Born in Blood (The Sentinels #1)(81)

She shivered, her hands reaching up to thread through the short strands of his hair.

“I doubt the Sentinels would agree.”

He slowly pulled back, studying her flushed face with an expression that was impossible to read.

“And what about you?”

“Me?”

“Would you trust me to be your guardian?”

She hesitated. This was important.

She didn’t need the sudden tension in Duncan’s shoulders or the way he didn’t quite meet her gaze to warn her just how much her answer meant.

But she also understood that she couldn’t put any pressure on him to make a commitment he might end up regretting. Duncan O’Conner was far too much like Fane. A man with his own moral code.

He would stand by his word, even if it put him through hell. Hadn’t he stayed in a loveless marriage until he’d caught his wife cheating on him?

The trick was to soothe his male pride without making any demands.

Yeah, no problem.

And next she would solve cold fusion.

“That depends,” she murmured, forcing a teasing smile to her lips.

His brows drew together. “On what?”

She lifted her head to give his chin a small nip. “You have to apply for the position.”

His tension eased as a wicked glow chased the shadows from his eyes.

“Is that right?”

She licked his bottom lip, forgetting this was supposed to be a distraction.

Hell, she was the one distracted.

In the best possible way.

“Mmm.”

He groaned deep in his throat, his swelling c**k pressing against her inner thigh.

“And how would I go about that?”

“Oh, it’s a very rigorous process,” she breathed.

“I can be rigorous.”

She chuckled, remembering the sound of the headboard slamming against the wall less than an hour ago.

“You most certainly can,” she agreed, a husky edge of lingering pleasure in her voice.

It had taken a while to convince the stubborn man that she was far stronger than most women he’d known, and that she fully approved of his . . . rigorous . . . lovemaking.

He captured her lips in a deep, drugging kiss. “Or I can be slow and thorough.”

The shudder of anticipation started at the tip of her toes and rippled all the way through her.

“That works.”

“But first.”

Lost in the sensual spell he could cast all too easily, Callie was puzzled when Duncan pulled back to study her with a narrowed gaze.

“What?”

“I want you to tell me the truth.”

Was this a game? If it was, she hoped it included more of those slow, thorough kisses.

“The truth about what?” she asked, willing to play along.

“You’ve been quiet since we left the station. What happened?”

Oh . . . crap.

She’d convinced herself that she’d managed to hide her distress at Frank’s unwelcomed confrontation. The last thing she’d wanted was to cause trouble with Duncan’s friend.

But she should have known she hadn’t fooled him for a second. Sergeant Duncan O’Conner missed nothing.

“If I tell you—”

“Callie?” he prompted.

“I don’t want you to overreact.”

His jaw instantly clenched and Callie heaved a resigned sigh. What the hell was wrong with her?

Just warning him not to overreact was a sure way to make him overreact.

“What makes you think I’ll overreact?” he snarled on cue.

“You’re male.”

He blinked at her blunt accusation, then his lips twisted into a rueful smile. “Fair enough,” he muttered, his fingers lightly stroking her cheek. “Tell me.”

Despite his gentle touch, he was wearing his cop face.

He wasn’t going to let this go.

“Your friend Frank was concerned that you weren’t thinking clearly,” she grudgingly confessed.

His fingers tightened on her cheek, but there was no surprise that Frank had been the one to approach her. The coroner had never been particularly discreet in his dislike for high-bloods.

“About you?” he asked between clenched teeth.

“In part.” She ran her hands down the length of his rigid back, her touch soothing. “He believes you’re devastated by the marriage of your wife.”

“Ex-wife.”

She tried not to be pleased by his fierce correction.

But hey, she was human. Or at least, she had the usual human emotions.

Her fingers skimmed back to his shoulders. “He’s convinced that she was your soul mate and that you’re going to regret our relationship once you come to your senses.”

The hazel eyes darkened with the threat of violence. “He said that?”

She grimaced. “Yes.”

“The bastard. I’ll kill him.”

“No, Duncan, he’s your friend,” she said in urgent tones. This was exactly what she feared. “Of course he’s going to be worried about you.”

“He hurt you.”

She shook her head. “No he didn’t.”

His fingers cupped her chin as he held her gaze with a somber intensity. “Callie, if this is going to work we have to be honest with each other.”