Heart of the wolf (35 page)

Love.
Wolf pressed his brow against Sarah's. He tried to find the words, but couldn't. Only her hands, moving across his body, brought him out of the turmoil within him. Finally he eased back enough to hold her shimmering gaze.

"I love you, Sarah.
When I told you that last night, in the heat of battle, I meant it."

"I was scared then, and I'm scared now," Sarah quavered, "but in a different way."

He nodded and closed his eyes. "That makes two of us." When he opened his eyes again, he added, "I'm afraid that I'll go too far too fast and scare the hell out of you, or make you push me away. And," he added sadly, "I'm afraid I'll see fear, see fear of me,
come
into your eyes. . ."

Whispering his name, Sarah eased upward, grasping his shoulders. Wolf had taken a terrible emotional beating in many ways, and as she pressed a kiss to his jaw, Sarah knew she could help him. She would welcome his
advances,
reassure him with herself, with her body and, most of all, with her heart. It was thrilling to discover that she could give Wolf back a huge piece of himself that had been crashed by the events in Peru.

"You can't hurt me," she whispered. "Just love me. Wolf. Please. . . I want you. . ."

Wolf nuzzled her cheek, found her mouth and gently trapped her against the bed as he claimed her. There was such lushness to her eager, exploring lips against his.

It took real courage to reach out and live life, Wolf realized.
to
love despite the possibility of rejection. As he drowned in the splendor of Sarah's welcoming mouth and touch, Wolf knew he had to risk himself, and place his damaged hope once more on the line. As Sarah came willingly into his arms, her strong, loving body pressing urgently against his, Wolf surrendered to his heart as never before.

As he drew the flowery printed nightgown off Sarah and gazed down at her, Wolf transcended his own fear; perhaps it was Sarah's fearless approach to wanting to love him. Wolf wasn't sure, and in that golden, heated moment it no longer mattered.

Sarah closed her eyes as she felt Wolf's strong hands caress her shoulder, her waist, and on down to outline the shape of her hips. There was such tenderness in his exploration of her that she felt herself unraveling. His touch was like sunlight skimming silently across the land. When he leaned over, his mouth capturing hers at the same moment that his hand caressed her breast, she moaned.

The world spun to a halt as Sarah drowned in the heat, the fire, of Wolf's mouth, and when his lips settled on the peak of her breast she gave a small cry of pleasure. Her fingers kneaded his broad, damp shoulders as he drew her deep into his arms, pressing her hotly against him, his mouth bringing a new kind of fire that raced through her.

The ache centered in her lower body, and as she moaned, Sarah lost herself in all the sensations of Wolf as a man.

She tasted the perspiration of his taut shoulder, felt him tremble as she caressed him intimately. Her boldness, her need to show just how much she loved him, broke through whatever barrier continued to hold him a prisoner of the past. As she lifted her lashes, she saw Ms burning gray eyes meet and hold her own as he covered her with his body.

The moments suspended. Sarah held her breath as she felt Wolf's knee guide her thighs apart. His hands framed her face, and she clung to the hooded, heated look in his eyes, to the tension mirrored in his rugged features. There was still a thread of fear in Wolf's eyes, and instinctively Sarah allowed her feminine heart to guide her as she arched upward to meet him, capture him,
pull
him deeply within herself.

She immediately felt Wolf's fingers tighten around her face, and she not only heard, but felt, a deep animal growl come from within him as she enclosed and held him within her molten, silky confines. It was as if something snapped within Wolf as he arched and tensed within her, and Sarah smiled softly as she felt him surge forward, taking her, claiming her for the first time.

In those golden, spinning moments, moments that seemed so far removed from the real world, Sarah surrendered herself to Wolf in every possible way, for the first time in her life. As he slid his hand beneath her hips, giving back the same pleasure she was giving him, she understood what real love was all about. It was about sharing—giving, taking, allowing the fear to fall away in order to love fully. Whatever issues of trust she'd had also dissolved beneath the cherishing strength of Ms
mouth
, the worship of his hands across her body that made it sing like the most beautiful bird she'd ever heard. There was such beauty being shared, such care and love, that tears matted her lashes.

The
lightninglike
heat grew deep within Sarah as he moved with her, making her his own. The sudden current of release shot through her like a lush explosion, catching Sarah by surprise. Arching into Wolf's arms, pressed against his length, absorbing his strength, she cried out and threw her head back as the waves of sensation overwhelmed her. The intense pleasure went on and on, and Sarah could only helplessly sponge up the wild, fiery feelings that Wolf prolonged for her.

