“It’s beautiful.”
Rick couldn’t stop from beaming at her. “Thanks. I helped decorate it.” His smile dimmed as he remembered the frequent arguments he’d had with the old Pack Alpha over renovating the dying Red Wolf Lodge. The old man had refused to see what was right in front of his face. If they lost the Lodge, the Pack would be forced to move, something Rick wouldn’t tolerate. Rick had eventually been forced to challenge him, even though it grieved him to do it.
The old Alpha had put up a hell of a fight. Rick reached up and touched the scar on his cheek. To him it was a badge of honor, and a salute to the man who’d held their Pack together for nearly thirty-five years. Now the old Wolf was sunning his days away in a house in Arizona, his mate by his side. Rick couldn’t wait to take Belle out to meet the old coot. His grandfather was going to love her.
“Where’s our cabin?”
He blinked and looked down at his mate. Her shoulder length blonde hair sparkled from the beginnings of a fresh fall of snow. He missed the longer length she’d had the last time he saw her. He hoped she was willing to grow it back out. “We don’t have a cabin. We live in the Lodge.”
Her nose wrinkled. “That won’t be very private, will it?”
“We have our own elevator up to the third floor. That entire floor belongs to us.”
Belle’s jaw dropped. “The entire floor?”
He nodded to the front desk clerk, pleased when the woman merely nodded back rather than baring throat. She was checking in a couple who’d just arrived and, even though it was a shifter couple, he wanted everyone who worked with the customers to act as human as possible. It was a habit they’d lost long ago, as his grandfather kept the Pack, and the Lodge, as isolated as possible. “We hold private, employee-only functions up there as well.” He slid his keycard through the lock on the door behind the counter marked “Employees Only”. Once the door shut behind them, he led her down the hallway towards the elevator in the back, ignoring the doors to either side.
“Wow, this is fairly nice for an employee area.”
He grinned. “What were you expecting, a dungeon?”
“I’m not sure, but it wasn’t that you’d carry the lobby into the offices.” She poked her head into Ben’s office, waving at the Marshall. “Hi, Ben.”
He grumbled something under his breath, his cheeks turning red. Rick frowned, wondering why his Marshall wouldn’t look him in the eye. “Ben—”
“Bye, Ben.”
Rick allowed his mate to tug him away, seriously curious now as his mate’s shoulders began to shake. “What did you do to Ben?”
She looked up at him with wide, innocent green eyes, so startling against her fair skin. “What makes you think I did anything to Ben?”
He frowned at her, not fooled for a moment. “Belle.”
She laughed as he opened the elevator, pressing the button for the third floor. “Well, it all started with fairy lights.”
“Fairy lights?”
“Uh-huh. Seems Dave really likes them.”
Rick nodded slowly. “I don’t get it.”
“Do you want to?”
He thought about Ben’s red face. “I’m not sure.”
The elevator doors opened and they stepped out. He growled at her wince as she stepped forward. “You’re in pain.”
Her smile was extra toothy. “Yup. I’m going to be in pain for at least six more months, too. Get used to it, big guy.”
Rick picked her up and strode down the hallway to a set of double doors. He ignored her weak attempts to get free, only easing his grip when she gasped. “Sorry.”
“Put me down, Fido.”
He stopped just outside the double doors and glared at her. “You bite me and you’ll regret it, Belle.”
“Oh, I’m so afraid,” she cooed. “Watch me shiver in my boots.”
And the amazing thing was, she wasn’t afraid of him. Not one tiny little bit. If anything, she was getting seriously pissed off at him.
He loved it.
Everyone was afraid of him, from small children to grown men. But Belle was no more afraid of him than she was of a gnat. A dead one, at that.
“Don’t make me break out the rolled-up newspaper.”
If her hip hadn’t been broken he would have dumped her on the floor for that one. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ve made sure the place is just the way you’d like it. I even got your litter box all set up for you.”
He set her down as she bared her teeth and hissed. He opened the door and waved her in with a laugh. “Welcome home, Belle.”
