'She touched my throat with her teeth.’
‘Well,’ Drew said quietly, ‘that can be extremely hot, or extremely bad if the trust isn’t there first.’
‘I should’ve been able to handle it.’
‘Bullshit.’ Drew snorted. ‘If Hawke went for my throat, I’d freeze the fucking hell where I was and start thinking of ways to convince him that whatever he thought I did, I didn’t do.’
Felix knew Drew, knew how the other man used humor to get through to people, but he couldn’t laugh this time. ‘Hawke isn’t your lover.’
‘That’s true. He’s not really my type. I mean, with that hair and everything.’
Partners in Persuasion (Wild Embrace Anthology), Nalini Singh
For some inexplicable reason, Rina was nervous. She sat in her usual pack vehicle, gripping the steering wheel tightly, and stared at the greenhouse in front of her.
Perhaps Felix wasn’t in.
She snorted. She’d texted him first thing in the morning, asking him what he was up to today. He’d replied that he was going to be working on some clippings in the greenhouse for the better part of the day. So of course that’s where he’d be.
Right here. In the greenhouse.
Rina took a deep breath and let go of the wheel. Only to grip the edge of her seat. She was a DarkRiver soldier, dammit! People described her as a hardass on the best of days.
Then why was she so scared to go inside?
Uniquely for her, this confusion belonged solely to the human, not the leopard. No, the leopard wanted to prowl in and pounce on the delicious man who’d been teasing and playing with them for the past five days. The leopard wanted to rub its fur against his hot skin, lick all over, and maybe even bite a little –
“Snap out of it,” Rina muttered to herself. “You can do this.”
She took one more deep breath and stepped out of the car.
***
Felix had known the moment Rina rolled down the drive to the greenhouse. A quick peek out the front door from behind a trellis heavy with growing vines, had revealed the same vehicle as the one she’d dropped him home in before, parked behind Lyla. It made Felix smile. His kitty was coming to him.
That had been fifteen minutes ago.
Felix sighed in frustration. He hadn’t heard the rumble of the engine, so she was still out there – or at least, she hadn’t started the car to leave. Had she gotten out of the car and just… wandered off?
Felix frowned. That didn’t sound like Rina. But then, where was she? Should he go out there and –?
“Hey.” Felix turned around, his grin wide and automatic at the sound of Rina’s voice. His wolf padded to the surface of his mind at the sight of her standing in the doorway of the greenhouse. The sun poured in around her, gilding her blonde hair, and caressing her skin to a soft glow. God, she took his breath away.
“Hey,” Felix replied softly. They both walked towards each other, coming to an uncertain stop only two feet apart.
Their eyes met, and Felix felt that frisson of connection that was both familiar and new every time. And he couldn’t stop smiling. She was here, in his space. She’d come to him; finally, she’d come to him.
But she was hesitating. She’d been hesitating in the car for fifteen minutes, and now she was hesitating right in front of him. It confused and disappointed Felix that she still had doubts, still wasn’t willing to give in fully. It made his wolf want to howl in sorrow.
Felix held the intense eye contact, and tried to counsel the wolf. He’d been patient these last five days; he could be patient a few moments more. She had to come to him. She would have to choose him –
She took the step and-a-half required to shrink the distance between them into nothing. Still, their eyes remained connected.
Rina’s eyes widened a little, perhaps in surprise. She reached out her arms, her fingertips touching his. Felix twined his fingers with hers, and Rina smiled.
Felix smiled back, lifted their clasped hands to his lips, and gently kissed the back of her palms. Her smile widened, and Felix brought their entwined fingers to rest on his chest. Her hands were warm and a little rough. He couldn’t wait to feel those hands all over his body.
“I missed you,” he murmured, his voice a little rumbly with his wolf so close to the surface of his skin.
Rina stepped closer, and her smile grew wider as she looked up at him. Her eyes roved over his face, as if she were trying to memorise it. His wolf preened.
“I missed you too,” she murmured back.
Then why didn’t you come to me sooner? But that was unfair to the both of them. Rina hadn’t cut off all contact with him; they’d been texting – and flirting via emoji – every day. And Felix was having fun courting Rina. In terms of that at least, she hadn’t been dismissing him because he was submissive. They’d both been enjoying the chase.
