by Moira Rogers
She felt the lights above them explode and drift down in remnants of magic. “I need you.” The words were hungry and muffled, spoken into his mouth. “Dylan.”
“Shh.” His tongue swiped along her lower lip and he nipped lightly at it before rolling them over. She ended up on her back with Dylan over her, his weight braced on his hands. He kissed her gently at first, and then harder as his hips settled over hers.
She tried to remember the last time she’d had sex. It had to have been Spain, the wizard in Madrid she always called when she passed through. The memory slipped through her fingers, hazy and finally driven to obsolescence by Dylan’s tongue slicking over hers. It had been another life, a different woman from the one arching her hips off the bed now.
Dylan lifted his head and nuzzled her cheek. His breath skated over her skin, and he lowered his lips to her ear. “Do you have any idea how badly I want to touch you?” A rock of his hips, and he groaned softly. “I’ve dreamt about it.”
Her entire body tightened in anticipation, and Sasha slipped her hands under the hem of his T-shirt. “What did you dream? Tell me.”
He scraped his teeth over her ear. “I touched you.” He shifted his weight and got one hand to her waist and under her shirt. His mouth left a hot trail of kisses as he traced a path to where her pulse fluttered underneath her skin. She felt the wet warmth of his tongue just before his groan vibrated over her skin. “Tasted you.”
It was positively poetic next to the sweaty, feverish dreams she’d been having. “Mine pretty much revolved around fucking you until neither one of us could move.”
His fingers tightened around her waist, and he closed his teeth on her throat with a low growl.
She half expected to freeze up, for the bite to bring memories of her imprisonment crashing in on her. But it brought only pleasure, the kind that exploded through her in a shower of hot sparks and put her earlier light show to shame. “Yes…”
He licked the spot before moving down her body, dropping a kiss to her collarbone and another to the hollow at the base of her throat. “Tell me,” he murmured against her skin as his lips traced the upper curve of her breast left bare by the thin white tank top. “What were you dreaming about that made you moan in your sleep?”
Sasha was beyond embarrassment, and his words drew only a throaty laugh of amusement. “You heard me, then. I wondered.” His tongue flicked over her skin, and she gasped. “You. Always you, naked beside me. Or—or behind me.”
“Over you, under you…” He caught the neckline of her shirt between his teeth and dragged it down with another playful growl.
The strap of her tank top slid down her arm as he bared her breast, and she dug her nails into his lower back. “Inside me.”
He froze with his lips poised above her nipple and closed his eyes as a groan escaped him, this one dismayed instead of aroused. “Fuck. I don’t have condoms.”
Neither did she. The only place to get them in Red Rock was from Cindy’s clinic, and Sasha would have gladly suffered celibacy rather than ask Dylan’s ex. “Does it matter? Aren’t there bases?” Her own voice sounded desperate, yearning. “Let’s run around some bases.”
“Oh yeah. As many as we can hit.” He flashed her a hot look, his dark brown eyes looking nearly black in the dim light, and he reached for the hem of her shorts. “And tomorrow I’ll buy condoms.”
“Tomorrow.” Her shorts and panties hit the floor, and she held her breath when he drew her legs apart. Then he stroked his hand down the center of her body, and she forgot to breathe altogether.
He didn’t waste time. His mouth landed on the inside of her knee, and she felt the soft scrape of his teeth as he growled softly. The next kiss landed on her inner thigh, and his tongue swept over her skin as he pushed her shirt up high enough to bare her breasts.
When he spoke, his voice held an edge she’d never heard before. “How do you feel about running second and third bases together?”
“Wait, together—” Her heart skipped a beat, and she shoved up on her elbows. “You mean you covering them simultaneously, or both of us…?”
Dylan’s hoarse laugh was strained. He laid a hand on the center of her chest and urged her back to the bed. “Uh-uh. I’m the only one up to bat at the moment, sweetheart.” He cupped her breast as his breath tickled her inner thigh. “Just…close your eyes.”
