by Bonnie Vanak
“I’ll take Lexie to the north pasture tomorrow when we round up the yearlings for their vaccinations. Nikita will be happy Lexie’s learning about that, since she dropped out of college.”
“How did you know I dropped out?” she asked, tugging at the rope confining her arms.
“Darling, I make it my business to know everything about you.”
“Not everything,” she muttered, refusing to meet his gaze.
“All right.” Aiden scrolled through the computer. “I’ll go visit Nikita tomorrow, invite myself to dinner and let her know about Lexie. It’s protocol. Last thing we need is a pack war.”
“You won’t get past the front gate,” Lexie said..
Aiden went very still.
Jackson squeezed her shoulder. “Lex? Why not?”
She shook her head in obvious distress. “You should probably just call.”
“Tell me,” Aiden ordered, making Lexie jump. The alpha gentled his voice. “Is there a problem? I want to help.”
After a moment of consideration, Lexie said, “Nikita will never let a male get near her.”
“Not even for dinner?” Aiden shook his head.
“Dinner can turn into something more. And you’ll never convince her to let you into her bed. She’ll never let you run her life. Nothing will get her to relinquish power.”
His normally mild alpha slammed a fist upon the desk. Pencil holders and a glass of tea rattled. Aiden stood and braced his hands on the desktop, thunderclouds forming on his brow.
Jackson felt a spurt of pride when Lexie didn’t lower her gaze or step back. She lifted her chin and spoke in a steady, but low voice. “Her pride won’t let her accept help from outsiders.” She stilled, then met Aiden’s questioning look head on. “If only I’d known…”
Lexie fell silent.
Jackson turned her around. “Known what?”
She compressed her lips. Troubled, Jackson glanced at Aiden, whose furious look turned to frank speculation.
When the alpha spoke, his voice was mild. “There’s spare clothing in the supply room that should fit her until Nikita sends over her stuff.”
Jackson nodded. As Lexie began to protest, he silently scooped her over one shoulder like a sack of flour. He gave her bottom a gentle slap. “Quiet now, or I’ll gag you, too.”
At the downstairs supply closet, he set Lexie onto her feet and released her from the lariat. Silently she picked out an assortment of garments and stuffed them into the suitcase he found. Jackson carried the luggage outside, one hand at the small of her back as he guided her out the door.
“Where’s your truck?” he asked.
“Down the road outside the front gate.”
“You walked all this distance?”
“If I got caught, I didn’t want Aiden confiscating the truck. It belongs to the ranch.”
He held out his hand and she sighed, fishing the keys from a pocket. Minutes later, they drove in her pickup truck back to the lodge. Jackson pulled into the gravel parking lot and shut off the engine, leaving the keys in the ignition.
“I’ll leave it here, and Nikita can have someone pick it up tomorrow when she sends over your stuff.”
“Thanks.”
Warmth curled in his chest, seeing her tuckered out as a pup. Jackson went to his pickup and put his rope and her suitcase in the bed as Lexie climbed into the cab.
The cabin was a good fifteen-minute drive from the lodge down the winding gravel road, snaking along pastures and corrals. Finally he turned onto a dirt road flanked by pine and oak trees and pulled up to a two-story wood cabin. Large windows overlooked a wide porch with a view of the sweeping, grassy meadows. It was isolated and alone - like him, he thought cynically.
Eyes huge in her face, Lexie climbed out, hugging herself. Sensing exhaustion but no fear, Jackson took her suitcase, escorted her inside and flipped on the lights.
The cabin opened to a great room with hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling windows. A bronze statue of a rearing horse sat atop the fireplace mantel. The room was homey and comfortable, with big, overstuffed chairs gathered around a cheery floral rug set before the stone hearth fireplace.
He set her suitcase down as Lexie explored her new home for the week. The kitchen was a showpiece, a large window over the sink to allow in plenty of natural light, white, glass-door cabinets and gleaming honey-toned granite. A breakfast bar separated the kitchen from a dining table with eight chairs. French doors from the dining area led to an outside deck.
