Читать книгу Wolf Tales VI - Kate Douglas - Страница 10

The sun hadn’t yet crested the horizon and the day hung quietly in that strangely silent spot between the full darkness of night and the pale oyster-shell glow of coming dawn. Adam raised his muzzle from the warm cushion of Oliver’s back.

Oliver sighed, but slept on, his wolven body curled tightly in the thick ferns where they’d spent the night. Adam blinked, gazing into the dark, seeing so much more through wolven eyes. He decided he really loved to travel this way, shifting and spending the night as a wolf, sleeping in the thick stands of forest they’d managed to find along the way. No need for camping gear or motel rooms—just a quiet, protected spot in the woods.

With luck they’d reach Tampa later today. Tampa, and Eve. A frisson of awareness, a sense of destiny raced across his spine when he thought of her. Damn, but he’d missed her, even though they’d hardly spent time together at all.

Eve. Her name filled his soul like a benediction. She’d sent for him, as surely as if she’d sent an engraved invitation. Keisha might think Eve only needed him to repair the truck, but Adam knew better. She’d merely needed an excuse, a ploy to salve her pride.

His body quickened with the image of the beautiful blond. Some day, soon, he hoped, she would be his. When she’d left Montana, Adam hadn’t even tried to stop her, even when everything inside him begged her to stay. He’d known she had to leave. He’d expected it, though not quite so soon.

It was all about timing.

All about Eve.

Oliver stirred and stretched. Adam stood up and shook. His rumpled coat settled smoothly across his back. Oliver joined him, touching nose to nose in greeting.

They’d touched a lot more than merely noses last night, but before Adam had a chance to relive some of the details, he scented fresh game.

Rabbit. Brush near water. Circle.

Oliver nodded and immediately slunk off to the left under cover of a stand of thick willows. Adam moved quietly to the right, keeping the tall grass between himself and his prey. Three fat cottontails munched their way through a narrow band of grass growing alongside a small creek.

Adam’s muscles bunched as he crouched within a few feet of the rabbits. His muscles quivered, but he held still to give Oliver time to get into position. He caught Oliver’s mental signal. Heart racing, blood thundering in his veins and the power of the hunt lending him speed, Adam leapt just as Oliver burst through the bushes on the far side of the clearing.

Adam’s jaws closed on the rabbit closest to him. Oliver snapped up another. The third rabbit bounded into the brush to safety as the first two died soundlessly, quickly in the viselike jaws of their captors. Within minutes, the only sign the rabbits ever existed were the small wisps of pale fur scattered over the closely cropped grass where they’d been feeding.

Oliver shifted first, knelt by the creek and washed his hands and face. Adam did the same, bathing away the last vestiges of sleep and rabbit before he stood up and stuck a hand out for Oliver.

“Ready?”

Oliver nodded. “Thank you,” he said. He wiped his hands against his bare thighs and laughed out loud. “Wow. This trip has been quite an adventure.”

“You’ve had fresh rabbit before.”

“I’ve never slept in the forest as a wolf before. Never bathed by a mountain creek after a night in the woods. Such freedom! I could grow used to this life.” Oliver glanced over his shoulder at Adam and winked, but his heart felt full enough to burst. Adam really had no idea. Emotion washed over Oliver, deep and powerful emotion that left him shaken. His mood was thoughtful as he headed back to the small clearing where they’d left their clothing.

Never, if he lived a thousand years, could he repay Adam for the miracle he’d made happen. He’d forever changed Oliver’s life. Because of Adam, he walked with a new sense of purpose, more pride and self-confidence than he’d ever known before.

He’d been reborn, physically changed from a mutilated freak to a whole man. For the first time in his life, Oliver could embrace all that was offered. His was a new life, one filled with power and strength and the potential for love. Physical love.

All because of Adam Wolf.

Only Adam had seen a way to fix his miserable existence. All the years Oliver had spent with Anton Cheval, working for the man he loved more than anyone else on this earth, Anton had been unable to help.

