She bit back a gasp at his knowledge. She only knew one thing about him. “And you’re Nolan French, the famous naturalist.”
He tipped his head at her and joked, “Not so famous.”
The tension eased from Jackson, and he picked up the thread of the conversation. “What happened to them? That couple from Florida?”
Nolan started to laugh and stopped abruptly. “Really? You don’t know?” Jackson glared and Nolan threw up his hands. “Okay, okay. They’re here. Richard and Janelle.”
Jackson started to feel more confident about the situation. Richard and Janelle were one of those couples that you saw and knew were meant to be together. He wondered if Trey would ever unwind to the level Richard had. Unless he was reminded, he rarely remembered Richard used to be a Hunter. Somehow he didn’t see Trey ever reaching that level of comfort with other people.
“Well, that’s good news at least. What about the other incidences you mentioned?”
Nolan sighed. “This seems to happen a couple of times every two or three generations. There’s always a challenge, and you know how that goes. The outcome is never predictable. Witnesses don’t discuss it. No one is in a hurry to accept that someone would do this. It’s essentially stealing a mate.”
“Right.” Jackson stood and paced the length of the room a few times. Nolan wasn’t doing more than verifying what he already knew. “So you’re saying it is what it is, and there’s nothing I can really do about it.”
In an instant, Nolan’s lazy posture changed, becoming the dark and dangerous predator he was instead of the friendly, affable face he usually wore. Jackson was grateful Nolan didn’t want to be Alpha. This man could pose a real threat otherwise.
“You can let me or Billy handle it.”
Jackson shook his head. “I want you both to chill out for a couple of days.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust them to kill Wyatt, but if one of them made a challenge and fought in anger instead of cold reason, the outcome would be much less assured.
He eyed Nolan with an assessing gaze. “Neither one of you is in a position right now to trust your effectiveness. You’re both too angry.”
Nolan watched him a long moment, and he thought he was going to argue before he finally nodded in agreement. “Two days.”
Jackson ground his back molars. “Fine. Two days.”
That gave him forty-eight hours to find Wyatt and try to force the confrontation with the troublemaker onto his own territory. He caught Summer’s hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. He’d much rather spend the time convincing her they were perfect for each other, but the seduction would have to wait. In the meantime, he’d shown her the way to the village, and he was certain she’d insist on free access. His gut rebelled at the thought. It wasn’t safe.
He made arrangements to meet Nolan in a couple of days and left with Summer. They’d been inside long enough for dusk to fall, and the streets through town were empty as they made their way back to the path leading to the house. She was as quiet as usual, but kept her hand in his as they climbed the trail.
As their first week together progressed, he began to understand her better. Her emails to Hardy were always chatty, so he’d expected her to be the same in person. In the first couple of days when she wasn’t, he’d taken her quiet as a way to punish him for the sneaky way he’d claimed her, but he was starting to see it was just her way. Not that it didn’t worry him. He had learned the quieter she got, the more she was thinking, and he doubted that was good for him. He was still trying to figure her out. He knew one sure way to pull her from the remote shell she was erecting while they walked. When they reached a small deer path a quarter mile from the house, he pulled her behind him into the woods.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He smiled, knowing she could only see his back, and considered a big bad wolf response. Some place isolated. The better to eat you, my dear. Though he didn’t say it out loud, she must have felt his intent and her blood rushed in response. He imagined his lips on her, recalled her taste, and felt desire stir through him. It met hers and the air seemed to crackle with sexual energy.
In another few yards, they emerged from the trees into a small glade. He spun around to face her, pulling her hard against his body, and crushing her mouth with his before she could utter a protest. If she didn’t understand his sudden urgency, she didn’t show it. Instead, she met it, her fingers reaching for the snap on his jeans and freeing his cock from the constraining fabric. Her fingers closed around him, and he growled low in his throat until she reluctantly released him. He needed her willing, but he wasn’t sure he could handle aggressive. Stepping back, he ripped off his shirt.
