Calder grasped my elbows and tugged me into his body. Heat poured off him in waves and I found myself leaning toward him like a flower toward the sun. When I realized what I was doing, I brought my hands up and shoved at his chest. I tried to disguise my shudder when he didn’t budge even an inch.

He lowered his face, pressing his nose against the delicate skin beneath my ear. I shook my head, trying to pull away.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

I heard him inhale deeply before he released a hot stream of air against my throat. I squirmed slightly as my nipples hardened. I blinked and tried to focus, but my body was suddenly very aware of exactly how wonderful Calder smelled and how even better his hard, muscular frame felt against mine.

Hello? Arrogant werewolf sniffing you? Where’s your indignance?

Those thoughts broke the spell. I arched my back in an effort to put space between us. “Get off me!” When I heard him inhale yet again, I asked, “Are you freaking sniffing me like a dog?”

That got his attention. Calder froze, his face still pressed into the crook of my neck. I jumped when sharp teeth nipped my skin.

“Hey!” The slight sting jarred me out of my hormone haze, well, sort of. Maybe I was crazy, but the bite made my thighs tingle.

“You’re not afraid,” he murmured into my ear, “you’re turned on.”

When his teeth sank lightly into my earlobe, my eyes nearly rolled back into my head. I’d definitely lost the upper hand in this encounter. At the realization, my lids popped open and I reached up, shoving my hand into the back of Calder’s thick golden brown hair and giving it a hard yank.

“Ouch!” he yelped.

I swallowed a smile at the distinctly canine sound. Calder lifted his head and glared down at me, lifting a hand to rub the back of his head.

“What was that for?” he growled.

I blinked up at him, batting my eyelashes. “I told you to let me go. Since you weren’t listening to my words, I decided to get your attention another way.”

Smiling ruefully, he released me and stepped away. “Sorry. Your mouth may have said no, but all I could smell was-“

I poked him in the chest with my finger hard enough to make him flinch. “That’s enough of that,” I stated firmly.

He shrugged, no longer the sensual, dangerous man from a few moments before. Instead he looked like a mischievous little boy. Okay, so maybe more like a horny teenager.

My heart was still pounding and, even though I knew I should be angry and storm away, I didn’t want to. I wanted to stay and talk to him. This particular impulsive behavior might have been why Donna had told me to stay out of trouble. Ignoring the little voice that told me I was playing with fire, I moved away and hopped up on top of a nearby desk, letting my feet swing. “So, how did you know my name?”

He prowled over to the table and propped a hip against it. We were so close our shoulders touched. Reaching out a long arm, Calder snagged the Scotch from the top of the liquor cabinet and opened it. I watched incredulously as he took a swig straight from the bottle. I knew for a fact that the bottle he was drinking from cost over $1,000 and it was a struggle not to snatch it out of his hands.

He offered me the bottle and I shook my head. With a sigh, he said, “I’ll answer your question if you take a drink.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “So it’s like that, is it?”

His waggling the bottle was my only answer.

Glaring at him, I grabbed the bottle and took a small sip. Calder merely shook his head and gestured for me to take another. Grunting, I took a deeper drink, feeling the trail of warmth from the excellent Scotch as it slid down my throat. I handed the bottle back to him.

“I was there the day Donna and Conner rescued you and your friends.”

I blinked at him. “I don’t remember you.”

He took another pull from the bottle before handing it back to me. It wasn’t until I drank that he replied, “We didn’t meet that day.”

Perplexed, I passed the bottle and asked, “Then how do you know me?” He paused, as though weighing his answer. “Just tell me the truth, Calder.”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure you’ll understand my answer.” He sipped the Scotch.

I didn’t hesitate to drink when he handed the liquid back to me. “Try me.”

After another pause, he finally continued, “You understand that wolves have a highly developed sense of smell, right?”

Rolling my eyes, I nodded.

“Hey, just checking,” he said defensively. “Anyway, the day we tracked you down and rescued you, I could smell you. It wasn’t the same as it usually is when I’m tracking. Your scent seemed to….call out to me. I could smell your anger, your fear, and it enraged me. I’ve never felt that way during a hunt before.” He turned his green eyes to me once again. “It was as if your very essence was imprinted in my soul.”

I wasn’t sure if the trembling that ran through my limbs came from his confession or the liquor I’d so rapidly consumed. Either way, I couldn’t control it.

When he continued, the warmth created by the Scotch transformed into a different sort of heat. “I think I would recognize your scent fifty years from now, even if I never saw you again. It’s as if a part of you lives inside me now.”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Calder’s as he set the bottle aside and reached for me. Slowly, as though he didn’t want to frighten me, he rose from the table and moved to stand in front of me. I stopped breathing as his hand lifted and he slid his fingers along my cheekbone, below my ear, and to the back of my neck. His touch was light, but confident, and it left tiny sparks dancing along my skin.

Completely entranced, I watched as his face came closer. I knew he was going to kiss me, but what surprised me the most was how badly I wanted it. He was a walking sensual promise and I wanted a taste. In fact, I wanted the whole fucking banquet.

My body tightened to the point of breaking when Ricki sighed against my lips. Jesus, this woman managed to push every single button I had. First, she was feisty and now acquiescent. It was as if she knew exactly what to do and when to do it in order to make me crazy with lust.

I wanted to wrap her long, wild hair around my fist, yank her head back, and devour her mouth the way I wanted to devour her pussy. Somehow, I held back. Ricki was a human woman, not some bitch in heat. It had been a long time since I’d fucked a human, probably not since college. Vaguely, I remembered that the last human girl I’d been with liked slow, soft kisses and gentle touches. She complained if I was too rough or demanding, saying it frightened her.

As I took Ricki’s mouth for the first time, I focused on keeping the kiss light, almost chaste, rather than ravenous the way my body demanded. However, the urge to take remained, bubbling relentlessly beneath my skin.

When her tongue darted out to swipe my bottom lip, I couldn’t hold back the low growl that crawled up my throat before I opened my mouth over hers and plunged my tongue inside. Her whimper brought me back to myself and I pulled back slightly.

We were both panting as we stared into each other’s eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Ricki asked breathlessly.

I shook my head and lowered my mouth to her neck, kissing the soft skin beneath her ear and down her throat. Once again, she grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled hard. My head snapped up and I bit back a snarl, not of anger, but of enjoyment. I loved it when my partners played rough.

“What?”

Ricki studied me with narrowed eyes. “Why are you holding back?” she demanded.

“What?” I asked. I had no idea what she was talking about.

“Earlier, you bit me hard enough to leave a mark, but now it’s almost as though you’re afraid you’ll break me. What’s going on here?”