“You’re better than fine.” Her voice was low and sultry, making his dick flex. She laughed. “I can see you’re not the only one awake.” Reaching down, she stroked her hand over his erection. His hips rose to meet her and all thoughts and worries disappeared.
Not to be outdone, he dipped his fingers between the crease of her butt and found her sex. The tender folds were slick and damp. The gentle catch of her breath was followed by a breathy moan.
“Again?” She gasped as he slipped one finger in and out of her channel.
“If you’re not too sore.” As much as he wanted her, he didn’t want to push it if she was tender. Last night had been a vigorous workout for both of them.
“I’m not too sore.” She slid her hand from the base to the tip of his shaft and back down again.
He noticed she didn’t say she wasn’t sore and hesitated, removing his hand. He cupped her face in his hands. “Are you sure? We can wait.”
Her gaze softened and her lips parted. “I’m sure.”
She leaned down to kiss him, their lips almost touching.
A loud banging on her front door made her jerk so hard her forehead clunked his. She scrambled back and stared at the bedroom door, a look of horror on her face at the sound of the front door to her apartment being unlocked and opened. Heavy footsteps walked through the outer room, heading for the bedroom.
Isaiah heaved a sigh. There went his chance at sleepy morning sex and sure as hell ruined any chance he had of having breakfast with her.
Meredith scrambled for the sheets, tugging them to her chin. Isaiah leaned back against the headboard and waited. His preternatural sense of smell picked its way through the overwhelming perfume of sex that permeated the room and he scented the intruder. Not that he needed any special powers to know that it was one of her sons. Whether it was the more levelheaded Benjamin or the more aggressive Michael remained to be seen.
There was a short knock on the door. “Mom.” He knocked again. “Mom, you okay?”
Michael. Isaiah sighed, knowing this wasn’t going to be simple.
“I’ll be out in a minute, Michael.” She shot him a worried glance, but didn’t speak. Isaiah could have told her it was pointless to try and hide from her son. Michael’s sense of smell would kick in at any moment.
As if on cue, the door flew open and a furious Michael filled the doorway, his fists clenched at his sides and his wolf rippling under his skin. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he demanded, glaring at Isaiah.
“I think that would be obvious.” Isaiah had no idea why he was baiting the younger man, feeding the flames of his temper instead of trying to extinguish the fire.
Maybe it was the way Meredith stayed silent beside him. Was she ashamed of what had happened between them? His ego and his pride took a hit and he shoved back the sheet and rolled out of bed, doing nothing to hide his aroused state.
“Michael, you need to go downstairs.” She shooed him with one hand while keeping the other clenched around the sheet.
Isaiah could have told her it was useless. The sheet might cover most of her body, but there was no disguising the red marks on her neck from where the stubble on his jaw had abraded the tender flesh. Nor was there any way to hide the state of the bed and the smell of sex in the air.
Her son ignored her. “You sonofabitch,” he roared and attacked. Isaiah was ready for it, knew it was unavoidable. He was handicapped because he didn’t want to hurt Michael. That would just piss off Meredith and ensure he’d never get back in her bed.
Michael, on the other hand, felt no such restrictions. He pulled no punches as he swung at Isaiah. The wolf inside Isaiah went on alert, every sense acute, every instinct screaming at him to protect his woman. He ducked the punch and moved swiftly, coming up behind the younger man. Slipping his arms beneath Michael’s, he yanked up and clasped his hands behind his opponent’s neck, locking him into an unbreakable hold.
“Don’t hurt him,” Meredith cried as she all but leapt out of bed. Isaiah had no idea which one of them she was talking to, but she suspected it was him.
Michael must have thought the same thing because he growled and threw himself back, slamming Isaiah back against the wall. The entire room shook and a picture crashed to the floor, but Isaiah hung on. He had to get the younger man to calm down before he released him. He didn’t want to have to hurt him, but he would if he didn’t soon stop.
Her son was a strong man, big too. But he was no match for Isaiah who was several inches taller and a hell of a lot meaner. He’d been hunting bounty hunters and rogue wolves when he wasn’t much older than Michael.
“Isaiah!” Meredith’s frantic cry broke through the haze of his memories and he realized that Michael had stopped struggling. In fact, he was damn close to breaking the boy’s arms.
He took a deep breath and released him. To give him credit, the younger man moved slowly and the only sign he gave to the pain he must be in was a measured roll of his shoulders. Michael was tough, he’d give him that.
“I think you should leave.” The material wrapped around Meredith rustled as she walked toward them, her eyes pinned on him. “And you—” she turned on her son, “—we’ll talk about this as soon as I’m dressed.”
“You slept with him,” he spat.
She calmly nodded. “Yes, I did. And I don’t need your permission to do so. I’m still alpha of this pack.”
“Maybe not for long,” he challenged.
Isaiah bristled at the implied threat to Meredith and growled. She slapped her palm on the center of his chest, not taking her eyes off her son. He caught a glimpse of pain in her gaze before it disappeared behind a wall of calm.
“That may be, but for now I’m alpha. Go downstairs and wait. I won’t tell you again.”
