“You’ve known me for less than twenty-four hours. How can you be so damn sure of me?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Just something about your energy. But I’m not basing my conclusions entirely on my own intuition. Thaddeus Webber thinks you’re the right man for the job. But more to the point, Gwen and Newton approve of you. And Nick, for all his faults, is a pretty good judge of character, too. He has to be, because he deals with some very shady clients. He wouldn’t have left without a struggle tonight if he thought you couldn’t be trusted to do your job.”

“In other words, you trust me because your friends and your dog signed off on me.”

“They’re my family, Sam. I’ve got another, picture-perfect family, but it’s not the same thing. Gwen, Nick and Newton are my real family. Do you understand?”

“Yes.” He reached out and framed her face between his hands. “But there’s something you need to understand. The lab book is important, but you are my number-one priority in this thing. I give you my word on that.”

Her eyes burned with a little heat. “That’s good to know.”

“Is there any other man who might climb through your window tonight?” he asked. “Some other guy who might feel he has a claim on you?”

“No,” she said. She rose slowly on her toes, as if she was making her decision on the way up. The energy around her got a little hotter. “No one else. Not tonight. Anyone I should know about who might feel she has a claim on you?”

“No,” he said.

“That’s all right, then.”

She put her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly, carefully, as if she was conducting a delicate experiment, the outcome of which was designed to satisfy her curiosity but not to oblige her to make a commitment.

Fire roared through him. He lifted his head.

“Don’t know about you,” he rasped, “but as far as I’m concerned, we are not running a field test or a lab experiment here.”

Her eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“I’ll show you.”

He crushed her close and kissed her hard and deep, making it clear that he wasn’t running a test. This was the real deal, and he wanted to make sure she knew it.

She was clearly startled, and for a terrible moment he thought she would retreat. But she gave an urgent little gasp and tightened her arms around his neck. Her mouth softened invitingly under his.

Heat lightning snapped and flashed in the atmosphere. He was suddenly more aroused than he had ever been in his life. It was as if the energy of his aura was resonating with hers in a way that made every sensation more intense, more volatile, more vital.

He was trying to decide how to get her out of the coat and down onto one of the loungers when she planted both hands against his chest and pushed herself a little distance away. She was breathless.

“Newton,” she managed.

He looked down. Newton was sitting at their feet, his head tipped to one side with an expectant air. He had the leash between his teeth.

“Your dog has lousy timing,” Sam said. “But he’s got a point. It’s too cold out here for this kind of thing.”

Abby giggled. Her laughter sparkled in the night. Sam grabbed her hand and made for the glass doors. Newton, leash still in his teeth, dashed after them, excited and enthusiastic.

“He thinks we’re playing a game,” Abby said. She punched the elevator button.

The elevator door opened. Sam pulled her inside. Newton trotted in with them.

Sam hit the button for the tenth floor and pinned Abby to the wall.

“No games,” he vowed.

She struggled a bit. He held her still and kissed her fiercely.

When the elevator doors opened, he was forced to release her. She clamped a hand over her mouth and looked at him with laughter-filled eyes.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

In response, she pointed up at the ceiling of the elevator. He saw the security camera and realized why she had resisted a moment ago. He laughed and yanked her back into his arms, making sure that he was kissing her as the elevator doors closed, making sure that the last image recorded on the security camera was that of Abby in his arms.

Staking his claim.

13

SHE WAS HOT AND COLD AND SHIVERING SO HARD SHE COULD not even get the key into the lock. What was wrong with her? It was as if she was in the grip of a raging fever, but she did not feel ill. Just the opposite. She was wildly exhilarated. She was flying.

The key fell to the floor.

“This is embarrassing,” she said.

Sam scooped up the key, opened the door and propelled her inside. She was vaguely aware of Newton’s nails clicking on the floor behind them. He disappeared down the hall to the living room. Sam got the door closed, peeled off his leather jacket and immediately went to work unfastening Abby’s coat.

Part of her was shocked by the force of her response. It was as if the physical contact had awakened something deep inside her that had been dormant all these years, as if she had been waiting for this encounter.

Sam wrenched off her coat, hurled it in the general direction of the coatrack and closed his hands deliberately, powerfully, around her shoulders. Yet for all the strength that she sensed in him, both physical and paranormal, there was an exquisite tenderness in his touch that was incredibly seductive. As if he was handling fine, delicate crystal, she thought.

She slipped her hands up under his black T–shirt and flattened her palms on his chest. The feel of sleek, hard muscles beneath his warm skin excited her senses. She could see the heat in his eyes. He tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her throat. For the first time in her life, she understood what it meant to be thrilled.

“Yes, yes, yes,” she whispered.

He pulled back just long enough to tug off his T–shirt. With her fingertips, she traced the outline of an elegant bird with wings of fire that covered his left shoulder.

“It’s a phoenix, isn’t it?” she said.

“Yes.”

“You know, I would never have pegged you as the type to get a tattoo.”

“I was nineteen,” he said.

He cradled her jaw in one hand and used his thumb to tease open her mouth, tasting her, drawing her deeper into the embrace. The world spun around her. It took her a few heartbeats to realize that Sam had picked her up in his arms. He angled her carefully and carried her down the hall, through the dimly lit living room and into the darkened bedroom.

He tumbled her down onto the bed and sprawled heavily on top of her, anchoring her with his weight. His mouth moved over her as if he craved her.

She could feel the damp warmth gathering between her legs. He had done little more than kiss her, but her body was already preparing for him. The sheer urgency of her need should have made her hesitate, pull back. And somewhere a faint alarm was sounding, warning her that what she was doing held all manner of unknown risks.

But she was in no mood to pay attention to the weak protests that emanated from the part of her mind that was still trying to think rationally.

Sam dragged his mouth across hers one last time and then wrenched himself free. He rolled off her and sat up on the edge of the bed.

“Give me a second here,” he said. His voice was low and husky, and his breathing was rough. He stripped off his pants and fumbled briefly in a pocket. “Damn. My hand is shaking so hard it will be a wonder if I can get this thing on.”

She exulted in the knowledge that she was the reason he was having problems with the logistics of the situation. A sense of her own feminine power arced through her. Tonight she was a goddess.

Sam managed to sheath himself in the condom. He came back down on top of her, crushing her into the bed. In the darkness, his eyes were ablaze with a desire that crossed the spectrum from normal to paranormal. On his right hand, his ring glowed with a muted coppery radiance.