Page 44 of Don't Tempt Me (Nora Jacobs 4)

His room isn’t much different from all the others here in the den. A large king bed takes up most of the space, with night tables on either side and a dresser across the room with a TV mounted on the wall above it. Rook has filled the room with several plants and has placed a wooden rocking chair in the corner of the room beside one of the bedside tables. A worn paperback lies on the table with a bookmark sticking out of the top.

Rook moves behind me as I take in the sight of his personal space, and he starts running his hands up and down my arms. Goose bumps spring up on my arms, and I suck in a sharp breath when his cool lips make contact with my neck. I roll my head to the side, giving him better access. “Come to bed with me, Nora,” he murmurs, his lips tickling my sensitive skin.

I’m not sure if he means to sleep, or something else. Either option elicits strong desire.

Rook pulls his lips away from me long enough to lift my shirt over my head, and then his mouth is on me again, scorching hot kisses down my throat. I know I should be wary, that normally I would be panicking right now, but my body is on fire. I want this. I’m coming alive with every press of his lips to my skin.

My hands slip beneath the hem of his shirt, finding hot skin and hard muscles. A low rumble comes from deep within Rook, and he rips his shirt off. He scoops me into his arms and moves us to the bed. He lays me down and takes his place beside me. I roll into him, and he claims my lips in a fierce kiss. His hands roam all over my skin.

I shiver, and a moan escapes me. Rook takes advantage and plunges his tongue into my mouth. I ignite. My body thrums with anticipation. I bury my hands in Rook’s hair, pulling him flush against me. His hands fall down my back, and he makes quick work of my bra. Then, next thing I know, his mouth is trailing kisses down my throat and to the swell of my breasts. “Are you okay?” he murmurs, hovering just above where I want him.

I am okay. I’m more than okay. In fact, I’m shocked at how okay I am. “I’m good, I promise.”

That’s all the permission Rook needs. He starts peppering me with kisses again, and my chest heaves as I struggle for breath. My heart hammers, but it’s not with anxiety or fear. It’s excitement. It’s arousal. “I think Charlie worked his magic on us,” I gasp out.

Rook pulls back and looks down at me through hooded eyes. “Do you want me to stop?”

I bite my lip. I definitely don’t want him to stop, but there’s something I want even more than his kisses right now. “I want you to claim me,” I say, my heart skipping nervous beats.

He stiffens, and his eyes start to glow faintly as his wolf surfaces. “Nora…” It comes out almost as a cautionary growl.

The warning steels my resolve. “I want this,” I promise. “I want to be with you, but I want to belong to you wholly and completely before I do.”

With a low rumble deep in his chest, Rook attacks my mouth with ferocity. I know his wolf is in control, but I’m not scared. His wolf would never hurt me. He lifts himself up and climbs on top of me. As he lowers himself down, pressing his bare chest against my own and settling his hips over mine, my adrenaline spikes, but I’m able to work through it. This is Rook. He loves me, and I love him. He won’t hurt me.

“Are you okay?” he asks, voice deep and full of dominance that only his wolf possesses.

“I’m good, Rook. Claim me. I don’t know how it works, but I want you to do it. Right now. I want to complete the bond.”

Rook growls again, a deep rumbly noise that vibrates his chest and sets me on fire.“Mine,”he says roughly.“Mate.”

“Yes, Rook. I am your mate. Claim me.”

Without warning, Rook sinks his teeth into my shoulder at the base of my neck. His teeth pierce my skin. I let out a startled cry, but it only stings for a second, and then the tingle of magic spreads across my whole body, rushing though me. I can feel it settling within me, embedding into my very soul as if Rook’s and my soul are becoming one with each other.

Need like I’ve never known pulses through me, urging me to complete the bond. Instinct takes over, and I roll Rook onto his back. I let loose a growl of my own and I climb on top of him, straddling his waist. His eyes are feverish, glowing with the strength of his alpha wolf. I’m not sure how I know to do it, but I bite down on his shoulder as hard as I can. I pierce his skin and magic explodes through us again, solidifying the bond between us, merging our energies and fusing our souls together permanently.“Mine,”I snarl, my possessive siren making her presence known.

Rook makes a noise in response. I shiver from the raw desire in it, and then his mouth is on mine, claiming it with ferocity. We attack each other with unbridled passion.

“I need you, Nora,” Rook whispers.

“So take me.”

Rooks stops kissing me to search my eyes. I stare back with a steady gaze. “Make love to me, Rook.”

Rook sucks in a deep breath through his nose and nods slowly as he lets it out. “You stop me if you need to.”

I nod. “I will.”

“You promise?”

I crack a smile. My wolf is so desperate to claim my body, but his main concern is still me. I have no doubt that he’s the right man for this job. “I promise, Rook. Just go slow, okay? Be gentle with me.”

Rook doesn’t respond with words. He lifts me off him and lays me back on the bed. He takes his time exploring and worshiping my body, making me feel as though I’m a precious miracle he’s been given. I’ve never felt safer or more loved than I do in his arms. And when he finally joins us together, making us one both physically and spiritually, I feel changed. It’s as if he shatters my past, breaking the binds that have kept me living in fear my entire life. His love brings me new life, and I know I’ll never fear intimacy again. Not from him. Not from any of my men. I am wholly a new woman.

When we’re finally both sated, we settle in his bed, me lying against his beautifully naked body, wrapped in his strong arms. He holds me tightly against him, content to simply revel in the afterglow with me.

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