It was an order, and Sasha shivered as she complied. A moment later Dylan’s mouth landed on her, his tongue tracing and teasing over her aching flesh. The pleasure was sharp and sweet, and she choked out a moan as her eyes snapped open. “Oh, God.”
He just made a low noise of approval and caught her nipple between his fingers. Sasha grabbed his shoulders, and he responded by flicking his tongue over her clit, bringing her hips off the bed.
It took her a second to realize that the needy cries echoing through the dark room were hers. Of course they are, she thought fuzzily. Only she and Dylan were there, and Dylan couldn’t scream with his mouth on her, his tongue stroking her faster with every passing heartbeat.
One hand held her hips still as he caressed her, his touch determined, relentless, as if he could sense every twist of need inside her and give her exactly what she needed. He sped up and slowed down, drawing her toward the brink and then holding her off, until she was shaking uncontrollably.
Orgasm seized her suddenly, almost violently, and Sasha chanted Dylan’s name as pleasure swelled through her. Each wave was stronger than the last, and he barely gave her the chance to catch her breath before he eased two fingers inside her and started all over again.
“Dylan!” Her voice had gone hoarse, and she clenched both hands in his hair and tugged. “God, right—right there…”
He hummed his approval and centered his touch on the perfect spot. Ecstasy no longer coursed through her in waves but burned like fire, constant and consuming. Sasha screamed, vaguely aware of the solid strength of his shoulders beneath her hands and his skin yielding under her fingernails. Dylan.
The touches slowed as he eased her through the last shaking tremors. She felt his lips on her thigh as he whispered her name and rubbed her hip.
Sasha tried to sit up and reach for him, but her arms wouldn’t hold her. She collapsed to the bed with an apologetic moan. “You broke me. It’s my turn, but you broke me.”
“Shh.” He slipped one arm under her legs and the other under her back to lift her easily. Within moments, Dylan had her snuggled under the blankets, and he stripped off his shirt and joined her. His chest was solid and warm against her back, and his breath tickled as he nuzzled the sensitive skin behind her ear. “Tomorrow is your turn. Tomorrow you can do whatever you want to me. Right now, we sleep.”
She turned her face to his and kissed him gently. “You’re calling the game on account of exhaustion?”
“Mmm. I want you rested up before the rematch.”
Having him wrapped around her, his heart beating in time with hers, was painfully intimate. Every moment of the last week had been leading to this, to the soft afterglow of pleasure slowly giving way to the contentment of having Dylan beside her.
Neither of them had been sleeping well, and Sasha barely had the strength to speak. “You’re not going to stop being so damn wonderful until I’m in love with you, are you?”
He was silent for several heartbeats. Then his thumb swept over her hand and he kissed the top of her head. “You deserve wonderful.”
Then I deserve you. “Good night.”
“Good night, Sasha.”
***
Dylan pulled open the back door on the SUV and hesitated as he surveyed the impressive array of weaponry and weapon-related accoutrements. “Is any of this going to blow up while I’m looking for the tape?”
Joe answered from beneath the hood. “Yes, Gennaro. I absolutely drive around with combustible shit jostling around in the back of my Blazer.”
“Why do you drive around with this stuff in the back of your Blazer period? I thought
Gavin said this wasn’t that dangerous.”
Joe peeked around the edge of the SUV. “I’m sorry, what’s the question?”
“You’re a scary fucker, Joe.” Dylan pulled open one of the bags and dug through it until he found a roll of electrical tape. He held it out so Joe could see it. “This what you wanted?”
“Yeah. If I can wrap this hose, it’ll get us to the next town, and I can replace it.”
Dylan handed him the tape. “Where’s that?”
“Kearney, I think. It’s only a couple miles down the road.” Joe tested the hose and hissed. Then he shook his hand and began to guide the tape around the fat black hose. “Even if they don’t have a parts store, there’ll be a gas station or general store that sells what I need.”
“Gotcha.” Dylan glanced through the windshield and found Brynn still passed out in the backseat, probably sleeping off the sedative Cindy had provided. “Do we need to find someplace for Brynn to change tonight? I could check the map.”
