7. Beatriz

SEVEN

Mike"s naked body made Beatriz feel feverish. She had been with other wolves before, all of them in impeccable shape. It was the nature of being a wolf shifter, but it also came down to genetics and discipline. Many of them looked like they were carved from marble, their corded muscles hard as iron, rendering the aesthetics a mouthwatering thrill.

But that was often where the attraction started and ended. She slept with them even if their selfishness knew no bounds, often needing to finish herself off once they departed. The spark ignited, only to fizzle out within an instant.

She was fine with a purely physical relationship, but in the long run, that wasn"t what Beatriz wanted. She wanted love and passion that endured the way her parents' did.

All of the men she'd encountered fell short of her expectations. So she had stopped for some time pursuing anyone that didn't set her heart, soul, body, and mind ablaze. Beatriz focused on her career which landed her on Tristan and Barbara's doorstep.

And then she found Mike. The tall, dark, quiet, handsome, and strapping type. Her wolf was famished, yearning for him to satiate her voracious desire.

It was how she felt when he climbed into the shower with her, took her by the waist, and yanked her into his hard body. The water hammered into them as they kissed in a fury, all thoughts of obligations melting away like snow in the sun.

He backed her into the wall, teeth gnawing along her jawline. His cock was hard as a pipe again, pressing into the plush skin of her thigh. Mike nipped at her neck before growling viscerally into her neck.

"I want you, Beatriz. I need to mark you."

It was a growl that shook her to the core, but it gave her some pause. She froze for a moment, and he must have sensed it because he lifted his head from her, his eyes burning with a green brilliance.

She lowered her legs from his waist, which she had swathed around him without realizing. The water pounded on their naked forms as she spoke, not hesitant or afraid but aware of their weight.

"I want to wait before we mark each other," she said, running her fingers slowly through his damp hair. "I'm not ready yet."

Disappointment filled his gaze, but he kept his fingers embedded deep into her hips. She was glad that he respected her wishes, which made her want him even more.

Beatriz kissed his chin, nibbling her way along the trail of his neck. She whispered, her voice sensual in the muggy steam of the bathroom.

"Fuck me, Mike. I still want you. The buildup will make it even more delicious, I promise you."

He snarled, pressing himself against her, then firmly cupped her ass to lift her against the shower wall.

"I couldn't resist if I tried," he grunted with a salacious grin.

He slid into her easily, and they fucked with a passion that was somehow even more profound than the way they had the night before.

They both climaxed quickly and powerfully, then proceeded to clean up in a dozy, elated mood. When Beatriz got out of the shower, she heard the distant buzz of her phone and went to it with the towel wrapped around her.

"Not so fast."

Mike tried to grab her, but she squirmed out of his grip. She laughed as she padded toward the bedroom, water trailing through the cabin as he followed behind her.

She took her phone from the bedside table, Mike's hands exploring her. But she saw Barbara was calling, so she waved him off, taking a seat on the bed with her towel pinned to her chest.

"Hey, Barb," she said, feeling concerned. "Everything okay?"

It was her day off, but she wouldn't ever dare to screen the call of her employer. Mike stood in front of her, drying off, a beautiful god of a man. Her wolf whimpered, and she tried to fix her gaze on the ceiling.

"Everything is peachy, Bea," Barbara said, her voice the usual tone of complete serenity. "Is Mike there with you?"

Her face flushed as Mike finished drying off. He paused, staring at her with a grave intention.

"Umm, he is, yes," she said, running a hand through her hair bashfully. "Do you want to speak to him?"

"No, no, that is fine. I hope you had a good time, Beatriz. You deserve it. Truly."

There wasn't an ounce of sarcasm in her voice. It was the way of Barbara Wolfe. She was as sincere as they came.

"Please do ask him to drop by the house before he leaves. That's all I wanted to ask."

"I will do that."

Mike draped the towel along the end of the bed. He stood solid as a rock, waiting for Beatriz to relay her message. It was as if he knew what she was going to say.

"What's up?" he asked, brow deeply furrowed.

"That was Barbara. She told me to ask you to stop by before you leave today."

"All right then," he said curtly. "I'll have to get to the car first. I don"t have any clothes here."

Beatriz smiled, but Mike was stoic. He left the room and started to rifle through a drawer in her kitchen. She quickly dried herself off and picked up the robe off the bathroom floor, pulling it on as she padded back into the kitchen.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for a piece of paper and a pen," he said, clearly preoccupied.

Beatriz pushed past him and pulled out a pen and notepad, then laid it on the kitchen counter. It was astonishing the way he had morphed into an entirely different person in a fashion that made Beatriz sullen.

He scribbled his phone number on the notepad, dropped the pen, then headed for the door. He moved like a soldier, totally void of the vivaciousness that had kept them busy for nearly twelve hours straight.

"Call me when you can," he said, opening the door. "I've got to run before daylight comes."

It was already day, so Beatriz didn't quite understand the rush, but she realized what had come over him. She nodded and said she would, folding her arms tightly one over the other.

Her armor was back on.

"You do that. I will talk to you soon."

Mike raced out the door, shifted, and ran toward the woods. Beatriz stepped out into the brightening day and watched him closely, his dark fur swaying in the breeze.

She sighed sharply. Her belly bloomed with a sense of dread. Was history repeating itself? All of the wolves that Beatriz had been with lost their smolder, not only because of their inherently selfish nature but because they were standoffish and cold. She'd watched as that shroud of obligation cloaked Mike the second she mentioned Tristan. It made her feel kind of sick.

Was he the kind of wolf who didn't have time for the devotion, commitment, and love that Beatriz required? Her disappointment was palpable as she stood in the warm sun. No matter how otherworldly their sex and chemistry could be, it wouldn't be enough to build a life with him. If he was so quick to change from passionate lover to frigid enforcer, how could she ever know that his feelings toward her were genuine?

Beatriz went back into the cabin, feeling like the romance and whimsy of finding her mate was spoiled. She couldn't and wouldn't allow herself to fall for someone like Mike, an enforcer who prioritized his role over his only fated mate.

Because if she did, she would put her entire trust in him, and that would only lead to agonizing heartbreak. She hadn"t opened herself enough to anyone to let that happen because the anticipation of it was enough to make her disengage. Beatriz could be cold, too, if she needed to be.

Since it was her day off, she decided to sit around, musing about Mike for longer than was necessary. The torrent of orgasms had left her relaxed but stimulated, so eventually, she decided to go out on a run of her own.

She had the intention of clearing her head, but Mike had invaded it. Her wolf was pleading with her to let him mark her and for her to mark him as well. But that would only fuse her attachment to him and welcome heartbreak with open arms.

That would be fucking stupid of her. And Beatriz was not a stupid woman.

So she ran under the blue dome of the sky, thwarting her confusion by ramping up the speed. The forest was dense, but Beatriz was lithe. She leapt over brush and sailed over tree trunks, losing herself to the wilderness.This was the best way she knew to escape her own mind.