The Beast Within by Terra Laurent Page B

resignation on hers.”
    “No, she won’t.”
    Tony’s hand dropped down onto his shoulder. He shook it off.
    “I’m sorry I did those things as part of my stupid trick, but I’m not sorry I did them,” Tony said. “And I’m not sorry we’re partners. And I’m not sorry for this.” Tony dropped to his knees. Before Aaron could react, his face was cupped in Tony’s hands. Tony covered his mouth, kissing him deeply. His scent, his taste, the nearness of his heartbeat, they all overwhelmed Aaron’s thoughts, stirred inside him the dark thing who had so recently been put to bed. Carried on a wave of animalistic desire, Aaron opened his mouth to Tony. A moment later the wave crashed, and human logic hit. Aaron pulled away.
    “I’ve gotta go,” he said. “I can’t do this. Not with you. Not after all of this.”
    “Don’t go,” Tony said.
    “What right do you have to ask that of me?”
    “None.” Tony spread his hands in a pleading gesture. “But I didn’t mean…”
    “Your intent doesn’t matter.” Aaron stood to loom over Tony, who cleverly remained kneeling, penitent and subservient, at his feet. It pleased the wolf. The human, however, was far less easily swayed. “You hurt me, whether you wanted to or not. You made me feel good about my job and myself for the first time in a long while. Maybe that’s my fault for letting someone I met six hours ago have that kind of influence over my happiness… Of course it is. But, I’m not going to let that happen again. I understand you’re sorry, and I accept it. And I’m going home.”
    “You don’t have your car.” Tony tried one last angle. “Let me drive you, at least.”
    “I’ll catch a cab.”
    Tony made a helpless sound and shrugged, clearly out of tactics. The gesture lifted his pecs, heightened the definition of his shoulders and tightened his sculptural abs. The patch of skin Aaron had doctored earlier shined pink and new—a swipe of imperfection that merely accentuated the divinity of form around it. A ragged breath escaped Aaron’s throat. His gut twisted like an invisible fishing line had secured around it. It tugged with an almost violent desire. With a force of will that depleted his remaining strength, Aaron turned to the stairs. He clattered down the treads two at a time, lest his weakness land him in trouble yet again.

Chapter Nine
    Dredging up the Past
    Even through the cloying ‘Sunshine Rain’ scent of his detergent, Tony’s aroma screamed at Aaron. The richness of musk and man swirled through his head like an exotic dancer, teasing, promising, inviting. A deep chill pervaded the air, and Aaron set off for home, determined to let the cold and exhaustion work out his frustrations. He made it just three blocks without his shoes before he pulled his cell out of his waistband and resignedly called a cab.
    The driver’s mass spilled over the front seat across the armrest. His eyes, constantly flicking up to the rear-view to observe Aaron, were vacant and unsettling. The monster inside him labeled the man a predator, but not the sort he was used to dealing with. Aaron made a mental note of the driver’s posted information and jammed himself as far into the corner of the back seat and door as possible and let the scenery tick by.
    “Belle Woods, that’s the new apartments out there on Backfin Road?” the driver asked.
    Aaron nodded.
    The dark thing snarled.
    A few minutes later the cab pulled up into the apartment complex. Aaron motioned for him to stop in front of the clubhouse. He did not want this man knowing where he lived. He passed a twenty up to the driver and climbed out. He hesitated a moment, then swung back to the car. The driver rolled the window down, his expression as blank as before. Aaron relaxed just enough for his alter ego to scrabble for control. He directed its power, felt the shift in his vision. The driver’s sudden slacked jaw and smell of terror confirmed they had turned wolfish,