by Jaci Burton
She doubted Chantal would want to hear those details.
“I can’t believe you’ve run this huge pack all these years,” Chantal said. “That must have been quite a burden for you.”
“I could have continued to handle things myself.”
“Having help isn’t admitting failure, Katya.”
She shrugged.
“Anyway, let’s get down to business. Tell me exactly what’s going on with Conner.”
“He’s a pain in my ass.”
Chantal laughed. “Understandable. I remember when Noah and Conner were teens. Lord did they drive my mother crazy. I just sat there with the halo over my head while they got in trouble.”
Katya could well envision the family dynamics of the Devlins. She wished she could have seen Conner grow up. “I’ll bet Conner was a troublemaker even then.”
Rolling her eyes dramatically, Chantal said, “Honey, you have no idea.”
She’d never felt this comfortable so quickly with another person. Chantal had breezed in unapologetically and informed her she was here to help. Having experience with international law would also assist them with the ministry. At least that was the reason Chantal gave for showing up here.
But she got the idea that Conner’s sister had come for another reason entirely, despite her claims to be here to help the Carpathian cause.
“Your brother is stubborn.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Chantal answered, sipping her coffee.
“And unreasonable.”
“Yes.”
“He refuses to acknowledge my rights.”
“Typical.”
“He treats me like a woman.”
“The bastard.”
Katya laughed, realizing how ridiculous that sounded. With a resigned sigh, she added, “And I’m in love with him.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that, honey,” Chantal said, then grinned.
“How do I handle him? I feel like if I bow to his dominance, I lose a part of myself.”
“You don’t have to give up any of yourself to love someone. If that person loves you, then there’s always a compromise.”
She shook her head. “I can see no way to compromise. He simply wishes to take over and do things his way without including me.”
“Then you have to keep reminding him to include you.”
She lifted her chin. “I shouldn’t have to remind him. He should know what to do.”
Chantal arched a brow. “Now who’s being the stubborn alpha?”
It hadn’t occurred to her until Chantal said the words. “You know, you’re absolutely right. I’m as bad as he is.”
Laughing, Chantal clasped her hand and squeezed. “The great thing about women is that we can admit our flaws. Men, on the other hand…”
“Very true. We do need to walk more than halfway to meet them in the middle, don’t we?”
“With my brother, yeah, I’m afraid so. But if it’s any comfort, I believe he’s in love with you.”
Katya snorted. “That’s highly unlikely. He hates me. He thinks I deliberately seduced him to take him as my mate. Which, by the way, I didn’t. I had…a rough night that night. Then I drank too much brandy to numb the shock, and one thing led to another.”
Chantal held up her hand. “You don’t need to explain to me. I believe you. And trust me. I know Conner. If he didn’t love you, I wouldn’t still be here. He’d have railed and complained and done whatever necessary to get me on a plane out of here as fast as possible. The last thing he’d want is my help.”
“And?”
“He asked me to stay. To help him figure a way that he could work things out with you.”
She found that hard to believe, and was irritated at the sense of hope she felt at Chantal’s statement. “He told you this?”
“Not in so many words, but that was the gist of our conversation. Trust me, Katya, he’s got it bad for you. All you have to do now is take the upper hand, and move in for the kill.”
Yes, she liked Chantal more and more every minute she spent with Conner’s cunning sister. She’d given Katya hope that maybe her feelings for Conner weren’t unfounded. Perhaps their relationship wasn’t completely doomed to failure.
If she could give a little, maybe Conner would too.
Chapter Eleven
“Don’t you have business to attend to in San Francisco?”
For three days Conner had dealt with Chantal underfoot, picking away at him until he had no choice but to sit down and listen to her harp about his treatment of Katya. He tapped his fingers on the desk and waited.
“Of course I have business in San Francisco. Well, moving in, anyway. The job doesn’t start for another few weeks, so until then I’m all yours.”
He looked to the heavens for intervention. “Oh, joy. I’m sure Mom and Dad would love to see you.”
“Quit evading the issue. Pull your head out of your ass and make some headway with Katya.”
“Katya is a stubborn, unreasonable pain in the ass.”
Chantal smirked. “Funny, she said the same thing about you.”
“That figures.” Lord, save him from his own family. “I’m doing fine.”
“You are not. You’ve made no progress at all with the ministry, you can’t even get your foot in the door and Katya won’t speak to you. Aren’t you two mated or something?”
“Yes.” Not that anyone could tell. The cold castle had become even more frigid over the last few days.
“I haven’t seen the two of you occupy the same room, let alone a bedroom, since I came here.”
“She’s being obstinate.”
Arching her brows, Chantal said, “So are you. Meet her halfway, Conner. Otherwise you’re wasting your time here. Her people won’t follow you if she doesn’t.”
Tired of hearing this same speech from his brother and sister, he said, “Yeah, they will. I’m alpha. They have no choice.”
“Haven’t you ever seen another male take over a pack?”
“Yeah. But it won’t happen here. I’m much stronger than any of their males.”
