Page 24 of Jace’s Mate (East Coast Territory #1)

A nikka stretched slowly, the movement pulling a soft sigh from her lips.

Everything in her body felt good . No—better than good.

She felt glorious . Her muscles ached with the kind of exhaustion that came after something powerful and earned.

Her skin tingled in the cool morning air, every nerve alive, every breath drawing in the scent of earth, moss, and something even more intoxicating…

Jace.

She inhaled again, greedily this time. His scent hit her like a drug—pine needles, clean rain, warm fur, and pure, unadulterated male. No cologne had ever come close to this. He smelled the way safety should smell—powerful, wild, and deeply alluring.

And then she noticed…

They were wrapped around each other.

Her fingers flexed instinctively against his warm skin—his bare, naked skin. Her arm lay draped across his waist, the tips of her fingers brushing the hard ridges of his abs. Her legs were tangled with his, one of hers hitched high and loose over his thigh.

Correction: His thigh was pressed firmly between hers.

Oh. Oh hell .

Heat exploded low in her belly, and her breath caught as that pressure became more…pointed.

She shifted slightly, intending to pull away—to regain some kind of control over her limbs—but the movement created friction. Delicious, excruciating friction.

That’s when she realized it wasn’t his leg pressing there.

It was something else.

Something very hard. And very, very ready.

She gasped, her eyes flying open—and before she could speak, a low, gravelly voice rumbled against her skin.

“You feel it too?” Jace asked, his tone thick with restrained hunger.

His voice didn’t help. It vibrated through her chest, curling around her spine like warm smoke. Her thoughts scattered.

“I—what—” she stammered, trying to untangle herself without causing more... friction . But the more she moved, the more her skin slid against his, every inch of her now fully aware that there wasn’t a scrap of fabric between them.

“Wait… when did I shift back?” she whispered, panic and heat warring inside her.

Jace’s hand—currently resting low on her hip—slid just slightly, his thumb brushing the sensitive dip near her waist. “About an hour ago,” he murmured. “You were cold. So I shifted, and then you did too. I wrapped us up to keep you warm.”

Anikka tilted her head back to look at him.

His eyes were glowing. Not just bright blue, but lit from within, pulsing with heat and hunger and something else—something fiercely protective.

The intensity of his gaze nearly undid her. She swallowed, heart pounding, breath shallow. She should pull away. Say something witty. Get some space before she did something insane like beg him to keep touching her.

But instead, she just… stayed.

Her fingers curled slightly against his skin, her body arching instinctively into his warmth.

And for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like she needed to run.

She wanted to stay right there.

Without thought, acting on instinct now, she shifted until she was on top of him. They were both still naked and he gripped her hips, holding her still as she straddled his stomach.

“I need to just…touch you. Do you mind?” she asked, her voice raspy with need.

“I’m yours, Anikka,” he told her, his hands sliding up her waist, cupping her breasts.

His thumbs caressed her nipples and she grabbed his wrists, stopping the movement.

They stilled, staring into each other’s eyes.

Then slowly, very slowly, Anikka took one of his thumbs and gently, carefully, rubbed the pad against her nipple.

The sensation was intense. She felt his erection throbbing against her back. The fact that he was so open with his need was compelling. There was no shame in him. Just desire. Could she do the same?

“Are we alone?” she asked, unconsciously shifting her core against his abs as she continued to direct his thumb against her nipple.

“Yes.”

Anikka might have nodded, but her mind was too focused on the new and delicious sensations.

“Tell me what you like, Anikka,” he groaned, his eyes glowing as he watched her breasts.

“I don’t know,” she admitted, too fascinated by the new sensations to lie.

His fingers halted for a moment, then he sat up, shifting her so that she was more intimately pressing against his shaft. “What does that mean, Anikka?”

At this point, with his erection rubbing against that throbbing nub, Anikka didn’t know what she was saying.

She was still trying to process the past twenty-four hours.

“Don’t know,” she whispered back, shifting her body against his.

She wanted to growl, to order him to help her. But her lips couldn’t form the words.

“Anikka!” he snapped, grabbing her hands and pulling them down to her sides. “Answer me.”

That voice! Good grief, she loved his voice and the absolute command in his tone!

She shifted her hips, whimpering when he wouldn’t touch her. “Stop it, Anikka. Tell me what you mean.”

She blinked, staring at him. Sitting on his lap like this was so decadent. Plus, she could look directly into his eyes.

“My uncle never allowed me to see other men. The only men I came into contact with over the years were his bodyguards.” She shifted herself against him again, felt his desire for her in his thoughts and wanted to purr.

She did this to him. Anikka realized that she’d made him just as crazy as he made her.

The realization made her feel powerful.

