Winter Craving (2 page)

The only thing
that came to mind was for him to carry her out on his back in the form he was
now in. For a wolf, his kind was much larger than the wild gray wolves. On an
average-sized human if they stood side by side, his back would be level with
their hip or waist. Plus, he was stronger, even in his animal form.

Decision made,
Cyrus shifted again. The change complete, he shucked out of his winter jacket
and hurriedly put it on Shyla over hers. He zipped it up to her chin. He
shivered as the icy wind blew through his long-sleeved t-shirt.

Cyrus maneuvered
Shyla onto his back with her arms draped over his shoulders. He held on to her
as he went down on all fours and then shifted to wolf form. He slowly took a
few steps and was happy his precious cargo stayed right where she was. He
wouldn’t be able to run to his cabin while he carried her, which would make the
trip longer, but he didn’t have any other options open to him.

His steps steady
and even, he pushed through the storm. Unbelievably, the wind picked up,
causing whiteouts as the falling snow gusted around him. It was a good thing he
didn’t need to be able to see his surroundings to find his way home. His nose
would take the place of his eyes.

Cyrus was more
relieved than he’d ever been to see his cabin looming in the distance. Not once
did Shyla stir while he brought them to shelter. Only the feel of her breath
against his furred neck had reassured him that she was indeed still alive.
Normally, his body would be demanding he claim his mate, his scent changing to
lure her to him, but his worry for her survival had negated that response.

Once he reached
his porch, he got down on his belly and gently rolled Shyla off him. Cyrus
quickly shifted to human form, picked her up and carried her inside. With no
electricity, he relied on his woodstove for heating. He’d banked the fire
before going to the Laundromat. He eased her onto the floor close to it before
he opened the door on the stove and threw more wood into it. He stirred the
coals around with a poker until he had the fire roaring.

He picked Shyla
up again. There was a fireplace in his bedroom. He carried her there, then got
the fire going. Once the flames licked at the logs, he took out his cell phone
to call John to let him know he’d found Shyla. Cyrus cursed. It flashed between
one bar and none. He doubted a call would go through. His only hope was a text
message. Not a fast typist, and still fairly new to owning a cell, he
painstakingly tapped out what he wanted to say. He made sure to tell John not
to come for Shyla since it wasn’t safe for him to be out on snowmobiles in the
storm. They didn’t need to be searching for someone else come morning.

The response was
quick in coming. John said he was relieved Shyla had been found and that they’d
already decided it was too dangerous to continue their search. He said he’d
call Cyrus in the morning. Cyrus sent a short text to say he was fine with
that.

That task done,
Cyrus turned his attention to his mate. He had to get her body temperature up.
He thought about running a warm bath and putting her in it, but he’d read
somewhere that wouldn’t be a good idea. She needed to be warmed slowly, and
there was one way that was supposed to work the best when not in a hospital,
supposedly.

He didn’t think twice.
Cyrus quickly stripped Shyla out of her outerwear. Once he had her down to her
clothes, he took a few seconds to get his first good look at her. She appealed
to him in every way. She was pretty, but not model gorgeous like Kiel’s mate,
Neha. Shyla’s looks could be described as cute. Her long, light brown hair fell
around her shoulders. Since her eyes were closed, he didn’t know what color
they were. He gazed down her body. She was slim and curvy in all the right
places.

Most of the
danger now past, his cock rose to attention. There was nothing he could do
about that, and considering what he was going to do next, it was going to stay
in that condition. Cyrus stripped Shyla out of her clothes, picked her up and
put her naked under his bed sheets. The sight of her nude body had him pushing
back a strangled groan. He reminded his wayward dick that now wasn’t the time.

He hurriedly
took off his clothes, then slid into bed next to his mate. Cyrus turned onto
his side and gathered Shyla into his arms so she faced him. He tucked her head
under his chin and draped a leg over hers, hoping to spread as much of his
warmth over her. Her skin was cold, causing him to suck in a breath. With the
covers pulled up to her chin, he rubbed her back, hoping she’d wake up soon.

