Page 6 of Dutiful Wolf's Mail Order Mate

But what other option did I have? Bowen would kill Kai if he found us. Probably me too, after he’d had his fun. This was the only way to keep us safe. The only way to survive.

I needed him to accept me. I needed his mate mark.

I took a deep, shuddering breath and reached for the hem of my shirt. Rafe’s eyes widened as I pulled it over my head, exposing the plain cotton bra beneath.

“What are you doing?” he asked, voice strained.

“What does it look like?” I tossed the shirt aside and reached for the button of my jeans. “I’m getting ready for bed.”

He took a step forward, hand outstretched. “Madison, stop.”

Rafe’s gaze raked over me, hot and hungry. I could smell his arousal, sharp and musky, mixing with my own. It made my head spin, made me want to do something stupid like throw myself at him.

But I couldn’t let myself forget what this was. A transaction.

He wasn’t my lover. He was my jailer.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said roughly, dragging his eyes back to my face. “I’m not expecting?—”

“Aren’t you?” I cut him off, voice sharp. I fumbled for the button of my jeans, shoving them down my hips and kicking them away. Goosebumps erupted across my skin as I stood there in nothing but my underwear. “Isn’t that what is supposed to happen?”

His face darkened, a muscle ticking in his jaw. He was in my space in a flash, fingers latching around my wrists. His touch burned like a brand, searing into my skin. “I didn’t want this. I didn’t want you unwilling.”

I sucked in a breath, my pulse pounding in my ears. He was so close I felt the heat radiating off his body, scented the woodsy pine clinging to him. His grip on my wrists was firm, but not painful. I could easily break free if I wanted to.

But I didn’t. Instead, I leaned into him, pressing my breasts against his chest. He released a soft, ragged groan that sent a thrill of power through me.

“Who says I’m unwilling?” My voice came out low and husky. My wolf padded in a circle in my head, excited and curious.

She wanted Rafe. Wanted this.

I slipped my fingers under the hem of his shirt and skimmed toward the button of his jeans.

“For fuck’s sake—” Rafe let off a low growl and yanked my hands to my sides. “Let’s have one conversation first.”

“What’s there to talk about?” I snapped, trying to wrest my hands free. “This is the deal, isn’t it? Let me do my duty.”

He snarled and forced my back to the wall. I gasped as his body pressed against mine, pinning me in place. The heat of his body burned through the thin fabric of my bra, and I could feel the hard length of his erection through the denim of his jeans.

Rafe’s eyes flashed with a predatory glint. He lowered his head, lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “What is your duty, Madison?”

Fates, his voice. That deep, sexy rumble sent a shiver of pleasure through me. I tilted my head, exposing my neck in a show of submission. I shouldn’t be enjoying this, but damn it if my body didn’t want to take the lead and my brain to follow.

“I came to be your mate, to carry your pups?—”

“To be my partner.”

His lips ghosted over my throat, the feather-light touch making my nerve endings spark to life. My heart hammered against my chest.

“To be my equal.”

He nipped at the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder, and I shuddered, a wave of pure need washing over me.

I reached for him, desperate for purchase, but he pressed my wrists back against the wall.

The sharp tang of his arousal spiked, mingling with the woodsy scent that clung to him like a second skin. I breathed it in deeply, letting it stoke the banked flames inside me. My wolf prowled in hungry circles, egging me on.

I tried to remember why I was here, why this was such a horrible idea. But all thoughts fled my mind as he pinned my hands above my head and landed a palm on my hip. Deep, hungry blue watched the rise and fall of my rapid breath as he skimmed his hand higher and higher up my side until his thumb rested beneath the swell of my breast.

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