Worth the Risk (3 page)

chance Woods would try to track him with his company phone. Most of his

assignments had been out of state and that’s the way Stephan liked it. Working jobs too

close to home made him feel uneasy. His family could take care of themselves, but it

lowered his stress level just the same.

He knew his boss would be pissed the next time they talked, but hell, Woods was

lucky they were even in communication right now. While they’d played this case close

to the chest and only a handful of people knew about it, normally Stephan went in

undercover with one contact and one contact
only
.

When he heard a soft knock at the door, he slipped the phone and battery into the

top drawer of the desk. His throat clenched when he opened the door to find Marisol

standing there. The animal in him wanted to strip her naked and fuck for hours. And

her outfit wasn’t helping matters. The shirt stretched across her small breasts, perfectly

accentuating her soft curves and hard nipples. It was too short though, and it exposed

the lower half of her flat stomach.

“This sort of fits.” She tugged on the hem of the black t-shirt he’d given her.

“It covers more than that dress you were wearing.” Stephan heard the possessive

note in his voice but couldn’t stop himself.

“Whose clothes are these anyway?” She narrowed her bright blue eyes at him.

“I’ve never slept with the woman they belong to if that’s what you’re asking.” The

skintight t-shirt and yoga pants he’d given her belonged to his cousin Alex. He knew

because he could still smell traces of her in the house. His answer was evasive but it

wasn’t an outright lie. More than anything he wanted to tell her who he really was, but

he couldn’t yet. Mate or not, he didn’t know anything about her and he sensed she was

holding something back from him. The fact that she didn’t have a pack—or rather

claimed not to have one—set off alarm bells.

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Savannah Stuart

The house they were in was one of his parents’ extra beach houses they reserved for

visiting wolves or friends of the human variety. It was rarely used so he’d known it

would be unoccupied and better, it wouldn’t have any family photos lying around. His

pack was very particular about not keeping personal photos around their own homes,

much less a guesthouse.

She placed her hands on her hips and the haughty expression on her face got him

hotter than he could have imagined. “So what do you plan to do to me now that you’ve

got me here?”

“Talk.” He wanted to do a hell of a lot more than talk, but he needed to know who

this sexy she-wolf was and why she hadn’t introduced herself to his Alpha sometime

over the past year.

“Talk?” Her voice was incredulous and the sweet jasmine scent he’d noted at the

club was more potent and enticing here at the house.

“Do you want a glass of wine?” He needed to keep his hands busy with something

other than her. If he didn’t, he was likely to take her right on the floor.

Without answering, she turned on her heel and headed for his kitchen. Watching

the subtle sway of her hips had his cock on full alert and his brain barely functioning.

He easily caught up to her as they entered the kitchen. Everything in the house was

state of the art, but it was also very sterile. It felt like a hotel and probably fit in with his

profile as an arms dealer.

“Shouldn’t you have more security or something?” Marisol asked.

“No one knows about this place. Besides, do you really think I’m worried about

getting killed?” Unless someone shot or poisoned him with silver, he was pretty much

indestructible.

A soft smile tugged at the corner of her very kissable mouth. “Good point.” She slid

onto one of the high-top bar stools at the center island while he pulled a bottle from the

wine rack along the wall. When she moistened her lips with that perfect pink tongue, he

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Worth the Risk

had a sudden vision of her running that tongue over his cock and he nearly dropped

the bottle.

“Is red okay?” When she nodded, he poured them both a glass and sat next to her.

With his loud family, he normally liked silence, but the quiet room left him nervous.

Nervous.

The word was laughable. He’d never felt insecure around a female—wolf or

human—in his entire life. Most of the time he could smell their desire, fear, whatever.

People were easy to read.

Not Marisol.

He couldn’t tell if she was purposefully hiding her feelings or if she was just

private. The only thing coming off her was jasmine and need. Even if she wanted to, she

couldn’t hide her desire for him. On his most primal level, that pleased him.

The silent tension in the room swelled until the air was thick with his desire mixed

with hers. He knew it was biological and he also knew it was what happened when one

met their mate, but he didn’t like feeling such little control over his body.

After taking a few sips of her wine, she set it down on the marble countertop. Her

intelligent eyes studied him carefully. “What are you thinking?”

“You probably don’t want to know,” he muttered.

In a surprising move, she slid off the chair and positioned herself between his legs.

His cock jutted forward when she lightly pressed her fingertips against his chest. The

challenging look in her eyes was unexpected.

Instead of kissing her, he threaded his fingers through the curtain of her dark hair

and grasped the back of her head in a tight grip. The strands were silky and cool against

his palm. “What are you playing at?” A growl rumbled at the back of his throat.

“You don’t want me?” she practically purred. Her hands settled on his thighs and

she raked her fingernails teasingly along his legs.

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Savannah Stuart

Against his will, his leg muscles clenched under her light touch. God help him, he

wanted her. More than he cared to admit. It had been a while since he’d been with a

woman. Ever since his younger brother had found his mate, sadness and a touch of

jealousy had settled in Stephan’s gut and he’d basically turned down any woman he

met. “Don’t play games with me.”

“I won’t let you bond with me, but I want you.” The truth was in her words and in

her scent. Her desire grew stronger with each second that passed.

He’d been ready to bond since practically the second he’d seen her, but it was the

female’s right to choose when and where they’d bond. He wanted to take Marisol right

on the kitchen floor so badly his cock ached, but his human side won out. Unable to

voice his intentions, he hooked his hands under her ass and picked her up. Immediately

she wrapped her slim legs around his waist. Her erotic scent enveloped him in a thick

cloud. Wordlessly, he strode for the master bedroom. They might not be about to bond,

but they were certainly going to fuck.

