Page 30 of Conall (The Sunburst Pack #3)

T ONIGHT ? N ADINE ASKED.

Conall considered the possibility, but it was far too late. We can wait until tomorrow.

We should go now, Nadine said, her voice tight with urgency. Before whoever was at the site today realizes we found it.

Conall caught her wrist gently as she reached for her jacket. It’s too late.

The contact sent heat jolting through him, and she inhaled sharply, but Conall fought to ignore it.

The storage facility closed at six, he continued. We’d have to break in, and that means potential witnesses, security cameras, complications we don’t need.

Every hour we wait gives them more time to clean it out, she argued, but he knew she was wavering, weighing the same risks he was.

Every hour we wait also gives us more time to plan. He kept his voice calm, professional. We go in tomorrow morning, first thing. Legal access, no questions, no complications.

You’re right, she said finally, her shoulders sagging slightly. I just… I need answers.

We’ll find them. He paused. Do you want to go back up to the mesa tonight?

Do you?

He shook his head. The mating ceremony is done by now. And I’m guessing you’ve had all the Sunburst socializing you’re up for right now.

She heaved a relieved sigh. I really am tired.

Then let me walk you back to your apartment?

Yeah. I don’t feel like being alone with my thoughts right now.

Of course.

The walk to her apartment above the Sunburst Diner should have taken five minutes. They stretched it to ten, moving slowly through the quiet streets as if neither wanted the evening to end.

Tell me what it was like having a twin? Nadine asked.

Conall considered the question, aware this was the first time she’d asked something personal that wasn’t directly related to their investigation.

Like having a constant companion who always understood exactly what you were thinking, he said. We never needed words for most things. A look, a gesture—that was enough.

Must have made dating complicated, she observed with dry humor.

Heat crept up his neck. A few women complained about feeling like they were dating both of us. Said they could never tell if I was actually listening to them or just having a conversation with Quinton in my head.

Were you?

Sometimes, he admitted. It’s hard to explain to someone who doesn’t have that connection. The twin bond was…everything. My entire world.

Was. Past tense.

When had that changed? When had Nadine become the magnetic north his inner compass oriented toward?

They walked in silence for another block before she spoke again.

I used to envy people who had that kind of connection. Gregory loved me, but he was always holding something back. Always protecting me from parts of his life he thought were too dangerous.

He was trying to keep you safe.

I know. But he also kept me isolated. Made me feel like I was living on the periphery of his real life. She glanced at him sideways. The irony being that his ‘real life’ was probably just as manufactured as the stories he told me.

They’d reached her building, the diner’s neon sign casting red and blue shadows across the sidewalk. Nadine stopped at the external staircase that led to her apartment but made no move to climb it.

Thank you, she said quietly. For walking with me. For listening.

Thank you for letting me.

Something shifted in the air between them—a subtle change in her scent, a dilation of her pupils that made his wolf sit up and take notice.

Conall, I— She stopped, shaking her head. This is complicated.

Everything about this is complicated, he agreed, stepping closer without conscious thought.

Your brother thinks I’m manipulating you.

Quinton’s protective. He’ll come around.

Will he? Her laugh held no humor. Because it looks like I’m the wedge that’s splitting you apart.

That’s not your fault, he said, meaning it.

Isn’t it? If I hadn’t shown up—

If you hadn’t shown up, Chimera would still be infiltrating packs. Some other group would still be threatening them. People would still be dying. He reached up to cup her cheek, thumb brushing across her lower lip. Some things are worth the complications they bring.

Her breathing had gone shallow, gaze fixed on his mouth with an intensity that made heat pool low in his belly.

This is a mistake, she whispered, but she was leaning into his touch rather than pulling away.

Probably. His free hand found her waist, spanning the narrow space between her ribs and hips. But I’m tired of fighting it.

Conall, she said, his name sounding like surrender.

He stepped closer, but she didn’t say anything.

She kissed him.

Not desperate or adrenaline-fueled, but deeper. Slower. A conscious choice to stop fighting the bond that had been pulling them together.

When they broke apart, both breathing hard, she rested her forehead against his.

