In the Company of Wolves

by Paige Tyler

  He grimaced. “I’d like to say that it wasn’t. I certainly didn’t think so at the time. I had the training, and the counterfeiters were supposed to be just college kids. The leader of the task force thought I was ready for the field and so did I.”

  “What went wrong?”

  Becker remembered it like it was yesterday. He’d been so eager to get into the field and do some real work that he’d never even thought about slowing down and making sure he didn’t go half-cocked into a dangerous situation. Not much had changed in that regard, he guessed.

  “At first, nothing,” he said. “I got into the counterfeiting ring easy enough, which only convinced us more than ever that we were dealing with amateurs. After that, the plan was simple: figure out where they were stockpiling the counterfeit money; then get them to incriminate themselves on tape. But then I met the people the college kids worked for and realized we’d seriously underestimated the guys. The people in charge were mob connected, and they made me in two seconds flat.”

  “Oh crap,” she breathed.

  “Yeah, no kidding.” Becker shook his head. “One second I’m sitting there talking about the high-quality printers, and the next I have half a dozen weapons pointed at me. I didn’t even have a chance to shout out the code word for a compromised operation before they started shooting. I managed to take down three of them before I passed out from blood loss. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital.”

  “As a werewolf,” she said.

  “Yeah. I didn’t realize that’s what I was until I met Sergeant Dixon, though.”

  “Why didn’t you stay with the Secret Service?”

  “We got the bad guys, but the agency took a lot of heat over the body count—and the injured newbie. Even though I took full responsibility for things going bad, the task force leader was the one who paid with his job.” Becker sighed. “I was pissed that I’d gotten made, pissed that I’d gotten shot, pissed that I’d gotten the guy who’d given me a chance fired, and really pissed that no one even thought I had enough experience to warrant listening to me when I tried to take the blame. I said some things I probably shouldn’t have and was told to sit at my computer and be quiet. But I couldn’t see myself doing that anymore, not after everything that had happened. I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do when Gage—Sergeant Dixon—showed up and offered me a job with SWAT.” He shrugged. “After that, it didn’t take me too long to get comfortable with being a werewolf. Who doesn’t want to be faster and stronger, right?” His mouth twitched. “I can’t turn into a full wolf yet, but I’m working on it.”

  She blinked in confusion. “What do you mean, a full wolf?”

  “You know, a wolf, with fur and stuff.”

  She stared at him for a long time. “We can do that?”

  He nodded. “About half the guys in my pack can.”

  “Wow,” she breathed. “That’s kind of cool. I had no idea werewolves could do anything like that.”

  He chuckled. “Finally something I know more about when it comes to being a werewolf than you do.”

  Jayna laughed with him. “Well, as strange as it sounds, I guess I should be happy you were shot and turned into one, or I wouldn’t be here with you right now.”

  Becker grinned back. “Being here with you makes getting shot worth it.”

  She caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Does that mean I can go back to doing what I was doing before your heart started racing? Because I was really enjoying myself.”

  He wanted to say yes more than anything. But then he’d be right back where he’d been—on the edge of losing it.

  “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” he said. “I like to think that I have better control over myself than most of the guys in my pack, but I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you how difficult it is to keep it together when you start doing certain things.”

  Her lips curved. “Maybe I wouldn’t mind you losing it…just a little.”

  His heart started thumping again, and his cock hardened painfully. “But maybe that might lead to places you don’t want to go.”

  Her smile disappeared, replaced by a serious little pucker between her brows. “I know you’re trying to be careful around me, and I appreciate that. But when I told you about my past, it wasn’t so you’d run around treating me like some kind of porcelain doll that has to be handled with kid gloves. When I said I had problems getting physical with guys in the past, a lot of that was because I didn’t feel a connection with them. They were just guys. That’s not the way I’m feeling with you, not even close. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to forget what I told you about my issues for the time being and let this go exactly where I want it to go—to your bedroom, where we might discover there’s something interesting in there after all.”

  Becker gazed into her green eyes for a long time, trying to make sure he wasn’t misjudging what was going on here. But she never looked away, never gave a hint that she wasn’t one hundred percent sure of her decision.

  He slowly slipped his hand into her long hair, then carefully pulled her close and kissed her. God, she tasted so damn sweet.

  He carefully let his canines slip out ever so slightly. Jayna’s moan almost made him lose his tenuous grip on his inner werewolf, but he determinedly tamed the beast. This first time with her had to go perfectly, or there’d never be another.

  Jayna broke the kiss, her eyes glowing. “Ready to show me that boring bedroom of yours now?”

  This time, Becker didn’t even pause to think. He just slid his hands down to her ass, got a good grip, then carried her down the hallway and into his bedroom.

  * * *

  When Jayna decided to take Megan’s advice and get away from the loft for a while, she hadn’t really thought much about what she and Eric would do. She’d figured they’d hang out, maybe catch a movie or grab something to eat and just talk. She’d assumed there might be some kissing involved. Last night had been way too much fun to take that activity off the table. But the idea that the kissing would progress to anything else had never entered her mind until she climbed on his lap. She’d only done it because it was easier to kiss him that way, but when her bottom brushed against his erection, her inner werewolf took over.

