Aidan had caught Emma’s scent long before she’d rapped on the door of the bedroom he’d designated as his from the outset. When her scent threatened to affect him, he’d switched to breathing through his mouth and even then, not too deeply. Even a faint whiff of her could tip the delicate balance he was struggling to maintain.

So far he hadn’t become aroused enough to initiate his shift, but it wouldn’t take much of a seduction effort on her part before he’d be right back where he’d been during that tense moment in the foyer, when he’d nearly shifted right in front of her. If he allowed her to arouse him again, he’d have the same damned choice—sex with her or a cold run through the park in wolf form.

Because he’d chosen this bedroom originally, his clothes hung in the closet. Once he’d locked himself in here, he’d pulled on sweats and a T-shirt. That would be enough to get him through the hotel lobby, but he’d rather not go through all that.

Fortunately she’d left quickly. Had she stayed even a minute longer, he might have flung open the door and pulled her inside, because he didn’t relish romping through Grant Park tonight. The risk of discovery was huge.

Apparently he’d made a gross miscalculation as to the effect she’d have on him. Usually sex with a woman, or a female werewolf, for that matter, left him satisfied, at least enough to put sex out of his mind for several hours and sometimes for days or even weeks. Not with Emma. Within moments of that first shattering orgasm, his craving for her had returned.

Because it had come on him so quickly, he’d doubted a second round would have been enough. He might have needed to have sex with her three times, or even four. That wasn’t fair to her, not with the obligations she had the next day.

He had only himself to blame for the problem. He’d foolishly surrendered to an overwhelming need to take her in semi-wolf fashion, something he’d been warned not to attempt with a human female or suffer the consequences. Although neither of them had been on all fours, the position had been close enough to subtly blend his wolf instincts with his human male sex drive.

It was a powerful and dangerous combination, one he’d learned of during the private sex education classes every young werewolf had to attend upon reaching sexual maturity. According to the instructor, a werewolf could exercise reasonable control over his or her carnal desires by keeping a strict separation between animal copulation and human sex.

That was easy for Aidan when he was in werewolf form. He and his she-wolf partner had one choice and one choice only. Ah, but when he was a man…choices abounded. And he was a highly sexed male who loved variety. Still, there were many interesting positions, and he’d been careful to use all the others and avoid taking a woman from behind. Until tonight.

Now he understood why his instructor had been so clear on this point. Weres belonged with Weres, and the packs spread across the North American continent would be safer if it stayed that way. Human females had always been classified as an occasional indulgence, one that carried the added danger of exposing the entire Were population.

Thank God he and Emma hadn’t gone the full-wolf route with Aidan mounting her while she was on her hands and knees. Even lacking the intention of binding her to him as a mate, he might have strengthened the bond between them to a level that would be almost impossible to break.

But all was not lost. He still might be able to override this lapse in judgment.

He wasn’t quite clear the best way to do that. Logic told him he shouldn’t have any more sexual contact with Emma, but she wouldn’t understand why and he wouldn’t be able to tell her. Maybe if they had sex, but only in the missionary position, she’d once again fit into the category of an occasional indulgence, one he could give up when that became necessary.

She wasn’t in that category now. Thinking of giving her up depressed the hell out of him. She was smart, funny, and sassy. He’d bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud when she’d pertly told him to go to hell.

But her intelligence and sense of humor weren’t the most compelling reasons he wanted Emma Gavin. The reason was far more basic than that—her scent drove him insane. It had from the first, and after experiencing full-body sex with her and breathing in all her enticing aromas, he was hooked.

He needed advice, but he wasn’t about to call Roarke. Either he’d wake his brother or interrupt him in the middle of a hot date. Either way, Roarke wouldn’t be in the mood to discuss Aidan’s options, especially considering Roarke completely disapproved of this bodyguard project.

Aidan lay back on one of the two double beds in the room. Sometimes he could think better in wolf form, and by doing that he’d guarantee he wouldn’t lose the battle and head into Emma’s room.

As much as he hated shifting against his will when he was aroused, he didn’t mind it at all when he commanded it to happen. Shifting on command provided its own kind of release, and maybe in wolf form he’d find wisdom. He sure as hell could use some wisdom.

The door was locked and the penthouse was quiet. If he had to guess, he’d say Emma had crawled into bed and fallen asleep immediately. She’d had a tiring day and several good orgasms at the end of it. In his experience with human females, that contributed to a good night’s sleep.