Felix nuzzled her cheek with his nose, felt her cheeks move as her lips widened into a bigger smile. She cuddled even closer, their hands trapped between their chests.
“Thank you for the gloves, again,” Rina said.
“Have you tried them?” Felix asked, feeling pleased.
“Yeah, I did – used them with weights yesterday. They were great! I loved them.”
Felix smiled. “You’ll have to let me watch you use them someday.”
“Do you box?” she asked, nuzzling her nose into the fabric of his shirt. It was an old flannel shirt, soft and almost shapeless after countless washes. He was gladthat it was clean, although he couldn’t see his tough-as-nails soldier turning up her nose at a little dirt.
Letting go of one of her hands, he brushed aside the strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail so that he could see her face clearly, and murmured, “No. I prefer tai chi.” It was a gentler martial art, more suited to his instincts – he’d never had the inclination to try a more aggressive style. Although, all SnowDancer submissives had combat training, himself included.
He felt more than saw her smirk into his shirt. “Isn’t that what old ladies do in the park?”
“Hey! It’s a very serious martial art! We have competitions and everything.”
“If you say so.”
“Stop laughing at me.”
“I’m not laughing at you!”
He bent his head, and touched his forehead to hers. “I can practically see your leopard snickering.”
Rina bumped his nose with her own. “Leopards do not snicker.”
Felix grinned. “I’ll show you one day, if you like.”
“Really?” She smiled, and reached for his free hand, twining their fingers once more. “I’d like that.”
Their hands entwined, their foreheads leaning against each other, Felix looked into Rina’s beautiful hazel eyes once more, and dared to let the wolf rise to the surface. He watched as Rina’s own eyes shifted to the green-gold of her wilder half, and he fell in love with her a little more. The contact was intense, searing in a way that went beyond even intimate skin privileges. It was almost… under-the-skin privileges. The thought didn’t make much sense, but neither man nor wolf were really in the mood to question it. No, they just wanted to play with their mate.
“I want to bite you,” Felix murmured, taking a chance that this dominant leopard wouldn’t take it the wrong way.
His courage was rewarded. Rina’s eyes sparkled up at him, her scent shifting subtly, making the want inside him burn brighter. “Dare you,” she smirked.
***
Rina was sunk. Well and truly sunk. If someone had told her two weeks ago that she’d be entangled with a submissive wolf, she would’ve laughed, and suggested they get their brain scanned. But here she was, standing toe to toe with one, both woman and leopard charmed out of their caution despite her best efforts. There were legitimate concerns to discuss still, but they could wait. The whole world could wait. At this very moment, she just wanted to kiss the living daylights out of her wolf.
And so she did just that. Unable to resist the restlessness that had been growing for the past five days, she leaned up, closing the gap between their mouths.
Her leopard lunged at the first electric touch of their lips, but Rina reined it in. Their last exploration of sharing intimate skin privileges had gone rather well, but there was no need to end this time prematurely, just because she couldn’t keep it in her pants. Neither did she want to inadvertently spook Felix’s wolf. It had been several days since their last kiss, and despite the fact that Felix had been rather relentless in his courtship since then, the wolf may not –
Felix’s tongue darted out, gently tracing the seam between her lips. She opened her mouth in reply to his silent question, more than happy to deepen their kiss.
He untangled their fingers, wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her impossibly closer.
Not one to be outdone, Rina wound her own arms up his broad shoulders, petting and caressing. But that wasn’t her end goal, not what she’d been thinking about doing since their date by the waterfall. Her fingers stroked over his nape, ran through his luxuriant hair, the strands cool, raw silk. She tugged gently, and in response, the wolf rumbled, the deep sound reverberating through his chest, making her breasts tingle.
Rina purred.
Pulling away, just enough that they could take a breath, she said, “Make that sound again when we’re naked.”
“Rina,” her wolf rumbled. His high cheekbones were flushed under the warm brown of his skin, but despite her provocation, he didn’t pull away. Neither did he back down, as she’d half expected. “As long as you purr.” He bumped his nose against hers, gave her a grin painted with arrogance.
“Since you’ve kept your promise to make me purr already, I think we can come to some sort of arrangement,” she replied, letting her own lips curve with the same arrogance.
