Saving Autumn by Marissa Farrar Page B

thought she might break. His mouth found hers, while his left hand skimmed down the curves of her body, stroking her skin, the heat of his fingers making every nerve ending tingle. His hardness pressed against her hip and she twisted to meet him.
    Something dawned on her, and though she didn’t want to spoil the moment, she couldn’t keep quiet. “Wait, we need …”              
    “Oh crap. Hang on.” He put out a hand. “Do not move a single inch.”
    She grinned up at him, languidly reclined, already relaxed from his attention.
    Peter returned clutching a condom, quickly tore the package open and sheathed himself. He reclaimed his position, lying beside her on the couch. His fingers cupped her cheek and he kissed her again, long and deep. Mia parted her thighs and wrapped her ankles around his hips, pulling him closer. It only took a slight shift in position and he pushed inside her, filling her so fully, so sweetly, she thought she might lose her mind. All thoughts of her earlier fear and the troubles in the city vanished from her mind.
    Whatever else happened, she knew one thing—the only place she wanted to be was in Peter’s arms.

Chapter Eleven
     
     
    NOT WANTING TO hang around at Blake’s for his return, Autumn had made her way home, deliberately keeping her head down to avoid the crowds of people who seemed determined to cause trouble. Now, she sat on her couch, remote in hand, surfing through the mindless channels droning on the television. A fat couple sat on stage shouting at each other, while the host made a half-hearted attempt to calm them down despite his obvious delight in the drama … click … a commercial for a shiny new car, the vehicle winding down a suspiciously empty mountain road … click …
    Her heart clambered into her throat, her eyes wide as she leaned forward, almost leaping to her feet.
    Chogan was on television again. His strong-featured, handsome face was rigid with anger as a redhead reporter—one she recognized—threw questions at him about spirit shifters being a danger to humanity.
    Shit.
    For once, she was glad Blake was out of the city. He’d go mad when he found out Chogan was on live television talking about shifters again. If he were here right now, he’d be storming out and going straight to the news channel. She realized he wouldn’t find any sign of Chogan back at the reservation. Unless he got an idea about Tala’s location, it would be a wasted trip.
    Her eyes flicked to the bottom of the screen, and she sighed. The show wasn’t live after all, but a repeat of a broadcast shown earlier that day. Chogan may have been at the news channel studios a few hours ago, but, considering the grilling the young woman was putting him through, she doubted he’d be there still.
    An unexpected pang of longing tightened in her chest. She wished she could see Chogan, talk to him about his plans, try to reason with him. But such a thing was impossible. Blake had been unable to find him, so what chance did she stand? She was alone.
    Autumn sighed and threw down the remote in frustration. She wished she could do something useful—she hated sitting around waiting for everyone else. She needed her mind to be busy.
    Her gaze shifted over to the bookcase and the piles of books she’d collected over the years, most of which she never seemed to have time to read. Now, it seemed she had time, but she’d never be able to focus enough to get into a story. She wished she still had a job to go to. The government had paid out her contract, despite her only having worked a matter of days, so money wasn’t a problem. But she wasn’t used to not working and it was driving her crazy. Even between contracts, she’d normally be researching a new position or speaking on a panel somewhere. Because she thought she’d be busy for the foreseeable future working with Dumas, she’d cleared out her schedule.
    If only Blake hadn’t left her behind while he went to find Chogan. If