Page 20 of What a Wolf Demands

Surprise?

Instinct made her want to duck her chin—anything to avoid the furious beast staring out from his eyes—but she forced herself to hold his gaze.

“You kissed me!”

He growled. “You called me an oaf.”

That’s what he was mad about? “Only an oaf pins a woman against a wall and kisses her against her will.”

He dropped his gaze to her chest. “You seemed willing enough,” he muttered, almost to himself.

Mortification was like ice water over her head. She gave a low cry of outrage.

That brought his gaze back up. He met her eyes, and for a second, she could swear he looked almost . . . sheepish? Two spots of color appeared high on his cheeks.

Wait, was he blushing?

He dropped his hands from her arms and straightened. Gaze almost thoughtful, he rubbed a hand over his jaw as if assessing the damage.

Yeah, right. She couldn’t have hurt him that badly. Besides, he could heal any injury she inflicted—one of many abilities she didn’t possess.

He dropped his hand.

She held her breath. Great, now he would kill her.

He cleared his throat. “I apologize.”

Her jaw fell open.

“For the kiss,” he added.

She took an unsteady breath. “O-Okay.”

“It didn’t mean anything.” His tone was gruff, as if he didn’t like explaining himself. “I couldn’t let that human get me on camera. That’s the only reason I kissed you.”

She pushed away from the wall. It brought her closer to him, but she didn’t care. Cornered or not, she didn’t have to stand around and take his insults. “Just so you know, it didn’t mean anything to me, either.” She remembered her tightened nipples and smothered an urge to cross her arms over her breasts. She lifted her chin. “Someone spilled a drink on me.”

“You shouldn’t have run.”

What? He was blaming her for running for her life? She licked at the bloodied spot on her lower lip.

His gaze dipped there.

Out of nowhere, a blast of heat rushed through her. She parted her lips, which tingled under his regard. A lick of desire curled low in her belly, and her sex throbbed. She bit the inside of her cheek. Not now. She did not need this now.

“Excuse me,” a male voice said over Prado’s shoulder.

Prado jerked, almost as if the human had startled him. He turned his head, putting his face in profile. He didn’t bother making his reply polite. “What.”

“Are you using the phone?” The voice held an edge of irritation. “We have to keep this area clear for emergencies. It’s the law.”

Lily held her breath. Couldn’t the idiot human sense he was steps away from an angry werewolf? Prado could crush the guy’s throat with one hand. He was also fresh off a chase, which meant his wolf was probably still close to the surface.

And that was precisely why werewolves rarely ventured into public spaces. The risk of exposure was too high. The rise of social media and the selfie culture had made everything worse. For centuries, the species only needed to worry about the occasional group of superstitious villagers. Now, one viral video could ruin everything.

A beat passed, then Prado gave the man a short nod. “We’ll only be a moment. My girlfriend wasn’t feeling well.”

Girlfriend?

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