"All werewolves have a 'thing' for each other during the full moon phase, Sal. It's beside the point."

She sniffed. "I'll initiate it, but it'll take awhile to collect the information."

"Let me know when it's there."

"Will do."

I hung up and climbed into my car, then headed home to write up my overdue reports. Neither Rhoan or Liander were home when I got there, but I found a note on the fridge saying they'd gone out for dinner.

Which made my stomach rumble a reminder that it needed something more substantial than a burger. So once I'd typed up the report and sent it off to Jack, I grabbed my cell and rang Quinn.

"I was wondering when I was going to hear from you," he said.

The s.e.xy lilt in his voice made want me to sigh in pleasure. "I didn't want to disturb any vital business meetings."

"All business meetings are vital, and they all drag on into boredom if there isn't a reason to take a break." His voice was wry.

"Am I going to see you tonight?""That depends on whether you intend to pay for dinner or not. I gave my last spare cash to a street kid and now I'm broke until payday."

"And I'm sure there's a perfectly good reason for you doing that. Only it probably won't make sense to the more logical of us."

"That's a rather catty remark from someone who wants s.e.x tonight."

"Not when I'm paying for the dinner you obviously can't afford."

"True. Apology accepted then."

He laughed softly. "Shall I try and book a table at Wren's?"

Wren's was the latest "it" spot for all of Melbourne's high flyers and, as such, had a waiting list months long. Luckily for us, Quinn knew the owner and most times could get us squeezed in. We'd been there five times now, and I adored the food. Mainly because Wren's was rare in the world of fine dining-it actually served enough food to keep even a hungry werewolf happy.

"If you get us a table, I'll love you forever."

"If only you would," he said, with another laugh. The sound washed across my senses as sweetly as a caress and made my body tingle with desire. "What time?"

I glanced at my watch. It was just after six-thirty now, and Wren's was in the heart of Toorak, which was always a ha.s.sle to get to.

"I can be there by seven-thirty."

"You really are hungry."

"And maybe not just for food," I said cheekily. "I hope you're not wearing an expensive suit, vampire, because I fully intend to rip it off later."

"Be my guest. It'll be worth the loss."

I grinned. "See you in an hour."

I hung up then walked into the bathroom, having a quick shower and drying my hair before heading for my bedroom. Wren's was posh, so I grabbed a form-fitting black skirt that was split up the left side, and a s.e.xy black jacket for warmth. The jacket was short, barely skimming my waist, and the neckline plunged enough to show glimpses of my lacy red bra. I had matching panties, but I didn't put them on. There was something delicious about going without them. To complete the outfit, I chose four- inch red stilettos-the ones with the wood heels, of course. Mainly because Jack had a habit of calling me out to a job at the most awkward times, and the wooden stilettos had come in handy as a weapon more than once.

Quinn was already waiting in front of the gla.s.s and chrome building when I arrived. He was dressed semi-formally in black pants and a neat pale-pink shirt that was roughly rolled up to the elbows, and he was holding a black jacket casually over his shoulder. He looked absolutely wonderful.

His gaze met mine for a moment, then swept down my length, and the desire that stirred the air when he looked up again was powerful enough to make my wolf soul want to howl.

"You look fantastic," he said, swinging around and offering me his free arm.

I laughed softly. "I was just thinking the same about you.""Then we're well matched." The gray-clad doorman opened the door and gave us a nod. Quinn continued, "Frances couldn't give us a table tonight."

Disappointment ran through me, then stalled as I saw the amus.e.m.e.nt in his bright eyes. "I'm sensing there's a 'but' to that statement."

"But I booked out the starlight function room for us instead."

I stared at him for a moment, then laughed. "That room is huge."

"So is, I presume, your appet.i.te, because I have preordered all your favorites. Besides, what is the point of being a billionaire if I cannot splurge occasionally?"

I grinned. "I guess this means we'll have to make sure you get your money's worth."

The look he gave me just about smoked my insides, and it was all I could do to stop myself dancing with excitement.

Frances Wren, owner and chief hostess of the business, approached as we neared the maitre d's station. She was a tall, willowy woman with perfect blond hair and sapphire colored eyes. She was also over five hundred years old, and didn't look a day over twenty. Vampirism did have its benefits.

"Quinn," she said, her Irish accent far more p.r.o.nounced than his ever had been. "It's lovely to see you again."

He gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I hope I'm not pushing my luck by booking at such short notice."

