Unwanted Mate by Rebecca Royce Page A

long road trip with her group. The Divas road as hard as any of the men who frequented his bar. Harder, maybe. They drove their bikes faster than they should, and although he loved a good ride himself, he couldn’t help but worry that she would end up splattered on the side of the road due to her own foolishness. Maybe that very thing had happened to Denise tonight.
    Stating his concerns had driven her from the very same room two years earlier before he’d ever managed to get her undressed. She’d not been back since. Until now.
    “I know I missed you.” He extended his hand hoping she’d move even closer and take it. Even though he offered it to her, he still felt a small amount of shock that she grasped his outstretched fingers. “Tell me what happened to Denise.”
    He brought her hands, always softer than he thought they would be considering that when she wasn’t riding motorcycles, she worked as a contractor at the never ending housing development that took place down by the river. Still, she must moisturize or do something to her hands to keep them as dainty as they felt. Someday, he’d like to know.
    “That’s good, wolf. I worried maybe I’d waited too long. Maybe you wouldn’t want me anymore.”
    Gunther shook his head. “I’ve told you. You’re my mate.”
    He reached down to rub her breasts through her bra. If she wouldn’t tell him what had happened, at least he could ease her. The action didn’t quiet his wolf’s inner howling, but at least it made him feel less ineffectual.
    “You and I both know that human-wolf matings are really rare. Most wolves can’t stand the smell of human females.”
    He sat up on his knees. “That’s a myth, a stereotype even. And not a very nice one. Look at me, woman. Do I look like a man not interested in you? Her gaze traveled lower until it felt like she’d stroked his cock. He groaned. “Why don’t you tell me what happened? I’m happy to take what you’re offering, but I’d like to know why I’m getting it. I didn’t know Denise, but I knew her to be your friend.”
    She blinked rapidly. “An accident happened.”
    He touched her nose, running his thumb down her face until he reached her chin. “Were you hurt?”
    She shook her head and he stroked her other breast. God, he wanted to bite her. Mark her. Claim her.
    “No.”
    “But Denise died and now you’re here with me.” He would fuck the information out of her if he had to.
    A tear fell from her left eye. “The whole thing happened so fast. I shouldn’t have let her go out on the second leg. We stopped for lunch, I could tell she didn’t have it in her, but she insisted she could push on to the hotel. I guess she never saw the truck when it came around the turn.”
    He could smell her despair and it ate at his soul. Judy always blamed herself for things out of her control. When she became fully his, he would make certain she ceased doing it. Even if he had to paddle her ass until she came over and over again.
    “So you came to me.”
    “I did.” She sniffed and regained her composure, her eyes returning to their usual distance from her emotions. His mate didn’t like others knowing how acutely she felt things. “But not for compassion.”
    “Then for what?”
    “For this.” She pushed her mouth hard against his. She hadn’t asked him for gentle romance—no there could be no doubt about what she wanted. His mate wanted to forget what had happened to her, and she wanted to do that by fucking him.
    He would give her what she wanted, but she would soon learn that one night with him and she would have a mate—whether she thought she wanted one or not. Although he felt certain she did. Showing up in his bedroom proved what he’d always known—she couldn’t run from his love for her forever.
    He pulled her closer against him so her nearly bare chest touched his own. She gasped and bit down on his lower lip.
    He couldn’t help the grin that crossed his face. He’d always known