“I took care of it.” Joe tore the tape and cleared his throat. “You and Sasha will be all right at the motel alone, right?”
Dylan felt like a boy who had been caught doing something naughty, which was completely unfair considering the sorts of noises he’d been blocking out the night before. The fact that Sasha had drifted to peaceful, oblivious sleep while he’d fought to ignore Joe and Brynn’s two encore performances just made it worse.
He cast Joe a slightly annoyed look. “Maybe we should just get rooms on opposite sides of the damn motel.”
“That’s probably not a bad idea.”
“You got that?”
“This?” Joe jiggled the hose and shrugged. “Yeah, I think it’ll hold.”
Dylan nodded and strode back to knock on Sasha’s window. “Joe’s almost got the hose fixed, but we’re going to have to stop in the next town.”
She glanced at Brynn, still sleeping beside her. “Will we need to stay there tonight?”
“Probably not. Joe found a place to stay tonight where he and Brynn can…” Run until they collapse and fuck until they pass out. “Burn off some energy.”
“So it’s an easy fix? The truck?”
“I guess.” Dylan ran his thumb along the top of the door and tried to think of a way to phrase his next request that wouldn’t earn him any more significant looks from Joe. “If there’s a grocery store or something in town, you and Brynn could pick up some food and stuff.” And stuff. Congratulations, Dylan, you’re now seventeen again.
She met his gaze, her awareness almost palpable. “I can handle it.”
“Good.” No need to tell her they’d be alone in the motel. The last thing he wanted her considering was how easily Joe and Brynn had heard every moan she’d uttered the night before. “Do you need any cash? Gavin gave me some.”
“No.” She laughed softly. “I’ve actually missed being able to use my checking account.”
It was a reminder of how tiny his own bank account had been. Sam hadn’t given him details on how she’d managed to secure the money, but the paltry sum had barely filled an envelope, even measured out in twenties. A second envelope in his bag held five times as much in crisp fifty-dollar bills, a small fortune Sam had handed over like spare change.
Sasha touched his hand. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He turned his hand over and closed his fingers around hers. “The last few years have been hard on my manly pride, but I’m getting over it.”
“Uh-huh.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “If last night didn’t fix your manly pride and then some, I don’t know what will.”
Even if Brynn was asleep, Joe was ten feet away at most and plenty close enough to hear even the softest whisper. Reminding her of that would embarrass her… But not as much as if you don’t. He jerked his head in Joe’s direction and grinned. “Let’s talk about it later when wolves with superhearing aren’t pretending they can’t hear us.”
A deep blush spread over her cheeks, and she grimaced. “Sorry.”
Dylan rubbed his thumb over the backs of her fingers and resisted the temptation to say something really explicit just to annoy Joe. “It takes some getting used to.”
She smiled weakly. “I keep forgetting.”
“It’s okay.” He leaned down, and used years of practice at pitching his voice out of the range of werewolf ears to whisper a promise in her ear. “Tonight no one will be listening.”
Her pulse sped, and her breathing hitched. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Brynn stirred with a sleepy murmur. Dylan straightened. “Why don’t you see if you can wake her up while I check with Joe. We should be moving soon.”
The hood slammed down and Joe appeared, wiping his hands on a rag. “We’d better get going if we’re going to make up lost time.”
Dylan caught the tape Joe tossed to him and whistled as he walked to the back of the SUV. There were only a few more hours of driving before he and Sasha got a room to themselves and the privacy to make good use of it. It was all too easy to conjure up the memory of her skin flushing under his mouth, and of the way she sounded when he made her come.
In the ten lonely years since his change, he’d spent a lot of his nights in bars. He’d never gone home alone unless he’d wanted to, but the women he chose were the ones who only wanted a night of impersonal sex. Women who wanted him gone the next morning, who wouldn’t tempt him with a second date that might become a third, that might become something serious enough to attract the attention of the pack.
