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  His words sounded like a declaration, or an oath of some kind, and Max opened her mouth to protest, but his lips fastened onto hers.

  All reasonable thought fled. Had he been demanding, she would have found the strength to resist him, but his lips were light as a feather against hers, giving instead of taking, and his touch was filled with tenderness, as if he cherished her. It was an assault on the heart as well as the body. When he tenderly ended the kiss, she didn’t know how she would ever find the strength to leave him.

  “I’m sorry, baby,” he soothed, resting his cheek atop her head and pulling her tighter into his embrace. “I know this thing between us frightens you, but I can’t let you leave. Your life is in danger.” When she remained silent, he swung her up into his arms and sat on the edge of the bed, cradling her as if she were an infant.

  “There’s a man searching for us. His name is Michael Tremont, and he’s one of the most powerful mages ever born. He is a master of the elements, a powerful weaver of spells. Unfortunately, he is also morally corrupt, and he plans to use his gifts to reshape the world to his liking. To him, mankind is little better than apes, and mages are the rightful rulers of Earth. I work for the Alliance of Others, which serves as a kind of policing agency among my people. It’s my job to stop Michael, and I’ve hunted him for months, never more than a step behind. But today he changed tactics. He attacked, hoping to kill my mate.”

  Max lifted her head to look at him. “I’m not your mate.”

  “Yes, you are,” Caleb said gently, brushing his lips against hers. “From the moment we met, you felt the connection, the desire to be with me. It’s called a mate bond, and the longer we’re together, the stronger the link will become. In time, we will be able to use it to communicate without words and, if we wish, share each other’s thoughts. We will always be able to sense the whereabouts of the other, and…we will always burn for each other.”

  Max shook her head. “It’s just pheromones. I’m not a part of your world, and I can never be.”

  “You will be. Both of us will have to make some adjustments, but I don’t doubt for a minute things will work out between us. I know you want to believe your attraction to me is a result of were pheromones, but what you’re experiencing, the intense sexual need, only happens when a strong match is made. There are things we can do to ease the burn, but we can’t join our bodies until the next full moon. It is a sacrament all weres fortunate enough to find their mates adhere to. It not only demonstrates to a mate his control over his wolf, but her acceptance of him in his moon-bound form is necessary to complete the mate bond. Once the sacrament is completed, my people believe the two are joined, in this life and the next.”

  Max pushed his hands away and stood up. “I don’t want to know any more. I waited tables and cleaned toilets to pay for college because I wanted a normal life with none of this.” She waved a hand in his direction. “But it’s happening anyway.”

  Filled with uncertainty, Max took a turn around the room, then walked over to the cabin’s only window and looked out. She needed to think clearly, to assess the situation rationally, but that seemed impossible when every moment was spent wrestling with the demands of her body. And now things had worsened.

  The thing buried inside her was no longer dormant. It was awake and totally focused on Caleb. It watched his every move, as if he was something it had always hoped for but never thought it would find. And that just couldn’t be right, because the one thing she knew for certain was that the thing inside her didn’t have wants or needs, it simply reflected whatever she was feeling.

  Caleb watched her closely, knowing she was in turmoil. The last couple of hours had been rough on her, and the next few days wouldn’t be much better. Theirs would be no gentle mating, and though he would never intentionally harm her, she was such a tiny thing. He only hoped when the time came, he would be more man than beast.

  He crossed the room to her, gently laid his hands on her shoulders, and massaged the knotted muscles of her neck. “It will be all right. I’ll make sure of that.”

  “Just stay away from me.” She shook off his hands and turned to face him. “Where are we anyway?”

  “In the mountains above the town of Haven. Few people know of this cabin, and those who do would never tell a soul.”

  “You sound so certain of that.”

  “I am. I built this cabin with my own hands. It’s safe and protected in ways you can’t imagine. You’ll just have to trust me.”

