Winter Craving

by Marisa Chenery

  The response was quick in coming. John said he was relieved Shyla had been found and that they’d already decided it was too dangerous to continue their search. He said he’d call Cyrus in the morning. Cyrus sent a short text to say he was fine with that.

  That task done, Cyrus turned his attention to his mate. He had to get her body temperature up. He thought about running a warm bath and putting her in it, but he’d read somewhere that wouldn’t be a good idea. She needed to be warmed slowly, and there was one way that was supposed to work the best when not in a hospital, supposedly.

  He didn’t think twice. Cyrus quickly stripped Shyla out of her outerwear. Once he had her down to her clothes, he took a few seconds to get his first good look at her. She appealed to him in every way. She was pretty, but not model gorgeous like Kiel’s mate, Neha. Shyla’s looks could be described as cute. Her long, light brown hair fell around her shoulders. Since her eyes were closed, he didn’t know what color they were. He gazed down her body. She was slim and curvy in all the right places.

  Most of the danger now past, his cock rose to attention. There was nothing he could do about that, and considering what he was going to do next, it was going to stay in that condition. Cyrus stripped Shyla out of her clothes, picked her up and put her naked under his bed sheets. The sight of her nude body had him pushing back a strangled groan. He reminded his wayward dick that now wasn’t the time.

  He hurriedly took off his clothes, then slid into bed next to his mate. Cyrus turned onto his side and gathered Shyla into his arms so she faced him. He tucked her head under his chin and draped a leg over hers, hoping to spread as much of his warmth over her. Her skin was cold, causing him to suck in a breath. With the covers pulled up to her chin, he rubbed her back, hoping she’d wake up soon.

  Chapter Two

  Shyla burrowed closer to the glorious warmth that surrounded her. She’d never thought to be warm again. She took a deep breath and had to bite back a moan. Whatever she had her nose pressed against was the most delicious smell she’d ever encountered. Not a good-to-eat smell, but one that made her think of being held in a gorgeous man’s arms while they had hot, sweaty sex until neither one of them could move. If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake up.

  She tried to get closer, even though there wasn’t any space between her and what she nestled along. A low groan had her eyes snapping open. Shyla blinked as she gazed at a well-defined male chest. It was then that she realized muscular arms held her tight and an equally muscled leg was thrown over hers. She couldn’t help but notice a hard cock was pressed between her and the man who held her.

  Shyla jerked her head back and looked into a face so handsome it literally took her breath away. Light green eyes were turned in her direction. A look of relief and something earthy swirled in their depths. She resisted the urge to reach up and brush away some of his black hair that had fallen across one eye.

  That bone-melting scent seemed to intensify, and Shyla’s gaze was drawn to his firm lips. She licked hers before she could stop herself, which caused another groan to rumble out from deep inside his chest. Those two things had her heart beating faster and her arousal making itself known.

  “Hi,” he said in a deep voice.

  That one word seemed to sink into her and do naughty things to her body. Visions of pushing this gorgeous specimen of a man onto his back and riding his cock until she screamed her pleasure flitted through her mind. Her pussy reacted to her thoughts as an ache took up residence inside her.

  Once she found her voice, she said, “Hi.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  At first, her desire-confused brain thought he’d asked what she was feeling, as in touching. Shyla barely stopped herself from saying a hard male body she’d love to explore with her lips and tongue. She squeezed her legs together to try to alleviate some of the ache that continued to throb there. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath and exhaled on a quiet moan.

  Shyla cleared her throat. “Ah, fine.”

  “Good. You’re probably wondering how you ended up naked in bed with an equally naked man you don’t even know.”

  She felt herself blush. That very important question had somehow never come to mind. It should have been the first thing she wanted an answer to after she’d woken up. The last thing she remembered was falling in the snow, closing her eyes and thinking to only rest for a few minutes as the blizzard raged around her.

  “A little,” she finally answered.

  “I’m Cyrus. I was at the general store when your cousin’s husband, John, came in looking for more volunteers to help look for you. I was the one to find you.”