If Anton couldn’t find a solution, Oliver had assumed no one could. It had always seemed impossible. How does one replace a missing set of testicles? He’d been castrated as a toddler and sold to a wealthy family as a playmate for their daughter. Oliver had no recollection of the surgery that cost him so much, but he’d never truly accepted his fate.

How could he accept that he would always live as half a man? He’d served Anton Cheval as well as he could. He’d taken the testosterone supplements Anton provided, but they’d done nothing to help him find his true heritage, that of a Chanku shapeshifter.

And then he met Adam Wolf. They’d connected from the very beginning, but Oliver hadn’t had a clue what effect Adam would have on him. Not until Adam had linked, secretly at first so that even Oliver didn’t realize what was happening. Until he’d given Oliver an erection. His very first.

Only Adam had known how to help him. First he’d shared his arousal in a powerful mental link, and suddenly Oliver was hard as a post. Later, Adam joined with him, linking once again, touching and sharing until Oliver finally knew what an orgasm felt like.

Even now, it still felt like a dream. Especially the night he’d spent with Eve. He hadn’t shifted yet, still didn’t have balls, but through Adam’s link, Oliver had made love to Eve. She’d never known. Never guessed that the man who loved her was not fully a man.

Had not known, then, that she was the first woman he’d ever penetrated. That night was the first time he’d felt that sweet, hot clench of powerful feminine muscles around his perfectly erect cock. The first time he’d felt warm breasts cushioned against his chest, the gush of fluids covering his groin as Eve writhed and climaxed against him.

For that alone, Oliver knew he would always love the beautiful blond for showing him what true desire really was. He missed Eve. Not with the purely visceral need Adam felt, but with a longing, a sad and incomplete sense of what might be, what might have been.

Once she’d gone, though, Adam had taken his experiments with Oliver a step further. They’d linked and Adam guided Oliver through his first shift. It was amazing. Utterly, completely amazing, to follow Adam’s neural pathways and suddenly find himself standing on all fours, his magnificent tail waving behind him, his teeth long and sharp, his eyes seeing clearly in the dark woods. He’d dreamed of such a thing. Wanted it as much, if not more, than he’d wanted balls. But then, shifting was all tied up in his sexuality, and it was something Oliver hadn’t been able to do without the hormones produced by the male sex organs he lacked.

The organs he had lacked. Oliver shivered, remembering. Standing there as a wolf, living the fantasy he’d held for years, he’d become aware of an even more amazing difference. Yes, he was a wolf, but he was intact. There, between his legs, were testicles. Perfectly shaped, functioning, filling his body with a rush of natural hormones.

When it was time to shift back, he’d been terrified his balls wouldn’t make the transition. For that alone he might have stayed a wolf forever, but Adam had promised him.

“I fix things, Oliver. That’s what I do. I think maybe we’ve fixed you.”

Goddess knew, he’d been broken. Oliver shivered, remembering the terror of that first shift from wolf back to human. He’d done it on his own, without Adam’s help. He’d been almost afraid to look, standing there in the woods, naked and trembling, but his Chanku libido had kicked in even before the realization that his new set of balls had made the shift with him.

For the first time in his life, Oliver had a raging hard-on! Even now, remembering, he was aroused. The others, Stefan and Anton, Keisha and Xandi, had all talked about how horny they were after a shift. He’d had no idea. The need to fuck, to find release, had raced through his blood and landed right in his cock.

Once again, Adam had fixed everything. He’d put his arms around Oliver and held him while he cried tears of relief. Then he’d fucked and sucked him until Oliver could hardly walk the next day.

Oliver sensed Adam’s arousal as they entered the glade. He turned and felt the now familiar sweet ache of his own desire, the weight of his balls between his legs, the coil of heat resting at the base of his spine. His cock curved high and he reached down and encircled himself with his fingers. “Do we need to leave this early?”

