Temptation: Reckless Desires (Blue Moon Saloon Book 2) Read Free Page B

as she scanned the sidewalk to her left and right. Quiet. Deserted, except for a couple walking across the street.
    That way!
Her wolf pushed her to the left, following his scent. She ran down the sidewalk, turned a sharp corner, and spotted a tall figure approaching a pickup.
    “Cole!” That time, she did say it out loud. When he spun around, her whole soul sang.
Mine! Mate!
    “Cole,” she panted, catching up at last. All but plowing him over in her haste to…to…to what, exactly, she had no clue. Only that she wasn’t ready to let him go. Not so soon, and not without a word, a parting touch.
    His arms came up just as hers did, and they stood there for a second, gripping each other by the forearms like a couple of trapeze artists getting ready to jump. His dark eyes were lit with pinpoints of light, a universe that sucked her right in on a magical ride.
    “Um…uh…” she mumbled, lost for words.
    “You okay?”
    His voice was shaky, so she boomeranged the question back. “Yeah. You?”
    He nodded, and a tiny grin opened on his face. He didn’t seem okay, not by a long shot, but he was glad to see her. As glad as she was to see him, it seemed.
    She slid her arms up to his shoulders — ridiculously boxy shoulders she could barely get a grip on — and grinned right back. “Leaving already?”
    He pinched his lips together for a moment and closed his eyes. “Don’t want to go, but…”
    She searched his face. But, what? What exactly was wrong?
    His cheek twitched, and when he opened his eyes, he scanned the sky before looking at her.
    “I have to. I have to go.”
    She wanted to shake him and ask why, but his eyes begged her not to.
    “Cole…” She ran her thumb along his collarbone, wishing she could ease whatever weighed so heavily on his mind. But Cole was like the Voss brothers in many ways; talking would only make him as grumbly as a bear.
    “Gotta go.” He whispered, and his voice cracked as if he really, really didn’t want any such thing.
    Must help our mate!
her wolf whimpered inside.
    Easier said than done, because how could she help a man who refused any help?
    Her father had been like that, too. A pack alpha who tried to solve every problem on his own. But her mother had found a remedy for that. She’d countered darkness with light. With hope. With love.
    Her wolf wagged its tail.
Love. Hope. Light.
    She leaned in to Cole, not just touching him but warming him with her body. Smiling at him, because nothing was more important than finding something to smile about in life. She slid her arms behind his shoulders and tipped her chin up, just as she had when he’d first walked into the saloon.
    “Can’t have you leave without saying goodbye,” she murmured, then eased into a kiss. Slowly, carefully, in case he decided to bolt. Stroking his back gently, willing the tension away.
    His lips met hers eagerly. Tenderly, as if he were afraid of hurting her. His chest rose and fell on a silent sigh, and she smiled against his lips. Yep, a kiss was just what her brooding cowboy needed tonight. Her delicious, quivering cowboy, who smelled of pine and mountain air and mustang, wild and free.
    Her wolf was all for diving deeper into that kiss, but she fought back the urge. He didn’t need fire and passion right now. He needed an anchor. A light to guide him through whatever thorny maze he’d lost himself in.
    So she packed light and hope and happiness into her kiss, communicating in tiny lifts and pulls of her lips. The night was cool and fresh. The streets quiet, the stars bright. She had her man, her mate. She could make this minute last forever if she believed in it hard enough.
    Forever
, her wolf hummed deep inside.
    She coaxed the tension out of him, one strand of muscle at a time. Her hands warmed his neck, then rubbed his shoulders. Stroked his back the way she might stroke a dog still bristling after a fight. Pressed her chest against his and counted heavy heartbeats. Counted double