Sean didn’t wait to close the curtains or shut the door or make small talk. He stripped off his briefs and let them fall, red letters flashing on black fabric.

He didn’t hide his wanting either. As Sean climbed onto the bed, Andrea couldn’t stop herself from closing her hand around his thick, hard cock.

Sean stopped, his eyes flicking to white blue. “I don’t think you want to do that, lass.”

In answer, Andrea squeezed. Sean always brought out the playfulness in her, the teasing that Lupines loved.

She licked her lips as Sean groaned. “Why shouldn’t I, Seanie? You had so much fun with me.”

“That was different. I was readying you to take me.”

“I see.” Andrea formed a teasing pout. “It had nothing to do with making me feel ...” She squeezed again. “Like that?”

Sean took a sharp breath. “Well, maybe it had something to do with that.”

“Besides, aren’t I readying you?”

“No, you’re torturing the hell out of me.”

“Poor little alpha,” Andrea said softly. “Can’t handle one of your pride?”

Sean scraped her hair back with a strong hand. “You’re not in my pride. Yet. And I don’t want to handle you. I want to mate with you.”

She pretended to look startled. “Golly, there’s a difference?”

“Dad tries to handle Glory. See how well that works?”

Andrea ran her foot up the back of Sean’s leg. “Maybe wolf-girls don’t like to be leashed.”

Sean’s answering growl shuddered excitement through her. His eyes were white, pupils flicking to slits, the Feline in him aroused.

She smiled up at him, ran her finger down his nose. “Tomcat. What are you going to do with your little bad wolf?”

His growl strengthened. Sean was losing control, and instead of that terrifying her, Andrea wanted to laugh. Who said Sean could steal all her power?

She let her fingers drift across his cheek, which was flushed and hot. “I’m ready.”

Sean’s hand was hard as he stroked it around her breast. “Be sure, love. I’m big.”

“Bragger.”

“’Tis true. And you’re not fully Shifter.”

Shifters were larger—in all ways—than human males. Kim had told Andrea that salient fact, along with measurements. Eleven inches was common. Female Shifters, according to Glory, were built to accommodate, but Andrea was part Fae, her build more slender than that of most Shifter women. But Kim had learned to accommodate Liam—even without the obvious evidence of her pregnancy, the noise those two made next door proved it.

“I’m willing to give it a shot.” Andrea lifted her foot, toes teasing the back of Sean’s thigh up to his bu**ocks.

The movement opened her to Sean, and his tip slid straight in. Andrea stopped laughing, her breath speeding at the feel of him inside her. Only a few inches inside her, but she already wanted more.

She rubbed her foot on his thigh, encouraging him. His size was surprising but also exciting. What would it feel like when he was all the way in?

“Sean. Please.”

His eyes were his wildcat’s, no trace of the human left. But he softened his touch, gently kissing her lips as he slid his way into her wet and open passage.

Andrea’s head went back on the pillow, her thoughts scattering. Sean was hard and hot, heavy on her, and yet, he touched her with such tenderness that her eyes filled with tears.

“Andrea, love.” Sean closed his eyes on a groan as he slid in. He opened them again, the dark blue returning as he looked at her. “I’ve never seen anything as beautiful as you.”

Andrea tried to answer, but only a groan came out of her mouth. She lifted herself against him, using her legs to pull him in and in.

It didn’t hurt. Not exactly. Kim had told her that the first time for human females could be painful and about the hymen, a barrier that had to be broken. As far as Andrea knew, Shifter women had no such barrier. Shifters had been bred to mate, and anything that kept them from that had been left out of their physiology.

But Sean stretched her, entering a place that had never been touched. Andrea’s heart soared. Sean had rescued her, making sure that her first time was with a male like him—a hard-bodied, protective, beautiful male who cared about her. Who cared about her.

“Sean.” She loved saying his name, and this was a heartfelt cry of joy.

He was all the way in. Andrea opened her eyes, stared right back into his.

“Andy-love,” Sean rasped. “I don’t know if I can do this slowly. I don’t want to be hurting you.”

“I’m pretty strong, Sean Morrissey,” she whispered.

“You are, but so am I. Stronger.”

More excitement. “Let’s see what happens.” To emphasize her point, Andrea leaned forward and bit his neck.

Sean growled. His eyes flicked from blue to Shifter, back to dark blue again. “You asked for it, love.”

She had. And she loved it. Sean slid almost all the way out of her and then firmly back in, Andrea’s body opening for the stroke. He stayed all the way in for a few seconds, stretching her wonderfully, then he drew back and did it again. And again.

Andrea lost coherence. She held on to him with both hands, one leg wrapped firmly around his thigh, and gave in to ecstasy as she met his thrusts with her own.

They didn’t hold back. Sean stroked into her again and again, and Andrea cried his name and begged with her body for him to give her more.

The bed scraped against the floor, but it didn’t matter. There was no one downstairs to hear, no one in the world but herself and Sean. He was big, he was hard, and she loved every inch of him.

Sean gave up trying to go slowly. After a while, they were riding each other, bodies arching and moving together in a rhythm so perfect that Andrea knew her entire life had been hurtling her toward this wonderful moment.

When she started to climax, she looked straight at Sean. What she saw looking back at her were Sean’s dark blue eyes, intense under black brows, pupils widening as he rode her.

Andrea couldn’t look away. His dominant gaze held her, pinned her, and yet, it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. He was looking straight into her heart. Something inside Andrea started to sing, like a violin string that had been out of tune suddenly tightened and made right.