He moved on, tasting her collarbone, her neck. Kissed her ear, her cheek, before finally claiming her mouth. It was a long, slow possession that left her gasping for breath.
His kiss eventually made its way down her neck. When his mouth closed around one aching nipple, she groaned at the sweet delight of it. He sucked hard, sending glorious waves of pleasure lapping across her skin, then claimed her other nipple, repeating the process, leaving her moaning in enjoyment.
"What are you doing for dinner?" he whispered, his breath searing her skin as he kissed her throat.
She blinked at the unexpected question. "Eating with my parents." The slither of unease surfaced again. "Why?"
"Don't you think they should meet the man you're spending the next five days with?"
She stared at him, her throat so dry it ached. "What do you mean?"
"I mean that I want you by my side, and in my bed, night and day."
Horror slid through her. She tried to push away, tried to stand, but his hand held her securely in place. "You can't. I won't." And yet, deep down, she had to acknowledge this was the chance she'd been looking for. It would offer her the freedom, night and day, she needed to roam the mansion, talk to the people within the pack — and hunt down the killer.
But the cost would be her parent's respect. Was that too high a price to pay?
She remembered the torn and bloodied remains of the woman who'd been killed last night. Remembered the way her sister had looked, swathed in bandages, so small and frail and pale against the antiseptic brightness of the hospital. Relived the horror of the moment she'd shared with her twin when the wolf had attacked her.
Was the cost too high? She couldn't honestly say.
"You have no right to demand this."
He raised an eyebrow, a gesture that was both eloquent and arrogant. "No right, but certainly the will."
"You must know my parents are old school." Desperation touched her voice, but right then, she didn't care. "They don't believe in the dance or mating for pleasure. Something like this will kill them."
He still caressed her, sending tremors of longing rolling through her. It was as if she were a well-tuned instrument designed only for his touch. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't kill her desire.
"Would you rather I wait until dark, walk into that dinner of yours, and demand you uphold your promise to mate with me right there and then?"
Her stomach clenched tight, and for a moment she thought she was going to throw up. "You wouldn't." But even as she said it, she knew he would. He was the wildest of the wild, and seemed overly eager to live up to his reputation — no matter what that might do to her.
And she had no one to blame but herself.
She licked her lips, searched desperately for an argument that might work. "I have to work here during the day."
"You've never taken a vacation? Hasn't anyone ever filled in for you?"
"That's beside the point."
"No, it's not. I want you, and I shall have you. I will play the charming suitor if you wish, but you will leave with me after dinner, and you will stay with me the next five days."
She stared at him helplessly. Part of her did want this — and not just because of her promise to Savannah. His touch affected her like no other, and she hungered for all he had to give. She was a wolf after all, with a wolf's desires and urges — however repressed she might wish them to be.
"Why?"
"Because I find myself craving to spend more time with you."
He shrugged nonchalantly, and his casualness hurt her, though she had no idea why. What else did she really expect from the man? This coldness was the very reason she'd chosen him. "After that second excuse for a mating last night? I find that hard to believe."
He shrugged again. "I've an extremely high sex drive. Sometimes it will not wait to pleasure my partner."
"Some might call that selfishness."
"Some do. What's your answer?"
She bit her lip, studying him in indecision, even though, in the end, she had no real choice. No matter what she did now, she was going to lose.