One week later …

Brynn pushed into her tight sheath. His jaw clenched and his hands tightened on her hips.

Fucking perfection. This female was amazing. She had the ability to break him. She moaned and squirmed when he stopped moving. He was enjoying being locked with her. One with her. Tiffany.

He slid a hand up her back, just touching, marveling. She wasn’t having any of it. The she-wolf bucked against him, her pussy tightening around him. His need to rut gripped him just as tightly.

She moaned and pushed back and his resolve to take her slowly dissolved completely. With a hard growl, he jerked back and thrust into her. Tiffany made a keening noise deep down in her throat and her pussy clenched around him. His fangs throbbed in his gums and his mouth just about watered with the need to drink from her.

He continued to thrust in hard quick strokes. It wasn’t just the need to drink that consumed him but the need to mark and brand. The need to claim.

He groaned as realization dawned. How was he going to let this female go? Especially considering she wasn’t his and would never be his.

Despite his turbulent emotions, her pussy fluttering around his dick and his name being expelled on her lips caused his balls to pull up. It caused sweat to bead on his forehead.

Shit!

Brynn picked up the pace. Tiffany chanted his name as she came undone, her body jerking back against his. Her long, lean back arching like that of a cat.

Brynn grit his teeth together as wave after wave of pure ecstasy washed over him. He leaned his face on her back, his chest heaving. Tiffany worked hard to catch her breath as well. Within mere moments she tried to pull away from him. This was how it had been the whole week. Quick, hard ruts followed by Tiffany running away to bathe and to return to her pack. They didn’t even train much anymore. These little moments were like golden nuggets to him as he’d ask her about her day, or little things about her. Sometimes she would smile or laugh. He got to get a glimpse of her, got to know her a little better.

Then they would be ripping at each other’s clothes. Tiffany would rush the couplings each and every time, by impaling herself on him or by taking him into her mouth. Brynn was powerless to deny her, to deny them both.

His grip on her tightened. “Don’t go just yet. I want to hold you in my arms.”

Tiffany stilled but didn’t look at him for a long while. When she finally turned her head to meet his gaze, her eyes were clouded. “That’s not a good idea.” She shook her head.

“Why not? I want to hold you, to touch you.”

“To what end?” Her eyes narrowed.

“It’s what people do after being intimate.”

“It’s what couples do. It’s what people do when they are in a relationship.” Hurt. That was it, he saw hurt in her eyes. Had he done something? Said something?

“We are in a relationship … of sorts.” He wanted more than she could give. He wasn’t interested in the females from The Program. He no longer even attended the events. Brynn wanted Tiffany. There was no longer any denying it. He knew if he tried to pursue it that it would scare her away. “Lie with me for a second.” He gave her arm a light tug. “Two minutes and then we will wash together.”

Her gloop worked. No one suspected that he was rutting a wolf. Zane had asked him if everything was okay since he’d been distracted at practices. That was the only indication he gave that anything was wrong.

Tiffany sighed. “Okay. Two minutes.” She put up two fingers and gave him a ghost of a smile.

He chuckled. “You make it sound like a hardship.”

Tiffany snuggled into his chest, she wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes.

“See, not so bad.” He rubbed her back.

She sighed softly. “Too good is a better description.”

“Too good.” He couldn’t help but laugh again. It was tight and didn’t hold much humor. “How can something be too good?”

She lifted her head, her hot fudge stare meeting with his. “You know what I mean.” Her eyes filled with unshed tears and his heart ached in response. “This can’t go on.” She shook her head. “It can’t. We both know it.”

“I don’t want it to end.” He cupped her cheek, hating the way she shut down and pulled away. It happened in all aspects, the least of which was physical.

“It has to.” She took in a shuddery breath. “It’s already gone on too long.” She chewed on her lower lip. “We might make the mistake of falling in love. It can’t happen.”

Too fucking late.

