“And how many times have we worked a case together in those years?”
“How should I know? It’s not like I keep count.” Seven, she said in her mind.
“Seven times,” he echoed. “And every time neither one of us is in a relationship.”
“So?” she said. “What does that prove? It’s just a coincidence.”
Mahina didn’t believe in coincidences. Obviously neither did Ren.
“It means something, Mahina. Don’t pretend it doesn’t.”
She tried shoving him away again, but to no avail. The man was strong and stubborn. She sighed. “Why are we talking about this? What does it matter anyway?”
“I want you, Mahina.”
His plain but blunt statement shocked her. “What?” She pushed at his shoulders again, harder this time. She needed him to move, to get away from her. She couldn’t think. It was much too hot in the gym. She found it difficult to breathe.
“I want you. And I have for some time now.”
“I must’ve hit you too hard in the head. You’re rambling like an idiot.” This time she shoved him and was finally successful in moving him. She scuttled out from underneath him like a crab. She scrambled to her feet and started to strip off her gloves. “Now you’ve ruined a perfectly good night of sparring.”
Ren stood and watched her. “Why do you think Ginny left me?”
“I don’t know—because you’re a jerk.”
“She left because of you.”
That brought her head up. “Excuse me? You’re blaming me for your last failed relationship?”
“She knew how I felt about you.”
Mahina pulled one glove off and tossed it to the ground. “That’s stupid. You’ve never even indicated to me how you supposedly feel.”
“What about that night at the Blue Moon?”
As Mahina tore at the tie on her other glove, her thoughts drifted to the one night, months ago, when she and a bunch of other officers had been drinking heavily at the Blue Moon bar near the precinct. Ren had shown up late, angry and standoffish.
They’d stayed on opposite sides of the bar, both drinking tequila. But when Mahina had ventured down the back hall toward the ladies’ room, she’d run into Ren coming out of the men’s room. She remembered nodding to him in greeting and his return grunt of recognition.
Then it had got all very hazy and confusing. He’d grabbed her and tossed her up against the wall. Before she could move or strike out, he’d pressed his body into hers, effectively pinning her. She’d told him to back off, but instead of retorting with his own angry growl, he’d kissed her.
His kiss was hard, fast and full of anger and frustration. Mahina remembered a heat, intense and searing, racing down her body and she hadn’t protested; in fact, she had buried her hands in his silky dark hair and passionately returned his kiss.
The kiss had lasted for only a few minutes. Afterward, Ren had pulled away, and without so much as a look or word to her, he had stomped back to the bar.
Mahina had continued on toward the bathroom, but instead of going into the ladies’ room, she’d kept going and gone out the back door of the bar. She’d leaned against the cool brick wall outside for a while, just listening to the music and drinking in fresh air. She’d stayed there long enough so that when she had gone back in, everyone had thought she’d gone home. Ren had been nowhere to be found.
“Please, that was one kiss.” She stripped off the other glove. “And it wasn’t all that good, either.”
Ren laughed. “I never knew you were a coward, Garner.”
She eyed him then, anger at his cavalier attitude making her hands shake. “I’m no coward.”
“You’re running away from me.”
“No, I’m not. I’m just tired of playing with you.” Mahina picked up her gloves and shoved them into her gym bag.
She was finished. The only problem was she was more on edge than she had been before she’d arrived at the gym. And it had everything to do with the man still staring at her with that dark, dangerous look in his eyes. Ignoring him, she picked up her bag, slung it over her shoulder and made for the exit.
“Just like that, you’re going to leave?”
“Yup,” she said, not bothering to look over her shoulder at him. She couldn’t and still push open the metal door and walk out.
“You’re a real piece of work, Garner. You know that?”
With a hand on the door, she did turn around this time. “Hey, I already thanked you for saving my life. What more do you want?”
“Everything.”
She shook her head. “Well, you’re not going to get it from me.” She shoved at the door and went through, letting it softly snick shut behind her.
Once she was gone, Ren shook his head and muttered to himself. God, he was an idiot. He’d never been any good at talking to women, especially this woman. The one woman who’d had him emotionally tied in knots for the past two years.
