“You’re a werewolf?” She rasped out, practically choking on the word.
Was he freaking kidding?
As if it wasn’t bad enough that in the last few minutes she had been informed that her brother had been taken by a family of vampires for God’s sake. Now, she was being told that she was being protected by freaking Lon Chaney, Jr.!
Holy Hell! What a cluster.
“Not exactly my first choice to describe it, but yes, I am,” he replied with a knowing wink and a smug little grin, almost as if he could read her mind.
But, hell.
Who knew. Maybe he could!
Well. So much for normalcy.
Chapter Five
Ember was startled awake as the sound of gravel crunching under the tires of the SUV invaded her slumber. She pulled herself up a little straighter in the seat as she guiltily rubbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands.
She had dressed and hastily threw some things into a bag before she and Bader had hit the road, her body running on pure instinct.
They had only been driving for roughly about half an hour or so before she found herself fighting a valiant battle to stave off the overwhelming urge to drift off to sleep, and after they had stopped to grab some coffee and had gotten back in the car, her exhaustion had finally won out, and her eyes had drifted shut without her even realizing it.
“Oh, my God!” She apologized, her cheeks growing warm as a wave of embarrassment washed over her. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you. You’d think with all the adrenaline rushing through me I would have been able to stay awake forever.”
“The rush must have worn off, and you came crashing down,” he replied with a chuckle. “It’s perfectly fine. You needed the rest.”
She watched out of the window as he made his way down a long, narrow drive framed by thick pines that smelled amazing. They pulled up to a beautiful, rustic cabin and she stared at it in wonder.
Complete with a wraparound porch and wooden swing, it was the type of place that just screamed Home.
“Wow,” she murmured. “It’s beautiful.”
Bader pulled up in front and shut off the engine. “It’s secluded, so you’ll be safe here; but I do need you to know that my pack is not far away.”
“Your pack?” She questioned, feeling her head beginning to reel once again.
He was actually part of a werewolf pack? Good gravy! This just kept getting weirder and weirder!
Bade opened his car door and slid from the seat. Trotting around, he pulled open hers and held out his hand to help her from the SUV.
When she hesitated, he gave her a reassuring grin. “Trust me, Sweetheart, it’s safe. They’ll leave us alone unless there’s an emergency, and I’ll have them patrol the area to make certain no one shows up without us knowing about it.” When still she sat there staring at him with wide, uncertain eyes, he chuckled. “I solemnly swear that I won’t bite,” he promised, dragging his finger across his chest in the shape of an X. Right above where his heart thrummed against his ribcage. “Nor will any of my pack.”
“Well, I certainly hope not,” she huffed back at him, although her full, lush lips were curving up at the corners just the tiniest bit. He could still see the smallest hint of unease in her eyes, but she was fighting it well.
She finally let out a breath and took his hand, standing and stretching her feminine, lithe body as she did, and Bade’s pulse began to race.
He cleared his throat and grabbed her bag from the trunk before resting his hand at the small of her back and directing her toward the house.
He unlocked the door, ushering her in ahead of him as the overwhelming feeling of…rightness hit him like a sucker punch to the throat. He watched in fascination as she made her way over the threshold and stopped in the entryway to survey the large open space, her eyes darting around with what he hoped to be pleasure.
Done in rich, warm reds and beautiful highly polished dark woods, this was the place he enjoyed being most in the world. It was his sanctuary. And, for the first time that he could recall, his cabin actually did feel like home.
“Wow,” she breathed softly yet again as her eyes scanned the house.
“You like?”
She turned and met he gaze, her eyes sparkling with admiration. “Are you kidding me? I love it,” she laughed with what could only be construed as awe lacing her words, and he felt himself swell with pride. For some reason, what she thought mattered to him. More than he we willing to admit.
“Follow me,” he said, heading to the back of the cabin, and towards a long hallway. “I’ll show you to your room and you can settle yourself in before I try to scrounge up something for us to eat.”
She nodded silently as she followed close behind, and he tried to hide his grin when he heard her belly grumble at the mention of food.
Ember woke from a deep sleep by the overpowering need to stop herself from screaming. It was harsh and brutal and it seized her in its grip like a vice.
She sat up with a shudder as she tried to remember what the dream had been about, but was coming up empty. All she knew was that she felt jittery and the dream was more of a nightmare with short flashes of places and people, and none of it was making her feel the least bit comforted.
The vision of glowing eyes and fangs skittered across her brain and she shivered again, even though the room seemed incredibly warm and stuffy.
She slipped from the bed and made her way over to the set of French doors on the far side of the bedroom which opened up to the back garden of Bader’s cabin. She turned the lock and stepped through, hoping that the cool night air might help to clear her head a bit. Erase the tendrils of sleep that were clinging to her, so perhaps she could remember…something about her dream.
She glanced out at the thick woods surrounding the property, which were framed by a backdrop of snow-tipped mountains and smiled. It was amazing.
