Touched by Moonlight

by Bonnie Vanak

  A growl rumbled from his throat. Panting, Grayson drew back, his gaze dark. “Sweetheart, get ready to play, rough as you like it. You set the pace.”

  I wanted companionship in the form of hot male bodies. Glancing over my shoulder at Nicolas and Stephan, who waited nearby, I wondered about them as well.

  Nicolas said nothing, but watched me in that quiet, assessing way of his.

  We headed for the main house. More of a mansion, it featured floor to ceiling windows. Lights blazed within, giving the house a comfortable and welcoming air.

  I couldn’t help a gasp at the luxurious view.

  “More than 6,500 square feet of space. Eight bedrooms. I commissioned the house five years ago, so everything is new. Construction is wood, glass, stucco. I wanted to bring the outdoors inside.” Pride layered Grayson’s tone.

  I could appreciate it.

  Moonlight dappled the tall pines and oaks surrounding the house. Through a gap in the trees, I saw acres of meadow marching up to the jagged mountains.

  A good place for wolves to run.

  Grayson ushered me into the house. I got an impression of space, soaring ceilings and a staircase, heavy furniture, all very modern and comfortable looking, before I caught myself in a wide yawn.

  “We have guest quarters upstairs and downstairs, but I’ve arranged to put you in a quiet corner bedroom. Since you didn’t pack an overnight bag, there’s spare clothing and toiletries you can use.”

  “For all the female visitors?” I teased.

  He flicked his gaze at Nicolas and Stephan, who nodded and went in another direction.

  Before I could take another step, Grayson swung me into his arms and hurried up the stairs with me. I frowned. “This isn’t Gone With The Wind and I’m no Scarlett. I can walk.”

  “Hush. After what you went through tonight, you deserve to be carried.”

  “Listen big guy, I’m capable of walking after sex.”

  “I’d love to remedy that, but you need rest.” Grayson winked.

  He reached the second floor and walked down the hall. Only when we came to the last bedroom on the right did he set me on my feet. He flicked a wall switch and overhead lights illuminated the room. With a sweeping bow, he stepped back.

  “Your guest quarters, my lady.”

  If someone had tapped into my mind and asked what my dream bedroom would look like, this couldn’t have been more perfect. The corner room was large, as big as a master suite and almost as big as my entire apartment.

  A handmade quilt featuring a forest and summer wildflowers covered a queen-sized bed. The oak hardwood floor was highly polished, and there was a fireplace set into the gray granite wall, an entertainment center built into the wall next to the fireplace, with a widescreen television. Four windows in the corner gave a splendid view of the moonlit mountains and the meadow below. An antique bureau and dresser sat against one wall.

  I opened a walk-in closet bigger than my entire apartment. It was filled with dresses, jeans and all kinds of clothing. It was a fashion maven’s dream, and had drawers built into the walls. I opened one and ran my fingers through silk panties and bras of every color and style.

  And then I got suspicious. They were all my exact size. And the fibers were natural, just as I preferred.

  “Like what you see?” Grayson’s voice was a deep purr behind me as he placed his hands on my shoulders.

  I tried to smile, but I was a little nervous. I’d never spent the night in a wolf pack before, and my Fae blood tingled a warning.

  Grayson wasn’t all sweetness and hot sex. There was another reason he brought me here.

  Pulling free a blue silk nightgown, I caressed it with my fingers. It had been years since this type of luxurious clothing had touched my body.

  I could grow to like it here. And that was what he planned.

  But it was built-in oak bookshelves that made my mouth water when I left the closet and explored the rest of the room. Each shelf lined with books, from hardbacks with dust jackets to tattered paperbacks. I thumbed through the treasures. Novels, popular fiction, fussy literature, biographies, non-fiction, a lifetime’s worth of reading. Beneath the bank of windows was a gooseneck lamp and an overstuffed chair and hassock, with a red throw tossed over the chair.

  It was a room designed for a reader.

  I caressed the books with pure longing. When I’d left my home three years ago, I left behind all my personal belongings, including my collection of books. I scanned the shelves, recognizing a few in my collection.

