I tilted my head and said nothing.
“Have dinner with me,” she said. “I’ll guarantee your safe passage in and out of the North. Have a meal, spend some time with me, and you can have the gun back.”
Marie had gone completely silent beside me.
“Not a chance.”
“Jack,” she said, rising to her feet and facing me. “Just dinner. Let me show you I’m not the evil you think I am.”
“I’d rather scrape all of the skin off my body with a rusty cheese grater and jump in a vat of salt.”
“Then the gun stays where it is.”
“For now.”
I turned to Cam and Marie.
“Shall we shake a leg? Looks like we have some distance to cover.”
Marie stood up, managing to look demure despite the scanty outfit. She had her leash coiled into a loop, hanging from one paw and she was looking me confidently in the eye, a slight smile on her face. Cam nodded and moved towards the stairs.
“Jack?” said Lucia.
“What?” I said, not turning around.
“Think about it, please,” she said, sounding sincere. “We could be powerful friends and great allies. Come north. Just come see me.”
Marie’s eyes were still locked on mine, so I gave her a sly wink.
“Oh, I’ll be coming north,” I said. “I just don’t think you’ll like it when I get there.”
Cam started down the stairs, followed by Marie and myself. As we skirted the edge of the dance floor I noticed an unusual number of vamps giving us very hard looks. If I had rattled a few by walking into the lair of the beast and—so far, at least—walking out, so much the better. Someone needed to put the wind up the bloodsuckers; remind them that, despite their feelings on the matter, even the monsters had reason to be afraid of the dark.
We made it to the door unmolested and, just before we left, I glanced up at the balcony. Lucia was standing, hands on the rail, looking down at me with a wistful look on her face.
Okay, I’m pretty good-looking, I’m told, but what the hell would cause her to start behaving like that towards me?
I mentally shrugged and followed the cute butt of my mate out the door. Cam was putting his cell phone away when we walked through the lobby and out of the main door. Apparently he had been contacting John and Bolt, because the limo pulled up as we crossed the gravel driveway.
Bolt leaped out and trotted around the vehicle to open the door. Once we were all inside, the limo pulled smoothly away. I blew out a breath.
“Tense,” said Cam calmly.
“A little,” I replied.
Marie had, once again, taken possession of my hand and was gently stroking the palm with her fingertips.
“What happened?” asked Bolt from the front seat.
“We bumped into an old friend.”
CHAPTER
31
Back at the hotel everyone was waiting for us.
“Boss?” said Anna as we entered. “How’d it go?”
I shook my head.
“Give us a second, will you? I feel a sudden urge for a shower and a change of clothes.”
My team exchanged looks as I led Marie into our bedroom. Once the door closed I dropped my control and let a shudder run down my spine.
“Shit, that woman creeps me the fuck out,” I said, taking off my jacket. “The fact that she actually thinks we could … ugh.”
I closed my eyes, pulling my emotions back into check. When I opened them Marie was standing close to me, a concerned look on her face.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” I said as I threw my shoulder rig onto the bed. “It was just a shock. On top of which she’s propositioning me.”
I took a deep breath.
“You need help?” I asked.
She shook her head and just stood there, watching me. As soon as my shirt was off she gently took my hand.
“What is it, love?”
She led me over to the stiff-backed chair that sat in front of the room’s writing desk and beckoned me to sit down.
“Okay, sweetheart,” I said.
Marie went over and started fiddling with the clock radio. Abruptly the room was filled with tinny music, some French pop song.
Then she started to dance and my jaw dropped. She moved gracefully around the room in a sensual glide, ending up in front of me. She straddled my legs and ran her claws through my hair, the touch so gentle it was barely there. She nuzzled along my face, her breath hot against my skin, and licked my earlobe. I slid my hands up her thighs and she sat back, shaking her head.
“Oh, no touching?” I said.
She smiled and wagged a finger at me.
“Okay,” I said, dropping my hands and gripping the seat.
She delicately unbuckled the wrist cuffs, throwing them over her shoulder, and then did the same with her ankle cuffs. Her paws trailed across my naked chest, the claws lightly grazing my skin.
“Wow,” I whispered.
She started gyrating to the music, rubbing her crotch against mine. She leaned forward, pushing her breasts against my face. The soft, downy fur felt wonderful against my skin. She reached behind her back and deftly unsnapped the leather bra, then held the cups against her breasts, lifting them slowly, teasingly, before throwing it aside. She moved her shoulders, brushing first one nipple and then the other over my lips.
I was going out of my mind with lust, having to fight just to keep my hands to myself.
She unsnapped the thong, peeling the material away, and dropped it on my lap. Then she bent her head and licked my chest.
“Holy shit, puppy,” I managed to croak.
She rested her forearms on my shoulders and gave me a smug look.
“Okay,” I said. “You don’t need any more practice.”
She giggled and rubbed her nose against my lips, so I kissed her. She wrinkled her nose.
“I smell bad?” I asked. “The cigar?”
She nodded.
“Shall we take a shower?”
She nodded again.
