The Immortal Hunter(41)

Decker had had trouble getting to sleep and didn't think he'd slept long at all when he was attacked by what he was at first sure must be a wildcat. It was hissing and snarling as it knelt half on him and raked sharp claws over his face.

Snapping his eyes open, he grabbed at the creature, instinctively rolling to wrestle it to the mattress so that he could press his lower body over it to keep it from trying to scratch with its back legs. Decker had dealt with wild felines before.

Only once he'd come down on her body and forced her arms to the floor on either side of her head did he wake enough-and his bleary eyes clear enough-for him to realize it wasn't a cat but a woman.

"Oh. Dani." Decker let his forehead drop to rest briefly on her chest as he regathered himself. He then raised it to offer her an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I was asleep and thought you were-"

"You bit me!" she snapped, interrupting him..

Decker's eyes dropped to her throat to see the proof of his naughtiness the night before and he stared at it, very aware of the feel of her body beneath his as he recalled giving her those puncture wounds... and the hickey, he realized, spotting that as well.

Damn, Decker thought as he peered at the bruising. That was a good one, but he hoped the men didn't see it. They might start calling him Hoover.

"You bit me," Dani repeated, hissing the words in what he suspected was an effort not to be overheard. It explained why he'd thought she was a cat, he supposed, and then stiffened as she began to wiggle beneath him, struggling to be free. Decker slept naked and could feel the cool air on his bare behind where he lay on her with only the sheet caught between them. He could also feel himself hardening as she shifted about, trying to dislodge him.

"You might want to stop that," Decker warned.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" she growled, sounding amazingly like a wet, angry cat.

"Actually, I'd rather you kept wiggling about. It's you who I don't think would enjoy the consequences," he said wearily, shifting his hips to press his erection against her and make his point. Satisfied by the way she suddenly stilled, he added solemnly, "I am sorry about biting you. I'm afraid I just got a little overexcited. But to be fair, you did bite me too."

"I did no..." Dani paused mid-denial, her eyes flickering as she apparently remembered sinking her teeth into his shoulder. It had been a good bite too, not some little nip. The woman had left marks. Fortunately, he'd been so excited himself he'd barely felt it.

Decker saw her eyes slip to his shoulder with worry, and knew she was concerned she'd done more damage to his gunshot wound. He wasn't surprised when her eyes widened incredulously.

"It's gone," she breathed with amazement.

He didn't glance down, knowing Dani was talking about the bullet wound. It had been completely healed and gone by the time he'd lain down to sleep this morning. There wasn't even a scar anymore.

"Dear God," she breathed, sounding dismayed, and he thought she was still reacting to his healing abilities when she suddenly screeched, "You're naked!"

Decker smiled wryly. "Good of you to notice."

Dani merely stared at him, her eyes moving over his naked chest and then to the side to peer down the length of his side and back. A slow, burning heat entered her eyes, and her tongue slid out to lick her lips. It was an unconscious action, he was sure, but was enough to make more blood rush to his groin and have him hardening further. Growling under his breath, Decker lowered his head to kiss her, but found himself kissing her fingers as her hand suddenly appeared over her mouth.

"Stephanie," Dani said when he raised his head, her voice hard and cold again.

Decker hesitated briefly, and then sighed and rolled off her, taking the sheet with him. He then closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts as he felt the bed shift as she sat up beside him.

"Sam said you were up all night looking for..."

Made curious by her sudden pause, Decker opened his eyes to find her staring at his groin with a wide, startled gaze. Following her glance, he wasn't surprised to find a small tent resurrected there, but she apparently was. He didn't know why. Surely she'd felt his erection while he was lying on her?

"You were saying?" he prompted dryly.

"What?" Dani turned to peer at his face, then flushed and cleared her throat before continuing, "What happened at the airport? Didn't they get Stephanie?"

"No," he answered simply.

She frowned at the unhelpful answer, worry tugging at her features, and then asked, "And the man who took her?"

"He got away too," Decker said on a sigh.

"Too?" Dani asked, frowning over his choice of words. "You mean with her, don't you? He took her with him. It's not like she fled on her own."

"We aren't sure," he said, and then sat up on the bed to lean against the wall as he explained, "When Bricker and I got there, the three SUVs were all stopped in the middle of the lane at the back of the parking garage, but there was no one in sight. We didn't know where everyone was or even which enforcers belonged to those two SUVs. You were still asleep and I didn't want to leave you there alone, so we decided to check the SUV."

"What did you find?" she asked tensely.

"Nothing," Decker assured her.