“Hot tub and lounge chairs outside on the deck,” Jackson told her as she ran a finger across the counter. “Big enough backyard for a garden, or a child’s playground.”
Aiden had each cabin designed to accommodate the families he hoped the mostly male pack would father.
“It’s late and you need rest. Take the first guest room upstairs,” he told her.
Her delicate scent wound around him like the lariat he’d captured her with, tendrils of intoxicating female teasing his groin and making him hard. Lexie glanced at him, the tension easing from her rigid shoulders. “And where are you sleeping?”
Sighing, he pointed to the leather sofa.
“There’s not another bedroom upstairs?”
“Yeah, there is.” He dragged in a lungful of her scent. “But if I bunk near you, you won’t be a virgin in the morning.”
Lexie gulped. “So, I’m sleeping alone?”
He wanted her. Forever. Not only a night and he needed to show her the all the pleasures awaiting her in his bed, without forcing her hand. “Tomorrow we’ll work with the yearlings.”
She brightened and picked up her suitcase before he could haul it upstairs for her. “And Diamond? Do I get to see her again?”
He nodded. Damn, would she ever react with such enthusiasm to him instead of a horse? Draw close and whisper how much she missed him? He’d spent the past two years missing her terribly.
Her smile dropped. “When, er, does our agreement begin?” A delicate flush heated her face. “The part about me sleeping with you.”
Oh baby, right now, because I’m more than ready. But he wanted to go slow, let her become accustomed to his touch. “The third night. I want to give you time to settle in.”
Jackson took her hand, marveling at how delicate and pretty her fingers were. So soft. He stroked his thumb across the back and felt her shiver.
Then he brushed a kiss against her knuckles.
Surprise flared on her face. “What’s that for?”
“A gentleman always kisses a lady’s hand goodnight. I’m no gentleman,” his grin widened, “but you sure are a lady.”
Her small, hesitant smile was worth it. He needed her acknowledging the sexual need flaring between them. Their kiss two years ago had nearly made his groin explode and he knew, scented, she felt the same.
Watching her race up the stairs, Jackson wondered if he should have tumbled her on the living room floor. Maybe he was being too soft. And then he glanced down and fervently wished he would be soft. That part of him, anyway. But it refused. Nope, his dick was eager and straining in his jeans, waving hello as if emerging from a long drought.
He’d had sex last week. And yet it felt as if he’d been celibate for years, because he’d been denied Lexie, the one female that could satisfy heart and soul..
Tossing his hat onto the coffee table, he sat on the sofa and prepared for a long night. A very long, hard night. One troubling thought chased through his mind as he stripped and bedded down.
What was going on at the Blakemore ranch and why was Lexie reluctant to talk about it?
Chapter 3
Sunlight streamed into the spacious bedroom, nudging Lexie awake. She blinked hard and sat up, staring at the magnificent view outside of pasture and trees.
After her shower, she went downstairs, rounded the corner into the kitchen.
A naked man stood at the stove, frying bacon.
Grinding to a halt, she uttered a small shriek. Jackson turned
his head and offered a lazy grin. “Morning, darling. Want some breakfast?”
“Frying bacon in the nude? You’re either brave or crazy.”
“Adventurous. Like to think of myself as adventurous.”
“Will you put some clothes on?”
Jackson tilted his head. “Why? I’m Lupine and like getting close to nature. Always sleep nude, too.”
Lordy, something was on fire and it wasn’t the bacon. Heat spiraled through her body, curling low in her loins. Jackson in jeans and working shirt was a sight to behold.
But a naked Jackson, whoa, this fired all her dormant sexual circuits. Sculpted muscles roped his long arms, the biceps bulging as he grabbed more rashers of raw bacon to toss into the skillet. Planes of muscle and sinew framed his back, dipping down to his taut…
Oh yeah. Nothing like a male with a very firm ass.
His limbs were long, straight and dusted with dark hair. Even his feet were perfect.
As he started to turn, she squeaked. “Please, put some clothes on.”
