Awakened by the Wolf (21 page)

Chapter 32

T
he sweet smell of late-blooming honeysuckle perfumed the evening breeze tickling Cassie's skin. The buzz of insects vibrated in the stillness of night, and the twinkle of fireflies winked through the trees. The serenity did nothing to calm her turmoil.

Stretched out on a large flat boulder at the edge of the stream, she stared at the stars.

Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Orion—none offered wisdom or comfort about what lay ahead.

Cassie's college financial aid advisor had arranged for her to live in campus housing and had assigned her a job in the work-study program so she wouldn't have to withdraw from her classes. She should have been ecstatic, not worried about resigning from a job she intended to leave anyway, and she certainly shouldn't have been nervous about what Brice would say. He didn't want her to quit. Now she would be able to finish. He should be pleased with the news.

Deep down, she knew he wouldn't be thrilled at all. Neither was she, really.

In the span of a week, she'd grown used to his company. Especially at night, because his presence soothed the lonely ache in her heart. Even when they argued.

As she numbered the Pleiades, a faint plop splashed the water in the distance. She sat up, watching a dark blob ebbing toward her. The shadowy figure leaped from the current and landed on the embankment.

“Brice?” She swung a heavy, square flashlight in the direction of the sound and bit back a relieved sigh as a black wolf shook, slinging peals of water from his fur in every direction.

He cocked his head and stared for several suspended heartbeats. She turned off the flashlight and set it aside.

In a blink, Brice the man rose naked, haloed in a silvery sheen.

Cassie sucked her bottom lip between her teeth watching him stalk toward her. Since the night he'd found her in the hospital parking lot, Brice had stopped prancing around the cabin naked, and she missed how comfortable he'd been for her to see him.

Stupid roommate rules!

She could only blame herself.

“What are you doing out here?” Brice ran his hand through his dark, damp hair. His eyes searched her face as if she were a huge mystery.

Cassie believed herself too boring to captivate his attention for long. Brice, however, being all that he was, mesmerized her so completely that Cassie knew he'd enchant her forever.

“I needed to clear my head.” She slid off the rock.

Brice closed the slight distance to tower over her. Tall, broad and masculine. On instinct to protect her personal space, Cassie placed her hand on his chest and then wondered why. Brice didn't care much for boundaries, except to test them. Over the last few days, he'd certainly pushed hers to the limits, and then some.

Trailing down his scarred flesh to his belly button, her fingertips tingled from the soft buzz of electricity. Eyes nearly hooded, he sucked in a breath.

“Does it hurt?”

“No.” His raw, needy sigh scraped her skin. “Your touch always feels damn good.”

Cassie lowered her face to hide a smile. “I meant when you change forms.”

“A current travels down my spine and into my nerves, but it isn't painful.”

“One second you're a beautiful wolf.” Cassie allowed him to lift her chin.

“The next, I'm a man.” He touched his lips to her mouth, a sweet brush of tenderness that made her ache for more.

More of life. More of love. More of everything.

If she had died today, what would she regret? Aside from being dead, that is.

Not earning her degree would suck, but what caused her stomach to fist and roll were the missed opportunities with Brice. She couldn't afford to fall in love with him. Yet somewhere deep inside, Cassie realized her biggest mistake in life or death would be to allow him to drift out of her life without grabbing on to one consequential moment.

She cupped his neck, pulling him forward and sealing her mouth to his. Taking the hint, he angled his body into hers, nudging her back until she was sandwiched between him and the boulder. He deepened the kiss, holding her face with both hands. The length of each finger heated her flesh, holding her steady as he nipped her lower lip without breaking the skin. Then his tongue soothed the momentary sting.

A chaotic flutter swept through her belly, and further down, a clenching need sprung to life. Of their own accord, her hips moved against him in a slow grind that only intensified the need. A deep, ragged moan rose from Cassie's core.

Brice stilled. He lifted his head, turning on that fierce gaze that bore into her soul.

She'd seen this look. Every night when she climbed into bed, every morning when she awoke to his smile. And every time he kissed her, touched her. Only tonight, caution tempered the desire in his eyes.

