“I taste like the heat from the bite that claims a female and makes her wet and ready for penetration by her mate,” he murmured, drawing in a deep breath. “I taste like sex…”
Very gently, he bit her tender flesh. She cried out in shocked pleasure. Lost in sensation, she clung to his shoulders, her fingers curling around his hard muscles. Ryder drew his tongue across her skin.
“This is a preview of the mating claim, when I put my mark on you,” he told her.
He cupped her breast, gently teasing the nipple as he flicked his thumb across it. It pebbled beneath his expert touch. Kara’s entire body clenched with longing.
It’s the mating heat, she thought dimly. I’m nearly in heat. It’s not Ryder, no, I’d feel like this for any male who showed interest…
Breathing hard, he drew back and dropped his hands. Desire turned his gaze dark as night, his expression fierce and demanding. He wanted her. A small thrill raced through her. He wanted her badly.
Kara’s heart thudded harder.
Seeming to wrestle with his desire, he squeezed his fists. Amber light glowed in his eyes. His wolf emerged, urging him to indulge his base, primitive instincts to mark and claim and mate. He looked dangerous, as if he wanted to tear off her clothing, throw her on the bed and ravish her.
Wondering about his intent, secretly wishing he would ravish her, she braced herself.
But Ryder rose from the bed, and gestured to a closed door.
“There’s towels, soap, everything you need in the bathroom. And I found some of your old clothing, put it in the dresser. Go take a shower, freshen up. I’ll be back in about an hour.”
“And then what?”
He cocked his head. “Dinner. Disappointed?”
“Not unless you’re cooking. You can burn water.”
He cupped her chin, gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m not so great in the kitchen, but sweeting, I am expert in other rooms. Such as the bedroom.”
“You can have me for one night, Ryder, in return for the money you promised Aiden. I’ll surrender my virginity to you. And then I’ll be gone in the morning.”
How she hated uttering those humiliating words, feeling as if she were nothing more than a passing fancy.
Ryder shook his head. “I don’t want you for one night of sex, but a lifetime. When we’re mated, I plan on keeping you so busy in bed you won’t have time to think of anything else.”
Tongue-tied, she had no response for that.
She heard his faint chuckle as he closed the door behind him.
***
Ryder raced down the staircase and headed for the kitchen. The rusted and old appliances had been replaced with new, but the linoleum remained cracked and yellowed. Damn lodge needed major repairs. He hunted through the industrial-sized fridge, found a bottle of water and unscrewed the lid. Drinking deeply, he jogged to the front door and went outside.
The fresh air felt good on his face as he wrestled with his dark lust. Awaiting further orders, the pack males who’d accompanied him to the forest gathered on the porch. Ryder finished the water and regarded them.
“You okay, sir…ah Ryder?” David asked.
Pressing the bottle to his forehead, relishing the cool drops of condensation, he nodded. “Is the rest of the pack still at the barn?”
“Yes. They’re rebuilding the stalls.”
“Good. Go join them. When I need you, I'll call you on the radio.”
Giving him a dubious look, David nodded and directed the males to the waiting trucks. He must appear calm and in control. Ryder set down the bottle. As they drove off, he struggled to think coolly and rationally.
Hard to do when his cock was hard as iron and he wanted to race up the stairs, tear off Kara’s clothing and fuck her senseless.
He’d never lost his head over a woman. Except Kara. She’d haunted his thoughts in the dark cell where Alastair had tossed him to rot each time Ryder dared to question the alpha’s actions. Kara, whose dreamy smile and sweet nature had kept him alive in the days when, starving and nearly mad, he’d wanted only to surrender and die.
Kara had been his anchor ever since his parents died. Although her family had been understanding and compassionate, it was seven-year-old Kara who brought him food and made him eat when he’d refused to leave his room. For two weeks, she’d slept on the floor of his bedroom, being there to hug him when he awoke each night screaming for his parents, the grief a cloying thickness in his throat. It was Kara who begged her parents to allow Ryder into their family, giving him privileges allowed only to the alpha’s children.
Softened by his beloved daughter’s pleas, Alastair had agreed. He’d treated Ryder like a son, a rare show of generosity from the alpha who ruled with an iron fist.