smooth wave of the climax he’d given her and wasn’t interested in the details of anything other than this huge, incredible bed . . . and huge, incredible Jake.
When he climbed in beside her, the mattress didn’t shift much at all. A firm, strong bed with luscious sheets turned out to be a seductive combination. Slowly Jake began stroking her with his big hands. Her eyes still closed, she stretched like a cat under his lazy caress.
“It’s late,” he murmured. “I should probably let you sleep.” But as he outlined each curve with the tips of his fingers, he didn’t seem inclined to do that.
Opening her eyes, she discovered that he was following the tracing motion of his hands with his gaze, almost as if he was finger-painting a pattern on her skin and wanted to get it right. She’d never had anyone focus so intently on her body.
She wondered why she wasn’t self-conscious under his close scrutiny and decided his attitude had everything to do with it. She was willing to lie there and let him explore because his appreciation made her feel beautiful, cherished, and sensual. A girl could get used to that.
She wouldn’t let herself, though. He’d suspended his moral code on an extremely temporary basis. This blindingly erotic encounter would be brief and all the sweeter for that, probably.
As he continued mapping her body, he trailed his fingers down her thigh to her calf, which was as far as he could reach without changing position. Pausing, he lifted his head to look into her eyes. “Do you want to sleep?”
“No.” Reaching for him, she cupped his cheek and felt the slight bristle of his beard. “I can always sleep, but I won’t always have a chance to lie in this bed with you.”
Regret flashed in his eyes. “No, you won’t. That’s why I’m memorizing you.”
She brushed her thumb over his jaw. “Am I different from your Were lovers?” She understood that her novelty might be part of his fascination, but that was okay. If he allowed himself to have only one human sexual partner, she was happy to be his choice. “I mean, of course I’m different. I can’t become a wolf. But if you compare me with a female werewolf in human form, am I any different?”
“Yes,” he said without hesitation.
That surprised her. “How?”
“The biggest difference is your scent.” Capturing her hand, he turned his head so he could kiss her palm.
“Werewolves don’t like almond?”
He tickled her palm with his tongue. “This werewolf loves it. The smell of almonds will always remind me of you. It gets me hot. But that’s not what I meant.”
“Then do explain, Professor Wolf.”
“Okay.” Releasing her hand, he swung one leg over her hips and was soon braced above her on his forearms and knees. “But I can talk and kiss you at the same time.”
“Really? Now you’re a ventriloquist, too?”
“I meant I’d be butterfly kissing your body, not French-kissing your mouth.” Leaning forward, he started with her forehead. “Like this.” His lips brushed lightly over her brow.
“Nice.”
“And this.” He touched his lips to the end of her nose. “But I’m skipping that sexy mouth. You kiss like a porn star.”
She wasn’t sure whether to be insulted or not. “How do you know? Have you kissed one?”
He laughed. “No. Just watched the video.” He nuzzled her throat. “They give it their all, and so do you. If I let myself get involved with your mouth, I’ll never finish paying attention to the rest of you.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, then.”
“I meant it to be.” He moved slowly across her shoulder and down her left arm, dropping kisses along the way.
It seemed innocent at first, but as her skin began to tingle, she realized how potent this seemingly low- impact caress could be. He was seducing her a millimeter at a time.
“The thing about werewolves,” he said as he moved to her other shoulder to give it the same treatment, “is that of the five senses, smell is our most acute. If a Were in human form walked into a room, you would never know. But I would by the scent.” His warm breath touched the places he’d moistened with his lips.
“Oh.” Now she was tingling and deliciously shivery, too. “Do males and females smell different?”
“Yes, but not a lot different.” He kissed the tips of her fingers and paused. “Plus each individual varies in scent. Humans, on the other hand, smell altogether different from Weres. And they have as many individual variations as werewolves do.”
When he paused, she expected him to move back up her body to her collarbone and work down from there. But instead he slipped to the end of the bed and began kissing her toes. “That tickles.”
“Then I’d better hold you still so you don’t kick me in the face.” He grasped both ankles as he took his time placing his mouth on her toes, her heels, and the arch of each foot. She’d never realized the arch of her foot was an erogenous zone. Judging from the zing of sensation between her thighs, the arch of her foot was prime sensual real estate.
“In other words,” he continued, “I have a very sensitive nose, and I know what I like. The almond scent is a nice touch, but your own special aroma, the one you don’t even realize you have, drives me crazy.” He began his journey from her ankles up her calf toward her knee.
Her breathing grew shallow. “Speaking of driving someone crazy, you’re having quite an effect with those little kisses, Jake.”
“I can tell.” He kissed the back of her knee and took a deep breath. “You smell more delicious by the second.”
“Are you going to eat me up?”
He laughed. “How did you guess?”
She knew what he meant and wasn’t frightened in the least. As he kissed his way along her inner thigh, his destination obvious, she trembled with anticipation. Chances were he’d be very good at what he was about to do. She was in for a treat.
Apparently, so was he. Until now she’d been kidding herself that he was no different from any guy she’d had sex with. Sure, he had a few more muscles and could carry her to bed without breaking a sweat, but that only meant he was in great shape, not that he was different.
Ah, but he was different. His senses were sharper than any human’s. Every physical experience he had would be enhanced as a result. It stood to reason that his sensual appetites would be highly developed to match his greater capacity for enjoyment.
Now she recognized him for what he was, a creature not of her kind. She felt it in the grip of his strong hands as he steadied her for his purposeful assault. She heard it in the rasp of his breathing, saw it in the fierce joy lighting his eyes before he dipped his head to take what he wanted.
She surrendered to pleasure that whispered of primitive cravings and untamed desire. At last she understood that with every moment in his embrace, she’d slip farther from the civilized world and deeper into the wild place that Jake called home. Although he appeared to be a man, beneath his muscled chest beat the heart of a wolf.
Chapter 14
Jake knew the exact moment when Rachel fully realized who and what he was. He saw it in her silver eyes right before he captured her in that most intimate of kisses. If he’d seen fear in her gaze, he would have released her.
But instead of fear, he saw excitement. She knew him as a werewolf, and she wanted him anyway. No, that was wrong. She didn’t want him in spite of his shape-shifting nature, but because of it. His wildness spoke to something wild in her, and she welcomed it, and him.
Her complete acceptance was more than he’d ever hoped for, and it meant he could give her so much
