Tooth and Claw Read online

  Maybe if she found a normal man, one who could cure her lust, she’d get over her infatuation with Seth. A nice man to ease the ache between her legs but one she wouldn’t want to feel committed to. And definitely not one as sexually aware of women as Seth Gramble.

  “Stop it,” she admonished. “No vampires, no matter how sexy.”

  No matter how fantabulous the rumors claimed sex with a vampire could be. Hell, who knew how many women he’d taken to bed in his—how old had Luke said Seth was?—two hundred something years. That was a lot of women. She didn’t for one second imagine the man was celibate.

  Her clit did that throbbing thing again just thinking about being in bed with Seth. His rock-hard body moving over hers, in hers, touching her all over.

  “Oh my God, I’m turning into a groupie. Dillon, Pax, remember your boyfriend? The one murdered in cold blood? Drained of his essence by the mouth of a freakin’ bloodsucker?”

  He’d only been doing his job, trying to protect a woman, when he was ambushed by a “supposed” rogue vampire. She huffed at supposed. All vampires were rogues in her eyes. Had justice been served for Dillon? Hell no. The vamp had gotten away.

  She sucked in a deep breath. “Do not fall for Seth’s charm. Do not.”

  Christ. She stabbed at the air-conditioner button, throwing it on full blast in an attempt to cool her heated skin and nerves. This was why she stayed away from Seth and his freaking good looks. Every time she got within twenty feet of the man her body went into overdrive, craving him in a way she’d never craved another man. Her reaction to him wasn’t right. It wasn’t normal.

  And it certainly did nothing to uphold the memory of finding her boyfriend dead and left like yesterday’s trash in a prostitute’s apartment. The prostitute had lived through the attack, thanks to Dillon, but the vamp had turned his feeding on the cop who’d saved her life. Paxton would never forget the look in his eyes when she walked into that room and saw him lying there. Glassy. Gone.

  She’d thrown up all over the scene.

  Paxton knew Seth was aware of all she’d been through. The major problem? He didn’t seem to be getting the message that she wanted nothing to do with him. And if tonight was any indication, he was moving in for the kill. Metaphorically speaking.

  She hoped.

  Her attitude toward him should have run him off the first time they met six months ago. But no. He just kept coming and coming and coming. No pun intended.

  And she would not lose herself to a vampire. Ever.

  “Son of a bitch.” She slapped the wheel and stomped on the brake when the light in front of her turned from a quick yellow to red. Damn Seth for making her think about him when, for the sake of her own sanity, she’d vowed she’d never let herself be taken in by one of them.

  Sooner or later her libido would shut off.

  It would.

  “God,” she groaned. “When? When will it shut off, Pax, huh? Tomorrow? Next year?”

  Could she have sex with the man and be done with it? Would that get him out of her head so she could move on with her life? Surely the man could fuck like a normal human and leave the biting out of it, right? They’d be out of each other’s systems and all would go back to the way it should be.

  What in the hell was she thinking?

  She didn’t want to have sex with Seth, didn’t want to be one of his notches or become a groupie. He was a vampire. All his women were fuck buddies. She’d never heard Luke say the man ever got romantically involved, which just proved her opinion. He probably brainwashed all his women to be at his beck and call.

  On the other hand, though she knew he was interested in her, until tonight he hadn’t put the moves on her. So what did that say about him?

  “That he has an extremely high threshold for patience, or that he’s amusing himself with other bimbos while waiting for you?”

  Far better to ignore the vamp no matter what he did to her pussy. Or her lips, or her nipples, or her entire freaking system.

  “Ugh. Who am I kidding?” The man invaded her dreams every night. He scraped those long-ass vampire teeth along her throat while he played with one of her nipples and burrowed his cock deep inside her drenched vagina. And then, the moment he sank those teeth into the flesh above her breast, she exploded in an orgasm to beat all orgasms.

  Night after flipping night, no matter how much she tried to put him out of her mind, she woke up sweaty and sated from an actual climax.