"The room wasn't being used, so it's hardly a problem. Besides, I owe you far more than a table a couple of times a week." She turned her attention to me, and her smile radiated a warmth that had my own lips reacting. "Riley. Lovely to see you again."

"Are you sure opening the starlight room for just the two of us isn't going to be a problem?"

She gave Quinn an amused look. "Rest a.s.sured, it isn't. And he did tell me it was a matter of life or death. For his clothes, that is."

"He might have been right."

She laughed softly. "This way, please."

She led us through the packed dining room. The color scheme was as muted as the light, and the overall impression the room gave was one of warm welcome. Wren's decor might be subdued, but the food was spectacular, and that was probably the secret behind its success.

We climbed the stairs at the back and reached the barely lit landing. The decor here was richer, all claret and gold, with plush velvet chairs and tapestries on the wall. Wren opened the double doors that led off the wide corridor beyond the stairs and ushered us through.

Like the hallway, the starlight room was plush and rich. Tapestries and old paintings lined three walls, but the fourth-the side that looked onto the street-was a smoky gla.s.s through which little could be seen. There was no ceiling in this room, just more gla.s.s. The sky was clear and bright above us.

The room itself was shadowed, the only light coming from the muted wall lights and the candelabra set up in the middle of the table. Two winegla.s.ses sat near the candelabra, and an open bottle of wine waited in a freestanding chiller.

"Your meal will be up in an hour," Frances said softly, amus.e.m.e.nt dancing across her lips. "I hope that gives you enough time." I waited until she'd left, then glanced at Quinn, eyebrow raised. "Time enough for what?"

"To enjoy the wine, of course." He rested his fingers lightly against my spine, guiding me across to the table. The heat of his touch sent little flashes of desire racing across my flesh, until it felt like my whole body was tingling.

"It doesn't take a whole hour to drink one bottle of wine," I said, sitting on the edge of the table rather than on one of the plush chairs.

"It does if you drink it with proper appreciation, rather than merely gulping." He handed me a gla.s.s, then picked up the wine and poured it. "Tell me about your day."

He sat down beside me, his long legs stretched out and crossed at his feet, his thighs brushing mine and practically sending my pulse rate into overload. I wanted him so bad the scent of it hung on the air, but the l.u.s.ty aroma wasn't just mine.

He obviously had his seduction all planned, and though my blood practically boiled with the need for him, I wasn't in the mood to hurry tonight. Not when we had this big old room to ourselves, and all night to play.

"Did you know either Garrison Bovel or Armel Lambert?"

"Given your use of the past tense, I take it they've both been killed?"

His gaze moved from my face, drifting downward, until it rested on the swell of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. My nipples hardened under his scrutiny, and it was all I could do not to undo the tiny b.u.t.tons and allow him full viewing access.

"Yes, they have."

He took a sip of wine, then place the gla.s.s back down on the table and said, "I didn't know Bovel personally, but I did hear he'd been doing well with the importing business he'd set up. Armel was one of the older ones, so yes, I knew him."

His tone had my eyebrow rising. "I take it you didn't like him?"

"He was a player. He took risks. And all too often he included others in those risks-mostly to their detriment." He shrugged eloquently. "On another note, I always thought bright red lingerie wouldn't suit a redhead, but that bra looks lovely against your skin. I don't suppose there's panties to match?"

I took a sip of wine. The rich fruity taste rolled around my tongue and made me want to sigh in pleasure. "That's for me to know and you to find out later. We have wine and food to enjoy first."

His sigh was dramatic, but the effect was spoiled by the twinkle in his bright eyes. "And there's nothing I can do to change your mind?"

He raised a hand as he said it and trailed a finger across the top of my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, just above the bra's lace line. Though his touch was light, it seared my system with a heat that was pure and l.u.s.ty. A tremor ran across my skin and the deep-down ache suddenly leapt into focus.

"Nothing at all," I said, voice husky. "Do you think someone could have held enough of a grudge against Lambert to kill him?"

"Easily," he said, his gaze thoughtful as his fingers slipped underneath the edges of my jacket. "But from what I understand, Bovel had nothing in common with Armel. No similar friends or interests."

His hand slid down lace, until he was cupping my breast. Casually, he brushed his thumb across the nipple, sending a ripple of pleasure across my skin.

I licked my lips, saw the knowing smile play across his mouth. The d.a.m.n man knew which strings to pull to get me aroused, but I'd be d.a.m.ned if I'd let him win me this easily. Besides, drawing it out would only make the result all that more satisfying.

