Wolf's Heart: Bayou Wolves #3

by Anne Marsh

  “I’m Alpha,” he says finally, those two words a statement of fact—and a promise.

  “But you’re not my Alpha,” I counter. Not yet. I pluck the edge of the bed with my fingers.

  “I will be,” he tells me, and I don’t doubt him.

  I can imagine him as Alpha all too easily. My wolf already recognizes the strength in him and the easy way he dominates me. And as Alpha, he’d give me orders. For my own good, or the good of the pack, but he’d take over when he thought it necessary. I’d be bound to him instead of to my dad, but a change in ownership isn’t freedom. Not really.

  He eases the jacket off me, then wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me back against his body. The heat and the strength of him feel like the exclamation points on his sentence, punctuation I can’t ignore. The only way he gets to be Alpha is if he takes the position—over Big Red’s dead body—or he takes me. My body is like a living property deed, and my free will doesn’t come into it. In the end, he’ll always be physically stronger than me.

  “I want to leave the pack,” I tell him and the darkness around me. After a lifetime of being a good little Beta wolf, I want something more. Something for me.

  He doesn’t say anything for a long moment. My words sink into the silence between us, a plea, a threat. He can make me his mate and take the pack that way, but I won’t make it easy for him. I’m not his all-access magical pass to Alphadom. The silence spins out between us, filled with unasked and unanswered questions.

  “I could make you want it,” he says finally, and it doesn’t matter what the it is. Sex, mating, life with him. He’s all solid muscle and male determination, and if he sets himself to doing something, he’ll do it. Jace doesn’t quit, and he doesn’t lose. Part of me melts, thrilled that I could be the battle he’ll pick to fight. The rest of me isn’t ready to give up my dream of freedom.

  “You get off on making people do things?” He stills behind me, and I can’t tell if I’ve pissed him off or not.

  “Could be.” His hand presses against my belly, his fingers stroking the band of my panties where the sweatpants dip down. “But maybe you like getting told what to do.”

  “I’ve had enough orders for a lifetime, thanks,” I tell him.

  He snorts. “In bed, sweetheart.”

  “I’ve been told what to do there plenty of times too.” I can’t stop the bitterness from leaking into my voice. And you know what? I don’t want to, either. I’m tired of pretending that I just love it when my dad passes me around like a party favor. If Jace thinks I’m here voluntarily with him, he needs a wake-up call. Except maybe you would have come with him, that stupid little voice in my head whispers. If he’d bothered to ask.

  Jace certainly does more telling than asking. Witness our current conversation.

  “Wish I could kill him for you,” he says slowly. “Don’t know what Bolt did exactly, but you did the right thing.”

  “He was an asshole.” Somehow my head finds its way back onto Jace’s chest, and I feel some of the tension leak out of my body. He’s warm and solid—and surprisingly nice. Okay, he has a mouth on him, but I think he actually means it. He’d have killed Bolt for what he did to me, and that’s the nicest thing anyone has said to me in ages. Which is screwed up.

  “A dead asshole.” The amusement is back in Jace’s voice. He runs his thumb down my cheek. “If you didn’t enjoy what he did to you, he did it wrong. And he shouldn’t have done it.”

  I look down at the hard arm clamped around my waist. The room is so dark now, I can’t make out the tattoo I know is there. But I can smell Jace, and his scent is wild and male, surrounding me. Crowding me. He wants something from me too, and I need to remember that, even if he has volunteered to be my own personal hit man.

  “You want me to tell you all about it?” Teasing him is stupid, but I can’t resist.

  “Christ. No.” He mutters the words against my hair. “Bolt fucked up. I wouldn’t. You take my orders in bed, and you’re gonna learn that submitting can be sexy. My fingers in your pussy, my tongue and my mouth eating you up and giving you that orgasm you want. You’re gonna love every minute of it, that’s my promise.”

  His mouth finds my ear, nips gently, fiercely where Big Red hurt me. Oh, God. Maybe he’s right about this too, because heat floods through me. Unwelcomed, unwanted, fabulous heat. He makes me desperate for more, and all he’s done so far is bite me.

