In Heat (In Heat Shapeshifter Romance Series #1) Read online

  She stared at herself.

  What did Erik see in that?

  Lank hair hung around her shoulders, dull eyes staring back at her.

  But he must see something in her. The way he'd touched her in the lift. The gentle caress of his fingers against her neck and his cool breath teasing her skin. The reassuring words. The fact he'd told her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her. All of it made her believe that he liked her, that he saw something other than a plain nearly-thirty woman when he looked at her.

  The car horn sounded and she smiled at Simon. Slipping into the passenger seat beside him, she buckled up and put her bag on her lap. She wondered what kind of car Erik drove.

  It was probably black.

  Black was sensual.

  Judging by the way he acted and looked, the car was bound to be sleek, black and sexy, and have one hell of a purr.

  Simon started the car.

  “Man, you're miles away today.” He laughed across at her and turned the radio on.

  She turned it down a little so she could hear herself think and then stared out of the window.

  “Simon,” she said as they pulled out into the main flow of traffic.

  “Hmm?”

  They stopped at a set of traffic lights. A taxi tried to squeeze up the inside, using the bus lane to hop the queue. She hoped the traffic cameras would catch it.

  “What is it you've heard about Erik Blackwell?” She didn't dare look at him, but she knew he was looking at her.

  The light changed to green and he put his foot down on the accelerator.

  “Just rumours, nasty idle speculation, that kind of dirty gossip.” He was grinning when she looked at him. Sometimes she didn't know why they were friends. He was always slipping between acting like some lad, annoyingly snide and definitely conceited, and being just a nice guy.

  She wished he'd be more of a nice guy and less of a lad. Since last summer, he'd been acting stranger and stranger around her, as though he thought she'd be impressed by the new car and the new look, and his new irritating attitude.

  “Like what?” she said nonchalantly, acting as though it was nothing more than a passing interest.

  “Like women he's been going out with mysteriously getting hurt for one thing. There's always some kind of accident. Mountaineering, hiking or riding...always...and it's not just your average statistics here. It seems like every girl who has visited the family home has been injured in some way or another. One of them was even mauled.”

  She didn't like the glee with which Simon said that last sentence. She frowned at the dashboard.

  “Are you sure it's him?” Her heart was threatening to jump into her throat if Simon said he was definitely sure all the stories were pinned to Erik.

  “Well,” Simon said, holding the word so long that she got the feeling before he even finished his sentence that he couldn't prove any of what he'd heard. “It could be his brother I suppose. I hadn't realised he had one. Everyone just refers to the person as Blackwell.”

  Erik didn't strike her as the kind of man who would want to be referred to as just his last name. It sounded rakish. Definitely the kind of thing Alistair would call himself.

  “Erik seems nice enough,” she said with a shrug, casual as anything.

  Simon laughed. “Erik now is it?”

  She blushed and watched the little green arrow on the dashboard in front of Simon blinking as he indicated and then turned right.

  “He told me to call him it.”

  “Did he now?” Simon turned the car again and then stopped at another set of traffic lights. He leaned towards her. “Listen, Kim, don't get involved. You'll only end up hurt too.”

  “I'm not so sure,” she said and the car moved off again. She was glad Simon wasn't close to her any more. She'd had quite enough of men invading her personal space uninvited today. She watched the car in front of them. “He asked me to dinner.”

  “He did what?”

  The car jerked to a halt. Simon was suddenly very close to her. He looked mortified.

  “I hope you said no. He's a client.”

  “I said no. I'm not a child. I know the rules, Simon.” She looked out the passenger window and saw they were only a few doors down from her apartment. She undid the seatbelt. “Thanks for the lift.”

  His hand on her arm stopped her from getting out. She looked at it, and then up into his eyes, frowning.

  “I'm sorry...just a little concerned that this guy is out to seduce you or something. I don't want to see you get hurt,” he whispered, a smile teasing the corners of his mouth. His brows rose and he released her arm. “Can I come in?”

