Page 14 of Crossed Fates

“First of all, I’m not your sweetheart.” She punctuated that with a particularly painful swipe of the needle. “And I didn’tfindmyself locked up. I purposely let them catch me.”

“Yeah? Why?”

She shrugged. “A new challenge.”

Shifters might not be able to scent lies, but I caught hers from a mile away. “Liar.”

Makayla merely smiled. “I didn’t promise you the truth.”

“No, you didn’t,” I agreed as she finished her last stitch. “But now you’ve just made me curious.”

“Sounds like a you problem, not a me problem.” She took a step back.

Or she tried to, anyway.

Because I caught her hips before she could complete the movement, and I yanked her forward instead. Her hands went to my shoulders, which stirred a hiss from me in response.

Okay, grabbing the woman was a bad idea.

But my instincts had fired, and I’d not been ready for her to leave my space yet.Mine,my beast demanded.

I ignored him again and focused on the female standing before me. “What kind of wolf are you?”

“One who doesn’t appreciate manhandling.”

My lips curled. “I blame my animal. He’s rather keen on the idea of mounting you.” I felt her responding shiver through my fingertips, her wolf reacting to my statement.

Yeah, you definitely want me,I thought at her animal. Not that she could hear me. That wasn’t a mating trait for my kind. But perhaps it was for hers because I swore her animal peeked at me through those pretty blue eyes, approval radiating from within.

Fascinating.

“That’s not going to happen,” Makayla gritted out, her hands falling to my wrists to give them a threatening squeeze.

I tightened my grip in response. “You’re the one who offered me a ride,” I reminded her.

“Yeah.Home.Because you can’t drive in this state, but I’m seriously considering making you try now.” Her nails dug into my skin, yet she didn’t tell me to release her. No, it was almost as though she was holding on instead. I wondered if she was even aware of it or if her wolf had taken charge of her physical reaction.

“Can you drive a stick?” I asked, purposely adding the double entendre to my tone but also meaning it. “My Mercedes is a manual.” No point in owning a car of that caliber and making it an automatic. Of course, I rarely had an opportunity to drive it. New York City wasn’t exactly automobile friendly.

Her nostrils flared. “I’m excellent with my hands and very comfortable around a manual transmission.”

“Tease,” I replied, using my grip on her to move her backward a step as I stood up. Our torsos met in a heated kiss, my groin touching her lower belly and allowing her to feel my interest. We were wolves, which meant hiding a mutual attraction was impossible. I could smell her arousal just as she could scent mine.

It didn’t embarrass me.

Nor did it seem to embarrass her.

She merely stared up at me in direct challenge, her alpha personality shining through.

Part of me wanted to reply by capturing her mouth and nibbling that full lower lip hard enough to draw blood. Domination came naturally to me, and an alpha female would absolutely fight back. I’d have to earn her submission. Any other day, and I’d give up my plans for a chance to bring her to her knees.

Alas, pack responsibilities trumped everything else in my life. It didn’t matter that I’d left shortly after my eighteenth birthday. Silver Lake would always be my real home. Twelve years in New York City hadn’t changed that.

“I’m going to get dressed now,” I said in a low voice. “You’re welcome to watch.” I dropped my hold from her hips and tugged on my towel, letting it fall to the ground at our feet.

Her eyes danced downward, appreciation clear in her features as her grasp around my wrists tightened even more.

“I’m going to need my hands,” I told her after a beat of intense silence.