Adam smiled and shook his head. “I truly did create a monster.”

Oliver laughed. “It is a big one, isn’t it?”

“Oh yeah. For a little guy you’ve got one hell of a dick between your legs. Got any plans for it?”

Oliver stroked his fingers along his length. He used to wonder what it would feel like to slide his foreskin back and have it actually stay behind the crown, held there by the sheer size of his erection. “If you have any rubbers, I imagine I could find something to do with this thing.”

Adam licked his lips. “In the back pocket of my jeans. I was saving it for myself, but if you want it…”

The words trailed off, but Adam’s growing arousal spilled out onto Oliver. He found the condom and ripped the packet open with shaking hands. They always used a condom for anal sex, for personal hygiene if nothing else, but Adam was the top. Always. Except for now. Oliver slipped the latex over his erect cock and almost climaxed from his own touch, from the thoughts whirling in his brain.

He’d never done this before. Never even considered it. Why now?

Why not?

Oliver’s gaze snapped up to Adam’s amber eyes. “You’re in my head.”

“It’s a good place to be. You’ve got some amazing ideas in there.” Adam bridged the gap between them. The sky was growing lighter, birdsong welcomed the coming dawn, the forest was coming awake.

Oliver touched Adam’s shoulder, trailed his fingers along his muscled chest. His arousal grew. So did Adam’s. Oliver reached the thick nest of silky hair surrounding Adam’s cock, trailed his fingers around the hard shaft, touched the wrinkled sac below. Their sensations sparked between them, feelings shared, needs open and begging to be filled.

Oliver dropped to his knees and licked the very tip of Adam’s penis. The salty drop of ejaculate bathed his senses. The grass was soft beneath his knees, the air cool against his heated skin. Oliver sucked Adam deeper. He speared the tiny eye at the head of his glans with his tongue, cupped Adam’s balls in his hands and rolled the precious globes between his fingers.

Then he released Adam and pulled him to the ground. Adam moved quickly, but with a question in his eyes. Did he kneel for Oliver? Should he lie on his back? Laughing at his own awkwardness, Oliver positioned Adam on his hands and knees and knelt between his calves. He ran his hands over Adam’s taut buttocks and followed the crease of his ass to the perfect dip along his spine.

Then he grabbed Adam’s cock in both hands and stroked him, tugging none too gently from root to tip. His own cock rode the sweaty crease between Adam’s cheeks, but he didn’t try to penetrate.

Adam groaned. Oliver felt his balls tighten against his body, just as Adam’s did. Pre-cum filled his palm and he used it to lubricate Adam’s tight ring of muscle. He ran his fingertip over the sensitive tissues, pressing harder with each pass.

Adam groaned and widened his stance, giving Oliver better access. He was so much larger than Oliver, his back broader, his legs longer, but his ass was perfectly positioned for penetration.

Oliver’s arousal grew, but he continued his slow pressure against Adam’s butt, spreading him wider, softening his sphincter muscle, relaxing it. Finally he was able to slip one finger inside, then a second, but his hands were smaller and he knew he needed more.

Adam’s breath huffed in short, sharp puffs. Oliver felt him shiver. He swept his palm over Adam’s cock and it twitched at the contact, spilling more thick, white fluid.

Do that again and I’m gonna blow all over your hand.

Laughing, Oliver ran his fingers once again along Adam’s length, testing him further. Adam groaned, but his pleasure filled Oliver’s thoughts.

Oliver covered the tip of his cock with Adam’s fluid, then pressed hard. The sense of pressure was amazing as he slowly pushed forward. Adam adjusted his legs and lowered his head, thrusting his buttocks against Oliver’s cock.

There was a sense of muscle giving, relaxing, then the tight ring slipped over the head of his cock and locked around the most sensitive part of his shaft. Oliver groaned and held still, fighting for control. Amazing. The sensation of being locked to Adam was purely amazing. Shivering with the need to come, to give over to desire, Oliver fought for control. It took him precious seconds to find it before he could push forward.