  She rubbed her temples.

  “Not tonight. I've got such a stinking headache. I just want a soak and some decent sleep.” She smiled and got out of the car.

  He managed a polite wave when she held her hand up, but he didn't look at all happy. She hoped he wasn't going to go and tell Laura about what she'd said. She didn't need Laura getting on her case.

  Slipping the strap of her bag over her shoulder, she took her keys out and walked up the steps to her apartment. She opened the door and went in, hurrying up the stairs as fast as she could manage.

  A glass of wine, some good food, a little television and a long hot soak. That would make everything better.

  She remembered the feeling of Erik's fingers as he massaged her shoulders. Maybe she should soak and drink first, have dinner and a movie alone later. She could use some thinking time.

  There was a lot to think about.

  Walking into her apartment, she dumped her bag down and closed the door. She accidentally kicked her bag and gritted her teeth in frustration when it fell over, scattering some of its contents across the hall. She crouched and put them back in, stopping when she saw the contract. She pulled it out and stared at it. Absently flicking the latches on the door, she thought about the way that both Alistair and Erik had acted when she'd mentioned the paragraph. She walked into her kitchen, flicking through the pages until she found it, and read it while she opened the refrigerator.

  Taking out a bottle of rosé wine, she put it on the side and then took a glass out of the cupboard. She placed the contract down beside the bottle and read the paragraph again as she uncorked the wine.

  What kind of contract mentioned blood donations in it?

  Especially blood donations for children. Did Alistair have children? If he did, she pitied them and their mother. She got the impression he only cared about himself.

  She poured a large glass of wine and carried it with her through the lounge and into the bedroom. Staring at the word ‘blood', she wondered why both men had been so jumpy about it.

  Alistair had hidden it better than Erik, but the vibe had still been there. Neither of them wanted anyone asking about it.

  Would Erik have really talked about it if she'd gone out to dinner with him?

  She placed the glass of wine down beside the bath and put the plug into the hole. Running the water, she stripped off and sat on the edge of the bath. She held her hand under the water, letting it run over her fingers and shifting them so it created a soothing patter against her skin. She stared at the contract.

  He'd said that he'd tell her all about it and she believed him. He'd looked so desperate to make things up to her and that look he'd given her when she'd walked away with Simon, it was as though she'd broken his heart by refusing his offer.

  And that feeling in the stairwell.

  What was that? It wasn't just the usual involuntary shudder. She'd felt something, sensed something. She'd been drawn to looking up at the door. She'd wanted to go back to the roof and to Erik.

  She shut the taps off when the bath was full and threw some bath salts in. Placing the contract down on the closed toilet seat, she gave it one last look and then turned away. She slid into the hot water, moaning as it instantly eased her muscles. It felt so good, almost as good as Erik's hands had felt in the lift. It had been no harmless massage. The way he
'd touched her had been so sensual, electrifying. When he'd pulled her shirt open and smoothed it, caressing her bare flesh, she'd felt as though they had plummeted to their deaths at the bottom of the lift shaft and been whisked off to heaven.

  She sighed and closed her eyes, focusing on the echo of his fingers against her skin and wishing he was here with her, naked in the tub. What she wouldn't give to have that happen.

  Picking her wine up, she took a long sip and leaned her head back into the bath pillow behind her. She sighed and smiled as she thought about him.

  What was he doing right now? Was he having dinner with someone else?

  * * * *

  Erik stared up at the sign above the restaurant. The Ivy. It was a perfect choice. An obvious one, too.

  All the better for him though.

  He walked in and ignored the woman at the front desk when he spotted his quarry. He headed straight for them. They looked up as he approached. A dark expression wiped the smile off their face.

  A restaurant, and a busy one like The Ivy, was a perfect place for an altercation with his brother. Beautifully public. There was no way on Earth that Alistair would dare attack him in front of all these people.

