She was surprised to have missed his arrival. Then again, she’d been so tired, she shouldn’t be shocked.
“Mmm, you smell so damn good,” he mumbled into her hair, his arm pulling her tighter where it was wrapped under her breasts. “Don’t move.”
She giggled, but otherwise didn’t budge.
His cock was nestled against her ass, however, and it was difficult to ignore.
In an effort to distract herself from the unreasonable way her body so easily succumbed to either man’s magnetic pull, she decided to question him. “Where’s Griffen?”
“Went to help Trace with a group of hikers. He called early and said Zachary had twisted his ankle, and he needed backup.”
“Ah, so the sun is shining?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?”
She stiffened. “Of course. I mean silly me. It will probably shine right up until I set one foot on the floor. Did you know I can control the weather with my actions?”
He tensed. “Love, what the hell are you talking about?” He stroked a hand down her hair and brushed it from her neck before nibbling a distracting path around to her mouth.
“I’m not kidding. I bet you ten dollars if I got up and put on my running shoes, a hurricane or a blizzard or a tsunami would hit Montana.”
He chuckled, his voice vibrating off her neck and making her squirm. She was failing at keeping her arousal at bay. “A tsunami, huh?”
“Yep.”
“How do you figure?”
“Your freaky spirit doesn’t want me to race next weekend.”
He jerked his head up and met her gaze, his brow furrowed now. “What do you mean?”
“Every single time I try to run, I’m thwarted. I kid you not.”
“That’s crazy. It’s just a coincidence.”
“Yeah? So the flat tires were a coincidence? The tree down. And then a summer storm with hail and a deluge?”
“What storm?”
“Yesterday.” She rolled her eyes. How could he forget the downpour that happened all afternoon?
“It rained?”
Her face fell. “Please tell me you’re fucking with me.”
He shook his head, his hand coming up to cup her jaw. “Not fucking with you. When did it rain?”
“I wouldn’t even call it rain. I would call it more like a tropical storm. Right here. Yesterday. Maybe four o’clock. It didn’t let up. Even the electricity went out in the gym.”
He didn’t speak for several seconds, and then he sat up. “I guess it’s possible. It’s nearly forty miles to Sojourn. Maybe the storm didn’t reach that end of the lake. What time do you need to be at work?”
“Afternoon shift today. Three.”
“Let’s go then.”
“Where?” she asked as he stood next to the bed and tugged the sheet off her.
He hesitated, his gaze roaming down her body and back up while she squirmed under the intensity. Then he was back on the bed, nestled between her legs as he spread them wide and tucked them over his elbows. “But first this,” he said right before his mouth landed on her pussy and made her eyes roll to the back of her head.
She buried her fingers in his hair and held on while he sucked relentlessly. She’d never been the kind of woman to get aroused easily or quickly, but that was before.
Miles brought her to the edge and over the top so fast she never had a chance to wrap her mind around it. Before she caught her breath, he climbed over her and slid his cock home on a long drawn-out groan. “Oh, sweet Jesus, love…”
She tipped her head back and held on to his arms while he fucked her. It felt so good. Just what she needed. And she got it a lot.
She was one lucky woman—sexually, anyway.
Miles paused for a second, buried to the hilt, just long enough to lift her ass and slide a pillow under her. Then he slammed back in.
The new angle sent stars to float in front of her eyes. “Miles…”
His cock kept pounding as another climax came to the surface, and even after she came around him a second time, he kept going.
Finally, on a long growl, he arched in deeper and held himself steady.
She swore she could feel his come hitting the end of her channel.
Miles set his forehead between her breasts and heaved one breath after another for long minutes before he lifted his gaze and gave her a slow, sexy smile. “I am one lucky bastard.”
She grinned back, having thought the same about herself.
“Now, where were we before you distracted me with your body?”
“Me?” she asked, squirming under him. A thought made her grab his arms to get his attention. “Are you sure I can’t get pregnant? We’ve had sex like two hundred times lately.”
“Nope. Not right now. And we wouldn’t get you pregnant without your permission.”
“I don’t see how the hell you can control it.”
“Trust me. That’s how it works. If you were ovulating, we would smell it on you. We need to use condoms when you’re fertile.” He bent down and kissed her soundly but briefly. “Now that I’ve had the best wakeup call ever, let’s go.”
“You never said where we’re going,” she stated as he lifted off her and climbed from the bed.
“For that run.” His sexy firm ass distracted her as he headed for the bathroom.
Run… Right…
Chapter Twenty-Three
Thirty minutes later, Rebecca bent to tie her shoes, glancing at the window, half hoping she would actually get her workout in while half hoping her theory wasn’t proven wrong.
She was going to feel like a first-class idiot if the weather held out and allowed her to put some miles under her belt.
Miles tied his curls back with a hairband and reached for the front door. “You sure a protein bar is all you need to eat before we run that distance? What did you say? Twelve miles?”
“Yep. I’m supposed to be tapering down this week. Next week is even lighter before the race day.”
“Got it.”
