“Selene, I found something today that you need to see.” He pulled a folded page from his rear pocket and opened it to lay on her desk. “Look, Selene. We’ve got bigger problems than Rebecca.”
Her gaze bore holes in him for several seconds before finally drifting to the page. “Oh, God,” she gasped as her lungs gave out. “That’s me.”
“I know. Whoever it is, they are definitely after you.”
This time when he tightened his hold, she melted into him. “Bram, I’m so sorry.”
He smiled as he kissed her cheek. “That’s okay. I’ve already been warned about your temper and that you’re emotionally imbalanced.”
She leaned back, her jaw slack. “Who told you that? I’ll hurt them, I swear I will.”
He laughed tenderly as he cradled her. He turned to lean his butt against the desk, bringing her with him to rest against his body. His solid, warm, so enticing body. She quivered in his hold.
“Good luck. I just got off the phone with Morgan. He called when he saw the flyer wanting to know if you had seen it yet.”
She wanted to do something with that stupid grin on his face, kiss it or smack it, but something.
“Damn brothers,” she muttered into his chest.
“I have one, I can trade one for one, but Mitchell’s just a big baby. You’d smear him across the state.” He tilted her head back, looking at her with those soft caramel eyes. His voice dropped, a vibration that hummed through her body. “I didn’t lie to you, Selene. Rebecca is a brat who never grew up. She plays for toys and she lost her favorite one.”
“You.” He nodded. She felt his thumbs rubbing her through her clothes. She was turning into a puddle right there. “Where is she?”
“On the next plane out of here to wherever. I don’t care,” he told her. A bubble of happiness lifted her and she knew she was starting to smile again. It was reflected in his gaze. She lifted a finger to poke into his chest. “And us?”
His gaze darkened as he tightened his arms once more. “Going to your place for steak, I hope.”
She searched his face, replaying his words. “You said we have a problem?”
“I’m not about to let you go about this alone. You almost died a few days ago. What happens if he gets to you? Finds you?” His head shake was adamant. “No way.”
She couldn’t fight the shudder that racked her body. “Good point.” She looked up at him. “I guess we need to figure out who this is and stop him for good.”
She felt heat pool in her stomach when he lifted a hand to brush his thumb against her bottom lip.
“Morgan said he’ll be by tonight to talk about it.” She could only nod. He’d turned her into a pile of mush, incapable of speech.
He tilted her up, seeking her gaze, but he didn’t kiss her. He whispered against her skin as he marked her with a long thorough swipe of his tongue on her throat.
“I am really liking that,” he told her with a gentle nip, his voice vibrant and alive.
“Why won’t you kiss me?” she wondered hungrily.
His face was calm, even though the depth of his hunger and desire glittered like fireworks in his gaze. “Because if I kiss you now, after what we’ve shared, I won’t be able to stop, and I’m not ready to be your mate.” He shook his head, adding, “Roman put it very succinctly. He’s not the type you take lightly.” He touched her mouth again before she could say anything.
He leaned in to whisper heated words into her ear. “Don’t doubt that I want you. I want to make love to you all night, for hours and hours. I want to feel your hands, your lips, hear your cries of passion. I’ve ached for you, dreamed of you.” He ground his hips into her quickly for emphasis, even as his breathing became labored. His eyes lifted to catch her gaze. “But I understand more each day. When I make love to you, when I cherish you the way I want to, the way I need to, you will have your mate.”
She curled into his shoulder in acceptance. “Bram, I’m patient. I already have more than I could have ever hoped for.”
He leaned down again, his breath hot against her skin. “I do want another marking lesson though. I was wondering, have you ever had your thigh marked?” His laugh was purely male when she shivered and moaned with delighted anticipation.
“You’re evil, Bram Benedetti. Just plain evil,” she whispered. His laughter filled the confines of her office for several minutes.
That evening, Bram answered the door while she changed into jeans and a regular shirt. She’d been floating all afternoon after the episode in her office. He’d not only marked her neck but several inches below her blouse collar also. God, if he kept it up, she was going to burst into a walking body of flames!
