It was that smile she carried into the day, rather than a heart heavy with the echo of loss. The decision had been made and accepted. To rail against it would only poison the beauty of what existed between her and her wolf. After showering, she dressed and grabbed some breakfast before going to stand her shift on the watch rotation. The pack was on high alert, and Sienna never once dropped her guard, but except for the short period when Evie came down to join her for lunch, the day passed about as fast as the average tortoise.
Returning to the den at last, she helped Toby and Marlee with their homework, then went to her room to clean up and ready herself for dinner. Wrapped in a robe, she was staring into her closet when there was a knock on her door. “Indigo,” she said, letting the lieutenant inside. “Did you need me for something?”
“Evie said you had a date with Hawke.” At Sienna’s nod, Indigo passed her a flat box she’d carried into the room. “A woman needs to pull out the big guns when dealing with a man like him.”
Sienna opened the box after the other woman had left with a grin and a hug, to find a simple black dress with spaghetti straps and a hemline that
would come to a couple of inches above her knees. Then she put it on. Lusciously soft and silky, the material skimmed over her body with such faithfulness, it appeared as if she’d been poured into it. Not only did it shape her behind, the bodice cupped and plumped up her breasts in the most sensual of offerings. All of it done with flawless elegance.
“I love you, Indigo,” Sienna said, feeling sexy and bold and confident. Pairing the dress with delicate, heeled evening sandals, she dried and left her hair unbound. Hawke liked running his hands through it, and since he let her play with the thick silver-gold that fascinated her so, it was only fair.
The knock came just as she finished running the gloss over her mouth. “You’re ten minutes early.”
The wolf on the other side of the threshold stroked his eyes oh-so-slowly down her body. “You look bitable.”
Her hand clenched on the door, because she knew full well he meant it when he said things like that. “You’re dressed up.” She’d never seen him in anything but jeans.
Tonight, he wore a black-on-black suit that threw the vivid coloring of his eyes and hair into shocking relief, the shirt open at the collar. But though he looked like he could’ve walked out of a spread in some fancy men’s magazine, there was no hiding the predatory glint in that gaze.
Leaning forward without warning, he fisted his hands in her hair to take her mouth in a kiss that made it clear he considered her his.
All
his. Every inch of her. Her nipples went tight, her thighs clenching in a futile attempt to ease the ache in between. From the satisfied smile on his lips when he drew back, she knew he was cognizant of her arousal. It might’ve made her feel at a disadvantage, except that he made no move to shield his own response.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking a last little nip, “or we’ll never get to dinner.”
“Wait,” she said as he tugged her out and pulled the door shut, “I don’t have my purse.”
“Won’t need it.” He began to lead her down the corridor, fingers intertwined with her own.
“Should we be going out when things are at such a critical point?” The military strategist in her was disturbed enough to fight her desire to have him all to herself. “If the Scotts manage to harm you—”
A finger pressed to her lips. “We’re not going far.”
Given his words, she wasn’t surprised when he led her to his quarters, but she lost every bit of air in her body when she saw the table set with an immaculate white tablecloth, gleaming silverware, and long-stemmed candles, which Hawke lit before pulling out a chair. “Come here.”
It was impossible to do anything but obey, particularly when he rewarded her with a kiss that had her breasts rising and falling in shuddering invitation. Pressing another hot, wet caress to the curve of her shoulder, he moved to take a seat, not on the other side of the table, but to her right. She knew why when he uncovered the first dish—a crisp green salad with curling red and orange tendrils of the bell peppers she loved so much—and lifted a fork.
Chapter 44
HAWKE LOVED HAVING
her here, in his territory, all glowing skin and dark hair glimmering with hidden notes of fire. The wolf rolled in her scent, playful as a pup—but Hawke was vividly conscious of the spice-scented arousal that had grown ever hotter as the minutes passed. She hadn’t rebelled against his feeding her, had in fact, insisted on returning the favor. But the desert bowl had only one spoon, and he had it.
On second thought . . .
Throwing the spoon over his shoulder, he dipped his finger in the rich butterscotch ice cream, brought it to her lips. Her mouth formed a soft, hot vice around his finger as she sucked—then she brought her tongue into play.