“What did you think of my last gift?” Felix asked, tracing the shell of her ear with the tip of his finger. The caress caused tingles to shiver through her. Taking a risk, she turned her head, snapped her teeth at those lovely fingers in play. Rina was conscious to move relatively slowly; she didn’t want to harm him, and neither did she want to scare him off. She couldn’t stifle the leopard within her, either. If they were going to do this, really do this, he’d have to learn to handle the both of them.
Felix closed his fingers away. Rina cuddled a little closer, covertly checking if he was okay. A short pause later, she felt his feather-light touch against her ear once more.
Rina narrowed her eyes at him, and Felix smiled back innocently, still tracing her ear. This had her leopard intrigued. Perhaps Felix could handle them after all.
“You think very highly of yourself,” she replied, a touch archly.
That touch of arrogance was back in his smile, unrepentant. “Are you wearing them right now?” His hands slid down to the edge of her t-shirt; slid up again to rest above the waistband of her jeans, skin to skin. The heat of those deliciously rough hands only added fuel to the sexual fire that burned bright inside her.
Not ready to give in that easily, though, Rina gave him an evil grin. “Want to find out?” she murmured. She ran her fingers through his gorgeous hair again, because she couldn’t resist. God, if she weren’t careful, petting this man would fast become an addiction.
Felix groaned. Bending his head towards her, he took her lips in a kiss that was hard, hot, and delicious… and over all too soon.
“Desperately,” he rumbled, the wolf apparent in his voice. His eyes, too, were the grey of the wolf within.
Rina stared into those eyes that were in no way human in this moment, let her own leopard surface to the fore. When he didn’t break eye contact again, she decided to take one more risk. A part of her cautioned that they’d already gone far enough for today. But Rina Monahan wasn’t known for being reckless without basis. And so, she went for it.
***
“I want to touch your throat,” the cat in Felix’s arms said softly. No matter the quietness of her voice, he heard the challenge from her leopard loud and clear. His wolf paused, the spell this woman had them under, if not broken, then momentarily lifted.
The throat was… a sensitive area in wolf culture. Skin privileges there were granted only with the utmost trust. Felix did trust Rina… but could the wolf trust such a strong predator to not rip out his throat? Or could he trust his own beast not to take over and force him into a primal submission, one borne not of a conscious understanding between the two of them, but of the survival instincts of the animal?
“Okay,” Felix said, making his decision. His kitty had played with him, come to him, treated him as an equal. For this relationship to work, he had to be willing to put himself out there, too. “But the wolf… might not be ready for that,” he warned. He could feel his animal inside him, confused and yet a little wary, but ready to trust the human on this one. Ready to trust Rina on this one.
Rina smiled, and placed her palm on his cheek, looking him right in the eye. “We’ll go slow, okay?” And there went his heart, again.
But he frowned in response. “I don’t want you having to hold yourself in check around me.” The thought came from a place of fierce male pride. What sort of man would he be if his mate didn’t feel free to be herself around him?
“But it’s fun teasing you.” Her smile widened, and the palm cupping his cheek trailed down towards his neck.
Felix couldn’t help but shudder as her fingers delicately traced the skin over such a vulnerable area. He held still otherwise, let her explore. Despite his best intentions, the wolf rose to the fore, colouring his thoughts. And it was delighted by its mate as much as the man. Rina was being slow, gentle, but the intense focus of her gaze, the flush of rose in her cheeks, the wild scent of her, all said that she was enjoying this, enjoying petting him.
At that moment, her eyes flicked up to meet his, asking a silent question. He could only manage the barest of smiles in reply, his desire for her so strong, that it was taking a lot of effort to keep still, to not bend his own lips to the soft skin of her neck, and taste.
Apparently, Rina had some Psy ancestry, because it was as if she read his mind. Her lips curved into that wicked grin that had him thinking about all sorts of naked shenanigans, before she reached up on her toes, and grazed her lips against his neck.
Too much. Unable to control his wolf anymore, Felix snapped. He bent his head and caught those ever-so-soft lips in a kiss that held his heart.
Breaking away long moments later, both of them breathing hard, Felix managed to get out, “Enough,” his voice coloured with the wolf’s so it came out as a deep, almost unintelligible growl.
Rina tightened her hold around his shoulders, the very tips of her claws pricking the muscle there, her chest heaving against his, and a slightly dazed look in her eyes. “I wasn’t expecting that,” she murmured.
