by Eliza Gayle
“We have to go back. If we don’t then I am expected to carry out my orders.” His voice lowered. “I heard you out and I’m taking a huge risk on you, now you need to do the same for me.”
“I should have listened to my instincts.”
“What? And kill me? Is that what you still want? Look at me, damn it.” She reluctantly turned her head. “There’s something going on between us.”
“Yeah, we were on our way to sex, big deal.”
“Neither of us really wants to kill the other. At least not yet, but tempt me again with another statement like that and you might just get what you expect.”
“So says you. Now that I have three of you to contend with, killing is sounding like a pretty damn good idea.”
Kane sighed. “We have to find out what happened. Both our futures depend on it now.”
Lara sat down hard on the corner of the bed and put her head in her hands. Not five minutes ago she’d been about to fuck him and probably enjoy every damned second of it. Now she fought some inner demon wanting her to find her way to freedom any way she could. Her flight or fight instinct didn’t say anything about going along for the ride.
“What’s to say someone won’t shoot me dead as soon as I walk back onto clan land?”
“No one, and I mean no one, would dare cross me like that. No clan member wants to be marked for death by me.”
The way he said those words, with the hostility shining in his eyes, sent chills down her spine. The pure malice in his tone even frightened her. Until now she had pretty much mocked the whole black cougar myth. Now she wondered if she hadn’t thought it through completely.
“Why do we need to go back? Why can’t I stay here while you investigate?”
“It’s not that simple. There has to be a tribunal. The council must convene and reopen the case against both you and your mother. “
Dread filled her at his words. From his mouth this did not sound like a good idea at all; in fact, it was probably the worst idea she’d heard.
“What if I refuse to go?”
He stared at her without responding. He didn’t look too happy at the thought of her not going along with him. Seconds ticked by with both of them staring each other down.
“Well?”
“You will go,” he growled.
“You’re a cold hearted bastard, Kane.”
“Sometimes, when I have to be.” He redressed and headed for the bathroom. “Get ready. We leave now.” His he-man attitude really bugged the crap out of her; she’d find a way to correct it. She packed up her few things, then pulled a different outfit from her bag. She opted for black leather pants, a matching halter- top, and her combat boots.
She strapped a knife to her leg and easily covered it with the leather of her pants, and even managed a couple of throwing stars in her pockets. No way she’d walk into their den unarmed. While she didn’t think Kane planned to harm her at this point, a girl could never be too prepared.
The cats outside seemed a lot less friendly, and there would probably be a lot more of that where she was going.
Kane stepped out of the bathroom just as she pulled her bag over her shoulder and positioned it across her back. He took one look at her and froze.
“What the hell?”
She bit back a satisfied smirk and instead turned as innocent a look as she could muster his way. “What?”
“Don’t what me, you little minx. You have any idea what seeing you like that does to me?”
Good, she hoped he suffered. “I don’t care.”
“You will when I’ve got you against the wall, sliding between your thighs.”
“Dream on.” Damn, his words slayed her, and the arousal she’d finally cooled flared to full heat once again. So much that his nostrils flared when he caught her scent.
“We’ll see. But first, I have to get you past the others without them pouncing on that heat of yours and you slitting their throats.”
“Good idea, ’cause if anyone makes a move against me that is exactly what will happen. In fact, you’ll be the first if I find out you’re playing me.”
Kane rolled his eyes at her and walked out the door. She trailed after him, a sense of dread settling over her. She didn’t care how confident he was in his clan, this was not going to be a cakewalk, and she’d have to be on guard every minute. Even then it seemed unlikely they’d all get out this without bloodshed.
Two hours later, Lara still sat in the passenger seat, not speaking to him. She’d demanded to drive her own car and he’d flatly refused. When she’d discovered that he’d lifted her keys when she wasn’t looking, he thought she would leap at him. She’d even bared her teeth. She acted very much like one of them, strong instincts and fast moves. He’d finally informed her either he drove or her car would be left behind. She’d glanced at the men surrounding her and he practically saw her brain calculating the odds of her starting a fight and taking any of them out before they could subdue her. At least, she had no idea how much that turned him on.
She’d climbed into the car on her own, but the tension buzzing through and around her was palpable. Things were going to get interesting. How would she handle the blatant hostility coming her way when they arrived?
They were already driving through clan owned lands and they’d arrive at his cabin in a few minutes. He hadn’t considered any other place to take her. No way did he want her in the general population. Some of the females would likely tear her from limb to limb before he got a word in edgewise. While the clan would ultimately follow the rules, if someone provoked Lara he suspected she’d strike out without thinking. One violent outburst and her appeal would be over.
Yes, it would be much easier to protect her out here. He, like the rest of his brothers, valued their peace and quiet and preferred to live away from the rest of the clan. This way they socialized when they wanted and stayed hidden when they didn’t.
