Lock

by Terry Bolryder

  Lock scratched the back of his neck. “Like I say, we go back a long ways. We can explain more when we’re there.”

  Tasha nodded, finishing the rest of her breakfast quickly because she was too nervous for it to have much of a taste. “Where are we going?”

  “Up into the mountains. Not that far from here actually. Maybe a couple hours?”

  “Weird,” she said. “There’s wolves up there?”

  “There’s a small town of mostly wolves.” Lock corrected. “My pack. Though, I think there are some humans in town that are oblivious.”

  “Well, that’s interesting. I guess I can’t wait to see them. And my cousin. Do you really think they might know where Fifi is? Or Felix? Which should I call him?”

  “Felix is fine if you’re more comfortable,” Lock said. “He’s your brother, after all.”

  “Felix,” she said, resting back on her stool. “I guess so.”

  Lock stood and stretched, glancing over at the toaster when it finished. “That’s for you,” he said, motioning to the slightly burnt pieces.

  He walked back over to the couch and plopped down on it, rubbing his hands over his eyes and looking tired.

  “Didn’t sleep well?” Tasha asked, munching on one of the pieces of toast as she walked over to him.

  “Not really,” he said, opening one amber eye to glare at her. “Smells too much like alpha female.”

  She sat down on the edge the couch. “What’s the difference between regular and alpha?”

  Lock sat up. “Kind of like wolves in the wild. Alphas are the most powerful. Usually the lines that are the least tainted by human blood. Though, based on where we’re at with the Tribunal, our inbreeding isn’t really helping us.” He pulled out his phone, checking something, though he didn’t let her see it. “Anyway, Thor says it’s all good to come over. We should head out.”

  “Now? Today?” Her mind raced, thinking of all the things she had to cancel.

  Lock nodded. “We can’t afford to wait for the Tribunal to show up. They might already be tracking us.”

  Tasha slumped slightly. “Wow. Why does everything have to be happening so quickly?”

  “If you haven’t lived long enough to know that life changes in a moment, you haven’t really lived,” Lock said drily. Then he stood. “Look, I’ll rustle up some food to take with us while you call your work or whoever, and we’ll go. Though, the less people you tell, the better.”

  “Why?”

  He cocked his head. “The less people who know, the less people who can be tortured by anyone trying to find us.”

  Tasha’s jaw dropped, and then she struggled to compose herself. “Fine. I’ll call who I need to, and we’ll head out.”

  She pulled out the phone, then sent a few texts off to her manager, claiming to be sick.

  She couldn’t really say that she was actually a wolf and going to rescue her brother.

  “Okay, I’m going to go get ready,” she said, pushing herself off the couch and stretching as she stood. Yawning, she realized she hadn’t really slept well either. Lock’s scent, unbelievably sexy for reasons she couldn’t explain, had called to her too.

  If she could be that into this douchebag, maybe there was something supernatural going on.

  Her eyes moved from his dark-red hair, tousled by sleep and even sexier, if possible, to his sparkling amber eyes, straight nose, and perfect lips, all above a jaw so hard it could cut marble.

  Her eyes flicked up to his lips again, wondering if they were as soft as they looked. They had never kissed that time they were together…

  Lock caught her by the hand, pulling her back down on the couch with him. The chemistry in the room heightened, making it suddenly hard to breathe.

  Though she pushed back, she found herself trapped against his hard chest, inhaling his unique burnt-vanilla scent, unable to ignore how her heart was racing.

  “What are you doing?” She glared at him nervously, telling her body to calm down.

  “It’s hard for me to resist when you’re looking at me like that.”

  “Let me go,” she said, struggling mildly even as she felt herself go wet.

  He chuckled. “Do you really want me to?” His eyes narrowed. “Or are you just too chicken to make the first move?”

  She pushed him back, hard, breaking away from him, and he looked up at her with a startled expression.

  But before he could say anything, she climbed on top of him, straddling him, and grabbed his shirt with both hands as she slammed her mouth down on his, pinning his head back against the couch cushions.

  She ignored his muffled, “Mmph,” as she continued to kiss him, working her tongue at the seam of his lips until he finally opened his mouth in a small laugh.

  She didn’t care. She dove inside, letting her tongue mingle with his. He was gentle at first, passively letting her stroke against him. But when she let out a little growl and ground her hips against him, he wound a hand around her head and deepened the kiss, keeping her trapped.

  His tongue was voracious, sweeping inside and lighting her up and turning her on as no kiss ever had. She was painfully wet, her whole body tight and ready, and she didn’t want this to ever stop.

  For some reason, with him, she never felt any of the usual hesitation.

  She grabbed his other hand and placed it between her legs, not even caring that she was wearing ratty pajamas.

  He let out a pleased growl as his hand dipped beneath her waistband and inside her panties to play at her curls.

  “Damn, you’re beautiful,” he said, stroking along her folds up to her clit that was aching for him. “So wet, so ready. God, it’s hard not to take you.”

  She rode his hand, using his chest for support as she arched back so she could sit upright, enjoying every single sensation.

  He sat up, pushing her back as he pulled his hand out of her pants, making her pout slightly.

