Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2

by Bella Roccaforte

  “Do you know why?” Ben asked, his flesh suddenly going icy cold.

  Nick shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe he’s ready to attack the pack in town. I told Durango what you said about the tourists, and he reported to Vape. Apparently, he got all excited over the prospect of recruiting so many potential members.”

  Shit. The exact information Ben had tried to keep from Vape had now gotten back to the pack leader. He needed to warn Elias.

  They didn’t have much time.

  Chapter Six

  There was a man hiding in the shadows underneath the staircase leading up to Hannah’s apartment. Theoretically, this should be cause for alarm, but since this was apparently Ben’s M.O., she did not freak out, she did not pull the truck back out of her space and rush away, she did not call the sheriff.

  She simply sighed and hurried through the rain to the exposed steps, taking them two at a time to the top. If he wanted to follow, fine. She had no interest in getting drenched while sparring with the man.

  Especially now that she knew he was from this pack. Which meant chances were reasonably good he wasn’t a bad boy after all.

  Her heart pitter-pattered. She hadn’t had such a visceral reaction to a man in…so long. Possibly ever. Sure, she’d been physically attracted to her ex, but in all honesty, the attraction had been the typical young woman falling for the bad boy routine. The challenge had been the true lure.

  With Ben, well, it was something else entirely. It was also stronger than whatever she’d felt for her ex, so if he followed her up those stairs, she wasn’t going to be responsible for whatever the hell might happen once they were closed in together in her tiny apartment.

  Hey, women had needs too, and hers hadn’t been met in, oh, two and a half years or so.

  She paused in the doorway, holding the screen open, and sure enough, he came bounding up the steps and hurried into the kitchen, shaking water droplets from his hair as he passed her.

  “I take it you saw me down there?” he asked, his gaze raking her body as she shed her raincoat and hung it on a peg near the door.

  “Yes. Lurking under the stairs.”

  He shook his head as he took off his soaked leather coat and hung it next to hers. “I don’t understand how you are the only person who sees me, even when I’m deliberately trying to be invisible.”

  “No one is invisible. That kind of magic isn’t real.”

  “That’s not what I meant.” He toed off his boots and followed as she moved deeper into her apartment.

  “Do you want something to drink?” Why was she so nervous? It wasn’t like they were on a date. Sure, she had fantasies of curling up on the couch with him and watching a sexy romcom that might inspire them to shed their clothes and do what came naturally when two naked, consenting adults were in such close proximity, but the likelihood of that actually happening was probably pretty slim.

  “Sure,” he said, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

  “What would you like?”

  “Whatever you’re having is fine.”

  She needed a stiff drink, now that he was in her apartment, so that’s what he was getting. Snagging the bottle of Tito’s out of the freezer and the tonic water out of the fridge, she sliced up a lime and made two vodka tonics.

  “Thanks,” he said when he accepted the drink. There was surprise in his voice.

  “I don’t strike you as a mixed drink kind of girl?” she asked, eyebrows raised as she took a sip.

  “Every time I see you I’m taken by surprise.”

  “Why is that?”

  He wandered into the living room. “Because I don’t want to have any interest in you whatsoever, and I keep trying to convince myself to leave you alone and go about my life. But then you lure me back in, and I’m hooked all over again.”

  “I lure you? Seriously? You’re the one who keeps skulking in the shadows everywhere I turn.”

  “But you notice me, wherever I am, whatever I do.”

  She shrugged. She wasn’t about to tell him about her visceral reaction to him. Hell, he’d told her the first time they met that he was leaving town again soon, so she ought to not even be entertaining the thought of suggesting they carry through with that whole drink and lose their clothes idea he’d mentioned.

  But damn, she wanted the man. She wanted to wrap her thighs around his waist. She wanted to feel him inside her. She wanted him to give her an orgasm.

  Maybe two.

  “Have a seat,” she said, indicating the couch.

  He sat on the middle cushion, probably thinking she’d choose the chair, but she dropped down next to him instead.

  “You seem nervous,” she commented.

  He wiped his hands on his jeans. “I am.”

  “Why?”

  He caught her eye. “Because what I want to do and what I should do are two very different things right now.”

  “What should you do?”

  “I never should have come over here in the first place.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because of what I want to do.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “What do you want to do?”

  “Make love to you.”

  Oh gods. If he’d said “have sex” or “fuck” or any other way to describe the act, she might have been able to hold herself back. But “make love”? Seriously? The man knew exactly which buttons to push, whether he was aware or not.

  She placed her drink on the coffee table and climbed into his lap. He sat there and stared at her, arms spread wide, stature stiff.

  “You said you wanted to make love to me,” she pointed out.

  “Yes, but—”

  “But what?”

  “I sort of imagined we’d take it slower than this.”

  She plucked the glass from his hand, placed it next to hers, and then cupped his face, staring into his eyes. “Do you want to go slower?”

  He shook his head.

  “Me neither.”

  He rested his hands on her hips. His fingers flexed, biting into her flesh. “I can’t promise anything beyond right now.”

  “I know.”

