Wolf on a Mission: Salvation Pack, Book 6

by N. J. Walters

  “No matter what happens,” Reece told him, “we’re in this together.”

  “Together.” The bond between them was one that would never be broken.

  * * * * *

  Sue stared at the bedside clock in frustration. She’d gone to bed early because she was so tired after not sleeping last night. She’d slept great for the first couple of hours, but then she’d woken and couldn’t get back to sleep.

  Giving up for the moment, she rolled out of bed. She checked on Billy and then wandered into the kitchen. She thought about a cup of chamomile tea but decided it was too hot for tea. Instead, she got herself a glass of water and peered out the window.

  She could almost hear the laughter and smell the fish sizzling hot from the barbecue. She’d had fun and so had her son. Elias and his nephews hadn’t stayed long after they’d eaten. On one hand, she was grateful. On the other, she’s missed them almost as soon as they’d left.

  It wasn’t smart to get so attached to people just passing through. She hadn’t allowed herself to get too attached to anyone these past few years. Not since Anny left and the problems started with her parents.

  She’d isolated herself. Oh, she saw plenty of people every day at the diner, but the conversation was superficial at best. Ever since she’d buried her father, she’d been pulling away from life.

  That wasn’t healthy. Not for her or her son. What kind of example was she setting for him?

  Sue set her glass down on the kitchen counter and wandered over to the back door. She unlocked it and stepped out onto the porch. She ignored the chairs on the deck and sat on the steps instead.

  It was still warm, the heat from the day still clinging to the land. There was no breeze at all, nothing to break the wall of warmth. She didn’t mind. She liked the heat. What she didn’t like was being cold in the winter.

  She didn’t do this enough. Just sit out and enjoy a quiet summer evening. The stars were lovely and the moon was more than half full.

  The hoot of an owl startled her. Heart pounding, she managed to laugh. It was isolated out here on the edge of town, but she was starting to like it. There was something about nature that was healing.

  It was better than living near the childhood home she’d had to sell. This was a fresh start for both her and Billy. She’d thought about moving, but she honestly didn’t know where she’d go. Salvation was home.

  Her plan was to save up enough money for a down payment on a small house, one for which she could afford to pay the mortgage and upkeep. Maybe she’d even ask Anny about buying this one. There’d been no interest in it, so the asking price might be within her budget.

  There was no sound, but Sue knew she was no longer alone. It was the absence of sound that alerted her. The insects went quiet. The trees seemed to take a deep breath and hold it. A shiver raced down her spine and goose bumps rose on her arms.

  Sue jumped to her feet and had one hand on the door handle when he spoke. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  With one hand over her racing heart, she whirled around. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. Was he stalking her?

  Elias stepped into the yard and into a patch of moonlight. She could see his skin glistening. “I was out for a run and saw you sitting out back. Is anything wrong?”

  “I don’t know. Is there?” Common sense was urging her to go inside and shut the door, but instinct told her that Elias would never hurt her.

  He held up his hands in front of him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come out this way. In my defense, I hadn’t planned on it. My feet just brought me in this direction.” He shoved a lock of hair out of his face. “Don’t let me drive you inside. Don’t let me spoil the night for you.”

  Maybe it was the dark. Maybe it was her wayward hormones, but she released her hold of the door handle and returned to her seat on the steps. She was wearing a nightgown and was decently covered, but the fact she was naked under the thin fabric made her very aware of her body. She felt daring and sexy and alive.

  Elias stepped closer but didn’t join her. She knew he wouldn’t unless invited, so she patted the step beside her.

  The way he prowled toward her set her heart racing. His eyes seemed to reflect the light, which was impossible. It had to be a trick of the moonlight. She shivered and goose bumps raced down her arms.

  He was wearing nothing but running shorts and a pair of sneakers. She’d seen him shirtless the first time they’d met, but it felt different tonight. Then, she’d worried about him being a threat. Now, she was very aware of him as a man.

  His shoulders were broad, his biceps well defined. And his stomach was like something out of a men’s health magazine. His pecs were sculpted, his abs slabs of muscle.

  He smelled good too. Earthy and slightly sweaty. Not a smell she’d normally associate with sexy, but it worked on Elias.

  Sue was very aware of his large body next to hers. It would be so easy to reach out and touch his warm skin, to run her hands over his wide chest.

  She self-consciously tugged on the hem of her nightgown, even though it already covered her knees. The tense silence grew between them until she couldn’t handle it any longer. “What do you do for a living?” she blurted.

  Elias sat forward and rested his forearms on his thighs. “My brother and I ran our own construction company. I sold it after he died. I didn’t want to do it without him.”

  “I’m so sorry.” The last thing she’d wanted was to bring up such terrible memories for him.

  “It’s okay. I liked what we did, but it was more Everett’s dream than mine.”

  “What will you do now?” She really wanted to know. “What are your dreams?”

  “Damned if I know. My priority right now is Sage and Reece.” He turned his head and met her gaze. “You understand.”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I do. With my folks gone, Billy is my priority.”

  “What do you do for a living?” he asked. He gave her a smile that made her want to sigh even as it made her insides quiver. “Even though we’ve eaten together twice, I still don’t know.”

