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  She started grinning halfway through his speech. When he finished, she threw back her head and laughed. “Reasonable and safe. Sounds like what you know about women could fit in your coffee cup with room to spare, Jack.” The accusation was saved from being harsh by the low, honeyed tone of her voice. “’Reasonable’ doesn’t make our hearts seize up. ‘Safe’ doesn’t make us dream about you.”

  He moved before he had time to consider the wisdom of his actions. Two steps and he had her trapped against the doorframe, his body pressed along hers. He braced his hand above her head and leaned down until his lips almost touched hers. “You don’t need to be a dangerous fool to know how to make a woman pant for you. To make her beg for your touch until her voice goes hoarse and she’s come so many times she can’t stand it anymore.”

  “That’s one thing I never doubted about you, Jack.” Lust darkened her eyes. “You could make me see stars, I bet. The question is what comes after that.”

  A lifetime. He eased his knee between her legs and rocked against her. “We do it again?”

  Her hands slid up his chest, and she ground down on his thigh with a harsh moan. Then she pushed him away and took his hand. “Come to my bed.”

  Anticipation raced through him as he lifted her hand to his lips. He bit the inside of her wrist lightly and smiled when she shivered. “Yes, Ginny. A bed is a good idea.”

  Chapter Two

  Ginny paused in the doorway of her bedroom. Moonlight shone through the curtains, splashing over the faded quilt on her bed, and she shuddered. Though she wasn’t celibate, not by a long shot, she’d never invited a man into her bedroom before.

  So why now? Why Jack?

  Her hand pulled free of his, and she crossed to the bed to remove her boots. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  Jack pulled off his boots and set them next to her door in silence. When he straightened, he lifted his fingers to his belt. “Are you comfortable?”

  His hands hovered over the buckle, and Ginny caught herself staring. She tore her gaze away and rose, dragging her shirt from her pants. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I’m the alpha, Ginny. You can’t fool me.” He dropped his hands and crossed the room, stopping in front of her. His hands covered hers and his knuckles brushed her stomach, a light touch that gave her a taste of the restrained energy inside of him.

  Heat blazed through her, and she started unbuttoning her shirt under his hands. “I didn’t plan on this, that’s all.” Which was true enough.

  He moved with such speed that she didn’t realize he’d spun her until her back hit his chest. One hand gathered her hair and held it away from her ear as the other splayed across her bare stomach. “Do you plan everything?”

  His breath blew hot over her skin, but she didn’t hesitate before answering. “Yes. Always.”

  “Too bad.” He teased at the shell of her ear with his tongue and bit the lobe with a soft growl. “No plans tonight.”

  Making plans would involve thinking, and Jack had stripped her of that ability already. “No plans,” Ginny agreed breathlessly. She trembled and bared the side of her throat to him in silent invitation.

  His breath skated over her, but he didn’t accept the invitation to mark her. Instead, the hand on her stomach eased up until he found the curve of her breast. Strong, callused fingers teased over sensitive skin, tracing tiny circles that moved closer and closer to her nipple without touching it.

  Frustration drew a growl from her throat. “You’re a tease.” She needed to test herself against his strength, to revel in it. She bent a little, curving her back as she leaned forward and rubbed her ass against him. Ignore that, Jack Owens.

  He moaned, a quiet noise that rumbled up from the depths of his chest and vibrated against. His cock was hard already, and he rocked into her movement, pressing himself tight to her ass. “You’re a bad, bad little wolf,” he whispered, then caught her aching nipple between his thumb and forefinger as his teeth closed on her neck.

  Ginny couldn’t hold back her whimper. Everything about him confused her, and she struggled with her own conflicting desires. Part of her wanted to draw out every touch for hours, but the rest of her needed him inside her. “Fast now, Jack.” She barely recognized the desperate tone of her own voice. “And then slow.”

