Mandy's Story by D'Elen McClain Read Free Book Online

starting to sour.”
    He loosened his hold and allowed her to
roll off the bed. She wouldn’t look at him and walked straight to
the bathroom with her shoulders down, appearing completely
dejected. He gave a long sigh after she closed the door, and then
went into the kitchen to prepare them both sandwiches.
    She stayed in the bathroom for an hour.
At one point, he knocked on the door to make sure she hadn’t
crawled out the window, because he wouldn’t put anything past
her.
    “ Go away.”
    He waited at the table. Finally, she
came out with a towel around her body and another turbaned on her
head. She gathered her clothes from a drawer and carried them back
into the bathroom. He grinned when she slammed the door behind
her.
    Obviously, the shower hadn’t improved
her mood.
    Eventually, she came out and surprised
him by sitting at the table. She ate her food without saying a
word. When she finished, she carried her plate to the sink and then
walked over and opened a cupboard, removing the partially filled
bottle of wine from the evening before.
    “ You’re not drinking
that,” he said when she reached for a wine glass.
    She lowered her arm, turned his way,
very deliberately removed the cork, and took a huge swallow
straight from the bottle. The sound of his chair slamming against
the cabin wall was her only warning. She turned her shoulder to
block him from grabbing the wine and tried to take another swig. He
hoisted her over his shoulder and completely ignored her shriek of
outrage. The bottle fell to the floor, but didn’t shatter, though
red wine splattered and the smell of alcohol permeated the
room.
    “ You bastard. Put me
down.” Her legs kicked out.
    “ Oh my bratty she-wolf.
You are quite finished giving orders. I’ve promised you a spanking
and you’re twenty seconds from getting one.”
    “ You wouldn’t.” Through
the muffled sound of her voice, her anger came through loud and
clear.
    “ Wrong reply.” His
not-so-gentle palm landed on her bottom and then the little
hellion’s wicked teeth bit his ass. Hard!
    He up-ended her onto the bed, and then
landed on her wiggling body.
    “ Stop, you big oaf. Get
off of me so I can breathe,” she yelled between frantic gasps for
air.
    Damn his ass hurt. “Calm down and then
I’ll consider it,” he grumbled close to her ear.
    She froze.
    He slowly removed the majority of his
weight, but kept her pinned.
    Her eyes closed and after a deep breath
her voice trembled. “Why didn’t you just leave?” she said, through
sniffles; obviously fighting back tears.
    “ We have unfinished
business.” He removed a section of hair from her face and rubbed
the silky strands between his fingers.
    “ There’s nothing you can
do that would make me feel any worse than I already do. It would
have been better if I’d died this morning.”
    His hand grasped her jaw and gave a
slight squeeze, causing her to open her eyes. “No… that most
certainly wouldn’t be better.”
    “ I’ll die slowly anyway,
so what does it matter?”
    His mouth crushed hers.

Chapter Ten
     
     
    Somewhere between fury and
heart-wrenching sorrow, her wolf took over. Her mate’s taste
traveled through her body, making her blood boil. Every nerve
ending tingled with the feel of his warm lips against hers. She
wanted to draw blood, taste his essence, and mingle it with hers.
The kiss continued and she thrilled over his tongue, lips, and
teeth devouring her mouth—taking what she freely gave.
    He pulled away and gazed meltingly at
her.
    She had trouble controlling her
breathing. “Why did you do that?”
    His gasps for air were as ragged as
hers. “We need to talk.” His eyes surprisingly shifted
away.
    “ You kissed me so we could
talk?” She felt the heat in her blood changing from desire to
irritation, and she studies him as her breathing slowed. His back
was ramrod straight, muscles flexed and ready for battle. Reaching
up, she ran her fingers gently over the hot, bare skin on his