by Mina Carter
“So, does that mean I’m not in trouble?” She finally asked, looking up to meet his eyes. “You guys haven’t brought me out here to bury me in a shallow grave?”
He took another step forward, every instinct he had, human and wolf, reacting to the flash of vulnerability in her eyes. As soon as it appeared, though, it was gone, her armor back around herself. Tough cop mode.
He could see her as a cop. Kicking ass and taking names. But it didn’t matter, he’d seen her fear, smelled it on her skin and it drove all his alpha responses into high gear. Some people got it wrong, thought being an alpha was all about being the boss, being in charge and snarly.
Well, some of it was about dominance, it was just who they were…and some alphas were assholes who abused their power and position. But when push came to shove, an alpha had as much, if not more, responsibility as power. Their job was to protect as well as take charge, and holy hell, did he want to protect this tiny scrap of a woman with everything he had.
“Why on earth would we want to do that, darlin’?” He eased closer, keeping his movements slow so he wouldn’t startle her. She didn’t step away, just tilted her head back so she could keep eye contact. His fingertips grazed her waist, then slid around her back to pull her toward him. “You might be one of us. Regardless, we don’t kill randomly. We’re not the monsters books and films make us out to be.”
Her lips parted, her eyes darkening and he couldn’t help leaning in to inhale her scent, holding it deeply in his lungs. His wolf rumbled with approval, picking up the subtle notes beneath the smell of woman, perfume, and shower gel. The scent of an awakening wolf. A powerful one, if the reaction of his own beast was anything to go by. His body stirred too, cock hard and aching in an instant.
“Make that definitely one of us.” He smiled down at her. “Sorry darlin’, you got a rough month ahead of you.”
She blinked and then shook her head, a stubborn expression on her face. “Definitely one of you? No. Not happening. I took my pills religiously before it happened, there would be cumulative coverage.”
He barked out a laugh. “Sorry, doll. It doesn’t work like that. Like getting a bun in the oven, one time’s all you need. Come on, my truck’s this way.”
“Yeah? You’re planning to walk back?” She motioned toward him, carefully maintaining eye contact.
He managed not to smirk. “One foot in front of the other, yeah. It’s simple. Give it a try.”
“I meant…like…oh, never mind.”
Turning, he started to walk back the way they’d come. A wolf born and bred, he was unfazed by his nakedness, but in deference to the human population in Stratton, he kept a change of clothes in his truck.
Not that he planned on telling her that.
Chapter Four
Werewolves shouldn’t be so damn hot. There was a rule against it, surely. If not, there sure as hell should be.
A little out of breath from the long walk, one Ce had spent trying not to stare at the firm, well-toned butt of the wolf who tracked her down. Okay, maybe she hadn’t tried that hard, she admitted as she clambered into the truck when he held the door open for her. She tried not to ogle, really she did, but when it was all out and in the wind like that, what was a girl to do?
“Look all you like, darlin’,” he said with an easy grin. “You’ll quickly learn wolves aren’t shy.”
“I keep telling you…I’m not a wolf. And put some damn clothes on!” She snapped her eyes back up to meet his gaze. Lord, the man had a set of abs to die for and lower…she swallowed. No, they were so not going there. Regardless, her mind went there anyway. Maybe wolves were just built bigger down there? Like way bigger.
The driver’s door opened and she dragged her mind out of the gutter to watch her captor climb in. She hadn’t liked the previous alpha, Kev she’d heard them call him, but this guy was different. Somehow more human, if that was possible with a wolf.
He was clothed now, which she found didn’t help her peace of mind. Not with the way the worn jeans clung to his muscled thighs and his tight t-shirt looked, for all the world, painted on.
“So…what happens now?” She kept her voice light and conversational. Running obviously wasn’t an option, not with how easily he’d caught up with her. Besides, she didn’t do country and having no freaking clue where she was didn’t help much. Which meant she was stuck with tall, shaven-haired, and gorgeous.
