I grimaced, wondering what she was talking about. “Shenique,” I called her softly, forcefully, “It is not Gerald, it is... Vince.”
My voice did not register.
My heart lurched as I increased the pressure against her small frame. Soon, the thrashing reduced, and her eyes popped open. She glared at me, but was barely able to keep her gaze focused. Her breathing was ragged and what was more, her fever had intensified.
“Carina, you must relax,” I urged her, pressing her body gently. A thin layer of sweat covered her skin, making it even more supple.
“Gerald!”
I frowned, feeling waves of anger formulate inside of my chest.
Who is this man?
Without saying anything, I released her and marched into the bathroom. I wet a rag with cool water and returned to dab it against her forehead. I eased her back against the pillows.
She did not fight me, but a coughing spell overtook her and her body wracked. “What...” She tried to speak, but the coughing continued. Her teeth gritted as her face twisted in agony. “Who are you?”
She was delirious, just as the doctor said she would be.
I ignored her question and pressed the cloth against her head. Then, I placed it on her chin and neck. Without warning, my eyes were drawn to it, and my wolf yipped with excitement.
Claim her!
I pulled my eyes back up. “You must rest. You have been injured by wolves and – ”
“Where is Gerald?” she demanded. Her honey-brown eyes were wide with fear.
“I do not know who this is,” I informed her. The words slid through my teeth. I had no knowledge of the man, but it was clear that Shenique was fearful, and this did not sit well with me. In fact, I quickly became infuriated.
She shook her head. “He’s coming,” she whispered. “He always does. Loveless.” She gripped my arm. “Don’t leave me,” she begged. “He’s going to come for me. Please...” she choked. “Stay...”
I had not known it before that moment, but they were words I longed to hear.
From her.
The taste of her was still on my tongue, even though hours had passed. I wanted to taste her again, but now, I wanted all of her.
I stared at the woman, trying to understand her babble, but I knew it made no sense. For now, my only desire was to protect her from this nightmare, these demons that were antagonizing her, and in the morning, we would talk.
“I will stay,” I whispered, even as something wrapped around my heart. “I will stay for as long as you want me to.”
She nodded, eyes still wide, and I wondered if anything I had said registered.
Most likely not.
I raised my fingers to her brow and paused, only for a second, before brushing curls from her forehead. Then, I pulled away from her, and retreated to an armchair on the other side of the room. I wanted to be closer, but I did not trust myself or my wolf. His commands were starting to take root. I was fighting him, as if he were an enemy. Besides, I needed Shenique to be lucid. Right now, she was vulnerable, and I did not wish to cause alarm; but as I dropped into the chair, the distance grated me.
Shenique was sitting upright in the bed, staring at me; her magnetic and frightened gaze beckoning me.
My hands tightened around the chair handles. “You should lie down, Shenique,” I instructed carefully.
She attempted to ease back onto the pillows, but pain prevented it.
Without hesitation, I lifted myself from the chair and assisted. I gathered her body into my arms and repositioned her. Her essence invaded me and I could barely concentrate. My wolf pressed me, urging me to taste her skin.
“Loveless...” Shenique muttered. “I need Loveless, Vince.”
I frowned. The delirium must have been wearing off, because now she was calling my name, but this Loveless; I had no idea what she was talking about, or what it could possibly mean. And Gerald...
“Shenique, what is – ”
Her babbling interrupted my question.
My jaw clenched as I tucked her under the covers, trying to reduce the shivering, both hers and mine, but when I eased away from her, she grabbed me again. Her hold was a vice-grip. “Don’t leave me,” she whispered, eyes wide.
She was extremely delirious.
My throat was thick. “I have told you, I will not leave. I am going to – ”
“No,” she argued. “Lay with me. Hold me. He’s going to come back, I know he is. Protect me, Vince.”
I blinked. This woman had no idea how much what she was saying was piercing me like arrows to a bullseye, but there was no way I should lay with her. There was no way I should –
Lay with her! the beast growled.
