Unmasking the Wolf (8 page)

It felt so right to hold his hand, as if the missing piece of a puzzle had finally been put in place. It was the weirdest thing. If she could feel this with a human, how would it be with her mate, the man she was destined to marry? Perhaps she’d been too hasty in refusing to find him. But she didn’t want to lose this time with Luke for anything. Granted, it was a bit more dangerous than she would’ve liked, but being with Luke far surpassed anything she’d ever known.

After retrieving his car, he’d called the head of security to deal with the man in the basement. It was odd how no one questioned how an injured man came to be in the high-security area. But she had bigger problems on her mind. No need to sweat the tiny details.

Her phone blasted out her ringtone, the beginning chords of an up-tempo dance tune. She answered and lifted it to her ear. “Dominic? Oh, thank God.”

“Where the hell are you? I’ve been looking everywhere! I went by Vino’s but he said you’d already left.”

“I’ve been calling you forever. Why didn’t you answer?”

“I left my phone at home, so I rushed here to get it when I couldn’t find you anywhere else.”

The panic in his voice wasn’t faked. She cast a quick glance at Luke to reassure him it was her cousin. “Calm down. I’m with Luke. We went to find you, but something came up.”

“What do you mean something came up? Where the hell are you?”

Gina sighed. It didn’t matter that he didn’t have Tony Moretti for a father, Dominic definitely displayed alpha tendencies at times. “We’re in Luke’s car. He’s bringing me home.”

Dominic’s voice tightened. “Let me talk to him.”

“To Luke?”

Her cousin growled. “Yes.”

She handed over the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

Luke took it, the brush of his fingers against her setting her nerve endings aflame, and cradled it between his shoulder and ear. “What’s up?”

The volume was turned up loud enough for her to hear Dominic’s reply. “What the fuck, man? Gina is my responsibility. I can’t have you playing with her.”

Gina snorted and rolled her eyes. Luke gave her a cautious look. “She can hear you, by the way, so watch what you say.”

She jerked to attention. What would it matter what he said? Were they keeping secrets? Curiosity was the bane of her existence. She hated being left out.

“Good. Then she can hear me when I say get her ass home now.”

Luke chuckled. “Don’t worry. We’re on the way.”

“What came up?”

“Nothing I can’t handle. I’ll tell you when we get there.” Luke disconnected the call and gave the cell back to her. A reassuring smile softened his features. “See, he’s fine.”

She pocketed the phone again. “He’s mad at me.”

“No. If anything, he’s mad at me.”

She was confused. “Why would he be mad at you?”

One of his eyebrows arched. “Why do you think?”

“Oh.” Heat touched her cheeks. “That.”

“Yes,
that
.” He glanced at her, about to say something, when his attention was diverted to the rearview mirror. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“What? What is it?” She twisted in her seat to see what had made his curse. A black car with dark tinted windows trailed a few feet behind them. “I don’t see anything.”

“Turn around,” he commanded.

She did as he asked, nervousness making her voice tremble. “I don’t understand.”

A roar of an engine drowned out her words. Her head turned again at the noise. The black car surged forward, the front end slamming into the bumper of Luke’s Lexus. The collision jolted her. She put a hand against the dashboard to remain steady.

“Luke!” she screamed as the car bumped them again.

“Hold on.” He pressed down the accelerator, and the Lexus shot forward during a break in the traffic. He weaved in and out of the cars, doing his best to lose the car tailing them. “Do me a favor. Call Dominic and tell him to get out of the apartment.”

Her animal senses went on full-alert. “What does Dom have to do with any of this?”

“Just do it.
Now
, Gina.”

The urgency in his tone brooked no argument. With shaking fingers, she dialed Dominic. She looked at Luke for reassurance, but found none. As soon as her cousin had answered, the words spilled forward in a rush. “Luke wants you to leave the apartment.”

Luke swung to the left to avoid another swipe from the black car. “Tell him to go. Don’t take the time to pack. Just go somewhere safe and we’ll contact him when we can. Don’t say anything else. The call may be tapped.”

She gave the instructions to Dominic word for word. He was understandably upset. “Gina, what the hell is going on?”