  “Jace—” I have no idea what words should follow his name. He nips my ear a second time, and the sharp, demanding sting makes me wet. God, I’m stupid. He’s offering sex, and I’ll bet the words gentle, tender, and romantic aren’t part of his repertoire. He’ll be straight up dirty in bed, and in another lifetime I might welcome him with open arms.

  He runs a hand down my spine, his palm resting on the curve of my butt. “Say yes.”

  It would be so easy to say the word, to give Jace what we both want. One word, three little letters that would change everything, but this isn’t just sex. I mean, it isn’t some kind of romantic proposal with a big-ass diamond ring and promises of happily-ever-after either, but it’s more than a condom and an orgasm. And bottom line? I can’t afford Jace’s price tag. He wants more than sex too. He wants a werewolf mate, and he wants to take my dad’s place as Alpha of my pack.

  “No,” I whisper, slowly, reluctantly, and he pulls his hand away.

  He rubs his face against my throat, marking me. We might not be having sex, he might not be willing to force me, but I’ll return to the pack tomorrow covered in his scent. There will be no question about who I spent the night with, and assumptions will be made.

  “I can’t give you the Princess Bride shit,” he mutters roughly against my skin. “If that’s what you’re holding out for.” I must make some small grunt of confusion because he continues. “I can’t be all as you wish and back the fuck off because you need space. I won’t worship you from afar, and I sure as hell am not going to be your beck-and-call boy. I’m wolf, and you’re gonna be mine, sweetheart, just as soon as we come to terms.”

  “You’ll take what you want.”

  “You can take too,” he says, his voice low and full of promise. “You can take me too.”

  Problem is, his definition of take isn’t the same as mine. He still expects me to be submissive, and I don’t know if I can do that again.

  “I won’t be doing any taking,” I tell him then roll away. “Because I’m leaving.”

  JACE

  Keelie Sue’s timing sucks. While I like her grit, now isn’t a good time for her to be running around Baton Rouge on her own. No two ways about it—her daddy painted a target on her pussy. Right now, I’m the asshole who owns her, and I take that responsibility seriously.

  “Not a good idea, sunshine.”

  While I don’t need the dating help, and the whole lack-of-choice thing is far too dub-con for my tastes, facts are facts. If she leaves and another Breed wolf finds her, he’ll take her rough and hard. She’ll end up hurt and that’s unacceptable. She deserves a better mate than me, but I’m the best option she has tonight.

  No getting around that truth.

  While I’d be happy to persuade my little wolf to get naked with me, I’d planned on doing that with kisses. Kiss her mouth, her throat, and if my luck held, her sweet, tight pussy. Bet she’d taste good on my tongue, me licking her folds and shoving my tongue inside her hot, wet hole. I’d make it good for her, make her want me—but that is all the making I’d do.

  Rape isn’t my thing, and we fought a war in this country to end slavery. If Keelie Sue was human, she’d either tell me to fuck off after Big Red pronounced her temporarily mine, or she’d strip down and hop into bed with me because it’s what she wants to do anyway. I have a feeling she’s a true submissive at heart, which means I actually have a chance of making her happy in bed.

  “Lie down,” I tell her. I spent most of the week riding on club business and then I took down a pack of wolves at the clubhouse. I’m fucking
tired. If I get nothing else out of tonight, I’m getting some sleep.

  In answer, she slides her legs over the side of the mattress. She has gorgeous legs, long and toned, and the itty-bitty leather skirt is exactly the kind of picture frame I love. For a long moment, I just enjoy my view.

  “I’m not a submissive,” she announces defiantly, shoving to her feet. She looks horrified—and embarrassed. Fuck. That wasn’t my intention.

  “Nothing wrong in taking orders.” Hell, I plan to teach her all the sweet pleasures of submission. I want to put my cock inside her everywhere, and I have more than a few fantasies about fucking her in the ass. I’d warm her up good, have her ride my fingers until she whimpered with pleasure, maybe spank her a few times for good measure. I’d make damned sure she enjoyed every second of her submission.

  “You think I can’t do this without someone telling me what to do?”

