“Thank you, Nikki. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me today…” He nuzzled her neck briefly before rolling away from her.
“I owe you one…I didn’t mean to be so self-centered.”
Nikki turned on her side, resting her head up on her hand. “No worries. I know you’re good for it. Do you want to talk about your day? What was so bad?”
Jax hesitated. Nikki watched him closely. He seemed torn, wanting to say something but not finding the words. Or not wanting to tell her what was really going on.
“Let’s say it’s been a complicated day.” The tone of his voice told her there was more but he wasn’t ready to share it all.
“Was it something I did or said?”
“You?” He sounded surprised. “No, baby, nothing you did at all. You’ve been the least complicated thing in my life today.”
“I thought maybe the thing with the cab money…that I wouldn’t take it. Maybe that made you angry.”
Jax turned to look at her. “No. I understand why you didn’t want it. You don’t take handouts, you take care of yourself. You didn’t make me mad though…it would take a lot more than that for you to ever upset me.” His lips curved into a rueful smile.
“Well, maybe you wounded my male ego and pride, but I’ll live.”
He reached out, stroking her hair. “I worry about you…where you live isn’t the safest neighborhood. I don’t like the guy you work for. He’s no good. The murders…all of that.”
“But I’m fine.”
“Yeah, I know. But I still worry.”
He leaned over, kissing her gently. “I love you, Nikki. I guess I just want to protect you from all the bad stuff out there. I know I can’t, but I want to try.”
Nikki sat up, hugging her knees to her chest. She rested her cheek on her knees, looking back at him, trying to phrase her words as gently as possible. “You can’t lock me up in a tower, you know. I’m not as fragile as you think I am or as in need of protection as you assume.”
Jax drew his brows together as she continued. “I really do appreciate you caring so much Jax, and it means more to me than you can imagine, knowing that you love me. I get the sense you don’t fall in love easily, or often. I feel special beyond all distraction, knowing how you feel.”
She leaned over, kissing him on the cheek and looking into his eyes. Her voice was just the slightest bit shaky, just above a whisper, when she spoke, the words not quite catching in her throat. “I love you too, Jax, in my own way. I do.”
* * *
Her words took him by surprise. He hadn’t expected her…didn’t need her…to tell him she loved him. But hearing her say the words made his heart soar. He pulled her on top of him, wrapping his arms around her as she squirmed against his body. The warm scent of their lovemaking wrapped around them and he looked into her eyes.
“You didn’t need to say that, if you’re not ready.”
She nodded, ducking her head against his shoulder, suddenly shy. “I know. I wanted to.” He felt her mouth curving into a smile.
“I haven’t said those words to anyone in a long time. Not sure I ever said them to my parents. Probably the last guy was Stevie Smith, in grade school.”
She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. “It felt right…feels right. I wanted to say it.”
He kissed her, her lips soft beneath his. The warmth of her body against his, the pressure of her breasts against his chest, her hips against his cock lit a fire inside him. He ran his hands down her sides, over her lush hips. She wiggled again and his hips flexed upward against her, pressing his erection against her stomach.
She broke away, giggling. “I take it you’re ready for me to have my fun?”
Jax lay back, extending his arms to the side. “I’m all yours, use me anyway you like.”
Nikki moved over him, straddling his hips. She sat up, her hands resting on his chest.
“I really don’t think you’re going to be able to just lay there and not join in.”
He laughed. “Probably not. No fun in that at all.”
Nikki wiggled against him again, moving down his body. Her inner thighs were softer than anything he’d ever encountered and as they brushed against his cock he closed his eyes, groaning softly. He opened them again at Nikki’s soft laugh.
“See? Told you that you wouldn’t be able to just lay there.”
Jax grinned, sliding his hands up her thighs. “You were right. You’re irresistible.”
“No need to resist me at all…ever. I’m all yours, as you said.”
She sat up, holding herself above him, beautiful in the soft light of the room, almost more beautiful than he thought possible.
Then she lowered herself slowly, his cock sliding against her body and then deep inside of her. She was hot and wet and he was immediately consumed by her as she settled her body against his.
“Nikki…god, you’re amazing...”
She smiled at him, taking his hands in hers and pulling them up to her breasts. She covered his hands as he gently caressed her, tipping her head back, a soft moan escaping her lips. Nikki flexed her hips, rocking back and forth, as he slid against her wet heat.
They stayed like this for a long time, Nikki circling her hips over him, moving to some inner rhythm. Jax was mesmerized by the rapturous expression on her face, the total bliss he saw.
The speed of her movements gradually increased, her body rising and falling with more force. He slid his hands down over her curvy waist and back out over the flare of her hips, his fingers flexing against her skin. The fire inside him was growing, building to a crescendo, his hips flexing upward now, forcing himself further into her.
“I’m so close, Jax…just a little more…touch me, please. Take me over the edge.” Her eyes were locked with his as she spoke, heavy-lidded and sultry.
He slid one hand between her legs, finding the spot she wanted touched, rubbing and circling with his fingers. She gasped, her hips jerking, body twisting above him, one hand clutching her breast.
