Page 20 of Trick Me
Ash breaks into a clearing lit by moonlight, and I spot my chance. I launch myself at him, all four paws leaving the ground, body stretched to its full length. We collide in midair, his attempt to dodge coming a fraction too late.
We hit the ground hard, rolling twice beforecoming to a stop with me on top, paws on his chest, teeth at his throat.
My jaws part, teeth resting against his skin. Not breaking it, not yet, but holding. A growl rumbles from somewhere deep in my chest, vibrating through both of us. This close, his scent is overwhelming. A combination of fear, sweat, arousal, and challenge all mixed together.
He goes perfectly still beneath me.
He should be terrified. Any sane person would be scared with a wolf’s teeth at their throat. But his heartbeat, while fast, isn’t panicked. His scent carries adrenaline but also… arousal? Trust? That can’t be right.
“You going to bite me, or are we just going to stay like this?” His voice is steady, conversational, as though we’re discussing the weather instead of the fact that I could tear his throat out with one flex of my jaw.
I inhale deeply, trying to understand this man who isn’t afraid of me even when he should be.
He’s special. Important.Mine, the wolf whispers, or maybe I do.
Slowly, carefully, I ease the pressure of my teeth. My tongue flicks out without permission, tasting the salt of his skin and… the copper tang of blood? There, on his arm, those scratches from earlier when my claws first emerged. They’re already healing, but I clean them anyway, an instinct I don’t understand but can’t resist. The blood tastes like electricity on my tongue, sending sparks through my entire body.
I move back to his neck where my teeth had been, licking the small indentations, and he makes a sound that’s part groan, part growl.
“Shift back,” he states in that deep and rough voice that I find too irresistible. “Now, Erynn. Come back to me.”
It feels like thunder under my skin, power grabbing hold of my bones and pulling. The wolf beside me in my mind protests, receding reluctantly but unable to resist whatever authority his voice carries. The change hurts more, my body protesting the return to a form that suddenly feels too small, too limiting, too human.
When it’s over, I’m straddling him, completely naked, shaking from the transformation.
The moonlight does unfair things to his features, sharpening already dangerous cheekbones, making his amber eyes glow with their own light. His dark hair is mussed from our chase, strands falling across his forehead. There’s a wildness to him that calls to whatever is now living inside me, and the smile spreading across his face is pure sin.
“Good to have you back,” he almost purrs, which has me shuddering with a strange excitement. “Enjoy your first hunt?”
“I—”Words are hard when he’s looking at me like that, like I’m something magnificent instead of a naked disaster straddling him in the woods. “That was?—”
But my emotions take control, and suddenly, I’m leaning down and kissing him.
It’s a mistake. I know it immediately. Because the moment our lips meet, I can’t stop. The kiss isn’t gentle. It’s hungry, desperate, filled with the wild energy still coursing through my veins. His hands come up to tangle in my hair, holding me close, and when he nips at my bottom lip, I moan.
He rolls us, pine needles and earth soft beneath my back, his weight pressing me down. I should feel trapped, but I don’t. If anything, I’m grounded, kept from floating away on this tide of impossible sensation. He kisses like he’s trying to devour me, and the wolf inside me purrs its approval.
I try to flip us back, to take control, but his hand catches my wrists, pinning them above my head.
“So that’s how this is?” I gasp against his mouth, testing his grip just to determine how easily he holds me.
“Problem?” His teeth find my pulse point, and I arch beneath him, a whimper escaping that I’ll deny later.
“I don’t submit.”
“You did earlier. Sat so pretty when I told you to.”His free hand traces down my side, leaving trails of fire in its wake.
“That was different. That was—” I lose my train of thought as he does something with his tongue on my neck that shorts out my brain. “Not fair. Nothing about this is fair.”
He pulls back off me just enough to look at me, and with the heat in his eyes, I’m squirming. “Give me a moment.”
The loss of his warmth leaves me whimpering. But he’s only gone for a second, shrugging off his jacket. It’s thick and oversized, and he lays it out on the ground beside us.
“Come here,” he states, patting the makeshift blanket. It’s not quite a command, but there’s something in his voice that has me moving before I even think to resist.
I crawl to the makeshift blanket, hyperaware of his eyes tracking my naked body. “You’re playing with fire,” I warn him as he unbuttons his shirt and takes it off, laying it on the ground for more coverage. Then he moves to join me.
“Maybe I like the burn.” His hand cups my face, thumb tracing my cheekbone with unexpected gentleness. “And you’re shaking.”
