Free Wolf on the Run: Salvation Pack, Book 3 by N.J. Walters

teasing him. That was a fantasy he wanted the opportunity to explore. But if that ever stood a chance of happening, he first needed to get her to trust him with her body.
    He cupped her face and held her immobile while he plundered her mouth until they were both breathless. He released her and sucked air into his starving lungs. Her lips were swollen and damp from his kiss. Her gray eyes were luminous and slightly red from her tears. She looked so good he had to kiss her again. And again.
    She gripped his shoulders, and he felt the bite of her nails through the fabric of his shirt. He wanted her hands on his bare flesh. He reared back long enough to rip the T-shirt over his head and toss it aside.
    Cherise went still beneath him, like a small animal who felt threatened by a much larger predator. Cole cursed himself for going too fast, for expecting too much from her.
    Then she placed her hands on his chest, and Cole held himself immobile as she explored. She traced her fingers along the line of his pectoral muscles and then inward to his nipples. He groaned when she lightly flicked them. Then she sifted her fingers through the light covering of chest hair.
    He groaned and his entire body tensed. If her hands felt this good on his chest, what would they feel like wrapped around his dick? It was a question he prayed to have answered. And soon.
    “I want you, Cherise.” Maybe he would be better off simply overwhelming her senses and making love to her. It would certainly be more beneficial for him to establish a physical bond while her defenses were weakened than to try to do so once she had a chance to reestablish them. But he realized he didn’t want her to have any regrets, to feel as though he’d coerced or taken advantage of her. Cole didn’t want anything to taint this special moment.
    She swallowed hard, her slender throat rippling. Her nostrils flared and the pupils of her eyes expanded. She was aroused. Of that there was no doubt. Her sweet perfume blended with the more powerful musk pouring off his body, creating a unique scent that was driving him mad with need.
    “I can walk away now and leave you alone. You’re safe here no matter what.” It occurred to him that she might feel as though she had to sleep with him in order to be safe. That idea left him cold and his erection deflated.
    The longer Cherise went without saying anything, the more he suspected he’d been right to have concerns. Cole started to roll away, but she stopped him. She curled her fingers around the outer part of his biceps. “Cole?”
    He shook his head. “I want you, Cherise. But I don’t want you to feel as though you have to do this. I’ll protect you whether you sleep with me or not.” He wanted that fact made very clear.
    “I know.” She sighed and rubbed her hand over his upper arm. “I’m confused about a lot of things right now.”
    “I know.” He was a bastard to pressure her like this.
    “But there’s one thing I’m sure of.” She sat up, wrapped her hand around the back of his head and tugged him closer. He went easily, letting her guide him where she would.
    She kissed him this time. It was soft and tentative, but it was real. His erection sprang to life as desire surged through him once again. Cherise wanted him.
    Cole moaned and took control of the kiss. Her lips were so sweet, so soft. He could kiss her all day long. But there was so much more to explore. He wanted to touch and taste every part of her. He wanted to hear her sigh with pleasure. But most of all, he wanted to hear her scream his name when she came.
    His cock flexed in agreement. He shifted slightly, trying to ease the discomfort of his tight jeans, but it didn’t help. Nothing would except being buried in Cherise’s warmth.
    Cole reached for the buttons on her shirt. He liked the fact she was wearing a piece of his clothing. It gave him a primitive thrill to have his woman wrapped in something that belonged to him.
    His wolf howled inside him,