“I can’t talk right now. Just do what I told you. Luke will keep me safe.” As she said the words, she glanced at him. Tension radiated off him in waves, but the look he sent her was pure hotness. Yes, he would definitely protect her. No matter how little she knew him, it was the truth. “I’ll call you.”

Disconnecting the call, she tossed the cell aside. “Someone needs to tell me what the fuck is happening! Is Dominic in danger?”

Luke’s fingers clenched the steering wheel. “Can I explain later? I’m kinda busy here.”

Of course he was. Duh. She turned and looked at car still right behind them. “We’re not going to be able to lose them.”

“Yes, we will.” He slammed on the brakes, tires squealing on the asphalt, and made a ninety degree turn. Once the car stopped rocking, he gunned the gas pedal and shot down a side street.

“Oh my God,” Gina whispered. Her stomach heaved and she feared she would embarrass herself by throwing up. Car sickness was another of her weaknesses. In the movies, the female lead always seemed to have perfect hair and make-up, despite how action-packed the car chase scenes became. One glance in the mirror confirmed to Gina she was as pale as she felt.

She dropped her head to her knees and closed her eyes. Prayer wasn’t a routine of hers, but now seemed like the time to start. She really didn’t want to die so young.

“I think we lost him.”

Her head popped up, and she looked around. “Really?”

Luke still traveled at an unhealthy speed, but there was no sign of the black car. “I’m sorry I got you involved in this.”

She forced oxygen in and out of her lungs, struggling to return her pulse to normal. “What exactly am I involved in?”

Luke’s cool gaze grew shuttered. “Later. I’ve got to get us someplace safe for the night.”

The night?
She had to spend an entire night with him? She’d landed in big trouble . . . and it had nothing to do with the car chase villains.

The headlights of an oncoming car temporarily blinded him. He blinked to clear his gaze, and glanced at the clock on the dash. It was nearly nine o’clock. Springfield was only ninety miles from Boston, but a thunderstorm developed and the heavy flooding on the interstate had slowed him down.

Gina was curled up in the passenger seat, her arms wrapped around her knees. The glow of the passing street lights illuminated her features. She’d been so quiet he’d thought she’d fallen asleep. With her head propped on her arms and turned toward him, she looked much younger than twenty-four.

“Are you cold?” He reached for the temperature setting, prepared to adjust it if necessary.

“I’m okay.” Her tone was weak, exhaustion evident in every syllable. “How much farther?”

“I passed a sign a couple miles back. Springfield is about five miles ahead. We’ll stop and get a room for the night.”

Her blue gaze regarded him steadily. “Why Springfield?”

“I just wanted to get us away from Boston until I figure out what the hell is going on.” He left it unsaid he was heading east toward Indiana. If something else happened, he wanted her far away from the trouble he’d landed in.

In the car, her scent tortured him. Her fear made guilt twist like a knife in his gut. He’d never meant for any of this to happen. Despite everything, he wanted her. If he made it until morning without touching her, it would be a miracle. She’d welcomed his kiss before, but he wasn’t sure how she would react if he tried a second time.

Slowing down, he took an exit off the interstate and pulled into the parking lot of a moderately up-kept motel. He kept the motor running after parking near the office. A red vacancy sign swayed back and forth in the breeze, the neon lights flickering on and off.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back. Lock the doors once I’m gone.”

Gina straightened in the seat and nodded. He climbed out, stretching his stiff muscles. Fighting and then riding in a car for hours had taken a toll. The telltale sound of Gina locking the doors made a smile curve his lips. At least she could follow directions when necessary.

A young man with a bored expression greeted him once he’d entered the lobby. “Welcome to Pine Inn. May I help you?”

Luke pulled out his wallet. “I need a room for the night. Two beds.”

The man tutted. “All we have available is a king room. Would you like it?”

Damn
. Although he wasn’t averse to sharing a bed, far from it actually, Gina was sure to be upset. “Do you have a cot available?”

The man shook his head. “A church youth group took all of them. So do you want the room or not?”

