Brave the Night: A Bully Boys Novel

by Cassandra Moore

  Hips ground against hers, stroking the hard bulge in his jeans against her. Until she felt him there, teasing her, showing without a doubt just how he wanted her, she had forgotten how desire could sear her, scalding every nerve with the need to connect, to open herself up and be filled with the one she dared to be vulnerable to. To want all of someone, even as she gave them all of herself.

  Long locks of hair fell into his face as he propped himself up on one arm to look at her. “I want you,” he said, voice raw with undisguised ardor. “Tell me I can have you. Please.”

  “Yes,” she said, more a breath than a word. “Have me. Let me have you. God, Shane, make me feel alive. Just for one night, let me feel like the world is bright.”

  In answer, he claimed another kiss, lips ravenous and kisses undeniable. She leaned into them, wound her fingers in his hair to pull him harder to her. Again, his hips moved, his thick shaft a demanding pressure against her warmth. As eager as he, she flexed her legs around his waist to stroke him against her. Let him have no doubts that every second he spent outside her depths was one too many for them both.

  A shudder chased through him. He moaned against her lips, trembling as she teased him from below. When he pulled back, his eyes had turned lupine gold, sharp and full of his near-predatory need. It warred within him, the wolfish desire to have what he had claimed and the human knowledge that he had to pull away so he could find the closeness he so longed for.

  The human won, though barely. He drew back so he could reach for her shoes. Never before had she blessed her ratty, loose trainers as she did then, because he didn’t bother with the laces. Just pulled them off and threw them without looking where they’d land. Her jeans came next, and her panties, which she rued for a heartbeat as she remembered which ones she’d put on that morning. Not the ones she would have chosen if she’d realized a man, this man, would be taking them off.

  He didn’t notice. Just pulled them down and threw them aside, so he could dispose of his own clothes as well. Enough moonlight shone through the window for her to see him there, huge and powerful and gorgeous enough to steal her breath as she studied his broad chest, full of muscle earned by working and fighting for what he loved, his defined stomach with its trail of hair that led to paradise.

  And his cock. Thick. Proud. Delectable.

  She locked gazes with him. “Let me taste you,” she murmured. “Please.”

  His chest rose as he sucked in a deep, surprised breath. Then he moved, bending down so he could prowl up the bed. The mere sight of him, ravenous and hovering just on this side of the line between man and wolf, brought anticipatory shivers out of her. He excited her with every graceful motion, with the thoughts of what they would do when their bodies tangled together at last.

  Warm breath gusted over her skin as he leaned down to kiss her thigh. Heat jolted up her nerves from the place his lips met her skin, a brilliant star of sensation that startled a gasp out of her. Another kiss, slightly higher, and another, until his lips brushed against the tender folds between her legs. She whimpered. “I thought, mm, I was tasting you,” she said.

  “You will,” he murmured, the shape of the words causing his lips to caress her again. “But I want a taste, too. Not much tastes more like you, and only you, as this place here…”

  His tongue touched home, then caressed her with a long, slow stroke. She cried out, bedding clutched in her hands, at the glorious, intimate feel of his mouth against her folds. Once, in a life that felt forever ago, she’d felt too self-conscious, too vulnerable to enjoy the attentions of a man’s tongue. With Shane, she could do neither. Not with the eager way he explored her, not with his soft, growled moans of pleasure as he tasted every inch of her.

  The way he wanted her, without hesitation or shame, set her free from the pains of the past. Tonight, she was the wolf’s most beloved prey, his cherished lover, and he would accept nothing but all of her.

  Emboldened, aflame with passion, she reached down for a handful of his tousled hair. When he looked up, she smirked at him. “Turn over, Shane. There’s plenty for us both.”

  A pleased smirk quirked his lips up. “As you wish.”

