Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 70338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
I've driven up the mountain past my family’s cabin. Wilde told me after the first dance that he was taking Rayne up there, and I should keep everyone away until they came out.
I roll to a stop on the side of the dirt road. “The cliff is just a short hike from here.”
Lauren looks down at her silver stilettos doubtfully.
“I’ll carry you.”
“I don’t really want to push you off a cliff.” She’s staring straight ahead, like it would be too much to admit it to my face.
“It wouldn’t hurt me, Pearls. If it gets you off, I’m game.”
Her lips part in surprise, and she finally meets my gaze. The scent of her arousal blooms, intoxicating and sweet. A choked laugh tumbles from her lips. “It might.”
I smile back, that quiver of lightness in my chest again. “Let’s go find out.” I push the door open and walk around to her side of the vehicle. She opens the door and unbuckles her seatbelt. Before she can jump down, I pluck her from the Range Rover and toss her over my shoulder.
She shrieks, pounding on my back. “You asshole! Seriously, Abe, are you never not a dick?”
“Never.” I jog to the cliff’s edge and set her down. “What are you going to do about it, Pearls?” I position myself at the edge of the cliff.
Her eyes widen with excitement, right before she gives my chest a hard shove with both of her palms.
I allow myself to tumble backward off the cliff, then whirl in the air to straighten for the landing. I drop onto my feet, my knees softening to absorb the shock.
There’s a breeze cooling the desert air, and I catch the scent of the bear, along with the mingled scents of other wolves–male and female. Wilde, I believe. And the other must be Rayne’s. They were out here recently.
“Boo,” Lauren cat-calls me from above. “No fair.”
I look up and trace the shapely lines of her legs to where they disappear under her skirt. My mouth waters. “Your turn.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” I hold my arms out. “I’ll catch you.”
That’s all it takes. Apparently, for no conceivable reason, Lauren trusts me. She leaps off the edge of the cliff, the hem of her teal skirt fluttering as she plummets straight down into my arms.
I catch her honeymoon style and swing her around to break the fall. She laughs, and it does something funny to my chest. “God, yes.” She drops her head back, her long copper hair cascading toward the ground like a waterfall. “That was exactly what I needed.“
“Yeah?” I’m trying to figure her out. I want to get this girl more than I’ve wanted anything in my life.
“Can I do it again?”
“What am I? An amusement park ride?”
She relaxes in my arms and looks up at the stars. A little smile tugs the corners of her lips, transforming her model-perfect face to something more innocent. Maybe this was how she looked before her mom died. “It’s amazing to feel,” she breathes.
“I’ll give you another ride.” I put a touch of innuendo in my lowered voice.
I pull the scent of her arousal in through my nostrils, holding my breath like I’m taking a hit from a bong. Not that I partake–it doesn’t do much for a shifter. The high only lasts about five minutes. This high will last me all night.
Knowing I’m turning Lauren on. That she wants me.
“I keep thinking about the night with you and the vampire. This is crazy, but…it was the best time I’ve had in a year. I mean, it sucked, too.” She touches the place at her neck where the vampire bit her, and I want to shoot him all over again, even though the mark has already disappeared. “But that adrenaline shocked me back to life.” She lifts her head to look at me. “Like watching a horror film, where you’re scared, but you also love every minute of it.”
An idea starts to form in my mind. A risky, reckless, delicious idea.
I slowly lower her to her feet, keeping an arm behind her back as she finds balance in her stilettos on the rocky terrain.
“You want a thrill, Lauren Sterling?” My voice rasps deeper than normal.
She lifts her beautiful face. There’s an openness to her expression I would battle thousands to be privy to witness. “What do you have in mind, Abe Oakley?”
“You’re gonna need a safe word, princess.”
Lauren
I draw in a sharp breath. Abe’s words knock me off balance, and I fall against him.
Instead of steadying me, he loops an arm around my back and pulls my body up tight against his. His skin burns hot beneath his button-down, activating every nerve ending in contact with him.
Despite the flush of heat, goosebumps race along my arms. I’m already drunk on the thrill he gave me jumping off the cliff, and now, another hit of dopamine floods my veins.