  To be honest, I have no idea what this is. Don’t really give a shit, either. It’s cute the way she gets all upset, kind of like watching a kitten hiss and spit. Maybe I’ll get her one. Bet she’d like that almost as much as I like the fact that her scent doesn’t include a single note of fear anymore. I have her alone in a bedroom, and she’s pissed off.

  “Maybe you should clue me in, sweetheart.” I curl my hand around her thigh, tugging her toward me. She slaps at my fingers and I grin.

  “I can have sex. Any time at all,” she announces, and I choke. Hadn’t seen that one coming. At all.

  “Didn’t think you wanted to jump me,” I drawl, loving the way her eyes flare. “But I’m all yours.”

  “I don’t.” She bites her lip, then shakes back her hair. “I do this all the time, and you’re just not that interesting.”

  “Seen one penis, seen them all?”

  I didn’t expect her to make me smile.

  She smooths a hand down her skirt. The too-short strip of fabric stops a mere three inches south of her butt.

  “Uh-huh.” I pat the bed beside me. “Come over here and lie down. We’re going to go to sleep. You can work out our sex life tomorrow.”

  Being a gentleman sucks.

  “You don’t want me?” The look she gives me makes me want to do something. Don’t know if it’s shove my tongue in her mouth and play show-and-tell—because I’d be all over her in a heartbeat if that was what she really needed right now—or to pull her close. If she’s turned me into a cuddler, I’ll never live it down. But fuck me, it isn’t a question of wanting. It’s a question of what’s right—and of taking care of her. If we have sex right now, she won’t enjoy it, and then I’ll have to kick my own ass.

  “Are you forgetting who’s the Alpha here?” I pat the bed again.

  She doesn’t move, and I kinda like the show of spirit. Nice to know pack life hasn’t ground her down completely. “I know who’s the asshole. I’m going back to my own place. Alone.”

  “Not a chance,” I growl. She doesn’t get to make stupid decisions that put her in danger. “You’re the Beta. You submit. I’m the wolf who owns you tonight. If anyone’s getting inside you tonight, I’m the man.”

  I crave her like a fucking drug, but she’s tired too, and she’s had a shit night. Her dad loaned her out like a spare bike, and that has to hurt. As her future Alpha, I have one job—to take care of her.

  Even if that means ignoring the raging hard-on I’m currently sporting.

  “I’d like to see you try.” She actually turns and heads for the door. No fucking way. I’m off the bed in a flash, slapping a hand on the doorframe. I don’t hold it shut. No, I want her obedience, and I’ll have it. She’ll back down, we’ll go to bed—and not have sex—and in the morning, I’ll figure out how to convince her she wants to be my mate.

  “Don’t,” I growl against her ear.

  She stills. “Or what?”

  “Or I’ll spank your pretty ass.”

  “Try it,” she snaps, sassy as hell, and then dances away.

  “I take requests.” I prowl closer. “If I have to spank you to keep you safe tonight, you’ve got it. It’s your choice.”

  She looks over her shoulder at me, her hand reaching for the knob.

  “Stay,” I bite out. She drives me crazy. I want to protect her, and yet she insists on marching straight out of my arms and into trouble. Because I have no doubts whatsoever that trouble will find her tonight, and that whatever form that trouble takes, she’ll end up hurting.

  That’s unacceptable. I flatten my palm over her hand, covering her fingers with my own.

  “You want me to stay? Convince me,” she taunts, her eyes holding mine. For the first time in forever, she meets my gaze with her own and I have no idea what the fuck she sees in me. Every inch of her body screams a feminine challenge, and she’s wolf. She knows what happens when a wolf challenges her Alpha.

  “Last chance.” I lean in, my weight pinning her in place, my mouth brushing against hers.

  “You gonna spank me?” She breathes her question against my lips and those four, defiant words set me on fucking fire. She reaches behind her, tugging on the handle, and damned if she doesn’t get the door open an inch. Guess I should have locked it. I fix that problem, then haul her over my shoulder and return to the bed. Keelie Sue has a lesson to learn. I’m not going to hurt her, but I’m in charge here and I’ll keep her safe.

