Hunger of the Heart (Wolves of Ravenwillow Book 1) (10 page)

BOOK: Hunger of the Heart (Wolves of Ravenwillow Book 1)
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“That you lead one man along, while courting the attention of another.” He stated simply as his hands closed over a porcelain frame that had been shoved between a few hardcover novels. Flipping the fame over, he paused as he recognized the picture before him. “Where’d you get this?”

Stomping up to him; Rebecca jerked the frame from his hands, hugging it protectively to her chest. She had no need to see which photograph it was; she knew it was her most treasured one.

“It’s my copy. I didn’t steal it from your house, if that’s what you think.”
“Then; why hide it? I remember the day you took that picture, the picnic at the park. Do you remember?” He smiled fondly, remembering how Travis and Emma had playfully attacked him in a tag team mock-wrestling match.

Walking past him, she replaced it between her small collections of novels. “I remember you threatening to fire me if I didn’t delete this picture from Sarah’s camera.”

His eyes sweeping tenderly over her, a soft smile curled his lips as he moved closer, crowding her against the bookshelf. “I’m glad that you didn’t listen to me. That silly photo means more to me than you know.” Reaching forward his rough fingers; gently, brushed her fallen hair behind her ear.

“Sometimes; Eric I think you’re like a rubiks cube, just when I think I’ve figured you out, you surprises me.” Inhaling sharply; she focused back to their pervious argument, a much safer topic than their present. “What did you mean by leading on?”

He shrugged casually, “I must admit it was an ingenious plan. Accepting a date with Damon to get at me, especially after the kiss we shared.”

“What?” she responded bewildered, “You mean the kiss you had no idea why it happened, much less with
me
. Come on, Eric; there is no way you would be jealous. It’s not as if we’re lovers or whatever. You’re my boss, plain and simple.”

Crowding closer to her, his hand cupped her chin carefully as if he were holding a precious piece of crystal. “Then maybe it’s time I should do something to change that.”

Bending down, his hard lips covered hers. This time the kiss was gentle, a slow dance between his urgent lips and her slightly resistant ones. As he felt the last of her body’s resistance diminish, his animal nature rushed to the surface at her surrender. Wrapping his strong arms around her, he pulled her soft body against his hard one, rocking his hard, pulsing erection against the soft swell of her stomach. Moaning against his lips with need, her hands fisted in his dark hair, holding his face to hers as she began to kiss him back.

Sliding one hand down her back, over her firm buttocks, his hand gripped the back of her thigh, forcing her to lift it around his hip and bringing her throbbing center in direct contact with his hard, jean covered bulge.

Moving his lips from hers, trailing down the column of her nearly exposed throat, a satisfied growl surfaced from within. For a second, Eric felt his wolf take over, allowing a partial shift of his face. Elongating his jaw, allowing him to give her a mating bite and to show all, including Damon; that she was his. As his sharpened teeth playfully nipped at her neck, he felt Rebecca stiffen in his arms.

It was easy to for her to ignore Eric's beastly growl of desire, she was used to hearing him growl. But she couldn’t ignore the feel of his teeth, nor could she ignore the flashes of past images and fear that it induced. Did she want him so much that she’d endanger her life?

Fearful, her arms slid down to his naked chest, intent on pushing him away. “Eric. Please stop.”

His lust filled eyes bore into her frightened ones. Taken aback, his hand released her anchored leg, allowing her to stand on both of her feet.  He didn’t like seeing the fear and uncertainty in her eyes. His beast was too close and whatever had been set in motion between them; he couldn’t stop it. Deep down he wasn’t certain he even wanted to.

His logical brain told him that he should back away from her and leave but his beast couldn’t tolerate the idea of leaving her.  He couldn’t put the beast back; not now, not when his mate was finally in his arms. It somehow felt right.

Reaching out, his large hand cupped the side of her face as she attempted to avert her gaze. “Talk to me. Tell me what you want, what you need.”

