Taming the Moon

by Sherrill Quinn

  She helplessly thrust her hips against his face, seeking more of his touch. As he suckled her swollen bud, his fingers kneaded her buttocks. He brushed against the puckered rosebud of her ass, and she shuddered as her climax began to build.

  He licked through her folds to her slick opening. His tongue swirled around and around, making her cry out. She gripped his hair, holding his head close to her, crying out again as he fucked his tongue into her sheath.

  Sully moved back to her clit. One last suckle, and she fell over the edge with a scream. He brought one hand between her legs and slid two long fingers into her pussy, thrusting in and out while she moaned and quaked around him.

  When she was finally still, he wiped his hand across his mouth. She let her legs fall to the bed, and he came up over her. He kissed her, giving her a taste of herself.

  Olivia tried to calm her breathing. He settled at her side, moving one thick thigh over hers, cupping her breast with his hand. His thumb swept languidly over her tight nipple.

  She sighed and rested her hand on his forearm, feeling the muscles flex with the movement of his thumb. She closed her eyes, feeling sated and content for the first time in a long time. “Well, Mr. Sullivan, I think you’ve about killed me.”

  His low chuckle stirred the hair at her temple. “Just returning the favor, love.”

  All she wanted to do was lie there in his arms and not face reality. But she couldn’t. She stirred. “We should get up to the main house.”

  Sully’s arms tightened around her. “In a minute. I want to hold you a while longer.”

  Olivia settled down against him again and rubbed her cheek against his hair-roughened chest. It felt good to be in a man’s embrace again.

  In this man’s embrace.

  He was good and honorable, and…fucked up because of her. She had to make sure he didn’t find out about that until after Zoe was safe. She didn’t think that would make him change his mind. He wasn’t the sort to allow an innocent to suffer because he was in a bad temper. But she also didn’t want him or the others distracted by the knowledge.

  She would come clean once she had Zoe in her arms again, once she was sure Eddy was no longer a threat.

  Then she and her daughter would go back to New York long enough for Olivia to quit her job, pack up what few belongings she didn’t want to part with, and get the hell out of the City.

  They’d start over again somewhere else. Somewhere new and, if they were lucky, devoid of other werewolves. Hopefully her daughter never had to find out what a monster her mother had become.

  Olivia would pack away her heart and her love for Sully, and go on as before.

  Just her and Zoe.

  “Tell me I’m not the only one that feels a connection here.” Sully’s hand rubbed up her arm from elbow to shoulder and back again. “I don’t even know if I can explain it, but you feel so familiar to me. Almost as if…” He made a gruff sound in his throat. “Never mind. Being run over apparently has made me a sentimental arse.”

  Way to go, twist the knife of guilt even deeper, why don’tcha. And he didn’t even know it. As her heart thrilled that he felt more for her than mere lust, Olivia couldn’t let him soul search any deeper. Rather than tell an outright lie, she gave a laugh and shook her head. She pressed a kiss to his pec and then pulled out of his arms. Sitting for a moment on the edge of the bed, she stared down at her knees and sighed. “We need to get up to the main house, Sully.”

  She got off the bed and began to dress. After a few seconds, Sully did the same. She could feel him staring at her and knew if she turned around she’d see confusion on his face, in his eyes.

  Better to see confusion than revulsion and hatred. There was time enough for that later.

  Chapter 16

  A few hours later, Sully sat on the sofa next to Olivia and looked again at Taite Merrick. Her tummy had a noticeable bump, but still just a little one. The knowledge of new life sparkled in her eyes, glowed on her skin. Unable to hold it back any longer, he finally interrupted the current conversation by frowning at Ryder and asking, “What in the hell were you thinking?”

  Voices stopped. Ryder glanced at him with a muttered, “I’m sorry?”

  Sully gestured at Taite. “What were you thinking, bringing her here? In her condition?”

  Taite’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me? Just what are you saying there, Mr. Sullivan? That I should’ve stayed home barefoot and in the kitchen like a good little woman?” She crossed her legs and her foot started tapping the air.