“Mom,” he began, but broke off and shot an angry look at Isaiah.
She shook her head and nodded toward the door. Michael whirled around and stomped out of the room and down the hall. She winced when the front door slammed behind him.
“Well, that went well.” She secured the sheet around her, walked to her dresser and tugged open a drawer.
“Meredith,” he said her name, not quite certain what he was going to say. There was no way he was going to apologize for fighting with her son. Not that it was really a fight. Hardly even qualified as a scuffle. More posturing than anything. He was damned if he was going to let the young pup attack him and not defend himself.
She shut the drawer and turned, panties and a bra clutched in her hands. “I don’t want to talk about this. Not now.” She glanced toward the open bedroom door. “I have to talk with my sons and the rest of them.”
“What about us?” He was a fool for asking, but couldn’t seem to stop himself.
She laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “There is no us. You’re passing through town.” She waved a hand toward the bed. “This was an affair. One I’d hoped to keep quiet.”
It stung. Even though he’d expected it, it still hurt. His chest ached so badly that he almost glanced down to make sure he hadn’t sustained an injury in the altercation with Michael, even though he knew he hadn’t. He resisted the urge to rub the area over his heart.
She continued, seemingly oblivious to the pain she was causing him, each word hammering at his body and soul, injuring him worse than any hunter or rogue ever had.
“This shouldn’t have happened. We both know it.” She raked her fingers through her long, tangled hair. “You’re a stranger passing through town and I…” She took a moment to find the word she wanted. “I was vulnerable.”
“Are you saying I took advantage of you?” She might as well stab him through the heart with a silver-bladed dagger. He was many things—a cold-blooded killer among them—but never in his life had he done anything that could be construed as harming a woman. That went against every code of honor he lived by. He protected. It was who he was.
“No! No,” she repeated more softly. The fact that she seemed as horrified as
he did by the thought appeased him somewhat.
“I’m saying I let my hormones rule my good sense. I invited you into my bed last night. You gave me a choice. Now I have to live with the consequences.”
“It’s not all bad—”
“Not for you. You’re leaving Chicago and going back to wherever it is you come from.”
“North Carolina,” he interjected. He wanted her to know more about him even as the security-minded part of his brain argued against it. The less she knew, the safer she was.
“Wherever. My point is that this is my home. This is my pack and I’ve put them all in danger by bringing a stranger into our home. Into my bed.”
Isaiah frowned. He understood caution. That was only smart, and Meredith was a very intelligent woman. But he’d been hanging around for days now. She’d trusted him enough to sleep with him. Surely she knew he wouldn’t betray them to bounty hunters. What was she hiding?
“I need to get a shower and you need to leave.” She sidled past him on her way to the bathroom. She was so close he could feel the heat from her body. He could also smell himself on her and it made him hard.
He ignored his erection as he tracked her path to the bathroom.
“This can’t happen again.” She shut the door quietly and he heard the snick of the lock. They both knew he could easily break down the door. The lock was more symbolic than a physical barrier.
“The hell this is over,” he muttered as he snagged his jeans from the floor and tugged them on. He winced as he tucked his dick to one side and carefully pulled up the zipper. Swearing, he sat down on the edge of the bed, ignoring the inviting pillows and the cozy comforter that was half on and half off the mattress. He pulled his socks and sneakers over and put them on, his mind working as he tied the laces.
He picked up his shirt and pulled it over his head, not bothering to tuck it in. As he stood, his gaze went to the bathroom. The shower came on and he closed his eyes. His entire body tightened as the memory of a naked, wet Meredith filled his mind. Her pale skin glistening, her dark hair slicked over her back like a sleek pelt. He wanted to see her in her wolf form. Felt cheated that he hadn’t. She’d be lean and her fur would be the color of her hair. He just knew it.
His feet moved of their own volition, leading him to the bathroom door. He placed his fingers against the wood, wanting more than anything to be in there with her.
Swearing, he whirled away and stalked from the room. This wasn’t his problem. He’d had a great night of sex. Why couldn’t he leave it at that? Why was he worried about what was going to happen with Meredith and her family? And what secret was she hiding from him about her pack?
He paused in the living room and stared at the window latch. There was no way he could leave here with it still broken. Muttering to himself, he went into her kitchen area and tugged open all the drawers until he found a screwdriver. It wasn’t much of a fix, but he reattached the latch from where he’d popped it off the night before.
When he was done, he dropped the screwdriver onto the counter next to a notepad that was sitting by her phone. He grabbed a pen and wrote a quick to-the-point note that told her to get better locks for her windows.
He stalked back to the window and went out the way he’d come in only hours before. Such a short time, but he felt as though the experience had changed him in ways he couldn’t even comprehend.
“Whatever,” he grumbled as he pulled it partially shut behind him. He didn’t close it all the way because he wanted her to notice it and lock it behind him.
He went down the fire escape, landing lightly on his feet as he hit the ground. He should go. He had work to do. It was already past the time where he should be watching Riley’s Garage. He was neglecting his responsibilities to his own pack. And that just wasn’t like him. His brothers were his family. Nothing came before them and he was here to help his brother and sister-in-law, not to have hot sex with some sexy she-wolf.
