His cock swelled as he thought of taking her, sinking inside her for the very first time and he knew he had very little choice than to release some of the pressure if he was going to make it through the night with her in the same bed. He took himself in hand and tugged until he was rock hard, his erection straining for release. All he had to do was close his eyes and imagine her stretched out on the bed, completely naked, and at his mercy. He wanted to stroke every one of those curves, part her thighs and bury his head—
“Fuck.” He threw back his head and groaned as he ejaculated. A few hard twists of his wrist and he was spent.
Until he thought of her again.
He quickly washed his hair and rinsed away the shampoo and soap. Taking one of the less than luxurious hotel towels, he dried himself off and put on his underwear. She was damn lucky he’d had an extra pair in his luggage. When he was off the military clock, he usually went commando.
Making sure not to leave a mess—a habit ingrained in him not only by the military but his mother—he left the bathroom. She’d moved from the bed and was sitting at the table watching the news and the latest weather prediction. Snow, snow and more snow.
Surprise, surprise.
“About ready for bed?” His wolf jumped at the question, eager to feel her soft body against them.
“I, um…”
“Spit it out, sweetheart.”
“I thought I’d just take this and sleep in the chair tonight.” She’d found an extra blanket in the closet and now clutched the folded bundle to her chest.
“I don’t think so.” He took the few steps he needed to bring him next to her and pulled the blanket from her hands. Or tried to. She had a surprisingly tight hold on it, and he didn’t want to hurt her by yanking too hard. “Let go, Julie.”
“No.”
This time, he did let his wolf smile as he bent his head until his eyes were level with hers. “Do you know what I do to little girls who misbehave?”
“No. And I’m not a little girl.” She snorted. “Far, far from it.”
Hunter felt a sudden overwhelming flare of anger at her ease in putting herself down. Without any trace of vanity, he knew that he could have had pretty much his pick of women. Hell, he had had his pick of women. He’d slept with some of the world’s most beautiful women, and he could have told Julie without lying that none compared to her.
“Oh, baby, you really shouldn’t have said that.” He leaned forward and took her mouth with a kiss that left her in no doubt who was the dominant in the room. He didn’t even have to use his tongue or his teeth to leave her a breathless mess of want. He pulled back a satisfied grin on his handsome face. “The next time I hear something like that come out this pretty mouth of yours, I will bend you over my knee and spank your beautiful ass until you beg me for mercy. And then, then, I’ll kiss every inch of it until you beg me to fuck you. Now get in the Goddamn bed.”
Julie did as he commanded, her limbs trembling, almost forgetting how to breathe. What in the world had possessed him to kiss her? And to say those things… She clenched her thighs together, hoping the stories she’d read about a shifter’s sense of smell were not true. Her pussy was wet with want.
Gathering her wits, she pulled the cover up to her chin and turned toward the edge of the bed. Unfortunately, it was the side next to the door, and she got another eyeful of his body as he checked the lock and padded back. She knew she’d never forget the picture he made walking around in only a pair of soft knit boxers. It was like having a real life male underwear model all to herself. The light went out, and she felt the bed dip as he sat on the edge, then lifted the covers and slid in beside her.
He didn’t speak, and Julie’s muscles started to ache from trying to hold herself away from him, or at least not relax against him. He was one big wolf, his shoulders taking up more than his fair share of the bed. This was what she’d wanted to avoid. All her lusty thoughts were flying around in her head. She shivered uncontrollably.
“Are you cold?” Hunter inquired softly.
Automatically her head moved in the direction of his voice, freezing abruptly when her cheek encountered his mouth and chin. Dang it, she hadn’t known he was that close. “A little.” She wasn’t lying exactly. She was cold but knew she’d warm up really fast with this wolf in her bed.
He edged the rest of his body closer, seeming to scorch her skin. She only had on an oversized sleep shirt so her legs were bare. All he wore was a pair of knit boxers. There didn’t seem to be any part of him that wasn’t touching her and filling her with dangerous longings.
Even as she had those tantalizing thoughts, the palm of his hand settled on the swell of her stomach and he was pulling her into his body, making her more fully aware of every muscular inch. And there was no mistaking that he was packing quite a few inches. “What are you doing?” she squeaked.
“Just making sure you’re warm enough.” The movement of his mouth against her cheek, so very close to the corner of her mouth froze her in place. Oh, heavens, was he about to kiss her again? And should she let him? She snorted silently to herself. What woman would want to stop Hunter McCall from kissing her?
Maybe a prude like herself? A woman insecure about her looks? It took everything in her not to snatch his hand away from her belly. Her round, soft belly that said more than anything else, she was packing some inches herself. Inches around her waist.
“Your feet are like ice cubes.”
Instinctively, she drew her toes away from the warmth of his legs. She didn’t remember putting them there.
“Leave them.” His leg moved trapping hers between his and tangling their feet together.
“But—”
“I’m a wolf, Julie. I don’t feel the cold like you do. Let me warm you up.”
Since it was nearly impossible to find a place for her feet where they wouldn’t touch him, she left them where they were.
