Mating Seduction-epub

by Bonnie Vanak

  Happiness.

  Jackson rubbed a hand over his jaw, grimacing at the day beard that would only keep growing as the full moon approached. He found his shaving kit and lathered up. He scraped the bristles from his cheeks. Rinsing and cleaning out the sink, he glanced downward.

  A small streak of blood stained his upper thigh. Jackson took a washcloth and cleaned it off, worried about Lexie. He’d hurt her. Yeah, he’d tried to be as gentle as possible, but still, he’d hurt her.

  And she’d refused to admit it, which worried him more. Honesty was necessary to a long-term relationship.

  Jackson planned to make theirs very long term.

  When he slipped back into their tent, Lexie was sitting up, the sheet pulled to her breasts. With her long, tousled curls, sleepy doe eyes and languid smile, she looked sexy and delicious and irresistible.

  His phallus, which had been resting, gave a happy twitch. And another.

  “Someone’s awake,” she teased in a low, sultry voice. Lexie patted the space beside her. “Come on, big boy. Keep me warm. Bed’s cold.”

  Jackson jumped onto the mattress and slid between the sheets. He kissed her, delighted to feel her tongue tangling boldly with his. Lexie wriggled beneath him and spread her legs wide.

  Hell, if that wasn’t an invitation, what was?

  He found another condom and sheathed himself. Carefully, he pushed inside her, watching her face. Ah, she felt so tight and so good. Concerned he was hurting her, Jackson stopped moving and looked down into her passion-glazed eyes. “You ok, sweetheart?”

  Lexie growled and slid her arms around his neck. “Don’t stop or I’ll be forced to hurt you.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Promise?”

  “Jackson!”

  He laughed and kissed her, thrusting deep inside her, loving the wet heat of her surrounding his eager cock, loving her little, excited moans.

  Loving the idea of Lexie staying with him for life.

  Making love with this Lupine lowered all her inhibitions. Lexie curled her fingers around his broad shoulders as he moved inside her. Jackson’s gaze glittered fiercely.

  Her hands rose up, fisted in his thick, silky hair. She moaned, hot need clutching her. Her aching, wet pussy squeezed.

  He sucked on her lower lip, releasing it with a slight popping sound. Lexie writhed and moaned as he penetrated. Jackson growled again. She recognized his possessive need to claim her physically, imprint his flesh on hers, to mark her as his own.

  To merge them so completely she’d bond with him.

  Tiny muscles in her sex throbbed and pulsed around his thick cock. Give and take, she thought in a haze of sensual pleasure. Male and female, each needing each other. The way it was meant for Lupines.

  He fucked her hard and fast, making her sob and plead. Then he drew back on his haunches, wrapping her legs around his waist. Jackson leaned over her, pushing into her, playing with her clit. The friction of him sliding over her, combined with the light flicks of his skilled fingers, brought the tension to an explosive burst. Lexie screamed as she climaxed, her body bucking and shaking. Waves of pleasure slammed into her again and again.

  Then he stiffened, giving a loud groan. His heavy weight pressed her deep into the mattress as he eased his body onto hers. Perspiration slicked their skin. A cool breeze drifted in from the tent’s entrance, chilling the sweat. Lexie felt his cock throb inside her as Jackson rested his head on the mattress beside her.

  Jackson slid out of her body and then disposed of the condom. Cuddling against him, Lexie toyed with the damp curls on his chest.

  “Be my mate, Lexie,” he said quietly, and the sincere longing in his deep voice tore her apart.

  “You’re always going to keep me here, on the ranch. And I’m always going to want to compete. How do you expect this to work out, Jackson, with you aching to settle and me aching to ride on the open road?”

  “I need to stay here. The ranch is my life.”

  “And the rodeo is mine. Do you want me to give up something that means so much to me?”

  He went silent.

  Lexie closed her eyes, fighting the stabbing disappointment. Jackson wanted a tame mate who’d dutifully stay at home and never wander.

  I’ll never stop wanting the rodeo life. And Nikita would never let me go, even if I did settle down.

  But for one precious night, maybe she could live the fantasy and pretend everything would be fine, secure in Jackson’s strong arms.