  I strip her down. It doesn’t take long. One good tug and her skirt flies across the room, and then I have her tank top over her head. She has on a real pretty red bra-and-panty set. Just the sight of her nipples threatening to bust through the lacy cups has me rock hard, and from the way her eyes widen, she notices.

  I’m impressive like that.

  Since I’m bigger and stronger too, it doesn’t take much effort to wrestle her over my knee.

  “Let’s discuss who’s in charge here,” I growl.

  KEELIE SUE

  Oh. My. God.

  Where is my sense of self-preservation? Or self-respect?

  Jace yanks me over his knee, his big palm smoothing over my panty-clad butt, and I actually don’t want to kill him. It might have something to do with the way my new position jams my clit against his jean-covered knee, because when I wriggle, heat sparks through me. My inner hussy jumps up and down with glee, my wolf growling her agreement. She likes this game. She’d let Jace take charge because there’s no way he’ll let us leave without an orgasm. Or three.

  “You got something to say to me, Keelie Sue?”

  Some inner devil I didn’t know I possessed makes me buck against his hold, and he brings his palm down on my butt in a short, sharp smack that stings more than it hurts. Delicious heat spreads through me, but not an ounce of outrage.

  “I could do this all night,” he bites out. “You got any idea how pretty your butt is, all pink from my hand? You’re gonna think about me tomorrow when you sit.”

  He delivers another couple of sharp taps, each smack pushing my clit against his knee. I don’t need to wait until tomorrow to think about him—he’s front and center in my head right now. There’s a sting in each slap, but it eases almost immediately into a delicious burn. Instead of hurting, his touch arouses me. I rise up to meet the next smack.

  “You have a thing for kink, Keelie Sue?” He smooths his hand over my heated butt, soothing the burn and flooding me with pleasure. I wriggle, desperate for more contact. More Jace.

  He notices too. He presses his knee up, and pleasure bursts through me. I’m supposed to stop him, to give him the words he demands and admit he’s my Alpha, but then he’ll stop.

  And I love the way he makes me feel. I’m hot and needy, but he’ll take care of me. He’ll make sure I get my orgasm at the end.

  “I think you like this,” he rasps. “You like my being in charge, my making sure you come. Is that it?”

  Jace is pushing. He wants me to back down and so he’s trying to shock me, but it’s like his touch flips some previously unknown switch inside me. He pisses me off, he scares me… and he turn
s me on. I only have one word for him now.

  “Yes,” I moan, pushing against his leg. He rewards me with another tap on my butt. So good. Funny how he’s my big, bad, dangerous wolf and yet I feel safe when he puts his hands on me. That’s a first for me.

  “Maybe I should make sure you stay put.”

  Before I realize what he intends, he lashes my hands to the bed posts. I want the orgasm he’s almost given me spanking me even more than I want to know what comes next. The thought of being at Jace’s mercy makes me wet—because he won’t show any. Truth is, it’s so easy to let him take charge, to give me pleasure. The spanking and the ropes? They’re just a way to make it even easier.

  And since I liked it, I don’t protest too much about my new bonds. Untied, I’d feel like I should run away, or like I should be doing something. Kissing him or making him feel good—doing something to bring about my own orgasm. This way—his way—all I have to do is lie back and enjoy it. He’s made the touching all about me, and that’s another first for me.

  He slides down my body with a groan. “Last chance.”

  “For what?” When did my voice get so breathy?

  “Before the big, bad wolf eats you up.” He speaks the words roughly, as if he’s daring me to do something, but I feel each small puff of air right there on the center of my panties, where I’m wet and swollen. No way I stop him now when I’m so close.

  “Okay,” I whisper and he strokes a thumb down my core.

  “Say it louder,” he demands.

  “Finish me,” I say out loud. “Do it right.”

  My butt stings, and I’m so wet I melt for him. Surely he won’t make me wait any longer? And he doesn’t. Thank God, he doesn’t. He tugs and my panties rip or fly off or miraculously disappear—I don’t care—and I’m bare and he’s spread me open with his thumbs. I suck in a breath, and then he covers me with his mouth and it’s all I can do not to scream.