“Okay,” I said, suddenly curious. “Will we need to wash your fur to get rid of the smell or can you just take a shower as a human and be done?”
She shook her head glumly. Oh well. She’d need to clean her fur before changing. That would be fun.
“We have to move, sweetheart,” I said. “If we stay like this much longer I won’t be able to control myself.”
A wicked glint came into her eyes and she started to grind her crotch against mine.
“Marie,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat. “You’ve got about three seconds before I decide to break your first rule.”
She smiled and nuzzled my cheek before standing up.
Marie’s first rule: no sex with the wolf form. The trouble is she kept doing sexy things in her wolf form and I was starting to want her more and more. I’d often found myself wondering what it would be like, making love to her, all that fur against my naked skin. The scary thing was that I knew she would let me, if I did but ask. She would be upset and hurt by it, but she would allow it.
Her second rule—no doggie style—was much more flexible. I’d persuaded her to break it once or twice.
“What about the collar?” I asked.
She shook her head. Another wolf thing, I suppose.
I followed her into the bathroom, kicking off the jingling boots and shedding the rest of my clothes. She pulled me into the shower cubicle and turned on the spray.
Having a shower with a wolf is a difficult process. I went through all the silly little bottles of shampoo, plus several squirts from the bottle Marie had in her luggage, before her fur was completely thick with suds. I was working the lather into her back and she was bent forward slightly, her paws on the wall of the shower, her eyes closed, tiny contented sounds coming from her slightly parted jaws. The biggest problem was that I had to work with an almost painfully hard erection and Marie seemed to be taking great delight in ‘accidentally’ brushing up against
it as we washed each other.
When I started to massage her tail, she arched her back, pushing her hips back against me. Suddenly I felt soft skin pressing against the very tip of my erection. She pushed back again and I slid inside her by an inch. She let out a strangled whimper and thrust hard, taking me all the way inside.
“Marie?” I gasped.
She shook her head, her paws digging into the wall hard enough to crack a few tiles.
Then she stood up and I slid out of her, shoulders trembling and breasts heaving as she fought for control.
I took a shaky breath.
She turned and looked at me.
“Sorry,” she said, half whisper, half growl.
“Don’t be,” I struggled to keep my voice steady. “My fault.”
She smiled and shook her head.
“Well, whatever,” I said. “Let’s get this finished so you can slip into something more comfortable.”
She smiled and nodded.
I helped her rinse the foam off of her until she was standing; sparkling clean but looking like a drowned rat.
“Towels?” I said as I shut off the water.
She held up a dripping paw.
“What?” I said.
Then she shook herself. It was an impressive shake that started at her shoulders and worked its way down her entire body, setting her breasts dancing, sending water flying all over the cubicle and all over me. I was wetter than I had been under the shower.
“Effective,” I said, wiping my face.
I opened the cubicle and grabbed a towel, quickly rubbing myself dry before swapping it for a fresh one. I wrapped her in the soft fabric and began to massage her fur. The problem was that her fur was fairly long in some places and it was starting to get tangled.
“Do you have a brush?” I asked.
She nodded. She led me out to the bedroom and handed me a brush thick with fine bristles. Alternating the brush and the towel, I worked on her fur. Around us, the room filled with the not-unpleasant smell of wet fur. She was obviously enjoying the attention, her body responding to my touch with little shivers and soft growls.
Eventually she was dry and groomed. She looked soft and beautiful in the dim light of the lamp. She turned around, reached out with one paw, and lightly tapped the top of my erection with one claw, causing me to jump and draw in a startled breath.
She giggled as she changed. When she was fully human she stepped into my arms and snuggled against my chest.
“That was wonderful,” she said. “We should do that more often.”
“You like being groomed?” I said, stroking her back.
She sighed contentedly. I guess if she’d been a cat, she would have been purring.
“Now your puppy owes you one,” she said, looking up at me.
I smiled, acutely aware of the collar that now hung loosely around her throat. The scent of wet leather was surprisingly arousing.
“You look sleepy, sweetheart,” I said, trying to keep my voice level.
She lay her head back against my chest and gave another sigh.
“I am. My body’s turned to jelly.”
“Well, looks like it’s time I tried to exercise some of that restraint we talked about.”
CHAPTER
32
“Oh my God, Jack,” said Anna, clasping her hands to her bosom and fluttering her eyelids. “You have your very own stalker!”
Everyone laughed appreciatively. We were all lounging around the sitting room. Cam was at the table, cutting chunks off of a steak that looked like it had been carved off of a brontosaur and shoving them into his mouth. I had a nicely cooked beef Wellington and Marie was busily dissecting several pieces of chicken in a creamy sauce. Dinner was frequently interrupted as everyone asked questions.
“She’s decided that she wants Jack,” said Cam, chewing a massive mouthful.
“She can’t have him,” said Marie. “He’s taken.”
“You know,” said Bolt, looking up from something spicy and creamy, “when I joined the Ministry I had no idea that it would involve five star hotels and gourmet chefs.”
