Sara wasnât sure who moved first, but she was suddenly engulfed in Jasonâs strong embrace.
His mouth came down on hers, softly at first, then picking up a heat and fierceness and intensity that she felt helpless to do anything about but respond in kind.
No. She never felt helpless. This was exactly what she wanted, precisely where she wanted to be: in Jasonâs strong, sexy embrace. Kissing him as if there was nothing, no one, in the world but them.
But as her hands raced under his clothes and up his back to clutch his heated flesh, she heard, in the distance, the sound of conversation.
âIâIâm sorry,â she gasped. âThis wasnât right.â
âOh, Iâd say it was very right,â Jason muttered.
Untamed Wolf is dedicated to wolves, real and shape-shifters. Itâs also dedicated to our military, covert and otherwise. Itâs dedicated to Maryland, including the Eastern Shore and the area south of Baltimore, where we visit often. Plus, itâs dedicated to my friends and my readers ⦠and, of course, to my husband, Fred.
And itâs especially dedicated to Mills & Boon and the Nocturne series, its editors and most particularly my wonderful editor Allison Lyons. And last but definitely not least, itâs dedicated to my excellent agent, Paige Wheeler of Folio Literary Management.
Chapter 1
Sara pulled her car up to the formidable black wrought-iron gate at Ft. Lukman. She had been driving her small hybrid for more than an hour from D.C. to this out-of-the-way military installation on Marylandâs Eastern Shore.
Stopping at the security kiosk, she pulled her ID from the purse on the passenger seat. âLieutenant Sara McLinder, reporting for duty,â she told the guard, a tall man, wearing a standard camouflage uniform similar to the one Sara had on.
So far, nothing here looked different or surprising, no matter what Saraâs superior officer, General Greg Yarrow, had suggested. Of course not.
Even so, maybe she should have waited until tomorrow, as the general had said. It was early evening already, and she wouldnât have much time to get settled.
On the other hand, it hadnât been an order, and Sara didnât like to delay. Facing new situations quickly and immediately was more to her liking than waiting.
âIs General Yarrow behind you, maâam?â asked the soldier.
âThe general will be here tomorrow,â she said.
âVery good, maâam.â He looked over her identification and passed it back. âEverything looks in order. Welcome to Ft. Lukman, Lieutenant.â The private saluted and the gate slid open, away from the car.
Sara saluted back. âThank you,â she said, then drove onto the base.
The general had provided her the layout in advance. She knew that the building comprising the Bachelor Officersâ Quarters where she was to stay was to the right once she entered the base. That was where she headed. She was also aware that the cafeteria, not far from the living quarters, should be open lateâa good thing. She hadnât stopped to eat on the way and was hungry.
Rather than pulling into the small enclosed garage, she parked in the open-air lot closest to the BOQ, finding a space at the far end, near a wall. She removed her suitcase on wheels from the trunk of her car. She had already been given a set of keys, so she had no problem either getting inside the functional-looking concrete building or into her apartment after taking the elevator up one floor.
Interestingly, or not, she didnât run into any other people. Also a good thing, since she didnât really want to have a gabfest. Not now.
She didnât spend much time assessing the quarters where she would stay as long as the general kept them at this base. The place resembled a tiny one-bedroom apartment. That was good enough.
She was back outside in only a few minutes, walking in the remaining daylight along a sidewalk toward the cafeteria. As she neared it, she began to see peopleâothers also in camo fatigues and thick-soled shoes similar to hers.
She wondered if she would be able to discern any differences between the two main units now present at Ft. Lukman. That was one of the reasons General Yarrow intended to station himself for a while at this base. He was in charge of Alpha Force, the special-ops unit that had been headquartered here for a few years. A new special-ops group, the Ultra Special Forces Team, had only been assigned here about a month ago to prepare for a highly classified and critically important team assignment with Alpha Force, and the general had heard about some friction between the two units.