“Famous last words.” Chantal examined one long, red fingernail. “I’ll miss you when they beat you to a bloody pulp in their takeover.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She stood and stretched, then headed to the window. “Even now, they’re plotting against you.”
“You watch too much television.”
“I’m watching out the window, you idiot. There are at least a dozen males huddled together, and occasionally glancing up here at the office. Do you think they’re planning a surprise birthday party for you? Come on, Con. They see how unhappy Katya is. They’re worried about the future of their pack. They don’t see you as a leader. The tension around this place is thick. Everyone’s worried about their future. If you can’t gain Katya’s cooperation and trust, how will you ever gain theirs?”
Fuck. He didn’t need this. He’d already apologized once. He goddamn well wasn’t going to do it again.
“You might be right. I do need her. For cooperative reasons only.”
“Of course.”
She didn’t believe him, judging by the smirk she tried unsuccessfully to hide. He didn’t really care. He’d do what he had to do to gain Katya’s assistance in the planning efforts for the wolves, but that was it. If she wanted him to touch her again, she’d damn well have to get on her knees and beg, because he was no woman’s puppy dog.
Apologizing to her the first time had been a critical error on his part. It wouldn’t happen again. He could live without his mate’s love. What the fuck would he do with love anyway? It just caused problems and he had enough problems to deal with.
“I’ll go talk to her.”
Chantal crossed her arms and graced him with a satisfied smile. “Good.”
But on his terms, not hers. He stood and headed for the door. No time like the present to get the unpleasant business out of the way.
“She’s in love with you, yo
u know.”
He stopped and turned. “No, she’s not.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“Did she tell you that?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
“What the fuck does that mean?”
“That means I’m not telling you how I know. I just know.”
He narrowed his gaze on his sharply cunning sister. “You made it up.”
“If you say so.”
Damn Chantal for putting that thought in his head. Did Katya love him? How could she possibly have any feelings for him at all, other than hatred? He’d pushed her away by not including her in pack business, not once, but twice. He’d accused her of deliberately entrapping him into a mate bond. It wouldn’t make any sense for her to be in love with him.
“Don’t screw with me, Chantal. I need to know.”
His sister shrugged. “Then you’re asking the wrong person. Go ask Katya how she feels.”
“No fucking way.”
“Your choice, Con. Good luck. I’m going to go soak in the tub.” She walked past him and stopped, throwing her arms around him for a quick hug. Just as quickly, she pulled away and said, “Not many of us are fortunate enough to find someone willing to put up with us. I’d say you’re one of the lucky ones. What you choose to do with that knowledge is up to you, but if you screw up again, you’re never going to get another chance.”
She turned and walked out of the office, leaving him standing there more confused than ever.
How far would Chantal go to placate Katya? His sister would never do anything to hurt him that much he knew for certain. Their family was tight and always honest with each other. Brutally honest.
If he took what his sister said as truth, then the game changed considerably. Or maybe it wasn’t a game at all, and he had to quit looking like it as some kind of challenge he had to win.
Shaking his head, he went in search of Katya, formulating what he was going to say when he found her. She was nowhere to be found in the castle. Elena told him she’d gone outside to enjoy the day. It was unseasonably warm and she said Katya liked to take a swim in the heated pools. Armed with directions to the water, he headed outside and into the woods.
God, how long had it been since he’d shifted and run wild? It seemed like that was a distant part of his past, never to be repeated again. Would he ever have that kind of freedom again?
The need grew stronger as he forged deeper into the forest. Not paying the slightest bit of attention to the fallen logs and branches, he used his senses to step over anything blocking his path.
The air cooled considerably, the sunlight partially blocked by the heavy branches overhead. Conner stopped and inhaled, closing his eyes when he picked up Katya’s scent.
He was amazingly in sync with her, even though they were at odds. Sucking in a brain-clearing whiff of air, he frowned when he realized the air carried the musk of arousal.
Her arousal. Distinct, her sweet perfume entered his senses and shot straight between his legs, readying his cock for mating.
So enticing, he’d follow her scent anywhere.
But wait. Why the hell was she aroused when she wasn’t with him? Fury rolled through him and a fierce possessiveness kicked in.
Godammit! Katya was his mate. His woman. No other man was allowed to touch her.
If she was with someone else, he’d kill the guy. Taking more determined steps, he followed her scent, churning branches in his way like a bear on a rampage.
Yeah, he was on a fucking rampage, all right. God help the man who touched her because he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
Her scent grew stronger as he spotted a clearing ahead, charging in that direction until he pushed through the thick branches and stopped.
The vision before him wasn’t what he’d expected to see at all.
Katya was alone, naked, lying on the banks of a steamy pool of water, her fingers roaming between her legs. Her eyes were shut, feet flat on the ground, knees bent, the position offering him a perfect view of her pussy. Moisture glistened around the swollen lips, seeping down the crack of her ass.
When she moaned he hardened fully, fighting back a desperate urge to dive between her legs and lick up all that cream until she cried out, her screams echoing through the forest.
