my lust

chair, his T-shirt pulling tight over his muscles.

I look everywhere but at him. He reaches out and clasps my hand, running his thumb over my knuckles.

I take a shaky breath and meet his gaze.

There's no pity in his eyes, only heat and my mouth goes dry. His hand in mine is making it hard to concentrate on anything else.

"Once I passed the normal age

for a wolf to shift, the pack started

to question why I hadn't." The

words sting my throat and I wince,

swallowing. "Years of not being able to

shift and even my most loyal friends

turned on me." And Michael, my wolf

whimpers inside me, cutting open my

wounds. As much as I know Michael

was an ass for rejecting me in front of

everyone, it still hurts knowing what

I could have had. Freedom. Respect.

Loyalty.

"But you feel her." He leans forward and his scent of wolf, snow, and musk envelops me. "Right?"

I nod. "More since the ceremony than any other time in my life." I can't say the word mating without tearing up. I was so sure she'd emerge that it hurt. The feeling of running through

the woods, of killing that deer, it felt so real. Like the memory of the blood coating my tongue filled my throat and yet she remained caged inside me.

"Sounds like your wolf just needs a little more encouragement to come out." His crooked smile has my heart racing.

"Oh?" I ask, trying to keep my voice light. The fact that someone is interested in me, despite the fact I haven't shifted and knows the score, has my libido surging.

"Mmmm." His free hand cups my cheek and he draws me closer to him. For a split second, he watches me like he's waiting for my refusal. Then his lips press to mine.

I forget to breathe and my hands clutch his shirt in my fists. His lips are searing and demanding and I'm lost in him. My fingers dig into his arms and I can't stop kissing him.

He pulls away for a moment, looking up at me with lust in his eyes and a throaty groan comes from him.

"Jessica" His voice is deep, husky, and sexy as fuck. Leaning forward, he kisses my jawline and my skin erupts in goosebumps. 

I wrap my arms around his neck and his tongue darts out to lick my lips. The electric sensation makes my toes curl.

Sweeping his arms around my waist, he hauls me onto his lap. His arms snake around my torso and he draws me closer, crushing me against his chest. My back arches as the sensation between my thighs intensifies and my heart thrums in my chest.

His hands move under my shirt and the feel of his big, warm palms on my skin is intoxicating.

A guttural moan rumbles up from his chest and my hips rock of their own accord. I feel him hiss in a breath and bite his lip. Heat flares between my thighs, the dampness soaking my panties. I pull away from his lips and bury my face in the crook of his neck.

I rock back and forth on his lap, holding on to him for balance.

My body yearns for this, for him, for release. Maybe it was the stress of being away from the pack, the near-death experiences we all had, or the fact we might not survive the night had me giving into my lust.

Whatever it is making me crave this man, I don't care. I only want tothis man, I don't care. I only want to feel something good and wipe away all the pain of last night.

His palms on my back, slide upward to cup my breasts, making me whimper.

My wolf is silent as though she's sulking, but for once I don't care. I need this like I needed the food and water this morning. Craving his touch, his kiss, someone to make me feel good and forget the horrors of yesterday.

He buries his face in my neck and breathes deeply. His hand trails down my side to rest on my hip as his other hand cups my breast. I suck in a breath. His lips close around the sensitive skin of my neck and I rock back and forth on his erection.

His hand slides up my sides toward my breast and my nipples pebble in anticipation.

His thumb rakes over my nipple through the fabric of my bra, sending a jolt of raw pleasure straight to my core. My body threatens to go limp as my knees weaken.

"I want to taste you," he murmurs and tugs on my earlobe with his teeth, before gently biting my neck. My 

core. My body threatens to go limp as my knees weaken.

"I want to taste you," he murmurs and tugs on my earlobe with his teeth, before gently biting my neck. My body bows backward, my sex rubbing against his lap and a low moan escapes me.

"You are so responsive to me." He nuzzles the spot just a bit, inhaling deeply.

Aspen. A voice, a link, a string of emotions.

My wolf growls that this isn't Michael who rejected both of us.

I try to push away her instance of this being wrong. How can it be when it feels so right to my body and how he's making me feel?

Aspen is driving me crazy and I want him to make the ache inside me go away. I want him to touch me, kiss me, hell,  I've never wanted it this bad before.

Yet her constant drive inside me is like a cold blanket over my hot skin. I pull back and push against his chest. He looks wary but lets me go, his hands fall away from my body.

"I don't know what's happening."

I lean my forehead against his, panting to catch my breath. "I can't 

panting to catch my breath. "I can't control my wolf or what I'm doing." And did I even want to?

I groan as his fingers move over my stomach, making me want him to touch me everywhere. I want to feel his strength and be consumed by him. I want to feel his warm hands on my bare skin and his mouth on mine again.

He drags me out of his lap and I open my eyes. Blinking, I stare at him, wondering what I did wrong. "What?"

He shakes his head, his eyes blazing a pale gold and he growls and stares at me in a way that has me pressing my thighs together . "I need you, Jessica. Not here. Not now."

"You don't want me right now?" First Michael rejects me and now it sounds like Aspen is too. Hard enough I have to fight my wolf's pining over Michael. Don't need to add more to my growing list of wolves who've jilted me.

"Not with your wolf snarling like she's going to bite my head off." He grunts and rakes a hand through his auburn hair. "Let's help Raven and Dex hunt down anything we can salvage