“Information on her was in my report, but I didn’t know she looked like Raven,” Simon said. “Nor was I privy to the bring-in-or-kill order. That must have gone out after I left for my assignment.”
“You mean my assignment,” Beck grumbled, one corner of his mouth twisting up in a semismile. “You grabbed it.”
“You said you were burned out.” Simon shook his head. “I thought a vacation might be a good idea.”
“Not their idea of a vacation. It’s a permanent one.”
Simon grimaced. “Sorry, man. I didn’t know. Believe me, I had no idea.” He took a deep breath. “So Raven and this other girl resemble each other. Do you think there’s any reason for that?”
“You mean are they related?” Beck scratched his chin. “They look enough alike to be twins.”
All three men looked at Raven.
She shook her head. “My parents died when I was five. I don’t have a twin, or even a sister. Sorry. Though I hate to think someone else went through what that man did to me.”
Glancing at them all, her gaze finally settled on Simon. She remembered how he’d comforted her when she’d cried for that other little girl who’d had to deal with the professor.
“Since she disappeared,” Simon said, holding her gaze, “I wonder if she went Fer—er, wild, like you.”
Raven shrugged. Exhaustion washed over her and she stifled another yawn.
Zach finished his beer and glanced at his watch. “I’ll let you guys finish catching up. I’ve got an early appointment in the morning, so good night.” He squeezed Raven’s shoulder. “You need to get some rest, too.”
Meeting his gaze, she saw frank admiration, maybe even desire in his eyes. Though Zach was an attractive man, she felt…absolutely nothing. Not like the way Simon’s gaze made her feel, all warm and boneless.
Interesting. Maybe even an epiphany of some sort, but she was so tired, too exhausted to try and figure that out now. Another yawn overtook her as she managed a weary smile. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard since I came out here. Good night, you guys.”
With an impersonal wave and a perfunctory smile, she turned and followed Zach out of the kitchen.
Turning the corner, she saw he waited for her outside the guest bedroom.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Searching his face, she saw nothing but concern this time.
“I will be,” she said. “As soon as I get some rest.”
He didn’t move, apparently not taking the hint. “I’ve known Simon since we were children,” he said. “I’ve never seen him like this.”
So tired she swayed on her feet, Raven peered up at him, trying to concentrate on his words. “Like what?”
As he searched her face, something he saw in her eyes appeared to satisfy him. His expression softened. “Never mind,” he said softly. “Listen, I’ve got a motorcycle in the garage and a couple of spare helmets. I’ll tell Simon, too. You guys are welcome to use it. Sleep well.”
Watching him as he continued on down the hall to the room at the end, she waited until he’d closed his door before entering her room and doing the same.
She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Sometime in the night, Raven woke. Automatically reaching to touch the nearest wolf, she felt a deep sorrow as she remembered they were gone and she was alone, sleeping in a huge, plush bed in a strange house in a town she avoided like the plague. Still, she was clean and warm, safe and dry.
Then why was she so restless?
Simon. She wanted Simon.
Untangling herself from the covers, she swung her legs over the side.
Why hadn’t he come to her? She thought she knew. Fear had kept him away. Fear. Something she’d become intimately familiar with.
Wide-awake now, she perched on the edge of her bed, recognizing the truth, a truth she hated.
She’d been living with fear for so long, she no longer fought against it. Now, tired of fighting, the time had come to confront her old enemy. This night, she’d battle fear and win.
Shaking her head at her own dramatic musings, she thought of the long, hard journey she’d taken to get this far. Yet even here, now poised on the brink of an entirely new chapter, she let fear control her life.
She wanted Simon. Desired him, with an intensity that sometimes frightened her. Assuming she made it through this mess, could she honestly live the rest of her life knowing she’d never acted on that desire? Could she live the rest of her life always wondering what making love with him would have been like, wondering if his touch could somehow erase the horrible, degrading acts that had come before?
She didn’t think she could. Even if what she was now contemplating turned out to be a mistake, she wanted to know. Had to know.
She took a deep breath, again struggling against the fear. How did one act in a situation like this? She knew how a female wolf would act, but she was human now, right this moment, and had to go about this as a human woman would.
Telling herself that he wanted her as badly as she wanted him, she stood. Like her, Simon battled fear, fear of some ridiculous code of conduct, a rule that had been made by a corrupt organization. Were it not for that, she had no doubt he would have come to her long before now.
Thus fortified, she crossed the room. Moving quietly, she opened her bedroom door. Glancing at the end of the hall to make sure Zach’s door was still closed, she padded down the carpeted hallway in the opposite direction.
At the entrance to the living room, she stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. Moonlight spilled in the huge bay window at one end of the living room where Simon slept, illuminating him on the couch.
Moving closer, she watched him as he slept, her chest tight and her heart full of emotion. This man had become closer to her than anyone—her friend, companion and wolf-mate, all rolled into one. Now, if he was willing, they’d become lovers.
She swallowed hard and took a deep breath. Then, dropping the sheet she’d used to cover her nakedness, she reached for the corner of the blanket he slept under. Lifting one side, heart pounding, she slipped underneath, her slightly chilled body connecting with his warm one. She snuggled herself into position, spooning him from the front. Everywhere her skin touched his, she tingled.
