Trak was still in the shower when he heard Chelo come back into his room. He’d taken time to put fresh sheets on the bed first, but when he heard her in the room he quickly finished rinsing shampoo out of his hair and dried off. Then he slipped on a pair of knit boxers and walked out of the bathroom, still towel drying his hair. Chelo was already in his bed, her back to him, though he knew she wasn’t sleeping.

He turned out the lights and slipped in beside her. Her body was damp from her shower. He snuggled close behind her and ran his fingers over her arm. “Chelo? May I ask you a personal question?”

She didn’t speak, but after a moment she rolled onto her back and nodded her head.

“Chelo … sweetheart? Have you ever experienced an orgasm?”

He waited for her answer. Finally, very softly, she said, “I don’t know. What’s it like?”

He’d suspected as much, knowing her history. “Will you let me show you what it’s like? We don’t actually need to have sex, but I can show you pleasure with my hands and my mouth. I think you’ll like it. I can guarantee you’ll sleep really well.”

A hell of a lot better than he would. He almost laughed out loud, thinking of how well acquainted he’d become with his right hand.

“You would do that? For me?”

“I would love to do that for you.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Tell you what. Sometimes fantasy helps. You’re going to use your alpha powers on me, and command me to give you pleasure. That way, you’re totally in control.”

She laughed out loud this time. “What alpha powers? You said that about me before, that it was how I kept from following Jorge into death, but that’s not true. I’m not an alpha.”

She really didn’t know. “Actually, you are. Many women are alphas, though very few alpha leaders want that info to get out. I think it’s stupid not showing women how to use their strength, because it adds to the overall strength of the pack, but there’s no doubt in my mind that you’re an alpha. Do you feel as if you have to look away when I make eye contact?”

When she just watched him, her gaze unwavering in the darkened room, he nodded. “I thought so. Chelo, I believe you’re at least my equal, if not a little bit stronger, and it’s probably part of the reason I’m so damned attracted to you. Your mind amazes me, your strength. Your sense of humor.” He ran his hand through her dark hair and over her bare shoulder. He hadn’t realized until now that she’d come to his bed naked. His body responded. Immediately.

“Of course, that lush body of yours works for me, too. One of these days, when you’re finally comfortable with me, I’m going to bury myself inside you and give you pleasure unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. But right now we’re going to have a lesson in orgasm one-oh-one. Tonight, I’m your prisoner and you’re going to have me serve you.”

“Really?” She stuck a couple of pillows against the headboard and scooted back against them with the blanket barely covering her full breasts. “I’m not sure where to begin.”

He sat up beside her with the blanket just covering his hips. There was a night-light in the bathroom throwing just enough light. He could see her, see the sparkle in her eyes, but all was still in shadow. “You might command me to give you an orgasm with just my mouth or my fingers.”

“You can do that?”

He nodded, doing his best to ignore the ache in his balls. If his erection got any harder he could probably pound nails with the damned thing. “I can. If that’s what you want.”

“How about with your mouth and your hands? At the same time. Can you do that?”

“Even better.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Just lie back and remember that you’re in charge and I have to do exactly what you want.”

“I like that.” She snuggled back against the pillows. After a moment she gave an imperial wave of her fingers. “Begin,” she said. “I’m waiting.” Then she put a finger to her lips. “Wait. Take off those pants. If I’m naked, you have to be, too.” She waved her fingers at his boxers.

His cock twitched. “Of course. Whatever you wish.” He slipped out of his boxers and tossed them aside, trying unsuccessfully to ignore an erection that had to be consuming most of his blood supply. “I’ll need to pull the blankets back so I can see you.”

She paused, just long enough for him to picture the thoughts going through her head. Finally, she nodded, flipped her fingers at him. “If you must.”

Still in character. That was good. Slowly, he dragged the fluffy down blanket off her breasts, uncovered her torso, paused at the dark edge of pubic hair at the juncture of her thighs, and then carefully exposed her all the way to her toes.

He’d seen her unclothed when they’d shifted, but here in his bed with her full breasts overflowing the width of her chest, the dip of her smaller waist to full hips and the soft curve of her belly, the thick, dark hair covering her pubes and her shapely, muscular thighs, he felt as if he was in the presence of a being far beyond a mere shifter. She was so much more, and if he could possibly convince her, she was going to be his.

