by Kym Grosso
“Right now, you’re safe. And we’re going to work things out. Now, of course, it would be a whole lot easier if you’d tell me everything, but I get that you need time with Jax. I may be new to this Alpha gig, but I assure you that I’ve been a wolf a very long time. I know protocol. Been livin’ and breathin’ it for over a hundred years. The last thing I want to do is get you in trouble with your Alpha. In the meantime, we’re meeting with Kade Issacson tonight. Yes, he’s a vampire. And as hard as it is to believe, he is one of the good guys. I hate to have to drag you there with me, but I can’t leave you alone, and this can’t wait.”
Wynter pursed her lips, unsure that any vampires could be anything less than vicious. But she wanted to trust him. “You're sure? You’re sure the vampires won’t attack me?”
Logan laughed, “Questioning the Alpha, huh? Seems we’re going to have to work on those pack skills of yours.”
Wynter gave him a small smile in return. “Ha, ha. Funny wolf.”
“And you, too, are a wolf.”
“So you say.”
“And that is what counts. Hey, I want to tell you a story.”
“A story, huh?”
“Yes. A story,” he confirmed. “A few months ago in Philadelphia, my Alpha met his mate, Kalli. The interesting thing about Kalli is that she’s a lovely little hybrid, but at one time, she denied her wolf. And in the process, she just happened to invent this nasty little drug that essentially masked her scent and stopped her from shifting.”
“So if she took the drug you would think she was a human?”
“Exactly.” Logan let his hands wander down to her calves as he spoke. Goddess, she felt so good.
“And do you think that is happening to me? Maybe they drugged me?”
“Well, if you were human and now you are wolf, they did something. A drug? Maybe. The drug she created? No. But my point is that there’re always things in this world that we don’t understand. People will always push the frontier of what we think is possible. Biology. Nature. It’s always changing. Slowly but changing. And like what Kalli did, supernaturals and humans are finding ways to accelerate the process regardless of whether it’s the right thing to do.”
If you only knew, she thought guiltily.
“I’m Alpha for a reason, Wynter. Like Jax, I’ve been around a long time. I’m not going to sugarcoat what I sense, what I know. You may have been human when you started but I can tell you with certainty that you’re wolf now. I don’t know how they did it or why they did it, but it’s who you are.”
Wynter stared off, refusing to verbally acknowledge what he was saying. Deep inside, she knew he was right. Her recovery, even since this morning, had been accelerated, deviating far from what would be considered normal for a human. She was feeling good. No, not just good but excellent. As a scientist, she knew there was no logical reason to explain it. After being bitten and chased, it should take her days to recuperate.
“Look at your skin,” he urged, rubbing his hands up her shins until he reached her thighs. Gently placing his hands on her knees, he parted her legs and moved toward her until the insides of her thighs straddled his sides. His fingertips teased the small strings that barely held her bikini bottoms together. Ah, finally got her attention, he thought with amusement.
Wynter had barely been listening to his words when she felt him open her legs. At his intrusion, she snapped her focus back on his eyes, not moving but simply watching him as he grazed his palms up over the tops of her thighs until he reached her hips. She didn’t try to stop him; she wanted his hands on her skin. Her eyes locked on his as his big strong hands skimmed over her body, flaring her arousal. What was he saying? Something about her skin?
“That’s it,” she heard him say. “Look at your skin. It’s healed.”
The bite marks were healed. Small pink spots were the only evidence that anything had happened to her.
“I know. I feel it,” she admitted.
“Yes, I’m sure you do. I know you’re scared. But it’s going to be okay. Tell me, what do you know about being wolf?” His hands roamed upward. Goddess, her legs were smooth and silky, begging to be touched. He kept going, pushing the pink fabric upward.
Lifting her arms, Wynter let him remove the sheer barrier that covered her skin. Part of her wanted this, him. Moreover, she yearned to reveal her body and soul to this man, hating to keep secrets from the Alpha who sought to help her. He tossed the fabric aside, and she gasped as he tugged her into the water against him. Her smooth belly met his rock hard abs, and she really thought she might pass out from the rush.
