Rachelle was leaning into his touch, and seemed to have lost her train of thought.

  “Oh, yeah,” she said. “The other choice is that I ask you inside. For a drink or something. Which, just so you know, is actually code for making out, and possibly sex.”

  “Ah. I see,” Kane said. He should leave. Leave now. This was dangerous.

  She said, “So, do you want to come inside?”

  Kane hesitated. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

  Rachelle stroked his back. “How come?”

  Kane sighed. “Because I don’t know how to do this dating thing,” he said. “And even with you interpreting, I’m gonna fuck it up.”

  He pulled her to him and rested his chin on top of her hair.

  “Selina messed me up,” he said softly. “The way she treated me, the way she fucked with my head.” He bit his lip. He’d never said the next part to anyone. Not even Israel.

  “She liked pain,” he said. “She only liked to fuck when she’d been hurting someone. Or—or when she’d made me hurt them. She’d set me off, set Wolf off, and…” he broke off, taking a deep breath to settle himself. “She got off on it.”

  Rachelle tightened her arms around him. “Oh, Hunter,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Not your fault,” he said. “I wish I’d listened to you. About staying away from her.”

  “We all do things we regret,” Rachelle whispered. “But that was a long time ago.”

  Kane shook his head. “No. It wasn’t.” He sighed. “It’s still with me, Raven. Still in here.” He gestured to his head. “And in here.” He pulled back from her and touched his heart.

  “She broke me, Raven,” he said softly. “And I don’t trust myself to ever be with anybody else. I’ll just break them too.”

  “Not me,” she said. She looked up at him, her black eyes deep as midnight. “Trust me, Hunter.”

  He couldn’t stand it. His soul was so broken, his and Wolf’s both. They needed someone so desperately, someone who understood their dark places and could maybe love them anyway. Someone to make them feel again.

  * * *

  With a low growl, Kane cupped the back of her head with his hand and began devouring her lips, kissing her deeply, then nipping his way erotically down the side of her neck. Rachelle was overwhelmed with sensation. She forgot about her mission, forgot about the Agency and the secrets she kept.

  This was Hunter, and he needed her.

  Abandoning caution, she pressed herself against him and returned his kisses. His cock was already swelling, straining against the zipper of his jeans, and he splayed the other hand against her lower back, pressing her hips even tighter against his thick shaft.

  Rachelle moaned.

  Kane reached down and grabbed the backs of her thighs, hoisting her up so she had her legs wrapped around his waist, moving his hands to cup her ass. She slid her arms around his neck and he kissed her deeply once more, his tongue thrusting and demanding.

  He shouldered the door open and carried her across the threshold, kicking it shut with one heavy boot without tearing his lips from hers.

  He put her down and she immediately moved her hands to the hem of his t-shirt, pulling it halfway off before he took over. All the time they were moving, banging into the walls and tearing at each other’s clothes, leaving a trail of half-ripped garments all the way to the bedroom.

  By the time they got there Rachelle was wearing nothing but her panties and her bra, which was halfway down one shoulder. Kane’s boots had been kicked off and his shirt was somewhere in the living room. His jeans were unsnapped and riding down his hips.

  Rachelle sat down on the edge of the bed. Kane walked up between her legs, looking down at her, his eyes flashing golden and a sexy growl rattling his chest.

  Rachelle ran her hands across his abs. The skin was soft over the hard, ridged muscles. He definitely had more scars than she remembered from years ago. And more muscles—every muscle of his chest was sharply defined. She lightly traced the V that ran from his hipbones down below the waistband of his jeans.

  He shivered, and she could see his cock flex beneath his briefs. The growl grew louder, and his eyes grew more golden. He twined his fingers in her hair, forcing her head back, and dropped to his knees, his teeth grazing her neck, one hand gripping her thigh.

  Too rough. “Kane,” she gasped out. Shit, Wolf really was out of control. She felt a stab of fear.

  The growl grew louder, and she felt his arms ripple, fur appearing and receding. The hand on her thigh shifted, and sharp claws opened bleeding scratches down her thigh.