This was amazing. Totally new, totally unbelievable. He had no idea, even from the links he’d had with Adam, what it actually felt like to shove his cock deep inside another man, to experience the heat, the clench of internal muscles, the press of a tautly muscled ass against his groin.

He groaned and slowly withdrew. Adam’s thoughts filled his head, the convoluted yet lush thoughts of a man on the edge. Oliver pressed deep again, then eased out. Harder this time, faster, his hips swaying with a rhythm he found deep inside himself.

The pressure grew, the pleasure expanded. He reached around Adam’s waist and clasped his cock in both hands, squeezing and stretching the full length of it in time with his own powerful thrusts.

Suddenly Adam threw his head back and yelled, his shout as incoherent as his thoughts during climax. Thick streams of ejaculate splattered against the grass and his cock jumped in Oliver’s grasp.

Oliver felt the coil of his own climax, felt the sharp thrust of heat and power, the amazing sense of his balls squeezing hard and tight as he orgasmed deep inside the man who made him whole.

Body jerking, muscles tight, Oliver grasped Adam’s hips and buried himself as deep as he could. It seemed to last forever, this mind-blowing, life-shattering orgasm, his first ever while buried in the clenching, spasming body of the man he loved. Gasping, lungs dragging in huge draughts of air, Oliver leaned forward and rested his cheek against Adam’s back.

His hips still pumped, a feeble last blast of the waning spasms of what had to be the most wonderful climax any man had ever felt. He laughed, and even that sounded weak. “Holy shit.”

Adam turned his head and grinned. “That all you can say?”

Oliver nodded, still numb.

Adam laughed out loud. “Works for me. Damn it all, Ollie. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

Oliver grabbed the base of his cock and held onto the condom as he withdrew from Adam’s body and then rolled limply to the ground to lay beside him. “Actually, my friend,” he said, “I had it in you.”

“That you did, Oliver. That you did.”

Mei handed her bags to Eve and climbed into the backseat of the cab to sit beside her. “Sheesh. Ya think we bought enough stuff?” Laughing, she moved bags and shoe boxes out of the way, fastened her seat belt and leaned back in the seat.

Eve punched her lightly on the arm. “C’mon, now. Do you know any woman who ever has enough clothes? Or shoes?”

“Yeah, but hiking boots? In Florida? Where am I going to need those?”

Eve turned away and shrugged.

“What’s up, Eve? What’s going on?”

“I was…I’m hoping you’ll come to Montana with me.”

Montana? Mei hadn’t allowed herself to think beyond the here and now for so long, it took a moment for Eve’s comment to register. “I don’t know. I…”

Eve held up one hand. “No. Don’t give me an answer now. There’s no rush. Adam should be here soon. Wait until you meet him. He can tell you more about it, about our friends. I never realized how much I would miss them, but now I’ve found you, I don’t want to let you go, either.”

Mei nodded, speechless, and stared straight ahead. She couldn’t think about the bags and boxes piled around her, of Eve’s quiet declaration. She couldn’t think of leaving all that was familiar and moving to a state that might as well be a foreign country for all she knew about it. It was all so much. Too much, too soon. She’d never had so many beautiful things in her life, never had anyone spend money on her the way Eve had today.

Never had anyone care about her before.

They’d had a late lunch in a fancy restaurant with real china on the table and crystal glasses for drinks. She’d worn one of her new outfits right out of the store and felt perfectly dressed in a pale blue cotton skirt and a gauzy yellow top. The food was amazing. She’d had salmon and quiche and things she’d never heard of before, all perfectly prepared and served by an immaculately dressed waiter.

She might have been too nervous to eat, but Eve put her at ease, asking about her life, her goals, her dreams. It wasn’t easy, admitting her goals of college and a family of her own were long forgotten and her dreams so strange she couldn’t discuss them.

