Page 40 of Wild in the Woods
The wanting was so primal. So deeply rooted that it scared her.
But not as much as the look on his face when he suddenly stopped kissing her and turned away.
Chapter Fifteen
Whatthehellwashe doing?
This wasn’t right. He kissed a client.
No, dumbass, you kissed your mate.
The thought skipped through his mind so easily and confidently that it felt like a perfectly rational thing until he remembered that he didn’t want a mate. He didn’t need one and he certainly wasn’t in the position to worry about it now. Lulu was a client, sort of. Okay, a reporter going through the course for free but still. Something like this could ruin him. Rumors of him fooling around with a woman while on the job would shut him right down.
You’re overreacting, his brain chided. He wasn’t making out with a random female. This was Lulu, the woman his bear and body recognized from the moment her scent nearly broke him at the bar. The pure, white-hot anger coursing through him over the thought of her ex was the most ripping, compelling, all-consuming anger he’d ever felt. His body quivered with the need to shift and the only way to cool his anger had been to…
Kiss her.
The touch of her luscious lips soothed him and his beast. Looking at her innocent face when he broke the kiss, he instinctively knew there was no use in denying it. She was his.
Even if he didn’t want her.
No, that wasn’t true. Not completely. Fuck, he didn’t know what he wanted! They were one full day into this thing, and it was already a mess.
She cleared her throat behind him. He hadn’t meant to turn his back on her. That had been a dick move, but when he spun to face her, she’d moved away and had her cellphone pressed to her ear. The tones of her feminine voice reached his ears, and he couldn’t help but listen. Was she talking to the asshole who had broken her heart and never, ever deserved her in the first place?
His bear restlessly paced inside him. Pressure built beneath his ribs and against his hip bones as the animal turned and stretched. It was reacting to his thoughts, to his denial of what they both knew was true. His bear wanted her. Fox clenched his eyes as her taste filled his mouth and rippled through him. His cock stirred, aching to finish what he’d started.
He’d bury himself inside her and claim her as his own, beneath the sun, surrounded by the forest and mountains. Their mating would be wild, just the way it should be.
A long, hard breath rushed out of him. No, he didn’t want this. He didn’t.
Lulu hung up and put the phone in her pocket. Rolling his shoulders, he tried to play it like nothing had happened. They could talk about it later.
“Ready?” He broached as she approached.
Her face was pinched, and he had no way of knowing if it was because of him or the phone call. Her lips were red and puffy from his kiss. His bear growled low with a tonal rumble that rippled against Fox’s skeleton.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, where do I start?”
He deserved that. “How about with the phone call. Everything okay?”
“Peachy.”
She’d never used this tone with him before. He didn’t like it. The sudden need to make everything better was unfamiliar but very, very compelling.
“Lulu, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come on to you like that.”
Her eyes diverted to over his shoulder. “What are we doing for breakfast? I’m starving.”
He sensed the change between them and didn’t like it one bit. Tension radiated off her, but beneath it was a heady, arousing scent that he hadn’t noticed before. It was rich and earthy, punched with sweetness like roses. The more he smelled it, the more he wanted to take her in his arms and draw the notes in.
“Okay, this way.”
Forcing himself to focus, he brought them to a narrow trail that connected the edge of his property with private land he contracted with. He had agreements with private landowners and with the National Park Service to allow him to conduct business in a variety of areas. Lots of paperwork and expensive yearly fees were involved but having access was worth it. The varied terrain allowed him to expose his students to a variety of situations. Tonight, they’d be staying in a basin with rolling hills on either side and minimal trees and water sources—perfect for learning how and where to build a shelter and look for water.
Digging in his pack, Fox withdrew a protein bar and handed it to her. She was lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice right away. Not good. He couldn’t have her mind drifting off. They both needed to stay focused to stay safe and know what was up ahead. Man, he’d really screwed up.