Panic rushed through him. The thought of her walking away, of them never seeing one another again had his heart racing and adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Tiffany looked down at the floor. “I enjoyed our time together. I …”

“No!” Not yet. It was too soon. His jaw tightened. It would always be too soon. Delaying things would only make it more difficult but he couldn’t say goodbye just yet. “Give me one more day. Tomorrow?” His voice held a desperate edge. One he had never heard before. It scared him shitless.

She started to shake her head.

“One more time.” His voice held a softer edge. “Please.” Brynn leaned forward and traced her jaw with his thumb. “Then we can call it quits.”

He could see the warring emotions as they crossed her face. Frustration, hurt followed by resignation. She nodded once, giving him a half smile. “One more time.”

“Can you get away in the evening?”

She frowned and then shrugged. “I suppose I could.”

“Good.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Tiffany leaned forward, sinking into him for a moment. It didn’t last long and she tensed up, moving away and heading towards the river.

Brynn sighed and followed her. One more meeting and they would be over. He would become a distant memory. A secret that the she-wolf would hopefully remember with fondness. One thing was for sure, he planned on making it a night she would never forget.

* * *

Her breath froze in her lungs. Tiffany looked up for a second, saying a silent prayer of thanks that she’d listened to her inner voice and had worn a dress for this evening.

She swallowed down the lump that had formed in her throat and smoothed down the material. It was white with lace around the hem and a draw-tie neck. The color contrasted with her skin. She always felt pretty when wearing the garment. Right now, under his heated gaze, she felt downright beautiful.

Brynn exhaled, his eyes wide and shining in the light of what had to be a hundred candles. “You look amazing.” He licked his lips.

Tiffany smiled. “I can see that you’ve been busy. When did you do all of this?” She held up her hands and gestured around the clearing. There were lit candles everywhere. On the floor, the tree trunk and all over the table.

Yup, a table and chairs in the middle of nowhere.

The scent of cooking meat caught her deep in the snout. It made her mouth water.

“It’s a fillet steak and it’s nearly done.” He pointed to a grid balanced on rocks over hot coals. “Come this way.” He took her hand and led her to the table. “I’m glad you came, for a moment there I thought you might have changed your mind.”

“I almost did but I couldn’t let you down. I had to say goodbye.” She bit down on her lip.

“Let’s not talk about goodbyes.” His throat worked. “Not right now.”

She nodded. Brynn’s eyes were on her mouth. He leaned forward and kissed her softly. It caused a shiver to run up her spine. A simple touch and she was falling apart. How was she going to walk away?

Don’t think about it right now.

She barked out a laugh. “Wow! You really outdid yourself.” There were cutlery and plates, accompanied by a salad and bread. A rose sat in a vase on the middle of the table that was covered with a white table cloth. “How many trips did you make to get this out here?”

“Four, but I wasn’t counting.” He grinned. “Besides, it was all worth it. I’ll just go and fetch our steaks and we can eat.” He pulled out her chair. “Take a seat.”

They talked about meaningless things while they ate. Her gaze kept straying to the makeshift bed to the left of them. Made up of blankets and pillows.

Brynn cleared his throat and she looked back at him. “Um … yeah … what did you say?”

“I asked if you wanted something more to drink?”

She noticed that his gaze drifted to her neck as he spoke. He licked his lips. Tiffany shook her head. “I’m good. Dinner was amazing, thank you for going through so much trouble. You shouldn’t have.”

His gaze narrowed in on her. “I had to. I guess I don’t want you to forget me. To forget our time together.”

She shook her head. “I’ll never forget you, Brynn.” Her voice was a mere whisper. “I sometimes wish I could. That I could unwind our time together and make different decisions.” She moved her chair back from the table.

His face clouded with hurt. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s going to be tough to walk away from you.” Her voice quivered.

“Shhhh.” He stood and walked to just in front of her. “Let’s not talk about that now. I want to make love to you.” His voice was deep and husky.

Shit! Sex between them was explosive, like the coming together of two chemicals that reacted when in contact with each other. It scared her. “I don’t have much time.”