He considered, then plucked a red apron off a wood peg near the stove and tied it around his waist and neck, leaving his very fine ass exposed to her hungry eyes. The apron’s front read, Kiss My Meat.
Jackson reached for the eggs, showing a blue-inked upper right arm. Lexie squinted. “You got runes for a tat?”
Jackson nodded and cracked an egg into another skillet, beating it with a fork. “Gets lonely on the range and I can’t always shift, not around the cattle. So the ink keeps me grounded as Lupine, reminds me of what I am.”
A small sigh escaped her as she stared at his muscled ass. What you are is perfection.
The sight of all that tanned skin, from sleek flanks to the top of his rumpled, dark hair, did something to her insides. Lexie folded her arms across her waist, hiding her tummy bulge. The pink pajamas with the little goldfish had seemed cute, but they revealed all her trouble spots. Appetite gone, she headed for the stainless-steel fridge and rummaged through it. Ah, excellent. Lexie grabbed a low-fat yogurt, peeled it open and chucked the top into the garbage can. As she took a spoon from the already-set table, Jackson eyed her.
Leaning against the counter, she spooned the yogurt. He flipped the bacon and paused to sip from a big mug filled with coffee.
This Lupine had taught her to hone her time in barrel racing, patiently spending hours teaching her how to work Diamond through the patterns. They’d spent hours together, laughed together. Late at night, while she stayed as a guest at the ranch, he’d made big, steaming mugs of hot chocolate and they’d curled up on the sofa in the living room and talked.
Lexie craved her freedom. In the years since she’d been away, she’d fought hard for every single accomplishment. But she’d missed him and their quiet, late night talks and his wicked sense of humor.
He glanced over one wide shoulder. “Why did you drop out of school? Last time we talked, all you ever wanted to be was a veterinarian.”
She shrugged. “Tuition went up and money is a little tight. I plan to go back. In the meantime, I can work with the animals on the ranch, and gain experience that can help me earn college credits.”
“I’ll help you with the ranch animals.” He turned and grinned, and his boyish smile made her insides squeeze with longing. “And teach you all about wolves. We can be big, bad and very sexy, especially when we run with the moon. Aiden was serious about running with the pack. It’s a big honor.”
She knew that. But she couldn’t risk it. “I’ll think about it.”
“Why are you so against running with the moon? Don’t you run with your pack?”
“Never.”
She never ran with anyone. Too ashamed, she chose isolated areas where no one could see her wolf.
In the saddle, she didn’t have to wonder if she was more Lupine than Skin. In the saddle, she wasn’t Lexie, the overweight Skin, or the Lupine with the deformity that held her back from running like the wind. Her horse did the running and she guided her. In the saddle, she was a queen.
“You’d like running with me. We’d have fun.”
As she slowed him down? She never wanted to see pity in his gaze. “Doubt it.”
A gleam glinted his chocolate brown eyes. “Want to bet? I’d teach you to play hide and seek. You hide and I seek.”
“And what’s the prize?”
“You. Naked.” Jackson winked.
The yogurt’s creamy texture turned to mushy cardboard. She set down the carton. “Hmm.”
“Why are you eating that junk? You’re Lupine and Lupines eat meat, in case you forgot while you were at school.”
Self-conscious of her weight, she shrugged. She adored bacon down to the last fatty calorie, but no way would she put it in her mouth.
“If you’re going to eat dairy, what about mint chocolate chip ice cream with crushed Oreos? Remember our jaunt to DQ?”
A small smile escaped.. “It was great.” Then she remembered how wide her hips were. “I don’t eat that anymore. There’s no benefit to eating ice cream.”
Jackson sighed and turned down the heat under the bacon and the eggs. “Lexie, talk to me. You’ve changed.”
She stared at the kitchen clock, its second hand merrily sweeping around the disc. “No big deal. I’m dieting. Have to keep my weight down for competition.”
“Diet? You?”
Yeah, diet, because I’m too fat…when I’m naked I’ve got jiggles when I walk…okay, let’s notgo there, thinking about nudity, not with this gorgeous, naked cowboy so close…
“Everyone says I’m too big to compete.” Lexie blushed, hoping Jackson had never heard about her hated and yet infamous nickname.
