“I will tell you what the inscription says if you allow me to kiss you.”

Sally thought it sounded too easy, but she brushed aside the apprehensive thoughts and nodded.

“Okay.” She licked her lips in anticipation for what she knew would be a smoldering kiss. Costin’s grin grew impossibly wider.

“Roll over,” he told her.

“What!” Sally tried to scurry away, but Costin caught her ankle.

“Ahh, ah, ah,” he chided, “you made a contract with me love.”

Sally shook her head. “I didn’t sign anything.”

“You agreed verbally, you are bound babe, pack magic.”

Sally balked at him. “You can’t be serious; it was just a playful bargain.”

“Not to me it wasn’t,” his face grew serious and his eyes began to glow. “I want to kiss you.”

“I know that, I was waiting for you to.”

Costin licked his lips and Sally tried hard not to follow the slow motion of his tongue. Her heart dropped to her stomach when she looked up from his lips to his eyes and he winked at her. That damn wink, it was a weapon he wielded shamelessly against her.

“You didn’t clarify the location of the kiss my succulent, shy mate,” Costin’s voice dropped to a growl as he crawled towards her on the bed. Sally had reached the headboard and there was nowhere else for her to go. For that moment in time, she understood what those poor little bunnies must have felt like when the wolves were hunting them.

“Worried I’m going to eat you?” Costin asked her as he picked up on her thoughts. Sally’s face discovered a new shade of red in the rainbow as she watched her mate stalk her. She couldn’t believe that she had missed that loop hole. She never missed loop holes when Jen was bargaining, but then Costin’s hands, lips, and eyes weren’t involved when she was bargaining with Jen.

“Where exactly do you want to put this kiss?” She asked, when she finally found her voice.

“I want to see my markings,” he rumbled.

“Then go take your shirt off and look in the mirror,” she retorted.

His smile made her shiver as goose bumps dotted her skin. “When I say my markings Sally, I mean the ones on your body, the ones that are identical to those on my body.” Sally didn’t know how anyone could make the word body sound so sexy, but Costin had found a way.

“So, please, roll over and allow me to look at them.”

“So, you just want to kiss the marks on my back?”

Costin growled.

Sally blew out a breath, causing her cheeks to puff out. She knew how relentless the males of his race were once they were on the hunt, and Costin was definitely on the hunt. She threw her hands up in the air. “Fine, fine, crap. Back up so I can rollover, your crowding me.” She pushed at him, but Costin didn’t move. When she realized that he wasn’t going to, she wiggled until she had finagled herself onto her stomach. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt him pull at the hem of her shirt.

“Shh, Sally, I will never do anything you aren’t comfortable with and I will always honor your wishes, trust me,” he whispered, against her neck.

“I do,” she told him, breathlessly. She had to bite her lip to keep from moaning when she felt his fingers trace the markings from the nape of her neck down until he couldn’t go any farther because of her jeans.

Costin leaned down next to her ear again and tugged it gently with his teeth. “How far does it go?” He asked her and she could hear the desire in his deep voice.

Sally knew that if she opened her mouth she would say something very stupid and Jen like. The possibilities ranged from why don’t you find out, to good grief, would you touch me already, and her personal favorite, I want to have your babies. Since those really didn’t seem like the wisest choices, she did what seemed to be her trademark response to him and shook her head.

Costin chuckled. “Not going to play nice are we? Okay, two can play at that game.”

Sally tried to prepare herself for whatever ridiculously sexy thing he had planned, but there was nothing on earth that could have prepared her for him. He started at the nape of her neck as he kissed her skin softly. She could feel his warm breath on her back and the firm pressure of his lips made her toes curl. Sally was biting the pillow by the time he reached the small of her back. Her hands clenched so tightly that her nails dug grooves into her palms. He kissed her one last time and she started to breathe easier. He pulled her shirt back down and attempted to roll her back over, but Sally couldn’t move.

“Sally?” Costin’s voice in her mind, sounded every bit as seductive as the stunt he had just pulled.

“Shh,” She tried to silence him.

“Why?”

“I can’t concentrate on breathing if you’re talking to me, so stop talking, and don’t you dare touch me again.”

Costin chuckled at his mate who was currently as rigid as a post. He waited patiently as he watched her body slowly begin to relax. When she rolled over, he saw the indentions in her palms from her nails. He couldn’t help the smugness he felt inside at knowing that he made her desire him with such ferocity.

“Wipe that look off your face, you big fat liar,” Sally frowned at him.

“What?” Costin laughed, and tried to tug her to him.

She slapped his hand away. “You said a kiss, as in a single kiss. What was that?” She pointed to her back wildly, her cheeks still flushed.