“I…I grew up around a pack,” she confessed.
Logan brushed his lips to her hair, resisting the urge to kiss her. Gently, he cradled her in his arms, letting her float along the surface. She held his gaze, never looking anywhere but to him.
“Let go, Wynter. Trust me?” he smiled down on her.
She was helpless to resist. Having no idea what he was doing, she gave in to her desires. “Yes.”
“Relax. Let yourself go. I promise to keep you safe.”
Wynter willed herself to go limp within his incredibly strong arms. And even though she knew better than to let a wolf touch her, she reveled in the experience of trusting him. As she closed her eyes and the cool water washed over her, every nerve lit on fire with need. In spite of the heat, she opened her hands, her thighs, until she was completely relaxed. And all the while, he never let her go. He adjusted his hold, carefully supporting her upper back and bottom with his hands.
“That’s it. You’re so beautiful. So calm and at peace,” he crooned softly. “Like this, we’ll talk about wolves. Tell me about your pack, what do you know?”
“I grew up around wolves. My parents worked with the pack…for Jax. I…I wasn’t allowed around the pack that much when I got older. They were afraid I’d get hurt but I knew it’d never happen. My friend, Mika. She’s a wolf,” she said proudly.
“Okay, so our behavior. Our habits. You must have seen something.” Logan watched her soft pink lips break out in a broad smile at his words.
“Ah yes. Wolves. Well, you like to run on a full moon. I never got to see them but I knew.”
“That is true. What else?”
“Wolves are competitive. Mika’s an alpha. Hates when she loses to me at tennis.” She laughed, remembering their last match. “She breaks quite a few racquets. It’s actually kind of funny. Good thing she makes a lot of money working at that law firm.”
Logan shook his head at the thought. “Sounds delightful.”
“She’s okay, just a little short tempered is all. Never with me, though. She gets mad at herself. Which brings me to my next observation,” she continued. “Loyal. Wolves are very loyal to their friends, their pack.”
“That’s correct. See, this wolf thing is going to be easy for you.” He noticed she frowned at his comment. He kept pushing to distract her from her thoughts. “What else?”
Wynter tried to keep her face impassive as the next idea popped into her head. Considering an incredibly hot wolf was holding her against his bare skin, she reasoned it should have been the first thing she told him.
“Come on then. It can’t be that bad,” Logan commented as she hesitated to answer him.
“Naked.” Her eyes flew open and met his. She giggled. “They love being naked.”
“Yes we do. Clothes are very restrictive. Highly overrated.”
“I can see that you practice what you preach.”
“And how do you feel about that? Does it embarrass you?” He queried as his fingers wandered to the knotted strings tightened against her back.
“I’m not sure how I feel. I mean, it’s not like I was allowed to run around naked. I just knew they did. Jax wouldn’t be crazy about me doing it though. Not fair really. A double standard I suppose. Believe me; I think the whole pack would freak out if I decided to join them.”
“I understand how you are worried about what your pack would think but how d
o you feel?” He pulled on the strings, releasing the knot. The cords floated freely in the water, no longer tied.
Wynter felt his fingers move along her back. It was if she could actually feel the coolness wash over the skin that had been covered by the small strap. With the tension loosened, her top drifted easily across her breasts but didn’t fall away.
“I think…I think it’d be freeing,” she whispered, aware of the message she was conveying. Oh God, she wanted him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, seeking her approval. His fingers traveled up to her neck, pinching the remaining knot that held tight around her neck.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Yes, I’m sure. Please.” She released a small gasp as he tugged the cord free and the flimsy material floated away. Her nipples hardened at the thought of Logan seeing her this way.
Logan didn’t think his cock could get any harder but he was wrong. The sight of her gorgeous, perfect breasts nearly made him drop her. He ran his fingers through her wet hair then slowly trailed them across her throat. Skimming his fingertips down the valley of her chest, he stopped to rest his palm upon her belly.
