by J. K Harper
Mine, her wolf thought, staring with possessive ferocity at Mason through Ana's eyes. Mine.
She struggled to keep her wolf down in case that aspect of herself started to show. Mason had caught that odd glow in her eyes before, more than once, but she'd always been able to laugh it off as a trick of the light, or his besotted state making her into some kind of shiny, celestial angel.
“Because I've got all night to listen, Ana,” he said now. A dark, dangerous smile slid over his face. “And now that I've got you here, I'm not letting you go until you tell me the truth.”
That low, deep scratch to his voice shivered down her skin, all over her body. Oh, she remembered that voice. It was the one he used when he was in seduction mode. When he wanted her.
It was the voice that, even now, made her quiver and melt, zinging straight down to that hot, dampening spot between her legs. Ana felt her breath speed up, felt a hot flash sizzle over her body. She wanted to jump him here and now. His broad shoulders, kept fit from his jobs river raft guiding in the summers and ski patrolling in the winters, were strong enough to shelter her. His russet brown hair shrugged down over those magnetic blue eyes, just asking for her to run her fingers through it, tugging on it as she liked to do when he kissed her hard and long.
Which was precisely why she'd gone to insane lengths to avoid him for the past several months. She knew the second she saw him again, she wouldn't be able to resist him. Finding him irresistible meant falling for him again—not that she'd ever fallen away from him to begin with—and that meant completely surrendering her heart. Which ultimately meant nothing but true, total heartbreak down the line.
Be strong, dammit, she said to herself.
Be smart, her wolf insisted in return. She pawed at Ana's mind, demanding to be let loose. She wanted Mason. Badly. He was hers, and no one else's.
But just seeing his reaction to her brought all of Ana's fears back. He acted almost like an alpha wolf around her, all possessive and certain of himself and ready to take charge. It meant he was subconsciously reacting to her wolf side, as certain humans sometimes had a tendency to do. It was a natural reaction to being in long-term close proximity to a shifter who lived every day more in tune with their instincts, more aware of their surroundings. Some humans seemed to sense that, and they unknowingly began to respond in a fashion similar to how another wolf would.
It meant it was time for ties to be cut once and for all, before an unwary truth could slip out and damn Mason to an ugly fate.
“I can't tell you,” she finally said. “It just had to be over.”
“Dammit, Ana.” The words exploded out of him, even though he still kept his voice low. “That's a bullshit excuse, and you know it.”
She winced at both his words and the savage pain in his tone. This was yet another reason she'd kept her distance. She knew she'd hurt him when she made a clean break. It shattered her just to think about it, but seeing that pain etched into his face made it a hundred times worse.
“Mason—” she began, but he snapped his head in a hard shake.
“Outside. Now.”
His alpha male tone, one meant to be obeyed. She found herself stepping toward the door she'd come in through before she even knew her feet were moving. As if he were prepared for her to pause, though, Mason's hand found her back and gently yet firmly pressed against it, urging her out.
Even beneath her sweater and the heavy winter coat she still wore, she could feel the sizzling imprint of his hand, as if it touched her bare skin. Her every nerve ending spiked and her breathing shortened. Somehow, she managed to not stumble through the doorway back out into the chill night air.
The second they stepped out, he tugged at her hand and pulled her to the side. They stood face to face before the large display window, its cheerful lights casting colors and shadows on Mason's face as he stared at her. Snowflakes landed on his head, his shoulders, dusted gently over his nose, but he ignored them. Ana felt her heart speed up even more. Her wolf strained against the hold, wanting to take control and guide Ana's motions. Wanting Ana to step forward and claim her mate.
He can't be my mate. He's human. It's an impossible desire, Ana thought with a fierce desperation tinged with the same trembling hope that had before threatened her dreams of a future with him.
Mate, her wolf insisted. She padded restlessly in Ana's mind, a frustrated growl rumbling through her.
“Are you okay?” Mason asked, suddenly sounding concerned. He leaned back from her a bit, studying her as if she'd just done something really strange.