“Now, I take you home and we wait out your conversion.” The engine roared to life and he slid her a sideways look as they pulled off. “I’m not going to lie, the first change is a bitch. Even more so for you.”
A chill stole down her spine. She didn’t like the sound of that. Holding onto the handle as the truck bounced along the dirt track, she looked at him. “Why more so for me? What did I do?”
Amber sparkled in his eyes for a second but then he transferred his attention back to the road. The truck lurched as they joined the main highway, or what she assumed passed for it around here. Two lanes, one either direction, meant they were officially out in the sticks.
“Nothing, other than the fact your scent even now is strong. That means you’re going to be a strong wolf. Potentially, even…” he paused, rubbing at his jaw and for a second she noted the tiredness there. “No, Max can’t be right about that.”
“Max?” She leaped on the scrap of information. “That was the guy before, with the long hair? What can’t he be right about?”
“Yeah, that was Max.” He nodded, speeding up now that they were on smoother roads. Lights ahead said they were approaching a town. A sign with the name Stratton sped by. At least she knew where they were now. Relief filled her. All she had to do was get access to a phone and call Tom, then she was home free. No matter how far, her partner would drop everything to fetch her, she knew he would.
“Max Daniels, our pack alpha. He’s married to my sister, Kelli.”
The sudden additional offering of information made her blink. “You have a sister? He married a human…or were you both bitten at the same time?” Her mind ticked a mile a minute. “It’s not often two people survive a wolf attack.”
He grinned, a white flash of teeth in the darkness. “Kelli’s lycan, same as me, but you’re making assumptions about us being bitten.”
Shock held her immobile for a few seconds and she turned to give him her full attention. “Oh, wow, you’re both born wolves? The expert who came into the department said born wolves were virtually extinct now, that the virus is only transmitted by bite.”
“Then your expert is an idiot, darlin’.” He snorted, turning onto a side road. “Most of the wolves in the Stratton pack are born wolves. We’ve even got a few hybrids. Most wolf/bear mixes. There’s a bear town a little ways down the road.”
“Oh, I see.” Feeling an idiot, she looked out the window. Houses dotted either side of the road. Nice houses, with drives, well-kept lawns and little picket fences. Not at all the sort of thing she expected werewolves to live in. Turning the wheel, he pulled to a stop in the driveway of one of the smaller ones. The windows were dark.
After getting out of the truck, he walked around and opened the door for her. “This is us.”
For a moment, she hesitated, not wanting to get out, as though the simple act would indicate her willingness to step into this strange new world she found herself in. Her indecision must have shown on her face because his expression softened and he held out a hand.
“Come on, darlin’. I won’t bite.” His expression split into a cheeky grin. “Not unless you ask real nice.”
“Yeah? You promise?” She was stalling for time and they both knew it. “I don’t even know your name…”
“Riley Copeland. And you are?”
“Ce…Clara Callahan,” she corrected quickly. “My friends call me Ce.”
“Am I your friend?” He didn’t look away, and somewhere within she felt the pull of something more than a simple female-male attraction. Something deeper, more primitive. Quickly she shut
it down and put her hand in his.
“I hope so since it seems I’ve no choices here. Lead the way, Riley.”
*
His home was neat and well-kept for a single guy, which surprised her. Ce looked about in appreciation of the casual but stylish furnishings, all in neutral but pleasing shades of cream and beige.
“I’ve only the one spare bedroom, I’m afraid,” he said over his shoulder, leading her up the stairs.
The single flight afforded her another opportunity to ogle the man’s ass. Which was, as asses went, spectacular. Her cheeks were flushed by the time they reached the first floor but thankfully, he didn’t say anything. Just had a little twinkle in his eye, as though he knew exactly what she’d been doing on the way up.
“It’s small,” he said, leaning a broad shoulder against the doorframe and sweeping a hand around the room. Decorated in blues and greens, it had a small double bed, built in wardrobes and a dresser under the window. “But you should be comfortable in here. We’ve got fields at the back as well, so when we get closer to your first shift, we can go out that way to run.”
