Kenzie’s heart beat faster, her blood heating until the cold around her faded. “You mean you wanted me to walk across that parking lot and go down on you?”

Bowman’s hint of smile made her burn. “Wouldn’t have minded.”

Kenzie was aware of him with every cell in her body. She pictured herself completing what she’d wanted to do that night, sliding down him until she was on her knees in front of his thighs. She’d look him over, then lean forward and take the length of his cock into her mouth. She knew exactly what he tasted like, and never grew tired of it.

She wanted to do it right now. Here, in the freezing cold, with snow falling and Shifters striding every which way to carry out Bowman’s commands. She wanted to feel the hard ground beneath her knees, his heat warming her skin.

The intense stillness in Bowman’s eyes told her he wanted it too. Their shared look smoldered the air between them.

Each knew the other was imagining every second of Kenzie unbuckling Bowman’s jeans, Bowman’s fingers going slack as he let the waistband drop from them. He’d be backed against one of the cars, his jeans around his ankles, hand in Kenzie’s hair as she knelt.

He’d fill her mouth, the taste of him hot and smooth, the tight skin of his thighs warm under her fingers. The hair curling at his balls would beckon her touch, and Bowman would make a faint sound of pleasure as he rocked into her mouth.

Even now, as they stood face-to-face, Bowman’s hands closed into fists. His eyes softened with his fire, and his mouth lost its hard line.

“Kenz,” he said in a low voice.

Kenzie said nothing. She stood rigid, wanting him, while the snow fell around her, and Shifters swarmed about a little way from them. Her hands ached, and she realized she’d clenched them tightly.

Bowman said her name again, or she thought he did. In the next second, he closed the space between them and brought his mouth down on hers.

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

The kiss burned, but Kenzie didn’t pull away. Bowman’s mouth was strong, mastering. His arms went around her, hands hard on her back. Kenzie sought him, scrabbling inside his coat to find his warmth. His sweatshirt stretched over his broad chest, outlining what she wanted to see, to touch.

Her knees went slack, but Bowman’s strength poured into her and kept her on her feet. Thinking about how Serena had seen him bare in the parking lot, even if he’d only wanted to scare the woman, made Kenzie growl even as she kissed him.

My mate. Mine.

She slid her hands behind his neck and dragged him against her. Bowman bit down on her lip, the kiss taking over her mouth.

Kenzie gasped for breath, but Bowman wouldn’t let her breathe. He wouldn’t let her move, or go, or do anything but frantically kiss him back, watery need flowing through every limb, as snow danced around them.

“Goddess,” came the irritated voice of Pierce, the Guardian. “Would you two get a room?”

His voice jolted Kenzie out of her building frenzy. Almost. She remained plastered against Bowman, feeling the hard ridge of his cock against her abdomen even as Bowman turned his head to glare at Pierce, his eyes hot with anger.

When they’d first moved to this Shiftertown, Kenzie and Pierce had gone out together for a while. Before that, neither of them had ever tried a cross-species relationship, and Kenzie knew that most of what they’d shared had been curiosity.

They’d gone their separate ways by mutual agreement not long after, and Kenzie and Pierce had remained friends. This had been a few years before Kenzie and Bowman had mated, but their past relationship always drove Bowman crazy.

“What do you want?” he snapped at Pierce.

“The ritual is done,” Pierce said, giving Bowman a hard stare in return. Guardians were the few Shifters who could look a leader in the eyes without fear. “The creature has already turned to ash.”

“So quickly?” Kenzie didn’t back away from Bowman, but she blinked in surprise. “I thought something that big would burn for a while.”

Pierce shrugged, which moved the Guardian’s sword on his back, its hilt rising above his left shoulder. “It’s a magical being, like Shifters. Ashes to ashes, very fast.”

“Interesting,” Bowman said, his body starting to relax. “Save me a sample of the ash, and bury the rest.”

“Right.” Pierce nodded to Kenzie—not Bowman—and turned and walked away.

Bowman carefully stepped away from her. “Take Ryan home,” he said.

Kenzie didn’t move. “You can’t kill Pierce, you know. You’d have to hold a Choosing for another Guardian, if the Goddess even let you live after that.”

Bowman gave her an annoyed look. “I know.”

“Seriously, it was over a long time ago. I don’t think we had anything to even be over.”

Bowman had started to turn away, but at her words, he swung back, gripped Kenzie by the arms and pulled her against him again.

“You think I can stand knowing any second you could walk away from me, and I wouldn’t be able to stop you?” His fingers bit down. “That if you feel the mate bond with another male, you’ll go—and you won’t care? Do you know what that does to me?”

Bowman released her to put both his hands to his chest, digging into his sweatshirt. “It tears me up inside, right here. It messes with me until I can’t sleep, or think, or feel anything but wanting to grab you and keep you with me no matter what. I’m fucked up because of you, and every time you smile at another male, it fucks me up even more. So have a little pity, all right, Kenz? You’re killing me—a little bit every day.”

Bowman twisted his shirt while Kenzie stared, openmouthed, at him, Then he made a sound of disgust at himself, swung on his heel, and left her.

* * *

Bowman stayed out until very late that night, on into the small hours of the morning. Kenzie heard him return, entering the house quietly.

He did this sometimes when he couldn’t keep his anger down around Kenzie. He’d never disappear for good, she knew, because he wouldn’t leave her or Ryan unprotected. He and Kenzie had to present a united front, no matter what they felt in private, so the other Shifters would remain stable and calm.

The Shifters picked up on any dissonance between the two, instincts making them edgy. After a while those instincts would cancel out any good that Kenzie and Bowman’s mating of convenience had wrought. Shifters could split themselves again between supporting Bowman’s pack or Cristian’s, or splinter into individual clans, each species shutting the others out.