Her Dark Half Read online

  “How about tomorrow night?” he asked, his grin suggesting he knew exactly what she was up to. “If you’re not doing anything else?”

  Lana didn’t even bother playing silly games anymore. Laughing, she went up on tiptoe and hooked her arms around his neck. “I’m completely free tomorrow night. What do you have in mind?”

  Max wrapped his arms around her, tugging her even closer than she already was and snuggling her up against his chest nice and tight. Wow. She’d already known Max was well built, but leaning up against him like this confirmed she’d underestimated just how fit he was. He had some serious Adonis-like muscles going on under that shirt.

  Max slipped his hands under her jacket and settled them comfortably on her lower back. The move was so natural and nonchalant, she might not have noticed it if it wasn’t for the crazy tingles of arousal that wiggled through her body simply at his touch.

  “We could go to a club and do some dancing,” he suggested, so close now that she could feel his warm breath on her face. “Or we could have dinner at one of those dine-in movie theaters.”

  She was so distracted by knowing Max was about to kiss her that it took a supreme effort of will to even think about what he’d just said. The idea of the dine-in movie sounded cool. She’d seen theaters like that before but had never gone to one. As fun as that would almost certainly be, the thought of getting Max out on a dance floor sounded even better. She’d have a chance to let her hands roam all over his amazing body and not even have to feel guilty about it.

  “I’d love to go dancing. I didn’t get a chance to do much of it in school. I need to catch up,” she said, tipping her head back a little more and sending the clearest signal possible that she was ready and waiting for a kiss.

  He flashed her that mischievous smile, his lips grazing the curve of her jaw in the most delightful way. “Dancing it is. I’ll pick you up tomorrow around seven and we can get something to eat first.”

  “Sounds good,” she murmured.

  She turned her head to the side in an attempt to capture his mouth. He let his warm lips briefly touch hers before gliding away to tease one of her earlobes. She groaned in frustration, which only earned her a chuckle from Max.

  Deciding she’d had enough teasing, she slipped one hand up to weave her fingers into Max’s short, spiky hair and got a good grip. Then she turned his face to hers and gave him a pointed look. He got the idea. Yanking her tightly to him, he covered her mouth with his. She opened hers, letting his tongue in with a groan of pleasure this time. Mmm, he tasted good.

  She tightened her hand in Max’s hair, urging him on, wanting more. He slid his hands down her back, resting them on the top of her jean-clad ass, sparking lightning through her whole body.

  Lana didn’t know what came over her. Since this was a first date, she’d intended to give him a good-night kiss to thank him for a wonderful evening, but she could barely breathe she was getting so excited. As if it had a mind of its own, her free hand ran up and down Max’s strong chest, her fingernails digging into the material of his shirt to trace every bulge and ripple of the heavy muscles underneath. Her body immediately responded, heating up faster than it ever had in her life.

  Then she felt his hard-on pressing into her quivering stomach and knew he was as turned on as she was. That knowledge fired her imagination, and ideas of slipping up to her old bedroom without her parents knowing, or even back out to Max’s Camaro, flooded her mind with scenes that she’d never had about any guy she’d ever dated—first date or beyond.

  She was close to stripping his clothes off right there on the front porch when the door suddenly jerked open. Startled, she jerked her mouth away from Max’s.

  “Lana,” her father said in that flat, emotionless tone he used when he was angry. “I didn’t realize you were going out this evening.”

  She looked up at Max to find his face turned toward the street, his eyes closed and his mouth set in a tense line. Though whether he was doing it to keep from cursing at her dad or laughing at him, she had no idea.

  She carefully and slowly disengaged herself from Max’s embrace, feeling colder the moment she was out of his arms. Turning, she frowned at her father. “Seriously, Dad? Were you standing there watching me through the window?”

  Her father didn’t answer. Instead, he opened the door wider and gestured her in. “You should come in. It’s cold out.”

  Lana immediately felt Max start to move away.

  Oh, hell no!

