Page 61 of Jace's Mate
“Are we alone?”she asked, unconsciously shifting her core against his abs as she continued to direct his thumb against her nipple.
“Yes.”
Anikka might have nodded, but her mind was too focused on the new and delicious sensations.
“Tell me what you like, Anikka,” he groaned, his eyes glowing as he watched her breasts.
“I don’t know,” she admitted, too fascinated by the new sensations to lie.
His fingers halted for a moment, then he sat up, shifting her so that she was more intimately pressing against his shaft.“What does that mean, Anikka?”
At this point, with his erection rubbing against that throbbing nub, Anikka didn’t know what she was saying.She was still trying to process the past twenty-four hours.“Don’t know,” she whispered back, shifting her body against his.She wanted to growl, to order him to help her.But her lips couldn’t form the words.
“Anikka!”he snapped, grabbing her hands and pulling them down to her sides.“Answer me.”
That voice!Good grief, she loved his voice and the absolute command in his tone!
She shifted her hips, whimpering when he wouldn’t touch her.“Stop it, Anikka.Tell me what you mean.”
She blinked, staring at him.Sitting on his lap like this was so decadent.Plus, she could look directly into his eyes.
“My uncle never allowed me to see other men.The only men I came into contact with over the years were his bodyguards.”She shifted herself against him again, felt his desire for her in his thoughts and wanted to purr.She did this to him.Anikka realized that she’d made him just as crazy as he made her.
The realization made her feel powerful.
“Focus!”he ordered, but Anikka ignored him.He held her wrists, but she leaned in, pressing her lips to his in the briefest of kisses.When she pulled away, she smiled and bit her lower lip.
“I’ve wanted to do that for a while now,” she admitted in a small voice.
One moment, she was straddling his hips, and the next moment, she was in his arms and he was on his feet.“Where are we going?”she asked, startled by the abrupt change.Quickly, she wrapped her arms around his neck.
“We’re going back to the city,” he announced, his teeth grinding together.
Anikka didn’t like the sound of that, nor could she understand his frustration now.The sensual haze that had enveloped her a moment ago disappeared like a puff of smoke.Instead of feeling free and happy, she felt self-conscious of her nakedness.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, shame hitting her hard.Anikka looked away, absently noting that the sun was coming up over the horizon.Another day.Her uncle would be furious with her for not being home.She’d skipped dinner last night too.What had he and the guards done for dinner?
She didn’t care.At this moment, Anikka didn’t care about anything.She just wanted to get dressed and go home.She could crawl into bed and hide away for the next several hours.Or several months.Yes, hiding for a few months sounded like an excellent plan.
“Here,” Jace grumped, thrusting a big shirt toward her without meeting her eyes.
Anikka took it silently, her fingers brushing his as she accepted the garment.Even that slight contact made her skin tighten, her heart skip a beat.She turned away quickly, slipping the oversized dress shirt over her naked body.It smelled like him, damn it.Pine, musk, earth…wolf.She gritted her teeth and yanked the sides closed around her, cinching the front with her fists like armor.
“Where’s my dress?”she asked, though she already knew.
She crouched down and scanned the grassy clearing, but her shoes were nowhere in sight.Her shredded dress was gone too, likely reduced to damp scraps of fabric tangled in the underbrush.She winced, remembering how it had torn off her body during the shift.
Still kneeling, she glanced toward the trees, her fingers tightening on the fabric of the shirt.The forest shimmered in the morning light, dewdrops glinting like crystals on the grass.Her heart twisted with longing.
She wanted to run again.To feel her paws strike the earth, the wind slicing through her fur.She wanted tobethe wolf again.
“No,” Jace snapped, pulling on his shoes with short, angry movements.
She turned her head sharply.“Why not?”she asked quietly, her voice raw.
He didn’t answer.His slacks—neatly folded, waiting for him—were now on his body, fitting perfectly.Meanwhile, she stood barefoot in a huge man’s shirt, her skin still buzzing with rejection.
Must be nice, she thought bitterly.
