Feeling the pleasure once again start to build inside her, Ansley shifted until her sex came into position with his cock. With her hand still wrapped around the base of his shaft, she moved forward until the head of his erection butted up against her wet opening. She flexed her hips and pressed down to take the tip of his cock inside her pussy. Roan lifted his head and growled loudly. He placed a restraining hand on her hip to hold her still. “No,” he said in a strained voice.
Ansley blinked open her eyes to find that Roan’s glowed mutedly as he stared at her. Even though she knew what she saw couldn’t possibly be real, his eyes continued to glow, even after she blinked. She found it oddly arousing. Despite his large hand on her hip, she flexed her hips and took a little more of his cock inside her.
“Stop, Ansley,” Roan said between his gritted teeth. “You don’t know what you’re doing. I’m only hanging on to my self-control by a thread.”
She tried to take more of him, but Roan’s grip on her hip tightened. “I thought this is what you wanted,” she moaned. “I know I want it.”
With a growl that couldn’t be mistaken for anything but animalistic, Roan pushed her away as he fell back off the couch onto the floor. Not sure exactly what she had done to cause such a violent reaction from him, Ansley silently watched him pick himself up. He stood in front of her and ooked down at her. His chest rapidly rose and fell. His cock stood erect from the open front of his jeans. Ansley didn’t understand. It was obvious Roan wanted her.
She reached out her hand, but he shook his head. He shoved his cock back inside his jeans and did them up. He snatched up his t-shirt from the floor and yanked it on.
“Roan?” Ansley asked bewilderedly.
“This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have come here.” Without another word, Roan turned and let himself out of her apartment.
Feeling as if Roan had just slapped her, Ansley got off the couch and gathered up her clothes. Hurt, with no real understanding why Roan had run from her, she headed for the bathroom to take a shower. She’d thought things had been going well. Obviously she had done something wrong. It wouldn’t be the first time a man had changed his mind about her once things got intimate. Her last boyfriend, who had only lasted a couple months, hadn’t liked that she tended to be a bit aggressive in bed. But when she held herself back, he ended up dumping her because he found her too cold.
Ansley stepped into the shower and let the warm water run over her. As she washed Roan’s scent off her skin, she wished she could just as easily wash away the memory of how good it had felt to be held in his arms.
Roan couldn’t get away from Ansley’s apartment fast enough. As he sped down the highway toward the Golden Gate Bridge, he tried to leash back his wolf. The wolf wanted to go back to Ansley and finish what they had started. Roan couldn’t believe how close he had come to giving in to his urge to claim Ansley as his mate right then and there. As she had come apart in his arms, with her moans filling his ears, he had told himself that would be enough until he felt ready to explain to Ansley what she was to him. But when she had taken the head of his cock inside her body, he’d had to fight both himself and the wolf to keep from sheathing himself to the hilt in her welcoming heat. He drove his car across the bridge and headed for Marin County where he and his brothers and sister lived. The mansion was large enough for the seven of them, now eight since Eli, Saskia’s mate, had moved in with them. But in his current mood, Roan wished he lived alone.
When he arrived at the mansion, Roan drove up the long drive and parked his Lexus in the spacious six car garage before he headed inside the house. Feeling as if his nerves had been stretched to their limits, he went to see if anyone else was home. He found Saskia and Eli in the living room watching a movie on the large LCD screen TV. They were cuddled together on the couch. The sight of them together made Roan long for Ansley.
Saskia turned her head in his direction when Roan walked into the room. She looked him up and down. “You look as if you’re about ready to snap. I take it your evening didn’t turn out like you had planned.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I damn near fucked it up.”
“What happened?” Eli asked. “Did you tell her about you being a werewolf and she didn’t take it well?”
Roan shook his head. “I haven’t told her about that yet.”
“Then what’s the problem?” Saskia asked.
“I came pretty damn close to claiming her.”
“I thought you wanted to take things slow with Ansley.”
“I do, but it’s turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be. I think I may have screwed things up.”
“Why?”
“Let’s just say I pulled the same stunt you did with Eli when you found yourself mated to him—I ran.”
Saskia and Eli hadn’t known they were mates when they had first met. Eli being a mortal at the time, of course hadn’t shown the signs a male werewolf displays when he has found his mate. Unexpected as it had been, Saskia had run from Eli right after their mating bond had been formed.
Saskia cringed. “You didn’t.”
“Oh, but I did. It was either that or finish what we had started.”
“What are you going to do to fix it?”
“I haven’t got a clue. Right now, I need to work off my frustration.” He gave a Saskia a pointed look. “Time to return the favor I gave you when you came running home from Eli’s.”
Saskia smiled and got off the couch. “I’ll get my sword and meet you downstairs.”
She looked down at Eli. “Are you going to join us?”
Eli gave her a heated look. “I’d better not. You know how seeing you swing that sword of yours turns me on. I don’t think Roan would appreciate it if I stole you away too soon.”
She bent and gave Eli a quick kiss. “Maybe later I’ll have to do a little sword practice of my own up in our room.”
Turning away, Roan said in a sharp voice, “I’ll be downstairs.” He walked away from the couple before he did something stupid like put his fist through the wall.
Down in the basement, which they had converted into a training area, Roan watched Saskia cross the room with sword in hand to stand in front of him. She swung her sword in an arc in front of her to loosen up. Roan did the same. He knew Saskia wouldn’t take it easy on him. She never did, which he now counted on. He needed to do something that would distract him from thinking about Ansley. Something that would tire him out. And Saskia would be the woman to give him what he needed.
At first glance, Saskia didn’t look as if she would be a match for him, but looks could be deceiving. With her long light blonde, almost white hair, flashing violet eyes and slim build, someone would think he could disarm her and have her at his mercy in a matter of seconds. That was so far off the mark it wasn’t even funny. Saskia hadn’t been chosen to be the leader of six large lone male werewolves for nothing. She could hold her own against any of them.
At Saskia’s nod, they circled each other with their swords raised. While most werewolves their age had given up the sword long ago and chose to fight in wolf form if the need ever arose, the seven of Roxie’s protectors still used the sword—their weapon of choice. Roan made the first strike, which Saskia easily blocked with her sword. Circling each other again, he waited for another opening then struck out at her. This time sparks flew when their blades met.