“Bullshit,” he whispered the word, running his hands through her hair. “One time. It’s all I ask. Let me make love to you tonight. I’ve enjoyed every rut. Sex with you has been the best of my life.” He cupped her cheek and she couldn’t help but lean into his touch. “I want more. I need to touch you and taste you. I want to make this last. I want to show you how much—”

Oh god! Was he about to to tell her that he had feelings for her. She couldn’t take it. “Okay,” she blurted. It came out sounding high-pitched. She wanted nothing more than to have him touch and hold her. She hated the thought of never seeing him again.

Her folks were upset that she’d turned down Sebastian’s advances. She’d cut things off with him the first day she’d been intimate with Brynn. There was nothing there. It wasn’t fair to string the male along.

“Don’t say anything more,” she added. “Make love to me and then …”

“No talk of goodbyes. Not yet.” His voice was gruff. Brynn leaned down and lifted her up into his arms. He walked to the makeshift bed and lay her down gently. “As much as I love you in a dress, this is coming off.” He touched the lace on the hem.

Tiffany nodded, lifting herself up so that he could take it off of her. “That’s better.” His gaze heated as he moved down her curves. His nostrils were flared, his pupils dilated. She could hear his heart as it raced, it matched her own, beat for beat.

He kissed her, soft yet deep, his hands moving over her skin in careful strokes. Her arms, her back, her thighs, her breasts. She moaned as he pinched her nipples. Moaned harder as he squeezed her flesh.

“I need to taste you,” he growled.

“Yes,” a soft whisper. She’d never allowed a male to have her in this intimate way. To open herself up and leave herself bare. It hadn’t seemed right. At least, not until now.

Brynn gripped her thighs. He kissed her mouth, her nose, he sucked on her nipples until her back bowed and then he peppered kisses down … down.

“Fuck,” he groaned as he reached her pussy. Her chest heaved as she felt his breath against her flesh.

Her whole body prickled with anticipation. Tiffany arched her back. A moan was torn from somewhere deep inside her as he laved against her tight bundle of nerves. He laved her again and then suckled on her clit.

By all that was furry and ran on all fours!

Her back bowed and she made a strange noise. It sounded wounded, which couldn’t be further from the truth. She tried to close her legs. The build was just too much. Brynn was in the way. She watched how he sucked and then laved. His eyes were focused on her. His touch not too hard or too soft. Her hips began to rock gently against his mouth. It was completely against her will. A need for release rose up in her, blinding her. It made her grit her teeth, it made her growl. It made her pant and rock harder. Then he pushed a finger inside her, quickly adding a second digit. Her orgasm raged through her, making her dig her toes into the blankets. By the time she came down, her hands were buried in his hair. She was breathing heavily, even though he had done all the work.

Her body felt boneless yet far from sated.

Brynn moved over her, covering her body with his. His nose rested against hers, his forehead too. He cupped her cheek and traced her bottom lip with his thumb.

“This is too human, too …”

Intimate.

He silenced her with his mouth, taking her in a soft caress. It was too much. It spoke of love and forever which was not in the cards for them. It tore at her heart.

“Shhh,” he whispered against her. “Let me make love to you.”

She nodded, unable to deny him or herself any longer. Tiffany wrapped her legs around him.

Brynn took back her mouth and slowly pushed inside her. Two deep lines marred his forehead, his eyes a deep blue. “Never felt so good,” he whispered as he broke their kiss. He nibbled on her neck, just below her ear. She longed to feel his teeth, his bite.

She longed to be marked by him, owned by him.

It wasn’t possible. She remembered her granny’s words, telling her to follow her heart but how could she? A wolf and a vampire. Enemies. The truce was just that, temporary. She moaned as he seated himself deep inside her. His cock throbbed. His breath was choppy. His forehead glistened.

Brynn leaned on his elbows. He threaded his hands into her hair, looking her deep in the eyes. “Never want to leave,” he murmured.

Making love.

It was exactly what he did. Slow and careful yet deep and intense. Each stroke, each touch and caress. Every kiss. Every thrust. She moved to meet him. Aligning her body with his, matching the rhythm he had set until she was vibrating. Until every cell screamed. Until every breath came out sounding like a plea. Until their bodies were dripping. Their throats ragged.