She shivered as that deep voice washed over her. Welcome home, Belle.
Home.
She stepped over the threshold, eager to see Rick’s idea of home.
She stopped, shocked at what she saw. She’d expected him to continue the theme he’d had in the lobby up here, since it so clearly matched his tastes.
Instead, he’d built something straight out of Casablanca. Dark, rich woods with brown, tan and green textiles in tropical patterns littered the living room. The exposed wood of the sofa and chairs had richly carved fronts and sported “pineapple” feet. The side tables and coffee table were also exquisitely carved. The drapes were pale ivory, a contrast to the mocha latte walls and exposed, dark beams. The floor was the same wood as the furniture, with a large sisal rug underneath to define the area.
She could see the intricate dining table and chairs beyond the living area, as well as a kitchen that would make any serious chef swoon. Because the whole area was so open, instead of feeling dark and dreary the living space felt open and earthy.
He’d even painted the ceiling a soft, barely-there blue, finishing off the look nicely.
“Is there anything you’d like to change?”
She looked around, taking in the stone and wood fireplace, the massive entertainment center with the plasma screen TV, the bric-a-brac and photos that lined the wall…
Wait a moment. “Rick, when did you start hanging my pictures?”
“I did that yesterday. I wanted you to feel at home as soon as possible.”
Big dope. She didn’t know whether to sigh or to hit him. “You went through my things?”
He rolled his eyes and stepped past her into the living room, shutting the door behind them with a very final sounding click. “It’s not like I read your diary or jerked off in your underwear. I hung a few pictures, that’s all.”
She bit back a snarl as he hung up his jacket. “They are still my things. You can’t just go through someone else’s things.” What if he found my medical bills?
He stalked towards her. His hands curled around her shoulders, halting her progress when she tried to move back instinctively. “I didn’t ‘just go through someone else’s things’. I went through my mate’s things.”
“Without her permission.” Her chin went up, daring him to deny he’d done something wrong.
“This is all the permission I need.” His mouth swooped down, taking hers in a kiss that set her soul on fire.
Soul afire or not, they needed to get a few things straight. She picked up her foot and slammed the heel of her boot down, hard, on his instep.
“God damn mother-fucking son of a bitch!” Rick howled, hopping back from her, his face completely blank with shock. “What did you do that for?”
She leaned on her cane, trying her best to keep her expression serene in the face of his growing anger. “You do not go through my things. You do not open my mail. You do not answer my cell phone unless I ask you to. You do not read my e-mail. You do not go through my checkbook.” She stopped for a moment, mentally counting up the things she didn’t want her overbearing mate to stick his big nose into. “You can take my car to be inspected. All insects shall be slain by you. If I have a doctor’s appointment, you may drop me off, but I won’t have you there growling at the nurses or my physical therapist, so you’ll go do shopping or Pack things until I’m done. You will not forbid me to do anything, or you’ll live to
regret it. ‘Nair in your shampoo’ type regrets.” Not that she’d ever go through with that threat. His hair was truly beautiful, and she’d sooner cut off her own arm than one single inch of it. “Oh, and one other thing.” She reached up and patted him on the chest. “The Halle Pride leaders are my friends, okay? So I want you to stop picturing Simon’s balls in a pickle jar in your fridge.” She smiled up at him, all sweetness and light, not surprised by the fact that his face had gone expressionless.
“Is that all?”
“Not quite. You’re going with me to Florida in April. You’ll need to buy a suit.”
He pulled her jacket off, his jerky movements betraying his lingering anger. “Why is that?”
“Emma asked me to be a bridesmaid, and I said yes. One of the garment bags brought up here should be my dress, in fact.”
“I already own a suit.”
She sniffed, knowing how it would annoy him. “I’ll have to see what it looks like.” She tried to saunter into the living room but was hampered by her limp.
His long suffering sigh followed her as she made her way into the bedroom.