  Shyla cringed at the thought of her stupidity dragging others out into the storm to search for her. “I hope the others aren’t still out there.”

  “Not to worry, Shyla, they’re not. I texted John once I brought you to my place. He’ll call tomorrow. Cell phone signal isn’t great right now.”

  “I guess John told you my name. And I found that out about the cells right quick once I dumped the snowmobile.”

  “So that’s what happened to you.”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I wasn’t strong enough to right it again. I should have stayed with the machine, but the storm had picked up and I figured I’d be better off moving.”

  “It doesn’t matter now. I’m glad found you.”

  Cyrus rubbed her back, reminding her they were both naked. “Um, is there a reason why we don’t have any clothes on?”

  “That’s what I do whenever I find a strange woman who has collapsed in a winter storm. I bring her home, then strip off her clothes so I can lie naked with her. Once she’s no longer cold, I like to torture her with a feather until she begs for mercy.” At Shyla’s single raised brow, Cyrus broke out in a smile that made her want to drool and laughed. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

  She shook your head. “I get the feeling you can be a bit of a smart ass.”

  He grinned. “When the mood strikes. I’ll answer you seriously this time. I was warming you up. I read somewhere it was best to do it skin-to-skin.”

  “I was that bad?”

  “You were. I think you were borderline hypothermic. I couldn’t rouse you. And you didn’t wake up at all on the trip here.”

  Shyla looked around the room, making note of the timber walls and exposed ceiling beams. They had to be inside a log cabin. “Thanks for saving me.” A thought struck her. “Ah, won’t your girlfriend or wife be pissed when she learns you were in bed with a naked woman who wasn’t her?”

  He chuckled. “I don’t have either one of those. What about a husband or boyfriend for you?”

  “I don’t have any of those as well. I recently moved to Canyon Creek. And I didn’t leave any broken hearts back in Chicago.”

  “Good. I bet the last time you ate was before you went out snowmobiling. I’m going to make you some soup. It should help keep you warm.”

  Cyrus threw back the covers on his side of the bed and slipped off the mattress. Shyla managed to catch a quick glimpse of his cock as he stood, which was thick, long and erect. She just about swallowed her tongue as he turned, bent and picked up a pair of jeans from the floor. His body was perfect without an inch of fat anywhere. As he straightened, she guessed him to be around six-foot-five, about a foot taller than her.

  Once he pulled on his pants and had done them up, he turned to face her. “Well, come on.”

  She noticed the black Celtic-style tattoo where his neck and shoulder met that had two wolves with their heads thrown back on a howl as they stood facing each other. She had a weakness for guys with tattoos. She thought they were sexy as all hell.

  Even though Cyrus had already seen her butt naked, Shyla held the covers up to her chest. “Where are my clothes?”

  He pointed to a pile of clothing on the floor in front of the fireplace. “Right there.”

  Shyla looked from Cyrus, to the clothes and back again. “Could you at least bring them over to the bed for m
e?”

  He gave her a crooked grin. “I could, but I’d rather not.”

  She didn’t miss the playfulness that lurked in his eyes. It was almost as if he dared her to walk naked to her clothes. He might not have any problem standing in front of her with nothing on, but she wasn’t that comfortable in her own skin when it came to being undressed around men she found attractive. It wasn’t that she thought she was lacking, she just needed time to get used to letting it all out there with a man. Sleep around, she did not. She’d only had two lovers in her past.

  Cyrus shook his head. “Sorry. I guess I pushed it too far with that one. I didn’t mean anything by it. I want you to be comfortable around me.” He crossed over to the fireplace, then gathered up her clothing. After he brought them to the bed, he placed them on the mattress next to Shyla. “I’ll get that soup going. Come out when you’re ready.” He tugged on a long-sleeved t-shirt that had been on the floor before he walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

  Way to go, dumbass. She berated herself as she threw back the covers and reached for her panties. If she’d been braver, she should have played along with Cyrus and seen what happened after that. She could tell he found her attractive, the same as she did him, by the way he looked at her. Then there was the fact he’d risked himself by going out in a blizzard to save her stupid ass. In her books, that made him a hero.