His hand left her waist to brush the tangle of hair from her cheek.
“You’re trembling,” he accused gently.
“It’s nothing.”
His hand turned her in the bed until she was laying on her back, his body above hers. His mouth moved closer until they were breathing the same air. “It’s something if it’s making you tremble. Are you afraid of me?”
“No, of course not.” That was the first truth she’d told in the last minute and a half. She wasn’t afraid of him. She was afraid of what he was making her feel. How could she possibly tell him she wanted him to make love to her, to feel the caress of his hands and the warmth of his lips, his mouth—on every inch of her body? Her pussy grew wetter thinking of his mouth on her there. She’d never had a boyfriend who even hinted at wanting to share that with her. Or one she’d want doing that to her. There was nothing casual about that kind of intimacy.
“Hunter?” The aching whisper of his name was more revealing than she realized.
She felt the sudden stillness of his body. It was as if he’d stopped breathing. The light from around the window curtain allowed her to see his face. It was beautiful. Beautifully rugged. Unable to stop herself, she lifted her fingers and traced the line of his brows, down the slope of his noble nose, barely falling across his mouth. He moved his head slowly, closing the small space that still separated their mouths. Their lips.
Her soft belly rose and fell rapidly. She wanted his touch. She wanted him.
Hunter’s muscles tensed as her fingers continued to move along the side of his neck, tracing across his skin with the softest of touches. Wherever she touched him, his skin tingled. His wolf rumbled when she stroked the dip where his neck and shoulder met. Where a mate would mark him.
Mark, yes. His wolf wanted that.
And so did he.
That’s what gave him the strength to pull away.
“We can’t do this.” Not until he explained what mating was all about. And then, he wasn’t so sure. Hell, he spent most of his life traveling from one war-torn country to the next, putting his l
ife on the line to protect others. He wasn’t a wolf who was meant to have a mate. She was human so she wasn’t feeling the mating pull as deeply. She might want him, but she wasn’t experiencing the soul-consuming passion he was.
Hunter’s words couldn’t have been any colder than if Julie had landed face first in the snow. Ashamed and embarrassed at her wantonness, she spoke, “I, I don’t—didn’t—”
What was she supposed to say? She didn’t want him? That would be a bold-faced lie. That she knew he’d stopped because he realized he was about to make a colossal mistake?
She turned away from him and drew her knees up to her chest and curled up into a small ball on her side of the bed.
“Julie…”
“I’m warm now, Hunter. Go to sleep.”
Hunter cursed and turned on his back, resisting the urge to tunnel his fingers through her silky locks and pull her around to face him.
Instead, he stared at the textured ceiling of the hotel room, listening in the darkness as she tried to hide the fact that she was crying.
Crying because she thought he had rejected her.
He’d done anything but.
Chapter 8
“So what are we going to do today?” Julie was willing to do just about anything to get her mind off of her empty belly. She sat at the desk, playing with the deck of cards she’d found in the desk drawer. If this little adventure had taught her anything, it was to make sure she brought something entertaining with her on her next trip. How she wished she’d brought her laptop. She could get a lot of work done if she had. Instead of staring at the man who played a starring role in all her X-rated fantasies. Who needed pay-per-view when you had a sexy wolf shifter walking around in front of you wearing only a pair of jeans that he had somehow forgotten to fasten at the top.
“The first thing I need to do is find some more food.”
“I’m fine. I keep telling you that.” Julie prayed her stomach wouldn’t choose that moment to make a liar out of her and growl. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who is going to go a little hungry today.”
“No, but they aren’t my—”
She tilted her head to look at him. “Aren’t your what? Unwanted roommate?”
If only she knew, Hunter thought. She was anything but unwanted. And he certainly didn’t think of her as a roommate. Just mate.
“I’m going to take a run and see if anything’s open.” He rummaged through his duffel bag and came up with a black t-shirt that he quickly donned. Then he drew out a backpack that was the same drab olive color of the duffle bag.
“Are you going to shift?”
“Why, do you want to see my wolf?” The smile he gave her made her toes curl.
“Maybe.”
“Well, not today. Maybe later I’ll let my wolf come out to play.”
Hunter groaned inwardly at the scent of arousal that instantly filled the room. He stopped by her chair. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
She dipped her head, no doubt to hide her reddened cheeks. “I know, but I’ll worry about you.”
Hunter’s heart stuttered in his chest. When was the last time anyone had ever worried about him? Yeah, his team cared if something happened to him. They worried if he didn’t show at their rendezvous points during a mission. But it wasn’t the same as having a mate worry about your well-being. Having a mate worry about you was both exhilarating and crippling.
“Stay put,” he ordered lifting her head so he could place a brief, burning kiss on her pink lips. He didn’t give her a chance to respond, knowing if she said just one more thing, she’d have no doubt how he wanted to spend the rest of the day—buried balls deep in her pussy.