“The jacket,” he panted out. She unzipped it and tossed it to the ground. He wanted to take off her sweater, but was afraid he’d tear it. “The sweater, too.”
When it too lay on the ground, he moved in, eyeing her bra. Knowing the lacy thing was history, he silently promised he’d buy her a dozen more. Letting his claws lengthen, he shredded the straps and sides, paying no attention as it fluttered to the ground. Her breasts rose and fell at a fast pace. He met her gaze, expecting to see fear, but not sure how to assuage it. The truth was she probably should be afraid of him right now. He felt a primitive need to mark her as his territory, a need that was obsessive. It went beyond sexual chemistry. This woman was in his bones.
Compassion shone through the chocolate depths of her eyes, and she held her hand out to him. It was all the invitation he needed. Yanking her closer, his mouth closed over the pink areola of her breast. She moaned, and her fingers twisted in his hair. The growing scent of her arousal flooded his nostrils and without releasing her, he walked her backwards to brace against the nearest tree. When the bark brushed his arm around her back, he released her and reached for the button on her jeans. Popping it open, he felt for a zipper and groaned when there was none.
“Button fly?”
She laughed shakily. “Sorry.”
He popped the remaining snaps open. He met her gaze, glad to see she looked as dazed as he felt. “Don’t replace these jeans,” he ordered.
Her eyes sparked but instead of a retort, she groaned when his fingers reached inside the jeans and found her clit. The small nub was already hard and swollen, and he had her screaming her release in seconds. At the small mastery over her body, ecstasy surged through him and his cock demanded attention. Deciding he was far beyond finesse, he turned her around and placed her palms on the tree, pulling her hips with him until her back was flat, her glistening pussy in easy access.
He pushed two fingers in her channel to test her readiness, relieved to find her slick with need. She dropped her head, pushed back against him, and fucked herself on the digits for a few seconds. He enjoyed the sight of her moving around his hand. He withdrew them and trailed the line between her ass, pausing over the pucker of her hole. She stilled completely as he pushed one finger inside and slowly worked it in and out before adding a second finger. She tensed at the additional invasion, and he murmured soothing nonsense words. Gradually she relaxed, opening up to him. He groaned, feeling the sensation, watching the action, wishing he had a tube of lube with him. Soon.
No longer able to hold back, he continued to work her ass as he guided his cock to her pussy. He entered her slowly, withdrawing his cock and fingers in unison, then working both back in. After a few times, she began to move backwards to meet him, and he let her set a slow rhythm that steadily increased. He threw back his head and gritted his teeth, reining in the need to ram into her. She moved faster.
“Yeah, baby,” he moaned. “Just like that.”
When her pussy started to twitch around him, he withdrew his fingers and gripped her hips with both hands. He pounded into her, and she met him thrust for thrust until her body went rigid with her orgasm, her cry loud in his ears. Her cunt clenched around him, reluctant to release its hold on him as he stroked his way to his own finish. He threw his head back and ho
wled as he came.
He felt a quiver in her thighs and not yet ready to move, wrapped one arm around her waist and set a hand against the tree keeping both of them from falling to the ground. Sighing, she reached one hand up to rub along his arm, and the other around to squeeze his butt. The move filled him with a sense of rightness.
“Jackson, I have to stand up.”
“I have you. You won’t fall,” he whispered against her ear and kissed a line down the back of her neck. She shivered.
“Okay. I want to stand up.”
Reluctantly, he straightened and released her, watching as she pulled up her jeans. Embarrassment crossed her face, and she looked away. He wondered if it was because they were outside or because she’d enjoyed the anal play. Taking care not to spook her, he pulled her into his arms.
“Summer,” he said, waiting until she met his gaze. “Whatever we do together is perfectly natural.”
She caught her lip with her teeth in the nervous gesture he found sexy as hell. His cock responded. A response, judging by the widening of her eyes, she noticed.
