Read Online Animal Attraction by Charlene Teglia - Free Book Online

king-sized bed that loomed overly large in my imagination even though it suited the room’s proportions. Matching tables with little brass lamps went on either side, and deep white rugs that looked like sheepskin lay on the floor. No matter which side of the bed I got up on, my feet wouldn’t get cold.
    A thick satin comforter in a shade somewhere between purple and midnight blue covered the bed. It would feel cool and smooth against bare skin. I tried not to think about who or what else would be touching me on that bed.
    “Is it okay?”
    I turned around and caught Jack’s worried look. I’d stared at the bed a beat too long, and I’d already bolted once.  Try not to make the nice werewolf nervous . “Fine. Everything is fine.”
    With the room, at least. It was beautiful and the furniture alone probably cost more than my last year’s tuition. My life was in shambles, but my private suite was gorgeous. I tried to smile at Jack. It didn’t quite form.
    “I’ll get her settled,” David said. Jack took the hint and left, closing the door behind him.
    David closed the distance between us and slid an arm around my waist, guiding me toward the couch. We sat and I didn’t resist when he drew me onto his lap crosswise, my legs resting on the cushions, his arms bracing me, his shoulder providing a convenient resting place for my head.
    “Zach won’t be long,” he said, his voice a soothing rumble in my ear. “I’ll stay with you until he’s free, if you want.”
    I nodded in silence. I did want. I’d thought I wanted privacy and solitude to come to grips with things, but now I realized I wanted exactly what he’d given me. I wanted to be held.
    “I’m scared,” I said in a voice just above a whisper.
    “Of us?”
    I gave a slight shake of negation. “Not exactly. Of me. Of what I might do. Of what I am.”
    He didn’t tell me I was dumb to be scared. Instead, he gave me a slight squeeze. “You’ll get through it.”
    I liked his confidence, even if I didn’t share it. I tried to absorb it into my pores along with the warmth of his body. He was still bare from the waist up but didn’t seem cold. “Do you run a higher temperature than normal?” I asked, curious. “And are you leaving yourshirt off because it’s more comfortable, or because you want me to admire your manly chest?”
    “Yes, yes, and if you do, it’s a fringe benefit.” He answered my questions in order, then lifted my hand and placed my palm against the wall of his chest. I liked the feel of his skin and couldn’t help contrasting it with the touch of fur.
    “This is weird,” I said, but I didn’t let that stop me from running my hand down to his belly, exploring the muscle and sinew. David was a mouthwatering specimen of male flesh, to all appearances no different from any other man. The differences were under the skin, I thought, and shivered.
    “That I’m not wearing a shirt?”
    I smiled and shook my head. “No. Weird is sitting in a werewolf’s lap. Weird is knowing I petted you on the head in one form and had your tongue in my mouth in another. If I hadn’t seen you change, I wouldn’t believe it.”
    I let my hand glide back up to explore the slope of his shoulder and the heavy muscle of his upper arm. He didn’t stop me, so I took silence as permission. Touching him made me feel safer in some odd way. As if I was taking control. Would I have any tomorrow night? Or would I be reduced to blind need?
    “I wish it didn’t have to be like this,” I whispered. My throat felt tight and I swallowed convulsively against the pressure. “If I touch you tomorrow, I won’t know if it’s what I want or if it’s just what the wolf inside me wants.”
    “You  are   the wolf.” The assurance in his voice made me raise my head and search out his eyes with mine. “You want what you need.”
    “You make it sound so simple.”
    “It is.” David’s head bent toward mine in a slow descent, allowing me plenty of time to