“Cain, Cain, Cain.”
His name became a chant. He changed positions so his cock was nudging at her entrance.
“Wait, stop,” she cried.
He stilled.
“Condom.”
“Shit, sorry.”
He jumped up then strode from the room. When he returned, his shaft was covered in latex, his gaze intense.
Then he was above her, in her, driving deep. Over and over, at a pace that never faltered.
“You’re killing me,” she moaned.
“No, baby, I’m showing you why you should want to live.”
Faster, stronger, he built them up together until she was so close she swore she could taste her pleasure.
“Come now.”
Her womb clenched and release broke over her, sweeping her away. Bucking hard, her world swirled before slamming into place. He let out a shout as he stilled then came.
She drifted, her body shuddering with the intensity of her orgasm. She came back to reality to find Cain above her, grinning.
Panting, he rolled off her. Dusty turned toward him and waited for him to say something.
He didn’t move. Just lay on his back staring up at the ceiling.
“Cain?”
He grunted.
She frowned. “You going to get out of my bed so I can sleep or what?” She rolled away from him, hoping she’d sounded nonchalant rather than hurt. A sigh shook the bed and he rose, moving into the bathroom. Dusty bit her lip, determined not to cry. She stiffened in surprise when he returned quickly and climbed into bed, pulling her up against him.
“What are you doing?” she asked as he turned her, holding her tight against his warm chest. “Aren’t you going back to your own room?”
“Nope, I was just getting rid of the condom. I’m sleeping here, with you.”
Dusty tried to shove herself away. She didn’t want his pity.
“Lie still.”
“No.” She was thoroughly irritated by how easily he held her. “I don’t want you here. Get out.”
“Yes, you do. You need this, Dusty, and so do I.”
“Bullshit. I don’t do this.” She waved her hand over them.
“What? Naked?” he asked, his voice amused. “You usually have sex fully clothed?”
“Urgh, I don’t do this— This holding thing after sex.”
“Holding thing? It’s called cuddling. And you most definitely do it, with me.”
“Bastard. Leave me alone.”
“Relax. I’m sorry I didn’t hold you straight away. I was caught up in my own thoughts. Ahh, baby. You are so beautiful. You felt like hot silk wrapping around me. Look at you, your face is flushed, your eyes sparkling—simply gorgeous. You are so special, Dusty. You know that, don’t you?”
“Those lines ever work on your other women?” she sneered, or at least she tried to, her voice was a little shakier than she would have liked.
“No, baby.” His large palm cupped her cheek, turning her face up so he could stare into her eyes. “Just you. Only you.” Rolling her onto her back, he kissed her. “Only you.”
This time when he drew her into his arms, she went without a word of protest. After all, he’d pretty much stolen her breath.
*
“Did Tina say why Cooper called a meeting?” Dusty asked, holding back a wince as the truck ran over a particularly bumpy patch in the road, jolting her thigh. Between the nightmare and sex, she’d gotten little sleep last night and she was feeling decidedly grumpy this morning.
Cain stared over at her sharply. “No. It’s not surprising though. We need to talk over what happened yesterday, come up with some sort of plan.”
He slowed down a gear as she grimaced.
“I’m fine,” she snapped.
He merely stared back at her calmly. “And if I slow down and take the bumps easier you’ll feel even better,” he stated.
“Look, I don’t expect you to treat me any differently from anyone else. Got it?”
“But you are different from everyone else. You are mine. This is not going to be a repeat of last time. I am not going to hide what happened and I am not going to let you either.”
“We’re not mates.”
He stared at her sternly. “Because you won’t agree to it. Yet.”
“I’m different now. What if I can’t go back to who I was? Would you still want me?” She tensed, waiting.
His answer was immediate. “I’d have you any way I could take you. I don’t care if you’re an enforcer, a housewife or head of the damn social committee. None of that matters to me as long as you’re happy.”
Her insides melted and tears pricked her eyes.