No way. She hadn't growled out loud, had she? Fear sliced through her, cold and swift. All the times she'd been with Mason before, she'd never lost control. Not even once. She'd been far too terrified of what might happen to him if she did. Wide-eyed, her mind grasping for a good answer to his question, all she could do was stupidly stand there. He stared back at her for a long moment, slight puzzlement drawing his brows together. God, she wanted to stroke him there, just rub away the frown.
She wanted to stroke him in other places, too. Small shivers bolted down her spine, although she wasn't remotely chilled by the temperature. Frowning as he saw her shiver, not realizing what it was from, Mason very gently reached out to pull her knit hat from the coat pocket she'd stuffed it into. He carefully put it on her head, tugging it down into place. Ana's eyes immediately began to prickle at his kind gesture. This was one of a thousand and seventeen reasons she'd fallen in love with this man.
“Ana.” He touched a finger to her cheek, just below her eye, softly wiping it. She felt a cold wetness and realized he was brushing off snowflakes. “I didn't want to bring you outside into the cold, but I wanted this to be more private. For you.” Those startling blue eyes searched hers. “Talk to me, babe.” He paused, opened his mouth again, then shut it once more, as if struggling for words.
Ana took a deep breath, then another. She knew she should just turn and leave, but her legs refused to move. With a start, she realized her wolf was indeed partially controlling her right now. That didn't happen very often. She could feel herself leaning toward Mason. Breathing in his solid, ruggedly earthy scent, the pure maleness that surrounded her and almost demanded she just give in to it. God, it was so tempting.
“What we had was real and you know it,” Mason went on, his voice rough. Then he snapped out a swear word, low and violent, making Ana jump a little. “Just tell me why. Please,” he added reluctantly, as if the word was being dragged out of his mouth. “I don't want to resort to begging, but I damn well will if it helps.”
She closed her eyes against his almost angry pleading look, using her other senses to take in the area for a moment while she tried to still the trembling, the desire, the confusion ping ponging throughout her. The cold clarity of snow mingled with the cheerful smell of cookies as the store's door opened again, letting out a group of giggling kids and laughing adults, suffused her. Their scents, carefree and relaxed, swept by as they went down the sidewalk to the next shop. Everything about them seemed so easy, so simple. For a moment, she was incredibly envious.
Why couldn't Mason be a shifter? Or she a human? Why did she have to fall in love with him in the first place?
Because he is mine, her wolf insisted again.
Right. That was helpful.
She opened her eyes again and took a breath to answer him. Before she could utter one word, Mason shook his head, his face suddenly set with pure determination.
“Ana. There's only one way I know how to make you tell me the truth,” he said. In a single smooth motion, he pulled her into his arms for a kiss.
Dammit, indeed. She moaned as his mouth crushed over hers, even whimpering a little as the exquisite memory of why she'd loved spending every single second with him cascaded back over her. His mouth on hers broke through her defenses, crumbling any coherent thoughts she might have had. Her own arms reached up to tangle around Mason's neck as she hungrily kissed him back, pressing her body into his solidness,
against his hard abs and strong chest and, oh, god, that one very rigid part of him she remembered so well. It pushed against her hip in clear evidence of how much he'd missed her, too. Heat blossomed between her legs, sparking over her entire body. Close to the surface, so close, she felt her wolf's sincere approval of this turn of events.
Ana's tongue played over Mason's lips, which were soft and strong at the same time. She nibbled and tasted until a small groan fell from him. Another dirty word drifted from his mouth, vibrating against hers, sending more hot desire rushing through her. She'd forced herself to forget how good he tasted. How alive, how sexy, how wildly ready to pounce on her and take her, every which way and then some. He kissed her until she could hardly breathe, until she wasn't even sure they were still standing, until bright little bursts of stars swirled in her head and seemed to explode behind her eyes, sending tremors of nearly overwhelming lust coursing through her limbs.
Like the unstoppable lust of a mating frenzy.
