My wolf snarls at the memory.
Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opens. Violet steps out.
All thought evaporates.
The silk dress hugs her body like a lover’s hands, emphasizing every curve. The neckline dips dangerously low. Her hair falls in loose curls around her shoulders, and I can see the ruby earrings I bought for her gleaming againsther skin.
Mine. Every instinct screams it. Mine, mine, mine!
She turns, presenting her back to me. “I can’t reach the zipper.”
I go to her. My control is threadbare, stretched too thin. My fingers find the small, metal tab at the base of her spine, and the contact between our bodies sends electricity racing through me.
I pull the zipper up slowly. Too slowly. My knuckles graze her skin with each incremental movement. She shivers, and the scent of her arousal hits me like a drug.
My wolf surges forward, demanding more.
“Darius…” My name is breathless on her lips.
I finish with the zipper but don’t step away. My hands settle on her waist instead, fingers splaying across silk and the warm body beneath. I pull her back against my chest, my mouth finding the curve of her neck.
“You’re going to kill me tonight.” The words come out strained against her skin. “Every male at that gala is going to look at you in this dress.”
“I don’t care about them.”
I turn her to face me, one hand sliding up to cup her throat. Not threatening, just possessive. Claiming. I’m certain she can see gold bleeding into my vision as my wolf rises to the surface.
“No?”
“No.”
I lean down, my mouth hovering a hair’s breadth from hers. The tension between us crackles. I see gold flicker in her gaze, just for a moment. Her wolf, responding to mine.
“There.” My thumb traces her lower lip as I stare into her eyes. “I see her. Your wolf.”
“Darius—”
I kiss her before she can finish. The kiss is hungry, aggressive, claiming. My hand tightens on her throat just enough to feel her pulse race. She whimpers into my mouth, and I swallow the sound, kissing her even more deeply.
My other hand slides down her back, lower, gripping her hip hard enough to leave marks. I walk her backward until her spine hits thewall. My mouth moves to her throat, teeth scraping against her pulse point. She arches into me, and I press my body flush against hers, letting her feel exactly what she does to me.
She makes a small sound, half protest, half surrender. Her fingers push weakly at my chest even as her body melts against mine.
I force myself to pull back slightly, breathing hard. My forehead rests against hers, one hand still framing her face, less aggressive now but no less possessive.
“Your wolf.” Wonder colors my voice despite the hunger raging through me. “She’s there. I can see her in your eyes more clearly now.”
Violet blinks, confusion replacing desire on her face. The gold fades slightly.
“What?”
“Right there.” I touch the corner of her eye gently, even though both my hands still shake with the need to touch her everywhere else. “Gold. Your wolf is here, Violet. She’s present.”
The moment shatters completely when she steps away, smoothing down her dress as she trembles. Her cheeks are flushed, her breathing uneven.
“We should go.”
I study her for a long moment, my wolf growling at the distance between us. At her retreat. She wants me—I can smell it on her—but she’s pulling away anyway.
