by Moira Rogers
Her eyes gleamed with lust, and her voice went husky. “Take me if you want. I don’t care how, I just need you, Dylan.”
The condoms were still in their bag on the bedside table. He released her and took a step back. “Get naked.”
Sasha kicked off her shoes and reached for the clasp of her bra. It took her longer to wiggle out of her clothes than it should have because she kept her gaze on him, watching every movement closely. By the time he had kicked off his shoes and dropped his jeans, she’d just stripped off her skirt.
Dylan tossed the box of condoms on the bed next to her. “You like watching me, do you?”
She sat up, her hair spilling over her shoulders. “You’re beautiful.”
Not words he’d heard often. Maybe not ever. But it was impossible to doubt her sincerity when she watched him with such need, such passion.
He crawled onto the bed and coaxed her to stretch out on her side so he could curl up behind her. He dropped a kiss to her shoulder as he gathered her hair up from the back of her neck. “You’re beautiful too. You’re gorgeous.”
“Nervous,” she corrected. “It’s silly. I just…want it to be good for you. The way you made it for me.”
“Not much doubt of that.” He let his hand drift over her hip and down to dip between her legs. “Tell me you want it. Tell me you need it.”
The way she jerked into his touch spoke more loudly than her shaky words. “It’s all I can think about. Making love to you.”
It was hard to breathe. He got the condom on somehow and then he pushed inside her, reveling in the warmth of her body and the way she tried to muffle a startled moan as he rocked into her.
She leaned her head against his shoulder, her breathing rough. “Yes.”
He pressed his open mouth to her shoulder. It would have been easy to roll her to her stomach, to sink into her body and lose himself in fast, frantic thrusts, but it wouldn’t have been the same. He’d always done his best to satisfy his lovers, but he’d never craved a woman’s pleasure so completely before.
He closed his teeth lightly on her skin before lifting his mouth to her ear. “Touch yourself. Show me what you like.”
Sasha’s hand trembled over his and dropped between her thighs. “Slow,” she whispered, “and hard.”
“Is that what you want?” He eased her leg up just enough that his next rocking thrust took him deeper. “Slow.” Another thrust, and he couldn’t keep from groaning as her body gripped his cock. “Hard.”
“Like that.” She tilted her hips back, grinding against him, and a shudder shook through her. “That’s what I want.”
He eased her over until she was half under him and he had the leverage to move just a little harder, a little deeper. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder, and the pale nape of her neck taunted him. “Tell me again.” He lowered his mouth to her skin.
Sasha braced her hand on the bed. “Can’t you feel it?” She arched under him with a quiet, desperate noise. “I’ve never needed anyone like this.”
Magic trembled in the air between them, the power that made his wolf hungry for possession, for dominance. He bit the back of her neck and unleashed the tiniest bit of his supernatural strength. Not enough to hurt her, but enough that his next thrust made her writhe in pleasure.
An answering wave of energy exploded from her along with a hoarse cry. “Harder, Dylan.”
He gritted his teeth against the urge to obey. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I won’t let you,” she promised with another shudder. “Please, Dylan. You’ve been inside me for so long, but not like this. Not this good.”
The growl tore free of him before he could stop it as his control slipped. He eased his hand under her body and stroked her clit as he surged into her. “Come. I want to see you come.”
Sasha hissed out a curse and a plea and tightened around his cock. Her soft skin brushed his as she moved in counterpoint, taking him deeper. “Yes, just—” She pushed off the bed, shifting her hips slightly, and screamed with his next thrust.
It was the best damn thing he’d ever felt, and he hadn’t even come yet. She clenched around him, hot and tight, and her pleasure filled the air with magic—pure, raw power that spilled over him and made him gasp. Thoughts of pushing her further, of holding on until she’d come again and again shattered into a thousand pieces as he gave in to the magic. Gave in to her.
Scalding heat rushed over him and he did the only thing he could. He closed his teeth on the back of her neck again and muffled his groan as he came.
