His jaw flexed. “Sienna.”
“Answer me.”
“No, they weren’t all shifters.”
“But you slept with them?”
Again silence.
This time she caught his face between her hands and forced him to look at her. “Warrick?”
“Some of them. Yes.”
Her heart went from a slow thud to a gallop as she licked her lips. And she didn’t miss the way his gaze followed the movement or the strangled groan he made.
“So when you say shifter law says you can’t mate with a human, you don’t mean sex, but…”
“Take a permanent mate. Life partner. Marriage. However the hell you want it spelled out.”
“But you can fuck whomever strikes your fancy in the meantime. Human, shifter, or whatever else might be out there,” she replied bluntly. Crudely. And felt his reaction as his erection jerked against her panties.
“Dammit, Sienna—”
“So, why not me?” she demanded and drew her nails down his naked chest. “Why not take me like we both know you want to.”
His fingers curled around her upper arms and the lines around his mouth tightened, even as his nostrils flared and potent desire shone in his gaze.
“Because my wanting you and my caring about you is already a perilous combination. If we sleep together—”
“I won’t get attached,” she promised with a carelessness she knew was bullcrap. She’d dated other men over the years, had even fooled around with some, but unfortunately that virginity status that had bugged Warrick when she was eighteen was still going to be a problem.
And if Warrick knew she was still a virgin, he’d kick her to the curb faster than last week’s garbage.
She moved on instinct against his erection, wanting to ease the ache. Knowing it was a huge risk to her heart to try and sleep with him and walk away afterward. But she wanted him. God, she wanted at least one night. “I’ll understand if it can never be more than sex. Please, Warrick. I just want one time. We never have to do it again if you don’t like it, I promise.”
Was she trying to fucking kill him? Goddammit. Warrick’s hands slid to her waist and he knew he had to lift her off him. Put Sienna as far away as he could before he did something completely stupid.
The wolf inside him, every primal fiber in his being, was screaming to come out and just take her. Because God he wanted her. Wanted her like he’d never wanted a woman before in his life. And there was no reason he couldn’t do exactly as she offered. Fuck her and walk away. Because to claim her as his mate would mean he’d have to bite her during sex. Mark her as his. And he’d never lost his head with a woman enough to do that. Sex was always sex.
But even though Sienna had obviously gained some experience along the way—damn, how had she ever learned to tease a man like this?—she was still too innocent. And she already drove him precariously close to the edge. Right now, he could barely think. Barely function with the way she rubbed herself like a damn cat in heat against his cock.
Jesus. He could smell her arousal, already imagine what it would taste like. Feel like on his fingers. On his cock. But if he took her, buried himself deep inside the sheath he knew would be heaven, he’d be a fucking goner for sure.
Grinding his teeth together, Warrick curled his fingers around her tiny waist to lift her away. But then he made the fatal mistake of meeting her gaze once more. The plea and hunger in her eyes was so potently raw, painful, almost every shred of his willpower snapped.
He might not be able to take her the way he did other women, but he could sure as hell make sure he took care of her needs. And get a little taste of nirvana while he was at it.
Instead of lifting her off him, he pushed her back onto the mattress and followed with his body. Her eyes widened and a gasp of surprise spilled from her lips.
“I won’t take you the way we both want,” he vowed thickly. “Please don’t ask me to, Sienna. But let me do this.”
Sienna only made a small whimper of acceptance and stretched her arms above her head as her legs fell open.
Warrick’s gaze slid down her body. Over the swell of her small breasts beneath the T-shirt to the flat of her belly just barely exposed where the shirt still rode high.
His gaze slid lower to white cotton panties that shouldn’t have been sexy on her. But the shadow of curls, flare of hips and long, pale thighs made them damn near erotic. He moved his palm to cup the mound of her sex and growled low in his throat when he felt the heated flesh through damp fabric.
The blood raged to his cock, tightening his flesh almost painfully as the need to possess this woman completely pounded in his veins.