I was outnumbered. Between her and my fucking wolf, the pressure was too great. I kicked off my shoes and eased into the space next to Shenique. My body was stiff with anxiety and longing. Everything in me yearned to be next to her, and anticipation had my heart thumping inside of my chest.
Shenique slinked her body against mine. The coarse bandages wrapped around her arm, torso, and leg grated against my skin, but it was not enough to detract from the way her skin felt: like melted butter. My hands slid against her skin and my body jerked. It was a terrible trap, but I was desperate to fall into it.
Finally, Shenique rested her head against the pillows and her curls, now messy and tangled, spilled over them. When she pushed her curves against me, my cock stiffened.
I could not resist the urge to smell her skin any longer. Desire was blazing deep inside of me, and it was unlike anything I had ever known. It was an undeniable force, so strong, I knew that if I resisted it, I would make myself sick.
I dropped my nose to her neck and inhaled, nuzzling her skin. My mouth followed. I massaged her wound with my tongue, and when she moaned, I almost burst.
This woman was irresistible and I wanted her. I wanted to know what the inside of her body felt like. My cock was as solid as concrete, and it searched for her entrance. It would not be a good thing for me to stay with her for too long. Already her delirium was becoming contagious, because now, all I could think about was...
Again, I pressed my nose against her and folded my arms around her body, and soon the sound of her soft snores rose.
“Why have you come to Tuscany, Shenique? Why are you disrupting my life?”
She bristled and I squeezed her closer.
“I will protect you, Carina,” I whispered against the curls covering her ear. “I will protect you. From everything.”
Eleven
Shenique
‘Nothing More’
My eyes popped open and my vision was blurry as I tried to reorient myself, figure out where the hell I was. The last thing I remembered was a ferocious wolf dripping thick saliva over my face, with its sharp teeth ready to clamp down on my neck. Then another wolf, more menacing and ferocious than the first had ever been, appeared. It had been huge and monstrous. There had been a fight, and the biggest wolf had ripped the other one to shreds. Then it had turned to me, its gray eyes glowing like they had white flames in them.
I gasped. The eyes!
I tried to sit up, but a sharp, shooting pain seized my entire body. My teeth gritted and I groaned, just as the agony was intensifying. My back crashed against a stack of plush pillows, and my eyes searched the area.
I was... in a bedroom. Thick expensive drapes hung over the windows, and across the room, a large, oak dresser was flush against the wall. To the right, there was a door, which I imagined led to a closet or maybe a bathroom. The floor was covered with plush white carpet, and the sound of birds chirping outside of the window pricked my ears.
It was morning.
Suddenly, the bedroom door flew open, and Vince appeared at the threshold. I jerked backwards and a scream rose from my throat, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the sudden pain or Vince’s shocking presence.
Baby Jesus in a manger, the sight of him was enough to evaporate my anger. He was stately, tall a
nd god-like, even though the only things he was wearing were jeans and a sleeveless undershirt. I was momentarily distracted by the ripples of tight, tanned muscle stretching his clothes; momentarily taken by the burning gaze in his steely gray eyes.
Gray eyes!
I gasped. “What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded, but my tone was not as menacing as I would have liked. Instead, it was frail and feeble, the complete opposite of the air I was trying to portray. “What have you done to me?” I spat.
Vince huffed, but didn’t answer. Instead, he walked into the room, never once taking his eyes off me. His jaw was set and mouth tight, the way it always seemed to be, unless his lips were gliding over mine.
In those moments, they were pliable and soft.
I shoved the unnerving thoughts out of my mind and jerked the covers up to my neck, but he approached and ripped them away. I wanted to fight him, the way I had in the vineyard, but I had no strength. I was a complete cripple.
“I am here because you asked me to be,” he answered my first question. His voice was like sandpaper.
“I did what?”