  He stormed towards him, ignoring the look the blonde woman sitting opposite his brother gave him. Stopping in front of Alistair, he stared hard into his eyes. His narrowed.

  “Keep away from her.” Erik's voice was a deadly whisper.

  Alistair smirked.

  His date looked a little upset.

  “Dear brother, I don't understand what you mean. It was purely business talk.” Alistair continued to smile. He leaned back into his chair, casually draping an arm over the back of it.

  Erik could see in Alistair's eyes how flustered he was. They hid nothing. There was anger and violence in their yellowing depths. He told himself that Alistair wouldn't dare change in front of all these people. The anger wasn't about the accusation, or interruption, it was because he was dragging this into the public eye. The paparazzi were outside, lining the windows. There was no doubt that their argument would get a mention in tomorrow's papers.

  “It's no use lying to me, Alistair. I can smell it all over you.” Erik hardened his look.

  Alistair stood, straightened and gave him a look of pure arrogance. The whole room was staring now. Hushed.

  They were probably panting for a fight to break out, but Erik wasn't going to let it get that far. He was tired of his brother's attempts to rule him. It was time that Alistair realised that he wasn't just younger than himself, he was weaker too.

  “You took the company from me,” Alistair snarled.

  “I didn't.” Erik straightened to his full height. He was only a couple of inches taller than Alistair but it was enough to show dominance over him. “It was mother's to give on her death. I don't even want the bloody company, but I'm damned if you're going to take everything from me.”

  Alistair grinned. “Oh, but I will.”

  Erik didn't like the snide tone of Alistair's voice and the glint in his eyes. Erik stepped towards him, glaring down at him.

  “You touch her,” he whispered in a low, threatening tone. “You lay one finger on her...and I'll kill you.”

  Alistair still grinned. If anything, it got wider.

  “Who said anything about laying fingers on her?” he said.

  Erik growled quietly. He knew all about Alistair's sordid sexual deviancy. It was perverse, changing on women halfway through having sex with them.

  “You're a sick bastard, Alistair. Keep away from her. I mean it.” He steeled his jaw, frowning at his brother.

  Alistair's grin became a sly smile, his head cocking slightly to one side.

  “Give me the company,” he said, his sweetly spoken words not covering the contempt in his eyes.

  “Give me the house,” Erik retorted.

  “No,” Alistair said flatly and then paused. His look turned thoughtful and then became dark. “You know she only gave it to you because she wanted to spite father. It's your fault she hated him so much.”

  Erik growled, louder this time. Alistair flinched slightly under the threat, but recovered quickly. If Alistair wanted to air the family's dirty laundry in public, then Erik was going to make sure that he came out on top. He was tired of bowing to Alistair, choosing the easy way out. It was time his brother knew the truth.

  “No, Alistair,” he said and took a step away from him. His whole body tensed. His voice lowered, trembling with his anger as he thought about what their mother had gone through. “It was you. It was always you. It was because you were so much like him and she saw him in you. The whole ugly truth. The sex, the lies and the violence. She saw it and it made her see it in father when she'd been blinded by love before. You made her hate him. You're the reason they're both dead!”

  He turned and walked out the door, not giving Alistair the opportunity to think of a comeback. His heart thundered with adrenaline, so much that he was shaking. He stared unseeingly at the pavement, ignoring the click of the paparazzi cameras. Trying to rein in his feelings, he fought the desire to give himself over to them. He couldn't change, not here and not when he was feeling like this. Surrendering to the anger was the start. It would bring him that one step closer to being like Alistair and his father, and he didn't want that.

  He growled, letting it rumble through him and soothe him as it drew out all his pent up feelings of aggression and hatred.

  Getting into his car, he turned the music on loud and started the engine. He revved it, listening to it roar and feeling the vibrations running through his body. Slamming his foot down on the accelerator, he wheel spun out of the parking space and shot down the road.

