Fierce (Wolf Ranch Book 5)

by Renee Rose

  He reached for the side table and the thinning stash of condoms. I watched as he slid one down the thick length of him, readying himself.

  With a hand on my hip, he rolled me over slowly, careful to make sure my wrists were fine in the cuffs as I settled on my stomach. Then he helped me to my knees, ass up, head down.

  With my arms stretched taut over my head and my breasts pressed into the mattress, there was only one place he could play. My pussy.

  I gasped though, when his hand came down in a gentle swat. His palm cupped the sting away. It was when his finger slipped between the seam of my ass to touch my back entrance did I startle. I’d been wrong. Naive. There was more than one place he could play. And I was still a virgin there.

  “Shh,” he crooned, his thumb brushing over me there with the lightest of caresses. “I’m not taking you here… tonight.”

  When his hand moved away, I relaxed back into the bed, but realized it had felt good to be touched… there. I never knew. I knew people did it, but I’d never thought I’d be one to like it.

  Why should I be surprised though? Everything Levi did with me I liked. I trusted him with my body. Hell, I was handcuffed to the bed and—

  “Ah!” I hissed as he slipped into me in one long, smooth stroke. Bottoming out, his thighs pressed against mine.

  His hand slid down my spine in a soothing caress.

  “I can’t get enough of you,” he admitted. “Each time, it’s like the first. It’s never enough.”

  His strokes became harder. Impossibly deeper.

  All I could do was hang on.

  His hands gripped my hips, held me in place.

  “Levi!” I cried, needing more.

  Somehow he knew what that meant because I didn’t. He was fucking me hard. Fast, his hips like a piston. How could I need more?

  His hand slipped around beneath me and circled where we were joined, then used that wetness to coat my clit, to circle it lightly with his fingers. Then pinch it.

  I came, tossing my head back. The groan that tore from me was almost primitive, the pleasure so intense. Colors danced behind my eyelids, and I rode it out. Levi didn’t stop his rough taking of me, but I felt his rhythm change. He was losing control.

  Once, twice and he literally growled as he came in me, buried deep.

  A kiss landed on my sweaty shoulder. A lick. Even a little nip with his teeth.

  When he pulled out, I slumped onto the bed. Done for.

  I felt him return and release my wrists from the cuffs. He pulled me into his arms, snuggled me against him, and I slept. Safe. My mind only thinking of the arms that held me. That my own bed was too far away across the hall.

  That I was right where I wanted to be.

  21

  CHARLIE

  I was thankful Levi was in the shower when my cell rang. Bob, the lead foreman at Claymore’s, called. I was in the bunkhouse kitchen making coffee, the phone wedged between my ear and my shoulder. The sun was just popping up over the eastern plains, and it was just so dang lovely. It was early for a work chat, but when working with animals, everyone started early.

  “She seems to be doing well. So far, so good,” I told him when he asked about Seraphina. I was to meet Clint at the stable in a little while for another go with Eddison. The horses were familiar with each other now, and it made the breeding process go a little more smoothly. Although, a stirred up stallion should never be underestimated.

  “Well, I’m glad. I know everyone around here will be eager for a new foal,” he replied. “I was calling because a package from the online vet pharmacy came in the other day. I’m sorry I forgot to call you sooner.”

  “Right, yes. No worries. You forgot to tell me, and I forgot that it was coming,” I said, trying to remain calm and sound… normal.

  “Well, I opened it up to make sure none of it needed to be refrigerated.”

  I bit my lip, trying not to gasp. He’d opened the shipment. Shit!

  He’d done the right thing. I would have done it, too. There was nothing worse than learning medicine or vitamins spoiled because they hadn’t been put into the stable’s fridge.

  “That’s a lot of ketamine,” he commented, adding a whistle to the end.

  Play it cool. Play it cool.

  “Oh? The order was for about ten thousand milligrams, if I remember correctly.” I came up with a number I’d ordered before Dax started fucking with me.