Dreams of running through thick forests and climbing steep cliffs and mountains, hearing the cry of night creatures, tasting fresh blood, thick and intoxicating on her tongue. She’d long ago given up trying to find an explanation for the strange places her mind took her at night. In some perverted way she actually looked forward to her dreams, to the escape they gave her from such a desolate reality.

Mei felt Eve’s fingers wrap around her hand. She squeezed a silent reply as the cab took them back to the motel. Eve paid the cabby while Mei grabbed up all the packages. “I’ve got everything,” she said. “Eve, I…” She stopped. Stared.

The hood on the black pickup was raised. There was a man, his broad back glistening with sweat as he fiddled with something on the engine. His perfect ass was covered in worn jeans that fit him like a second skin and from this angle, at least, he was gorgeous. Standing next to him, though, was the most beautiful man Mei had ever seen.

About her height and slightly built, with smooth, dark skin and a perfectly proportioned body, he stared intently into the bowels of the truck. He wore an immaculate white sleeveless tank top and khaki shorts with sandals. His hair was cropped close, his face a blend of many races. A very pleasing blend. As Mei stared at him, she could have sworn she felt a connection, an unseen link that reminded her of the sensation she’d felt the first time she and Eve were together.

The packages slipped out of her fingers and fell to the sidewalk with a rustle of plastic and the solid plop of boxes hitting asphalt. Spellbound, she let them go.

“Adam! You’re here. I didn’t expect you so soon!” Eve raced past Mei, as the man working on the truck turned around and stood up. He had a smear of grease across his left cheek, but it didn’t take away from the perfection of his face.

Damn. Mei shook herself free of whatever spell seemed to hold her, suddenly aware the one she’d been watching had turned and now studied her. She glanced away, at the other one. The one Eve ran to. Both men were gorgeous. Totally different from one another and absolutely beautiful.

“Ah, so I was right. You were expecting me! I wondered about that phone call to Keisha.” He held his arms out and Eve practically leapt into his embrace.

She was crying and laughing all at the same time, obviously thrilled to see this guy. Mei stood there, grinning stupidly with all the good feelings pouring out of the two of them.

“I’m Oliver. And you are…?”

She jerked her head around and realized the other man had crossed the short distance between them. He held his hand out, but he was obviously sizing her up. She wondered if he liked what he saw. He certainly got her nod of approval.

“Mei. Mei Chen. I knew Eve years ago. When we were kids.” She took his hand and saw his eyes widen almost imperceptibly.

Did he feel the same jolt she did, the same amazing current that seemed to arc between them when they touched? Mei held on to his hand, well aware his grip hadn’t relaxed, either.

“Wow,” he said. Softly, almost reverently. He glanced down at their hands, at their fingers still entwined. Then he raised his head and smiled at Mei. “And wow, again. Like I said, who are you?”

Mei smiled and shrugged and slipped her hand free of his grasp. Little tingles of current continued to race along her arm, but she chose to ignore them for now. She nodded in the direction of Eve and her friend. They still hugged, Eve still cried, even Adam’s face looked suspiciously damp. “I guess they missed each other, eh?”

“I guess so. Here, let me help you with these.” Oliver picked up the packages Mei had dropped. She pulled the extra room key from her purse and opened the door. Oliver set the packages on the bed.

“Should we, like, disappear for a while and give them time together?” Mei glanced at Eve and her man. Their arms were still wrapped around one another and they appeared to be having a fairly intense conversation.

“Not a bad idea. We can take the Jeep.” Oliver grabbed Mei’s hand and led her back outside. “Hey guys. Mei, this is Adam. Adam, Mei Chen. I’ve missed you, Eve.” He leaned close and kissed Eve on the lips. It was obvious she kissed him back. With feeling. Before Mei could figure out the dynamics among these three, and well before Adam could shake her hand, Oliver was dragging her away. “Mei and I are going to take a ride. She’s taking me on a tour of Tampa. Figured you two could use some quiet time…”

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Eve said.

