“Is that all?”

“Not quite. You’re going with me to Florida in April. You’ll need to buy a suit.”

He pulled her jacket off, his jerky movements betraying his lingering anger. “Why is that?”

“Emma asked me to be a bridesmaid, and I said yes. One of the garment bags brought up here should

be my dress, in fact.”

“I already own a suit.”

She sniffed, knowing how it would annoy him. “I’ll have to see what it looks like.” She tried to saunterinto the living room but was hampered by her limp.

His long suffering sigh followed her as she made her way into the bedroom.

Holy moly. If the front of the home had been full of decadence, the bedroom eclipsed it entirely. Sapphire blue silk mixed with burgundy on a four-poster bed so massive it would swallow herfive-foot-six-inch frame whole. It looked like something out of a tropical bordello.

“I can’t wait to see your skin against all that silk.”

Belle turned to find Rick standing behind her, so close she was surprised she didn’t feel his breath on the

back of her neck.

She did feel it when he leaned down and licked a slow, torturous path from her shoulder to her ear,stopping to nibble at the sensitive juncture where her neck and shoulder met. Without even thinking shetilted her head, giving him better access.

His hands went around her waist, holding her steady as he nibbled and sucked to his heart’s content. “Ihave a few ground rules, myself.”

“Hmm?” Belle opened her eyes, only then aware she’d closed them. The ruby silk had turned a deep brown, letting her know her eyes had changed. Her Puma was purring as her mate’s scent surrounded her.

“Fuck, that’s sexy.” His low growl against her neck sent a shiver down her spine.

“What ground rules?”

Is that my voice?Even at his best, Simon had never gotten her to whimper, and Rick had barelytouched her!

She could feel his smile against her neck and knew he’d heard it. “My rules are simple.” His handsslowly lifted the hem of her black turtleneck. “Rule number one. When we’re in the bedroom, you haveto be naked.”

She dropped her cane as he pulled her sweater up and over her head, tossing it carelessly onto afringed, backless chaise done in the same sapphire blue as the bedding. At least she thought it was blue. It was the same shade of brown as the blue parts of the bedding.

His hands began a slow caress of her breasts through the lace of her bra, paying special attention to hernipples. “Rule number two: when it comes to your health, Iwill  be involved. Get over it. And I alreadypaid your medical bills, so get over that, too.”

She would have protested, but he chose that moment to unclasp her bra and pluck at her bared nipples.

His hair cascaded over her shoulder, brushing her breasts and belly with butterfly touches. “Rule numberthree.” His hands began smoothing down her stomach, heading for her black slacks. “I will stop picturing Simon’s pickled balls when I know for certain you’re completely mine.”

Belle turned in his arms, not surprised by the fierce, possessive scowl on Rick’s face. She reached upand stroked his cheek. “I’m all yours, Rick.”

His hands stilled at her waist. With a muffled oath he picked her up, buried his face against her neck, andbit.

Belle screamed as the pleasure-pain ripped through her. Her claws dug into his shoulders, earning agrowl from his Wolf as the orgasm rolled through her with the force of a freight train. She jerked in hisarms, her good leg lifting to wrap around his waist, her pussy grinding against his rock-hard erectionthrough her slacks and his jeans.

When his teeth pulled out of her shoulder she groaned in regret, only to scream again as he bit down in adifferent spot with a rough snarl. He howled against her flesh as she bit back, right through his silk shirt,

claiming the man who held her so tightly she knew he’d never let her go.

Chapter Three

Rick couldn’t stand it any longer. He pulled and tugged her slacks as gently as his growing sense ofurgency would allow, unwilling to cause her a moment’s pain. He longed to just use his strength to rip thedamn things from her hot little body, but he retained enough sanity to know how much that would hurt herhip.

So he unzipped, and unbuttoned, andthank God  , pulled them down those long, luscious legs of hers. The boots she wore flew as he toppled her onto the bed face first, that incredible ass of hers right in hisface. He moaned out loud at the sight of the black lace thong she wore.

She tried to stand up but he stopped her, placing one hand between her shoulder blades, the other at herwaist. “Stay down.” He knew his smile was wicked as she snarled, those bright gold eyes of hers glaringat him from under the fall of her pale hair. “Don’t make me spank that pretty little ass of yours, Belle.”

The red sheets had turned gold, almost the same shade as her Puma’s eyes. It was one of the reasonshe’d picked that color, knowing what he’d see when his vision changed. He’d had more than one eroticdream centered on what he was looking at right now, in fact.

He stroked her under her thong, reveling in the gathering damp between the bare folds of her pussy. Shewas getting off on this, big time.

He used his strength to keep her down, pulling one hand away long enough to unzip his jeans and freehis cock. “Are you ready for me, Belle?”

She opened her mouth—

The phone rang. His private number, the one used only by the Pack. He closed his eyes, willing whoeverit was togo away  . He had a mate to fuck, and he wasn’t about to stop unless the Lodge was burningaround their ears.

Hell, the Lodge could burn merrily as long as he was between her thighs when it happened.

He slid the head of his cock past the thin line of her thong, pushing gently into her swollen pussy. “Takeme, Belle.”

She snapped at him, those sharp, pointy teeth of hers still in evidence. Claws ripped into the bedspreadunder her hands.

He stopped, totally shocked.My little kitty has been holding out on me.  Wolves had the power toshift between wolf and man; no Wolf could stop in between, never mind what the myths about his kindsaid.

Now he knew where some of those myths had come from. In self-defense he leaned over her, grabbingboth of her hands and forcing them flat against the mattress.

He growled as she bucked under him, furious and delighted as she fought him for dominance.Him!  Hewas twice her size, and shestill  tried to throw him off.