Wild Invitation

his weapon of choice.
    “Whoever you are,” came the voice rough with the gravel of deep sleep, “I will hunt you down, tear out your spleen, and eat it fried with mushrooms.”
    “Creative,” he said to Riaz.
    His fellow lieutenant’s sleep-mussed hair appeared on thescreen, followed by the rest of his face, as if he was levering up on his elbow in bed. “Coop? Is this an emergency?”
    “Yes. My cock’s about to break in half.”
    “If it was anyone but you…” Disappearing off-screen, Riaz returned with damp strands of hair around his face, eyes of dark gold no longer hazy with sleep. “Right, tell me what’s up.”
    So Cooper did. He wasn’t a big talker, especially when it came to something this important, but he and Riaz had been friends since childhood, knew each other inside out. The other man would understand what this meant.
    “You’re really gone for her,” Riaz murmured when he paused. “Is she your mate?”
    “Yeah.” The mating dance hadn’t begun, but that was a minor detail as far as Cooper was concerned—soon as her wolf was ready, it would. “Only, she doesn’t know it yet.”
    “Uh-huh.”
    “I think I want to punch you.” A good drag-down fight was what he needed, but in this mood, he’d slaughter anyone but another one of the lieutenants, or the alpha. “You don’t know how lucky you are to be sitting pretty halfway across the state.”
    Riaz’s grin was without remorse. “You’d laugh, too, if it was me gaga over a woman.”
    Cooper rubbed a hand over his cropped hair, wondered absently if he should just shave everything off like a few of the other guys. Then again, some of their women hadn’t exactly been impressed by the look. So maybe he should check with Grace first. And if that made him pussy-whipped, he didn’t give a shit. He
wanted
her to care about what he did with his body, wanted her to consider him her damn business.
    “I need help, Riaz,” he said to the man with whom he’d first strategized about how to attract female attention—they’d been gawky teens at the time. “How do I court her?”
    “Didn’t you say you were with her tonight?”
    “Yes.” He hadn’t mentioned any specific details, just that he was frustrated in the aftermath.
    “Well, it’s been less than a week—if your submissive’s allowing you close enough that you’ve got blue balls, I’d say you’re already doing things right. We both know you’re a bit much for even some of the dominant females.”
    Cooper winced because Riaz was right. He was demanding,in bed and out. Even when he tried to tone it down, it only lasted so long. “Grace can handle me.” She had to—because he’d been waiting for her for a lifetime. “Though maybe I should try a more subtle approach, at least for a while.”
    “I gotta ask, Coop. You sure about this?” His friend’s eyes were night-glow in the dark of his bedroom. “Your Grace, she hasn’t got any claws, not in comparison to you.”
    Cooper bristled. “It feels righter than anything else in my life; she’s tougher than everyone thinks. She’s already challenged me once. I know she’ll go toe-to-toe with me once her wolf accepts I’ll never use my dominance against her.”
    “In that case, balls to the wall, man.” Riaz yawned. “No guts, no glory.”
    “Why are you spouting aphorisms at me?”
    “Because it’s two-fucking-thirty in the morning and I need to be up for a six a.m. shift.”
    “Wimp.”
    Riaz gave him the finger. “Get some sleep and chase your wolf tomorrow.” Another yawn. “And Coop? Forget about subtle. That’s not your style.”
    •   •   •
    AT nine the next morning, Grace stared at the extravagant bunch of flowers that had been delivered to her office a few minutes ago, direct from the greenhouse attached to the den. Overflowing with color and texture and scent, though she saw he hadn’t forgotten her favorite daisies, it was a blatant public declaration of intent.
    Then there was the card. According to the grinning juvenile who’d delivered the flowers, Cooper had inserted it into the bouquet himself, promising a horrible death to anyone other than Grace who dared open it.
    Like I said. Lots and lots of foreplay. xx Coop.
    Blushing, even as relief coursed through her that he hadn’t been scared off last night, she tucked the scandalous card into her pocket just as the comm panel chimed an incoming call.
    “Indigo,” she said, acknowledging the lieutenant with a