When he turned off the main road onto the dirt lane that led to his place, the other vehicle following them continued on its way. He would deal with them later. He’d have to kick Nick’s ass for telling Dave and his crony where he and Lara were located. But first, he had to settle and soothe the angry female sitting next to him.
The dense trees and bushes made it slow going the last mile, especially since he didn’t want to scratch up her beloved car. When he slowed to a crawl she looked at him with a curious glance. He maneuvered them the last hundred feet and the brush cleared to an open grassy area and the log cabin he’d labored over for years getting just right.
“Wow. Where are we?”
“My home.” Unlike his brother Lucas, he’d been meticulous about every detail. He liked to think he was conscientious about where he lived, but Lucas called it anal.
“Fancy place.”
“I like it.” He pulled the car to a stop behind his home where he had a garage attached to both the house and the mountain behind it. More importantly, there was a network of caves through the mountain he could access via his garage. If it came down to anything happening around here he would always have an escape route.
“I thought we were going to the clan gathering area.”
“It’s a little late tonight, and besides, I’m going in there first to find out what the hell has been going on while I was away. Those men should not have surprised us like that.”
She grabbed her bag and climbed out of the car, and he did the same. Damn, it was good to be home. He couldn’t wait to get some sleep in his own bed instead of cheap motels and grassy patches in the forest. Maybe even curled around a warm female body he was burning to touch again.
When he caught up with her on the porch she held out her hand to him.
“What?”
“Keys.”
“My place doesn’t open with a key. A code and an infrared scanner.”
“Paranoid much? I wasn’t talking about your fancy place here.”
It took him a second before he realized she meant her car keys. He laughed. �
�No way, I’m not making it that easy for you to run.”
She gave him a hostile glare and pushed past him into the house. He had to admit it was kind of fun to see her get so worked up even in anger, although not nearly as exciting as her lust. He stood proudly as her gaze surveyed the room.
From the suede couches to the artwork on the walls, he’d carefully chosen every piece in this room to reflect as much of the outdoors as possible. He may like human comforts, but his animal often wanted to be in the wild. So, he’d taken the time to combine them both.
Now it just felt good to be home. He toed off his boots and removed his socks so his feet could sink into the plush green carpeting. He hit a button on the wall and music filtered throughout the house. A nature CD, actually, with sounds of a forest and a soft melody in the background. Sure, he liked rock and roll and various other kinds of music, but at home he preferred the soothing sounds of nature.
He padded up behind Lara and spoke quietly. “It’s late now. I imagine you’re tired. Maybe after some rest you won’t find this situation so repulsive.”
Lara sighed. She had a hard time holding onto her anger when he got so close; her hormones went crazy around him. Fear, on the other hand, was a completely different story. She had no one but herself to make sure this situation came out okay for her, and his hot body and wandering hands distracting her could wind up costing her a lot more than she could afford.
Still, when his hands touched her shoulders and began a slow, methodical massage of the tight muscles there, she didn’t tell him to stop. She’d never been in a home like this, never even thought of a house as a restful place, but that’s sure what Kane had created here. A haven to rest a weary soul. His fingers continued to her neck and she eased back into his hands.
“Good lord, woman, you seriously need to relax.” Lara couldn’t remember the last time she’d done something so frivolous. She lived in a perpetual state of single-minded focus on revenge, and every move she made daily had some motive behind it that would get her there.
“Relaxing could get me killed.” Or worse.
He spun her around to face him and the concern in his eyes annoyed her. “Not here. My home is a sanctuary, and I go out of my way to keep it peaceful.”
“It is beautiful here. You’re quite a contradiction. Cold-blooded killer and sensitive, peace-loving man. It’s very interesting.”
“What’s it going to take to convince you I’m not a cold-blooded killer? I’m a good guy.”
“Uh huh. Is that what you say to all the ladies?”
His hands stilled and fell away. She’d probably gone too far, but right now she didn’t care. He’d sprung this little road trip on her and she was still pissed.
“Let me show you where you’ll be staying. He brushed past her and for a split second she felt a twinge of regret. Maybe if things were different, or in a different life...
She grabbed her bag and followed after him. He’d only turned soft lighting on that gave off just enough light to get around, so she didn’t get to see much more of the place as she walked through. Tomorrow she’d get a better bearing on the layout of the house and any possible avenues of escape.
Chapter Six
“Here it is.” He led her into a lush bedroom that continued the natural theme of greens and browns, as well as a few sunny splashes of yellow. The fluffy white bed looked so inviting that she barely noticed anything else. She wanted nothing more right now than to get naked and cuddle up in those blankets and pillows and sleep for a nice long time. Although, now was hardly the time to let down her guard.
“Are you hungry or anything?”
“No, I’m good. I want to sleep first and then we need to have a discussion.”
He smirked at her. “Okay, well, I’ll be at the opposite end of the hall if you need anything. Just let me know.”
