She grabbed it, climbed up behind him, and took a loose hold on his hips.
“Hold on tight,” he warned.
She held him tighter and leaned her body into his back. Her chin rested on his shoulder and just the nearness of her brought him hard and wanting to mate.
With his dick throbbing, his balls vibrating from the engine, he urged the bike down the lane, onto the highway, and with a roar, accelerated toward town.
Russ told his wolf to forget it. She wasn’t theirs, no matter what his wolf declared, or his body told him.
He didn’t deserve a second chance.
*
Tori leaned into Russ’s body and inhaled. The scent of the man drove her wild, just as it had in the woods. He smelled musky, male, and woodsy. To her, a potent combo. But she wasn’t going to give it up just because she liked his aftershave.
The wind whipped her hair around, and she closed her eyes, just feeling everything. The smells of the pine forest, the darkness of the sky. The vibration of the motorcycle between her legs, making her pussy ache. Or was it Russ?
She wiggled, trying to shift away from it, but she couldn’t. It crawled through her body and marched straight to her sex. It wept, growing wetter by the minute.
Surrounded by the smell of him, the hum of the bike, and her body’s needs, she let go. Let it all take her where she needed to go, to the edge of the cliff.
Her body strained for release.
Without thinking, Tory spread her legs wider, and pressed her pussy against the seat, reaching for a deeper vibration. The position pressed her breasts, stiff pointed nipples, into the hard muscles of his back.
Her orgasm hit, and she shuddered against his body, fingers clinging to his waist.
“Are you cold?” he asked over his shoulder.
It was all she could do to shake her head and not fall off the bike.
Oh God. What had just happened? She’d come with just a touch of his body and the vibrations of his bike. Her face heated and she buried it against his strong back.
What if he knew? She swallowed and relaxed her grip on him, wanting to get off the bike and away from him.
He was a werewolf. She didn’t want a werewolf.
For all she knew, he had a mate.
Tori froze.
She did not just say mate, did she?
Oh damn. He had to go. The sooner the better.
“Take the turn off to town. My house is only a few blocks from there.”
Get him to her house. Get the bullet out. Get him on his way.
Only then would she be safe.
Chapter 5
If Tori didn’t get her nipples out of his back, he was going to stop the bike, and drag her into the woods. And fuck her. Twice.
He didn’t think she did it on purpose. It was just the excitement of being chased by a lunatic with a gun. That’s all, he told his wolf. She was better than he deserved.
Russ felt the vibration of Tori’s body change. Her scent thickened, bloomed into a mind-numbing aroma, blocking all rational thought from his mind. Just as he nearly forgot how to drive his bike, it lessened as she shuddered and slumped against his back.
In that instant, he knew what had happened to her. He could smell her cream. He wanted to howl, wanted to stop the bike and head to the woods, dragging his mate with him.
But he couldn’t do that, so he exhaled and tried to stop thinking about her, but she made it nearly impossible. Her strong, firm hands on his waist made him think of what would happen if she slipped them down, lower, to cup his erection and his balls.
If she would just touch him, just brush her thumb down the long thick ridge of his cock captured behind his jeans, he’d come. He knew it. He’d moan and shoot his load like a first-timer. And he was no first-timer.
He’d had many women, and he’d had a mate, even if it hadn’t been longer than a year. He’d known the joy of making love with the one person you were meant to be with, of tender moments stolen early in the morning, of falling asleep next to someone you couldn’t imagine being without.
And he knew the pain, the breath-stealing agony of looking down at the lifeless body of that woman. Of howling to the moon for days on end, of going so deep inside his wolf in grief that he’d stayed an animal for months, nearly forgetting how to change back.
He’d done the unforgivable for a wolf—he’d gone rogue.
*
“Turn right at the light.” Tori pointed to the corner and Russ guided the bike around the curb, and then gunned it down the street. “I’m up here on the left.”
He drove until she patted him on the shoulder. “This is it.” He pulled into the drive, rode to the back of the house, and parked the bike in front of the detached garage.