This was the best of all possible ways to begin.

He gently spread her legs apart and knelt between them, but he leaned forward and began with her breasts, sucking one turgid nipple between his lips and then moving to the other, back and forth, drawing each in its turn into his mouth, using his tongue to press the taut flesh against the roof of his mouth.

Back and forth, one after the other until she was moaning softly. He gathered her breasts up in his hands, holding them close together, managing to draw both nipples into his mouth, squeezing her breasts with a gentle kneading motion that she seemed to love. Then he kissed his way down her body, nipping and teasing, his fingers still tugging and lightly pinching, keeping the stimulation going on both her nipples.

Already her body was covered in a fine sheen of perspiration and the scent of her arousal filled his senses. He’d noticed it earlier, Monday at the shop when she’d let him tease her, but it was nothing like this, rich and addictive, luring him closer, making him want.

She was so much smaller than he was, it wasn’t awkward at all to continue tugging and twisting her nipples and still use his mouth on her. He nuzzled the tender flesh of her inner thighs, licking and kissing his way from one leg to the other, much as he’d done with her breasts. She had her hands wound tightly in the sheets beside her, and her hips had begun to roll with his mouth, almost as if she followed him.

He wondered if she had any idea where this was heading, then figured that yes, she had to at least have some idea. He used his tongue to separate her feminine folds, used his lips to tug and taste. He stayed away from her clit—as much as he wanted her to want him there, she didn’t appear to know what was the source of her agitation. Trak couldn’t remember a time he’d more enjoyed going down on a woman. He wanted this to be perfect. He wanted Chelo. There had never been, nor could he imagine ever wanting, another woman. There was no other. Only Chelo.

The moisture between her legs was flowing now, the taste salty and sweet at the same time. He swept his tongue deep inside her. She sobbed short, panting breaths as he took her closer to her peak, arched her back, forcing herself against his mouth.

Voice hoarse, breath ragged, she cried out, “More! More, Trak, please. More …”

He raised his head to watch her, a woman on the edge of ecstasy. Her lips were parted, nostrils flaring, eyes closed. He dipped his head once again and placed his mouth over her, using his tongue to sweep inside once again before abandoning her breasts. He grabbed her hands, put her fingers to her breasts, and watched to make certain she knew to tug at her own nipples while he found other things to do.

She figured it out immediately and he wanted to cheer. This was a woman who had never known how to pleasure herself, had never felt the thrill of sharing a climax with either her husband or the bastard who’d raped and mated her. What idiots those men had been. Trak was glad they were dead, or he’d have to kill them both for this alone.

He lifted her, slipping his palms beneath her bottom, bringing her to his mouth as he sat back on his heels. Her feminine flesh was ripe and swollen for him, her clit glistening with her fluids. Gently at first, barely touching her, he swirled his tongue around the tiny bud. Her body jerked and he did it again, lighter this time until she began to thrust against him, following the rhythm he led. Wrapping his lips around the most sensitive part of her, he thrust two fingers deep inside her pulsing channel, increased the pressure on her clitoris, and felt the first tremors of her climax.

She arched her back and cried out, a long, low moan of release as he took her higher, felt the tight muscles grasping his fingers, and wished it could be his damned cock inside her.

Not now, but soon. He knew it would be soon.

Slowly, he brought her down with gentle licks and kisses. As her soft whimpers subsided, he laid her back against the rumpled sheets and crawled up her body to plant a kiss on those full lips.

She licked into his mouth and had to be tasting herself.

He tasted salt. Tears. She kissed him again and then again and still the tears flowed, so he scooted up against the headboard and lifted her into his lap, held her against his chest. “You okay, sweetie? It wasn’t too much, was it?”

He felt her head move against his chest. “No? That’s good. You’re absolutely beautiful when you come. Your skin flushes a deep burnt umber, your nipples tighten up into little buds, and the muscles inside fluttered against my fingers and then held on like you’d never let me go. Imagine how that would be with my cock inside you. One of these days, we’re going to do that. When you’re ready.”

