Page 34 of Winter Unleashed

Liam and I popped up in his gazebo. Alone. I was very aware of how alone we were, and how close he was to me. His scent enveloped me in its crisp, woodsy musk, and I found myself leaning toward him. I was always leaning toward him. Even when he wasn’t around, I felt the pull. It was as if our hearts were magnets, constantly pulling each other in.

The desire to touch him, kiss him, and have sex with him were so strong my knees went weak. Despite what I’d told Astrid, I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. No one had ever turned me on as much as him. Even when I’d hated him, I always felt a stirring in my core every time he was near me.

“We need to shift,” I blurted out before I lost all restraint and mounted him right there.

“What?” he asked, taken aback by my sudden demand.

I took a few steps away from him. “Shift. We need to shift. My wolf will tell me what I need to know.”

“Shift. That’s not a bad idea, but are you sure you want to do it now?”

Unable to stop myself, I closed the distance between us, crushing my lips to his so hard he stumbled back a step. My arms went around his neck, his around my waist, and we kissed each other senseless.

“I’m sure,” I said breathlessly, pressing a hand to his chest to put some space between us.

“Okay.” He pulled me out of the gazebo where we stripped but didn’t shift right away.

We stood staring at each other. He waited for me to shift first, but something was holding me back. Then he inhaled, growling a little when he smelled my arousal. He couldn’t hide his, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from it. When I felt myself moving toward him, I shifted.

He stood still to let my wolf sniff him. She moved in a circle before sitting in front of him. Taking the hint, Liam shifted. Even when in wolf form, I could see and hear everything. I was also more in touch with my wolf’s emotions. So, I knew the sight of Liam’s wolf had shocked her just as much as it had shocked me.

My wolf is bigger than any other shifter’s. Her fur is silver. Not in a metallic shiny way and it’s not gray or white either. It’s the color of a moonbeam and no other wolf has ever had it before.

His wolf was stunning and even bigger than mine. He was majestic with his brindle fur that included the colors of the wolves from every pack. Light blond for the Winter pack, golden brown for Spring, caramel for Summer, and dark chocolate for Autumn—the pack for which Liam posed as Alpha. And on the crown of his head was a silver patch which matched the color of my wolf’s fur.

His wolf sat on his haunches to let mine inspect him. She sniffed and nudged him until she was satisfied. Then she let out a small yip, licked his face, and ran off into the trees.

She liked him. She trusted him. And that meant I should too.

Our wolves ran through the trees, stopping to tackle each other or hunt small game. They burst out of the forest onto the shore of the lake where they sat looking out over the water. After a while I nudged my wolf, and she allowed me to shift.

“Will you shift for me?” I asked Liam, keeping my voice low.

His wolf rubbed its face against my hand before shifting. I watched as Liam reappeared, letting my eyes travel over the bronzed skin of his strong thighs, lingering between them before moving up his tight abdomen and broad, muscular chest and shoulders then finally landing on his ruggedly handsome face.

He stared down at me. His jaw twitched when I moved to stand directly in front of him. We silently gazed in each other’s eyes. The emotion in his had me reaching my hand up to cup his cheek. Just as his wolf had, he rubbed his face against the palm of my hand, his short beard scratched against the delicate skin there.

As I watched, he removed the Fae spell that made him look like every other Autumn shifter.

“You’re beautiful,” I whispered, letting my hands run through his black hair.

He stood, barely breathing while I ran my hands over his body. Instinctively, I knew he wasn’t moving because he didn’t want to spook me. It was the same thing our wolves did when we met a newcomer. It’s our way of signaling we don’t want any trouble.

To help him relax, I lightly nipped his bottom lip. “I’m ready,” I whispered.

He stiffened even more. “Ready?”

“Yes. I want you, Mr. Fraser.”

He growled and crushed his lips to mine for a brain-searing kiss. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” I moved to lie on the ground, propping myself up on my elbows. “I’m more than sure.”

He dropped to kneel between my legs. “You’re not scared?”

“Oh, I’m scared out of my mind, but I need to know.”

“If you change your mind, tell me, and I’ll stop,” he said.