On the Prowl by Kate Rudolph

10

Andre's musclesbunched under Em's fingertips, and she was sure he was going to ignore her command and chase off after the paparazzo anyway. She held on a little tighter, just to keep him from getting any ideas.

"I could still catch him," he said. "I'm definitely faster than his ass." His eyes had taken on that golden werewolf sheen, and there was a sharpness to his features that she hadn't seen before. If the vulture had stuck around for just a bit longer, he would've gotten a hell of a shot. Or he might have been eaten by a hungry werewolf.

Thatwasn't an on-the-job risk he could anticipate.

Em almost smiled, but the violation of her privacy was too new. "It doesn't matter. Those assholes back up their data immediately. The picture is already in the cloud. It's no big deal. I promise." It wasn't a huge deal. She wasn't lying. But there would be rumors of a new man in her life swirling before the day was over.

Potentially annoying. And Andre would hate the speculation that was bound to come his way. But there was nothing to be done about it now.

A growl rumbled in the back of Andre’s throat, and his features were even sharper. As were his teeth. His hold on his human form seemed to be slipping as anger at the paparazzo suffused him.

That couldn't happen. She needed him to be a man right now, not a wolf.

Em backed him up into an alcove a little bit down the hall. He let her lead him, she was under no illusions about that. But she needed him out of sight until he got control over his features.

She slid her hands up so they were gripping his biceps; she would have been pinning him in place if she were stronger. His hands landed on her hips and they were close enough to kiss. She froze as the realization hit her.

This was really an embrace. Anything before she could have lied to herself. But now they were just a breath away from a kiss. And Em wanted to lean in and steal it. She wanted to know what Andre tasted like.

She wanted it all.

And the smart part of herself wanted to back away. This was madness. What kind of person was she that she was even more attracted to Andre when he was barely holding onto his humanity? When he was showing the monster that lived within him?

But he wasn't a monster. His wolf was rising to the surface to protect her. Just as the man was dedicated to doing.

And it was clearer than ever that he was right.

This floor was supposed to be secure, and yet a photographer had captured a money shot. Andre had been able to sneak backstage like it was nothing. She had gaping holes in her security and more to worry about than just a ghost werewolf.

One of her hands slid up his arm and cupped right along his jaw, cradling his face in her fingers. Andre’s eyes drifted shut and he leaned into the touch. His stubble scraped against her palm, and it was more erotic than the most intimate caress. She could imagine what it would feel like between her thighs.

She pulled her hand away.

She had to get over this. This was adrenaline induced. First the attack last night, then the discovery of the attack today, then the paparazzo. It was all crashing over her and making her feel things that she wasn't supposed to be feeling. That she couldn't afford to feel.

"I should get to sound check," she told him, but she didn't back away, and her other hand was still on his bicep.

His hands were still on her hips. "You said Melinda would kill you if you were late," he agreed, but made no move to pull away.

Their gazes locked. Her eyes flicked down to his lips, and his tongue darted out to wet his, making them even more pink and inviting.

One kiss. What could it hurt?

Her career. Her sanity. Her life.

Her heart?

That was an organ that Em hadn't been thinking with for the past hour or so. No matter how much she wanted Andre on a physical level, she doubted there would be more.

This was crazy werewolf lust. Clearly it happened to some women and she just had to find a way to deal with it.

But it was more than lust for Stasia. They used the word that Em was scared to even think. There was no way she and Andre shared the same connection, no matter how scorching and fast things burned between them.

Some people were just hot for one another. And she could accept that was the situation here. But she refused to let it go farther.

She had to be the sane one.

"I have to get to sound check," she said more firmly. But her hand only squeezed harder against him.

Andre pulled on her hips just a bit and shifted her an inch forward. Her chest brushed against his, and her nipples tightened with want. If she arched any closer, she would feel his cock and it would be hard. She was sure of it.

This was bad. And deliciously good. She wanted him bad enough that she almost pulled him back towards her suite, sound check be damned. His eyes had shifted back to their normal color and his features had lost some of that sharpness. He was human again.

But his eyes were still hungry like the…

No. She refused to think that.

But thinking of the song made laughter bubble up in her throat and broke the sensual spell that held her in place.

"What?” Andre asked in confusion. And his confusion seemed to banish some of his lust.

She shouldn't say it. He would think she was silly or wasn't taking things seriously. Or he might just not like the joke.

But the thought of annoying him was enough to make the words come out. "You looked hungry. Like the wolf."

Andre groaned. "I can't believe you." He gave her a playful shove, nothing that could actually hurt her, and she stepped back.

She sang a few lines, and she was pretty sure that if there was any danger near her, it came from the werewolf who looked ready to cover her mouth with his giant paw to shut her up.

She sang the lines and swaggered down the hall toward the elevator, nearly jumping in shock when Andre joined her for the rest of the chorus.

Who knew the werewolf was capable of humor? Or that he could sing?

Her heart beat a little faster and threatened to open up and invite him in.

She was in trouble. If Andre smiled and sang and acted like a person, she might just start having feelings. And she couldn't afford to do that.

Maybe she needed to give Stasia a call. This had all started with crazy werewolf pheromones, and there had to be some way to resist them.

She hoped. Because giving into the temptation that was Andre Gordon could be the most dangerous thing she'd ever considered.