  “Well, I’d say this is more like a hundred thousand.”

  “That much?” I replied. Taking a deep breath, I lied through my teeth. “It sounds like they got the order wrong. That’s more ketamine than we need or that I wanted. If they overshipped, I’ll have to let them know although... I guess we’ll go through it eventually. As long as it doesn’t expire, it should still be good.”

  He gave a small laugh. “Maybe you hit one too many zeros with your keyboard in the order. My wife placed an order through the grocery store pickup. You know what I’m talking about, right? It pretty much saved our marriage.”

  Bob was a talker, which was sometimes frustrating when I had things to do, but today I was pleased. It meant he’d moved on from the drug delivery.

  “Well, she wanted one package of coffee filters but somehow hit ten. That extra zero means we’ll never need to buy them again in our lifetime.”

  “I think you’re right. I know who to come to if I run out,” I replied mildly. “Filters, not ketamine.”

  He laughed. “Right. I’ll let you get back to it. Don’t worry none about the package or anything else. I locked it in your office until you get back.”

  After I tucked my phone in my pocket and took my first sip of coffee, I leaned against the counter and wondered what I was going to do.

  Bob knew about the order. Knew it was ketamine, and we’d received a large quantity. How was I going to just give it to Dax? I couldn’t dose all the horses in Claymore’s stables with that much of the drug to justify its disappearance. It wasn’t like I could lose that many vials. That would be unprofessional and raise more red flags.

  I was in over my head. I should’ve gone to the police to begin with. Handed over Dax and let him get fired and take the heat. I’d been so, so stupid!

  I had to do the right thing. I had to take the shipment to the police. Tell Mr. Claymore the truth. How?

  My cell beeped, and I pulled it out, read the text from Keely.

  I didn’t see the words because the answer came to me right then and there. The texts. Holy shit, I had the texts from Dax. The ones that said he wanted me to get the ketamine, asking where it was, threatening me. I could go to the police and show them the proof. There would be consequences for the product information I’d given to him before, but I’d face them. Yeah, it was time to deal. The stress was going to finish me otherwise.

  LEVI

  “Levi, this is incredible!” Charlie gasped. Instead of a hike, we’d gone on horseback to the Sheffield property, on the ridge above a swimming hole formed by a waterfall and hot spring mixed together. The owner had inherited the place over a year ago and had yet to move in. I’d been friendly with Old Man Sheffield, and even though he’d been gone a while, I missed him still.

  I’d been itching to take her here ever since I heard she went horseback riding with Clint and Johnny, and I nearly punched all their teeth out. I was the one who was to show her around, not them.

  “Is this part of Rob’s ranch?”

  “No, but we have permission to use it. The owner’s out of state right now, and we look after her property.”

  I swung off my mare and tethered her to a tree. Charlie started to dismount Seraphina, and I caught her around the waist as she descended.

  “Oh.”

  I didn’t mind showing off my shifter strength as I held her suspended in the air for a moment before gently lowering her to her feet. I loved the way it felt to hold her entire weight in my hands, her widened eyes locked on mine. My wolf was content knowing she was in my hold, that she was safe,
protected. Mine.

  “Oh,” I repeated and brushed my lips across hers. What I felt for her wasn’t passionate or wild. It was different. Oh, I wanted to fuck her hard and thoroughly, but I wanted to cherish her, too. I grabbed a blanket I’d tied in a roll on the back of my mare.

  “Is this the romantic spot where you take all your conquests?” she asked, glancing about.

  I could tell she was trying for light, but I heard the rasp of jealousy behind the words. The same jealousy I’d felt when she went riding with the other guys. Good.

  “Never,” I swore immediately, to put her mind at rest. “This is sort of a secret spot for us on Wolf Ranch. I know Boyd took Audrey here when they were dating.”

  That had been a cluster, the asshole Markle shooting a shifter kid in front of them. Thank fuck, the kid was fine after all that and that Audrey was cool with discovering her mate was a shifter.

