by Lynn Red
“I want to though. Want to bite you, claim you. Fuck you.”
Each word was punctuated by a kiss until he reached her mouth again. Pulling back he looked down at her with a gaze hot enough to blister paint. She bit her lip, trying to hold still and trying hard to hold onto why the biting and the sex parts were bad ideas. When he kissed her, belonging to him didn’t seem so bad after all.
“I want you, Kelli, and I’m going to get you.” His promise slid along her spine like a caress, something deep within her resonating at his words. “You can fight and block me all you like, but it won’t make any difference. You belong to me. You always have.”
Chapter Three
You belong to me.
The words filled her mind the next day, just waiting for a lull in the frantic running around dealing with the last minute arrangements for the wedding to jump out and attack. Nibbling at her lower lip, Kelli carefully negotiated the rush hour traffic of three cars and a dog walker as she made her way to the florists. The memory of the kiss still lingered, her lips tingling every time she thought about it. If she closed her eyes for a moment she saw Max’s face, the look in his eyes as he bent his head to kiss her. The hard strength of his body as he leaned into hers and the warmth of his hands as they slid up her back.
Heat rolled through her body, waking her wolf and setting it pacing again. The creature didn’t understand, didn’t see why they couldn’t claim the virile male wolf it could smell through her dull human senses, snapping and snarling at her to be free. After so long in the city, dating human men, it wanted a wolf. It...she...wanted to be free, to not have to be careful to hurt her date. She wanted to run free and revel in her wild side.
“Damn it.”
She pulled to a stop and slammed her hands against the wheel. She wanted a mate but she had to have a choice, and Max Daniels gave no choices. It was his way or the highway, and she couldn’t deal with that. No matter how sexy he was. No matter how his kisses turned her inside out.
She shouldn’t have listened to Riley and stayed, or she should have disappeared out the back door when he’d come to warn her than Max was in the bar. Sighing, she grabbed her purse and slid out of the car. No, that wouldn’t have worked. Max had been in the corridor right behind her brother, and if she’d run. A shiver hit her, running down her spine as she headed for the door to the shop. If she’d run, Max would have chased her.
And she didn’t want to think where that would have ended up...
* * *
Less than half an hour later, the flowers were paid for and pickup was confirmed for later that day. Kelli shook her head as she walked out of the door, hearing the bell clatter behind her. Used to the city where something like this would have been arranged months in advance, the fact that Riley had left the final arrangements until the day before his wedding astounded her.
“Gentlemen’s agreements!” he’d assured her, giving her a list of things that needed to be done for the reception. Kelli didn’t know whether to be pleased to be so involved, or ask what on earth the bride-to-be was doing, other than getting her nails done and her fake tan re-applied.
What on earth Riley saw in Jenna, Kelli had no idea. As far as she could see, the girl had done nothing since leaving school but work at the local diner and catch the first man who crossed her path. Less than a year after graduation, she’d given up work in preparation for married life. Kelli ground her teeth as she headed for her car.
Plus there was the fact that Riley was covering most of the cost of the wedding because Jenna didn’t have any savings. No savings? No, that was because of the shiny new car she paraded about in and the hair and nail extensions that seemed to require endless trips to the salon in Katy.
Shoving her complaints to the back of her mind, she pushed the button to unlock the car door and waited for the chirp before reaching for the handle.
“When this wedding is done, you can fuck off back to the big city. Max is mine.”
A female voice sounded behind her, dripping with venom. Surprised but wary, Kelli turned around to find a taller blond woman standing behind her, hand on her out-thrust hip as she glared.
Wolf. One Kelli didn’t know, didn’t remember from when she left. Kelli’s hackles rose at the potential for violence hanging in the air, her inner wolf pacing within, just ready for a chance to break through her skin.
“Max?”
