Passionate Craving (4 page)

“God, you’re wet,” Memphis said as he switched to her other breast
and nuzzled her nipple.

“And you’re hard. What are you going to do about it?”

“I know exactly what to do.”

Memphis inched her jeans down past her hips. Tori squirmed as she
helped him get them all the way off. Her panties followed suit. She looked at
him. He ran his gaze over naked body.

“Beautiful,” he said in a voice that had dropped a couple octaves.

Tori reached for the open waistband of his pants. “I think you’d look
really good without these. Off.”

He rose onto his knees beside her, then removed his jeans and
underwear. She bit her bottom lip and sucked in a sharp breath. He was all
defined muscles. His cock stuck out straight from his body. It bobbed as she
stared at it. Pre-cum glistened at the very tip in the half light from the
fire.

Memphis settled on top her and shifted lower until he had his
shoulders wedged between her spread thighs. Tori panted as she waited for his
next move. He bent his head and darted his tongue out to lick her pussy. She
moaned. He did it again, then set to work pleasuring her with his mouth.

He licked and sucked, pushing her arousal to greater heights. He
made sure not to leave out her clit as he lapped at it, swirling his tongue
around it. A finger pushed inside her, stroking in and out. Once a second
joined it, she could no longer stay still. She rode the digits, squeezing her
inner muscles around them. Her moans filled the tent.

“No more,” Tori panted.

Memphis gave her one last lick, then rose between her legs. He
braced his upper body on his bent arms as the head of his cock brushed against
her wet pussy. Tori reached down and grabbed his ass. She pulled him closer in
the direction she wanted him to go.

He surged forward and gave her an inch of his shaft. She lifted her
legs to either side of his hips as he slowly thrust in and out until she’d
taken his entire length. It felt so damn good. He stretched her in all the
right places and filled her completely.

As Memphis set a faster pace, Tori met each of his strokes. She
clenched her inner walls around his plunging cock, and it grew harder. He
growled as he nuzzled the crook of her neck on the left side.

Memphis pistoned in and out, faster and harder. He angled his
strokes so his shaft rubbed against her clit each time he entered her. Her
climax edged ever nearer to the surface. There would be no stopping it once it claimed
her. She moaned Memphis’ name. He quickened his pace again. Between one
heartbeat and the next, she was swamped with pleasure as her orgasm tore
through her. Her pussy clutched and released his erection.

After the last spasm passed, Memphis pulled out of her and then
flipped Tori onto her stomach. He reached under her and lifted her to her hands
and knees. Bent over her, with his arm around her stomach, he entered her once
more. In this position he sank even deeper. He growled each time he seated
himself to the hilt.

It took only a half dozen strokes for her climax to build again. She
pushed back to meet his thrusts. His other arm came around her, and he found
her clit. He rubbed his fingertips across it, giving her enough stimulation to
send her into another intense orgasm. This time he came with her. He plunged
into her one final time and held her tightly against him as his cock throbbed
deep inside her, filling her with his cum.

Memphis kept their bodies joined as he rolled them to their sides.
Tori fought to catch her breath. Sex with him was by far the best she’d had.
He’d far exceeded her expectations. The man knew his way around a woman’s body,
and how to use his cock like a master.

Chapter Four

Memphis buried his nose in the back of Tori’s hair and breathed in
deep. She fit perfectly in his arms, and making love to her was something he’d
never tire of doing. She was his mate, and she was where she belonged. With
him.

During their lovemaking, he’d come close to biting her where her
neck and shoulder met. His teeth had shifted, becoming longer and sharper. He’d
had to fight the need to sink them into her and claim her fully as his mate.

Tori turned her head to look over her shoulder at him. She lifted
her hand and placed it on the back of his neck as she gave him a slow kiss.
Once it ended, she smiled. “That bears doing again.”

He grinned. “I concur with that assessment.”

Memphis’ softening cock slipped free of Tori’s pussy. She turned in
his embrace so she lay on her other side, facing him. “Then maybe you should
spend the night with me here.”

He wanted nothing more than to say yes. The only thing holding him
back was the fact that the more times he made love to her the stronger the urge
to bite her would become. He wanted to space their lovemaking out to give her
the days to get to know him better before he claimed her.

“I have a perfectly good cabin that’s only a short distance away,
you know,” he said. “Wouldn’t you rather sleep in a bed?”

“Not tonight, at least. I want to be out here and see if one of
those new species of wolf comes by.”

“In that case, why don’t we get dressed and go sit by the fire? You never
know. One could make an appearance.”

One wouldn’t until he managed to slip away to take on his wolf form.
Even though Talon had come around, the chances of him or any of his other
brothers doing so were slim now that their mother knew what Talon had done.
Memphis was pretty sure his mom would set his siblings straight about leaving
the wolf sightings to him, at least in the beginning.

“What about you spending the night with me?” Tori asked as she
dragged a finger between his pecs.

“Not tonight. What do they say about anticipation making everything
better?”

