“Lizzy.” She gripped his hand, and his long fingers closed around hers. Instantly, tingles traveled from her palm up her arm and through her body, engulfing her in quick, consuming flames. Heat flooded her body, moisture pooling between her legs.
His brows dipped, his smile slipped, and he inhaled a deep breath. Confusion clouded his bright blue eyes before his gaze grew intense. His eyes deepened to a dark blue, swirling with a new zest. He blinked, and her mouth parted in shock.
Staring back at her wasn’t the flirty bartender she’d just met but the bear beneath the skin. Crap. The thin restraints on his animal were barely held in check. The musky scent of his bear muddled the other scents in the room, surrounding her and pulling her further under his spell. The sounds of the music and conversations faded away as his gaze locked with hers. The heat of his fingers ignited a fire deep in her core, and the need to jump the counter, into his arms, to latch onto to his lips was almost unbearable. In that one second, they were alone; it was just him and her, with no threats of danger nearby. The word danger stuck in her mind, over and over in her head like a repeating song on her playlist. The repetition effectively broke through his spell, pulling her back to reality and the reason she was there. Getting laid was going to have to wait, no matter which of her animals was attempting to break free. She shoved that bitch back down beneath the surface and tightened the reins. No…she was there to do a damn job, and it didn’t include a roll in the sack with the sexy bartender. SHIT.
She yanked her hand free, rubbing it on her jeans. Instantly, she surrounded herself in a protective bubble, the way one of her psychic coworkers had taught her so she could keep everyone out of her personal space.
“Lizzy.” He murmured her name like a lover, testing the sound on his sensual lips.
Elizabeth squirmed on her seat to ease the throb between her legs.
He inhaled, and she hoped to hell he couldn’t scent her arousal. His eyes flashed again. “Mine.”
That answered her question.
“Hardly,” she said in a measly attempt to beat the man and his beast back into submission. She wouldn’t let him forget the reason she was there. The word meant to collar his reaction had the opposite effect. His nostrils flared before he stormed off in the opposite direction, leaving his post behind the bar. He rounded the corner, stomping over to where she sat, and his big leg brushed her legs apart to stand between her thighs. He rested his palm on her face, gently brushing his thumb across her lips. His tenderness caught her off guard, confusing her and ratcheting her own desires.
She shoved against his unmovable chest, trying to reclaim her personal space. He didn’t budge. She bit her lip, trying to stave off calling up any of her animals for strength, but she damn sure would if she couldn’t talk him off the ledge. The imaginary wall she’d created to keep him out popped like a bubble landing against thorns.
“You’re crowding me.” She grabbed his legs in a punishing grip, not pushing him away, thereby contradicting her words. She licked her lips, and he lowered his head. Her breath came out in quivering pants as she tried not to breathe in his heady musk.
“I’m Elizabeth Hanson.” She blurted out her full name. Her name made him pause, giving her the reaction she might not have wanted but most definitely needed. “Your cousin sent me, and you’re blowing my cover.”
Her words were a whisper between them, while she used her job as a shield, like the badge secured to her waist that she flashed against criminals. No amount of heart-pounding, heat-searing, blood-pumping lust was worth another life hanging in the balance. Not even the big-ass bear standing between her thighs could deny what she said was the truth. Oh, he’d try, but he wouldn’t succeed. The only way she’d succumb to instant gratification would be by killing the fuckers behind the abductions.
“This”—she gestured between them—“can’t happen.” She rested her palm against his large chest, trying to ease him back. Claiming heat seared beneath her palm. The wild animal wanted his mate.
“Rhys,” another man called out from behind the counter. “Quit accosting the customers.”
“Fuck off,” Rhys growled back without even a glance toward the owner of the voice. He continued to loom over her, engulfing and consuming her. His gaze locked with hers. His heart thumped furiously against her palm. “Just so we’re clear.” His eyes swirled from baby blue to a dark gray storm and back. “This is happening. So wrap your pretty little mind around it.”
“Little?”
His lips twitched seconds before he crushed them to hers in a claiming kiss. Against her better judgment, she parted in invitation, for once in her life, for a mere second, throwing caution into the wind. She let him past the walls that had kept her alive. He tilted his head, deepening the taste, stroking his tongue against hers. He was claiming her with his scent, with his mouth. She savored his taste and pulled him closer, eliciting a growl from deep in his chest. His hands tangled in her hair, and she was trapped. Visions of the straps she’d been confined with flashed in her mind and her pulse raced for an entirely different reason. She couldn’t do this. No. She shoved against his chest and turned her head, breaking the connection as panic gripped her tight.
Rhys kept his hand on her leg, but she could read the mixture of emotions on his face. “Elizabeth.”
She met his gaze, and heat flooded her body for an entirely different reason. The aggravation and agitation returned, putting her in the frame of mind she’d become accustomed to. “Not here.” She shook her head.
“Rhys. We need more beer from the cooler.” The voice of the person who’d called him before shouted even louder this time.
“We’ll talk tonight.”
With those words, he stepped back, giving her much-needed room to breathe. He stormed off toward the other end of the bar. Another brown-haired man was slinging beers behind the bar. He ran a hand through wavy hair that curled at his collar. The same high cheekbones and hard jaw left little doubt he was Rhys’ brother. Elizabeth kept a critical eye, watching Rhys until he disappeared into a backroom. She grabbed some bills from her purse and left them under her beer before quickly sliding off the stool. One last glance around the bar and she hurried to the exit, not breathing again until she was behind the wheel of her car. Her resolve firmly in place, she pulled out of the parking lot, dust flying from the squeal of her tires, not giving Rhys a chance to chase her. She had one more night to herself before she had to report in for the job, and she was damned if she was staying under his roof.
Sliding her phone out of her purse, she dialed the familiar number and took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart and her mind.
“What?” Trapp growled into the phone.
“Sir…we have a problem.”