  She cried out in pain.

  Within seconds Kane was across the room, backed up against the wall. His eyes were glowing gold, and his hands were shifting into wickedly clawed paws and back again, over and over.

  Oh. My. God.

  “Rachelle,” Kane said through gritted teeth. “Get out of here. Now.”

  She could feel Wolf clawing at him from the inside, angry and scared, demanding to get out. To hurt and kill, because he didn’t know how else to make all these feelings go away.

  She didn’t move. Her heart was breaking into pieces, seeing what he’d become. No wonder he was “Sir Stick-up-his-ass.” It took everything he had to keep Wolf from going wild.

  “Rachelle,” he ground out. “I’m not kidding. Go now.”

  No. She knew Wolf better than anyone. She couldn’t leave him like this.

  She shook her head. “Let him out,” she said softly. “I’m not afraid of Wolf.”

  “Raven—”

  She held his eyes with hers. “Stop controlling him,” she said. “It hurts you both. Let him out.”

  She could see he was losing control. With an agonized roar, he let himself fall forward, his flesh rippling and his bones cracking. By the time his hands hit the floor, he was Wolf.

  Rachelle had almost forgotten how magnificent he was. Even in a rage, his muzzle contorted in a snarl, he was beautiful. Gray shading to black, with a white ruff around his neck and white in his tail, and a streak of white above each eye, like eyebrows.

  He gave a snarling howl and paced in a half-circle, ears flattened and eyes on her, poised to attack.

  He could kill her, right here right now. But still, her heart went out to him. Poor Wolf. He was so unhappy.

  She gathered all her courage. “Come here,” she said, holding out a hand.

  His snarl grew a little less, and his ears came up.

  “Come on,” she said, keeping her tone low and soothing. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

  He took one hesitant step toward her, then another. He was watching her warily, a growl rumbling deep in his chest. She waited, her hand still out in an invitation.

  She hoped he wouldn’t bite it off.

  He walked slowly up to her, still growling, but more quietly. He was huge, so tall that his head was nearly level with hers, where she sat on the bed. His teeth were enormous and terrifying. Even with her shifter healing, one bite from him in the wrong place could kill her.

  She forced herself to breathe deeply, letting the feelings in her heart pour out over him. “You’re so beautiful,” she told him. “So brave.”

  He nosed her hand, and she slowly moved the other one up to stroke his fur. The growl turned to a soft whine.

  She ran both hands down the sides of his neck, and then cupped his huge head. His ears were soft and velvety, and she gently caressed the torn one. “I remember this,” she said. “You have even more battle scars now, don’t you.”

  He pushed his head forward against her chest, nuzzling her. Rachelle sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her eyes and resting her cheek against his head.

  “I’ve missed you, Wolf,” she whispered. “Remember how you used to protect me? You were so brave, so strong. I always felt safe when you were there.”

  A low rumbling started in his chest again, but it was different now. Hopeful. Almost happy.

  “I remember that winter when it was so cold,” she said, still whispering. “We were holed up in that abandoned warehouse, with no heat. There were rats in there, and gangs tried to take it over, sometimes. I only had one little blanket, and you used to curl up next to me and let me go to sleep leaning up against you, with my head on your chest and my hands buried in your fur. You were so warm. And you’d stay awake all night and keep watch, and I knew I could sleep because you wouldn’t ever let anything hurt me.”

  Tears were streaming down her face now. She’d forgotten about that winter, about how Wolf had watched over her and kept her from freezing. “I never thanked you for taking such good care of me,” she said. She kissed his head, right on one of his white eyebrows. “Thank you.”

  He gave a soft whine and sat down, still leaning his huge head against her chest. She held onto him and let the tears fall into his warm fur.

  After a long time, she sat back and wiped her eyes. “Can you let Kane come back now?” she asked. “He’s hurting. He needs to feel better too.”

  Wolf stared at her for a moment with his beautiful golden eyes. Then he gave a little sigh and nudged her affectionately once more before backing up a few steps.

