“I thought you meant when the date was over—silly me.”

Smiling at her snappiness, Nick spoke into her ear as they walked down the rest of the aisle with his arm still locked around her. “There’ll be foreplay when we get back too.” He subtly ground himself against her, letting her feel just how hard he was.

“I vote for skipping it.”

“Of course you do. You have no patience.”

“So?” she snapped.

He chuckled and meshed his fingers with hers as he led her out of the movie theater. As he made his way to the car, he passed two of the Nazi’s wolves waiting in a vehicle: his bodyguards. He gave them a wave, which made them roll their eyes—they didn’t seem to like him much as he always insisted on losing them.

A few car spaces away from them were two of the human extremists in a white van. So Nick gave them a wave too, which made their faces turn interesting shades of purple. Derren, who was waiting in his SUV near Nick’s Mercedes, had his window down and was talking with the rebels.

Shaya shook her head. “If they weren’t so dangerous, it would actually be funny the way all three groups are watching you like this. Particularly since you have absolutely no interest in bothering any of them.”

“Yeah, ironic.” As Nick arrived at his car, the rebels turned studious gazes his way and nodded in greeting. Nick returned the nod before sighing at Derren. “Why are you still following me when I fired you again earlier?”

“I just wanted to park up and admire the evening sky.”

Rolling his eyes, Nick urged Shaya into the car.

“The rebels want to introduce themselves,” announced Derren. Turning his focus to the three males, Nick waited.

“I’m Jesse”—the well-built male with dark eyes and stubble for hair was clearly the leader of the three—“this is Bracken”—a tall male with playful eyes and an equally playful smile nodded at Nick—“and this is Zander.” The blond, athletically built male gave a slight incline of his head.

“I’m not interested in trying to take over here, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Yeah, we noticed you haven’t joined Hadley,” said Jesse. Quietly—most likely because the human extremists were close by—he added, “He believes the humans are running a game preserve where they hunt shifters.”

Nick also kept his voice quiet. “I know, he told me.”

“Do you believe him?”

“Yes. You should be careful that you aren’t the next shifters to be taken.”

Jesse exchanged a look with the others. “We aren’t sure we can trust him.”

“I can’t vouch for his nature; I don’t know him. But I do believe he’s being honest about the game preserve. In any case, you guys need to watch your back, because if Hadley’s not after you, the humans will be.” Finally, the three males nodded and walked away. As Nick went to hop into the driver’s seat, he asked Derren, “Do you think they’ll stop hovering around us now?”

Smiling, Derren shook his head. “You really don’t know why they linger?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask.”

“They see you and all the power radiating off you, and they’re drawn to you, just like their wolves are. You could provide them with the guidance and direction they need, and they sense that.”

“I’m not here to form a pack. I’m here for Shaya.”

“I know that, and I’ve explained it to them.”

“Good.” Nick slid into the car and was just about to close the door when Derren spoke again.

“Have fun.”

Nick grinned. He’d be having all kinds of fun.

Neither he nor Shaya said a word during the journey to her home. Anticipation built inside him and licked over the surface of his entire body. Shaya’s own anticipation was like a buzz in the air, seducing his wolf with its intensity. The scents of their arousal filled the car, which suddenly felt much smaller than it was. As such, it was a relief to finally get out of it.

Having helped Shaya out of the car, he let her take the lead as they advanced up the path. When she unlocked the front door and held it open for him, he paused. “Be sure that you want this, Shay. Be absolutely positive. I can hold off on claiming you until you’re ready…but if I walk through that door, I am going to f**k you. Not soft and slow, but hard and deep. Over and over, until neither of us can move. Are you ready for that?”

He hoped to God that the extent of his dominance didn’t unnerve her because he was who he was, and he truly didn’t know how to tone it down. He half-expected her to fidget nervously, considering his words. What she did instead was shoot him a sexy grin and stroll inside, leaving the door wide open in invitation. That was all Nick needed.

Shaya was a calm, practical female who was not reduced to being tongue-tied and shaky at just a guy’s presence. But as she and Nick stood in the hallway like two cowboys about to have a showdown, it was exactly what happened. His intensity and power wrapped around her like a cloak—not just his power as an alpha, but his masculine power. It seized and overwhelmed both her body and her mind, and she felt totally captivated by it and by him.

Shaya’s need to have him and be taken by him was primal and potent, making it hard to keep her breathing even and her hands steady. Her mouth was suddenly bone-dry, and her heart was pounding. He hadn’t even touched her, and yet she felt owned at the possessiveness now blazing from his eyes. Then he spoke, and his even, deep, authoritative tone made her and her wolf snap to total attention.

“Come here. Last night, I pounced on you. This time, I want you to come to me.”

And she had every intention of doing just that, but she also wanted to test him, wanted to see exactly how much she could get away with. It was in her nature to push boundaries.

“Shay,” he drawled warningly. “Come to me. Show me this is what you want. Show me you can handle this.” Pride filled him when she straightened her spine before coming toward him. When she was finally before him, she boldly met his gaze. “Very good.”

The drive to possess her in every way had him wanting to hungrily ravish her again. The only thing that kept it in check was that, having waited so long for this, he wanted to savor every minute. He wanted to familiarize himself with every inch of this body that had been made for him. He could sense that Shaya, on the other hand, was too highly strung to last through the savoring. She needed the edge taken off.

When his hands roughly slid into Shaya’s hair and he licked along the seam of her mouth, she gladly opened for him. Immediately his tongue delved inside and he groaned. He didn’t coax a response from her, he took it. Took it with the confidence of a guy who owned his sexuality and knew exactly what he wanted and just how to get it. Took it like no other guy had come close to doing before now.

