Page 10 of Frost and Fate
He gazed at her momentarily before replying, smoothly, “Sure.” They stepped into her new apartment. “Big day huh?” he asked.
“Understatement of the year!” she replied, still lost in her thoughts. “Is that what it felt like the first time you shifted? Like you finally felt freedom? Like there was something inside of you dying to get out and you finally just said yes?” She turned to him, grinning, and stopped short. She suddenly realized how close he was to her. He had moved so quietly. Now they were only inches apart. Her heart somersaulted. The air around them felt charged. She took a step back and he pushed forward, his eyes luminous. She stopped when her back hit the couch. He was standing in front of her now.
Golden eyes stared down at her. Every inch of Nova’s body burned with need. The air in the room seemed to close in around the two of them. Her heart was beating wildly as he moved even closer. “Darren.” Her voice sounded breathy with desire. Darren pushed close enough for their bodies to press together and Nova let out a soft moan. He used the opening to capture her lips.
The moment his mouth landed on hers, Nova felt her skin ignite. A shockwave of lust and passion raced through her. A rush of wetness flooded between her thighs as he deepened the kiss. Nova’s body responded on its own accord as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She could feel the hard planes of his well-muscled body against her. His broad shoulders, firm chest, and rock-hard abs strained under the fabric of his shirt.
Nova’s insides were on fire.
Darren slid a hand up one thigh. Even through the fabric she could feel the heat of his touch. As his fingers moved higher, they slipped beneath the hem of her shirt. Every inch of skin he touched seemed to burn. Their lips continued to clash, consuming each other in a fiery passion. Darren moved his lips down to Nova’s neck while simultaneously slipping a hand beneath her sports bra. She gasped as his warm hand cupped her breast. He trailed kisses down her neck and over her collarbone. The heat in his mouth seemed to brand her soft skin. Her nipples hardened beneath his touch and he responded by gently rolling them between his fingers. Nova moaned and captured his mouth again. His tongue gently snaked between her lips as she opened herself to him.
Nova couldn’t get enough. She pressed her hips into his and he let out a low growl, his hard length pressing against her. His other hand trailed above the waistband of her leggings. Nova’s breath hitched as his fingers passed over her hip bones, descending…
A vibrating sound stopped them both. Darren grabbed his phone out of his pocket and answered it. “Ridgewell.” He listened intently. “I’ll be right there.” Nova’s heart sank. He hung up the phone and pulled away from her. “I have to go,” he said, sounding disappointed.
“Yeah no worries,” she squeaked out. He planted one last long kiss on her swollen lips and headed for the door.Geez.That was intense. She peeled herself away from the couch and headed for the shower, unable to stop thinking about Darren, his washboard abs, and what could have happened next.
ChapterSeven
Darren made his way to Gideon’s office with long, purposeful strides. As he continued down the hallway he heard voices on the other side of the door.
“Mate with her?” Gideon Ulric’s surprised voice thundered out.
Dr. Sawyer chuckled. “Of course I’m not recommending you make some poor girl be your mate. I’m only saying that should the two of you end up together, an Alpha, and a Celestial…” He paused for emphasis. “You could create the most powerful line of supernatural wolves that has ever existed.”
“What do you want me to do exactly, Doc?” Gideon asked.
“Nothing extreme, Alpha. Perhaps start by getting to know her. Take her to dinner. Talk to her. Keep your options open, for the sake of the pack.” Was the doctor really talking about Nova?
“Mating with her could strengthen the pack,” Gideon agreed. “A Celestial wolf hasn’t existed for centuries. With her powers, there’s no doubt she and I could create extremely powerful legacies.”
Darren’s stomach dropped. Theyweretalking about Nova. His Alpha wanted to mate with her.HisNova. The Nova he had just tasted, the one whose scent still lingered on his lips. His wolf howled in disapproval at the thought of another man with her. This was going to complicate things.
Before Darren could think much more on it, the office doors swung open, and Dr. Sawyer exited.
“Darren,” Gideon greeted him. “Come in.”
Darren entered the Alpha’s office. It was a spacious suite that Darren had been in many times. Gideon headed to the far side of the room and grabbed two glasses. He poured scotch in both, then handed one to Darren.
“It’s been a strange few days, hasn’t it?” The Alpha took a drink from his glass.
Darren nodded and sipped at the amber liquid. “It sure has.” Gideon refilled their glasses once more and motioned for Darren to sit.
“I have a favor to ask you, Darren.” The Alpha’s blue eyes stared intently into his. “I need you to get close to the Celestial.”
“Nova,” Darren corrected, trying to hide the irritation in his voice.
“Yes, Nova. I want to know everything about her.”
Darren’s confusion grew. “Ulric”—he used the Alpha’s most formal title—“wouldn’t it be better for you to get to know her yourself?”
“I will. But for now, I am swamped with work for Ulric Industries, and traveling to Paris on Sunday for a meeting. Find out what you can, and once I return, I will get to know her personally.” He gave Darren a wink.
Darren tried to swallow the lump in his throat. “Of course, Ulric.” He gave a polite nod and headed back the way he had come. After leaving the Alpha’s office, Darren went straight to one of the training rooms. He needed to let off some steam. Running drill after drill helped to clear his head. Exercise also helped to calm his wolf. He was practicing punches and kicks on one of the training room dummies. He tried to get the images of Nova out of his head. Her soft body and sweet scent haunted him.
The image of Nova and Gideon together came unbidden to his mind. With a roar of anger he released a roundhouse kick that broke the training dummy clean off its stand and sent it flying across the room.
“Bit of an overkill, don’t you think?”