  Grayson leaned against the bedpost, quietly watching me. “Do you like it?”

  “Love it.” I pulled free a book on plants. “This is a little too… perfect for my taste, Grayson. What gives?”

  He didn’t look away, or look guilty. Only oddly satisfied. “I had it designed for one special person. You. The clothing made to fit you.”

  “There you go again, with that stalking. Bad habit. It could get you in trouble.” I set the book down, wondering if I should bolt now. Or catch a few zzzs and then leave.

  I frowned at him. “How the hell did you know my size?”

  Another satisfied smile. “You ordered clothing from my company, Sienna.”

  Aw damn. My one time I had indulged.

  He crossed the room and slid his arms around my waist, his grip light and yet reassuring. “I don’t want to frighten or alarm you, Sienna. Only make you feel welcome. I suppose you might think I’m a stalker. I’m not. I have searched for you for a long time now, and I knew when you came to my home, my pack, I wanted to make you feel welcome and happy here.”

  “Why me?” I pulled out of his grip and he released me. “What’s so special about me? And how did you find me?”

  Grayson’s gaze slid to the space between my shoulder and neck. “You’ll find out tomorrow. I promise I will tell you. Know this. I want you, Sienna. And what I want, I take.”

  Gently he steered me over to the white cheval floor mirror. He stood behind me, hands on my shoulders. “You’re so lovely. Hard to resist,” he murmured.

  His lips feathered over my neck. Heat flared in that sensitive spot.

  Squirming, I wanted more. Wanted to tumble with him on the bed. But then I yawned.

  He stopped kissing me. “Bed tonight, alone, lass. In the morning, we’ll talk. You’re safe here.”

  I sat on the bed, feeling alone again. “Where do you sleep?”

  “Down the hallway. Would you like someone to guard your room?”

  Pride almost made me say no. I nodded. This was my first time here. I wouldn’t turn down someone watching guard, as long as I knew them. “Who?”

  “Stephan.”

  Relief filled me. I liked Stephan and trusted him. Nicolas fascinated me, but he was darker and tonight I simply needed rest, not intrigue.

  Tomorrow, well, that was another story. I planned to pump Grayson for all the information he had. And as I gazed on the very fine form of his taut ass as he walked out the door, maybe let him do a little more pumping of his own – into me.

  Chapter 11

  Grayson

  Sienna was finally here, in my home, in our home, our pack.

  I’d longed for this day since I’d first seen her in my dreams. Knew I had to tread carefully, despite that mind-blowing sex at the river.

  It was everything I’d ever anticipated. Wild and free, my cock feeling every exquisite slide into her warm, silky body, every nerve ending tingling with pleasure. Hearing her soft cries as she came, I wanted to hold tight and never let go.

  But she’s headstrong and free, and you can’t hold a woman like that for long, unless she wants to be held.

  So, we will do whatever we can to please her, both in bed and out of it. Seduction is an art that Stephan excels at. Nicolas is far darker and more intriguing to women.

  I’m far from subtle. The urge to dominate in bed runs too strong. I take what I want when I want.

  I wanted her to be happy here, so I’d decorated th
e room as I thought she’d like. Part of me wants to take her hard, take her fast and keep her trapped in my bed until she begs for mercy. Or more. Or both. And then let Stephan and Nicolas have a taste. A little lick, and a lot of fun.

  Celibate? Oh my sweet Sienna, you have no idea what I plan to do to you. You have spent far too long on the run, too many months looking over your shoulder.

  It’s about damn time you feel safe.

  It’s about damn time you had fun.

  It’s about damn time you are loved.

  Being an alpha means being an asshole at times. Comes with the territory. When I want something, I take it. But Sienna is different. I don’t just want her for sex. I need her for a lifetime, for our people.

  We’d make lovely babies, my Sienna and I. The thought of filling her with my seed, hearing her ecstatic cries as I plant new life in her womb, makes me nearly crazed with lust. Wolves, especially alphas, have a strong breeding drive. Even now my cock grows hard as I think about her soft, silky thighs parting, and how I will stroke my tongue over her clit to prepare her for a long, thorough night of making babies.