“Yeah. He’s mine. I haven’t spent years in this fucking shit hole for you to come along and steal him from under my nose,” the blond declared, her thumbs looped in the low rise jeans she wore. Her pose was relaxed, confident. To anyone looking from inside the shop or further down the street, it would look as though the two women were merely exchanging pleasantries.
“You’re so far off base it’s unreal. Did no one ever clue you in to why I left?” Kelli chuckled, shaking her head.
The woman shrugged, her expression filled with ‘don’t give a fuck’. Kelli sighed. God save her from bimbos and power struggles.
“I left because I didn’t want Max Daniels. As far as I’m concerned, he’s all yours.”
* * *
Cough-splutter-wheeze. Bang!
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” Kelli swore as she wrenched the wheel around and pulled over to the side of the road. The rental car coughed and spluttered its last, grinding to a halt and stalling before she could put it in park. Just her frigging luck to get the only rental in the shop that was on its last damn legs. She’d thought the thing was making funny noises on the way down here but, perhaps stupidly, she’d assumed the company had them checked for road worthiness on a regular basis. Obviously not.
“And you lot can stop being smug,” she directed over her shoulder to the floral displays crammed into the back, across the dropped seats and filling the trunk. It had taken her and the girl from the shop what seemed like an hour to pack them all in. A fragrant game of Tetris as the sum total of blooms and ribbons exceeded the available space in the mid-size sedan. They’d finally gotten them in, the girl assuring Kelli that it was only a short drive and the blooms wouldn’t suffer being crammed in.
Now it looked like she was going to have to walk with the damn things. She turned around, arm draped across the back of the passenger seat. Shit, that was going to take all damn night. A sigh escaped her lips. There went her quiet night in, a hot bath and a good book before the excitement of the wedding tomorrow. She wasn’t included in the bridal party, but having seen the blond bimbos, not one of them twenty, who comprised Jenna’s attendants, Kelli figured she’d take her chances with the book. She was more likely to get sense out of it.
She was still looking at the flowers when a vehicle pulled to a stop beside the little grey rental. She turned at the deep rumble of the engine, admiring the sleek, black lines of the truck. Big, black and expensive. She wasn’t surprised when the window rolled down and Max leaned out.
“Looks like you’re in a spot of bother there. Need a hand?”
She closed her eyes for a second, unwillingly savoring the shiver as his deep voice rolled over her. Like hot caramel over ice-cream there was just something about the timbre of Max’s voice that did it for her, had always done it for her, even when he was angry. She’d kept his voice mails for years, until an automatic update on her phone had wiped them, and listened to them in moments of weakness. Or when she wanted to remember what an asshole he was. Both worked.
“No. Yes!” she added quickly, aware she was totally contradicting herself. After last night and her run in with the blond wolf earlier, she should tell him to take a hike. But her floral passengers needed to get to the reception hall. A hall that needed decorating before she could finish tonight. She groaned. Jenna and her friends had bowed out via text, so even without the breakdown, it was going to be a long night. If she had to carry the damn things...she didn’t want to think what time she’d be done. Might as well kiss a decent night’s sleep goodbye.
He chuckled. “Well, which is it, little wolf?”
>
“Will you stop that?” Kelli snapped, frustration welling over and making her tongue sharp. “I’m not a kid anymore.”
His eyes darkened, gaze flicking down to the open neck of her blouse. “No, you’re not. What would you prefer I call you, sweetheart? Other than mine.”
She leveled a scathing look. Of all the arrogant, one-track minded—
“Lighten up. I was teasing for heaven’s sake.”
Pulling on the brake, Max opened the door and slid from the bigger vehicle. The dark t-shirt he wore pulled over his broad shoulders and the powerful muscles of his chest. A visual treat she tried hard to ignore.
“Well, it’s damn annoying,” she huffed as he leaned down to look in the back of her car. His brown eyes were warm as he flicked a glance toward the hood of the car and back to her.
“Kelli, why don’t you just admit you need a little help? It won’t kill you.”
