She hesitated for a second before copying his move. Her shirt hit the ground to one side, but he wasn’t watching the fabric, his gaze pinned on her body.
“No bra. I like that. I like that very much.” Evan licked his lips, heat rising in his eyes as he admired her.
Amy had plenty to admire as well, looking across the small distance separating them. Evan wore a faded pair of jeans that sat low on his hips. Solid muscles flexed and extended rhythmically, one foot crossing over the other as they circled.
“Less clothing makes it easier when it’s time to shift,” Amy pointed out. “Besides, I don’t really need one.”
“You’re perfect just the way you are.”
She didn’t fight the sensation. Satisfaction that her mate found her attractive rushed in, and for one second she preened.
Didn’t stop her from making the next move. She leapt, and as expected, his eyes remained on her torso. Amy took total advantage and slung out a leg, aiming for his side.
Evan seized her foot and hauled her with him as he tumbled to the ground. Arms and legs scrambling to escape, she was nevertheless trapped as he caught both her wrists and slammed them into the ground on either side of her head. His larger body pinned her in place.
Once again they were skin against skin, and a sense of satisfaction rolled over her. She had an itch she desperately needed to scratch, but only with this man. Evan moved his head to the side to capture her earlobe in his teeth and nip lightly.
“You’re fast, strong, and my God, you’re sexy.” He breathed deeply, and a low, sensual grumble started at the back of his throat. Her wolf reacted instantly, moving against him. She wasn’t even sure when she opened her legs to allow his hips to settle between them. The hard heavy length of his cock rested over the aching core of her body.
He rocked, and the aching pressure inside changed to a tingling alertness. Need and desire rocketed.
Only she wasn’t ready to give in. “Next time you won’t be able to use that move with me,” she warned.
“Then I’ll try something new.” Evan stretched her arms overhead, transferring her wrists until he held her trapped in the fingers of one strong hand. With his second hand free, he reached down and drew a finger along her arm.
If he’d moved in a rush, taking that hand and placing it against her throat or her chest, Amy would’ve continued to struggle. But the bastard moved so slowly, and so cautiously, she was mesmerized. His fingers traced from her wrist along her forearm, lingering for a second on the inside of her elbow.
By the time he passed over her biceps to where her arm and torso connected, Amy was struggling to breathe. “Let me go,” she demanded.
“No.”
Two fingers now ran along side of her torso, pausing on her rib cage. He pressed his hand to her skin and caressed. Small circles at first, getting larger until he skimmed the edge of her breast. Amy closed her eyes and fought the shiver that rolled over her.
When he settled his full palm on top of her breast, his hand possessive for all that it was a light contact, she took a deep, deep breath.
As good as his touch felt, she couldn’t go any further. Her wolf was ready for more. God, the beast was ready to all-out fuck in the middle of the field. But her human was waving a white flag and demanding they retreat and consider terms.
This time? The human need was far stronger.
“Evan.”
Her tone said it all. Her desperation, her confusion. Evan removed his hand from her breast, bringing it up instead to cup her cheek.
He didn’t say anything, just looked into her eyes. The contact had a continued calming effect. That, and the adrenaline fading from her system.
She had been right about a fight being a good thing. She was still turned on, still wanting more, but not nearly as desperate as she had been fifteen minutes earlier.
They lay on the hard ground, her back on the solid earth and his warm body over hers. For a good five minutes that’s all they did. Satisfaction soaked into her bones. The kind of peacefulness she hadn’t expected.
But the longer they lay there, the more the injustice of the entire situation burned. It was annoying as hell she couldn’t simply accept him and know that everything would work out.
Evan leaned in close and brushed his cheek against hers, the gentle caress intimate and yet not overwhelming. “Challenge you to a game of chess.”
He let her go and helped her to her feet, and she nodded. “You’re a glutton for punishment.”
A cocky grin reflected back at her. “You’ll find I’m good at all sorts of games.” He scooped her shirt off the ground and handed it over. “Not that I’d argue if you spent the rest of the evening naked, but your choice.”
Naked for shifting? Fine. Naked without being able to touch him and know it was the right thing? She wasn’t ready for more. Amy returned the favour and passed him his shirt. “I don’t want to win because I distracted you.”
He raised a brow in the air. Then he reached his hand out. Held it there, steady. Firm. Amy stared for a moment, considering hard.
She slipped her fingers into his. The contact wasn’t sexual. It wasn’t about who was more dominant, or trying to move faster than they should. It was about connection, and who they were at their core. Wolves.
He grasped her fingers a little tighter, holding on. Letting her know he was there. “Come on. You can show me your worst.”
He didn’t want to let go, but it would be far too difficult to spend the rest of the evening with one hand clutched around hers. Not that he would’ve minded. Not at all, but so far they’d kept moving forward, and he wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize that fragile momentum.
So, they took an entirely different tack. Amy squeezed his fingers and he released her.
“You really want to play chess?” she asked.
Evan settled on the couch opposite the coffee table. “I’m not ready to leave you. I think my wolf would go insane if I tried, so you’re stuck with me for the night.”
Amy made a face. “Damn wolves.”
“Yeah,” Evan agreed. “I know we’ve got more to figure out, but I don’t want to talk about any big issues tonight. And since spending hours making you scream during hot, sticky, satisfying sex is out of the question, no matter how much I want you, we need to do something else to pass the time.”
She’d swallowed hard when he’d mentioned sex, her eyes gone wide as silver dollars, and for one second he hoped, before logic rushed in and slapped him for being an ass.
“I just meant are you sure you want to play chess,” Amy muttered, not meeting his eyes. “There’s a whole cupboard of other games here as well. I stocked it so when families come out they have other things to do in the evenings.”
Okay. That was awkward. He made himself busy while she grabbed the game. He needed another cold shower. Damn him for making a smart-ass comment regarding sex. Now he had another hard-on from hell.
He adjusted his position on the couch in an attempt to ease the pressure. Then he looked around the cabin again and focused on changing the topic, not just with her, but with his own damn libido.
No television. No electronic games.
“Does the cabin see a lot of use?” Evan asked.
Amy shrugged. “Off and on. Some of the Canyon pack have their own retreats. I fixed this one for those times I needed to get away, and for those who like the idea of a place they can call their own for a short while, but can’t afford it.”
Interesting. “The Takhini pack has the house in town, but nothing in the wilderness. When we go out, we tend to go farther afield from Whitehorse.”