The Wolf's Pursuit (24 page)

Gwen sighed and then nodded her head.
"Alright."

"What was that?" Hunter whispered in her ear,
allowing himself to nip her neck with his teeth.

"I said alright," Gwen said through clenched
teeth.

"Good." Hunter sighed into her neck. He
wanted to kiss every part of her, hold her close like this and
never let go.

"Take five steps and then turn right."

He followed as Gwen did exactly what he
said.

"Now take two steps and turn right
again."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Am I wearing a blindfold?" He laughed.

"No." She took a breath and walked two steps
ahead. "Now what?"

"Patience." He kissed her neck again. "We
need to pause."

"Why?"

"So I can take down your hair." One by one,
he pulled the pins out. Her dark hair cascaded down her back in
waves. It was heavy in his hands. He closed his eyes and
moaned.

Gwen leaned back against him. He flipped her
around and kissed her hard across the mouth, dipping his hands into
her thick hair and gently tugging.

"Are we there?" Gwen whispered hoarsely.

"Do you care?" Hunter tilted his head and
kissed the side of her jaw, then had to touch her lips again. His
tongue trailed her lower lip then his teeth gently tugged it and
sucked. Her flavor was so unique he couldn't get enough.

"No." Gwen swayed toward him.

"No, you don't care, or no, the kiss was
bad?" Hunter spoke against her lips.

"Hunter." Gwen sighed.

"What?"

"Shut up." Her hands forcefully grabbed his
head as she crushed her lips against his. Her arms went around his
neck as she forced her body against his. He would happily die this
way. He flipped her around and began unfastening her dress.

He fumbled with the buttons and then with a
curse finally got one loose. Blazes, how long was this going to
take?

Gwen cleared her throat and reached behind
her to hand him her dagger.

Clearly he had married a genius. He grabbed
the knife and ripped the dress at the seams, not even thinking to
ask her if she minded. After all she had provided him with the
means to do so.

The dress fell to the floor, leaving yet
another battle for him to fight. The corset. Why the blazes did
women wear those things?

He sighed in frustration and then pulled Gwen
back against him. "I should feed you before I ravish you."

"Should you?" she replied hoarsely.

No. No, what he wanted to do was attack her
in the middle of the maze, but he had promised to romance her.
Romancing did not include a quick toss with one's wife… besides, he
had reason to believe it was her first time.

"Walk ahead three more steps and turn left.
It will lead you out of the maze." Gwen stepped out of her dress
and walked. He shamelessly watched her hips sway back and forth as
she made her way out. Like a lovesick lad, he panted after her and
quickly removed the blindfold.

"It's beautiful." Gwen's smile brightened as
she looked at the food that had been prepared for them. "But…" Her
smile faded. "You are missing something."

"Impossible." Hunter felt panic rise in his
chest. "I specifically asked for a full meal. Do you not care for
duck? Should I have included soup?" His hands began to sweat as he
took in the meal. What was lacking?

"You are missing wolf," Gwen said simply, and
shrugged.

"I'm right here."

"Yes. You are." She beckoned him with her
finger. Hunter did not have to be told twice. He took a deep breath
and then kissed her as softly as he could. Again, he did not want
to scare her. Poor thing was probably more terrified, knowing of
his reputation.

"Hunter, stop." She pushed him away and
leveled him with a glare. "You promised romance."

"I, uh…"
Eloquent.

With a grin, Gwen pulled a knife from the
table, walked up to Hunter and held it near his throat. "Kiss me,
Wolf."

Hunter looked away and then in an instant
grabbed the back of her neck, pulling her forward. The knife
clattered to the floor. Gwen wrapped her legs around him, and he
found that he truly wasn't hungry for food.

But he had planned so carefully, all for her,
to rewrite the fairytale to — "Oh, don't stop." He moaned as she
licked his ear.

Gwen's nails dug into his neck as she pulled
her body tighter against his. He was going to lose his mind if he
didn't get her naked. He could see it now: madness by desire.

