by M. Limoges
A frown formed on her pretty face, and guilt stabbed at him. “Michelle, I shou—”
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry, Jace.” She buried her face in her hands. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
He swept her hair back and rubbed her shoulders to comfort her. “Hey, I didn’t mind at all, sweetheart. I would just rather—”
“What the hell was I thinking?” Her voice cracked, and he realized she was crying. Oh shit. “You’re the only friend I’ve made here, and I didn’t respect you enough to leave you alone.”
“Mich—”
Her sob cut him off. Jesus Christ, it hadn’t been that bad, had it? So what if they were friends? That was a good thing, right? He’d spent two months trying to establish just that type of relationship with her.
“I’m so sorry. I know you would never want me, and I just threw myself at you like that anyway. You probably hate me now, and you have every right.”
Wait, what the hell was she talking about? “I don’t hate you.” He couldn’t stop anger from seeping into his tone. “Why the hell wouldn’t I want you?”
Her hands fell away for a moment, revealing her blotchy, tear-streaked face. “Because you’re gay!”
Gay.
He damn sure hadn’t seen that coming.
How in the fuck had she come to that conclusion? Slow, his pack told him. Well, this was what the hell slow had gotten him. A mate that thought he was fucking gay! He knew he should’ve just tackled her ass, sank his teeth into her shoulder, and claimed her on the damn spot. She wouldn’t be questioning his preference now, would she?
Damn it.
Jace scowled at her. With her face hidden behind her hands, she continued to weep, the sound tugging at his heart and driving the wolf inside him nuts. Despite the need to correct her misconception, he’d save it till she was stone cold sober. He exhaled a gust of air, rose from the bed, and strode into the adjoining bathroom. While he rummaged under the sink for a bottle of aspirin, he grabbed a washcloth and ran it under the tap. Then he filled a glass from the corner of the sink with water. Gathering his “feel better” supplies, he carried them back to her bedside.
Forcefully, he pulled her hands away and wiped her face with the cool cloth. Once he’d forced some aspirin and water down her throat, he helped her lie down and tucked her in.
“Get some rest, Michelle.”
For long minutes, she hiccupped and sniffed before falling into a deep slumber. He raked a hand down his face. Tomorrow, damn it, he’d show his little mate just how not gay he was.
Chapter Five
Michelle awoke to her brain chiseling its way out of her head. She groaned and rolled onto her side to check the bedside clock. Bright red numbers glowed three-thirty a.m. Screwing her eyes shut, she tried to swallow the rank taste from her mouth. If she never touched another drop of alcohol for the rest of her life, she wouldn’t lose any sleep over it.
Attempting to piece together how she’d wound up in her own bed, she flopped on her back and lifted an arm over her eyes. The last thing she remembered was Jace carrying her out of the bar. The more she concentrated, vague snatches of what transpired flitted through her head. The truck ride home, Jace seated on the side of her bed, then…the last part of the night hit her like a brick wall. Her arm fell onto the mattress. Crapping hell, she’d kissed Jace.
The burn of leftover alcohol churned in her belly. Michelle threw the covers back and ran to the toilet just in time. After several minutes spent hugging the toilet, she made it up off her knees, rinsed her mouth out, and wiped her face. She shrugged out of her clothes, leaving a trail to her dresser, and grabbed a nightshirt and pair of panties. Once dressed in something fresh, a modicum of normalcy returned. Needing to rehydrate herself, she padded down the stairs to the kitchen in search of water.
Without her glasses, she squinted in the dark as if she might somehow magically see better. A faint scratching sounded from the kitchen. She skidded to a halt in the hallway, cocked her head toward the noise, and waited, making certain she hadn’t imagined it. Then she heard it again.
Now? Someone wanted to break in now? When she felt like microwaved crap? Well, she wasn’t in the fucking mood.
Michelle tiptoed to the pantry at the end of the hall, just outside of the kitchen, and eased the door open, swiping a broom from inside. Armed with a makeshift weapon, she peeked around the corner. The sight of a shadowy figure outside of the door jacked her alarm to an astronomical new high. She sucked in breath after breath to gain her composure and pull together some semblance of her courage.