And still, Simon slept.
He’d showered, too, and smelled of soap and man. As her body warmed, he made a sound in his sleep, shifting himself to accommodate her. She pressed a tentative kiss at the hollow of his throat, then another, higher up, at the cleft of his chin, making him smile in his sleep.
To her surprise, he still didn’t wake, his deep, even breathing a testament to the depths of his slumber.
Aroused and aching, she began her exploration, delighting in the feel of his muscular chest, skimming her fingers over his nipples until they pebbled and again tasting the skin on his neck.
Against her belly, his body swelled, lengthened and her body responded with a rush of warm wetness.
She knew when he woke. He stiffened. “Raven, what—”
Before he could protest, she kissed him, going on instinct, using her tongue to explore his mouth. His engorged body felt hot pressing against her, ready, his arousal intensifying her need.
He tried to resist her. As if by holding himself perfectly still he could will his desire away.
Like her, he knew once he gave in, there’d be no going back.
When he moved his head the moonlight caught his face. The stark hunger she saw in his gaze made her mouth go dry.
Yet still he made no move to take things further.
Her body moving against him, she wondered if there were words to let him know what she wanted. Then, when he shuddered and gave a hoarse cry, she realized she wouldn’t need words. His body understood and whatever inner war he waged, he was on the verge of losing.
“Raven, stop. You know this is wrong,” he rasped. Against her chest, she could feel his heart pounding wild.
“No, it’s ri
ght,” she whispered, continuing to stroke his skin, her fingers playing over him, making him writhe in helpless need.
He opened his mouth, whether to protest or to speak, she didn’t know. But, as she bent her head and began breathing tiny, nibbling kisses on his bare chest, he groaned instead.
“Raven, please…” As she took one of his nipples into her mouth, he gasped. He arched his back, his already aroused body pushing at her, telling her without words what she, unschooled in the ways of lovemaking, needed to do.
Lifting herself up until she was poised over him, she slipped her body down, taking him deep into her. The fully aroused, hard length of him, all the way in, so tight she was surprised he fit.
Damn and double damn. She’d had no idea this act could feel so good.
The sensation felt so amazing, she couldn’t keep from whimpering. Though she wasn’t a virgin, her experience had only been limited to the professor and his repeated rapes. There’d been nothing of pleasure in those acts. Then, she’d known only shame and pain and loathing.
This…was nothing like that. Nothing at all. Experimentally, she moved, clenching him tight with her body. Ahh, no. She hadn’t known such delight was possible.
Simon moved inside her. A moan escaped her, and she gripped his shoulders, moving with him, riding him, fierce and wild and strong.
He pushed harder, up, increasing the length and the depth of his penetration. She took all he could give her and more. No longer aware of the cold, nor of strange, human furnishings surrounding them, she gazed into Simon’s eyes and saw…herself.
They were one, joined in more places than merely their bodies. If she had any sense, any sense at all, she’d get up and run away as fast as she could.
Except what they did together felt too damn good.
“How can you—” She gasped, arching her back, hot yet shivering, warming from the inside out. Her body throbbed, aching, aching, wanting, needing. More.
For an answer, he slanted his mouth over hers.
Kissing him, her world tilted. As his tongue matched the moves of their bodies, mating with hers, she plummeted over the edge.
Raven cried out into his mouth, tasting him, feeling him. Her body clenched around him, shuddering again and again and again. A second later, Simon ripped his mouth away from hers. “Raven,” he cried, and found his own release.
They held each other while their heartbeats slowed. She couldn’t stop touching him, his hair, his skin, his wonderful, sensual mouth. She wanted to cry, she wanted to laugh. Instead, she told him the truth. “I didn’t know it could be like that.”
Stroking her back, his own hand stilled. “It isn’t normally, Raven.”
She heard the worry in his voice. “Is that a bad thing?” she asked, afraid to meet his gaze, afraid of what she might see there.
“I don’t know.” He took a deep breath. “Look at me.”
Throat aching, she shook her head. Then, remembering her newfound oath to battle fear, turned to meet his gaze.
The raw tenderness she saw in his face made her suck in her breath.
“We have to talk about this.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “I never meant for this to happen.”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “I did.” Lifting her chin, she told him the truth. “And I’m glad it did.”
“We didn’t take precautions.”
“Precautions?” She knew what he meant, but some small part of her, already braced for hurt, didn’t want to understand.
“Birth control. You could get pregnant.”
Pregnant. “Not your problem,” she snapped.
“It is my problem. It takes two to make a baby. If you have a child, that baby will be part of me, too.”
A baby. Even the word, echoing around inside her head, opened up another raw spot inside. Hugging herself, she bit her lip, unable to look at him, aware her emotions were too raw, afraid she might—inexplicably—cry.
A baby. A baby. Family. Someone to love unconditionally. Hers.
And Simon’s.
The next instant, she shook her head. Things like that didn’t happen to people like her.
