She shifted against him and slid on the helmet. “I’m ready.” Her voice emerged muffled.

Shit. He was more than ready. “Hold on, baby.” He paused before igniting the engine. “Your place or mine?” Damn, had he really just used that stupid line?

She laughed and leaned up and into him, the helmet smacking his cheek. “Your place.”

Fair enough. He had a flat across town in a high-rise building where they wouldn’t be disturbed. Igniting the engine, he pulled out of the lot and opened the throttle down the quiet road.

Cee Cee held on tighter, her laugh an energetic hum of pleasure.

He smiled and slowly took a turn. She plastered her body against his, relaxing into him, allowing him to control the bike without any resistance. The woman was a natural.

What else was she a natural at?

He made record time through the quiet Seattle streets, finally driving down and into a private parking garage.

She jumped off the bike before he could assist her, yanking the helmet free. Her hair spread out and tumbled down her shoulders, and delight pinkened her high cheeks. “That was lovely.”

Lovely. Not fucking great, awesome, or cool. But lovely. The little blonde had class and quite a few layers, now didn’t she? Daire swung his leg over the bike and towered over her again. Small. God, she was small. He hadn’t been with a human in decades. Was she too delicate?

As if reading him, she slipped her hand in his. “Stop being silly. Show me your flat in this beautiful building.”

He kept his hold gentle but couldn’t wait any longer. Leaning down and tugging her up on her toes, he took her mouth. Slow and sweet, he explored, shocked by the electricity ricocheting through him.

Fire. All fire and sparks.

She moaned and slid her hands over his shoulders, pressing against him, tilting her head back to take more of him. Giving as good as she got, she kissed him back, a soft, needy sigh emerging with her breath.

He leaned back, nostrils flaring, taking her in.

Surprise, almost shock, and sheer delight covered her face. Her lips pursed in a round O, and a feminine wonderment tilted her eyes.

Wonder.

Yeah, he felt it, too. So damn sweet, and he wanted more. He tightened his hold on her hand and all but dragged her toward the elevator. Slow. He had to slow down and make sure not to break her. Human. Definitely enhanced human who was already messing with his equilibrium.

And he fucking loved it.

How long had it been since a woman, any woman, had caught his attention for more than a few minutes?

Yet the surprise on her face, the innocence of the expression, still caught him off guard. “You okay?” he asked once the elevator door closed.

A delicate coral, stunning in its femininity, spread from her chest over the smooth bones in her face. She chuckled, all hoarse woman, and patted his arm. “I’m better than okay. It has just been a while, Enforcer.”

“Why tonight?” he asked, not really caring about the answer.

She faltered. “Why, ah, not tonight?”

Why not, indeed? If she didn’t want to tell him her story, she didn’t have to, considering this was a one-night thing to scratch an itch. “Fair enough,” he said, drawing her into his body. She fit. As small as she was, as fragile, she settled into his side like she belonged just there.

Unease swept through him.

As if sensing his mood, she flattened her palm over his abs and gave a slight purr. “I’m betting we’re looking at a six-pack here. Maybe a twelve-pack.” Drawing in air, steeling her shoulders as if for courage, she moved her hand down and over the obvious bulge in his jeans.

He stilled. A second later, his cock jumped with the force of forging steel. His balls drew up tight, and heat flushed down his torso.

If his family could see him now. The grouchy, always in control, demanding oldest brother now panting in an elevator from the touch of one tiny human.

He moved then, enjoying her sharp intake of breath, lifting her against the wall and forcing her legs around his hips. Her thighs tightened at his waist with impressive strength, and he pushed against her, seeking any sort of relief. Her core, hot as hell, caressed him through his jeans.

The elevator door opened, and he clamped his hands on her ass to keep her in place down the hallway and while he kicked open the door to his penthouse. Not wanting to wait another second, he took her lips, kissing her hard and taking her deep. A growl rose within him, a testament to his species, and he didn’t care.

He kissed her long and hard until neither one of them could breathe, and then, only then, did he lift his head.

A flush covered her face, and desire danced across her skin, the intensity of it palpable. Slowly, her chest moving as she panted, her legs released him, and she slid down his body. “You’re something, Daire Dunn,” she murmured, her hands going to her jacket.

He breathed in her scent, feeling it seep under his skin. “Take off your clothes.” They might as well get the parameters of the night straight now.

She smiled, a siren’s dare, and reached for her lapels. “I do like how you kiss.”

“Do as I say, and you’ll get kissed again.”

She gave a half nod. Regret twisted her lip.

He stiffened instinctively.

The tiniest flash of silver. She dodged forward, much faster than he would’ve thought, and stuck a needle in his arm, plunging instantly.

He roared and flew back, striking out. His knuckles impacted her chin, and she crashed toward the wall. Sizzling sparks shot through his veins. Gray covered his vision, and as hard as he tried to remain standing, gravity won. The last, bizarre thought he had before his face hit the cold marble floor was a hope that he hadn’t hurt her.

The world fuzzed. He lay on the ground, fighting to move, urging his brain to kick back alive. Sounds morphed in and out as he lay not feeling anything. Sounds, muffled and unclear, echoed back from other rooms.

Finally, spiked heels crossed his vision.

Cee Cee leaned down and brushed his forehead with soft lips. “I’m sorry.”

The touch awoke something in him, and his hand unfisted. He growled low, and she jumped back.

“You’ll be okay by tomorrow,” she whispered, turning on one of those deadly heels and leaving the apartment.

“This . . . isn’t . . . over,” he ground out. Then blackness covered his vision, and he passed out.

Chapter 2

The Seattle wind fought against Cee Cee as she rode along the nearly empty streets, passing silent storefront windows, each a reproachful mirror. Her reflection glimmered back at her, block by block, showing an unthinkable image of a wild and free woman. Something she’d never been.

Stealing the enforcer’s bike was probably a bad idea, but the Harley was a lot faster than the rental car she’d had stashed around the corner. Though she hadn’t lied to Daire about her lack of experience riding motorcycles, she might have left a few things out, such as her ability to figure out quickly how to drive the massive beast.

Daire Dunne. Sure, through the years, she’d heard stories about the deadly witch enforcer. But nobody had warned her about his kiss. Dark and dangerous, and for the smallest of moments, she’d forgotten her purpose.

A man like Daire could make her forget everything.

The green of his eyes hinted at the roaming hills of Ireland, a place she’d never visited. Roped muscles had made up his wide shoulders and masculine torso and had tempted her to play. With his jet black hair and fiercely cut features, a wildness had careened off him, one he apparently tamed daily by keeping a strictly organized environment. What would it take to make him lose such rigid control?

Everything in her, all feminine and real, had wanted to jump into his fire.