“It’s unhealthy,” she muttered, still staring up.
He cleared his throat. “What is?”
She stared at him then. “Bottling things up this way.” Her gaze drifted south to the aching evidence of his arousal. “You want me. I want you.”
Every fucking word was a kick in the chest, intensifying his discomfort. If only it was that easy. Nothing ever was. Taking Ellen to bed would be anything but easy. “Want doesn’t equate to need.” He saw her mouth open and quickly clarified, “Need as in necessary for survival.”
She stayed as she was, breasts jutting out, legs spread wide. Her determination was admirable. “My wolf is likely to threaten your survival if you do this again.” One brow arched.
He swallowed, tearing his gaze from her distracting pose. “I apologize—”
“For stopping something we need?” she interrupted. “You and me. And our wolves. You should apologize.”
He glared at her then.
“Glower all you want, Hollis. When you touch me, I feel your wolf. The urge to dominate, to bite and twist me to your will? To make me groan. To claim me. That is your wolf.” She smiled. “Fighting to get out—to get to me. Let him out. There is nothing my wolf wants more.”
He bit back another growl. Her words played through his mind. Ellen, beneath him. Fiery and passionate. He’d never dominate her, he wanted her as she was. But the biting and groaning and claiming? Hell, yes. That and so much more. Admitting that would open doors that needed to stay firmly shut—preferably padlocked.
It took effort to dismiss the firestorm between them, but he did his best. “It’s arousal. Born from mutual attraction.” Even he had a hard time believing what he was saying. This was more than arousal. But to consider what she was saying, that their connection called to his wolf, was unfathomable.
Her eyes went round, a startled laugh making her all the more beautiful. “I’ve lived a long life, had many…lovers, but no man has made my blood burn as you do.” She realized her mistake as soon as she’d spoken, he saw it. She paled, the taunting smile fading from her face as she slid from the counter. In the time she’d been with the pack, she’d taken care to measure her words to reveal nothing.
This was one hell of a revelation.
One with surprising effects. As a scientist, he tended to rely on facts and research, not instincts and feelings. But there was no fighting them now. Possessiveness thickened his blood, pumping through his veins until it took a firm hold on him. While he was forcibly holding himself from reaching for her, she was in full panic mode.
Her gaze looked everywhere but his. From soft and seductive to stiff and pacing, she was agitated. Clearly, she hadn’t meant to say it. And, she was pissed—at herself, presumably.
“I’ll pack. If I have to go.” But she didn’t look at him.
Hollis cleared his throat. “You do.”
Her hands fisted at her sides, but still, her gaze avoided his. “And who else is going?” Anger laced the question.
“Mal and Olivia.” Now he was incredibly thankful for their presence. He never thought he’d need a chaperone to help keep him in check, but now he wasn’t so sure.
She nodded, staring into the flames with narrowed eyes. “I would send Mal, too.”
Hollis waited. But Ellen, as usual, didn’t elaborate. “Meaning?”
She rolled her eyes. “You are the ploy. Olivia is the distraction. Mal the last resort.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Or maybe he just wanted them to have a change of scenery, too? We can’t stay here forever. Olivia and Mal need time to figure out what their lives will be like outside the refuge walls.”
Ellen spared him a hostile glance. “Be that as it may, Finn is sending Mal to make sure I don’t run.”
She’d run? From him? His stomach dropped, lead-lined and cold. Pressure crushed his chest. He closed the gap between them but stopped short of touching her. “I won’t let you run.” The words were gruff and hard.
She smiled into the fire. “You couldn’t stop me, Hollis. My wolf is too powerful.”
It was his turn to smile. “Is she? Then I won’t worry. As long as your wolf wants me, I don’t have to worry about you running.”
She spun then, the flash of fury in her eyes glorious. Even her solid slap across the face couldn’t completely erase his victory. He had the upper hand and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
…
Ellen had long since given up having control in her life, Cyrus had made sure of that. But that didn’t mean she liked it. Did she have control now, living with Finn’s pack? No. But she didn’t live with constant fear. Regardless of how they felt about her, she’d never once felt threatened or afraid of Finn and his pack. For that, she was grateful. And uncertain. All of her memories included aggression and violence, torment and abuse. So now, even knowing that was no longer a part of her life, her instinct was still to brace for the worst.