  She caught his hand and walked into the house, tugging Max in after her. Her father scowled, but Lana ignored him. What did he expect, that she’d leave her date out on the doorstep so he could slam the door in the guy’s face?

  Lana’s mother was standing in the middle of the living room, wearing slippers and a cozy-looking robe over her pajamas. But rather than glowering like her father, her mother was smiling warmly at them. Her mom had always been a rebel of sorts and clearly approved of Lana figuratively tweaking her father’s nose.

  “Mom, this is Max Lowry, one of Dad’s SWAT officers. We met at the awards ceremony, and he was nice enough to take me out to dinner,” Lana said. “Max, my mother, Nora.”

  Her mother offered Max her hand. “Very nice to meet you, Max. Where did you two kids go for dinner?”

  “Piggie Pies Pizza and Pasta,” he told her, and Lana saw her mother practically melt at the charming smile Max threw her way. “Lana recommended the place, and I’ve discovered she has excellent taste in restaurants.”

  Her mother nodded, her smile broadening as she glanced over at Lana. “Yes…I’d have to agree with you on that. She definitely has excellent taste.”

  “Piggie Pies closes at midnight,” her father said. He was still standing over by the open door as if he expected Max to leave now that he’d met her mother. “Where have you been since then?”

  It was Lana’s turn to scowl this time. “They were nice enough to stay open a little late for us because we were having such a good time.”

  “I see.” Her dad’s mouth tightened. “Well, it’s getting late. Officer Lowry should be going since he has to be up early for work tomorrow.”

  Lana might have thrown her purse at her father if her mother hadn’t come to the rescue. “Oh, don’t be silly, Hal. Max has time for a cup of coffee at least. And it’s decaf, so it won’t keep him up the rest of the night. Now, close the door and come into the living room. You’re letting all the heat out.”

  Her father hesitated for a moment, but at another stern look from her mother, he finally closed the door and came into the living room.

  Lana’s mother looked at her. “Would you help me in the kitchen, dear?”

  Lana hesitated, not sure she should leave her dad alone with Max, but her mother took her hand. She gave Max a helpless look as her mom pulled her toward the kitchen. Max grinned, his eyes twinkling with amusement until her father moved to his side and glared at him again.

  “Max is adorable,” Lana’s mom said the moment they were in the big eat-in kitchen. While still slightly open to the living room, the upper cabinets made it private enough to talk without Max or her dad hearing. “Is he nice?”

  Lana smiled. “Yes, Mom. He’s very nice. And before you ask, yes, we had a very good time and hit it off really well.”

  Her mother filled the coffeepot with water from the sink and quickly got the machine going. Then she turned and leaned back against the counter, her blue eyes bright with interest. “You two definitely make a cute couple. Are you going out with him again soon?”

  Lana almost laughed. Her mother would be thrilled if she got into a serious relationship with Max simply so she wouldn’t be tempted to take a job far away. She’d even gone so far as to encourage Lana to drop her résumé off at companies in Dallas—and by encouraged, Lana meant her mother had sent the résumés in for her.

  “We’re going out to din
ner, then dancing tomorrow night.” Lana sighed. “Dad will love that.”

  Her mother waved a dismissive hand. “Forget your father. He’s just being obtuse because he doesn’t want you getting involved with a cop. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. If a cop was good enough for me, a cop is good enough for my daughter. Especially when he’s as nice as Max.”

  That made complete sense to Lana. Even so, she felt the need to point out the obvious. “Mom, we’ve only been on one date. Maybe you should wait a little while before you start shopping for china patterns.”

  Her mother rolled her eyes. “Please. Unlike your father, I refused to spy on you and Max once you reached the porch. But I saw you two walking up the to the house together hand in hand. It’s obvious to me there’s some serious chemistry between you two. A mother knows these things.”

  Lana didn’t bother to deny it since it was true. “We’ll see, Mom. Is the coffee ready yet?”

  “Just about. Grab some sweetener and cream, would you?”

  Lana did as she asked, even though she was pretty sure Max probably took his coffee black.

