Her eyes remained huge as she nodded. “I understand,” she murmured.

Shit just got real.

As I stared into Calder’s eyes, my heart pounded into my sternum in a ragged rhythm. For the first time since we began our conversation, he looked like the Big Bad Wolf. I wondered if that made me Red Riding Hood.

The crazy thing was that, while I was a little scared, I was also turned on. He was staring at me as though he wanted to gobble me up.

A couple of years ago, I’d had a boyfriend who was into bedroom mind games. Actually, he was into a lot more than that. Being young and curious, I was willing to try something new, but soon realized that I wasn’t suited for the life of a submissive. I didn’t respond well to my boyfriend’s attempts to keep me on that edge between fear and desire or having to call him Sir with a straight face. Apparently, I was being mindfucked by the wrong man.

A wicked thought flitted through my brain and I took a slow step back. I knew this wasn’t a game, but I liked this adrenaline rush. No, I freaking loved it. I just hoped it didn’t backfire.

Calder’s face hardened when he asked, “What are you doing, Ricki?”

I took another step back. This time, he moved with me, following me as though I had the lead in this strange sexual dance we’d been enacting the last hour. I backed up once again, pausing at the low growl that emerged from Calder’s throat.

“I’m trying to put a little space between us, that’s all,” I answered breathlessly. This was a complete lie. Donna had definitely been correct in assuming I wouldn’t be able to resist trouble.

As I retreated across the room, he stalked me, brilliant green eyes glittering like gems. I felt a shiver run down my spine as something ruthless and wild swirled in their depths.

“I told you not to run.” His voice was deep and gravelly as he continued to stalk after me.

I shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m not. I’m walking.”

This time the low, rumbling growl that emerged from his throat shot straight to my groin. The less-than-human sounds he made weren’t as frightening now that I’d spent a little time talking to him.

Without looking behind me, I knew I was getting close to the wall. By the time my back hit the silk wallpaper, my legs were so weak I needed the wall to support my weight. I gasped when Calder crowded into me, his hands gripping my hips. My body jerked as his thumbs massaged the muscles around my hipbones. I had no idea how sensitive I could be there.

“What game are you playing here, Ricki?” he asked, his hands squeezing my pelvis.

I shook my head. “Games are for children.”

“You realize there’s no turning back now, don’t you?”

Oh God. I felt as though an electrical shock surged through my body. What had I gotten myself into? What began as a casual flirtation was now rapidly morphing into something so overwhelming that it almost frightened me. I didn’t have a chance to fully comprehend what he meant because he used his grip on my hips to lift me so that we were eye-to-eye. I gasped and clutched his shoulders at the unexpected movement.

Within seconds, my upper back was pressed against the wall, my legs were wrapped around his waist, and I had a long, hard werewolf erection exactly where I needed it. Well, it would have been exactly where I needed it if we were both naked.

Calder tangled his left hand in my hair, tugging my head back. I expected him to kiss me, but he didn’t. Instead, he lowered his face to my neck, nibbling and sucking at the skin a few inches below my ear. My earlier words echoed in my ears. I loved it when my partners marked me and it seemed he was the type of man who listened. Maybe this wasn’t a bad idea after all.

I felt a slight tug at the front of my corset and looked down to see Calder’s fingers slowly pulling the laces free of the loopy bow I’d tied earlier. Since the bustier could be worn either way, I’d chosen to put the fastening in the front so I could tie it myself. Nothing more annoying than having to ask for help dressing myself, as though I were four years old.

My breath hitched as he slid a finger behind the criss-cross pattern of the leather cord that held the garment together. Considering how demanding his mouth had been earlier, it shocked me that he took his sweet time tugging each lace free. The sensation of his finger brushing my sternum and the inner swells of my breasts made my nipples tighten further. By the time he reached the halfway point, I was ready to demand he tear the fucking thing off me.

As though he read my mind, he finished pulling the strips free with a few sharp jerks. No longer tied together, the leather fell from my torso to the floor with a thud and I took my first deep breath since I’d put it on hours ago. The shirt I was wearing beneath it was so sheer it was practically transparent.

“Fuck me,” Calder muttered, his eyes glued to my breasts. “Your tits are incredible.”

His dirty mouth only amplified the heat that gathered between my thighs. I usually hated crude words but, coming from his lips and in that rich, Southern-accented voice, I wanted him to keep talking.

Instead of yanking the shirt from my body as I expected him to do, Calder lifted his hands and pulled the material taut across my breasts, revealing exactly how tight my nipples had become. His thumbs stroked over the areolas through the material, which only intensified the sensation. I began to pant as Calder lowered his head and sucked a nipple into his mouth.

“Oh my God.” The words left my throat on a moan. Whatever he was doing with his mouth felt fan-fucking-tastic.

I squirmed restlessly as he switched his attentions to my other breast. When he lifted his head, my shirt clung to my skin, the damp fabric revealing every detail.

Dropping to his knees, Calder slowly unzipped my boots and tugged them off. His hands traveled over my snug suede pants from ankle to hip. When he reached the tops of my thighs, his thumbs met directly over my center.

“I can feel how hot you are through the fabric,” he growled. “Are you wet?”

I stared down my body at his fierce expression and did something I never do; I let all those naughty words I usually held back spill from my lips. I spread my legs, planting my feet shoulder-width apart. “Feel for yourself.”

His reaction was immediate and aggressive. Calder snarled and yanked so forcefully on the buttons of my pants that more than one popped off and rolled across the room. I almost lost my balance as he roughly peeled the tight material down my legs, leaving me in only my long shirt and black g-string panties. My body jerked when he tore the tiny panties from my body.

His hard, callused hands shoved my thighs apart, sliding behind me to cup my ass, both lifting me from my feet and holding me open for his perusal. He moved forward so that my legs hooked over his shoulders. I couldn’t believe how strong he was and it ramped up my arousal.

“Jesus fucking Christ, you’re bare.” He sounded surprised. Apparently, she-wolves didn’t like to go Brazilian.

Before I could formulate any sort of verbal response, he set about devouring me. That was the only way to describe the single-minded way he licked, sucked, and kissed my pussy. I knew I was moaning loudly, but couldn’t bring myself to stop. Instead, I buried my hands in his thick, golden brown hair and held on for dear life as the climax swelled within me, threatening to overtake me.

His talented tongue found exactly the right spot and my back arched away from the wall, pressing me closer to his face. He growled and continued to attack that sensitive area with his tongue. In less than a minute, one of the most intense, toe-curling orgasms of my life detonated inside me.

My entire body bucked and shuddered as wave after wave of pleasure washed through me. Calder’s mouth gentled, slowly bringing me down from a release so sharp it hurt. Somehow, despite my wild movements, he’d managed to keep his grip on me.