  At first, her intense arousal scared her. She knew Eric was just as crazy turned on as she was, but he was still in control enough to slow things down. Whether it was pulling off his shirt or checking to see if she was okay with his hand on her ass, he took the time to make sure they weren’t moving too fast. She simply couldn’t put into words what that meant to her.

  She’d never been with a guy who was willing to let his own pleasure take a backseat to hers. Even when she made his pulse kick into another gear by leaning forward to kiss and nip at his delicious chest muscles, he hadn’t thought about himself and what made him feel good, but had put on the brakes to make sure she was okay.

  It wasn’t until they were talking about how he became a werewolf that she realized they were going to sleep together before they left his apartment. That realization had made her feel amazingly happy—because she wasn’t doing it as an experiment to see if she was “normal.” She wasn’t even doing it because Eric had been so good to her pack. For the first time since she was a teen, she was going to make love with a guy simply because he was smoking hot and perfect for her.

  So when his heart started racing again and the scent of his arousal grew so strong she was practically drooling from it, she refused to let him talk her out of going further. She almost cheered when he slipped his hands under her ass and carried her into his bedroom.

  Jayna was so focused on Eric’s kisses, she barely noticed they’d reached the bed until he carefully set her on her feet beside it. She stood there gazing up at him, mesmerized by the heat in his eyes and the scent streaming off his body. She wanted him so badly that her knees actually felt weak.

  She reached down for the hem of her tank top, more than ready to feel her bare breasts pressing up
against his warm skin, but Eric got there first.

  “Hey, that’s my job,” he said, flashing her a grin.

  Jayna lifted her arms to help him, laughing as he tossed her top halfway across the room. She reached back and unsnapped her bra, then let it fall to the floor. Eric growled and pulled her close, and she got exactly what she’d been wishing for as her tender nipples pressed against the warm skin of his torso. She buried her face in his neck, wrapping her arms around him and basking in the sensation of being this close to him. It felt so perfect and right, it was scary.

  Jayna could have stayed like that all night, but the desire to be totally naked in his arms, to feel their legs intertwined, was too strong to ignore for long. She lifted her head and gazed up at him, wondering what she should do next. She may have slept with other guys before, but that didn’t mean she considered herself experienced at this. Because of that, she wasn’t sure Eric was going to enjoy this moment as much as she was, and she really wanted him to.

  She opened her mouth to tell him just that, to say she was sorry in advance if she wasn’t as confident and experienced as he was used to. But his finger came down softly on her lips.

  “Shh,” he whispered. “Don’t think so much. Just go with your instincts.”

  Then he was urging her back, onto his big, comfy bed, his hands at her waist, pulling her tight yoga pants down. She reached for her panties as he was busy tossing aside her pants, but he stopped her with a look. “That’s my job, remember?”

  She laughed, holding up her hands in surrender. “You taking off my clothes is something I’m going to have to get used to, isn’t it?”

  His mouth quirked. “Yeah, it is. It’s an alpha thing, completely out of my control.”

  “Sure it is.” She leaned back on her elbows and motioned to the tiny piece of black material that was the only thing left between her and complete nakedness. “Well, are you going to take these off?”

  Eyes flaring gold, he reached down and wrapped a big hand around her left ankle, lifting her leg high. “I will…when I get there.”

  Before she could ask what that meant, Eric began kissing his way down the inside of her leg with maddening slowness. She gasped as he trailed a path along her skin with his tongue, then growled as he gently nipped the inside of her thigh with his canines. She buried her fingers in his hair, trying to tug him higher, desperate to feel his mouth on her pussy.

  Thank God, Eric didn’t make her wait, because she wasn’t sure she could have handled it. When he slid his hands under her bottom, she lifted her hips, eager to help him get her panties off. She hadn’t realized how excited she was until he pulled the tiny scrap of material down her legs, and she was absolutely soaking wet.

  Eric tossed her panties over his shoulder, then gently spread her legs. He held her gaze as he lowered his head, his eyes like molten gold. Jayna tried to prepare herself for how good it would feel, but when he began to lazily trace up and down her folds with his tongue, she knew she hadn’t been even close to ready. Not for something that felt this exquisite.

  She clutched at the sheets, her breath coming in quick bursts, her hips rotating like they had a mind of their own as his tongue worked its magic. There was no way she could be ready to orgasm this soon—but as Eric’s tongue swirled lightly over that most sensitive part of her anatomy, she felt her whole body start to tingle, and she knew her climax was going to be huge.

  Jayna undulated her hips faster, digging her claws into the sheets. Eric’s grip tightened on her ass, holding her in place as he licked her. That show of dominance was enough to set her off like a rocket. She threw back her head and howled as she exploded. She’d never come that hard before—or that long. Her orgasm kept going and going. And when it was over, even the slow spiral down from heaven afterward was better than the best climax she’d ever experienced before.

  She pushed herself up on her elbows to look at him. “I’m not sure there are words to describe how amazing that was.”

  Eric grinned. “Amazing works for me.”

