Page 51 of Crimson Heart

“A fatal car accident that might not have been an accident after all. The Leon pack is somehow involved. Tim is digging into it. He’ll let me know as soon as he has more information.”

Charlotte nodded, though he could see the disappointment written on her face. He shelved her chin on his hand and tipped her face up.

“Trust me. If anybody can find dirt, it’s Tim. He’s the best.”

A hesitant smile spread around her lips. “Thank you. For everything you’re doing. Jude and Austin are also looking into the Leons, but they haven’t found anything yet. At least, they haven’t told me anything yet.”

“I don’t want you to worry. Even if we can’t find anything that we can prove, I’ll never give up on you. And if your parents and the Alliance insist that you mate with Steve Leon, we have other options left. He’ll never touch you, I promise you that.”

Byron’s words gave her hope. She knew she could count on him. Byron wasn’t the kind of man who gave up just because there was a little hurdle. He was stronger and smarter than that. And knowing that he did all this for her made her heart overflow with love for him.

“I don’t know what I would do without you,” Charlotte murmured.

He pulled her closer to him and chuckled softly. “For starters, you’d get a good night’s sleep without me.”

She liked the way he was thinking. “I’m not getting any sleep?”

“Not a wink,” he promised.

Charlotte went on her tiptoes and brought her lips to his. “Kiss me, baby.”

Without a word, he followed her demand. His lips were firm and warm, while his hands already roamed her body, caressing her, exploring her. Through the thin nightgown, she felt as if he was stoking the flame inside her with every touch. As if he infused her with liquid fire wherever he touched her.

Byron’s kiss was hungry as if they hadn’t seen each other in weeks or months, when it was only a few hours ago that they’d lain in each other’s arms in San Francisco. Perhaps the fact that they were doing this despite Jude and Austin’s objections made her feel like she was committing a crime. A beautiful crime, one that felt better than anything she’d ever done in her life. If this was forbidden, a sin, or whatever else they would call it, then she would go to hell. But as long as Byron was there beside her, she didn’t care where she ended up.

Charlotte began to tug on Byron’s T-shirt, and he interrupted the kiss to pull it over his head and toss it on the floor. His jogging pants followed. To her delight, he wore nothing beneath them. She ran her eyes over his glorious body. He was like a statue of a Greek god, a very well-endowed Greek god with defined muscles.

“My turn now,” he whispered.

She lifted her gaze to his face and noticed the desire in his eyes. There was a golden ring around his irises, an indication that his inner wolf was lurking just beneath the surface, ready to emerge at a moment’s notice. She felt her womb clench in anticipation.

Byron’s hands were gentle when he slid first one spaghetti strap off her shoulder, then the other one. The lace along her decolletage caught on her stiff nipples, the contact sending an electrical charge through her. An involuntary moan released from her throat.

“Oh, babe,” Byron murmured. “You are so sexy.”

He pushed the garment down with both hands, and it fell to the floor, pooling around her bare feet.

“I need you,” she replied, sliding her hands to his shoulders, pulling him closer once more.

“Not as much as I need you,” Byron claimed and lifted her into his arms.

He carried her the few steps to the king-sized bed and laid her down onto the sheets. She reached for him, when he suddenly hesitated.

“Oh crap. I forgot the condoms upstairs. I’ll have to go climb back into my room. I’ll be right back.”

“I have more here,” she assured him, and pointed to the nightstand.

“Thank God.”

He opened the drawer and pulled a condom from it. She watched him as he ripped open the package and removed the condom. He rolled it over his erection, and it seemed so tight that it looked as if it would rip any second. Then he rolled over her, bracing himself on his elbows and knees.

“So, where were we?”

She smirked. “I think you were about to make love to me.”

“Ahh, how could I forget?”

Byron seemed to be in a playful mood, and she liked that. He was relaxed, rather than tense, about the fact that Jude’s men had tried to prevent them from seeing each other. This revelation was the exact opposite of how Jude had described him: hot-headed and short-tempered. Nothing of the like was now evident in Byron’s behavior.