She chuckled. “Fine. I’ll let you off the hook for now, but we’re
going to spend an entire night together during my time here.”

“Oh, I plan on doing that more than once.” Memphis gave Tori a
quick, hard kiss, then released her and sat up. She did the same. “Besides,
this air mattress isn’t exactly big enough for the two of us.”

She looked down. “True. I’ll have my first night out in the tent,
then we’ll work out sleeping arrangements.”

“That’s a deal.”

They both gathered their clothes from where they’d ended up and then
dressed. Memphis unzipped the tent before he and Tori went outside. The fire
had burned down a bit. He used a log to shift the embers around. Once the
flames grew, he placed it on top.

“That should keep it going for a little while,” he said as he sat
beside Tori and put his arm around her shoulders, tucking her close to his
side.

She lifted her face in his direction and smiled. “I have to admit I
love it here. I could get used to the quiet and fresh air. And being on a
mountain with no close neighbors, except for family. I’ve always lived in a
city, but when I go in to the field, I feel as if I’m more in my element.”

“Makes sense, considering you are a wildlife biologist. I know for a
fact I couldn’t live in a city. I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

Wolf shifters liked to be in their animal forms as much as their
human ones. Memphis couldn’t understand how the pack in Helena could stand
living there. They didn’t have the open spaces as his family had to go wolf and
run through the trees.

“Then I won’t ever ask you to come visit me at my place,” Tori said
with a chuckle.

“No.” He kissed her forehead. “Maybe you’ll want to stay here,
considering you’ll have that new species to study. I’m sure you’ll need a lot
more than four weeks.”

“Is that a bribe to get me to stay?”

“Maybe.”

Tori’s laughter left her face. “I’m going to be upfront with you,
Memphis. I don’t do serious relationships. I usually hook up with men who want
it to be casual. They know from the start that we’re basically just scratching
each other’s itches.”

“Say I don’t want that? What if I decide I want it to be exclusive
and lasting?”

“I honestly don’t know if it’d work. My career has always come
first. I’ve never had a dream of getting married and having kids. It’s been
wolves for me.”

Memphis had to hold back the urge to tell Tori that being with him
she wouldn’t ever have to give up that aspect of her life. She’d be mated to a
wolf, and would become a part of his family’s pack.

“I can tell you’re disappointed,” she said. “If this is going to be
a problem for you, maybe we should chalk this night up as a good time and leave
it at that.”

Tori would have shifted out from under his arm, but Memphis held her
tighter to keep her where she was. “No, I don’t want that. Let’s not spoil the
night by discussing where we go from here. We’ll sit by the fire for a bit,
then I’ll let you go to bed.”

“All right.”

She settled against him once more. Memphis kissed the top of her
head. Tori might think she couldn’t have a committed relationship, but he’d
teach her that was exactly what she could do. Hopefully he’d be able to
accomplish that.

* * * *

Tori sat alone by the fire. Memphis had left not that long ago. She
stared into the flames, lost in thought. She couldn’t stop thinking about what
he’d said about him not necessarily wanting to have a casual fling. She liked
him, and would definitely like to come back and see him after her time in
Canyon Creek was over. To have a committed relationship, though, she wasn’t too
sure.

She’d never run into that kind of problem before. To be honest, the
men she’d slept with in the past had all been in her line of work. They knew
what kind of toll their job could have on a significant other. When doing
hands-on research, it could take months at a time.

The sensation of someone or something staring at her had Tori
looking around. She sucked in a breath at the sight of glowing eyes on the
opposite side of the fire, just inside the tree line. She held perfectly still
as a very large wolf stepped out into the clearing. The fire didn’t seem to
make him the least bit nervous, which she found strange. As a general rule,
wild animals were afraid of it.

This wolf had no fear. It stepped closer. It had black fur as the
other one had, but it wasn’t the same animal. Tori had studied wolves long
enough to easily pick up different characteristics of each member of a pack,
and quickly.

It was another male. He seemed to focus on her as he slowly walked
toward Tori. She had the feeling he did it so he wouldn’t spook her, not the
other way around. Once he was within reaching distance, he sat on his haunches
and gazed at her, as if he waited to see what she’d do.

“Hi there,” she said softly.

The wolf continued to look at her. She met his gaze, and swore there
was more intelligence in him than the average of animal. He surprised her again
by standing and slowly stepping closer. He stopped once he was right beside
her. He went down on his belly and met her gaze once more.

“I’m going to pet you. Just don’t bite me, okay?”

As if he understood, he put his head on her lap. Tori kept her hands
raised, taken a bit off guard. She hadn’t expected he’d do that. This was
supposed to be a wild wolf, not a domesticated dog.

She slowly lowered a hand to the top of his head and then carefully
ran it down his neck to his back. Tori was prepared to snap it away if he all
of a sudden decided to bite, but he lay perfectly still.