Buck up, Michelle!
This was her house, damn it. She wasn’t about to allow some asshole to come in and steal the crap she’d worked hard for. As her anger mounted, her grip tightened on the broom handle. Before her very eyes, the intruder picked the lock, pushed open the backdoor, leaving it ajar, and slipped inside. Nothing but sheer fury drove Michelle forward.
Screaming like a lunatic, she charged across the kitchen, pummeling the man with her broom. The intruder hissed curses and blocked with his arms. She landed three or four solid blows before the bastard jerked the handle from her grasp, but she wasn’t about to give up without a fight. They struggled over the broom, knocking into the kitchen table and sending a bowl of fruit crashing to the floor.
A lethal growl pierced the air and Michelle jerked her head toward the source. She fumbled with the broom handle when she saw the huge, menacing form of a wolf in her doorway. Her assailant pressed his advantage. He wrestled the broom from her hands and shoved her. Hard. She fell backward and banged the side of her head on the countertop on her way down.
An explosion of pain burst in her already pounding head. She lay sprawled on her back on the cool linoleum with her head resting against a cabinet door. Guttural growls rumbled through the air, raising every hair on her pained head. The wolf launched himself through the air and sank his teeth in her attacker’s arm. Another equally large wolf charged through the opened backdoor, grabbed a hold of the intruder’s leg, and shook his furry head back and forth.
Wavering in and out of consciousness, she lay mute and watched as the pair of wolves tore into the assailant. Somehow, he freed himself from the wolves’ jaws and scrambled out of the backdoor. The second wolf wasted no time darting after him. Baring a lethal set of teeth, the first wolf moved toward her, his claws clicking with each step. Before he could eat her face off, Michelle passed out.
***
Jace shifted to his human form and knelt beside his mate. The instinct to hunt roared through his blood, urging him to capture the sorry bastard and rip out his throat for hurting Michelle. Tension ran through his body, causing his muscles to twitch. Inside, his wolf paced back and forth, primed for blood.
But his mate’s welfare won out.
He closed his eyes for a moment to calm his anger, then he opened them and laid two fingers on her neck, checking her pulse. Satisfied with the normal thump, he scooped her into his arms and carried her upstairs to the bedroom a second time.
He hadn’t meant to scare her in his wolf form, but his need to ensure she was alright drove him straight to her side. Once he had her under the covers once again, he sagged on the bed next to her. He brushed her pale hair off her forehead and framed her face with his hand.
After he’d left her hours before, he’d met up with Stephen, anxious to run off the mounting tension from his and Michelle’s kiss. Not to mention he was on edge after the call she’d received at dinner.
Thank God he and Stephen had heard her scream. He’d anticipated something foul from Marston and Roberts, but not this soon. Jace didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened if he hadn’t stuck close to her house as a precaution.
“Jace,” Stephen called from the backdoor.
With one last look at Michelle’s sleeping form, he rose from the bed and made his way to the kitchen. Stephen stood on the porch, barefoot and dressed in a pair of jeans. He turned when Jace approached.
“How’s Michelle?”
“She’s resting now. Did you catch the bastard?”
Stephen nodded and held out his hand with a shirt and pair of pants for Jace. “Yeah, Damien showed up and bit the shit out of the fucker. He figured he owed it to you for earlier at the bar.” Stephen chuckled. “We tied up the asshole and hauled him into the back of Damien’s truck. He’s taking him straight to Andrew. I called some of the pack to hang around Michelle’s until everything settles down. So no worries, dude. We have you and your mate covered.”
“Thanks, man. I appreciate that. You happen to get a name out of him?”
“Nah, he wasn’t talking when I left.” Stephen looked out to the woods behind the house. “I’m certain he works for Marston and Roberts though. I don’t believe this was a pure coincidence at all.”
