Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(57)

Chris squeezed the deceptively delicate ball of her shoulder. "Maybe Syd's right, and they're simply taking longer to wrap their heads around the change in our conditions."

Evina surprised him by going up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek. "You're a rock. I'm so glad I have you to help me."

Chris didn't know how much help he was in this particular situation--or how objective. He wondered if Evina would have been as quick to thank him if she'd known where he was truly coming from.

~

Chris's dusty white Ford Explorer was nothing fancy, but for a conversion it ran okay. As he pulled up to the brownstone's front, Tony jogged down the steps. He was grinning from ear to ear, so unabashedly excited Chris couldn't help but be infected by his good mood.

The wolf looked totally do-able in worn jeans, a black T-shirt, and a brown sport coat.

"Thank God," Chris said, leaning sideways to open the door for him.

The greeting surprised Tony. "Were you expecting me to be late?"

"No," Chris said as the wolf slipped smoothly into the passenger seat. "I meant thank God you're wearing clothes and not a bathing suit.

Tony grinned devilishly. "It's January. My swimsuit is underneath. It's a bright red Speedo, in case you're interested."

"Jesus," Chris breathed, putting the car in gear.

"Sorry, dude." Tony tossed his head airily. "I don't do grandpa trunks."

Chris refused to picture him in either. They always left separately for their secret meetings. This was the first time he'd driven Tony anywhere. Simply being in the front seat together added weight and warmth to his groin.

Some hint of his foreboding must have shown in his face.

"I didn't put Evina up to recruiting you as my ride," Tony said.

"I didn't think you had." Chris touched his leg briefly. "Half the time you're more careful than I am."

"FYI, I'd like to be kissing you right now."

Chris laughed, his cock twitching dangerously. "Me too," he admitted.

Tony surveyed the car, which for some reason seemed to please him. Probably the vehicle being Chris's was enough to cause the reaction. They both liked being around each other's stuff.

"What happened to your brother's car?" Chris asked.

"A vampire ran into it," Tony said gleefully.

"A vampire?"

"Uh-huh. We finally closed this re-homicide Carmine caught lead on. He and I chased the murderer six miles along River Drive and into an alley. Rick blocked the end with his Buick, exactly as we'd arranged. The timing was perfect until the vampire decided he'd try to blur through the vehicle. Those bloodsuckers are dense . . . in more ways than one. I guess he didn't realize Rick's car was solid Detroit steel, not some lightweight goblin composite."


"Why didn't he leap over the car?"

"Because we'd exhausted him. He couldn't do that semi-flying thing vampires like. Fortunately, the collision stunned Pointy Tooth. Carmine and I were able to cuff him before he recovered."

Chris tried not to show how much this story alarmed him. "Was your brother okay?"

"Oh yeah." Tony beat a drum riff on the sloping dash, still charged up by the incident. "Pissed off about his car, though. The whole front was crumpled. It looked like a tin can ran into a deer. And he temporarily broke his nose when the air bags went off."

"Does this kind of thing happen often?

His voice wasn't as casual as he meant it to be. Tony stretched his arm along the top of the bucket seats. "Don't go protective on me, Savoy. I'm a big tough werecop, remember?"

"I'm not allowed to worry?"

"I'm assuming you'd rather I didn't worry about you. Because you don't do anything all day except pull kittens out of trees."

Chris didn't want to smile, but he did.

Tender then, Tony stroked a lock of hair behind Chris's ear, stirring a pleasant small shiver. "I'm not the only adrenaline junkie in this car."

Chris glanced at him, suddenly wanting him so intensely he couldn't imagine how he'd survive the party. "We really fit," he observed, the wonder of it hitting him.

"I'll say," Tony agreed with a naughty leer.

The leer was all it took. Chris's cock overrode his control and jolted out full length.

Tony knew. Tony always knew things like that. "Pit stop?" he suggested with a throaty laugh.

"Where?" Chris asked through gritted teeth.

"As it happens, I know the perfect spot."

He directed Chris downtown to an automated carwash housed in the base of a tall building. The sign above the square steel door said "Pointy Tooth Carwash Emporium." The sign to its right said "Closed."

"I thought you were kidding," Chris said as he turned down the concrete ramp. "The vampire's name really was Pointy Tooth?"

"It was, and since he's currently in a cell, I don't think he'll be disturbing us."

Tony hopped out of the Explorer. Despite the place seeming shut, the access door wasn't locked. Tony needed a single thrust to shove the corrugated metal high enough to clear the SUV. He waved Chris forward like a traffic cop, though Chris couldn't recall seeing one with the wolf's lascivious expression.