Highland Wolf

by Alicia Montgomery

“Och, stupid cunt!” He screamed when Julianna twisted his hand. “Bitch!”

  Duncan lost it and planted his fist in the man’s face so hard, his eyes rolled up into his head and he passed out. He grabbed both women and led them out of the pub as the riot behind them grew louder.

  “Reed!” Elise cried. “Oh my God! I need to go back and get him.”

  “I wouldn’t do that,” Duncan warned. “He was pretty wound up. Don’t worry, a fight is exactly what he needs.

  “What he needs?” Julianna cried. “Are you insane?”

  “There’s a rage in him, don’t you feel it?” Duncan asked. “Seeing some man paw at his mate was the last straw.”

  Julianna looked at Elise, who suddenly went quiet. “Is he really—”

  “You know why,” was all Elise said.

  Julianna swallowed audibly and nodded. “I know. But, maybe we should—”

  “Oi, it’s time to go!”

  Turning his head toward the pub’s door, he saw Finlay dragging Reed outside. Elise rushed to her mate, crying out when she saw his disheveled state and bruised face. “Reed! What the hell?”

  “I’m fine,” Reed slurred. “Or I will be. Ouch!” he yowled when Elise smacked him on the shoulder. “What the bloody hell was that for, woman?”

  “Where’s Karim and Lachlan?” Duncan asked his brother.

  “Where do you think?” Finlay cocked his head back to the pub. “In the thick of it.”

  “Here.” He tossed the car keys to Finlay, who easily caught it. “Get them home. I’ll wait for those two idiots.” His friend and brother were similar in that way—both loved a fight and never backed down.

  Finlay frowned. “How are you planning on getting home then?”

  He looked expectantly at Julianna, who rolled her eyes. “Fine, we’ll wait for them,” she said with a sigh.

  “All right, I’ll see you at home.” Finlay motioned for Reed and Elise to follow him toward the Land Rover parked a few spaces down.

  “Are you going to be okay?” Elise asked.

  “Yeah, I’m good. Take care of him,” she said, patting the other woman on the shoulder. “He needs you.”

  Elise nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Before leaving though, she turned to Duncan and gave him a glare that definitely said she would do unspeakable things to certain parts of his body if Julianna didn’t come back in one piece.

  They watched as the Land Rover exited the parking lot, the rear headlights getting smaller until finally disappearing into the darkness.

  “Is that fight still going on?” Julianna’s brows drew together as shouts, curses, and loud crashes could still be heard from inside the pub.

  “Looks like it.”

  She placed her hands on her hips and faced him. “Aren’t you concerned about your brother and friend?”

  “Those two?” He let out a laugh. “They got themselves into the fight, they can certainly get themselves out of it.”

  “Shouldn’t we be calling the police?”

  He scratched his head. “I s’pose someone has at this point, but Caelkirk’s a small town, and stuff like this happens. Just be thankful there was no football game tonight, or we’d have a real riot.”

  “God! Men.” She threw her hands up. “I’m going to wait in the car.”

  He followed her as she stalked over to the SUV. “Hey, wait a minute.”

  She had already climbed into the driver’s seat, but before she could shut the door in his face, he held it open. “Are you going leave me out here by my lonesome?”

  “All the testosterone in the air is making it hard to breathe,” she fumed.

  “Och, darlin’, why are you still mad?”

  “Why am I mad?” she asked. “Why am I mad?”

  He smiled at her. “That’s what I asked.”

  “Ugh! If it weren’t for you and Reed, there wouldn’t even be a fight in the first place!” She tried to shut the car door, but his hold was too strong. “What, you don’t think Elise and I could handle those two creeps on our own?”

  “I didn’t say that.” Pushing forward, his body was now between her and the door, effectively trapping her. “In fact … you very well did show me how capable you are. I should have known you can take care of yourself.”

  “I—what?” Mismatched eyes grew large.