"Gwen." He placed her on her feet and tried
to shrug out of his tight jacket. Why did this always happen to
him?

With aching slowness she put her hands flat
against his chest and helped push the jacket off, but not before
nearly killing him in the process as she kissed and nibbled on his
lips every few seconds.

Her hands untucked his shirt and lifted it
over his head. Those same hands explored his chest, his stomach,
every part of his body that was exposed.

"You are so strong," she murmured as she
kissed his shoulder. Hunter felt his chest puff up, unable to help
himself. It was what every gentleman longed to hear,
You are so
strong, so large, so capable, so sexy, so…
He chuckled and
turned her around so he could rid her of her corset. His nimble
fingers worked across the strings. Once loosened, he dropped it to
the floor, and she stepped out.

With a satisfied smirk he knelt down and
slowly unrolled her stockings, kissing the naked skin on her thighs
and moving down. He licked the smooth skin behind her knees, and
bit along her tiny feet.

Shaking with desire, he tossed the stockings
aside and then tugged down her drawers. They fell to the ground,
but his hands remained on her hips as he examined her ivory skin,
glowing in the firelight. Her beauty was too much — it was all
consuming. He closed his eyes and exhaled. Gwen reached down and
ran her fingers through his hair and then tilted his chin up. He
opened his eyes and rose to his full height, then kissed her
briskly across the lips and stepped back.

Naked.

Finally.

He grinned as he examined her nakedness from
head to beautiful toes. Everything about her was perfectly
proportioned to drive a man insane. And she was all his.

Red—

For you… I'd wait forever.

—
Wolf

Hunter appeared nervous and if there was one
thing she knew about Hunter, it was that he was seldom nervous.
This was the man who'd practically tossed women's skirts in public
and expected people to cheer for him in the process! His hands
continued to shake in front of him as he brought each of her
fingers to his lips.

"You are still dressed," she pointed out.

"That I am." He smirked.

With a coy smile, she knelt down and grabbed
the knife she'd previously dropped. She pointed it directly at his
chest. "Remove them. Now."

"Remove what?" He tilted his head and smiled
that wicked, beautiful, insane smile.

"Your breeches. Now."

"So demanding."

"You think this is a game?" She grinned even
wider and then walked behind him. And held the knife closer to his
neck as she kissed and blew into his ear. "I'm not playing around."
His skin smelt like soap and leather. She breathed it in, causing
the knife to tremble within her hand.

"Oh, but I wish you would, sweetheart," he
drawled.

Carefully, she lowered the knife to his
pants. He tensed.

"Afraid?"

"You do realize you have a knife closest to
what makes me a man."

"Do you trust me?"

"You ask me this now?" His voice was hoarse.
She kissed his neck. He moaned. "Fine, yes, yes, oh, yes." He
tensed again, this time trying to reach for her, but she quickly
turned him around and stripped him of his clothes.

"I mean to repay you for tying me to a
chair…" She hadn't ever allowed any of her escapades as a spy to
get further than this, in fact she had no idea what she was doing,
but she wanted to be owned by him, wanted him to make her his. But
at the same time, she had a strong desire to make him suffer.

"I am not entirely comfortable with the look
you have in your eyes, sweetheart."

"Rope?" She lifted an eyebrow.

Hunter's eyes widened. "We are both naked.
And you want me to go searching for rope?"

"Precisely." She crossed her arms. He
groaned, his eyes glazing over as he watched her chest rise and
fall. "Hunter," she interrupted. "The rope, please?"

"Fine."

She watched him exit through the maze, his
godlike body flexing in the firelight. So many muscles tensed and
relaxed when he moved. She imagined she could watch him all day and
never tire.

Within minutes he returned. "Rope." He lifted
it into the air and then threw it at her feet. "Do your worst."

Gwen laughed. "You really should not have
said that."

"I do not fear little girls in red
capes."

"I am not wearing a cape, nor am I a little
girl."

"Believe me…" His eyes caressed her body
before he smoothly turned his head to the side and answered, "I
know."