  The hand in her hair loosened and slid down her body to work at her belt while the other continued to tease at her breast. “How long has it been, Ginny? How long, since you had a man strong enough to take you the way you want to be taken?” Nimble fingers worked the buckle of her belt free and he tugged at the top button on her pants. “The way you need to be taken?” He smiled and eased her pants over her hips.

  She didn’t even know. “There aren’t a lot of men around here who could.” She dragged her shirt over her head and turned in his arms. Her eyes locked with his as she reached for his shirt and slipped each button free. “That’s why you want me, isn’t it? The challenge?”

  “Is that what you think?” He moved his hands back to his belt. “So you’re not in possession of a mirror, then. That is a pity.”

  “I have a mirror. But you --” You’re beautiful. She bit her lip and pushed his shirt to the floor before smoothing her hands up his chest to frame his face. Her height kept her from having to stretch too far as she kissed him. It was soft and it was slow, and she shook with the need to drive her tongue past his lips and taste him.

  But the wolf held her back. She needed something different, something more, from him. So she whispered against his mouth, “Take me.”

  He lifted one hand and clasped hers, drawing it down to his open belt. “Undress me,” he commanded.

  Ginny’s pulse quickened, and she unbuttoned his pants. She bent as she coaxed them down, skimming her mouth lightly over his chest and belly. His underwear followed, and her knees hit the floor as his cock sprang free, thick and erect. She could barely breathe as she looked up at him, waiting.

  The corner of his mouth kicked up as he reached down to thread his fingers through the loose strands of her hair. “Wrap your lips around my cock.”

  Her nipples tightened. She wet her lips carefully and closed one hand around his shaft. Her tongue just barely touched the blunt head, tracing delicately. A moan escaped as she obeyed and drew him into her mouth.

  His head fell back, baring the strong line of his throat as he let out a low, rumbling growl of approval. For several heartbeats he did nothing else, letting her work her tongue over him in silence.

  When he finally spoke, his words were low and hoarse. “Spread your knees apart, but don’t stop.”

  Ginny moved her knees apart and kept sucking his cock, though she dropped her free hand between her thighs to stroke her pussy. She imagined Jack’s fingers or tongue instead, and a thrill of pleasure wrung a shudder from her, along with another moan that vibrated around his shaft.

  His fingers tightened in her hair and he laughed low in his throat. “Did I say you could touch yourself?”

  “Mmm.” She released his cock but coiled her tongue slowly around the head before answering. “If you were doing it, I wouldn’t have to.”

  “A valid point.” His hand guided her lips back to his cock. “Touch yourself. One finger only, and go nice and slow. If you do anything else, I’ll turn you over my knee.”

  The temptation was too great. She sucked him between her lips again, then pushed two fingers inside her pussy and whimpered.

  His laughter filled the room as he pulled back, snatched her up and tossed her onto the bed. Her stomach hit the quilt, but a moment later Jack dragged her body over his muscular legs until she lay sprawled across his lap with her ass in the air.

  He traced his hand slowly over her hip and down, dipping between her legs. His fingers slipped between her wet folds and he growled in approval. “Someone likes the idea of being spanked.”

  The intimacy of his touch sparked through her like an electric shock, and Ginny jerked and cried out. “I like the idea of you fucking me.
If you ever get around to it.”

  Jack slid his hand away from her body and slapped her ass.

  She bit her lip hard to keep from crying out again. “Jack.”

  His fingers slid between her legs again, rubbing teasing circles over her clit. “Oh, yes. You want this, don’t you?”

  Ginny bucked into his touch and gritted her teeth. What did he want? “Stop it.”

  “Is that what you want?” He pulled his hand away and smoothed it over her lower back. “I’ll stop touching you, if you don’t want it.”

  That was the last thing she wanted. Trouble was, she couldn’t quite figure out what was bothering her. She twisted on his lap until her eyes met his. “I don’t like it when people play games with me.”

