Page 20 of Posing for the Artist Wolf

The world narrowed to just us. The light filtering through the windows, the scent of pine and cinnamon, the warmth of her body so close to mine. I lifted the mistletoe above our heads in a silent offering.

Slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, I leaned in. I paused just before our lips touched, my breath mingling with hers. “Yes.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

CLAIRE

Istared at the mistletoe dangling above my head, Kai’s words dangling right there with it.

Mates. We were mates. Explosive, all-consuming, world-shifting, color-popping... mates.

Kai’s eyes were the pure green of his wolf, the pupils wide and dark. A shiver raced up my spine, anticipation coiling tight in my belly. I swept my tongue across my lips, and his eyes zeroed in on that tiny motion.

“Claire...” he started, voice strained. His throat bobbed with a hard swallow. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Shifters. Wolves. Mates. His words should have terrified me, but they didn’t. He didn’t terrify me. He’d watched me for months from a booth in the diner or just beyond the trees around Briar House. Months, with barely a word.

Even the night of his revelation, he hadn’t meant to lure me into the snow. In fact, he came to my rescue when I needed him the most.

If he wanted to hurt me, he’d had ample opportunity.

“I trust you,” I whispered.

That was all he needed to hear. He lowered his lips to mine, gently at first, then with building need. His free hand cradled my cheek, then slid back to grasp the nape of my neck. His tongue teased my lips open, stroking into my mouth in a possessive exploration.

I gasped for air, arching closer. Wanting him. Needing him. My hand tangled in his shirt, gripping the soft cotton tight.

I couldn’t get close enough.

He released my mouth, his lips trailing down the line of my jaw to my neck. Sharp fangs grazed my skin, a promise of what he truly was, of what he hid. The knowledge should have frightened me, but my core clenched around nothing at the sensation.

My heart thundered in my chest as I flicked my eyes up and met his. Pure, hungry desire burned bright in their depths. My cheeks flamed under such naked attention. I’d never been so thoroughly wanted before.

Despite the warmth of the room, goosebumps prickled along my skin. “You never finished your sketches of me,” I said, my voice husky.

Kai’s grin was all wolf, wild and wicked. “I don’t have my supplies.”

“Use mine,” I offered.

I dashed upstairs, my heart pounding with anticipation. My art supplies were scattered across my desk in a familiar chaos. I grabbed my sketchbook and a handful of pencils, ready to dash back down.

Then I caught sight of my silk robe draped over the edge of the bed where I’d flung it that morning.

A thrill shot through me. Daring. Bold. Everything I imagined a wolf’s mate to be.

I shed my clothes, letting them fall to the floor in a messy heap. The silk was cool against my flushed skin as I wrapped the robe around me, cinching it tight.

Kai’s eyes widened as I descended the stairs. I hit the bottom step with my head held high, trying to ignore the heat flooding my face. He took the sketchbook from my outstretched hand, his gaze dropping to my bare toes and traveling slowly back up.

That look felt like a caress, sending sparks of electricity skating down my spine.

I stepped back, my fingers finding the knot of my belt. Kai’s gaze tracked the movement, his throat working as he swallowed hard.

“Claire,” he choked out, “what are you doing?”

I let the robe slip from one shoulder, exposing a long line of skin. Every cell in my body seemed to vibrate with nerves. “I trust you,” I repeated, letting the other shoulder fall.

“You absolutely shouldn’t.” He snorted, a low rumble that was more wolf than man. “All I want right now is you in my lap, riding my cock until neither of us can stand.”

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