Had she waited too long?

“Cas.” He pivoted away. “I can't play the hot and cold game tonight. Go back to the cabin before I get carried away.”

“Quit telling me what to do,” Cassie replied sharply. “I don't want to leave. I don't want you to stop.”

Her declaration dangled between them. Cassie's heart demanded that he believe her. He had every reason to turn her down. She'd been such a ninny to discourage his interest, belittle his feelings. If he walked off, leaving her cold and wanting, it would be what she deserved.

“Do you understand what you're saying?” he asked in a deep, husky voice that quickened her pulse.

“Yes.”

He turned back to her, slowly.

“And I know what I want.” She didn't want to fight the pull between them, not anymore. She wanted to explore the desire he'd awakened. Wanted to seize the moment before it was too late.

In a moment of boldness, she drew a single finger across the tip of his penis and down the faint ridge of the underside of his shaft. He shuddered, eyes half closing.

Encouraged, she wrapped her hand around as much of him as she could, squeezing gently and leisurely stroking up and down his length, stopping only to gather moisture from his arousal to smooth the glide.

“You're killing me,” he whispered raggedly.

His vulnerability shot a feeling of feminine power through her veins. She sank to her knees and ran her tongue across his slit. His taste surprised her—warm, slightly salty and deliciously male. Sucking the mushroom tip into her mouth, she stroked the length of his shaft.

Twining his fingers in her hair, he lifted his hips ever so slightly in soft thrusts. Groans of pleasure fell from his parted lips and fed her arousal. The deeper and more guttural the sounds he made, the wetter she became.

“Enough!” he growled.

The force of his command sent a shiver down her spine. Wondering if she'd done something wrong, she looked up. The feral hunger in his eyes wiped away her fear.

He lifted her to her feet, hauled her against his body and claimed her mouth. Hard, hot and huge, his erection dug into her abdomen, an insistent distraction. All she could focus on was how it would feel thrusting inside her.

Brice's hands disappeared beneath the baseball jersey he'd given her to wear to bed. He touched his way up her stomach with possessive urgency. His long, nimble fingers imprinted trails of heat along her ribs, shortening her breaths. Instead of moving upward to her breasts, his palms slid to her back, rubbing small circles in the muscles along her spine, pressing her so tightly against him that she felt as if their bodies would merge.

Her nipples tightened into points so sensitive every rub and scratch of her shirt reverberated in her sex. Heat smoldered in her pelvis. Her body felt uncomfortably hot. She wanted to peel out of her clothes and feel Brice's slick skin against her bare body.

As if reading her mind, Brice whipped the nightshirt over her head and dropped it on the ground. He leaned back, staring, as if memorizing every line, every curve, every imperfection.

“God, you're beautiful.”

She heard sincere desperation in his hoarse voice.

He traced along the curve of her breasts, over the fleshy peaks, and strummed her nipples, pulling something between a groan of pleasure and primal yowl from her throat. His own growl answered—fierce, possessive, demanding.

His hands dropped to her ass, kneading the globes in a slow grind instead of the place she really wanted him to stroke. He lowered his face, dotting kisses in the valley between her breasts. His stubbled cheeks brushed against the tender sides. He licked her taut nipple before sucking the peak in his warm, delicious mouth. An electric heat zipped through Cassie's body, buzzing her head to toe with a crescendoing thrill converging on her sex.

Gasping, she anchored her fingers in the dark waves of Brice's hair and pressed her hips into him, craving the feel of his body, his strength, his very essence.

His hands took on an urgency, palming a path from her midriff down her belly. He cupped her mound and, through the damp cotton panties, teased her folds. Tension coiled in her body, drawing in every muscle almost to the point of pain.

“I want you. So much it hurts. But if this isn't what you want, tell me now.” Pure desperation and restraint rasped his voice. “Once I taste you, there's no turning back.”

How many times had he told her that she was his?

Right now, she was. Utterly and completely.

“I want you, Brice. More than anything. Right here. Right now.”

The triumphant curl of his smile sent a flutter of caution through Cassie's mind. “Promise me one thing.” She stroked the scratchy stubble along his jaw.