  With a shimmer and a cracking of bones, Kane was back, crouched naked on the floor.

  “Kane?” she said, reaching out to him. “Are you okay?”

  She started to get off the bed, and he flinched away from her. Before she could reach him, he scrambled to his feet and blundered into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

  Shit. And things had been going so well.

  Chapter 12

  Kane faced the cold tile wall in the bathroom, his head resting on his forearm, trying to think, to breathe, to do anything.

  Huge, raw emotions were swirling through him, exploding in all directions. Everything inside him felt like it was crashing down, and he didn’t know what to do.

  He couldn’t go back out there. That look in Rachelle’s eyes made him feel like all his skin had been torn off, and even the lightest touch would burn like fire. All her caring would flay him into tiny bleeding shreds.

  He heard the door open quietly. Shit. He’d forgotten to lock it. He couldn’t even do that right.

  “Kane?”

  He felt Rachelle’s hand on his back, the softest of touches.

  “I can’t do this,” he gasped out.

  “Wolf didn’t hurt me,” she said.

  “It hurt me!” he snapped. “Everything fucking hurts, and I don’t know what to feel or who I am or what the fuck is going on.”

  Her hand started making tiny circles on his back. “Shh,” she said soothingly. “You’re okay.”

  It wasn’t helping.

  “You saw what happened when I tried to make love to you,” he said. “That always happens. I can’t even—I can’t even take care of my partner half the time because I have to get through it before Wolf goes crazy.” He gave a harsh laugh. “You can imagine how many second dates I get.”

  Rachelle’s hand felt like it was burning through his skin, igniting a supernova in the middle of his chest that would destroy him.

  “Is that why you wanted an arranged mating?” she asked.

  He nodded, his forehead still resting on his arm. “I thought maybe if Wolf and I mated with someone we didn’t have feelings for, this wouldn’t happen.” He shook his head. “We could have killed you.”

  “But it’s okay now,” she said. “Wolf’s not upset anymore.”

  He paused, trying to sort out all the craziness inside him, trying to feel what Wolf was feeling.

  She was right. Wolf was curled up inside him, feeling contented. Our Raven’s back. We can protect her.

  Shit.

  She’s worried about you, Wolf added. Make her feel better.

  How the fuck am I supposed to do that? he asked silently.

  Let her make you feel better.

  Kane sighed. She was still stroking his back, slow calming circles. He felt his breathing slowing down.

  It felt good. Which felt wrong. He didn’t do good.

  He turned around and put his back to the wall. Her hand moved to his chest, over his heart, and stayed there.

  He closed his eyes.

  “I can’t do this,” he whispered. “I’ll hurt you.”

  “No you won’t. Wolf wants to protect me.”

  Yes, Wolf said. Protect Raven.

  “I can’t—this isn’t—” Shit. “You don’t get it,” he said. “I was holding back all my shit for a reason. I don’t even know what the fuck was locked inside my heart, but none of it’s good. And now it’s spilling out everywhere. Trust me, you do not want me to pour that poison into your life.”

  Rachelle was looking up at him with that damn trusting look she used to have when she was a kid. “Some of what’s in your heart is good,” she said. “And the rest of it doesn’t belong there. Let it go.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t know me anymore,” he said. “You have no idea who I am now.”

  “I know you better than anyone,” she said.

  She moved in and slid her hands slowly up his chest. He closed his eyes again. Letting her see his feelings felt too vulnerable. He wasn’t ready for that.

  But he let his arms curve around her.

  She was so warm, so soft. She felt so good against him. She rested her cheek against his chest, over his heart.

  It was beating a mile a minute, but he felt less breathless with her there. All the chaos in him started to settle.

  She slipped one arm around his neck and pulled his head down, tilting her face up to his. Once again, their lips found each other’s as if they were magnetized. He moved his lips softly against hers, giving himself the time to taste her, to take in the sensations.

  She gave a small sigh and parted her lips, like an invitation. Her tongue just barely brushed his lower lip, and desire rushed through him.