  Her mother filled the mugs, then put them on a tray along with the sugar and cream. “Come on. Let’s see what the boys are talking about.”

  It turned out that Max and her father weren’t talking about anything. Instead, Max was sitting on the couch while her father sat in one of the matching stuffed chairs, glaring at each other. The tension was so thick Lana almost choked on it.

  Ignoring her father, Lana took a seat beside Max and handed him one of the mugs. As she suspected, he drank it black. As Max and her mother talked about how long he’d lived in Dallas and when he’d joined the SWAT team, her father sat there, staring holes into Max the entire time, not saying a word and generally being a jerk. Her mother definitely noticed and stared daggers right back at him.

  Even though Lana hated to see him go, she didn’t blame Max for chugging his steaming-hot coffee quickly, then getting to his feet.

  “I really do have to get up early tomorrow,” he said. “I should be going.”

  Lana felt like smacking her father, but she wasn’t going to make a fuss in front of Max. So, she stood and followed him over to the door. Her father made a move as if to follow, but at the fierce look her mother gave him, he sat down again.

  “I really did have an amazing time tonight,” Max said when they got to the door. “Better than I could have imagined.”

  Lana rose up on tiptoe and gave him a quick kiss. Even that little peck made her heart beat faster than normal. Wow, this guy really did it for her.

  “Ditto,” she told him with a smile. “Can’t wait until tomorrow night.”

  She trailed her hand along his big shoulder and down his arm as he turned to go, wishing she could give him a real kiss before he left but not wanting to get him into any trouble with her father. She didn’t like to think her dad would be so petty as to mess with Max’s job, but as the deputy chief, he could definitely make it happen.

  As she closed the door behind Max, her father’s heavy footsteps echoed in the entryway. “I don’t want you seeing him anymore, Lana.”

  She spun around and stared at him in disbelief. Behind her father, her mother looked livid.

  “What did you say?” Lana asked.

  Her father’s expression softened a little. Like he thought that would help the situation. “Honey, don’t take this the wrong way. Max and the other guys on the SWAT team are good cops—the best. But you just finished your program at the university and have your whole life ahead of you. You can do so much better than a cop.”

  Anger welled up inside her. She could do better? She was interested in dating Max, not getting a good deal on a new car. The urge to tell her father exactly what he could do with his opinion was difficult to ignore, and she had to fight hard to calm down. That shocked her a little. She couldn’t remember ever being this furious, especially at her father. But the idea of anyone telling her to stay away from Max goaded her like nothing she’d ever felt.

  She closed her eyes and breathed through the anger, slowly tamping the emotions back down. When she had herself back under control, she opened her eyes and leveled her gaze at her father.

  “Dad, I appreciate your concern. But I’m twenty-three years old and have been living on my own for five years. If I choose to see Max again, then I will. And I won’t ask for your permission or opinion.”

  Her father opened his mouth to say something, but Lana held up her hand, forestalling him.

  “It’s late, Dad. We’re done talking about the subject. I’m going to bed.”

  Stepping around her father, she kissed her mother on the cheek, then headed for the stairs, refusing to even look in his direction.

  Chapter 3

  “Mason flat-out told me to stay away from his daughter.” Max and some of the other guys on the team were in the equipment room cleaning the weapons. They really weren’t dirty, but that’s the way it was in SWAT. If you had everything else done and found yourself with a few free minutes, Gage put you to work. “He actually said she’s out of my league and that I need to back off. I felt like I was in some kind of frigging Taylor Swift music video.”

  Cooper looked up from the pistol he was cleaning, mouth set in his trademark smirk. “What the heck does Taylor Swift have to do with you and Lana?”

  Max looked at Becker, who wasn’t much older than he was, knowing he’d get the reference. They both laughed, while Brooks, Diego, Zane, and Senior Corporal Trey Duncan, one of the Pack’s two medics, stared at them like pigs looking at a Rolex. At least Tuffie seemed to understand the analogy. The adorable pit bull mix the SWAT team had adopted regarded the older werewolves in the room like they were dense before giving Max a doggy grin.

