The time for runnin’ from
me is over.”

Ever so slowly, I turn around and stare up at him.
The moonlight plays against his features, making him appear both
handsome and fierce. For the first time in my life I have no clever
response, and apparently he’s not waiting for one because his
backpack drops straight down to the floor beside us as his hand
moves up gently to caress the left side of my neck.

His stubbled face is calm but his eyes gleam with a
hunger that matches my own. He uses his thumb to trail lazy passes
back and forth against my jaw line while his fingers curl
possessively around the side of my neck. Everything about him—his
measured control, his natural, all male scent, and his larger than
life presence—overwhelms me with primal desire. I took precautions
before seeing him tonight. I fed, hoping that it would help me to
stay focused.

His free hand closes around my hip and pulls me
closer against his heat. He whispers, not a half inch away from my
lips, “Thank you for coming back and for not fighting me. I want
you so damn bad that just the thought of you drives me to the edge,
you know that, baby? You know how you haunt me each and every
sleepless night? Don’t know why, but I’m not gonna relent until I
figure you out, and it all starts between us tonight.”

My breath catches in my throat and my body responds,
aching in hot need at the delivery of his possessive words.

“Don’t be afraid of me.”

“It’s not you that scares me, Colton.”

“Good. ’Cause I’d never hurt you. But I’d damn near
kill anyone who ever did. Any more wolf encounters, while we’re on
the topic of your safety? Been worried about you.”

A protector? Be careful, Cosette. He’s human; there’s
no future with him. Whatever happens, enjoy it as temporary, but
don’t get attached.

“No. Things have been relatively quiet lately.
Besides, you know that I’m exceptionally capable of taking care of
myself, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I know that. Doesn’t mean I gotta like it
though, so from now on, I’m your first line of defense. End of
story.”

“That’s chivalrous, but you can’t do that unless you
take care of yourself first. Here, drink this and take these,
please.” I reach behind me to retrieve the two bottles off the
butcher-block island.

“I can do that. See? We’re a good team, lookin’ out
for each other like this. Mind putting two of those in my mouth?
Sorry, but my hands are filthy, darlin’.”

“Sure.” I open the cap and try not to appear as
nervous as I feel. I tip them out and take one between my fingers.
“Ready?”

Our eyes collide the same moment his mouth opens and
his tongue slides out.

Oh God. He has to know how he’s unraveling me at
every turn.
Whatever few defenses I had left have disintegrated
in his presence. The chemistry between us is so incredibly
powerful.

I do my best to steady my hand as I place a pill on
his tongue and watch him take a long swig of the orange liquid. We
go through the same motions once again, and just watching him
swallow leaves me practically shaking with need. I want him to
touch me.
Anywhere.

He turns, takes a few steps, flips the lock on the
deadbolt and crosses back to me. His voice is low and has a gruff
edge to it as he says, “Gonna take that mouth of yours now. Can’t
wait any longer to taste you.”

His hands wind urgently through my tresses as his
face closes in, becoming a blur as those beautiful lips of his
collide with mine for the first time. The pleasure of his hot,
skilled mouth rolls over me like a warm wave as his eager tongue
slips in, seeking mine. My hands twine around his neck, pulling him
closer. I need more.

“Oh!”

I gasp as he roughly grabs my ass and hoists me up
onto the island without uttering a word or breaking the contact
between us. As we face each other eye to eye, things turn frantic.
Our tongues lap and devour while our hands roam everywhere in
greedy exploration.