As Sarah began to slide back into the molten fire afterward, she felt Wolf tense and grip her hard to him. In those moments, as she held him, her face pressed to Ms
shoulder
, Sarah willingly received Wolf's gift of himself to her. Ail she was aware of was his damp, hot skin, his ragged breath against her face and neck, and his hands wrapped lovingly in the length of her blond hair.

Opening her eyes, she smiled up at Wolf.
AU
the tension and fear had been drained away from Mm by her vessel of a body, by her love fearlessly reaching out to him. Extending a hand, Sarah gently caressed Ms darkly bearded cheek.

"I love you with my life," she told him, her voice quavering.

Much later, they stirred in each other's arms. The
small
night-light on the wall broke the hold of darkness in the bedroom as Sarah roused herself. She realized that Wolf was already awake, at her side, his hand resting against her as he studied her in the silence. There was such peace and serenity in Wolf's face that Sarah was stunned by the change in him. She smiled sleepily up into Wolf's rugged, shadowed features,

"I
slept again," she whispered, her hand moving across his chest, luxuriating in the soft, dark hair there, "We both did," Wolf murmured, running his hand slowly up and down the length of her strong spine. "I woke up first, though." He tendered a slight smile to show her how much he loved her. Wolf caressed Sarah's shoulder and arm, feeling like a thirsty sponge absorbing everything about Sarah. Earlier, she had been damp and slick against the hard planes of his body. Now her skin was like velvet beneath his touch.

"You were wonderful," Sarah told him as she sat up facing him. The covers pooled around her hips, and she captured his hand. "We were wonderful."

Wolf nodded, absorbing the shining luster in Sarah's eyes as she smiled. She fed his soul. Reaching out, he sifted strands of her gold hair through his fingers. "You weren't afraid like
I
was," he told her, "You had the courage to go all the way. I knew
I
was holding back. . ."

Leaning forward, Sarah laughed softly and captured his mouth to lei
him
know how much she loved him. Wolf's response was instant and heated. As she reluctantly broke the kiss and gazed into his molten gray eyes, she whispered, "Maybe because we love each other so much, that helped us get past our own fears."

He gave her a lazy smile and eased her upward until she lay over him. Instantly he saw the change in her eyes and felt the heat of her stir the fires within him again. "I feel like life is going to start getting good again," he confided. "For both of us, honey."

Sarah delighted in her contact with Wolf. "We have the time, don't we?"

Sarah leaned down and nuzzled Wolf's cheek, then gave him a swift, hot kiss on the mouth before laying her head on his shoulder. "All the time in the world," he said. He brought his arms around her. He wanted to discuss marriage, but it was too soon. Or was it?

"Wolf?"

"Hmmm?"

Sarah smiled tentatively and brushed his short, dark hair away from his furrowed brow. "Will you stay here until
Summers
goes to trial?"

Wolf stilled and held her serious look. "Sarah,
I'm
not the kind of man who does well at one-night stands or even living together." He scowled and pushed his fear of rejection aside. "Loving you was a commitment," he told her gravely. "I don't want to stay just for
Summers's
trial. I want what we have to be the start of a commitment that works toward marriage."

His words were like a sweet dream flowing through her. Sarah swallowed against her tears. "I wasn't sure, Wolf. . . . I don't want a one-night stand, either. And I'd like you to come and live with me, if that's what you want." She saw his face become gentle with emotions, and it gave her the courage to dive headlong into what really lay in her heart.

"I know we haven't known each other very long, and I know we need the time. With
Summers
going to jail, we'll have it, I just need you to know how much I love you. It's not a passing thing, Wolf. You opened yourself up and let me give you my trust. It was something I never thought
I
could do again, but you made it easy." She leaned over and kissed him.

"I love the hell out of you, Sarah Thatcher," Wolf whispered thickly, fitting his mouth against her parted lips. He loved her fiercely, for her goodness, her thoughtfulness toward others—and for the fact that she moaned and returned his kiss with all the womanly fire she possessed. He cupped her cheek and held her lustrous blue gaze. Her eyes were shining with love for him alone. "I'd like to move in here, to live with you."

"Good. . ." Sarah sniffed and gave him a
trembly
smile.

Smiling softly, Wolf pressed a kiss to her salty, wet lips. So much had been taken away from each of them, and yet, as they held one another, he realized that despite their individual scars, together they achieved a wholeness that would give them a new lease on life.

Wolf eased Sarah into his arms and wiped the tears from her cheeks with his fingers. "We'll have the time now," he told her, "to grow and know each other. We've got some tough times ahead with the trial, but we'll take that together." His voice went deep with raw feeling. "When the time's right, I want to marry you, Sarah. I want you to carry our children, if that's what you want. We're going to take life together, on our terms. You hear me?"

She did, and she closed her eyes as she uttered Wolf's name. As his arms closed around her, Sarah knew, at last, that with love, anything was possible.

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