  With a final lap of his tongue, he lunged up on the bed, turning over mid-motion so he landed on his back. Up close, his body appealed all the more, magnificent in its shape and patterned by a dozen scars that must each have its own story. She kissed one scar, felt him twitch beneath her lips and heard him gasp behind her. How could she do other than place another kiss below it, and another still below that, leading to that lovely trail of hair down his belly?

  A strong hand grabbed her thigh to pull it over the bare chest behind her. The breadth of him, wide and not at all small, brushed her clit against his chest. It felt almost taboo, to touch the most intimate parts of her against him in such a casual manner, but she loved that almost forbidden sensation. As she leaned down to place a kiss at the tip of his cock, he claimed another kiss from her pussy, and she was lost again in his touch.

  They feasted on each other’s bodies and filled the room with ragged moans. Beneath her, his body bucked, undulated to plead for her to take more of him, to touch him and never stop. She could do nothing but comply, with his hands on her hips pulling her back to his mouth and his touch teasing her need higher. Nothing existed for her but his body and hers, the compulsion to throw herself into the heat between them until the world caught fire and burned away.

  Trembling shook him. Tension strung his muscles tight. Open-mouthed moans vibrated against her folds, the sound of pure need. She suckled him harder, and his hands tightened on her hips. But then he nudged her until she tumbled over on the bed, bare and gasping.

  He did not leave her uncovered for long. One powerful lunge, and he loomed over her, lips parted with his heavy breaths and eyes smoldering.

  “I need you. Need to have you. Need you around me,” he growled. “Let me be inside you.”

  In answer, she shifted beneath him, to wrap her legs around his hips and draw him closer. “Have me, Shane. Fill me so the emptiness is gone, and you are there instead.”

  Slowly, reverently, he leaned down on one elbow to press their bodies together. His lips met hers in a kiss that said far more than words ever could. Adoration. Gratitude. Desire. Admiration. One hand reached down between them to guide the head of his shaft into place, then moved to cup her hip instead as the head touched home.

  Their eyes met in the darkness, two lonely, lost people who had found each other in the wastelands of grief. His hips pressed forward, her legs flexed to pull him inside. And as their eyes slid closed, and their lips parted with moans, they were no longer alone.

  He filled her completely, stretched her until all she could feel was him within her. Overcome, he buried his face in her neck, arms beneath her now to hook around her shoulders from below. Never before had she felt surrounded, filled, utterly claimed by a lover, and wondered how she had ever done without. They were not two people clawing towards fulfillment, but instead one person in two halves, writhing together in search of a pleasure that would complete them both.

  It crashed over her, shockwaves of light and pure sensation. She clutched herself to him, riding him from below, demanding every wave of pleasure she could achieve. Caught in the intensity of her release, she heard him snarl, cry out, then felt the rush of heat as he came deep within her. It only urged her higher.

  For a few eternal moments, she remembered what it was to be alive, unfettered by the weight of the world. Together, they burned as incandescent as the sun, and no shadows could survive their fire.

  9

  Shadows Thrive Where the Light Shines Brightest

  Dawn had long since arrived and let itself in by the time Shane opened his eyes. Sunlight flooded the bedroom with glorious golden light, lending a luminous halo to all it touched. The rich maple grain of his dresser and side tables. The rough wooden posts of his bed.

  Her beautiful face, which shone in his eyes no matter the level of morning
light.

  He’d never realized how much tension she wore in her posture until he saw her peacefully asleep and cradled against him. Or how much strength she carried herself with. Here in the glow of the morning after, she looked soft. Vulnerable. Like she might allow him to protect her, even for a little while, and guard her against the cruelty of the world.

  Careful not to disturb her, he snuggled closer against her back. Her hair smelled of utilitarian hair products, no synthetic scents or precious drops of essential oils. Maybe a hint of motor oil, which he found oddly comforting in its familiarity. Mostly, though, her hair smelled like her, the ineffable scent that belonged to her alone. He closed his eyes to learn it, revel in it, allow his wolf to embrace it as the scent of its—

  What? Its mate? Is that what you’re thinking, Shane? The jaded voice in the back of his mind never asked questions he cared to answer. Have an emotional night with a pretty woman, bare your wounded hearts to each other, and then think she’ll accept you claiming a profound spiritual tie? You never learn, do you.