Sasha reached up and held his head to hers, panting gently while he rocked and stilled. “Are you okay?”
The words were so out of place he couldn’t even process them. “What?”
“Your ribs.” She wiggled and grinned. “But that’s flattering.”
Dylan bit her with another groan. “Quit that, or I’m going to forget my ribs and we’ll be doing this a second time.” And maybe a third.
She breathed a regretful sigh and stretched a little. “Uh-uh. I like you, and I want to keep you intact and fully functional.”
“Good to know.” He eased from her body before urging her onto her back. Her hair spread out over the pillow in a tangled mess, and his heart ached as he smoothed a few strands off her forehead. “You’re so beautiful.”
A blush spread over her chest and face, and she bit his hand gently. “That’s what I want you to see when you look at me.”
“I do.” Her lips were soft under his thumb, and he leaned in to nuzzle her cheek. “Too bad they’re already expecting us in Bedagi Creek tomorrow. I’d be tempted to find an excuse to stay in bed with you.”
“But we have work to do.” She rolled over and pressed her cheek to his arm. “Could we get away with feeling each other up in the backseat of the Blazer?”
Joe would murder him. “Maybe.”
“Mmm.” Her eyes grew bright, and she bit her lip. “Do we need to talk about this?”
The last thing he wanted to do was ruin his warm fuzzy feeling with another kindly reminder that she had no intention of staying in the one place that felt like home to him. He kissed her lower lip softly. “In the morning, when we’ve slept and had coffee.”
Sasha shook her head. “No talking, I think. Let’s just be…whatever we are.”
“Happy. What I am is happy.”
Her smile was shy. “So am I.”
Warmth filled him, along with a pure, uncomplicated peace he hadn’t felt in ten years. Even time spent with Brynn and Abby over the years had been tinged with longing, with the wish that he could enjoy their company without the worry and the guilt that some day they’d pay the price for it. He couldn’t remember the last time everything inside him had been so wonderfully, perfectly content.
It was the difference between surviving and being okay. He was okay.
Now I just need to stay this way.
Chapter Seven
The first thing she noticed about Irene and Lawrence was that they were both scared, but not of her.
As Joe shook hands with the alphas of Bedagi Creek, Sasha gripped Dylan’s hand and flashed him a questioning look. He gave a tiny little shake of his head, and she fixed a smile on her face.
“Welcome to Bedagi Creek.” Lawrence turned his gaze on Dylan and Sasha, and there was something there that was eerily assessing. A moment later he grinned. “We haven’t had a witch visit in too long. Some of the pack spells are failing. Perhaps you could assist us.”
“I’d be happy to help.” The man’s gaze made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, and she felt compelled to add, “If I can, I mean. I’m only an apprentice.”
Dylan moved closer and lifted a hand to her shoulder. “I can help too.”
“Dylan and Sasha have a task that will take them out of town for a while,” Joe said, “but they’ll be back.”
Lawrence returned his attention to Joe, but his wife’s gaze stayed fixed on Sasha. She stood stiffly by her husband’s side, a
nd the frustrated fear in her eyes began to fade a little.
There was nothing menacing about the woman’s expression, but Sasha shivered. Something was obviously terribly wrong.
Joe had apparently come to the same conclusion. He lowered his voice and leaned in closer to Lawrence. “Gavin wanted you to know we’re at your disposal. Anything you need.”
Lawrence’s friendly smile faltered. “I’ve heard Gavin has too many competent alphas in town. Are you here to help, or to measure my windows for new curtains?”
He sounded almost jealous, but Sasha supposed that wasn’t surprising. Maritza had told her that few of the sanctuaries in the country had resources as reliable and plentiful as Red Rock’s. “Everyone has useful talents,” she murmured.
After a tense moment, Lawrence seemed to relax. “Your witch is right. We all have our gifts, and Red Rock has more than most. Since you’re willing to share yours, it’s only fair we do the same. Irene has prepared lunch, if the four of you would like to join us?”
