“Your pivot is the issue here. You redistribute your weight at the pivot in a way that’s predictable. Anyone who watched you fight for more than a few minutes—and they should because you’re quite good—would see that flaw and they’d anticipate it. You leave too much of your body exposed for those seconds. Kick lower and snap your leg back as you pivot to cut that exposure down.”

He stood. “I’ll break it down here in four parts.” She watched him do it twice from two different angles.

“You’re doing like a hybrid of a few different styles. Instead of that lined-up karate roundhouse, you’re leading with that back leg to change your weight.”

“Yes. For your style, since you’re scrappy, I think it’ll help as you’re already sending your energy into the kick.”

“Scrappy?”

She tried it his way and by the third time she’d perfected it.

“Scrappy. You’re all over the place. Which is unexpected. You have all your focus, of course. But you’re not afraid to get in there and poke eyes or kick some balls.”

She shrugged. “It’s not an Olympic event. It’s a fight and sometimes to the death. If I gotta poke some eyes to stay alive, I’ll do so. And pull hair too.”

“You’ll get no argument from me.” And getting her worked up in a physical way would not only keep her mind off all the stuff going on just then, but the exercise would get her focused. She was that way, he realized. The more physical she was, the better able to lock out all the other stuff and get the job done.

“I propose that since we have a little less than an hour until Mei shows up we forget this and have sex instead.”

She underlined her point by pulling her shirt and bra off.

“It has been a very long time since I’ve had you.” He circled her and she gave him one of her I have a secret smiles.

“Like twelve hours at least.”

He laughed and gave in to the temptation of her skin. She was warm beneath his palms, pliant against his lips. The curve of her shoulder, familiar and still thrilling, the salty-sweet taste of her neck.

She pulled the shirt from his body and kissed across his chest, pausing, her ear against his skin above his heart, listening to the reassuring thud-thud-thud of his heart. “I know you’re trying to distract me.” She shoved his pants down and he sprang, hot and ready, into her hands.

He’d been kissing and licking up her neck but when she grabbed his cock and gave it a little squeeze, he growled and then bit, holding her in place as he took her to the rug.

Quick, clever hands got rid of her pants and underwear and they rolled, skin to skin, gasping at the heat and wonder of the feel of each other.

She ended up on top, urgency riding her. Blind need for him raced through her senses. He hissed, reaching up to cup her breasts. “Slow down.”

She shook her head with a grin. “I want you now. All of you.”

He cursed and she laughed, pulling up enough to grab him, guide him true and sink down, taking him deep inside her body in two moves.

She stilled. “Unless you’d rather do something else.”

“Get moving. You brought this all on yourself. Now pleasure me.”

Laughing, she bent to kiss him, grabbing his bottom lip between her teeth and tugging. He held her, big strong hands at each hip. He set the pace, guiding her with his hands.

She arched, taking him deeper, and he groaned. There was something so powerful about giving him pleasure this way. This big, powerful male who could easily use that strength to harm only used it to cherish and please. To adore.

She’d never been adored before. It was not overrated.

“You are the most exquisite thing I have ever seen. I can’t believe you’re mine,” he murmured when he stretched up to kiss her.

Sex after the binding was different. Better. The connection between them was deeper, his pleasure wrapped around hers, teased it. Took it and fed it back over and over until she nearly vibrated with it.

He let go with one of his hands and his fingers found her clit, sliding side to side until she was nearly blind with need. And then she exploded. His fingers dug into her left hip as he began to thrust back at her as she slid down on him over and over. He was deep and hard and she knew when he hit his own climax. He thrust up one last time and held her there on him as he arched his back. Her knees dug into the carpet, her nails digging into his side as he snarled her name.

Chapter 25

WHEN Tosh opened his door with a black eye, Delilah raised her brows and came inside. “Good thing I brought some dinner. What the hell happened to your gorgeous face?”

“Out front. There were protesters when I got home. One of my guards had to get three stitches because he threw himself in between me and a bottle.”

She put the bag of takeout down and touched his cheek. “This makes me very angry. To mar such perfection is to spit in God’s eye.” She kissed the bruise gently. “And it makes me want to rip someone’s throat out.”

He let go of some of his tension and pulled her to his body. “My lip is a little bruised too, I think.”

She kissed his mouth and he luxuriated in her taste.

“You did a great job today,” he said as she pulled back a little.

“I’m told I’m an excellent kisser.”

He laughed, taking her hand and leading her back through the house and into the dining room. “I meant on the floor. But you are an excellent kisser.”

“My office got so many calls the system overloaded four times. The server shut down more than once. My inbox exploded. I’m relieved to say it was eight in favor of me voting against to two to vote in support.”

He got plates and silverware out and she began to dish the food up. “I’ve got about those same numbers. More like seven to three, but still, a clear indication to vote it down.”

The House would hear debate on their version of the bill by the end of the week. He just hoped the people made their voices heard so this ridiculousness could be halted before it got any worse.

“Did you see the news about the riots in St. Louis?”

He nodded. “I’m concerned that it’ll get worse before it gets better. The little girl who was attacked is in critical condition. One hospital refused to treat her when they found out she was a shifter. The ambulance driver was nearly arrested for assault when he attacked the hospital administrator who refused to let them bring the child in.”

“That’s running in Chicago. Her family is an affiliated pack to Great Lakes. The COO told me they’ve sent guards to her family’s home and the hospital. There are already attorneys at work on the refusal-to-treat issue as well. Her mother appealed to the rioters to stop the violence. I don’t know if it will help.”

“How many death threats did you get today? Don’t deny it, the FBI interviewed me already.”

She sighed. “Six. I’m an overachiever apparently. Parrish only got one. Though once he speaks on the House floor, I’m sure he’ll try to beat my record.” She squeezed his hand. “It’s all right. I’ve got two extra guards and the witches warded my house, my car and my office. They’re not going to scare me into silence.”

“I know.” He sighed. “But it scares the hell out of me. I hate the thought of you in danger.”

“Toshio, I can shift into a wolf with razor-sharp teeth and claws. I’m good.”

“A silver bullet can kill you.”

“Yes. But none of us is immortal. How you live is important. Your grandmother told me about how freaked out she was when she went into labor with your uncle. She nearly bled to death and there were no doctors around and people were dying in the camps from infections and complications from health conditions easily treated in the outside world. She said she was so mad at the world, but she had her kids and her parents to worry about. And your grandfather was off getting shot at and fighting the war in the Pacific. She had no choice but to live and so she did. I have no choice but to live. So my nieces and nephews can enjoy the freedoms I grew up with.”