  But then he quickly switched their position so she was safe in his lap, cradled against him.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead as he slipped his hand down where she wanted it once again.

  She curled into him, wrapping her hands in his shirt to hold on as he continued to apply pressure, languidly, lightly, circling the place where she wanted him so badly.

  He’d dip down, stroke her folds, caress along her wet slit, and then rub upward to her clit, pressing down slightly, circling tighter and tighter as she began to pant with the effort of being so close to release.

  Her whole body was tensed on the edge of something amazing, and the anticipation was rising so high that she was finding it hard to breathe.

  She looked up into his eyes, and God, he was handsome. That cocky expression, those pleased, heated eyes. That pretty, tanned skin. That amazing hair.

  Everything about him was just perfect, except for his personality.

  She mewled as she writhed against him, unable to hold on much longer.

  “Come for me, sweetheart,” he murmured, and her body obeyed.

  She had no idea why it happened, why she was so turned on when he commanded her, but it was so incredibly hot to let her body be under his control.

  She bit her lip to keep from screaming as an orgasm ripped through her, bringing smooth waves of pleasure that were so strong it felt like she would tear apart from sheer joy.

  “Oh fuck,” she said, nuzzling in against him as her body jerked slightly from aftershocks. She was warm, wet, and not even close to satisfied. “That’s so good. I swear I have more control sometimes. Honestly, it was hard to resist you last night, and I—”

  He kissed her gently on the lips and held her against him, and she realized, to her shock, that he was trembling slightly.

  “What is it?” She pulled back, trying to see him, but he kept her against his chest, his head tucked over the top of hers so she couldn’t see him.

  Was this cocky, perverted wolf actually embarrassed?

  “It’s never been like that,” he said. “For me
, sex was something casual. A means to an end. A way to please people. But I always kept my heart apart from it.” He stroked her hair back, placing a kiss to the top of her head. “But with you, it’s different. I can’t seem to stay separate. When we’re together, I feel it down to my soul.” He hesitated. “I’m not sure I like it.”

  She was silent for a moment, listening to their heavy breathing and the hammering of her heartbeat and his against her cheek.

  What did he mean by that?

  “Should we stop, then?” she asked carefully.

  He shook his head. “I don’t think I can resist you either. When you want me, I can’t hold back.”

  Her hand moved down to his waistband, toying with the idea of going lower. “Can I?” She wanted to feel all of that hardness, see him come, feel the explosion of pheromones that she somehow knew would take over the room.

  He let out a ragged breath. “I don’t think I could stop you.”

  She hesitated. “I would never push for what you don’t want.”

  His hand covered hers, then gently moved it down. “It’s fine,” he said. “But fuck, Tasha, sometimes I think after everything I’ve faced, you’re the most dangerous.”

  “Me?” She felt excitement run through her as her palm came to rest over his hard, warm length, just some fabric away from her touch. “I’m dangerous?”

  “Yes,” he said, squirming slightly beneath her. “Because you’re the only person who can throw me off my game when I’m usually the one throwing everyone.”

  That gave her a little thrill, and she climbed out of his lap to kneel on the ground in front of him. She’d never done this before, but with her clit still thrumming and her whole body so aware of him and the sensual energy in the air, she couldn’t help it.

  She was just so attracted to him.

  She reached for his zipper as he sat forward, looking like he would protest. But before he could say anything, she’d freed his dick and slipped her mouth onto it, moaning as she felt the velvety hard tip.

  “Damn,” he said, arching back, freezing as he spread his legs a little wider. “You don’t have to. What the—” He let out a groan as she slid a hand along his length, using her saliva to help it glide as she sucked the rest of him, flicking her tongue along his slit.

  He tasted awesome.

  His hands fisted and dug into the cushions. “What are you doing to me?”

  She looked up from where she was kneeling, comfortable and so turned on, as she continued to lave and suck at his tip, taking him as deep as she could into her throat before slowly letting him all the way out of her mouth. “Turnabout is fair play.”

  He looked down at her, so powerful, so handsome… so confused.

  But that lasted only a moment as she winked at him and slid her hand up his length before taking him into her mouth again.

  She loved watching him, every twitch of his muscles, every pained, shocked, pleased expression. The cocky, powerful alpha wolf was suddenly putty in her hands, unable to do anything but take what she gave him.

  She could tell he was getting closer by the rigidity of his movements, the sheer hardness of his dick, the way he was struggling not to move too much, even as the most beautiful scent possible filled the air.

  She continued to suck him in and out, using her hands, her mouth, her throat, her lips—whatever she had available as she reveled in the sheer pleasure of what she was doing to him.

  Then he suddenly reached for her face as if to push her back. “I’m coming. I’m going to—”

  But if he thought he was getting away from her, he was wrong. She kept him in her mouth, too horny not to swallow every drop as he jerked inside her, trying to be gentle, calling out her name in rough tones.

  When he was finished, she finally released him, licking her lips and moving up to sit on his lap again, straddling him.

  Her arms went around his neck, and she kissed him, letting him taste himself, not caring how dirty it was. When she was with him, she just seemed to lose any shame, any awareness of anything but how badly she wanted him.