“Yeah, me either.” Jace pulled on the pants Stephen brought for him. “First, Kate lets her get drunk. Then….” He damn sure wasn’t telling his best friend about the gay thing. “Hell, suffice it to say she’s had a bitch of a night.”
“You staying here or heading back home?”
“I’m staying here. Shit, I can’t leave her alone for a second while I wait for those assholes to make another move.”
Stephen slapped him on the shoulder. “I can understand your worry, but rest easy knowing the pack has your back. I’ll drop by and check on the two of you tomorrow.” He offered a half-assed salute and jogged down the porch steps. “I’m off to howl at your sister’s window until sunrise.”
“Be careful with that shit.” Jace snorted. “You know she-wolves can be brutal.”
“I’m counting on it,” Stephen called over his shoulder.
Jace padded inside and locked and secured the door behind him, making sure no other intruders could slip inside. He entered Michelle’s bedroom and noticed she hadn’t moved from the position he’d left her in. Leaning toward her, he brushed the hair from her cheek just as she opened her sleepy eyes and gazed up at him. She patted the bed beside her in a silent invitation that surprised him, but he damn sure wasn’t going to refuse. Perhaps she needed the comfort as much as he did tonight.
He eased her onto her side and slid behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist. At once the feel of her safely tucked against him eased some of the unspent anxiety in his body, soothing the beast inside. He kissed the top of her head and hugged her tighter.
Tomorrow, he planned to claim his mate.
Chapter Six
Michelle cracked her bleary eyes open and stared at the clock on the bedside table across from her: 1:42 p.m. She jerked upright and grabbed her glasses beside the clock. Shoving her glasses on, her gaze darted around the room. Shit, she’d never slept this late in her life. What the hell was the matter with her? As soon as the thought entered her head, the events from the night before came crashing back to her.
Too many drinks. Jace bringing her home. Ugh, the kiss she’d rather forget, permanently. The jackass in her kitchen. A knock to her head. Wolves. Amend that. Scary-ass, snarling wolves.
Glancing down at herself, she noted, once again, she was in her own bed. The last thing she remembered was that huge, black wolf standing over her. She lifted her hand to her head, feeling for an enormous knot, but all that remained was a tender spot beside her ear.
Throwing herself back on the mattress, she yanked the covers over her head. It was already too late to open the bookstore. She’d missed that hours ago, and she refused to beat herself up over it. After the night she had, she deserved a sick day. She relaxed and her eyes slid shut.
Then the shower came on.
Michelle bolted upright and threw the bedcovers off. She blinked at the closed bathroom door and briefly wondered why her life was filled with so many bizarre-ass circumstances. Fuck it. She’d had enough of weird shit happening to her lately.
She jumped from her bed and stomped toward the noise. Opening the door, she stepped inside her small bathroom. Shoving aside the worry of who exactly was in there, she marched to the closed shower curtain and ripped it aside.
Jesus Christ, there was a man in her shower. A naked man. With the sexiest ass she’d ever seen. Said naked man slowly turned, letting the water sluice over his muscular, tanned frame. Unable to glance away, she ate up every second of the display. She glanced up and met Jace’s playful, dark brown eyes.
She couldn’t force her gaze away from him. And damn if her gaze didn’t drop to the semi-erect cock aimed in her direction. Oh shit, she had to get out of here.
Michelle spun and ran for the door. Before she’d made it two steps, Jace leaned out of the shower, captured her from behind, and hauled her into the bathtub, plastering her to his front. She jerked to move away, but he wrapped his arms around her, his body protecting her from the spray of water behind him.
“No.” He spoke against her ear. “Stay.”
Her heart hammered while her breath came in short bursts. She stiffened when his hand slid under her nightshirt, his fingertips gliding over her stomach, sending a pulse of desire straight to her pussy. She bit her lip to keep from groaning aloud. It had been two years since any man had touched her like this.
Her brain tried to make her lady parts see reason. This was wrong. Jace was her friend, and he was gay, damn it. But why? Why was he doing this to her? Confused as hell, she tried to twist free, but he pressed her flat against the tiled wall.