  I tucked her hand in mine and led her down the incline. “You’re the first and only woman I’ve brought here.” That was the truth. Shifters didn’t get involved with humans—not even half-breeds who couldn’t shift, like me. We didn’t date females and bring them onto or near the ranch. At least until recently. In fact, until the latest spate of matings to humans, no one in our pack ever invited a human around.

  Ever. It was a wonder the guys had ever found their mates.

  “Come on,” she pressed, nudging me, clearly not believing my words.

  “It’s the truth. I am not a ladies’ man. You were the first woman to spend the night in my bed.”

  Confusion flitted over her face. “That—can’t be… ”

  “What’s puzzling you?”

  “Well, I know I’m inexperienced, but you sure seemed to know what you were doing. I thought I had been the virgin.”

  I laughed. “I’ve practiced a bit, yeah. One night stands and crap like that.” I wasn’t going to go into any more detail than that. None of the previous women mattered. I meant what I said. They’d only been practice for her. “Not a beautiful woman spending the night in my bed.”

  Charlie’s expression went soft and open, like it did when she was tending to animals. It made my chest tight because she was giving me that look.

  Shit. I was falling for her.

  The thought startled me. This wasn’t how I’d thought my life would go. I’d hoped to mate a shifter and have kids who could actually shift and not be stuck with a wolf inside who was incapable of being free. But with Charlie… none of that seemed to matter. I forgot about the pain of my predicament. Of what had happened in the past. I just cared about her. The now.

  Spending time with her.

  Getting her off.

  Making her scream.

  Hell, making her happy.

  The watering hole was tucked in at the side of the mountain, a steep cliff looming on one side where there was a waterfall that filled the deep pool. It was also heated from beneath by a thermal hot spring, making the water warm all year round.

  We stopped on the bank, and I tossed my hat down on the ground and started stripping out of my clothes. Charlie’s mouth opened in surprise. “Are we going… skinny dipping?”

  I grinned, not the least bit shamed about being naked outside. While I didn’t shift and run like the others, I wasn’t modest. “We sure are. Don’t worry, the water’s warm.”

  “It is?” She crouched by the water’s edge and swirled her fingertips in the clear water. “Oh wow. It’s perfect.” She flushed a little, looking around first, as if we might have observers, then shucked her clothing and waded in.

  I stood and watched the little strip show, my dick getting hard.

  I ran up behind and slapped her ass, catching her around the waist and lifting her to carry as I waded into the deep part. I wanted her with me, feeling her body all wet and warm in the water.

  “Mmm, this is perfect,” she murmured, relaxing and letting her hands float on the surface.

  I turned her around to face me, and her legs wrapped around my back. My hard dick nestled into the seam of her pussy.

  “It’s been nice having you here this week,” I said, trying to keep my thoughts off of my dick and the fact that if I just shifted her a little bit, I’d be buried deep inside her.

  “It’s been amazing,” she agreed, looping her arms around my neck. “I don’t just mean the sex.”

  The thought of her leaving next week already made me want to tear down a tree.

  “How attached are you to that job of yours in Colorado?”

  Whoa. Had that fallen out of my mouth?

  I hadn’t meant to inquire. I really wasn’t even sure what I was suggesting. It just came out. Yet I wanted to know the answer.

  Her expression turned wistful. “Pretty attached. It pays well, and if I end up needing to get someone in to care for Pops during the day, that could get expensive. If I’m being realistic, that’s going to happen and soon.”

  “Right, your Pops.” I swallowed. I tried to never think of my grandparents. When I did, it was never in a caring or loving way. It was odd to take a blood relative into account since I had none. My brain ran through possibilities. Possibilities that involved Charlie and her grandfather moving out to Wolf Ranch. Cooper Valley could use another large animal veterinarian, and I was sure Audrey would have connections to support for memory care.

  “Well, he’d be pretty safe out on a ranch,” I found myself offering.

  Charlie swallowed, locking gazes with me. “Wh-what are you saying?”

