He cleared his throat. “I’m doing a mural—I’m an artist. I live in Tucson. And what do you do?”

“I’m in financial services. I do portfolio planning.”

His eyebrows rose.

“What? Too Yuppie for you?”

He laughed. “No, not at all. I love smart women. I’m impressed.”

She relaxed.

All through dinner she felt herself pulled under his spell. Each time he reached out to grab the salt or his beer, he’d touch her in some small way. His total attention was on her at every moment. His voice was low and seductive, an aural caress. When she spoke, he listened intently, clearly interested in what she had to say.

And she couldn’t deny she was fascinated by him. Watched his hands move expressively while he talked about his work. Saw the delightful light in his eyes, making it clear he loved what he did. He flattered her and made her laugh.

There was no doubt for either of them that they’d end up in bed. She liked that his surety wasn’t smug or smarmy. He was a sexy guy in town for a few weeks—the perfect fling. She certainly had no plans to stop the inevitable.

Walking out to the cars, he pulled her aside. “Can I give you a ride home? Or would you like to come back to my hotel?”

The salt air of low tide tickled her senses along with his scent. Male werewolf did indeed smell hella good to her, and nary a mullet in sight.

“Where are you staying?”

“The Alexis.”

“Let me just tell Tia. I’ll be right back.”

He watched as she walked over to her friend and hugged her goodbye. Tia winked at her, and Layla gave her the finger, amusing him.

“Let’s go.”

Adam nodded discreetly and Tia offered him a ride home.

On the way to the hotel, Sid asked if she minded him smoking a clove cigarette. She shrugged.

“I like the smell in small doses.”

And it seemed to add to his spice, the very alluring masculine scent of him. God, she had it bad. She wanted to rip his clothes off and climb on his c**k right there on First Avenue.

He must have noticed her near-panting and the glaze of desire in her eyes because he took her hand and kissed the fingertips. “I know. I want you too.”

She shivered at the near growl in his voice, and when they arrived he tossed the keys at the valet and they headed inside quickly.

“I can’t touch you yet,” he said in the elevator. “Once I do, it’s over.”

They walked side by side, just barely not touching as they hurried down the hallway to the door of his room. Which he opened up in record time.

Taking a deep breath, Layla walked inside and he followed her, careful to put the

“Do Not Disturb” sign on the door before he shut and locked it.

Chapter Two

A long look settled between them until suddenly he was there, hands on her body, lips on hers. Everywhere he touched, her skin warmed and tingled.

His lips, lush and soft, devoured her in kiss after devastating kiss. Lust and desire drowned her, pulled her under, and she went willingly, giving in to the exquisite sensations.

When his tongue stroked in between her lips like a lover, a deep shudder broke through her. Her ni**les hardened to the point of pain and her clit throbbed. His taste, warm and spicy, slithered through her, marking her senses. Her entire body began to vibrate with need. She’d never felt anything like it before. It was overwhelming but amazing too.

Needing to ground herself in him, her hands slid up the wall of his chest and began to unbutton his shirt. He hissed when she brushed against bare skin as she shoved it down his arms. Like most werewolves, he ran very warm and she felt the heat of his skin when his shirt was stripped off. His muscles bunched and relaxed under her palms. Her hands skimmed up his neck and she allowed herself a moment to glory in the feel of the silk of his hair sifting between her fingers.

Stepping back, she drank him in as she reached down and pulled her blouse up and over her head.

He was tall and lanky. Not skinny really. Lots of upper body power there. Lean muscle roped tightly over his chest and arms. His stomach was flat and she grinned when she saw it was tattooed.

“What? Am I your first bad boy?”

“Is that what you are, Sid? I can’t wait to see just how bad then.” She laughed then and delighted in his gasp as she shrugged out of her bra and ran her hands up her stomach and over her br**sts.

“Would it please you to be my first bad boy?”

“Honey, you please me. I couldn’t care less if you had a line of fifty bad boys at the door because you’re here with me right now. And good god your tits are amazing.”

Smiling again, Layla ran fingertips around her ni**les in slow circles, catching her lip between her teeth for a moment. “My sister would love that tattoo.”

“That so? Well, I think I’m with the right Warden sister just now.” Taking two steps back to her again, he reached out and pulled her hands away, replacing them with his own.

Her breath caught at his intimate touch as he slowly brushed his palms over the sensitive flesh of her ni**les.

“Well, that’s good. She’s fourteen anyway. But all she talks about are tattoos. And that topic is over now.” Her head dropped back as his lips slid over the column of her neck and across her collarbone.

The sound of her zipper sliding down rang through the room and up her spine. He moved away from her neck and stepped back.

“Okay, I’ll get my pants off, you get yours off. Meet you back here in a few seconds.”