Shift? Run? Those weren’t concepts she was ready to face at the moment; a wave of tiredness hit her. She’d been scared for her life over the past few days, convinced every noise outside her locked room in the city pack house was the alpha coming to murder her, so what little sleep she’d gotten had been fragmented.
“Please…at the moment I just want a shower and sleep. If that’s okay?”
His expression softened again, taking him from scary-handsome to heart-stopping gorgeous. “Of course. Bathroom’s down the hall, towels in the linen closet. I’ll be downstairs, so yell if you need anything.”
She just nodded, adding a small smile of thanks. Seriously, how was this guy single? At least, she assumed he was single since she’d not seen any evidence of a woman living here. And he’d certainly seemed interested in kissing her when he’d caught her. He hadn’t made a move since though. Probably had a girlfriend. Some skinny model type with fake boobs and a perfect manicure. Everything Ce was not.
“Thank you. I don’t want to disturb you too much. A couple of days and this will all be over,” she said with hope.
“I’m sure it will.” His expression said otherwise but he pushed off and for a moment dominated the doorway with his huge, broad-shouldered frame. Her breath caught in her throat, everything female in her responding to his presence but then he stepped back and headed down the corridor, calling over his shoulder. “Call if you want someone to scrub your back.”
“Typical man,” she muttered, unable to stop the small smile that wanted to crawl over her lips. She let it, watching after him until well after the sound of his steps on the stairs had fallen silent. Then she realized she was mooning about like some lovesick teenager and shook herself out of it.
“Has to have a girlfriend,” she told herself, stomping down the hall to the linen closet. Retrieving some towels, all nicely laundered and folded precisely, she located the bathroom and locked the door behind her. The offer to scrub her back was enticing, but there was no way he meant it. He couldn’t have. Men who looked like Riley Copeland did not lust after curvy women like Ce. Ever. There was probably some fundamental rule of the universe that stated so. Definitely.
With a sigh, she stripped out of her clothes. Her nose wrinkled as they hit the floor. She’d been wearing them longer than she wanted to think about and that was before a midnight sprint through the country. She also didn’t want to think about what she smelt like to herself, never mind to the sensitive nose of a wolf. That was no doubt why he’d thought better of kissing her. She stank to high heaven.
Reaching out, she snapped on the shower and was rewarded with high-pressure hot water. Steam billowed as she dropped her underwear on the floor and stepped inside. The water hitting her skin like hundreds of tiny needles was utter bliss. A groan of pleasure slipped through her lips. Forget expensive spas, all she needed was a power shower. It was the first thing she had installed when she moved into her apartment.
Of course, she mused as she reached for the shower gel, hers was multi-functional. As well as getting her squeaky clean, there were so many things a girl could do with a directed spray. Like…cleaning between her toes, or hitting that sore muscle right in the middle of her back. Or leaning back against the cool tile and running that spray right where she needed it most.
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, heat hit her hard and fast. Looking up, she studied the shower attachment. Just like hers, it was designed to be removed. To be mobile. Casting a glance at the locked door, she gave into temptation and unhooked it. No one would know. It was just between her and the shower, and she was fairly sure the shower wouldn’t rat her out.
Her back pressed against the tiles, she lifted her foot and braced it against the opposite side of the stall. Parting her legs, she used the fingers of one hand to part her pussy lips while she held the shower head in the other. The spray hit her stomach, the heated water running over her needy clit. She whimpered, so on edge she could have come right there, and readjusted.
Her breath hissed between her teeth as the needle-fine spray found her clit. Moving her hand, she ran the spray over the little bundle of nerves, back and forth, then around. The sensation was sharp, tingly and felt oh-so-good. She moved the spray faster, driving the tension in her core higher. Moans spilled from her lips as she reached down, thrust two fingers deep into her pussy and pumped, curling them back to press against her G-spot.
