Hotter After Midnight. Cynthia Eden

And in a flash, he had her pinned against the wall. His strong, hard body pressed against her, his muscular thighs pushed between hers, shoving up her skirt, and his right hand locked around her wrists as he forced them against the wall over her head.

      Her breath left her body in a startled gasp.

      “Now let’s try this again,” he growled. “Just how much do you know about me?”

      His anger hit her then. Hot, fierce. Oh yes, the detective was enraged. He was also…

      Afraid.

      If the other cops find out what I am, they’ll kick me off the force. Make me leave. No one will trust me. They’ll all think I’m some kind of fucking animal, just like the guys back in Grisam did.

      Mike tried to kill me. Because he knew. He knew, just like she knows.

      She knows…

      His thoughts hit her, hard, pummeling right through her mind.

      She thinks I’m an animal…a monster, a—

      “I-I don’t!” The words were torn from her. His thoughts were flying into her mind so quickly now. Too quickly. She tried to raise her shields, tried to block the onslaught of sudden images—

      Colin, covered in blood, holding his shoulder, staring up at a pale man with a face full of freckles. “Why? Why?”

      Colin, staring up at a burning house, his fists clenched, his face twisted in hate.

      Colin, changing, shifting—

      “Aaah!” She slammed her shields up. She didn’t need to see any more. Didn’t want to see what he’d become.

      “Emily?”

      She’d squeezed her eyes shut.

      “I’m not going to hurt you.”

      Yes, she believed him. A hard rage was riding him, but Colin was still in control. She lifted her lashes, peeking up at him. “You don’t have to worry,” Emily told him, completely sincere, “I’m not going to tell anyone about you.” She’d been keeping secrets for people—patients, friends, strangers she met on the street—for years now.

      He grunted. “And I’m just supposed to believe you?”

      “Yes, you are.” This close, she could see the flecks of gold in his eyes. And they were nice eyes. Not nearly as cold or hard as she’d originally thought.

      “Sorry, Doc, but I don’t trust you for a minute.”

      Fair enough. She hadn’t trusted him either, until she’d gone tiptoeing through his thoughts.

      Course, if he found out about her little journey, he’d probably just be even more pissed off.

      “Do you know what I am?”

      Emily nodded. No point in denying it now. “You’re a shifter.”

      His fingers tightened around her wrists, not quite, but almost hurting her. “How the fuck do you know that?”

      “Ah…can you ease up there a bit, Gyth?”

      His brows beetled.

      “The hands,” she elaborated. “Little too tight.”

      He eased his hold. “How do you know?”

      “I always know.” That was true. “I can tell with a look.” Sometimes she could tell just by hearing a voice or catching a scent on the wind. When it came to the Other, she was definitely wired for them. “Your kind—you carry a glow with you. Like a bright shadow that follows you everywhere.” The shadow of the beast.

      He winced. “Can others see this damn glow?”

      Not as far as she knew. “I’ve never known anyone else who can see the things I can.” And she’d looked. Searched desperately for years. Especially back at the beginning, back when she’d thought she was crazy.

      “Shit.”

      Yes, that pretty well summed up the situation. Emily wiggled her fingers. “Mind letting me go now?”

      His nostrils flared and his gaze dropped to her lips. “Yeah, Doc, as a matter of fact, I do.”

      The woman smelled like sin. Like a delicious combination of roses, rich chocolate, and seductive female flesh, and he really, really wanted to taste her.

      His canine teeth were starting to lengthen, an unfortunate side effect of his shifter blood. When he got angry or aroused, the beast tended to wake up.

      And the good doctor had succeeded in both royally pissing him off and turning him on.

      She wasn’t wearing her glasses now. Her eyes looked soft, sexy.

      His head lowered toward her.

      “Wh-what are you doing?” She stiffened against him.

      The lady had a Ph.D. He figured she had a pretty good idea of what he was about to do. Slowly, deliberately, he brought his lips to hers.

      Her mouth parted on a startled breath.

      Perfect.

      His lips brushed hers, his tongue thrust inside the wet warmth of her mouth.

      Oh, damn, but she tasted good. His tongue slipped past the edge of her teeth, rubbed against hers. Stroked. Teased.

      A faint moan rumbled in her throat and she kissed him back.

      Her breasts brushed against his chest. The nipples were tight, pebbled. He wanted to touch them, but he didn’t think the doc was ready for that.

      He sucked her tongue slowly, drawing out the kiss, wanting to make every second count. His cock was rock hard for her, pressing tight against the tempting cradle of her sex.

      What he wouldn’t give to have her naked beneath him right then.

      Colin forced himself to break the kiss, forced his head to lift. Her lips were red, wet from his mouth.

      She glared up at him, and her breath sounded ragged to his ears. “Are you satisfied now?”

      Not by a long shot. But he had a good idea of just how the doc could satisfy him.

      Her bedroom had to be down the darkened hallway. He could take her in there, strip her, and—

      “Not going to happen.” She exhaled slowly, shaking her head. “So you can just forget about that. A kiss is one thing, shifter. Sex is a whole other game.”

      He blinked. “Ah, now, baby, what makes you think I was—”

      “Hands off, now,” she snapped, not answering his question, but instead narrowing those gorgeous green eyes of hers.

      He liked her eyes. Liked the dark, emerald green. Course, those eyes were starting to shine with a rather furious glint.

      Reluctantly, he dropped his hands. Colin inhaled her delicious scent one more time, then he stepped back, completely freeing her.

      Her hands dropped to her sides. “Future reference note.” Her chin jutted into the air. “If I want you to kiss me, I’ll tell you. I’m not a big fan of the He-man routine.”

      “Ah, so you’re already thinking of our future.”

      Her lips thinned.

      “That’s fine, Doc. When you want to be kissed, you just let me know.” He’d be more than happy to oblige her.

      “What I want is for you to go.” She pointed toward the door. “Now.”

      Colin didn’t think that was what she really wanted. He could smell her arousal in the air, and her nipples were still tight with desire, thrusting against the white T-shirt she wore. But he nodded.

      He’d accomplished most of his goals by coming to see the doc.

      He’d