Chapter Two

Shyla burrowed
closer to the glorious warmth that surrounded her. She’d never thought to be
warm again. She took a deep breath and had to bite back a moan. Whatever she
had her nose pressed against was the most delicious smell she’d ever encountered.
Not a good-to-eat smell, but one that made her think of being held in a
gorgeous man’s arms while they had hot, sweaty sex until neither one of them
could move. If this was a dream, she didn’t want to wake up.

She tried to get
closer, even though there wasn’t any space between her and what she nestled
along. A low groan had her eyes snapping open. Shyla blinked as she gazed at a
well-defined male chest. It was then that she realized muscular arms held her
tight and an equally muscled leg was thrown over hers. She couldn’t help but
notice a hard cock was pressed between her and the man who held her.

Shyla jerked her
head back and looked into a face so handsome it literally took her breath away.
Light green eyes were turned in her direction. A look of relief and something earthy
swirled in their depths. She resisted the urge to reach up and brush away some
of his black hair that had fallen across one eye.

That
bone-melting scent seemed to intensify, and Shyla’s gaze was drawn to his firm
lips. She licked hers before she could stop herself, which caused another groan
to rumble out from deep inside his chest. Those two things had her heart
beating faster and her arousal making itself known.

“Hi,” he said in
a deep voice.

That one word
seemed to sink into her and do naughty things to her body. Visions of pushing
this gorgeous specimen of a man onto his back and riding his cock until she
screamed her pleasure flitted through her mind. Her pussy reacted to her
thoughts as an ache took up residence inside her.

Once she found
her voice, she said, “Hi.”

“How are you
feeling?”

At first, her desire-confused
brain thought he’d asked what she was feeling, as in touching. Shyla barely
stopped herself from saying a hard male body she’d love to explore with her lips
and tongue. She squeezed her legs together to try to alleviate some of the ache
that continued to throb there. His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath and
exhaled on a quiet moan.

Shyla cleared
her throat. “Ah, fine.”

“Good. You’re
probably wondering how you ended up naked in bed with an equally naked man you
don’t even know.”

She felt herself
blush. That very important question had somehow never come to mind. It should
have been the first thing she wanted an answer to after she’d woken up. The
last thing she remembered was falling in the snow, closing her eyes and
thinking to only rest for a few minutes as the blizzard raged around her.

“A little,” she
finally answered.

“I’m Cyrus. I
was at the general store when your cousin’s husband, John, came in looking for
more volunteers to help look for you. I was the one to find you.”

Shyla cringed at
the thought of her stupidity dragging others out into the storm to search for
her. “I hope the others aren’t still out there.”

“Not to worry,
Shyla, they’re not. I texted John once I brought you to my place. He’ll call
tomorrow. Cell phone signal isn’t great right now.”

“I guess John
told you my name. And I found that out about the cells right quick once I
dumped the snowmobile.”

“So that’s what
happened to you.”

She nodded.
“Yeah. I wasn’t strong enough to right it again. I should have stayed with the
machine, but the storm had picked up and I figured I’d be better off moving.”

“It doesn’t
matter now. I’m glad found you.”

Cyrus rubbed her
back, reminding her they were both naked. “Um, is there a reason why we don’t
have any clothes on?”

“That’s what I
do whenever I find a strange woman who has collapsed in a winter storm. I bring
her home, then strip off her clothes so I can lie naked with her. Once she’s no
longer cold, I like to torture her with a feather until she begs for mercy.” At
Shyla’s single raised brow, Cyrus broke out in a smile that made her want to
drool and laughed. “Sorry. I couldn’t resist.”

She shook your
head. “I get the feeling you can be a bit of a smart ass.”

He grinned.
“When the mood strikes. I’ll answer you seriously this time. I was warming you
up. I read somewhere it was best to do it skin-to-skin.”

“I was that
bad?”

“You were. I
think you were borderline hypothermic. I couldn’t rouse you. And you didn’t
wake up at all on the trip here.”

Shyla looked
around the room, making note of the timber walls and exposed ceiling beams.
They had to be inside a log cabin. “Thanks for saving me.” A thought struck
her. “Ah, won’t your girlfriend or wife be pissed when she learns you were in
bed with a naked woman who wasn’t her?”