  He climbed off the bed and unbuckled his belt. Jayna’s pulse quickened as he popped the buttons on his jeans. When he shoved them down, all she could do was stare. God, he looked good naked. She’d seen his bare chest and shoulders plenty of times, but it was nice to see that he had long, muscular legs to match.

  And then there was his cock. She hadn’t been with a lot of guys, so she hadn’t seen a lot, but she had a feeling Eric’s was special, which was fitting, she supposed, since he was a very special werewolf.

  She would have reached out and wrapped her hand around him, but he was already rummaging in the nightstand for something. After a few moments, he finally came up with a foil-wrapped condom. She was absurdly happy that he had to dig around so long before finding the thing. It meant he didn’t use them very often. Silly, she knew, but still.

  He tore open the packet, his hands shaking a little. Jayna blinked. Was he actually nervous? But when he lifted his head and gave her a heated look, she realized he was shaking with anticipation, not nerves. She was eager too, and watching him roll on the condom was only making her more impatient. She was practically bouncing on the bed by the time he climbed in with her.

  Jayna didn’t have to think about what to do next, or where to put her arms, her legs, or any other body part, like she usually had to do with a guy. She and Eric fit together perfectly.

  Her legs parted for him and he settled between them, kissing his way up from her belly button, stopping only to suckle tenderly on each nipple before hungrily claiming her mouth. She wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning when she felt his erection nudge the opening of her pussy. She was more than ready to take him inside her, but instead, Eric teased her with the head of his shaft, gliding up and down her folds until she thought she might go insane from the torture.

  “Please,” she begged hoarsely.

  He lifted his head to gaze at her. “Are you sure about this?”

  She slid one hand up his chest to cup his jaw, her thumb caressing the stubble there. “More sure than I’ve been about anything in my life.”

  It was true. Everything else in her life was crazy right then, but sleeping with Eric? That wasn’t crazy at all.

  Gold eyes locked with hers, and he entered her ever so slowly. It was incredible and yet frustrating at the same time because Jayna didn’t want him to go slow. She wanted all of him, and she wanted him now. She moaned and reached around to dig her fingers into his muscular ass, encouraging him to go deeper.

  But he wouldn’t do it. Instead, he made love to her like she was the most delicate and precious thing in the world. And while her inner werewolf wanted it hard and fast, the human part of her loved how tender he was. When he finally plunged into her all the way, it made her world spin upside down. Then he began to thrust, and it got even better.

  There was no holding back, even if she’d wanted to, and no containing her werewolf either. It was like Eric was making her whole body come, and the desire and unabashed awe on his face as he did was almost as powerful as her climax. Then his eyes flared bright and his fangs elongated, and he began to thrust long and deep, and Jayna knew he was coming too. She wrapped her arms around him, her growls of release combining with his to become one.

  Jayna had never imagined that sex could ever be this perfect with anyone. And for a long time after they’d both floated back to earth, she held him close, dreaming of a world that could always be like this.

  Chapter 10

  Jayna and Eric had just finished up round two when the doorbell rang. A little stab of fear went through her. What if it was one of the werewolves from Eric’s pack? Worse, what if the Albanians had figured out who Eric really was and discovered where he lived?

  Eric gave her a quick kiss. “It’s probably just one of my neighbors.”

  Then why did he look so worried?

  Jayna sat up and hugged her knees to her chest, silently watching as Eric pulled on his jeans, then yanked his T-shirt over his he
ad. She was worrying for nothing. It was crazy to think the Albanians would have figured out who Eric was and where he lived. If they had, they certainly wouldn’t have rung the doorbell.

  One of Eric’s pack mates would though.

  And she was sitting here naked.

  She was just about to jump out of bed and get dressed when Eric opened the door and stuck his head in.

  He grinned. “It’s Cooper. He stopped by to feed the fish and saw my bike outside. You want to meet him?”

  “Um…”

  Jayna hesitated. Texting Cooper with information was one thing; meeting him in person was another. He was a cop. What if he wasn’t quite as accepting of her as Eric was? But Eric wouldn’t ask her to meet Cooper if he didn’t trust his friend. If he’d been willing to help Eric with this crazy scheme, he must be pretty awesome.

  “Okay,” she finally said. “I’ll get dressed and be right out.”

  Before going into the living room to meet his friend, Jayna pulled on her clothes and ran her hand through her hair, then took a quick glance in the mirror over the dresser to make sure she didn’t look like she’d just spent the past couple hours rolling around in bed with Eric.

  Cooper had his back to her but turned when Eric stopped midsentence to smile at her. He was tall and muscular, like Eric, and almost as good-looking. It made her wonder if the Dallas SWAT team only hired werewolves based on looks and buff bodies.

  “Cooper, this is Jayna Winston,” Eric said. “Jayna, meet Landry Cooper, my best friend and the only cop crazy enough to help me with this insane plan.”

  Cooper smiled and held out his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet the werewolf on the other end of all those texts I’ve been getting.”

  Jayna returned his smile as she shook his hand. While Cooper had that unique werewolf smell, he didn’t have a trace of that delectable scent she’d come to associate with Eric. So much for her theory that Eric smelled the way he did because he was such a strong alpha.

  “It’s nice to finally meet the werewolf I’ve been texting,” she said.