  Years ago, I gave sanctuary to a pair of witches. This is their home. I gave their daughter Carmen the same blood vow that I gave her parents.

  I will protect you to the last drop of my blood.

  Carmen’s parents have aided me with predicting a start-up company’s potential in the human world, as well as helping me with potions and spells. Some are powerful spells to safeguard our territory.

  Some are for pleasure. One will allow a couple to make love for hours on end without tiring, and enhance the fertility of the female. You rub it on her breasts and belly like massage oil.

  Using it on our Sienna will give us both tremendous pleasure.

  I want to see her belly grow big with my child. Help her with the birthing, hold her tenderly as she labors as other males have helped their mates. We need offspring.

  Our pack must grow stronger, for my enemies are strong. They will prey upon the ones I took into my protection, the weaker, feeble shifters who can’t defend themselves.

  The homeless shifters who had nowhere else to go except here. I vowed to protect them with blood and bone.

  I know what it is like to be kicked out, on your own, the lone wolf rejected by his own family. I know Sienna is terrified of the power that resides in her, and I have spent many hours emerged in research of her kind. How I can help her.

  Sienna is here. Somehow I must convince her to stay and tomorrow we will coax her into our arms and fill her with so much pleasure she will never wish to leave.

  For she needs us as well, even if she doesn’t realize it yet.

  Chapter 12

  When I awakened before sunrise, I had no recollection of my surroundings. Soft pure cotton sheets surrounded me, and my head rested on a pillow filled with feathers, unlike the inexpensive ones I kept at home.

  I rolled over, blinked hard and encountered a firm body next to me. Squeaking, I drew away.

  The citrus scent seemed familiar, so I let my eyesight adjust to darkness. Then I reached over and snapped on the bedside lamp.

  Stephan.

  Curled up on one side, he lay on the edge of the king-sized bed, his tawny hair sticking up, long lashes brushing against his cheeks. So cute and boyish.

  Until you gazed down the length of his naked body, saw the hard ridges of muscled abdomen, the dark, curly hair at his groin and his shaft, half-erect, reaching nearly to the indent of his naval.

  Not so boyish. Definitely a man. But what was he doing in my bed? And then I recalled Grayson telling me he’d send a bodyguard to protect me.

  I guess this was Stephan’s way of ensuring I was truly safe.

  Not wanting to awaken him, I slid between the sheets out of the bed. Instantly he sat up, growling and alert.

  Not a man, either. Wolf. He shapeshifted in an eye blink, saw me, and wagged his tail. Stephan jumped off the bed, prowled the bedroom’s perimeter as if searching for prey, and then jumped back on the bed.

  “What’s wrong?” I whispered.

  He shifted back, and sat on my bed naked again. “Nothing. Grayson asked me to guard you so I’ve been here all night. I wanted to be close to you. Do you mind?”

  He seemed eager to please, and worried he might have offended me somehow. “I’m glad you’re here,” I told him, meaning it.

  Stephan’s gaze was bright in the lamplight. “I may be younger and shorter than the others, but I’m real quick and a good guard.”

  He opened his mouth, displaying sharp fangs.

  Snapping his jaw shut, he extended his fingers. Claws grew there instead of fingernails. “I can part-shift faster than anyone else in the pack. Better than carrying a knife.”

  True. “Can you put those away? I don’t want you shredding these pretty sheets.”

  The claws retracted. Stephan’s blue-green eyes regarded me with interest. The sheet had slipped from my breasts and I sat half-nude before him.

  “Do you mind me sharing your bed?” He looked so sweet and earnest. “I was tired. But I wake up easily, so if I heard a threat, I’d be able to protect you.”

  “I’m glad you were here. It is odd, waking up alone in a strange place.”

  Little did he know exactly how many odd places I had slept in over the past three years. The worst was a city alley by a Dumpster. That was the most dangerous one as well because I would have had to use my magick if something had happened.

