When she came back to herself she was wrapped around him, her back against the wall as he f**ked her while standing.

Each roll of his hips made his abdominal muscles ripple against her pu**y and shudders worked through her.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. You feel so good. I don’t know how long I’ll last this way.” His voice was tight with tension and desire. His c**k sliced through her over and over, invading her body even as it welcomed him. She was so hot and wet, every muscle and synapse firing and absorbing the exquisite pleasure he delivered. His scent tickled her senses and drove her to writhe against him.

“Hey, f**k! I’m really not going to last when you do that.”

“Potty mouth! And we have all night. Come now. Take the edge off and you can have me again. And again. And again after that.” Her lips brushed against the sensitive flesh of his ear as she said it. “You know you want to come inside me. Mark me.”

Wolves didn’t carry STDs and she was on birth control. She loved the feel of his naked c**k buried inside her and she knew without a doubt that she stirred primal werewolf instinct when she told him to come in her and mark her. She was playing with fire and the danger turned her on. She’d examine this completely out-of-character behavior when she got home in the morning but for right then, she’d ride it and him and enjoy it all.

“Oh you’re going to pay for that, little girl. I’ll enjoy every minute of it too.” His voice had deepened and roughened as his wolf came closer to the surface. Layla’s own wolf sensed it and stirred within her. Every nerve in her body lit up as their primal selves rose and stroked over the other’s while their human skins did the same. Never in her life had sex been so intense and all-encompassing. She wanted more.

Leaning in, she took a deep breath where his neck met shoulder and bit down, hard. A deep growling moan came from him and his c**k began to pulse deep inside her as he continued to thrust through his climax. His scent hit her straight in her gut.

She wanted more of it. Needed more of it.

And it hit her as her wolf wanted to roll around with him all over the floor. It occurred to her just why she’d been so intensely attracted to him, and their eyes met as the bond began to form. Glimmering threads of connection drew their DNA and their hearts and souls together. She’d just been claimed. By her mate.

Sid Rosario, a man she’d met just hours before and had just wanted a brief, fun fling with, was her f**king mate. How could she not have known? The neutralizer in Nautica, the clove cigarette and her damned lust for this guy had totally blinded her.

“Holy shit,” he said wondrously as his knees buckled and he stumbled back to the bed, collapsing on it, still embedded inside her.

“Holy shit?” She tried to move away but he wouldn’t let go of her and her legs weren’t working well anyway. “Is that all you’ve got to say? You’ve just claimed me!”

“Why are you so pissed off? You wanted me to f**k you, Layla. And thank god, because we’ve found each other.”

“I don’t want to be found.” She heaved a sigh as she felt his feelings as acutely as her own. “I just wanted to have a fun few weeks with a hot guy from out of town. I have plans, Sid.”

He frowned and annoyance burst through her as she found that attractive too. His frown changed into a wicked grin and she groaned. Damn it, he’d feel her through the bond. Know how much, even as she was livid, she wanted him to take her again and again after that.

“Oh ho! This bond link thing is pretty cool. Well, we can play the ‘fuck the hot stranger from out of town’ game all you like, honey. Because you can’t buck reality.

You’re my mate. And I’m yours and you just got served!” He chuckled. “I wasn’t expecting it either but I’m not going to lie and say I’m disappointed. You’re beautiful and you smell heavenly. I look forward to getting to know my wife better.”

Her legs had finally begun to work again and she scrambled away from him. “I’m not your wife!” She moved to grab her panties and her pants and began to get dressed.

“You are my wife. Look, Layla, I get that you’re surprised. I am too. But you’re a werewolf, you know the realities of our existence. You can’t pretend away a mate bond.

Especially not once the claiming occurs. Now that I’ve come inside you, we’re united.

You need my presence, I need yours. And we’ll need the tri-bond to protect you.”

The tri-bond? Oh hell no. He not only wanted to claim her entire life but she’d have to have sex with some male of his choosing too? “No, Sid. I’m not going to let this stupid metaphysical shit call a halt to my life. I like my job. I like my condo and I’m not going to move to Arizona, join another Pack and give up everything because I’m a female wolf.”

“Layla, you don’t have to move to Arizona. I realize your family is here. I’m a fifth son, it’s not like I can’t move. I paint, my life is easily transportable. And I’m not asking you to give up your life or your job. I haven’t seen your condo but we may need to get something bigger so I can have studio space. I’m a male werewolf but I’m not a caveman. I don’t want to take over your life. I want to share it.”

Why was he so f**king reasonable? Their whole lives as they knew them were now over.

“Look, I need some time, okay? I need to think and I can’t do it here.”

She got her bra and shirt back on and pulled on her pants, unable to locate her panties. Needing to escape and think, she headed for the door, but he moved to it first.