Felix was smug. Submissive wolf he may be, but he could still surprise his mate.
In answer to his self-satisfied grin, she gave a sly grin of her own. “When can I kiss your neck again?”
This woman was going to be the death of him, Felix knew it. And he was going to love every minute of it.
Touching a petal, he said, ‘I was late because I was hunting for this one. I wanted the bouquet to be unique and beautiful . . . like you.’
Desiree’s eyes grew wide, her hand pressing to his jaw as she rose on tiptoe to touch her lips to his in a sweetly tender caress. ‘No one’s ever given me flowers before.’
Man and wolf both stared. ‘But you should get flowers every day.’
Partners in Persuasion (Wild Embrace Anthology), Nalini Singh
The next day, Rina found herself sitting at the kitchen table, unable to concentrate. She’d brought her laptop and a couple of data pads she’d borrowed from the university library down here, so that she could take advantage of the bright afternoon sun pouring in through the open windows. Perhaps she’d be better able to concentrate if she went out to the porch. Or maybe if she made a cup of tea.
Rina groaned, and flopped her forehead to the table, the timber sun-warmed under her skin. What was the point? Apparently, Felix had her under some sort of spell, because she couldn’t get him out of her head. Mind control was more likely, since magic wasn’t real, and Psy were. She’d have to ask Sascha when she next saw her. It was true that changeling mental shields were nigh on impossible to breach, but who knew if Felix had a touch of Psy blood in him that allowed him to squirrel his way into her thoughts? Perhaps she should talk with Ashaya about this theory. If anyone would know about latent genetics, it would be the brilliant Ashaya Aleine.
She banged her head gently against the table. Of course it wasn’t mind control, either. No, it was simply good, old-fashioned lust. She’d gone to him yesterday, unable to resist the beautiful thing that was growing between them. Being so close to him had been wonderful. Breathing in his scent, seeing that beautiful smile, the rumble of his wolf wrapping around her; it had been familiar and brand new all at once. The skin privileges had been a happy bonus. A very happy bonus. Aside from being delightful in and of themselves, they’d been enough to quiet the sexual hunger of her beast… for now. But that hunger wasn’t gone. She had a feeling that the inferno between Felix and herself wouldn’t simply disappear after they’d had sex. No, things weren’t as simple as that anymore.
She glanced over at her cactus, sitting proudly in its jaunty red pot, in the centre of the table. The peace lilies she’d moved over to a side table near the giant floor cushions they had in lieu of couches.
She knew Felix was playing for keeps. No matter his position in the hierarchy, Felix had made it clear from day one that he was serious, that he wanted a long-term relationship. And for the first time in her life, Rina was… okay with that. She’d come back from her roaming several months ago, the mind of the leopard, if not calmer, at least clearer. It was the leopard’s clarity she used now to focus herself – in both her training as a soldier, and her studies in actuarial science.
But a forever kind of relationship? It hadn’t been something she’d seriously ever considered. Until Felix.
Glancing over at the cactus again, the petals from its pretty pink flowers creating a carpet over the soil, she sighed. She should be taking advantage of this uncommonly quiet afternoon, not mooning over a stupid boy. She opened the lid of her laptop, and got to work.
… And was interrupted by a knock on her door ten minutes later.
Scenting the packmate on the other side, she called out, “It’s open!”
Mercy walked in a moment later, a smile on her face, her smooth movements speaking of the confidence of her leopard.
Rina smiled in welcome, a little confused as to why Mercy was here, but always glad for the company of Pack. Because Pack was family, and family was always welcome.
“I was just about to put the kettle on,” Rina said. Her ten minutes of work could kindly be labelled as unproductive. An afternoon pick-me-up would not go amiss. She got up from the table, and gave the sentinel a hug. Despite Mercy being only a few years older than her, the leopard that was Rina’s other half instantly calmed in her presence. It recognised Mercy’s own dominance, gave her the respect she deserved because of her position in the hierarchy. And as one of the pack’s highest-ranked members, that was a lot of respect. But it was more than that. Mercy was one of the most stable people in the pack, had been that way as long as Rina could remember. Her mating with SnowDancer’s most senior lieutenant had only enhanced that quality. The way Mercy’s animal was so comfortable in its own skin soothed her own beast.
