I heard the clink of a plate hitting the desk, then firm hands smoothed over my back. “Shhhh, Sean will find her, and Lisa is a tough cookie. She’ll be fine. You know it.” His deep voice rumbled through his chest.
I leaned back, blinking up at him through watery eyes. “I came in here to cheer you up, and look what I’ve managed to do! Fat lot of good I am.”
Smoothing a curl off my face, he tucked it behind my ear, then he leaned in, bringing his lips to mine in a gentle caress of sweetness and love. “Maybe we should cheer each other up?” he murmured, his mouth moving to feather over my jaw.
Arching my neck to give him room, I struggled with the warring emotions humming inside of me. The overwhelming joy of having found my mate conflicting with fear and sadness for my friend. It didn’t feel right to be this happy when people I loved were suffering.
“Let me love you, my mate. Let us find hope and solace in each other’s arms, just for a short moment, and then we’ll face the real world again.” His growl vibrated along my skin, sending liquid heat flooding through me. My wolf arched inside of me, responding to her Alpha’s command.
Lust flooded the bond, swirling around me in a hazy cloud. Beneath it, I could feel his concern, not for the pack or for Lisa—for me!
It felt like a mental slap, a wakeup call. I came in here to cheer him up and take his mind off things. Yeah, I suck. There has to be something… An idea sparked, flaring to life. Now that would definitely take our minds off things, and I had been meaning to prod him about it. Extra points if it led to… I grinned at him, tilting my head as his eyes narrowed.
“What is going on in that gorgeous head of yours?” he muttered.
“Well, you know we were discussing that it’d be a good idea for me to practice some self-defense moves? Get in a little sparring practice?”
“Uh huh?”
“How’s about now?”
“Not quite what I had in mind.”
My grin widened at his scowl. “Aw, come on. It’ll be fun! We can get hot and sweaty and work off some of the worry.”
“I can think of better ways to get hot and sweaty.” He nipped at my neck, a mock growl spilling from his lips.
Giving him a poke in the ribs, I murmured, “I could go find one of the guys to spar with…”
His back stiffened, his eyes glowing silver as his wolf rushed to the surface. His jaw tensed as he ground his teeth. “If another man so much as touches you, he won’t be able to walk for at least a week.”
“So, you’ll have to do it then.” I had him. Victory! Leaning close, I deliberately brushed my breasts against his chest, my nipples hardening into stiff peaks as my heart thundered in my chest. “I promise you’ll enjoy it. If you manage to pin me three times, then you can have your wicked way…” My tongue speared his mouth, tangling and teasing with his, sealing the promise.
Not giving him time to react, I leaped off his lap and strode to the center of the room. Shoving the couch out of the way, I stuck my hands on my hips, waiting. I need this just as much as he does, the chance to forget everything for a while. To feel like I’m doing something other than sitting around waiting for shit to happen. And why couldn’t we have a little fun? After everything we’d been through to get to this place—finally together—we deserved it.
He sat sprawled in the chair, his legs spread wide, staring at me.
He wasn’t going to do it. My heart fell. It had been a stupid idea. But I couldn’t carry on like this; it hurt too much—
In slow, deliberate movements, he rose to his feet and stalked toward me.
He took my breath away, every single time I saw him. I still couldn’t believe that he was mine. I knew I was a big girl; standing at five-foot-eleven with hourglass curves that fell on the larger side of voluptuous, I was a whole lot of woman. Personally, I’d never given a shit about it. Happy and healthy, that was my motto. But then I’d met James…and I’d learned to appreciate my curves in a whole new way. Every bump, every roll, every overflowing handful—he’d worshiped. And then worshiped some more, with his mouth, his hands, his body.
It made me grateful there was a hell of a lot of me to worship, because, wow, the things he could do with his tongue…
“Kara…if you want us to do this then you have to stop looking at me like that.” The low growl yanked me out of my thoughts.
“Like what?” I teased, licking my lips.
He groaned, his eyes closing briefly. “Like you want to eat me alive.”
“I was actually thinking about you eating me.” A shiver ran down my spine at the look in his eyes. Oh, yes. He was starting to come around.
His fingers went to his shirt, popping the top couple of buttons. “I think we should have rules,” he murmured, reaching back and pulling it off over his head.
My mouth was parched as I swallowed, my eyes already roaming over his thick biceps, across his wide shoulders and down his chest. “What kind of rules?”