  “I wish…”

  “Me too.”

  As far as words went, their conversation was sorely lacking. But Hannah understood what he was saying. Which means she ought to stop, to allow him to finish his drink, and then to escort him to the door and send him on his way.

  That was what she ought to do.

  But her body—and maybe her heart—were refusing to keep that option on the table. They wanted one thing: physical gratification, specifically with this man.

  She may regret her decision; no, she would definitely regret it. Because she knew damn well she wouldn’t be satisfied with one time with Ben. Her heart and her body would want more. She would want him to stick around, to see where this thing between them went.

  Which she already knew couldn’t happen.

  Yet, with her hands still cupping his face, she leaned forward and kissed him. A tentative press of flesh on flesh at first. Giving him a chance to change his mind.

  Or, perhaps, to take charge.

  He wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her so tightly against him that even a sheet of paper could not slide between their torsos. He canted his head and opened his mouth. His tongue touched her lips, and she automatically opened for him. He thrust into her mouth, mimicking sex, and her panties melted into a puddle on his lap.

  She squirmed and felt him smile against her lips. She needed him to be desperate and needy too. So she rolled her hips, which caused that wet silk between her thighs to slide along the length of his erection.

  He groaned, and this time, she grinned.

  And then he flipped her onto her back and broke the kiss. “You’re a little minx, do you know that?”

  She lifted one shoulder. His gaze dropped to her boobs. The nipples hardened instantly, almost painfully. She arched her back, and a catlike smile crawled across his face and he licked his l
ips like he was anticipating dining on something particularly tasty.

  Oh yes, please.

  Sitting up, he grasped her waist and then smoothed his hands up her sides, taking her shirt with him, until he was able to tug it over her head. Then he slid his fingers into the waistband of her leggings and dragged them down her legs, until she lay there in her bra and panties, grateful that she’d managed to select a matching pair this morning.

  He started to kneel between her thighs, but she flattened her palm against his chest. “Uh-uh. If I’m mostly naked, you have to be too.”

  Chuckling, he shed his T-shirt and jeans and socks, leaving him entirely naked. Hannah stared at the thick, hard shaft that bounced against his abs. A bead of pre-cum formed at the tip, and he seemingly lazily cupped the bulbous head and then stroked the full length a few times.

  She sucked in a breath and struggled to swallow as her eyes tracked the motion.

  “Not a fan of underwear,” he said. “Just one more thing to wash.”

  Right. Of course. Hannah pressed her hand against her chest.

  When he once again started to kneel, she widened her legs, and he situated himself between her thighs, smoothing his hands up, over her hips, across her belly, until he palmed both breasts. He massaged for a moment, until she moaned and dropped her head against the couch cushion.

  And then he slid the straps of her bra off her shoulders and reached behind her to unhook the clasp, one-handed.

  Impressive.

  She watched as he squeezed her left breast, lowering his head until his lips circled the nipple. He licked and then sucked, and Hannah let out an involuntary cry of pleasure, her hips moving, seeking the heat of his body.

  Without taking his attention away from her needy boobs, he let his fingers trail down her body until they were dancing over the satin covering her mound. Finally, he edged under the elastic of her panties and stroked through the wetness that had gathered there.

  She clutched at the back of the couch as he worked her until she bucked against his hand, her release so tantalizingly close, yet just out of reach. Was he going to make her beg? Because she would, damn it.

  Abruptly, cool air slapped against her skin as he moved away. She gasped and snapped her eyes open to watch as he reached for his jeans and dug around in the pockets, finally producing a small, square packet.

  Oh, right. Good thing one of them was lucid enough to make smart decisions.

  She kind of wanted to wrap his cock, to stroke him like he’d stroked himself a few moments ago, but her entire body was still shaking from hovering on the precipice of orgasm, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to manage.

  Luckily, he was clearly a no-nonsense kind of guy when it came to protecting himself and then getting back to the task at hand. Her skin had just begun to form goose bumps and he was already covering her, his fingers smoothing along her cheek while he rolled his hips, rubbing his erection against that part of her body where it felt as though every single nerve ending was currently converging, impatient for the sparks only he could give her.

  He kissed her lips then nibbled his way to her earlobe. She canted her head so that he could lick his way along her neck until he gently sucked at the tendon there. He bit down gently, not enough to break the skin, to perform the mating ritual—oh no, definitely not that!—and reached down to tug her panties down her legs. As soon as she’d kicked them off her foot, he grabbed his cock and thrust, filling her.

  She cried out and arched into him, and he bent to lave her breasts again.

  Grabbing his hair, she tugged, and when he looked up, she kissed him, hard, her tongue sweeping into his mouth as she met him, thrust for thrust, the nails of her other hand scoring down his back as her climax hit her with the force of a freight train.

  He let out a yell and pounded urgently a few more times before his body stiffened, his cock pulsing, as he found his own release.

  She lay there, her heart racing as she gazed into his eyes. He looked…mystified. And then he shook his head and pulled out, slipped off the condom, tied it closed, and wrapped it in a tissue. Sliding his arm underneath her, he wedged his way between her and the back of the couch, twisting them both until she lay on top of him.