She tried to ignore the way his look made her
face heat. "Besides, I've never been afraid of the big bad Wolf,
and you did say we are rewriting the story. I imagine the Wolf is
about to be begging Red."

"I never beg."

"We shall see."

His eyes brightened as she grabbed one of the
chairs and motioned for him to sit in it. He licked his lips and
sauntered over to the chair.

"Close your eyes," she ordered.

He did as he was told. Gwen smiled to
herself, as she felt her body heat just watching her husband sit
calmly, waiting for her. All hers. He was all hers.

"Now…" She purred as she approached him and
began wrapping the rope around the chair. "Hold your hands behind
you, and press them together."

Gwen tied the rope firmly around the chair
and then used the ends to bind his hands together. When she was
satisfied, she pulled back and grinned.

"Open your eyes."

Hunter smirked. "I'm not yet screaming, Red.
Perhaps you are not as good a spy as you originally thought?"

"What? You think all I wanted to do was tie
you to a chair? Make you uncomfortable?"

His mouth snapped shut, and he narrowed his
eyes. "What is it you want?"

Gwen carefully walked toward him, knowing
full well that the sway of her hips had him hypnotized. When she
was finally close enough to touch him, she leaned forward, giving
him full view of her feminine body in the firelight, and brushed
her lips against his ear. "I want to make you burn."

Hunter swore. His body flexed as he tried to
get out of the bonds. Gwen wagged her finger back and forth in
front of him.

"Tsk, tsk." She wrapped her arms around his
neck and then slowly straddled him. She might be innocent, she
might be a virgin, but spying had given her one skill that no
innocent maiden possessed.

Knowledge of how to make a man talk.

And even though her own heart was nearly
slamming out of her chest, even though her body burned with desire
for him to touch her, she wanted to be on equal ground, equal
footing. Part of her realized Hunter needed more than a lover — he
needed a partner. Someone he could spar with, a person who would
challenge him, a wife who would not always do as she was told.

As soon as her skin made contact with his, he
let out a long string of curses and closed his eyes. "Gwen." He
swore again. "This is…"

"What?" She kissed his neck; he growled in
response.

"This is such perfect torture."

Muscles flexed and strained as he tried to
touch her. She watched as sweat began to form at his temples, and
then he leaned his head forward and touched her chest. "I cannot
take much more of this, Gwen."

"The mind is stronger than the body, is it
not?"

"No, I say not. Now release me before I
die."

"One cannot die from want."

"Watch me." He growled and then kissed her
hard across the mouth. His neck strained to push his mouth harder
against hers.

Shivering in response, she pulled back, just
far enough that his lips could not touch. "How badly do you want me
to release you?"

Hunter looked down and then back up. "Do you
truly not know the answer to that question?"

With reluctance, she moved away from his lap
and began to untie his bonds, as slowly as she was able. When he
was free he did not move.

"What are you doing?"

"Counting to five."

"Why?" Perplexed, she walked around to face
him.

"Five seconds. You have exactly five seconds
to grab your weapon of choice or hide. But know that I will find
you."

Gwen searched frantically for the knife.
Where the devil had she put it!

"One—"

"Hunter, I think—"

"Two—" He sounded almost bored.

Gwen saw a flash of silver and grasped the
knife between her hands.

"Five." He brought his hands in front of him
and cracked his knuckles.

"Wait." Gwen held out the knife in front of
her. "You said you were counting to five."

Hunter's eyes snapped open. A hungry look
rippled across his face as he leaned forward. "Silly Red, didn't
you know? Wolves always lie." He lunged for her body. She ran
through the trees, through the forest to be exact, but Hunter
caught her wrist and brought her backside firmly against him.

His rough whisper sent shivers down her
spine. "Have you any idea what I am about to do to you?"

She gulped as his rough hands slowly caressed
down her arms and then cradled her waist. "I want you, in every
way, Gwen."

"Then take me."

He chuckled. "Oh, I plan to. Remember, the
story is being rewritten."

"And how does it end?" she whispered as
Hunter began to slowly massage her shoulders.