  Chapter 12

  They returned to the cabin the following day. Sex with Jackson had proven more exhilarating than Lexie had ever imagined. Surely the experience had transformed her. Maybe now she could fully shift into the Lupine life. Certainly she felt more alive and free.

  Pine trees surrounded their cabin, providing ample cover. No prying eyes were present to watch her shapeshift into a freak. Jackson was at the barn, stabling their horses. She had time.

  Lexie took a deep breath and shifted.

  Bones lengthened and her body elongated. Her senses exploded with awareness, accompanied by the wonderful rush of joy and freedom. Daring to hope, Lexie twisted her head to examine her left rear paw. Dismay curled through her. Still the same.

  The woman inside the wolf wanted to weep. Lexie lay on the ground, head between her paws.

  A truck rattled down the gravel road, threading through the trees.

  Icy fear shot through her veins. Jackson. If he saw her like this, he’d know her secret. She had to shapeshift back, right now.

  Lexie tried summoning her magick, but sharp panic flooded her brain. Overcome with primitive fear, she slunk through the pines and searched frantically. There, a clump of rocks. The wolf darted behind the rocks.

  Deep inside the wolf, the woman howled with primitive pain.

  The truck door slammed. Boot heels crunched on gravel, then stopped. Jackson’s scent of fresh air and wildness drifted toward her. A gust of wind ruffled her fur.

  Lexie’s heart banged hard. The wind, her scent, Jackson was no fool. Mustering all her inner strength and magick, she shifted back into her Skin form and clothed herself, walking toward the cabin.

  She must tell him. Eventually, he’d find out. Until now, he’d been tender and patient.

  But soon enough, he’d insist she get naked with him. Totally. And then there would be no barriers between them.

  The sessions on Diamond that afternoon gave Lexie a thrilling sense of victory. She was going to win this race. Everything would work out –Nikita’s ranch would be saved before Jackson found out about her disability and throw her from his life. He deserved a strong mate. A whole mate.

  She stabled her horse then went into the lodge to search for a treat for her horse, as she did every time she finished practicing on Diamond. Only one apple remained in the bowl in the kitchen. As she walked into the living room, the fruit clutched in her palm, Cora glanced up from the fireplace hearth, a brush in her hand.

  Cora, working?

  “Is something wrong?” Lexie asked.

  “Peter wants to have a fire tonight, so I thought I’d clean out the fireplace. Bring me a log on that woodpile outside.” Cora hesitated. “Please?”

  Cora working and being polite. Maybe the Skin was taking drugs. Lexie set down the apple on a side table inside the kitchen. Peter stared at the empty fruit bowl.

  Lexie waved at him. “I took the last apple. Did you want it?”

  He gave her a warm smile. “No. Making a list of stuff for some grocery shopping. Planned to make dinner for Cora tonight.”

  Wow. Dinner and a fire. Peter and Cora were seeing each other. The Lupine had a good influence on Cora. She seemed softer.

  Cora was still on her knees, focused on the fireplace as Lexie went outside. She returned with two logs, placing them on the carpet.

  Her rival looked up. “Thanks.”

  More surprises. Cora, thanking her? “You’re welcome.”

  The woman wiped a smudge of ash off her chin and looked
uncertain. “I know I’ve been, well, kind of ….”

  “Bitchy?” she offered.

  Cora gave a wry smile. “Yeah. I’m sorry about that. Not that we can be friends, but I’d like to declare a truce.”

  Something was up. “Why now?”

  A delicate blush tinted her cheeks. “Peter and I are seeing each other. He’s pretty special, and I feel different with him. He made me realize some harsh stuff about myself.”

  Like the fact your bikini wax went all wrong, was on the tip of Lexie’s tongue. She bit the inside of her cheek. “Okay. A truce then.”

  Truce, yeah. Trust, no way.

  “Good luck with your practice. You’re really good,” Cora said.

  Wondering if the apocalypse was coming, she nodded her thanks.

  After retrieving the apple, she walked to the stables to give Diamond the treat. Cora was changing. Life on this ranch had a good effect on her.

  It was a good life. Maybe she and Jackson could make it work out. Daring to dream, she opened the door and headed down the wide aisle to Diamond’s stall.

