The Burning Claw (The Grey Wolves #10)(52)

“I love you,” he whispered as he covered her flushed and needy body with his own. His blue eyes met hers and never left as he made love to her.
Fane was fighting for control of his wolf. Touching his mate was only making the wolf push harder to take control, but the man wouldn’t relinquish this time. He reveled in her body, her perfect form. He was in awe of the fact that she carried their child and was able to provide life for him. As he looked down at her, his breath caught. She was a sight to behold. Her hair splayed out around her like a rippling red sea. Her skin was flushed and glistening as it responded to his every touch.
Jacquelyn’s lips parted slightly as she sucked in air, trying to catch her breath. Fane couldn’t describe what had come over him; he just knew that he needed the connection with his mate. He needed to feel her, to hear her, to see her, and to taste her. Jacquelyn denied him nothing. She offered herself up as she felt his need through their bond. Fane didn’t hide anything from her. She was well aware of his desires and how he longed for her.
He made love to her for hours until they were both spent and could do nothing more than hold each other.
He whispered to her in his language and, as she snuggled closer, she asked him, “What did you just say?”
“I said you humble me with the gift of your body, your heart, and your soul.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead as Jacquelyn let out a contented sigh.
“Sleep, my love. You’ve earned it.”
She laughed and pinched his stomach. “Don’t gloat, wolf-man. It doesn’t suit you.”
“You suit me,” he told her, as he pulled her tighter against him. Mine, his wolf huffed into his mind as both man and wolf basked in the scent of their mate and the feel of her against his skin.
“Yours,” Jacquelyn whispered as she drifted off to sleep.
Decebel watched as his mate entered the suite they used when staying at the Romania pack. She looked tired, but no less beautiful and desirable than always. She moved about the room—slipping off her shoes, grabbing an empty glass that sat on the end table and taking it to the kitchen, and then stopping in the kitchen. Her back was to him and he frowned as she leaned forward, rested her head on the countertop, and began to cry. Her shoulders shook with emotion and her hands grasped the counter with such force that her knuckles were turning white.
“Jennifer,” Decebel called as he strode across the room to her. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her up and then turned her to face him. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
She shook her head as more tears fell and she pressed her forehead to his chest. He clenched his jaw as he held his weeping mate, unable to fix whatever it was that had his mate in tears.
“Please, talk to me, Jennifer.”
“I just can’t believe Peri found her,” she finally managed to get out around the gulps of air. “I want to see her. I want to see with my own eyes that she’s okay.”
He ran his hand gently down her hair as he attempted to soothe her. “I know you do, baby. And you will. Be patient.”
“When has that ever been one of my virtues?” she grumbled. Her small hands were wrapped around his shirt, holding him to her.
Decebel chuckled. “You have many other virtues,” he told her.Jennifer snuggled closer as the tears began to dry up. “I’m tired, Dec.”
He swept her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Decebel helped her undress and slip on one of his t-shirts that swallowed her. He loved seeing her in his clothes; it was almost as good as seeing her without any clothes—almost.
“Your mind is having impure thoughts, lover,” she teased him as she wiped away the last bit of moisture from her eyes.
Decebel wanted to keep the tears at bay, and if seducing his mate would keep her mind and emotions under control, then it was certainly no hardship for him. “Are they really impure if they’re about my mate?” he asked as he took off his shirt and then his pants. He pulled back the covers on the bed and watched as she climbed in. The shirt rose up, exposing more of her silky thighs, and his thoughts went from impure to completely inappropriate.
He slid in next to her and reached for one of the legs that had tempted him and pulled her closer. Decebel placed the leg over his hip and his hands grasped her waist. He pulled her over until she was nearly laying on top of him.
“Comfortable?” she mumbled against his chest. Her lips were soft as they moved against his skin.
Decebel grunted at her, too focused on his hands trailing over her to bother answering. She shivered as he pushed the t-shirt up further. He smiled. He loved how she responded to him.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispered.