  His eyes glinted in the light from the lantern, a glimmer of gold proving that the wolf hovered close to the surface. “Sex is play, Ginny. It’s the most enjoyable game there is.” His hand rubbed in slow circles, inching higher until his fingers curled in her hair again. “You want me to throw you on your knees and ride you so hard you can’t remember your name. I’ll do it if you come for me first.”

  Control. Realization hit her along with a fresh wave of arousal. She wanted him to have control of her… but not of himself. She wanted him to need her. “All right.” Ginny wiggled, rubbing her bare skin over his. “Make me come.”

  The world tumbled end over end as he rose and dropped her to the bed. She landed on her back, and his hands hit the bed a moment later on either side of her head. For an endless moment he hovered there, broad chest inches above hers as he stared down at her. There was nothing controlled about the look in his eyes or the way he panted for breath, and his body shook with barely leashed power.

  And that was what she needed. Ginny shuddered and lifted her arms to thread her fingers through his hair. “Please, Jack.”

  He crushed his mouth to hers, sweeping past her lips to kiss her hard and deep. He growled against her mouth as his tongue clashed with hers, demanding surrender and submission.

  She gave it to him with every breath, every heartbeat. His kiss left her weak but exultant, insensate to anything but him. The world had collapsed, drawn so close that nothing existed but their mating.

  And it was mating. Ginny had tried to deny it, had lied even to herself, but the primal need that drove her to arch under him could be nothing less. It burned in her, a wildfire that swept away everything, and she didn’t care.

  He slipped away from her, pausing to nip at her jaw before he blazed a trail of hot, wet kisses down her neck and across her collarbone. He worked his way lower, sliding down until he’d wedged his torso between her knees. One hand curled around her hip and tugged her ass to the edge of the bed as he lifted his head and stared up at her. “Are you ready to see what a safe, reasonable man can do with his tongue and a little bit of imagination?”

  Ginny laughed, lightheaded. “Don’t kid yourself, Jack Owens. You’re the furthest thing from ‘safe’ I’ve ever seen.” She tucked an arm behind her head and raised one foot to stroke his side. “But tell me more about this imagination of yours.”

  Strong hands curled around her thighs and coaxed them apart before he settled his broad shoulders between her legs. His smile grew almost dangerous as he teased at her clit with the tip of one finger. “Put your fingers here. Let me see how you touch yourself.”

  “Like this.” Her hand bumped his, and the dual touch of their fingers on her clit made her hiss in a breath. “Slow and easy.” She showed him the rhythm she preferred and choked back a moan when fire streaked through her.

  He groaned and thrust two fingers into her. “Change of plans, sweetheart. That’s pretty much the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen, so you keep it up.”

  “Whatever you say.” Ginny slid her free hand down to her breast and watched Jack while she pinched and tugged her nipple. The combination of sensations almost drove her off the bed, and she bucked against his hand with a harsh curse.

  Jack growled this time, and he turned his head to bite the inside of her thigh. “Tell me you’re close,” he whispered as his fingers twisted inside her. “I’m not feeling as reasonable as I was a few minutes ago…”

  The promise inherent in the words sent her spiraling. “I am, I’m close --” The words melted into a sharp cry as the pleasure wound up tight. She tensed and panted his name, over and over, and then everything exploded in a hot rush that forced a frantic scream from her throat.

  “That’s it…” He coaxed her through release with clever fingers and hoarse murmurs of encouragement. She’d barely settled when he lunged onto the bed and over her, strong hands urging her onto her stomach. “Tell me, Ginny.”

  “I need you.” She braced her elbows on the bed and clenched her fingers around the quilt. Her body moved without thought, arching into the solid wall of his chest, seeking the heat of his body. “I need you so much, Jack.”

  He responded by biting her shoulder and thrusting into her in one long, powerful stroke. Another orgasm took her, and she tossed her head back against his shoulder with a whimpering cry.

  Perfect. Everything she thought was wrong seemed so right with Jack inside her, with his mark on her shoulder. He braced his arms on either side of her body, leaving her surrounded by lean muscle and hot skin. There was nothing slow or tentative about the pace he set, just hard, powerful advances that filled her again and again.