“It’s not natural to…want this much.”
He grinned at the almost admission. “It is,” he said, bending over to nibble the spot he’d bitten to claim her. “When you’re mated to a werewolf.”
When he checked again, her expression was mutinous and wary.
“It won’t ever go away, Summer. I’ll want you as much—you’ll want me as much—in ten years, as today. What we make of the rest of our lives is up to us.”
He searched her eyes for any softening, but found none. “God, please give us a chance, Summer,” he whispered. He cupped her face in his palms and dropped a quick kiss on her lips. “I don’t want to live the kind of life your grandfather did. Whether we do or not is up to you.”
“How can I when you don’t trust me? You’re asking me for all this faith, but where’s yours?”
Surprised by her question, he asked, “What are you talking about?”
She reached a hand between them and gripped the small disc on the chain around his neck. He’d forgotten all about it.
“I’m half blind with you wearing this.”
Half blind? He wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but the thought of limiting her abilities to protect herself filled him with dread. “I can take care of that. ”He pulled the chain over his head and threw it into the woods. He hoped she wouldn’t ask for freedom from the house.
She eyed him suspiciously. “And you’ll let me leave the house?”
So much for that hope. He sighed. “It’s not safe right now. Let me find out who’s trying to undermine my control, and then you can go wherever you want.”
Pulling out of his arms, she stepped back and put her hands on her hips. From a distance of three feet, she glared at him. “Surely, it’s safe in the village in the middle of the day. And I’m not entirely defenseless, you know.”
What did she think she could do against a full-grown werewolf? He growled his anger, determined to prove a point, and pounced at her. He braced an arm under them, catching the fall, careful not to hurt her as he pinned her under him. Her naked breasts pressed against his bare chest, and she gasped. At the contact or the demonstration, he had no idea. Shaking his head, he reminded his cock he was proving a point, not taking her again.
“I don’t know what you can do. Probably because you won’t talk to me, you think?” He continued before she could answer. “But you can’t take on an adult werewolf. I’ll be damned if you get the chance to try.”
Glaring, she pushed at him until he rolled over. She jumped up and found her sweater, pulled it on and reached for the jacket. When it was zipped, she turned to him. “I’d like to go back to house now,” she stiffly.
He nodded and they walked back to the house in an uncomfortable silent. There were people waiting for him inside one of the front rooms, and he stopped her at the bottom step before she could disappear for the next few hours. He kissed her with as much passion as he could put into it.
“It would destroy me if something happened to you, Summer,” he said in a low voice that wouldn’t carry to his guests. “Just give me some time to deal with this.”
Some of the anger faded from her eyes, and she nodded before turning and leaving him to face the pack.
Chapter Six
Chloe awoke in an instant, cautiously edging a hand out to her side to insure she was alone. When she was sure her straining ears picked up nothing but silence, she opened her eyes and looked around. Sometime during the night Wyatt had undone the restraints tying her to the bed and left her free. If she was any judge, the house was empty and this was her only chance for escape. He’d kill her as soon as he thought she was no longer of use to him. Sometime over the last week, she’d decided she could live with his death, too.
Gingerly, she stood and made her way to the bathroom. Careful not to look in the mirror, she turned the hot water tap on in the shower and stepped in. Giving into the tears, she scrubbed herself, wondering if she’d ever be able to wash away the feel of his hands, if she’d ever feel whole and safe and sane again. Hiccupping, she turned off the water and stepped out, and looked into the mirror. Anger stirred through her and she met her gaze in silent promise. Never again. She was not the wimp who’d lived in her body the last nine months, and she was taking her life back. She knew one man, one werewolf, she was certain could take on Wyatt, and she was going to him. If she could get her hands on one of her father’s guns, she’d do it herself.
Ignoring the purpling that covered her body, she dried off and went in search of clothes. In a fit of rage the night he’d found her outside, he shredded almost everything. She finally found a pair of corduroy pants and an old red sweater faded to orange that had seen many better days.
