by T. S. Ryder
Christine gawked at him. He sure was straightforward. In a moment of insane and unusual bravado, she whispered, “Well, then why are we still here?” The words left her lips before her mind registered what she was saying.
Ethan blinked. He obviously wasn’t expecting such a response from her. Quickly recovering, he stood up and extended a hand. “Alright then. Let’s go, Christine.”
She studied his outstretched hand for a few second before placing hers in his. They walked out of the restaurant hand in hand. Christine stole glances at him, wondering if she should go through with spending the night with him. I’m doing it. It would probably be her only chance to do something impulsive and have a bit of fun.
***
The drive to Ethan’s place was quiet. The sexual tension between them surged through the atmosphere. He sent her heated glances every now and then and had to silently remind himself to stay focused on the road. His Wolf moved beneath his skin, the anticipation to claim his mate mounting. Turning into the underground parking lot of his penthouse apartment, he jumped out of the car and opened her door.
Ethan led her into the elevator and immediately pulled Christine to him, unable to wait much longer. His mouth devoured hers, the passion between them flaring. The elevator came to a stop, forcing him to lift his head. He led her to his door and he fished in his pocket for his keys.
Feeling brave, most likely because of the wine she had consumed, Christine stood on the tip of her toes to trail kisses along his jaw and his neck. She could hear his sharp intake of breath as he struggled to open the door. Finally inside, he pushed the door closed and leaned toward her. "Let's not waste any more time.” Lifting her to him, she wrapped her legs around his waist.
Ethan took long strides to the bedroom and put her down. He unzipped her dress and watched it fall to the floor, leaving her in scraps of lace. In an instinctive motion, her hands lifted to cover herself but he grasped her wrists. “Let me look at you.” He removed her bra and moved on to slowly roll her panties down her thighs.
Christine’s breathing pattern increased and nervousness started to seep in. She was beginning to think that she couldn’t go through with it after all. “Um, Ethan…”
Sensing her apprehension, he stood up to meet her gaze, “It’s okay, we’ll go slowly and I will stop if you want me to.”
She nodded and watched in amazement as he removed his shirt and stepped out of his pants. Her mouth went dry at the sight of his sheer perfection. “Wow, you’re beautiful,” she whispered. A blush spread across her cheeks, realizing that she uttered the words aloud.
He grinned, “So are you.”
She almost protested but he found her hand and pulled her toward him. Her naked body pressed against his felt natural. She found herself relaxing. His head dipped to graze his lips across hers lightly, teasingly, while gently pushing her backward until the back of her knees hit the mattress. She fell back with a startled shriek and propped herself up on her elbows. Her eyes widened when Ethan kneeled before her and began to kiss his way down her abdomen, getting dangerously near to her mound.
“Ethan, what are you- oh my,” she gasped as his tongue flicked across her sensitive bud. He grasped her thighs, pulling her closer to the edge of the bed. Christine kept her eyes tightly shut. She was half embarrassed by what he was doing but enjoying the shockwaves of pleasure that darted through her. Her back arched as he brought her to the peak of ecstasy. Before she could recover, he loomed over her, his hardened length hovering at her entrance.
“You’re mine,” he said softly.
Christine stared into his eyes, slightly confused by the possessive look he gave her. He didn’t give her much time to think about it as he entered her in a swift motion. A moan escaped her lips and her nails dug into his arms. He set a steady rhythm, moving with slow strokes.
“Tell me you’re mine." He clenched his jaw, trying to maintain his self-control as his Wolf threatened to emerge.
“Yes.”
“Say it,” he commanded.
“I’m yours.” Her pulse rate sped up. For reasons unknown to her, she suddenly felt like she really was his.
The pace of his hips increased, bringing her to the edge once more. She cried out his name while wrapping her arms around his neck, wanting him closer. But much to his horror, Ethan’s fangs erupted and his eyes transformed. He ducked his head into her shoulder so that she wouldn’t witness the frightening changes in him.
She let out a cry as her body shuddered beneath his. With a few more thrusts he found his release. Fully human again, he let out a long groan and collapsed beside her, pulling her to him. Their heavy breathing filled the otherwise silent room.
“That was incredible,” Christine breathed.
With a smile, Ethan agreed. “It most certainly was. I’m hoping we will do it again soon.”
She lifted her head to peer at him. Searching his face, she asked, “So you are seriously interested in me?”
His brows furrowed. “I wouldn’t be in bed with you now if I wasn’t.”
“Oh, I just thought you and Nancy were involved.”
He let out a laugh. “Why the hell would you think that?”
"She said... Never mind. I guess I jumped to conclusions." She placed her head on his shoulder, wearing a small smile. The thought of seeing Ethan more often, outside of the office was rather nice.
He reached a hand down to grasp her chin, lifting her head so that she looked at him. "I want more than a one-night stand, Christine. You might find it strange since we know nothing about each other, but that’s the way I feel.”
She gaped at him, speechless. Swallowing, she continued, "Well, since I'm not a one-night-stand kind of girl that is perfectly fine with me." Her lips stretched into a smile, noting the pleased look on his face. Her smile quickly turned into a frown.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan inquired.
