"dinner was great," beth said as butch pulled up in front of her building.

he thoroughly agreed. she was smart and funny and sit-forward-in-your-chair beautiful. and if he stepped out of line, she never failed to knock him back where he should be.

so she was also incredibly sexy.

he put the car in park, but didn't turn the engine off. he figured killing the ignition would make it look like he wanted to be invited in.

which he did, of course. but he didn't want her to feel awkward if that wasn't where she saw things heading.

well, wasn't he turning into a nice guy.

"you sound surprised you enjoyed yourself," he said.

"i am, a little."

butch ran his eyes over her, starting with her knees that were just barely showing under the hem of her skirt. from the dashboard's glow, he could make out the lovely lines of her body, her long, exquisite neck, her perfect, perfect lips. he wanted to kiss her, here in this dim light, in the front seat of his unmarked, just like they were teenagers.

then he wanted to go inside her apartment with her. and not come out again until morning.

"so thanks," she said, flashing him a smile and reaching for the door.

"wait."

he moved quickly, so that she wouldn't have time to think and neither would he. he took her face in his hands and put his mouth on hers.

wrath materialized in the courtyard behind beth's apartment and felt a prickling across his skin.

she was close by. but there were no lights on in her place.

following a hunch, he walked around the side of the building. there was a nondescript american sedan parked in front. she was inside of it.

wrath went down to the sidewalk and, as if he were just taking a stroll in the shadows, passed by the car.

he stopped dead.

his useless eyes worked well enough to tell him that some guy was all over her. as if the potent sexual craving of the male human wouldn't have tipped him off.

for god's sake, he could smell the bastard's lust through the sedan's glass and steel.

wrath lunged forward. his first instinct was to rip the car door off and kill whoever had his hands on her. just pull the guy out and tear his throat open.

but at the last second he spun away and forced himself back into the darkness.

son of a bitch. he was literally seeing red, he was so worked up.

that some other male was kissing those lips, feeling that body under his hands...

a low growl vibrated through his chest and out his mouth.

she's mine.

he cursed. yeah, and in what parallel universe was he living in? she was his temporary responsibility, not his shellan. she could be with whomever she wished. wherever. whenever.

but god, the idea that she might actually like what the guy was doing to her, that she might prefer the taste of the human's kiss, was enough to make wrath's temples pound.

welcome to the wonderful world of jealousy, he thought. for the price of admission, you get a splitting headache, a nearly irresistible urge to commit murder, and an inferiority complex.

yippee.

man, he couldn't wait to get his life back. the second she was through her transition, he was going to get the hell out of town. and pretend he'd never, ever met darius's daughter.

butch o'neal was one hell of a kisser.

his lips were firm, but deliciously soft. not coming on too strong, but letting her know he was prepared to take her to bed and show her he meant business.

and he smelled good up close, a mix of aftershave and fresh laundry. she reached up with her hands. his shoulders were wide and strong under her palms, his body drawn in a tight arch toward hers. he was all coiled power, and in that moment she wanted to be attracted to him. she honestly did.

except she just didn't feel that sweet rush of desperation, that wild hunger. not like she had the night before with...

now was a hell of a time to be thinking about that other man.

when butch pulled back, his eyes were hooded. "i'm not doing it for you, am i?"

she laughed softly. leave it to hard-ass. blunt as always.

"you know how to kiss, o'neal, i'll give you that. so it's not for lack of technique."

he returned to his side of the seat and shook his head. "thanks a hell of a lot."

but he didn't seem terribly hurt.

and now that she was thinking more clearly, she was glad there was no spark on her end. if she had liked him, if she had wanted to be with him, he would have broken her heart. she was sure of it. in ten years, if he made it that long, he was going to implode from the stress, the ugliness, the sorrow of his job. it was eating him alive already. every year he was wound a little tighter, and no one, but no one, was going to pull him out of that tailspin.

"careful there, randall," he said. "it's bad enough knowing i don't turn you on. but that pity on your face is a real ass burner."

"sorry." she smiled at him.

"mind if i ask you something?"

"sure."

"what's up with you and men? do you, ah, do you like them? us, i mean?"

she laughed, thinking of what she'd done last night with that stranger. the question of her sexual orientation had certainly been laid to rest. buried good and hard.

"yeah, i like men."

"did someone do a number on you? you know, hurt you?"

beth shook her head. "i just like to keep to myself."

he looked down at the steering wheel, running his hand around the circumference. "that's a damn shame. because you're terrific. you really are." he cleared his throat as if he'd made himself feel uncomfortable.

sheepish. good lord, hard-ass was actually sheepish.

on impulse, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "you're pretty fantastic yourself."

"yeah. i know." he shot her his trademark mocking grin. "now get your butt inside that building. it's late."

butch watched as beth crossed in front of his headlights, her hair flowing over her shoulders.

she was the real deal, he thought. a genuinely good woman.

and man, she knew exactly what his drill was. that look of sadness in her eyes just now meant she saw the early grave that was waiting for him.

so it was just as well there was no chemistry for her. otherwise he might try to talk her into falling in love with him just so he didn't go to hell all by his lonesome.

he put the car in gear, but kept his foot on the brake as she went up the steps to the front lobby. she had her hand on the door and was shooting him a wave when something moved in the shadows beside the building.

he flipped the engine back into park.

there was a man dressed in black heading around to the rear.

butch got out of the car and jogged silently across the side lawn.