“I don’t deserve you.”
He snorted.
“I don’t,” she insisted. “I was selfish. I pushed you away. I’m still pushing you away.”
“So stop,” he said simply.
“I don’t know if I can. I don’t know if I can let you in.” She paused and took a deep breath. “I know what male werewolves are like with their mates. The slightest hint of danger and they become crazy. I won’t be smothered. I won’t be treated as though I’m weak.”
“So you think Laney is weak?”
She frowned. “No, but she’s not an enforcer.” Well, neither am I anymore.
“No, but she’s strong, a fighter. And she doesn’t think letting Cooper look after her weakens her. You’ve seen how protective he is. Yet they maintain a balance that satisfies them both. It’s not impossible. I like your strength. The fact that you can take care of yourself is something I admire. Being with me does not mean giving up who you are.”
“I’ve already lost who I am.”
“You’ll find yourself again.”
Will I?
“I tell you what, we’ll compromise. When your leg heals and you go back to being an enforcer, I’ll stand back and let you do what you have to do. Then after, when I get you home, I’ll tie you up, strip you naked and show you how very bossy and possessive I can be.”
She bit her lip as her pussy contracted in response.
“That’s crazy,” she said breathlessly.
“Makes you hot though, doesn’t it? I want you, Dusty. Forever. As my mate. And I will do anything to have you. Anything. If that means waiting until you figure out you can trust me not to hurt you or change you, then so be it. You promise not to run from me again, and I promise not to pressure you into anything you’re not ready for.”
Her breath caught. Was she really going to do this? She wanted him more with every breath. Still, she owed him the truth. Well, some of it.
She couldn’t bring herself to tell him everything. Not yet.
“I was attracted to someone else,” she blurted out. “That night at Samson’s, I met this guy and I was interested in him. I didn’t have sex with him, but I might have if he hadn’t stopped me. There, does that make you feel any different? I bet that changes your mind about me.”
Part of her was horrified as the words spilled from her mouth. What was she thinking? She’d surely just ruined any chance of a future with him.
She waited for him to lash out. She expected the cab to fill with hate and loathing, and who could blame him? He’d offered her everything and she was throwing it back in his face.
Cain’s hands tightened on the steering wheel before he relaxed them. When he turned to look at her, he appeared calm except for the muscle twitching violently in his cheek.
“Do you plan on seeing him again?” he asked. The tension in the truck was almost too thick to breathe through.
“What? No, he was a complete stranger, why would I want to see him again?”
“I won’t lie. I want to kill him. I want to fuck you until you forget your own name, let alone his.”
Her clit throbbed in response.
“But we’ve both slept with other people. That is the past. The future is what is important. Now, if you were to sleep with someone else tonight that would be a different story. But
you aren’t going to do that, are you, Dusty?”
She looked at him warily, hearing the steel running through his words. “No.”
“Good. Then like I said, the past is the past. We need to concentrate on now.”
Dusty took a deep breath, amazed by how forgiving he was being. If the tables were reversed, she was pretty sure she’d be going for his balls.
“If I do something you don’t like, tell me, fight with me. But I can’t let things go back to the way they were.”
“What about if we have sex without protection and we’re not true mates?” She remembered Cassie’s words, her worry that Jay would one day find his true mate.
They pulled up outside the meeting house and Cain turned to her, his face serious and so very gorgeous.
“You’re worried about that?” he asked incredulously. “Dusty, I know better than to ignore or deny what my wolf tells me. And he knows that you’re mine—true link or not. You. Are. Mine. I’m willing to go as slow as you need, so long as you don’t pull away from me. Meet me halfway, Dusty.”
She ran her hand down his cheek, using her fingers to caress his scar lightly. “I don’t let people close to me.”
“Not true, honey,” he argued with her. “You let Laney close, and Cassie, although I don’t know why she puts up with you.”
Her lips twitched. “She loves me, secretly, deep down. I really don’t want to lose who I am.”
