Stryker — Lynn Richards

STRYKER: Wolf Awakening is a SHORT novella paranormal romance complete at 9,000 words. It is a spicy romance but does not contain any erotica elements.

Stryker Marsh was pissed as hell. Selena Montford, the woman he'd claimed as his mate and had once intended to marry -- had invaded his privacy and made his broken, mangled body come alive. He hated her for that. Especially since there was damn little he could -- or would -- do about it. He couldn't ask a woman as vibrant and beautiful as Selena to tie herself to a crippled wolf who may never be any good to the pack -- or to her -- again. She was everything that had been good in his life and he wasn't about to screw hers up -- no matter how much his wolf howled selfishly that she was his.

Selena had reluctantly agreed with Stryker's alpha to give him time to heal after a vicious hyena attack that had almost killed him. Time to adjust to and accept his injuries. Now she wished like hell she hadn't. If she'd stayed with him, if she'd let him know every day that she needed him as much as she needed air to breathe, maybe he wouldn't be so conscious of a few scars and a slight limp. She'd wasted too much time. The last twelve months had been nothing short of pure misery without him.

Would he let her back into his life or had too much time passed?

EXCERPT:

“Damn it, Selena.” His deep growl shattered the tense silence as he slapped his knife onto the table. “Stop pretending that this is some kind of damn slumber party.”

Her heart skipping like a stone in her chest, Selena turned, admonishing herself to stay calm in the face of his fury. At least he was exhibiting some type of emotion. All she'd wanted to do from the first moment he'd opened the cabin door was to fling herself into his strong arms and never let go.

Of course, she'd imagined he'd open those arms willingly.

Her brows knit together, forming a single line in her temper. Did he honestly think this was a walk in the park for her? Forcing herself to speak in a calm tone she was far from feeling, she leaned down, her face close to his. She had the satisfaction of seeing his eyes heat. Suddenly, tension, hot and fiery crackled between them, spurring her on with a confidence she hadn't felt since leaving him. He'd never been able to hide his desire for her. There'd been a time when he hadn't tried.

“I'll show you my jammies if you'll show me yours.” She wondered if he still slept in the nude. She did. He'd taught her how freeing it was. Her hand stretched out, barely grazing his arm. The contact was like an electrical current. Skin barely grazed skin, but she felt the tremor all the way to her toes.

His indrawn hiss of breath told her he'd felt it, too. The explosion of heat that happened every time they were near one another. His chair flew backwards as he jerked to his feet. The suddenness of his move caused Selena to jump back. Her ankle turned and pain shot up her leg. Gasping, she started to fall, grasping the air for something to hold onto.

In the next instant, she found herself snatched close to a hard, masculine chest. It happened so fast she didn't have time to protest -- not that she'd want to. She was right where she'd longed to be.

Her eyes wide with a desire she didn't try to hide, she looked up to find herself caught in the heat of Stryker's gaze, her mouth only inches away from his.

Let her go. Don't do this.

The order ripped through his tortured mind, issued by his protective inner self. But instead of pushing her away, his traitorous fingers tightened, pulling her impossibly closer. It had been too long since he'd touched her. Too long since he'd been allowed to hold her soft curves. How could he have forgotten, even for a second, what it felt like to have her in his arms?