Every part of him wanted to lunge at her, but he resisted the primitive urge. This night, it was about her. She’d given herself to him, and he wanted her to know that he understood the value of her gift, that he would never allow her to feel anything but cherished.
Removing his finger through lips that teased him with their luscious grip, he swirled it back in the ice cream and painted the curve of her mouth with the sweet treat before dipping his head and kissing it off. Her lips were cool from the icy treat, but they warmed up fast, her taste a lick of butterscotch and spice.
“I think,” she said, hands clenching on the lapels of his shirt, the top curves of her breasts flushed and plump, “I’ve had enough dessert.”
“Then”—he nipped at her lips because he loved the way her arousal spiked each time he did it, flicked his tongue over the small hurt—“I guess it’s time for mine.” He felt the tremor that shook her frame as he drew her out of her seat, knew it wasn’t fear. Sliding his hands down her ribs, he rested them on the temptation of her hips. Anticipation turned her eyes to midnight as he backed her out, kiss by slow kiss, from the living area and into his bedroom.
Onto his bed.
“Mine,” he said, moving around to the end of the bed after placing her on the sheets, so he could circle his hands around her ankles, tug her forward a couple of inches. “All mine.”
“Hawke.”
“I like the way you say my name in bed.” Lifting one slender foot, he pressed a kiss to her ankle, then undid the strap that held up her pretty sandal and dropped it to the floor. Her foot curled under his touch, a delicate kittenish arch. “Maybe I’m the one who’s going to end up with a foot fetish,” he murmured, lighting a kiss on her other ankle as he undid the second sandal.
A laugh that sounded startled out of her.
Pleased with himself, he took a playful bite of her little toe as he flicked aside her shoe and raised his head. “Look at you, aroused and sexy and in my bed.”
No blush, no hesitation. Those passion-dark eyes followed him as he shrugged off his jacket and threw it on the back of a chair, before beginning to unbutton his shirt. His wolf preened for her.
SIENNA
clutched at the sheets, her body making small restless shifts as Hawke’s black shirt parted to expose a strip of masculine chest she wanted to rub up against in the most scandalous of ways. When he tugged the shirt out of his pants and finished unbuttoning it, her throat dried up.
There was something deliciously decadent about a man—about him—in a partial state of undress. As if she’d caught a glimpse of the forbidden.
Kicking off his shoes and socks without taking his eyes off her, he prowled over to the side of the bed. “I like this dress,” he said, and it was a vocal caress. “Let’s not tear it.” Putting one knee on the bed, he leaned down to kiss her, pure heated demand. “Turn over,” he murmured after he’d melted her bones.
It probably wasn’t the best of ideas to give him everything he wanted, but she had no willpower where he was concerned. Could any woman resist him when he was like this? Sienna didn’t think so—of course, if any other woman did ever dare touch him, she’d fry the bitch in under a second.
“What just went through your head, hmm?”
She told him the truth, saw the wolf laugh, bare its teeth. “That’s my girl.” His hands flipped her onto her front. “You understand it’s a two-way street?” Fingers pushing aside her hair to bare her nape. “Next time that baby cat puts his hands on you, he’s dead.”
“Kit is my friend.”
“You can’t have a baby cat alpha as a friend.” A bite on her nape.
Oh, God
. It was near impossible to think, but she found the will to reach back and pull on his hair. “Leave my friends alone or I’ll be forced to get mean.”
Licks over the bite, laughter against her ear. “I
like
you,” he said, and she had the deep, deep awareness that it was the wolf part of him that had spoken with such delight.
The tug came an instant later, the zipper being lowered. Then . . . a breath of hot air against her spine, open-mouthed kisses along the skin bared by the parting metallic teeth.
Shivering, she arched for him, felt his fingers slip inside her dress to the curve of her waist. The roughness of his skin was a shock that made her moan. More kisses on her back before he removed his touch to tug down the straps. Instead of turning onto her back, she rose up a fraction and pulled the straps down off her arms, pushing the dress to her waist.
