“But it doesn’t have to be that way this time. You can stop running and let me help. We can make this work. We just have to try.”
Jayna closed her eyes for a moment, listening to the strong beat of his heart under her cheek. She wanted to believe him, but she was terrified at the thought of what would happen if he was wrong.
“But what if we can’t?” she asked. “What if we can’t find jobs or a place to live? What if the guys don’t want to stay here? You just said it. I’m supposed to be their alpha now. I’m supposed to take care of them. What if I have to leave…for them?”
He gently pulled her away from his chest so he could look at her. “If we can’t find something for your pack in Dallas, something that really works for them, or if they’re not happy here, then I’ll leave with you.”
Jayna was speechless. She knew Eric cared for her, but she hadn’t realized just how deep those feelings really were until now.
“You’d really leave your pack to be with me?” she finally managed.
Saying the words out loud made the whole idea seem even more ridiculous. Why on earth would a guy like Eric give up a job he obviously loved, a fantastic apartment, and a pack that was amazing to live like a nomad with a screwed-up werewolf like her and her band of equally screwed-up pack mates?
“Of course I would,” he said as if he was surprised she was even asking. “I don’t know how many different ways I can say this for you to believe it, but you’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. And if that means I have to leave Dallas to do that, I’ll do it without a second thought. I love you, Jayna.”
Jayna was so floored, she was speechless. She knew she should say she loved him too, but she couldn’t. Not that she wasn’t crazy about him—she was. It was just that she didn’t know if she believed in love, not the way he did.
But at the same time, she had to admit hearing him say those words to her made her feel warm all over. Tears suddenly welled in her eyes, but before she could reach up to wipe the embarrassing things from her cheeks, Eric’s lips were there, kissing them away. His mouth quickly moved from her cheeks to her lips, and soon enough, she was having a hard time remembering why she’d been crying in the first place. It was amazing the way he could make her forget her problems with a simple touch. She had about a hundred critical decisions to make, but right then, she couldn’t think of a single thing that couldn’t wait until later…much later.
Pushing him back on the couch, she climbed onto his lap and kissed him with the same abandon he was kissing her with. Eric rested his hands on her hips, letting her take charge, though she could tell from the bulge in his pants that he was more than a little aroused.
He wasn’t the only one. Knowing how excited Eric was got her going too. Dragging her mouth away from his, she sat back and slowly pulled her shirt over her head, then did the same with her bra. Eyes molten, Eric cupped her breasts in his big hands and leaned forward to take one stiff nipple into his mouth. Oh God, he could drive her insane with that mouth of his.
Jayna gasped as his slightly extended canines grazed her sensitive nipple when he sucked it into his mouth and feasted on it. The crazy combination of warm, soft tongue and hard, sharp fangs was unbelievable, and she wondered if it was possible for him to make her come just from teasing her breasts.
She didn’t get to find out because Eric picked her up with a growl and carried her to the bedroom. After setting her gently on the bed, he slowly worked off her jeans, then her panties. It was funny, but she wasn’t self-conscious at all in front of him, not even when she was completely naked and he was completely clothed. In fact, she rather enjoyed being naked in front of him. And she could tell that he enjoyed it too. He looked hard as a rock in those jeans of his.
Eric grabbed his T-shirt and ripped it over his head, exposing his delicious pecs and sexy abs. But when he reached to unbuckle his belt, she sat up and stopped him.
“I’m an alpha now too, remember?” she said with a smile. “That’s my job.”
Eric looked surprised for a minute, then returned her grin, letting her undo his belt and yank open his jeans. She shoved them down his legs, then slid off the bed and dropped down to her knees to help him step out of them, a position that left her face-to-face with the object of her affection, so to speak.
She couldn’t stop herself from reaching out and wrapping her hand around the base of his perfect cock. Right then, she decided to do something she hadn’t done in a long time. She leaned forward and dragged her tongue across the broad head of his shaft. The sexy growl he let loose as she did made her pulse beat that much faster.