The Wolf Within

Copyright 2011, Sondrae Bennett
All rights reserved, Lyrical Press, Inc.

After waiting almost a full minute for her to notice him, Brendan coughed into his hand to get her attention. She jumped at the noise, dropping a book on her bare foot.

“Oh jeez. Are you okay?” Cursing himself for startling her, Brendan rushed over. He placed his hands on her waist as he bent down to look at her foot.

His heart skipped a beat when she wrinkled her nose and smiled. “Relax, Brendan. It’s just a paperback. It couldn’t have weighed more than half a pound.” The laughter in her eyes mesmerized. This was the teasing, happy Julie he remembered.

“Well, at least let me kiss it and make it better.” Brendan rose and brushed his lips against hers. A spark of recognition shot through him. As if his soul recognized the other half of himself. He could only hope she experienced it too. If she felt even half the desperate need he did, there would be no way she could deny him. Her hands flew to his chest, wrapping his t-shirt inside her fists. It was all the urging he needed.

Brendan pulled her body against his as his mouth ravished her. He stroked his hand down her spine, his other arm supporting as he leaned over her.

Her taste exploded inside his head, sending shockwaves through his system. It had been a long wait for this kiss, too long. He ran his tongue around her lips, savoring the moan that escaped her. Taking the bottom lip between his teeth, he felt her hands pull him closer as he gently bit down. Definitely worth the wait.

Kissing Julie was everything he’d envisioned and more. It was so easy to lose himself in her, forgetting everything but the woman in his arms. Julie. Desperate to feel her curves pressing against him, he pulled her closer.

Her moan swept against his mouth, kindling the fire inside him as her tongue tangled with his. Her naked desire triggered the primal beast inside, and the dull sting in his gums indicated his canines had extended. When he opened his eyes, he saw the distorted colors in the world around him, a sure sign they had changed to his wolf’s.

It was almost painful for him to retreat, but this wasn’t the way he wanted things. He would not let his wolf rule this situation. Even more than that, he didn’t want to frighten her. The memory of Julie backing away from him in fear would haunt him for a long time. He never wanted to frighten her again.

Closing his eyes, Brendan placed a quick kiss against the corner of her mouth and raised his head.

Julie remained mute but didn’t pull away. The silence lengthened until Brendan opened his eyes and gazed into her quizzical hazel ones.

“You missed,” she whispered. He stared at her, puzzling through her words. What was she talking about? And then it hit him. He’d told her he was going to kiss her injured foot and make it better. The end of his lips curved up in a smile.

“I did? My bad. I could always try again…” he trailed off, pulling her tighter against him. But Julie had other plans. With a stream of laughter, she pulled out of his embrace.

“Oh no. That’s quite all right.” She turned away from him, but didn’t get far before turning back, her eyes pleading with him. In that moment, he would have ripped off his arm and given it to her had she asked it of him.