The moonlight kissed the area in a warm, silvery glow that was ethereal and tranquil, and she found herself feeling more relaxed here than she had in months. She didn’t know what it was exactly, the crisp mountain air or something else, but it was a feeling she found herself enjoying more than she probably should.
“You really shouldn’t be out here alone.”
Ember spun around at the sound of the deep, masculine voice coming from the side of the cabin and watched in stunned silence as a tall, lanky blond walked around the corner and towards her.
A tall, lanky naked blond, she silently corrected herself as she adverted her eyes and met his gaze, doing her best to keep from bolting back inside like a frightened rabbit.
“Who are you?” She demanded with much more bravado than she would have thought considering that a very large part of her was terrified that the vampires had found them, and here she was, all alone and defenseless like a damned fool!
What in the hell had she been thinking coming out here alone?
She and Bader had spent the entire afternoon, and most of the evening talking and getting to know each other, and she realized now with a slight wince that she may have gotten a little too comfortable here.
And…it just might cost her dearly.
Shit!
“Damn it, Liam,” Bader snapped from behind where Ember stood and she quickly spun back in the other direction to find him standing there so damn confidently, wearing only a loose pair of cotton shorts.
His magnificent chest bare, and sculpted and...
Oh, Lord!
“Sorry, boss,” the man he had called Liam replied with an obviously amused little huff, and she turned back to find the blond surveying her body in a way that made her instantly uncomfortable, not to mention vulnerable considering the flimsy little nightshirt that she wore.
His appraisal of her was downright lecherous!
“I’m Liam,” he informed her with a wicked grin as he stuck out his hand, which she took with hesitation.
“Ember Sloane. It’s nice to meet you,” she responded as politely as pos
sible, but realized with a small wince that her reply was painfully stilted and clipped.
Bader stepped up behind her, the heat radiating off of his body warming her back in a way that was comforting, and she fought back the overpowering urge to sigh with relief.
The man just made her feel safe.
“Is there something that you need, Liam?” Bader asked, a puff of warm air hitting the back of her neck as he said the words.
She trembled.
Good God, but this man was dangerous!
“Not really,” Liam replied with a chuckle, his eyes not leaving her for a moment. “I was just doing my rounds and spotted your guest. Figured I’d warn her about being outside alone.” He gave her a wink that was anything but reassuring. “You just never know what lurks out there in the dark, and we can’t be everywhere at once.”
“Don’t let us keep you then,” Bader responded, his tone belying his obvious annoyance. “Please, just finish your sweep.”
Liam gave him a quick nod.
“Will do,” he chuckled, before turning and trotting off in the direction of the woods.
Ember watched in wonder as the man effortlessly shifted into a very large tan wolf. Not what she would have expected at all.
Holy shit!
Ember let out the breath she had been holding in a ragged rush as she watched the animal walk into the thick patch of trees and disappear from view.
Guess he really hadn’t been kidding about being a werewolf and living with a pack!
Bader’s strong, firm hand stationed itself on her hip and she fought back the overwhelming desire to lean back against that steely chest of his. She knew it would be amazing, but she just couldn’t be that bold, so instead she forced the urge away.
“I know he’s a bit…crass, and a complete asshole, but he’s absolutely right about it not being safe out here alone,” Bade whispered in her ear and the vision of his mouth descending on hers popped into her head like an exploding balloon and she fought to push it away with every ounce of willpower she had.
She really needed to keep her head in the game.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized. She turned to look up at him and her breath caught in her throat as their eyes clashed.
He gazed back at her with a directness that was fierce and intense… and sexy as all hell.
“You were hot…” she replied only a moment before her face heated in mortification. “I…I mean…I was hot!” She exclaimed, wanting nothing more than to just melt right there through the ground at his feet. “It was stuffy and I was dreaming, and I woke up and couldn’t fall back to sleep…”
Ember knew that she was blathering on, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. The way his mouth turned up at the corner as he silently watched her firmly insert her foot into her mouth, had her flustered as nothing ever had before!
So, she continued to prattle on and on…and on.
She silently begged her brain to wake-up and do its job! To stop the words that were pouring from her mouth like liquid stupid, but it didn’t seem to be cooperating at the moment.
Gads! She sucked!
“I was trying to remember the dream and I needed air and…and…”
“Ember,” he laughed, gently placing his finger against her lips and that simple gesture seemed to snap her traitorous brain out of whatever funk it had entered, and she clamped her mouth shut. “It’s all right,” he went on softly. “I just want to make sure that you’re safe.”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Who knew what would come pouring out of her mouth next!
Bade watched her closely, painfully aware of the fact that his body was screaming at him to lean just forward and take those incredible lips. It was a deep, nagging need that was drilling into his gut and getting exceptionally difficult to resist.
Never being one to follow the rules, he did exactly what his body demanded of him and moved forward, taking her mouth with an urgency that was impossible to deny. There was no more debating or fighting it. It was what he needed to do. His arms wrapped around her tiny frame and he pulled her close as his mouth devoured hers.
