“Be still woman,” he snapped and anchored her hips back in place. “I’m almost there.”
“Jared,” she hissed. “Stop.”
“Not in this life time, babe.” He humped faster.
Emily’s face flushed as the burning heat flashed in her loins. God, she could come again in just another minute. Through her half closed eyes, she saw the smug expressions of the people in the bar. She caught his ear between her finger and thumb and pinched as hard as she could.
“What?” he roared. Slowly, he became aware of the quiet around them.
“Shit.”
He let her slide down the wall and turned to growl at their audience. Immediately conversation resumed.
“My sentiments exactly.” Emily pushed the hair from her eyes and tried to regain a little of her dignity. “But are you upset because they were watching or because you didn’t finish?” she asked, sarcasm threaded her tone.
Jared grinned his wolfish grin. “What do you think?”
He grabbed her hand and led her through the maze of bodies. At a secluded table in the back of the room, he bent to kiss a gray-haired woman and shake the hand of an older version of himself. “Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. This is Emily.”
The distinguished looking gentleman rose from the table and extended his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, my dear.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.” Emily took the hand, unsure how to react now that the moment had arrived.
“What were you expecting?” Jared asked. His lips curled in amusement at her speechlessness. “Wolves?”
“Don’t tease,” the older woman scolded. To Emily’s relief her smile was wide and welcoming. “My name is Amanda, and this is my husband, Steve.”
“It’s alright, baby, there’s no pressure. Let me get you something to drink.” Before she could stop him he walked away, leaving her alone with his parents. She sat down on the opposite side of the table.
“So, do you believe in werewolves?”
Emily winched as Jared’s father cut straight to the chase. Did she believe in werewolves? Vampires, leprechauns and fairies?
Did she believe in Jared?
That’s what his father was really asking.
She glanced behind her, drinking in the sight of his hard, masculine body. He winked at her then placed their order with the bartender. She felt the last of her fears and doubts fly away.
Oh yeah, she believed.
When she turned back to his parents, she knew she didn’t have to say a word. They knew.
“With your eyes, you’ll have such beautiful babies.” Tears filled the older woman’s own blue eyes as she patted Emily’s hand.
From the bar Jared watched the exchange between his parents and the woman he loved. His father gave him a small nod of approval and he let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. As leader of the pack he needed no one’s approval to mate, but he was glad his parents had accepted her. If they had forced him to choose between her and the pack, Emily would have won hands down. She amazed him on so many levels. Her beauty, her intelligence, her courage. And her body. While she might think she was too curvy or too rounded, she was perfect for him. And the sex. Man, he’d had some pleasurable experiences in the past, but Emily singed his fur.
“You shouldn’t wear your heart on your sleeve. Somebody might decide to have it for dinner.” Jared’s smile widened as Maria sat down beside him.
“Is it that obvious?” He took a long drink of his beer and decided to give Emily a little more time with his parents.
“To those of us who’ve been there.” She motioned the bartender over and ordered a beer.
Her past relationship remained him of the duties he still had to fulfill. “Val’s hunting tonight.”
“It’s not Cord, is it?” Maria’s voice quivered as she asked even though it had been a long time since Cord had been a part of her life.
“We don’t think so.” It was all he could say. They didn’t know who the vamp was. Not yet.
“What about Emily?”
Jared took another long swallow of beer. “What about her?”
“She’ll want to be there when you find out who took her friend.” When Jared didn’t reply, Maria sent him a look of censure from beneath her long lashes as if to say men were so dense. “You don’t honestly think she’s going to sit back and do nothing, do you? This is her friend, she needs to be involved. Look how she took off without you today.”
“I made sure she was safe today and I’ll make sure she’s safe when the time comes. She will not be there when I take the bastard down.” The neck of the amber colored bottle splintered into tiny shards.
Maria patted his shoulder and swept away the mess with a napkin before she grabbed her beer and the one he’d ordered for Emily. “You have a lot to learn about mates, my friend. Human mates in particular. You just stay here and think about that. I’m going to go say hi.”