His voice was soft, intimate, with a hint of amusement as his grin teased at the corners of his lips. He was enjoying this. Enjoying that she was stuck and needed his help. She sighed and gave in.
“Okay. Will you help me? I need to get these flowers to the hall.” Despite herself, she smiled. Max Daniels. A florist’s delivery boy. Who’d have thought it?
“Of course I will...” He nodded, his hair dancing on his shoulders. Relief threaded through her as she opened the door and slid out of the car. “For a price.”
She stopped, caught between the open door and his large body in front of her. Wariness hummed through every fiber of her being as she looked up to meet his eyes. He planned to charge her for his help? Of all the low down, rotten things to do. The Max she remembered wasn’t motivated by money... Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Price? What sort of price?”
Big hand on the door, he closed it for her, his arms creating a bracket that surrounded and pinned her against the warm metal of the vehicle. He leaned in, the heat of his body beat at her skin like the sun on a hot summer’s day. Awareness stretched between them and she had to bite back the gasp which rose to her lips. He was tall, muscled, strong...virile. Everything she looked for in a partner and more.
Excitement and tension shimmered through her as he bent his head to whisper in her ear. His breath, cool with minty overtones, washed over her neck as her body reacted to his nearness. Her breasts firmed, nipples hard bullets that rubbed against the fabric of her bra as lower down her pussy clenched, liquid heat slipping from her in a display of readiness she desperately wanted to hide.
“A date. Let me take you to your brother’s wedding. I want to dance with the prettiest lady in Stratton.”
* * *
She kept sneaking glances at him. Hands full of a tray of name cards, with ribbons and flower garlands around his neck and shoulders, Max wasn’t going to be winning any awards for masculine attire, but he didn’t care. Dutifully he followed the woman, tiny compared to his hulking frame, between the tables crammed into Stratton’s town hall as she carefully laid name cards according to the plan she had in her hand.
“I think that’s it for the cards,” she said, pursing her lips as she looked at the ones left on the tray and the paper in her hand. “Those appear to be spare. I don’t think Riley had replies on them. We’ll put them down on the tables near the door, just to be on the safe side.”
“Okay,” Max agreed easily, content just to fetch and carry as long as he got to spend time with her. The fact that he’d secured her as his date for tomorrow’s wedding was the icing on the cake.
Contentment rolled through him as he leaned down, making it easier for her to pluck another ribbon from around his shoulders. He watched as she carefully wrapped it around the floral arrangement in the centre of the table, the heady scent of the lilies rising up as she moved them, to add a unique touch that was pure Kelli. She’d always been artistic, drawing and painting as far back as he could remember. He still had one of the first pictures she’d drawn him, of a full moon and two wolves underneath. She’d been six to his eight, but he’d kept it, hidden safe under his bed until he got his own place. Now it hung in his office.
Her lips pursed as she stood back, considering her work. The small expression and the way she nibbled her lip as she thought fascinated him. All he wanted to do was lean down and kiss the little expression away. Replace her teeth with his and nibble the soft, plump flesh instead. Unresolved lust roared through him and he shifted, trying to ease the pressure in his jeans.
He’d been hard since he’d kissed her yesterday, a permanent erection that showed no signs of abating any time soon. She was a fever in his blood, a compulsion he couldn’t deny or stay away from, even though she kept trying to push him away. Not too much now though, he thought in satisfaction. She’d hardly argued when he’d bargained to escort her tomorrow, just nodded tersely and helped him load his truck with the flowers. Now though, she kept sliding him little looks of interest he couldn’t ignore. Typical woman, saying one thing with her lips and another with her eyes.
“It looks great,” he told her as he put the tray down on the nearest table, careful not to disturb anything. “Now, come here.”
She eyed him warily, holding her piece of paper in front of her like a shield. He wanted to smile; as armor went, it was pretty ineffective. With effort he kept his amusement off his face, stepping into her when she didn’t move. He could have been an ass about being obeyed, but when his blood sang with the need to taste her lips again, he wanted her warm and willing, not pissed off and trying to knee him in the balls.