“I’ll take it.” Luke handed over his credit card. After getting the receipt and the key, he went back outside. The drizzling rain had turned colder since night fell. He hunched his shoulders, regretting he hadn’t thought to put a jacket in his car that morning. At least, Gina wore a sweater. They would need warmer clothes though.

He parked the car closer to their room in the back. After looking around, he went over to open the car door for Gina. She climbed out, her legs visibly wobbling as she followed him to room one-oh-two. Thank goodness they didn’t have to climb stairs. He doubted she’d make it. Although he wouldn’t mind carrying her. Not at all. He’d prefer it actually.

He inserted the key into the lock and turned the knob. Pushing open the door, a blast of warmth hit him. Apparently the maid had left the heater on. Bless her.

Gina entered first. She crossed the threshold, but came to a stop at the sight of the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. A wary look crossed her face. “One bed?”

“It was the only kind available.” He shook his head, droplets of rainwater slinging off his hair. He turned the deadlock and secured the chain lock after shutting the door behind him.

She continued to stand there, gazing at the bed as if it were a dangerous snake. He tossed his car keys on the table, and the clatter must’ve startled her. She jerked to attention and shot him a disapproving look. “I’m going to take a shower.”

The thought of her naked with only a door between them had his cock harder than a two-by-four. “There are supposed to be robes in the closet. Put your clothes outside the door and I’ll hang them by the heater to dry.”

As expected, sitting in the room and listening through the thin walls to the sound of the shower running tormented him. He imagined her standing nude and soapy under the hot spray. Her body would be delightfully curved, her hips and breasts the perfect fit for his hands to wrap around.

Groaning, he reached for the remote and flicked on the television. He tried to focus on the stocks being scrolled at the bottom of the screen, but the numbers blurred in the face of his desire. The door could easily be popped open. Then nothing would separate him from the woman of his dreams.

The pipes groaned as the water shut off. A few minutes later, Gina reappeared. Her hair was wrapped turban-style in a white towel. A threadbare cotton robe covered her delectable body. Even the scent of the motel’s cheap soap couldn’t mask her natural odor. He sniffed, his gut twisting with longing.

She gave him a cautious look and then went to place her bra and panties near the jeans and sweater he’d already laid out for her. It was delightfully cute how shy she seemed to be. It was probably a good thing he hadn’t touched her underwear. If he had, there would be no way he could control his urges. Just the tiny glimpse of white satin and lace had him aching to plunge into her body.

She crept back to the bed and poised near the edge. Cautiously, she sat down, her body lightly bouncing to test the springs. “It’s not that bad.”

He tossed aside the remote, put his hands behind his head and stared at the back of her head. He was fully dressed except for his shoes. He lounged barefoot on the bed, legs crossed at the ankles, with a couple pillows propped behind his back. There was no way he would get any sleep with her lying next to him, but for her sake, he could pretend.

“I’m not going to bite,” he called out.

She gave him a haughty look over her shoulder. “Of course not. I’m the wolf, remember?”

Guilt consumed him. How would she react when he told her the truth? He didn’t want to keep it from her, but it was for the best. The less she knew about L-12 the better.

“I haven’t forgotten.” He watched as she slid under the blanket and pulled it nearly to her chin. He’d known she was young and inexperienced with men, but exactly how innocent was she? It was inconceivable to believe no man had ever touched her. But the looks she gave him right now certainly resembled those of a frightened virgin.

Her voice was muffled by the blankets when she spoke. “Do you suppose Dominic is okay?”

He turned on his side to face her. The lighting from the table lamp was dim, but enough for him to see the perfect arch of her cheekbones. The Italian ancestry was evident in her features despite her coloring. “Where do you think he would go to hide out?”

A grin curled her lips and they spoke at the same time. “The lab.”

Luke shared her amusement for a moment, but quickly sobered. “He would know better than to go there, I hope.”

Gina turned on her side, the blanket slipped to reveal the robe covering her. “Why are these men after you? What exactly are you and Dominic working on?”

He’d known it would come to this. Eventually, he would have to start lying to her, even more than he already was. “We’ve created a new drug. It’s about to go to clinical trials. Apparently, someone wants to get their hands on it.”