  He rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, though he made a mental note to stay clear of that foot. “Of course not.” Unable to resist, he added, “Cobb wouldn’t let you hang out in the kitchen barefoot.”

  “Oh, hardy-har-har.” She leaned back in her chair and folded her arms across her breasts. “Aren’t you just the comedian?”

  “No, seriously, I just mean”—he looked again at Ryder—“things are going to get dangerous. Perhaps even deadly.” To emphasize his point, he added, “She won’t be safe.”

  “Which is why she isn’t going anywhere near Miles and his minions.” Ryder’s eyes darkened with annoyance. “Just how much of a noob do you think I am?” he asked with a sidelong glance at his wife. He looked once again at Sully, one side of his mouth lifted in a wry grin. Or maybe it was a grimace, it was hard to tell. “Besides which, you try stopping her when she has her mind set on something.”

  Sully snorted. He didn’t know Taite all that well, but he’d been impressed with her no-nonsense attitude. “Has you running scared already, does she?”

  “You’d better believe it.” Ryder shot a grin toward his wife, trying to duck the hand she smacked down on his arm.

  “Hey!” Taite scowled at Sully and then turned her frown on her husband and waggled her index finger at him. “Watch it, buster. You can sleep on the sofa, you know.”

  “Oh, he wouldn’t have to sleep on the sofa,” Declan chimed in. As usual, his eyes glimmered with merriment, though the look on his face remained sober. “We’ve another guest room.”

  Taite threw her hands into the air. “I give up.” She snuggled under the arm Ryder draped over her shoulders. “It’s a good thing the three of you can’t get together very often. Look what happens.” She shook her head and sighed, an exaggerated expression of sadness on her face. “Everything degenerates to a shit-fest.” She glanced at the other women. “It breaks the heart, doesn’t it?”

  Sully noticed that Olivia was the only one not joining in the fun. Her lips were held tighter than normal, and he got the feeling she was holding back her impatience with the lot of them.

  Before he could bring the conversation back to business, Declan leaned forward and said, “Aye. All sorts of mayhem ensues.” Declan winked at Taite. “Which I happen to know you enjoy.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him and grinned. Declan laughed. Sully was struck again by how much their relationship was like that of siblings. They had that kind of closeness. It made him, for a brief moment, miss his brother. Wouldn’t Ben be properly flabbergasted if he could see the mess his little brother had gotten into?

  One day, maybe, he’d tell Ben what had happened. But maybe not. The less he knew, the more Ben’s insular world would remain intact.

  He glanced over at Pelicia to see how she was taking the byplay between her fiancé and Taite. Pelicia must have had the same view of her fiancé’s relationship with the other woman, or she just wasn’t the jealous sort, because she watched the interplay with an indulgent smile on her face.

  Taite turned to Sully. “I came because I have contacts here,” she said in all seriousness. She glanced at Olivia, her expression suggesting that she, too, realized Olivia endured the turn in conversation by a thin thread of tolerance. “If we want to make Miles think you’re dead, I can probably pull some strings and have an official investigation announced to the media.”

  “How would we explain the aftermath?” Olivia leaned forward and clasped her hands between her
knees. Her eyes darkened. “We’re not just getting my daughter back, we’re going to kill Eddy, too.” At everyone’s silent response, she spread her hands, a look of surprise on her face. “What? Am I the only one who wants him taken out? If he’s allowed to live, he’ll just keep coming after all of you, you must know that.”

  The others exchanged glances. Sully could see from the men’s expressions that they knew killing Miles would be the only course of action open to them. The women—except for Olivia—seemed less convinced.

  “As much as it goes against all of my training, I realize we’re not in a situation to turn him over to the authorities.” Sully reached up and stroked his hand across Olivia’s back. If she was bloodthirsty, well, then, so was he.

  He guessed it was in his blood. He pushed that thought aside to be dealt with at a later date. It was not the time to be sidetracked with feeling sorry for himself.