She searched the house for her keys and grinned when she came up short, feeling more herself than she had in ages. He really was an idiot if he thought lack of keys would keep her around. She grabbed her purse, stepped out the back door, and sighed with relief when she saw her car. She’d left it unlocked, and since he had the keys, he apparently hadn’t though he needed to lock it. Snorting her derision, she climbed in and hotwired it. Thanks for being a paranoid SOB, Dad. It was something he’d insisted she learn when she started dating.
Glancing at the clock, she peeled out of the driveway. Jackson’s house was only about twenty miles north, but driving out of town and up the mountain would probably take an hour. She wanted to have a good head start on Wyatt.
She reached for her cell phone on the passenger seat, thinking to call home, but it was completely dead. She considered stopping at the diner to retrieve Billy’s number. Deciding it would take too much time, she drove on. The urge to call him was strong, but she ignored it. After her experience with Wyatt, she didn’t think she would ever be able to stand a man’s touch again, and she shuddered with the knowledge that Billy would expect it of her.
No. She would go to Jackson and explain what was going on. He wouldn’t be able to not challenge Wyatt, and he’d win that match. If he didn’t, she would stick around long enough to do the deed herself. She hoped she could avoid her father and Billy long enough to get that done. Then she would disappear.
The road wound further and further up while she thought it through, while she made plans. She had an aunt in Pensacola. She would go there for as long as possible. Eventually her mother and father would tell Billy where to find her—probably sooner rather than later—but it would give her a little space, some time to plan. Once she was free of the mate bond, she would be okay. She had a trust fund from her grandmother. It wasn’t a lot, but it would get her a new identity. It would be enough to hide her.
Finally she pulled into the Alpha’s driveway. She glanced at the clock. One hour and five minutes. The sun was setting and the sky looked ominous. She’d made the drive in silence, ignoring the distraction of the radio, but she bet the forecast called for snow. One hell of a storm if her experience was right. Turning off the c
ar, she took a last long look around and lifted the door handle. Now or never, Chloe.
Somehow, despite the shaking that had taken over her limbs, she made it to the front door and rang the bell. She’d heard Jackson had a screener. He took one look at her and ushered her into an upstairs library. Telling her sternly to wait, he disappeared. Seconds later she heard pounding on the stairs and braced herself for the reaction. Despite what she’d gone through with Wyatt, the logical side of her brain knew werewolves didn’t condone this kind of treatment of bonded mates.
The door flew open and she couldn’t help the cringe. Jackson, her father, Billy. Thankfully she was standing in front of a chair. She sank down, barely registering when her ass hit the seat. Billy got to her first. He dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands creating a gentle cradle around her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
She nodded yes, afraid to trust her voice. His thumbs lightly traced the bruises over her cheeks while he searched her eyes. “He’s as good as dead, Chloe. I promise. You’ll be free to make you own choices.”
She forced the need to beg and weep away. It wasn’t good to beg for someone’s death, was it? Her father pushed Billy out of the way and he looked as close to crying as she felt. She cupped his face in her palms. “It’s okay, Daddy. It’s okay.”
He did weep then, but she managed to keep herself in check. Last, Jackson knelt before her. He reached up and caught the one tear she lost. His smile was soft and gentle, completely at odds with the hard look in his eyes.
“We’ll fix this, Chloe,” he promised. And him she believed. Maybe because she didn’t have a personal stake in his life.
She nodded. “There are things I need to tell you.”
He sat back on his heels, staying at her eye level, and she appreciated his concern. She didn’t think he’d still express it when she told the whole sordid tale. She forced the whole thing out, from her first meeting with Wyatt when he claimed she’d teased him into claiming her to now. She talked about Wyatt’s determination to force Jackson out by threatening Summer, and her own escape.
Lunar Mates 3: Chasing the Moon Page 6