“And yes, big guy, a protein bar is sufficient. The way you’ve fed me lately, it’s a wonder I’m not as big as a whale.”
Miles pulled her into his embrace at the door. He still took her breath away. Even after morning sex only half an hour ago, she was hot for him.
He closed his eyes and tipped his head into the space behind her ear. “Mmm. You’re getting good at blocking your thoughts, but not the sexual ones. As soon as your libido kicks in, all bets are off. I was practically in the room with you yesterday when Griffen fucked your sweet pussy against this door.” He slapped the wood behind him.
Rebecca’s eyes shot wide, and she grimaced. “Sorry.”
He smiled. “No worries, love. It was amazing. Wish I could have been here.” He kissed her nose and opened the door. “We better get going before more interesting workout options distract me and we never leave.”
“Trust me, we won’t make it too far.” She rolled her eyes, still confident in her assessment that the Native American spirit gods, or whatever they were called, didn’t like her training.
Surprisingly, as they jogged away from the condo toward the trail Rebecca liked to use on the outskirts of town, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. In fact the sun shown bright, making her tip her head back and breathe in the clean mountain air.
Miles chuckled beside her. “No storms.”
“Yeah, give it time.” She twisted to look at him. “I’m gonna pick up the pace. You know you don’t have to do this, right? I’ve been running on my own for years. I’m a big girl.”
He shook his head in dismay. “That may be, but you weren’t mine then.”
A spark raced through her body at the way he said mine.
She should have gone all feminist on him and put up a fuss about referring to her as if she were more of a possession than a human, but she knew he didn’t mean it that way. And besides, it felt really good knowing how seriously he felt about their connection.
He an
d Griffen were as much hers as she was theirs.
She turned off the main road when they came to a gravel path that would soon turn into a dirt trail.
And that’s when it happened.
The ground shook.
Rebecca stumbled forward and would have slammed face first into the rocky terrain if Miles hadn’t grabbed her arm to steady her. The earth trembled. They stood still for fifteen seconds or so as the second earthquake she’d ever felt rattled the land.
Miles pulled her in close to him as they waited it out. His breath was heavy on her neck, and she knew it wasn’t from exhaustion.
“Holy shit,” she said as it finally subsided.
Miles wrapped an arm around her middle, pulled her back to his chest, and set his lips on her ear. “You win.” He kissed her and turned around. “Guess we need to go back and find out what the damage is this time.”
She lifted her gaze to find his brow furrowed. He tried to sound teasing, as if the small earthquake were a mere coincidence, but she knew he didn’t believe that.
Something truly didn’t want her out running. She wasn’t normally a superstitious person. A week ago she would have balked and laughed anyone out the door who suggested some mysterious spirit being could force a person to their knees.
But that was last week.
This week she was convinced.
Now, what about the fire, the pictures, and the ransacked homes? The spirits had amazing capabilities if they were able to create that sort of havoc.
What she needed to do was talk to Melinda. Other than Miles’ grandmother, there wasn’t anyone else Rebecca could think of who would be able to have the foggiest conversation about all these seemingly random events.
And Grandma Mimi was not an easy woman to converse with. So Rebecca intended to phone Melinda first chance she got.
•●•
Miles led Rebecca back to Griffen’s condo. “Did you feel that?” he said into Griffen’s head.
“Hell, yes. Are you two okay?”
“Yeah. But our mate is going to be rather smug. She warned me there was no way the universe would let her go for a run. Seems she was right. This isn’t funny anymore.”
“Agreed.” Griffen paused and then communicated some more. “I’m leading these hikers back to town, and then I’ll be home as soon as I can get there.”
“You’re talking to Griffen, aren’t you?” Rebecca asked.
He took her hand as they reached the condo and smiled down at her. “Yep.”
“Did the two of you decide I was crazy?”
“Nope.” Miles unlocked the door and led her inside. “Hate to admit this, but I’m starting to think you’re right.”
“Finally.” She flopped down on the sofa and let her head fall back.
Miles glanced around the room. A few items were knocked over or on their sides, but the damage was minimal. He doubted the magnitude of that second quake was much higher than the first, which was a good sign.
Rebecca’s phone rang. They’d left it on the kitchen table when they attempted to go for a run.
She shoved herself off the couch and grabbed it. “Oh, good. It’s the hospital. Probably need me to come in early.” All this she mumbled before answering the call. “This is Rebecca.”
Miles headed for the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. When he turned around and leaned on the counter to face his mate, he found her eyes wide, seeing nothing, and her face white as a sheet.
She glanced at him and then turned and left the room. “Yes, I’m here…” Her voice trailed off as she padded down the hallway.
He wanted to follow her. In fact he had to grip the edge of the counter to avoid doing just that. She deserved her privacy.
But he didn’t have to like it.
He tried to get a read on her, but her brain was not open to him. She was clearly flustered, but he couldn’t snag any specific information.
Then he heard the shower running.
Undoubtedly the hospital had called her in. Maybe there were injuries from the earthquake… Seemed unlikely unless the other side of town was harder hit.