  She didn’t remember moving again or the drive to the precinct. It was a damn wonder she’d made it there alive. Of course with Seth right behind her, and Luke right behind him, she’d have had plenty of rescue help had she crashed because of her completely useless state of mind.

  She pulled into her spot and sat looking at the lights shining from the precinct’s windows. Ten o’clock. Most of the city was getting ready for bed, if they weren’t there already. But her? She was heading into work. After already working a full day.

  Not to mention she was about to enter with him by her side, making her horny as all hell despite how she reasoned with herself that he was evil incarnate. She wondered what the captain would say about her shitty attitude with Seth around. He’d probably think she was losing her mind.

  Why, oh why, did he have to ask for Seth?

  Luke tapped on the window. “You gettin’ out or you gonna stay in your car all night?”

  “Stay,” she muttered to herself, only to look up and see Seth smiling and running a hand through his thick black hair that curled a bit too long over his ears and at the back of his neck. She suddenly wanted to comb her fingers through his hair too.

  Damn him. She jerked the keys from the ignition, yanked her over-the-shoulder bag from the seat next to her and shoved the door open, taking satisfaction when it plowed into Luke’s smirking self and knocked the wind out of him. If he hadn’t introduced her to his best friend, this little problem of hers never would have happened in the first place. It was all his fault.

  Seth, wisely, didn’t say a word, though she did see his smile morph into a shit-eating grin. Paxton strode past him, somehow finding the strength not to inhale his scent. Or worse, lick him.

  She moved inside, leaving the boys to follow. Okay, perhaps that wasn’t the best idea since she felt Seth’s eyes on her ass. Thank God she was still wearing her work slacks. They were, quite possibly, the least revealing item of clothing she owned.

  Ha. Served him right to be thwarted by her granny pants.

  Unless he had the ability to see through… No. No way. Vamps didn’t have x-ray vision.

  Did they? Damn it. Other than the way they tended to make humans addicted to being a food source and the way her boyfriend had so ruthlessly been slaughtered, she didn’t know much about Seth’s kind. Rumors and hearsay were the sum of her knowledge. Her fault since she persistently neglected to ask Luke about Seth because she didn’t want to seem at all interested in his best friend.

  She bit her lip and fisted her hands. She would not look back. Let him stare all he wanted. If her black, cotton-covered ass turned him on, so be it. He wouldn’t affect her in the least.

  “You practicing for a marathon, Pax?” Luke chuckled behind her. If she’d had a pencil in her hand she would have turned and stabbed him in the eye. Ass. No matter how hard she tried to hide her feelings from Luke, he probably knew exactly how conflicted she felt about Seth. Shithead knew everything. It’s what made him a great detective.

  “Can’t you keep up, bitch boy?” If it appeared she was hiding behind the attitude, well then, so be it.

  She sensed Luke come to a stop but didn’t wait for him.

  “Did she just call me a bitch boy?”

  “I believe she did.” Seth’s deep baritone voice skittered across her nerves. She nearly gave in and turned back, if for nothing else than to see the gleam in his eye. He was twisting everything she believed about his species into knots.

  Nonsense, you fool. Remember Dillon. Remember Dillon.

&n
bsp; The reminder of his wasted life did wonders in keeping her on course as she headed for the captain’s office. Hopefully she only had to get through this impromptu meeting, then she’d be free of her worst nightmare. Or best female version of a wet dream. Whichever.

  Paxton had a horrible feeling the two were one and the same.

  Being paired with Paxton in a small enclosed space was not a good idea, Seth decided after Luke closed the door to the captain’s office behind them. Paxton’s luscious scent permeated the area, causing his teeth to descend in need. He imagined her panties being damp with her juices. How the hell was he supposed to find some panty drawer raider if he was only interested in one pair of panties? Specifically the ones adorning Paxton’s ass. If he wasn’t careful he’d have her up against the captain’s desk and be buried inside her before she could protest.

  “What the hell happened to open communication, Gramble?”

  Seth blinked at the captain. What could he say? I was thinking about fucking your detective’s vampire misgivings right out of her? That ought to go over well.

