by Sadie Carter
“I’ve got to go.” She jumped from the log, prepared to flee. But Laney grabbed her arm firmly, and Cassie knew she wasn’t going anywhere. She might be bigger than the small blonde, but Laney was a lot stronger.
“Don’t be a fool, Cassie, you’re perfect for him. Go for it.”
“He doesn’t want me, he wants Dusty. Obviously, he already knows how I feel about him, so if he was attracted to me, he would have made a move. Let me go, please, I’m embarrassed enough. I can’t believe you all know that…that…” She took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry.
“I’m sorry, Cassie, I handled this badly. I didn’t tell you to embarrass you. It’s not what you think—”
“What?” she interrupted angrily. “You weren’t all talking about me, laughing at the foolish little human lusting after the sexy, gorgeous werewolf?”
Laney let her go when she began to struggle. Once free, Cassie ran past the house to the track leading to the road. She’d have to hitch home.
Her spurt of temper didn’t last long. She slowed down, upset with herself. She’d given them something else to talk about. They’d all known. They’d all talked about her behind her back. For someone who avoided attention at all costs, it was mortifying.
“Cassie! Cassie, wait up!” She groaned at the sound of Jay calling out.
“Go away,” she called back. She needed to be by herself to lick her wounds. He moved up beside her, his stride immediately matching hers. Damn man wasn’t even winded, while she sounded like she’d run a marathon.
“What’s wrong?” His sounded concerned, but Cassie had decided she was ignoring him. If she didn’t acknowledge him, he’d go away.
“Cassie.” He grabbed her arm, turning her to face him, easily holding her struggling body still. “Did something happen?” He peered down into her face, swearing at whatever he saw there.
“Let me go, leave me alone.” So her plan to ignore him was going really well.
“I don’t think so, not until you tell me what’s going on.”
“I said let me go, y-you son of a gun!” She yanked her way free before running off again. She sprinted into the forest, but she didn’t get far. Jay grabbed her from behind. Locking his arms around her waist, he lifted her from the ground as she kicked and squirmed, infuriated.
“Son of a gun? You need to learn some better insults.”
“Fine!” she screamed, trying to kick back at him, attempting to wiggle free. But his hold never slipped. “You bastard. Jerk, wanker, asshole!”
She fought for as long as she could before sheer exhaustion overwhelmed her, forcing her to stop.
“Done now?” He turned her in his arms before pushing her back against a tree. Looming over her, his eyes had a golden glow, and she swallowed heavily.
“Don’t ever run from me, Cassie. I like to chase, but you might not like what happens when I catch you.” The threat stunned her.
“If you hurt me, Laney will be really unhappy,” she blurted out. Jeez, as a threat that was pretty crap. Pretty much like threatening to tell your mom on someone. But it was the best she had.
He jolted back, looking at her in surprise. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Too late.”
He frowned. “I bruised you? You were fighting pretty hard.” He reached for the bottom of her sweater, pulling it up. She slapped at him to no avail.
“I wasn’t talking about bruises. Put my sweater down.”
She took a deep breath, attempting to calm her raging heartbeat as he let her top drop and then raised his hands, placing them on the tree behind her head. Leaning down, he stopped when his lips were a mere breath from hers.
She moved her head to the side, thinking to avoid his kiss. But he merely licked along her jaw, blowing lightly in her ear. Her knees weakened and, to her horror, she actually whimpered.
“I can hear your heart racing.” He rested his large, rough hand against her chest. “Don’t be frightened.”
Frightened? Try confused, aroused, nervous. If not for the tree behind her, she may well have collapsed from the fire racing through her veins.
“I won’t bite. Much.”
Oh. Dear. Lord.
He grasped her chin, turning her head so his lips could brush hers, licking his tongue across her lips. He was coaxing her, wooing her, a direct contrast to his intimidating stance.