Shoving one gloved hand under his arm, he yanked his hand out, then proceeded to do that with the other glove. When they were off, he shoved them into his bag, picked up his towel and wiped at the sweat on his face and the back of his neck. His jaw still throbbed from where Mahina had clocked him. She had a powerful punch, but he’d expected no less. She was a tough, powerful and stubborn-as-hell woman, and he had to admit he really liked that about her. There was never a dull moment around her. She was as unpredictable as the weather.
He had been wondering where she’d gone, and had guessed she was in the gym punching the crap out of the bag instead of going home to rest as any average person would’ve done. In that he did know her well. She wouldn’t slow down even in the face of death.
And she had almost bitten it today.
His heart had nearly stopped when he saw the vampire, Richard Terry, swing around from the open doorway brandishing a firearm aimed directly at Mahina. And she’d been charging right for him without any indication that she was going to slow down or duck for cover.
His first and only instinct had been to dive after her and get her out of the way. Pain had ripped through him as the bullet had grazed him across the lateral muscle between his shoulder and neck, but all he’d been able to think about was keeping Mahina safe. He’d deal with the injury on his own. She didn’t need to know.
Ren assumed she was having a hard enough time as it was dealing with the fact that she’d had to be saved during the bust. Adding the news that he’d been injured would not comfort her. She’d blame herself.
If she found out, he’d never get a chance to get closer to her. She would push him away harder and further than she had already. He knew that was Mahina’s way. She didn’t allow anyone to get close to her. During all the time he’d known her, he’d never seen her with one man for long. And she’d never admitted to ever having a boyfriend.
And he’d been an idiot to bring up their one and only kiss. Out of anger at having just been dumped by his previous girlfriend Ginny, Ren had taken it out on the one woman he’d always wanted—Mahina.
What a kiss it had been.
Fueled by anger and frustration, it hadn’t been any less potent. In fact, every time he thought about it, his gut clenched and his c*ck twitched. Having Mahina pressed up against the wall had been a little piece of nirvana. Especially when she’d given in to him and wrapped her strong hands in his hair and matched his passion.
He could still remember the way she tasted—dark and dangerous, like a walk through a mist-filled alley on a moonlit night.
Sighing, he shoved his towel into his gym bag, zipped it up and swung it over his shoulder. He needed to have a cold shower. There was no way he was going to be able to go home and sleep soundly. Not with Mahina’s scent still mingling with his own. The woman always smelled like sex, the hot raunchy variety that he loved.
Kicking open the door to the shower room, Ren decided that he didn’t want to settle for a cold shower. He wanted Mahina, and he’d be damned if he was going to let her get away. Not this time.
Chapter Three
Once she was out in the cool night air, Mahina felt a little better. There wasn’t this oppressive heat pressing down on her. She’d left the cause of it behind in the gym with his boxing gloves still on.
She couldn’t believe that Ren had told her he wanted her. It was a shock. Not once in the years they’d worked together had he ever given her any indication that he looked at her in any way other than as his partner and sometimes boss. Definitely not as a woman. Or a potential lover.
Or had he? Maybe she just hadn’t noticed.
Their one kiss came to her mind again. Sure, it had been electric and powerful, but it had been alcohol induced. Ren had never mentioned it to her afterward, never given any indication that he even remembered it happening..
She took in a deep breath of flower-scented air and looked up at the night sky. It was a beautiful calm evening, perfect for running. Instead of going home, she’d drive to her favorite park, shift and go for a long vigorous run. Maybe then she’d be tired enough to sleep and not dream. She feared that her dreams would include things she didn’t want to think about—death, sex and Ren Calder.
Thankfully, the drive to the park was short. By the time Mahina was out of her car, every muscle in her body was quivering with the need to shift. She hadn’t even reached the entrance to the park before she’d already stripped off her shirt and bra. When she reached the dewy grass, her pants and underwear were behind her.
Stretching with a long-drawn-out quiver from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, she crouched on the ground and began to shift. It hurt like hell, as it always did, but the result was glorious.
Mahina raised her face to the air and sniffed. A myriad of scents came to her in an instant, and she was able to identify them quickly. Damp grass and leaves, dirt, lavender and freesia, the subtle musk of rodents and other wildlife. She took it all in and sighed.
Shaking out her body from end to end, she bounded into the tall grass and headed for the copse of trees. Maybe she’d do a little hunting during her run. There was nothing like the thrill of stalking prey. It never failed to ignite the most primal part of her—the lycan side that ruled much of what she was, even in human guise.