“Diamond ever complain about you mounting her?”
As she shook her head, he continued, “You’re first in your division, all the time. Your weight ever stop you from sliding into the turns or controlling your horse?”
Another headshake. Staring at the clock, Lexie folded her arms across her belly, trying to hide her bulges as he approached.
Two warm hands cupped her cheeks. He ran a thumb over her bottom lip and a shiver coursed down her spine. Hell, even that was plump. But she loved having him touch her.“You’re beautiful as you are, and you don’t need to lose weight. You’re a perfect female.”
Blinking, she finally dragged her gaze away to look up at him. Perfect was applied to Lupines like Jackson, not her. Did he really think she was perfect, the way she was?
“Seriously?” Lexie dared to hope.
“Never been more serious in my life.”
Her eyes closed as his mouth descended on hers. Such a gentle, sweet kiss, simmering with passion beneath. Lexie breathed in his spicy scent, arousal flooding her loins. When he drew away, disappointment stabbed her.
Something else stabbed at her as well, hard and prodding her belly. Lexie didn’t glance down, but Jackson grinned as she turned beet red.
“Sorry. Condition of being around you, darlin’. Can’t help but get turned on.”
She went to the table, intrigued that she got Jackson sexually aroused. Judging from the sexy, sleepy look in his eyes, he wanted more. It was a heady feeling. Would he kiss her again? But Jackson only dished out the bacon and eggs onto a big plate. “Help yourself to a real breakfast. Be right back,” he told her.
Jackson ran upstairs to the master bathroom.
He closed and locked the door behind him. Time to take business in hand, so to speak.
Lexie drove him wild. Having her this close sent all his hormones raging. As a virile Lupine, his wolf savored the thought of throwing her down and mounting her, thrusting hard and deep.
Time enough for that later. He would be her first lover, and he intended to take it nice and slow. A thrill of pure male possessiveness filled him at the thought of her lying beneath him, her soft body cushioning his as he tutored her in the art of lovemaking.
Lexie was curvaceous and feminine. She thought herself plump, and man, he could kill the Skins who
called her that. She was petite and sexy, with that tangle of dark brown curls spilling down her back.
He thought about fisting a hand in those curls as he rode her from the back, and more pre-cum seeped from his painfully hard cock.
He removed the apron and tossed it aside, then opened drawers and searched. Ah, excellent. An unopened tube of lubricant. Would come in handy later as well. Easing a sharp breath through his clenched teeth, he squirted a handful of into his palm, then grasped his painfully hard erection.
As he worked his male flesh, he thought about kneeling before Lexie, his tongue laving her wet sex. Then standing up and pushing into her silky pussy. It would feel like wet satin wrapped around his dick. He’d grab her round hips and squeeze tight and draw her closer as his balls tightened, preparing to shoot semen deep inside her.
Maybe even impregnating her.
The thought got him so excited, he came close to climax. Jackson hissed out a breath, wanting the fantasy to last a little longer. Yeah, he’d fuck her hard, their flesh slapping together, but most of all, he wanted to see passion daze her eyes.
He wanted to see her smile for him, and him alone. How he adored seeing her dimple pierce her left cheek and her pretty gray eyes sparkle.
Only he would claim her in the flesh and put his mating mark on her tender skin. He would seduce her with so much pleasure, she’d capitulate and agree to mate him for life.
And if that didn’t work, he’d tie her up again. Once he was finished, she’d never seek another male’s bed.
Shuddering, he grabbed a towel and ejaculated into it. It would suffice for now. But he wanted the real thing with Lexie. Hot, passionate sex.
And he would have her, and claim her in the flesh. Soon.
Very soon.
Chapter 4
Jackson in the nude was enough to make Lexie’s heart stop, but damn, the Lupine also looked good sitting on a horse. Sunlight glinted his dark brown hair, burnishing several strands to dark gold. A rush of blood surged to her groin, making her fully aware she wasn’t as indifferent to his sexuality as she’d thought…