“You don’t ever have to miss me, baby. All you have to do is tell me you need me and I’m yours.”
He felt her smile against him. “If I did that, then we’d never get anything done.”
His own smile widened. “You are quite insatiable.”
“You love it,” she growled as she climbed up his body until she hovered over him, boxing him in.
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “It’s been a while so I can’t really remember.”
She lunged down and clamped her teeth on his neck just hard enough to get his and his wolf’s attention. “Then perhaps I need to remind you,” Jennifer purred after releasing his flesh.
Decebel trailed his hands up the backs of her thighs, pulling the hem of the shirt up as he moved. As the hem reached her neck, she ducked down allowing her head and arms to slip free of the shirt.
He growled his approval as he pulled her face to his. “I think a reminder is definitely in order.” Decebel’s lips collided with hers. It was the first of many kisses that night. He wrapped her in his arms as she loved him and thoroughly reminded him of just how much he loved her insatiability.
Chapter 18
“I’m lost. I’m lost to the darkness, lost to the pain, lost to the desire to kill everything in my path because there is no light to lead me. My light is gone. My soul is incomplete. My wolf, in his grief for the loss of his mate, has given himself over to the monster inside. Everything I feared has come true.” ~Costin 
Sally stretched as the morning light streamed into her bedroom. It had been another rough night as dreams of wolves plagued her. She didn’t understand her sudden obsession with the animal, at least in her subconscious. Not that they weren’t beautiful and majestic, but she’d never had a thing for them before. It just seemed so random…and yet not. Then she remembered her experience on the beach and mentally added one more thing to her growing list of WTH.
She glanced at her phone and saw that it wasn’t even seven a.m. She groaned and threw herself back onto the bed. Why was she up so early? After last night’s late night with Jericho, she assumed she would have no problem sleeping in today. Apparently, she was wrong.
The bathroom called to her in more ways than one, so Sally dragged herself from the bed and handled her business before going into the kitchen and fixing herself a bowl of cereal. Once she was finished with breakfast, she laid around the house, attempting to keep herself entertained by reading. The more she tried not to worry about the dreams, the headaches, and Jericho, the more agitated she became.
“Jericho,” she whispered. Her emotions for him were so confusing, especially after last night. Something had changed in him. He was always touchy, but last night he’d been determined to move their relationship to the next level. Sally had never had a guy try to touch her chest before or run his hands up the inside of her thighs. She’d pushed him away and he’d taken the rejection like a gentleman, telling her they could go as slow as she needed. She wanted to say that her speed was frozen molasses and see what Jericho said to that, but as usual she kept her mouth shut. The only reason she’d been brave enough to push his hands away was because she had had to swallow down bile as soon as he touched her so intimately. She had nearly barfed all over him.
Sally felt bad for him. He deserved a girl who cared for him as much as he cared for her. She liked him. He was funny, playful, and very handsome. But she didn’t think she liked him liked him despite the fact that he was quite the kisser and his touch was pleasurable, when not in places that his hands didn’t belong, Sally still couldn’t muster up any romantic feelings for him. That begged the question then, why was she dating him? Why didn’t she just tell him that she wanted to be friends and only friends?
“Cause you’re a fraidy cat,” she grumbled to herself.
By the time she needed to leave to make it to the bar in time for the start of her shift, Sally had worked herself into a pretty high state of apprehension. She would be working with Jericho tonight and anytime they worked together he touched her about every three seconds. And every time he touched her, she felt as though she was giving something to him that belonged to another.
“Stop it!” she yelled at herself as she stood at her door, about to step outside. “Quit this nonsense, Sally Morgan.” Gah, even her last name sounded weird to her. She gave up trying to reason with herself and practically sprinted out the door to work.
Sally hadn’t been behind the counter for five minutes before Jericho had his hands on her hips, pulling her back against his chest. “You look edible,” he whispered against her ear and then nipped it with his teeth.