  “What? I can’t admit I was wrong?” He reached out and brushed the petal-soft skin of her cheek with his fingers. “Julianna, you were amazing. The way you handled that guy … not just kicking his ass, but that you were even able to act cool and calm while he was hitting on you.” Just the thought of another man touching her was making his wolf go crazy, but at the same time, he felt proud that she was so competent and skilled. “I’m sorry I underestimated you and that—mmm!”

  Soft, plush lips pressed against his, and he ignored the pain when the back of his head smashed into the window of the car door. Duncan wasn’t sure what happened, because one moment he was apologizing for acting like a caveman, and the next, Julianna had jumped out of the driver’s seat and into his arms. Well, that was unexpected, but he’d take it.

  He braced her against the side of the SUV, his body pinning hers. Her delicious mouth opened to let him in, and her taste burst onto his tongue like sweet, sweet honey.

  Reluctantly, he pulled away from her mouth, making her mewl. But he just had to get a whiff of her scent, so he pushed his nose into the crook of her neck. The delicious smell of cookies, ginger, and honey nearly made his brain explode.

  Tracing his mouth back up to her lips, he kissed her gorgeous mouth again. Grabbing one leg, he pulled it around his waist so he could press his now-erect cock against her. Holy hell, he didn’t think he could get any harder, but the way her hips ground onto him sent whatever blood he had in his body all the way to his dick. He needed her bad, and the smell of her arousal was driving him insane.

  He moved a hand between them, slipping under her leggings and lower still, tracing the most direct path to its target. She moaned into his mouth when his fingers skimmed over the damp fabric of her panties.

  “Julianna, darlin’,” he purred against her mouth. “You do want me.” Though she tried to shake her head, she gasped when his forefinger found the hardened nub of her clit. “Don’t deny it.”

  She shuddered when his fingers pushed the wet front of her panties aside, touching her so intimately. “You’re mine, Julianna. And this”—he traced her slick lips—“is mine. I’m going to enjoy taking this sweet little pussy of yours.”

  “Crude bastard,” Julianna growled and nipped at his lips. But from the way her pussy flooded with more of her wetness, she obviously enjoyed the dirty talk. He plunged a finger inside her, while claiming her lips once again. Her sweet cunt clasped around his finger, her hips rolling against his hand in a sweet, music-less symphony punctuated by her moans and groans.

  “Beautiful.” God, her smell, mixed with sex and arousal, was intoxicating. “I need you bad, darlin’.”

  “Duncan,” she whined when he withdrew his hand. The way she said his name nearly had him losing his control like some fumbling teen. “Fuck,” she whispered when he stuck his finger in his mouth to taste her.

  “Like candy.”

  Even in the moonlight, he could see her pupils blow up with desire. He lost all sense of where they were, and all he wanted was to take her and make her his. “Inside,” he growled.

  Quick as lightning, she grabbed the door of the back seat and scrambled inside. He went in after her, slamming the door behind him. She lay back on the plush leather seat, her chest heaving as she took deep breaths.

  Slowly, he crawled over her, grabbing her shirt and deftly unbuttoning the front. Tugging the cups of her bra down, he exposed her breasts. High and perky, they were even better than in his imagination. The large, brown nipples were already pebbled, begging for his touch. Leaning down, he took one into his mouth and sucked hard.

  He licked at the hardened nipple, teasing it until she was archi
ng her back and her nails were digging into his shoulders. He released it and pulled her lower so he could taste her lips again while his hand fumbled with his belt. Her knees spread to accommodate him and—

  “Oi!” Rap, rap, rap. “Whatcha doin’ in there?”

  Duncan growled as he looked up and saw his brother’s face pressed up against the window. Fucking Lachlan. “Maybe if we stay quiet, they’ll go away.”

  “Duncan!” A second face joined Lachlan’s. Karim put his hands up to glass, cupping it around his forehead. “Ishtar’s tits! What in the world are you two doing in there?”

  Julianna let out a squeak and pushed him off her, sending him to the floor with a heavy thud. He scrambled to his knees, just in time to block Julianna from view before Karim opened the door.