  Her cowboy was at the stable’s far end, tending to his cutting horse. The sight of him made her heart flip flop. Jackson was a fine-looking Lupine, in tight jeans and a blue denim work shirt. He’d done things to her in bed that still sent a tingle racing down her spine.

  But sex wasn’t enough to make a relationship work. Jackson wanted to settle down, raise a passel of babies.

  She still thrilled for the race, the adrenalin of hearing the crowd shout her name. Racing was her life, her identity. Jackson’s identity came from loyalty to his pack. She couldn’t afford to make a mistake and let her feelings for Jackson shackle her to his side.

  Lexie pushed aside the thought. For now, she wanted to focus on everything life suddenly handed her, and enjoy it.

  She polished the apple on her shirt and held it out to Diamond. The mare’s nostrils twitched and she backed off, retreating into her stall.

  Lexie frowned. “It’s an apple, girl. I know it’s from a strange pack, but it’s all good. Your favorite.”

  She rubbed the apple harder on her shirt and sniffed. She didn’t detect anything rotten. Maybe her mare was being skittish.

  Lexie sighed. “All right. There’s nothing wrong with it and I’ll prove it. I’ll take the first bite.”

  Diamond whinnied and kicked at the stall door, her apple-round eyes widening, showing the whites.

  “It’s okay, it’s okay.” Lexie soothed. She set the apple down on the bench. “Look, it’s gone now.”

  Diamond snorted and shook her head.

  What the heck had gotten into her horse? Lexie looked over at Jackson feeding oats to his cutting horse. “What are you giving her? She’s all riled up.”

  “Maybe she needs a strong male to ride her, like you did,” Jackson called back. He grinned and set down the empty bucket.

  “Right. Ha ha.” Lexie plopped down on the bench and picked up the apple. She bit into it, crunching loudly.

  “When you’re finished taking a snack break, you can start cleaning the stalls.” He led his horse out of the wooden cubicle, down the wide aisle.

  “Is this how you always treat guests?”

  Jackson turned and gave a charming grin. “Nope. It’s how I treat my lover, and a member of my pack. You’re one of us.”

  “One of us.” A warm glow filled her. How she wished it could be true.

  Then reality kicked in. Mating Jackson for life didn’t just involve her, but her pack. And Nikita would never give permission, even if Lexie agreed.

  Sighing, she set the apple down on the bench. She fetched the pitchfork, putting it in the wheelbarrow, and started mucking out a stall.

  Fifteen minutes later, the stall floor began to tilt crazily. Nausea churned in her stomach as her shirt, already dampened with perspiration, became soaked with sweat. She wiped off her wet forehead. Shoveling manure never affected her like this. She set down the fork and walked out of the stall and suddenly staggered.

  Whistling, Jackson strolled into the barn and stopped short. He grabbed her around the waist as she started to fall.

  “Lexie!”

  She wanted to die, get rid of the ground glass in her stomach, the stabbing pain in her joints. Shift, she needed her wolf, her wolf would heal her. But her thoughts were too scrambled. Lexie held her belly and moaned. Jackson sniffed the air.

  “Where’s that apple? Lexie, tell me!”

  But she couldn’t answer. Pain seized her with sharp pincers. Dimly she saw Jackson run and seize the apple she’d bitten. He brought it to his nose and cursed.

  “Bitter almonds. Cyanide poisoning.” He raced into the stable office and returned with a big bottle.

  Jackson held it to her lips. “Drink, Lexie.”

  Moaning, she shook her head.

  He forced the bottle past her lips, tilted her head back and tickled her throat. Gagging, she swallowed, tears running down her face.

  And then everything rumbled like a volcano. Holding her by the shoulders, Jackson eased her onto a bench as she began to vomit, too miserable to be embarrassed.

  “Easy, sweetheart, easy, it’s all right,” he crooned. “Let it all out.”

  Footsteps thundered in the barn. Voices called out as if from a distance. Miserable and horribly sick, she kept retching.

  “Aiden, fetch the O2 from the medical kit in the office,” Jackson called out.

  His hands on her shoulders were warm and steady. “Easy,” he soothed. “Just let it all out.”