No part of him touched her except his mouth and fingers, yet his heat surrounded her, creating a staggering swirl of sizzling sparks across her skin. He nipped at her mouth, making her groan. He tugged her bottom lip down and swept his tongue inside, exploring, stroking. Shit. This was not her. She was shy. Reserved.
“No!” She pushed at his chest. “Y-you can’t win me over with a kiss.” A damn amazing, mind-blowing kiss. “Not after you all laughed at me behind my back.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Don’t pretend to be innocent. Own up, Jay. I know. Laney told me.”
“Laney told you what?” He frowned in obvious confusion. She faltered a little at that look, but she wasn’t going to stop now.
“How everyone knew I was attracted to you. How they could smell my-my interest in you.”
“Ahh.”
“Ahh, that’s all you have to say?”
He grasped her shoulders as she tried to move away, easily controlling her as she struggled to free herself. Grabbing her flailing arms, he tugged them above her head, clasping them tightly while he pressed his body against hers, effectively trapping her.
“I knew you were attracted to me, yes.” He ran a finger down her cheek, making her skin tingle.
“Did they talk about it? Laugh at me?”
“Shh,” he kissed her gently, “don’t cry, baby. Please, you’re killing me here. And no one was laughing or talking about you. If they had been, I would’ve kicked their ass.” She felt a foolish little thrill at those words. She could almost believe he cared about her. But then they were just words, she couldn’t let herself believe them.
He began kissing down her neck. Her head rolled to the side, allowing him greater access. She wiggled a hand free of his hold and tugged at his t-shirt, wanting to see him, touch him.
Releasing her other wrist, he helped her pull his shirt up over his head. Her breath caught in her throat as she ran her hands over his hard chest. Hot, firm…yum.
“What about Dusty?”
“Would I be here, kissing you, if I wanted Dusty?”
Not unless he was a total douchebag and if he was then she wanted nothing to do with him.
“She’s a friend, nothing more. I was wrong about her. I want you.”
He rolled his body against hers, pressing his hard cock against her mound. Bending down, he kissed her, his wicked tongue eliciting reactions, feelings she hadn’t known she was capable of. Fire arced through her veins, seared her skin, swept over her pussy.
“What about…ohh…” Her protest died as he cupped her breast with his hand, his fingers lightly playing with her nipple. There were other reasons she should object. She should deny him. She would have—if she’d really wanted to.
Her legs gave way beneath her as she lost her way in the pleasure. He caught her before she could fall at his feet. One hand held her steady against the tree as he ripped off her t-shirt and bra.
“Jay!” she gasped, shocked and crazily aroused.
“Hush, Cassie, I won’t hurt you.” She gazed at him in astonishment. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her, well, not physically anyway. She watched in a lust-filled daze as her jeans received the same rough treatment. She realized then that his hands had turned into partial claws, sharp enough, strong enough, to tear through skin and muscle easily. Her clothing was no match for his strength.
Just as quickly, the claws disappeared, and both hands surrounded her waist, raising her up as he slowly perused her body. A heated flush of embarrassment penetrated her lust, and she squirmed.
“Jay, let me down,” she protested, pushing uselessly at his hands.
“Be still,” he commanded. There was no strain in his arms, he wasn’t breathless, wasn’t shaking, wasn’t sweating. Damn him, because she was sure doing enough for them both.
“You are gorgeous. I cannot wait to fuck you, lick you—yummm—taste you.”
He hauled her up higher. “Put your legs over my shoulders, babe.”
She shook her head. No way, nuh-uh, not gonna happen.
Cassie let out a small whimper as his tongue licked her folds. She glanced down in wonder to find her legs were lying over his shoulders, her back resting against the tree as he held her up.
“Ohh,” she moaned, her hands coming to rest on his head with the full intention of pushing him away from her lower lips, a place no one had ever dared to taste. But somehow her hands ended up entangled in his hair, her lifeline in the sensual storm.
“That’s right. Let me hear you cry, hear you scream, hear you beg.”
She wouldn’t. She couldn’t. Could she?
