Free White Wolf 2: The Call of a Soul by Jianne Carlo

was. Reality thundering on the door. “I can’t. I need to be there when my mother gets home from the casino.”
    “What time’s that?”
    “Nine. She worked the graveyard shift last night. Then I have work at the clinic this evening.”
    “It’s almost nine already.”
    “No—it can’t be.” She pushed off him, distracted for a few seconds by the ripple of ridged pectoral muscles beneath her palms. Then a panic wave formed a huge obstruction in her throat. She had to get out of there. “We’ve been here for three hours? We did that for three hours?”
    Her cheeks caught fire at the lazy smile he wore.
    “Not quite, we’ve been cuddling for about forty-five minutes.”
    Melanie wanted to pinch herself. With his inky hair tousled, the smoldering heat radiating from those flinty eyes, and that wicked grin making her belly go all fluttery, it felt like a fantasy. One she didn’t want to be jerked out of, not yet, anyway.
    “Oh.” His cock flexed inside of her, and she couldn’t help glancing at their joined bodies. Wow.
    He sat up, cradling her back with one hand, and gave her a quick kiss. “I’m here for the duration, Melanie Frances White. And I intend to counter every objection you can muster. I play to win, and I always stack the odds in my favor.”
    That made her crotchety for some odd reason. “Whatever. The fact is that I have responsibilities and I need to get home. Pronto.”
    “Too bad. I was looking forward to our first shower together.” He grinned at her, a cocky I’m-an-alpha smirk she yearned to reply to in kind. “But I guarantee you that that’s going to involve a whole lotta hot water and at least two hours. You shower in here. I’ll shower outside. We’ll grab a quick bite somewhere, and then I’ll drop you home.”
    Before she could utter a protest, he disengaged, scooped her into his arms, and strode through a doorway she hadn’t noticed before. “I’m guessing you like your showers steamy?”
    He slid open the stall door and turned on the water.
    She flinched when his erection nudged at her thighs, glanced down at the ruby crown poking between her legs, and then back to him.
    He shrugged. “What can I say? You turn me on. Steamy?”
    “Steamy,” she agreed when his stare didn’t waver.
    “Steamy, it is.” He set her down on the tiles before the open stall and fiddled with the knobs, then tested the water. “Steamy, as ordered.”
    Melanie knew she blushed from head to toe when she worked up the nerve to walk into the shower under his piercing scrutiny. She quickly closed the door and watched until he disappeared before grabbing the soap.
    She made quick work of showering and drying off, deliberately didn’t look at her reflection in the mirror, and wrapped the big towel around her body. Her knees buckled, and she leaned against the door. Glanced at the roof and prayed for a miracle. Prayed that she hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of her life.

Chapter Five
    Melanie needed space.
    The bitter taint of fear had smothered her unique scent, and he knew the second she’d regretted making love to him. Mike headed outside to the shower by the lake. The ice in the wind didn’t cool the heat waves still radiating from his body.
    Virgin.
    He hadn’t expected that. Not after all these years. Not after she admitted to having a birth-control implant.
    His dick hardened, and Mike glanced down and halted in midlope. Two streaks of blood stained his greedy cock. Only the shit-eating grin claiming his mouth prevented a long, victorious howl.
    His. All his.
    He backtracked, grabbed a clean cloth from the tool shed, carefully wiped the evidence of her purity from his aching boner, and growled when he spread the rag. The evidence of their first mating imprinted in his memory cells like a brain tattoo.
    Mate.
    He crushed the fabric, debated for a half breath, surrendered to his alpha, and buried his nose in the cloth. For long moments he savored her unique Melanie musk. After