  “Forget it, dude,” Max told the team’s explosives expert. “You’re too old to get the cultural reference, Cooper. The important thing is that Mason is damn serious about keeping me away from his daughter.”

  Cooper shrugged. “Can’t really blame the man. If I had a daughter, I wouldn’t want you near her, either.” He ran a brush over the barrel of his Sig Sauer automatic. “It’s nothing personal. The deputy chief probably took one look at you and imagined how hideous your children would be. No one wants ugly grandchildren.”

  Max snorted, giving his fellow werewolf the finger. “Nice.”

  Cooper laughed. “Tell me again what it is Lana supposedly sees in you.”

  He and Cooper might be buddies, but that didn’t stop Max from picking up a bottle of gun cleaner so he could throw it at him. Brooks stopped him with a look.

  “Forget Cooper,” Brooks said. “What are you going to do about Mason? Are you planning to keep your distance?”

  Max shook his head, not shocked Brooks had changed the subject. The senior corporal was one of the peacemakers in the Pack, always making sure things didn’t get out of hand, which could happen easily enough. They were a close pack, but with a team full of alphas, fights could break out at any time. In fact, they frequently did.

  “Hell no,” Max said. “Lana and I are going out tonight.”

  Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him in surprise. Even Tuffie seemed shocked.

  “Two dates back to back with the deputy chief’s daughter?” Trey let out a low whistle. “Lana must be pretty frigging special.”

  Max’s mouth edged up. Saying Lana was special was an understatement. When they’d kissed last night, it had been hard to keep from completely losing it. He’d never had the urge to bite a woman’s neck while making out, but with her, the desire was definitely there. She tasted so good he wanted to eat her up.

  Then there was the way his body had reacted to those kisses. It almost bordered on scary. He’d gotten hard as a rock within seconds and stayed like that until taking a cold shower this morning before leaving for work. He’d laid awake the entire night
staring at the ceiling and reliving how amazing it felt to have Lana in his arms. He was getting excited all over again just thinking about it.

  “I don’t think you need to reply to that question,” Cooper said with a laugh. “I’m pretty sure we already know the answer.”

  Max looked at his pack mates in confusion. “What do you mean?”

  Around him, his teammates chuckled and shook their heads.

  “Your eyes are glowing and your canines just popped out,” Brooks finally explained, still grinning. “And if those two things weren’t a dead giveaway, your pheromones would be. It smells like you’re close to blowing a gasket.”

  Zane squirted more gun cleaner on the rag in his hand. “Don’t be embarrassed. You’re still young. You’ll learn more control once you’ve finished going through puberty.”

  Max grunted, opening his mouth to come back with a witty reply and nearly sliced off his tongue on his fangs. Damn, he hadn’t even felt them extend. Abruptly, what Brooks had said about him being excited hit him.

  “Shit,” he muttered.

  Embarrassed, he tried to shift the major boner in his uniform pants into a more comfortable position. That worked about as well as could be expected. There really wasn’t any way to get comfortable when your dick was as hard as a crowbar. When the guys only laughed harder, he bared his fangs at them and growled.

  Brooks glanced up from the M4 he was cleaning. “So, this thing with Lana must be serious if she’s getting to you this fast.”

  Max nodded since denying it would have been a waste of time. “Yeah, I guess it is. I’ve never met anyone like Lana before. All it takes is a smile from her and my heart starts to beat out of control.”

  “You make any headway on figuring out what kind of werewolf she is?” Trey asked, curious.

  This morning, Max had filled in the team medic on the conversation he and the other guys had at DPD headquarters last night, specifically the part about Lana not smelling quite like any beta they’d ever run into before.

  “Unfortunately, no,” Max said. “I started to doubt my nose, so I asked her some question to see if I was right about her being a werewolf at all. She admitted she can eat whatever she wants and not gain weight and that she can stay awake for days at a time and not get tired. Then just when I was sure she’s a werewolf, other evidence contradicted the theory.”