"The way our luck has been running, I'm not surprised." He slipped the hanger under the car, then held out a hand, a roguish glint in his eyes. "Come here, wench."

"Planning to hide in plain sight, are we?"

"We retreat now and they'll think it suspicious."

Especially if they happened to notice I wasn't wearing a shirt. I leaned back against the door and he pressed against me, his hands on either side of me, neatly corralling even as he hid my near nakedness.

I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck, felt the tension in his muscular shoulders. The hardness of his erection pressing against my groin. The wolf within stirred swiftly to life, and I just didn't have the strength or desire to restrain her.

I kissed his chin, and slid my hand between us. "Is the car slowing?"

"Yes." Amusement twitched his mouth. "You wouldn't dare."

Obviously, no one had ever told him it was a bad idea to dare a werewolf.

"How many cops?" I asked, sliding a hand down his back to grasp the back of his pants even as I undid his button and pulled down the zip.

"Two." He bent, groaning into my shoulder as I freed him. "Dammit, woman, they'll arrest us."

"Not if they don't see anything." I guided him past the skirt, and into where it was warm and wet and ready. "Press closer."

He did, his body almost crushing mine, making it hard to breathe, and even harder not to respond to his closeness, to the hard and ready feel of him. Especially when he slid deep inside. Horse-shifters really did take after their animal counterparts when it came to the shape and size of their cock, and having him fill me so completely was a truly amazing sensation. Pleasure rippled through me, sharpened by the awareness of danger, the prospect of being caught.

He groaned, his lips brushing my shoulder. "They're almost on us."

"Then you had better not start making any suspicious moves," I said, even as I shifted onto my tippy-toes, sliding up and down his shaft a couple of times.

He was quivering, pulsing, with heat and desire. I raised my head, capturing his lips, kissing him as fiercely as I wanted to fuck him. This was no slow burn of desire. It was all about the heady high of risk-taking combined with combustible, unquenchable lust.

The cop car crawled past and kept on moving. I broke off the kiss.

"Now?" he asked, sweat glistening on his gloriously rich skin.

I didn't answer, delaying the moment, heightening the sense of danger, as the cop car slowly disappeared around the corner.

"Now, Kade. Now."

I'd barely spoken and he was there, ramming himself hard and deep. I groaned, and wrapped my legs around his hips, urging him deeper still, using the car to support my back as he thrust and thrust, until it felt as if the rigid heat of him was trying to spear right through my spine.

There was nothing gentle about this mating. The prospect of discovery meant it had to be fast and furious, and that's exactly what I wanted, exactly what I needed. Pleasure spiraled quickly and my climax hit, the convulsions stealing my breath and tearing a strangled sound from my throat. He came a heartbeat later, his body slamming into mine, the force of it rocking the car behind us.

When the tremors eased, he leaned his sweaty forehead against mine, his breathing harsh, velvet eyes alive with amusement and surprise.

"Good God, that was fantastic."

I grinned. "There's something to be said for lovemaking under the threat of discovery."

"There certainly is." He cupped my cheek with a heated palm, and brushed a kiss across my lips. "I'm so very glad I met you."

"Well, if you hadn't, you'd still be a frustrated old stallion stuck in a stable." I shifted my legs, and let him redress. "Shall we get—" I stopped, looking upward at the brown shape soaring high in the sky. "We're being watched."

He squinted up. "Could be just a bird. Not every winged creature is going to be theirs."

"Do you care to take that chance?"

"No. Get in."

He opened the driver's door, then leaned across the seat and opened the other one. While I climbed in, he did something to the ignition switch. The old car roared to life.

"Which way?" he asked, as he reversed out of the parking spot.

I pointed in the direction the cops had gone.

He raised his eyebrows, amusement crinkling the corners of his eyes. "Care for a secondary bout of danger, do you?"

"Wouldn't mind, but the truth is, that way lies help."

"Ah." He pulled out onto the highway, and the old car began to pick up some speed. He glanced in the rearview mirror, then at me. "So, what happens after we meet your boss and your pack-mate?"

"They'll want a debriefing."

He nodded.

"And they'll undoubtedly want to try and find the place again."

"Meaning we might have to lead them back there?"

I studied him for a minute. "I don't know about the 'we' part."

His brief look was hard, determined. It was totally different to anything I'd glimpsed of him so far, and was a quick reminder that I really did know nothing about this man. Not even if I could trust him.

"Sweetheart, those bastards stole two or three months of my life. I'm not walking away from the investigation until I'm sure whoever's behind that place is made to pay."

"You may not have that choice."

His expression was grim. "No one can force me to do anything I don't want to."

"Jack, my boss, can. He's a vampire, and a strong telepath."

"It won't matter. Horse-shifters can't be mind-read—not by any race."

"Really?" I dropped my own shields and reached out telepathically. I hit a wall as solid as the one that protected my brother's mind. Surprise rippled through me. "How come?"

He shrugged. "It's similar to the mind-blindness often found in humans."

"So how can you be mind-blind, and yet have a psychic talent?"

"You tell me and we'll both know."

I considered him for a moment, then said. "This will be a Directorate investigation, and you're not Directorate personnel."

He shot me a look. "I thought you were just a paper pusher?"

"I am. Mostly."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning this is part of an ongoing investigation that I was forcibly placed upon." I hesitated, not wanting to tell him too much. "They kidnapped Rhoan a few months ago, and that got me involved."

"Then you'll understand when I say this is personal."

I did understand. I just didn't think Jack would. But then again, he'd let Quinn in, and he'd all but roped Liander in. He might surprise again. After all, he was trying to build a new daytime unit—one that he wanted me to play a serious part in.

One that I had no intention of being hijacked into unless there was absolutely no other choice.

And that was looking more and more likely.

I rubbed a hand across my eyes and said, "Let's just concentrate on one problem at a time."

"Agreed. What hotel are we looking for?"

"A place called Blue Haven in Leura." I unwound the shirt and put it back on. "Let's hope we find the town before the owners of this car discover it's been nicked."

"Let's hope we find it before our hunters find us," he corrected grimly.

His words had me looking out the window, up at the skies. I couldn't see any soaring shapes, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Didn't mean we weren't being followed.

We drove on in silence. When we finally reached Leura, Kade slowed to a respectable speed and the old car stopped shaking. We drove along pretty, tree-lined main street, and I couldn't help admiring all the quaint but beautiful buildings. It reminded me somewhat of a postcard, and made me regret meeting here. A place like this didn't deserve an encounter with the sort of darkness that was following us.

I frowned at the thought, and pushed it away. We drove on, eventually finding the cabin resort on the far side of town.