Free Terr5tory by Susan Bliler Page A

button on her jeans.  He undid the snap and slid the zipper down, ignoring the sudden tightness in the front of his pants.  Looking up, his eyes collided with hers.  Honeyed amber and dark determination swirled in the depths of his eyes, with flashes of hazel lightening sparking as he worked his jaw.  His thumbs looped on the inside of the material and he slid his hands around to her hips before he started to push down.

Chapter 11
    Eleanor’s heartrate had accelerated exponentially.  Already agitated from her encounter in the woods, she didn’t think her heart could take any more excitement, but she was wrong.  Delano was inching her pants down and she wanted to protest, but knew it’d sound silly.  She was injured and needed to be looked at, but that didn’t mean the Alpha had to be the one to look after her.
    “Delano, I can manage.”  She placed her hands on his and attempted to shove his away, but he didn’t let go.  Looking up she was startled to see his expression had changed.  He was studying her with a look she couldn’t quite place.
    “Delano?” he asked in a husky voice.
    Eleanor swallowed hard.  Shit!   She’d forgotten protocol and called the Alpha by his first name.  Licking her lips only served to draw his attention there and she quickly sputtered, “I…  Sorry.  Forgive me…I didn’t…” She let the words trail off as a wave of exhaustion suddenly swept over her.  She’d fought hard against the males who attacked her, and racing back to the pack compound had been even more difficult considering she was injured.
    “Hey!  Easy.” Delano’s tone softened as he eased her back to a sitting position on the bed then forced her to lay back.  She fought him at first, but knew the action was improper, not to mention she lacked the strength to keep the Alpha from putting her where he wanted her.
    Lying on her back staring up at him, Eleanor’s body was tense.  Unsure what to do with them, she curled her hands into fists, then released them only to repeat the action a second time.  When Delano placed a knee on the bed near her hip and crawled over her, she knew she’d go deaf from the loud thumping of her heart.  Her stupid wolf mistook the situation and Delano’s action and instantly released sex pheromones that wafted into the room, indicating to the male wolf hovering over her that she was not only available for breeding, but very interested. 
    Delano’s eyes cut to hers and she felt herself blush before turning her head to look away.  It was a mistake.  She heard Delano inhale sharply, and she jerked her head back around, refusing to look at him.  She’d just sent out pheromones and bared her throat while on her back.  It was more than a sign of submission.  It was an invitation.
    “Alpha, I’m sorry.  My injury has my wolf seeking a protector,” she partially lied.  Yes, her wolf was looking for a protector, but the woman wanted one as well.  She wanted him.  “I’m….” she struggled to sit up as she explained.  “Not well.” 
    The words spurned Delano into action.  Strong hands gripped her shoulders and kept her pinned to the bed before sliding down her frame to the opening of her jeans.  Then she felt material slowly tearing.  He was trying to get her jeans off without the need to slide them over her wound.  Her thoughts instantly went to her panties.  Oh God!  What did I wear today?   Her eyes rounded as she stared up at the ceiling, screaming internally.  “Nooooooo!”   The arrival of the Alpha had her taking up new habits.  One of which being her sudden fondness for lacy lingerie and previously boycotted thong underwear.  The first time she’d tried to wear them she’d found them to be hideously uncomfortable, but something had changed in the past few weeks. On a whim she’d bought several new pairs that were so delicate they felt like she was wearing a mere whisper of lace.  Today, she’d opted for a lacy red pair.