"What's wrong with your voice?"

Sarina chuckled and retold the story of their escape including the two strange men who came in at the last second. "Wait, wait, wait. What did these men look like? Did one of them have short, black hair and the other long, blonde hair probably in a ponytail?"

"Actually, yes," Sarina’s eyes widened with surprise. Vera leaned back in her chair and crossed legs.

"Those are my brothers, Roman and Darien. I must say, I'm not surprised to hear they were out there. Vane probably ordered them to keep watch over you once he went to jail. Good thinking, too. No offense, but I'd like to spend five minutes alone with your father with nothing but a baseball bat. Don't look so surprised, I'm the vicious type, what can I say?"

The phone shrilled and Vera jumped up to get it. "Hello? Oh yeah, well, I might have some good news for you then." She winked at Sarina. "I have your girl here. Uh oh, he hung up. I guess he's on his way then." Her laugh sounded more naughty than good.

Sarina looked down at her dirty clothes. Even her shirt was torn in several places where some nasty bushes got her, and her hair was a crazy mess.

"Do you think I could use the shower?"

"Of course. Besides, this place is more yours than mine anyways." At Sarina's questioning look, Vera rolled her eyes, somehow managing to look elegant while doing it. "You're Vane's old lady now, and this is his place. I was just waiting for the call in case they needed something else. There's a shower in Vane's bedroom. Go up the stairs and it's the first door on the right. There's a spare, if you'd like to clean up too, Alison. It's straight back on the left."

Sarina was already scooting towards the stairs. "That would be wonderful, thank you." She and Alison made a dash for the bathrooms.

"By the way, if there's no conditioner or clean towels then it's not my fault!" Vera shouted.

Sarina rinsed the last of the shampoo out of her hair. Vera was right. Vane didn't have any conditioner, though she couldn't say she was surprised. How the man managed to have such silky soft hair without it was a mystery she planned to find out. Her hands trembled slightly and she squeezed her hair under the hot spray of water.

       God, she was so nervous, which was crazy. She wanted to see him so badly, but her body didn't care. Her stomach was tight and twisted with nerves and her heart refused to slow down. She felt like she did at her first job interview—excited and nervous.

A part of her wondered if he'd still be attracted to her without her breeding cycle. She whacked her head against the shower wall, hating herself and her doubt. It was stupid, she knew that, but it wouldn't go away. What if the pheromones made him say he wanted to bond with her? What if their beasts weren't meant for each other?

But I feel it too, remember? And she did feel it, as strongly as a magnet to a steel bar. The pull to him was inexorable, inescapable, and intoxicating.

His hands made her burn hotter than her darkest fantasy; his mouth made her wetter than any of her own foreplay ever did, and his eyes made her tremble with their sincerity and passion. There were no lies in his eyes, no half-truths, or dismissals like in her father’s. He was just Vane.

The bathroom door opened and shut, breaking her out of her thoughts. She wrapped her arm around her chest and reached for the curtain. Then she smelled him. Vane. She couldn't get to him fast enough. She half tore the curtain in her haste. He stood there in flesh and blood, all real, and just as handsome as she remembered. They simply stared at each other, drinking each other in like they were dying of thirst.

"Vane!" She leapt on to him. He caught her easily, wrapping her legs around him. They exploded at each other in hot, open-mouth kisses. Two lost lovers reunited. She pressed kisses over his face, and his hands touched her everywhere he could reach. Neither of them cared that she was drenching his clothes. Their lips caught and held each other on muffled groans. Their tongues slid wetly, thrusting and sucking as soft hands traced muscles and strong hands cupped curves.

He broke away from her mouth first and buried his head in her neck, breathing deeply then scattering hot kisses down her neck, across her lips. "Sarina, Sarina, Sarina. God, I missed you, lumara."

The lykaen term for bonding mate nearly melted her heart right there on the floor. His heartfelt words broke something inside her and made her hold him tighter to her. His ravenous mouth made a pass down her chest, found her hard, pink nipple, and sucked it into his mouth on a grunt. Sarina clasped his head to her as a hot bolt of pleasure shot straight to her core making her wet and achy. He grabbed her bottom and lifted her against the unmistakable hard length of his cock.

"Oh God!" Her head fell back as he ground himself into her heat and switched breasts to pay tribute to both nipples. "Don't stop," she panted, liquid heat filling her body.

He groaned part pain, part pleasure against her breast then pulled back to latch on to the skin at her neck. Her hips rocked, and she knew he was leaving his mark on her. Just that thought had her pussy wet with cream.

A whirl of motion, then her back was pressed against the shower wall again. Dazedly, she realized that they were back in the shower. A hand cupped her breast and squeezed as his mouth found hers again. He licked the bow of her lip then pushed his tongue inside to taste her. She felt an answering pulse deep inside her.

"I need you." His voice was hoarse and raspy, barely heard above the spray of the shower. She nodded quickly and helped him to lift his shirt up and over his head. She didn't waste any time in touching him. She spread her hands across the strong, muscled wall of his chest and relearned his body, but when she her fingers tickled above the band of his jeans he caught her hand and pushed it above her head.

"No, no time for that. I need you now, or I'm going to explode."

Vane dropped her legs to the floor and shucked his jeans down his long legs. The wet denim stuck to his legs like a glove, he cursed viciously and worked it down enough to free his cock and thighs. Picking her up again, he took her breast into his mouth like a starving man. He teased the bud at the end, biting and sucking, licking then rubbing his lips across it. "God, I love your breasts."

Glad you approve, Sarina wanted to say, but as she opened her mouth, the only thing that came out was a moan. His hand trailed over her stomach and curled over her sex. They groaned together at the sensation. He slid his fingers through her wet, soft flesh, swirled a finger over her swollen clit, then dipped inside her tight cunt.

"Fuck, you are so ready for me. Hold on to me baby, I can't wait any longer." His impatience spurred on her own excitement. She wrapped her arms around his neck and locked her ankles around his thick thighs.

He leaned into her, found her lips again as his cock prodded her hot entrance, then he opened his eyes to meet her glazed expression and drove into her. They cried out together, the tight, gripping, full, and hard sensations overwhelming.

 Vane wanted to hold still, to let her adjust, she was still practically a virgin, but he couldn't. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop his hips from pulling back so only the tip of his cock hung inside her before driving back again. Over and over again. He couldn't keep that up for long, her channel was creamy and fist-tight, her moans and soft gasps in his ear were doing crazy things to him. His balls were drawn up so tight it was a wonder he didn't come on the first thrust.