In the Shadow of the Wolf Read online

  When she didn't say anything else, Ulrich breathed a small sigh of relief. He was glad that she didn't ask him what he'd been doing so far away from the lodge in the middle of the woods. He certainly wasn't going to enlighten her, he felt it best to leave that up to her imagination. Faolan was right, they didn't need her to get suspicious.

  "I'm just glad you didn't get hurt. I wouldn't want to have to take a pretty little thing like you to the local doctor."

  She blushed a little at the compliment. She certainly wasn't used to anyone calling her pretty. Then she thought about his comment about the doctor.

  "Why wouldn't you want me to see the doctor?" she asked, a little puzzled.

  Ulrich snapped the reins, leading the horses back the way they had come, turning his head and smiling at her.

  She couldn't help but notice it was a brilliant smile. He had very sensual lips. His smile made her feel warm through and through. And, as his smile broadened, a dimple in his cheek came into play. She couldn't believe how attractive he was.

  "Because the old doc is a real player, and I want a chance at you myself."

  Sayuri's heart skipped a beat at that comment. Was he serious? Did men really talk like that? She didn't know whether to take him seriously or not. He seemed so playful, so she just didn't say anything else about it.

  She was going to thank him and realized she didn't know his name. "What's your name?" she asked.

  "Ulrich."

  "My name's Sayuri."

  "It's nice to meet you Sayuri."

  Sayuri blushed in embarrassment. "I don't know how you could say that it's been nice when you've had to fend off wolves and rescue me from sheer disaster."

  "All in a days work," he said, winking at her again.

  She smiled at that. He was such a flirt. He probably flirted with every woman he came into contact with. It was just probably second nature for him and not that he specifically was interested in her.

  Ulrich drove the sleigh back to where the driver had been thrown and jumped out of the sleigh to check on him. Seeing that he had been hurt, he helped him into the sleigh and then drove them all back to the lodge.

  Seeing that they were almost back to the rental building, Sayuri knew it was now or never. She was going to have to take the plunge or she probably wouldn't see him again.

  "Ulrich, I'd like to thank you for saving me. Do you want to have dinner later?"

  Ulrich was torn. He hadn't gotten the chance to talk things out with Faolan, although it hadn't looked as if they were going to get much said with all the fighting they had been doing. But he had told himself that if Faolan could mark the woman, he could too. He didn't want to be rude and tell her no, but he knew if he said yes, he was going to do his best to seduce his way into her cabin.

  Sayuri could see that Ulrich was wavering on what to say.

  "You really don't have to if you don't want to. I don't want you to feel obligated or anything. But you'd really be doing me a favor since I came to the resort alone and I won't have company for dinner the whole time I'm here."

  His alpha hadn't gotten the chance to tell him to back off. He knew instinctively that was what Faolan would have wanted. But the beast that had been surging inside of him because of this woman wasn't going to take no for an answer any longer.

  "I'd love to," he said, grinning at her wolfishly.

  Chapter Five

  Sayuri had known when she packed for this trip that she would be trying to seduce the opposite sex. She didn't own much in the way of alluring clothing, and it was so cold, it wasn't like she could wear anything that showed off much. She sighed with resignation as she looked through the contents of her suitcase again, as if a better outfit had appeared since the last time she had gone through it. But a better outfit wasn't forthcoming, and she supposed it didn't really matter at any rate. She felt certain that Ulrich had simply accepted the dinner date because he was polite and hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings. She got dressed and then put on her faux fur coat and went to the main lodge to wait for Ulrich in the dining hall. She was a few minutes early, but she was pleased to see that Ulrich was already waiting for her. Now she wouldn't have to wait in agony to see whether or not he was going to show up. She smiled at him.

  He smiled back, a genuine smile that brightened his pale blue eyes.

  Maybe he hadn't been as reluctant to come as she'd thought?

  "I'm so glad you could make it," she said as she sat down across from him. "I wasn't sure if work would keep you."

  "We work in shifts, and I let the other guys know I had something special to do today," he said, wriggling a brow and looking her up and down appreciatively.

  Sayuri blushed a little. He was so frank and forward. She just wasn't used to a man acting like that with her. She'd been witness to it but never been the object of such attentions.

  She was saved from having to say anything by the waitor. She felt fortunate she didn't have to try to think of how to respond to his comment. She'd probably misinterpreted it and would look like an idiot when she said the wrong thing.

  "Good evening, miss. Good evening, sir. Have you decided what you would like to order or do you need more time to make a decision?"

  Sayuri hadn't really had time to look at the menu, so she just ordered the first thing she came across.

  After Ulrich gave the waitor his order, the man left and disappeared behind a door to the kitchen.

  "So, tell me a little bit about yourself," she said, eager to break the ice. "How did you come to work for the lodge?"

  Ulrich looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, but the moment was brief. He shrugged his shoulders and ran a hand through his long blond hair. "Well, no one has ever asked me that before."

  Sayuri was embarrassed for asking something that must obviously be a sensitive subject.

  "I didn't mean to pry. You don't have to tell me. I'm sorry. I don't talk to many people outside of work."

