The Mate Challenge

3

She stayed quiet for the short drive. Something he wasn’t used to with Emma. He knew she had a hard time not being in control and not dictating what needed to be done. But he was happy she hadn’t argued when he took her out of her comfort zone and lead her away from the mating site.

He reached his house and once again picked her up in his arms only this time he didn’t lay her on his shoulder. Instead, he carried her inside and straight to his room.

Her gasp as they entered the bedroom wasn’t lost on him. “Mason...”

Placing her gently on the bed, he stepped back to soak in her reaction. Her eyes were wide with surprise and a smile unlike any he’d seen on her face split her lips.

A quick glance around the room and everything was exactly as he’d set it up. The skylights allowed them a view of the night sky. He’d also gone as far as getting her tulips, her favorite flowers. Hell, even candles adorned almost every surface of his bedroom. Good thing he didn’t have tons of clutter or he’d have worried over starting a fire.

“Do you like it?” A dash of insecurity rushed through him. Emma wasn’t your typical female. She loved being the one doing the nice things for others but this time he wanted to be the one doing things for her.

Her gaze continued to roam around the room before finally meeting his. “Wow. You’ve been busy,” she grinned. “Are you trying to impress me?”

He laughed and started removing his shirt, knowing her attention would be stuck on his body. This wasn’t their first time together. Emma was his. She just refused to admit it.

“Oh, I’ll impress you soon enough, baby. Just let me get comfortable.”

She licked her lips and wiggled on the bed with a frown. “What about me? I need out of these cuffs.”

He jerked the T-shirt over his head, tossing it on a nearby chair. “Tell you what we’ll do. I’ll let you out of the cuffs and we can have some of your favorite wine.”

She lifted an arched brow and glanced around the room until she caught sight of the wine bottle and glasses. “Wow, you really did go all out didn’t you?”

He bit his lip to keep from laughing at her surprised expression and moved closer to the bed. “Do you want out of the cuffs or not?”

She scrunched her nose in thought. “That sort of kills the mood, doesn’t it?”

His Emma was one of a kind. He never knew what she’d say. “Not really. You’ll see.”

He uncuffed her and helped her sit on the bed. She watched him warily. Good. She should worry. He wasn’t done with their game. Emma liked being in control too much. It was time for her to lose it.

Emma wasn’t sure what Mason’s game was. They had a pretty solid arrangement. Nobody questioned the other and each did what they wanted. s*x between them was amazing and she wasn’t trying to give that up. Except it didn’t seem to be enough for him. Mason wanted it all. A relationship. She clenched her teeth before taking a sip of her wine. It had been too good to be true.

He moved around the bedroom with careful precision. God, the man had a body on him she never tired of watching. He was big and strong with all those tattoos and the n****e piercings were hotter than anything she’d ever seen. Mason was the ultimate bad boy to her dirty girl fantasies.

She still shuddered after their months of dating. Heck, memories of their first time together still made her knees weak. He ran long fingers through his hair and she gulped, watching his muscles shift. Breathe, girl!

“Mason,” she said a lot huskier than she expected her voice to be. “I...”

She what? She’d been ignoring him lately. Her dislike for the pressure of a relationship was getting on her nerves. She wasn’t ready for talks of mating and so she was being a b***h and ignoring his animal side. The side that needed to mate and claim his woman. She wasn’t known for being soft-spoken or nice. Emma had grown up with a father who’d been strict military and he’d taught her never to give in to anyone’s demands. But was that realistic? Mason had been so thoughtful with her. He hadn’t really pushed and instead gave her the space she needed when it came to them.

She inhaled and let her shoulders drop. Maybe she should break things off with him. No! Her mind immediately screamed the word, stopping any thoughts of cutting ties with the wolf.

With a soft sigh, she stood and took another sip of wine before placing her glass down on a dresser. The lights of the candles gave his naturally pale skin a golden glow. Unlike Emma’s dark chocolate skin, Mason’s skin was pale as cream and baby smooth. She loved touching him. Being that close to him only brought out the urge to glide her fingers down his back, feeling his muscles shift under her palms.

She licked the wine off her lips and lifted a hand to touch his back. Lord, he was so damn hot. How could she consider staying away from him for even a second? Mason was the only man she wanted. And while she argued with her inability to commit daily, she didn’t want what they had to end. Ever.

She opened her mouth to speak but he turned around on her so fast she only got a glimpse of the bright gold rim around his usually gorgeous brown eyes.

“Stop it,” he ordered roughly.

He pulled her into his arms and brought his lips down over hers. The instant heat explosion sent warmth careening through her limbs. He pushed his tongue into her mouth and rubbed over hers with an aggression she wasn’t used to in Mason. Mason was strong. Bold. Sexy. The flirt she’d come to love in the years she’d been Ellie’s friend.