Slade admired the slenderness of Jane's hips and thighs as she walked across the compound toward the lab. He catalogued that unexpected aspect of her personality, surprised at his reaction. And she was loyal. He hadn't expected that kind of loyalty from a woman like her. He'd counted on her fear kicking up her survival instinct when he'd fallen unconscious after getting in the box, had taken comfort in the fact that she'd be miles away before Sanctuary found him. He'd had every intention of finding her again, but had wanted her to be safe. Instead, she'd opted to stay and protect him when she thought danger was coming. Not only did the woman take risks, she also had a foolish courage.

Jane reached the inauspicious front entrance to the lab and turned. "Is this it?"

Her eyes were very blue in the faint glow from the security light, which highlighted the delicacy of her cheekbones beneath the pale beauty of her skin. One blow from a Sanctuary hand and her bones would shatter. One rake from Sanctuary claws and her flesh would be ripped from her bones. But she'd stayed, pitting her small, fragile human body against horrors she couldn't comprehend. To save him. He closed his eyes and took a breath to balance the welling rage. Her scent invaded his senses, settling along his need for her, coating it with determination. He would never let anything happen to her because of him. Never.

"Slade?"

He opened his eyes, knowing they were glowing by the way Jane shrank back against the door. He didn't care. A little fear of vampire power would do her good. "Next time I tell you to run, you do it. No matter what."

The words came out practically a snarl. She pushed off the door, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s brushing his chest as she went toe-to-toe with his aggression.

"You do not tell me what to do." A stab of her finger to his chest punctuated the declaration. "And I'll thank you to remember it."

Desire expanded along with the anger, pushing away concern. He took a step forward and pushed her back against the cold metal of the door. "The h.e.l.l I don't. You're on my land."

"And you're in my s.p.a.ce." Her palms flattened on his chest. "Back off."

Holding the door handle, aligning his forearm to the flat surface, he smiled tauntingly, the image of what could have happened to her not leaving his mind. "Make me."

"Do you think I can't?"

The muscles in her thighs tensed deliciously against his. "You're welcome to try."

Leaning in, he bent his knees slightly so his torso fit along the length of hers. Her curves snuggled nicely into the hollows of his body. The puff of air she released in surprise breezed across his throat and shivered down his nerve endings. "But it won't do you much good."

"Want to bet?"

A challenge in the midst of fear. The woman had style. Slade had often wondered about his brothers' fascination with their wives, but experiencing it firsthand with Jane, he didn't know how Caleb had kept his hands off Allie as long as he had, how Jace had endured the loss of Miri, and now he fully understood how Jared's love for Raisa made years of hatred disappear like water under the bridge. There was something purifying about finding one's mate. Something that wiped the slate clean and recentered priorities. An illogical thought for a very logical man. Caressing her cheek with the back of his finger, he murmured. "But in the end, when it comes to things you don't understand, that's how it's going to be."

"Then you'd better get d.a.m.n good at explanations on the fly."

He couldn't help but laugh. The woman acted as if safe was all she wanted, but when faced with backing down or rising to the challenge, she rose. As did he. As did any Johnson. Which made her about perfect. Except for the fact that she was human and he was vampire and without conversion they had no future, but that critical difference didn't stop Slade from wanting to engage her brain, or her lips. Those soft, supple lips that burned the longing for the forbidden into his soul. He wanted that burn again. Him for her. Her for him. It could never be reality, but in this moment before he lost her to the research waiting beyond that door, he wanted the illusion. He tipped up her chin.

"What are you doing?"

"If you can't tell, I've lost my touch."

She rolled her eyes, provoking a genuine smile. "Now is not the time for kissing."

"Name a better one."

Without hesitation, she snapped, "On my front porch after an intimate dinner in a wonderful restaurant known for its chocolate mousse."

She had him there. "h.e.l.l, that would be better."

"So let's get moving."

Slight pressure from his fingertips drew her closer. So close. "Not yet."

With another roll of the eyes she muttered, "A kiss is merely a meeting of mouths. It proves nothing and wastes time."

