Page 92 of Black Willow Witch
‘Ripper isnothim. He’s stronger. Has more integrity. He’s loyal right down to his soul. Hence why I’m telling you that you really ought to keep him.’
‘I could only do that if he was interested in being kept.’
‘He is. He may not consciously know it yet but, believe me, he is.’
Walking down her front path later that day, Emberlyn watched as Ripper rounded his truck. Their gazes collided and, quite naturally, her pulse lost its rhythm as their chemistry sparked to waking life. It often felt like said chemistry was electrically powered. Like her body had been plugged into a damn socket. That ever-present pull between them just never eased up.
He looked his fill, like always – his eyes flaring with heat. She’d learned that he liked this dress. Champagne-colored and body-hugging, it had a subtle thigh slit and provided a nice flash of cleavage.
As she reached him, he stepped into her, sucking the oxygen out of the air. Or, at least, that was how it felt – the uncivilized vibe, the rough and gritty deliciousness of him . . . it all stole the breath right out of her lungs.
He dragged the tip of his nose along her cheekbone. ‘You’ve got to stop doing this.’
She blinked. ‘What?’
‘Tempting me to fuck you out in the open.’ He cupped her hip, his warm lips grazing her cheek as they slid to her ear. ‘I only have so much restraint.’
‘Don’t blame me if your cock is hard.’
‘Who should I blame? It ain’t your fault that you stroll around looking like every man’s fantasy, I get that – you would no matter what you were wearing. But you knew if you put on that dress I’d remember what happened the last time you wore it.’
She almost shivered on recalling ‘the last time’. Her dress had ended up hiked around her waist as he’d fucked her against the wall – he hadn’t even properly closed his front door he’d been on her so fast. ‘Maybe I want a repeat.’
Something wicked seeped into his eyes and pooled there. ‘Oh, you’ll get one.’ He opened the passenger door of his truck, lifted her by her hips and set her on the seat.
She batted away his hand when he went to put on her seatbelt. ‘We’ve had this conversation, I can—’
The weight of his lips on hers silenced her. His tongue slipped into her mouth, tangled with her own and swept her into a maelstrom of carnal sensation.
There was aclick, and he pulled back. Among the heat in his eyes was a pinch of amused satisfaction.
And she realized he’d taken care of the seatbelt situation while she’d been distracted.
‘You’re an ass,’ she told him matter-of-factly.
His massive shoulders gave an uncaring shrug as he closed her door. Moments later, he was beside her.
Using magick, she wrenched at his seatbelt and wrapped it around him until yet anotherclicksounded in the small space.
His brows lifted, mirth still a flickering flame in his gaze. ‘Thanks, baby.’
There he went with the ‘baby’ again. It made her belly clench.
He switched on the engine and drove down the dirt road which cut through the land that Millicent had willed to him. ‘How did your day play out?’
‘Work. Lunch with Paisley. Whipping up more potions. That was pretty much it.’ She placed her purse between her feet. ‘What about you?’
He shifted gears. ‘Me and a bunch of my clan were hunting in Bloodhill until a couple of hours ago. Then it was a matter of delivering the meat and scrubbing myself clean in the shower.’ He tossed her a sideways glance. ‘I suppose you decided to leave out the part where Kerr had to hurry along CeCe’s friends,’ he added, his tone hard but casual.
She shrugged. ‘It wasn’t worth mentioning. They were just staring.’
‘You and I know what it means when werewolves stare like that. They’re making it known that you’re on their shitlist and warning you to watch your back.’
Yes, shedidknow that. However . . . ‘I’m not worried.’
‘That isn’t the point. You’re mine. I don’t like anyone thinking they can act that way toward you.’ His voice roughened with irritation and possession. ‘To add to that, I’m their Alpha. They should have too much respect for my claim to you than to behave that way.’
Sensing just how deep his annoyance ran, she guessed . . . ‘You had a little talk with them, didn’t you?’