  “Jaysus Christ!” Lachlan’s nostrils flared, obviously smelling the scent of sex inside the vehicle. “You gantin’ so much fer it that you shagged her in the car? For feck’s sake, you can’t treat your mate—girl like all those other hens you pump!”

  “We weren’t having sex in here!” Julianna said defensively.

  Lachlan pointed his chin down her front. “Your buttons aren’t done up right, dearie.”

  She looked down at her crooked shirt and went red, then spun around.

  “Do you need some time?” Karim asked calmly.

  He scrubbed his hand down his face. “Give us a minute.”

  “A minute?” Lachlan cackled. “Surely you can last longer than—”

  He shoved his brother away and grabbed the door, shutting it. With a deep sigh, he turned to Julianna. “You all right there, darlin’?”

  “I’m fine.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

  “Hey,” he put his hands up defensively. “I wasn’t the one who started it—”

  “Grrr!” She pulled the door open and slid out from the back seat. For a second, he thought she was going to run away, but instead, she walked around the front. “Get in, unless you want to walk back to the castle,” she barked at Lachlan and Karim.

  “Yes, ma’am!” the two replied in unison, then scrambled into the car. Lachlan climbed into the front and Duncan scooted to make space for Karim. Neither said anything, though Karim did flash him an amused smile.

  The entire ride was quiet, and soon, they were pulling up to the front of the castle. She parked the car and cut off the engine, and the lights inside the car switched on.

  “Julianna, may I—”

  Slam! She was out of the car in seconds and making a run for the front door.

  “Och, what did ye do now?” Lachlan asked.

  “I must say,” Karim began. “I am almost sorry for you. Your world must be turning upside down now that you want the one woman resistant to your charms.”

  “I wouldn’t call her resistant,” Duncan replied.

  “Really?” Karim pointed his chin outside where Julianna had disappeared into the castle without so much as a backward glance. “What would you call that then?”

  Duncan stretched his arms out, then placed his hands behind his head as he reclined back. There was no doubt that Julianna wanted him. She kissed him first. She was eager for his touch. Had they not been interrupted; he was pretty sure they would have taken things to the next level. Despite the interruption—and the terrible case of blue balls he was having right now—he knew things were looking up.

  He grinned. “I’d call it progress.”

  Chapter Six

  When the light hit Julianna’s eyes, she groaned in protest. At the moment, she would literally rather be doing anything else. Getting a root canal. Doing her taxes. Lining up at the DMV.

  Literally anything else except having to go downstairs to face everyone at breakfast.

  Rolling over onto her stomach, she let out a muffled moan, cringing inwardly as the events of last night flooded back into her mind.

  Stupid Duncan.

  It was his fault, she decided. For being the total opposite of what she initially thought him to be. Having chosen a male-dominated field, she experienced what it was like for people—men, especially—to underestimate her, particularly when she started her training with the Lycan Security Force. Being the daughter of the Alpha didn’t help at all, and she had to work twice as hard to prove she deserved to be part of the training team, and even later, when she went to work for the special investigations division.

  Last night, Duncan coming to rescue her like some white knight was another insult to all the hard work she’d put in over the years, but to her surprise, he actually complimented her and apologized. And not only did that make her wolf glow with pride, but she had to admit, it was pretty hot. Yes, she was weird like that.

  And what happened after was even weirder. Her previous hookups had picked up on the fact that she was strong and independent, which maybe they translated to being dominant. She always seemed to give off that vibe and frankly, she wasn’t into playing some submissive role and often ended up being in control all of the time. It was how she wanted it anyway—no wrong impressions, no strings attached. But then Duncan got all growly and alpha authoritative, saying the filthiest things he wanted to do to her, and damn if that didn’t push the right buttons for her.

  Those two things—stroking her pride and then taking charge of her body—was a heady, deadly combination that made her lose her mind, so much so that she would have had sex with him in the back seat of the SUV had they not been interrupted.

  She told herself it was a good thing that they ended up not having sex, despite that desperate throb she felt between her legs. Even though she gave in and used her fingers to bring herself off last night, it ultimately left her feeling even more needy. She wanted to smell Duncan’s masculine scent and feel his skin and his touch on her.