  A pointed look from her told him exactly what she thought of trusting him, and Caleb stifled a smile. His little spitfire was down but she wasn’t out. “How bad are you hurting, baby?”

  “I can handle it. You must have taken the brunt of the blast.”

  “But you’re achy, uncomfortable in your woman’s core?”

  Max held up a hand. “Drop it. I’m not going there.”

  “I can ease your need, Max, if you’ll let me.”

  “I’ll just bet you can, Sheriff McCain, but if you really want to help me, you’ll stay away from me.”

  “Caleb. I want you to use my Christian name.”

  “Fine, but listen up, Caleb. I’m not staying, and I’m not mating with you. Are we straight on that?”

  “You called to me.”

  “I never—”

  “You called to me. That’s why I was on that road.” At her disbelieving look, his eyes narrowed. “You did. You called to me. Do you think I usually give out traffic tickets? I went out on that highway because something deep inside of me told me I had to be there. That something or someone was waiting for me.” He moved closer to her. “Your need called to me.” He reached out and curved his hand around the nape of her neck, his head tilting toward her. “And no matter where I am, I will always come when you call.”

  He saw the fear and uncertainty in her eyes, and it tugged at his heart, but there was little he could do about it. In time, she would learn her fears were unfounded. Until then, he would cherish her and pray the solace of his body would be enough to keep her at his side.

  But to ease the demands of his wolf, he had to taste her again. Then he’d tell her all of it. How he believed she was the mage slayer foretold of in a six hundred-year-old prophesy. And that the strong sexual need she felt for him was only the beginning of a hunger that would bind them together in this life and the next. He’d tell her all of it, in just a little while, but first he’d ease her need…and his.

  He brushed his lips against hers, his tongue gently seeking entry, and she opened for him with a hot little moan. He deepened the kiss, drawing her tongue into his mouth, and the taste of her nearly drove him to his knees.

  Her legs began to tremble, and he lifted her into his arms, all the while tangling his tongue with hers in a dance of erotic delight. The kiss seemed to go on forever, and when he finally lifted his head to nibble along her throat, he knew it wouldn’t be enough.

  “Bathe with me,” he rasped, placing little kisses against the side of her neck. “I’m too close to the edge to give you the pleasure you deserve. A shower will slow things down a bit.

  She nodded, looking up at him with passion-glazed eyes, and Caleb growled his approval. He was were. And his woman was about to find out exactly what kind of wolf she’d mated.

  Chapter Four

  Max couldn’t believe what was happening. The man was a god damned werewolf and had a whopper of an erection tenting the front of his sweatpants. Yet, here she was, calmly letting him carry her off to the shower! Maybe she was crazy, or maybe she was drunk on pheromones. But she wanted this. She wanted him. More than anything she’d ever wanted in her life.

  Inside the bathroom he set her on her feet and stripped her, tearing her panties in the process.

  “Hey!” Max gasped. “What am I supposed to wear later?”

  “Nothing.” He dropped to his knees and buried his face against her abdomen, breathing deep, and making Max want to run. “I love the way you smell.”

  Max t
ried to think of some sort of comeback to that, but it was impossible. And then he sat back on his heels and slowly let his heated gaze roam up her body. She wanted to snatch the towel off the rack and cover her body, shield it from him. She’d never been happy with her body, but when his gaze slowly moved upward and connected with hers, and she saw the blatant hunger in his eyes, she felt truly beautiful for the first time in her life.

  “You take my breath away. You’re perfect, in every way.”

  When her attention fell on the ever-enlarging bulge in the front of his sweatpants, unease blossomed in her gut. God, how big was it going to get?

  Max swallowed around the lump in her throat and slowly lifted her eyes to his. “Caleb, you do know that I’m human, with a human-sized you-know-what?”

  He laughed softly, clearly reading her fears. “It’ll fit, baby. Just leave everything to me.” He stood then and took her by the arm, intent on pulling her into the shower, but Max resisted.

  “Wait,” she squeaked, trying to pull away from him. “Can we talk?”