He raised his hands to cup her breasts, his shoulders and the tree at her back all that supported her now, but she knew he wouldn’t let her fall. Thumbs and forefingers pinched her sensitive nipples as he circled her entrance with the tip of his tongue before slipping it slightly inside her sheath.
“Jay, please,” she begged, wriggling her hips. He leaned back, his face ravenous, his gaze devouring.
“Do you like having my tongue inside you?” His voice was almost unintelligible, and she let out a sob as he slowly licked her cream from his lush lips. His eyes closed, a look of rapturous ecstasy crossing his face. Without a doubt, it was the most arousing, most incredibly hot thing she had ever seen.
“You know I do.” He must be able to see, to feel how wet she was for him “Please, don’t stop now. If you stop, I’ll die,” she panted, certain she was near death anyway. She couldn’t be this hot without organs melting, blood boiling. He chuckled and blew on her clit, making her convulse in shocked delight.
“Wait,” she demanded. He stilled, looking up at her.
“Let me down? Please.”
“Why?” He sounded only mildly curious as his gaze returned to her pussy.
“Because I’m…oh God…too heavy.”
She screeched as a hand landed on her bare bottom with a sharp, stinging slap.
“What?” she yelled, feeling a little incensed and a lot aroused.
“You are not too heavy, and since you can obviously talk, I’m not doing this well enough.”
Well enough? My God, he was killing her. If he got any better, she would explode.
His hands left her breasts and clasped under her thighs, raising her up farther. She was wide open, totally bare to his gaze as he thrust his tongue inside her passage. He took complete control of her. Gentle, yet in command, indulgent but demanding.
“Jay!” Intense, sharp pricks of arousal raced over her, ecstasy on the cusp of being pain. She was slowly being tortured by need. “Jay, please.”
“Come for me.”
He tapped her swollen clit with his thumb. Then she was crashing, throbbing, clenching. Her orgasm overwhelmed her as waves of sensation slammed through her body until she shook with the overflow.
Chapter Three
Letting her drop until her slick heat rested against his stomach, Jay watched with voracious hunger as the woman before him trembled with the force of her orgasm. He loved nothing more than watching a woman reach her peak, watching bliss take her over, ridding her of everything but pleasure.
He suddenly found himself completely without patience, his cock throbbing incessantly, demanding, needing her to bathe his singed nerves. Rebalancing her weight, so he held her up with one hand, he used his free hand to reach into his pocket and grab a condom. He unzipped his jeans quickly, his shaft springing free with relief. Like an arrow sighting its target, it immediately brushed through her wet folds, making them both moan.
“Hold on.” Ripping apart the foil packet with his teeth, he felt like a fumbling schoolboy as he hurriedly sheathed himself in latex. Then he was inside her, thick and deep, piercing his way through silky muscle, seating himself fully within her tight embrace.
Her hands were on his back, nails digging into him as her head thrashed from side to side. Gritting his teeth, he held back his own release, determined to wait for her.
Her legs tightened their hold around him, almost as though she was worried he would leave her.
As if.
Locking his knees, he quickened his movements, thrilling in the way she clawed at him—bit his neck, his shoulders—as incoherent demands passed her lips. Relentlessly he rammed into her. His balls tightened, sweat coated both their bodies as he shook with the need to let go. He moaned as he felt her orgasm overtake her. Nothing, nothing had ever felt as good as this. Her climax sent him flying, and his mouth took hers, their screams mingling as their tongues met and danced in an erotic waltz.
His strength nearly deserted him as they collapsed into one another. He slid from her hold reluctantly.
Taking a deep breath, he drew in her sweet scent and felt the wolf’s supreme satisfaction at having this woman in their arms. When he’d seen Cassie run off, he hadn’t hesitated. One moment he was talking to Dusty, the woman he’d told himself he should want. The next he was running after Cassie, the woman he shouldn’t desire.
She wiggled in his arms.
“Think you could let me down now?”
“Sorry, baby.” He let her drop, holding her elbow as she swayed a little.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. I just want to go home.”