She nodded her head against his chest and sniffled. More tears flowed. He grabbed a tissue from a box on the table beside the bed and wiped her cheeks. She took it from him, sat up, and blew her nose, looked around like she didn’t know what to do with the soggy thing, so he took the tissue from her, wadded it up, and set it on the bedside table.

“Are you okay?”

She stared at him and he had no idea what she was thinking. “Actually, I’m furious.”

“What?”

This time she laughed. “Not at you. Not at all. I’m absolutely furious with Jorge and Rube, and even Henri, for that matter. They’re the only three men who have touched me in my entire long life, and not once did any of them stop to think of my pleasure. I had no idea I could even have an orgasm. None. And then you come along and change my entire life. Do you know what that means, when you save someone’s life?”

He wasn’t really sure where this was going, so he shook his head.

“It means you’re responsible for me now. You saved me, you got me.” She closed her eyes and leaned back against the headboard. “Thank you, Trak. I had no idea what it was all about.” She turned and smiled at him. “I have a feeling there’s so much more you can teach me.”

So caught up in her body’s response, it took her a few moments to realize that Trak hadn’t had an orgasm when she had. In fact, he hadn’t had one for as long as she had known him, unless he did them all by himself. She knew she hadn’t scented another female on him. He seemed to welcome questions, so … “What about you?” She gestured toward the tented covers. “Do you want to try with me?”

He smiled and shook his head. “I’ll be okay. I’ve been making do with my right hand for a long time.”

Frowning, she glanced at his hand and then at the tent. “How do you mean?”

He actually blushed. The big, tough alpha’s face had turned a dark ruddy shade all the way to his hairline and down across his chest. He had a beautiful chest. She leaned close and stroked it and he practically purred. “Are you going to tell me?”

“It’s a thing guys do when we don’t have a willing woman to make love to. We take care of it ourselves. Women do the same thing.”

“We do? I never have.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. You should have known about that, though I don’t think young women when you were young were taught things about their bodies. Now most girls learn all about how to pleasure themselves. It’s part of their sex education. Your pack must have been very primitive in their treatment of their women.”

She rolled her eyes. “Ya think? I’m getting a whole new perspective here, but forget about me. I want to know about you.” She pulled the covers back, exposing him the way he’d exposed her. His cock stood high and proud, blatantly begging for attention. She was positive he wanted her to touch him. Wondered how he would react if she asked him.

“You’re bigger than Jorge. Rube, too, for that matter, and Henri. Is that because you’re an alpha?”

He shrugged. “I’m about average for the guys in my pack.”

He looked embarrassed and she wondered if it felt weird for him to be sitting here, both of them staring at his cock, one of them the woman he’d just brought to climax. “Of course, I’m really erect right now because I haven’t come since yesterday.”

She hadn’t even thought about him coming by himself. She was almost positive there couldn’t be another woman he had sex with. “How did you do it yesterday? Were you alone?”

He nodded and smiled at her. She really wondered what he was thinking. “I was. I was out in the woods.”

“How? What did you do?”

He shrugged and then grinned at her. “Grabbed it and jerked off.”

Jerked off? That didn’t make sense. “Show me.”

He stared at her for a moment and she was afraid he’d turn her down, but he surprised her. “I could,” he said. “Or you could do it for me.”

That worked. “Okay.” She rose to her knees. “What do I do?”

He wrapped his fist around his cock and squeezed and then slid his fist up and down, slowly pulling the loose cowl of skin over the tip and then back down again. He did it a couple of times and suddenly quit. “If I’m not careful, I’ll come too fast.”

She scooted around between his legs so that she was facing him. Her breasts felt fuller than usual, and they were already big. Her nipples had pebbled into hard little points, and that usually only happened when she was cold. She picked up a scent that was hers but not, and a different scent about Trak, too. One she really liked. It made her want to rub against him and she wondered if that was the same kind of scent she was putting off.

It had to be arousal. She knew about that but didn’t know what it smelled like. The scent of her arousal seemed to somehow blend with his, and she started getting that anxious feeling she’d had when he was giving her an orgasm.