  She laughed in spite of her growing arousal. It was easy to talk to Elias here in the dark. Maybe it was because he was a stranger. Maybe it was simply because he was Elias.

  “I’m a waitress. I work at the diner in town.”

  His smile widened. “I knew it you had experience waitressing. The way you handle a tray is a dead giveaway.”

  She shrugged, feeling as though she should apologize for not having a better job. She hadn’t felt this way in a long time. She’d sacrificed her own education to help pay for her ex-husband’s, and then Billy had come along and there’d been no time or money for her to pursue it. “It pays the bills.”

  “Hey.” He caught her chin in his hand when she started to turn away. “It’s an honest job and it provides for your son. You’re an amazing woman, Sue Walsh. What you’ve been through would have crushed a lot of people, but you’re still open enough to invite wayward strangers into your life.”

  “I’m not so brave.” She couldn’t allow him to think she was. “I wanted to turn you all away and lock the door.”

  “But you didn’t,” he pointed out. “That makes you incredibly courageous.” Then Elias slowly leaned forward.

  He was going to kiss her. She knew it and almost panicked. Did she want him to kiss her? Should she stop him?

  Then it was too late. His lips touched hers. It was the lightest touch, barely grazing. She sucked in a breath and leaned forward, deepening the contact.

  The tingling in her lips spread to her entire body. Her nipples puckered and a low throb began between her legs.

  He ran his tongue along her lower lip. She moaned and when she parted her lips, he slid his tongue inside. Sue put her hands on his chest for support. Her bones were melting beneath the onslaught of his kiss.

 
His skin was hot beneath her hands, and his heart thundered against her palm.

  When had she last felt this alive? Never in her life had a man kissed her in such a delicious way.

  He ran his fingers through her hair and cupped the side of her face, tilting her slightly so he could deepen the penetration. She sucked on his tongue, wringing a deep groan from him.

  She couldn’t remember ever being this aroused. She wanted to rub her entire body over his. He pulled her closer, and she slid her hands up his chest and around his neck. Everything about him was hard, except for his lips. His mouth was soft but firm. Coaxing instead of demanding.

  She wasn’t the type of woman to have a fling, but whatever was happening between her and Elias didn’t feel wrong. Their tongues dueled and he ran his hand down the length of her spine. She arched into his touch.

  When the kiss ended, they were both breathless. He rested his forehead against hers. “Sue?”

  She knew what he was asking. She might not be experienced, her only lover being her ex-husband, but she wasn’t naïve. One word from her and they’d end up in bed. As much as she wanted Elias, her son was her main concern. “Billy,” she began.

  “Shh.” He kissed her again, slowly sipping at her lips until she was lost. “We don’t need to go inside. Just let me touch you a little more. Hold you a bit longer.”

  The underlying need in his plea tugged at something deep inside her. He needed her as much as she needed him. Maybe it was nothing more than physical contact. They’d both been through so much in the past months, and it was only human to reach out to a kindred soul for comfort.

  It couldn’t be more than that. She had Billy and he had Sage and Reece, the wolf who seemed to be as much family to him as his nephew. They were passing through and she was firmly planted here.

  But tonight, none of that mattered. Tonight, she wanted to feel his strong arms around her, wanted his touch. She wanted him to kiss her and make her forget all the nights of loneliness she’d lived through over the years. Tonight, she wanted to remember what it was like to feel like an attractive, desirable woman.

  She cupped his face and the stubble on his jaw tickled her palm. He stared at her, his eyes dark and mysterious. “Yes,” she told him. Then she leaned inward and kissed him.

  Chapter Eight

  Elias knew he had to be dreaming. Nothing else could explain how he’d come to be sitting on Sue’s porch steps kissing her. She nipped at his bottom lip and he groaned when she soothed the small sting with her tongue.

  This was no dream. The woman kissing him was very real.

  He should walk away from her. That would be the sensible thing to do, the gentlemanly thing. But he was a wolf, first and foremost, and there was no way in hell he could leave Sue without tasting her, without knowing what it felt like to have her coming apart in his hands.

  Still, a part of him knew this was dangerous. He didn’t want to hurt her, and making love with her and then leaving would certainly do that. Her hesitation and her devotion to her son were sure signs she didn’t make a habit of inviting strangers into her bed.

  The magnitude of her gift would have brought him to his knees if he hadn’t already been sitting down. He wouldn’t go all the way. That was as much for her as it was for him. If he had her, he might not be able to let her go. And as much as he might want her, a long-term relationship between them was impossible. He was a full-blooded werewolf and she was human.

  But they had this moment. They had tonight. It would probably haunt him the rest of his days, but he didn’t care. Some deep instinct compelled him to touch her, to take what she offered. His wolf rolled around inside him in sheer ecstasy at her touch. And all she was doing was kissing him.

  He was in big trouble, and he didn’t care.

  She eased back. “Sage?” she asked.

  “Sleeping. Reece is with him.” It touched him deeply that she cared enough to be concerned about his nephew. “I can’t stay long,” he warned. He didn’t want to be the kind of man who made love to a woman and then left, but he really had no choice.

