Blood Wolf Dawning by Rhyannon Byrd Page A

increasing with each second that ticked by, coiling tightly through his insides. Like a physical thing, it prowled beneath his hot skin, keeping perfect company with his beast.
    To make matters worse, the more time he spent with her, the more it became increasingly clear that he genuinely
liked
her. Yeah, he lusted after the little witch to the point that it was goingto damn near kill him to walk away from her. To leave without claiming her in
all
the ways that he craved. But he liked the woman beneath that beautiful surface to an equally dangerous degree. She was funny and spirited and fascinating. Different from the girl he’d known, and yet, the same.
    Sweet, smart, beautiful Sayre. If he’d been a different man, with a different past...and a differentfuture, he would have claimed her in a heartbeat. Even with that smart-ass mouth and attitude that could so easily rile him.
    Finally reaching his breaking point, he sent up a silent word of thanks to whomever might be out there listening when he saw the sign for a small rest area a mile up the road. They were in a remote part of the mountains and hadn’t passed another car for the last twentyminutes, so when they reached the turnoff, he took it and followed the dirt path into the trees, parking at the back of a small clearing that sat at the edge of a cliff. Restrooms and a few empty picnic tables were the only amenities, but the view out over the mountains was incredible.
    “Is there any particular reason that you’ve parked here?” she asked, staring out at the view as she undidher seat belt.
    He cut the engine, the air leaving his lungs in a rough exhalation. “You know damn well why I brought us here.”
    With a feminine little snort that he found entirely too adorable, she turned her head and gave him a cocky grin. “You’re too old to drive for long periods of time without getting out to stretch your legs?”
    Arching his right eyebrow, he said, “You’ve developedquite a gift for sarcasm, haven’t you?”
    Her next breath released on a sigh. “Sometimes life will do that to a girl. Does it turn you off?”
    “There isn’t a damn thing you could do to turn me off, Sayre.”
    She blinked at him with wide eyes. “Wow, you’re not holding back, are you?”
    “Why the hell should I hold back about wanting you? I wanted you when you were too young for me toeven think about. Wanted you so badly it nearly drove me out of my goddamn mind. I want you even more now.”
    “Good,” she breathed. “Because I want you, too.”
    “Then come on,” he rumbled, reaching for his door handle. “I’m not kissing you for the first time in this small-ass car.”
    With a low, kind of nervous laugh, she opened her door and started to climb out. “This is a beautifulcar, you know. You’re just too big for it.”
    Did she just call us big?
his wolf growled, sounding smug as hell.
She’s got that right.
    Shaking his head at the arrogant idiot, Cian climbed out and slammed his door shut. His stupid hands were still trembling like a boy’s, and he couldn’t help but shake his head at himself, as well. So much for his legendary reputation and control. All ittook was a single heated look from this girl, like the one she was giving him as he came around the front of the Audi, and he was undone. Damn near knocked back on his ass like someone who’d had their legs swept out from under them.
    “I don’t understand,” he said when he was standing right in front of her and staring into those big, beautiful eyes, a shimmering ring of gold beginning to gleamaround the smoky blue. It was like she’d been shocked wide open, her desire laid bare for him to witness, and it humbled him just as much as it scared the ever-loving hell out of him. “How can you do this, Sayre? How can you look at me like that? Don’t you blame me for what’s happening? For the fact that your life’s in danger?”
    She pulled in a deep breath as she stared up at him, and thenslowly let it out.