Michael laughed. “Come now, Ethan. Do you think me a fool? I won’t be sharing that information with you.”
“I’ve been searching for him for years. You’re going to tell me you found out something I haven’t?”
“That’s exactly what I’m telling you. If you don’t believe me, then challenge me.”
They both knew he wouldn’t. Not yet. He couldn’t take the chance.
Michael smirked. “So we have a deal, then?”
Ethan held the other male’s gaze and debated his choices, but could only come up with one. “I can’t promise you I’ll be able to mate one of our betas.”
“Then Maria will be mated off next month, and my order to eliminate Owen stands as a deterrent to any thoughts of revenge you might harbor.” Michael ambled toward the door at the far end of the room, but paused with his hand on the knob. “I know you will have them, but remain loyal to me and Owen will continue living the life he chose. It’s a win-win situation for all involved.”
Michael slipped from the room without another word.
Ethan fought his instincts that demanded Michael’s screams. The bastard had led him into a corner, thinking Ethan wouldn’t fight back. For thirty long years, he hadn’t. He’d accepted the helplessness and shame, justifying his complacency because he couldn’t get his dick to rise for a female. No longer did his excuses hold any weight.
He had to act.
But how am I supposed to find my brother before I do? Because his goals hadn’t changed. Michael would die on the next full moon. Ethan just had to figure out how he’d live with himself if he didn’t bring Owen home in time.
Chapter Eight
Hannah found the garage door to Ethan’s house open. She parked but made no move to get out. Excitement mixed with her nerves. They would have sex tonight. She didn’t doubt it. Why else invite her to spend the night?
The anticipation of seeing him naked and accepting him into her body sped her pulse. She wanted him. More than that, she craved what he could give her. Her lust had gotten out of control. Horny didn’t come close to describing what gripped her.
Her anxiety, on the other hand, kept her rooted in her seat. They hadn’t even kissed. Tonight they would do that and so much more. She could satisfy him. Of that, she was positive. She’d never shied away from sex. What worried her was tomorrow.
Would he still want her? Or kick her out, claiming what they’d done a mistake?
As much as she hated to admit, her single night with Alex had broken her. His words had hurt. Sure, he’d apologized profusely. She also knew he hadn’t meant them to be so harsh. He still felt guilt over the fact that he’d made her cry. The outcome remained the same: He’d been right. She’d acted like a naive fool and confused affection with lust.
Love came in many forms. How many times had Nona told her that? The widowed shifter female, who’d raised Riley and Alex, had acted as a motherly figure to Hannah and Nic too. After her incident with Alex, Nona had told Hannah she should listen with her heart, not her body. Sure, it’d made sense. Except, Hannah thought she had read her feelings correctly. She feared making the same mistake.
And if I allow my confusion to cripple me, I’ll never find out.
She took a steadying breath and climbed out of her SUV. She made her way to the door leading into Ethan’s house and paused with her hand on the knob. A faint smell lingered in the space. She inhaled, and the familiar scent of another male filled her lungs.
Noah.
The sensory input instantly brought his image to the forefront of her mind. The memory of his arms around her left her shaky and kicked up her arousal another notch. Eyes squeezed tight, she shook her head to clear it of any inappropriate response. She did not want to remember how good his cock had felt pressed against her crotch or how tingles had skipped over her skin from the brush of his beard.
Ethan was the male she’d come to fuck, not Noah. She couldn’t deny her attraction to Noah, however. The yearning to hear his voice didn’t help.
Think with your heart, not your body. She snorted. Easier said than done. Both were overloaded. Six months of innocent encounters with Ethan had left her crazed. Combined with her rampaging hormones and she could barely go five minutes without thinking about sex. It annoyed her but it was part of her nature. She did house an animal, after all.
And I know what I need. Ethan will give it to me tonight. He’ll dominate me. Fuck me hard. Make me scream.