She knew at some point they would mate; make love, and then there would be relief from these damnable urges that were driving her crazy. There had to be. She could go on with her life and this insistent nagging of her body would finally be shut up. At least that’s what she prayed would happen. Or did it stop? What if the attraction didn’t go away? Her eyes widened. What if it got stronger?
She knew how the body worked, what chemicals caused what impulses in the brain, but what if after they had sex it really didn’t stop? What if this craving to possess and be possessed didn’t go away?
Roman was the only one of the pack to have mated, but he’d fallen in love with Del. She froze where she stood in the bathroom, her brush held mid-air as shock ripped through her. Was she supposed to fall in love? Would she love him? She stared hard at her reflection. Did she already love him?
It would be so easy to say that she did. She did care for him. He’d been there and proven himself over and over for her. But was love really necessary? Mating was, well, mating. Wasn’t it? She knew Morgan had had a few discreet nights in a woman’s company. So, obviously love wasn’t necessary for a mate, but he hadn’t chosen one of those women for his lifemate, either. So, Morgan had sex. Selene hadn’t. Big deal. She wasn’t the last walking virgin. She couldn’t be. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe if she just took a man to bed it would alleviate… She gagged over the sink.
She took a deep breath, catching her wan reflection. Okay, she got the hint. It was Bram or nothing. Back to square one.
So, if that was true, was she in love with him? She knew she wanted him physically. She wanted him so much she burst into heat if he just walked into the room, and it was getting continually stronger. She thought of his tenderness, his warmth. He was protective of her, of that she was sure or he wouldn’t have included himself in the hunt for the man who had shot her twice. She closed her eyes and remembered how he had stared at her when she had shown her secret to him. The shock had turned to awe, his careful observations had turned to joy as he’d held her. Even when she’d been too weak to change back, he’d stayed with her.
Her gaze opened slowly when she realized what she’d found. She held it close, the uncertainty of the future holding her in a death grip. The warmth of the feeling was new, and raw. She wasn’t ready. She couldn’t face it yet. Too much was still left out there, too many unanswered questions, and so many threats. Just knowing how she felt, really deep down for Bram was a gift in of itself. Her frozen hand moved over her hair distractedly as the truth of her discovery filled her, but the brush stopped once more when the phone rang. At Morgan’s shout she dropped her brush in the sink and ran for the front room.
“What is it?” she gasped, sliding to a stop.
“Del had the baby! Eight pounds, two ounces and all boy!” Morgan was grinning as he lifted the phone again. “That’s great, Roman. How is she doing? Yeah, and you? Lots of love, man. We’ll see you as soon as we get this poacher problem cleared up.” Morgan’s laugh was deep as he nodded. “Yeah, yeah. Wait until Mom and Dad see him.” He laughed again, then said, “Don’t even think about it, you have a family. Man, I never thought I’d say that about any of us. Watch your tongue, you have a son now.” His gaze flashed to Selene. “Sure, hold on. Selene, he wants to say hi.” He held out the phone.
“Hiya,” she said grinning happily.
“Hey, little stuff. Are things settling down for you?” She grinned wider at his pet name of her.
“They’re starting to,” she said.
“Well, if he gives you any more problems, just let me know. I think we connected, more than Morgan did anyway.” His voice lowered as he told her with a chuckle, “I think I scared him a little.”
“Oh, Roman, go be a daddy, you knucklehead.” She buried her face in her hand before she laughed outright at him. “Love to you and Del.”
“Back at you sis. See you real soon. Bye.” And he hung up.
She turned around but it was just her and Bram in the room. “Where’d Morgan go?” She put the phone down.
“I think he went to see if there was anyone outside.” Bram didn’t have to say Morgan was acting edgy. She’d seen it already when he’d arrived. Bram walked to stand in front of her. “You’re real close, your family, aren’t you?”
“Very. Kind of a mutual admiration society.” She felt her smile answering his grin.
“I can see how that could be.” He traced a finger across her jaw and she felt her heart thunder against her ribs. His voice was low and sensuous as he searched her face. “Selene, do you remember what I said earlier about kissing you?”