He quickly removed his clothes and stretched out on the bed. Then he turned to gaze at the fat snowflakes falling lazily past his window. Shifting was an art form that was, in the mature werewolf, supposed to be entirely voluntary. Aidan had always resented the genetic defect that caused his involuntary shifts, but he was proud of his ability to shift on command.

The process required something akin to self-hypnosis, and the snowflakes provided the necessary focus for his attention. As he concentrated on their easy descent, the shift began. Because he wasn’t resisting it as he had when he was with Emma, the sensations caused pleasure rather than pain. Within seconds his rich brown pelt tipped with silver covered his body and his teeth grew sharp and white.

Rolling to his side, he gave room for his tail to grow until it became a sensitive extension of his body. His hands and feet became large paws, and the muscles and sinews of his arms and legs transformed until he became an animal capable of leaping a six-foot wall at a single bound.

But there would be no dramatic leaping and running tonight. Instead he paced the room and stretched, adjusting to his wolf body and pausing to shake himself from head to tail. He cherished this wolf form when he could choose it instead of having it thrust upon him in a potentially dangerous situation.

As a wolf he connected to the forest, to the heavens, to the moon. In the city he couldn’t see any of those things, and certainly not in this hotel room. Yet he padded over to the window and looked out, because the outdoors was his element. The window glass reflected a majestic wolf with silver-tipped fur and deep-set, golden eyes.

As he stood watching the snow fall onto the street below, he sensed another of his kind nearby, perhaps on the street below. Instantly his whole body tensed. In his wolf state he could communicate with other Weres, but only through the exchange of thoughts.

He tossed the first volley. Who goes there? Friend or foe?

A friend to Weres. A foe to all who would enslave us.

Shit. Theo. What in hell are you doing here?

Demonstrating my tracking skills. Didn’t want you to get too comfortable up there in the penthouse with Emma.

Aidan sighed. Get this straight, Theo. Your little game is over. You’re endangering us all and it will stop now.

I’m not the only one endangering us. Does she know what you are?

No. And she won’t.

Liar. You’ll reveal yourself because you want her.

That’s the act of a traitor. If that accusation inflamed Theo, so be it. Aidan wanted to draw him out, challenge him, subdue him.

Are you calling me a traitor?

You’re taking chances like one.

Care to come down and settle this now?

Nice try. I’m staying here.

Coward.

Guardian.

Silence greeted that statement. Then came the response. Because you want her. You’re guarding her for yourself.

Aidan left the window and paced the bedroom as he deliberately shut down his Were senses. But Theo’s accusation echoed in his head despite the fact he could no longer hear those thoughts rising from the street below. You’re guarding her for yourself. That couldn’t be. He would mate with Nadia or someone of equal stature in the Were community.

Emma represented, as his sex education instructor had said, a temporary indulgence. Once Aidan had pledged himself to Nadia or some other werewolf princess, he would have no other. That was the werewolf code, and he would abide by it.

A yearning to see Emma filled him, but if he changed back to human form, that yearning would translate into physical desire. He moved to the door, his paws silent on the thick carpet. Turning the lock took several swipes of his large paw, but eventually the lock gave way.

He scratched at the door until it swung open. He hesitated. Going to her now was reckless, but he needed to see her, needed to know she was okay. Surely she’d be sound asleep after an exhausting day.

Lights glowed in the living room because no one had turned them off. The gas flames still danced on the hearth because he and Emma had been too engrossed in each other to douse the fire. As a wolf he could remember what he’d done with Emma while in the form of a man, but the memory didn’t fill him with lust. He no longer desired her, but he would protect her with his life.

Quietly he moved into the bedroom. Lamps on either side of the massive bed were on, casting their light over Emma, sprawled diagonally across the big bed. Her blonde hair fanned out over the pillow she cradled in both arms.

She was partially covered by the sheet and a section of the black and white comforter. Then, whimpering in her sleep, she turned to her back, dislodging the sheet and exposing both breasts.

To Aidan’s dismay, his scrotum tightened and his penis thickened. In his entire life of moving between the worlds of human and Were, he’d never felt sexual desire for a woman while in wolf form. It seemed he’d altered something basic in his physiology when he’d taken possession of Emma tonight in that primitive way.

But he was not ruled by that change. With one last glance at her creamy breasts, he turned away. As he started out of the bedroom, her scream caused him to whirl and face her. Had Theo managed to break in?

No. She screamed again, the covers clutched to her throat as she sat up in bed and stared in terror at the thing that had frightened her.

Him.