Her air rushed out, and her lower belly quivered. Lust gripped her. She glanced over her shoulder. Only her black SUV sat in the large space. She hoped Ethan returned soon and didn’t expect conversation, not until tomorrow at least.
She pushed the door. Darkness met her, but the smells in the air tore a soft sigh from her lips. Ethan’s and Noah’s personal fragrance mixed with the comforting scent of flowers. Lilacs, if she had to guess. Although well dressed and refined, Ethan didn’t strike her the type to decorate his home with flowers.
Maybe he got them from Noah to give to me. It would explain the other male’s lingering presence. She grinned and slipped inside, closing the door behind her with a soft click.
She waited a moment for her eyesight to adjust to the dimness, then made her way across the kitchen. It was the only room in the house she’d seen. Ethan had always arranged to meet her in different human establishments, far from either of their packs. Privacy had been the reason he’d given. He’d wanted to enjoy her company without the interruptions of their pack mates.
Her conversation with Sean earlier in the day stirred the uncertainty she’d chosen to ignore. She halted her steps halfway across the tiled floor. Lip caught between her teeth, she fought her doubt. She liked Ethan, not simply for his body but for his personality.
I am not wrong about him. He’s a gentleman, and he wants me. Only me. It’s why he hasn’t dated anyone else.
Chin raised, she continued forward and entered a large living room. She spun slowly and surveyed it. An expensive TV hung on the wall, but no other sign of wealth choked the room, despite the money she knew he possessed. The furniture was simple, and only a few replicas of famous paintings offered any color to the space.
With a smile on her lips, she scanned the interior once more, then shook her head in amusement. Neat and refined without being overbearing, much like the male who lived here. The bold pictures he’d chosen hinted at a part of his psyche she suspected he kept well hidden. The carnal hunger she’d sometimes caught in his eyes warned her of the lover he’d be once she broke his control. He’d be insatiable. Wild. Demanding.
She couldn’t wait to be at his mercy.
The thought spurred her forward. She slipped off her heels, set them neatly next to wall, then climbed the stairs, gaze locked on the door at the end of the hall—Ethan’s bedroom. She knew it was his. It was the only room facing the meadow where he’d found her undressing. He told her how he’d watched her and had been instantly drawn to her. She’d loved knowing he too experienced the same immediate connection she had.
“Then why doesn’t anyone know he’s seeing you? I’ve asked Noah. He said Ethan doesn’t want a mate, never had.” Sean’s words fed her doubt, making her stomach churn.
She gritted her teeth and turned the doorknob. Another dark room greeted her. The sudden alertness of her wolf froze her in place. Fear didn’t radiate from it, though. She couldn’t tell what set it on edge exactly. Anticipation, maybe?
A deep breath told her nothing. The same scents she’d noted earlier drifted from the room—Ethan, lilacs, and Noah. Twined into them were more fragrant smells. She couldn’t name the flowers, but the combination urged her to close her eyes and relax. Body tensed, she scanned the room instead.
She made out the shapes of chairs in the back corner, a fireplace, and a dresser near a large window, likely the same one Ethan had spied out the night they’d met. The urge to walk toward it and view th
e open area from above grew into a compulsion. She ignored it for the moment and finished her survey.
A strip of moonlight from another window cut across the bed. The covers were turned down, exposing green sheets. Nothing else caught her eye. She stood there another moment in silence, but her wolf’s eagerness beat at her. She could come up with only one reason it would be excited. One person, actually.
“Ethan?”
No answer. She took a step forward. Movement caught her eye. She froze but didn’t get the chance to do more. A muscled arm hooked around her waist. She sucked in a breath. Noah’s strong and rich fragrance seeped into her lungs. Confusion surfaced. He yanked her against him and kicked the door shut with his foot before she could process more.
The warmth of his body radiated along her back, and his heated breath stirred her hair. He nuzzled against her, using his chin to brush her hair from her neck. Lust gripped her hard, not fear. She shivered and barely stopped herself from leaning into him.