Holy moly. If the front of the home had been full of decadence, the bedroom eclipsed it entirely. Sapphire blue silk mixed with burgundy on a four-poster bed so massive it would swallow her five-foot-six-inch frame whole. It looked like something out of a tropical bordello.
“I can’t wait to see your skin against all that silk.”
Belle turned to find Rick standing behind her, so close she was surprised she didn’t feel his breath on the back of her neck.
She did feel it when he leaned down and licked a slow, torturous path from her shoulder to her ear, stopping to nibble at the sensitive juncture where her neck and shoulder met. Without even thinking she tilted her head, giving him better access.
His hands went around her waist, holding her steady as he nibbled and sucked to his heart’s content. “I have a few ground rules, myself.”
“Hmm?” Belle opened her eyes, only then aware she’d closed them. The ruby silk had turned a deep brown, letting her know her eyes had changed. Her Puma was purring as her mate’s scent surrounded her.
“Fuck, that’s sexy.” His low growl against her neck sent a shiver down her spine.
“What ground rules?”
Is that my voice? Even at his best, Simon had never gotten her to whimper, and Rick had barely touched her!
She could feel his smile against her neck and knew he’d heard it. “My rules are simple.” His hands slowly lifted the hem of her black turtleneck. “Rule number one. When we’re in the bedroom, you have to be naked.”
She dropped her cane as he pulled her sweater up and over her head, tossing it carelessly onto a fringed, backless chaise done in the same sapphire blue as the bedding. At least she thought it was blue. It was the same shade of brown as the blue parts of the bedding.
His hands began a slow caress of her breasts through the lace of her bra, paying special attention to her nipples. “Rule number two: when it comes to your health, I will be involved. Get over it. And I already paid your medical bills, so get over that, too.”
She would have protested, but he chose that moment to unclasp her bra and pluck at her bared nipples.
His hair cascaded over her shoulder, brushing her breasts and belly with butterfly touches. “Rule number three.” His hands began smoothing down her stomach, heading for her black slacks. “I will stop picturing Simon’s pickled balls when I know for certain you’re completely mine.”
Belle turned in his arms, not surprised by the fierce, possessive scowl on Rick’s face. She reached up and stroked his cheek. “I’m all yours, Rick.”
His hands stilled at her waist. With a muffled oath he picked her up, buried his face against her neck, and bit.
Belle screamed as the pleasure-pain ripped through her. Her claws dug into his shoulders, earning a growl from his Wolf as the orgasm rolled through her with the force of a freight train. She jerked in his arms, her good leg lifting to wrap around his waist, her pussy grinding against his rock-hard erection through her slacks and his jeans.
When his teeth pulled out of her shoulder she groaned in regret, only to scream again as he bit down in a different spot with a rough snarl. He howled against her flesh as she bit back, right through his silk shirt, claiming the man who held her so tightly she knew he’d never let her go.
Chapter Three
Rick couldn’t stand it any longer. He pulled and tugged her slacks as gently as his growing sense of urgency would allow, unwilling to cause her a moment’s pain. He longed to just use his strength to rip the damn things from her hot little body, but he retained enough sanity to know how much that would hurt her hip.
So he unzipped, and unbuttoned, and thank God, pulled them down those long, luscious legs of hers. The boots she wore flew as he toppled her onto the bed face first, that incredible ass of hers right in his face. He moaned out loud at the sight of the black lace thong she wore.
She tried to stand up but he stopped her, placing one hand between her shoulder blades, the other at her waist. “Stay down.” He knew his smile was wicked as she snarled, those bright gold eyes of hers glaring at him from under the fall of her pale hair. “Don’t make me spank that pretty little ass of yours, Belle.”
The red sheets had turned gold, almost the same shade as her Puma’s eyes. It was one of the reasons he’d picked that color, knowing what he’d see when his vision changed. He’d had more than one erotic dream centered on what he was looking at right now, in fact.
He stroked her under her thong, reveling in the gathering damp between the bare folds of her pussy. She was getting off on this, big time.