“I’ll have to quit my job. I can’t work for you if we’re… you know.”
“I don’t give a damn.”
“Of course you can say that, you’re the boss. No one will give you the side eye when you walk into the office.”
He sighed, “If it makes you feel any better, we can keep things a secret for now. Don’t leave your job.”
She let out a breath. Good, because I really need it, she mused. “Hmm, a secret office romance, how thrilling,” she murmured. “Okay, we’ll keep it a secret.”
Ethan wrapped his arms around her tighter. A tinge of worry settled in the back of his mind. He was well aware that he was moving too fast. But he couldn’t resist the powerful need he had of the woman in his arms. He was treading dangerous ground. She had no idea what he really was. Would he ever be able to tell her? He might just lose her if he did.
Chapter Six
Christine stared absently at her computer screen. Focusing was impossible as her mind was filled with thoughts of one man. She glanced at Ethan's closed office door. He hadn't arrived in the office this morning. Suspicion nagged at her. Did his absence have anything to do with what she had witnessed last night? She had woken up in his bed to find him gone. Her watch had told her it was 1 am. She had been confused, wondering where he could have disappeared to at this hour. Of course, she had come to learn that the man was a workaholic after dating him for the past month, so there was a good chance he was somewhere in his apartment working on his laptop.
She searched for him but had been unable to find him. By chance, she had been standing by the window and happened to look out. To her astonishment, Ethan had darted out of the woods and across the backyard of his building, completely nude. She had run back to bed, knowing he was on his way up.
Her mind still raced, wondering what he was into. Sure, she had suspected something a bit off about Ethan since first laying eyes on him. There was a dark edge to his appearance and personality. It had set off alarm bells initially, but it had been attractive at the same time. Which woman didn’t secretly love the bad boy type?
She st
ifled a groan. It was just her luck to find the perfect man only to find out that he was into something shady. What in the world was he doing running around outside naked? She heaved a sigh and massaged the bridge of her nose. She was itching to confront him about what she had seen, but couldn’t muster the courage.
“You don’t seem to be working, Christine.”
She jumped when Nancy’s voice penetrated her deep thoughts. “Err, I am,” she assured the woman staring at her coldly. “I was just-”
“Wasting your time day dreaming? About what or should I say who?”
Christine blushed and busied herself typing. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Nancy.”
Nancy eyed her suspiciously. “Be careful, Christine. You do want to keep your job, don’t you?”
Christine's eyes narrowed. She felt like she had just been threatened. It felt like a great feat had been accomplished, putting up with Nancy's attitude for an entire month and one week. "Of course."
“Good, I expect everything to be finished by tomorrow, even if you have to stay late.”
Christine sighed softly and murmured, “Of course.”
Nancy sent her one last hateful look and turned to leave. Christine didn’t miss the smirk she wore. She gritted her teeth. The woman’s hate for her was getting worse every day. Had she somehow figured out that Christine and Ethan’s relationship was no longer just professional? Making an attempt to push Nancy and Ethan out of her mind, she diverted her attention to the task at hand.
***
“Hey Christine, are you planning to stay here all night?”
“Huh?” She glanced up to see Margaret looking at her questioningly.
“It’s well past five, dear. I’m on my way out. You should get going before it gets too dark out. ”
“Oh, yeah. Thanks, Margaret. See you tomorrow.” She hadn’t realized that it was so late. Thanks to Nancy, she had been buried in work for the past few hours. The woman had already left, leaving Christine to finish up a mountain of clerical work. There was no way she could go home without completing all her tasks or she would face Nancy’s wrath the following morning. She would go another two hours and then head home. With an exhausted sigh, she went back to work.
The ringing of her cell phone in her bag broke her concentration. Reaching for it, she answered, not bothering to check the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Christine.”
The deep, low drawl caused her heart to jump. “Ethan.”
“You don’t sound too excited to hear from me.”
"Uh, of course, I am. I missed you today. Is everything alright?"
“Yes. I’m sorry I haven’t called until now. I had some other business to take care of.”
She pursed her lips, fighting the urge to ask him what kind of business. The image of him running naked from the woods played in her mind. Should she ask him about it? “It’s fine.”
“I trust you are staying with me tonight.” It wasn’t a question but a statement. She had never been able to say no to him.
“I’m still at work.”
“What? Why?”
“Your personal assistant has turned me into her own personal slave.”
He sighed and muttered an expletive. “I’ll deal with her.”
“No, please don’t. If you do, she’ll suspect that we are… involved. I can handle her. I’m almost finished anyway. I’ll leave in another hour.”
“I’ll come and get you.”
“I can take the bus.”
“I’m coming to get you in an hour, Christine.”
Her brows furrowed, annoyed with his arrogance. “Fine.” Hanging up the phone, she went back to work.
An hour later, she glanced out the window. It was now dark. “I must be the only one left in the building,” she murmured to herself. She decided that enough was enough and shut down the computer. But as soon as she stood up, a wave of nausea washed over her. She groaned. She hadn’t eaten anything out of the ordinary for lunch. She rushed to the bathroom, reaching the toilet just in time as the contents of her stomach were projected.