Gasping, she pulled her head back. Her lips felt full and tender, gorgeously roughed by his to an intensity that tingled. Looking at his eyes, feeling her heart thump wildly, she felt the little control she had left slipping away.
Mate, her wolf whispered, every fiber of her being pushing toward Mason.
Yes, Ana thought, dazed by his kiss and the shock of running into him after months of training herself to forget about him. But she couldn't forget about him. He was in her soul.
“Ana? Babe,” he said. That particular tone wrapped around his voice, the tone she'd only ever heard him use with her. Possessive, but calm. “Come on. Let's go back to my place.”
Nearly panting, she stared into the bright cobalt depths of his eyes, allowing all the memories of his touch, his laughter, his sweet attention, his singularly incredible being that she wanted nothing more than to spend every of the rest of her life with.
Her very long life. Which would be much, much longer than his.
No. She shook her head. No. Mason was human. There was just not a single good reason she could hurt him any more than she already had. Shoving down her distressed wolf with every ounce of her strength, she stepped back from him. One pace. Two. He didn't hold her, although his hands stayed on her arms, stroking down them as she moved away from him.
“Mason,” she croaked. Swallowing, she tried again. “There's—I just can't explain it to you. I'm so sorry.”
His eyes held hers, that undeniable spark zipping between the two of them like a live wire. A wild tousle of hair fell over one eyebrow, giving him a rakish air completely at odds with his suddenly tight lips. Taking another step back from him, despite it feeling like she was stepping away from oxygen, she watched him carefully. He made no move to stop her.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered again. Touching her lips, she felt how tender they seemed after his mouth's assault on them. She desperately wanted to go back to him, to have him do it again.
Instead, she forced herself to turn away from those bright blue eyes, that dark look on his face, the masked pain she could see written on him. Taking a deep breath, she walked away from him.
Until his low but sure voice called out, his words stopping her in her tracks and making her whirl back to face him.
“This isn't over yet, babe. I'll see you tomorrow night.” His voice was a promise, stroking over her like rough velvet.
What? Even her suppressed wolf echoed the thought, just as perplexed and alarmed.
“What?” She stood frozen, eyes wide as she stared at him again. “Tomorrow's Christmas Eve.”
“I know,” he drawled, his body tense with his coiled longing although he made no move toward her. His eyes danced with a secret he knew. “Your big party. And I'll be at it.” He grinned at her, although she wasn't entirely sure it reached his eyes. “I didn't expect to run into you tonight, but let me tell you something, babe. That kiss proved to me we've still got a hell of a lot of connection.”
Despite her shock at his words, she also tingled to keep hearing him call her babe in such an easy way. She'd always loved it when he called her that. So casually claiming her as his with one simple word that meant the world.
“I already managed to get myself invited to your company's big holiday dinner. They loved me at it last year. Remember?”
Ana faintly nodded, another shiver of memory skittering down her spine. She did actually work for Bardou Enterprises, as its marketing and advertising assistant. It was the Black Mesa Pack's legitimate company. Humans just didn't know all the specifics of its operations, the parts that did business in the shifter world. Last year, she'd brought Mason to the pack's party, wanting to show off her creative social side to him. Pack members were allowed to bring human friends or dates, and they often did. Mason had been a hit with his easy charm and knack for getting people to relax and chat.
“But how—” she started, then shook her head. “Caleb,” she murmured. Mason was friends with Caleb Bardou, a member of the pack and one of the alpha's sons. That was how she'd met Mason originally, anyway. Narrowing her eyes, she studied Mason more thoughtfully for a moment, despite his bedroom gaze still melting her brain. It figured guys would stick together. Caleb was one of those oblivious types, and she wasn't especially close to him. He wouldn't have known why Ana wouldn't want Mason at the party. Mason apparently planned to attend the party as a last resort to get close to her. Running into him tonight had just been—some sort of unexpected foreplay.
