Tyler had already left with the body. Danny had gone to tighten security around my building. Nick had left, taking my bloodied bag of clothes and shoes with him, presumably to burn. He’d also bolted my front door back into place with a toolkit I kept for emergencies. The door wasn’t going to keep anything of substance out, but I had a big wolf with me for the night to help me maintain order.
My father had ordered James to stay with me, which was fine by me. If anything else happened tonight, I wasn’t sure I could physically handle it, and having company was nice.
“Here, let me get that,” James said as he plucked the bucket, along with the rags I’d been using, and walked them out onto the balcony.
I rested my back against the brick wall and ran my hands through my hair. It’d been a long night. One of the longest of my life.
James stepped back into my apartment empty-handed. He was wearing almost the same thing I’d seen him in yesterday, a black T-shirt and a pair of faded green cargo pants. I’d never really seen him in anything else. Both pieces of clothing were stretched tightly across his body, producing the maximum effect of powerful man. He had no clue how good he looked.
My wolf’s ears perked and I shifted slightly.
James stopped midstride, his gaze snapping to mine.
My breath hitched without my permission. I stared back. There, just below the surface, a hint of yellow danced across his irises.
Hmm.
When wolves fought, adrenaline raged through their veins, as it did through mine now. With the excess buildup from all the stress and excitement, they often ran for hours to get their systems back to normal.
Or sometimes they just had sex.
I dropped my eyes and fiddled with the hem of the tank top I’d changed into. “So, here we are,” I said quietly.
He growled in response.
My skin pricked and lust shot to the surface, hot and fierce. My wolf let out a long agonized howl, ending in a series of short, frantic barks as a dam inside me ruptured. Everything ached at once. My fingertips gripped the wall tightly so I didn’t fall down as the lust wrapped around me, tugging at my body, pouring through me with its urgent craving.
James stayed where he was. Waiting.
I didn’t dare look at him again. I knew his eyes would be blazing.
My wolf whined. She wanted this. There was no question.
But did I?
I knew feeling lusty was part of the newborn deal; add in all the chaos of the night and nobody had to spell it out to me. I needed a release. I also knew wolves had sex a lot. They didn’t view it as humans did. It was something to be fulfilled. A base urge. No emotional ties needed.
But I hadn’t grown up a wolf, I’d grown up human.
Hold on, Jezebel, I told my wolf. I’m not sure if I can do this— check that—if we can do this. I’m not interested in becoming a slutty werewolf, no matter how good it sounds right now. Being the only female wolf around, we’re going to have to watch it. And James is not our mate.
Don’t ask me how I knew that fact, because the man could fit the bill, there was no question about it, but James was not ours. I’d always heard finding your true mate was a gift, something rare. It didn’t mean James and I couldn’t sleep together, it just meant there was a slim to none chance we would ever pair up permanently.
My wolf gave a frustrated huff and threw a picture in my mind of an Alpha wolf taking his pick of females.
We are not the Alpha!
Huff.
Another flash of an Alpha wolf choosing a female, and—Helllooo, that’s enough of that! I get it. You want him.
A fierce growl.
It was a little too late to argue with her. The scent we were leaking into the air was pure, unadulterated sex, fueled for the most part by my horny wolf. It was so thick, I could almost see it. Geez, can you tone it down a few notches?
I inhaled and caught a new smell.
A wild, earthy scent flooded my senses like a sweet, inviting offer. All the cells in my body simultaneously popped and everything that was already aching started pulsing with a new, delicious heartbeat. My skin erupted in a million inviting tingles. I tightened my hands into fists, my regular nails pricking my palms.
I was losing myself to the overwhelming sensations.
And I liked it.
James moved, taking a single step closer. I lifted my head slowly and pinned him with a heated gaze. He was a warrior, his irises locking on mine, blazing full gold. A new tide of desire ran through me, his eyes triggering something deep inside me. His hands were fisted, his body tight with strain, his wolf at the very forefront. I’d never in my life noticed him like this before, but no one could deny he was a beautiful man. His olive skin shone, his dark hair just long enough to be deliciously tousled, his jawline strong and masculine. He looked thirty at the most, all of us destined to stay young forever.
I opened my mouth and a growl-laced purr came out.
My consent.
One step and he had me pressed up hard against the bricks. He snarled, his lips taking my neck, his tongue ran along my shoulder blade, his wolf seeking my taste. I groaned at his rich scent, pressing my nose and lips into him as far as they would go, inhaling deeply. His wolf sang directly to mine.
He pulled away and I mewed at the loss of contact. He brought his hands down and with one fierce tug my shirt was off. He stripped his away in the next motion, and my hands immediately found his chest, my fingers stroking the defined grooves, caressing the soft skin. I licked my lips in anticipation. My wolf yipped. James growled and put his head down in front of me, snapping my bra with his teeth. I dropped my arms and it fell to the floor.
His head was still bent, and I writhed on him like a drunken siren, dragging my hands through his hair, grabbing fistfuls, pulling him closer. My wolf howled in ecstasy.
His lips sought my ni**les. He took one into his mouth with a fierceness that made me shudder. My head rolled back and I moaned. He lapped and pulled on the sensitive peak, making the sensations inside me strum and heighten at an exhilarating rate. I’d never experienced anything like this before. Everything as a wolf was more amplified, each touch a greater flood of sensation than the next.
He broke the seal on my breast and slid his lips slowly up my body, his mouth and lips running over my neck, growling in my ear, “This is it, Jessica. I won’t be able to stop myself if we go forward. So say your piece now.”
I couldn’t answer. Instead, my nails raked up his back and into his thick hair then traced back down to his backside, urging him closer.
He took his delightful lips off my skin and cupped his hand around my neck, tilting my face up to meet his, his thumb languidly caressing my jaw.