Excerpt of Touch of Desire by Lia Davis

The familiar scent of spring lilies invaded Torin’s senses,
enticing and alluring. His wolf began to pace and whimper
when the man made no move toward the door their female stood
behind. Why would she seek him out here of all places?

The door to the new temporary computer central opened, and
the scent intensified. Turning toward the entrance, he met
the stare of his mate and instantly grew hard. Whether Cora
knew she belonged to him or not, he remained uncertain. He’d
known since she’d come of age at eighteen. Though he had
every intension of claiming her, he and his wolf had to wait
until she came out of her grieving period over the loss of
her family.

He ground his molars together and inhaled deeply through his
nose. Felix and his band of fucked up minions were going to
pay. Someday, somehow. Torin was going to be there to
witness the fall.

Straightening fully, he studied her. Strawberry blonde curls
fell in unruly waves around her shoulders as if she rolled
out of bed. Maybe she had. He roamed his gaze over the rest
of her. She wore a faded pair of gray sweatpants and a pink
tee with a coffee stain above the hem. His cock hardened
even more, pressing painfully into the zipper of his jeans.

She held onto their eye contact for only a brief moment, but
long enough for him to see the distress and sadness she
fought to hide from the world.

He stalked toward her, and, when he got within a foot from
her, she retreated a step. Then Keegan flattened a hand on
his chest. Torin glanced down at the leopard’s hand, then
met his stare. “What’s up?”

Keegan chose to answer him telepathically—a skill the former
Alpha shared with all the enforcers and sentries. I know
she’s your mate, but she needs time.

I’ll give it to her, but she needs….

She needs to heal and become independent. If you push her,
she’ll run.
Torin let out a low growl, then focused on Cora. She watched
them as if expecting an attack. Sighing, he dropped his
shoulders and held out his hand. “Good morning. What has you
so upset?”

“Just a dream. What are you doing?” She indicated Alec and
the five-screen computer system.

After a quick glance over his shoulder, he studied her
closer. Her attention focused on Alec and the monitors.
“He’s trying to figure out the new security layout, but he’s
not having much luck.”

“Fuck you, Tor. If it was easy, they wouldn’t need me and
Dane to work on it,” Alec growled.

Torin laughed. “He’s having so much fun. You should stay and
join us.”
“I think I will.” Cora pushed past him to stand next to Alec
at the computer.

Torin stared, shocked her sudden change in mood and interest
in what Alec was doing. A low growl rumbled from his chest.
He meant it as a joke, not expecting her to give her
attention to another male. His wolf paced and snarled,
demanding Torin grab her and leave the building.