“And do not cover yourself,” he demanded. “I need to check your wounds and make sure they are healing the way they should be.” Vince peered at my bruised flesh and then peeled the bandage off my leg. He frowned, observing the wound, which had clearly once been very deep, but seemed to be healing at a rapid pace. He reached over to the night table and pulled a bottle off it.
“What are you doing?” I snapped.
“I am taking care of you.”
My jaw jerked. “I’m a nurse,” I informed him. “I can take care of myself. I don’t need you to – ”
“Stop talking, and do not move.” He poured the contents of the bottle over the wound, and it fizzed and condensed to a white foam. A mild stinging sensation made the area tingle, but soon it stopped.
Pleased with the outcome, Vince did the same to the wounds on my torso and arm. His eyes caught my breasts, which were bare before him, and I bristled.
I shifted in the bed. “Are you done? Can I pull the covers up now?”
He paused. “Yes.”
I yanked the covers up until they were awkwardly under my chin, then I narrowed my eyes at him. “What happened to me?” I whispered.
Vince’s expression did not change. It was still as flat as the night table, but his eyes glinted. “Because of your disobedience, you were attacked by wolves early this morning.”
I chose to ignore his choice of vocabulary. “Then why am I not dead?”
“Because I saved you,” he answered.
“How the hell did you save me? You just said that a pack of wolves attacked me,” I pressed him.
He grabbed me with his eyes. “Do you really wish to know how I did it?”
My jaw trembled as we stared at one another. His energy was intense. I didn’t know if I should run for my life, or into his arms.
A strange silence prevailed as he cleaned up the mess and discarded the bloody bandages. I watched, waiting for him to respond. Now, his body was stiff, as if my question concerned him.
He sighed and scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “I am not sure if I can tell you,” he finally said.
“Why not?”
“Because I do not know if you will... overreact.” He crossed his arms over his bulging chest.
“And why the hell would I – ”
“Because you always do,” he interrupted. “Take yesterday outside of the mansion, for example. You were a mad woman, and all because you could not get your own way.”
“You don’t know me, Vince,” I reminded him jerking forward, but the pain made me wince and pull back.
He chuckled, amused, and I seethed.
“I don’t overreact!”
“You are doing it already,” he alleged pointing at me. “This is exactly what I mean, and it proves that all you need to know, is that I saved your ass, and you should be grateful for it.”
I glared at him. “There were seven wolves out there, Vince!”
“There were nine,” he corrected me, his eyes glinting.
I huffed, ignoring his sarcasm. “They almost killed me, yet there’s barely a scratch on you. You didn’t save me, Vince. I saw what happened.”
He frowned. “What did you see?”
“Another animal showed up and it demolished all of the others,” I said. “It was ferocious and unforgiving. Of course, you also exhibit those characteristics, but...” My voice trailed and suddenly, a foreign and intense wave of emotion washed over me. I lifted my chin. “Wait... was that you?” I whispered. “Are you a... wolf shifter?”
Vince’s eyes hardened and softened in one swift motion. He pushed a breath out of his nose and started to walk away.
“Don’t... leave...” I bit out.
He froze, but didn’t turn around.
“I asked you a question.”
His shoulders loosened and he stretched his neck. He turned around and peered at me. “Yes, it was me,” he admitted inching forward, but I held my hands up in defense. He only advanced, bringing with him the intoxicating scent of his woodsy cologne and a forceful, erotic aura.
“Get away from me,” I warned him, trying to catch my breath. “You’re dangerous!”
“I am not dangerous.”
I lurched back, pain making me wince. “You obliterated a team of wolves! Yeah, you are!”
Now he was standing in front of me, staring down, with gray eyes flickering. My breath caught in my lungs, and I was certain I was going to black-out again.
“I would never hurt you,” he alleged. “There is... something I need from you.”
I tried to shove him away, but he grabbed my wrists, and the minute he touched me, my vision clouded.