The older couple left as Maria approached. She handed Emily a beer and Emily took it even though she usually didn’t drink. But glancing around at all the blue eyed individuals, she swallowed a quarter of the bottle in one long gulp.
She was a Midwestern farmer’s daughter for heaven’s sake, how had she ended up here? In a bar. In a werewolf bar. “What have I gotten myself into?” she mumbled when the figures on the dance floor started to swirl and weave. And it wasn’t from some new dance move.
“Tell me. Tell me what I need to know.” She had to ask before she lost her courage.
Maria took a sip of her own beer and Emily could tell she was debating what she should and shouldn’t reveal. “Lupines are shape shifters. We’re able to take the form of a wolf.”
“During a full moon, right?” Emily tried to keep the skepticism from her voice. She needed to know. She had dived head first into the arms of a wolf. She took another gulp of beer.
Relationships failed every day in the human world, and she could only image the difficulties faced between two entirely different species. Species, for God’s sake. She finished the beer and looked around for more.
“If need be. But unlike legend portrays, the full moon doesn’t cause the change, not anymore. The cycle of the moon is an important part of our culture, don’t get me wrong. The change enhances our gifts. We become stronger, swifter, sharper. And our physical characteristics become more pronounced.”
“I guess that’s why there’s not an ugly one in the bunch,” Emily said, thinking of the blonde at the bar. That woman was built like a brick shit house.
It surprised her that her words came out slightly slurred. She’d only drunk one beer.
“Damn, Emily. Did you drink it all?” Maria grabbed the empty bottle from Emily and slammed it against the table. “I have got to get you sobered up.”
Emily started to protest as the woman grabbed her arm and lifted her from her chair. Lifted her from her chair. Emily giggled. She outweighed Maria by a good forty pounds.
“What the hell is wrong?” Hearing the thud of a bottle against the table, Jared had known his mate had been threatened in some way. His brows drew together in a frown when Emily threw her arms around him and pressed open mouthed kisses across his chin and licked the underside of his jaw. His cock hardened in an instant. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Maybe she’s just happy to see you.”
Jared’s eyes flew to the empty bottle on the table. “Damn it, Maria, you let her drink the whole fucking bottle!”
She bowed her head in submission to her Alpha. “I didn’t mean for her to drink so much.” The woman looked stricken.
The beers served in the bar were for werewolf consumption only. Because of the wolf’s incredible metabolism, the potency of the special brew had to be almost five times that of a normal beer. It took a lot to give a wolf a buzz.
Jared sighed. He knew his friend would never intentionally harm his mate. No one in the pack would. But now he had to deal with the consequences. And what consequences they were. Emi
ly tried to climb his body as she sucked and licked his throat. His dick almost exploded when she grabbed his ass.
To add to his frustration, he knew she was starting her cycle. He could smell the dark, rich, blood gathering in her womb, ready to exit her body. Nothing brought the beast to the surface quicker than a mate menstruating. Even after centuries of evolution, a woman’s scent when she was in heat still called to the animal inside, reminding him it was time mate, time to perpetuate the species.
He gave Maria one last glare and tossed Emily over his shoulder. Howls of laughter followed in his wake as the pack realized what had happened.
“You can, uh, sniff me if you want.” Emily’s words drifted over his shoulder as he carried her to his SUV.
“What did you say?” Maybe he’d heard wrong. God, he prayed he’d heard wrong.
“You can smell me. I know you have this, uh, thing, about smelling me and it’s okay if you want to.” When he didn’t speak, her voice became a mere whisper as if his silence had hurt her. “I just wanted you to know.”
What could he say? Do? Whether she knew it or not, he had already sniffed her like a dog ready to mount a bitch. The half moons of her derriere were mere inches from his face. The beer had done more than made her drunk, it had aroused her. It took a tremendous amount of will power to keep from throwing her on the hood of his car and pulling off her jeans so he could bury his nose in her sweet, pink folds.
