“You’re kidding me.” She tosses that waist-length hair of hers. Gold glints in the thick blonde strands that shine in the sunlight.
I want to wrap that thick rope around my wrist, yank her head back, then bury my nose into the hollow at her nape and inhale her essence. My groin tightens. Blood rushes to my dick. I widen my stance, knowing I am already erect. And I haven’t yet touched her.
“What, you not used to your man whipping up a meal for you? Just before he bends you over the table and fucks you. Making love to you until you see every color of the rainbow exploding in your mind.”
She gulps and the sweetness of her arousal bleeds into the air. Then she raises her chin. “You don’t scare me.”
“If you only knew the thoughts running through my head right now…” I bend my head until our noses almost bump.
Color floods her cheeks. Her chin wobbles. But she doesn’t step back. And that’s impressive. And, no, I don’t go around inviting women home for a meal. Come to think of it, I’ve never offered to cook for anyone else, not until now. Maybe it’s because I know that once I take her, I won’t stop. Once I bury myself in her, there’s no way I am letting her go. I will not let her out of my sight, out of my space. I will keep her tied to my bed, until… Until I have mated her. Fuck me. Where had that thought come from? I take a step back.
The breath rushes out of her. “You have ten seconds.”
“Wha…what do you mean?”
Fuck if I know. This entire putting things on a deadline, giving her a chance to back out, wanting her to leave before I do something I’ll regret, all of it is new. Different. My heart stutters.
Why is it that I feel I am taking on something I won’t be able to see through? That I am already out of my depth? This is only the second time I’m seeing her, and I already know she is unique. I rub the back of my neck.
Clearly, the thought of embarking on a risky mission, one from which I may not return, is preying on my mind. As much as the fact that her life will be in danger. I realize what I have to do. I need her to agree to come back with me. Then I am going to ensure that she never puts herself in danger again.
And there you have it, the extent to which I will go to keep her safe. A woman I barely know. One who I am going to get to know better than anyone else. The scent of her, the touch of her, the taste of her, all of it is mine. Only mine. A low growl reverberates up my chest.
She frowns. “You sound like one of those alpha-hole shifters, who I warn you, is exactly the kind of man who puts me off.”
“Or maybe that’s exactly the kind of man you need.”
“You mean someone like you?”
“Exactly.” I thrust out my chest, knowing that’ll draw her gaze to my sculpted pecs and because that’s a surefire way of impressing females; it’s a gesture that’s never failed me in the past, and why am I trying so hard at trying to get this woman’s attention? I prop my palms on my hips. Sure, lay that macho stuff on thick. Why not, eh? You’re only trying to piss her off into doing something. Trying to get her to give you an opening. One whiff of weakness, that’s all I need. “Someone who’ll put you in your place, who’ll spank your ass till you learn your lesson.”
“Lesson?” Her throat moves. She shoves her hand into her pocket.
Don’t look there, not at her crotch.
Not at my own either.
Not now. Not yet.
“What kind of lesson?” Her gaze widens.
“The kind that warns you not to play with dangerous men, males out of your league, who can see right through that sass of yours. It’s what you want, admit it. From the moment you saw me, you marked me out. You knew we were going to partner on a mission, and you wanted to catch my attention. It’s why you distracted the men outside the rink while I was whipping my opponent’s ass, no less, then you came along and—”
“What? What did I do?” She pulls her hand out of her pocket and holds up a lollipop in her fingers.
“Huh?” I narrow my gaze on the candy. No way, she didn’t just do that. She didn’t unpeel the wrapper, then raise the rounded edge of the lollipop to her mouth and suck on it, did she?
Her pink tongue wraps around the sweet, and holy fuck, I swear I feel the tug of her lips all the way to the edge of my cock.
“Five seconds. Sweetheart. You have five seconds to get the hell out of here.”
“Do I seem to be in a hurry?” She smiles at me, then jabs the lollipop in her mouth so one cheek bulges out.
My dick strains in my pants, and I don’t need to look down to know that there is a bigger bulge just below my waist.
“Four.” My voice comes out harsh. I swallow. I can’t take my gaze off that gorgeous, tempting mouth. I want her to go toe to toe with me. Want her to challenge me. Want her to get out of here so I am not forced to carry through my intentions. Who am I kidding? If she runs, I will chase her. Hell, I want to hunt her. Claim her, mate her…not. No, no, no. Not that again. If she runs, then the culmination of this encounter will only be more satisfying.
If she stays? Then, I can’t be held responsible for what is going to unfold between us. Not when she tempts me, not when my dick throbs and strains, needing to be inside her.
She sucks on the lollipop then glides it out and over her lips and holds it up. She raises her other arm. “I am trembling, can you tell?”
Her chest heaves.
“That you are, darlin’, and it’s not with anger or hate. It’s anticipation. You want everything I can do to you. You want me. It’s why you’ve been teasing me. Torturing me. Enticing me to come for you.”
“Jeez.” She flutters her eyelashes. “Add psychologist to your list of considerable assets.” Her gaze sweeps down my chest to my crotch. Her eyes widen. She flicks her tongue out to lick her lips, and that’s the last straw.
“One.”
Her gaze shoots up to me. “You missed a few numbers.”
“Fuck the numbers.” Fuck me and my good intentions, too.
“You’re cheating.” A pulse flickers to life at the nape of her neck.
“Wrong again. So far, I’ve been decent, I’ve played by the rules.”
I dip my head and snap my teeth around her lollipop, wanting it to be something else entirely that fills my mouth, but hey, I’m not complaining. Not when the tart taste of her merges with the flavor of cherry. The honeyed sweetness explodes on my tongue. I crunch down on the candy. My jaws move. The sound of my teeth tearing through the sweet is loud in the space.
Her breath hitches and her gaze drops to my lips. “Um, I think I am going to leave now.”
Finally! That predator in me snaps to attention. My vision narrows until all I can see is her, sense her presence, inhale that cherry-and-pepper scent of her. My cock shudders.
She turns her shoulders away from me.
“Too late. You had your opportunity and you didn’t take it.”
“Remember, we are going to be partners in the upcoming mission.” Her eyes flash at me.
“The fuck I care.” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I blink.
The Fae Corps is all I have known.
I had been the smallest kid in the orphanage, thin and scrawny. I was the one who the others had bullied. I’d been sixteen before I’d managed to escape.