She was small and slender, her skin milk-pale. Her jeans bagged a bit at the waist, making the man inside the wolf nearly groan as her fingers reached for the button. His blood warmed, his pulse quickened as she let the denim slide carelessly down her legs.

The swatch of white rode low on her hips. He wanted his mouth there, just there along that lovely curve. To taste the flesh, to feel the shape of bone. And to slide his tongue under the white until she quivered.

She sat, tugging off her socks, shaking her feet free of the jeans. And nearly drove him mad as she stood to lay them aside.

The low growl in his throat went unnoticed by both of them as she unhooked her bra in an innocent striptease. He felt his control slipping as he imagined cupping his hands there, over small white breasts, skimming his thumbs over pale pink nipples.

Lowering his head until his mouth was—

The sudden violent slash of lightning had her jumping, muffling a scream. “God! The storm must be coming back. I thought …” She stopped in midsentence as she glanced over, saw those gold eyes glinting. In an instinctive gesture, she crossed her arms over her naked breasts. Beneath them, her heart bounced like a rabbit.

His eyes looked so … human, she thought with a quick panic. The expression in them hungry. “Why do I suddenly feel like Little Red Riding Hood?” She eased out a breath, drew in another. “That’s just foolish.” But her voice wasn’t quite steady as she made the grab for her pajama top. She made a little squeak of surprise when he caught the dangling sleeve in his teeth and dragged it away.

A laugh bubbled up and out. She grabbed the collar of the flannel, pulled. The quick, unexpected tug-of-war made her laugh again. “You think it’s funny?” she demanded. Damned if she didn’t see amusement in those fascinating eyes. “I just bought these. They may not be pretty, but they’re warm— and it’s cold in here. Now let go!”

When he did, abruptly, she stumbled back two paces before she caught her balance. Wonderfully naked but for that triangle at her hips, she narrowed her eyes at him. “A real joker, aren’t you?” She held the top up, searching for tears or teeth marks, and found none. “Well, at least you didn’t eat it”

He watched her slip it on, button it. There was something erotic even in that, in the way the brightly patterned flannel skimmed her thighs. But before she could pull on the bottoms, he pleased himself by shifting his head, running his tongue from her ankle to the back of her knee.