Celeste Connor swore that she'd never be a victim again. After the hell of her abusive ex, the last thing she needs is to be under another man's thumb. But when she catches the eye of fiercely dominant Nartan Lupan at her best friend's wedding, Celeste finds herself drawn into a glittering world of wealth and power that has her body aching and her mind reeling.
HE'S FIGHTING TO MAKE HER HIS...
Nartan is a filthy rich businessman who works hard, plays harder, and doesn't take no for an answer-and he wants Celeste with a hunger he's never before felt. He'll do whatever it takes to have her. But Nartan didn't expect that he'd want still more.
Celeste sat up and looked around the room.
The sun had finally gone down sometime after ten. Now
the stars were brilliant, and a yellow moon was casting an amazing level of
light in the nighttime hours.
There was a whimper and then another long howl.
Alaskan wolves.
She could sleep when she got back to Southern
California.
She got up and hurried into her jeans. Only the range
light was on in the kitchen, but with so much moonlight coming through the
windows, it was easy to get to the mudroom and lace up her boots.
She opened the outer door slowly, sliding through to
keep from moving it too much. A howl sounded, so much louder now that she was
outside. She pressed the door shut and knelt down.
The starlight illuminated the wolves. At least six of
them were pawing the ground as they moved along the road that connected the
house with the test facility offices. Those offices weren’t even in sight.
But the wolves were.
And so was Nartan.
He was crouched down twenty feet away. Her breath
caught as she took in the way he blended with the moment. The wolves made
yipping sounds as they came closer, smelling the road and the air as they went.
Nartan lifted his hand and beckoned her toward him.
Her steps seemed too noisy, the crunching sounds grating on her ears. A wolf
looked toward her and she froze.
Nartan beckoned again, turning to look at her.
The animal was still fifty feet away, but it was
looking toward her. She bit her lower lip, afraid of spooking the animal.
Nartan closed in on her, moving right up next to her.
“He can smell you. You’re upwind. Come down here with
me. He won’t worry about you then.”
“Oh…”
Nartan clasped her hand and pulled her down to where
he’d been. He lifted his head, judging the wind. The wolf let out a yip and
joined the rest as they scratched at the dirt and one another. Two of them
would circle another, lowering their heads and yipping. The wolf in the center
was the one who lifted its head and let out a long howl.
“The alpha…” Nartan whispered.
He had his arm draped around her, his scent filling
her senses.
Why did he smell so good?
Not that it really mattered. He was still as pond
water but his skin was warm. His attention was on the wolves, but she felt like
it was on her as well. He shifted just a bit, and inhaled next to her hair.
Fresh from bed, it was a soft cloud. She reached up,
self--conscious about how messy it was. He caught her hand and stopped her as
the alpha looked at them. The animal’s eyes were pools of moonlight. Its mouth
was open, giving her a glimpse of its long canine teeth. It made a low sound
before pushing its front paws out and stretching its neck up and tilting its
head until its nose pointed at the moon. A long, mournful cry filled the night.
It felt like she was suspended in time. They might
have been anywhere, in any year.
“Lower your head.”
He tucked his chin and cupped her nape.
“To show submission…”
Celeste stiffened. Nartan chuckled in a bare whisper
next to her ear. “To the alpha.”
She bent, the wolf watching her before losing interest
and moving along with the pack.
Nartan massaged her neck, his fingers working the
stiffness from the muscles as she straightened.
“Well done.”
It felt like there was innuendo in his comment. But
maybe she was just being too sensitive.
To--be--dealt--with list.
She drew in a deep breath and forced herself to relax.
The wolves were moving away now, heading toward a forested area. The alpha
looked back at them before it disappeared into the timber.
“That was amazing,” she whispered.
Nartan’s hand was under her hair, the touch so
intimate that she was loath to pull away. He threaded his fingers through her
hair, pulling his hand free as he finger--combed the strands. He watched her as
he did it, his eyes reflecting the moonlight just as the alpha’s had.
He was in his element.
Call it cheesy or lame but she couldn’t shake it.
So she rose, backing away from him as he stood. His
shirt was open all the way down his front, his jeans sagging low on his waist
because he didn’t have a belt on. And his feet were bare.
“Aren’t you cold?”
He slowly smiled and extended his hand. “Judge for
yourself.”
She started to reach for him and froze. Indecision
held her in its grip as the wind blew her hair around. One of his dark eyebrows
rose as she hesitated.
Chicken…
She reached out and touched him. Allowed her
fingertips to rest on his forearm for a moment that felt like a mini eternity.
It ended when he twisted his arm around and captured her wrist. He stepped up
to her, pulling her toward him. She could have broken the hold, if she was able
to think.
Which she wasn’t.
Her brain seemed to have shut down. Somehow, she was
caught in a storm of sensations, completely unwilling to think about anything.
She simply wanted to experience the moment.
Well, it was quite a moment.
Rich with scents and sensations that were
intoxicating. His breath teased her ear and then her cheek.
A shudder shook
her, sending a tiny gasp through her lips. Nartan took advantage of her parted
lips, pressing his down on top of them and tasting them slowly.
God, how long had it been since she’d been kissed?
Pleasure flowed through her, gaining strength like a
flame catching a wick. Sure, she knew that a candle was for lighting, but until
it was lit, the memory of how bright it could shine was dim.
She stepped back. Startled by how much she liked his
kiss.
She wanted more.
A hell of a lot more.
But she turned and headed back into the house before
she could do anything impulsive.
Moon madness. That was all.
Only she wasn’t really sure if she would ever be sane
again.
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