“Yes, it is. Thanks, Ollie.” Adam grinned and tossed the set of keys. Oliver snagged them out of the air.

They were in the car and on the road before Mei had her seat belt fastened.

Adam shrugged into his shirt as he watched the Jeep disappear down the highway. When he turned to Eve, there was a speculative look in his eyes. “She’s Chanku, isn’t she? How did you find her?”

“I’m not sure. I found her this morning. There’s something about her…”

“I know. I sense it. Does she know?”

Eve shook her head. “No. I’ve told her the pills help with telepathy. I had to say something. She knew I was reading her mind. Her thoughts are so…” Eve waved her hands helplessly. “I’m pretty new at this myself. I’m not sure what to look for.”

Adam took her hand and tugged her toward the open door to the room. “We’ll worry about Mei later. Right now, you’re the only one I want to think about.”

“Oh, Adam.” Eve wrapped her hands around his upper arm and leaned close as they walked to the room. “I feel like such an idiot for leaving the way I did. I just…I…”

“It’s okay. Now. You had your reasons and they were important ones.” He leaned down and kissed her, then closed the door behind them. “It was pretty intense. When you shifted ahead of me, I was so afraid I’d lose you, and then you were gone.”

“I couldn’t stay. Something seemed to draw me back here.”

“Mei?”

“I don’t know. I think so. I’m not sure. At first I thought it was just me, needing to understand myself, my independence. Now that I’ve met Mei…I imagine Anton will have a field day with whatever is going on.”

Adam laughed. “Yeah, well, Stefan won’t like it. One more instance where his coincidence argument goes down the drain.” He brushed her hair back from her face and slowly, thoroughly, kissed her once again.

Eve drew his breath into her lungs, his scent, the hard feel of his body against hers. She’d been so stupid, leaving this amazing man, but she’d had no choice. Something stronger than desire had drawn her back to Florida. “How was it?” She pulled away from his lips. “The first time you shifted. Was it absolutely amazing?”

“It still is. Every time. The hardest part has been shifting back, being human and so damned horny I ache. And you’re not there.”

Eve felt her smile spread, felt the warmth of his soft words like a caress across her heart. “I’m here now. So are you. Both of us here and very needy. Make love to me, Adam. I’ve missed you so much.”

He took a huge breath and his chest rose and fell with it. She felt his confusion, his desire, but his thoughts were blocked, hidden from her searching mind. He suddenly turned and walked away from her, toward the small bathroom. Eve followed and watched while Adam carefully washed the grease from his big, battered hands and used the damp towel to take the smudge off his cheek. He led her back out into the room and stood with her beside the bed.

It was freshly made. Eve thought of the rumpled and sweaty sheets she and Mei had left this morning, but housekeeping had obviously come while they were gone. She wasn’t sure how Adam might feel about her morning with Mei. There was so little she really knew about him. What they’d had was intense, but still very new. Swallowing back a million questions, Eve carefully put her own shields in place and blocked her thoughts.

Adam slowly raised his hands to cup the sides of her face in his callused palms and all thoughts of Mei fled.

Gentle yet so very strong, he held her immobile while his lips touched hers with a sense of reverence she’d never experienced. His mouth was soft and searching and he kissed her thoroughly, licking and nipping at her mouth and then carefully tracing the seam between her lips with the tip of his tongue.

She parted for him, sighing with a sense of expectation. The arousal he built inside made her ache for more. His muscular thigh slipped forward between her legs and he pressed against her pubes, a gentle pressure that merely hinted at his strength.

Moaning, Eve tilted her hips and rode his thigh. Her short skirt slipped higher up her legs and her sex throbbed with each scrape of worn denim over damp panties and needy clit. She wrapped her arms around his waist and sucked his tongue inside her mouth.