Inside, she whispered, fumbling for her keys, and opened the door, drawing him into the apartment.

The door closed behind them with a soft click. Nadine moved through the space, turning on a single lamp that cast amber light.

This changes everything, he said.

Maybe everything already changed, she replied. Maybe we’re just catching up to reality.

He pulled her against him. When their bodies connected, the mate bond flared bright enough to steal his breath.

Last chance to change your mind, he murmured.

Her answer was to wind her fingers into his hair and pull his mouth down to hers.

Without breaking the kiss, Conall scooped her into his arms and carried her through the apartment. When they were both naked, he paused, taking in the sight of her—lean strength, small scars that told stories of survival.

She reached for him, their bodies aligning with instinctive perfection.

He kissed her slower this time, each brush of his lips deliberate and reverent. His hands traced her body with worshipful patience, learning the secret places that made her breath catch—the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, the curve of her waist, the soft skin of her inner wrists.

When his mouth replaced his hands, trailing hot kisses down her throat, Nadine made a sound that was half sigh, half growl, her back arching to press closer to him.

You’re so beautiful, he murmured against her collarbone, his voice rough with want. “I’ve dreamed about this since that first night in the ravine.

Dreamed about touching you, tasting you, making you mine.

Her hands fisted in his hair as he continued his exploration, taking his time to map every inch of her body with lips and tongue and gentle teeth.

Each kiss, each caress sent heat racing through the mate bond, amplifying every sensation until they were both trembling with need.

Conall, she whispered, his name like a desperate prayer on her lips. I need—I can’t think when you touch me like that.

Good, he said, his voice dark with possession. I want you mindless. I want you to forget everything except how I make you feel.

The mate bond pulsed between them, carrying not just sensation but raw emotion—his fierce need to claim her, her desperate desire to surrender everything to him. It was overwhelming, intoxicating, more powerful than anything either had ever experienced.

He traced the silver scar below her collarbone with his tongue, the one he’d noticed that first night. She shivered beneath him, her nails dragging down his back hard enough to leave marks that made him hiss with pleasure.

This scar, he said, pressing a possessive kiss to the thin line. Tell me.

Training accident when I was fifteen, she breathed, then gasped as he bit gently at the sensitive skin. Gregory was teaching me knife work, and I—oh god, what are you doing to me?

Everything, he growled against her throat, his teeth scraping her pulse point in a way that made her whimper. I’m going to do everything to you. Going to worship every inch of this perfect body until you’re screaming my name.

His mouth moved lower, finding the curve of her breast, and she arched beneath him with a broken moan that went straight to his cock.

When he took her nipple between his lips, rolling it with his tongue before biting down just hard enough to make her cry out, she bucked beneath him with enough force to nearly unseat him.

So responsive, he murmured against her skin, his hands skimming down her sides to grip her hips possessively. Do you have any idea what you do to me? How crazy you make me? I can barely control myself around you.

She looked down at him with eyes gone molten gold, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her skin flushed with desire.

Then don’t, she challenged, her voice husky and desperate. Don’t control yourself. I want to see what you’re like when you let go completely.

The hunger in her voice, the way she looked at him like he was everything she’d ever wanted, broke something primal loose in his chest. His wolf surged forward, demanding he claim her completely, mark her as his in every way possible.

Careful what you ask for, he warned, his voice dropping to a growl. Because once I let go, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop.

Good, she said, her smile predatory. I don’t want you to stop. I want you to take everything. I want you to make me yours in every way that matters.

The words shot straight to his cock, and he captured her mouth in a kiss that was pure claiming—teeth and tongue and desperate need.

She met him with equal ferocity, her nails raking down his back as she pulled him closer, deeper into the kiss.

He continued his worship of her body, kissing and tasting his way down her stomach, pausing to explore the lean muscles of her abdomen, the sharp angle of her hip bones. Every touch made her writhe beneath him, soft sounds of pleasure escaping her lips that drove his own arousal to painful heights.

You taste like heaven, he murmured against her skin, his voice rough with need. Like you were made just for me. My perfect mate.