“Thank you for telling me,” he said. Then he set the plates on the counter.
She wanted to say something else, but the way he looked at her tied her tongue and emptied her mind of words. He held her gaze. Then he touched her arm, sending a shockwave of heat through her body. When she didn’t move away, he came in closer. Tighter. Until their breath mingled together.
He waited a moment longer. Was there a question in his eyes? She couldn’t tell. She was too busy trying to think. Did she want the kiss that was coming? Of course, she did. But was it smart? Hell, no. Didn’t matter. She wanted it too much to pull away.
He pressed in tight and she didn’t pull away. And when he finally connected their mouths together, she melted into him. Then he angled his head, and she opened up for everything he wanted to give her.
Chapter 12
No kiss had ever felt more perfect. Her expression before he touched her was earnest and warm. Her skin when he cupped her chin was flushed with heat. And her mouth was responsive, open, and so sweet as he tasted her.
This wasn’t the near mindless hunger from earlier. Then his animal had been dominant, and it had wanted her in the way of a creature who scented a good mate. This moment was held by the man who saw kindness in the woman. Even more, he saw honesty and that felt like water to a man lost in the desert.
“Stop me,” he said against her lips. “If you don’t want this.”
He was kissing her jaw, running his teeth along the curve while he stroked down her sides to her hips. If she said no, he would force himself to pull away. He would, but God, he prayed she wanted this as much as he did.
“I do,” she said.
The two most beautiful words in the English language. He ground his erection against her groin. Heat and pleasure shot upward from his organ, flooding his senses. He groaned as he did it and then let his mouth drop from her jaw to her neck. He tried to slow himself down. He wanted this to be good for her, so he distracted himself by analyzing the scents on her skin.
Lemon from the kids’ soap. Salt from her body. And then there was arousal. He knew it as surely as he knew he would take her to bed and taste every single inch of her.
“This is a one-time thing, okay?” she asked, her words breathless. “No strings.”
He lifted his head off her neck. It was hard, but he wanted to see her eyes when she answered.
“Isn’t that usually the guy’s line?”
She chuckled, but the sound was weak and not very funny. She cupped his jaw, stroking the edges of her fingernails across his five-o’clock shadow. “You’re a bear. I’m a wolf—”
“So?”
“So a relationship could be challenging.”
He frowned. “You don’t seem like somebody who backs down from a challenge.”
This time her laugh was stronger. “I’m not. But I pick my battles and I don’t want to carefully consider anything right now. The twins are asleep, Noelle’s got condoms in her bedside table, and I like how you feel. Do you really want me thinking deeper than that?”
No. Maybe. Yes.He frowned at her. “I liked seeing you cook dinner. I loved watching you play in the bath with the boys. And I want to suck on your breasts and be inside you when you scream out my name.”
She smiled. “You want to play house with me.” She grinned as she curled her leg behind his and drew him hard against her pelvis. “So do I.” She rocked against him, sending bursts of pleasure flooding his system. While he was reeling from the surge of hunger in his blood, she nipped at his jaw. “I loved watching you play cars with the boys. And when you toweled them off and made them laugh? I wanted to jump you right then.”
His hands slid under her shirt, spanning her trim waist, before pulling it and her bra off her. “I don’t like one-night stands,” he said, his rational mind losing ground as he stared at the glory of her breasts. “They’re too empty.”
She stilled at his statement. “Wow. That’s a really evolved statement.”
He forced his eyes back up to her face. “I’m a full-grown man. You want a boy toy? Look elsewhere.” Despite his meaning, the words came out as a growl. Her scent was bringing out the animal in him.
“I want you,” she said as her hands skated across his shoulders, creating flash fires of hunger in their wake. “But I can’t promise anything more than one night.”
He could tell how serious she was about that. She didn’t believe they had a future and frankly, neither did he. He still intended to arrest her father, brother, and anyone else in the pack who had a hand in poisoning the city. Even if he wanted a relationship, she’d never forgive him. Which meant he could do the honorable thing and walk away, or he could give in to what they both wanted.
He wasn’t that good a person. Especially as she arched back and shook out her hair. God the beauty of her body was enough to silence any doubts, though he did manage one last question.
“When you said ‘one-time,’ do you mean once?” He flashed her a grin. “Or just one night?”
She arched her brow, then flashed him a coy smile. “Convince me.”