Would she scramble away if he approached her? God, he hated disturbing the erotic scene in front of him. Maybe he could linger quietly for a while and just watch. Then again, with Katya’s lupine senses, she’d figure out soon enough that he was there.
Deciding to meet her on equal ground, he pulled off his jacket and shirt and shed his jeans and boots, then stepped out of the woods and onto the soft grass.
He’d no more cleared the trees than she stopped and opened her eyes, staring directly at him. But rather than jumping to her feet and reaching for her clothes, she shifted up on her elbows and watched him approach, her face devoid of expression. He had no idea whether she was happy or irritated to see him.
His desire was quite evident, hardening further when her gaze focused on his erection. He sat down next to her on the grassy bank.
“Still angry at me?”
“Fiercely.”
Shit. Okay, maybe a neutral conversation first, just to break the ice between them a little. “Taking a swim?”
Her lips curled in a sardonic smile. “No, I was masturbating.”
He laughed. “So I noticed. Damn, Katya. That’s hot.”
“Glad you thought so. Then again, I had planned to do it alone.”
That was probably his signal to get up and leave. The problem was he didn’t want her doing it alone. He didn’t want to do it alone. His cock belonged in her pussy. Today, tomorrow, forever. It was time to force thoughts of sex away and talk to Katya about their problems.
“Katya, we need to talk.”
She tilted her head to the side, looked him up and down, and shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
He knew she’d make this difficult. “Look, I know you don’t want to talk about us, but we have to.”
“You don’t understand, Conner. You’re right. We do need to talk. About a lot of things. But not right now. You walked in on me when I was close to coming. So like it or not, you need to take care of my immediate problem. The rest of it we’ll talk about later. Right now I’m horny as hell, my cunt aches and I need you inside me. I need to come.”
Holy shit. Maybe they were closer to a consensus than he thought.
* * * * *
Katya chewed her bottom lip and waited for Conner’s response.
Suggesting he make love to her hadn’t been on the top of her list when she’d seen him walking toward her, naked and aroused. She should have stood and ordered him to leave her alone so she could have her privacy. Her visions while masturbating had been of him doing exactly what he’d done—show up in the forest naked and erect, ready to fuck her like she needed to be fucked.
She realized that now was the time to either move their relationship forward, or end it completely. They may be at odds in many areas, but sex wasn’t one of them. And that was a starting point to breach the distance between them.
“Well?” she asked, impatient for his response.
His lips curved upward. “I was at a loss for words.”
“Find them yet?” She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. If he said no, she’d be mortified. But then she’d know that Chantal was wrong. That he didn’t care for her at all.
He turned and wrapped his palm around the back of her neck, pulling her mouth to his. Before their lips touched, he said, “I want you, Katya. So much that it hurts. I’ll always want you.”
She sighed her relief into his open mouth, wrapping her arms around his back and pressing her breasts against his chest.
They both moved to their knees, their bodies aligned breasts to chest, belly to belly and sex to sex. His chest hairs tickled her breasts, teasing her nipples to sharp points. She shifted from side to side, creating he
r own pleasure by rubbing the aroused buds against the hard muscles of his chest.
He groaned and she felt the vibration against her breasts. His cock jutted up between them and she rocked against it, its heat burning her lower belly.
She needed his cock inside her. Right now. Thoughts of making love with him had permeated her every thought the past couple days. Despite her anger and frustration with him, her desire for him hadn’t diminished. In fact, it had grown stronger.
Was it possible to love and want someone desperately while still angry as hell at them?
“Fuck me, Conner. And hurry,” she urged, moving back to lie on the grass. She spread her legs while he kneeled there and watched, stroking his shaft. Never had she felt so wanton, so free. Maybe it was being outside, their natural element, but she wanted him to see how much she desired him.
Opening her legs, she showed him her need, sliding her hand over her belly to pet her sex.
His gaze flamed hot, burning her, spurring her on to be even more adventurous. She slipped two fingers into her wet pussy, thrusting in and out slowly, then withdrew them and brought her fingers to her mouth to taste her own desire.
“Fuck, Katya. That’s so goddamn erotic.” His movements increased as he stroked his shaft hard and fast from base to tip. Creamy drops spilled from the tip of his penis, and he swirled his thumb over the liquid.
Her nostrils flared, taking in the musky scent of him, desperate to feel the jetting of that hot seed deep inside her with a need that was borne of primal urges and a frantic sense of urgency.
His scent made her crazy, drove her to dig deep inside herself and find the wild part of her that she’d suppressed for so many years.
“I can smell you,” he said. “Hot, musky. You bring out the beast in me, Katya. Make yourself come for me.”
At this point it was highly unlikely she could hold back anyway. One or two more strokes and she’d—
A scream tore from her throat, her hips bucking off the soft grass as her climax rushed over her in a tidal wave so powerful it made her lightheaded. She kept her gaze on Conner’s face as she sailed into oblivion, somehow finding the eye contact more stimulating than she ever thought possible. She was coming, and he was watching her.