  “Aye.” Declan’s eyes glittered. “Anyway, I’m itchin’ for a little payback. He’s the one who sent Sumner after me and Taite. If that little prick had had his way, I’d be dead and Taite would be whelping little bastards for him.”

  Taite grimaced, her hand coming up to grip Ryder’s where it rested on her shoulder.

  Pelicia murmured, “It just seems so—”

  “It’s so what?” Olivia stood and paced to the patio doors. With her back to the room, she folded her arms, her hands cupping her elbows. “So brutal? So cold?”

  Sully was struck again at how strong yet fragile she could appear at the same time. A woman of contradictions, yet one he’d trust with his life.

  Olivia spun around, her eyes glittering with tears and the amber heat of the wolf. “So justified?”

  “Perhaps to you it is.” Pelicia’s voice was as calm as Olivia’s was fraught with tension. “But there are other ways to handle him.” She glanced around at the others in the room. “Aren’t there?” She shook her head and murmured, “There has to be another way. I can’t believe that killing him is the only answer.”

  “We’re werewolves.” Olivia looked around the room and shook her head. “The court system isn’t set up to deal with people like us. We’re stronger, faster, and a hell of a lot meaner when things go wrong.” She took a deep breath and some of the dark yellow flecks faded from her irises. “Don’t let yourself think for even one second that Eddy would allow himself to be arrested, let alone put on trial and sent to prison. He’d die first. And take as many people with him as he can.”

  “She’s right.” Ryder’s shoulders moved with his deep breath. “Even as a kid he was frighteningly determined and callous.”

  “Yes, she is right.” Sully went over to her and pulled her into a loose embrace. “Taking Miles out is the only way any of us—or our children,” he said with a pointed glance at Taite’s midsection, “will be safe.”

  “We’re werewolves,” Olivia said again. “We handle things differently.” Olivia rested her forehead against Sully’s chest, and he felt the shudder that went through her as she fought for control. God, once they had her little girl safe and Miles was completely out of the picture, he was going to take Olivia and Zoe someplace special so they could relax and have fun like they hadn’t been able to do in the last few years.

  As Pelicia went and sat beside Declan, Sully addressed the room at large. “Miles has to be put down like the dog he is. Olivia’s right. None of us will be safe.” He shook his head. “Not to mention how many more lives he’ll ruin by turning people into werewolves and killing others who are in his way. Including children like Zoe.”

  Olivia swallowed. “I won’t let him hurt my daughter!”

  “No, of course not!” Pelicia stood and walked over to Olivia, and put one hand on her arm. “Darling, I wasn’t suggesting…I didn’t mean…” She lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “It just seems so bloodthirsty.”

  “You fight fire with fire, Pel.” Sully looked down at Olivia. “We’re not going to let anything happen to Zoe, all right?”

  She turned in Sully’s arms. Reaching up, she touched his cheek with a fleeting, loving gesture, and then stepped away from him. She glanced from person to person. “Regardless of what a coldhearted bitch you think it makes me, I don’t plan for Eddy to survive more than another couple days.”

  “No one thinks you’re coldhearted.” Taite rested one hand low on her belly. “Sometimes being a bitch is the only way to get things done.”

  “Well, then,” Ryder said. “We should make our plan.”

  “Right.” Sully wrapped his arm around Olivia and urged her back to the sofa. He didn’t know why she kept trying to distance herself from him, but he did know he didn’t like it. He wasn’t going to let her. He sat, tugging her down beside him. “We reckon Miles will arrive in Tucson tonight or tomorrow, right?”

  Nods came from the group.

  “And…what? Will he find out where Dec lives and come here with his gang?” He looked at Olivia.

  “He probably would, unless…” She broke off, her expression turning thoughtful.

  “Unless what?” Sully prompted.

  “Give me a minute.” She put her thumb to her mouth and chewed lightly on the nail. After several minutes she took a deep breath and dropped her hand to her lap. “If I know Eddy—and I do—he’ll bring Zoe with him. He’s not going to bring her here for a bloody fight. So, that means he’ll need to have a hidey-hole somewhere. If the person who ran you over”—she glanced at Sully—“was a front man, then he already has somewhere to go.”