Adam’s body trembled, yet he still moved slowly, carefully, as if she were made of crystal. She wanted more. Wanted the long, lean naked strength of him pressed against her, wanted the thick length of his cock buried deep inside her sex, but he kept the pace slow, almost languorous as he carefully made love to her mouth.

She felt the slide of his palm against her throat, over her shoulder, on her breast. His hands were scarred from years of working on cars and other mechanical things, and the rough calluses and ridged flesh added another layer of sensation to her already sensitized skin.

Her nipple tightened immediately and he rubbed his hand over the hard nub. She wanted the feel of his hand on her skin, not through layers of fabric, through bra and cotton blouse. As if reading her mind, Adam flipped the top button free, then the next. He kissed her and the pressure between her legs grew.

His left hand pressed the back of her head, holding her still while he plundered her mouth. She remembered him as a careful, thorough lover, but this was taking careful to new heights. Eve tilted her hips forward, bringing more pressure against her clit. Adam laughed and pulled his mouth away. “Slow down, sweetie. I’ve waited too long to rush this.”

Eve laughed and rested her head against his chest. Her breath huffed out of her lungs and she rolled her forehead against him. “How about we rush this first time and take the next one slower?” She raised her head and laughed again at the expression on his face.

“You’re telling me you want it hard and fast?”

“Oh…yeah. Definitely. The harder the better. I am so ready.” She walked her fingers down his chest, paused a moment over his heart and felt it thundering against her palm. She reached his waistband with both hands, tugged his shirt free and slipped her hands inside against the warmth of his belly. “Why’d you put this back on? I want skin. Yours against mine. You inside me. Now.”

“Oh, yeah. Right now.” He kicked his shoes off, slipped out of his jeans and ripped off his shirt. Buttons skittered across the floor. Eve watched, slowly unbuttoning her blouse and sliding her skirt down her legs. When Adam turned to her, his thick erection curving up and out of its nest of dark hair made her mouth go dry.

She reached for his thoughts and found only need and want and a powerful longing—every bit as powerful as her own. Overlying everything was an edge of fear. She wasn’t certain why or what, but it unnerved her, to know this powerful, intelligent man feared something about her…or for her.

Eve unhooked her bra and dropped it on the floor. She slipped her bikini panties down over her legs. Naked, she watched Adam watch her while the tension between them grew. He was beautiful, even more perfect than she remembered. His tall, rangy body and rippling muscles were formed of hard work and physical effort, not hours with a trainer in a sterile gym.

His hair was longer now, some falling across his forehead, the rest swept back behind his ears, sun-bleached an even lighter shade of blond than she recalled.

His chest glistened and he smelled of clean, warm man and something more, something feral and free. His Chanku spirit was strong and the needs of the wolf paced restlessly just below the surface of his humanity.

That wildness drew Eve closer, opened her mind and her heart as she sensed the spirit of one like herself. I need you. Now, more than I’ve ever needed anyone or anything in my life.

I know. I’ve been praying you would want me, that you’d finally realize we’ll be good for each other.

Love me, Adam. She held her hands out to him and at the same time, opened her thoughts even more, baring her soul as completely as she bared her body. He lifted her in powerful arms and stretched her out on the bed. She felt tiny and feminine, an unusual sensation for a woman who stood almost five eleven. When Adam came down beside her, his eyes glittered with arousal and his muscles were taut and trembling.

His mind opened. His thoughts shimmered clearly into her mind. “Oh, Adam.” She was the source of his fear. That she might not want him, might choose to continue her journey alone. “No,” she whispered, touching his face lightly with her fingertips. “Leaving when I did was something I had to do. I don’t need to leave you again. I think Mei drew me back here, as much as my desire to feel totally independent for once in my life. I’ve learned something important these last few weeks. Independence means nothing without you to share it.”

He didn’t answer. He simply rolled over and covered her body with his. His cock slipped between her legs and he found her wet and swollen sex. With one powerful thrust, Adam entered her. She arched her hips with the smooth glide of his thickened shaft between her folds. Groaned with pleasure when he nudged against the mouth of her womb with the thick flare of his glans.