"There's always time for a kiss."

"Are you back to that mate thing again? An intelligent man like you has to realize that predestined mates doesn't make any sense whatsoever."

"Yup." He pushed a strand of hair away from her eyes, savoring the flex in her energy as his skin grazed hers. She was as aware of him as he was of her. "Makes no sense at all."

"I do not like you like this."

The frown deepened at that. He smoothed his thumb over the pleats between her brows, watching the supple skin relax, hiding the truth in his eyes. He was a sucker for the impossible.

The first subtle tease of her desire slid over his. "Yes, you do."

Pushing against his chest, she grumbled, "Not like this."

The halfhearted protest would have been more believable if she hadn't stopped pushing, hadn't slid her hands over his shoulders, hadn't curved her fingertips in, hadn't pulled that tiniest bit. Hadn't stolen the last of his good intentions. "Oh yeah, especially like this."

"That's contrary . . ."

No, it was a betrayal of what should be, what could be, but it was what he had and he was d.a.m.n sick of having nothing but lab equipment in his hands. "No, sweetness. It's us."

And it was no good. Even if she was one of those rare humans that could be converted, he wouldn't do that to her. He'd promised.

Slade shook away the thought before dipping his mouth to Jane's, feeling, even before his mouth touched hers, her pa.s.sion reach out to tempt his, tugging him closer, leading him deeper. It was what it was, and it was too easy to take advantage of the protest that parted her lips, to slip his tongue between, to know his desire blended perfectly with hers. To know that, with the slightest push from his mind, he could have what he wanted. Her compliance. Her obedience. Her. The bite of her nails into the nape of his neck stung in an erotic invitation. h.e.l.l, he wasn't a saint. He'd take this.

"Slade."

He accepted with a low growl. She responded with a shivery moan. Sliding his hand around her waist, he pulled her tighter into his embrace. A spike of pa.s.sion and fear flooded his senses, arcing from her to him in a demand for more. He gave it to her, opening his mind to hers. Her lashes fluttered against his cheek, her muscles tightened. The fear intensified. Too much. It was too much for her. He had to pull back. Away from all that feminine sweetness, from that connection that went so much deeper than the physical.

"You're afraid."

"Not of s.e.x. s.e.x is easy. It's what comes after that's hard."

"Then don't think of after."

For two heartbeats the tension lingered, but then she relaxed into the kiss, her tongue met his-teased, stroked, encouraged. He growled again when her foot rubbed up his calf. h.e.l.l, had he thought that "don't think" or had he projected it? s.h.i.t, did he even care?

Cupping the back of her head in his hand, he held her to him, to the power of their attraction. He wouldn't scare her, but he wasn't going to let her run away, either. This was them together. Turbulence. Heat. Uncertainty. It had nothing to do with logic, but it was still good.

Jane's nails dug into his chest, pinpoints of erotic potential. Within her, the tension increased. A thought penetrated the maelstrom of emotion pummeling him.

Can't breathe.

Groaning, he left her mouth. She needed to breathe. He could give her a moment to catch her breath. There were other pleasures he could indulge. Like exploring the smooth hollow beneath her ear. Her scent was stronger there, holding the faintest hint of her favorite perfume, a spicy mix of floral and cinnamon. Inhaling, he touched his tongue to the pulse point, adding her flavor to the mix sinking into his bones with that particular sense of rightness that only came with her. She jumped.

"Easy girl. This is right."

"Let me go," she gasped even as her nails dug into his chest, raking in unconscious eroticism as he took her earlobe between his teeth and bit down gently.

"You don't really want me to."

"That's an incredibly arrogant thing to say."

There was a bit more strength in her voice. She really didn't understand vampires. "I can feel your emotions, sweetness. I know how much you're antic.i.p.ating my mouth."

She went stiff in his arms and braced against him. "Stop."

He didn't want to stop. Here in the cool embrace of the night, he wanted to move the collar of her shirt out of the way, cut the b.u.t.tons from her blouse, expose her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to his eyes, his mouth.

"I'm warning you, Slade."

Even her human growl struck him as s.e.xy.

