Free A Whisper of Sin by Nalini Singh Page A

let’s make sure we take care of business.”
    Emmett spent the rest of the day ensuring his more shadowy informants knew to look out for the truck. By the time night fell, there was only one thing he wanted to do . . . and only one person he wanted to do it with.
    Unfortunately, though his split lip had healed with changeling speed, he still had a fairly impressive black eye. No way in hell would Ria’s family let him in through the front door, especially at this time of night. If it had been his daughter, Emmett thought with a twist in his heart, he’d have done the same. But that didn’t mean he was going to stay away from Ria.
    Finding his way to the back of the two-story house that was the Wembley home, he nodded at Nate, on watch that shift, and looked up at the window that he knew faced out from Ria’s bedroom. Nate gave him an interested look. “Wall’s got no handholds.”
    â€œIf I can hook myself up to that window,” Emmett said, working out the mechanics, “I can get up.”
    The other man judged the gap. “Doable.”
    Decision made, Emmett backed up until he had enough distance, kicked himself into gear and jumped. The leopard made sure he caught the ledge he aimed for, and from there, it was a fairly simple climb. Holding himself up with one hand on the lower edge of Ria’s darkened window, while his feet found precarious purchase on the slight ledge of the kitchen window below, he tapped on the glass.
    Silence. Then a
shush
of sound, as if she was wearing something that trailed on the floor. His mind filled with a thousand erotic images, but the window didn’t go up. Instead, he heard Nate’s phone ring. Ria was being very careful. Smiling as he heard the sentinel answer, he waited.
    The window went up a few seconds later. “Are you insane?” Ria hissed, sticking out her head. “How are you even staying up?”
    â€œNot easily,” he said with a grin, the stress of the day wiped away by the sight of her all sleep mussed and kissable. “Let me in?”
    Pulling back, she waved him in. “Dear God, Emmett,” she said the instant he was inside. “You could’ve fallen and broken your fool neck.”
    â€œI’m a leopard, mink. Climbing’s my thing.”
    â€œI don’t think leopards evolved to climb two-storied—” A gasp and she nudged his face toward the light coming in through the window. “What happened?”
    â€œI didn’t dodge fast enough.” He pushed down the window, knowing Nate wouldn’t be able to hear anything now if they kept their voices low. “My own fault.”
    Ria slapped a hand on his chest. “I want a straight answer. Talk.”
    He fingered the strap of her ankle-length satin nightgown. The material looked soft and utterly silky. He wanted to gather it up in his hands and bare something even softer and silkier.
    â€œEmmett!”
A low whisper, but her eyes were snapping fire.
    Sliding his hands down her arms, he tugged her closer. “Who wants to talk?” He dropped his head, nuzzled the scent of her into his lungs.
    Feminine heat and a delicate, exotic perfume.
    Licking out to taste it was instinct. He wanted to know everything about his mate. The leopard smiled at the easy, absolute realization. Of course she was his mate. Why the hell else would he have climbed up that damn wall? Only for Ria. “I like your perfume.”
    She shuddered. “You’re being bad again.”
    â€œDid you buy it for me?” He stroked his hands down her back, pressing her softness against the pounding heat of his cock.
    â€œI-I had it from a gift set.” She tangled her hands in his hair. “It said it’s formulated for changelings.”
    â€œMmm.” Nibbling his way up from her neck to her lips, he took her mouth in a slow, lazy kiss. “Our sense of smell is so strong, normal perfume is too intense.”
    â€œI