Her gaze collided with those lips. The ones that belonged to him. The lips that she wanted to taste again. Needed to feel with heated passion as he… “Yes,” she breathed, barely able to stay standing. He swept her into the circle of his arms, a ring of fire that blazed around her. “Please, tell me this is real,” he choked out. “I’ve thought of little else all day. The wanting is killing me, but I won’t take from you.” His desire was so close to the surface she felt his heat on her fingertips. She felt the warmth of his body flow over her, his scent covering her, her senses coming alive in his hold. She pressed herself into him in comfort and felt his arms tighten again, like he didn’t want to let her go. She lifted her head, her nose grazing his throat and watched as he swallowed, barely under control.
Impulsively, she swept her tongue up the sleek side of his throat and felt the vibrated reaction all over her body where she and he touched.
“God, is that what it feels like for you, when I do it?” he gasped in needy wonder seconds later. She pressed her lips against him where he curled over her, breathing hard and trembling. As she spoke, she felt his body’s reaction all over again. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s the best mark I’ve ever received.” She teased him with her breath, her voice, her lips and her tongue until he quivered in her hold.
“No wonder your kisses…” He stopped. His gaze was penetrating as they locked on each other, a secret message passing between them. “You make me feel more alive than I’ve ever felt. In my whole life.”
It was on her tongue. How much she wanted him. How much he meant to her. She wanted him to take her to bed and let her forget that outside her door someone was lying in wait for her. She wanted him.
“Sorry to break this up, but our problem is back and he means business.”
Bram and Selene jumped apart like to two guilty children as they faced Morgan, his expression enraged as he stood before them covered in dirt. He caught Selene’s gaze, his concern and fear for her right on the surface. He held in his hand a new trap, stronger than the old style they’d been destroying and new bait. A very effective bait.
He held a picture of her.
ELEVEN
Selene was grateful that Bram had dropped a hand to wrap around her waist. He was able to hold her up when her legs changed to water and her knees began to collapse beneath her.
“Oh, God. He did see me.” Her stomach flipped at her carelessness. The photograph was a picture of her leaving the hospital just that afternoon.
Morgan’s tone was ominous. “I think he’s known for some time and that’s why he’s been trying to catch one of us. He just never figured out the traps wouldn’t work.”
“But why would anyone do that?” Bram asked, still holding her close. Morgan shot him an impatient look. “Think. If you had a million dollar wolf what would you do?
Could produce a bloodline of self-healing warriors? Could duplicate what we are?”
Bram released a harsh breath, raking a hand down his face. “Damn, I didn’t even think of it that way.”
She pointed with a shaking hand at the picture. “Where did you find that?”
“I found it tacked up on the tree the trap was anchored to. It’s a warning. He knows we’ve been destroying the traps and he knows, at least, of you.”
“Can’t we just confront him? There has to be a way to protect all of you,” Bram insisted. Morgan dropped the trap unceremoniously on the porch, slamming the door on it. “And tell him what?” he snarled. “Um, sorry, but could you please quit trying to plunk one of us in the butt?”
Morgan shook his head derisively. “Somehow I don’t think that’s going to work.”
Morgan fell into a chair with a dark, cross look as Bram and Selene took over the couch.
“This is my fault,” she whispered, heartbroken. “I should have been more careful.”
Bram supported her chin with a finger. “What’s done is done. We’ve already been over that.”
She nodded once. “You’re right. One thing at a time.”
Morgan leaned over, a little calmer, holding his weight on his elbow as he cupped his hands. “So what do we do folks? We can’t let him continue to trap, he’s hurting the small game. I’ve smelled the blood of death more times than I want to remember when he misses us, and I know I’m not letting him get to any of us.”
“I’m not either,” Bram said vehemently. “I can go to the police and take in the trap as evidence.”
Selene laid a gentle hand on Bram’s knee. “Oh, Bram. I know you mean well. We’ve already done that. Morgan even threw some of his Forestry weight around to get more people involved. It didn’t go anywhere. Wolves don’t live here. We do.”