He frowned but, feeling her stiffen, capitulated. “Okay, I’ll drive you.”
Jay tugged on his t-shirt, watching as a clearly dismayed Cassie studied her clothing. He held back a grin as she slipped on her too-large t-shirt. It was ripped down the front, but she drew the ragged edges together until they overlapped, covering her. She grabbed her torn jeans. Needing both hands to pull them on, she let her hold on the t-shirt go, and he caught a delightful glimpse of her full breasts as she bent over.
“Leave the jeans, they’re useless. Your t-shirt is so large it covers everything anyway.” Unfortunately.
“It’s ripped down the middle!” She glared at him as she finished dressing. “You wrecked my clothes.”
“I’ll buy you new ones.” Maybe. Although, he’d just end up tearing them off her. She was far too gorgeous to cover up.
She muttered under her breath as she stood, one hand holding her t-shirt together, the other clasped around the top of her jeans.
He took hold of her elbow.
She attempted to step back, but he wasn’t about to allow that.
“Do you want me to carry you?” he asked. “I don’t want you tripping and hurting yourself.”
She shook her head. He shortened his larger stride so she could easily keep up.
When they reached Laney’s house, she tugged at his hold on her. “I’ll wait for you here while you tell them where you’re going.”
He turned and frowned down at her. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“Are you blind? Look what I’m wearing!”
“I think you look delightful.”
“Just take me home. Now.”
He opened the door to his car, helping her inside.
When he hopped in the driver’s side, she frowned at him. “Shouldn’t you tell Laney that you’re leaving?”
“Nah.”
He took her hand, ignoring her flinch, and held it over his thigh. As he drove to her house, he found himself tuned in to her every movement, every noise.
Jay was amazed by the depth of his hunger for her. He enjoyed women, liked their softer side, their laughter, their gentleness, the roundness of their bodies, the smoothness of their skin. But he’d sworn to himself he’d never get close to another human woman, not after Lia.
Cassie had snuck up on him, bit by bit. She didn’t talk much about herself. But once he’d gotten t
o know her better, he’d discovered what an amazing person she was. She was sweet, shy, a bit reserved.
He didn’t like seeing pain or misery on her face like he had tonight. He longed to tuck her into his arms and devote his time to pampering her, protecting her.
Yet, at the same time, he longed to ravish her, possess her, mark her, so all who saw her knew exactly who she belonged to. His feelings toward her bordered on the savage, more animal than man.
Tonight, his attention had been drawn to her time and again. When she’d smiled, he’d felt like smiling, when she’d looked concerned, he’d been worried. Sure, Dusty was the smarter choice. She was a werewolf, an enforcer, a packmate, she’d fit into his life far easier than a fragile human.
But it was a curvy brunette rather than a fiery redhead who filled his thoughts, who made his heart race. Who left him stiff and achy with desire.
“That was your first, wasn’t it?” He made no apology for the heavy satisfaction in his voice.
“First what?”
“First orgasm.”
She glared at him. “I wasn’t a virgin.”
“No, but it was your first, wasn’t it?”
“How do you know? I might have had hundreds. Had dozens of lovers who have satisfied me in every way possible.”
He growled, jealousy surging through him. But he knew she wasn’t telling the truth, knew there hadn’t been many men, knew there wouldn’t be any more. Possessiveness held him in its grasp, and he wasn’t tugging free.
“Technically, you may not have been a virgin, but in every way which counts you were. I could see the truth in your eyes, a mix of trepidation and intrigue, surprise, and shyness. You’ve never experienced anything like that before. Any lovers you had, of which I doubt there were dozens, were hopeless idiots not worthy of you.”
“Oh, and you are?”
He gaped at her, astonished at the angry contempt evident in the words she threw at him.
“Cassie—”
“Forget it. Look, what happened, it was nice and all that, but it was a mistake, okay?”
He pulled up outside her house then grabbed her hand before she could open the door and run off.
“It was not a mistake.”