She wrapped her hands around him—both hands because he was a large guy and she was a relatively small woman. He groaned, and she figured that was a good sign. She loved the feel of him—hard as a branch but soft to the touch, the skin covering him almost silky smooth. Except for the veins. There were thick veins running the length, but she loved stroking him.

“You can do it harder,” he said. “Faster, too. And play with my balls if you want. It all feels really good.”

She’d wanted to but was afraid she’d hurt him. She’d kicked Jorge there one time and he’d almost killed her when he caught her. Carefully she cupped Trak’s sac and rolled his testicles around, separating them, then rolling them between her fingers. There was a tiny drop of fluid at the tip of his penis. Without even thinking, she leaned over and licked it off.

He groaned, so she did that again. She remembered one time when Jorge forced his thing into her mouth and she bit him. He never tried it again, though he used to threaten her, say she’d swallow his cock and like it.

She hadn’t liked anything about him, but she loved everything about Trak. With both her hands around his shaft, she leaned close and wrapped her lips around the tip.

His hips jerked. “God damn it, Chelo. Holy shit! That feels so fucking good.”

She slipped him free of her mouth and laughed. “It must. You don’t usually cuss like that.” Then she sucked him back between her lips while Trak lay back against the pillows, moaning and laughing at the same time. She must be doing something right. She used her tongue and her lips, sucked him deep enough to hit her gag reflex, and decided that was a little too far for the first time.

After a minute Trak stopped her. “I’m close to coming and you’re going to get a mouthful if you don’t stop.”

She thought about that. She’d liked the taste of those first few drops. “It’s okay,” she said. “I want to learn to do this right. I’ve never done it before.”

“Crap.” He groaned. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

She felt the first pulse in the base of his shaft and tightened her lips around him. He thrust forward, though she could tell he was trying not to, but she sucked and licked and her mouth was suddenly filled with his release. She swallowed as fast as she could, but there was a lot and she almost didn’t get it all. When he was done, she kept sucking gently, the way he had for her, and after a couple of minutes his thick erection was half its previous size and not at all hard.

She got up and went into the bathroom to rinse her mouth and get a drink of water, and then she crawled into bed with Trak. She wasn’t at all nervous, now. She’d been practically frozen with fear when he’d first gotten into bed with her, but now? Now she had proof he would never hurt her. No man as patient and gentle as Trak would ever threaten her.

They fell asleep as if they’d always shared a bed. She’d never slept with Jorge. He’d used her for sex at least once every night and then kicked her out of the bed. She didn’t even have a bed, just a pile of blankets on the floor where she’d slept like a dog. If he would have let her shift she’d have been perfectly comfortable, but he knew she could get away if she was a wolf. So she’d slept on the hard floor while Jorge had the bed to himself.

Sometime during the night, she awoke to the feel of Trak’s shaft, engorged again and resting against her bottom. She shifted around a bit until it was between her legs, and then she moved a bit more and felt him slip gently inside her channel. This wasn’t really having sex. It couldn’t be, because it felt much too good. Sex always hurt, though she hoped that when she and Trak had sex he’d be as gentle as he’d been earlier.

Maybe then she’d get used to it and actually enjoy the penetration. If he was really careful. She drifted back into sleep, fully aware of the connection holding her to a man she was afraid she’d never be willing to leave.

He hadn’t had a wet dream this good since he was just a kid. The woman was warm and more voluptuous than any he could recall. The warm globes of her ass were pressed against his pubes and his cock was buried deep inside the tightest pussy he’d ever felt in his life. He carefully wrapped his right arm around her waist and found her breasts. Perfect. Full and warm, the nipples rising to his fingers, just waiting for him to tug and tease.

He tugged and she moaned. He thrust his hips and she pressed back against him until they found the ideal rhythm of thrust and retreat, thrust and retreat. It was all the way he loved it most—her scent, her full hips and rounded ass, the soft swell of her belly and breasts beneath his palms. He spread his hand over her belly, tangled his fingers in the thick hair between her legs, and then slipped his fingertip over her swollen nub.

It only took a couple of strokes and she was flying! Her inner muscles clamped down on his cock, squeezing him like a living vise. She grabbed his wrist in both her hands and held him against her as her whole body went stiff. Her climax brought his, a shock of sensation from the small of his back to his balls and cock, until he filled her with spurt after spurt of his seed.

