"There's nothing wrong with you." The words came out as a growl. "You're perfect."
She looked up at him, and the vulnerability in her eyes gutted him. "Then why do you keep pushing me away? Just like you did to Evie?"
"Because I—" He stopped. How could he explain? That he was dangerous? That his world would swallow her whole? That loving him meant accepting things that should be impossible?
Before he could find the words, she moved. The blanket she'd been wrapped in slid away, pooling unnoticed on the couch beside them. She shifted, rising on her knees and then settling directly over him, straddling his lap.
The air left his lungs in a rush. The sudden weight of her pressing down on his thighs and groin was a shock to his system, grounding and electrifying all at once. She was deliciously heavy and warm, her soft curves molding against the rigid lines of his body. The contact incinerated his restraint.
His wolf snarled, not in aggression, but in desperate, hungry approval. Mine. Right where she belongs.
The animal surged forward, battering against the thin veneer of his human control. Her scent—vanilla, cinnamon, and the distinct, intoxicating musk of her arousal—flooded his senses, drowning out every logical warning bell ringing in his head. His hands clenched into fists next to his thighs, pressing into the upholstery just to keep from grabbing her. It took every ounce of his willpower not to seize her hips, not to grind deeper into the friction she was creating. He was instantly hard, painfully so, and having her perched right there, seeking him out, was agonizing.
Her hands came up, cool palms framing the heat of his face, forcing his gaze to hers. Her green eyes were wide, swimming with a bravery that humbled him.
"Stop thinking," she commanded softly. "Just for once, stop thinking and just... feel."
"Jules—"
She kissed him.
It was soft at first, tentative. A question more than a demand. But when he groaned and his hands came up to grip her hips, she made a sound of triumph and deepened the kiss.
He was lost. Days of torture, of wanting and denying, shattered like ice. He hauled her closer, one hand tangling in her soft hair while the other pressed against her lower back. She tasted like coffee and sweetness and home, and his wolf howled in triumph.
Mine. Finally. MINE.
She rocked against him, making throaty little sounds into his mouth, and he nearly came undone. His control, already frayed, snapped entirely. In one fluid motion, he stood, lifting her with him, and pressed her against the wall.
"Lex!" She gasped his name, legs wrapping around his waist.
He kissed her like he was drowning and she was air. Like he could consume her through touch alone. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, her body arching against his, and those little sounds she made drove him wild.
His hands found the hem of her sweater and the shirt underneath, pushing both aside to find warm skin. She shuddered at the feel of his hands, her head falling back, and he took advantage, kissing down her throat to that spot where neck met shoulder. The spot that called to his wolf. The spot where he'd mark her if she were his.
She is ours, his wolf insisted. Claim her.
"Please," Jules breathed. "Lex, please. I need?—"
A massive crack split the air.
The entire cabin shook.
Chapter 6
Lex
They froze, both breathing hard, as snow and debris rained past the window.
"What the?—"
Another crack, and this time they saw it through the windows. A huge pine tree, overladen with ice, splitting and falling. It crashed into the roof with a sound like thunder.
"Son of a bitch." Lex set her down carefully, though it killed him to let go. "Stay here while I go outside and check the damage."
She nodded, face flushed, lips swollen from his kisses. "I'll... I'll watch for leaks."
He grabbed his coat and headed outside, grateful for the cold shock to his overheated system. The tree had taken out part of the roof over the guest bedroom. Nothing catastrophic, but he needed to get up there and tack down some plastic or something before they had snow in the cabin.