  A long drive and he'd be back to his normal self again.

  Tomorrow he'd go running. It always helped clear his head and gave him a better perspective on things.

  Tonight, he'd dream of her.

  CHAPTER 7

  Kim breathed steadily as she jogged around Hyde Park. It was another gloriously sunny day. Not one cloud marred the sapphire sky. She smiled to herself and adjusted her headphones on her ears when they showed a hint of slipping off.

  Last night had been just what she needed—a little alone time to think about everything that had happened over the past few days. She'd soaked in the tub for almost an hour before foraging in the refrigerator for something to eat and finding a cheesy romance movie to watch. Of course, she'd thought about Erik all the way through it, imagining he was the lead and she was the woman.

  She couldn't get her mind off him. All night she'd dreamt of him. It was different this time. She'd just been laid beside him and he'd been softly stroking her skin, pressing gentle kisses against it and being close to her. It was a nice change, but she wouldn't have said no to something more passionate and frantic. After their moment in the lift, she'd been full the brim with desire and it was just waiting to overflow.

  Catching her foot on a bump in the path, she almost fell but recovered herself at the last minute. She took it as a sign that running while not concentrating was probably going to end in disaster and stopped. Jogging on the spot in the shade of a huge oak tree, she looked around the park at all the people. The sun was certainly bringing them out. There were brightly coloured blankets spotting the grass, usually with a couple lying on them, or a group of friends having a drink and a laugh.

  She stopped jogging and stretched.

  The dappled sunlight shone off her water bottle as she brought it up and took a long drink. Removing her headphones and stowing them safely in the pocket of her shorts, she squeezed a little water over her face and then wiped it off with the bottom of her spaghetti-strap top.

  Looking down at the shade of the tree she was standing under, she saw that not many people were using it as an umbrella and walked over to a wide open space. She sat down and brought her knees up to her chest, staring at the beautiful park and trying not to think about Erik.

  She really wished she'd said yes to his offer of d
inner.

  Since she'd met him, her dreams had been getting hotter, much like the weather, but last night's one threw her. It was so different, as though she was being shown another side to dream Erik. She wondered if the real thing would be the same. Would he like to lay naked with her, just quietly exploring every inch of each other's body with light touches and soft kisses?

  She sighed and lay back, staring at the sky where it peeked through the rich dark green canopy above her.

  Closing her eyes, she stretched out and focused on how relaxed she felt.

  She hadn't even realised she'd dozed off until she opened her eyes and found herself lying on the bed in that mystery room. She stared at the ceiling, feeling incredibly content and smiling to herself.

  Someone touched her foot and she looked down the length of her body at Erik. He smiled, a little mischievous looking. She realised she was dressed in nothing but her underwear again.

  She craned her neck to watch him as he began to plant long, wet kisses to her left leg, slowly easing himself up the length of her. Her eyes became hooded when he reached her thighs. His fingers ghosted over one while his mouth explored the other.

  She gasped when his hand brushed against the front of her knickers. Liquid heat settled in her abdomen, warming her pussy. She writhed a little, feeling the slick arousal in her panties and groaning when his hand touched her again. Her pelvis arched off the bed, hungry for his fingers to come back. He did better.

  Pleasure melted her as he kissed the front of her lacy shorts. His tongue laved her through the material, exquisitely close but painfully far away at the same time. She brought one knee up, letting it fall to the side and exposing herself to him. He took the hint and dipped his head again, licking up the length of her crotch through her panties. She mewled and reached down, running her fingers into his lush black locks and holding him against her.

  A sigh of relief escaped her when he slipped his fingers into the waist of her underwear and slid them slowly down her legs. Her hands lost their grip on him and she reached out, desperate to touch him again, to feel the velvety softness of his hair beneath her fingers. She caught hold of him the moment he came back, tossing her underwear across the floor. She smiled at him when he looked at her, luring him to her. Fire and hunger darkened his eyes.