Wolf in his Heart (Salvation Pack) by N.J. Walters Page A

and shimmering with energy.
    Sage had turned down the comforter and pulled back the sheet. The patio doors were open, but there was a screen across to keep out any insects. She could hear voices in the distance and the raucous screech of an unhappy Blue Jay.
    “Come to bed.” His rough tone sent a shiver down her spine. She padded barefoot across the hardwood floor. He stepped out of the way, and she crawled into bed. He cleared his throat. “I’ll let you rest.”
    Suddenly, she didn’t want to be alone. “Don’t go.” She bit her bottom lip. This wasn’t fair to Sage. She wasn’t ready to sleep with him yet, but she didn’t want to be by herself. She’d been alone for so long.
    She slid over in bed and patted the mattress. “Stay. Just for a little while.” She was being pathetic, but she didn’t care.
    Sage sat on the edge of the bed and removed his boots and socks. She admired the flex and play of his shoulder muscles as he worked. Then he pulled the hem of his tank top out of his jeans and dragged it over his head.
    She made a low humming noise deep in her throat. It wasn’t quite a growl, but it was close. He tensed but didn’t turn around. Rina wanted to run her hands over the thick muscles in his back and down the furrow of his spine.
    Sage turned his neck one way and then the other as if working out tension. She wasn’t being fair to him. She knew he wanted her. “You don’t have to stay. I’m sorry.” She pulled the cover up over her and started to turn away.
    He swiveled around and put his hand on her arm, stopping her. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” he assured her. He ate her up with his eyes and her skin began to heat from within. “I want to stay.”
    He stretched out on top of the covers with his jeans still on. She could see the bulge in the front of his pants, but neither of them mentioned it. He opened his arms to her. “Come here.” She didn’t need a second invitation. She curled into his side and rested her head on his shoulder.
    His skin was warm beneath her palm and the heavy beat of his heart thudded against his chest. Sage was so masculine and compelling. He was a force to be reckoned with without being overwhelmingly dominant. She felt safe with him. She didn’t feel as though she were being measured and found lacking.
    “I always thought half-breeds were weak.” He stiffened beneath her but didn’t say anything. It was full daylight and the sunshine was pouring through the patio doors. The head of the bed was in shade because of the angle of the sun, but the room was aglow. It should have been difficult to make such a confession. But it felt right somehow to do it here and now instead of in the dark of the night.
    “It was how I was raised.” She rubbed her hand over the rigid muscles of his chest and abdomen. He sucked his stomach in as her touch grew bolder. “I’ve come to realize that what I’ve been taught is wrong. “You’re the strongest man I’ve ever met.”
    She wasn’t lying. Yes, Jacque and some of the others might be more physically powerful than Sage, but there was a quiet bedrock of confidence in the man holding her in his arms. He knew who he was and was okay with it. He didn’t seem to need to prove anything to anyone, didn’t feel lacking in any way.
    She envied him.
    Sage released a breath and the warmth brushed against her face. He threaded his fingers through her hair and lightly massaged her scalp. “Rina.”
    She put her fingers over his lips. “No, don’t say anything. I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done for me. You could have walked away at any point and I wouldn’t have faulted you for it. You risked your life and your position in this pack for me. I won’t ever forget that.”
    He jerked his head to the side so her fingers were no longer covering his mouth. “Damn it, Rina. I don’t want your gratitude.”
    “I know you don’t, but you have it anyway.” She yawned and snuggled closer. The