Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24037 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 120(@200wpm)___ 96(@250wpm)___ 80(@300wpm)
Drake chuckled a little, himself. “Let the Witches’ Coven deal with him. If anyone can straighten him out, they can.”
“And Hazel?” Jake’s softly stated question rang in Drake’s ears. What was he going to do with Hazel?
“I’ll think of something.”
“I just bet you will.”
Chapter Seven
Once out of the shower, Hazel was loath to put Drake’s borrowed shirt back on. Yes, it was Drake’s, but at the moment, it smelled like Ralph. An image of him standing there in that ridiculous get-up flashed through her mind and she giggled.
Not finding a robe or extra shirt in the bathroom, Hazel wrapped a towel around herself and peeked out the bathroom door. She wasn’t sure why she was shy now -- he’d seen her naked before -- but it seemed different somehow. Okay, so maybe “different” wasn’t the right word. But she just knew something was about to happen between them sexually that would cross the boundary between a casual sexual relationship and something a lot more meaningful.
She was scared, but also excited.
Slipping into the bedroom to look for a shirt, Hazel missed the shadow in the corner until she shut the door and turned around.
Drake stood leaning up against a wall, splendidly naked, with his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was unreadable, but Hazel knew this was it. Whatever was about to happen would change her life forever.
“Lose the towel.” His order was issued quietly, without force, but she could tell he meant business. Still, she hesitated. Did she want to do this -- whatever “this” was?
“Why?” Her question emerged as more of a squeak than a spoken word.
“Because I need to see that lovely body of yours. I need to touch you. I need to make love to you.” He straightened and took a couple of steps toward her, his eyes now showing his raging need. “Then, I need to fuck you until we both pass out. Will you let me?”
Swallowing, Hazel wasn’t sure what to say. God, that was what she wanted, but she didn’t think she could stand it when he decided he’d had enough and moved on to the next willing woman. “I can’t.”
“Why not?” His step never faltered. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he had no doubt he could accomplish whatever he set out to do.
“Because…” Hazel was beginning to panic a little, and tears threatened to spill down her cheeks. “Because I don’t know if I can let you go when this is over. We’ve made no commitment to each other, and I refuse to push you into something you don’t mean.” When he simply smiled at her, she grasped the towel more firmly to her chest. “I mean it, Drake. You were my first. I don’t know how to separate sex and love. If I walk away now, I may be able to do so with my heart intact.”
“What makes you think I can?”
She blinked, several times. “I beg your pardon?”
“What makes you think I can walk away, or let you walk away, and keep my own heart intact?”
Hazel opened her mouth to reply, but found she couldn’t answer that question. Why indeed? He’d given her no reason to think it was all one-sided -- in fact, he’d done everything he could to make sure her pleasure was maximized.
“I need you, Hazel. Do you remember what I said the first time we made love?”
She thought a moment. What was it he’d said? Something that sounded very formal, but she hadn’t had the chance to contemplate it at the time. Her eyes widened and she said, “‘As wolf of the moon, I become familiar to this witch.’ What does that mean?”
“It means, my little witch, that I gave you my life, my love, for as long as I draw breath.”
He’d said something else, too. Something about her accepting him as her “mate of the moon.” “Oh, my!” Hazel sucked in a breath. Then she narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t do some crazy bullshit thing like take away my choice to accept or reject you as your ‘mate of the moon’ or whatever, did you?”
Drake laughed. “No, sweetheart. I tried to, to make myself feel better about what I’d given to you. I truly want to be your mate, but it’s your choice. It will always be your choice.”
“So what happens now, Drake?”
He grinned. “I make love to you. Then we’ll see if you want to, or even if you can, take me as your mate. Now, drop the towel, Hazel.”
She grinned. “Is this the ‘making love’ part?”
He snorted. “Yeah, this is the ‘making love’ part.”
Turning, she looked over her shoulder at him as she stepped to the bed and climbed in. Giving him what she hoped was a seductive grin, she lay back and held up her arms to him. “No. You take it.” When he stepped toward her, she added, “If you think you’re man enough to satisfy what you find.”