Author: J.D. Tyler

"See? Works every time."

"You're incorrigible."

"Would you want me any other way?"

"I doubt you'd wear 'sweet and innocent' very well, so no."

Standing, he crowded her against the sink, a position she liked a lot. "Good, because I've never been anything but a really bad boy," he said, cupping her cheeks.

His tongue teased the seam of her lips, slipped inside to play for a few seconds. Then he pulled away and took her hand, making straight for the bed. She crawled into the middle, laughing when he flipped her over as if she weighed nothing and fake-tackled her, covering her body with his. She spread her legs to accommodate him and he settled his weight comfortably, taking care not to squash her into the mattress. She loved the solid feel of him, his clean, crisp scent.

She especially loved how his hair fell around them like a fiery silk curtain. Unable to resist, she twirled a lock around one finger.

"I think you just want me because of my hair." His grin was teasing.

"Oh, that's not all. Trust me. But I'm not going to list your assets no matter how much you fish, because your ego is inflated enough already."

"Not my ego," he said with a wicked gleam in his eyes, grinding the proof into her belly. "You walked right into that one."

"So I did."

With her fingertip she traced the gorgeous scrolled tattoo that spilled over his left shoulder and onto his chest. The snarling wolf's head in the center was more of an outline than a detailed picture, a silhouette.

"You like?"

"It's stunning," she answered honestly. "When the others shifted to human form, I've noticed that except for Kalen, Hammer, and Nick, each of you has one somewhere on your body. Even Micah has one."

His expression darkened a bit. "Yeah, all of us who were attacked and changed years ago, in Afghanistan. We did it when we joined the Alpha Pack, as sort of a memorial to the life we'd lost, and the one we were beginning."

"That's sad," she said softly.

"To us, it was a tribute of sorts. A way to say 'fuck it' and move on." Leaning in, he nibbled her neck. "Let's not talk anymore. For now."

"Okay, for now- Oh!"

His teeth scraped along her vulnerable skin, and she felt his canines, sharp and dangerous. God, that was sort of kinky. And a huge turn-on. Suddenly she wanted very much for him to sink his teeth into her neck, though she wasn't sure why. He didn't, and her disappointment was lost in anticipation as he continued downward, pausing to capture a pert nipple in his teeth.

She squirmed, buried her fingers in his hair and tugged. He chuckled, sucking and teasing the nub, giving the tiniest shock of pain with the pleasure, then repeated his attentions on the other. Then he kissed a line down the middle of her stomach, pausing where her patch of neat curls began.

Pushing her thighs apart, he rubbed her slit with two fingers. Spread the moisture, looking his fill. The hunger on his handsome face made her feel wanton. Sexy. Excited. So many things she was unaccustomed to in her life. In her job, where she certainly felt anything but womanly. This was different, and extraordinary.

Just like the wolf.

Bending, he tasted her, and a growl of male approval rumbled in his chest. "So sweet, like I knew you'd be."

"But our dream-"

"Can't compare to this."

He was right. No fantasy, even one shared, could compare to flesh and blood. To the warm, strong man whose tongue was working magic, laving slowly, sending the most delightful shivers to every nerve ending. Then he worked between her folds, licking her core. Taking his time, driving her insane. Finally, she pulled at him, almost frantic.

"I need you inside me! Protection?"

"Don't need it," he said huskily, moving up her body to position himself. "Shifters can't catch or pass human diseases, including STDs. And I can't knock you up, either, unless we mate."

"Knock me up?" She wrinkled her nose. "Such a romantic."

"Shh, where were we? Oh, yes-right here."

"But what do you mean by ma-"

He silenced her question with a searing kiss, easing the head inside, blowing her thoughts to dust. Then he slid deep, his girth stretching her but not enough to hurt, filling her more completely than any man ever had.

Having him inside, fucking her with that huge, naked cock... it was electric. She'd never allowed a partner to do it bare, and God, what she'd been missing! She clung to him, palms spread on his back, noticed that he seemed too warm. But she lost herself in loving the play of hard muscles under skin that wasn't quite smooth. Ridges? Yes, he had tiny lines, and she recalled the whip marks on his back, evidence of his torture during captivity. She wanted to kiss each scar and make it disappear.

Strangely, the imperfections made her feel closer to him, more connected. For all his strength and special abilities, he wasn't invincible.

He was a man. An incredible man.

His thrusts gained in power and he held on tight, growling in obvious enjoyment as she licked the salty skin of his chest, nipped at his collarbone. She pulled back a bit to watch his face, eyes closed, lips slightly parted, steeped in bliss. His canines were elongated, the sharp tips just showing below his upper lip, and he made such a sexy picture, it drove her to the edge.

"Oh!" she breathed. "I'm going to come!"

"Do it, baby," he rasped. "Come on my cock!"

The last of her control snapped and the orgasm swept her in a rush of heady ecstasy. She clutched him tightly, crying out as he shouted, emptying his hot seed. Filling her to overflowing. When their spasms died, he eased to the side, slipping out of her, and gathered her close. With a contented sigh, she rested her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his middle.