"Well, they do have one thing in common-they died the same way." I took another sip of wine but its taste was suddenly sour compared to the dizzy sweetness of his touch. "Both were drained, decapitated, and had their legs chopped off."

"It would have taken a great force to subdue Armel. He was a powerful vampire." His hand was on the move again, drawing back to the b.u.t.tons on my jacket. One came undone, then another.

"There was no sign of a fight. It looks for all the world like he caught robbers in the act and they overpowered him."

The front of my jacket fell open. "Lovely," he murmured, then leaned forward and brushed his lips across the red lace. I close my eyes against the sensation, but couldn't suppress the shudder of delight.

But I wanted to play, to tease, and draw out the time before s.e.x, so I pushed my b.u.t.t back and put some distance between us again.

He smiled, but there was a determined spark in his eyes that suggested he wasn't about to give up his sensuous a.s.sault.

And I certainly didn't want him to.

"Trust me," he said, picking up his winegla.s.s again and taking a sip. It was an action so sensual I practically melted. "Someone like Armel would never be overpowered. Not only was he a vampire, he was an extremely strong telekinetic. He could have blown any attackers into the next suburb had he wished to."

I took a gulp of wine, but it really didn't do a whole lot to quench the fire inside. "We think there might have been magic involved."

"Magic done on the run shouldn't have been strong enough to contain psi elements." He slid forward, so that his legs were pressed hard against mine again.

"Shouldn't being the operative word." I stood up and retreated a few steps.

"True." He smiled lazily and took another drink. "I can hunt around and see if there's any whispers about either of them, if you'd like."

"I think Jack is already doing that."

"Ah, but he is younger than I, and will not be able to push as far."

He rose and stepped toward me. I took several more steps back, flashing a nice bit of leg as I did so. His gaze drifted down and the rich scent of desire increased, until it felt like I was drowning in it. And oh, what a way to go.

"Armel was Jack's friend," I said, amazed my voice was sounding so normal when every inch of me was practically shaking with need. "I think he'll push as far as he d.a.m.n well needs to."

He continued to walk toward me, and I continued to retreat, all the while sipping my wine and giving him a lazy, come-get-me smile.

"What you forget," he said softly, "is that vampire hierarchy is very feudal in its structure, even in this day and age. He's restricted in what he can say and do to the older ones."

My back hit the gla.s.s hard enough to slop wine over my hand. He closed the distance separating us, leaving only a few bare inches between us and overriding my senses with the delicious scent of man and l.u.s.t."Have I told you about these windows?" he said, neatly pinning me in place by placing his hands on either side of my head.

"They're windows," I said, my voice steadier than my pulse, but only just. "Why do you need to tell me about them?"

"Because they're made from a special gla.s.s that reacts to heat."

Then they'd be reacting now, because I was burning. And it wasn't just his closeness, but the brush of his breath along my lips and the caress of his desire across my senses. Everything about this man was hot, and everything he did made me want him all the more. And he didn't even have to touch me to achieve this.

"And this is important because?"

"Because when something hot touches them, it becomes visible to the outside world."

My heart began to pound that much harder at the thought. Danger might be an aphrodisiac to a wolf, but so was exhibitionism.

"And will something hot be touching them?" I asked, the words little more than a gasp of air.

He smiled and plucked the winegla.s.s from my hand, putting both of them on the sill. Then he leisurely hooked his thumbs under the bra's underwire, and slowly slid it up and over my b.r.e.a.s.t.s, until the lace no longer covered them.

"I think perhaps it will," he said, his voice little more than a low growl as his hands replaced the lace and gently began to press and tease and ma.s.sage.

G.o.d, it felt good.

And my resolution to prolong our lovemaking for as long as possible was getting more frayed by the moment. I took a deep breath and tried to remember what we'd been talking about.

"Jack's sister is one of the older ones." She was also the head of the whole Directorate in Australia, and based in Melbourne right alongside her brother. "Surely she'd-" the words came to a sudden halt as he caught both nipples between his thumb and forefinger and lightly began to pinch. A shudder went through me and my knees just about gave way. I licked my lips again, and somehow managed to add, "help him out?"

"Madrilene Hunter will not tie herself to personal vendettas, even for her brother," he murmured, his touch leaving my b.r.e.a.s.t.s and moving down my stomach.

I didn't know whether to sigh in relief or whine about the temporary reprieve from the sensual a.s.sault.