Tori slid off the bike and exhaled. “Okay. Never want to do that again.” She shook her hair, trying to tame it, but it was a lost cause. It would take a shampoo, a deep conditioning, and some mousse to make it better.
Okay, so riding a bike had an upside—amazing vibrations—and a downside—hell on hair.
“Come inside and I’ll see what I can do,” Tori told him. “You’re sure you won’t go to the hospital?”
“No. No hospital.” He shook his head and followed her up the steps to the back door. She opened it and went inside.
“Sit in the chair at the table.” She waved at it, and then went to her bathroom to find her first aid kit. After a quick search, she grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and looked at herself in the mirror.
“God, what a mess.” She ran her fingers through her hair, but that only smoothed it down a bit. “Motorcycle hair. Not a good look.”
She paused. “And no more weres. Fix him up and get him out of here.” She pointed at herself and frowned. “No, I don’t care if he’s wounded. He’ll heal. They all do.”
Tori snorted. Russ looked like nothing ever touched him. The look in his eyes was guarded, careful, untrusting. Except that first time. He’d looked at her with…tenderness.
She shook her head and left the bathroom with her supplies.
*
Russ sat at the table and looked around the neat kitchen. Someone had updated it, new countertops and cabinets, but the windowsills and woodwork looked original. The floor had probably been linoleum at some point, but now had retro-styled tiles that matched the backsplash.
His belly grumbled. Hungry, in more ways than one. Russ willed his hunger for Tori away, but his craving for protein didn’t let up. He needed to get the bullet out and get something to eat. Then leave.
Leaning back in his chair, he unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off. Underneath, his blood stained the white wifebeater. He inhaled the metallic tang of it, and his nose twitched. Not the first time he’d been shot. Maybe not the last, but one of these times, it might be the final time, and that scared him.
He knew well the limitations of his breed. Strong, fast, enhanced senses, but they could be killed. One shot to the heart or the head and they were dead, just like normal humans.
The blood had stopped seeping, but the wound couldn’t close. He stuck his finger through the hole in his shirt and closed his eyes. It had been damned close. Three inches over and down and it would have been a kill shot.
“You’re lucky.” Tori’s no-nonsense voice broke his thoughts and he looked up. She stood there, one hand on her hip, a med kit tucked under her arm, a towel over her shoulder, and a bottle of alcohol in her hand.
He wanted her.
“Lucky. Right.” He shrugged. There’d been a long time when he’d wished he’d died, but he’d pulled out of that dark place. Lucky wasn’t what he considered himself.
“Take off the T-shirt and let me get to work.” Tori put everything down on the table and waited for him to strip down.
Just her gaze on his chest heated him, and he had to look away to calm down. Instead, he watched her hands as she prepared to dig the bullet out of his shoulder.
They were strong hands. Not work hardened, but still…gard
ener’s hands maybe.
“Do you garden?” he asked. She poured the alcohol over a pair of long tweezers and then put them on a clean towel.
“Sometimes. I paint. I’m an artist. I work in oils mostly, but I do some sculpture occasionally.” She turned to him and pushed him back in his chair. “Just relax and lay back.”
“This won’t hurt, right?” He chuckled.
“No. It’s going to hurt like hell.” Her gaze narrowed as she bent over him, holding the rubbing alcohol and a cloth.
Fire exploded in his shoulder as she poured a liberal splash of alcohol over the wound. Russ gritted his teeth and groaned. The urge to bat her away, to stop the pain, nearly overcame him, but he forced back the wolf and held on to the seat of his chair.
“Hang in there.” She wiped at the dried blood, cleaning it away and sanitizing the area in preparation for the minor surgery. “Will I need to stitch it?”
“No, it should close on its own as soon as the bullet is out,” he spoke through his clamped teeth as he shuddered. This hurt almost as bad as being shot had and what was coming would be worse.
Russ braced himself. “Ready.”
