Beyond the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #6)(46)

Turning, he met her guarded gaze.

“Harley?”

“If there’s even a possibility you might be right, then shouldn’t you be returning to Italy?”

He was caught off guard by her abrupt words. “Trying to get rid of me, cara?”

“You don’t have to be Ken Jennings to figure out that if the bad guy wants you here, you should be there.”

Was she concerned for his safety?

Dio, the sky was surely about to fall.

Salvatore prowled forward, his blood heating as she instinctively backed away. He maneuvered her until her ass was pressed against the edge of the desk, caging her legs between his thighs.

“We’ll eventually return to my lair in Rome,” he promised her, satisfaction gripping his heart at the thought of Harley in his classically elegant home. She would add a golden warmth that was badly needed amongst the acres of marble and gilt. “But not until I’ve dealt with Briggs and whatever demon is pulling his strings.”

Her hands landed against his chest. “Very macho.”

He claimed her lips in a kiss of sheer possession. “I can be a lot more macho, if only you’d let me,” he muttered.

“Stop that.” She arched back to stab him with a worried gaze. “I’m being serious. You’re the king—you should act like one.”

His gaze lowered to appreciate the tight stretch of her tank top. “I’m trying.”

“Salvatore.”

With a sigh, he lifted his gaze. “What kingly act do you want from me?”

“Tell me what would happen if Briggs manages to kill you and take the Were throne?”

His jaw clenched. “Not going to happen.”

“Unless you’ve been covering up a special ability to read the future, you can’t know that.” Her expression was stern, unflinching. “Is your pride worth risking the future of your people?”

Salvatore met her unwavering gaze. He was a dominant. An alpha who didn’t accept having his decisions questioned.

He’d taught more than one Were that painful lesson.

But oddly, he didn’t feel the familiar urge to snarl. Harley wasn’t his subordinate. The wolf in him had accepted her as a mate. She was his partner, not one of his pack.

“Harley, Briggs is too dangerous to ignore.” His hands stroked up her bare arms to grasp her shoulders. “I can’t return to Italy until he’s destroyed.”

“You don’t have royal ass-kickers to take care of your killing for you?”

“Any number, but none who would be immune to Briggs’s ability to control their minds.”

She couldn’t dismiss his logic, but that didn’t stop her from finding a new argument.

Women were women, regardless of their species.

“Supposing you do manage to kill him…”

“Such faith.”

“How do you intend to keep him dead?”

Salvatore didn’t have an answer.

And at the moment, he had far more important matters on his mind.

Framing her face in his hands, he lowered his head to brush searing kisses over her cheek.

“A worry for tomorrow.”

Chapter Twelve

Harley forgot how to breathe as Salvatore found her lips in a slow, drugging kiss.

No big surprise.

His touch was magic.

With a soft groan, his tongue teased her lips wider, his fingers stroking down her throat. It was Harley’s turn to groan. He tasted of whiskey and wolf and wild power. A combination that ignited something untamed deep inside her soul.

A compelling, ruthless heat flowed through her blood, making her hands slip beneath the edge of his open shirt to find the satin steel of his chest.

Okay, she might be responsible for her hands doing the full-body search, but he was certainly responsible for shutting down her higher brain functions. If she’d been thinking clearly, she would have shoved him across the room, not discovered the intimate terrain of his upper body.

His hands shifted to cup her aching br**sts, his thumbs circling the rigid thrust of her ni**les until she was squirming against him.

“Harley…”

His husky words were cut short as Salvatore abruptly lifted his head and glanced toward the door. Harley felt a prickle of energy and the heavy bolt slid shut just as she caught Santiago’s approaching scent.

“Go away,” Salvatore barked, his muscles coiled and prepared for action.

There was a soft chuckle as Santiago halted near the door, but the vamp was smart enough not to try and enter the room.

Thank God.

“The entertainment is about to begin,” he said, his voice deliciously cool and filled with invitation. “I’m certain Harley would enjoy our modest show.”

A golden glow illuminated Salvatore’s eyes, his rich, musky scent filling the room.

“Santiago, ‘go away’ is a fairly simple command to understand. Of course, I could come out there and explain it to you.”

“I prefer you send Harley out.”

“A leech with a death wish,” Salvatore growled. “My favorite kind.”

Harley heaved the universal sigh of a woman dealing with two stupid men.

“Is this really necessary?”

Salvatore flashed a wickedly infectious grin. “No, but it’s always fun.”