  He snagged the blanket that had fallen to the carpet and wrapped it around her back, then said, “Let’s cuddle for a minute.”

  And then he grinned.

  * * *

  Hannah was pulled from sleep when Ben’s body suddenly jerked and then sat upright and she slid sideways onto the couch. She blinked open her eyes and smiled as she admired the corded muscles of his back.

  He turned to look at her, scowling. She frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  “I fell asleep.”

  “Yeah, we both did.”

  “Shit.” He dove for the floor, scooping up clothes and tossing them at her before shoving his legs into his jeans. “Get dressed. Hurry.”

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  “I came over here to tell you to leave town, not to make love and then pass out.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you.”

  He narrowed his eyes, and his scowl deepened. “Hurry up and pack a bag. Make whatever you throw into it count because you aren’t coming back here for the rest of it.”

  “What?” She sat up, clutching the blanket to her breast. “Are you telling me I’m going out of town with you? Because if this is the way you ask, you need lessons on communicating, mister—”

  “No. You’re leaving on your own. Actually, no, I want you to go with Lyall and Natalia. Shit. I need to warn the coven, too.” He grabbed his hair and tugged, and when he pulled his hands away, he looked like a possessed man.

  Whoa. What in the hell was going on here?

  “I think you need to explain.”

  “No time. Shit.” He finally seemed to realize that she hadn’t moved from the couch. “Get up. What are you waiting for?”

  “You to explain.”

  “I can’t. I just need you to do this. Please, Hannah, just listen to me without demanding I give you something I can’t provide.”

  “The explanation being that thing?” He was well and truly freaking out here. She wasn’t a dummy, and she did plan to do as he said, but she needed to know one thing first.

  “Will I ever see you again?”

  He lifted his gaze and caught her eye; she saw the answer without him opening his mouth. Whatever the hell he was trying to protect her from, it was huge. And scary. Ben did not strike her as someone who was afraid of much. Except perhaps someone he loved getting hurt.

  “What can I do to help?” she asked as she hurried to dress.

  His laugh was hollow. “Of course that’s what you’d say. Not, ‘shit, I need to get out of town because it’s obvious from his reaction that all hell is about to break loose.’ Of course not.” He shook his head. “Why couldn’t we have met five years ago?”

  She headed for the bedroom with him trailing along behind. Pulling a bag out of the closet and laying it on the bed, she began systematically shoving clothes into it. “Well, I was living in Chicago at the time, and you, I presume, were living here.”

  “Yeah, I was. And I was with the wrong girl.”

  Hannah froze. “Wrong girl?”

  “Almost mated with her, too. I honestly don’t even know why we didn’t, although I’m grateful to whatever god made that decision.”

  She turned around so she could look at him. “What happened?”

  He ran his hand through his hair while his gaze darted to the window and back. “If I tell you this story, will you finally do as I say and leave town?”

  She hesitated and then nodded.

  “She got pregnant.”

  “Oh.” He had a kid? Did his kid live here? He’d said five years ago. Did that mean he had a four-year-old running around Dark Moon Falls? She tried to recall the various pups she’d met since she moved here. Did any of them bear a resemblance to Ben?

  “It wasn’t mine, so I discover
ed when he was born.”

  “Oh.” She winced. “Ouch.”

  “Needless to say, I now have trust issues. Also, I was in a pretty bad place at the time. That’s why I left town.”

  “And why you haven’t come back since.”

  He averted his gaze. “More or less. Anyway, about that whole leaving town promise.”

  “This is absolutely crazy,” she said even as she resumed packing. But she’d done this before. When she left Chicago, it had felt like a life or death situation. In that case, though, she’d been afraid she would lose control over her emotions and try to go after her ex, to get him back for killing her brother.

  This time, she had no idea why she was doing it, but ever since leaving Chicago, she’d relied heavily on her gut instincts and they hadn’t steered her wrong, so she wasn’t about to change that game plan now.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” she announced, standing in the middle of the bedroom clutching her stuffed duffle.

  Ben’s gaze swept over her, and then he closed the distance between them, stabbed his fingers into her hair. and pulled her to him for a kiss. She tried to guide him toward the bed, emergency evacuation or not.

  He finally broke the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. He was breathing as heavily as she was. “I really wish we’d met under different circumstances.”

  She nodded, and he released her.

  “Go out to the farm and collect Lyall and Natalia. Make them go with you. Get as far out of town as you can, as fast as you can. I need to get out to the coven and warn them. This isn’t their war, and they shouldn’t be stuck in the middle.”

  War? Holy crap, what was he involved in? “We can warn them. The coven is out near the farm anyway.”

  He swept her back into his arms, but instead of another knee-buckling kiss, he hugged her, burying his face in her hair and clinging to her like he didn’t want to let go.

  She wiggled out of his embrace. “I’ll see you later,” she said, because, well, what the hell else was she supposed to say?

  And then he walked her down to her truck, waited until she climbed into the cab and cranked the engine, and then he shifted into his wolf form and took off down the alley.