by Moira Rogers
Why did the man have to be so reasonable? Simple. Time was on his side and he knew it. I would have loved to say his confidence was misplaced, but we both knew how much I wanted what he was offering. The question was if my strength of will was stronger than my desire?
I needed action. Walking past him, taking a glass from his hand as I went, I flipped on the outside light and kept moving to the living room. The apartment wasn’t very big, but it boasted a small dining room, a living room, a bedroom and a centrally located bath. Considering I spent most of my time downstairs, it was all I needed.
He followed like a shadow, not needing any more light than I did to travel the familiar path across the worn carpet. I skirted the doorway to the bedroom, grateful that I had closed it before heading out earlier, and led him to the couch and love seat. Pointedly not looking at the oil painting centered above the couch that Marcus had given me for my birthday last year, I leaned over to flip the lamp on low before settling into the corner next to it with my feet curled under me. It was a very catlike pose, but it was too late to change as Marcus settled close to me.
If he felt awkward, it didn’t show. He sat with a casual grace and surveyed the room with an imperial air. Considering nothing had changed since the last time he visited, the rush of anxiety I felt was totally absurd. Of course, my jumble of emotions may have been the kiss and the remaining hum of unfulfilled desire. My libido hadn’t quite realized I was going to be frustrated by morning and responded to the promise of his presence.
Hell, whom was I kidding? I was already frustrated and the solution was close enough to touch. I couldn’t have been more miserable if I were staring at a display of chocolate-covered strawberries behind the glass of a closed shop. Since breaking the glass wasn’t an option, I had to tough it out with the reminder that I had gone to him, after all.
I drank from the glass but couldn’t appreciate the rich taste of the wine. The quality of it indicated Marcus had my number on more than one level. The silence stretched from awkward into downright rude. When he finally spoke, I jumped, sloshing wine across my hand and onto my slacks. Even as his gaze dropped to the red staining the tan fabric and heated with all sorts of lascivious promises, his words registered.
“You’ve stayed away a long time, Destiny. I’ve missed you. My heart has been lonely.”
The tension shifted back to the sexual undertones and I had to beat back my libido. Grabbing on to the only lifeline I could find, I tried to pick a fight.
“I noticed you said your heart was lonely and not your bed.”
Months ago, it would have had the desired effect. Either Marcus had gotten wise to me or he had mellowed. Vampires as old as he was didn’t change readily, so I was betting on the former. Instead of rising to the bait, he met my challenging look with a contemplative gaze.
“Why is my lifestyle so repugnant when yours wouldn’t be very different if you followed your instincts?”
Our time apart had made him smarter too. I was screwed and not in a good way. I sensed retreat might be in order, but argued anyway. “For starters, female lions are very selective in their breeding habits and don’t have a different male every night of the week.”
“So your objection isn’t to the other women, just the variety?”
On one hand, my ego was stroked that he’d wasted so much time thinking about why I’d left him. On the other, it meant I was going to have to be totally honest with both of us. Since moral outrage hadn’t worked, maybe honesty would.
“I don’t know, Marcus. I wasn’t raised among lions, so my moral code doesn’t exactly jive with my genetic programming. Lionesses in the wild will commit to a male coalition if they’re strong enough to keep the pride safe and they’ll share those males among them. Do shapeshifting lions abide by that same code? You tell me since you’ve known more of them than I have.”
It came out with a wealth of bitter undertones. I cringed, but held my ground. I thought I had come to terms with the fact my mother had left me on the doorstep of St. George’s Children’s Home as a newborn, but apparently my abandonment issues were creeping up to haunt me at the most inopportune time. It also gave away more than I wanted Marcus to know. Intuitive as always, he picked up on the hidden clue.
“So if it’s not the sharing that offends you, what is it, dear Destiny?”
I took the opportunity to look at him, really look at him. The first moment I’d laid eyes on him, his presence had hit me like a blow to my middle. He still had the ability to do that to me. Now it was tempered by familiarity and genuine affection for the man underneath which made it so much more dangerous. With that in mind, I strove for gentle honesty for both our sakes.
“It’s the being left behind, Marcus. You make time for me on my allotted days and then you disappear until my turn on the rotation rolls ’round again. What bothers me is I’m a type of casual fling for you. It’s not enough for me. Not when you’re more than that for me.”
His temper prickled along my senses, but he quickly bottled it. Without meaning to, I’d offended him.
“I gave you more time than any of my other women. Even you can’t feed me more than twice a week without harm.”
“And did you think that you don’t have to use me as dinner to be with me? How about having your dinner then meeting me for a movie or for a quiet night in? That never occurred to you, did it?”
His head snapped back as if I’d struck him and I knew I was right on the mark. With a deep breath, I set my wineglass on the side table and turned to face him by shifting my back to the arm of the couch.
“Destiny,” he began. I watched him decide on the words to use. Apparently, he was being as careful as I was. “You’re right. It never occurred to me to consider spending time together unencumbered by need.”
I was expecting more outrage and a true argument so his capitulation gave my mounting frustration no outlet. His gaze lingered on mine and he nodded as if making a decision of his own that I wasn’t privy to. He rose with all the grace of his station and held out his hand to me.
“When was the last time you truly rested?” he asked. “When have you truly felt safe in the world enough to sleep?”
So he was going to use his knowledge of my secrets against me.
“The absolute last place I want to be right now is in bed with you.”
