He felt her struggle with her release for a moment, determined to do as he d order ed.

He knew she was enjoying their wild mating, and she had tobe teetering on the cu sp of a mind-altering orgasm. I know you want to come for me, Liza, he prodded. I want you to; I want to feel you squeeze me with your tight pussy. Don t disappoint me; come for me. Ye-yes, Mark, yes, shepanted, her pelvis rocking in a hard rhythm. He leaned closer, nipped her ear with a sharp bite before licking the wound. He knew the love bitewould drive her over,knew that the rough play would send her over t he edge she was clinging to. Oh, oh, God! she yelled, her fingers piercinghis flesh as she finally gave him wha t he wanted. Mark plunged deeply inside of her asshe cried out in a low, guttural voice. She contracted around him, rhythmically squeezing him, her walls becoming a scorchin g vice as she came. He felt his cock spasm in response, his orgasm rushing through his vei ns, washing over him as he spilled inside of her with a long, heavy grunt. As the sensations began to subside, he stood for a moment, his body winded while sweat trickled down his sk in. Finally, he took in adeep, silent breath and slowly stepped away from Liza, allowing her to slide down the warm glass tothe white-carpeted floor.Almost asan afterthought he leane d down to give her a quick, hard kiss. Be here tomorrow at ten a.m. if you still want the job as my assistant s aide, he sa id coolly, his mind already drifting into other matters. No love playfor Mark Mallory, Liza thought as she stared into his murky, olive-h ued eyes. She felt a small line of shameand guilt creep into her blood whenshe reali zed he wasn t just pulling awayfrom her physically, but mentally as well. No sweet words, not even a thank you;just a cold dismissal and a sudden change back tothe subject that ha d brought her here. Trying not to look disappointed, she leaned downand picked up her clot hing. Ten a.m., I ll be here, she said softly before hastily slipping her black dressover her head. As the jersey material settled,she quickly pulled her silky underwear back into place. 16 Flesa Black Do you ... is there anything else? she asked, wishing there wasn t a wistful note in her voice. No, I m satisfied, hetold her as hedangled her shoes from his fingertips. Just be sur e to wear something more ... conservative when you come in tomorrow. Liza swallowed back a thick lump inher throatand noddedbriskly, immediatelytakin g her footwear from him. Clutching the black stilettos in her hand, she stumbled h er way

across the luxuriously appointed living room toward the front door. She knew tha t the guards outside would leer at her shrewdly, but the sharp painof carelessrejectio n dulled whatever humiliation their looks might cause. She just wanted to gohome, shower the smell and feel of Mark off her skin, curl into Marilyn s arms and then try to forget her momentary lapse of judgment and control. He watched her go with a smug smile, knowing that he had brought her pleasure, a nd amused thatshe was upset by his dismissal. He let out a low, deep chuckle as the door clicked shut behind her, his mouth tipped ina wry smile. She was hurt, and he thought he knew why. Liza was suffering from the same grief that the women he took and put aside experienced. He was, after all, an excellent lover; he d heard the gossipabout his prowess, so there wasn tany doubt about his aptitude. They all wanted to be in his bed, or on his couch, or even on his floor. They would gladly spreadtheir legs for him because he gave them what they needed, which was obviously something theycouldn t find from mere humans or o ther lycan men. The fact that the women longed for him made Mark feel that much more powerful, that much more alpha. He wasn t foolish enough to try to deny that fact. The way he saw it, as the head of the American Lycan Pack, he should have pride in every aspect of his life, including his sexual skills. Is your whore gone? afeminine voice asked into the semi-darkened room. Mark spun, his naked body glistening ashe searched for the woman. When she appeared behind the black leather couch, he gave her a wolfish smile and raised his eyebrow. She was a beautiful specimen of a human female. Her skinwas flawlessly copper-ta nned, a delicate coating that showed no blemish or mark. High, strong cheekbones slashed up her face while her stubborn, starkly feminine jaw line proclaimed her American India n heritage. Her silver eyes, their color opposed to her lineage, glowed with a light that se emed to beckon to him, whispering soft,unspoken promises offulfillment. Her raven black hair wa s thick and full as itcascadeddown her leancurves, the ends dancing restless at her wais t.She was the definition of walking temptation; even her casual outfit of soft leather pan ts and sin red shirt seemed calculated to lure a man into her clutches. In fact, her sensuality had been the thing that had drawn him in that night at the dance club; her refusal to give hi m sex and her promise of complete power had kept him entangled with her. You watched us? I findthat ... stimulating, he said, his lip Nothing else mattered . Nothing at all. And then she was there, her rich auburn hair luminous in the night, her alabaste r skin a beacon through the dark. She turned to him,her reliefand joy nearlytangible as she

