Chasing Love by Elizabeth Lapthorne Page A

rule,” he repeated slowly, “no penetration?”
    Christiana rolled her eyes.
    “I’m not an idiot. Just like every other horny girl alive I’ve had cravings and desires. There is such a thing as masturbation and other assorted methods of relief. I’m not some ignorant virgin. I’m merely saving my virginity for someone who will truly appreciate it,” she hurried on, knowing what he was about to say in that way both of them  had. “I mean my True Mate. Some hormonal man who has had the hots for me for a while, no offense to you, simply doesn’t count in my book anymore.”
    She felt the weight of his stare for a minute, and then it dragged out to two. She resisted the impulse to babble in the silence.
    “No penetration,” he finally spoke.
    Christiana nodded. “No penetration,” she confirmed, all her stubbornness and belief behind her long-ago decision holding firm and showing in her simple statement.
    “Anything else goes?”
    Christiana thought. She didn’t mind experimenting. She was, in fact, wet with anticipation. She simply wanted to keep her hymen intact and make sure the first and only cock to ever enter her was her destined mate. A ”no penetration” rule amply covered that.
    She nodded again, more slowly.
    “As long as you don’t count this as a technicality. You know what I mean—what the spirit of my deal is. I want to stay chaste, just not necessarily pure. But as long as you’re following the spirit of my deal, anything else goes.”
    Edward grinned at her, a feral, wild grin she had never seen from him. It was lustful and truly wild. She swallowed, suddenly wondering why he was so desperate to seduce her. It wasn’t like he didn’t have a million other women throwing themselves all over him.
    Before she could think, or even attempt to articulate the questions buzzing around her mind, he stuck out his hand.
    “We have a deal, Christi-girl.”

Chapter Nine
     
    Edward felt triumph unlike anything else when Christiana placed her smaller hand in his and began to shake it. The trap was set; the bait had been taken. Now all he needed was patience and luck, just like any other hunter.
    When Christiana had unmasked him, he had known his plans weren’t crumbling, merely being brought to a head faster than expected. He had fully expected to unmask himself to her tonight, after attempting to seduce her.
    His masking had, in fact, lasted longer than he had hoped. He knew deep in his soul that he would have recognized Christiana in any mask, any costume, anywhere in the world. Her eyes, her curls and her beautiful, rounded body called to him on some instinctive level that he finally had given up fighting.
    He didn’t want to delve into his subconscious and discover if they really were True Mates. While the thought itself held some appeal, the reality of finding himself tied for eternity to not only his childhood playmate, but also the future leader of the Pack, was incredibly daunting.
    He didn’t believe himself to be some egotistical man but his ego was certainly masculine enough that, in front of the Pack, always having to let Christiana have the last word and power rankled a bit.
    He knew her well enough to know she’d never lord it over him, in any sense. He had found himself surprised four years ago to not know her well enough if she was the sort of woman who would let him be dominant in the bedroom, or if her power needed to extend into her whole life.
    They were damn close and the oldest of buddies. For a fling, for an affair, that was more than enough for him for now. The point was, he would have known her in any disguise and it had been a minor blow to his ego to realize she didn’t instantly recognize him .
    The fact that some minor gesture had given him away gave him hope. If she knew his body language, knew his gestures and impulses, then there was some hope left for his battered ego—no matter how fun it had been to seduce her and prove her instinctual reaction to him was