Awakened By The Wolf

His charged gaze continued its downward journey and settled at the juncture between her legs. Cassie wore a T-shirt and jersey shorts, so he couldn’t see anything. Still, a wicked smile shaped his mouth, and she knew he was picturing her naked.

He’d be disappointed. She wasn’t generously endowed or overly curvy. Her breasts were small and slightly flared hips gave her a feminine silhouette, but she’d never be the willowy ingenue men seemed to crave. She was simply too short, too pale, and her tangled mop of red hair had earned her the nickname Raggedy Cassie in kindergarten. She doubted grown men thought any differently. After all, didn’t they all prefer blondes?

Brice’s eyes lifted to the spiral curls that had fallen over her shoulder. His gaze slid leisurely along the strands and landed back on her crotch. His brow lowered a little in a contemplative stare.

If she were a betting woman, she’d wager that Brice wondered if the carpet matched the curtains.

It did, to the exact shade, and Cassie pondered if he also speculated if the carpet was silky or coarse. Not that it mattered. Just because she saw his didn’t mean she’d show him hers.

Because if she did, she’d want him to do more than look. For starters, if he stroked her nub with the thumb he’d brushed across her cheek...well, she wasn’t quite sure what it might do to her, but thinking about it caused heat to flash in her core and dangerous thoughts to cross her mind.

A naked man lay in her bed. A man she was inexplicably attracted to, against all reason. She would be a fool to fling herself at her employers’ son and her landlady’s grandson. She would be out of her mind to have sex with a man who wasn’t human.

Somehow, that last part wasn’t the deterrent it should’ve been.

She didn’t know much about wolves, but if they were anything like dogs, the males would jump any female in heat in order to impregnate her.

Cassie wanted to avoid that scenario at all costs. She wasn’t on birth control because, frankly, she had no intention of having sexual relations with a man for a long time. She had goals to meet and dreams to achieve before she could give herself to a man.

Celibacy had been a no-brainer choice until he showed up, naked!

And touched her, and held her, and inspired all sorts of wicked ideas about things she shouldn’t think about but her body now insisted on investigating.

“Damn. That feels good.” Brice’s voice yanked Cassie out of her reverie. His eyes closed in near-sleep, his body relaxed. Hers, however, had become a frazzle of nerves and need. Evidenced by damp panties and the urge to crawl up Brice’s body and hump him to oblivion.

She scowled at him. After all, her predicament was all his fault.

She waited until her irritation and horniness mellowed before working her fingers over his knee and down his swollen calf.

Brice yanked his leg from her hands. “Goddamn, that hurts!”

“The massage will increase circulation and reduce the swelling,” Cassie said. “Trust me. You will feel much better when I’m done.”

“How do you know?” Brice propped on his elbow, his mouth scrunched in a suspicious grimace.

“It always helped my mom.” Cassie coaxed his leg back onto the towel-covered pillow. Starting again, she rubbed slow, methodical circles over his rock-solid muscles. Of their own accord, her eyes followed the line of his thighs beneath the sheets, the swirls of dark hair and scars across his rippled abs and taut chest, the square cut of his chin, the fullness of his masculine lips, the perfectly proportioned nose, and once again locked onto the heart-stopping intensity of his breathtaking eyes.

A rebellious thrill zipped through her body. She saw his mouth move. Unfortunately, the “weeeeeee” ringing in her head drowned out his words. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

An understated smile wavered on his lips. “What happened to your mother?”

“Oh.” Just what Cassie needed—a reality check to keep her curly red head squarely on her sensible shoulders. “She died four years ago from end-stage liver disease.”

“It must have been difficult,” Brice said softly.

“I managed.” Caring for an alcoholic parent for most of her young life had been the difficult part. Imogene’s death had broken Cassie’s heart. It also came as a relief, because it gave Cassie a chance at a new life.

“If I had known you then, I would’ve helped. If you need anything now, let me know.”

Cassie found his sincerity disturbing. “Thanks, but I can take care of myself. I always have.”

Soon Brice’s calf muscles relaxed beneath her practiced fingers, and she worked her way down to the sole of his foot, which garnered a contented sigh from him. “Don’t move,” she told him. “I’m not finished.”

In the kitchen, Cassie soaped her hands, wishing the hot water could wash away the ridiculous tingle that coursed through her whenever she met Brice’s gaze. She wanted to put duct tape over his stellar smile.

She fanned herself to ward off the shameless desire to learn what being a woman meant. After all, there was a naked man in her bed.

Oh, no. Not going there.

She could barely handle a fantasy. The real thing just might end her.

“Cas? Is everything okay in there?”

Only if spontaneous combustion was a normal reaction to his presence.

“Uh, yeah! I’ll be there in a minute.” She splashed cold water on her face. I am not my hormones!

She toted the rosemary-infused towel into the bedroom. Every move Cassie made wrapping his leg, Brice’s sizzling gaze followed. Climbing into the freezer suddenly seemed a logical thing to do.

“Thanks, Cas.” The huskiness in his voice electrified nerves in parts of her body that only he had managed to activate. “For everything.”

“You’re welcome.” She didn’t dare look at him. His smile might be devastating, but his eyes could outright slay her.

* * *

A wet heat worked its way through Brice’s leg muscles and seeped into the bones. With Cassie’s scent to soothe him and the pain in his leg melting away, maybe he’d finally succumb to a decent night’s rest.

She tucked a dry towel over the hot, damp one around his calf. Her hands stilled, except for her thumbs worrying the edge of the pillow propped beneath his leg. Her eyes lifted to his face. “I should take the couch. I don’t want to bump you during the night.”

“Fine,” he answered, challenging her with his gaze.

She rolled her bottom lip between two front teeth spaced a tiny bit farther apart than the others. He counted on that little bit of uncertainty to accomplish what he wanted. Her in bed, next to him.

“Oh, all right.” The lights went out, and Cassie eased beneath the covers.

God, he could hardly resist touching her. Stripping her bare. Inhaling every inch of her skin. Burying his face between her thighs to imprint not only her scent in his nose but also her taste on his tongue.

He’d noticed how hot and bothered she became while massaging his leg. He’d almost yanked the sheet off himself so she could stalk up the mattress to ride him hard, fast and into tomorrow.

He didn’t because of the conflicting emotions that marred her pretty little face. She probably thought boinking her employers’ son would get her in trouble.

Likely it would, but not for the reason she suspected.

Her scent captivated him, and her spunk titillated him on a different level than any other female ever had. Every wolfan instinct buzzed with inherently misguided expectation. Until Brice gained better control, he couldn’t risk coupling with Cassie, or he might make the mistake of claiming her and ruin the rest of their lives.

The dire consequence wasn’t enough to curb his desire, but he respectfully appreciated the challenge.

“Remember. Stay on your side of the bed, and no hogging the covers.” Cassie tucked her shabby comforter beneath his chin.