“Yeah,” said John, pushing his plate away and smiling. “We try to keep that quiet in case there’s a rush to join up.”
“Well, don’t get used to it,” I said over the laughter. “We’re going to be away early. John, you got anything for us?”
“Nothing good, Boss. We’re going to be flying into the sun, so it’s gonna be tight no matter how we slice it.”
“Okay, executive decision time,” I said. “John and Anna will be catching a flight back to London.”
“Boss!” said the pair simultaneously.
“No argument. This is one of those moments where the guy in charge actually gets to be in charge.”
Anna was giving me an appraising look but John was staring daggers at me.
“Get her safely home,” I said to him. “And set a fire under Tilehurst. I don’t care what strings he has to pull, what favors he has to call in, or whose back he has to scratch, if we scream for help I want a world of shit to hit Romania within the hour. I don’t want to hear about borders or jurisdiction, I want to look up and see big, ugly fucking Brits and lots of them, parachuting down on top of me, you understand? This will not be a clusterfuck like that fucking farce in Sheffield. If that leech does show his face it’ll either be me blowing it off or some other hairy-arsed bastard from Hereford, we clear?”
“Crystal,” said John.
“Good. Get us on the first available flight as far east as possible and find someone—anyone—who can get us the rest of the way. You know how I play, so get it done.”
“Yes, boss,” he said, standing up and moving over to the laptop.
“Bastard,” said Anna softly enough that John couldn’t hear.
“Fuck you, Anna,” I said, just as quietly.
“I don’t need an escort, Jack,” she whispered. “You could take John with you.”
I leaned close, spearing her with my eyes.
“With Lucia out there? Bugger that.”
“Okay, boss, but you better come home safe.”
“Hey, it’s me,” I said affectionately. “Ever known me not to walk away?”
She shook her head and smiled.
“Look after him,” she said to Marie. “The world’s just more fun with him in it.”
“I know,” said Marie. “And I will.”
Anna stood and went to join her husband.
“Okay, we’ll leave here under cover of darkness, not that it’ll mean much,” I said to the rest of the group. “I want it quiet and efficient. I want us to be in the air before anyone knows we’re gone and I want to be on the ground ready for anything.”
It was much later. We’d be lucky to get four hours of sleep. Marie was in bed, watching me as I went through a check of my weapons, a paperback novel open on her lap.
“Jack,” she said once I was done. “We need to talk.”
“Sure,” I said, stacking our cases by the door. “What’s up?”
“About earlier, in the shower.”
I nodded as I slipped into bed next to her.
“I’m sorry about that, sweetheart,” I said. “I really am.”
“Don’t be, it was my fault and …”
She trailed off, looking at her hands.
“What is it, love?”
“I’ve never … in my wolf form … never had sex.”
“Never?”
“No. And I didn’t realize how strong the impulse was until then. I … I just couldn’t help myself. I wanted you. I was terrified I’d freaked you out or something.”
I reached out and took her hand.
“I was worried about the same thing,” I said. “But I thought I’d freaked you out.”
She smiled sadly, remaining silent for a time.
“Jack, can we?” she asked finally.
“Can we what?” I asked gently. “I thought it was too dangerous in your wolf form.”
&nbs
p; “So did I, but like that, from behind, it was like I couldn’t … it was like … I can’t …”
She stopped again, took a deep breath, and plunged on.
“It was like the most submissive I’ve ever felt. I think … I think it might be safe if we do it like that. I could barely move. There’s no way I could hurt you if we did it like that.”
“Are you sure, love? I mean, that’s breaking both of your rules, right?”
She smiled, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
“I want you to love me. Both of me.”
“I do, love. I really do.”
“I know, but I don’t want you to be afraid of my wolf. I want you to be comfortable with both.”
“Okay,” I said with a shrug.
Suddenly she laughed and threw her arms around me.
“What?” I asked. “What did I do?”
“I just asked you to … to do something with me that’s completely taboo and unbelievably perverted amongst werewolves, and you react like I asked to have sex with the lights on.”
I kissed the top of her head.
“Anything that makes you happy, sweetheart,” I said. “You really want to try it?”
“Yeah, but not ‘til later,” she replied. “If anything goes wrong I want to have plenty of time for you to heal.”
“Good point.”
“Can we have a new rule, seeing as we’re breaking the other two?”
“Sure, love, just name it.”
“Not up the bum. Never up the bum, okay?”
I gave her a hug and kissed the top of her head again.
“I don’t think that’ll be a problem, babe,” I said. “Where did you get that idea from?”
She picked up the novel and handed it to me. It was another of my fantastic adventures in the world of badly-written supernatural porn. It was called Above And Beyond: Book Fourteen in the adventures of Pagan the Vampire Hunter. The hero was, indeed, having anal sex with some poor unfortunate woman. Given the legendary size of the character’s trouser snake the girl would be lucky to sit down for a month. He was being none too gentle about it, either. Words like ‘pounding’ and ‘slamming’ were marching across the page with gay abandon.
Crusader (MPRD Book 2) Page 17
