Page 45 of Ranger's Justice

I cry out, my body arching, gripping him so tight he groans against my throat.

“Fuck, Cassidy.” His hands grip my ass, holding me still as he drags back, then slams into me again.

I can’t answer, can’t do anything except cling to him as he takes. Every thrust sends another wave of heat crashing through me, his pace punishing, brutal, perfect.

His mouth finds my ear, his breath ragged. “You are mine.”

Something inside me snaps. I don’t argue, don’t push back—I accept it.

Because it’s the truth.

Rush owns me now.

His hands tighten, pulling me harder against him, and I feel it—the change in him, the way his wolf is clawing for control, barely leashed. He’s holding back.

“Rush,” I breathe, rocking against him. “Don’t…”

A snarl cuts through the air, his restraint snapping like a live wire. His hand fists in my hair, yanking my head back as his teeth scrape along the curve of my throat.

“I told you this changes everything,” he growls.

He slams into me, deeper, harder, demandingmy surrender.

And I give it.

I break, pleasure ripping through me so violently I can’t even scream. My body clenches around him, my nails digging into his back as I shatter.

Rush follows with a vicious, guttural groan, his body locking, his cock pulsing deep inside me. His arms tighten around me, holding me to him, his breath hot against my skin.

For a moment, neither of us moves. The world narrows to nothing but the sound of our breathing, the pounding of our hearts.

Then Rush lifts his head, his eyes locking onto mine.

“I warned you,” he murmurs, his fingers still gripping my hips like he’s afraid I’ll slip away. “This isn’t something we come back from.”

I swallow hard, my chest still heaving, my body still tingling in the aftermath.

I should say something, make some smartass remark, but I don’t.

Because I know the truth now.

There’s no going back.

I belong to him.

Whether or not I’m ready for that.

CHAPTER 12

RUSH

Cassidy sleeps, her body draped across my bed like she belongs there. Like she’s always belonged there. My sheets tangle around her hips; her hair spills across the pillow; her flushed skin reflects our recent lovemaking. From how I took her. Possessed her.

I should stay.

The wolf inside me demands it. It growls, pacing beneath my skin, demanding I lock her away, keep her here, safe, untouched by the outside world. The instinct is primal, deeper than logic, deeper than thought. Mine, it snarls. Mine.

But I can’t stay. If I linger, I’ll never leave. And I don’t have that luxury. There’s work to do.

---