It felt so good, she couldn’t help but writhe against the tile. She fucked herself on her fingers, then reached up to pinch and pull at her nipples, using the extra sensation to push her over the edge until she came apart in the shower.
*
Even dirty and tired, Ce was fucking gorgeous. And she was female. And going to be an alpha. And female, his wolf reminded him pointedly. Female. He hadn’t had a sniff of action between the sheets since Jenna left him. Neither he nor his wolf had wanted anything to do with women for a long time. Until now, when his wolf snarled and paced to get back to the curvy little female upstairs who smelled so good.
A female no doubt scared out of her mind, and very much feeling like a fish out of water, he firmly told himself as he waited for the water to snap on upstairs. After it had, he stood for a minute or so, until the hope that she was going to call for help washing her back died a slow death.
With a sigh, he headed out the back door to the garage, where his home gym was set up. Women who looked like that… no way was she single. Ever. He allowed his mind to wander over the thought of her curves, the stacked rack and wide hips as he loaded weight onto the bar. Since he could bench-press a car if he needed to, it was all heavy-duty stuff, a super-dense alloy one of the lycan eggheads Max knew had come up with; useful only for sinking ships and shifters to workout with.
His back hit the weight bench and he lifted the bar off the rack with a grunt. It was heavy but he kept the connection between himself and his wolf open. Not active so he pulled strength from the creature—if he did, he’d never stress his muscles enough to get a decent workout—but enough so if his human muscles gave out, the creature’s strength would kick in and save him from getting his ribs crushed.
Snarling to ease his frustration, he moved through a punishing set of reps before changing exercises and doing it again. It was a brutal system but one that allowed him to build his human physique to an impressive level. From being the skinny kid in school, he was now the bad-ass enforcer no one fucked with. Before long though, he’d run out of exercises and his wolf was being a whiny little bitch about going back into the house and checking on the female. Pain in the ass creature. It wouldn’t give up until it got its way.
He looped a towel around his shoulders and made his way back to the house. As soon as he set foot through the door, he froze. Scent assaulted him. Steam and shower gel, the smell of a female’s need and the sweet aroma of her release.
His wolf howled with ra
ge at missing such a treat, and the emotion flowed through him like a tidal wave, stripping his control and restraint. With a snarl he tore through the house, taking the steps two at a time to arrive on the landing at the same moment she stepped into the hallway.
She jumped, a gasp on her lips at his sudden appearance. “Riley! Sorry, you scared me.”
“Really?” he growled, stalking forward. First, she got herself off in the shower, leaving the perfume of her release in the air to torment him and then she tortured him by wrapping that luscious body of hers in a skimpy towel that strained as it struggled to contain her ample bust. His mouth watered at the thought of stripping it from her, releasing her tits and tasting the delectable treat of her nipples.
She backed up, eyes wide, until her back hit the wall. He forestalled further flight by planting a hand either side of her head, trapping her.
“Riley? W-what’s wrong?” she asked, meeting his eyes squarely and doing her best to hide her fear. But it was there, in the quiver of her lip. Instantly, he felt like a dick for scaring her, but not enough to let her go.
“You. Getting off. In my shower,” he ground out, leaning down to run his nose along her throat. To his pleasure, she tilted her head to allow him better access. A submissive gesture, even as she shivered in the sudden chill after the heat of the bathroom.
“You think I wouldn’t smell it? Wolf, remember? Male wolf…” The growl escaped before he could stop it and she jumped. He was a fucking asshole but couldn’t help himself. “There’s nothing about you I can’t scent.”
“Really? That’s just…rude!”
He pulled back enough to see her cheeks flushed bright red, and she refused to meet his eyes. Hers glittered and he relented a little, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. He wanted her something fierce, his jeans painful, so tight in the groin that he’d probably have zipper marks the length of his dick.
“Rude? Rude is getting off in my shower,” he growled, the wolf inside still pissed about that. “If you were in need, you should have told me, darlin’. I’d have helped you.”