  “Later.” He lifted her against his chest, knocking the air from her lungs, and stepped into the shower. “We’ve got a fire to douse, and the longer we wait, the bigger it’s going to get.”

  Max didn’t like the sound of that. It was already plenty big. She wanted the big guy—no scratch that, want was too tame a word. She craved the big guy. But she wasn’t suicidal.

  Max tried to wiggle out of his arms, but he held her firmly against him with one hand as he adjusted the shower knob with the other.

  “That feels good, doesn’t it?” he asked as a lukewarm spray of water washed over them. “We both needed to cool down a bit.”

  “Especially you,” Max said, giving him a cheeky grin. “For a while there I thought you were trying to grow a third leg.”

  “I can’t help what you do to me.” He bent his head and placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Just try and relax.”

  “Okay, but I still don’t think it’s going to fit.”

  Caleb closed his eyes and groaned. “Baby, your mate is holding on to his self control by a thread. Talk like that doesn’t help.”

  “Oh, so now it’s my fault you’re hung like a horse?” Max mocked. She pushed against his chest, and he released her. “And don’t start that stuff again.”

  Caleb raised an eyebrow in question and snagged a bar of soap off the shower caddy. “Start what stuff again?” he asked, soaping his hands. “My mind’s a little muddled right now. Can’t expect a man to think clearly when the woman of his dreams is flashing her goodies at him.”

  Max wasn’t buying his innocent act, and when he reached for her, she slapped his hand away. “I mean it. Don’t start that mate stuff again. Sex is, well, sex. We’re going to have sex. I want it. You want it. We’ll deal with all that other stuff later. And stop that.” She slapped his big hand away again, this time as he reached for her breast. “I can wash myself.” She pointed a finger at his massive erection. “Your job is to get that down to human size.”

  Caleb grunted. “I’m not sure what you think human size is, but you were made for me. Whatever I’m packing, you can handle.” He reached for her again, and a wave of pheromones hit her nostrils. She dropped all pretenses of resistance and melted into his arms.

  “That’s it,” he murmured, running his soapy hands over her body. “Let me take care of you. You don’t have to do a thing.” His hands left her back and moved lower to wash her bottom, cupping and kneading until Max had to lock her knees to remain standing.

  “You have a beautiful ass.” He palmed a butt cheek in each of his hands. “So soft and just the right size for a man to hold on to when he’s deep inside you. And these little beauties…” He slid his hands around to cup her breast. “…are just begging for attention.”

  Max closed her eyes and arched into his touch. “Caleb, I…need—”

  “I know what you need.” He moved a soaped hand down to cup her mons. “I know exactly what you need.”

  Caleb’s calloused finger eased into her slick folds, and she bit down hard to keep from moaning with pleasure, but she couldn’t stop from moving desperately against his hand, seeking and finding a measure of relief. Yet it wasn’t enough. She needed more, and when he pulled his hand away to draw her into his arms, she cried out in frustration.

  “I knew the moment I saw you it would be like this,” he rasped against her ear. “So much passion in such a small package.”

  He rained hot kisses over her face and neck, and Max rubbed her body against his, shameless in her need.

  “Touch me, baby. Show me how much you want me.”

  Wanting to give him a measure of the pleasure he had given her, Max smiled and ran her hand boldly over the front of his soaked sweats, slowly measuring the length and width of him with her fingers, secretly pleased at the fierce evidence of his need for her.

  With a knowing little smile, Max gripped the waistband of his sweatpants and tugged them downward, freeing his thick erection. His cock sprang free, rising from a nest of crisp dark hair to arch upward against washboard abs. It was a mouth-watering display of potent masculinity, and it was all hers.

  Christmas in July. And it was the best gift she’d ever gotten!

  Caleb guided her hands, his expression harsh with need. “Touch me. No place is off limits.”