He used his strength to keep her down, pulling one hand away long enough to unzip his jeans and free his cock. “Are you ready for me, Belle?”
She opened her mouth—
The phone rang. His private number, the one used only by the Pack. He closed his eyes, willing whoever it was to go away. He had a mate to fuck, and he wasn’t about to stop unless the Lodge was burning around their ears.
Hell, the Lodge could burn merrily as long as he was between her thighs when it happened.
He slid the head of his cock past the thin line of her thong, pushing gently into her swollen pussy. “Take me, Belle.”
She snapped at him, those sharp, pointy teeth of hers still in evidence. Claws ripped into the bedspread under her hands.
He stopped, totally shocked. My little kitty has been holding out on me. Wolves had the power to shift between wolf and man; no Wolf could stop in between, never mind what the myths about his kind said.
Now he knew where some of those myths had come from. In self-defense he leaned over her, grabbing both of her hands and forcing them flat against the mattress.
He growled as she bucked under him, furious and delighted as she fought him for dominance. Him! He was twice her size, and she still tried to throw him off.
She was the most incredible woman he’d ever met, bar none.
He moaned as her jostling forced him deeper inside her. “Oh yeah, baby.” He snarled, his own fangs dropping as he fought the Wolf for dominance and won, barely. “Submit.”
She stilled. “What?”
He grabbed her wrists and forced her arms apart, causing her upper body to lay flat against the mattress. He slid even further inside her, his Wolf demanding he dominate his mate. His cock was now halfway inside her. Her moist heat was nearly his undoing. “Submit to me.”
“Oh, Fido. Them’s fightin’ words.”
He would have been worried if he hadn’t heard the humor threading through the threat. He leaned down, letting his hair form a curtain around them. Distantly he heard the answering machine pick up, but really couldn’t give a…well, okay, he was giving a fuck, wasn’t he? He brought his lips to her ear. “Submit to me.”
He felt the shudder that ran through her, saw the hot, speculative gleam in her eyes, before his pretty little kitty turned into a wildcat
in his arms.
She bucked against him, writhing, her claws moving in and out as she tried to toss him off and out of her body. He held her as still as he could, trying to put as little weight as possible on her hip, only forcing the issue when she grunted in pain.
“Enough!” He held her down, immobile, his body trapping hers against the mattress. His cock was now fully seated in her body, throbbing with the need to move before he exploded like a teenager with his first hot pussy. “Submit, Belle.”
“Never!” She bucked one last time, but he could see the exhaustion beginning to war with the need.
Time to end this. “Submit, my Luna.” He moved back cautiously, the smooth, silken glide of her snug passage nearly his undoing.
“I submit—” his heart jumped into his throat, “—that you’re crazy.”
He slammed his cock home, smirking as she gasped and shuddered. “Submit, Belle.” He pulled back again in a long, slow glide.
“Ah, I submit my taxes every year.”
He could feel her shoulders shaking as she grinned up at him.
He grinned back, slamming his cock home again. “Submit.” He didn’t even have the heart to growl it. He was no longer sure which of them was submitting to the other.
“I submit to a gynecological exam every year, too.”
He nipped her shoulder as he rammed into her, reveling in her sighed moan. “Submit, love.”
She looked up at him through her bangs, shocked. “What?”
He backtracked. He hadn’t meant to reveal that yet. “Submit, Luna.”
She smiled slowly, bucking back into him as he fucked into her again. “Make me. Alpha.”
With that one insolently drawled word, Rick lost control of his beast, and thanked God for it, too.
Oh my God! Belle felt Rick lose it as he began ramming his cock in and out of her wet pussy. She yowled and pushed back, trying her best to get him even deeper, not caring in the least that she sounded like a cat in heat. He bit savagely into her shoulder, once again claiming her and marking her for all to see as his. She shrieked, her orgasm nearly robbing her of breath, the Puma in her glorying in the strength of her mate.
Steel Beauty: Halle Pumas, Book 4 Page 4