She tracked him all the way, but didn’t retreat. Instead she held her ground, watching him with those beautiful puppy dog eyes. Abruptly the image of a little girl, with her wide, doe-like eyes and his blond hair filled his mind and a wave of longing washed over him. He wanted that. Wanted her, wanted to see her pregnant, her belly swollen with his child.
“We don’t have time for this,” she complained, biting her lip again and looking around the room as if trying to find some excuse. There wasn’t one. The flowers were all in place, they had less than ten name cards to arrange and she’d have to be a magician to create room for more ribbons and garlands to go up.
“We’re done. Relax.”
His hands landed gently on her slender shoulders. He waited for her to flinch and pull away, evading him like she had for the last ten years. As running went, right out of town was far and fast. He didn’t want to make her do that again. She didn’t though, looking up to him for reassurance.
“You think so? I want Riley to be pleased.”
“I know so. Stop worrying.”
He pulled her against him, wrapping strong arms around her slender frame and holding her. He didn’t bother to hide the state of his body. Arousal permeated his scent, wrapping around them like a heady perfume. But she didn’t fight like he expected her to. Instead she sighed and rested her head against his chest, her small hands splayed over his ribcage and waist. Such a small thing but triumph surged through him as he dropped a kiss on the top of her hair and closed his eyes.
“It’ll be fine, love. I promise.”
Chapter Four
Love conquered all. Sometimes it didn’t matter about a couple’s background, or how different they seemed. Sometimes all they needed was love. Kelli hadn’t believed it at first when she’d met Jenna, sure the flighty younger woman was just looking for an easy ride by getting married.
But now, as they took their vows, she could clearly see the love that shone in the bride’s eyes as she looked up at her groom, and the tender and protective way her brother took Jenna into his arms for the traditional kiss.
“Jealous?” Max murmured in her ear as she dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief she’d kept ready just in case. In the row in front of them, her mother was likewise occupied, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched the youngest of her children get married.
“Me? No. Riley’s a terrible kisser.”
The sigh she got in response made her grin. An e
xpression she didn’t hide as she slid the tall man a sideways glance. She had to admit Max sure scrubbed up well. The last time she’d seen him in a tux had been his senior prom.
She and her best friend Kristen had headed over to the Daniels house, taking something that Max’s dad, then the Stratton Alpha, wanted from her grandfather’s records. Max had been leaving as they arrived, dressed up to the nines in an expensive suit, a corsage box in his hand. She’d tried to get a look in the box, seeing a flash of red and white but he’d been in too much of a hurry, shooting them a charm-drenched smile before heading off to pick up his date.
April Horton. She remembered the girl’s name and the jealousy that that consumed her that the tall blond from a run-down trailer the other side of town had snagged the best looking guy in the pack. Not that April appreciated that. Like Kristen, she was as human as they came, unable to understand Max’s ‘other’ side. Not like Kelli. Even now the memory of his wolf filled her mind. Like his human form, he hadn’t filled out back then but the hint of power had already been there, the shadow of the man and wolf he’d become.
Back then he hadn’t filled the shoulders out, but he did now. The tux fit him like a second skin, the expensive fabric fitted and clinging in all the right places. It highlighted rather than concealed the power of the frame beneath, inviting the touch of her fingers to see if those muscles were really as hard as she remembered.
“Minx,” he breathed, catching her grin and moving closer. His gaze flittered over to the bridal couple as they emerged from their kiss, happy and triumphant. Jenna’s cheeks were flushed, growing darker and the congregation erupted into cheers and clapping.
“You’ll look beautiful in a wedding dress. Flowers in your hair. All dark eyes and soft lips.” His voice was low, a seductive murmur as he wove a spell around her.
Kelli shook her head, not thinking about her words. “We’re wolves, remember? No wedding.”