  He tightened his arm around her against the thought. Logic told him he should prepare to let her go. Neither of them had good luck with allowing others close. Instinct, however, demanded he refuse to let her slip away without a fight. She’d gotten under his skin in a way he had forgotten was possible, and now, he didn’t want her further away than the circle of his arms. I don’t know what she is. Maybe nothing. Maybe she’s just a good friend to the pack. But I’m not letting go. Not until I have to.

  She sighed in her sleep and pressed back against him. He took it as a sign that in her dreams, she agreed.

  Though her dreams had their own troubles. He’d awakened several times in the night to her soft whimpers, or the twitch of her limbs as she slept. It hadn’t bothered him except that it might have bothered her. Holly did mention Erin might have lingering effects from the emotional trauma of what happened. Nightmares wouldn’t surprise anyone. God knows I had enough of them after my first run-ins with Ferals. Hell, even after recent ones. You never get used to that sort of thing.

  On the worst nights, he wished he would, so he didn’t have to endure the horror and disgust every damned time. On the better nights, he realized that the day he didn’t feel those was the day he ceased to be the man he hoped he was.

  Erin stirred after a few minutes. A soft sigh escaped her before her eyes fluttered open, unfocused as the last tendrils of sleep fell away. A moment of confusion turned into a pleased quirk of her lips as she took in her surroundings, figured out where she’d awakened, and decided she liked it just fine.

  He let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d held and kissed the side of her head. “Morning, E.”

  “Mm. Morning.” She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. The smile deepened. “Hope you don’t mind I crashed here last night, since it’s morning and all.”

  He chuckled and placed the next kiss on her lips. “No. I don’t mind. You could even say I’m glad you did. It’s been a long time since waking up was nicer than rolling over to sleep for another half-hour.”

  “Am I nicer to wake up to than coffee?” Her nose wrinkled with her smirk.

  He kissed the tip of it. “You just might be.”

  “Wow. That’s a powerful statement.” She squirmed around in his arms to face him. While that removed her backside from its place snuggled against him, it did press her breasts to his chest.

  I can deal with that trade. “It is. Not many people in this world can top the first cup of coffee in the morning.”

  “Just by being in your bed when you woke up. Nothing else.” She snaked her leg over his hip to press closer.

  Coherent thought started to leak out of his mind, but he managed to hold onto some. “Well, and you did smile at me when you woke up.”

  “Was it the smile, or the fact that I was pushed up against you?”

  “Do I have to pick one?” He slid his hand around to her lower back, palm cupped where her backside began its upward curve. “Because if I do, I will have to pick the smile. The rest, though, you should know wolves like to chase down prey.”

  One of her eyebrows arched playfully. “Am I prey?”

  Deliberately, he allowed his eyes to shift to the gold of the wolf. He felt her sharp inhalation, and the warmth between her legs as he leaned in to meet her gaze. “Do you want to be?”

  Her tongue flickered out to wet her lips. “Yes. I think I do.”

  “Then I will chase. You sure you’re ready for what happens when the wolf catches you?” It required every ounce of his self-control to do no more than brush his mouth against hers.

  She shivered against him. “Will he eat me?”

  “Worse.” His eyes met hers again. “He might keep you.”

  Her pupils dilated. For a moment, she didn’t breathe, and he wondered if he’d said too much. It was just flirting. Why’d you have to go and show your belly? She probably only wanted one night, and now, you’re not going to get another.

  But she didn’t flee. She considered him, thoughts whirling behind her eyes, and he wondered how similar they were to his. When she spoke, he heard the nervous hope in her voice. “Then maybe I won’t run very fast.”

