Page 95 of A Wolfe in the Woods

“You liked it,” I shot back. “Besides—if you hated it, you should’ve stopped me.”

“I couldn’t,” she said dramatically. “You’re too strong.”

I softened. “I can be gentle.”

“I don’t believe you.” Lips teasing. Eyes daring. She fell back into the cushions with a slow exhale, chest rising and falling, that look on her face equal parts challenge and invitation. Something primal inside me stirred—responding not just to the sight of her but the sound of her breath, the heat rolling off her skin. She liked games too.Good.

I pressed her back, my body hovering over hers. She bit her lip and parted her thighs, making room for me…and all I wanted was to nibble on that bottom lip. Todevourher.

I dragged my teeth lightly over her neck, then dropped my voice as I brushed her ear. “You like when I take control…don’t you?”

She exhaled sharply, the truth all over her face.

That was all it took.

With firelight flickering across her throat, the lantern glow catching in her lashes, she looked up at me the way she had at Cryer’s Point…like she wasn’t afraid of the other half, the more dangerous part. The part that surged now, sharp and hungry, pacing just under my skin.

I loosened my hold on her wrists, and she didn’t pull away—if anything, her fingers curled faintly toward mine, inviting something I wasn’t sure I should give.

Her eyes flicked to my mouth. Just once. That was all it took.

I leaned in…drawn. Like inertia.

Her lashes fluttered, her breath skimmed my cheek, and her hand still tangled in mine. Heat rolled through my chest, sharp and animal. I swallowed it down. Forced myself to move slow. Gentler than instinct wanted.

A careful kiss…but threaded with heat. The wolf in me pressed forward, wanting more. I fought it back, letting the kiss stay soft when every part of me wanted to deepen it.

Her free hand slid up my chest, curling lightly into the fabric of my shirt. When I finally pulled back, she stayed close, eyes still half-lidded, breathing the same breath. The fire popped behind us.

“Okay,” she murmured, voice a little shaky. “That…was gentle.”

The next kiss wasn’t gentle at all. It was inevitable. And there was nothing gentle in the way her body answered as she leaned in, mouth parted, breath heavy like she’d been waiting for this exact moment.

She drew back momentarily, then whispered, “I want to please you.” Her lips brushed my jaw lightly. Her eyes lifted, wanting and sincere. “You took care of me. Now I want to take care of you.”

The beast inside me went eerily still. Attentive. Not from hunger, but a quiet charged pull of waiting to see what she’d do next. I hadn’t felt this sense of anticipation in a long time.

Before I knew it, she was pushing me back to sit on the couch, then she eased down between my knees, blanket slipping from her shoulders. Firelight caught in her hair like ember threads, illuminating her in a golden glow. Her fingers slid down my ribs, deliberate and slow, as if learning me. Seeking my heat. I let out an accidental breath…an unconscious decompression from a soul, pent up.

“Blanche…”

“Relax,” she murmured. “Always wound up so tight, aren’t you?”

A guttural laugh left my throat.Always.

Her hand pressed gently to my chest, firm enough to guide me backward but soft enough that I felt the care in every inch of pressure.

“Lie back.”

I did. Maybe too quickly, easing back against the cushions, muscles coiled but willing.

She leaned in.

Her fingers dipped lower, undoing my belt slowly with careful fingers. Like unwrapping something she intended to enjoy. She already knew what to expect since she’d touched and felt me before, but the look on her face this time was completely different. Intentional. Curious. Almost reverent.

When she freed me from my pants, my cock hung heavy against the waistband, and she paused, taking it all in. Her hands slid around me, both of them trying to span what she could. The moment her skin touched mine, I swelled against her palms. Her fingers tightened, and then she looked up through her lashes, breath unsteady…but eyes very steady.

When her lips finally closed around me, my mind surged. Her pace was unhurried, her movements relaxed. One hand cradled my balls, firm and gentle, while she stroked upward in a steady rhythm that matched the pull of her mouth. The sensation stole the breath from my lungs. When she took me deeper, a raw sound escaped from my throat.