  He cleared his throat. “I was otherwise occupied.”

  The captain snorted. “At a bar?” He held up a hand. “Don’t answer that.”

  Seth looked to Paxton who stood, hands behind her back, trying not to smile. Or was that a snarl? Didn’t matter. All he could think about was tying those hands in place where they were and laying her on a bed, head on the mattress, ass up in the air. The pose would give him an all-access pass no amount of wiggling would get her out of, while he proceeded to pleasure her in ways she had only previously imagined.

  His cock twitched inside his jeans. Damn thing hadn’t been anything but hard since the second she walked into the bar. She stoically tried to avoid looking at him, but her gaze traveled his way from the corners of her eyes.

  Her chest heaved, and her nipples hardened beneath her shirt. At least he wasn’t the only one in a constant state of arousal. Try as she might to avoid him or give him the cold shoulder, she wasn’t as unaffected by him as she wanted to be.

  No, she was completely affected by him.

  “Gramble,” Captain Quinn barked. “Where the hell are you tonight?”

  “Right here, Cap. Can’t you see me?” He gazed at his hands, wondering if he were going invisible. Lack of blood had, on rare occasion, been known to cause the skin to become somewhat translucent. But hadn’t he partaken of Synth at the bar? It had tasted all right even though it’d been cold.

  “Jesus, you are distracted.”

  Who wouldn’t be with their woman standing so close? So dangerously, enticingly close. Close enough to touch, to lick, to eat. To fuck.

  “I need your expert senses to help find the Panty Bandit.”

  Seth doubted his expert senses would be anything but shit if he didn’t slake his insatiable need sometime in the very near future.

  Quinn turned to his detectives and rubbed at his right ear. “The, uh, mayor’s been, er…raided.”

  Luke snickered and Paxton gasped. Seth couldn’t help but snort himself.

  The captain nodded. “Do not let the mayor see you laugh. He’s asked for the best and most discreet. Apparently his drawers were…somewhat on the racy side.”

  “You mean the bandit made off with Mayor Perkins’s wife’s undies?” Luke asked, gripping the back of the chair in front of him.

  Captain Quinn sighed. “No. It was the mayor’s. Something to do with red and lace, and if any of you laugh…”

  “Oh my God.” Paxton hung her head. “Who would have thought the mayor had an underwear fetish.”

  “Yes, well the bandit has a worse fetish in stealing other people’s panties, so let’s find him, shall we?”

  Seth pinched the bridge of his nose. How had he gone from catching murderers to panty thieves? If Leid’s knew about this and didn’t warn him… He’d have to remember to thank his friend profusely, he thought sarcastically. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

  “Whatever the hell it is you normally do with your vamp senses,” Quinn barked. “Mayor Perkins specifically asked for a vamp. He wants this guy caught, and fast. So,” Cap continued, picking up a file folder, “a woman arrived home late this evening to find her skivvies on the floor and her prized Victoria’s Secret’s filched.”

  “How does she connect with the mayor?” Paxton asked.

  “She doesn’t, but she’s the latest to report the bandit. He hit the mayor’s house last night, so he’s been a busy boy.”

  “Why are we just now finding out about the mayor then?” Luke interjected.

  Cap’s eyebrow rose. “Would you jump on calling the police if your lacy thong got snatched? The only reason he came to me at all was because he found out through the grapevine that our Panty Bandit is a serial thief. One little pic on YouTube and Perkins is a laughingstock.”

  He turned to Seth. “Get over to this address. I don’t care if you have to sniff every pair of this lady’s unmentionables to catch a scent of this ass. Just do it.”

  Seth rolled his eyes. “I doubt it’ll come down to that.”

  “Whatever. Luke and Paxton are your backup.”

  Seth nearly groaned aloud. When he glanced at Paxton he didn’t find the sympathy he wanted to see for being put in this position. Instead, was she…laughing? The little wench was laughing at his predicament. She must think his job was going to be hilarious. He wondered if she would laugh when she found herself the object of his panty sniffing.