He chuckled. “I
don’t have either one of those. What about a husband or boyfriend for you?”

“I don’t have
any of those as well. I recently moved to Canyon Creek. And I didn’t leave any
broken hearts back in Chicago.”

“Good. I bet the
last time you ate was before you went out snowmobiling. I’m going to make you
some soup. It should help keep you warm.”

Cyrus threw back
the covers on his side of the bed and slipped off the mattress. Shyla managed
to catch a quick glimpse of his cock as he stood, which was thick, long and
erect. She just about swallowed her tongue as he turned, bent and picked up a
pair of jeans from the floor. His body was perfect without an inch of fat
anywhere. As he straightened, she guessed him to be around six-foot-five, about
a foot taller than her.

Once he pulled
on his pants and had done them up, he turned to face her. “Well, come on.”

She noticed the
black Celtic-style tattoo where his neck and shoulder met that had two wolves
with their heads thrown back on a howl as they stood facing each other. She had
a weakness for guys with tattoos. She thought they were sexy as all hell.

Even though
Cyrus had already seen her butt naked, Shyla held the covers up to her chest.
“Where are my clothes?”

He pointed to a
pile of clothing on the floor in front of the fireplace. “Right there.”

Shyla looked
from Cyrus, to the clothes and back again. “Could you at least bring them over
to the bed for me?”

He gave her a
crooked grin. “I could, but I’d rather not.”

She didn’t miss
the playfulness that lurked in his eyes. It was almost as if he dared her to
walk naked to her clothes. He might not have any problem standing in front of
her with nothing on, but she wasn’t that comfortable in her own skin when it
came to being undressed around men she found attractive. It wasn’t that she
thought she was lacking, she just needed time to get used to letting it all out
there with a man. Sleep around, she did not. She’d only had two lovers in her
past.

Cyrus shook his
head. “Sorry. I guess I pushed it too far with that one. I didn’t mean anything
by it. I want you to be comfortable around me.” He crossed over to the
fireplace, then gathered up her clothing. After he brought them to the bed, he
placed them on the mattress next to Shyla. “I’ll get that soup going. Come out
when you’re ready.” He tugged on a long-sleeved t-shirt that had been on the
floor before he walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Way to go,
dumbass.
She berated herself as she threw back the covers and reached for
her panties. If she’d been braver, she should have played along with Cyrus and
seen what happened after that. She could tell he found her attractive, the same
as she did him, by the way he looked at her. Then there was the fact he’d
risked himself by going out in a blizzard to save her stupid ass. In her books,
that made him a hero.

Shyla quickly
pulled on the rest of her clothes before she walked over to the closed door.
She took a deep, calming breath before she tugged it open. She stepped into the
main area of the cabin. Cyrus stood by a woodstove as he stirred the contents
inside a pot that sat on top it. The only lighting were candles and a couple
oil lamps. She couldn’t see any light switches anywhere on the walls, nor a
fridge or stove inside the small kitchen.

Cyrus turned his
head to look at her. “Take a seat at the table. The soup won’t take long to
heat.”

She did as he
said. Shyla looked around, summing up the place as very rustic. Not that it was
a bad thing. The cabin was warm and cherry. She set her gaze on Cyrus and
asked, “Do you live here by yourself?”

Cyrus walked
over to one of the cupboards and took out a bowl. He turned in her direction
with it in hand. “Yeah, though all my family live in their own cabins not too
far from mine. We share one hundred acres.”

“That’s quite a
bit of land. Either you have a large family or you all like to have your
space.”

He crossed over
to the woodstove and filled the bowl he held with soup. Cyrus came to stand
next to Shyla, then placed it on the table in front of her. He took a seat in
the chair across from hers before he spoke.

Cyrus smiled.
“It’s a little bit of both. I’m the second oldest of six boys. And, of course,
there are my parents.”

“Five brothers.
I can’t imagine having that many siblings. I’m an only child. Your poor mother
must have spent a number of years being pregnant.” Shyla ate a spoonful of
soup, the warmth driving away the last of the chill inside her.

