Page 23 of Fury

Her mind went blank with the new onslaught of sizzling sensations as heat flooded her body. She was lost to him and could think of nothing more than what her body craved from him in that moment.

Except…

A strange noise pulled her back. A rumbling sound that grew louder with each passing second. She tried to shut it out, but couldn’t because—was that?—

She wrenched free from the kiss and stared up at Sawyer looming over her, his eyes luminescent with the same desire she felt. He looked different. And he was the source of the noise.

“Uhm. Sawyer, are you growling?”

* * *

Sawyer could scenther arousal and it drove him crazy. So crazy he hadn’t realized how close to the surface his wolf had gotten. He pushed back at the beast, but he resisted. In a day’s time Penelope Bishop had wormed her way inside him and nature had taken over.

“I want you,” he confessed, unable to say anything more.

Her eyes widened at his words, but the sweet scent of her desire only grew. Of course, that teased the wolf to the point Sawyer could barely keep him contained. Now was not the time. No matter how much he desired her, there were rules in place for this kind of thing. And it wasn’t exactly mating season. How could he explain this?

So he pushed again, hoping against hope that he could keep things under control. His wolf snarled in his head, but reluctantly gave in.

For now.

The words were so strong in his head it was as if the beast snarled them. He found this sudden lack of total control disquieting. If he couldn’t control himself any better than a pup, he had a lot bigger problems than he thought.

Penelope had remained quiet after his declaration and that concerned him. She was a thinker. He could almost imagine her making a list of pros and cons or hear the dialogue in her head where she argued with herself over whether or not she could cross the proverbial line in the sand during the middle of an investigation.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he offered, using his right hand to reach up and brush her cheek at the same time. One way or another he had to touch her.

“It’s not that I don’t want to. I do. But there are rules for this kind of thing and I’ve already gone too far. I’m not sure we should make it worse.”

“But you want to. I can see it in your eyes.” And scent it on every inhale. Her desire reminded him of the cycle of a moonflower. Elusive and fleeting, but when it showed up late at night, it blossomed under the moonlight in a dazzling display of beauty and fragrance. Of course, come morning, it hid back away, unwilling to reveal itself again.

She lowered her head, averting her gaze. “It doesn’t matter what I want.” She reached for her shirt and began putting herself back together again. “It’s a matter of what’s right.”

He itched to grab her and show her all night long about right. But he sensed that would not be the way for his woman. That inner strength of hers had already taken over.

His.

He liked the sound of that.

“I think I should go. I-uh—I’ve got some work to do still tonight.” Her hands twisted at the bottom of her shirt and she licked her lips.

She was nervous. That fact made his chest puff up. She may not be ready to take the plunge with him yet, but she wanted to and that was a fantastic beginning as far as he was concerned. It was probably for the best anyway. Trying to make her move this fast felt like a mistake.

No. Penelope Bishop deserved more than a quick lay against the wall of a building. His cock grew harder at the thought. Okay, maybe it would have been fun. But this wasn’t like any of his past experiences. This woman meant everything.

“You go ahead and go. It’s getting late.”

“I can take you back,” she said.

He shook his head. “Nah. I can get a ride easy enough. Or walk and clear my head.”

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “This investigation is still ongoing. I’m going to have to come back tomorrow.”

It was his turn to smile. He cupped her chin and tilted her head until she met his gaze. “I’m counting on that.”

She bit back a smile. “I meant to continue the investigation.”

“Of course you did.”

---