  "No, don't be sorry. It's fine. I guess no one has ever been that interested. It just took me off guard.

  "I was born in this area, just as Torolf and Faolan were, the other two guys that were in the gym with me this morning. Torolf and I were orphaned when we were very young, so young in fact we could hardly talk and walk. Faolan took us in and did his best to raise us. It was hard since he wasn't much older than us and Torolf and I gave him hell.

  "We grew up in a cabin not far from the lodge. One day, while we were all out collecting firewood, we heard a cry for help. I guess it was just instinctive, we all went to help. We saved a woman who had fallen into a snow bank and broken her ankle. When we took her back to this lodge where she was staying on vacation, the owner was very appreciative. After having looked us up and down for a while, we were poor so we didn't look like much, he asked us if we needed work. We talked it over between us for a few days back at home and decided to take the job he offered as the rescue team for the lodge. We've been doing it for over ten years now.

  "But enough about me, tell me about yourself."

  Sayuri was touched by Ulrich's story. Obviously Faolan and Torolf were the only family he'd ever known. He hadn't mentioned what had happened to his parents, but being orphaned when he was young, he was a lot like her.

  "I guess we have a lot more in common than I would have guessed. I have worked at the same office building for nearly eight years now. I'm a bit of a workaholic. I've been saving up for the rest of my life my whole life. My parents were successful entrepreneurs, but they died in a plane crash on their way to an important business meeting. I don't have any other family. They had money in the bank, but because I didn't know how to run their business I had to sell it and start working when I was really young." She paused for a minute. "I think it's wonderful that you had someone like Faolan, even though he doesn't seem to smile very often like you do. At least he cared enough about you to do his best to try to take care of you and Torolf."

  Ulrich laughed a little at her comment. "Yes, he does seem sour to those who do
n't know him. I guess life has just been hard on him. It hasn't dealt us the best hand. And he was always trying so hard to protect us, to take care of us, it took away his childhood and any chance he had at being carefree. He has always taken himself so seriously, trying to be a man since he was nothing but a child himself. You see, he was orphaned when he was a child also, which is why he felt compelled to take me and Torolf in."

  Sayuri felt the beginnings of a wobble in her chin. She wanted to cry, she wanted to bawl her eyes out. No wonder he looked so angry all the time. He'd had such a hard life. She would never feel bad about what she'd been through again. She couldn't imagine how hard it must have been on him to try to raise two little boys when he himself was so young. She didn't ask how young they had all been, but she didn't need to. Young was young. He'd been forced to grow up before his time. Life just wasn't fair.

  They ate dinner and talked a little bit more about themselves, staying away from any more serious conversation. By the time the meal was over, Sayuri felt much more comfortable around Ulrich. It was easy to feel at ease with him, he made it so simple. He was just so likable and friendly. She didn't want the evening to end. She'd been thinking about it since she'd sat down, and now she was going to have to say something or he would just leave and another opportunity to have him this close might not present itself again.

  Ulrich walked Sayuri to the door to the dining hall and helped her into her coat.

  "Ulrich, would you like to come to my cabin for hot chocolate or," she paused, swallowing back her nervousness, "maybe something a little bit stronger?"

  She knew damned well that she didn't want him over for a drink. She wanted to tear his clothes off, but she knew better than to think that she could say something like that and have it come out sultry and inviting. She wasn't used to doing anything so wild, but that was why she had come.

  Ulrich had been thinking about fucking her brains out all through dinner and when she invited him for hot chocolate he thought it was a very bad idea to get that close to her bed considering the way his thoughts had been headed. On the other hand, it was late and dark, and he didn't want her to walk out alone.

  "I don't know about a drink, but I would love to walk you to your cabin. It's dark and you shouldn't be walking around out here by yourself. We're surrounded by woods, and we have a lot of nature walking around at night."

  "Oh." She hadn't thought of that. In that case, she was very glad he'd decided to walk with her.

  He walked with her to her cabin, holding her arm in his.

  Having him so close was doing all sorts of crazy things to her senses. She was glad he had a tight grip on her arm, she needed it. She was surprised at how just being close to him made her feel weak in the knees, made her feel quivery all over. The only other man who'd ever had that affect on her had been Faolan.

  "Thanks for having dinner with me, and thanks for walking me to my cabin. I had a really wonderful time," she said, leaning close to him as they took the last few steps to her door.

  "May I come in?" he asked, all seriousness. He didn't know where that question had come from. He had told himself he was going to walk her home and then leave, that was it. The last thing he needed to do was to go into her place.

  "I'd like that very much," she said in all honesty.

  They stepped in and shut the door. She took his coat and hung it up next to hers on the coat rack by the front door. It was still a little chilly inside even though she'd left the heat on while she was gone.

  Ulrich noticed that she was cold. He stepped closer and rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

  "Is that better?"

  Her skin erupted in gooseflesh from his touch, but she didn't want him to know it was from him and not the cold. "Yes. Thank you."

  "I'll start a fire and have you warm in no time at all."

  All Sayuri could think was that she knew something else they could do that would have her hot in a hurry, but she didn't have the balls to mention that. She stood behind him while he tinkered with her fireplace until he had a raging fire going.

