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Arousal was liquid honey in her veins, thick and rich and oh-so-luscious

"No," she said, playing with him "I think I should punish you for how you’ve been tor me"

Teeth on her lower lip "God, I love it when you’re bad, Grace" His fingers went to the bottoh in a caress of rough heat "Can I?"

Heartbeat jerky in her throat, she shook her headand reached down to slowly, so slowly, bunch the skirt ever higher up her thighs Cooper’s breath was harsh, loud in the confines of the SUV, his eyes a wild yellow that traced every inch she bared It was intoxicating, his raw desire ht her sensuality a gentle flaentle about her need or her possessiveness where Cooper was concerned He could arouse her with a word, a look, and she hungered for him to complete his claim, her body in a constant state of readiness

It wouldn’t be long, she thought, before her wolf took that final step into absolute, unrerowled dehs "I want to see"

Skin damp with perspiration, she kept the skirt where it was "What’sat her in the dark, the s fogged up to enclose them in steamy inti" Whi, she obeyed the order, saw him jerk his head up and check that the whiaze to the le that shielded her froh "Take the her skirt, she leaned backward until she hit the back of the front seat, her chest rising and falling as she fought to suck in enough air to clear the haze in her hs rock hard beneath her, Cooper’s hands closed over her knees "You’re going to makepunished, reaze, he cupped her

She rowsecond

A brush of his thuhs, the pleasure piercing her to the core She arched into his touch, even as an acrid sensation she didn’t want to feel began to eat away at the su the acute vulnerability that awaited if the wave crashed Gritting her teeth, she tried to ride it out, but Cooper knew

Reainst his body, one hand cupping the back of her head, the other on her lower back She wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed in the rich earth and dark aainst his own in silent apology

His response was a low ru you those panties"

Laying her head against his shoulder, she petted his beautiful chest

"Yes," she agreed, "it is"

That got her a growland, "When are you going to wear the teddy?"

ABLE to feel herself hovering on the brink of that final, ineffable trust, Grace got up the nextthe hours away so she could play with her do unexpectedly, dangerously long

"We have a serious problem at the hydro station," her boss, Barney, said around five that afternoon

"A coo" The tiion was heading into a severe new storht

It wasthe olves that shared their territory into the den for the night "Are Elizabeth and Diego up there?" she asked, referring to the two senior station techs

"Yeah, but they need someone frolitchy, CO2 alarms on the fritz, and they have to batten down the hatches, spend the night babying the coht, if the air filters failed and carbon dioxide built up in a contained area Unlike the den, the below-ground control station had no natural airflow conduits to negate the risk, and the stor outside just as bad a choice "Den’s got generator backup," she said "It’d be safer to recall theested that, but Elizabeth says if they leave the proble the station, take weeks to repair That happens, den will be reliant on the backup battery units in the critical systeenerators are only meant to run for a few days at o dark, but things will function at minied"

Grace knew even with the pack’s scientifica rush on the specially calibrated panels, it would take at least another week to get everything in place "Paul’s our air expert," she said, hating the idea of sending any of her people out in this weather

"I tried him, but he’s not in his quarters and he didn’t file a schedule

Figured you "