Julie touched her lips as Hunter slipped from the room. They hadn’t been awake long and the day stretched out before her. Deciding to take advantage of his absence, she filled the bathtub with hot, steaming water. She added one of the little bottles of conditioner. It wouldn’t make bubbles, but it would leave her skin soft and silky. Folding up a towel for a headrest, she stepped inside after making sure the door was locked. She did not want Hunter walking in on her with nothing to cover herself with but a wet washrag.
Settling into the hot water, she stretched out her legs and enjoyed the sensation of just being. Her job had gotten more difficult over the last year, and she sometimes regretted taking the promotion the company had offered. But, she was a single woman who had to support herself, and if she didn’t want to eat baked beans and bologna sandwiches in her old age, she needed a well-paying job.
Turning her brain off, she relaxed until the water started cooling down. Flipping the drain up, she waited until most of the water was gone before turning on the shower. Using the last bar of soap and the little bottle of shampoo the hotel had provided, she washed and rinsed her body and hair. As she did, she wondered what it would be like to take a shower with Hunter.
Her sexual experience could be written on the head of a pin with room left over. She wasn’t a virgin, but probably as damn near as you could get. She’d been with one man, a boy really, back in college. He’d been nice, nerdy, and seemed to like her, curves and all. She’d been curious, so she’d said yes one night when things had gone further than ever before.
To say she’d been disappointed would be an understatement. He was much better at the foreplay part than the actual act itself. She’d felt a brief moment of pain and then nothing else. He’d rolled off her and hurriedly zipped up his pants and left. They’d continued to see each other for a little while, neither mentioning what had happened. The end of the semester had brought the end of their relationship.
Sitting on the toilet, she used the hair dryer on the wall to dry her hair. It wasn’t very heavy duty, and she got tired quickly, leaving her hair still very damp. She slipped on the panties that she’d washed out the night before. She bet that had been a lovely sight for Hunter last night and this morning. Her sad, white cotton panties.
Opening the door, she listened carefully before she walked into the room. Grabbing her suitcase, she quickly dressed in a pair of jeans and sweater.
Once she was dressed, she pulled her hair into a ponytail and looked outside. The snow had stopped, but she still didn’t hear any traffic go by on the interstate. She debated turning on the news, but thought better of it. What could they tell her that she didn’t already know?
She was stuck here until the snow plows came their way.
Putting on her shoes, she pulled her coat on, making sure she had a door key, and braved the cold.
She laughed softly to herself, thinking how she’d cursed the white stuff just twenty-four hours ago and now… she drew in a deep breath, taking in the clean, crisp—cold—smell of the snow. It had formed a thick blanket of pure white over everything. It hung heavy on the tree branches and reminded her of the snows they’d had when she was little.
It didn’t take her long to reach the lobby. The first thing she did was ask for some more soap, shampoo, and conditioner. Surely they would be gone by tomorrow, but she wanted to be prepared. And who knew, maybe Hunter had to bathe every time he shifted? She really wished he’d shift for her. She’d love to see his wolf. Her knowledge of the shifter world was limited.
She made her way through the surprising number of people congregating in the lobby. Maybe everyone was getting tired of each other’s company. She’d want nothing more than to spend the day wrapped in Hunter’s arms.
Deciding she didn’t want her own company just yet, she said hi to a couple with two young children. She took an empty seat beside them and decided to make the best of the bad situation.
Almost two hours later, Hunter came into the lobby, shaking off the snow from his coat. In his hand was the backpack he’d taken with him, now full and plump.
He started toward the registration desk, then stopped, his eyes searching the area. When his gaze stopped on her, she realized he had scented her when he’d entered the room. His eyes narrowed when he saw the man sitting beside her. Her game of War w
ith the two young children had given way to a game of poker with another woman and two men.
She divided her attention between her cards and what Hunter was doing at the front desk. An older gentleman was working, probably the owner of the hotel. They exchanged a few words and then he was shaking Hunter’s hand with a great deal of enthusiasm. Hunter handed him the backpack, keeping a smaller plastic bag for himself as he turned away.
He was watching her, she could tell. Watching her every move. Suddenly she felt like an animal being stalked by a predator. A big, bad wolf ready to pounce and devour her.
“Are you cold?” The man beside her smiled. He wasn’t bad looking, about her same age and in other circumstances she would probably have been charmed at the attention he was paying her… but he wasn’t Hunter so she really didn’t want the attention.
“No, I’m fine.” She resisted the urge to rub her arms. It was slightly chilly in here, the hotel’s heating system not quite keeping up with the cold outside.
Julie tried to concentrate on her hand. She’d played poker before with some of her friends in college. She’d relied more on her luck than her skill. Right now, she knew she needed all the luck she could get because Hunter was distracting as hell.
Julie laid down her cards, tossing in her hand as Hunter got closer. She smiled at the people and got up to meet him halfway.
“So what did you do, buy everything in the store?”
“No, just what I could carry.”
“And then you gave it to the manager.” It was a statement more than a question.
“I doubt if anyone else could have made the trip.” He wasn’t bragging, just stating a simple fact. He was a wolf shifter, and he was bigger and better than his human counterparts.
Alphas for the Holidays Page 105
