Free Mark of the Wolf by T. L. Shreffler

her.
    But more time passed, and nothing
happened.
    The silence grew until finally she shifted,
glancing around the cabin. Her eyes widened once again.
    “ Gareth?”
    Naked?
    One look at his broad, tan back, rippling
with muscle, and she turned her face away, cheeks flaming. She had
seen the top of his firm butt from where he was crouched on the
other side of the couch. She couldn’t get the damned vision out of
her head even though her eyes were closed. She had seen the tattoo
on his upper arms too, stretching along the top of his back, an
intricate design over his shoulders. Her fingers itched – she
wanted to trace the patterns.
    “ You were late,” he said.
    She bit her lip; thank god he was on time.
Her relief was immense. She had half expected him to leave, despite
his promises. Why should she expect anything more from a
stranger?
    “ Uh… can I look now?” she said, still
blushing like mad.
    “ If you want,” he murmured.
    She peeked open an eye and glanced in his
direction, then clamped her eyes shut again. “Oh my god,
Gareth!”
    He chuckled. It was the sexiest sound on
earth.
    She couldn’t help it; she cracked a smile
too, thinking of the entire situation. Her destroyed cabin, her
missing stepfather, two dead half-wolf creatures in her living
room, and now her rescuer standing naked behind the couch. Not to
mention her throbbing head wound. All of a sudden the whole thing
seemed rather funny. A hysterical giggle fought its way up her
throat and escaped her lips, high-pitched to her own ears. She
giggled again. Then all of a sudden she started laughing, and she
couldn’t stop, couldn’t control it. She didn’t know if she was
about to cry or what.
    “ Shh,” Gareth’s voice again. She could
feel his heat before he even knelt next to her, and she buried her
head against her knees, She couldn't look at him, even though she
wished he would come closer. His leg brushed hers, and she felt the
familiar roughness of jeans.
    “ You’re okay,” he said quietly, his
hand going to her head, running through her hair and then gently
over the area where her bandage was. “Everything’s
fine.”
    “ Everything is not fine!” she shrieked, startling herself
with her own voice. “There are two dead – dead – things in my living room,
and if my dad comes home and sees this… oh god, he’s going to kill
me.” He really would kill her, she knew it. “And you – you – what
the fuck?” Her eyes opened and she looked at him, a light going on
in her head. “Was that you? ”
    He was still shirtless, his tattoos
stretching down his muscular, broad shoulders, swirling over one
side, above his heart. She ignored it now and stared at him, his
jade-green eyes and black hair, which fell wild and free around his
face in loose waves. It had a slightly damp look, like he had just
ran very hard and was sweating. His face looked somehow strained.
Her gaze caught as she stared at his hair and suddenly she felt her
stomach clench, her belly squirm and her crotch grow warm. Her
nipples hardened. He looked incredible.
    But there was blood all over him.
    He didn’t answer her question, just continued
to watch her carefully, which was answer enough. Maddy’s eyes
widened and she scooted away, fear mingling with her inexplicable
arousal.
    “ Oh my god… it was you! But how – what
– what were those things? What the hell? Wait, and then last night, with the wolf… oh
my god….”
    He reached forward with one hand as though to
stroke her arm, but she flinched away, scooting even farther from
his grasp. “Stay away from me!” she shrieked.
    His eyes darkened. She couldn’t tell what he
was feeling, only that it made her stomach twist. It was a
dangerous look, one that left her heart pounding and her lips dry.
Mmm lips. Suddenly she couldn’t stop looking at his. She couldn’t
tell what she wanted – her mind was screaming at her to run, but
her body was so turned on that she wasn’t even sure if she