Free Alpha Wolf: Black Mesa Wolves #2 (Werewolf Shifter Paranormal Romance) by J.K. Harper

damned her uncontrollable physical responses to him.
    “Hi,” he said.
    Just the word, low and rolling of his tongue like melted
sugar sweetened with honey, hardened her nipples and made a shambles of her
thought process. The happy wolf rolling in ecstasy in her mind didn't help
matters.
    “Ah...hi.” Why did being around him make her sound
simple-minded?
    He waited. She took in the broad chest spreading out his
t-shirt, the hard muscles nicely filling his jeans, the sharp plane of his
cheeks, the lips that had kissed her senseless. Her knees felt slightly weak.
Warmth flooded between her thighs and her clit tightened.
    Holy crap. She had to get this out, say it well, and do it
fast.
    “Rafe.” She took a deep breath. The mid-morning smells of
pine forest, her own post-run tang, and the intoxicating scent of the male wolf
standing mere feet away suffused her senses. “I've been avoiding you.”
    He raised one eyebrow and nodded his head in a brief dip.
But he said nothing, leaving it up to her to fill in the blank space between
them.
    Her heart beat in an erratic rhythm. She took another breath
to center herself and plunged on.
    “I really enjoyed what happened in the hot springs.” Wow.
That was stellar. “I mean, it felt great. It was great. It was hot.”
    Rafe kept looking at her. His expression still have nothing
away, but Sara thought she could see a darkening in his eyes. She didn't blame
him if he was getting irritated by her bumbling attempt to speak her truth. She
was irritated with herself.
    She shoved a hand through her hair, letting her fingers
scrape over her head in a mini-massage. “Look. Rafe, I'm really attracted to
you.” Cue flaming cheeks. “But I can't do it again.”
    He finally spoke. “And why would that be, Sara?”
    She detected an edge in his usually calm voice. When she
answered, her own shook just a little bit.
    “Because I need something I can't get from you.” Her own
blunt honesty startled her. Rafe still just stood there, looking at her. His
expression now granite hard, he waited. Swallowing, she followed the leading
edge of her admission. “Rafe. You're son of the Alpha, in line to be alpha
yourself one day. I'm a good Guardian for the Pack”—pride lifted her words—“but
I have to prove myself in a way you never did. And I really want to.”
    She heard the longing in her own voice and blinked back a
sudden prickling at her eyelids. A breeze rustled the grasses just starting to
peek out from the ground and lifted strands of her hair to tickle at her face.
“I'm finally ready to prove myself really worthy of this pack, and— ”
    “What are you talking about?” The words erupted from the
golden wolf in front of her with a force that jerked her head back a little. His
face darkened with emotion, although she wasn't sure exactly what emotion it
was. “Sara, you are more than worthy of this pack. You're a Guardian!”
    Sara's wolf sat with the same startled attention in her mind
at this abruptly spirited Rafe.
    “You are, and always have been, an asset to the Black Mesa
Wolf Pack.” Rafe's fierce voice sliced through the air with adamant conviction.
“You're one of the most confident wolves, one of the most confident women, I've
ever known. How in the hell can you doubt yourself?
    Mouth hanging open, hands dangling nerveless at her sides
from surprise, Sara still couldn't answer. Even if she'd been able to form
articulate words, Rafe wasn't done yet.
    “I believe in you, Sara. So does the Alpha. Why else do you
think he put us on patrol together? Why else do you think I'd trust you with my
life? Because you're very good at what you do. And you care about every member
of this pack.” His eyes had definitely darkened, along with his tone. “You are
exuberant, playful, fun-loving—”
    “That's the problem!” Her words sprang from a well of
personal criticism she hadn't quite realized ran so deep. “I'm the good time
girl. I laugh, I have fun, I make everyone