“Tea would be perfect,” Mercy replied, following Rina into the kitchen. She grabbed two mugs from a cupboard as Rina filled an old-fashioned kettle with water, and placed it on the stove. It had been an odd quirk of her mother’s, the use of the antiquated utensil. The small act of using it still made Rina feel a little closer to her, to this day.
“How are the pupcubs?” Rina asked, grinning. All of DarkRiver and SnowDancer couldn’t wait for the birth Mercy and Riley’s babies.
Mercy beamed. “Wonderful.”
Mercy was one of the strongest women Rina knew, and it was fascinating to see such open joy at her impending motherhood. Rina was nowhere near ready to have cubs of her own, but seeing Mercy this way gave her food for thought. Maybe you could be both a hard ass, and a mother… because even though she was carrying multiple tiny lives inside her, Mercy Smith was no less dangerous, no less deadly.
“Keenan and Ashaya baked me an entire batch of cookies,” Rina said. She grabbed the container off a bench, and put several on a plate, taking it to the table.
Mercy dropped two teabags into the mugs as Rina shut her laptop, and placed it and the data pads to the side, out of the way.
“And Dorian didn’t steal any?” Mercy asked.
The kettle whistled, and Rina poured the steaming water into the mugs. “Milk?” she asked.
Mercy shook her head, no. They both walked to the dining table, and sat down, the steam dancing in between them.
“I got to them before he came back from his shift,” Rina replied.
“Smart,” Mercy nodded. “Cute cactus.” She took a sip of her tea.
Rina took a sip of her own scalding tea, to avoid replying. She looked over at the cactus, and internally sighed.
“Thanks,” she said. If Mercy thought that she was going to bring up her wolf all by herself…
“Your wolf has a rather eccentric idea of courtship.”
Rina almost choked on her next sip. Mercy’s eyes danced over the edge of her cup, the cat’s amusement clear.
“Does the entire pack have nothing better to do than gossip?” Rina snarled. She’d never thought of herself as a particularly private person, quite comfortable with the way the pack found out practically everything. Hell, she enjoyed hearing the latest gossip travelling on the pack grapevine as much as the next leopard.
Mercy laughed, unrepentant. “Tell me about him.”
Rina looked up from her teacup. “Are you asking as a sentinel, or as a nosy packmate?”
Mercy reached over and placed a warm hand over one of Rina’s, where they cradled her mug on the table. “I’m asking as someone who understands what it’s like to fall head over heels for a wolf.” She gave Rina’s hand a small squeeze.
“Head over heels is a bit of an overstatement,” Rina muttered.
“Can I touch your cactus?”
“No!”
Mercy gave a knowing grin.
Rina sighed. Okay, so she obviously cared for Felix more than she was willing to let on.
“He’s… wonderful,” she mumbled.
Mercy nodded. “What’s holding you back? You’ve never been shy about men before.”
“We’re… things are… it’s complicated,” she finished lamely. God, why couldn’t she just come out and say it? Well, she knew why. The difference between their dominance was holding her back in more ways than one. It was a slap to the face to realise that she was petty enough that one of those reasons was because she was worried about what others would think of their relationship.
“If you’re worried about pack stuff, it’s not an issue,” Mercy said. “You’ll be DarkRiver, and your wolf SnowDancer. No one’s going to demand that you change your allegiance – or prove your loyalties.”
Rina gave a small smile in thanks. She had been a little worried about having to prove herself all over again. It seemed as if she’d spent a lot of her life trying to prove herself. First, that she could take care of both herself and Kit after their dad had died, then as a hot-headed novice, and now as a junior soldier, able to balance both her training and her university studies. She knew that she was capable of becoming senior soldier one day. She just had to show everyone else, too.
“… That’s not all of it,” Rina said quietly. She figured that she should take advantage of Mercy’s advice and support. That’s what Pack did, helped each other. “It’s… there’s a huge dominance gap between us.”
Mercy frowned. “You’re the more dominant one?”
Rina nodded. She took a large gulp of her cooling tea.
“And he’s not okay with that?” There was a dangerous edge to Mercy’s voice.
