her. Even through her jeans, the shocks of pleasure tore a moan from her throat. She dug her fingernails into his muscled back, helpless with desire.
He thrust a hand between their bodies, fumbling with the fastening of her jeans. She felt his mouth twist in a frustrated snarl. With a last bite at her lower lip, he tore himself away from her.
“Undress,” he demanded, chest heaving. “Now.”
The sudden absence of Fenrir’s hot weight was like a bucket of cold water over her head. What was she doing?
“Are you crazy?” She straightened her glasses, praying that no one would walk in. From her flushed, rumpled state, anyone would assume that she’d actually just had sex on a kitchen table. “We can’t do this here!”
He let out an annoyed breath, reaching for her wrist. “Come, then. Will go into the forest.”
She jerked away from his hand. “I’m not having sex with you behind a tree, either! For God’s sake, Fenrir! What the hell?”
His forehead wrinkled. “But you want me.”
To be fair, that was a reasonable conclusion, given that she’d just been doing her level best to leap on his dick. Even now, need still pounded between her legs.
She scooted away, putting the table between them. “Fenrir, you’re unbelievably hot, and I’m not going to deny that part of me wants to ride you like a pony right now. But this is a terrible idea. You only have to stop and think for a nanosecond to realize that.”
“Then don’t,” he growled. He circled, copper eyes fixed on her hungrily. “Don’t think. Don’t stop.”
“Fenrir, use your head.” She matches his movement, keeping herself on the opposite of the table. “We hardly know each other!”
“Doesn’t matter. We were made for each other, a perfect match in every way. We are true mates.”
He stated it with simple conviction, as though it was a self-evident fact. She searched his face, and found nothing but total sincerity.
“You seriously think that we’re some kind of destined soulmates,” she said, as levelly as she could.
“No.” He stopped pursuing her at last, though his expression was still utterly intent. “I know it. I knew you were my one true mate from the moment I first saw you. Shifters always know.”
Darcy was starting to understand why Buck was so fond of the phrase motherloving shifters.
“Right,” she said, keep her voice calm with heroic effort. “Just for the sake of argument, let’s pretend that makes the slightest bit of sense. It doesn’t explain why you seem hell-bent on bending me over this table right here and now.”
“Because we are mates. We must mate.” His voice dropped, roughening. “Now. Before the serum wears off. Is the only way I can stay human.”
“Huh? Why would us having sex make any difference?”
“Sex wouldn’t. Mating will.”
“Okaaaaay.” She massaged her forehead. “This is like the whole ‘bitch’ thing, isn’t it? Maybe you’d better explain to me exactly what you mean by mating.”
“Is very simple.” He gestured from his groin to hers. “We mate. Bodies join. Minds join, souls join. Are one. Forever.”
She stared at him.
“Also, I bite you,” he added, as though this was a minor afterthought. “Have to, in order to form the mate bond. Will turn you into a hellhound. Probably.”
“Probably?”
“Don’t worry,” he said earnestly. “If the first bite doesn’t turn you, can bite you again.”
“That…really wasn’t my concern.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath. “Okay. Right. I have a question. Are you insane?”
Fenrir’s head tilted. “No. Why?”
“Why?” She flung up her hands. “Listen to yourself! Babbling about, about magic eternal soul bonds and biting, and—for God’s sake, Fenrir! True mates or no true mates, I’m not going to turn into a werewolf for some random dude I just met!”
“But…but…” He looked honestly taken aback, as though it had never occurred to him that she might object to his plan. “But must mate now. Is no more serum. This is only chance.”
“You don’t know that. Your friends seem pretty convinced that you’ll learn to shift eventually. You just need to give it time.”
He shook his head, lips drawing back from his teeth. “No. Can’t control wolf on my own. Need your strength. Once our souls are joined, you will keep me human.”
“No,” Darcy said firmly. “I sympathize with your predicament, and I’ll do what I can to help. But I’m not going to let you pressure me into a rash decision. The answer is no. And that’s final.”
Chapter 15
“I take it she said no,” Blaise said from behind him.
He slammed his