Page 28 of Fae Devoted
She-wolves seldom chose to join the Guard, the overwhelming majority born with a nurturing spirit, not a violent one. Add in a Ferwyn male’s ingrained mentality to protect the non-alphas in their pack irrespective of a mission’s directives—and it never ended well. There was an all-female team in Alaska and two more in California. But the trio of organized units were too distant to do him any good. Plus, Tucker didn’t know them nor trust them.
Jo’s voice cracked. “You’d Mark someone else?”
No, he wouldn’t. The notion of anyone but Jo receiving his bite was unthinkable.
The Ferwyn race required affection and physical touch to thrive, but it didn’t have to be a sensual connection, and often wasn’t. Contrary to what the Untouched populace believed, most wolves were extremely picky whom they chose to be with intimately. Tucker hadn’t looked at another female sexually since long before setting eyes on Jo, and certainly not afterward.
“I won’t risk your life.” Even for his brother’s sake.
“I thought…” Jo shook her head, tugging on the thick tail of the braid hanging over her shoulder. “It doesn’t matter what I thought. If you don’t want me, we can still make this work. We’ll justify looking for Jeremiah some other way.”
“Look at me.” He palmed the base of her neck. The combination of Jo’s silky skin and the finely wrought necklace he gave her resting beneath his hand filled him with a staggering sense of rightness.
The delicate line of her jaw firmed. “Even without a Mating Mark, I’m still your best bet to get wherever it is you’re going without getting caught.”
“Jo—”
“The magical community won’t allow just anyone to stroll into their compounds and start asking questions either. And no self-respecting Ferwyn would give Jeremiah up without a compelling reason despite being an outcast. Especially not to an Anwyll Guard if you’re considering replacing me with a witch now that I’ve highlighted the varied andnumerousflaws in your plan to go alone.” Her lips rolled in an exaggeratedpfft. “The Dádhe can’t leave the region any easier than you can, so don’t think about going there. And maybe thereareunmated she-wolves more qualified, but how long would it take to persuade their commanders to give them permission to go with you? Too damn long, I’ll tell you that. May as well accept it, Jacob. You,” she said, poking him in the sternum with her finger. “Need.” Another stab. “Me.” Double jab.
Tucker halted the angry prodding by trapping Jo’s hand against his chest, pushing his hips and his throbbing shaft against her stomach. The pulse-point on the side of her throat skipped beneath his thumb at the indisputable proof of his desire for her. Jo’s spicy-sweet scent mixed with the smell of her arousal, weakening his resistance.
“When did I say I didn’t want you?” Against his better judgment, he released Jo’s neck along with her captured fingers and framed her lovely face. He pressed his lips to her forehead, then slid them to her cheek. Her eyes fell shut, and he lightly kissed her closed lids.
A war raged within his heart. Tucker’s body and instincts urged him to take it further while his conscience screamed at him to stop. It was three against one, but he was holding strong.
And then Jo tipped the scales, and the battle was lost.
Her fingers hadn’t stayed where he left them, skating as soft as butterfly wings over the clenched muscles of his abdomen. They traveled to his waist and then curled into his side.
His head fell back, avoiding the sight of the alluring beauty clutching him as if she’d never let go. Tucker breathed through his mouth to minimize the enticement of her tantalizing scent. It almost worked.
“Jacob, are you okay?”
Shit, her voice!The timbre was innately kind, rarely vulnerable, and always sexy as hell.
“Not even close,” he admitted, peering down at the female who was destined to be his.
Jo’s breath hitched an instant before he covered her lips with his. It wasn’t a sweet joining. He’d denied the craving to claim his mate far too long, the acute hunger gnawing at his insides demanding anything but gentleness. He used his firm hold to slant her head and deepened the kiss, plunging into the delicious heat of her mouth. She returned his passion in equal measure, her tongue tangling with his, her feminine nails digging into his sides.
Tucker dropped a hand to her hip and dragged her closer. Supple curves fit perfectly against his unyielding planes, the peaked tips of her breasts brushing his chest. Twisting her thick plait in his fist, he tugged until her spine bowed, and her neck arched. Jo grabbed onto his biceps as he bent his knees and ran his open mouth down the lithe column of her throat, dipping his tongue into the velvety hollow between her collarbones.
“I want you, Jo,” he whispered against her smooth flesh, breathing in her essence. After a long lick that ended underneath her chin, he uncoiled his body to its full height.
Jo’s lips were parted, wet and swollen from his kisses, her lids at half-mast. She panted softly, small breasts rising and falling in an erratic rhythm. His grip tightened on the russet locks still roped around his knuckles, resisting the urge to lean in and steal a taste of the pert nipples visible through the thin material of her colorful blouse. Or a suck. A bite.
His gaze lifted with a will of its own to the exquisite sweep of her throat, swallowing hard as primal possessiveness and immeasurable yearning merged. The conflicting maelstrom crashed in a whirlpool of wild need, stiffening his cock and lengthening his fangs once again.
He unclenched his fist, and Jo lowered her chin. Her hooded eyes landed on Tucker’s elongated teeth, and even in the dark, he could see the stunning hazel color turn nearly black, her pupils blown with her own fervent need. Jo’s tongue swept her lips before she said raggedly, “Then why, Jacob? I want y—”
Tucker groaned, snatching Jo to his chest, and pressing her nose into his shirt. A position which made it difficult for his teeth to reach the dangerously seductive slope of her shoulder and for Jo to utter the words that would have been his undoing.
“I can’t.”
Not yet.
Jo sighed and let go of his waist. But she didn’t move from his embrace, instead her arms snaked around his middle and locked behind his back. “Okay. Fine. But I’m still going with you,capisce?”
His body was rock hard, but he kept his touch gentle as he stroked the crown of Jo’s head until their breaths calmed and their heart rates slowed.