“No!” Rina said, a little alarmed. God, she didn’t want to accidentally set the wrath of Mercy Smith on poor Felix. Especially since he didn’t deserve that at all. “He seems fine with it, actually.” And he had. Not once had Felix indicated that he found her strength a problem, that it undermined his own masculinity and sense of self in any way. Hell, he seemed to like her for it. “He’s a submissive.”
“Ah.” Mercy leaned back in her chair, contemplative. “That explains a lot of your hesitation.”
“It does?” Rina asked, bemused. “You don’t think I’m being snooty and petty?”
“No, I think you’re being practical and mature. We’re not human, Rina. Our animals have to be happy with our choices, too.”
Rina nodded, understanding what Mercy was saying.
“What does your leopard think of him?”
“It wants to pet him all over,” she admitted. “But it’s also worried about the dominance gap.” For perhaps the first time in her life, Rina’s leopard was being confusing. Usually, the animal thought in far more black and white terms, its decisions more clear-cut.
“Hmm.” Mercy tapped her cup in thought. “Who exactly is your wolf, Rina?”
Rina hesitated. Up until now, her courtship with her wolf had been a private indulgence, despite it becoming clear that her packmates knew far more than she’d thought. Fucking Kit and his big mouth. Saying his name to someone else somehow made everything seem more real. And maybe that’s just what she needed.
“His name’s Felix,” she said, staring intently at her cup. Mercy was right. It was so unlike her to be so shy about a man. It shouldn’t be different with Felix, but it was.
“SnowDancer’s chief horticulturalist?” Mercy asked, her eyebrows raised. “Where on earth did you find him?”
“He found me, actually,” Rina mumbled.
“He pursued you?” The disbelief in Mercy’s voice even more apparent.
“There’s no need to sound so surprised,” Rina muttered.
Mercy had the decency to smile apologetically. “Sorry, Reen. I guess I never pegged him for the type. He always seemed so quiet.”
“You’ve met him before?”
Mercy nodded. “I bumped into him while helping out during the replanting.” There had only been one instance to date that could be referred to as “the replanting”. Sienna Lauren’s X-fire had saved them all during that battle. Rina had missed out on the project to help regenerate the denuded area however, since she’d gone roaming only a few days after Henry Scott’s attack.
“I can see why he’s got you so interested. He’s a beautiful man.”
Rina frowned, her leopard growling in warning. “Aren’t you happily mated?”
Mercy laughed. “I’m mated, not blind.”
Rina’s frown deepened, the growl threatening to rumble out of her chest.
Mercy just grinned.
“He’s more than a pretty face,” Rina said, feeling the need to defend Felix. God, he must get that all the time, especially given his past modelling career. “He’s smart, and kind, and loyal, and – why are you laughing at me?” She could see Mercy trying to hold in her snickering, but failing miserably.
“I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at this entire situation.”
“What’s the difference?” Rina grumbled, grabbing a cookie, and slouching a little in her chair.
“What’s worrying you, Rina? It’s clear as day that you like Felix. And it’s even clearer that he likes you back.”
“But the dominance –”
Mercy held up a hand, halting her words. “Hear me out, okay? Yes, the difference in dominance is an issue. But truth be told, it was an issue for a lot of successful couples. And yes, in most of those cases the female is not more dominant, but who’s to say it can’t work? Every relationship has its challenges. This is just one of yours.”
The heart of the leopard couldn’t help but grab onto this kernel of hope. “Do you really think we could make it work?”
Mercy shrugged. “I think you’re already making it work.”
Rina thought about this. The statement had the ring of truth to it. She’d gone to him yesterday, just because she’d missed him for those days they’d been giving each other space. Hell, Rina had to be honest. They hadn’t seen each other because he’d been respecting her request for some time to think.
“Are skin privileges a problem?” Mercy asked.
Rina shrugged. “We’re taking things slow.”
“I can sense that’s frustrating your leopard to no end.”
Rina shrugged again. “Neither leopard nor human want to share skin privileges with anyone else.”
Mercy grinned. “There’s something to be said about anticipation. Enjoy the chase, Rina.”
Rina smiled in thanks.
“Thanks for the tea,” Mercy said. “I have to get to CTX.” CTX was the communications company in which DarkRiver held a large share. Mercy worked there, too, on top of all her responsibilities as sentinel and SnowDancer liaison. Rina had no idea when she ever had any spare time.
“Thanks for coming by… and for talking,” Rina said as she walked Mercy to the door. “Did Dorian put you up to it?”
