Kiss of Snow

Chapter 45

TEN HOURS LATER, those rasped-out words had Sienna wondering just how very bad he could be, because if he’d been good last night . . . Dear God. Her body still bore the marks of his passion. The insides of her thighs were stubble-burned, and there was more than one bite mark on her breasts. Remembering how he’d taken her with such primal thoroughness made her skin flush, things clench low in her body. She wanted his teeth—

Thwack!

“Ouch!” She slammed up the long wooden staff too late to block Indigo’s strike. “That hurt.”

The lieutenant rolled her eyes. “Here I was trying for a love tap. Stop mooning about his wolfiness and start giving me some real competition.”

Swiveling the stick, Sienna went for Indigo’s legs. The lieutenant avoided the sweep, but the move put her slightly off balance. Then they were off. Indigo was too experienced for Sienna to take down, but she got in a few good licks, and by the time the practice session ended, her blood was pumping, her black athletic tank stuck to her skin.

“Thanks. I needed that,” Indigo said, gulping down water. “What are you scheduled for now?”

“I have a free afternoon.” Sienna opened her own bottle, took a long draught. “Thought I’d spend time with Toby and Marlee, do some work on a course paper at the same time.”

Indigo’s eyes gleamed as she put down the water and reached back to redo her long black hair into a tight ponytail. “You know anything of what’s happening between Walker and Lara?”

Sienna began to buff her fighting staff with a towel. “What are you talking about?”

Indigo laughed at her fake innocent act. “They’re not getting away with it, you know. Everyone’s just being real polite and pretending not to notice they’re kissing each other in dark corners.”

Sienna’s lips twitched. “My uncle would never be so common as to kiss a woman in a dark corner.”

“No, must be someone tall, blond, and silent who looks exactly like him.”

Sienna was still laughing at that dry statement when she went to join the children after a quick shower to wash off the sweat. However, she hadn’t been at the family apartment long before she got a call from Riley.

“Sienna, I know you’re meant to have the afternoon off, but can you accompany Mariska and three of her techs up to check on the hydro station?” he said, referring to the “green” system that used the natural power of the water crashing over the mountains to supply the den’s power. “The plant is secure, and I’ve got Drew heading up with the team, but he should have backup, just in case.”

“Of course, but I’m with Marlee and Toby. Can you—”

“It’s not even a question, sweetheart. Bring them over—they can hang out in the senior soldiers’ break room off my office.”

Knowing the kids loved spending time in the hub, which saw a constant rotation of the pack’s dominants—with more than one willing to pull up a chair to chat to a couple of “pups”—she said, “We’ll be there in fifteen.” It actually took closer to twenty to get everything sorted, but she left her brother and cousin competing with each other to tell Riley their latest news.

Drew was waiting for the team at the exit—or more accurately, he was kissing Indigo and smiling all the while. They’d been laughing before they kissed, Sienna thought, remembering Hawke teasing her as they lay in bed. She’d felt it when he smiled as he kissed her. It had been more wonderful than she could’ve imagined. “Ahem,” she said, lips curving at the memory. “At least find a dark corner.”

Indigo shot her a laughing look. “Touché.” Another kiss before she headed down the corridor, a woman with long, long legs and a body that moved with lithe muscular grace. “Don’t get shot,” were her parting words to her mate.

“Too scared of you to dare!” Drew called out, then grabbed some of the techs’ gear. “Let’s go, boys and girls.”

HAVING spent the day with Matthias’s and Alexei’s teams to make sure they were comfortable with the terrain and aware what their duties would be in a combat situation, Hawke was more than ready to take some time for himself. Thanks to his people, he could.

Waylaying Sienna as she headed to her quarters after returning from the hydro station, he tugged her down to the garage. It was tempting to lick up the taste of her, but if he put his mouth on those lush lips, they wouldn’t make it any farther than his bedroom.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked once they were on the road, the light diffuse as the first whisper of night touched the Sierra. “Am I being Psynapped?”

His wolf laughed. “We’re going to play.”

It should’ve sounded silly, Sienna thought, when there were so many other things to worry about, but there was no denying that the constant state of battle-readiness was an unrelenting tension at the back of her mind. Last night had been a sensual respite, one that had left her more alert and aware today. “Play isn’t a waste of time, is it?” she said out loud, having never quite understood that until this moment.

“The wolf has decided that that question doesn’t deserve an answer.”

It made her laugh. “What’s the game?”

“Wait and see.”

Half an hour later, he brought the vehicle to a stop deep in den territory, the area so dense with trees that he’d had to punch up the hover drive and get creative in his driving. As he set it down, she peered out at the small cabin hidden amongst the firs. “It looks new.” So new the area was still littered with wood chips.

“The lieutenants in the den banded together with the senior soldiers and started to throw it up.” He shook his head. “Apparently the other soldiers got wind of it and wanted in. It took them twelve straight hours with a revolving crew and by the end . . . seems almost every able-bodied adult in the den had something to do with either building the cabin or making sure it was furnished.”

She heard the stunned joy in his voice, felt her heart clench. “They love you.” Just like me.

“Yeah.” Shaking his head, he got out and jogged around to open her door. “I’d have torn into them for spending time on this when we’re so close to war, but Drew tells me the project boosted morale back to normal levels, so . . .” He pulled her from her seat. “This is ours,” he said, leaning down to rub his nose against hers. “The area’s off-limits to the pack when either of us is in the vicinity.”

Sienna stood on tiptoe, her hands on his shoulders. “Just us?”

The bright slash of his smile echoed her own. “Just us.”

It was an incredible gift. She loved SnowDancer with every beat of her heart, would die to protect the people who’d become her own, but being able to be truly alone with Hawke for even a few hours, a few minutes—she had no words for the force of her joy. “Let’s go explore.”