Lara watched him back out of the room and close the door. Confident she was finally alone, she whirled back to the bed and threw down her bag. One leap and she landed square in the middle of the mattress, face down in the cushy bedding. She flipped over and looked up, surprised to find a series of skylights instead of a plain white ceiling like she’d expected. Sprawled across the fancy bed, she admired the beautiful view of the southern sky right down to the stars twinkling above her. False or not, it gave her a sense of freedom instead of the sensation of being trapped indoors with no escape.
Lara sighed. It wouldn’t take much to get used to a place like this. If she ever settled down she’d have to borrow some of his ideas for her house, because he’d about nailed it on the head. She’d hoped her dream of revenge would ultimately give her the peace she desperately sought.
She dragged herself up and started removing her clothes. She considered her normal t-shirt and shorts for sleeping, but these sheets and blankets were so damn soft she wanted to sleep cocooned within them with no other barrier. Naked, she shivered for a moment before crawling back into the bed. Exhausted from not sleeping much for a couple of days, Lara’s head hit the pillow with a fleeting thought to the comfort of having Kane and his powerful body wrapped around her when she gave in to exhaustion and passed out.
Kane lay in his own bed, staring skyward. He’d given up on sleep after hours of continuous thoughts of Lara’s naked body just down the hall kept his dick so damn hard all he thought about was dragging her out of bed and bending her over it so he could be inside her. His canines lengthened at the image of claiming her in the most primal of ways, his teeth dragging along her spine as he did. Oh yeah, when he had his way not a single inch of skin would be left untouched. She’d beg him to bite her.
He threw off the covers and sat up. What the hell was the matter with him? She was just a woman, an exceptionally pretty and intelligent one, but still just a woman—and human at that. Not to mention she had a mean streak a mile wide. Somehow he needed to eradicate her from his system. Soon he would present her to the clan leaders and make his request. What happened next would be up to the council to decide. He had a hunch that the facts of the case would prove extenuating circumstances, but the gnawing at his gut told him there was more to this than met the eye. She may not be as evil as everyone thought, but she was trouble with a capital T.
He had to stop thinking about her soft eyes when he kissed her, or the scent of her arousal every time they got into an argument. Damn, she seemed as aggressive and as violent as any female from his clan. A woman with that kind of spirit had always turned him on. The harder to conquer, the sweeter the submission. Whatever the case, he had to think of something else. Maybe a shift and a run would exercise these thoughts long enough for him to get some rest.
He padded quietly to the door but stopped at the sound of running water from the direction of the guest room. He wondered what had her up so long before the crack of dawn, and despite his intentions to leave well enough alone, he headed in her direction to investigate.
He found her room already empty and moved to the bathroom door. He should leave now and not go any further...this couldn’t lead to anything good. Someone should tell his dick that, however, because it pressed against his pants, fighting for a way out.
Steam rushed over him when he opened the door and stepped in. In seconds the scent of her arousal washed over him, too, before he even spotted her through the cloud of mist. Oh fuck, she’s masturbating.
He should leave now. He inched closer. As the steam settled around him he spied her leaning against the wall of the shower, her head thrown back with one hand pulling at a nipple and the other rubbing furiously at her clit.
Kane bit back a groan at the epitome of every wet dream he’d ever had. Her hair was slicked back from her face and her mouth pursed into a tiny circle as she labored for breath under the onslaught of sensation running through her.
Hot damn.
Wicked need seared his dick as he lost the battle for control. He wanted to watch and he wanted to get off while he did. Watching had always been his thing but this...damn, this was by far the hotte
st thing he’d ever witnessed.
When her fingers slid inside her he almost came in his pants right where he stood. He ripped the button loose on his jeans and quickly freed his cock, taking matters into his own hand. He stroked downward with every thrust of her hand upward until his erection ached to bursting and the need clawed him from the inside out.
Damn it, why her? Anyone but her. He was just going to have to fuck her and get this out of his system.
A snarl from the shower distracted him from his thoughts and his gaze jerked back to her profile. Her head twisted side to side as she screeched a little bit more as her own orgasm got closer.
No fucking way could he let this opportunity go by, he had to taste her as she came. He jerked open the shower door and knelt down in front of her. His hands reached around to grasp her firmly muscled buttocks and drew her to his mouth.
“What the—”
Her shock faded fast when his rough tongue stabbed into her, rasping over her engorged clit. Her head lolled back against the tile and she let him have his way. Not like he’d planned to give her a choice.
His hands tightened on her buttocks until she yelped out from the pressure.
“Please...Kane.” She panted his name.
He grabbed her clit with his teeth and suckled it, her whole body tense against him. Her sexy little growls turned into a scream any banshee would have been proud of as her orgasm rocketed through her. He lapped at her folds as she flooded him with her cream while her hands scratched at his shoulders for more.
At the end of his short rope of control, Kane couldn’t hold back any longer. The beast in him clawed to be inside her, sheathed by all that tight, wet heat and juice. She cried out in protest when he left her and stood to struggle with the wet denim that stubbornly clung to his legs.