Shit. He bolted from the room and dashed into his bedroom. Panting, he nudged the door closed and flung himself against it in case she followed him. Then he closed his eyes and focused every fiber of his being on changing back.

She’d stopped screaming, which meant she’d called the front desk. It would take them time to get here. He had maybe two minutes, maybe three. Do it, Wallace!

Shifting under pressure was never a fun idea. Far better to take his time and ease into the new body, sort of like slipping into a warm Jacuzzi. Shifting fast was like leaping into a boiling cauldron, but he could do it.

He clenched his teeth against the shock, but in less than a minute, he was back to being a man, a man who could pull on sweats and a T-shirt and answer the door when hotel security arrived.

Two uniformed men, one chubby and one skinny, peered past him. “Is there a chance you have a dog in here, sir?” asked the skinny one. “We had a report of a dog…actually the lady on the phone said it was a wolf, which would be entirely against hotel regulations. We figured it had to be a large dog, but you would need to clear the presence of such a dog with the management.”

Aidan opened the door. “You’re welcome to look around, but there’s no dog.”

“It was a wolf.” Emma stood in the living room wrapped in the hotel robe. “I woke up from a sound sleep and there was a wolf in my bedroom.”

Aidan glanced at her. “Emma, I think you must have had a nightmare.”

“I did not! There was a wolf in my room. I saw it with my own two eyes. A huge wolf with silver-tipped fur. Search the place. It’s probably hiding somewhere.”

Aidan hated what he had to do, but there was no choice. “By all means conduct a search, gentlemen, but I guarantee you won’t find anything. Miss Gavin writes books about werewolves, and she has a very active imagination.”

For the first time doubt flickered in Emma’s blue eyes. “But I saw it, Aidan. It was there, looking at me.”

“I’m sure you thought you did.” He went to her and gathered her close, careful not to make it a sexual gesture. She wouldn’t be in the mood, but he seemed to always be in the mood.

“It seemed so real.”

“I know how that is.” He rubbed her arm in a companionable way. “You’re sound asleep and something wakes you up, like the heat going on. You’re pulled right out of your dream, and for a moment, you see something that isn’t really there. It’s happened to me several times.”

“I wasn’t dreaming about wolves. At least I don’t think I was.”

“But it makes logical sense that you might. You’re in a strange place and a strange bed. You’ve had an emotional day which included confronting an idiot who is trying to make you believe he actually is a werewolf.”

She slumped against him. “I suppose you’re right, but Aidan, I’ve never been so frightened in my life. I thought it was truly a wolf.”

“Well, it wasn’t.” It was a werewolf, aka me.

“Couldn’t find anything, ma’am.” The chubby security guard came back into the living room. “Ed’s making sure nothing’s in any of the other rooms, but we checked everywhere. Opened all the closets, looked under everything, checked in the shower. Looks like just the two of you are here.”

“I’m so sorry,” Emma said. “I hate that you went to all this trouble for a silly nightmare.”

The security guard smiled. “Don’t think a thing about it. Part of the job.” He glanced over at his partner. “All clear, Ed?”

“All clear, Ken. But if you have any more problems, ma’am, give us a call. We’re up all night, anyway, and checking for wolves in the penthouse is a lot more interesting than anything on late-night TV.”

“I feel pretty foolish,” Emma said. “Someday I’ll probably be able to laugh about this and make it into a good story, but right now it’s just embarrassing.”

“Ah, this is nothing,” the guard named Ken said. “You wouldn’t believe the things we get called for. We had a magician whose bunnies and doves all got loose. Took us three hours to corral them.”

Keeping a supportive arm around Emma, Aidan shook hands with both men. “Thanks for your time.”

“No problem,” Ken said. “Lock up behind us.”

“I will.” Giving Emma a squeeze, he crossed to the door and threw the deadbolt.

“Aidan, I feel like such an idiot.”

“Don’t.” He was the one who felt like an idiot for scaring her to death and making her doubt what she’d seen. “You’ve been under a lot of pressure.”

“I guess.” She gave him a pleading look. “But I really don’t want to go back in there by myself.”

He’d figured this was coming, and the next few hours would be torture. But he deserved to be tortured after frightening her like that. “I’ll stay with you.”

“Thank you, Aidan.”

“But we’re not having sex.”

“Don’t worry. I’m too spooked to do that, anyway.”

Well, that’s one of us. He turned off the fireplace and the lights in the living room before following her into the master bedroom. The scent of her drew him like a moth to a flame. But he would resist. With luck, his heavy burden of guilt would keep his johnson deflated for the next few hours.