He chuckled. “My
mom was just pregnant once. There were only five minutes between each of us.”

Shyla’s eyes
widened. “Sextuplets? That doesn’t happen very often unless the mother is
taking fertility drugs.”

“She didn’t. It
runs in the family to have multiple births, but not usually six at one time.”
Cyrus glanced pointedly down at her bowl of soup. “Eat up before it grows
cold.”

She ate another
spoonful. “This is going down really well. It was exactly what I needed.”

“I thought so.”

Their gazes met,
and just like that, the whole mood changed. That delicious smell that made
Shyla think of hot, passionate nights filled her nose. The way Cyrus looked at
her, as if she were something he craved, had her thinking about something other
than food. She’d never had a man stare at her like that before, and she had to
admit she liked it. He had her body responding, heating faster than the soup
would ever accomplish. She resisted the urge to cross her arms across her chest
to hide the fact her nipples were taut and pushed against the cups of her bra.

Cyrus’ gaze
darted downward, landing squarely on her chest, before he lifted it once again
to Shyla’s face. She swallowed as a rush of desire surged through her. God, he
was good looking. She wondered what he’d do if she jumped over the table and
threw herself at him. Would he think she was too forward if she shoved her
tongue down his throat as she ground her pussy against his cock?

Shyla gave herself
a mental shake as she brought her wayward thoughts under control. It did
nothing for her body, which jumped up and down, screaming, “Hell yeah,” inside
her mind. It was all for attacking Cyrus now and asking questions later.

Another wave of
that pussy-clenching scent wafted her way. She’d never smelled anything like
it, and could easily see herself becoming addicted to it. Shyla squirmed in her
seat as wetness pooled deep inside her. Since waking up from her ordeal, she’d
spent a lot of time being turned-on all because her rescuer stank in a good
way. Granted it’d been about a year since she’d last gone to bed with a man,
but she’d taken care of her needs by herself when they wouldn’t be ignored. She
shouldn’t be acting like a horny, desperate woman who’d do anything to get
laid.

To distract
herself, Shyla tore her gaze off Cyrus’ face and turned her attention on her
soup. She spooned it into her mouth, barely tasting it, before she swallowed.
It did nothing to quell the hunger she had for the man sitting on the other
side of the table.

*

Cyrus had the
tightest hold he could have on himself as Shyla kept her head down and ate her
soup as if it’d be snatched away from her at any moment. The scent of her
arousal made him want to throw back his head and howl like the wolf he was. His
cock was so hard he wouldn’t be surprised if it burst the zipper on his jeans.

The need to
claim Shyla as his mate rode him, and with it his scent became stronger, which
obviously aroused her. It was a vicious circle that would only get worse if
Cyrus didn’t put a stop to it. Unchecked, he’d have his would-be mate back in
his bed naked, as he sank his cock deep inside her over and over again.

He wanted that,
but he didn’t want to rush things. She didn’t know what he was, or what she was
to him. A female wolf shifter would expect him to have claimed her as soon as
she’d awakened his dick. They were raised to think the only thing that would
complete them was to have their mate find them and mark them as his. Once a
male’s mate brand appeared, most packs would line up their unmated females and
have the male smell each one. If one of them literally got a rise out of him,
they were expected to immediately go off and have sex, the male biting her
where her shoulder and neck met so the brand would appear on her skin. It
didn’t matter if they knew each other or not.

Cyrus and his
family felt the practice was on the barbaric side. It was mostly the reason why
his parents had left their packs to live alone. His mother had never wanted to
be lined up like a brood mare for some marked male in front of her entire pack.
She’d found their father and then allowed him to claim her on her terms, which
his dad had been more than happy with.

He quickly
pushed back his chair and stood. Cyrus turned his back on Shyla and headed over
to the window that was in the living room area. He stood in front of it and
watched the snow come down. So far it didn’t show any sign of letting up. If it
kept falling like this, he had a feeling Shyla wouldn’t be going home the next
day. He wouldn’t even risk taking her on his snowmobile.