Roman approached her quietly. With a groan, she lifted a hand to her brow. Her struggles against his mind control had probably given her a headache. Still, just the fact that she could resist him was amazing. And since he couldn't control her, he had no idea what she would do or say next. It made her a dangerous commodity to deal with. It made her.. fascinating.
Her unbuttoned lab coat had fallen open, revealing a baby-pink T-shirt molded perfectly to her br**sts. With each breath of air, her chest expanded. His jeans grew tighter. Her heated blood pumped through her veins, drawing him closer with each pulse. His gaze swept down to her tight, hip-hugging black pants. She was so beautiful, and she'd be so delicious. In more ways than one.
God's blood. He wanted to keep her. She believed he was innocent. She believed he was worth saving. But what if she found out the truth? If she discovered he was demon, she'd want to kill him. He'd learned that too well with Eliza.
Roman straightened. He couldn't make himself vulnerable like that again. But would this one betray him? She seemed different somehow. She'd begged him to save himself. Her heart was pure.
She moaned again. God's blood, she was the vulnerable one. How could he leave her to that monster Petrovsky? Roman was the only one in New York who could protect her. His gaze wandered down her body and back to her pretty face. Oh, he could protect her, all right. But as long as his body howled with hunger and thrummed with desire, there was no way he could guarantee she'd be safe.
Not from him.
Chapter 3
Shanna rubbed her brow. In the distance, she heard honking cars and the wail of an ambulance siren. No need for those in the afterlife. She was definitely still alive. But where?
She opened her eyes and beheld a night sky, stars partially hidden with mist. A breeze ruffled her hair against her cheek. She looked to her right. A rooftop? She was stretched out on patio furniture. How did she get here? She looked to her left.
Him. The psycho customer with the wolf tooth. He must have brought her here, and he was coming toward her right now. She scrambled to get off the chaise lounge and gasped when the flimsy furniture started to tip.
"Careful." He was there immediately, startling her when he grabbed her arms. How did he reach her so quickly?
The pain in her head dropped a few degrees colder. His grip on her was firm. Possessive. "Let me go."
"Fine." He released her and straightened to his full height.
Shanna gulped. She hadn't realized he was so tall. And big.
"You may thank me later for saving your life."
That voice again. Low and sexy. So beguiling, but she wasn't in the mood to trust anyone right now. "I'll send you a card."
"You don't trust me."
Perceptive, wasn't he? "Why should I? As far as I can tell, you've abducted me. Without my permission."
His mouth tilted up. "Do you normally give your permission?"
She glared at him. "Where have you taken me?"
"We're across the street from your clinic." He sauntered toward the ledge. "Since you don't trust me, take a look for yourself."
Right, stand on the edge of the roof with a psycho. No way. She'd been stupid enough, fainting in the clinic when she should have been running. She couldn't afford any more moments of weakness like that. The gorgeous man must have carried her out. He really had saved her life. He was tall, dark, handsome, and heroic. Altogether perfect, except for the fact that he wanted a wolf's canine tooth jammed into his mouth. Did he labor under the misconception that he was Wolfman? Was that why her gun hadn't scared him? Only silver bullets could hurt him. She wondered if he was going to howl at the moon.
Get a grip. She rubbed her aching forehead. She needed to stop imagining nonsense and figure out what to do next.
She noticed her purse, sitting by her feet. Hallelujah! She set the purse in her lap and peeked inside. Yes! The Beretta was still there. She could still defend herself. Even against the gorgeous Wolfman if she had to.
"They're still down there if you want to see them." He glanced back at her.
She snapped her purse shut and gave him a wide-eyed Bambi look. "Who?"
His gaze flickered down to her purse, then back to her face. "The men who want to kill you."
"Well, actually, I think I've seen enough of them today. So I'll just be going now." She eased to her feet.
"If you leave now, they'll catch you."
That was probably true. But was she any safer on a roof with a gorgeous escapee from a mental institute? She clutched her purse to her chest. "Okay. I'll stay for a little while."
"Good." His voice softened. "I'll stay with you."
She backed away, putting the patio furniture between them. "Why did you rescue me?"
He smiled slowly. "I need a dentist."
Not with a smile like that. Damn. A smile like that could melt a woman into a puddle of quivering hormones. I'm melting, I'm melting. "How.. how did you get me up here?"
His eyes glimmered in the dark. "I carried you."
She gulped. Obviously a few extra pizza pounds hadn't overly strained the guy. "You carried me all the way to the roof?"
"I.. used the elevator." He pulled a cell phone from his back pocket. "I'll call someone to pick us up."
Us? Who was he kidding? She didn't trust him any farther than she could spit. But he had saved her from the hit men. And so far, he'd behaved like a gentleman. She ventured toward the edge of the building, keeping a safe distance from the mysterious rescuer.
She glanced down. Wow, he'd been honest with her. They were across the street from the clinic. Three black sedans were double-parked in the street, and a group of men stood there, talking. Planning how to kill her. She was so screwed. Maybe she could use an ally. Maybe she should trust the crazy but gorgeous Wolfman.
"Radinka?" He held the cell phone against his cheek. "Can you give me Laszlo's cell phone number?"
Radinka? Laszlo? Were those Russian names? Her skin chilled with goose bumps. Oh God. Big trouble. This guy was probably pretending to be her friend so he could lure her away from the city and -
"Thanks, Radinka." He punched in a new number.
Shanna looked around and located the stairway entrance. Now, if she could just ease over there without him noticing.
"Laszlo." His voice became authoritative. "Bring the car back immediately. We have an emergency situation here."
Shanna moved slowly. Quietly.
"No, you don't have time to go to the lab. Turn around now." A slight pause. "No, I didn't get the tooth fixed. But I have the dentist with me." He glanced her way.
She froze and tried to look bored. Maybe she should hum a tune, but all that came to mind was the one she'd heard earlier in the evening. "Strangers in the Night." Well, that fit.
"Have you turned around yet?" Wolfman sounded irritated. "Good. Now, listen carefully. Do not, I repeat, do not drive past the clinic. Go one block north of the clinic, and we'll meet you there. Do you understand?"
Another pause. He turned to look over the ledge. Shanna resumed her stealthy approach to the stairway.
"I'll explain later. Just follow my directions, and we'll be safe."
She slipped past the patio furniture.
"I know you're just a chemist, but I have full confidence in your abilities. Remember, we don't want anyone else to know about this. And now that I think about it, is our.. passenger still in the car with you?" Wolfman walked toward the corner of the building, keeping his back to her and his voice low.
So the rascal didn't want her to hear this. Can you hear me now? The phrase goaded her. No, she couldn't hear,dammit. Quickly she tiptoed after him. Her old ballet teacher would have been impressed with her speed.
"Look, Laszlo. I'll have the dentist with me, and I don't want to alarm her any more than necessary. So take Vanna out of the backseat and stick her in the trunk."
Shanna halted. Her mouth dropped open. Her throat seized up, making it hard to breathe.
"I don't care how much crap you have in the trunk. We're not driving around with a naked body in the car."
Oh no! She gasped for air. He was a hit man.
He whirled around suddenly to face her. With a strangled squeak, she leaped back.
"Shanna?" He turned off the phone and held it out to her.
"Stay away from me." She backed away, fumbling in her purse.
He frowned. "Don't you want your phone back?"