“Anything.” Holding her hand against his cheek, he kissed her palm.

“No biting.”

Brice flinched, and his breathing faltered. Cassie hated the hurt she sensed. He believed her to be his true mate. However, she wouldn't trust their futures to a misguided fantasy. One day, he'd thank her for keeping him from making the biggest mistake of their lives. His bite would not only bind them together in an unbreakable union but also create a very big risk for an unplanned pregnancy.

Gazing upward, Brice seemed to search the heavens for something. Patience, perhaps. Or maybe he was simply contemplating if Cassie was worth all the aggravation.

“I promise. No biting.” His thumb traced the bow of her lip.
“Tonight.”

“Thank you.” She stretched her neck as Brice nuzzled and kissed his favorite spot behind her ear. He was a man of his word, so she let go of any fears of becoming pregnant and repeating her mother's life.

Instead, Cassie gave herself to the sensation of soft, hot kisses at the hollow of her throat and the delicate tease of Brice's fingers along her upper thighs and pelvis. Her body shuddered, alert to every sweep of his hand and lick of his tongue.

Expectancy charged the night air. She could almost hear the crackle.

He knelt before her and kissed her stomach, then pressed his face against her skin and breathed in her scent. He moved his nose lower and lower until he reached her mound.

The anticipation was nearly unbearable. Every touch, every kiss, every time he breathed against her skin, sizzling currents of need and want shocked her core. Her sex clenched in a maddening frenzy to be filled.

“Brice,” she whimpered, embarrassed to be so wantonly needy.

Hooking his thumbs inside the waistband of her panties, he inched them down her legs until she wished he'd rip the damn things off. She'd never felt so aware of her body. It was as if Brice had flayed her skin, laid bare her nerves and plugged them into a light socket. By the time she stepped out of her panties, she was panting.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Pleasuring you.” His tongue slid along her folds and her body melted. Brice's hands clasped her ass, steadying her while his mouth devoured her sex.

Cassie shivered. An indescribable pressure rose inside her core. Her hips rocked in a rhythmic dance to match Brice's lavish licks along her sex with maddening precision.

Cassie knotted her fingers in his hair. More, she wanted—needed—more.

“Oh, God,” she gasped as his warm, wet tongue speared inside her. The undulations of pleasure he unleashed were so strong, so intense, so incredibly primal that she cried out in an unintelligible language.

She closed her eyes, giving in to the excruciating bliss. The orgasmic force shattered every cell in her body. It must have, because her entire being came undone. If not for Brice's strong arms and muscular body anchoring her, she would've simply drifted into oblivion.

“You okay, Sunshine?” Brice swept damp tendrils from her face.

“Mmm,” was all Cassie could mumble. Beyond delighted, her entire body whirred.

Brice stood, his hands still supporting her unsteady legs. “You are amazing.”

“So are you.” She laved her tongue over the scars at the base of his neck and moved up and over his chin to capture his lips. He tasted of salt, raw masculinity and her.

The control he'd shown moments before evaporated. His hands, his mouth, his rock-hard body crushed her against the boulder. Possessive. Demanding. Needful.

Invigorated by his touch, she felt heat course through her again.

Lifting her leg against his hip, Brice thrust inside her. Pain ripped through her sex. Cassie cried out, digging her nails into his back as her whole body tensed.

Brice stilled. His expression darkened to confusion and then...regret?

He started to pull away.

“Don't.” The sultriness of her voice came from a dormant place he'd awakened. “I want this.” She clasped his face in her hands. “I want this with you.”

He didn't look convinced. “Cas, you should've told me this was your first time.”

“Why does it matter?”

“I would've done this right. Champagne. Candles. Rose petals scattered across a nice, soft bed.”

“I don't drink, so the champagne would be wasted.” She laced her fingers behind his neck and wrapped one leg and then the other around his waist, using the boulder at her back as leverage. “I wouldn't want to stain the sheets, so I would've vacuumed the rose petals from the bed. And candles can't compare to the moon and stars above us.” She nipped his lower lip. “I can't imagine a more perfect time or place than right here, right now. With you.”