Pushing off the sofa, GQ turned to her. “I like them.”

Mila sighed. “Why are you still here?”

Honestly, Dominic was hesitant to leave her. Not that he intended to stay the night—that would break one of his personal rules. But walking out wouldn’t be easy. He knew she could take care of herself just fine. Knew her apartment building had such top-notch security that it would be next to impossible for intruders to penetrate it. Really, she probably couldn’t be in a safer place than she was at that moment. But that didn’t stop him or his wolf from worrying. The female had a fucking bounty on her head. Dominic just kept thinking about how differently tonight could have gone if her cat wasn’t, well, a total badass.

He glanced around. “I like your apartment. It’s . . . warm. Airy.” Best of all, it smelled of her. His wolf had grown very partial to that delectable scent.

“You’re not staying here, if that’s where this is going.”

“But it’s cold outside.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’ll survive.”

He began to advance on her, gratified at the sound of her pulse spiking. “All right, I’ll go now.” Although he wanted to know more about her move to Russia, he could see that this wasn’t the time to talk about it. She was tired, and she’d had a shock tonight. It could wait until tomorrow. “I want another taste of that mouth before I go. Are you gonna give me that?”

She lifted her chin. “No.”

“Hmm. Then it looks like I’ll just have to take it.” He gripped her chin and closed his mouth over hers, sinking his tongue inside. He wanted to linger. Explore. Savor. But he also wanted to keep his eyes in their sockets, so he pulled back before she clawed at him for the bold move.

Cheeks flushed, she glared at him. “You need to stop doing that.”

What he needed was to get her naked and shove his cock deep inside her. “It’s your fault for tasting so good.” Releasing her, he stepped back. “Call me if you need anything.”

She frowned. “Like what?”

He could see it was a genuine question . . . as if she couldn’t even begin to imagine why she’d turn to another for help. “A massage. Kiss. Bed fun. A seat.”

“A seat?”

He gestured at his face. “I can assure you, it’ll be very pleasurable to sit on.”

Unable to stifle a smile, she pointed at the door. “Out. Just get out.”

“Fine,” he said, backing up. “But be sure to get your rest and take your vitamins, Mila, because you’ll soon be spending all night beneath me getting—”

“Out.”

He chuckled. “Lock up after me.” She slammed the door shut behind him. That only made him laugh harder.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The next morning, Dominic caught his Alphas on their way to breakfast. Standing in one of the compound’s many tunnels, he gave them a rundown of Mila’s situation. As Dante and Jaime were passing—and fighting over which of them got to hold Hendrix—they heard a little of the conversation and nosily came closer, wanting to hear more.

Rubbing his jaw, Trey exhaled heavily. “I had hoped that the website would be crushed way before now.”

“I spoke with Shaya earlier,” said Dominic. “Nick told her that Donovan’s super close to cracking through the anonymity network. Then he’ll not only have the name of the creator of the website, he’ll also have the identities of all those who’ve put out the hits.”

“With any luck, Mila’s brother will reappear before then.” Taryn bit her bottom lip. “It’s weird that no one has been able to get in touch with him. Do you think something might have happened to him?”

“Mila said this kind of thing’s not unusual for Alex,” Dominic told her. “He’s a wolverine—they’re notorious for roaming. He doesn’t use his phone or the internet while on his travels.”

Jaime’s brows flew up. “He’s a wolverine? Seriously? That’s awesome. I find them fascinating.”

Cradling their son, Dante frowned at his mate. “Fascinating? What is wrong with you?”

“I think we’ve been over that already,” said Jaime. “Several times, even.”

Taryn took a step toward Dominic. “So . . . you seem to like this Mila a lot. I’ve heard her sing—and, hell, she’s amazing—but I’ve never spoken to her. Tell me about her.”

So he did, but it wasn’t long before he cut himself off and frowned at his Alpha female. “Why are you smiling at me like that?”

“You like her like her,” said Taryn, beaming.

He shrugged, nonchalant. “She’s a likable person.”

“You should bring her here,” Jaime told him, eyes bright. “We’ll be nice, I promise.”

“You know you can’t rely on your twisted charms with this one, right?” Taryn patted his arm. “I’m sure you’ve been full of compliments, but—considering your reputation—she knows you’re good with pretty words. She’s not going to be wowed by them. You’ll need to give her something you haven’t given others. Something that shows it’s different with her.”

“No, I don’t,” said Dominic. “You’re reading more into this than you need to.”

Dante sighed. “So even though you clearly like her, you still want nothing more than a fling?”

A muscle in Dominic’s cheek ticked. “She’s entering into an arranged mating soon.”

Taryn’s mouth fell open. “No way.”

“Yes.” Dominic couldn’t quite understand it—Mila could do so much better than that. “She’ll be living in Russia.”

Jaime exchanged a look with Taryn and then declared, “Well, I for one think you should spend with her what time she has left as a single woman.”

Taryn raised a hand. “I second that.”

“Right now, I’m more worried about the assassin situation than I am about her moving to Russia,” said Dominic.

“The Olympus Pride is strong, and they rally around each other,” Trey reminded him. “Mila will be well protected.”

Dominic knew that. Still, he’d thought about trying to talk her into staying on his territory, where it would be next to impossible for a hit man to get to her. He’d practiced the conversation over and over in his mind, thought about what ways to broach the idea with her, but he always hit a wall. Mila would never hide—especially when it wouldn’t solve the problem. The bounty would still be there, and anyone hoping to collect on it could hurt her pride mates to flush her out . . . just as she suspected someone was threatening her life in order to flush her brother out.

Hearing his cell phone ring, Dominic fished it out of his pocket. Not recognizing the number on the screen, he felt his brow furrow. Nonetheless, he answered, “Hello?” The voice on the other end of the line made him smile.

“You seem a little distracted today.”

Shutting the cash register, Mila blinked at Dean. “I’m good. Just a little tired. How’s Finley?”

Dean’s mouth curled. “Aside from having a bump on his head after he tried and failed to ride his cousin while said cousin was in their bobcat form, he’s fine. Hey, I went to the Velvet Lounge last night. I hadn’t been to the club before, so I had no idea you performed there. You have an amazing voice.”