What little she had left, anyway.
“I don’t want that either, Dusty. I want to make you stronger. I want to show you that you can be yourself and still be with me.”
She couldn’t turn him away again, not with all the regrets she had from doing it the first time. They’d fight. They were both so stubborn it was a given. But the make-up sex would be incredible. Cassie was right. It was time to stop sitting around and moping. It was time she took back some control over her life. She’d nearly died twice in the last month. Life was too short to live without him.
Goddamn, she hated when other people were right and she was wrong.
Cain was hers.
Cain sighed and she glanced up to see Rye walking out of the house, gesturing for them to come inside.
“We have to go in,” he said. He grabbed her hand. “Stay with me. Give us a go.”
“All right. But if you try to order me around or smother me I’ll kick your ass.”
“Ahh, Dusty, I’d expect nothing else.”
Dusty limped into the pack’s meeting house. Originally, Cooper and Laney had lived here. But when they’d built a larger home, this cabin had been turned into a headquarters for the pack enforcers.
They were the last to arrive, not surprising given how slowly Cain had driven. Dusty nodded as she passed Rye. She took a seat on the end of the sofa next to Marcus, Laney’s middle brother.
“Hey, Marcus,” she greeted him.
He grunted in reply, but she didn’t take it personally. She’d always thought his temperament was more suited to a bear than a wolf. He was nearly always grouchy, had little patience and occasionally liked to roar. He was also built like a pro wrestler. His earrings glinted as he nodded to Cain, who walked across the room to lean against the wall behind them.
Laney settled herself between Marcus and Dusty. Dark circles bruised the skin under her eyes. Jesse sat on the sofa across from them, his green eyes somber as he stared around the room. He looked exhausted. She was worried about him but didn’t know how to approach him. Years ago they’d been so close she wouldn’t even have hesitated. But since he’d mated that bitch Samantha he’d withdrawn from their friendship.
Dusty sighed. There wasn’t much she could do about it. Samantha might be a cow, and Dusty felt suspicious of the look on her face last night as she’d stared at Laney, but she was still Jesse’s mate. Dusty knew Jesse wouldn’t welcome any criticism of her, so she’d bite her tongue. For now.
Tina, the only other female enforcer, sat beside him, while Liam, the youngest, sat at the other end. Josiah winked at her from the corner of the room.
She bit back her smile.
“I don’t need to explain why I called you all here.” Cooper paced up and down the room, his fury clearly palpable.
“Cooper…” Laney’s voice dropped off as Cooper turned to her, anger etched so clearly into his face that Dusty lowered her eyes in submission.
“Don’t even think about talking me out of my rage. Someone tried to kill you. I don’t want you leaving our house without a guard. And Dusty, stop looking so guilty. This wasn’t anyone’s fault except for that bastard with the gun.”
“If I hadn’t called Cassie—”
“She was going into town anyway,” Cooper interrupted her impatiently.
Laney swallowed heavily before she spoke again. “They were after me. I should never have given her my car.”
“Guilt is a selfish emotion,” Marcus snapped, startling them both. “Give it up. We need to think about protecting Laney. I agree. No leaving the house without at least one enforcer.”
“I don’t want anyone leaving the estate alone,” Cooper interjected. “I know I’ve been encouraging us to move around in the human world, but I can’t risk the pack’s safety. Whoever is doing this obviously doesn’t care who they hurt.”
“But—” Laney started.
“Don’t,” Cooper snapped, turning to glare at his mate. “I don’t want to hear how I’m being overprotective or smothering you. You will do as you’re told.”
Dusty held back a flinch at his harsh tone. Laney squared her shoulders and spoke calmly. “All I was going to say was that we can’t go on this way forever. We need a plan to draw them out.”
“With you as bait, I suppose,” Rye spoke coldly from across the room, his blue eyes glacial as he stared at his younger sister.
“Perhaps.”
