Zander gave her a look that said he’d see her soon. She nodded, letting him know she was done running. Personally, she still found it baffling that he seemed so attracted to her, but she wasn’t going to fight it. A girl had to eat.
Upstairs, Gwen took a long, refreshing shower, trying to ignore the giddy flutters in her stomach. It wasn’t easy. She could honestly say that she’d never been giddy at the prospect of sex before. Enthusiastic, yeah, but not giddy.
Maybe it was because Zander was a shifter, and she knew she was about to experience something wholly new. Maybe it was because he wasn’t a virtual stranger to her—she didn’t know him, true, but she also didn’t have the emotional distance from him that she liked to keep between her and her partners. He’d been doing his best to eat up that distance, to get to know her. While part of her panicked at that, another part of her liked it . . . mostly because not many outside her foster family had ever cared to really know her.
Once she’d finished her shower, she stepped out of the stall and wrapped a lush towel around herself. After towel-drying her hair and dragging a brush through it, she walked into the bedroom. And stopped dead. Sitting on the edge of her bed, like he belonged there, was Zander.
Her stomach bottomed out. He looked . . . hungry. Ravenous, even. And so completely out of her league. Yet, he was here. For her. And as he stared at her like a predator measuring its prey, her mouth dried up and her nipples tightened.
She cleared her throat. “I locked that door.” Which meant he had lock-picking skills. She’d have to note that for future reference.
He slowly leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs. “Drop the towel.” It was a soft, rumbly command, and the sheer power and authority in it almost made her jump.
Gwen swallowed. Wow. He’d switched all his natural intensity on full blast, and the room suddenly seemed too small. Too hot.
“Drop the towel, Gwen,” he ordered, his tone low, deep, almost hypnotic; it also brooked no argument. There was a glint in his gaze that could only be described as dangerous. There was also the promise of something more there. The promise of a sense of satisfaction that she’d probably never experience from one of her own kind. All she had to do was drop the towel.
It would be hard to do that, since she sort of had a death grip on it. Why? Because she sensed now that taking this further would mean handing a good deal of control over to Zander. She wasn’t good with that. But wouldn’t it be nice to let go for a little while? Everything had been so tense lately, so serious; she wouldn’t mind a little escapism.
Her heart stuttered as he rose from the bed and slowly began to stalk toward her. He had this cool, dominant, forceful energy going on that made everything in her stand up and pay attention. Heat and intensity drummed at her skin as he came to stand before her.
His finger traced the edge of the towel, breezing over the swell of her breasts. “I want to know what’s under this towel. Show me, baby.”
Pushing all self-conscious thoughts aside, she loosened the towel. Approval glinted in his eyes. And when the towel dropped to the floor, those eyes raked over every inch of her, smoldering and glittering with a raw, powerful need that made her breathing deepen.
A growl seemed to vibrate in his chest. “Beautiful.”
Um, no, she wasn’t. Never would be.
He skimmed his nose along her jaw, breathing her in. “And mine to play with.” His eyes tracked his movements as he drew his fingers along her skin, tracing and shaping her, hands lingering on every curve just to tease her.
Honestly, Gwen wouldn’t have expected such a light, noninvasive touch to rev her engines. It was like her skin was supersensitive. She was hot. Edgy. Needed more. And when his hands slid down to lightly cup her ass, she arched into him. “Zander—”
His mouth landed on hers. He didn’t devour her like he had the night before. The kiss was soft. Sensual. Almost leisurely. But even as he sipped from her mouth, Gwen felt his need hammering at her. Somehow, he was keeping it in check. She didn’t want that. She was human, but she wasn’t made of porcelain.
Gwen caught his lip with her teeth, not biting but holding it captive. She slowly pulled back, letting his lip slide between her teeth. Hey, she liked to play too. A growl rumbled out of him, and his fingers bit into her ass. Then he was kissing her again. There was nothing sweet or gentle about it this time. Awesome. She sifted her fingers through his hair, raking his scalp with her nails, as she kissed him back. His hands seemed to be everywhere, driving her insane.
Releasing her mouth with a nip to her lower lip, Zander moved to stand behind her, admiring the sleek line of her back and her perfect ass. Like last night when he’d kissed her, his wolf had withdrawn, but he wasn’t growling any objections.
Pressing his front to her back, Zander roughly fisted her damp hair and snatched her head back. Her soft gasp shot to his cock, which was already full and heavy. He put his mouth to her ear. “Who’s my baby?”
Gwen swallowed. His hot breath on her ear gave her the chills.
“Who, Gwen?”
“Me.” She shivered at his low growl of approval.
“That’s right. And do you know what I want my baby to do?” He closed his hand possessively around her breast and thumbed her nipple. “I want her to come for me.”
Well, Gwen was sure it wouldn’t take much for that to happen. She’d always had a quick trigger, and she was already wet and aching.
He let her hair slide through his fingers and released her breast. “On the bed.” Zander watched as she walked to the bed and then smoothly slid onto the mattress. “That’s my girl.” Crossing to her, he leaned his upper body over her, planting his fists on either side of her head. “I told you I’d have you under me tonight.”
She licked her lower lip. “So you did.”
Zander noticed that she hadn’t spread her thighs. She wasn’t submitting just yet. Good. He liked a little defiance.
He found his eyes drawn to the bite on her neck, felt his cock throb at the mere sight of it. His eyes dropped farther, drinking in the sight of her breasts. “So pretty.”
Gwen sighed happily as he licked and sucked at her nipple, sending little electric jolts to her pussy. She slid her hands over the solid bulk of his shoulders, luxuriating in the attention he lavished on her breasts . . . until she felt the edge of his teeth. “No marking this time.”
He cupped one breast. “But I like biting down on this soft skin.”
“Then just don’t bite too hard.” She moaned as he sucked her nipple back into his mouth and then flicked it with his tongue. He pinched her other nipple, and she hissed at the double assault, digging her nails into his shoulders through his shirt.
“Harder.”
Knowing his skin was tougher than hers, she gave him what he wanted and dug her nails in harder. He thrust his cock against her folds, bumping her clit. Fuck, that was good. She didn’t mind the friction from the denim of his jeans. She did mind that his teeth grazed her nipple again. “Teeth,” she reprimanded.
Zander licked his way to the side of her breast. Pinning her gaze with his, he bit down hard. She jerked, hissing. He swirled his tongue over the mark to soothe it. “I told you that you’d be my toy.”
She might have balked a little at the word “toy,” but he’d said it softly and with . . . affection. A possessive affection. Instead of making her feel disrespected or degraded, the word gave her a thrill.