  No way would he be able to work with Paxton’s scent so close and her unknowingly teasing him every second. The only thing on his mind would be the boner between his legs.

  On the other hand, it might act like some sort of divining rod. Could he find the Panty Bandit with his penis? God, look what he’d been reduced to. There was only one set of panties he wanted to find with his cock and the woman wearing them continued to try not to laugh. If she knew what he was thinking the smirk would come right off her pretty face.

  Luke clapped him on the back. “Don’t try to get out of it, Your Highness, you’re stuck with us.”

  Paxton shifted her weight onto one foot and made an exasperated sound. “Any time you want to tell me why he always calls you ‘Your Highness’ I’d be good with that. We’re about to work together. I think I’ve earned the right to know what’s up with the royal-highness shit.”

  “Because he’s a prince,” Cap answered gruffly. “Do you mind if we get on with it? It’s late. You’ve got a potential public relations nightmare of a case to solve and I’ve got a wife who keeps insisting I come home for some reason.”

  “A prince?” Paxton’s face screwed up in incredulity. Seth ignored her question for the time being. He could explain later. “Mind if I talk to you about this alone, sir?” He really didn’t think he should spend any amount of time in close contact to Paxton right now or she’d find herself being fucked. His body was ready to take control.

  “See there, Summers? Even royalty calls me sir, which is more respect than you’ve ever shown.” Cap stuffed some files in a briefcase.

  “A prince?” Paxton echoed again, still apparently unable to wrap her brain around the whole prince issue.

  “You’re beginning to hurt my feelings, Toothy. Why the hell can’t you talk to Cap with me in the room?” Luke pouted, batted his eyelashes and gave a fake sniff before leaning into Seth and putting his head on Seth’s shoulder. “You don’t like me anymore?”

  Seth gritted his teeth against his best friend’s goofy behavior and shoved him off. “It’s not you.”

  He glanced up at Paxton’s confused face at the same time Luke blurted, “Oh, so it’s Pax who smells. I told her to shower this morning.”

  Paxton’s eyes narrowed and her lips thinned. She threw a surprisingly strong punch at Luke’s shoulder, making her partner squeal like a girl.

  “Children.” The captain’s bark made them all jump. “I don’t have time for this shit. Get whatever the hell your problem is out of your syste
m, Gramble, and get on scene. Apparently this panty raider trumps all our other cases.” Quinn mumbled to himself, something about hating shithead panty thieves when they had murderers, rapists and armed burglars to deal with. He stood and started shoving papers into a file folder before thrusting the folder at Luke.

  Unfortunately, Seth thought, getting his problem out of his system wasn’t going to be easy. Paxton wasn’t just a short-term fling one fuck would take care of. He’d need a much longer time. Like forever.

  “Paxton, take him down to the cage and fit him with a vest. And don’t let him tell you he doesn’t need one.”

  Paxton’s mouth gaped as if taking him anywhere was the last thing on Earth she wanted to do. And who could blame her? Despite the anger he’d seen on her face, Seth knew he’d managed to hurt her feelings by implying she was the reason he needed to talk to the captain alone. Which, of course, she was, but he hadn’t meant for her to know that. He simply had needed to tell Cap why it was a bad idea for him to be around her at this particular moment.

  “I really don’t think a vest is necessary, sir.” Wearing a vest to find a freak with a panty fetish? He hated wearing the damn things when he hunted serial killers so he for damn sure didn’t want to wear one while tiptoeing through underwear.

  “And I don’t really give a rat’s ass what you think. Department policy, Gramble. You get shot, I gotta pay Leid’s big money. He thinks your vampire asses are worth something. Since I agree with him, you wear a vest. I don’t care if this is the lowliest case we ever work. Now get. All of you. And don’t come back without something. Red lace would be great.”

  Paxton grumbled to herself all the way downstairs to the cage while Seth, the freakin’ prince, trailed behind. The day just kept getting better and better. Why the hell hadn’t she insisted on Luke telling her what he meant by the phrase every time she heard him say it?

  She felt Seth’s stare on her butt once more. Did she have panty lines going on back there?