Mercy gave Rina a hug, just before stepping out of the door. Automatically, Rina returned the hug, finding comfort in the easy skin privileges of Pack.
“He may have mentioned something,” Mercy said with a sly grin. “But like I said, I know what it’s like to fall for a wolf.”
And you know what it means to look after Pack, Rina thought. Both Dorian and Mercy had realised that Rina had a lot on her mind, and had helped in their own ways.
“I’m looking forward to meeting your sexy wolf,” Mercy said, giving a final wave before heading towards the tree line.
Rina rolled her eyes, but waved as Mercy melted into the trees. God, her packmates could be as nosy as those pesky wolves sometimes. But it all came from a place of love.
Rina headed back to the kitchen table, picked up the two used mugs to put them in the sink. Things were a little clearer for the leopard, thanks to Mercy’s little chat. But now I have to decide if I’m really serious about this, Rina thought grimly. Felix was… amazing. Question was, could they really do this?
Rina was so, so glad that Kit was out of the house for a few days. Because otherwise she didn’t know how she’d stand the merciless teasing. She’d probably end up killing her brother to be perfectly honest. It would be the only way to shut him up.
Lingerie.
The damn wolf had got her actual, honest to God, lingerie.
Rina didn’t know if she should be angry, or flattered, or amused, or… confused.
Yeah, confused sounded about right.
She’d trudged into the cabin early in the morning, sometime after six, after getting off her night shift. Not really paying attention to what she was doing, she’d automatically headed up the stairs to her room, dropped her stuff on the floor by the door, and was just about to flop down on her soft, wonderful bed, when she’d noticed the flat cardboard box blocking prime flopping space.
It was largish, rectangular, and finished in a sophisticated matte black. Her leopard had been instantly intrigued. Her fatigue of a few moments ago was pushed to the back of her mind as she’d perched on the edge of her bed and gazed down upon it. It seemed as though her wolf was up to his usual tricks. Yesterday, she’d come home to a dozen chocolate mud cupcakes, iced with a heavy layer of chocolate ganache. She’d somehow controlled herself from eating them all at once. Of course Felix would be a damned good cook. And to top it all off, he was just as fond of the liberal use of emojis as she was.
Her curiosity had quickly turned into shock and a touch of anticipation however, when she’d noticed the discreet logo embossed in the top left corner of the lid. It was of a high-end lingerie store in San Francisco. Rina had walked past the storefront many a time, sighing over the pieces on display in the window, but had always quickly moved on before her will gave out and she went in and bought something on impulse.
Her leopard padding to the front of her mind, she slowly lifted the lid with growing anticipation. She quickly flicked the top layer of tissue paper aside to see what her damn wolf had got her now.
A bra and panties set was nestled with the greatest care in the white tissue. She reached out to graze her fingertips over lace in the softest pink she’d ever seen. She knew by touch that they’d glide on – and off – her body with feathery ease, the colour lending a softness to her complexion.
She reached out to trace the edge of the cups of the bra, which were of a full balconette cut. The panties, whilst being cut like booty shorts, were still ridiculously sexy, made of the same sheer decadent lace as the bra.
Rina was surprised at Felix’s taste. Not in her wildest dreams had she expected her submissive wolf to buy her lingerie. And if he ever did, she would’ve expected him to get something more… skimpy. But no, the gift had turned out to be something sophisticated and so decadent, that it had her leopard wanting to nuzzle its face into the softness of the lace.
It seemed that Felix was just full of surprises. Her lips quirked at what Felix’s reaction would be when she wore it for him.
And it also seemed that her decision was made. All her reservations were still there, but it felt as if they were becoming more and more surmountable. Things were far simpler for her leopard: the wolf had respected her wishes for distance, but hadn’t given up. He’d chased her in his own sweet, stubborn way over the last few days.
And truth be told, she missed Felix. She missed seeing the open warmth in his dark eyes, his scent wrapping around her in an already familiar way.
And the kisses. Oh, the kisses. There hadn’t been a single night since Rina had seen her wolf last that she hadn’t tossed and turned in her sheets in sheer frustration. She missed the intimate skin privileges they’d shared, brief as they had been.
The leopard growled. The woman’s grin was just as feral. The wolf and she had unfinished business.
