Maya caught her breath and froze, staring at the connection between her fingers and those of the wolf shifter who had taken her hand. Her entire body reacted to his touch, her skin singing. Her nipples had instantly crinkled to tight buds, blood flowing to her lips, engorging them, and arousal tightened at her core.

She’d already reacted to the sight of him naked and beautiful before her, and then the sight of his semi-erect cock had caused her heart to beat hard, her cheeks rushing with heat. Seeing him had almost been enough to make her forget her fear and pain, and the wire that had been around her ankle. He’d been breathtaking as a wolf, but he was utterly gorgeous as a man, with curly brown hair and kind hazel eyes. And his body—holy hell, his body. He was like a carving of a Greek god. The only flaw—if it could be called a flaw—were the lines of white scars which carved their way across his chest and one of his thighs. Another solitary scar streaked across his cheek, giving him an air of danger. It had taken all her willpower not to touch him while he’d been bent over the stake, pulling it out for her, but now he had hold of her hand, all she wanted to do was pull him down into the dirt with her and wrap her thighs around his hips. She was only wearing a skirt, and with him naked, all it would take was for her to hook her panties to one side and he would be able to push inside her.

The thought caused wetness to gather between her thighs. His nostrils flared as though he could smell her arousal. Oh, shit. He was a shifter and they were known to have a heightened sense of smell. He probably could smell her.

Her cheeks burned with shame and any idea of dragging him onto the ground vanished.

Besides, she wasn’t someone who had sex with men whose names she hadn’t even learned yet. It wasn’t as though she was some innocent virgin—she’d had boyfriends over the years, though none had amounted to anything serious. Even so, she’d never felt this way about one of them, and she was sure he’d felt the moment pass between them as well.

The shifter helped her to her feet. Maya tried to put some weight on her cut ankle, but it hurt and she was unable to hide how it felt.

“How far away is your home?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. Twenty minutes away, I think. I was walking and thinking, and I kind of lost track.”

He frowned. “You’re not going to be able to walk for twenty minutes.”

She didn’t think she was going to be able to walk for two minutes, but she didn’t want to say so.

Suddenly, she found the ground whisked out from under her, and before she knew what was happening, she was being held against this man’s perfect, naked chest, and he was already striding through the forest.

“What are you doing?” she cried.

“You can’t walk, so I’m going to have to carry you.”

Instinctively, her arms had found their way around his neck. His skin was burning hot, and, despite the warm night, she leaned in closer to him. His long strides quickened, and he broke into a run, carrying her effortlessly as he moved with speed through the forest. She had no idea how he knew where to go, but he retraced her steps almost perfectly until he broke out of the line of trees and stepped out onto the road opposite the restaurant.

Maya found herself panting, though the only exertion she’d put herself through was clinging tighter to her rescuer. He, however, appeared completely unfazed by his run through the trees.

He stopped outside the front of the restaurant. “This is where you live?”

She nodded. “Yes. How did you know where to go?”

“I followed your scent.”

She tried not to feel mortified about the idea of her smelling so strongly she left a track pungent enough to follow.

“Thank you. I can manage from here.”

The guy was still completely naked, and there were security cameras on the outside of the restaurant. She could imagine her mother’s shock if she went to look back on the footage and discovered her daughter being carried around, bleeding, by a stark naked man.

She expected him to put her down, but instead he ignored her and strolled across the road.

“You can put me down now,” she said. “I’m fine, honest. Though I appreciate you bringing me back.”

She hoped her father was having a good night, and sleeping soundly, allowing her mother to get some rest, too.

He carried her to the front door and tentatively set her down. She hopped a couple of times, not wanting to put any weight on her bad foot.

“You need that looked at,” he growled.

“It’ll be fine. I’ve got a first aid kit inside the restaurant. I’ll bandage it up.” She unlocked the door.

“No, I’ll do it.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and helped her as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. She allowed him to take her weight, knowing from the way he’d run through the forest with her that he was more than capable of doing so.

His gaze darted around the restaurant as she reached to the wall and patted along until she found the switch for the lights. She turned a couple of the lower dimmed lights on, not wanting to worry her parents if they saw the restaurant illuminated.

“Where’s the medical kit?” he asked.

“On the top shelf out the back.” She nodded to the door which led out onto the kitchen.

He deposited her into one of the booths. “Wait here.” Then he left her, vanishing into the kitchen.

Maya took the opportunity to take a breath. What the hell was going on? She’d certainly not expected the evening to take this kind of turn. Though hadn’t she wanted it to? Had this been exactly what she’d been hoping for when she’d stepped off the road and into the forest—something to break the monotony of her life, and give her a taste of adventure? Her ankle throbbed, a pulsing beat up her leg, but the bleeding looking like it had stopped. She hoped it would be all right for her to work the following day. She couldn’t afford to take any sick time right now, not with her father so ill.

The door to the kitchen swung open and the man who she’d first seen in the shape of a wolf walked through holding the green plastic box with First Aid written on the top. He was as naked as ever, and obviously hadn’t thought to grab some of the kitchen whites, or even an apron. Anyone else would have thought about covering their bodies before anything else, but this guy barely seemed to notice he still had nothing on.

“Hey,” she said. “I’m sure there are some things back there you could wear if you want.”

A part of her desperately wanted him to cover up, so she could at least figure out where she should look, but the other part of her really didn’t want him to hide that fine body. She wondered where the scars had come from. Had he gotten into a fight with another of his kind?

He lifted the first aid box as though it were an explanation. “Don’t you think we should sort you out first?”

“It’s fine, really. I’m not going to bleed to death.”

He shrugged and set the box on the side, before turning around and walking back out again. She couldn’t help but watch the muscles in his ass and back flex as he moved.

He returned, this time with a full length apron folded over and tied around his waist. It didn’t give a huge amount of coverage—she could still make out the muscles in his thighs, and of course his chest was very much on display, but at least she didn’t have to be distracted by his cock. He picked the box back up then kneeled at her feet. Working with concentration, he took out the antibacterial wipes and bandages, and set to work wiping all the blood and dirt away.

Maya cleared her throat, trying not to feel self-conscious.

He set about bandaging her wound. He looked up at her and caught her eye. Just the slightest connection in their gazes sent her heart racing. The tension between them was like nothing she’d experienced before. It was as though their bodies were two magnets, drawing them together, and she was fighting it with every inch of her being. She zinged with energy, feeling more alive than she ever had.

He fastened the bandage and looked back up at her again.

“Thank you,” she said, though her voice was just a whisper.

“Who are you?” he said in return.

His question confused her. “Sorry...”

But then he was on his feet, and his hands were in her hair, and his mouth was on hers. The kiss had taken her completely by surprise, but her body reacted to him as though she had no control over it. His fingers knotted through her tresses, pulling slightly and making her moan. His tongue pushed into her mouth, tangling with hers, leaving her breathless. He pushed her back on the seat of the booth, so she was beneath him. Her hands ran over the smooth, hot skin of his back, and her body arched into his, pressing more fully against his naked chest.

What was she doing? This was madness. She didn’t even know this guy’s name, never mind that she also knew he had the ability to turn into a wolf. What if he did it now, while he was on top of her? He could be a killer and rip out her throat with his wolf’s fangs.

But the way he’d held her, carried her, dressed her wounds with such tenderness, she didn’t think he was a killer.

Desire held her in its grip, and even though she knew this was insane, she couldn’t stop herself from kissing him.