"One more inch and you'll never kiss me again."

He stopped immediately, torn between laughter and a groan. He rested his forehead against hers. "h.e.l.l, sweetness, it's not fair, pulling out a big-gun threat like that."

"I mean it."

"I can see that." Which was why he'd put a few inches between them, willing his vampire under wraps, trying for something he hadn't had in a long time. A human's concept of limits. "I'm more curious as to why."

"Because, one, I'm not here as some sort of vicarious thrill for the other men to get off on."

He glanced out of the corner of his eye. s.h.i.t, there were wolves watching. Not with the vicarious l.u.s.t she worried about, but with the amus.e.m.e.nt of a species that regarded the finding of a mate as one of the most perfect moments in a man's life-and they cut him a lot of slack as a result. "And two?"

Not by a flick of a lash did Jane's gaze flinch from his. "I don't like being forced."

"Good, because I don't believe in forcing women."

"Then what do you call what happened between us just now?"

Her lips were rosy from his kiss, her breath still caught, and her pupils still dilated and she had to ask? "Desire."

The second syllable didn't even get past his tongue before she was shaking her head. "I'm not like that."

It didn't matter what had been before. Only what was now. "Maybe not with others."

She blinked at him, her lips pressing to a thin line. The scent of fear tinged the air. Not the arid release of adrenaline but the kind that said it scared her that she felt that way about him. Good. She should be scared. He grabbed the door handle.

He sent a sequence of energy pulses to the lock on the door. The lock gave and the door opened. He caught her when she would have stumbled backward. "What part bothers you more, being out of control, or being out of control with me?"

After a slight pause, she pulled her coat tightly around her and turned, head up, shoulders set, and entered the lab.

"Both."

The wolves laughed. Slade flipped them off before following, a smile tugging his lips. At least she was honest.

HONESTY was about the only thing Slade had to be grateful for in the next hour. Jane in the lab was different from Jane out of the lab. Jane in the lab was confident, particular, one might even say b.i.t.c.hy in her need for order.

She pointed to the left. "That needs to be over there."

There was absolutely no reason for the refrigerator to be anywhere but where it was. But then again, there hadn't been any reason for the ten other things she declared inappropriately placed to be moved, other than that Jane wanted it.

"Why?" He asked the question more to pull her out of her single-minded focus than because of any actual concern. She barely spared him a glance as she turned and studied the lab. No doubt looking for something more to move. "Because it makes more sense."

"Of course."

Jane turned back, narrowing her eyes. "Was that sarcasm?"

Slade bent and unplugged the refrigeration unit. "Nice of you to notice."

Her eyes narrowed further. "That was definitely sarcasm."

The unit wheeled easily across the smooth tile floor. "Might be because I'm irritated."

He had to move the workstation that fit the unit. Metal screeched across tile as he gave it a shove.

"Why?"

The way her arms folded across her chest clearly said she knew why. The refrigeration unit fit neatly in the s.p.a.ce. "Because I'm humoring you."

"I told you that I am particular about my lab."

The plug was under the adjoining table. He had to lean way in to get the right angle to insert it. "But this is my lab."

He glanced up in time to catch a flicker of something across her expression. A second later emotion brushed his in a silent entreaty. Panic?

She licked her lips. "I can't work in chaos."

He was particular, too, and nothing in his lab was in disarray. "So I gathered."

The agreement didn't relax her any. "I have to have things in order."

That emotion was still tapping at his. He took a step toward her. "I told you, I'd give you anything you wanted."

She nodded. "To save your nephew."

"I don't remember qualifying it."

Her chin snapped up. "I want my freedom."

She was still coming out of her skin. That kiss outside might have been a mistake.

"No."

"See, there are limits."

To how much she could take. He understood that. Another step, and that push-pull of emotion got stronger. She was scared. She wanted comfort but didn't want to expose the vulnerability that made her so nervous. He caught her hand as she stepped back. "No, but maybe I should have added a qualifier or two." A tug and he pulled her away from the stack of sterilized beakers. "Care to share what's got your bloomers in a knot?"