“Aric, I—”
“Not a word.” The deathly growl made the hairs on her arms stand on end.
She glanced over her shoulder at the smiling bartender. The crowd parted as he dragged her to the other side of the club. She bumped into a couple making out. Aric’s hand tightened on her wrist. Her earpiece fell. Going back to get it was not even a possibility in the sea of bodies.
People moved out of Aric’s way. She wondered how he did that. Hell, she’d had to struggle to get to the bar. After a few steps, she heard some snarling and then he turned to look at her. No wonder everyone was making a path for them. He appeared ready to bite someone’s head off. It was debatable if it was hers or someone else’s.
“Aric!” She tugged on her hand, trying to get loose.
He pushed a door open, shoving them outside in the process. This wasn’t the way she’d come in. The door he’d taken them though led into a dark alley. He let go of her hand and turned to face her, his features tight with anger. She took quick steps back, until her back was pressed on a metal gate.
Someone other than the sexy man she knew was staring back at her. This Aric was angry. This Aric was dangerous. This Aric was damn hot.
“What the heck is your problem?” She complained. Oh hell. She knew what his problem was, but she wouldn’t back down. So she’d gone into a club full of paranormals. His brother’s club. Nothing happened.
His brows dipped low. Fur sprouted from the sides of his face. He fisted his hands and stepped toward her. “My problem?”
She could hardly understand his words from how rough his voice sounded, but she wasn’t scared of him. Maybe her heart raced. A little. Her hands might be somewhat shaky. But she wasn’t scared. He took another step.
She shouldn’t like this aggressive Aric. It was wrong. Yet her * clenched at the dangerous look in his eyes. “Yes. What is your problem?”
Another step and he was right in front of her. He gripped either side of the metal gate, caging her head.
“My problem is that you, a human, came into a well-known shifter hangout without back up.”
“I had—”
“Your human friends in the car do not count. Somehow Ellie’s conversation with one of them about you looking for answers on who the white wolf was, led her to discuss you being here.” He growled the words out. “Here. Alone. Defenseless.”
“I’m fine. It wasn’t a big deal. And I’m hardly defenseless. I’ve taken self-defense classes, and I can kick ass.”
“You don’t seem to understand all that could have gone wrong.” He lowered his face to inches from hers. “I could have lost you.”
Her heart tripped in her chest. “But I’m fine.”
“Any one of those shifters is ten times stronger than you, not to mention the other paranormals in there. They could have broken you with the flick of a wrist. My brother wasn’t there to offer his help. I wasn’t there.” His eyes glowed bright. He lifted a hand and slid a finger down the side of her face. Clearly it was his favorite move to make, not that she minded.
“I’m fine,” she whispered.
He held her entranced. His lips were so close. There was no willpower in her system when it came to him. The sound of the music inside the building heightened her awareness of her surroundings.
“I have been giving you time to come to terms with who you are.”
She huffed. There he went with the macho crap. “And who am I?”
He slid the finger over her bottom lip. The way he slipped it back and forth, so softly and carefully, made her breath catch.
“You still don’t understand.” His gray eyes flashed with the wolf power. “You own my heart. You're the most important person in my life.” Tenderness filled his gaze, followed by unquestionable determination. “And I won't let anyone hurt you. That includes you. I will do anything to protect you. Even if it means stopping you from putting yourself in harm's way.”
He kissed her. Hard. There was no arguing with that kind of logic. After those words she couldn't even remember what the argument had been about.
Soft rumbles sounded in his chest. The kiss turned wild. Tongues mated, hands groped, and bodies pressed tight. He pushed her back against the metal until she stood flush between his sexy muscles and the gate with nowhere to go.
She ran her hands down his chest, to the waist of his jeans, and tugged his zipper down. His hard cock sprang forth. She wrapped her hand, well as much of her hand as she could, around the thick pulsing shaft.
He snarled and lifted the hem of her dress.
Arousal shot through her veins and pooled at her core. Material ripped and he slipped his fingers into her *.
“Oh god.”