He was more than just pleasantly surprised when he realized that her delicate fingers were sliding up his arms and curling themselves in his hair, holding fast and tugging him closer.
He broke the contact and leaned back just enough to look into her eyes, not wanting to give up even the slightest bit of space between their bodies. The feeling of her smooth, curved frame against his hard one was sublime.
The raw desire that he saw reflected in her expression no doubt mirrored his own and he groaned from the very recesses of his chest, as if in agony.
He knew in that moment that there was definitely going to be no turning back now.
Even if he had wanted to. Which he did not.
His hands lifted and framed her perfect face as he watched the desire snap and crackle in her eyes.
He was in awe.
“Ember,” he husked out, not quite certain what it was that he wanted to say. He just needed her to know that he wanted her. More in that moment in time than he had ever wanted anything else before.
She looked up at him, a playful grin curving her mouth, and shook her head before pulling his back down to hers and nibbling at his lower lip only a moment before taking his mouth once again in silent invitation.
He felt a ripple of adrenaline race up his spine as he returned her embrace for all he was worth, sweeping her up into his arms and carrying her back through the open French Doors.
Bade took his sweet time as he slid her down his body, his hands moving across her to grab the hem of her nightshirt and pull it up and over her head, breaking their kiss for only the second that it took to remove it. Her mouth was the sweetest nectar he had ever tasted, and he was a thirsty man.
He could feel her breasts pressing against his chest, her hardened peaks begging for his attention.
He had no choice but to oblige.
He moved his mouth slowly down her neck to the dip of her collarbone, and over her heated flesh. He greedily took her nipple into his mouth, his tongue tasting and teasing and pulling a sexy as hell sound from the recesses of her belly that caused him to shiver. His skin was alive and rippling with desire.
And, his wolf howled.
Ember was riding a wave of pure, unadulterated lust, and didn’t care a single whit if the world exploded around them at that particular moment in time.
When this amazing man’s hot, oh so skilled, mouth made contact with her nipple, she was pretty sure she had died and was floating around some kind of amazing astral plain of unbelievable pleasure.
And she was fine with that.
The feel of his hands on her body, and his mouth at her breast was like nothing she had ever experienced before in her entire life.
It was primal. It was demanding. It was fan-freaking-tastic!
“Bader,” she husked, her voice nothing more than a strangled whisper. “Please.”
She wasn’t quite sure what she was asking of him. She just simply knew that she would die without it.
He lifted his face and gave her a grin that nearly stopped her heart in her chest before lifting her up, only to drop her back down onto the mattress.
A giggle erupted from her as she bounced against the bed. She stared up at him, her tongue darting out to lick her lips as watched in fascination as he slid out of the shorts he wore. His magnificent form the stuff Gods were made of.
The proof of his desire sprang forward as he hastily dropped them to the floor and she shuddered with anticipation.
And once again, for the second time that night, all she could think was…Holy Shit!
He reached over and pulled the silk underwear she wore down her legs and tossed them behind him, his eyes almost glowing now with a heat that was undeniable and erotic.
Ember’s eyes traveled over his body without the slightest hesitation or shyness. There was none of that. There was only a deep yearning.
He sli
d down onto the bed beside her and pulled her against him, his mouth taking hers again with promise as he slid his hand down her leg and pulled it up over his waist.
“Christ, Sweetheart, I want you so bad I ache,” he growled against her mouth, his voice low and fierce as their breath mingled, and she couldn’t help but smile.
Now that was the understatement of the century!
“You have me,” she murmured in reply and felt his chest vibrate against hers with the groan that rumbled from him.
He kissed her quickly before turning his attention to more pressing matters. He began moving down her body at a leisurely pace. His teeth nipped and his tongue soothed as he made his way torturously over her skin. Leaving, in his wake, a trail of sublime sensation that she was sure would set her body ablaze.
Her skin tingled with an incredible low hum wherever he happened to touch, or kiss…or nibble and she bit down on her bottom lip to keep from screaming to the point that she tasted blood.
When his hot, skilled mouth finally met the apex of her thighs, she curled her toes into the mattress as she grabbed the sheets and twisted, trying her with everything she had not to lose her sanity.
His fingers almost intuitively ghosted across her body before moving to where his mouth was painstakingly working its magic, and slipped inside.
Her orgasm was almost immediate, and she cried out his name on a gasp as she went catapulting through the stratosphere. Stars exploded and danced behind her tightly closed eyes as she frantically gulped for air. Her breath slipping between her lips in quick ragged puffs, and she swore that her eyes were going to be permanently rolled back in her head after that!
She was vaguely aware of the feel of his body as he slid his way back up, torturously slow, and his mouth placed soft, gentle kisses at the curve of her neck.
His weight against her was curiously comforting, yet erotic as all hell, and she found herself wiggling slightly to let him know that she was waiting for him.
In fact, it was as if she needed this man more than she needed the air she was so greedily breathing in at the moment.
The Wolf Next Door ( A Paranormal Romance) (The Anthology Novella Series) Page 5
