Excerpt from LYCAN INSTINCT

"Let me up, you son of a bitch."

Rafe didn't move from his prone position atop Mackenzie. He'd learned the hard way how quickly she could take advantage of a slight miscalculation. The physical effort he exerted to subdue her had exhausted much of his initial anger and stirred up his other alpha instincts.

Feathery tendrils of hair escaped from her braid to offer a beguiling frame about her flushed face. As she caught her breath, her lips parted in an erotic invitation he desperately wanted to accept.

"Killing an officer will have every cop in Chicago out to fry your ass."

"Damn you, Mackenzie. I'm not going to kill you." He read the doubt in her eyes and felt his anger build again. She could try the patience of a snail.

"And I suppose you just assault officers for the hell of it."

"I did not assault you."

"Oh, right, my mistake. We both mistook the softness of your carpet for the pad of a wrestling ring."

"Did I hurt you?"

Her mouth formed a tight, closed line. He growled his frustration, but didn't release her.

"At anytime, did I hurt you?"

"No."

"Then I didn't assault you."

She huffed and wiggled underneath him, which made him uncomfortably aware of how aligned their bodies were. He needed to focus, which became more difficult with each move she made. God, her soft curves could make a man forget his name.

"Then what are we doing on the damn floor?"

"Be still. We're getting to the bottom of why you exercised a search warrant against one of my places rather than coming to me."

"I will not discuss this with you on the floor. Let...me...up."

"No."

"What?"

"Discussion's over." His lips took action, pressing against hers, swallowing her startled gasp.

Rafe had wanted to claim her mouth from the moment he saw her at the funeral and watched lucky rain drops cling to that full, lower lip.

He thought once would be enough, but that was before he'd had a taste of her outside the hospital and discovered the truth. Not enough. He'd never have enough of her.

Rafe's grip turned to a caress as his tongue delved inside to explore her mouth's warmth.

His alpha nature made him want to claim her, all of her, here and now. But he fought the urge to take and tried persuasion instead. Running one hand up her body, he cupped a firm, round breast. His tongue tangled with hers, another wrestling match more enjoyable than the first.

He felt like a fool falling for a woman who didn't trust him. And because of that, he could never entrust her with his secret, never share everything that made him the man he was.

Still, he wanted her. Even as he took what he knew he couldn't have, his spirit rebelled against the knowledge that he couldn't force her to believe in him.

He moved to give his lips better access to her neck and felt her hands press against his chest. With reluctance, he pulled away, just enough to see her face. Her eyelids drifted open to unveil a blue as passionate and beautiful as the early morning sky.

"This can't be happening." Her words were but a whisper.

With one arm wrapped around her waist and one hand at her nape, he rolled until she settled snuggly on top of him.

"It can, if you let it."