Brynn changed his angle and her world tilted on its axis. Everything shattered and all at once. She screamed his name, her nails digging into his back.

There was a light pinch on her neck and it felt as if every nerve-ending exploded. Her throat hurt from the guttural moan that was torn from her. This was right before she couldn’t breathe. Her eyes widened. Her jaw turned slack. Fire raced through her. White hot pleasure resonated from her belly, spreading across every part of her.

Brynn pulled away with a loud snarl. His body jerked. He whispered her name over and over while he slowed his movements.

He’d bitten her. In wolf terms that made them mates. Only mates bit one another. Only mates drew blood. But he wasn’t a wolf so it didn’t mean anything. It didn’t.

Who was she kidding? It meant everything. A sobbing noise escaped her. Shit! She was crying. Tiffany sniffed and rubbed at her face.

Brynn was breathing hard, his face in the crook of her neck. He quickly pulled back. “Did I hurt you?” His eyes were wide. “Jesus, Tiffany, speak to me. I’m sorry. Hell …” his voice softened. “Was it the bite? I’m so damned sorry. I couldn’t help myself, it’s—”

“I lied yesterday,” she blurted. It just came out.

“What?” He swept the hair from her face in a gentle caress. His eyes were filled with concern. It only hurt her more.

“I told you that we needed to end things because we might fall in love, but it’s too late.”

He tried to talk but she put her fingers over his mouth. “Don’t say anything. Let’s enjoy our last few moments together.”

Brynn sighed. He moved her hand. “Stay the night.”

She shook her head. “You know I can’t. We can’t.”

“We can, Tiffany, this doesn’t have to end. I’ll go with you to your village, I’ll—”

“No! You would never be accepted. It won’t work, Brynn. We both know it.” She tried to pull away from him. This was madness. It hurt her so badly. It felt like her heart was shattering, one crack at a time.

His arms banded around her, pulling her close. “No. If this is it, Tiffany, let’s make it count. Please.”

She nodded. They lay together for a while and then Brynn made love to her again. There was more urgency this time. His touches were desperate.

Silently, her heart heavy ‒ and by the look in his eyes he felt the same way ‒ they made their way to the river to wash.

She waded in, turning to hand him the bottle but Brynn was still on the bank. “Aren’t you coming in?”

He shook his head.

“Why not? Everyone will know if you don’t wash.” She held the bottle up.

Brynn folded his arms. He’d never looked more handsome. His face solemn. His hair tussled.

“Don’t act crazy. Why risk your superiors’ anger when we are never going to see each other again?” She squeezed her eyes shut for a beat. “You should still pursue that human …” She swallowed down the bile that rose in her stomach. “What was her name … Sylvia?” Her voice shook.

His jaw tightened. Brynn shook his head. “I want my superiors to know. I want my friends to understand why I am going to be quiet and foul-mouthed for a time.” He shrugged. “They need to know why I am not going to pursue any of the humans. Why I won’t be able to be with any female for that matter. I am deeply in love with you, Tiffany. I will be broken when you walk away. I won’t tell anyone who you are but I want them to know that I love a wolf. I don’t want to hide the fact that I love you.” He waded out into the water and pulled her against him. “I want to shout it from the mountain tops. I want to live it and breathe it. I want to say fuck it and to hell with the rest of the world. I want you and I don’t care who knows.”

Joy coursed through her, together with frustration. Last of all, pain blossomed. Fiery and hot. It caused her to moan. “We can’t. I can’t.” She whispered the last.

Brynn nodded. He kissed her softly. Tears burned her eyes and clogged her throat. “I’m sorry,” she choked.

“I understand. Please don’t cry.” He took the bottle from her, opened it and placed it back on her palm. Then he waded back to the water’s edge where he waited for her.

Washing him from her body was the hardest thing she had ever had to do. No … turning and walking away from him was the hardest.

“I’ll never forget you,” he whispered as she changed into her wolf form.