Vince lowered his face to mine, his lips inches away from my mouth. He was staring at it. “You said you would not overreact if I told you the truth; but you lied,” he whispered. His gaze was fixed on my mouth, and I secretly hoped that he would touch it with his.
My eyes fluttered. “What do you want from me, Vince?”
He grunted, but did not respond.
At least, not with words.
Slowly, Vince took my hair into his fist and drew me into a slow kiss. The air in my lungs disappeared, but his sweet breath infiltrated them and instantly, my panic withered away.
My world stopped moving, and my body melted against his, as the covers slid off my body. I pressed my tingling breasts against his hard chest.
His kiss was slow, easy, therapeutic; and it seized my panic completely. Any pain that lingered no longer existed.
I released a new breath and he deepened the kiss, forcing my mouth open. His hard hands caressed my aching body, sending a healing warmth to the very muscle. Then his fingertips grazed my nipples, and they peaked.
“Shenique, I have tried so hard to resist you, because you are disobedient and dramatic...” His mouth never left mine. His voice sent vibrations coursing over my body. His tongue slow-danced with mine, as his fingers tightened at the back of my head.
“Vince...” I moaned. The way his name rolled off my tongue shocked my ears, but I didn’t care. The desperation was indescribable. How much I wanted him inside of my body made no sense.
His mouth dropped to my breast, and his tongue captured it.
My neck flew back, as pain and pleasure blended into the perfect cacophony.
Vince growled. “I need your body, Shenique,” he claimed in a lust-ridden whisper. “Let me have you. Let me touch you. I promise I will not hurt you.”
I believed him.
Wolf or not; scary-man-standing-at-the-door or not, there had been no need for him to ask. Suddenly, I wanted to give him everything. I wanted to spread my legs open and let him invade me like a coup d’etat.
That was when I remembered Loveless.
Vince lathered my nipple, and his fingers slinked to my dripping core. His thumb twirled over my stiff clit, while two digits slipped in and out of my pus
sy, and it didn’t take long for me to explode all over him.
I cried out as an extreme pleasure erupted over and inside of me. My back arched until I thought it would crack.
He pressed his hand against my treasure and drew his fingers out of me. Then, he licked them, letting his tongue swirl over their tips.
Baby Jesus in the manger...
Still shaking from the mind-blowing release, I ripped away from him, trying to catch my breath. “Get away from me,” I ordered.
“You do not want that,” he predicted. His eyes flashed.
I gasped. “Where is Loveless?” I whispered through my teeth. Involuntarily, my body shuddered because of the after-effects of his touch, and I seethed with irritation that it was giving me away.
Vince stared at me, his eyes like flames, scorching my naked skin. “I have no idea what Loveless is,” he said. Frustrated, he stood and walked towards the window, raking his hand through his hair. His arms lowered and hung at his sides. “Who is Gerald, Shenique?” he asked. His voice was just as low as mine, but my breath slammed into my ribcage, hearing his question.
“What are you talking about? How do you know about – ”
“Loveless and Gerald – these are things you spoke of last night when you were delirious and in pain.” He paused and turned to face me. His eyes were as hard as bricks. “You asked me about Loveless and I told you I did not know what you were talking about, but when you mentioned this man Gerald...” His words faded away and his hands rolled into fists. “What is Loveless and who is Gerald?”
I swallowed. There was no way I would answer either question. In fact, now I was wondering why the hell I’d brought up Loveless in the first damn place. All I knew was that the amulet was gone. Loveless was the only weapon I had, if I was going to save Sasha. If I didn’t have it, this entire thing would be pointless; but there was no way I could tell Vince about it.
He was the enemy.
Granted, he was the enemy who had made me climax with his fingers only a few seconds ago; the enemy whose dick I now wanted to feel cramming my insides, but the enemy nonetheless.
Loveless: A BWWM Wolf Shifter Romance (The Alpha Series Book 2) Page 8