  Shyla quickly pulled on the rest of her clothes before she walked over to the closed door. She took a deep, calming breath before she tugged it open. She stepped into the main area of the cabin. Cyrus stood by a woodstove as he stirred the contents inside a pot that sat on top it. The only lighting were candles and a couple oil lamps. She couldn’t see any light switches anywhere on the walls, nor a fridge or stove inside the small kitchen.

  Cyrus turned his head to look at her. “Take a seat at the table. The soup won’t take long to heat.”

  She did as he said. Shyla looked around, summing up the place as very rustic. Not that it was a bad thing. The cabin was warm and cherry. She set her gaze on Cyrus and asked, “Do you live here by yourself?”

  Cyrus walked over to one of the cupboards and took out a bowl. He turned in her direction with it in hand. “Yeah, though all my family live in their own cabins not too far from mine. We share one hundred acres.”

  “That’s quite a bit of land. Either you have a large family or you all like to have your space.”

  He crossed over to the woodstove and filled the bowl he held with soup. Cyrus came to stand next to Shyla, then placed it on the table in front of her. He took a seat in the chair across from hers before he spoke.

  Cyrus smiled. “It’s a little bit of both. I’m the second oldest of six boys. And, of course, there are my parents.”

  “Five brothers. I can’t imagine having that many siblings. I’m an only child. Your poor mother must have spent a number of years being pregnant.” Shyla ate a spoonful of soup, the warmth driving away the last of the chill inside her.

  He chuckled. “My mom was just pregnant once. There were only five minutes between each of us.”

  Shyla’s eyes widened. “Sextuplets? That doesn’t happen very often unless the mother is taking fertility drugs.”

  “She didn’t. It runs in the family to have multiple births, but not usually six at one time.” Cyrus glanced pointedly down at her bowl of soup. “Eat up before it grows cold.”

  She ate another spoonful. “This is going down really well. It was exactly what I needed.”

  “I thought so.”

  Their gazes met, and just like that, the whole mood changed. That delicious smell that made Shyla think of hot, passionate nights filled her nose. The way Cyrus looked at her, as if she were something he craved, had her thinking about something other than food. She’d never had a man stare at her like that before, and she had to admit she liked it. He had her body responding, heating faster than the soup would ever accomplish. She resisted the urge to cross her arms across her chest to hide the fact her nipples were taut and pushed against the cups of her bra.

  Cyrus’ gaze darted downward, landing squarely on her chest, before he lifted it once again to Shyla’s face. She swallowed as a rush of desire surged through her. God, he was good looking. She wondered what he’d do if she jumped over the table and threw herself at him. Would he think she was too forward if she shoved her tongue down his throat as she ground her pussy against his cock?

  Shyla gave herself a mental shake as she brought her wayward thoughts under control. It did nothing for her body, which jumped up and down, screaming, “Hell yeah,” inside her mind. It was all for attacking Cyrus now and asking questions later.

  Another wave of that pussy-clenching scent wafted her way. She’d never smelled anything like it, and could easily see herself becoming addicted to it. Shyla squirmed in her seat as wetness pooled deep inside her. Since waking up from her ordeal, she’d spent a lot of time being turned-on all because her rescuer stank in a good way. Granted it’d been about a year since she’d last gone to bed with a man, but she’d taken care of her needs by herself when they wouldn’t be ignored. She shouldn’t be acting like a horny, desperate woman who’d do anything to get laid.

  To distract herself, Shyla tore her gaze off Cyrus’ face and turned her attention on her soup. She spooned it into her mouth, barely tasting it, before she swallowed. It did nothing to quell the hunger she had for the man sitting on the other side of the table.

  *

  Cyrus had the tightest hold he could have on himself as Shyla kept her head down and ate her soup as if it’d be snatched away from her at any moment. The scent of her arousal made him want to throw back his head and howl like the wolf he was. His cock was so hard he wouldn’t be surprised if it burst the zipper on his jeans.