Suddenly she arched her back, her body shaking above him. There was warmth and wetness over his hand and then the contractions of her body around his cock, squeezing him, pulling him deeper inside.
He came then, pulling her down to his chest, holding her as she shook, his body echoing her movements. His thrusts were hard, the heat in his balls flooding up the shaft of his cock, filling her as he took his release.
Nikki lay in his arms, her breathing slowing, her heart beating wildly against his chest. He cradled her, brushing he hair away from her face.
“Okay. We’re equal now.” She smiled up at him. “That one pretty much made up for before.”
“It was pretty intense.” He closed his eyes, resting his head against hers.
“Do you want to tell me what was so bad about your day?”
She was lying in his arms, staring dreamily at the ceiling, warm and relaxed and calm. He took a deep breath. Maybe this was the time, the right time, to tell her what he was. But he had no idea where to start.
“I will. In a bit. But first…tell me why you quit the club.”
She shifted in his arms. “It was all that stuff that’d happened in the alley. The murders, the guy with the knife. The wolves. I couldn’t make myself walk down that alley again. So I went in through the front door. Mack’s got rules, and one is that no strippers come through the front. He said I had to go through the alley or not to come back.” She sighed.
“So I kept walking.”
Jax was quiet for a minute. “You never said anything about wolves.”
She’d never mentioned the night in the alley, the night the wolf-thing had attacked her and Lori. The night he and Bec had been there. Jax had wanted to tell her he was there, but there was no easy way into that conversation. But now that she’d opened that door, he needed to step through it.
“Something happened, the night before you found me at Lori’s. I think I was just…drunk, I don’t know. But we were attacked in the a
lley.”
“By wolves?” Jax tried to keep his voice steady, waiting for her reply.
“I think so. Something big and ugly and gray that smelled really, really bad. And two other wolves, beautiful wolves. But they didn’t attack us. Lori said they did. One grabbed her purse, I think.” She shook her head.
“Like I said, I was drunk. I tried to touch one of them, the black one. It didn’t bite me. As crazy as it sounds it…it actually seemed friendly.”
Nikki shifted suddenly, looking up at him. There was a frown on her face and her eyes weren’t dreamy anymore. She looked confused and a little frightened.
“Jax. Why aren’t you saying anything? I mean, how many times do wolves in this city actually attack people? You should be freaking out right about now, telling me this is what you want to protect me from? Why are you so quiet?”
She was sitting up next to him now, her eyes narrowed. “Do you know something about this? You look like you have something to say.”
Jax sat up against the head of the bed. “Nikki, if I tell you something and it doesn’t make any sense at first, will you let me try to explain? Will you promise me you’ll listen and not panic? Can you do that for me?”
She’d sat back, pulling the blanket around her shoulders. “I can’t promise if I don’t know what it is. But I’ll listen. Or I’ll try.”
Jax took a deep breath. This was what he’d wanted…needed to do. But it was like diving into murky water and not knowing how deep it was or what lay below the surface. He was going to risk everything with Nikki but he had to, if they were ever going to be together.
“Nikki, the wolf in the alley, the black one. Did it remind you of anyone, in any way?”
Her frown deepened. “Of someone I know? How can a wolf look like…” And then she froze, her eyes going wide.
“Oh my god... You?” Her hand flew to her mouth, her face going pale. “It was…you?”
Jax could only nod slowly, his throat suddenly dry. He swallowed, tried to speak and then tried again.
“Yeah, Nikki. Me.” He wanted to touch her, hold her, but her body was humming with tension and he thought she’d bolt if he tried. He gripped his hands in his lap, knuckles turning white.
“How?” Her voice was just above a whisper but the confusion and pain was clear.
“It was a full moon. I have no choice.” He shrugged. “I was the wolf in the alley, the one you touched.”
“You have no choice? What does that mean? Jax? Like you’re a…a…um…oh, what the hell. I can’t even say it.” She was clearly upset and it drove a knife through his heart to think he was hurting her. But she had to know the truth.
“I’m a werewolf, Nikki. And I was there, in the alley, trying to protect you.”
He’d seen enough prey to sense she was running on pure adrenaline right now. He could smell it on her. She was tense, edging away from him, almost on the edge of the bed.
She stared at him long enough for him to think she was going to run. But gradually the tension started to fade, her muscles relaxing, her posture softening.
“So, when the moon is full, you change? Into that wolf I saw?” She was looking at him curiously now, the fear in her eyes receding.
“Yes. Pretty much. And I was there that night. Trying to protect you.”
Nikki leaned forward, hands on the bed. She slowly crawled toward Jax. He sat perfectly still as she came to rest in front of him. He was breathing shallow, his heart racing, waiting for her to say something…anything.
“I’ve seen some pretty fucked up things in my life, Jax. But this is by far the hardest to understand.” She sat back, her hands on her thighs.
“But I want to try, if I can.” Her fingers were warm on his face as she traced the contours of his cheek, searching his eyes. He reached for her hand, and she let him take it. He held it against his face for a moment before kissing her fingers.
“That’s all I ask, Nikki. Just give me a chance…give us a chance.”