Tori smiled. This was the first time she’d ever touched a wolf that
lived out in the wild. If all the wolves in his pack were like this, she’d have
a hard time making herself leave Canyon Creek. She’d want to learn everything
about them, especially the reason they had no fear of man. She had to wonder if
it had to do with Memphis and his family. She continued to pet him. He seemed
quite content to stay where he was, his head resting on her lap as she ran her
hand through his fur.

The fire had burned down, and it was getting late enough for Tori to
go to bed. And still the wolf remained where he lay. She wasn’t going to sit
there all night. For one thing, her ass was starting to fall asleep from
sitting on the hard ground.

Tori gave him a final pat. “Okay, buddy. This has been nice and all,
but it’s time I went to bed. There’s no way I’m going to sit here all night so
you can use me as your pillow.”

The wolf pulled away and sat beside her. Again it hit her that he
seemed to understand what she said.

Tori stood. She wiped off the back of her jeans. The fire was low
enough it’d soon burn itself out. She turned her gaze on the wolf. He didn’t
look as if he were ready to leave any time soon.

“I guess I’ll go to bed now.” She turned and headed for the tent.
She squatted and unzipped the flap. She looked over her shoulder at the wolf.
He’d remained by the fire. “Hopefully I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe with the
rest of your pack.”

She ducked inside the tent, turned on the lantern, then closed
herself in. As she took off her shoes and then climbed into her sleeping bag,
she couldn’t help but smile. Tomorrow she planned to spend most of the day in
the woods. If she were really lucky, she’d find a den. She turned off the light,
looking forward to exploring the area.

* * * *

Memphis waited until the lantern turned off before he padded over to
the tent. He picked what seemed like a comfortable spot, then lay down. He
sniffed the air and looked around the clearing. There weren’t any cougar,
bobcat or bear scents in the air. His mate wouldn’t be in any danger.

He lowered his lupine head onto his outstretched front legs. It’d
been a while since he’d slept outdoors in the woods. He and his brothers used
to do it a lot during the summer months when they’d been teenagers. That was
before they’d had cabins of their own. Now that three of his siblings were mated,
the sleep-outs were a thing of the past.

Memphis twitched his ears back at the sound of Tori shifting on her
air mattress. She had no idea how much he’d enjoyed her petting him. He was a
wolf, after all. He could have lain with his head in her lap all night as she
stroked her hand through his fur. It turned-on his wolf side as much as it did
when she ran her fingers over his naked skin while he was in human form.

Thinking about Tori caressing him while he was a man brought their
lovemaking to the forefront of his mind. The wolf side now closer to the
surface while he was in his animal form, it didn’t understand why he hadn’t
bitten and claimed his mate already. Especially when she’d told him she didn’t
do serious relationships. He didn’t want to lose his humanity. She was the only
one who could stop that from happening.

Memphis pushed those thoughts aside. He didn’t want to claim her only
to save himself. He wanted her to stay with him, live with him. Even though
he’d known Tori for a day, he already was starting to fall in love with her. It
was the way the males of his kind were wired. They found their mates, then fell
for her in a matter of hours of knowing her.

He closed his eyes. He’d sleep there, in front of the tent, to
protect his mate. Come morning Memphis would have to work on Tori to get her to
change her mind about staying with him. Even if he had to lure her in with his
wolf form.

* * * *

It was early morning when Memphis was awakened to the sound of the
zipper on the tent being opened. He lifted his head and looked behind him. Tori
stuck hers out. As her gaze landed on him, she smiled.

“You’re still here,” she said. “Did you sleep there all night?”

Memphis was tempted to nod, doing the exaggerated up and down of his
head that he could only manage as a wolf, but thought that’d be taking it a
little too far. Tori would definitely think it was strange if a wolf answered
her question. Instead, he rose to stand on his paws and turned in her
direction.

“Maybe you should find the rest of your pack. I’m going to Memphis’
cabin for a shower and have something to eat in a minute. I doubt he’ll let you
inside. I’m leaving now since I have to get a change of clothes from my car.”

Memphis swore to himself. He took off at a run. He’d have to beat
Tori to the cabin. There was only one entrance, and it was at the front. She’d
easily have a clear view of it from her car.

“I guess I’ll see you later,” she called after him.

He didn’t slow or look back. Once the trees hid him, Memphis put on
a burst of speed only his kind could achieve. He had to take a longer route to
reach the cabin to approach it from the opposite side Tori would.

After he arrived and ran up the three steps to the porch, he spotted
Tori just reaching the end of the trees that lined the yard. He quickly shifted
to human form, clothes and all. Memphis quickly lifted the latch on the door,
then hurried inside to close it behind him. He ran to his bedroom and yanked
off his t-shirt. His shoes and socks were next. He took some seconds to take
off his jeans and underwear before he pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms he’d
taken out of his dresser. He rarely wore them, but figured he had to look as if
he’d woken up not too long ago. He also made sure he mussed up the covers on
the bed to make it appear as if he’d slept in it just in case she wanted to use
the room after her shower.