Shaya sank into the kiss, locking her arms around his neck and scratching at his nape. A growl rumbled up his chest, teasing her pebbled ni**les. As his hands palmed her ass and lifted her, she wrapped her legs around him. The breath left her lungs as he abruptly pinned her against the wall, snuggling his hard c*ck against her clit. She moaned and scratched at him as he rocked against her, irritable and restless as the tension that had been building within her all evening reached boiling point.

He whispered hotly in her ear as he agonizingly slowly lowered her zipper. “I’m going to f**k you, Shay. Very soon I’m going to bury every inch of my c*ck inside you. And I’m going to do it as many times as I want. Because I can. And you’re going to love it, baby, I promise you. But right now, I need you to come for me right here.” Then he slid his hand inside her panties and speared two fingers inside her. That was all it took: she’d been hanging on the edge so long that she shattered with a loud cry. He held her there until the reverberations stopped racking her body, dabbing soft kisses on her face, and then he carried her upstairs.

The second they were inside her bedroom, he slowly lowered her feet to the hardwood floor. Shaya swayed slightly, double-blinking—that had been one disorienting orgasm. She held still as Nick slowly removed her silver sequined top, black pants, and white lacy underwear, like he was unwrapping a delicate birthday gift. Then he was circling her with a predatory glint in his eyes, making her feel like prey, and it sent a shiver running through both her and her wolf.

Raking his gaze over every bare inch of her delectable body, Nick swallowed hard, and a surge of possessiveness swamped him. She was amazingly beautiful, all smoothly shaped muscle and curved in all the right places. Her br**sts would fit just right in his hands, the same way her luscious ass did. Coming to stand in front of her, he bit her lip. “I have so many plans for this pretty mouth, but they can wait for another time. Now, I want you to lie on your back on the bed for me with your arms above your head.” She backed up until she reached the bed and then slid demurely onto the white satin sheets, but the usual impish benevolence was in her eyes.

When he didn’t do anything other than stare at her, she asked, “Are you going to join me, or shall I take care of myself?”

He arched a brow at her, his expression stern. “You don’t get to touch yourself unless I say you can. Now be a good girl and spread your legs for me.” Instead, she stared at him. He knew she was testing him, and he had every intention of starting as he meant to go on. “I don’t like repeating myself, baby. Don’t make me flip you over and spank your ass.”

“That actually sounds promising, especially when the alternative is you just staring at me.”

He loomed over her. “How’s this for an alternative: I’m going to explore every single inch of you until I know your body better than you do. I want to know what makes you moan, what makes you squirm, how much pain you like.” Every shifter liked the bite of pain, but he wanted to know just how much Shaya liked and could take. He stood upright. “Now, I believe I asked you to do something for me.” After a few seconds, she finally spread her legs. He loved that she was completely bald and smooth.

With his intense gaze still trained on Shaya, he began removing his clothes. She knew her eyes were roving over him hungrily. The angles and slopes and indents of his amazing body all spoke of pure power. She had a particular urge to trail her fingers along the slim line of golden crispy hairs on his well-defined, solidly built chest that led to an impressive yet intimidating erection. Hmmm, maybe she should.

When she sat up and reached for his cock, Nick caught her hand and shook his head. “Lie back and put your arms above your head. I don’t want you touching me until I’m done exploring.”

She gave him a sympathetic look. “Aw, do you suffer from premature ejaculation? Will one touch set you off?”

His brow lifted. “Taunting me, baby?” He shook his head disapprovingly. “You really don’t want to do that. Now, do as I asked.”

The order rang with enough dominance to make her wolf shiver in delight. “Can’t we just skip the exploring part?” Shaya complained, though she did as he said.

Nick got onto the bed and crawled on top of her, placing a hand on either side of her head. “I’ll give you what you want soon. Just a little longer, and then you can have it.” When he looked at her expectantly, she gripped the bars of the headboard. “Very good,” he praised, nipping her lip.

Shaya shuddered as his body finally settled over hers, loving the skin-to-skin contact. His powerful build blanketed her own petite figure, making her feel crowded yet safe—both of which increased her arousal. He took her mouth in a scorching, lingering kiss while cupping and shaping her breast, feathering his thumb over her nipple. Then he tweaked and pinched and plucked at it, making her writhe and moan. God, he was good.

“I love that little noise you make. Let’s see if we can make you do it again.” Switching to her other breast, Nick lavished it with the same treatment, applying just the right amount of pressure to her nipple that he’d learned she liked. “And there’s that sound I love again.” He slowly glutted himself on her body, licking, kissing, nipping, stroking, and massaging—learning her, marking her, memorizing everything she liked and how she liked it.

Drawn by the scent of her, he settled himself between her legs, and growled at how wet and swollen she was. “I love the way you smell.” Spreading her folds, he blew on her cl*t and then bit it gently; she practically jumped from the bed. Driving one finger deep inside her, he swirled it around and then withdrew it to circle the puckered hole lower down. “Has anyone ever been here before, Shay?”

He’d asked it so casually that Shaya could almost believe her answer was inconsequential. But she knew better. Male shifters liked to claim their mates in every way possible, including anally, and dominant males in particular liked for that to be virgin territory. They wanted their mates to have saved something for them to be theirs and theirs alone. “No.”

Satisfaction welled up in him. “One day, I’m going to take you there. We’ll work up to that. Now, I’m going to taste you. But I don’t want you to come. Not yet.”

Over and over, he licked and sipped, drowning in her flavor—he’d discovered last night that she did taste as sweet as she smelled, and it was intoxicating. Then he stabbed his tongue inside her and flicked at her walls teasingly. Each time she moaned his name, he growled softly and approvingly. Soon her leg muscles began to quiver, and she was whimpering. Sensing that she was about to come in spite of his order, he nipped her thigh and held those sparkling gray-blue eyes. “Fight it.”

“Stop being a teasing prick!”