Four-Letter Words Evans, Gabrielle (best detective novels of all time .TXT) 📖

and he searched for something to say in the awkward silence. Words had abandoned him, though, along with most of his reasoning skills. Every thought revolved around Thane, all of them dirty, wicked, and utterly indecent.

“Ah, I like that look,” Thane murmured as he pulled Zasha’s shirt free of his boot-cut jeans with a casualness that belied their very public setting. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I want you.” His brain to mouth filter short-circuited, and the words were past his lips before he could stop them.

“That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.” Strong hands slid beneath the hem of his shirt and caressed his quivering abs. “Unfortunately, we need to be going.” His words were breathless, and Thane made no attempt to pull away as his lips traveled along the column of Zasha’s throat. “Fuck, lieveling, you drive me crazy.”

If Zasha could remember correctly, and it was a little hard with all the blood in his body rushing to his dick, he hadn’t instigated anything. However, he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t pleased to know how much his lover wanted him. “It’s not that far of a drive.” He was going for reasonable, but even to his own ears, he sounded just as breathless and desperate as Thane.

“It’s still too far.” Leaning heavily against him, Thane rocked his hips, grinding his denim-clad erection against Zasha’s. “Come back inside with me.”

It was on the tip of his tongue to answer in the affirmative, to give in to his mate’s passion. The lines between right and wrong blurred when they were together like this. What he should do and what he wanted to do battled for dominance, and Zasha was seconds away from saying to hell with the damn rules and losing himself to the consuming burn.

A child’s laughter floated on the air, penetrating his scrambled thoughts and reminding him that they stood in the driveway with a dozen people only feet away—two of which were under the age of six. “Thane, stop. Not here.”

Apparently, Thane had been doused in a cold bucket of reality as well, because he rested his forehead against Zasha’s shoulder and sighed. “Right. Sorry.” His arms folded around Zasha’s waist, hugging him tightly to his chest. “I got carried away.”

“We both did.” He licked at his canines, encouraging his fangs to retract as he took deep breaths to calm his racing pulse. “C’mon. The sooner we get on the road, the faster we can be in Snake River.” Zasha didn’t know how he was going to survive the two-hour trip in an enclosed space with the man’s scent filling his head. Since it was the only option currently open to them, he’d have to find a way, though. “Are you ready?”

Pulling Zasha away from the vehicle, Thane opened the passenger door and motioned for him to slide into the seat. “When we get there—”

“I’ll give you a private tour of my room,” Zasha finished. There was no sense in fighting his growing desire. He could no longer use Thane’s health as an excuse, and he’d be an idiot to keep up the charade. A few precautions to ensure he didn’t lose control in the heat of the moment would be in order, but otherwise, he saw no reason to continue to deny them both.

Thane appeared surprised by his one-eighty in attitude, not that Zasha could blame him. Instead of commenting, however, he growled seductively, kissed Zasha’s lips, and hurried around the SUV to climb in behind the wheel.

Smiling to himself, Zasha settled in for the ride, content with life for the moment. In the beginning of their relationship, he’d had a lot of questions about his future. He just couldn’t understand how fate could have paired two such different men, and he had his doubts as to whether he and Thane could make it work.

Neither of them embodied complete light or total darkness, but he was beginning to understand that they were the perfect balance. Their personalities complemented one another. Two parts combined to form a whole, better and stronger than they could ever be individually. While Zasha was cautious and methodical, Thane was full of fire and zeal. It was a clever design by fate, and one he felt suited their relationship.

Steering them along the dark, deserted road, Thane reached across the console and rested his hand on Zasha’s leg, curling his fingers against the inside of his thigh. “What’s wrong? You look like you’re thinking very hard about something.”

There had been times since they’d met, times just like this, when Thane looked at him as though he was someone else entirely. The emotion in his gaze was that of a longtime lover’s, not a recently mated man. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Zasha just didn’t know what it meant.

Maybe it meant nothing, and he was reading too much into the lingering stare. He had a hard time accepting that reasoning, though. He recognized the turbulent emotions in Thane’s eyes because they echoed the same familiarity raging within his own heart. It could be a touch, a sideways look, or that sweet endearment whispered against his ear. The smallest things caused his pulse to race and filled him with a longing for something he’d lost long ago.

The problem was that he didn’t have a clue what he was missing. He’d never had a mate before. Hell, he’d never even had a relationship that lasted longer than a few weeks. It didn’t make sense, but Zasha knew what he felt. Now, he just needed to figure out what it meant.

Covering his mate’s hand with his own, he squeezed Thane’s fingers and smiled. “I’m just happy to be going home. That’s all.”

* * * *

“Have you told him?”

Thane clamped his teeth together and shook his head once. Oh, he knew exactly what Torren was talking about, but he didn’t see how it was any of his brother’s business. “I will when the time’s right.”

“Uh-huh, and how long do you think that’s going