  “So how do we find out where that is?” Taite leaned forward in her chair.

  Olivia raised her eyebrows and grinned. “I call him again. He said he was coming to Tucson. It’s a simple matter of me demanding to see Zoe.” She shook her head, her smile fading. “Of course, he’ll probably want to see me anyway and ask why I wasn’t the one who killed Sully.”

  “Well, let me make a couple of calls first.” Taite got up and walked over to the phone. “At the very least, we can allay any suspicions he might have by planting a phony story in the local paper—with some help from friends,” she added with a slight smile. She took the handset off the base and walked to the patio doors. As she dialed, she pulled open the slider and went outside, pushing the door closed behind her.

  Ryder shook his head. “That woman. She’s such a sun worshipper.”

  “The heat does feel good, especially after London this time of year.” Sully leaned against the sofa and stretched his arms along the back. He looked at Olivia. “So, what now?”

  She took a deep breath. “Now I call Eddy. Then we get to work.”

  He was amazed at how good it felt to hear her use the word “we.” It was time she realized that she didn’t have to go it alone anymore. She had friends who were willing and eager to help her.

  She stood up and pulled her phone out of her front pocket. “Here goes nothing,” she murmured, and flipped open the phone and dialed a number. He saw her cross her fingers on her free hand and grinned at the display of superstition.

  He crossed his for good measure, too. Just in case.

  “Eddy? It’s Olivia.” She paused and bit her lower lip. “Yeah, well, things have been…hectic.” She met Sully’s gaze, her eyes worried. Then her brows dipped slightly. “What?” She listened to whatever Eddy was saying, then replied, “But that’s why I was calling you.”

  Sully stood and went over to her. She gave him a small wave as if to say “I’m fine, don’t worry” or “Don’t bother me.” He wasn’t sure which. But she was looking more and more anxious by the moment.

  And he hated the feeling of helplessness that that engendered in him.

  Olivia swallowed. Hard. “Eddy, if you’ll just let me—”

  “Yes. You explain why Sullivan was hit and killed by a car several hours ago and you’re just now calling me.”

  Think fast, Liv. “I was waiting for something I could offer as proof.” Wait. Did he know I was with Sully when it happened?

  His sigh came acro
ss the line. “Well, I must tell you, Livvie, I am disappointed. I wanted you to be the one to take him out. I’m not sure now what to do about you.”

  Oh, God. He was going to use this as leverage for Zoe. But it didn’t appear that he knew she’d been witness to the hit-and-run. “Eddy, please. I tried, you know I did. It’s not my fault that someone hit him with a car before I could take him out.”

  “Do you know who that someone was?” He paused. “And just where were you when all this was going down?”

  “Um…” She racked her brain. The way he’d asked made it sound like she should know. But how could she? Oh, God. Unless he did know she’d been there. “I was there, tracking him. I was getting ready to attack him when—”

  “Save the excuses. Anyway, you can thank Peter and Calvin for doing your job for you.”

  “They’re here, too?” She looked around at the others with wide eyes. They might have just been handed another advantage, if neither man had disclosed she’d been with Sully.

  Though why they hadn’t caused her some worry. Were they waiting for a more opportune time? Or was this something they would use against her later on?

  “Yes, they’re here, too. I sent them down to check up on you. In retrospect, it was a good thing I did, I guess. Because they now have a cozy place for me to plan my final revenge on Merrick. It’s that one,” he muttered, his voice muffled.

  “Sorry, what?”

  “Wasn’t talking to you. Wait a minute.” She heard a shuffling noise, a couple of grunts. “And that one.”

  She frowned. What the hell was he doing? She closed her eyes and focused her sense of hearing onto the phone, and tried to block out the noises she could hear inside the room. She disregarded the sounds of breathing, the rustle of clothing as people shifted in their seats, heartbeats that picked up in speed the longer she was silent. From the phone she could hear other people’s voices in the background, then what sounded like an announcement over a public address system. “Eddy, where are you?”