  He stood up when he had finished and noticed that she was looking at him.

  His breath caught in his throat. The firelight was dancing over her skin. She was breathtaking and she had absolutely no idea.

  He moved closer to her and tugged at her wrist so that she lost her balance and fell against his hard length.

  His voice dropped to a soft caress, mesmerizing, pure magic, "You're driving me to distraction, Sayuri."

  His arms came up, pinning her soft slenderness against him, and he lowered his mouth to hers.

  The crackle of electricity was in the air all around them. Flames of desire licked over her skin, heating her blood to boiling. His mouth savagely claimed hers, aggressively male, utterly dominating, waylaying all thoughts of resistance. She opened up to him, allowing his probing, his hot sweet assault of her senses.

  Through her daze, her hands located the broadness of his shoulders, felt their way up to encircle his neck. Her body was pliable in his arms, she felt weightless, like hot silk.

  Ulrich wanted to throw her down on the rug, wanted to rip the offending clothes from her body, wanted to make her his eternally.

  He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her soft body against his, basking in the intensity of his want for her, in his need for her. He held her close, burning for her, not even understanding how he could be consumed by such a maelstrom. With great reluctance, he lifted his head, his beast raging a silent war within. His rough hand caressed the silken skin of her face, traced the fullness of her lower lip.

  "I have to go," he said, his voice husky with need.

  Sayuri looked at him, crestfallen, "Don't go."

  It was all the encouragement he needed.

  Gently, he lowered her to the rug in front of the fireplace and then traced a finger softly over her parted lips and down one arm. Her skin was soft, smooth, perfect. Taking one hand in his, he pressed his lips to her fingertips. He moved over each of them leisurely, lingering, lightly raking each tip with his teeth, lathing them with his tongue to soothe them.

  She sighed so softly it was almost inaudible and, without realizing it, moved closer to him. The movement brought her breasts against his chest.

  His hands ached to hold them. Heated blood rushed to his cock, causing it to swell and harden. It had been some time since he had been with a woman, and they had always been human, but he had never wanted a human woman so much, never wanted so much to feel . . . to taste . . . to thrust his hard cock deep inside. This human woman tempted him as none of his own kind ever had. He wanted to believe, like Faolan, that it had everything to do with their lack of mating with their own kind, but the deep attraction could not be ignored, could not be denied.

  Smoothing his palms over the contours of her delicate collarbone, he moved lower, watching her to gauge her reaction as he experimentally touched her breasts with a feather light touch.

  She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of his hard hands on her body, her nipples becoming hard pouty nubs in response to his ministrations, begging, needing more.

  His mouth suddenly went dry at the evidence of her arousal, making it hard for him to swallow. He pinched the tight buds, rolling each between his fingers until she moaned low in her throat and arched her back, thrusting her aching breasts closer to him.

  Ulrich growled low in his throat and descended upon her, brushing his lips down the column of her neck. He lathed her flesh with his hot tongue, dipping it into the hollow of her throat.

  The bloodlust of the beast was surging through him.

  Suddenly, he wrenched away from her, away from temptation, his breathing coming in ragged, harsh bursts.

  Before he could move further away, she caught hold of him, gripping his arms tight.

  He looked down at the sweet oval of her face. Her eyes were dark with lust. She licked her lips, drawing his heated gaze, maddening him beyond all reason, destroying any thoughts he had of turning back.


  He groaned out loud, turning away from her. She had absolutely no idea what she was offering him.

  "Ulrich," she said, touching his arm.

  He could hear the worry in her voice, but it didn't penetrate any deeper because at just her slightest touch violent flames began coursing along his skin, heating his blood. The lust he felt for her was explosive, heady, but also very, very dangerous. He wasn't in control and there was nothing he could do about it.

  He turned back to her and dragged her to him, all too aware of the urgent demands of his body. With a low, intensely animal growl, he lifted her.

  He ripped his shirt open with one hand, exposing the heavy muscles of his chest.

  His icy blue eyes were fixed on her face, scrutinizing her with a stillness, a watchfulness reminiscent of a predator. He didn't make any attempt to hide his desire for her.

  "I will give you one last chance, Sayuri," he said in a hoarse voice, his words harsh even to his own ears, as if they tore painfully at his throat. "I will find the will to let you go if you say it, but only now, right now."

  Everything stopped, even the air seemed to still as he waited for her answer. He held his head up proudly, his body fiercely hard, uncompromisingly male, his eyes ablaze with deep hunger.

  Instinctively she knew she could sate his hunger where no other could. And she could not walk away from him, not when she could see that he wanted her, that he needed her.

  There was nothing more he could do. He had seen it in her eyes when she had made her decision, had seen it in the soft tremble of her mouth.

  "Take your clothes off," he said in a commanding voice.

  She moved back, her dark eyes widening.

  "The shirt."

  Very slowly, almost with reluctance, she pulled her shirt off.

  Her tongue touched her lips, moistened the satin veneer.

  The answering shock wave in his body was savage, primal. His hands went to the button and fly of his pants. The fabric there was stretched taut, hurting him.