She nodded and sank the tweezers into him, sending searing pain through his body. Sweat broke out on his face as she delved deeper, searching for the small piece of metal, each movement agony and fire.
“It’s in deep.”
“Keep going.” He gasped as he inhaled a deep breath, maintaining his white-knuckled grip on the chair.
Her brows furrowed, her eyes staring as if they could see inside him to where the bullet lay.
“Got it.” She held her breath as she pulled the tweezers out of him. She held up the bullet for a moment for him to see, and then dropped it into the garbage, along with the bloody gauzes.
The pain lessened and he slumped in his seat. The healing process finished and he took several deep breaths, and then straightened.
“Thanks.” He reached for his T-shirt and shrugged it back on. “Now I need to get out of here.” He stood, but she put her hand on his chest and held him in place. Underneath, his heart stuttered at her touch.
“Wait a minute. Not so fast.” She looked up at him with those beautiful blue eyes. “You need to bring me back to get my car, remember?”
“Right.” He put on his shirt and buttoned it up. “Well, let’s go.” Just then, his belly rumbled again, louder than before. He checked Tori’s expression to see if she’d heard it too.
“You need food.” Yep. She’d heard.
“Well, I haven’t eaten since breakfast,” he explained.
“What? Didn’t catch a rabbit?” There was a tease to her voice as if she challenged his abilities. He liked it.
“I did, but it was small.” He gave her a raised eyebrow. “I’d be fine if there had been two or three of them.” He patted his belly, trying to tease her back.
“Oh, big bad wolf, huh?” She laughed, her eyes sparkling. Man, he could drown in those eyes. He felt the tug of the undertow and…
He pulled her to his body. “Yeah. Big. Bad. Wolf.” His ran his tongue along his slightly extended canines.
*
Tori gasped, not with fear, but with excitement. His grip on her was tight, but it didn’t hurt and she knew he’d never hurt her. She stared up into his dark eyes, swirling with amber lights, and knew he was a mere step away from changing.
And good Lord, did that turn her on.
Every part of her body, every erogenous zone, cried out for him, but her mind fought it. This wasn’t what she wanted. This was what she’d told herself for years she should stay away from.
“Tori,” he whispered her name, his gaze locked on her lips, as he lowered his head to hers. His voice shook her to the core, the secret longing in it, as if only she could understand him, know him. Only she could make him whole again.
“Look, I don’t even know you,” she croaked out, pushing him away. “And while we’re standing here…uh,” she tried to think of a nice way to put it, but couldn’t, so she skipped it, “he’s getting away!” She pointed to the outside.
Russ sighed and stepped back, letting her go.
And didn’t that just suck. Oh Lord, this man was so dangerous.
“You’re right. Look, I’ll take you back to your car, and when you get back to town, I want you to go to the local police and report what you saw. Leave me out of it, okay?” He tilted his chin down to meet her gaze. “I’m serious.”
“All right.” It would have to do. “Let me get you something to eat first.”
Russ sank back into a chair and ran his hands through his hair. “Fine. I gotta eat.”
She grinned at him, ridiculously pleased at the thought of preparing him a meal. She could cook, but she wasn’t a gourmet chef or anything. Just plain southern cooking.
After scrounging around in the fridge and cabinets, she came up with a game plan.
“Burgers and baked sweet potatoes?” Okay, she definitely wasn’t a gourmet, but she could make a mean burger.
“Sweet potatoes?” Russ cocked an eyebrow up.
“Hey, they’re good for you,” she shot over her shoulder as she prepared them. Once they were ready she put them in the microwave and started on the burgers.
“Not grilling them?” There was a touch of snobbishness in his tone.
“No. These are done in a skillet. You’ll love them, trust me. My mom used to fix these for my brothers and they wolfed them down.” She grinned at her joke. “Pun intended.” Tori mixed the seasonings into a large bowl with the ground meat.