Jared put her down when he reached the car. He braced her against the side of the vehicle and held her in place with a hand on her hip. A hand he was not surprised to see tipped with thick claws. His beast was freeing itself and Jared didn’t know if he could stop it. Or if he wanted to.
He fumbled in his pocket for his keys. He needed to get her home. And fast. She moved the hand he had on her hip and placed it on her breast. He bit down hard on his lip and drew blood to keep from howling at the moon. The last thing he needed was for the pack to come running to see what had happened to their leader.
“Don’t do that,” he commanded between clenched teeth.
“What?” Her eyes were bright and blue. “This?” She moved his hand to the waist of her jeans and shoved it inside. His fingers brushed the hair covering her mons. He refused to allow himself to touch the treasure that lay just below. She encircled his wrist with both of her small hands and tried to force him deeper. She was surprisingly strong, however she couldn’t make him move, not unless he wanted to. And God help him wanted to. He flexed his finger and flicked the hardened end of his claw over her clit until it budded. She moaned for more. He knew he could make her come in an instant, but he wanted more than that. He wanted it all.
He removed his hand and opened the door to lift her inside. Hurrying to the other side, he put the key in the ignition.
Before he could stop her, she found the zipper of his jeans and yanked it down. His arousal sprang free with a life of its own. A small pearly drop of seed glistened on the angry red head.
“Damn it, woman,” he yelped as pubic hairs were torn out by the roots. “Are you trying to de-man me?” When he pushed him away she kept fighting him. Finally, he stopped, afraid he would hurt her. As soon as he quit resisting, he was in her mouth, the mushroom head engulfed by her gorgeous red lips. Lips he knew would be bruised the color of crimson by the pressure she exerted. She licked, she squeezed, she sucked. He debated the wisdom of coming. Allowing himself release now would take the edge of and give him more control to pleasure her later after she’d sobered up. But he would feel like a cad since she was three sheets to the wind. He should take her home, pour hot coffee down her throat and put her to bed.
The feel of her tongue on the slit of his cock drove all thoughts of chivalry from his system. His buttocks tightened as he felt the cum race out of his body. He held her head in place with the palm of his hand as he poured another kind of hot liquid down her throat.
CHAPTER NINE
Jared took Emily back to the cabin, the road home lit by the light of a three quarters moon. His SUV smelled of lust and desire. That, coupled with the changing moon, made his blood run hot. In a few short days the moon would rise, full and big. Just as his flesh was rising now. The beast was almost upon him. He needed to claim her. He need to claim her now. But first they needed to talk.
“Emily.” She sat with her eyes closed, her head resting on the leather seat. “We need to talk.” He shut of the engine and waited for her open her eyes.
“But I don’t want to talk, wolf-boy, I want to fuck.” She opened her eyes, staring straight at him with those incredible blue eyes. They were bright and clear, even though he still smelled alcohol in her blood.
“There are things I need to tell you,” he tried again. Lord knew all he wanted to do was rip the clothes from her body and slam inside.
“Those things can wait. Do you want me?” she asked.
“More than my next breath.”
“Then take me inside and love me, wolfie,” she grinned.
“If you call me that one more time,” he growled. He was out of the car and slinging her over his shoulder before the laugher fully formed in her throat.
Jared kicked open his cabin door, unable and unwilling to waste time unlocking it. He slammed her up against the entryway. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to tease animals?” he muttered, his voice low and rough as his body thrust against hers.
“Are you an animal?” Her eyes were half-closed as she looked up into his shadowed faced. She leaned forward, licking his lips until he opened for her touch. She delved inside, over the velvet smoothness of his tongue, the hard surface of his teeth, the roof of his mouth.
“Emily,” her name was a strangled sound of need. “I’m yours, Emily. Your wolf.”
As she ended the kiss, she nipped the very top of his tongue.
