Read Online Whisper by Tressie Lockwood - Free Book Online Page B

Why can’t I just prefer it?” Alec heard the grumpiness in his tone, but couldn’t stuff it down. The worse part of it was even while Whisper dug at him, he wanted her. He couldn’t stop looking at her, breathing her in, listening to her voice. Maybe she was more of a seductress than her friend. Sheila was gauche, and that had always turned him off in a woman. Whisper was everything her friend was not. The table sat between them, and yet it wasn’t enough. He needed her on his lap, moaning while he pleasured her with his hands between her legs. “I need to get you home.”
     
    “I thought—” She stopped, and the hurt he’d wanted to avoid surfaced in her gaze. “I’m too direct. I say the wrong things every time. I’m sorry.”
     
    Alec blinked in surprise when she suddenly jetted for the trees. He paused only a few seconds and then ran after her. “Whisper,” he called.
     
    Ahead, she made a sharp turn and left the path. He lost sight of her. The woman was fast on her feet, but that meant nothing. Even in his human form, he could pick up her scent. Whisper’s natural fragrance teased his senses and felt like a seduction even when she wasn’t trying. She called to him in her own way, and he followed with ease.
     
    She stood, head down with her face in her palms. He thought at first she was crying, but she held herself very still. Maybe she fought tears. He walked up behind her and lay hands on her shoulders. She jumped a little but didn’t pull away. Alec planted a kiss on the top of her head.
     
    “I’m sorry,” she said again.
     
    “Don’t be.” He turned her into his arms and pulled her close. “I should be the one to apologize. I was a bear with you, and you didn’t deserve that.”
     
    She glanced up at him in surprise, but he didn’t give her a chance to speak a word. He covered her lips with his own, tasting that sweetness anew. Whisper didn’t pull away, so he drew her closer and molded their bodies together. His body came alive with need. Had he wanted another woman as much as he wanted this one now?
     
    The erection in his pants strained to be set free, and he found his hand exploring the side of her thigh to her hip and higher to her waist. When Whisper didn’t stop him, he brought his hand around to stroke her breast. Through the thin material of her dress and bra, he felt the rigidity of her nipple, and it was his undoing. He craved much more. He wanted to taste more than just her delicious mouth.
     
    The problem with dealing with humans was that his kind could be very aggressive when it came to sex. Not giving in to the instinct to slake their lust was a near impossible task. That was one of the reasons he never gave in to a relationship. No one woman had ever been enough for him, certainly not a human one, and he’d met few female shifters he could tolerate for more than a single night.
     
    Alec pushed Whisper back against a tree, and she bumped it, expelling a soft breath. He followed with his body, pressing in tight. Without a second thought, he grabbed hold of the collar of her dress and tore downward. She cried out as the rending sound filled the quiet night. The swollen mounds straining against her bra took almost all of his attention before he forced his gaze higher to her eyes. Fear in the tawny depths stopped him. Shame washed over him. He had never and would never force a woman.
     
    Alec fell back a step and dropped his hands to his sides. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
     
    He would have turned away and told her he would take her home, but she stumbled toward him. Alec had to close his eyes and swallow over and over when her breasts brushed his chest. Did the woman get what she did to him? A man could take only so much.
     
    “Don’t,” she said.
     
    He heard a rustle of clothing and opened his eyes. To his surprise, she’d drug her dress lower and tugged her bra straps over her shoulders to expose her nipples. They were puckered and