His hands shook as he shoved the electrical tape back into one of the battered duffel bags. Sex with Sasha wouldn’t be impersonal. It wouldn’t be shallow and meaningless. It would be magical, figuratively and maybe literally, and a big step down a road that would very likely end in heartache.
She’d warned him of as much. She’d told him flat out, so there would be no misunderstandings. The only place he wanted to live was the one place she wanted to leave.
And all he could think of was touching her.
Dylan slammed the back door of the SUV shut with enough force to make it rattle. Gennaro, you are royally fucked.
Sasha shivered in the brightly lit aisle and wished she’d worn a heavier shirt. “Should we pick up some lunch while we’re here, Brynn?”
Brynn started and dragged her attention from the front of the store. “Huh? Lunch, yeah. Lunch is good. And snacks.”
“Are you okay?” She’d been acting strange since they’d walked in. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know.” Brynn shook herself and looked at the shelves around them. “Let’s get our stuff and get out. This place gives me the creeps.”
They had a good twenty minutes before Joe and Dylan finished fixing the truck, but being so far away from Joe must have been taking a toll on Brynn. “I have to grab something. Do you want to meet me in the deli?”
“No.” She snatched a bag of candy from the shelf. “I’ll come with you. I don’t think we should split up. Something’s off here.”
Which meant Sasha had to buy condoms in front of one of Dylan’s oldest friends. “I need some shampoo and some other things.”
“Fine.” A bag of licorice joined the chocolate in Brynn’s basket, and she jerked her head toward the back of the store. “Let’s go this way.”
The midday crowd was thin, and Sasha added things to the basket she carried as they walked. She turned down the aisle containing personal care items and stopped in front of the condoms and pregnancy tests.
Brynn’s gaze fell on the pregnancy tests, and the jagged edges of magic inside her flared. Her shoulders stiffened as she stalked past them and studied the small assortment of condoms. “Guess asking Cindy for condoms would have been awkward for Dylan.”
“‘Awkward’ doesn’t begin to cover it.” Though it applied handily to the situation now. Sasha reached for a small box. “You’ve known him a long time.”
“Yeah. Dylan’s a good guy.” Brynn reached out and plucked a shiny
purple box of condoms from the rack and dropped it into Sasha’s basket. “He also saved me from the embarrassing task of having to ask my big sister to take me shopping for condoms.”
“Oh.” Sasha eyed the box in the basket and turned her gaze to Brynn. “I like him a lot.”
The tight look in Brynn’s eyes softened a little. “Good. Dylan deserves to have someone to like him a lot.”
Guilt made her babble. “I told him. I mean, I tried, but I don’t know if he understood, really.”
Brynn patted Sasha awkwardly on the shoulder. “I’m thinking he understood enough. He seemed a lot happier this morning.”
The words hit her like a blow, and Sasha gripped the plastic handle more tightly. “I’m not staying in Red Rock.”
“Oh.” Brynn studied her for so long Sasha had to will herself not to take a step back. Then she tilted her head to the side. “You told him that?”
“I tried, but I think he got distracted by some of the other things I said.”
One eyebrow went up. “Must have been pretty distracting stuff.”
She couldn’t tell if Brynn was joking or not. “We were talking about how much I owe everyone in town. Like Keith and Gavin and—and Dylan.”
“And presumably he told you that’s the stupidest thing he’s ever heard?”
A hysterical giggle welled up in her throat. “Yeah, we covered that part.”
“Speaking as one of the two people who would be dead without you…yeah. It’s pretty fucking stupid.”
Getting into the specifics of tradition with Brynn in the family-planning section of a small-town grocery was a feat beyond her at the moment. “Point taken.”
“Doesn’t mean it’s okay to hurt Dylan.” Brynn’s gaze drifted back to the front of the store. “Do you feel anything weird about this place?”
Sasha closed her eyes and concentrated. For a moment, something flickered at the edge of her consciousness, at once familiar and strange. “Maybe. It’s almost like… I don’t know.” Like being in Red Rock. She shivered.