  Ginny pushed into each thrust with a moan, yearning for something beyond her reach. Beyond pleasure. She echoed his words with a tight, breathless plea. “Tell me.”

  The word rolled out of him on a dizzying burst of power, the power that made him the strongest werewolf in the town, maybe even in the territory. “Mine.”

  Yes. As much as Ginny wanted to remain free, the wolf inside her had grown tired of being alone. Jack’s claim touched a part of her unconcerned with independence and tumbled her past the boundaries of sanity.

  Mine.

  When she screamed this time he echoed her, his growling moan tearing through the room as he thrust into her one last time. His hips drove hers into the bed, and she writhed under him, lost. Her hands found his curled into the quilt, and she slid her fingers over his. She’d give him anything -- her body, her soul, anything.

  He moved to one side and collapsed, dragging her back until she was tucked tight against his chest. His panting breaths blew against her neck as he rubbed his hand over her hip. “You’re beautiful.”

  “So are you.” Ginny twined her fingers with his and laughed. “I never answered your question.”

  “I asked a question?” He nudged her hair away from the back of her neck and she felt the teasing brush of his lips. “I don’t recall.”

  “About Hazel.” She shivered and turned her face toward Jack. “She’s in love with Ollie Russell. Has been forever. That’s why she’s waiting.”

  Jack lifted his head and gave her a look of utter disbelief. “Hazel is in love with Oliver? Hazel?”

  Ginny smiled. “Which part do you find unbelievable -- the Hazel part or the Ollie part?”

  He snorted and dropped his head back to her shoulder. “Hazel is the most shameless flirt this town is ever likely to see. Sort of hard to believe she’s in love.”

  “Misdirection, Jack,” she reminded him. “Besides, everyone knows Ollie’s a loner. She can’t just ask him.”

  “Well, that does complicate the situation a little. He hasn’t been interested in a new mate since his wife died, so I don’t see as waiting will do her any good.”

  For someone so smart, he didn’t seem to be all that well-acquainted with the inner workings of women’s minds. “Jack, honey, that doesn’t matter. She isn’t waiting for him to come around. She’s waiting because she wants him to be her first. It’s not quite the same thing.”

  “Mmm, but that’s not the part that worries me.” His thumb swept along her hip in an absentminded caress. “It’s going to happen, whether she wants it to or not. The young pups in town will tear each oth
er up over a female in heat, and whoever wins won’t be in any state to go gentle.”

  Ginny growled and sat up. “Then whoever ‘wins’ won’t be around long to enjoy his victory.”

  “Hey.” Jack’s hand caught her and coaxed her back down. “It’s not going to come to that. I’m not going to let it. I can forbid them all to lay a hand on her, and they’ll obey, but someone still has to do it.”

  She had to choke back another growl. “Someone like… the alpha.”

  His fingers tightened on her hip. “No. Not unless her life is in danger. And we’re nowhere near that point.”

  It wasn’t right to punish him for the responsibilities of his position. “You have to do what you have to do. Though I’m fairly certain Hazel would die of embarrassment every time she had to see you afterwards.”

  “She wouldn’t be the only one,” he muttered. Then he sighed. “Help me find a way, Ginny. Please.”

  “I’ll talk to her, don’t worry.” Ginny rolled over and propped her chin on Jack’s chest. “When faced with the possibility of mating with you, she might just go ahead and pick one of those nice, safe boys you mentioned.” She didn’t bother to hide her amusement.

  The corner of his mouth ticked up. “If I weren’t so relieved, I’d be a tad bit offended by that.”

  “Would you, now?” She dropped her head and scraped her teeth over his chest. “That doesn’t seem right.”

  Jack lifted his hand and caught a lock of her hair around his finger. “You’re probably going to have to soothe my ego now, sweetheart. You just beat on it pretty hard.”

  Her eyes met his, and she flashed him a wicked grin. “And soothing your bruised ego would involve what, precisely?”