Jared growled, his breath coming in fast, deep pants. The feel of her teeth cutting into his flesh taunted the wolf. He wanted to hunt. He wanted to mate. He was hard and heavy, aching with need but knew he couldn’t risk releasing the beast. His time was near and she wasn’t ready for a werewolf unleashed.
He pulled her legs around his waist.
“Jared.”
He knew she was protesting because of her weight. When would the woman learn she was perfect? Perfect for him. Alone. Just the thought of her with another man threatened the tight control he was exerting over the wolf. The animal wanted to claim her. Show her what she meant to it. What she meant to both of them.
With one hand he tore the pretty little black top she had worn in two. Beneath it she wore a black sports bra. Even though it fastened in front, he didn’t take the time undo it. That too was ripped down the middle.
“Jared.”
This time he knew she protested the rough treatment of her clothing. He grinned. He couldn’t wait to take her shopping, buying her soft satin and flimsy lace. Items he would great take pleasure in removing from her body. Ripping from her body.
His features sharpened with hunger. Her breasts hung heavy on her chest. Her nipples were hard puckered points, begging to be kissed. She was made for him. Every inch of her a gift from above.
Taking her deep into his mouth he suckled there as he imaged their children would one day. With his other hand he squeezed the twin, kneading and rolling until she cried out. He quickly reversed the positions of his mouth and hand feeding on her flesh. He was swollen and taunt between her thighs. Bucking upward he jammed their bodies together, the layer of clothes a useless barrier against his might. He’d never known a woman so responsive. He drew her even deeper in his mouth trying to posses the whole of her rose center.
“I can smell how wet you are.” Trailing his fingers down her body he unfastened the snap of her black jeans. His hand curved around her mons, one long finger slipped inside. Spreading her juices with his thumb, he found the triangle of nerves at the base of her pelvic bone. And rubbed. And rubbed. Her hips lifted up, stretching the fabric of her jeans across the back of his hand, lockin
g him in place.
“Is this what you want, baby? Do you want to cum all over my hand?” He thrust two fingers inside while his thumb still worked its magic. His fingers flexed, spreading her open. He plunged deeper, his fingers raking the walls of her sex. He took one taunt nipple between his teeth and bite down. She came, flooding his hand with her juices.
“You are so beautiful when you come,” he whispered. He pressed kisses along her jaw, nibbling as he went. “I want to feel that pussy clenched around my cock.”
“Okay,” she smiled sleepily. “But I’m not sure I can walk up the stairs.”
“No problem.” He quickly disentangled their limbs and hands and picked her up in his arms.
“I like it when you carry me,” Emily said. Nibbling the strong tanned column of his throat.
Jared laughed and squeezed her tighter to his chest. “You are learning, Emily. You are learning.”
“Does that mean I have to do something bad to be spanked again?”
Jared laid her on the bed and begin to strip away what remained of her clothing. “So you liked it?”
“Maybe,” she grinned. Emily’s alcoholic stupor had burned away, allowing her to think. She watched as he undressed, mesmerized by his beauty. How had she gotten so lucky? Why did this man want her? But this time instead of doubting what fate had given her, she spread her repressed goddess wings to fly.
“Wait, wait,” she protested as Jared reached for her as he climbed on the bed. Jared groaned but immediately stopped. He fell to his back beside her. His willingness to stop made her even more determined to go through with her plan. He could crush her with one hand and they both knew it.
She bit her lip and looked at the man sprawled beside her. The black pelt of hair curled invitingly along his hard muscled chest. His legs lay open and his semi-erect cock languished along the top of a tanned, hairy thigh. One arm was thrown over his eyes as if blocking her from his sight. She couldn’t really blame him.
They both knew she was more than slightly intoxicated. But between the taste of his cum in her mouth and the chill night air, she’d sobered up. Well, she’d sobered up somewhat. She was still just drunk enough to try something she’d always wanted to try. She’d never trusted a man enough to give her fantasy flight, until now.
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