Liar, liar, pants on fire. I ignored my subconscious taunting.
True love’s path never did run smooth.
Wolf Games
© 2010 Vivian Arend
Granite Lake Wolves, Book 3
After seven years of total denial, Maggie Raynor’s body—and her inner wolf—are in full revolt. Weak and shaky, she literally falls into the very large and capable arms of the Granite Lake Beta, Erik Costanov. The last thing she wants is a mate, particularly when just looking at another wolf scares her to death. And one as big and sexy as Erik? Really bad idea, no matter what her libido says.
Erik expected to meet Maggie in Whitehorse to escort her to the home of her sister, his pack’s Omega. Sheer chance puts him in the right place at the right time to catch her, but the realization that hits him with the force of a full body shot is no accident. She’s his mate. An even bigger shock? She wants no part of him—not until she resolves her issues.
She’ll have to work fast, because they’re both selected to represent the pack during the premier sporting event for wolves in the north. Not only will she have to work as a team with Erik, she’ll have to face down her fear of wolves. Let the Games begin.
Warning: Contains uber-sexy werewolves of Russian descent, reluctant mates and exotic travels through the Yukon wilderness. Includes sarcasm and hot nookie under the Midnight Sun.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Wolf Games:
Her bright eyes examined his face closely, as if she was trying to see if this was some kind of trick to impress her. “You’re a very complicated man, Erik Costanov.”
He shook his head. “I’m as simple as they come. I believe in
the golden rule, and I try to live by it.”
She knocked him off balance by crawling across his legs and straddling him, her butt resting on his thighs. He lay very still, afraid to scare her, but savouring the sensation of her weight on top of him.
“What are you doing?” There, that managed to come out sounding reasonably intelligible. Damn, he spoke seven languages and right now English didn’t seem to be one of them. His tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth.
She wiggled a little closer and he bit back a groan. Her hot core now rested against his groin and his cock rose like new bread in an oven. “I want to kiss you.”
Hallelujahs rang in his brain. Holy freaking exclamations of jubilation, rejoicing and unending glee broke out in a full chorus. But when he spoke, he delivered a measured, “Okay.”
She leaned forward and brushed her lips over his, and the electric sensation he’d felt before when they kissed buzzed through his torso and up his spine to his brain. Before he knew it, he’d buried the fingers of one hand in her hair, moving her the way he wanted her, while the other wrapped around her body to pull their torsos together. Her sweetness filled his senses, tantalizing his taste buds with the desire for more. Eager noises rose from her as their tongues brushed.
The night remained warm, and they both wore only shorts and T-shirts. Having a barrier between them was torture. He broke off their kiss, sat with her still straddling him, and whipped off his shirt. Her eyes bulged for a second before she reached down to caress his abdomen, the fleeting strokes tormenting him even as he savoured his mate finally, finally touching his skin again.
“Please take off your shirt.” His voice cracked, he needed this so much. He closed his eyes against the disappointment of her saying no, then the rustle of fabric hit his ears. When he looked again, she still wore her bra, but the creamy smoothness of the rest of her skin more than made up for that small disappointment. He touched her reverently, stroking from her hips up the gentle indent of her waist until he covered the swells of her lace-covered breasts. She sucked in a gasp as he rubbed his thumbs in small circles over her nipples, the tips beading to tight points that stabbed his flesh through the fabric. “You’re beautiful.”
He ignored the driving urge to roll her over and take her, and instead slipped his hands back around her torso so their lips met again.
They kissed leisurely, exploring each other’s mouths and necks, tongues stroking, teeth nibbling. Erik wasn’t sure how long they sat there and frankly, he didn’t give a damn. He’d waited his whole life for her, and they were finally doing what his wolf had been howling at him to do for days. Although the beast was going to be sorely disappointed when they didn’t go all the way.
Maggie’s breathing grew more rapid and she squirmed against him, her mound rubbing his groin like a firebrand. When he finally couldn’t take it anymore, he grabbed her by the ass and adjusted her until he was happy. He ground them together again and again, and she moaned in his ear. Damn, he was going to come right like this if he didn’t watch it.
So he lifted her and undid her belt.
She slapped at his hands. “What are you doing?”
“Take off your pants.”
“Erik, we can’t—”
He was on fire with a desperate need. “We’re not having sex but I need to touch you. Take them off, now.” She hesitated for just a second, then unzipped and dropped both her panties and her shorts, stepping out of the legs where they bunched around her ankles. She stood there, bare-naked except for her bra, with her pussy right in front of him and he had no power to resist.
He clutched her ass and buried his face between her legs. She cried out softly but he was too busy to warn her to stay quiet. Her sweet scent drew him, and he separated the curls covering her with his tongue and licked the length of her slit. Oh Lord, she tasted good. Her flavour raced through him and drugged his senses. He pressed his tongue into her pussy as far as it would go, lapping at the cream coating her passage.
She rocked against his mouth, opening her legs wider, her fingers clutching his head. The arm he’d wrapped around her ensured she stayed right where he could reach and delve into her body. She made the most delicious noises, and he stopped to take a deep breath and enjoy the sensation of holding her intimately.
“More,” she demanded.
“Yes.” He slipped a finger into her depths and suckled her clit with his mouth.
“Yessss…” Her hiss of agreement trailed off into the contented rumble of a wolf being petted and he smiled.
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