  Something inside her, deep inside her, was growling.

  Was that her wolf?

  She didn’t have any time to think about it as he kissed her back hungrily, picking her up, only to lower her back onto the couch again, pinning her there with one knee on one side of her, the other leg on the ground.

  He leaned down, trapping her hands above her head as he kissed her, then sliding one hand down to the apex of her legs again. Looking up, she could see that his gaze was feral. Gone was the distant, cocky man from before.

  His hand pushed roughly into her pants, cupping her sex, teasing her clit. “I’m going to make you come until you can’t see straight,” he growled against her ear, making her shiver.

  She arched up against him, wet and aching, then turned her head to meet his gaze. “Promises, promises.”

  “I don’t make empty threats, princess,” Lock said fiercely. “You’ll see that soon enough.”

  And then his finger dove inside her, stroking, curling, pulling something deep forward as her whole body began to ache.

  “Oh God, oh God,” she said as everything began to tighten. They were still mostly clothed, and it felt so forbidden, but she couldn’t fight back the feelings inside.

  She loved that she could still taste him. She loved the entire feel of him.

  And as her eyes rolled back in her head and she let out a scream of pleasure, she knew nothing else would ever be like this.

  As he resumed his relentless stroking before she’d even stopped writhing, making white-hot sensation rip through her, she tried to remember how to breathe and realized he was right.

  He didn’t make empty threats.

  Chapter 10

  God, his mate was beautiful.

  She’d thrashed, fought him for control, begged him for more, but in the end, rode orgasm after orgasm, creating a beautiful, floral, musky scent in the air that seemed to completely encompass him.

  He hadn’t been able to take her, and the urge had been so strong when he’d seen her hungrily taking his dick into his mouth, staring up at him with those gorgeous, innocent gray eyes that were fire only when they looked at him.

  He hated that he couldn’t help getting his feelings involved. That the wolf in him that had always been pacing, detached, was moving forward, growling possessively, stating a need to take a mate.

  It had somehow been easier when she was just a tool to him, a means to an end.

  But she meant something in a way Lock had never thought possible.

  His initial impression had been right, though it had scared him. With her, he might end up feeling things he’d never felt before.

  As he’d said, she was dangerous.

  She was panting now, on her side, dazed and bleary from coming, and clearly not able to see straight until she had a break and could breathe.

  She was mewling as she reached out for him, and he gathered her back into his arms, holding her tightly, unwilling to let her go for anything.

  If he did, he’d start making her come again, and even he could tell she was tired.

  Plus, he’d thought pleasuring her would calm the beast inside him, but it had only made the need to claim her worse.

  He needed to calm down as well, so he stood, hefting her in his arms, and took her over to her room where they could shower.

  Her bathroom was fairly small, but it would work. He set her down inside the shower, which was encased by glass, and kept an arm around her waist as he turned on the water. Then he gently helped her remove her clothing, tossing it to the side so it wouldn’t get wet.

  As he gently soaped her body, fully supporting her, she looked up at him with a glazed expression, blinking as she slowly came back to herself. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. What always comes over me when I’m with you. Will it be like that with every alpha male?”

  Lock snorted, suppressing the need to crush things that came with her innocen
t words. “I fucking hope not. Did you feel it for any of the men you put to sleep?”

  She shook her head. “But I don’t know if they were alphas. And I didn’t see some of their faces.” She placed a hand on his chest, rubbing soap gently into his skin with a sigh. “I mean, I don’t think it would happen with anyone else, but that scares me.” She looked up at him with wary eyes. “I barely know you.”

  He put a hand over hers. “I know,” he said. “And I haven’t claimed you. So we can just keep going at our own pace. No hurry.”

  She sighed as she nodded, letting him continue to soap her up as she ran her hands over his body. His mate was insatiable, and the wolf inside him couldn’t get enough.

  But they had things to do, and they couldn’t wait any longer, no matter how delicious the distractions were.

  When they were finished showering, Lock stepped out to grab a towel and wrapped her in it before grabbing one of his own.

  Then he walked her back into the bedroom, helping her to the bed.

  She sighed, arching back in a stretch, looking over at the light streaming in through the window. “Will we be gone a while? How much should I pack?”

  “A few days’ worth,” he said. “I plan on just visiting my brother and your cousin, but if they have information on Fifi, then we might have another trip on our hands.”

  She nodded sharply. “True. I want to find my brother as soon as possible.” She walked past him to her closet and began to pull on clothes. “Do you have something to wear?”

  He shrugged. “I can get more clothing from Thor when I see him. We’re identical.”

  She glanced over at him, gaping. “There’s another person who looks just like you?” She shook her head. “That just seems really weird.”

  “No, we’re different in style, if nothing else,” Lock said, chuckling as he reached for his clothing. “But I guess you’ll see soon enough.”

  “Right,” she said, coming back into the room in a bra and panties with some clothing piled in her arms. She changed into a blue tee shirt and jeans that hugged every curve and then set the rest of the clothing on the bed as she brought a bag over to shove it in. “After this, I’ll get some toiletries and be ready.”