“You’re incredible. So, so beautiful, Wynter.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her face. She was struggling with her own arousal. And selfishly, he considered whether he should make love to her right there in the pool. But she needed to learn from him, not just pleasure but what it would mean for her to be wolf.
“Logan, please,” she moaned, closing her eyes.
“Breathe, baby. You’re doing so well. Relaxing. Almost naked,” he joked.
“Almost,” she agreed. She opened her eyes and gave him a sensual smile.
“You sure? Once you go wolf, you never go back.”
“Yes, stop teasing me,” she cried. She wanted his fingers on her, in her. What was he doing?
With great restraint, Logan slipped his fingers into the side of her bikini bottoms, ever so gently gliding his fingers across her hip. Effortlessly, he tugged the strings on one side then the other. As the panties floated away, no barrier existed between them. Goddess almighty, she was exquisite. He wanted so badly to take her. From her reaction, he knew it’d be easy. He watched her chest heave up and down in anticipation of his touch. But in the moment, he was certain he’d never be satisfied with having just part of her. He needed the truth. Craved it.
Overwhelmed with arousal, Wynter moaned loudly in protest when he removed his hands. Why wasn’t he touching her? Didn’t he find her desirable? Oh God, she was naked in a pool with the New Orleans Alpha. Jax was going to freak out if he found out. Her heart began to race with worry.
“Little wolf, you need to stop thinking so much. Lay back and relax into the water. I’ve got you, now. Just listen to my voice,” Logan told her. His patience was of far greater strength than his libido. He wanted to fuck her, but it would be on his terms not hers. “That’s it, just breathe….in and out. Hear the sounds around you. Smell the scents in the air. Soon, little wolf, you’ll be born into your new life.”
Obeying him came naturally as she forced herself to listen to his calm voice. Despite her water-filled ears, the sounds became louder. The more she concentrated, the more she heard. Music played in the distance. A car horn honked. Footsteps echoed on the pavement, coming closer and closer. Wynter’s eyes flashed open to Logan’s and then she rapidly turned her head, seeking the source. Dimitri. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment.
“Please,” she croaked, trying to sit up and cover herself. Logan brushed a calming hand over her hair and her eyes caught his.
“It’s okay. I’m here with you, baby. Holding you. Protecting you. It’s just Dimitri. He’s wolf. And by the way he’s looking at you, I’d say that he agrees that you’re every bit as amazing as I think you are.”
“But I…I…don’t know,” she protested.
Logan nodded to Dimitri who continued walking and eventually entered his home.
“Whatever you feel, it’s natural. Even arousal, it’s what we are.”
Wynter didn’t want to talk about what she felt; it was wrong, dirty. She was so horny; that had to be why she’d felt so aroused when Dimitri looked upon her bareness. She wasn’t really attracted to him, yet she’d reacted. And Logan, he simply drove her mad with need. Skin to skin, her proximity to him overloaded her senses. Her pussy ached for him, yet he made no attempt to kiss or touch her. She struggled to find the words to tell him how she felt.
“Please Logan,” she groaned. “This is…I’m so…I feel…”
Logan knew exactly how she felt, and he felt the same. He reached across her body and caressed her slippery breast, finally giving in to the temptation. His cock throbbed, begging to be inside her as he watched her wriggle within his grasp. She moaned in response, and he slid his hand up her chest, settling it on her cheek. Running his thumb along the seam of her lips, her mouth parted at his touch, allowing his thumb to enter. She wrapped her lips around his finger as if she was sucking his cock. Fuck, she was pushing him to the brink. Logan sucked a breath at the feel of her simulating oral sex on his hand. He pulled his thumb out and spread the moisture on her lower lip. .
“What do you need, Wynter?” He knew he shouldn’t touch her but Goddess; she was so responsive.
Wynter’s eyes opened, meeting his. “I need you,” she whispered.
Barely audible to human ears, her soft words were all he needed to act. Sliding his hand to cradle the nape of her neck, he brought her to him and kissed her. Water sluiced downward as he pulled her tightly against him, hungrily taking his lips to hers.
