Tarnished by Becca Jameson

entire package was more than she could have ever dreamed to find. He was kind and patient with everyone he encountered, not just her. And an added bonus—he was sexy as hell. His muscles bulged around his chest and arms, stretching his T-shirt and making her long to run her hands over the expanse of his pecs.
    She followed him inside as he took her hand. He led her to the giant plush couch and sat, pulling her alongside him. “Don’t force this. When you’re comfortable, that’s when we’ll move forward. I don’t want you to feel rushed.” Drake rubbed the back of her hand with his fingers where he held it in his lap.
    She glanced down at their hands, his large and tanned, hers small and not as dark. He worked hard outside most days. She could be as dark as him if she saw more sun.
    The contrast made her feel dainty and fragile next to him. She was anything but dainty, though a debate could easily be made that she was fragile. At least mentally.
    Don’t think about anything but right here, right now, and the lust threatening to consume you.
    She shored up her confidence. “I can’t think about anything except feeling you against me like you did this morning. It’s the only thing on my mind. Is that normal?”
    A smile spread across his face. “It’s more than normal. I’d be concerned if it were any other way. When mates meet, the attraction is instantaneous. All-consuming.”
    “So, all the young people who run off together from the meeting feel like this? I figured they were just horny and desperate. They really and truly take off so they can have sex?”
    “Over and over again. It doesn’t abate after the first time. Newly mated wolves need several weeks to slacken the need a bit.”
    “Several weeks?” She widened her gaze. Jesus.
    “At least.” He ran his fingers up her arm, sending goose bumps over her exposed skin.
    “Whatever it is, I don’t feel like I can resist it anymore. My mind is spinning. All I can think about is seeing the rest of you. Getting as close to you as possible. My body craves yours, and it’s beyond my control. You’re right about that.” She swallowed after that admission, and her hands shook.
    He took both her hands in his and lowered his forehead until it rested against hers. He’d done that before. She loved it. Loved the way he invaded her space, demanded her attention, and blocked out the world around them. It happened again now. The spacious great room disappeared from her vision as all her concentration went toward the lips inches from her own and the masculine scent of her man.
    My man? When did that happen?
    “Can I kiss you?” he asked.
    “Please.” She breathed around the word, sounding desperate to her ears.
    He closed the gap and took her lips in a much more definitive possession than earlier today. All her brain cells went to that connection, demanding more—more kissing, more skin, more sensations.
    When he pulled back, his eyes were glassy, and his lips were swollen and wet. He breathed heavily, as though he’d been running on a treadmill. Without saying a word, he swung her up in his arms and carried her from the room.
    She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on. Her nose nestled against his skin, and she inhaled his scent. That was a mistake. He was so close he consumed her. Her brain scrambled, and she didn’t care. She had one thing on her mind—getting him naked and using that bulge between his legs that kept brushing against her to fill the ache inside.
    If she didn’t have him soon, she’d go mad.
    Drake set her on the bed, still mussed from his restless sleep last night. She smiled. She’d done that to him. It made her feel powerful. Not at all like she’d expected. Instead of feeling dominated and repressed, she felt a sense of control. She melted him just by being her … the same way he destroyed her resolve to remain a virgin and keep all men at arm’s length.
    His gaze burrowed into hers as she scooted back on the bed, and