He tightened his hold on her. “Hannah.”
Her name held all the hunger she’d seen in his eyes the last time she’d spoken to him, but the possessive spread of his fingers over her lower belly and the long length of his arousal pressed against her back didn’t match the brush-off he’d given her then.
Her confusion skyrocketed over his presence in Ethan’s bedroom. The commanding way he held her didn’t help her think. Primal instincts to submit surfaced. They surprised her as much as finding the male in Ethan’s home. She ignored the excitement Noah’s touch offered and focused on the practicalities of her situation.
An aroused male had her at his mercy. If it had been Ethan who’d grabbed her, she’d be ripping his clothes off. It wasn’t. A male who had no business in his bedroom held her.
She grasped Noah’s forearms and pushed. Her shove did nothing to break his grip. He continued to skim his lips along the length of her throat, back and forth as if savoring the taste of her. The reverent caress did crazy things to her heart and mind. She didn’t want to enjoy his chaste kiss, but couldn’t help it. Ethan had conditioned her to react to the slightest stimulation.
Noah tentatively dragged the tip of his tongue over her wildly beating vein, following the path his lips had taken. A shudder ran through her, and her knees weakened. Guilt rushed up, even though she knew it wasn’t entirely her fault that his embrace sent her up in flames. It was her hormones. Nothing more. The rationalization steadied her. She rammed her elbow into his stomach. He gasped, and she slipped from his arms.
She scooted farther into the room and waited, hands loose at her sides and stance widened, for him to rush her. He made no move toward her. He stood where she’d left him, partially in the strip of light from the parted curtains, and swept his gaze over her. After a slow, heated perusal from her face to her feet, he grinned. She glared at him, refusing to be swayed by the mix of lust and respect in his expression.
She curled her fingers. The bite of her nails dimmed her excitement. She concentrated on the pain until her heart rate slowed. No fear. No lust. Both would urge him to act on his instincts. “What are you doing in Ethan’s house?”
“Waiting for you.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re late, by the way. It doesn’t give us much time to talk before Ethan returns home.”
His words punched her in the gut. She straightened her spine, refusing to let him see her hurt. “You invited me over, not Ethan. Didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
She studied him as intently as he had her. Shirtless, he stood before her looking every bit as delicious as she’d imagined. Although not naked, he might as well have been. Every magnificent inch of him was set on display, even those parts hidden by the gray sweats that hung low on his hips.
His muscled chest drew her eye but didn’t hold her attention. She skimmed her gaze lower to perfectly sculpted abs and finally to his groin. The cotton outlined the long line of his cock.
Her lower belly quivered. She ignored the demands of her body and focused on his face. Mouth opened slightly and eyes hazed with desire, he watched her with barely controlled hunger. He dragged the tip of his tongue along his upper lip, drawing her attention. The tips of his fangs lowered, and his eyes took on a faint glow.
The sign of his excitement stirred hers. Her breathing quickened. She clenched her hands tighter.
Wrong, wrong, wrong. Ethan’s the male I want to mate. I should not be drooling over anyone else.
More guilt choked her. She took a step forward and welcomed her anger. “Does Ethan know you tricked me into coming over here?”
“No. He’ll be furious that I went behind his back.” He smirked. “But he’ll approve once he sees the two of us here waiting for him.”
She took a backward step. “Approve? What are you talking about?”
He glanced from her balled fist to her face. His amusement faded. “I’m sorry, Hannah. I hadn’t meant to frighten you.”
She forced her fingers to unclench. “I’m not afraid. Cautious and confused, yes. I expected to find Ethan waiting for me, not you. I want to know why.”
“Ethan wants to mate you.”
His words should’ve made her happy. The sadness twined into them stopped the warm feeling from taking root. “He told you this?”
A single nod answered her.
“And his choice matters to you because…?”