“Focus!” he ordered, but Anikka ignored him. He held her wrists, but she leaned in, pressing her lips to his in the briefest of kisses. When she pulled away, she smiled and bit her lower lip.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while now,” she admitted in a small voice.

One moment, she was straddling his hips, and the next moment, she was in his arms and he was on his feet. “Where are we going?” she asked, startled by the abrupt change. Quickly, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“We’re going back to the city,” he announced, his teeth grinding together.

Anikka didn’t like the sound of that, nor could she understand his frustration now. The sensual haze that had enveloped her a moment ago disappeared like a puff of smoke. Instead of feeling free and happy, she felt self-conscious of her nakedness.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, shame hitting her hard. Anikka looked away, absently noting that the sun was coming up over the horizon. Another day. Her uncle would be furious with her for not being home. She’d skipped dinner last night too. What had he and the guards done for dinner?

She didn’t care. At this moment, Anikka didn’t care about anything. She just wanted to get dressed and go home. She could crawl into bed and hide away for the next several hours. Or several months. Yes, hiding for a few months sounded like an excellent plan.

“Here,” Jace grumped, thrusting a big shirt toward her without meeting her eyes.

Anikka took it silently, her fingers brushing his as she accepted the garment.

Even that slight contact made her skin tighten, her heart skip a beat.

She turned away quickly, slipping the oversized dress shirt over her naked body.

It smelled like him, damn it. Pine, musk, earth…

wolf. She gritted her teeth and yanked the sides closed around her, cinching the front with her fists like armor.

“Where’s my dress?” she asked, though she already knew.

She crouched down and scanned the grassy clearing, but her shoes were nowhere in sight. Her shredded dress was gone too, likely reduced to damp scraps of fabric tangled in the underbrush. She winced, remembering how it had torn off her body during the shift.

Still kneeling, she glanced toward the trees, her fingers tightening on the fabric of the shirt. The forest shimmered in the morning light, dewdrops glinting like crystals on the grass. Her heart twisted with longing.

She wanted to run again. To feel her paws strike the earth, the wind slicing through her fur. She wanted to be the wolf again.

“No,” Jace snapped, pulling on his shoes with short, angry movements.

She turned her head sharply. “Why not?” she asked quietly, her voice raw.

He didn’t answer. His slacks—neatly folded, waiting for him—were now on his body, fitting perfectly. Meanwhile, she stood barefoot in a huge man’s shirt, her skin still buzzing with rejection.

Must be nice , she thought bitterly.

“Anikka,” Jace said, softer now, trying to smooth the edge of his voice. “Look at me.”

She didn’t turn.

She couldn’t.

Her entire body still throbbed with need, her nerves wound tight, but it was more than that. It wasn’t just lust. It was the sting. The gut-wrenching humiliation of being wanted one moment and discarded the next. She wasn’t used to this kind of emotional whiplash.

“I said look at me,” he repeated, more firmly this time.

And again, her wolf stirred at the command. But she gritted her teeth and forced it back. Not this time.

“You need to get back to work,” she said tightly, hugging her arms around herself. “And I’m sure my uncle is furious I didn’t come home again last night.”

Without waiting for a response, she started toward the sedan. Her bare feet sank into the dew-drenched grass, each step cold and grounding. She focused on the texture—the crunch of tiny twigs, the grit of dirt, the cool kiss of morning moisture. Anything but him .

“Anikka!” he growled. Louder. Sharper.

She ignored him.

The shirt sleeves flopped over her hands. She shoved them up impatiently and reached for the car door.

Locked.

Of course it was locked.

Her eyes slid shut as she pressed her forehead to the cool metal, exhaling slowly. She wasn’t going to cry. Not over this. Not over him . She just had to survive the next few minutes.

“Look at me, Anikka,” Jace said again, the quiet command in his voice causing her body to jerk in reaction and resistance.

“No,” she shot back, still facing the car. Her voice shook with fury and shame. “We’re done talking.”

“We’re not leaving until we talk,” he countered. “You know that.”

“What’s there to talk about?” she snapped, spinning on him with sudden heat. “What happened between us?”

He strode toward her, steady and calm. “What almost happened between us.”

“Nothing happened,” she said, voice sharp.

“ Something almost happened,” Jace said. “And we need to—”

Before he could finish, something in her snapped. The sound that tore from her throat was pure wolf—low, guttural, feral .

With a growl of fury, Anikka launched herself at him.

She didn’t think. Didn’t plan. She just moved—driven by rage and pain and that primal part of her that had finally tasted freedom and refused to be denied.

Jace barely had time to brace before she slammed into him. She clawed at his shoulders, fists flying, wanting to hurt him. Not enough to break him—just enough to make him feel it. To feel her .

To know that he couldn’t just reject her and walk away like she didn’t matter.