Cormac’s large hands pressed the small of her back then moved down to her buttocks. He scooped her up to him, his mouth strengthening on hers, as she kept on kissing him.
More sliding of lips, tangling tongues, biting, kissing. When Nell started to back off, Cormac pulled her closer, his mouth commanding.
Something changed in that kiss. The playful Cormac became serious, a Shifter male commanding a female. Nell felt the change, scented it . . . wanted it.
If she knew what was good for her, she’d push him away, storm back to the truck, and drive it down the mountain, leaving Cormac behind. If he and Eric were so chummy, Eric could come and get Cormac.
All right, so Cormac probably had the truck’s keys in his front pocket, and Nell digging into the pocket to take them out would be dangerous. Good thing she knew how to hotwire a pickup.
She shivered. His pocket would be a warm place, and his cock would be just within reach.
Nell broke away, struggling for breath. “Kissing only.”
Cormac’s eyes held less laughter and more desire. “Was anyone doing anything else?”
“You were thinking about it.”
“Of course I’m thinking about it. I’m here alone with you, and you’re wearing that sexy dress. I want to peel it off you and lick every inch of your body. I want you down on that soft rug in front of the fire, so you and I can do what Shifters were meant to do.”
“Fight off the enemies of the Fae?”
“Yeah, funny.”
“If I give in and make love to you, you’ll use it to persist with this idea that you want me as your mate.”
Cormac shrugged. “I’m going to persist anyway, so we might as well have some fun.”
“I can’t have sex with you!” Nell’s words rang up to the high ceiling of the cabin, circled around the balcony on the second floor, and came back down.
“If you’ve forgotten how, I’m happy to teach you. You put your arms around me . . .” Cormac demonstrated.
“Will you stop joking? I have full-grown cubs, for the Goddess’s sake.”
“Why should I stop joking because you have full-grown cubs? They both have good senses of humor. Shane, in particular.”
“I barely know you.”
“Nell.” Cormac slid his hands under her hair, closing the few inches of space between them. “I know I scared you. I know I upset you. I should have been more careful. But reading that letter tore me up inside. I needed to find you—I couldn’t rest until I found you. It was like the Goddess had sent me straight to you. When you walked out in that pink fluffy bathrobe with your shotgun and your boots on the wrong feet, I knew I’d been right to search for you.”
“I wanted to plant one of those boots right up your ass. Still do.”
“No, you don’t.” Cormac massaged the back of her neck. “If you did, you wouldn’t be kissing me.”
“Can’t I want both?”
His smile returned. “Then you admit you want to kiss me? Good.”
“Kissing you has its good points.” Nell hadn’t felt so thoroughly kissed in a long, long time.
Cormac closed more space between them again, still gently kneading the back of her neck. “What else are you willing to do? Besides kiss me and boot me in the ass?”
“No sex.”
“You keep insisting. All right, I can live with that for now.”
“And take off your shirt.”
Cormac’s eyes widened, and his hands stilled. “What?”
“I said, take off your shirt. If you’re talking about becoming my mate, I want to see what I’d get.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Cormac thought his heart would stop. The lady of his dreams was looking at him with her fine dark eyes and telling him to undress.
No problem. Shifters were used to getting rid of clothes to become beast. If they didn’t, clothes ripped to shreds as bodies expanded, and that could hurt.
Cormac unbuttoned his shirt, slid it off, and tossed it to the couch. His T-shirt followed. He put his hands on his hips and faced Nell, pretending he wasn’t quivering like a cub nearing his Transition.
Nell stood with one hand on her waist and let her gaze rove slowly down his torso. She took in his pectorals and abdomen, the black hair on his chest, the indent of his navel. She traversed every inch of him, and Cormac itched as though she’d run her fingers very lightly over his skin.
“What happened there?” Nell stepped close and touched the long scar that ran from Cormac’s abdomen to his back.
He found it difficult to breathe. “Hunter. A long time ago, in the wild. Just grazed me.”
Concern flickered in her dark eyes. “You got away. What happened?”
“I ran back behind some trees, shifted to human, and then charged out, yelling at him. I thought the guy would shit himself. He figured his bullet had gone wide and winged some crazy kid screwing his girlfriend in the woods. I laughed my ass off.”
Nell stroked the line of the scar. “You laughed while you were standing there bleeding?”
“I found a doctor who stitched it up. Healed fast. Like I said, the bullet only grazed me.”
Nell kept stroking the scar. Her fingers were warm, gentle. His fiery woman could be sweet.
She drew her hand from the scar and put her palms on his chest, pulling her fingers together over his flat nipples. The fire of the movement made him shift his weight.
“Everything all right?” she asked.
“I have a hot woman touching me, driving me crazy.”
“Yeah? Deal with it.”
Her voice went low and throaty, a warm contralto that wound heat through Cormac’s bones. When he loved her, it would be good. It would be incandescent.
Nell tugged his nipples with the tips of her fingers. Cormac balled his fists and made himself not touch her. From the little smile on her face, she was enjoying making him insane.
She moved her hands again, this time to smooth them all the way down his front. “Good muscle tone.”
“I like to keep in shape.” Hard for Shifters not to be in shape, but Cormac could play along.
Nell fanned out her hands around his abdomen, then came back to poke his navel gently with one fingertip. Cormac jumped. “Devil woman.”
She tickled him, while he grunted a laugh, then she took her hands around to his back and stepped close. Nell ran her hands up his spine, then drew her fingers around his waist again, retracing the scar.
Cormac held still, not wanting to scare her away. His cock was firm inside his jeans; the bulge must be more than obvious.
But though the mating frenzy had called him from the moment Nell had laid her head on his shoulder on the dance floor, Cormac wouldn’t push himself on her. Nell was like a wild bird—tough in many ways, but too fragile in others.
His fragile bird skimmed her fingers around his navel again, then popped open the button of his jeans. “I mean I really want to see what’s in the package.”
Nell’s eyes sparkled with wickedness. Behind the wickedness, though, Cormac saw fear. She wanted to play but didn’t want it to burn.
Fair enough. He could play.
“So, unwrap it,” he said. He touched an openmouthed kiss to her cheek, following it with a little lick.
“You sure?”
“We’re alone, the fire is warm, and my best girl wants to undo my pants. Of course, I’m sure.”
Her eyes flickered again when he said best girl, but she tugged his zipper down. Then in one swift move, Nell opened the jeans all the way and slid them down Cormac’s hips.