The Wolf's Surrender. Kendra Castle Leigh

cry. Probably because he tried to be around them as little as possible.

      Mia waved her hand at him. “Crap. Ignore me. No, you can’t ignore me, I guess. I’ll just…I’m sorry, I guess you’ll have to excuse me…”

      She started to turn away again, and what Jenner did then shocked him likely even more than it shocked Mia. Before he could think, he’d closed the distance between them in two long steps.

      “Hey,” he said softly, seeing her shoulders begin to shake. “Hey, don’t do that.”

      Then his arms were reaching out, wrapping around her small form and pulling her against him. By the time he might have stopped himself, he would have looked like a complete fool…all he could feel was Mia’s pain. His senses were full of it, of the scent of her tears, the sight of her reddened cheeks, the sound of each shuddering breath. And some instinct Jenner had never even known he had was set off almost instantly, demanding that he stroke and soothe. His first coherent thought was that despite their size difference, Mia fit perfectly in his arms. His second was that she was going to push him away, outraged at his presumption.

      But Mia only stiffened for a moment. Jenner drew in his breath and held it as she went rigid, feeling without any good reason that her reaction was very important. Then, slowly, Mia relaxed into him, almost melting into him as she resumed crying quietly, with the occasional hitching breath.

      Jenner stood in his kitchen, holding Mia in his arms while she wept, and wondered what the hell he was doing.

      “Sorry,” Mia said against the new wet patch on his chest. She sounded mortified. “I’m sorry. I’m just…this is all…”

      “No,” he replied, surprised at how calm his voice sounded when holding Mia was setting off chain reactions in his nerve endings that were rapidly going to start causing some problems. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s a lot to take in, especially when you weren’t looking for it. It’s why we take ferals so seriously. Fortunately, we don’t see them that often out here.”

      Mia gave a watery hiccup. “Why did one have to find me?”

      It was a good question. One that he’d have to look into, he knew. But Mia’s voice was muffled, her body warm and inviting in his arms, and Jenner found himself swamped by a wave of protectiveness. She pulled back, just a little, and looked up at him with a sort of raw earnestness that he found completely disarming. He knew she was going to say something. But all he could see was her big, innocent eyes, glittering in her lovely, angular face, and the soft, plump invitation of her lips as they parted to speak.

      Jenner couldn’t help himself.

      Before Mia could speak a word, Jenner leaned down and claimed her mouth in a long, slow kiss. There was an initial shock as their lips met, and Jenner felt dizzy, as though he’d unwittingly tapped into an electric current. He heard Mia’s sharp intake of breath, knew she’d felt it, too. But she didn’t pull away, either. And as his lips lingered on hers, shock quickly became a simmering heat that began to pulse in time with his heart. Jenner nuzzled her mouth, brushing his lips against hers, testing, tasting.

      He didn’t expect it when Mia simply melted into him, her mouth softening, opening beneath his as she gave in to whatever this strange pull was that existed between them. She sighed, a soft, simple exhalation. But Jenner felt the submission that had produced it, and that single sigh rocketed through his bloodstream like a rare and potent drug.

      Jenner growled low in his throat as he pulled Mia closer against him, tasting her more thoroughly as his tongue swept inside her mouth. God, she was sweet…so sweet. He deepened the kiss, and Mia arched into him with a sound that was almost a purr. Her fingers laced behind his neck, and he grew rougher, more demanding as the beast within recognized she was more than willing. One hand slid up into the dark silk of her hair, while the other skimmed down the length of her, exploring curves that felt even better than they looked.

      Mia’s body fit perfectly against his, better still when he cupped her backside and pulled her hard against him, letting her feel just how badly he wanted her. His blood surged in his veins, and he thought he heard the faintest fragment of some wild and sweet melody before he crushed his mouth against hers again. Jenner groaned when Mia responded in kind, shocked at how quickly he’d gone from interest to raw need. He wanted to take her clothes off with his teeth. He wanted to bend her over the counter and—

      Recognizing that he was about to snap his tether despite the sexual haze, Jenner managed to tear his mouth away from Mia’s and disentangle himself in a matter of seconds. It was all he had, Jenner knew, before he did something they would both regret. His hands shook as he stumbled backward, a rare misstep for him in more ways than one.