  Then she pressed her lips against his in a tangled, heated kiss. Within him, the wolf howled in triumph. His heart beat hard. Caught up in it, he didn’t know if it felt like elation or sheer terror, or perhaps a cocktail of both that left him buzzed on adrenaline. Adrenaline, or an infatuation that threatened to transmogrify into something Shane had sworn he would stay far away from.

  Feeling her in his arms, he didn’t care what vow to himself he broke if it ensured she would stay.

  He slid his hand over her smooth, warm skin to cup her hip. Neither of them had bothered with nightclothes when they fell into bed. His firm length slipped over her wetness, and if she tilted her hips just so, he could slip within her—

  His phone buzzed on the table. Once, twice, three times, until the distinct vibrations of text messages became a flash flood of them. The oddness of it startled him out of his arousal. Who the hell is texting me that much? Wait, texts are coming through?

  Erin seemed to have similar thoughts. She chuckled ruefully. “Guess someone got messages through despite all the tower problems. Or a bunch of them came through at once when the phone found a connection.”

  Shane groaned. “Hellfire. If I weren’t the alpha, and we didn’t have so much shit happening right now…”

  “Answer your texts,” she said as she kissed his chin. “It might be important. I understand.”

  “As long as you know I don’t make a habit of ignoring people in my bed in favor of my phone.”

  “You wouldn’t do that. It’s not who you are.”

  “It isn’t. Though…” He glanced over at her. “If I need to run us to the drug store real quick before anything else, the rest can wait. I didn’t wrap up last night before I came in you.”

  Erin shook her head. “I have an implant, or I would have told you to wrap that thing, and werewolves don’t get STDs.”

  “Just checking. Let me see what’s up. I’ll try not to take too long.”

  “If I’m bored, I’ll get started without you.”

  His cock ached with a new jolt of passion. This had better be damn good, or I am going to tear someone a new asshole for interrupting me. Grumbling, he snatched his phone off the table and mashed the power button to turn the screen on.

  A line of texts marched down the display. Shane’s stomach clenched hard when he saw the name that came up with them.

  Tyler Green. His dead packmate.

  I’m coming home.

  I’m coming home.

  I’m coming home.

  I’m coming home.

  Every text read the same. Dozens of them, filling the phone’s notification window. Shane’s hand shook has he scrolled down through the identical messages. The first ones showed an earlier send time, in the dark hours of the morning when Shane’s phone switche
d to Do Not Disturb mode and he would never have noticed it last night anyway. The rest had arrived later in the morning, when the signal came through, and were interspersed with messages from the rest of the pack.

  Travis Lee: “Quiet night. Hope you got Erin home safe. Or will make her breakfast.” “Still quiet. Maybe too quiet.” “Found a few Ferals. Strange place. Report tomorrow.” “Heading in for the night.” “Boss we have a problem” “Boss call me” “Shane are you seeing this” “Are these coming through” “Answer your damn landline” “Alpha we have an emergency”

  Jake Ballard: “Shane we have a fucking problem” “Boss answer your other line” “Pick up the phone” “Please call me or Travis or Rigo” “We’re coming over there if we don’t hear from you”

  Anita Calderon: “Shane, we’re worried. Call someone.” “Shane this is important.” “It’s an emergency. Call someone.”

  Rigo Hernandez: “Jefe get in touch or we are coming to you.”

  A warm hand on his back startled him. Erin gasped when he flinched, but didn’t pull away. “Shane? What is it?”

  “When you were getting away from the Feral ambush the other day, did you grab anyone’s phone but Levi’s?” Although he fought to keep his voice calm, even he could hear the quiet growl beneath it.

  “No.” He could feel Erin shake her head. “I didn’t have time to look for anyone else’s things. Why?”

  “This.” He held up the phone for her to see and glanced over his shoulder at her.

  Her face paled. “Oh, my God. Someone has his phone. If they’re trolling you with it—”

  “I don’t think they are. The pack has been trying to get hold of me. We might have pulled the cord out of the landline on accident last night.” He dimly remembered tripping over the cord as they tangled together, frantic to touch each other. “Something’s up.”