Page 50 of Wolf's Keep

Then he claimed her mouth, demanding andhungry. He’d relaxed his control. He’d let the beast loose.

Oh God, YES!

His hands resumed their discovery of her body, and she lost herself in his touch, his kisses. She moaned, his hand slipping to the inside of her thigh, her muscles clenching in anticipation. Her pussy throbbed, wet and begging for his touch, his large hands teasingly close, but not close enough.

He grabbed her firmly about the waist, rolling over, taking her with him, draping her body over his. His hands slipped beneath her dress, cupping her bottom, pulling her hard against his erection.

“Erin.” He nuzzled against her neck. “You do not know how much I want you.” His voice, rough and husky, scraped over heightened nerve endings, sending shivers through her whole body. “I have wanted you since the first night I saw you.”

Erin pushed at his black tunic and straddled his hips to give her better access. Her hands slipped beneath the fabric, reveling in the play of muscles across his abdomen, his bare skin hot beneath her hands. She ran her fingers over his chest, hair tickling her palms. She flicked her fingernails across his taut nipples. He let out a hiss, shifting her, pressing the thick bar of his erection against her. He held her hips firm and thrust hard, grinding against her. Mouthing a silent moan, head dropping back, her hips responded, rocking along his hardened length.

She opened her eyes to look at him and froze.

“Gaharet.” Her mouth went dry. “Gaharet. Stop.” Her desire vanished—all her attention fixed at the edge of the meadow.

His hands stilled, his body tensing beneath her.

Up on the rise, unmoving, watching them, stood a big, sandy-colored wolf.

Gaharet growled, low and menacing. Erin glanced at him, alarmed. Did hewantthe beast to attack them? More angry than apprehensive, Gaharet angled his head up the rise, glaring at the beast. She returned her stare to the wolf, afraid to let it out of her sight for even a minute. She squealed as Gaharet rolled her off him and got to his feet, wrenching his armor back on, thrusting his arms into his surcoat.

“What are you doing?” she ground out through gritted teeth, getting slowly to her knees, afraid to make any sudden movements. “You’ll just make it angry.”

The wolf had barely twitched an ear.

“All is well, Erin,” he said, pulling her to her feet and placing her behind him. “He is no threat to us.”

Gaharet’s lip curled in a snarl, and he stared at the wolf, as though challenging it to defy him.

“Are you crazy? It’s a wolf. A big wolf. As big as that one I saw that night I followed you from the keep.”

She peered around his arm at it. Like that night, the wolf didn’t snarl or bare its teeth. It merely regarded them.

“Wait a minute. Look.” She pointed at its neck. “It has a gold chain around its neck. That black one in the forest had one, too. I wonder if they’re someone’s pets.”

The wolf’s hackles rose, its ears flattened against its head, and it growled low in its throat. Erin clutched the back of Gaharet’s surcoat.Oh God, now what?Would Gaharet draw his sword? Could he fight the wolf off?

Gaharet didn’t reach for his weapon.

“What are you doing here?” He snarled at the sandy wolf.

Erin gaped at him.

Has he lost his mind?

To her astonishment, the wolf didn’t respond to Gaharet’s challenge. Instead, it inclined its big, sandy head up stream, raised its nose, and sniffed the air, its ears pricked forward. She glanced up at Gaharet. His eyes narrowed, and he stared in the same direction, tilting his head to the side in the same manner as the wolf.

Her attention flicked between the two of them. What the hell was going on? Some form of silent communication?

Gaharet nodded at the wolf. “I owe you.” He gave an abrupt flick of his hand, shooing the wolf away. And the wolf obeyed, trotting off into the trees. Erin stared after it. What the hell just happened?

“Why did that wolf just leave when you asked it to?” It had to be someone’s pet. She could think of no other rational explanation.

“Not now, Erin.” Gaharet buckled on his scabbard and sword.

Erin flinched at his brusque tone. She stepped away from him, turning toward the horse. Gaharet blocked her path, brushing the back of his hand against her cheek, tilting her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“We will talk, Erin, about many things, but we have more pressing matters at this very moment.” He dropped a lingering kiss on her lips, making her toes curl. He stepped away from her. “We have company.” He pointed to the five mounted and armed men cantering toward them.

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