He finally relaxed into the cushions, his arm coming around me and pulling me tight against his side. “Tease,” he grumbled.
Letting my weight rest against him, I wondered how I could be more comfortable around Calder, a person I’d met less than an hour ago, than I was around people I’d known for years.
Chapter Six- Calder
I couldn’t believe that this little human woman was so blunt and unafraid. The fact that I could kill her without breaking a sweat didn’t seem to faze her in the least. Most humans, male or female, would give me a wide berth, never mind tease me about acting like a horny teenager.
She nudged me with her elbow again. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
Her tone was annoyed when she responded. “What’s it like?”
“Well, I wake up in the morning and go find a fire hydrant to piss on, then I eat and scratch myself before I take a nap. Unfortunately, I can’t lick my own balls unless I’m in wolf form.” Ricki smirked, but I could tell that she was disappointed with my cavalier answer to her question.
“What about fleas?” she asked. Though her words were flippant, her tone was flat, devoid of humor or even curiosity.
Unable to deal with her crestfallen expression and the loss of her exuberant attitude, I poured more Scotch into my glass and took a healthy swallow. “Do you want the honest answer?”
Ricki rolled her eyes, tossing her tangled curls over her shoulder. “No, I want you to make it all up. I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want the truth.”
I placed my glass on the table next to the sofa and leaned back into the soft cushions. Since humans were rarely invited into the shifter world, I’d never had this conversation before. I wanted to laugh at the fact that I was nearly fifty years old and I hadn’t given much thought to what being a wolf truly meant or what it felt like. I simply existed.
“Being a shifter is like….” I paused, weighing my words carefully, “it’s like having another being inside your body and mind. When I’m in human form, I’m mainly in control. Though, I’ve learned the hard way not to ignore the other part of myself. One moment of inattention or slip in my willpower, and he can take over when he wants something badly enough.”
She opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, then shut it quickly.
“Did you want to ask me something?”
“What do you mean take over?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Well, if I ignore the needs of my animal side or fight my instincts too hard, I’ll shift and I won’t be able to stop it or control it.”
“Who’s in control when you’re in your, uh, wolf form?” The question was hesitant, as though she was concerned that she was offending me.
“I still have control, just not as much. When a shifter changes, their animal instincts become almost undeniable, especially predators. The urge to hunt becomes especially strong. That’s why you never, ever run from a supernatural being, whether vampire or shifter. Especially a shifter in animal form. We’re predators. Anything that flees immediately becomes prey.”
Ricki nodded. “So, what kind of things do you and your wolf disagree upon?”
Tracking her thought processes was a little like hunting jack rabbits. All over the place and hard to follow. “I don’t understand what you mean.”
She gestured with her free hand. “Well, you said that you might change if your wolf wanted something badly and you denied that part of yourself. Are we talking about craving a Big Mac or chewing on body parts?”
Where in the hell did she get these macabre ideas? Probably TV and movies and other lore fueled by misinformation.
“No, it’s not like that,” I hedged.
Beginning to sound exasperated, she asked “Then what is it like? Give me a specific example.”
As she spoke, my eyes wandered down to her mouth, then her breasts. The wolf stretched inside me, growling, because he liked what he saw and he liked it a lot. Normally, he didn’t give a damn about humans unless he was hungry, but, for some reason, that part of me lusted after this woman. She smelled different. She was different.
She. Is. Mine.
“Right now?” I questioned. When she nodded, I shifted forward, sitting so close to her that I could feel the heat rising off her skin. Her pupils expanded at the whisper of contact. “Right now, my wolf wants to see if you taste as good as you smell.” I let my gaze travel down the rest of her body. “Especially the flavor between your thighs.”
The scent of female arousal spiked around me and I had to close my eyes. Once again, I was dangerously close to losing control. Our bodies brushed as her muscles coiled. Shit, I pushed too far and she was going to run.
When she sprang to her feet, I stood with her, unable to stop myself. My hand grasped the nape of her neck firmly, holding her in place. She gasped, wide brown eyes staring up at me in surprise.
“Don’t move. Please, don’t move.” My voice sounded guttural and harsh and her scent changed. Instead of desire, I smelled something almost as tempting and sweet; fear. Even as the predatory part of my nature demanded that I take down my prey, I despised my reaction. I hated that I was scaring her. I took an unsteady breath. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m not trying to scare you. Just remember what I said; don’t run from a shifter or a vamp. If you run from me, I will chase you. I won’t be able to stop myself.”
Her eyes remained huge as she nodded. “I understand,” she murmured.
Chapter Seven- Ricki
Shit just got real.
As I stared into Calder’s eyes, my heart pounded into my sternum in a ragged rhythm. For the first time since we began our conversation, he looked like the Big Bad Wolf. I wondered if that made me Red Riding Hood.
The crazy thing was that, while I was a little scared, I was also turned on. He was staring at me as though he wanted to gobble me up.
A couple of years ago, I’d had a boyfriend who was into bedroom mind games. Actually, he was into a lot more than that. Being young and curious, I was willing to try something new, but soon realized that I wasn’t suited for the life of a submissive. I didn’t respond well to my boyfriend’s attempts to keep me on that edge between fear and desire or having to call him Sir with a straight face. Apparently, I was being mindfucked by the wrong man.
A wicked thought flitted through my brain and I took a slow step back. I knew this wasn’t a game, but I liked this adrenaline rush. No, I freaking loved it. I just hoped it didn’t backfire.
Calder’s face hardened when he asked, “What are you doing, Ricki?”
I took another step back. This time, he moved with me, following me as though I had the lead in this strange sexual dance we’d been enacting the last hour. I backed up once again, pausing at the low growl that emerged from Calder’s throat.
“I’m trying to put a little space between us, that’s all,” I answered breathlessly. This was a complete lie. Donna had definitely been correct in assuming I wouldn’t be able to resist trouble.
As I retreated across the room, he stalked me, brilliant green eyes glittering like gems. I felt a shiver run down my spine as something ruthless and wild swirled in their depths.
“I told you not to run.” His voice was deep and gravelly as he continued to stalk after me.
I shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m not. I’m walking.”
This time the low, rumbling growl that emerged from his throat shot straight to my groin. The less-than-human sounds he made weren’t as frightening now that I’d spent a little time talking to him.
Without looking behind me, I knew I was getting close to the wall. By the time my back hit the silk wallpaper, my legs were so weak I needed the wall to support my weight. I gasped when Calder crowded into me, his hands gripping my hips. My body jerked as his thumbs massaged the muscles around my hipbones. I had no idea how sensitive I could be there.