  “It’s okay.” She caught his face between her hands, and he could see the understanding there. “It’s okay. We’re two lost souls and we both need this.”

  That summed it up nicely. Except he didn’t feel lost when he was with her. He felt found.

  He didn’t want to talk any more. Didn’t want to think about tomorrow or consequences. He just wanted to feel.

  He threaded his fingers through her hair and kissed her. She opened to him, accepting him. But she didn’t know the real him, did she? Would she open so freely if she knew what he was?

  His wolf was restless, but he ignored that part of his nature. He had to keep control of himself. No way did he want to do anything that might frighten Sue.

  Her touch was gentle. Such small, capable hands. She was no stranger to hard work or tragedy. That made her all the more attractive to him. She was strong and courageous. That appealed to both sides of his nature.

  He sank into the heat of her mouth, tasting and teasing until he drew a low moan of pleasure from her. His cock, which was already threatening to burst free of his shorts, hardened even more.

  He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted Sue.

  But he couldn’t have her.

  Anger threatened to overpower him and the moment, but he shoved it aside. He had her here now. He could touch and taste her. Bring her pleasure. That had to be enough.

  “Elias.” She’d caught his hesitation and he now heard the same in her voice. If he didn’t get a hold of himself, he was going to ruin the moment.

  “Shh.” He lifted her off the step and sideways onto his lap. Her hip pressed against his erection and he gritted his teeth to keep from coming. He hadn’t had a woman in a long time, and Sue was pure temptation.

  The straps of her nightgown were thin. Barely enough to hold the garment up. He slid his fingers under one of them, caressing her bare flesh. She caught her breath but didn’t stop him.

  “You’re so soft,” he murmured. He pushed the strap off her shoulder and then went to the other one and did the same. She was watching him with those big blue eyes of hers. Like a cautious doe in the presence of an unknown predator, he could tell she wasn’t quite sure if she should stay or run.

  He leaned down and kissed her collarbone. So delicate. So fragile. He nuzzled the thin material lower until it fell to her waist. “You are beautiful.” Her breasts were full and firm. He had to taste them.

  Elias cupped one generous mound in his hand and thumbed the already taut nipple. She sucked in a breath and squirmed on his lap. The pressure of her hip pressed against his cock was the most pleasurable torture imaginable.

  He ran his tongue around the tip of her breast before flicking the tight bud. Sue grasped his head, sliding her fingers over his scalp, and tugged him closer.

  He wanted to howl with pleasure at the slight sting of her nails as she held him. He growled and shifted his attention to her other breast. It was just as juicy and plump as the first one. He laved the puckered nub and then sucked it between his lips. Her entire body jolted.

  “That feels so good.” Tension invaded her voice. He inhaled and scented her arousal over the perfume of the soap she’d used in her shower. It was sweeter and far more alluring than any man-made fragrance could ever hope to be.

  Sue ran her hands over his chest and shoulders as he continued to caress and touch her breasts. Her breathing got faster and shorter. He slid one hand over her hip, all the way to the hem of the gown she wore.

  She stilled when he pushed his hand beneath the garment.

  “Do you want me to stop?” It was one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but he made himself ask. If she didn’t want him to continue, he’d wouldn’t.

  Sue was poised on the edge of orgasm. She was half-naked, her nightgown bunched around her
waist, her nipples damp from his attention. She might live far outside of town, but there was always the slight possibility that someone might see them.

  On the other hand, there was something freeing about having her breasts bared to the night and to Elias. It seemed silly and juvenile to worry about going further at this point.

  Elias was very aroused. His cock was big and hard and throbbed against her hip. Yet he was willing to stop. She wished she could see him better, but the moonlight only offered her a limited view.

  His hand was poised at the edge of the hem of her gown, waiting for her decision. Instead of answering him, she reached down, wrapped her hand around his wrist and pushed it upward. His fingers caressed the inside of her thigh.

  He made a strangled sound in his throat and then growled. She shivered at the sound. It was primal and scary and sexy as hell at the same time.

  She wasn’t wearing any underwear, so his fingers met bare flesh when he reached the top of her leg. His entire body tensed and he shuddered.

  He lightly brushed his fingers over her mound. She groaned and parted her legs to allow him better access. It had been so long since a man had touched her there.

  She dug her nails into his shoulders when he nudged the slick folds apart and pressed one long finger inside her. He was the anchor in the sensual storm battering her senses.

  His cock twitched against her hip, a very blatant reminder that he was aroused too. She was being selfish, letting him do all the touching. Besides, she wanted to see him, to explore his body as he was hers.

  Sue reached down and slid her hand between them. The thin shorts were no barrier at all. She felt the heat and sheer size of him against her palm.

  “Christ.” He grabbed her hand and yanked it away. “You keep that up and I’m going to come.” His blunt words sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine. She liked that he was as affected by her as she was by him.

  “But I want you to come.” She felt daring and bold in the dark of the night.

  Elias growled again, the sound so much like a wild animal that it would have scared her senseless if she didn’t trust him. He moved, lifting her like she weighed nothing at all. He had her flat on her back on the deck with him sprawled between her legs in a heartbeat.