Dylan squeezed her hand lightly before speaking. “Sasha and I promised to carry a message to Adam Dubois first. Gavin hasn’t heard from him in a while.”
Joe tossed Dylan his keys. “Brynn and I would be glad to stay. Thank you, Lawrence.”
Irene spoke up. “His place is easy to find. Take the main road out of town and turn right on to the dirt road just after the stop sign. It’ll take you about fifteen minutes back into the woods, but Adam’s the only one at the end of it.”
Sasha hugged Brynn. “We’ll be back. You and Joe be safe.”
Dylan stayed silent until they were inside the Blazer and pulling out on to the main road. “That was weird. He acted like Joe was here to challenge him.”
“Maybe he’s been getting that a lot lately.” Or maybe he really was just envious of Gavin’s security and wealth.
“Maybe. Joe is a pretty scary bastard, I guess. He’s so busy playing lovey dovey with Brynn, sometimes I forget how fucking terrifying he is.”
“Joe’s not terrifying.” No one in Red Rock was, not even the ones who despised her. She looked out the window and changed the subject. “You’ve really never met a vampire?”
It seemed to take him a minute to catch up. “Uh, no. I mean, maybe? Shit, I could’ve been meeting them all my life and had no idea. How do you even tell?”
“I don’t know.” It was difficult to describe. “They feel different. Slower.”
“Heartbeat, you mean? Or…do they even have a heartbeat?”
“I’ve never listened.” Sasha’s nervousness grew. The vampires she’d met had all been old and very powerful, and she’d never encountered one without Maritza at her side. “Gavin said Dubois was a friend, right?”
“Yes.” Dylan glanced at her, and he grew serious once more. “You’re scared. What’s wrong?”
“I’m still at a loss without Maritza.” For once, the painful emotional void had taken a backseat to the practical fear of being on her own. “She was always good at talking, at negotiation. But I’m clumsy.”
He reached for her hand. “You’re not. You’re just learning.”
A thrill of awareness shot through her. Fear melted, replaced by a flare of desire only Dylan seemed capable of inciting. “I’ve always been awkward. I can’t blame that on my interrupted education.”
“You’re not awkward with me.”
“It’s easy with you.”
She could feel his pleasure at the words. “Well I’ll be with you today. What do I do if Adam Dubois turns out to be an evil bloodsucking monster? Stake to the heart? Garlic? Crosses and holy water?”
Sasha laughed. “Run, most likely, or we could set him on fire. But if he really is a friend of Gavin’s, that could be uncomfortable when we went home.”
His fingers tightened around hers, and his chuckle warmed her like a shot of liquor. “Joe said this vampire used to be a lumberjack. Let’s just hope he doesn’t greet us at the door with an axe.”
“If he does, we’re definitely not sticking around to burn him.”
“Especially since we’d have to ask him to chop down some firewood to do it with.”
“Mmm. He might get suspicious.”
“We’re going to be okay, Sasha.” Dylan kissed the backs of her fingers. “We’ll get through this, and we can go home. And spend all the time we want reading dusty old books full of stories too incredible to be true.”
It sounded like heaven. “Except most of them probably are true. Perhaps we should spend our time kissing instead.”
He laughed again, that same wicked laugh that made her shiver. “Oh, you didn’t think you were getting out of the kissing, did you?”
She rubbed her thumb over the inside of his wrist. “You might be particularly skilled, but I can’t read and kiss at the same time.”
The SUV swerved a little, and Dylan jerked away with a groan. “Obviously not that skilled. I don’t think I should kiss and drive, or we’re going to end up wrapped around a tree and then you’ll see how terrifying Joe is.”
“He’d miss his explosives more than his truck.” They eased to a stop, and Sasha pointed out the window. “There’s the dirt road.”
Dylan turned. “Too bad you distracted me from that book on the vampires of New England. I’m dying to know why they’re all up here in Maine now.”
“It could be the sparse population.”
“Seems counterintuitive, though. I mean, if you’ve got to feed on people, wouldn’t you want more of them?”