He buried his face in her long, dark hair, suddenly awakening as realization hit him. This wasn’t a wet dream. This was Chelo. After he’d promised he would never make love to her without her permission, he’d just done exactly that.

“Chelo? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I thought I was dreaming, sweetheart. Will you forgive me?”

Slowly, she rolled over. He slipped out of her warm sheath, and even as guilty as he felt, he wanted to be back inside her. Instead of showing anger, she kissed him. “S’okay. In fact, that was amazing. I think we can assume I’m not going to freak out when we have sex now, okay?”

“You’re sure? Because I’m going to want to do that again. As soon as I can recover.”

“Good. And I’m the one who needs to apologize. I set you up.”

“What?”

“Last night I woke up during the night and you were hard again and it was between my legs, so I just sort of moved my butt a little and spread my legs, and voila!”

“Voila?” He rolled to his back and laughed. “Chelo? I hope you realize I am never letting you go. And for a werewolf that’s a long, long time.”

“I know.” She rolled over and kissed him.

And Trak didn’t take long to recover at all.

Much later, they were having breakfast when Trak set his fork down and stared at her. “Chelo? I know how he keeps finding you. Didn’t you say that both Rube and Jorge raped you before you were mated?”

Frowning, she stared at him. Not your usual morning-after conversation, but, “Yes. It was horrible.”

“He marked you. Rube didn’t actually mate you, because Jorge bit you—he’s the one who changed you—but during that night he marked you. There was probably saliva and there was definitely blood. In essence, it’s like a mating in that he’s linked to you through your blood. He always knows where you are.”

No. She would never be free of him, never know a moment’s peace, never …

Trak’s hand covered hers. “Don’t you see? If I mate you, in our case merely mark you because you’re already wolf, I think the newer marking will be stronger than what happened almost ninety years ago. I need to know, though, if you could bear to be my mate for oh, the next century or so. Are you okay with that?”

“Are you asking me?”

He took both of her hands. “Of course I am. It’s not the most romantic proposal, but I can’t imagine life without you. You’re the only woman I’ve met who can truly be my partner as alpha of this pack. You’re strong and you’re beautiful. You complete me, Consuela de los Lobos. And besides, I already told you that I’m never letting you go.”

He had, hadn’t he? “Trak, when I was lying in bed with you this morning, when we had just made love for the second or maybe the third time, I realized that I was falling in love with you. I’m never letting you go, either.”

“I need to shift. It’s the wolf’s bite that creates the mating link. Be sure and show me where you want it. I’ll try not to hurt you.” He leaned close and kissed her. “I’m sorry if I do.”

He carried his plate to the sink and left it there before stripping out of his clothes. His body thrilled her—tall and lean with well-defined muscles partially disguised by the dark pelt across his muscular chest. He kept his hair fairly short and his beard was barely more than a shadow. She’d never actually seen him clean-shaven, but the dark hair on his cheeks and chin merely accentuated his good looks.

Again, his shift was almost instantaneous, his wolf every bit as beautiful as the man. He trotted across the room and sat at her feet, waiting, she knew, for her to show him where she wanted her bite. There was no doubt in her mind. She untied the robe she’d put on after her shower and dropped it behind her. Then she leaned close and held her left breast. Touching the top curve, she said, “Here. Over my heart. I want a scar, just a small one. Something that will always remind me of today.”

He looked at her for the longest time. He probably wondered if she was just flat-out crazy, but then he licked her breast, swirled his tongue around her nipple as if for emphasis, and nipped her quickly, his teeth sharp and the bite deep enough to draw blood. She held perfectly still while he licked the blood away, leaving his saliva in the small wound.

She reached for a paper napkin to staunch the drips, and then Trak was human again, covering her hand with his, kissing her mouth, her breast, the place where he’d bitten her.

“Does it hurt? I tried to make it fast. I really didn’t want to hurt you.”

She leaned close and kissed him. “I think that tongue/nipple thing took my mind off the biting part. Can I say it now? I love you, Trak. You are more than I ever dreamed and I will love you forever.” She kissed him again. “But we’re going to be late. I have to open the shop.”