At the thought of foreplay, Mason's heavy-lidded gaze still on hers, her skin heated even more. She could feel the rosy flush of her arousal spreading throughout her and knew he could see it, too. Desire still washed through her, propelled by her eager wolf, who fought Ana's control tooth and claw. She didn't care at all about Ana's logical human reasoning. She wanted her mate.
“I'm not giving up, Ana,” Mason said. “And I don't think you've quite given up yet, either,” he added more quietly, the grin vanishing.
He gave her a long, slow look, one that pretty much burned away her panties from the knowing heat in it. Oh, god, she wanted to leap at him, despite her shock, despite knowing it was a losing proposition any way she looked at it.
“You can't come,” she said wildly. “I forbid it.”
That delicious, wicked grin she loved broke across his face again.
“Try and stop me, babe. I'll see you tomorrow night.” With that, he saluted her in a gesture half gently triumphant, half deadly serious. Then he turned and strode off down the sidewalk, melting into the crowds and the snowy night.
In Ana's mind, her wolf blasted content images of curling up with Mason, running with Mason, doing outrageously erotic things with Mason, all under the twinkling lights of one of those bizarre Christmas trees Ana loved so much. Still half in shock, Ana ineffectually batted at the images as she headed for her car. All thoughts of a pleasant shopping stroll were now defeated by a simple encounter with perhaps the most damnably dangerous human male she'd ever known.
Deep inside, though, she couldn't help but wonder if any of her wolf's delighted images might come true on Christmas Eve. With her wolf rumbling in sheer approval at that thought, she drove home to the pack den in a heated daze.
3
Mason let the burble of voices and laughter sweep over him. Raising his champagne flute to his lips again, he savored the bubbly taste of wealth and power. Bardou Enterprises made a ton of money, for sure. This place was incredible. It was an enormous house, more like some eclectic combination of stately European castle and fancy Colorado ranch that somehow worked together to look spectacular, and it was decorated to the hilt. Christmas decorations adorned the huge room he stood in, which itself was so huge the giant Christmas tree in its center seemed short, though the thing had to be twenty-five feet tall.
Despite the show of money, Mason didn't really care. His own family was old money, not that they were remotely snobby about it, and displays like this didn't phase him. Besides, he'd been in here several times before, including a
year ago exactly. Tonight, only one thing mattered to him. One person. And the second she came into view, he intended to steer her straight to the little house she had on the property, so they could finally really talk. Talk in the only way that mattered. The only way he knew how to reach her, soften her, get another chance with her.
Their bodies had always had conversations together very well. It was his ace in the hole, after getting himself invited back here. He'd never really told Caleb what was going on, because that would be weird. Guys didn't talk about broken hearts. He'd just casually mentioned he wanted to see Ana, he thought she'd be in a good space by now to see him, and was it cool if he crashed the holiday party. Caleb had been so okay with it he invited him over early for drinks at his place. Hanging out with Caleb and his girlfriend earlier, plus some of the other younger crowd that worked for Caleb's family, Mason felt at ease and relaxed, as he always did around them. He'd always had fun with Caleb. They'd been getting into trouble together since they were kids.
“Mason!” a delighted female voice exclaimed seconds before arms were thrown around him in a hug, almost spilling his drink. “Haven't seen you in ages.”
Sara Kenyon, dressed as festively as everyone else here, stepped back after her exuberant greeting. She and her boyfriend, Caleb's older brother, Rafe, had moved to Montana for work just a few months ago. They'd come back for a quick visit during the holidays. Sara studied him for a moment, her brows slightly crinkled as if she was somewhat puzzled. Rafe came up a second later and clapped Mason on the back, total guy style. Reserved as always, Rafe smiled and nodded at Mason as he took Sara's hand in an unconsciously possessive gesture.
Mason suppressed a small sigh at the sight. Why the hell Ana wasn't holding onto his own hand right now.... With a small mental shake, he forced himself to refocus on the moment. He had plans for sweet Ana, and her responsiveness to his kiss last night made him pretty damn sure she would be just as receptive later. As soon as he found her, that is.