Still, he eased back into the shadows on the far side of the neighboring building. He couldn’t leave, not until he knew her apartment was secure.
His patience was rewarded some fifteen minutes later when Meredith appeared in the window. She closed and latched the window. Pausing, she stared out the glass right at the area where he was standing. He couldn’t be sure if she saw him. Not that it mattered. A second later she turned and left.
Isaiah shoved away from the brick wall and headed down the alleyway to the sidewalk. He wondered what was going to happen between her and her pack.
“None of your business,” he told himself. Problem was it very much felt like his business.
What he needed was a shower and a hot breakfast. He was already running behind so he flagged down a passing cab and climbed in. Giving directions to his motel, he leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.
“You okay, buddy?” the cabby asked.
“No, but I will be,” he responded. He had to be. He was here to do a job and leave. Nothing more. Nothing less.
But he suspected it was way too late for that now. It had been too late from the moment he’d first heard Meredith’s voice.
Chapter Nine
Meredith’s hands shook as she closed the living room window and latched it. So that was how Isaiah had gotten in. She’d been so caught in the web of her sexual needs last night she hadn’t thought to question how he’d gotten into her apartment.
He had to be angry with her after the way she’d dismissed him and put her family ahead of him. Not that she could do anything else, she told herself. Yet he’d fixed her window latch before leaving, taking the time to ensure her safety.
He was like no male she’d ever met before. The calm, matter-of-fact way he’d handled her son, controlling him without hurting more than his pride was an indication of just how powerful and dangerous he was. The way he fixed her window before leaving told her he had a deep sense of responsibility.
She sensed him standing in the shadows. Watching. Making certain she closed and locked the window before she left her apartment, as per his instructions. It was both infuriating and seductive. She’d never known a male, other than her sons, to make her feel protected and special. And this was totally different. Lying in his arms this morning, she’d felt safe, wanted to burrow closer instead of running away. A first for her.
Turning from the window, she strode across the room. There was no space in her life for a male, especially not one who had a life elsewhere. It was one night and one night only. She’d known that going in. And if her heart ached and her wolf howled in protest, she’d ignore both.
Right now she had bigger worries, and they were waiting downstairs. Not one to put off the hard tasks any longer than necessary, she let herself out of her apartment and went down the stairs and into the club. As she’d thought, all of them were waiting for her.
Michael was pacing back and forth, his lips compressed into a thin line. Benjamin was leaning against the bar with his arms crossed over his chest. He appeared more thoughtful than angry, but with her youngest son it was sometimes hard to tell what he was really thinking.
Hank was sitting on a barstool, using a whetstone on his hunting knife. Great, that was all she needed. Hank was a good fighter, especially due to his time in the military, but she had no doubt that he was nowhere near a match for Isaiah.
Kevin, the calmest male of the bunch, busied himself behind the bar putting on a pot of coffee. She gave a mental prayer of thanks. She was going to need more than one cup to get through this confrontation.
Teague sat next to Neema at a table, his knee moving up and down with nervous energy. His childhood of growing up in the back alleys of the Bronx had given him serious street-fighting skills. Neema appeared to be more concerned than angry and it was she who caught sight of Meredith standing in the doorway.
Everyone else sensed the change in the room and turned toward her. Meredith felt pinned by six sets of eyes that varied from deep concern to outright hostility. Oh yeah, this was going to b
e fun.
Michael shot toward her, but Benjamin caught his brother’s arm, holding him back. “Listen to what she has to say first,” he cautioned.
Meredith cocked one brow and went on the offensive. “What should I say? I’m a healthy female who took a male to her bed for the night. You can’t tell me you haven’t had your share of women.”
“That’s different,” Michael retorted.
“And why is that?” She strolled forward and stopped at the edge of the group.
“Because,” Michael sputtered. “You’re my mother.”
“I’ve had lovers before.”
“But you’ve never had them here.” He dragged his hand through his hair, making the short black strands stand on end.
“You’ve never taken a lover as dangerous as this male. You’ve stuck to humans, never one of our kind.” Benjamin, in his usual thoughtful way, went to the heart of the matter. “This could come back to bite us all.”
Guilt assailed her. This had been her concern with Isaiah, yet she’d disregarded it for a night of pleasure. “I’m aware of that. But I don’t think it will. Isaiah is no threat to us.”
“Not now,” Teague countered. “But what if he finds out what some of us are?” The word half-breed was left unsaid as he drew his mate into his arms, cradling her against his chest.
Meredith knew that Neema was Teague’s anchor in this world, the only thing keeping him from turning into a rabid wolf. He’d been close to wild when he’d found Neema and she’d changed his life. But it was still touch and go on some days, especially when he felt Neema might be threatened.
“I trust Meredith,” Neema said. “After all, none of us would have a permanent home or would have been safe all these years without her. And even before that, when we were still moving around, she kept us all safe, taught us how to control our wolves and keep the hunters and rogues at bay.”
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