Page 36 of Anders
What he didn’t expect was for her to step closer, eliminating the careful distance he’d maintained between them.
That’s why it feels like this when you’re near,she said, more to herself than to him.Like my skin is too tight, like there’s something pulling me toward you.
Anders nodded, not trusting himself to speak.His wolf pushed forward now, urging him to touch her, to claim what was his.
Since that first day in my office,Etta continued,I’ve been drawn to you in a way I couldn’t explain.Even when I was afraid—even yesterday, when I saw you shift—a part of me recognized you as…safe.As mine.
The last word emerged as barely a whisper, but it resonated through Anders like a physical touch.
Hertouch.
You feel it too,he said, his voice husky with restraint.
I do,she said.But I don’t know if it’s real or just another thing being done to me—another way I’m being controlled.
Anders shook his head.The mate bond can’t be artificially created or manipulated.It’s one of the few things no one could ever take from you.
He could see her processing this, that reporter’s mind working through the implications.So if I feel this…connection…it’s really mine?My choice?
Yes,Anders said with a single nod.Yours to accept or reject.
Something shifted in her expression then.
Before Anders could react, Etta closed the final distance between them, her body drawn to his by an almost gravitational pull.The heat of her skin radiated through his thin shirt as she rose on her toes, her hands sliding up his chest to press against the muscle beneath her palms.
Their breath mingled for a heartbeat before she pressed her lips to his, the contact igniting every nerve ending in his body.
The kiss was electric, a current of pure sensation that surged through Anders’s entire system and settled low in his belly with molten heat.Her lips were impossibly soft against his, tentative at first and then growing bolder as he responded.
She tasted of coffee and wilderness, a combination so intoxicating that Anders felt dizzy with need.His wolf surged forward with a triumphant howl, and for once, Anders didn’t fight it.
His arms encircled her waist, strong hands splaying across her lower back as he pulled her flush against him.She fit perfectly against his body, soft curves meeting hard planes, her breasts pressing against his chest as the kiss deepened with hungry intensity.
Anders angled his head to deepen the connection, his tongue tracing the seam of her lips in a silent request that she immediately granted.The first touch of his tongue against hers sent sparks dancing along his spine and pulled a soft moan from deep in her throat that he swallowed eagerly.His hand slid up to cradle the back of her head, fingers tangling in her silky hair as he explored her mouth with exquisite thoroughness, claiming every part of her with unhurried intensity.
Her scent changed dramatically beneath his hands—the sharp tang of chemical suppression giving way to something sweeter, headier.The subtle notes of moonlit flowers and forest rain filled his nostrils, arousing his wolf in ways he’d never experienced.
As their tongues danced and retreated only to meet again with renewed hunger, Anders could feel her wolf responding to his, pushing against the artificial barriers that had contained it for so long.The mate bond between them pulsed with each racing heartbeat, growing stronger with each passing second.
Etta gasped against his mouth, her fingers threading through his hair and tightening reflexively as a tremor ran through her body.Her teeth grazed his bottom lip, the slight edge of pain amplifying the pleasure coursing through him.Her hips shifted instinctively against his, the movement drawing a low rumble from deep in his chest.
Anders pulled back slightly, concern momentarily overriding the desire that had his blood running hot and his body responding in ways impossible to hide from her.Are you okay?
Her eyes, when she opened them, were a brilliant gold—her wolf’s eyes, not her human ones.Something’s happening,she whispered.I can feel it—like walls breaking down inside me.
Anders cupped her face in his hands, studying the changes.Her scent was shifting rapidly, the chemical notes fading as her natural wolf scent emerged—sweet and wild and all hers.
The suppression,he said.The bond is accelerating its breakdown.
A shudder ran through her, and Etta gripped his arms tightly.
It’s too much,she gasped.Too fast—
Shh… Focus on me,Anders said urgently, pressing his forehead to hers.Feel our connection.
Her breathing was ragged, her pupils dilating and contracting as her body fought the chemical changes.Anders held her steady, projecting calm and strength through their nascent bond.
I’ve got you,he murmured.Your wolf has been waiting so long to be free.Don’t fight it.
