Free Moon Kissed by Aline Hunter

probably afraid of what he might find. Michael’s profession of love was more than adequate.
    “It’s over,” she whispered.
    In two beats of her heart, she was turned and pushed against the counter. Wolfe caged her torso with his arms, her breasts flush against his chest. In a deft motion, he removed her glasses. His green eyes were no longer dark and leafy but the shade of bright, vivid emerald. The hands that cradled her jaw were feather light, the touch far gentler than she would have believed possible. His face was so close that his breath marked her lips.
    “Kiss me.”
    Resisting the allure of his eyes and voice was next to impossible. But she knew that the moment she submitted it was over. One kiss was all he needed. The rest would follow naturally. The attraction between them was undeniable. “We need to talk first. We hardly know one another.”
    Turning his head from side to side, he teased her nose with his. “We know each other better than you’re willing to admit. You know it too. This isn’t a minor dalliance that ends with us exchanging phone numbers and meeting for casual sexual encounters. Nothing else matters, only you and me. The rest is irrelevant.”
    His succulent scent seeped into her nostrils. The walls of her pussy spasmed and her nipples strained against her bra. She’d never smelled anything like him before. She took a deep breath, awash in the amazing fragrances. Clean and fresh but somewhat earthy, like he’d showered before he took a quick hike through the woods.
    “Arden?” Wolfe’s murmur sounded far away even though he was directly in front of her. “Are you okay, baby?”
    “I don’t even know why you were meeting with the vampyren,” she rasped and shook her head to clear her thoughts. “I don’t know if I can trust you.” Her eyes slid shut and she bit back a moan when he released her face and trailed his fingers down her arms, conscious of every nerve ending he touched. Desperate to find some measure of balance, she attempted to maintain a conversation. “If Taylor Martinson is a friend of yours, it’s going to be one hell of a problem for me.”
    “Look at me.”
    She opened her eyes and met his shifting, multihued irises. The green was darker along the edge, his pupils dilated. More of his luscious scent hit her like a punch to the solar plexus, making her want to wrap her arms around his neck and take him to the floor.
    “I am not a friend to any of the vampyren, nor to any of the Thymeria,” he said, gravity and seriousness heavy in his words. “I met with Taylor as a favor to Adam. Before he left the city on personal business, he asked me to take care of the pack. Dealing with the vampyren was strategic. Nothing more. There’s no love lost between us.”
    Wounding betrayal returned, like a knife slamming into vulnerable skin. She was so close to her goal. Her vow nearly fulfilled. “Why did you have to stop me? Why didn’t you just back off and let me finish what I’d started?”
    The hands at her wrists traveled up, until he cradled her face in each of his palms. “I didn’t know about you— about us . I reacted before someone got hurt.”
    “I won’t stop hunting them,” she informed him softly, resting her hands on his forearms. “Not until I kill the bastard I’m searching for.”
    “Why? You don’t need the money. Not anymore.” His thumb caressed her cheek. “You have me. From here on in I’m going to take care of you.”
    Smooth. Real smooth. Talk about making her knees weak. “It’s not about the money, it’s personal.” She wasn’t sure if she was ready to talk about Portia with him, so she didn’t. “You want to take care of me, do you? What did you have in mind?”
    His skin felt incredible, so warm and solid; the dark hair along the surface tickled the fleshy pad of her palms. She felt him quiver, and he thrust his hips, shoving his cock firmly against her. Once he got under her skin, she’d never find a way to get him