Jolted upward, Wynter readily met Logan’s lips, wrapping her legs around his waist. As his tongue pushed into hers, she thought she would melt away. Like a tight coil that had just been sprung, all her energy released into their embrace. Her hands raked into his damp hair. Clutching at him, she never wanted him to let her go. She writhed her slick mound against his abdomen, unable to reach the friction she sought. But the taste of him would have to sate her for now, because he didn’t touch her there yet. So she simply let herself go, accepting whatever he’d give her.
At the first taste of her, Logan pressed Wynter up against the side of the pool. She tasted like the sweetest peach, so entirely ripe for him. She’d met his kiss with hunger, not fear, taking and giving. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt an instinctive connection with a woman. It was as if her energy was pouring into his veins, heightening all his senses. Logan deepened the kiss, barely able to restrain himself from grabbing his shaft and thrusting it deep into her. He could feel her swollen folds below wriggling against the small nest of hair above his rigid flesh. It would be so easy to slip into her heat. But he swore that he wouldn’t take her like this in the pool. No, when he took her for the first time, there’d be no secrets between them. She’d have to be as emotionally bare as she was physically.
A buzzer sounded faintly as he felt her wrap her small fingers around his cock. “Fuck,” he grunted at the feel of her touch. She was a fast little wolf, he thought. It felt so good, but this wasn’t happening now. He grabbed her wrist, bringing it quickly to his chest and placed her palm flat against him.
The rush of desire flowed throughout Wynter’s body. She was done waiting. Her whole life she’d been waiting for something, for someone to make her feel this way. It was as if she was coming alive for the very first time in her life. Animalistic. Wanton. Free. She couldn’t get enough of Logan. As he kissed her, she gave into her instinct to take; reaching down between her own legs, she found his hard arousal. It felt enormous in her fingers. Desperately wanting to bring him pleasure, she stroked it up and down until he breathed a groan into her mouth. She felt his firm grip manacle around her own, denying her. Why? Why was he stopping? No, this couldn’t be happening.
And as his lips pulled away from hers, she slumped forward, desperately trying to catch her breath, her sanity. Oh God, she’d done something wrong, she just knew it. But she didn’t even care. She just wanted, yearned. Logan made he
r feel and she didn’t want to go back to who she was.
Their foreheads pressed together, hearts beating frantically from their encounter. Slowly, they both opened their eyes, panting. Sensing his visitors, Logan retreated.
“Wynter,” he breathed. How he’d managed to have enough control to remove her hand from his dick was beyond him. He seriously thought he’d have to go stick his cock in an ice bucket after this tryst. Painful as it was, this wasn’t the time or place for their first time. But after that one kiss, he was quite certain that without a doubt, he planned on making love to her long and hard as soon as she revealed what she’d been really doing in New Orleans.
“Logan, I…I’m sorry…I shouldn’t have.” I’m sorry? No I’m not.
“No, don’t lie, baby. Remember the rules,” he reminded her with a brief kiss.
She laughed, still clutched onto him, their eyes mere inches from one another. “Okay, not sorry,” she admitted.
Before she knew what was happening, Logan’s hands were on her waist, hoisting her onto the edge of the pool into a sitting position. His eyes never leaving hers, he pulled a sun-warmed towel from behind her and covered her with it.
“Thank you,” Wynter responded softly, somewhat shaken by their kiss.
“You’re very welcome.” Logan smiled then looked over his shoulder. Company.
Female voices jarred her connection with Logan, drawing her attention to two women who’d obviously been watching their interaction. Dimitri took the redheaded woman into his arms, kissing her on the lips. Obviously, they were more than friends. The other woman, dressed in a tight black pencil skirt and red bustier, with long black hair and bangs, stared at Wynter. Very Goth, Wynter noted, wondering if the women were also wolves. A hand to her knee brought her focus back to Logan.
“Why don’t you go upstairs and relax for a while? Fiona,” Logan gestured over to the redhead, who appeared as a love child with her peasant skirt and wild curly hair. “She’s going to help you get settled in.”
Wynter’s brow wrinkled at his suggestion.
