Chapter 4
I Am Not a Possession
The allure of Braden, the sleek masculinity of his body, the feel of his hot breath and hot kisses on her skin drove her completely mad with desire and lust. The memory of his clever tongue when he’d been inside her made Eve tremor with anticipation. She’d been ready to give herself over, to be with Braden like she’d been with no other man. But his question, “Will you let me make you mine?” had brought back too many memories of her stalker—an evil person who’d tried to make Eve his as well. The idea made her feel like property—an entity that could be bargained or bought, won or stolen.
She pushed Braden, hoping her would let her go, and not fight her retreat. He didn’t. Instead, Braden rolled to his side. His thick cock sprang away from his stomach, and she fought the urge to grab him and take his length between her thighs. She wanted him—wanted Braden so bad and seeing his hard erection, not just feeling it pressed against her, caused a delicious clench between her legs. She ached to have his warm flesh pressed against her once again, but she’d done the right thing in stopping their actions from going further.Hadn’t she?
Braden sat up, his arm over his eyes as he fought a visible tremble rippling through his muscles. When he finally looked up and connected his gaze to hers, his eyes were no longer wolfish-amber, but the bright green that had initially drawn her attention.
“I’m sorry, Eve,” he said, his mouth glistening with her juices. He ran his fingers through his mop of dark hair, his muscles shifting with the effort.
Oh Lord. If Braden kept it up, Eve would lose her resolve. She bit her lower lip to steady her nerves then spoke. “Braden, I like you. Really like you. And I’m not going to lie…” As if she could. Her body was a walking talking neon sign of sex pheromones. She couldn’t hide her desire from Braden if she wanted to do so. “…I really want to have sex with you.” Hearing it sounded coarse to her ears, but she couldn’t let her sheltered upbringing stop her from saying what she had to say. “I’ve spent a long time avoiding someone who wants me for nothing more than to make me his very own, and damn it, I’m not a possession.”
Braden winced, but he didn’t add to the conversation. Instead, he waited for Eve to continue.
She took a deep breath and blew it out. “I can’t be yours, Braden. You can’t make me be yours, because there is only one person I belong to…”
His sharp intake of breath made her pause.
“And no, it’s not Tom.” She sighed. “The only person I belong to is me.Me.” The stalker had made her human life impossible by trying to make Eve his world. If Braden did the same, she’d never be able forgive him. She was tired of feeling like an object of someone’s desire instead of a person with the ability to make her own choices.
She drew a heart in the dirt in front of her, trying to ignore the strong pull she felt… The longing. It was as if thewhole world disappearedaround them. Her mother’s words echoed in her mind. What if Braden truly was theone?
Before she could wrap her head around her feelings, Braden went to his knees. “I understand, Eve. I would never force you, but I can’t be this near to you right now. My wolf is too close to the surface and he wants you as badly as I do.” He didn’t wait for her to reply. He changed into his wolf form—a reddish brown brute, large and magnificent—and head off toward the dens.
“Damn it!” she cursed herself. She nearly cried out Braden’s named as she fought every impulse to run after him and beg him to take her in both body and soul. Instead, she let good sense control her actions, and she walked back to camp.
Slowly.
