Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 108368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108368 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 542(@200wpm)___ 433(@250wpm)___ 361(@300wpm)
Derren laughed. “Like the idea that everyone can see how hard you come for me? Yeah, part of me does. But it’s not something I’d ever let happen.” He spoke into her ear as he discreetly pinched her nipple just shy of pain. “No one gets to see what you look like when you come but me.” He punctuated that with a sharp tug on her neglected nipple.
She moaned inwardly when his mouth latched onto her pulse and sucked. “That’ll change fast if you don’t stop touching and teasing me right now.”
“I’ll stop before you can come.”
Little bastard. “If you do that I’ll fake an orgasm in front of all these people so they can see just what I look like when I have one.”
He bit her jaw. “Hey, don’t you ever fake orgasms with me.”
She huffed. “I don’t get why guys get so pissed when girls do that. Hell, your gender can fake an actual relationship.”
His mouth twitched into a smile. “Oh, you’re getting all huffy and snippy.”
“I’m snippy pretty often.”
“It’s true that, emotionally, that’s your basic setting.”
“Why are you saying that with approval?”
“I like that you’re prickly, because you’re hot when you get all flustered. Even more so when you’re angry.” Seeing her worked up just made him want to fuck her until she was boneless and relaxed in his arms—and he often did. “I also like that I know what’s under that testy, impatient exterior.”
He would bet that many people would be surprised to find a great deal of softness and emotional insecurity under Ally’s tough surface. The fact that he saw sides of her no one else saw, that she let herself be open and, in effect, vulnerable around him . . . it gratified and humbled him and his wolf.
“Just like I know what’s under your serious, secretive, and relatively intolerant exterior.”
“Yeah?” He arched a brow. “And what’s that?”
“You have an unexpected playful streak.” He fussed over Willow sometimes but never enough so that people could see past his solemn surface. “You can be quite a relaxing person to be around when you haven’t got your guard up. And you’ve got an amazing singing voice. But don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
“It’s not amazing.”
“Oh, and there’s that too.”
“What?”
“You’re quite shy when it comes to revealing your talents.”
Derren nipped the tip of her ear, making her release a low yelp. “You really shouldn’t tease me, baby. Not unless you want a repeat of last night.”
Quietly, she hissed. “You spank my ass ever again and I’ll—”
“Love it, just like you did last night.” He chuckled at her snarl. “Hmm. It seems I have to prove it.” And he did exactly that later that evening . . . which earned him a rake of her claws to his chest. The brand did nothing but satisfy him.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
You son of a bitch!”
Derren’s eyes snapped open. Looming over the hammock, his face twisted with incredulity and anger, was a very familiar male wolf—and the last person Derren would have expected to see. Three other faces stared down at Derren, curious and grim.
Ally shot upright, almost tipping over the hammock. “Fuck. What are you all doing here?”
“What’s he doing wrapped around you?” demanded Cain, fists clenched, his chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. This was going to be bad, Derren knew. A battle between him and Cain was inevitable, since the fact that he and Ally were mated wouldn’t placate Cain much.
She raised her hands as she said softly, “Let’s just all stay calm.”
“Calm?” echoed Cain disbelievingly. “Calm?”
“Yeah, that would be good. Why didn’t you call ahead of time to let us know you were coming? Uncle Wyatt,” she growled at a shifter who clearly went for the cowboy look, “stop snarling at Derren.”
“This is the guy you asked to protect her?” Wyatt asked Cain, his voice bland. “Hmm. I think he might have taken the bodyguard role a little too literally.”
The second male, looking like he belonged on a GQ cover with his Armani suit and gelled hair, regarded Ally curiously. “You have a thing for Betas or something? I mean, you were with the Collingwood Beta not so long ago. And now you’re involved with this asshole.”
“Dan has a point, Ally,” said the third—and seriously muscular—male. Hell, he was even bigger than Dante. “Well, Cain, your worry about this guy’s bias against Seers was unnecessary. He seems very . . . close to our Ally.”
“Don’t make this worse,” Ally hissed at the mountain of muscle.
Wyatt nodded. “She’s right, Brad. We don’t want Cain getting more worked up than he already is. Besides, Ally’s a grown woman—if she wants to get involved with a wolf who took advantage of his friend’s trust, that’s her business.”
Oh, these males were good. Derren could tell that they obviously wanted Cain to be totally riled and were doing their best to get him all worked up. And that was exactly what he was.