Red's Wolf - Piper J. Drake Page 0,19

muscles convulsed around him, embracing his satin-hard length and she groaned.

So good, he fit her so well.

He leaned over her, his eyes silver-bright and fastened on her in the most intimate, erotic gaze she’d ever seen. Holding still, sheathed inside her, he waited until their heartbeats synchronized.

"Ready, Carri?" His voice husky, rough in her ear.

She nodded, nipped at his ear. "Yes."

He took her mouth again, ravaging her with tongue and teeth until she hungrily fed from his kiss. And then he pulled out and slid back in, filling her with ever deepening thrusts until her world narrowed to his eyes on her and the feel of him moving inside her. Every heavy stroke drove her further and further, riding wave after wave of pleasure, until she clutched his muscular back and arched to meet him.

“Come for me, Red.”

She came again, calling out, her cry muffled against his shoulder as her body contracted around his sex.

Growling, he set his teeth against her shoulder and drove into her one last time, throbbing as her tightening muscles milked him into his own climax deep inside her.

4

Hardly daring to believe the reality he lay in, Jason smoothed a soft golden curl from the curve of Carri's cheek as she slept, tucked against him. Even as he stroked his hand over the creamy silken shoulder, he marveled at how soft her skin felt, how delicate. Even as she slept, she was so incredibly vibrant to his eyes, from the gold of her hair to the luminescence of her skin and the sweet curve of her lips.

If he had known it would be this good between them, he would never have waited as long as he had. But something inside him had hesitated, afraid, and it remained hovering beyond the euphoria of their lovemaking.

The bedroom had only one window, and through a slit in the shades he could see snow falling. She wouldn’t be leaving any time soon, even if she did wake up. The snow fell heavy outside, covering everything in a thick blanket muffling the world.

Just after she had fallen asleep, her head pillowed against his arm, Jason reached for his comm unit and sent a text-only message to Ben and Jenna to let them know her location. The alphas wouldn't come after her, wouldn't protest. They would never have let Carri arrive at Jason's alone if they hadn't backed off and respected her choice.

But Ben's words sat heavy in Jason's heart, and they had the weight of truth to them. He had so little to offer her.

"Mmm." She stirred in his arms, turning to face him and snuggling into his shoulder. Her lips press a soft kiss into his skin. "Hey you."

"What is it, Red?" He wasn't a tender man, not soft, but somehow a thread of both emerged in his voice just for her. And she smiled for him, her eyes still closed.

God, but he loved her smile.

"Sleepy time." She murmured and sighed. "You should sleep, too."

"You sleep. I'll watch over you." He wanted to, wanted to think more as he drank in the sight of her, listened to her steady heartbeat and breathing.

But she didn't fall back to sleep, blinking slowly as the brilliant blue of her eyes cleared, and sought his face. "You're brooding."

"That a problem?" No denying it.

Sweet lips pursed and she wrinkled her nose in a cute expression, making him drop a kiss on it. "You're always moody, but you could relax for a little while at least."

"Got a lot on my mind."

She stretched up and nuzzled his jaw. "Talk to me about it."

Jason hesitated. She’d go home, reality, not just home to Ben and Jenna but home to the city. She had a pack and her human family, places where she had roots and history. Not worth talking about; he had nothing to offer her, not a pack and not a home.

Hell, with the hunters out there, he couldn't even promise her safety. What could he give her, anyway? A life of traveling, on the move and out in the open? He wouldn't be able to protect her the way a strong pack could.

"Hello? You're far away. Come back." Her voice light and teasing, coaxing his attention back to her.

"For a little while." He conceded. The sensor arrays would take another week or so to complete testing and installation. He could savor the time he had with her.

"Only a little while?" Her tone shifted, more alert.

He nodded, tucking her head under his chin and running his hand