“For more reasons than you would ever guess.”
He approached her but stopped before she was forced to choose between holding her ground and retreating. The male stirred her uncertainty and left her off-balance. The confident aura she prided herself in maintaining around people slipped through her fingers. Only with her loved ones and Ethan had she ever let her vulnerable side show.
She straightened her spine, refusing to allow Noah to see it too. “Well, how about you enlighten me, then? Why does Ethan’s plan to mate me matter to you?”
“How long has Ethan been stringing you along?”
“Stringing me along? I thought you said…” She pressed her lips together and berated herself for the slip. She might as well have told him how Ethan’s actions, or lack of them, had stirred her doubt and left her wary.
“That he plans to claim you as his mate?” He closed the distance between them, slowly, cautiously. Giving her a chance to run? Or testing her?
“Yes, Ethan wants me.” She squared her jaw. He did, dammit. She wasn’t misreading him.
Another step brought him into her personal space. The heat radiating from him tempted her to move closer. She locked her knees and tipped her head back to hold his gaze.
“And you want him.”
The slight growl to his tone gave her pause, but still she felt no fear. Neither did her wolf. It sat, watching Noah through her eyes. Though she’d been born with the animal, she didn’t exactly understand its motives half the time. She dismissed it and focused on Noah’s green eyes. “I wouldn’t be in his bedroom if I didn’t.”
He made a noncommittal sound.
She huffed. “You didn’t answer me. Why do you care?”
“And you didn’t answer me. How long has Ethan been”—he skimmed the tips of his fingers over her loose hair—“seeing you?”
Although spoken softly, the question demanded an answer. She thought about resisting but couldn’t bring herself to deny him. “Six months.”
He nodded. “And what have you done together in that time?”
“I’m not discussing that with you.”
He slid his hand to the back of her neck. “Has he fucked you?”
She shot him a hard look. “That’s none of your business.”
“I don’t enjoy repeating myself, Hannah. It wastes time and because you had to use so much of it struggling with your instincts, ours is limited.” He leaned closer. His breath heated her cheek and warmed a path to her ear. “Has
he fucked you?”
“No.” The word came out before she could stop it.
“What about seen you naked?” His voice deepened, taking on a rough grumble. “Has he undressed you? Licked every inch he unveiled?”
She pressed her palms to his chest. A mistake. The contours of his muscles under her hand tempted her to trace them and map his body, first with her fingers, then her tongue. She shook her head to clear it of the images. “No. We’ve dated. Talked. Held hands.”
He took hers and twined their fingers. “Like this?”
Her mouth went dry. “Yes.”
“Did he hold you this close? Or closer?”
She dragged in air. His scent wrapped around her. Her eyelids drifted shut. “Closer.”
He released one of her hands and drew her flush to his body. Every hard inch of him pressed into her curves. “So he kept your clothes on, but did he touch you through them? Or merely hold you?”
His pointed questions stirred memories of being in Ethan’s arms, feeling the strength contained within him and marveling over his willpower as he fought not to strip her. Lick her, head to toe, exactly as Noah suggested. She’d sensed the battle that had waged within Ethan. She’d always silently begged him to give in. It annoyed her that he hadn’t, but Noah’s insistence she admit how chaste their time had been together angered her more. Noah had no right to know. She’d shared enough.
She yanked her hand free and planted both on his shoulders. Her steady push put space between their bodies. He allowed the distance. The small smile on his face told her that. It also confirmed her thoughts. He was playing some kind of game with her. She could do the same.
She raised a brow. “Didn’t he tell you?”
A half shrug answered her, not surprising her. She turned her back on him and moved toward the window overlooking the clearing where Ethan had met her. Moonlight brightened the world, allowing her to pick out the low-hanging branches where she’d draped blankets from. A wooden chair sat opposite the tree, a change from the one time she’d stood there.
Shared for Love: Kagan Wolves, Book 2 Page 8