  Max took him at his word and moved one hand down to gently squeeze his sac, while her other hand caressed the pulsing vein running along its length. A dewy drop of pre-cum formed on the glistening head, and Max looked up, allowing him to see the wicked little smile playing about her lips.

  “God help me,” Caleb groaned. “She’s found her woman’s power, and I’m in for it now.” He cupped the side of her face. “Just tell me you want this as badly as I do. Say it, baby. I need to hear it.”

  “You know I do,” Max admitted, embarrassed by her need but determined to be honest. “I barely know you, but nothing has ever felt so right.”

  Caleb smiled, clearly pleased by her admission, before he turned her swiftly, and embracing her from behind, pulled her body back against his. “Put your hands against the wall,” he commanded. “Yes, like that,” he encouraged as Max obeyed him. “Now lift your leg onto the rim of the tub.” When Max did as he asked, he pulled her lower body tighter into his, tucking her bottom against his groin. “Spread your thighs wider. Open for me, baby. Let me show you how good we can be together.”

  He moved a hand over her mons, slowly trailing his fingers repeatedly through the crisp hairs at the junction of her thighs. Max twisted against him, frustrated that he didn’t do more, and he chuckled against her ear.

  “You’re a demanding little thing.” He pushed the tip of his finger inside her, and her body clenched tightly. “Sloppy wet and so tight. Soon—very soon—I’m going to spread those pretty brown thighs and lap up every drop of your sweet cream. Would you like that? To have my mouth on you?”

  Max closed her eyes and moaned, and he chuckled.

  “I think that’s a yes.”

  “Could you just shut up and give me what I want?” Max grumbled. “I’m burning up!”

  “Yes ma’am,” he said, nuzzling her neck. “But you’re not going to call the shots. We’re going to take it slow and easy. I won’t risk hurting you.”

  Desperate with need, Max reached between her legs and, before he could stop her, took hold of his cock. She attempted to impale herself on him, but her aim was slightly off. She got the reaction she sought, however, when his length slid between her slick folds.

  He roared, pumping his hips against her buttocks as his fingers stroked and squeezed her clit.

  Max pushed down against his hand, grinding against him, but it wasn’t enough. She tried again to take him into her body, but he easily evaded her hand. Max was embarrassingly close to begging him to take her, when he flicked his thumb over her clit and sent her careening over the edge. A second later Caleb roared again as he found his release.

 
; When she finally floated back to earth, Caleb’s arms were wrapped around her, her head resting against his chest, and the cooling spray from the shower raining down over her body.

  “Damn it, babe,” Caleb moaned, reaching around her to turn off the shower. “You damn near drove me to my knees. Thank God the next full moon is only hours away, because I don’t think I’ll be able to resist you much longer.” He pulled a towel off the rack and rubbed her down, spending so much time drying between her legs that Max snatched the towel out of his hand and rolled her eyes at him.

  “Just thought I’d lend a hand by helping you dry those hard-to-reach places,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. “I want you to know I’m not going to be one of those guys who have problems helping around the house.”

  “Looks like you’re doing more to help yourself.” She flicked her gaze at his groin, indicating his once again growing erection. “Does it have an Off switch?”

  He grinned and pulled her into his arms. “One of the perks of being were, babe. Recovery time is short. And since we still have several hours before the moon is in the right position for mating, we might as well spend it—”

  “Driving each other crazy with need?” Max said dryly.

  “I know it sucks, babe.” He placed a soft kiss in the palm of her hand before guiding it to his groin. “And since it’s all my fault, I deserve to be punished.”

  Max arched an eyebrow at him in feigned innocence. “Caleb, are you asking me to…uh…spank the monkey…again?”

  Caleb groaned dramatically and pressed her hand against his cock. “God, I love a woman who knows how to talk dirty. You were definitely made for me.”

  Max shook her head in denial but closed her fingers around him. “You’re bad, Caleb. Really bad. You leave me no choice but to beat the bad out of you. And then I’ll have to lick you clean, just to make sure I get all the bad out.”