“Jace, wait. We can’t—”
“No talking.” He slipped her glasses off and tossed them on the bathroom counter. “Not a fucking word from you, sweetheart.”
Jace spun her around and eased the hem of her gown up. Michelle opened her mouth to protest, but he raised a brow, challenging her to speak. A wave of undeniable lust overcame her rationale and uncertainty. She snapped her mouth shut and lifted her arms at his prompting. He pulled the shirt over her head, leaving her bare except for her panties.
His hungry gaze raked her body from head to toe. Briefly she wondered how she’d made such a huge mistake. There was no way the sexy, aroused male in front of her was gay. But she was certain of what she’d seen in the woods.
To hell with it. Who cared right now?
He turned her and pressed her to the wall again, her heated cheek resting on the cool tile. Her breasts hardened into two painful points as the ridge of his hard cock pushed against the cleft of her ass. His fingertips brushed down her spine to the band of her underwear. He slipped his hand inside and cupped her ass, and she clenched her hands against the wall to keep from turning and reaching for him.
“Part your legs for me.”
The gruff command should piss her off, but instead she found herself doing as he demanded, widening her stance. His finger skimmed down the seam of her ass to the damp center of her pussy.
“You’re already wet for me, baby.” He eased his forefinger inside her entrance, and she nearly came on the spot. He added his middle finger, working them inside her in a slow sensual rhythm. With her cheek against the shower wall, she panted and moved her hips against his hand as pressure built in her core. When he removed his hand from her panties, she made a sound of protest.
Jace turned her once more, pushing her back to the wall. The heat of his gaze roamed over her breasts, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled a deep breath. He jerked her up off her feet, his hips moved forward, pushing her legs further apart, while his hands held the underside of her thighs. The head of his cock nudged at her entrance shielded by her panties. If she had anything else to say, the intensity in his gaze stole the words from her mouth.
Lowering his head, he encased one of her breasts in the warmth of his mouth. Each strong pull and nip of his teeth caused moisture to pool between her thighs. Michelle raked her nails up his neck and scalp and fisted his hair in her hands as her pussy throbbed with need to feel him move inside her.
Jace released her breast and ran his tongue from her chest to her collarbone. He lightly bit the tender flesh between her shoulder and neck, and she moaned from the
stinging mix of pain and pleasure. Holy shit, she’d never been so turned on in all her life.
He tugged her forward against his cock. The thick head rubbed over her sensitive clit as he rocked his hips back and forth. When she gasped at the delicious friction, he slanted his mouth over hers. His tongue slid inside—tasting, teasing, inflaming her desire. When he broke the kiss with a bite to her bottom lip, she couldn’t stand it any longer.
“Jace.” The harsh planes of his face made her swallow hard. “Fuck me. Now.”
In the next instant, he reached between them, ripped her panties free, and slammed his cock inside her wet center in one swift thrust. Energy pulsed through her core and thrummed to every limb. She cried out from the feel of his hard length buried deep inside her. She’d never felt anything so good. Overwhelmed, she closed her eyes and dropped her head against the wall.
“Look at me.” The growled demand made her eyes snap open. “Wrap your legs around me, baby. I’m going to fuck you hard.”
Michelle did as he asked, locking her ankles at the small of his back. He slid out of her, then thrust hard enough to make her breath catch. With his fingers digging into her ass, he ground himself against her. Staring into her eyes, he never once broke contact as he drove in and out of her, over and over.
Each hard stroke hurtled her closer to the edge. He moved one hand between their bodies and rubbed his thumb over her swollen clit. Michelle struggled to keep her eyes on him, but she could barely see straight as an overload of sensations battered her body, ripping her wide open and leaving her completely laid bare to him.
“Come for me.” He bit out, the lines of his face harsh with strain.
Jace pinched her clit, and she fucking exploded, screaming his name as her release slammed into her. Tears sprang in her eyes from the force of her climax. She panted, sucking in gulps of air, while her body shook uncontrollably.
