Into the Mist (Falcon Mercenary Group #1)(13)

When she reappeared from the bathroom, he watched as she returned to her table. A few minutes later, she and her escort collected her chips and left the table. They cashed out then exited the club. The man hailed a taxi, and they clambered in.

Eli stepped outside as the taxi sped away. He hurried down the street until he could step into an alley and shift.

The rush burned over his skin. He didn’t stop to savor the sensation as he usually did. There wasn’t time. Even before he was fully transformed, he streaked toward the distant cab. He rode the wind, coalescing into tiny particles of gasses.

Ten minutes later, the taxi pulled to a stop in front of the Royal Hotel on Avenue de Friedland. The couple stepped out and walked laughing into the hotel.

Eli wrapped around the strands of her hair, absorbing her fragrance until his every molecule smelled of her. He rode the elevator up with the couple. Stayed glued to his mystery woman until she stopped in front of her room.

To his surprise, her escort ruffled her hair, forcing Eli from his perch. Then he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before walking a few feet down to the next room.

So they weren’t sharing a room. Interesting, indeed. And very convenient as far as Eli was concerned. Certainly made things easier for him.

When she entered her room, Eli swirled to a corner, shimmering there as mist as he watched her prepare for bed. She stripped from the silk sheath, and as much as he liked the view of her in just lingerie, he was damned sorry to see the dress go. It fit her like a dream, adhering to her every curve.

The room pulsed and vibrated around him as she pulled her bra and panties off and slipped a satin camisole over her head. For the first time he could remember, he had difficulty maintaining his form.

His human form called to him, begging him to shift so he could touch her, caress her skin. Who was he fooling? Yeah, he wanted, needed, to know who she was and what she was up to, but he was interested in her in a far more personal way.

She’d gotten under his skin as few women in his lifetime had. He should be pissed that she’d laid him out at their last meeting, but instead he was more amused by the little spitfire. He wouldn’t underestimate her again, and that would even the playing field.

As she settled among the covers, her soft, even breathing filled the room. Still, he waited patiently, wanting to make sure she had drifted off to sleep. Why, he wasn’t sure, since he intended to wake her, but he wanted the element of surprise.

When he was sure she was sleeping, he floated over to the bed, becoming a wisp of smoke, so thin he would barely be visible.

He feathered across the hollow of her throat, circling her neck and back around before sliding lightly over her full lips. He stroked her cheek, imagining it was his lips following the curve of her jaw.

He chuckled to himself when she brushed her hand across her face and turned her head to the side.

You won’t escape me so easily this time, little firebrand.

He continued his smoky seduction, sliding underneath the neckline of her satin nightie. The material lifted the slightest bit and rippled as he swirled around her nipple.

She sighed and twisted restlessly against the sheets. He licked at the turgid point, leaving a damp trail as he shifted between smoke and mist.

Soon, he floated lazily up her body again and danced across her lips. They parted and a gasp escaped her mouth. He allowed himself to tighten, straining between his human and elemental form. He hovered above her, flashing eerily transparent. If she opened her eyes now, she’d see a faded image of his human form.

Unable to resist, he lowered his lips to hers. His touch was light. He wasn’t fully shifted so his body conformed to hers, a ghostly apparition flush against her.

He kissed her again, licking over her lips, inhaling her sweet moans. When she stirred again, he gave over to his elemental form, coalescing as a plume of smoke once more.

Suddenly her eyes flew open and she rolled off the bed in a heap of legs and covers. Eli shot upward, hovering over the bed as he looked down at her.

She scrambled up, looking warily around her, her pupils dilated. She fumbled with the lamp on the nightstand and soon the room was bathed in soft light.

Her chest rose and fell with exertion.

“You’re going nuts,” she muttered. “Have great sex one time and your brain becomes mush.”

Eli chuckled to himself. So she was thinking about him, or maybe, like before, she sensed his presence. He certainly couldn’t fault her instincts. And he damn sure didn’t fault her performance in bed.

She slowly rose from the floor, hauling the covers back onto the bed. She stared around the room, taking her time assessing every nook and cranny. Then she looked up. Right at him.

How on earth did she manage to pinpoint his location every single time?

Her eyes narrowed as she cocked her head to one side.

“Fucking pervert,” she growled. “Get your ass down here so I can kick it again.”

Chapter Four

Tyana balled her fingers into tight fists at her sides and readied herself for the coming confrontation. The hairs at the nape of her neck prickled and stood on end, just as they had that night in Singapore, and there was a chill in the air. She knew he was here. She felt him.

A slight shift in the air alerted her to Eli’s movement just seconds before he materialized at the end of the bed.

He stood in a relaxed pose, studying her indolently. She glared and sized him up.

“How did you know I would be here?” she demanded.