“About that.” He leaned back in his chair, lifting the front legs off the floor. Tori couldn’t help but notice the power in his thighs. He looked damn fine. For a wolf, she told herself. He’s a were and I’m not going there, so don’t forget it.
“About what?” She formed the patties in her hands, and then tested the skillet. Perfect. She dropped two in and the sizzle and hiss filled the kitchen, along with the savory smell of beef.
“I take it you want yours rare?” She washed her hands at the sink.
“Rare would be perfect.” He nodded. “About your family. You said you got out as fast as you could. Why?”
Tori pulled out a chair and sat down. “Small town. I knew all the available guys and none of them interested me.” She shrugged. “And I wanted away from my brothers and all their drama.”
“Drama?”
“Well, Trey is pretty messed up. A walking disaster. He disappeared a while back, just ahead of the law, if I know him. And Jake just wants to solve everyone’s problems. I needed my own space, that’s all.”
“Sounds like a typical family.”
“It was. Except for the changing into wolves part.” She laughed. “But you came from the same background, so you know what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah. But I never wanted to run away.”
She froze. “I’m not running away. I just don’t choose to live that life. Look, I understand my brother’s need to live in the family compound. I get that. I do. But I don’t. I didn’t have to stay there.” She flipped the burgers. “Cheese?”
“Sure.” He watched her with a look that said he was judging her. It pissed her off.
“Look.” She turned to him and put her hand on her hip. “You don’t know me. I don’t know you. I’m not all in your business asking why you were in the woods or where you came from, or where your pack is.” She turned back to toast the buns, slamming down the lever on the toaster a bit too hard, jerked the fridge door open, and pulled out the lettuce, tomato, and onion for the burgers.
“Hey! You’re right. I don’t know you.” He held up his hands in a “calm down” motion. Lord, she hated that. Her brothers had done the same thing to her, only they’d used the football “time out” hand signal.
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” She put the fixings on the table. The buns popped up and she plated them, added the burgers, and put them in front of him. The microwave dinged and she placed the sweet po
tatoes on the table for him to take, along with a tub of fake butter.
“You’re not eating?” He looked up at her, concern in his eyes.
“No. Not because you upset me.” She sank into her chair across from him. “I’m just not hungry.”
“Suit yourself.” He picked up the burger and took a bite. “Hmmm. Good.” He chewed, his gaze never leaving her. “You make a great burger.” Something in his voice told her he might want more and it wasn’t burgers. She wasn’t ready for more.
“Thanks. What do you want to drink? I have water, tea, and wine.”
“Is it sweet tea?” He winked at her, with a grin that could melt a nun.
She sighed. “Of course. What kind of southern girl do you think I am?”
He leaned forward and growled. “The best kind.”
Tori wanted to puddle at his feet. Damn, the man had charm to boot. She just bet he could sweet talk the birds out of the trees if he wanted to.
Why wasn’t he taken? He had to be about thirty. There should be a mate around somewhere, but if there was, he wouldn’t be giving her all these signals. Once a wolf mates, he doesn’t look at another woman.
She leaned back and laughed, just to shake herself out of her thoughts.
“The best kind, huh? If you mean sassy, I guess so. If you mean too smart to fall for a line like that, then I’m your girl.”
He pinned her with a stare that sent shivers down her spine and made her core clench in hot need.
“Like I said, the best kind.” He licked his lips, and then finished off the second burger as she tried to keep from throwing herself on the table and begging him to mate her.
Fear she’d give in, stronger than her need for him, raced through her. Tori jumped up from the table and began putting things away in a rush. “Let’s get going. The faster we get my car back, the faster you can leave and I can call the cops.”
Russ nodded, wiped the last of the hamburger juices from his lips, and stood. “I’ll help.” He carried his plate to the sink, washed it, and put it in her dish drainer.
“Thanks. Let’s go.” Tori grabbed her purse and her camera bag, trying to keep the questions she wanted answers to from slipping past her lips. Questions about packs, mates, and outrunning your destiny.
McCallan's Heart Page 4