“I hate feeling helpless,” Bram admitted.
“I know,” she told him. She looked at Morgan. There was only one way. “We have to do this ourselves, and he can’t survive.”
“You mean…?” Bram swallowed, a gray color taking over his features.
“Bram, he knows,” she stressed. “Our secret is sacred.” She grazed a tender hand down his face as she stood. “It’s time this was over. Two years is too long.”
Bram stood next to her and she felt blessed with his support. “Then I’m coming with you. I can shoot and at least I can talk when you two can’t.”
“He has a point,” Morgan agreed.
She whipped around abruptly, facing Bram. “No! You can’t. This is too dangerous. If he knows what we are, he won’t stop.” She caught the fire in his earth brown gaze and waited for several heart stopping seconds.
“Morgan, I need to speak to Selene.” His voice was soft but there was a ferocious undercurrent she’d never heard before.
Morgan was up and gone before she could blink.
“What are you thinking, Bram? I won’t let you do this, you can’t endanger yourself! I won’t let you!” she cried, frightened for him in a new, and very disturbing, way. He lifted his hands to cradle her face, gentle even though his voice was thick and fierce. “But I’m supposed to let you and Morgan just trot out that door as if everything is going to be fine? You’re going out to stop a man, to kill a man who wants to own you. Who, for whatever reason, has no problem with you being injured or dead.” His lips thinned. “And I’m just supposed to accept that?”
“Look at it from my point of view,” she pleaded.
“I am, and I know I’m not going to let you leave and do this alone.” His gaze narrowed as his head lowered. “You see Selene, he can’t own you. He can’t have you in any way. You are mine! You are mine to protect. You are mine for every reason I draw breath.”
His kiss was harsh and possessive, slashing with the finality of his decision. She shook un
controllably as the heat rose and flared, and met him with it consuming her as equally as he was. She was weak when he finally pulled away, her eyes fluttering in the aftermath. His gaze had not changed and if anything he looked more determined. It gave her a chill along her spine. “Selene, you are mine,” he repeated. “We will find a way out of this, for all of our sakes. And then,” he said, his voice lowering to a depth that wound over her ears. “We will discuss us.” He lifted his head, standing tall. “Morgan! Let’s take care of this.”
The shiver that shot over her body had nothing to do with Bram’s closeness.
***
Two nights later, Bram was no less concerned or less enraged over the situation this unnamed poacher had created. He’d gone to the police to let them know that one of their own, one of the respected people of the community, was being threatened, and still he didn’t get more than a bare head nod of curiosity.
Now, because of that, he was sitting in Selene’s living room, working his father’s rifle and ensuring he had sufficient ammunition. In his heart, he didn’t want to have to hurt a bug, but if he was the only thing between Selene and capture, torture and death, then what choice did he have? He would protect her and her family with his last breath if he had no other option. It had come down to that.
It had hit him with a force of a two-ton truck standing in her living room two nights before, staring into her eyes as she fought to keep him safe. She was his, in every way a man was supposed to protect and cherish his woman. His wife. His mate.
His mouth thinned as he sighted the rifle one more time. Very little had been said in the two days since. He had tried to keep it under the surface, his anger, his love. He still had hours to work, and no one could know what they were doing that night. They were going to be hunting the hunter. He barely looked up when Morgan came in, closing the door behind him. “Any word from Selene?” Morgan asked. His voice was level and calm, but Bram could sense his anxiety and determination. Neither man was happy with the plan that they had worked out, but it had been worked to the barest of errors, and it relied on Selene. It was tearing Bram apart. He grunted a negative, resetting the safety and looking up. He wasn’t alarmed anymore at the feral light in Morgan’s eyes. Now that Bram knew and had been accepted as one of them, Morgan and Bram had reached an understanding. Morgan had relaxed his inner spirit. It showed now through his dark gray gaze with a heat of the hunt that was just barely contained. Bram understood. He didn’t want to be waiting here. He wanted to be after the man who was threatening his woman, her life and her family.
A Trust Earned Page 13
