Scent of a Mate

12

Finally, she pulled it out and dialed Ellie. Nothing. She then dialed all her other female friends. Nothing. She cursed. The one time she needed them, no one answered. She wiggled to adjust her balance. The branch wobbled under her ass. She braced herself against the trunk and took a peek down. At least twenty feet of air dangled below her feet. s**t.

There was only one other option. One choice. One solution. Frickin’ hell. The last person she wanted to call was him. But seeing as the two animals at the edge of the tree didn’t look like they were going anywhere, she dialed Aric’s number.

He answered on the first ring. “Jordan?”

“I need you,” she whispered, glancing down at the two growling beasts. If it were one, she’d go up against the animal or at least try to outrun it. Against the two of them, heroics were out of the question.

“Is this some kind of joke?” He sounded surprised. And why wouldn’t he be? She left him just the night before after he’d asked her to stay. “I’ve been calling you non-stop, but my calls have been going straight to voice mail.”

Uh-oh. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to ignore the sexy Alpha.

She was still freaking out over having had s*x, really amazing mind-blowing s*x, with Aric. The moment he’d told her in that no-nonsense, growly voice to wait for him, she almost came on the spot…again. It was a bit much to take in. So she’d packed up her equipment and done what any sane woman in her position would do. She rushed home, locked her doors, threw herself on her bed, and thought about everything he’d done for the rest of the night.

Loud growls brought her out of her daydream.

“I am so serious, Aric. Get your furry ass over here.” She hugged the tree trunk and gasped. For a second she wobbled on the branch.

A soft snort whispered against her ear. “Where is ‘over here?’”

Was he laughing at her? She was in a maul or death situation here. “The…er, clearing where you guys had the scenting ceremony.”

“What are you doing there?”

“Just get here already.” She raised her voice, watching the two white wolves run circles around the tree and suddenly stop. “I have two flea-ridden mutts trying to take a bite out of me! I may be a big girl, but I would like to keep all my body parts intact.”

One of the wolves snarled. The other jumped, scratching the tree bark on its way down. Jordan jerked her feet up instinctively, almost falling backward in her haste.

“On my way. Don’t go anywhere.”

The line went dead.

As if she could. She watched the smaller of the two wolves stare at her with unblinking, cold eyes. Jordan wasn’t one to scare easy, but the way the beast watched her, she knew if she got down on the ground she would have to fight for her life. Swallowing at the dryness in her throat, she attempted to push down the fear winding its way around her chest.

“I want to see how tough you are when Aric gets here,” she hissed at the two beasts.

She wasn’t sure if it was the mention of Aric’s name or something else, but within moments the two wolves darted off. Temptation to get off the hard branch and go home turned her antsy. After what felt like forever, she saw Aric running toward her.

He stopped at the base of the tree and glanced up.

“Jump.”

“You must be high,” she muttered.

He chuckled. “No, baby, you’re the one high up on that tree. Jump and I’ll catch you.”

She squiggled on to her stomach and grappled with the first stump to work her way down. “I will get down on my own thank you very m—”

She slipped off the branch. Her stomach plummeted on her descent. Without a doubt, she was going to break something or land like a ginormous pancake in front of Aric. A scream lodged in her throat. She clenched her eyes shut. Everything flew past and then just stopped.

“I’ve got you.”

She jerked her eyes open and met his bright grey ones. Her gaze darted down to his mouth. Nervous tension slithered down her spine.

She licked her lips. “Thank you.”

His muscled arms held her tight to him. A shiver racked her. “You’re okay.”

She couldn’t stop her eyes from feasting on his face. They were as close as last night, and the light of day lent her the ability to see his sexy features with clarity.

“I know.”

His nostrils flared. With deliberate care, he placed her on to the ground, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he cupped her face and kissed her. The combination of passion, fear, and adrenaline sent her arousal skyrocketing. She curled her hands around his neck, digging her nails into the back of his skull. Instant heat exploded in her core. Her p***y went slick with need.

He delved his tongue into her mouth. Hot damn the man was a fantastic kisser. He was aggressive. He took. He owned. He branded. And she loved it.

Desire swamped her in a wave of lust. She moaned. He slid his hands down her torso and lightly grazed her aching n*****s. He caressed around her waist, over her back, and grabbed her ass. On her tiptoes, she plastered herself to him.

The kiss turned scorching. Her hormones yelled with urgency to have him. s*x with him became her sole focus. The bar of his c**k pressed against her belly. He was thick and hard, and the weight of his c**k alone was a nagging tease to her p***y.

Someone cleared his throat. “Aric? You ready to go?”

She snapped her eyes open and almost got whiplash shifting sideways to see his brother, Mason, smiling at them. The twinkle in his eyes and the tiny dimple near his mouth made the man heart-stopping gorgeous, but he was no Aric.

“Hate to interrupt, but we should go.”

She could still feel Aric’s very erect c**k poking her. The raw lust in his eyes almost made her say to hell with Mason. Almost.

“Let’s get you home,” he said in the growly voice that made her melt.