She smiled and shrugged. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”
It was Jax’s turn to frown. “How so?”
“I love you. You love me. I don’t want to give up how good that feels just yet.”
Jax pulled her to him, and she curled up next to him on the bed.
“Besides, I’ve got a month, almost, to try to figure this out, before whatever it is happens to you happens again.”
She looked up at him. “I think that gives you some time to help me understand, right?”
Jax slid down in the bed. “You’re an incredible woman, you know that? I’m lucky to have found you.”
Nikki laughed. “You’re damned right you’re lucky. And don’t you ever forget it.”
* * *
In The Exciting Follow Up To “Taming The Alpha”
Jax has fallen in love with Nikki, the complicated ex-stripper with a tragic past. But he hasn’t told her everything, and with the clock ticking he has only thirty days to convince her that he is everything she needs.
Will Nikki accept Jax for who he really is, and leave everything behind in order to join his pack? There’s a sinister force at work, a killer on the loose and the most unlikely couple falling in love despite everything that stands against them. Can they make it through the darkness ahead in order to see the light?
Find out in “Claiming The Alpha”, the sequel in Adriana Hunter’s ‘Wild Obsession’ series!
Grab your copy here: http://j.mp/HPvm7u
About The Author
Adriana Hunter writes erotic romance with many of them featuring plus size, curvy, full-figured heroines (with sass!) and powerful, dominant alpha males. Her stories run the gamut from paranormal romance, new adult romance to historical fiction.
Subscribe to Adriana Hunter’s newsletter for notice of new releases, reader-swag, signed copies and much more at http://www.SpicyTales.com
Connect:
Website: http://www.AdrianaHunter.com
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Twitter: http://twitter.com/SpicyTales
Please check out my other titles on Amazon:
Better Mate Than Never
For Keeps
Sweet Surrender
Fight For You
Double Pleasure
Made For The Billionaire
Curves For The Cowboy
Curves For The Prince
CLAIMED BY THE MARINE
By Dez Burke
Chapter One
His name was Hawk.
Anna couldn’t help staring into his stirringly blue eyes. She’d known the minute he’d walked in that he was just her type. He didn’t even need to open his mouth. He made his way into the bar with the stride of a man who knew his purpose in all things. He certainly looked like a man of purpose as he caught her gaze, smiled slightly, and then headed straight for her.
He’d simply come up to where she was seated with her friends and said, “Hi. I’m Hawkins Malone. But friends call me Hawk.”
Anna Jackson had never been the flirty type. In fact, she knew as much about attracting men as she knew about deep sea fishing. She’d just been through a very messy, hurtful break-up that still had her reeling from shock. But one smile from this blue-eyed Greek god called Hawk and she was suddenly forgetting all her worries.
For some reason, he had eyes only for her. He’d barely even glanced at any of her friends seated with her at the table. All three of her closest pals had been giving him giggly once-overs since he appeared, but he didn’t seem to notice. And all Anna could do was stare into his face for a few moments before she came to grips with the fact that he was actually talking to her.
“Oh?” she asked, shocked by the way she seemed to switch into sex-kitten mode. Her head tipped to the side and she felt her upper body perk up as she folded a hand beneath her chin. Her lashes were virtually batting at him and she heard the smoky invitation in her voice as she added, “So if your friends call you Hawk, what should I call you
?”
He swept those blue, blazing eyes over her, his gaze lingering a few seconds more on the jutting fullness of her breast, before he looked up into her pink-flushed face. “Babe, you can call me anything you like.”
Anna wanted to melt in a puddle then and there.
She was a grown woman and ran her own successful florist business. She’d have been married last month if her crazy ex hadn’t suddenly decided he wasn’t ready to shackle himself to a wife just yet. They’d been each other’s “firsts” and Aaron, her high school and college sweetheart, surprisingly realized for himself that his wild oats needed sowing. Or something. The only sure thing was that Anna had been devastated by the unexpected split. So she should be wiser now, not swooning the first time a gorgeous guy shows up and speaks two sentences to her.
But something must have come over her because she was still smiling coquettishly at the hunk named Hawk as she introduced herself and then her three pals Bertha, Janice and Rebecca. He was charming enough to the other females but when, moments later, he was taking Anna’s hand and asking her three friends if he could steal her off to dance, they all could tell he obviously couldn’t wait to get their starry-eyed friend all to himself.
Anna had just a second to send her three friends an incredulous smile of glee before she was all but swept off to be wrapped in the strong, warm arms of her new admirer.
The three friends turned to each other with relieved smiles. Rebecca was fanning herself dramatically. “Bertha, you did tell me that Hawk was a gorgeous specimen, but I wouldn’t have believed he’d be so hot! I think I’m starting to get really jealous now.”
“Don’t tell me you need fixing up too,” Bertha said with a grin, her eyes following her friend Anna and the tall, handsome man pulling her into his arms in the middle of the dance floor. They were surrounded by throngs of gyrating people as the music flowed from concealed speakers.
“Do you think she’ll suspect anything?” Janice asked. She looked dubious, as she too watched the couple moving together in time with the music.
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