He slid his hand along her ribs over the smooth, baby soft skin of her flat belly, and pushed his fingers under the edge of her pants. He froze when his fingers hit soft curls unhindered by panties, and groaned in protest when she suddenly sat up.
Chapter Nine
Sherry sat upright in the bed to the gray light of dawn filtering through the window. She was panting and her heart was pounding. The dream had been so real. Her nipples were hard and aching, her mouth felt swollen from Piers kisses, and she was so wet with need. She jumped when she turned to face him, expecting him to still be asleep. He was propped up on one elbow, staring at her. She couldn’t help but notice the huge erection straining against his jeans, and her body pulsed with need.
“I’m sorry I didn’t keep my promise.” His voice was low, seductive.
“Wh-what?” His voice rushed through her like wildfire, heating every nerve and cell in its wake.
“Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s happened before.”
He was looking at her as if she was a five-star buffet, and he was a starving man about to quench his hunger. He took her breath away and she wanted him, but did she want to sleep with him knowing that she’d probably never see him again after he took her back to Sanctuary? She wanted to save herself for the man she’d spend the rest of her life with, and he didn’t strike her as the settling down type.
But damn. She couldn’t ignore the way her body came to life when he touched her. He scared her with his intensity, but at the same time, that same intensity, that raw passion he exuded, excited her like nothing ever had. For the first time in her life, she’d met a man who made her want to throw all caution to the wind. She wanted to make love to Piers. She wanted his mouth and hands on her body. She wanted him inside her. She wanted to please him, pleasure him, drive him crazy. She wanted to make this wild, huge, dominant man lose control.
The only thing that stopped her from doing so was the knowledge that once he did lose control, there would be no turning back. And she feared once that happened, her heart would suffer the consequences when he left her.
“You can’t be in my dreams, Piers. It’s not possible.” Yet, she knew it was. He had been there, and he’d been there the last time as well. There was no other explanation for him knowing about the first dream and, now, this one. He’d been there.
“It is possible, at least in our situation,” he mumbled under his breath.
“And just what is our situation?”
“I think you know.”
“Are you trying to say that I’m your mate?”
“I’m not trying to say anything. I’m saying it.” His golden brown eyes watched her as if he could read her thoughts.
“No. I’m not ready for this. It’s too much too soon. I just found out about this werewolf stuff, and now this.”
“I prefer the term lycan.” He frowned and his brows slanted down, then he got up off the bed, reached for his T-shirt and tugged it over his head.
Had she hurt him? She hadn’t meant to. Everything was just happing so fast.
“I’m sorry, I just—”
“I get it. You don’t want to be tied to an animal like me. I don’t need apologies. But you can’t deny there is a connection between us. When I touch you, I feel it. I know you do too.” He clenched his jaw. “Get ready, and we’ll go.”
The flash of pain in his eyes was unmistakable. She hadn’t meant to hurt him, and she certainly hadn’t meant to give him cause to think that she thought of him as an animal. Yes, he’d kidnapped her. Yes, he’d kissed her and touched her, but he’d done nothing to harm her, and she enjoyed the kissing and caressing part, thoroughly enjoyed it. And now he was taking her back to her sister. She’d felt the effort it had taken him to keep his word when things had gotten heated between them, yet he’d refrained from touching her as he’d promised until she’d given him permission. He cared about her feelings. He hadn’t tried to coerce or push her into anything she hadn’t wanted.
In fact, he’d stopped almost instantly every time she’d backed off. He was a man of his word and hadn’t lied to her. He was a dying breed. Most men would have gotten angry, called her a tease, but he understood that she was not playing games with him. She was pretty sure he knew she was innocent where lovemaking was concerned. She was insecure and unsure, but those reasons didn’t lessen the fact that she wanted him. And truth be told, when he touched her, she didn’t feel insecure and shy. She felt like a siren, like a woman luring her man to a promise of pleasure so intense it would blow both their minds.
By the time she’d donned her clean underwear, finger combed her hair, and rinsed her mouth out since she didn’t have a toothbrush, she felt a bit more human. They had a long ride back to her sister, and she would explain to him that she’d never had such strong feelings for a man. They were confusing to her, but she’d decided she wanted to see where they would lead.
She cared enough for him to give him a chance—them a chance—if he was willing to take it.
She gasped when she saw him standing in front of the window. He’d opened the curtains, and snow fell heavy and fast outside.
“It’s snowing.”
“A lot.” He grunted.
“It’s too early for it.”
“Obviously Mother Nature didn’t get the memo.” He turned around and eyed her from head to toe. “It’s not that uncommon to have early snowfall in these parts.”
When he looked at her like that, she wanted to throw caution to the wind and jump him. His black T-shirt and jeans hugged him like a second skin, and she could see the outline of every mouth-watering muscle on his lean, hard body. He was so perfect that he could have been carved out of stone by the hands of a professional sculptor. His tanned skin and dark features showcased those golden brown eyes flawlessly.
“It’s coming down hard.” She eased closer to the window and him.
When she stood only a few inches from him, she could feel the heat emanating from him.
“We need to get going. It’s looking bad. If you want to make it back to your sister tonight, we’re going to have to make some good time.” She didn’t miss the way a frown marred his full lips when he eyed the snow from the window again.
“Will we be okay?”
“I’ll make sure you get back safely, Sherry. I won’t let anything happen to you.” He shrugged and looked back to the bed behind them. “Or we could stay here and wait it out.”
“Let’s go then.” A huge part of her wanted to say hell with it and stay with him, but she couldn’t let her sister worry.
He looked disappointed by her decision, but didn’t say a word as he opened the door and waved her outside. She climbed into the Jeep and shivered. It was freezing. He got in the driver’s side, started the engine, and backed out of the parking spot. Within twenty minutes, they were on the highway heading back the way they’d came. The heat had kicked in and she turned the radio on only to turn it off after hearing more static than music. A few hours later, she was becoming alarmed.
The snow had increased, visibility had decreased, the wind had picked up, and a white blanket was quickly thickening over the landscape. They were in a remote part of Michigan, and she’d only seen one other car the whole time they’d been driving. The way Piers gripped the steering wheel only increased her anxiety.
“Piers?”
“It’ll be okay. See if you can find a local news station on the radio.”
She finally found one after several tries, but it was hard to hear through the thick interference. Only bits and pieces could be heard, but “blizzard,”