Marisol knew she was playing with fire, but Lord, she wanted this sexy shifter. If

she was going to die, she was going to enjoy life before she did. Fate might have been

cruel enough to lead her to her mate now, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t take some

pleasure.

She felt as if she were in heat, she was so hot. She needed relief and she needed it

now
. Rubbing her breasts over his chest, she grinded against his body as he carried her

from the kitchen. She sensed he was worried about her sudden change of heart. It’s not

as if she’d planned to sleep with him tonight, but she wasn’t going to deny herself what

she wanted.

Her surroundings vaguely registered when they entered a large room. Strange, the

bedroom didn’t smell like Stephan. It didn’t smell like anyone. It simply smelled like

fresh, clean cotton. She was more than comfortable with her body, but she was thankful

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Worth the Risk

when he didn’t turn the lights on. It had been a while since she’d had sex and the last

man she’d contemplated letting into her bed had tried to kill her.

The floor-length curtains were drawn back on the wide window, allowing the moon

to give them just enough light to see each other.

When her feet touched the floor, she tried to step back but hit the edge of the bed.

The heat of Stephan’s body wrapped around her was sensual and enticing.

Instinctively, she curled her toes into the plush carpet in anticipation of what was to

come. The dark look in his eyes told her she wouldn’t be disappointed. He murmured

something low and unintelligible as he grasped the bottom hem of her shirt. Her

stomach fluttered in response.

Her vision was bathed in darkness for a moment as he lifted the shirt over her head.

Cool air rushed over her skin, causing her already hard nipples to pebble even more.

She reached out to touch his muscular chest, but before she realized it, she was flat

on her back and he’d pulled her stretchy yoga pants completely off. She’d ditched her

thong earlier and by the heated, primal look on his face, he was pleased.

A strange shyness threatened to overwhelm her. She was naked and completely at

his mercy. While she was a lot stronger than she looked, she was no match for this man.

In wolf or human form, this man—her mate, could hurt her if he wanted. He wouldn’t

though. She could feel it straight to her bones. He might make a living peddling

weapons, but he didn’t hurt women. Somehow, she just
knew
it.

“I don’t have condoms,” he rasped out, breaking the silence of the room.

She understood what he was asking without him actually having to voice it. Shifters

didn’t need protection because their DNA was different than that of humans. They

couldn’t get STDs, which meant they couldn’t give them. And female shifters could

only get pregnant twice a year. Thankfully, she was three months away from her cycle.

“Don’t worry, it’s not my time—”

Her words were lost as he slanted his mouth over hers. In erotic little flicks, his

tongue danced against hers. She briefly wondered what it would feel like to have him

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Savannah Stuart

kiss her pussy like that. The erotic image that conjured brought a rush of heat to her

belly.

As if he read her mind, he tore his mouth away from hers and feathered kisses

along her jaw and neck. Continuing, he carved a moist trail down her chest and

stomach until he hovered at her mound.

Grinning wickedly, he buried his head between her legs. She liked that he didn’t

waste any time getting down to business. He dipped his tongue between her folds and

licked her slit from the bottom, up to her clit. When he traced his tongue around the

sensitive nub, she let out a hoarse moan.

She wasn’t exactly sure what she’d been expecting from him in the bedroom, but it

hadn’t been
this
. Everything about Stephan was big and demanding. The man exuded

absolute power. She’d thought he’d take her from behind, needing to dominate her.

She’d been so sure that he’d fuck her long and hard, mindless of her wants.

This, however, she could handle.
This
, she wanted more of. With a tenderness she

hadn’t expected, his tongue stroked between her pussy lips before focusing on her

hardened bud. He gently teased her with his teeth and tongue.

With each flick against her clit, her hips jerked wildly. He chuckled against her

most sensitive flesh. The reverberations skittered over her skin, sending spiraling

tingles straight to her aching nipples.

Her legs automatically tried to clench around his head, but he pressed calming

hands to her inner thighs. Immediately her body relaxed under his touch.

Unexpected tears sprang to her eyes at the gentle way he handled her. It had been

so long since she’d let her guard down with anyone and the tenderness from this man

was almost overwhelming. The energy coming off him was raw and primal, but he was

restraining himself. She didn’t know him, but he was her mate and that obviously

meant something to him. It meant a lot to her too. A year ago, she’d have opened her

arms to him and bonded with him before falling in love. A year ago she’d been so

secure in who she was and her place in the world, that she’d have known that the love

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Worth the Risk

would eventually come with the mating—that nature would work itself out. A year ago,

she’d been stupid and naïve.

Stephan ran his hands along Marisol’s inner thighs and savored the feel of her soft

skin. When he’d first seen her at the club he’d assumed she was delicate. She might be

soft and petite, but he could sense the unleashed power humming through her. She was

strong. Stronger than maybe
she
even realized, and it made him want her even more.

Dipping his tongue into her pussy once again, he groaned as he tasted her sweet

essence. Each time he traced his tongue along her slit, her hips jerked. She was so

sensitive. Like dynamite.

Mine.
The word was loud in his head.

More than anything his cock wanted inside her, but he was going to play this right.

Something told him she expected him just to fuck her like an animal, and he wanted to

give her enough foreplay so she never wanted to leave his bed. The more he touched

and kissed her, the more the desire to bond took over. The need ran deep inside him,