The Captain of the Guard: Alpha Werewolf Erotica (Smut-Shorties Book 6) by Mina Carter Page B

brought his head up.
    “Another time,” he said with regret and gave a small bow. “The ball and chain calls and it’s more than my life’s worth to disobey. Your servant, milady.”
    She watched as he bustled off through the packed ballroom and raised her eyes to look at Jace again. He wasn’t there. Breath punching out of her lungs, she bit her lip at the sharp sense of disappointment then beat it back down. He was on duty, and she should look for Veyr.
    “So what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” The deep voice just by her ear made her jump, squeak, and whirl around all within a second. Her foot, clad in the lightest of satin slippers, lost traction on the polished dance floor and she fell. She closed her eyes, waiting for the contact with the floor, but it didn’t come. Instead, strong arms closed around her waist and she was hauled up against a hard body.
    “Oh my, you really are strong,” she managed, looking up into the darkest pair of brown eyes she’d ever seen.
    He blinked, as though her words surprised him, but that could have been the fact her hands were cupped around his upper arms and had decided to take the opportunity to test his muscles. Steely strength met her testing grip and she flushed as her higher brain functions disappeared.
    Why did tall, strong men do it for her? It wasn’t as if, as a lycan, she lacked in strength herself. Hell, she could bench press a car if she wanted. But there was something very attractive about being held close. Protected… cherished.
    “Well,” he cleared his throat and set her on her feet. She managed not to pout as he let her go. “It’s part of the job description. V was very specific about that… ‘Must be strong, and able to leap small buildings in a single bound.'”
    “Do you get to wear your underpants over your pants as well?” She lifted an eyebrow, not sure how to take him. His scent, wild and feral, the mark of an alpha wolf, washed over her, undermining her attempt at polite conversation.
    His eyes widened, just a fraction, then he grinned. He was extremely handsome, she decided. Was that even fair, for one man to look so good?
    “Why? Are you interested in seeing my underpants?”
    She smiled, a little light-headed as the unaccustomed champagne she’d drunk all went to her head at the same time. Veyr wasn’t here, so she might as well make the most of her night without Jacob watching her like a hawk.
    “Only if I get to take them off.”
     

Chapter Two
     
    Holy crap . Vanessa McCauley was coming onto him. In a big way.
    So surprised was Jace Trenton at this turn of events he almost dropped her. At the last second, he tightened his grip, bringing her closer, then wished he hadn’t. She fit perfectly, her slender body nestling against his harder, muscular one like she’d been made for his arms. He never wanted to let her go and neither did his wolf, the creature within rumbling its approval of the female. More than approval, the creature had caught the scent of hers, strong and feminine, and wanted to know more. Much more.
    So did Jace, heat rolling through his veins to lodge in his groin. His cock surged to life, thick and hard in an instant. And there was no hiding it from her, not with them pressed together from mid-chest to thigh as they were.
    “My, my… I guess you’re pleased to see me.” Her melodious voice wrapped around him, but it was the sparkle of mischief in her eyes that drew him in.
    He’d watched her from afar for months, but had never spoken to her. He had no reason to, and it wasn’t his place. Although he was the Captain of the Guard, it still didn’t mean he was anywhere near her league, not in a million years. He hadn’t thought she’d known he existed, never mind would actually flirt with him. She was a pack princess, a lady, and no lady would ever be interested in a rough wolf from the pits like him.
    “Hmm… you could say that, yeah?” he managed, his voice rough. Gone was his