  He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, exploring her tender mouth. His cock grew stiff between them, pressing against the soft skin of her abdomen. He held back a groan.

  He could scent her arousal now. He wanted to touch every part of her—worship every inch of her skin. But he’d lived so long with the terror of Wolf coming out, the desperate need of his own arousal always at war with his fear of losing control.

  Was it possible it didn’t have to be like that?

  Rachelle ended the kiss with a soft smack, and rested her head in the middle of his chest for a moment. Then she took his hand and led him out of the bathroom.

  Right that moment, Kane felt like he’d follow her anywhere.

  She sat down on the edge of the bed again, and slid one bra strap off her shoulder. “Would you take this off?” she whispered.

  He knelt on the bed behind her and unhooked the scrap of fabric. He slid the straps gently off her shoulders, his fingers skimming her skin. It was like warm velvet.

  He threw the bra aside and dipped his head to kiss her shoulder, moving his lips gradually up to her neck. She gave a small sexy humming sound, and he ran his fingers through her gorgeous hair, luxuriating in the silkiness of it. He swept it back and then moved it in front of the shoulder he’d just kissed, so he could get to the other one. She let her head drop back against him with a sigh.

  He moved around her and pushed her gently back onto the bed. He hooked his fingers under her lacy panties. “Should I take these off now?”

  She nodded, eyes on his. He could see the sultry arousal in them, and it made him want her more than he’d ever wanted anything. He loved pleasing her, he realized. Every time her body responded to his, it made his cock harder.

  He kept waiting for Wolf to rise up, to try to claw his way out and hurt him, but Wolf was panting inside him. Loving this.

  He slid Rachelle’s panties off and tossed them to the side. Then he started from her feet and kissed every inch of her legs, with occasional brushes of his tongue. The parts he wasn’t kissing he was stroking with his hands, losing himself in the taste, the feel, the scent of her.

  He came to the scratches on her thigh, already healing. He kissed them in apology.

  Then he kissed his way up her inner thighs. Her breathing grew faster, and she gave a pleading moan. So fucking hot. He let his kisses go only as far as the crease of her thighs, the top of her mound, the edges of her lips. She moaned louder, writhing beneath him, parting her legs so he could kiss her pussy.

  But it was too soon. He wanted to draw this out, to pleasure her the way he’d never been able to pleasure a woman before.

  He moved up next to her on the bed, cupping one sweet, heavy breast, kissing her delectable flushed lips, plundering her mouth with his tongue. Her hands were on him now, touching and stroking every part of him she could reach.

  Kane felt the way Wolf felt when she petted him—cared for and appreciated.

  Except he also got harder and hotter the more he felt her hands on his skin. He took one of her hands and kissed the inside of her wrist, moving up her arm and across her shoulder, taking his time with every sensitive spot.

  When he finally moved his mouth to her breast, her nipples hard before he even touched her. He took her breasts in his hands, marveling at their softness, and kissed them, taking each nipple into his mouth and slowly savoring it, running his tongue over the hard nub and feeling her reaction.

  “Kane, please,” she whispered. “Make love to me. Make me come.”

  “Relax,” he said. “I’ll take care of you. There’s no rush.”

  It felt so fucking amazing to take his time, without the fear that Wolf would burst out. He moved his lips down her ribs, over her belly, kissed one hipbone and then the other. He ran his tongue down, down, until it dipped between her lips, brushing her clit.

  Her response was immediate and instinctive, raising her hips toward him and opening her thighs further. “So beautiful,” he murmured. He kissed her clit again and again, brushing it softly with his tongue each time and feeling her shiver with wanting him.

  Rachelle had her head thrown back, one hand tangled in his hair, the other clenching the bedspread.

  “Kane, please…”

  She was so wet, so damn hot. He wanted to plunge his cock into her soaking pussy, but he needed this first. He stroked her pussy with his tongue, lapping her in long broad strokes, plunging inside her, then lightly teasing her clit. He drew it out as long as he could, until she was panting and incoherent with need.

 

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