Sasha snorted. “Only if you want them banding together in an angry mob when they get tired of you eating them.”
“I guess. Where do you think Adam gets…food?”
“I don’t know.” Her stomach flip-flopped. “Some vampires have willing servants or partners who provide blood. Others survive on animals, for a time. But there are some who hunt.”
“Sasha.” He reached out, and this time his touch was obviously meant to soothe. “Gavin wouldn’t send us out here without warning if his friend was likely to take a bite out of either of us.”
“I know that. But sometimes…” It was a fear she hadn’t dared voice. “Sometimes I wonder if Gavin has forgotten what it’s like out here, Dylan. In the world beyond Red Rock Pass.”
He didn’t deny it. The SUV slowed a little, and he chanced a glance at her. “I think sometimes he does. I think a lot of the pack does.”
“That’s not bad, but it makes me worry about him and Sam, both.”
“I know. But they’ve got Keith and Joe. And Abby and Brynn may not know the supernatural stuff, but Abby’s tough enough to help Sam, and Brynn’s seen the not-so-pretty side of the world.”
Her throat ached. “And what about you?”
Dylan’s smile was a little too fast to be real. “I can lure pretty witches into town. And fix up houses.”
She couldn’t bring herself to return the expression. “You’re happy there.”
“I was happier there. It wasn’t saying much.” His thumb brushed over her wrist. “I’m happy with you.”
His words and touch suffused her with the same warmth that had grown between them since they’d made love. She wanted to take the chance, to ask him if he’d consider spending time someplace besides Red Rock, but the words died on her tongue. It wouldn’t be fair of him to ask her to stay, and it wouldn’t be fair of her to ask him to leave.
They were at an impasse. “I’m happy with you too, Dylan.”
“Good.” Dylan returned his hand to the wheel as the rows of pine trees on either side of the road grew markedly closer together. “I guess it’s a good thing there’s only one person out here. I don’t think two cars could pass each other on this road.”
They drove in silence until a final bend in the road revealed a small, old-fashioned log cabin surrounded by rose bushes. Next to it sat a beat-up old truck with enough grass growing around the wheels to make it clear it hadn’t moved in a while. The windows of the cabin were covered in thick black curtains that
made it impossible to see inside. “This must be it,” Sasha murmured.
Dylan pulled the SUV to a careful stop twenty paces from the cabin and studied it through narrowed eyes. “No sunlight. Can vampires go out in the sunlight?”
“I guess. Some, anyway.”
“Some? It’s not a yes-or-no answer?”
“I don’t know.” Helplessness rose inside her. “I’m not an expert, not about vampires or—or anything else.”
Dylan threw the vehicle into park and swore softly before reaching for her. “I’m sorry, Sasha. You don’t need to be an expert. I’m just being an ass.”
“No, I should know these things.” Maybe she would, if she’d ever considered that Maritza wouldn’t be around forever. That she’d be on her own one day. “I think it’s tied to strength. The frailer they are, the less able they are to stand the sunlight. I think.”
“Then maybe the curtains are a good sign for us.” He leaned in to kiss her. “Are you ready?”
“Hey.” She caught his mouth, this time in a longer kiss. “He’s a friend of Gavin’s. It’s fine.”
They made their way up to the door, and Dylan edged in front of her as he knocked on the scarred wood.
The door jerked open a few inches before Dylan’s fist landed a third time. A face appeared, a man with rugged features and a tight expression that made him look threatening. His gaze jumped to her for several seconds, then returned to Dylan.
The man studied them in silence so long she wanted to turn and leave. Then his eyes narrowed. “You one of Francis’s wolves?”
Even Sasha could tell there was a wrong answer. Dylan moved to put himself more squarely in front of her before he answered. “Don’t know a Francis, so I guess no.”
“Gavin Hamilton sent us.” Sasha had to peer around Dylan to speak. “From Montana. He’s been trying to reach you.”
“That so?” The suspicion didn’t leave his voice. If anything, it grew sharper. “He still hiding away in his mountain with Sabrina?”
