~

 

“Tell me what you’d be giving up to live here with me?” Rick asked.

“I don’t understand,” Elizabeth said.

“Sure you do. What ties do you have to go back to your old life? Robert?”

“Goddess no.”

“Good to know. Now I don’t have to find somewhere to hide the body,” Rick said, but his eyes were alive with amusement.

“My mother,” Elizabeth said as she tossed up a small shrug of her shoulder.

“Not exactly true. I know it’s Quinn — but I think he can woo your mother around to the idea of staying right here.” Rick eased down into the chair beside her.

“And if he can’t?”

“I’ll kill Quinn, and your mother won’t have a problem with staying anyway,” Rick grinned.

“I feel as if you’re hung up on killing people. Is there a serial killer thing going on with you?”

“Not that I’m aware of. But wouldn’t that make life a little more interesting?” Rick teased again.

“No — not really,” Elizabeth said before a small chuckle escaped her lips.

“You laughed. You are thinking evil thoughts.”

“Well we all have a little hit list that we keep to ourselves and add to regularly, don’t we?”

Elizabeth offered him a mischievous smile. His dark eyebrows drew down into a frown as he gave her a curious look.

“Well, that didn’t fill me with a warm fuzzy feeling. I’m going to have to keep a close eye on you.” Rick liked that idea, keeping her close sounded just fine to him.

“Just an eye?”

Now it was her turn to tease him, and she’d managed to get another deep, hungry growl from him.

“That depends.” Rick left it there to see if she would take the bait.

“On what?”

“On you.”

“How so?”

“I’m all in. It’s entirely up to you how far you are prepared to go.”

“A leap of faith?”

“Sounds good,” Rick growled again.

“Throwing caution to the wind?”

“I’m a sure bet.” Rick grinned again. Her heart hit her ribs and double tapped to get out.

“So, you’re easy.”

“Only for you, sweetheart.”

“I tend to like to work for the things that I want.” She shrugged.

“You want me to play hard to get?” Rick chuckled. The sound was deep and gravelly and rolled over her body making the fine hairs stand on end.

“There’s a thought.” Elizabeth didn’t commit herself either way.

“But where is my incentive when you’ve already admitted that you want me?”

“I did not!” Elizabeth looked aghast.

She was busy trying to replay the conversation within her mind to figure out if he was just pulling her leg, or if she had actually said the words to that effect.

“You sure did.”

“Huh?”

“You said, and I quote; I tend to like to work for the things that I want — want — do you want me to say it again? Because I can. Want.”

“A slip of the tongue. A wrong word. You can’t hold that against me,” she chuckled.

“Sure I can.” His grin was so damn wolfish that she couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, I’m guessing this is my cue to leave,” she pushed up to her feet, and he was right there with her.

“I’ll come with you.” He wasn’t about to let his mate out of his sight, not after Robert, and certainly not before they were mated.

Just the sheer size of him alone was enough to make her heart race. Couple that with the fact that he was as sexy as hell and she had to wonder how much her poor heart could take.

Elizabeth was curious. Yes, curiosity tended to kill the cat, but she wasn’t a cat, and she thought her heart could hold out for one kiss.

Just one kiss.

Just one chance to find out how it would feel to be held within his strong muscled arms, arms that would wrap around her body, and protect her from all of life’s ills.

I couldn’t.

I shouldn’t.

Something like that would give him false hope that I had made up my mind.

I haven’t – have I?

I don’t think I have – ok, that’s a damn lie – I’m ninety-nine percent, almost sure, I kind of have-ish.

But kissing?

Kissing leads to more kissing, and more kissing leads to touching, and touching leads to stroking, and stroking leads to — am I trying to talk myself into this or out of it?

I’m in my forties — I have things that are starting to go due South on a slow, progressive landslide.

I’m not a famous movie star; I don’t have a procession of personal trainers, nutritionists, chefs, plastic surgeons – a little harsh — there’s going to be slippage, but still…

Look at him. Why is it that men get better with age?

Why does the silver hair at his temples make him look like a sex God, but when a woman does it she looks like Cruella De Ville?

It’s not fair. It’s not bloody right. And why can’t they invent a hair dye that doesn’t smell as if you’ve had your head stuck down the toilet for half an hour?

Bloody men get away with everything!

And him — him — he gets away was more than most.

He’s just so damn lick-able!

Oh, is that wrong? It sounded wrong to my ears… Or so very right that I might just be going out of my mind.

He’s not a bloody ice cream.

He’s — what is he?

Mine! Oh yeah, mine, all mine. Oh — say it again, because I can, because he is — mine!

He’s not going to run off with a twenty-year-old bimbo with perky breasts and hips that can clear tables when she walks down the aisle.

Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine…

“Mine,” Elizabeth said and gave a small chuckle at the thought.

That was until the deepest growl yet rumbled through him and vibrated against her skin. His eyes turned jet black and flared as he drew a deep breath in through his nose, and he had a hungry look on his face — positively bloody ravenous.

Mine… His beast growled.

“I’m guessing I said that out loud,” Elizabeth said as she swallowed hard — twice.

“Oh, you did,” Rick growled.

Every muscle within his body had tightened as he held his beast back from breaking free. His wolf was clawing just beneath the surface of his skin, desperate to claim her as their mate.

Rick wasn’t doing much better. He was barely holding himself back from doing what came naturally.

Thoughts ran through Elizabeth’s mind like a streaker at a football match. A part of her wanted to embrace the situation, and another part wanted to turn away from the spectacle.

I did it. I said it. I own it.

“How do you feel about — Whoops!?” She offered him a look that was part hopeful, part guilty, and part grimace.

“Whoops would be you sneezing and accidentally zapping me. Whoops, might even be if you ran over me with your car. Whoops, can never be stating your claim on me.”

“I get that. I do. But…” She held up her index finger on another grimace.

“But…” Rick gave a small shake of his head at the same time as his arm was absently reaching out to encircle the body. His other hand was busy snagging her wrist and moving her arm aside so that when he wrenched her body towards his, they fit together just perfectly.

“W-ait just…” She rushed out in surprise.

“Too late. Time’s up,” Rick growled. Then he brought his lips down hers in the hope that she wouldn’t protest a moment longer.

Elizabeth’s world was turned upside down. Just the touch of his lips against hers, soft lips, warm, but with a firmness that told her he wasn’t taking any prisoners, made a rush of excitement turn her whole body to mush.

Mush felt good. He felt good.

Those hard muscles that were stacked inside of him that she’d been curious about, itched to touch, to poke, to see just how real they were flattened her squishy bits, and made their bodies fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

She liked puzzles. She liked him.

She liked the feel of their bodies meeting and molding together – and she certainly liked the way that he kissed her.

Then there was the growl. Oh boy, did she like that growl? It was so much more potent when they were up close and personal.

If she wasn’t a careful at that moment in time, then she just might agree to anything. Or did she already do that?