“No,” snapped Rye and Cooper.
“We need to do something though,” Josiah said. He was of slighter build than most of the other male enforcers. Those who didn’t know him often dismissed him as a threat. They quickly learned their mistake.
“We could fake it.”
Everyone turned to stare at Cain.
“What do you mean?” Rye asked.
“We could set up a trap,” Cain said calmly. “Make it look like Laney was going to be somewhere, when instead she’d be here and protected, and we’d be there to catch these bastards.”
The room went silent.
Finally, Cooper spoke. “I want plans, ideas. Hopefully, we can find these guys without having to implement such a plan, but we need to be prepared. In the meantime we’re on high alert. No one leaves the estate alone. Rye will give you your assignments.”
Cooper strode over to Laney and held out his hand. Laney sighed, but when Cooper pulled her into his arms he was gentle, and Dusty heard him whisper how much he loved her. It took all of Dusty’s control not to turn around and stare at Cain.
It was the kind of relationship she’d never thought she’d have, yet now she wanted it with a vengeance.
She might not deserve him, but she was too selfish to let him go. She was going to live for now, she was going with her gut.
And her gut told her that she was meant to be with this bossy, sexy werewolf.
And if the image of a golden-haired, wickedly annoying man entered her head now and then she’d ignore him. Cain was hers.
She didn’t need anyone else.
Chapter Five
Dusty groaned as she looked out the front window of Cain’s place and saw a red sports car pull up outside. A petite brunette with long, straight hair climbed gracefully from the car.
“Great, that’s the last thing I need.”
Briefly she debated hiding, pretending she wasn’t home. But it smacked too much of cowardice. And she wasn’t scared.
Just annoyed.
With a sigh of impatience, Dusty opened the front door before Samantha could knock.
“What do you want?” she asked grumpily. No one said
she had to be polite.
Anger flared briefly in Samantha’s glacial blue eyes. But she quickly smothered it, a fake smile crossing her face. She was impeccably dressed as usual. Not a hair out of place. Designer jeans paired with a loose leopard-print top and four-inch heels. She carried a covered cane basket in her hand.
“Hello, Dusty. How are you?” she asked, her voice sickly sweet.
Dusty knew she didn’t care. Samantha didn’t care about anyone but herself and why Jesse couldn’t see it, Dusty had no idea. It wasn’t as if she hid it well.
“Fine,” Dusty said shortly. “What are you doing here? Cain’s not here.”
And why is Samantha visiting Cain? Dusty wondered with a flare of jealousy. She tamped it down.
“Oh I didn’t come to see Cain, silly, I came to see you. May I come in?”
Dusty smiled as she envisioned slamming the door in Samantha’s face. But she supposed she better find out what the stupid woman wanted.
“Sure,” she said, stepping back so the other woman could walk inside.
“I baked you some muffins,” Samantha said, holding up the basket in her hand. “I wasn’t sure what kind you liked so I made a few different kinds.”
She followed behind Samantha, watching as the other woman peered around nosily. Dusty’s stomach untangled as she realized Samantha wasn’t acting as though she’d been here before.
“It’s a lovely house, isn’t it? Although I’m sure you’ll want to make your mark, claim it.”
“It’s fine the way it is.” Dusty didn’t invite her to sit. As far as she was concerned this wasn’t a social call.
“How’d you know I was here?”
“Jesse said you’d gone home with Cain after the meeting two days ago, so when I went to your place and you weren’t there, well, I put my detective skills to work and here I am.”
Some detective work, Dusty thought sourly. Obviously the gossip mill was working overtime.
“I thought I would offer you my help.”
Dusty looked at her in confusion. “With what?”
“Well, with learning how to take care of Cain, of course. I know you’re not used to doing housework or cooking. I mean, it’s not like you can do anything else, can you?”
Don’t get angry, don’t give her the satisfaction.
Dual Embrace: 3 (Shadowpeak Wolves) Page 7