  Finally, she sat upright, her stomach still cramping. He wiped her face with a bandana and his tender expression cut through the awful pain. Aiden rushed up with a glass of water and a portable oxygen tank. Jackson grabbed the mask, slipped it over her mouth and turned the canister’s knob.

  “No water for now. You need O2, Lexie. Flush out your system. Breathe. I know you want to shift, and how it hurts, but fight it. You need to stay in Skin. Just breathe deeply.”

  Her wolf howled, wanting to crawl into a horse stall and curl up in a dark corner. Closing her eyes, Lexie dragged the cool, refreshing oxygen deep into her lungs. She trusted this Lupine, knew he meant her no harm.

  But someone else obviously did…

  Two hours later, Lexie awoke in a bed the size of a corral. A mountain of soft, fluffy pillows were tucked beneath her head. Lexie inhaled and caught the distinct, powerful scent of the Mitchell pack alpha.

  Struggling to sit up, she put a hand to her aching head, feeling it throb beneath her trembling fingertips. And then she became aware of a sharper male scent of spices, hay and leather.

  And an enormous gray timber wolf lying at the bed’s end. The muscled wolf raised its head and looked at her with dark brown eyes.

  Jackson guarded her rest. The thought deeply touched her.

  The bedroom door opened and Aiden strolled in. A warning growl rumbled from the wolf. The pack alpha held up his hands. “Whoa, easy. It’s me. Just came with some water for your female.”

  The wolf turned his head and paced over to Lexie’s side, plopping down beside her, creating a barrier of fur and fangs. Aiden frowned.

  “Don’t go all territorial here, Jackson. I know she’s yours. And if you piss on my bed to mark your territory, I’m going to turn you into a fur rug.”

  The wolf lowered his head and sulked.

  “Now, may I have your permission to examine her?”

  The wolf moved back slightly, allowing a small space for Aiden to sit. The alpha handed her two pills and a cool glass of water, which she gulped down.

  Then he felt her neck, taking her pulse. “You’ll be fine. Have a hell of a headache for a few hours, I’m afraid. Effects of poison on a Lupine system.”

  Lexie managed to find her voice. “And you know this because you’re an expert in cyanide poisoning? Something you enjoy, like long walks on the beach, good movies and the close company of friends?”

  Lines furrowed his forehead as he sat in a
n armchair next to the window. “I know because someone once poisoned me with cyanide, trying to take over the pack. Seems to be a favorite means of trying to dispatch Lupines.”

  Her stomach, which had started to settle down, began to churn again. Lexie gripped the bedcovers. “What happened to him? Did you kill him?”

  The wolf growled deep in his throat.

  “No. I allowed him a five-minute head start before I set the rest of the pack on him. He went quickly. One of my most loyal members broke his neck.”

  Judging from the steady look Aiden gave the wolf, she knew which wolf claimed that loyalty.

  “It’s why I’m treating his female with special care. I want him to stay here, need him to stay here, and for that, he needs you.” Aiden narrowed his eyes. ‘Now, I need to know where you got the apple.”

  “The wicked queen?”

  The wolf turned its head, studying her, his tail thumping against the bed.

  Lexie pressed her fingers harder against her right temple. Aiden wasn’t kidding about the headache. A nail spike pounded into her skull. “It was sitting in a bowl in the lodge kitchen.”

  “Did you set it down at any time before biting into it?”

  Eyes wide, she stared at the handsome alpha leader. “Cora asked me to help her pile firewood into the hearth because she’d planned a fire later. I set the apple on a table and went outside. When I picked it up again, it had that strange smell, but I dismissed it.”

  Suddenly the wolf vanished, replaced by a naked Jackson.

  “Clothing, please,” Aiden ordered.

  He clothed himself through magick and leaned close. “Was anyone else in the kitchen?”

  Lexie winced at her hammering head and thought. “Peter.”

  Aiden and Jackson exchanged looks.

  “He’s in love with Cora,” Jackson said quietly.

  “He is?” Lexie winced. “Good luck to him. Maybe he should eat a cyanide-laced apple, put him out of his misery.”

  The alpha chuckled, but Jackson did not. “Lexie, you must tell us. Have there been any other incidents?”

  Her stomach roiled, making the aching in her head worse. No point hiding the truth any longer.