 

*  ~ * ~ *

 

His gently spoken words had Rebecca’s eyes jerking up to his face. Who the hell was this man that wore Eric’s face? Because it certainly wasn’t him, Eric never acted this way; at least not to her anyway. The Eric she knew was rude, abrupt, and didn’t care about her. Why should he? In his eyes she was a beneath him as he must view all humans. Regardless why he was acting the way he was she had to stop this. It was true that she felt a pull toward Eric and it had only gotten stronger over the past few months.  But having him in her home, kissing her; was asking for trouble that she didn’t need.

“Rebecca?” his voice was gentle, caring and it confused her. Slowly his thumb rubbed along her cheekbone, silently willing her to answer him.

“I want you to leave. It’s not appropriate for you to be here.”

His gaze hardened. “But it was for Damon?”

She didn’t miss the flash of anger that swept across his face. She really poked the tiger; or in this case, wolf, when she’d accepted her date with Damon. It made no sense why he was acting like this. Why should she care what he thought anyway?

“Who I date and who I invite into my apartment is my business.”  She stated stubbornly. Shoving past him, she walked to the front door to open it, giving him an expecting look. “I think it would be better if you would leave.”

In that moment; Eric looked every bit the predator that she knew lurked beneath the surface. His expression grew hard as he slowly approached the open doorway. Rebecca held her breath as he drew closer, her heart pounding. Without breaking a strike, Eric reached out to gently, but firmly, pulled the door knob from her grasp to shut it. Once the door was closed, he turned back and centered his attention back on her. She stood frozen, not with fear but with confusion.

“I don’t want you bringing men here, Rebecca. I want you to promise me that what happened tonight won’t happen again.” he said with a hard tone as though he was reprimanding a child for breaking a house rule. The thought made her blood boil. He couldn’t tell her what to do!

“As long as you don’t come back here; I don’t see this night repeating.” She said with a glaring look. “However I don’t have to promise you anything beyond that.”

His eyes narrowed, causing a sense of foreboding to slip down her spine like cold trails of ice. His lips pressed together firmly as his bare muscular chest rose and fell with harsh breaths. He was angry. Witnessing Eric’s temper in the past; she knew that it was only a matter of time before he started yelling at her.

“You damn well will promise it. I don’t want anyone else here with you.”

She didn’t know what she had expected him to say; but
that
certainly hadn’t been it. “What’s wrong with you?” she scowled pacing away from him. She didn’t get very far as his hand reached out and clasped her wrist. Jerking her to a stop, she found herself staring up at his cool blue eyes as he stepped in front of her; still maintaining possession of her wrist.

“I don’t want anyone else here with you.” He repeated in a low voice. Each word was bit out between his teeth as the control of his temper seemed to be holding on by a thread. “I cannot explain it, but the thought of another man near you makes me…” he trailed off, shaking his head. “Do not test me on this, Rebecca. I don’t share well and I have no intention of sharing you with another man. I am it.”

Rebecca blinked up at him with utter confusion. “What are you talking about? You’re not making any sense!” she said waving her hand at him. “I had a date.
One
date and now your acting like you own me? I am nothing to you but an employee and you have no say in what I do.”

He watched her during her ranting, completely unaffected. She may as well have been conversing about the weather with the expression he held. Slowly he moved closer to her, his hand releasing her wrist as both hands slid up her arm to cup her shoulders.

“Tell me you don’t feel it, Rebecca. This need I have for you. Tell me you don’t feel it clawing at you in your dreams and every waking second.”

“It’s called lust, Eric. It’s no different than walking down the street and noticing anyone else.”

“It’s different for me.” He admitted softly his eyes boring into hers with a beseeching light. “If it were simple lust, that would be easy for me to ignore; but it’s not.”

“Then that is
your
problem.” She bit out. With a glare she shoved out from beneath his hands before pacing away. “I want no part of you other than my paycheck. Now for the final time, I want you to leave. I think you’ve done enough damage for the night.”

Crossing her arms, she glared at him as she pointed to the door like he was a dog. She almost laughed at the irony. Dropping her indicating finger, she waited. Eric stood still as a statue, his arms hanging limply at his sides as he studied her. His eyes narrowed slightly as though he was perplexed at her for some unknown reason. She attempted not to feel the edge of discomfort at his close scrutiny.