Maybe the hospital just wanted to be prepared in case another tremor hit. Miles didn’t like the idea of being separated from her in either case.
What if a larger quake did hit?
None of those scenarios explained why his mate was blocking him, however. She didn’t have any reason to keep it secret that she was going in to work.
Miles finally pushed off the counter and headed for the master bathroom. The door was closed, but as he turned the knob, he found it wasn’t locked, which allowed him to blow out a long breath.
He stepped into the room and leaned against the door, letting it snick shut again behind him.
God, she was sexy. Her head was tipped back, and water sluiced down her face and across her fucking hot naked body. Her hair was up in a knot on top of her head as she attempted to keep it relatively dry.
She ran her hands down her body, over her chest, and across her belly before she realized he was watching.
When she did, she flinched, a small gasp reaching his ears over the running water.
He narrowed his gaze at her. “Everything okay?”
“Yep.” Her tone was wrong, her single syllable too sharp. “I just need to go into work early. They’re swamped.”
“Rebecca?”
She hadn’t met his gaze. She was hiding something. Why?
She finished her shower in silence, a slight tremble in her movements as she fumbled with the soap and rushed through the rest of her washing.
He was certain she wanted him to leave, but he didn’t give her that. She was his mate. She was keeping something from him. And that something made her nervous.
She also wasn’t going to share.
When she flipped off the water, she opened the door to grab a towel but remained inside the glass enclosure while she dried. Now she hid her body too.
Miles hated that even more.
She finally met his gaze briefly as she stepped from the shower, her towel wrapped tightly around her body, covering way too much of her skin. She gave him a brief fake smile. “I need to hurry.”
“Obviously.”
“Ugh. I still don’t have my car.”
“Wouldn’t matter.” He stared hard at the back of her head as she spread lotion up her soft smooth leg.
Without lifting her face, she continued. “Why don’t you drop me off at my apartment, and I’ll pick it up? That way you don’t have to keep chauffeuring me around.”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on that’s making you too nervous to meet my gaze while I drive you to work?”
She hesitated long enough for him to know he’d hit a nerve and then set her lotion on the counter and headed his direction. When she met him, she set her hands on his chest and lifted her gaze, that same pasted-on smile in place. She furrowed her brow as though confused—also fake. “No idea what you’re talking about. I’m not nervous. I’m just trying to hurry.”
“Uh-huh.” He gripped her biceps and tipped her back a few inches. She smelled fantastic, all girly soap and lotions and clean. Griffen must have stocked the bathroom with her favorites. He wanted to lose the towel and cover her in his scent instead.
Mark his territory so to speak. He didn’t know if there were any shifters working in her hospital, and it didn’t really matter because no one else would be able to align with her even if they tried, but he still wished she would go to work with his come leaking from her pussy instead of masking herself with soap and lotions.
“Miles… I really have to go.” Her voice was low. She lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. Then she pushed back and strode from the room.
It cost her, though. She might have been keeping a secret, but she was as affected by his scent as he was hers.
Hell, they’d had sex less than an hour ago. And it wasn’t enough.
His cock came to attention, the urge to claim her body immediately consu
ming him. He hung his head as he turned to follow her into the bedroom.
She stood at the dresser where Griffen had piled her clothes the day before, all folded neat and tidy. Nothing like the whirlwind that greeted him when he entered her apartment to pack up her things the other day.
To say he was shocked at how messy his mate could be was an understatement. Stunned was more like it. He hadn’t seen evidence of that from her. Granted, until then she’d been living out of a backpack with about four items of clothing to her name, but she’d kept it organized all the same.
Perhaps she was a polite house guest. Not that he considered her a guest in his home nor in Griffen’s. These two houses were hers now. He already considered his house more hers than his own. She could do anything she wanted with the place. He wouldn’t care if she changed the entire color scheme to pink if it made her smile.
She wasn’t smiling right now.
He froze while he watched her actions, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.
She picked up about three shirts off the top of one stack and grabbed the one under them, carefully replacing the top ones. She even straightened them as if they were crooked.
Miles frowned. She grabbed a pair of pants, also scrubs, from another pile, accidentally snagging the next ones, causing them to fall to the floor.
He watched as she bent over, picked up the fallen pair, folded them neatly, and put them back on the pile.
She turned toward the bed. “You gonna watch me dress?” Her voice wobbled.
He shook himself from the thought that something didn’t feel right about her movements. More than the obvious—that she was indeed nervous, jittery, and keeping something from him. In two strides, he made it to her side, grabbed the clothes in her hand, and tossed them on the bed.
Next, he reached for the towel and tugged it free, letting it fall where it may.
Two seconds later, he lifted her beneath her arms and set her ass on the bed, pushing her back until she fell flat with an oomph.
Two seconds after that, he cupped his hands under her thighs, spread them wide and bent at the knees, and lowered his face to her pussy. He inhaled first, reminding himself how she was supposed to smell under the fear and stress. He’d wiped that emotion away with his movements, wanting his sweet mate back.
Rebecca's Wolves (Wolf Masters Book 6) Page 18