“You don’t have to worry,” she told him, some small, hurting part of her wanting to lash out and hurt him, too. “All the times the professor raped me, I didn’t get pregnant. He didn’t take precautions, either.”
His expression darkened and a muscle moved in his jaw. “That man is lucky he’s dead.”
She started to move, to get up and return to her room.
“Wait,” Simon told her. “Stay with me. Better yet,” he kissed her again, “you’ve got a nice-size bed. Let’s go back to it and get some sleep.”
As they strolled toward her room, Simon promised himself if he touched her again, he’d make sure he had a condom.
The next morning, Simon woke to an armful of warm, curvy Raven. Remorse banished his contentment, remorse and fear that he’d crossed yet another threshold from which there was no going back.
He wondered when he’d begun turning into a man he didn’t recognize.
He’d done the unthinkable. He’d slept with Raven, who, despite his growing dislike of the word, was a Feral. As a Protector, he’d been charged with protecting her, not exploiting her. Though according to Ross, he’d been charged with exterminating her.
His entire world had changed, and he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to go back to the life he’d had before. But then, he wasn’t certain about anything.
Raven’s amazing eyes opened. “Good morning.” Smiling, she leaned toward him, her parted lips inviting his kiss.
Gritting his teeth, Simon bit back a groan, trying to figure out how to untangle himself without hurting her feelings. Despite his immediate arousal, what had happened earlier could not happen again. No protection.
“Don’t,” he growled.
She tore her gaze away from his face. “Don’t what?”
“Don’t look at me like you want to eat me up.”
Her smile widened. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Glancing at his aroused body, she licked her lips. “I’ll try not to think about doing anything to you with my mouth.”
He bit back a groan. If this line of talk kept up, his rapidly shredding resolve would be history.
Very aware of his arousal, she eyed him. “After all, most of my life, I’ve intentionally let my savage side have free rein. As humans, we’ve made love. Now my wolf wants to mate with yours. We’re shifters, so I guess it’s only natural, right?”
He couldn’t speak. He needed a cold shower. Hell, he needed an ice pack. Something, anything, or he’d take her again right there, and…
Time to face the honest truth. Despite the intense lovemaking a few hours earlier, he craved Raven again.
He wondered if he’d ever get enough of her to slake this need.
Something of his thoughts must have shown on his face. Either that or she read his mind. “Come here,” she said softly, opening her arms.
Still, he held himself back with the last shreds of his self-control. “Not without protection,” he rasped. “I don’t have any condoms.”
“Oh.” She bit her lip, managing to look completely sexy and innocent all at once. “Maybe Zach does? Why don’t you ask him?”
“Zach said he was leaving early.” He thought fast. “Let me check his bathroom.”
Under Zach’s sink, he found a small box of condoms, size extra large. Conscience fighting his desire, he took a couple and went back to the bedroom.
Where Raven waited, naked on the bed. “Did you find what you need?”
Struck wordless by the sight of her, he held up the foil packets, setting one on the nightstand.
“Then come here.” She arched her back, giving him a clear view of the paradise that waited for him between her legs.
Somehow he got the condom open and worked it over his engorged arousal. Watching, Raven made sounds of encouragement, but didn’t offer to help. From the look of puzzlement on her f
ace, he thought she’d never seen a condom before. From the way his hand shook as he fumbled to get it on, one might think he hadn’t, either.
Hellhounds, he wanted her. More than he’d ever wanted a woman and worse, he suspected after her, he’d never want another woman the same way again.
Did that mean she was his mate? Because that was highly unlikely and rare, he doubted it. Enough of this romantic nonsense. One thing life had taught him, when it came down to the nut cracking, only cold, hard facts mattered.
Fact—he wanted Raven. Whether or not she was his mate, well, right now, he didn’t know, and as he pushed himself into her welcoming warmth, he told himself he didn’t care.
Later, freshly showered, they sat in the kitchen and ate the fresh fruit and pastries Zach had so thoughtfully provided. He’d left a note stating he’d had an early appointment at a farm up in Berthoud and then would be working all day. They should use the house as their own and he’d see them later.
Simon’s cell phone rang as he polished off his third pastry.
“You’ve got to get out of there,” Beck said. “They grabbed Zach and are holding him for questioning. I’m trying to find out the status on him. But Ross knows you’re there. I think he’s got another team en route to take you out.”
Stunned, Simon snapped the phone closed and grabbed Raven’s arm. “They grabbed Zach. Come on, we’ve got to get out of here.”
She stared at him. “Zach? But why?”
“For questioning.”
“Do they have jurisdiction over him?”
He shrugged. “He’s not a shifter. He’ll talk to him. But unless he’s committed a crime, they’ll have to let him go.”
“Have to? Since when have those people ever played by the rules? How many people in your shifter pack know what this Society of Protectors does?”
She had a point. One he didn’t like to think about.
“The important thing is that Zach’s okay. But Beck said Ross has sent a team to pick us up. They know we’re here. We’ve got to go.”
Still she balked. “Go where? We don’t have a car. Once we’re outside on the sidewalk, we’ll be open targets.”
Wild Wolf Page 15