  The need to claim Shyla as his mate rode him, and with it his scent became stronger, which obviously aroused her. It was a vicious circle that would only get worse if Cyrus didn’t put a stop to it. Unchecked, he’d have his would-be mate back in his bed naked, as he sank his cock deep inside her over and over again.

  He wanted that, but he didn’t want to rush things. She didn’t know what he was, or what she was to him. A female wolf shifter would expect him to have claimed her as soon as she’d awakened his dick. They were raised to think the only thing that would complete them was to have their mate find them and mark them as his. Once a male’s mate brand appeared, most packs would line up their unmated females and have the male smell each one. If one of them literally got a rise out of him, they were expected to immediately go off and have sex, the male biting her where her shoulder and neck met so the brand would appear on her skin. It didn’t matter if they knew each other or not.

  Cyrus and his family felt the practice was on the barbaric side. It was mostly the reason why his parents had left their packs to live alone. His mother had never wanted to be lined up like a brood mare for some marked male in front of her entire pack. She’d found their father and then allowed him to claim her on her terms, which his dad had been more than happy with.

  He quickly pushed back his chair and stood. Cyrus turned his back on Shyla and headed over to the window that was in the living room area. He stood in front of it and watched the snow come down. So far it didn’t show any sign of letting up. If it kept falling like this, he had a feeling Shyla wouldn’t be going home the next day. He wouldn’t even risk taking her on his snowmobile.

  “It’s still pretty bad out there, huh?”

  Cyrus turned his head to see Shyla now stood beside him, looking out the window as well. “Yeah,” he said. “It’s the first real bad one of the season. I’ll have to go unbury all my traps. I won’t catch anything with all this snow covering them.”

  “You’re a trapper?”

  “Yes. All the men in my family are. It’s how we make our living.”

  “So you’re a real mountain man,” Shayla said with a smile.

  Cyrus returned it with one of his own. “I guess you could say th
at.”

  He shifted so he faced her. She did the same and looked him in the face. His gaze fell to her lips. He ached to feel them under his, his tongue exploring her mouth as he tasted her. She was his, and to think of how close he’d come to losing her before even getting to know her had him all the more anxious to make her his.

  Once more, the craving to claim her tried to overtake him. Cyrus didn’t miss how his scent affected Shyla. Desire rose in her eyes, and the delectable smell of her arousal filled his nose. He had to kiss her. He was a wolf. His instincts were stronger than a human’s, and right now, they were telling him to take her, bite her and put his claim over her. A meeting of lips would put them on the road to achieving that.

  Cyrus bent his head and lowered his mouth to Shyla’s. He kissed her lightly, wanting to give her the chance to pull away if she wanted to. She made it perfectly clear that wasn’t going to happen when she reached up, fisted the sides of his hair in both hands and tugged him closer to increase the pressure of his mouth. He wrapped her in his arms and held her against him.

  He stroked his tongue along the seam of her lips. She eagerly opened for him. He pushed inside, glorying in the taste of his mate. Her breathy sounds of pleasure pushed his arousal higher.

  Cyrus picked Shyla off her feet, keeping his arms around her waist, and walked them over to the couch. He turned and sat, positioning her across his lap as he continued to hungrily kiss her. She had other ideas, though. She turned so she faced him and straddled his thighs. With her hands on the tops of his shoulders, she rubbed her jean-clad pussy against his throbbing cock. His eyes just about rolled to the back of his head. He held on to her hips and pressed her down harder as he lifted into the apex of her legs, increasing the pleasure that surged through him.

  A gust of cold wind blew in their direction. Cyrus broke contact with Shyla’s lips and looked toward the cabin door to find it wide open and three of his brothers just standing inside. They all wore a knowing smile. He hadn’t kept his being branded a secret, so it mustn’t have taken his siblings long to figure out what the woman in his arms had to mean to him.