Laughing, he followed at her heels as she ran up the two small steps and crossed the porch to push open the door, flick the manual light switch. “Oh, it’s wonderful,” she said as the cabin was bathed in a soft glow. The entire place was a single large room, except for an alcove at the back fitted with a wooden sliding door.

There was a kitchenette off to the left, with a table and two chairs tucked in neatly under the window. To the right was a fireplace set with an eco-friendly laz-fire, in front of which lay a fluffy white rug Sienna could already feel plush and decadent against her skin. The rest of the available space was dominated by a huge bed with a wrought-iron headboard. Her eyes widened.

“Hawke,” she said, “why are there fur-lined handcuffs hanging from the headboard?” Stepping closer, she saw—“They’re too big for my wrists.” Oh.

Hawke made a growling sound low in his throat. “Probably Drew’s idea of a joke.”

“No,” Sienna murmured. “Drew told me to never, ever talk to him about sex. As far as he’s concerned, I’ll be a virgin until I’m a hundred, same as Brenna.”

Unhooking the cuffs, Hawke brought them to his nose. Sniffed. “Son of a bitch.” His grin was half-amused, half-feral.

“Who?”

“Figure it out. Who do you think is sitting at home laughing his ass off at the dance you’ve led me?”

Sienna paused, considered all the people who cared about Hawke and who’d dare pull a prank like this. “Lucas,” she said. “It was Lucas.”

“Damn cat must’ve snuck in here after the crew left.” He fiddled with one cuff, smiled as it made a snick of sound. “What do you know—they tighten up fine for smaller wrists.”

She didn’t trust that look. “Hawke.”

“Come here.” A command, for all that his voice was soft, his eyes hooded.

She swallowed, took a step back. “Um . . . perhaps . . .”

“Scared, Sienna?” Thick, silver-gold lashes lifted to reveal those impossible eyes, the eyes of a husky or a bird of prey.

“No.” It wasn’t fear that caused her heart to beat a staccato drumbeat against her ribs, her blood to turn molten.

Hawke smiled . . . and she realized he was stalking her in slow, steady steps. Twisting, she saw she was about to back herself into a corner. She jerked left, expecting him to stop her. When he didn’t, suspicion licked through her veins. “I’m glad you’re going to be reasonable about this,” she said, never moving her eyes off him.

“I like your hair.” That wild gaze stroked over her. “Put it down for me.”

“I don’t think that’d be a good idea.” It was instinct to disobey him, to challenge him.

“I disagree.”

Her hair tumbled around her shoulders before she so much as sensed him shift position. He was crouched on the bed, on the other side of the room by the time she realized what he’d done. A very satisfied, very male smile flirted with his lips.

Playing with her, she thought, he was playing with her.

And tonight, there was no leash on the wolf.

“You think you’re so smart,” she said, inching to her left again as he reached back to pull off his T-shirt with masculine roughness. The door was only a few steps away.

T-shirt on the floor, he angled his head in a way that sent his hair sliding over one side of his face. “I think you should take off your top.”

“Try it and I’ll—” She shot up a column of cold fire between them, making him come to a skidding halt, his nose a bare millimeter from the flame.

He bared his teeth. She grinned . . . and took off, slamming the door shut behind herself as she dropped the wall of flickering red and gold. Something crashed hard on the wood as her feet hit the earth and her instinct was to turn around, check he was okay. But that wasn’t the game. And she was nowhere near wolf-fast. He was breathing down her neck in seconds.

But she was an X. A cardinal.

She blocked his way using her abilities until he fell back. Chest heaving, she came to a halt, bracing herself with her hands on her thighs as adrenaline thumped through her. God, but he was fast. Never had she seen anything or anyone move with that kind of speed. Dangerous man. Her man.

Having caught her breath, she rose to her full height. But even with her every sense on alert, she didn’t have the slightest inkling he’d circled around on her blind side until she turned to find herself staring into eyes gone night-glow. “Pretty, pretty, Sienna.”

Gripping her wrists before she could summon the cold fire, he tugged her close, shattering her concentration; his chest was a gorgeous, touchable distraction. There wasn’t even a hint of sweat on him. It should have been annoying, but she was far too fascinated by the smile flirting with his lips to care. “My Sienna.”

The absolute possession in his voice didn’t scare her. “Yours.”

A short, sharp nip at her neck. She shivered with pleasure, before twisting away from him using a move Indigo had drilled into her until it was second nature. She wondered if the wolf lieutenant had known this day would come. Hawke smiled at her, a delighted predator. Then he lunged.

She scrambled backward, only to feel him brush past her and into the forest.

The game was on again.

Taking off in the opposite direction, her night vision ample in the early evening light, she began to laugh inside. This was fun. It was only a couple of minutes later that she felt him pacing her in the trees to her left. Heart pumping hard and fast, she raised a wall of X-fire and disappeared in another direction, muddying her scent by using every trick in the book. It wouldn’t work of course. He was an alpha, his senses acute, and—

A bouquet of wildflowers in her path.

Laughter bubbling out of her, she picked them up, put a cherry red bloom behind her ear. Taking the rest in hand, she looked up. And realized he’d herded her back to the cabin.

To the bed.

Butterflies in her stomach. Because she understood his words from last night now, knew that he’d been on his very, very best behavior. Tonight . . . tonight she’d be tangling with the dominant, wild heart of him.

Creeping up to the cabin, she tried to locate him in the dark shadow of the trees.

Silence.

Taking a long, deep breath, she made a run for it. Her feet left the ground midway through the journey, and she barely had time to utter a short scream before he dumped her on the bed, the wildflowers scattering around them as he braced himself above her, all playful smile and wolf eyes. “I win.” A sharp nip to her lower lip. “What’s my prize?”