Weakly making her way back to her desk, she grabbed her handbag, hoping she wouldn’t be sick again. She walked to the door, trying to walk steadily. She wasn’t the type to experience nausea and vomiting. Weird. I must be coming down with something.
But then another thought struck her. She stopped abruptly in her tracks. She hadn’t been paying much attention because of her excitement of being in a new relationship. But, if she calculated correctly, her period was almost two weeks overdue. Could it be? She gulped. Oh no. Walking out the door on wooden legs, she nibbled nervously on her nails.
Calm down, you don’t know anything for sure, she attempted to reassure herself. In the back of her mind, she knew it was very possible. She’d had unprotected sex with Ethan their first night together. How could I be so irresponsible? She knew why. She had been swept off her feet by him and thrilled that a man like him was interested in her. Oh God, I’m so screwed. I can’t be pregnant from my boss.
She reached the elevator and stepped in, still lost in thought. She took a deep, steadying breath. She needed to compose herself before Ethan arrived. Stepping off the elevator and into the lobby, she nodded to the security guard and headed out the door. She crossed the street and decided to wait for Ethan at the bus stop. She detected movement in her peripheral vision and turned to check it out. She frowned when she saw nothing.
Looking around, she was starting to feel uncomfortable and regretting not remaining inside or within the security guard’s sight.
“Christine Morrow?”
She swung around startled, to see a burly man walking toward her. “Who wants to know?”
He leered. “By the description I got, I would say that you are.”
She took a step back, eyeing the door across the street, wondering if she could make it across. But, the man drew closer, making that route of escape impossible. Her heart began to pound. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t worry Christine, I’ll make it quick.”
She gasped and took several more steps back. Was it just her imagination or did his eyes flash a different color? “Please, if it’s money you want, I’ll give you whatever I have.” She held out her handbag to him.
With a laugh, he kept stalking her. Whirling around, Christine broke out into a run. It was just her luck that there were no buildings she could dash into on that side of the street. The sound of pounding footsteps behind her stopped. Taking a chance, she slowed down to glance over her shoulder. The large stranger was nowhere in sight. She stopped, finding it strange that she had outrun him. Taking precaution, she ducked behind a bush and waited. Seconds ticked by and he didn’t show up. Thank God. Maybe he had given up the chase.
She stood up slowly and backed away from the protection of the foliage. But turning around she let out a strangled gasp. Gripped with terror, she starred at the very large animal in front of her. She knew there were wolves in Washington, but what was the animal doing in the city? It stooped low and let out a growl, ready to pounce. There was no way she could outrun the animal. A scream escaped her lips as the animal lunged forward, its front paws hitting her in the chest and sending her to the ground with a loud thud.
The impact left her struggling to catch her breath. She stared up into the eyes of the animal, knowing for sure that she was going to die. But suddenly, the pressure of the wolf’s weight was lifted off of her. The sound of the animal whimpering followed by the sickening sound of bone cracking penetrated her terrorized haze. She lifted her head to see another wolf with thick brown fur approaching her, its mouth covered with blood. Her stomach lurched at the sight of the red liquid.
She let out a frightened moan and attempted to back away from the approaching animal. It stopped moving forward to stare intently at her, its eyes changing from yellow to black. It remained still and she frowned. It was almost as if the animal was trying to reassure her. She made eye
contact, noting that the animal’s eyes looked familiar. They looked like eyes she had stared into many times over the past month. “It can’t be,” she whispered before spiraling into unconsciousness.
***
Ethan stared down at an unconscious Christine with concern. He was beginning to regret not taking her to the emergency room after she had fainted. She now lay on his couch, her features pale. He wondered how much she had seen or if she would remember anything. Stooping beside her, he stroked her hair. His fear of seeing her pinned beneath another Shifter still had not worn off. The Shifter wasn't a part of his pack, but a member of a long time enemy pack, the same one that had caused his father's death. His brows knitted. Why would one of its members go after Christine?
He glanced down when she let out a soft moan and shifted slightly. Relief poured through him. Her eyes fluttered open and he smiled, staring into her hazel depths. “I thought you’d never wake up,” he whispered.
She frowned. “Ethan? What happened?”
“You fainted.”
Struggling to sit up, Christine groaned. “How embarrassing. You should know that I’m not the fainting type. Well, I do get a bit woozy when I see blood.” She paused. The memory of seeing blood played across her mind, triggering everything else. She turned to him, her eyes wide with dread. “There was a man chasing me and then he disappeared.” She stopped, shaking her head. “I thought I saw wolves. But that’s ridiculous, right?”
Ethan averted his gaze. “Uh, well what exactly do you remember about the wolves?”
“They tried to eat me of course.” Sitting up, she swung her legs over the edge of the couch. “We need to call animal control.”
“Christine, don’t get up. You still look a bit pale and the animals have been dealt with.”
“So you saw them then? Okay, I’m not going crazy. Did you find me unconscious?”
“Not exactly, you were still awake when I arrived.”
She pinned him with her gaze. “I need to make a police report, Ethan. The man that came after me was sent for me.”
