Shameless Desire (The Outlawed Realm) by Tina Donahue Read Free Book Online

him in pursuit. Kuma imagined catching her, them tumbling down to a bed of leaves, coming to rest in each other’s arms, their mouths touching, her nudity molded to his.
    “What happened tonight?” she asked.
    He regarded her breasts. With her free hand, she yanked the sheet back up, covering herself again.
    “Tell me,” she demanded.
    He sighed. “I already have. I saved you from the guard.”
    “What fucking guard?” she growled. “Are you talking about one from the hospital? That guy in the alley wasn’t anyone I’ve seen at work before.”
    Staci gasped. “You were attacked in the alley? What were you doing walking down it? You know it’s not safe.”
    “It’s okay, all right? I’m fine. I’m just not sure what actually happened.” Gwen pointed her weapon’s muzzle at his groin. “But you’re going to tell me, got it? What happened out there—start to finish. Where’d that wolf go? Does it belong to you? Did you bring that damned thing in here?”
    She craned her neck, clearly trying to see more of the hall.
    Staci did the same, then backed away quickly, her hip hitting the dresser behind her. Figurines on top wobbled. She gave them a quick glance and turned back to him. “There’s a wolf in here?”
    He nodded.
    “Are you nuts?” Gwen snapped. “Where in the hell did you put it? What are you doing with a wild animal?”
    He debated the best way to answer. How was a male from his side supposed to tell a female from this realm that he was the wild animal, then keep her from attacking because she saw him as an even bigger threat? Given her weapon, Gwen had the advantage…for now.
    Kuma saw no choice except to talk her down, explain who—or rather what—he was. His heritage was something he’d had no control over, no different from her eye and skin color. It just was.
    At last, he said, “The creature you saw attacking the guard was me.”
     
    This couldn’t be happening. It was too damn weird. Maybe she was still unconscious and dreaming, having the mother of all nightmares.
    “Do you want me to show you?” he asked. Not waiting for her answer, he lowered his hands to his jeans’ button and fly.
    Staci made a strangled sound that could have been fear or arousal. “Is he going to strip?” she breathed.
    Appeared that way, which made Gwen wonder if this would be the first or second time he’d done so tonight.
    “Stop it right there,” she ordered, frowning at how weak she sounded. As though she wanted him in the buff. “Just take me through this verbally. Your name’s Kuma. You’re from E4. You’re not a man, you’re a…”
    Gwen couldn’t continue without shivering or laughing at how outrageously screwed up this was.
    “Werewolf,” he said.
    Staci made a gagging noise. “What?” She spoke to Gwen. “He’s on drugs, right? I should call 911, get the cops over—”
    “I’d be gone before they ever arrived,” he said to her, then asked Gwen, “Is that what you want?”
    She chewed her lower lip, not certain whether to tell him to get lost or to see this through, whatever it might be. He wasn’t on drugs as Staci had claimed; his eyes were too clear, his touch too enticing, at least those parts of it she recalled. He was as sober as she was. His thought processes, however, were definitely off. Maybe he was a psychiatric patient…an extremely hot one who thought he was a wolf, having seen the one in the alley.
    Where had it come from? Where had it gone?
    Didn’t matter, as long as it wasn’t in here, and it was not. The damn thing would have been jumping on her furniture, destroying it, leaving its drool all over the place. There were no sounds of crashing glass or splintering wood, only Staci’s rapid breathing and the pounding rain breaking the quiet.
    “Do you?” he murmured when Gwen didn’t answer.
    His manner was nonthreatening, his baritone gentle. Despite Gwen’s misgivings, she couldn’t deny that he had seen to her safety after the attack tonight. Her