Page 22 of New Blood

In fact, he welcomed it. Welcomed the chance to see her in the privacy of his suite, where nobody else could see their interaction. During the funeral, he’d avoided looking at her, fearing that somebody could see how much he wanted her. But here, alone with her, he could look all he wanted. And so could she. It didn’t escape him that she let her gaze travel over his chest, and that she liked what she saw. He could feel the electrical charges that seemed to dance between them, igniting the air around them.

When she made another attempt toward the door, he took her by the shoulders and pulled her to him.

“I can’t let you go,” he murmured. “You know that, don’t you?”

Because there was no chance in hell she didn’t feel the attraction between them.

She met his gaze then, and everything around him blurred. It was as if only the two of them existed in this moment. Nothing else mattered.

Without wasting another second, Jude dipped his head to hers and brushed his lips over hers, first gently, but when she didn’t protest, didn’t pull back, he captured them fully and kissed her. He slid his arms around her and pressed her to his half-naked body, the hard muscles of his chest crushing her soft breasts. He could feel and hear her heartbeat now. It matched his own in speed and intensity. Automatically, their hearts had synced to beat in the same rhythm. This was paradise.

At first, Danielle couldn’t believe what was happening. Was she hallucinating? Had she fallen asleep during the monotonous task of folding and packing William’s clothes, and was now dreaming? But with every moan and every sigh coming from Jude and herself, she knew that this was reality. Jude was kissing her, holding her tightly in his arms. She felt his naked skin, the heat of it almost singeing her despite the remaining layer of clothing between them. His lips and tongue were demanding, his taste intoxicating. She couldn’t get enough of him, of this feeling of perfection, of utter bliss. She responded to him in the same untamed fashion, meeting his demand with a demand of her own. She’d never before been so sure of what she wanted.

Jude showed her what it could be like if only circumstances were different. But right now, she pushed those thoughts back. For just a few seconds, she wanted to feel like a real woman. She allowed her hands to roam his body, caressing his strong muscles, brushing over his nape, feeling him shudder beneath her touch. At the same time, Jude slid one hand to her ass and pressed her to his groin, where the hard outline of his cock greeted her. Unable to resist, she rubbed herself on him like an animal in heat. Because that’s what she was: both an animal and in heat.

Jude moaned into her mouth, her action visibly pleasing him. He massaged her ass with one hand, while he cupped the back of her head with the other as if he was afraid that she’d pull back and sever the contact if he didn’t hold her so tightly. But he was wrong. She could easily free herself if she wanted to, but she didn’t want to. She loved the way he kissed, without limits, without leaving a doubt as to what he wanted from her. Because she wanted the same. Jude was even more virile than she’d expected. His prowess was a powerful turn-on, while the underlying tenderness with which he kissed her made her yearn for even more.

Jude suddenly ripped his lips from hers.

“Fuck!” he cursed, his eyes changing into those of his inner wolf, pinning her for a brief moment, before he dipped his head to her neck and kissed her there, his sharp canines brushing over her sensitive skin.

She shivered with pleasure and held onto his shoulders for fear of losing her balance. A moment later, she felt Jude shove his hand underneath her T-shirt and capture her naked breast. She shuddered at the intimate contact.

“You feel so good,” he murmured while he continued planting open-mouthed kisses on her neck. “Damn, woman, you make me so hard.”

She was aware of that, and one part of her was proud of that. But she should stop him now. Stop herself, but the way he caressed her breasts and kissed her neck made her feel delirious. She wanted to let herself fall, to bathe in the tenderness he was showering her with, to allow him to go further. With every second that he pleasured her, her body heated further, and moisture pooled at the juncture of her thighs. Her own sensitive nose picked up the scent, and she knew Jude was aware of it too.

His hand suddenly trailed down to her pussy, and he cupped her through her jeans. Despite wanting what he was offering, she pushed him back and freed herself from his embrace.

“I can’t!” she cried out and pushed past him.

“Danielle, please,” he called after her, but she’d already reached the door and kept running.

She couldn’t let this happen. Jude wasn’t free to mate with her, and she couldn’t accept anything less than a true mating.

15

Fuck!

Jude stood in his dressing room sporting a boner the size of a baseball bat. After responding passionately to his kisses, Danielle had fled. What had gotten into her? Had he gone too fast? Shit, he shouldn’t have touched her that intimately, but damn it, when he’d smelled her arousal, he’d been unable to stop himself and had to touch her pussy through her jeans. Despite that barrier, he’d felt the heat emanating from her. But his bliss had lasted only a second before she’d pulled back and run out. He couldn’t exactly follow her half-dressed and fully aroused. Everybody in the house would have known instantly what was going on.

Yeah, what exactly is going on?

It was his inner wolf’s voice that spoke in an almost accusing tone.

Why did you let her go?

“Shut up!” he cried out, suppressing that side of him that was all beast, all wild and without any sense of the rules he had to live by. The rules he’d sworn to uphold when he’d given his oath to the Werewolf Alliance.

With trembling hands, he pulled a casual sweater from his bag and slipped it over his head. He inhaled slowly, filling his lungs with air. It didn’t help calm his thundering heart. Danielle’s scent was still all over him. He could still taste her on his tongue, still feel the ghosts of her hands on his skin where she’d caressed him. The softness of her breasts was still cushioning his hard muscles, and her soft stomach was still cradling his hard-on. Would the others be able to smell her scent on him? With some luck, not. But that didn’t make his erection deflate.

He flicked his index finger against the sensitive tip of his erection, causing it just enough pain to get the message across: down boy! A second flick of his finger, and his cock retreated. It was still thicker than normal, but beneath the thick cloth of his pants, nobody would notice it.

If it were up to him, he would look for Danielle now, but he didn’t have that luxury. He had an important meeting to attend.

By the time he entered the living room, his team and all the Gallagher family members were already assembled. He greeted them with a quick nod and stopped in front of the fireplace.

“Thank you all for coming,” he started. “Please take a seat, if you’d like.” He’d decided to conduct this meeting as friendly and painlessly as possible. “When the Werewolf Alliance assigned me to take over this pack, they also made sure I was aware of the full extent of businesses the Gallagher pack is involved in. We have no intention of taking away any of your businesses, but we’d like to understand how everything is run and lend our expertise if necessary.”