Unwilling, her eyes fell from his scowling face to his bare chest. Eric didn’t look like a model in the least. He possessed a strong physic; it was true. But he possessed a
man’s
body. His shoulders where broad and his arms were comprised of roped muscles that flexed beneath his skin with each movement. His muscled chest was dusted with dark hair that led her gaze down over his hard abs and down further to the gray sweats that he wore.

Flush tore up her face as her eyes lingered on the tell tale bulge that pressed from beneath the sweats. Her womanly channel clenched in response to what her eyes had beheld. This was too much for her. Being this close to him, surrounded by his rough scent; it was maddening. A part of her wanted to tackle him and just forget every sensible thought in her head. She hungered to feel his strong, hot hands on her skin. More than anything she wanted to press herself against the hard plane of his body and drown in his embrace.

“Maybe I should make it your problem as well.” Eric’s sudden rough voice cut through her chaotic thoughts in an instant.

Raising her questioning gaze to his, she had no time to react as he ate up the distance between them in two quick strides. Startled, she jumped back, stumbling on her heels; she fell backward onto her couch. Eric had followed every terrified step of hers with confident movements. Looming over her, he followed her down onto the worn cushions. Struggling to rise up, Rebecca pushed up with her arms, half dragging and crawling backward along the couch in an effort to escape his predatory gaze. With a slow movement, Eric’s hand encircled her ankle with a gentle touch, slowly pulling her back to him.

Falling onto her back as he pulled her closer, Rebecca pushed up on her elbows, gazing up at him uncertain. “Eric, what are you doing?” she gasped out.

He didn’t answer. His eyes flashed at her briefly until they lowered to her captured ankle. With a gentle and slow action, he slipped her heels from her feet to carefully set them in the floor beside the couch. Her womb tightened with awareness as his hand cupped her foot tenderly in his hands. His fingers dug into the bottom of her bare foot, slowly kneading the soft flesh. Almost as quick as he had begun, he lowered her foot to do the same to the other.

Rebecca’s chest ached with how hard her heart was pounding. What was he doing? Somehow she knew this went far beyond him simply touching her. At the feel of his hands on her bare skin, a pulse of need grew between her legs. She had to push away this need if she had any hope of getting rid of him before she did something stupid.

“Eric—” she began, but ended with a gasp of surprise as he moved closer to her with a hard look.

Lifting her legs, Eric settled between them, his unrelenting hands smoothed up from her trembling knees and over her thighs until his strong fingers closed around the button of her dress slacks. Her stomach muscles bunched and tightened with desire and apprehension. Her hands quickly covered his and interrupting his task.

Seeing her nervous eyes flicker uncertainly over his face, Eric slowly crawled over her slivering body. Gently laying a kiss over her left eye and then the right, as her breath calmed; his lips covered hers in a soft kiss. His lips moved over hers seeking for the response that he wanted from her. Without realizing it, Rebecca found herself arching into his kiss, pleading for more.

Pulling back, he studied her flushed face. She lay under him; still as stone, staring at up at him with her frightened doe eyes. “Tell me you don’t feel anything with me this close to you.” He demanded in a harsh tone.

Panting, she shook her head mutely. Her lips felt bruised from his kiss and God help her; she wanted more of his rough kisses. Curling her fingers into the cushions beneath her, she forced her hands not to move and definitely not to reach for him and pull him to her as she ached to do.

Holding her gaze, his hands moved back to the clasp of her slacks with nimble fingers. At the brush of his fingers against her lower stomach, she was jerked out of her trance. Before she could react to what he was doing, Eric moved higher up her body, giving himself room.

Covering her lips with aggressive possession, planting one hand up near her head, Eric’s other hand slid beneath the front of her open slacks. At the touch of his hand slipping beneath the armor of her clothing, Rebecca jumped, yelping fearfully against his pressing lips. Jerking his mouth from hers, he pressed his forehead against hers as his fingers slid between the folds of her sex.

BOOK: Hunger of the Heart (Wolves of Ravenwillow Book 1)
10.04Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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