"You were awesome," she praised.

"Thanks. So were you, sweetheart."

She frowned. "You're really warm and your voice is raspy. Are you still running a temperature?"

"Maybe a little." He gave her shoulders a squeeze. "I'm fine, though. Melina said it would pass."

"I thought shifters didn't get sick?"

"I said we don't catch or pass human illnesses. It's probably just my body still healing from my stay at Motel Hell."

Something in his tone gave her pause. She'd swear he was lying, but she couldn't prove it. She tried a different question. "You also said you couldn't get me pregnant unless we were mated. How do you know for sure? I placed a lot of trust in you."

"I know, and I'm grateful." He kissed the top of her head. "The scientists here at the Institute have been studying us for years now. And Nick is a born wolf shifter, so he brought a lot of knowledge with him when he came."

"How does mating work with your kind, exactly?"

"Um, from what I'm told, you bite your intended mate and, assuming you're true Bondmates, you're stuck together for life and you can never be with anyone else." She felt his shrug. "Though I wouldn't know."

Weird. She'd felt a strong urge for him to bite her when they were making love. Somehow it didn't seem like a good idea to tell him that now, if ever. He seemed sort of reticent on the subject.

Well, duh. The man was a free and easy wolf. He probably didn't want a female permanently attached to his side.

"Aric?"

"Yeah?"

"I would never try to tie you down. Just so you know."

Underneath her, his body tensed. Then slowly relaxed. "Sure. I mean, you're going to leave when Micah is better. You have a life in L.A. waiting for you. But there's no reason why we can't have some fun before you go."

A vicious stab of pain lanced through her heart.

"Yes, exactly. This is just sex. I just wanted to put that out there. So we don't get our wires crossed or anything."

"Sure, that's understandable," he said softly. "Sleep and we'll go see your brother later."

"Okay."

But the sandman didn't come. Rowan remained awake long after her lover's breathing had evened out.

Just sex. She'd go home, eventually. Returning to her own boring life would be for the best. A life that didn't include shifters, Fae princes, Sorcerers, gremlins, or evil Unseelies and their pet Sluaghs.

This place was like frickin' Disneyland on meth. She'd be glad to see all of this madness in her rearview mirror.

Really.

Chapter Ten

Aric placed a hand at the small of Rowan's back and guided her into Micah's room. After their much-needed nap, they'd awakened semirecovered from the excitement of the Sluagh's attack, not to mention the incredible life-reaffirming lovemaking that followed. No, not lovemaking.

This is just sex.

The straightforward, no-nonsense way she'd said it had stabbed him in the gut. God, he was still bleeding inside. The fact that he'd been right about her not wanting to be tied to him and the loony bin that doubled as his life was cold comfort. He was playing with fire, literally.

And then he'd have to let her go.

"Micah?" Rowan walked over to take the chair by the bed, and wrapped her fingers around her brother's.

Aric went to stand behind her and settled his hands on her shoulders. A gesture of comfort, and God knew she needed it. Micah's eyes were open, muddy and lifeless. He stared into space, either unaware of their presence or too lost in his own hell to acknowledge them.

You caused this, a vicious voice in his head snarled. If you'd only warned Jax about Beryl, this wouldn't have happened. And half the team wouldn't be either missing or dead.

The truth was killing him. He would have to confess to his team, and to Rowan. Sooner or later.

"Hey, little brother. It's great to see you awake again." She swallowed hard, making a visible effort to be cheerful for Micah's sake. "I'm getting to know your friends, and they've all been super to me. You've had tons of visitors and we're all relieved you're going to be okay. You know you're safe, right? It's okay to be quiet, but we're here if you want to talk and..."

She chattered on, but Aric stopped listening. Jesus, it was beyond painful. Seeing Micah like this, completely catatonic. But he was far from an empty shell. Aric sensed the rage boiling under the surface of the younger man's skin, the sadness choking off all speech. Yet as terrible as this was, it gave him hope. Where there were still emotions, there was hope.

If those emotions died, so would Micah.

"Do you think it's the medication?"

It took Aric a moment to realize Rowan was addressing him instead of her brother. "I believe so. My wolf senses his emotions, and it seems they're being suppressed right now." He stroked her hair. "It's for his own good, just until he can handle reality."

Nobody wanted a repeat of the awful scene from the other day.

"Did you hear that?" she asked her brother, her determination unwavering. "We know you're in there, listening. You're not a quitter, never have been. Let us all help you."

"No," Micah whispered.

Both he and Rowan leaned forward to hear what else he might say, and she reached up to grip Aric's hand. The man didn't speak again. Instead, his eyes welled with tears that spilled down his face, even as he stared into nothingness.

Rowan made a sound of distress and moved as close to him as she could, wrapped an arm around his shoulders and tucked his head under her chin. Rocked and held him tight, talking to him quietly. The blank expression never changed, despite the emotion behind the tears.

Aric had never wanted to run so badly, ever.

Twenty minutes crawled by with excruciating slowness, and finally Rowan eased her brother onto the pillow again. He was asleep, no doubt having worn himself out being full of the despair he couldn't express.