Page 86 of His Wild Seduction

I was a little embarrassed that I was moved to tears by something as simple as the ready friendship these women offered. But I was.

Things like that didn’t happen every day. The women I worked with were healing and guarded. As was their right. But now and then, I wondered if their situations couldn’t have been avoided. If maybe they couldn't have gotten help sooner. If only they had a friend.

But that was what abusers did. They separated you from your people so they could dominate you. So they could exact control.

Josef did the complete opposite. He brought me here, introduced me to these women, creating a place for me to thrive and feel good about myself. He was giving me a support system that didn’t just revolve around him.

He thought he was a bad man. But he was the best man I knew.

God, I love him.

“Hey, we’re bound by womanhood and our husbands. The wives of wolves need to stick together!” Destiny said, and I wondered at her turn of phrase.

Wives of wolves?

Sof grabbed me in a short, tight hug, then eased back with a genuine smile on her face. Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

“I’ll call you this week for lunch, okay? I want to talk more about your job and what we can do to help.”

“That sounds great,” I told her, and I meant it.

A feeling of rightness settled over me as I bade both women goodbye. I never had close friends, but maybe I did now. It felt good.

Curious about what Josef could be so upset about, I walked into the hall and was shocked when the big man grabbed my hand and tugged me to him.

“Damn it, Little Red. I didn’t know where you were,” he growled, wrapping me in his arms.

Startled by his reaction to my absence, I hugged him back, kissing his neck and cheek, whispering soothing words.

“Where’s your phone?”

“Um, I don’t know, I must have left it in my bag when I checked it at the door,” I said, shrugging.

“Were you worried?” I asked, biting my lip.

“Yes, I was worried. I walked away for a minute and then you were gone!”

He looked angry. Pissed even. But the worry lines around his eyes told another story.

He’d been scared. Scared I’d left him.

“Hey, I’m yours and you’re mine, remember? I’m never leaving you,” I said, looking into those whiskey colored eyes I loved so much.

My heart was pounding so hard. His hands tightened on my shoulders as he pulled back and just stared at me. That was okay. I was doing some staring of my own.

I studied my handsome husband, noting the slight flare of his nostrils before he moved.

He was so damn fast.

Josef blurred to me, closing the space between us. Spicy cologne and male musk filled my nostrils.

His big, muscular body crushed my softer one in his frenzied embrace, but it felt so fucking good.

Were it not for his arm around me, I would have tipped over. But Josef wouldn’t allow that. He would always keep me safe.

Trust and delight bloomed inside me.

And desire—always desire when it came to this man.

---