  “Argh!” She sat up so fast that the blood rushing to her head made her dizzy. It was a good thing she was headed to England tomorrow, and she could finally leave Duncan and all this True Mates nonsense behind.

  Her wolf yowled.

  “Oh, shut up.”

  Though still feeling annoyed and reluctant, she knew she had to get up at some point and so she showered, got dressed, and headed downstairs for breakfast. Much to her surprise, there was already someone waiting at the foyer.

  Prince Karim stood at the foot at the stairs looking—well, very regal, even in the casual attire of a polo shirt, sweater, and khakis. His cool blue eyes met hers as she descended, and she tamped down the urge to shiver. He was handsome, she supposed, and lots of girls would probably love to climb that tall, muscled body like a tree even if he wasn’t royalty. But there was also something about him … she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Her wolf, too, was wary of Karim. It was as if under that cool composure he was keeping something big tightly wrapped up inside, like a force that could explode at any moment.

  “Good morning, Julianna,” he greeted.

  She expected some juvenile taunt, but to his credit, he remained straight-faced and businesslike. “Good morning, Your Highness.” Her eyes dropped to the carry-on bag by his feet. “Leaving already?”

  “Yes, I must go today. I am just waiting to say goodbye to Duncan.”

  She must have winced visibly at the mention of his name because he chuckled.

  “I must admit, you intrigue me.” He sized her up, his eyes assessing her from head to toe so tactlessly, as only a man used to doing whatever the hell he wanted could. “A woman who is immune to Duncan’s charms and doesn’t immediately fall at his feet is a rare thing.”

  “And you, Your Highness?” She met his gaze head-on, unafraid, despite the fact that her heart hammered in her chest for some reason. “They don’t fall at your feet by the dozen?”

  “They fall for my title,” he said. “But women love Duncan for who he is, not a title or his riches.”

  The expression on his face was practically freezing. It made her take a step back, making her bump into something solid.

  “Julianna?”

  That honeyed voice just wen
t straight to her core and it took all her strength not to melt into Duncan’s warm, muscled body. As if it wasn’t bad enough, his arms came around her, and his scent filled her nostrils. “I, uh, was just saying goodbye to Prince Karim.” Reluctantly, she took a step forward and away from him.

  Duncan dropped his arms and stepped to her side to face Karim. “You really can’t stay another day? Ma and Da will be disappointed to have missed you.”

  The prince shook his head. “Please relay to them my apologies. But I’m afraid today is the absolute last day I must leave Scotland if I am to make it back before the Easifat.”

  “The Easifat?” she echoed.

  “Some special festival they have in Zhobghadi,” Duncan supplied. “They celebrate the dust storm—”

  “Sandstorms,” Karim corrected. “It’s an annual event. Once the Easifat begins, there is no entering or leaving Zhobghadi until it ends.”

  “Karim has never invited me once,” Duncan said in a mocked hurt tone. “And you said I was like a brother to you.”

  Karim chuckled, but his eyes remained cool and distant. “It’s not that kind of festival. I’m afraid it is only for citizens of my country.” He looked at his watch. “I must go or my plane will lose its slot for takeoff.”

  “Let me see you out,” Duncan said.

  “I’ll join you,” Julianna said before she could stop herself.

  The three of them walked out of the front door and into the driveway. Much to her surprise, there was an unmarked black SUV waiting outside. Two men in identical dark suits stood by the vehicle, looking foreboding.

  “Wow.” She pursed her lips as she eyed the bodyguards. “Where did those guys come from?”

  “The Almoravid are everywhere and nowhere,” Karim said.

  “The who?” She cocked her head at him.

  “Karim’s personal bodyguards,” Duncan explained. “They protect him wherever he goes.”

  “Really? Where were they last night?”

  “They were there,” Duncan said. “In the pub with us.”

  “No, they weren’t,” she countered. “I would have noticed if someone were following us.” That was one of the skills the security force training honed in her—checking if anyone was watching or following her. “And why didn’t they try to stop the fight?”