Page 34 of The Mating Quest

Ilana watched them, making sure they were well and trulygone.

“You can put that down now before you poke me in theeye.”

Turning around, she saw Ethan, nude, a minute before he waved a hand and sweatpants and a ratty T-shirt appeared on his very fine body. Ilana tossed the handleaside.

“I guess I owe Aiden a newrake.”

Dumb thing to say, but she was too tongue-tied to say anything else because in that brief flash of time before he covered himself, she caught a glimpse of honed muscle and sinew and pure male that made all her previous vows to never have sex againvanish.

“You can talk about that tomorrow.” He ran a hand through his mussed hair. “We need to get you inside before anyone else sees you, or worse, scents you and getsideas.”

He herded her up the stairs into the lodge. “You’re in my bedroomtonight.”

As she started to speak, he stopped, put a finger on her lips. “For your own protection. Lupine males are running wildtonight.”

His touch made her skin tingle, and the blood race through her body. Awareness shot through her. A male’s touch hadn’t aroused her in year, but with a single finger on her mouth, he was doing it. Ethan looked down at her, his blue eyes turning gold, then blue again. Lupine eyes. His scent surrounded her, spicy, hot, wild, a little feral andexciting.

He continued to escort her up the stairs to his room, then he stripped off his sweatshirt. Ilana inhaled at the sight of his bare chest, devoid of hair, smooth, his muscled abdomen glistening with sweat from the exertion of his run, or somethingelse.

“You can return outside now. I’m fine.” Ilana folded her arms across her chest. “Return to whoever you were screwing. You Lupines are certainly a randylot.”

Chucking the shirt onto a chair, he gave her a level look. “I was running, not having sex. Lock the door. Can’t take chances tonight, not with this pack. I’m taking ashower.”

As he stepped into the bathroom, she locked the door. The bathroom door was slightly ajar. Sounds of the showerbegan.

Couldn’t resist. She felt restless, edgy and filled withneed.

Ilana crept to the door and peered inside. He’d discarded the sweatpants on the tile floor. Through the clear glass shower door she saw him. Ethan was wet, his wavy hair hanging in soaked strands down to his shoulders, his head thrown back, eyes closed. Magnificent. Long athletic legs, dusted with light brown hair, the muscles on his shoulders flexing as he soaped his body. Her gaze traveled down to the slight line of hair below his indented belly button to the thick thatch at hisgroin…

And the erection … she bit her lip,staring.

Power. Pure masculine power, edgy, sexual and wild, but without the darkness she feared. Ilana sensed he was a sexual being, like all Lupines, but this alpha would take his cues from a woman in bed instead of asserting his own needsfirst.

His hand slid the soap down, bubble popping in its wake…and then he encased his erection with onefist…

Gulping,okay, give the guy privacy, she returned to thebed.

A few minutes later he emerged wearing fresh sweatpants and a gray T shirt. Ethan pulled back the covers with a grunt, switched off the light and slid intobed.

Ilana slipped under the covers, though heat suffused her entire body. Then he spoke into thedarkness.

“Like what yousaw?”

Ilana felt her cheeks flush. “You’re the one who left the door open. If you wished to have privacy, you should have closedit.”

He grunted again. “Be careful of what YOU wish for, Ilana. It’s late and I’m exhausted but still cranked. Full moon night does that to Lupines. It’s night we release our wild side as wolves, and males have little control over our sexualdrive.”

She licked her lips as silence fell. Then she finally spoke. “Thank you for rescuing me from those…guys.”

A light chuckle. “You’re the last person who needs rescuing, Ilana. I was rescuingthemfrom you.” Then in a quiet voice he added, “You’re something else. Get some sleep. We have a lot of work ahead of ustomorrow.”

For a long time she couldn’t sleep, only listen to his soft snores. Then she finally did anddreamed.

She dreamed of a tan wolf running over the meadow, herself racing beside him until he shifted into Skin and naked, they both fell together onto the sweet, green grass, releasing their wildside.

Chapter 11

They hita dead end the nextday.