It was the first time he’d loved her without a condom, the first time she’d felt him bare inside her. Now they’d both shifted, there was no need to fear disease, no need to worry about an unexpected, unwanted pregnancy. Free to love, to experience everything in its rawest, most powerful form.

It was electrifying, exciting, unbelievably arousing. Eve arched her hips. She drew him deep inside and he seemed to swell even larger, fill her more completely.

I want to do this when we shift, when we’re wolves. I want to lock your body to mine, lock your thoughts and your needs deep inside me. But I’m still afraid to say I love you, Eve. I’m afraid you’ll leave me again.

I’m through running. I’ll say it for us both. I love you, Adam. I want you. Always.

Adam raised his head, his body stilled. “You’re certain?”

Eve touched the side of his face. “I’m certain. I don’t think either of us ever had a choice. It was destiny that we meet, destiny that we fall in love.”

Laughing, Adam kissed her hard and fast. “Stefan is going to hate this.”

“Yeah, but Anton will love it. He’s always arguing against coincidence. Now forget them and make love to me.”

Adam nuzzled the tender skin along the line of her jaw. “I love it when you give me orders. My very own alpha bitch.” He slipped out of her hungry folds and scooted down between her legs. Eve gasped when he dipped his head and nibbled at her clit. She tangled the bedding in her fists and closed her eyes to the persuasive pleasure of his tongue.

She was lost in sensation, lost in the length and strength of his tongue as he swept her folds and valleys, licked the crevice between her cheeks and swirled deep inside her pussy.

Impossibly deep.

Caught on the edge of orgasm, Eve opened her eyes and gasped. The beautiful wolf between her legs raised his head and panted. He wrapped his long tongue halfway around his muzzle, licking tiny drops of her fluids from his stiff whiskers. Then he dipped his head to feast once more between her thighs, lapping her cream and circling around her sensitive clit.

It was too much, too different, too soon. Not what Eve expected, not anything she’d ever imagined. She tried to close her legs but he held her down with thick paws and powerful forelegs. His mood was playful, flirtatious, and she felt no threat from him. When she caught the laughter in Adam’s thoughts, Eve flopped back down on the bed and spread her legs even wider.

What had seemed ugly and bestial suddenly morphed into the most powerful sex she’d ever experienced. His long, mobile tongue swept deep, twisting inside her to touch every sensitive nerve, every rippling bit of flesh. Eve shuddered as her body spiraled into one orgasm and then another. She cried out, a high, keening wail that seemed to come from some unknown part of her soul.

No more. She couldn’t take anymore, but she clenched the sheets in her fists and arched into him just the same. Then the shape of his tongue seemed to change. Softer now, lapping gently between her legs, Adam brought her down slowly, and she knew he’d shifted once again. He crawled back up her body, and this time when he thrust his swollen cock inside her sex, Eve tumbled once again, gracelessly over the edge of orgasm.

Pumping hard and fast, Adam rose up on his knees and pulled Eve’s legs over his shoulders. He filled her even more in this position, thrusting furiously with a sleek roll of his hips and a driving tilt to his cock. Again, unbelievably, Eve’s pleasure rose, spiraling higher, dragging her close to yet another climax.

She shared her arousal, her approaching orgasm. Adam’s fingers tightened against her buttocks, he threw his head back and shouted, filling her for the first time tonight, finding his own release within the pulsing, clenching muscles of her sex.

When he fell forward, bracing himself on his forearms, there were tears in his eyes and a soft smile on his lips. He kissed her gently, sweetly, his mouth against hers promising more than Eve ever imagined possible.

“I love you, Adam. I’m not sure why or how it happened so fast, but the doubt is gone. The fear is gone. I want you.”

He nodded and kissed her gently once again. Tonight. We run as wolves tonight.