Page 31 of Wedding for My Werewolf

The orc’s reputation for violence preceded him, but Eric had never had any trouble with him and there was no aggression in his stance. If anything, he seemed eager to retreat.

“Are you still living out in the woods by yourself?” he asked, and Varek gave him a wary look.

“Why would I want anything else?”

“Gets lonely on your own.”

As soon as he said it, he regretted it. He had no business interfering in Varek’s life—although he had an unfortunate suspicion that he’d been thinking more about his own life.

“Fuck,” the orc growled. “You’re as bad as Flora. Why can’t everyone leave me alone?”

Varek turned and stomped off into the woods, leaving Eric to stare after him in surprise. He hadn’t known Flora had any contact with the reclusive orc. He grinned and shook his head. If Flora had plans for Varek, he might as well give in now. Thank goodness she’d never aimed her sights at him?—

Had she? She had been the one to suggest the fake mating arrangement after all.

Not fake, his wolf grumbled.Fuck.

Deciding to worry about Flora’s schemes later, he shifted back into his fur and headed back to his cabin. He’d been self-indulgent, running to escape his thoughts when he should be guarding his cabin. His home. Robin.

The word ‘home’ caught him off guard. But as he loped back through the trees, he realized it felt true. The cabin had always been his refuge, but now that she was there it felt complete in a way he hadn’t expected. Her scent mixed with his, the soft sounds of her breathing, even the way she smiled at him across the table…

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. This was temporary. Just until her name was cleared.

As soon as he slipped into the house, her scent wrapped around him, warm and welcoming. He padded silently to her door and eased it open a crack, drinking in the sight of her asleep in his bed. His wolf settled as he watched her sleep, satisfied that she was safe and protected in his bed.

The next morning he escorted her to work again. As they walked down the narrow strip of cleared sidewalk, his arm brushed her shoulder and she blushed—something she had been doing almost continuously since she’d appeared in the kitchen doorway that morning, flushed and shy and absolutely adorable. He’d wanted nothing more than to sweep her into his arms and continue what they’d started the night before, but two things prevented him. First was the fact that she was under hisprotection. The second was an extension of that—he didn’t want to take advantage of her innocence under those circumstances.

As much as his wolf urged him to claim her, to mate her, he knew she would need time. And, if he were honest, so would he. He was accustomed to keeping people at a distance, and the fact that she’d already slipped past his defenses scared him more than he wanted to admit. So instead of carrying her back to his bed, he’d made her coffee and pancakes and now he was walking her to Garrick’s mansion.

When they reached the iron gates, she turned to face him, her cheeks pink from the cold—and something else. She glanced around the empty street.

“Maybe you should kiss me goodbye,” she said softly. “Someone might see. Unless you don’t want to,” she added quickly.

“I told you I wanted to kiss you,” he growled, his wolf whining at the uncertainty on her face. “I always want to kiss you.”

“Oh.”

Her pretty lips formed a tempting circle and he couldn’t resist. She’d initiated this. His wolf howled in triumph, but he kept his movements gentle as he cupped her face. Amber eyes flickered to his mouth, then back up as she wet her lips nervously.

The first brush of her lips shot fire through his veins. She tasted like the coffee they’d shared at breakfast, mixed with something uniquely her. Her fingers tightened on his jacket, pulling him closer. His wolf surged forward, demanding more, but he held back, letting her set the pace.

She made a small sound in her throat that nearly broke his control. He deepened the kiss, sliding one hand into her hairwhile the other slid into her coat and beneath her sweater to the sweet curve of her waist. Her heart thundered against his chest, matching his own racing pulse.

When they finally broke apart, her breath came in short gasps, those pretty lips pink and swollen. The sight made his wolf want to drag her back to the cabin and never let her leave.

“I’ll be back to walk you home tonight,” he said instead.

For once she didn’t argue, just gave him another shy smile before she punched in the key code and slipped through the gates. He waited until she was inside before turning and striding back to his office.

His mother’s scent hit him as soon as he opened the door and he bit back a groan. The last thing he wanted to do right now was to deal with her.

Tilly, his pixie assistant, gave him a helpless shrug.

I couldn’t stop her, she mouthed, and he gave her a grim nod.

His mother was perched on the edge of his desk, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“That girl is hiding something,” she said, drumming her perfectly manicured nails on the wooden surface. “Lila told me she’s been behaving very suspiciously.”

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