pierced his heart as well as his libido with her green eyes. Julia, he breathed, his feet skidding to a stop in the soft grass. Gray, she replied, her full lipscurving into a bright smile. They were immediatelydrawn together, as always. Their bodies collided as they hurried toward each other, their mouths fusing together in a heated, blood-stirr ing embrace. Time stopped for them, its hands simply ceasing in the face of the overwhelming need that emanated from the two lovers. Their tongues met, tangled, laved, and entwined ag ain. Arms enfoldedbodies, hands roamed flushing skin, and guttural, sexual sounds rose int o the heavy air. Drawing on all his willpower, Gray pulled away a few precious inches, his breath hitching as he studied the glorious beauty in his arms. 2 Flesa Black Julia, I have to leave, tomorrow, he told her, his gut twisting when he saw the dreadedspear of desolation that shot through her gaze. I don t want you to, she replied, her voice filled with fear. Please, please just sta y with me, Gray. I can t. I want to, he assured her as he tenderlypulled her against his racing heart , but I can t. I have togoback to myfamily; I have to tell them that I ve found my mate . I have to do this if we re going to be together. Can t you just call them? Or you can takeme with you, she added, her striking featuresilluminating with hope as she looked upat him. I know I sound selfish, bu t I don t care. I love you, and I can t stand tothink of being away from you for even an hou r. I wish I could, sweetheart, more than you ll ever know, but I can t. This has to be done within the family,face to face. If I called, it wouldn t be the same, and it would be an insult to my uncle Brody. If I took you without having myuncle s blessing, they wo uld consider you an interloper. You would be treated like an enemy; they would shun you, maybe evenphysically attack you if they thought they had a reason. Since they do n t know you, they d think of you more as a danger instead of my fiance. Slowly, Julia let out a deep, resigned sigh. I know you re right; I just don t like i t. You warned me this was coming. I just wasn t surewhen. I wish you would have said some thing to me before about speaking to yourfamily and making arrangements to leave, thou gh. My uncle called this morning, so I jumped atthe chance to tell him that we needed to talk about something important, he explained,twisting inside over the fact that h e d slighted her unintentionally. How long will you be? One, two weeks at the most. I need to ... set some things up with my cousin Mark. But I won t be there any longer than I have to, he promised. It s going to take a lot of w ork and diplomacy to convince my uncle that you are the best choice I could make for a m ate. But I

swear to you, as soon as he gives me his permission, I ll come back to you. He cupped her face in his large, calloused hand, softening when she nuzzled her silky cheek against his palm. He wanted to tell her the whole truth; that he wasn t just an average lycan who was requesting permission to take a mate outside of his own kind. He w as going to have to leave the pack, and for someone in his position, it wasn t going to be an easy process. He was the only surviving child of his father, the man who had, through birthrig ht, been the alpha of thepowerful American Lycan Pack. Gray s uncle had taken overleadership af ter his older brother had died,taking in Gray, grooming him to become the alpha when the time was right. He had resigned himself to his fate years ago -- and then he d met Juli a. Sweet, hot-tempered, stubborn, lust-inducing Julia. He d wanted her since the firs t time he d seen her roaming the grounds with Abram. She d shown like a wild rose amon g thickets and weeds, her full, rich laughter carrying over the sun-drenched walls ofthe timeworn monastery. The sound had brought him tohis window, compelling hi m to