  I shrugged. What was I saying? Did I really want to settle down and make a life with a human? It would mean our children surely wouldn't shift.

  Our children?

  Holy shit!

  Was I really this far with my fantasies of not giving up Charlie?

  Apparently I was. But shifters bonded more quickly than humans. She needed more than a week before she figured I might be more than just a fling.

  We’d known each other for a week. A week! Most humans had leftovers in their fridge longer than that.

  I didn’t want to scare her off. So I hedged. “I’m just saying I like this.” I gave her a squeeze. “I like you, Charlie.” The words in my head were actually, I love you, but I didn’t want to freak her out. She thought too much as it was. I didn’t need to give her more to stew on.

  “It’s probably way too soon to start suggesting long-term things, but I also don’t like the idea of you packing up next week and leaving forever. I’d really love to explore the possibility of something more.”

  Charlie’s eyes misted, and she blinked rapidly. “Wow. Um. I don’t know what to say.”

  Shut down. Totally. I had to pull back, recover, even though my words had been laid as bare as we were.

  “Well, let’s stay open to more,” I hedged. “I mean, if you feel the same.”

  “I do,” she said.

  “Or we can just work on that orgasm chart I know is in your head. I’m guessing you need a few more for your tally.”

  She laughed. “Orgasm chart?”

  “Not that? Well, since you were a virgin and all, I’m guessing you haven’t had sex outdoors before?”

  Her rolled eyes were the answer I was looking for.

  “Give me an hour. You can cross that off your list.”

  I carried her out of the water, suddenly desperate to punch another hole in her sex bingo card—the one for outdoor sex. I laid her on the thick blanket I’d brought and showed her exactly how much fun it could be. I just had to stay focused on the fling... not the forever.

  22

  CHARLIE

  The next day, Levi had gone into town for a shift. He’d said goodbye as I’d been drinking my coffee in the bunkhouse kitchen. It was such a simple thing, but it showed that we were together. Sharing a living space. Sharing a bed. Sharing an intimate moment where a couple said goodbye to each other as we parted ways to spend our day at work.

  It had been nice but scary, after what Levi had shared at the watering hole the day before.
He’d admitted to wanting more. Even asked if I’d be interested in moving here. That… hell, that Audrey could help find care for Pops.

  He’d been talking about things besides which position to fuck me in. He’d been talking about serious stuff. Real life stuff. Just like the morning goodbye kiss.

  I’d been surprised. Stunned. Perhaps that was why I’d been so cautious in my answers. I hadn’t expected him to want more although he hadn’t given me any indication he’d been ready to stop. But he hadn’t given any indication he’d been so… serious before either.

  This kiss though. I kept going back to that simple kiss all day.

  It had meant more to me than anything we’d done before. More than the playful sex. More than being tied up and giving him my trust. More than finding a stray dog on the side of the road.

  It had meant things were… possible.

  That I was wanted for more.

  That had left me in a haze of thought, but thankfully, I was always that way it seemed because neither Clint or Johnny commented all day.

  It made me think I could get past my messed up life. I wanted to ignore Dax. Everything about him. I knew how to get myself out of the mess, but I had to be in Colorado to do it. I had to get the shipment of ketamine from my office and take it to the police along with the texts from Dax. I had to share them with Mr. Claymore. Face the consequences.

  But I couldn’t avoid Dax. Or his calls. Fuck. I wanted to take my phone and flush it down the toilet. Hell, shove it into the manure pile on the far side of the stable. I just wanted it over. But Dax didn’t know that, and I had to suck it up. Had to hold on for a little while longer.

  “H-hello?”

  “I’m sitting here having some dinner with a new friend,” he said. His voice was surprisingly… light.

  “Hi, sweetpea.” I sucked in a sharp breath at hearing Pops on the other end, my heart flying to my throat. “A friend of yours stopped by to eat. Unlike you, he likes gravy on his dinner. Even on his green beans and pot roast.”