A big, warm hand on her ribs, curving up to cup her breast without warning. Crying out, she fell forward. It trapped his hand between her body and the bed—not that he seemed to mind. Squeezing and petting her with possessive heat, he dropped a rain of kisses over her shoulders.
“No,” she protested when he removed his hand.
“I want this dress off.” A couple of hard tugs and it was gone, leaving her dressed in nothing but the lace panties she’d bought months ago but never before worn. They’d felt too hedonistic, too sensual. That was before she’d started playing with an alpha wolf.
Pushing long strands of hair off her face, she turned her head to see said wolf straddling her thighs. He was still clothed, that unbuttoned shirt pure provocation, but his eyes had gone night-glow, his face taut with wild hunger. It was instinct to curve her body up toward him, to seek to entice.
His gaze flicked up to meet hers, and then he
moved
, gripping her jaw so he could take her mouth in a full-bodied kiss that was all tongue and heat and teeth as he slid his free hand under her body to close over the sensitive flesh of one breast, the hard push of his erection insistent against skin naked under fine black lace. It was at that moment, with his beautiful, hungry mouth on hers, his big, gorgeous body pressing down against her own, and his fingers plucking at her nipple that she realized she was in way over her head.
HAWKE
knew it the instant Sienna lost her confidence, the instant she started to retreat. Rubbing his thumb over her nipple, he fought his possessive urges and gentled the voracious kiss. She was his. There would be only pleasure for her tonight.
It was difficult to break away from her mouth, to resist the temptation to squeeze and mold her neglected breast. Instead, nudging her onto her back, he nuzzled at her neck before rising to shrug off his shirt. “Touch me?”
Her hands went to his chest at once, petting him the way she knew he liked. It made him want to spread her thighs, settle in between, until he could rub his cock against the damp softness of her. She’d be so lush, so perfect. Instead, he allowed himself only a single lick to the tip of one tightly furled nipple—to her quivering moan—before beginning to kiss his way down her body.
Her fingers clenched in his hair.
Realizing she was attempting to keep him at her breasts, he smiled, retraced his steps. “This what you want, baby?”
She arched up off the bed when he took her nipple into his mouth, rolling the taut nub over his tongue. Sensitive, very sensitive, he thought, closing one hand over her hip, the touch of lace under his palm a sensual pleasure . . . but nowhere near as erotic as her naked skin. Releasing that nipple without biting—he’d save that for next time—he swirled his tongue around the other, wanting to drown her in pleasure, until she’d never feel the lack of the one thing he couldn’t give her.
“Did you enjoy my mouth on your breasts?” he asked after resuming his downward journey.
“You know I did.” Husky words, her hands shaping and caressing his shoulders.
Wanting those hands on every inch of his body, he pressed a kiss to her navel. “I like to hear.” Her arousal was intoxicating this close to the liquid heat between her thighs, and he had to fist one hand in the sheets to rein himself back before he scared her. “Tell me if this pleases you.” Skipping over the damp curls under the small triangle of black lace that teased rather than concealed, he kissed and nipped at her inner thighs.
A shuddering breath. “Yes.”
Spreading her legs, he used a single claw to cut the sides of her panties. A tug later and they were gone. Every one of her muscles locked at the same moment, and when he looked up, her eyes were closed tight. His mouth watered to taste the drugging scent so rich and luscious against his tongue, but he wanted her with him.
Rising, he pressed a kiss to her stomach, to her chest, to her throat, to her lips. She opened to him without hesitation, dangerous and wild and Sienna. Only when her hips were undulating up toward him did he run his hand back down to the heat between her legs, caressing her desire-swollen folds with a single finger, his touch delicate. “You like this.”
“Yes.” A sigh, a roll of her hips as she searched for more.
He cupped her, stroking around the tight, wet entrance that had his cock jerking in the confines of his pants. She cried out into his mouth and
gripped his biceps, but he drew away to kiss his way down her body once more. This time her eyes stayed open, and on him.
SIENNA
had just barely enough presence of mind to check the cold fire. It was nowhere near critical after the most recent purge, and her reinforced shields were holding. That meant she could enjoy this night, enjoy being with Hawke.