deep breath, inhaling the fragrance of her pussy and the warm spices of her skin before his mouth fastened at the curve of her neck. Sucking the delicate flesh of her throat, he dropped both hands to her lush hips. His thumbs teased the sensitive, outer perimeter of her mound as he cinched Esme closer.
Knowing mere seconds separated her from complete surrender, Esme drew on the wards she'd just drawn. Magic enveloped her, deadening her expression and voice. Cold flowed through her, her skin chilling at Dana's touch. She had the sensation of jagged ice crystals slicing through her, but knew it was just the pain of pushing him away, of denying her body what it wanted more than anything.
To submit to his touch and be possessed by him -- any other response was pure torture to her.
Dana pulled back, his hot gaze cooling with caution. Seeing pale blue frost the air around her, he shook his head. "Drop the magic, baby. This is between me and you."
He countered her mute refusal by cupping her mound, his lips parting as he prepared another warning growl. Esme shook her head, pushed at his chest. She couldn’t let this happen, not again. "Don't make me hate you any more than I already do."
His hand dropped from her flesh. He stared at her face, trying to penetrate the frozen mask of magic that shielded her emotions. His mouth closed then opened again. He inhaled, slowly, and Esme was certain for a second that he was going to growl at her with every last ounce of his wolf energy, shattering her defenses and bringing her to her knees to dominate her. Moisture flooded her mouth and pussy, both prepared to accept his cock. Her clit, achy at the absence of his body against hers, swelled to breach the seal of her outer labia.
Her eyes closed and she realized she'd started crying, tears slowly rolling down her round cheeks, tinged blue and sparkling like pale diamonds. Her heart beat inside her chest, each squeeze of blood through the chambers like a heavy hand falling against a fat drumhead. The liquid rush and heavy thrum drowned all other sounds out. She counted the beats until she realized she was alone.
Finally screwing up the courage to open her eyes, she saw the door swing slowly shut behind Dana.
"I love you," she whispered, too softly for him to hear.
**********
Leaving the hall, Dana drove the long way around to Jack Cooper's. He had no business with the old man, but Coop hadn't fostered out the cub Dana had rescued a month back. Considering the way Angelica, Coop's mate, looked at the boy, Dana wasn't too sure the boy would leave the old man's hearth.
Oscar's growing attachment to Angelica was the only thing that had kept Dana from separating Jack's head from the rest of his body when the old wolf started going on about forcing Esme to take a new blood oath or leave. That and a last shred of sense that had forced Coop to back down and pretend to see reason. Truth was, the old man hadn't changed his mind -- his time as clan alpha was over and he knew it. Another season and one of the pack leaders would ease him aside.
Pulling up behind Coop's house, Dana buried the thought. He didn't care who the next clan leader would be so long as the new top dog stayed out of his business. Opening the door to his truck, he heard the back screen slam open and small feet hitting the rocky ground at a furious pace. Shutting the truck's door, he braced for impact.
"Dana!" The cub leapt, hitting him center of his chest and wrapping his arms and legs around the big man. "I haven't seen you in three days!"
"Two," Dana corrected, shifting Oscar's weight to one hip as he reached through the truck's window and pulled out a backpack.
"Three," Oscar argued, holding up two fingers.
Laughing, Dana pushed another of the boy's stubby little fingers up. "That's three, little man."
"Hmmmph!" Oscar crossed his arms across his little chest and glared at Dana.
"Sorry, little man, I didn't make the math rules."
Forgiving him, Oscar buried his face
Pittacus Lore, James Frey, Jobie Hughes