  “Can I get you anything? It’s early and the others are probably still sleeping. But if you’re hungry, I can make a terrific omelet. I’m a good cook.”

  I blinked. “You don’t have to cook for me.”

  “I want to, Sienna. I want to make you happy and comfortable. I like you.” He lay on one side, propping up his head on his fist. “You make me laugh and you’re so pretty. Please let me feed you.”

  So sweet and thoughtful. When was the last time anyone waited on me? I couldn’t remember. Something deep inside rose up and overwhelmed me. Not mere gratitude, but hope.

  Hope that I deserved love and affection and could have it.

  Hope that I was not condemned to a lifetime of running forever.

  Old habits were hard to break. I had been on my own too long. “Thank you, but I’m fine,” I lied, though the thought of an omelet tempted me. “It’s really too early to get up on my only weekend off.”

  “Then later, allow me to make you breakfast. Once you taste my cooking, you’ll never want to leave.”

  A different hunger arose as I swept my gaze up and down his lean, muscled body. Sex last night with Grayson had opened a door I deliberately shut to preserve my privacy and my security. Now, here in this house filled with shifters, I felt safer than I had in years. I still didn’t fully trust Grayson and his betas, but the temptation to enjoy what they offered for now proved too overwhelming.

  I felt like a woman who had been living in a desert with only sips of water to survive suddenly happening upon an oasis.

  “Hope you don’t mind me being like this.” He gestured to his body. “I can’t sleep in clothing. Too restrictive.”

  “I like sleeping naked, too. These sheets feel too good to leave.” I yawned and stretched. But I was no longer tired, because the frank male interest in Stephan’s gaze fascinated me.

  Not knowing much about wolf packs or their structure, I wondered if Grayson would mind if I followed up on that gaze. I didn’t give a damn about him getting upset with me, but I did care about the consequences for Stephan.

  The wolf loved his pack, and considered them his family.

  “Grayson is fine with you being here, naked with me?” I needed to be sure. “Fine with us being nude together and seeing where this goes?”

  “Sex.”

  That was Stephan, direct and to the point.

  “Yes.”

  “Sienna, in this pack, we share. Everything.” He slid over and clasped my chin. “But not without permission. May I kis
s you?”

  Such a formal, old-fashioned request from a guy who liked contemporary action movies. I nodded.

  The kiss he dropped on my mouth was sweet, a bare brush of our lips. As if he courted me.

  Maybe he feared my reaction, or Grayson changing his mind and he didn’t want to get caught doing more.

  So I took matters in hand, so to speak. Fingers clasped around his now-erect penis, I lightly squeezed. Those huge blue-green eyes widened and he groaned.

  Then he growled and pushed upward in my hand.

  Sliding my hand up and down, creating friction, I gauged his response. He closed his eyes, making a humming sound.

  Much as I enjoyed being between the sheets, they were too confining. My hand left his erection as I climbed out and joined him atop the cloud of soft cotton.

  Pushing him backward onto the mattress, I ran my hands up his muscled thighs. The flesh there was firm, dusted with light brown hair.

  A deep groan erupted from him when I took his penis into my mouth. Running my tongue alongside the edge, I tasted him deep. Slightly salty, masculine and delicious. Lightly I flicked my tongue over the tip.

  Then he growled again, sat up and shook his head. “If you keep that up, I’m gonna come in your mouth and I don’t want that, Sienna. It’s my turn to have you beneath my tongue.” He said, as he flipped me to lay on my back.

  The shock of his warm lips against my female flesh created a friction that sent tendrils of delight curling through me. His tongue stroked my slit, and then he licked my clit and sucked. I fisted my hands in the sheets and arched my hips upward. He built the tension higher and higher, my body arching.

  I climaxed with a soft yell, crying out his name.

  He raised his head, intent glittering there. Stephan wiped his mouth with the back of one hand. “You tasted exactly like I imagined, honey and spice. I need to fuck you. Now.” Another deep growl rumbled from his chest.

  And I had thought this shifter cute and adorable? Far from it now. He was a man with a man’s needs.