Running Wild

by Kristen Strassel

  What the fuck? “Out of the way?”

  “Yeah. Let’s order pizza and watch a movie and check off the first date box. We both know I’m not going anywhere.” She bit her lip when she grinned, like she knew it drove me wild. “I might not seem like a girl who’s got a lot of rules, but I have one: I only put out on the first date if I’m trying to get rid of a guy. The whole ‘getting the milk before buying the cow thing’ is true. So I’m not sleeping with you until you take me on a proper first date, Sebastian Connall. And I really want to sleep with you.”

  No need to argue with the woman, my wolf said. For once, the human side of me agreed. “I’ll call for pizza.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  NAOMI

  I needed to stick to eye fucking Sebastian when I’d gone more than twenty-four hours without sleep. I really want to sleep with you. It was one hundred percent true, but talk about giving it away for free. Ugh. I was so used to pushing men away I didn’t know how to let myself enjoy the thrill of the chase.

  The wolf thing was intense. Sebastian wasn’t like any other guy I ever dated, and I certainly didn’t want to push him away. The forever thing should’ve comforted me, but it was scary as shit. If I screwed things up, this time, it wasn’t me pushing Sebastian away. It was me failing. Which was the only thing that scared me more than commitment. I’d rather make a fool out of myself on purpose than doing it without trying.

  Maybe it was the near-death experience swaying me, but I’d fallen in pretty hard like with Sebastian. More than that. Lust. And I wanted it to turn into the other thing. The one I was too afraid to even admit to myself.

  Me, the one who needed a relationship epi-pen, wanted to fall in l.o.v.e.

  The man actually owned bubble bath. Either he was the world’s biggest player and he had a revolving door of women sinking their naked bodies into his tub, or he was a professional football player with sore muscles. The bottle claimed the potion inside could make those go away, and I was ready to put that theory to the test.

  I pulled off my boots carefully. My poor ankle had been shoved into it all day, because I was afraid I’d never get the damn thing on again. It didn’t look like an ankle anymore and I used caution getting my leggings over it. The bath was almost full, and I was getting a second wind from the eucalyptus and peppermint bubble bath. Sebastian’s bathroom smelled like a spa. Not like a locker room.

  He really was perfect.

  You’re perfect, he’d said when he’d caged me in on the couch. The words had come out like a growl. Nobody had ever looked at me like that and said those words. Usually people followed me around and told me what was wrong with me until I couldn’t listen anymore. I ran. But Sebastian thought I was perfect.

  A girl could get used to this wolf thing.

  But right now, I couldn’t wait to get this frigging bra off. My eighteen hours or whatever that old advertisement promised had expired long ago. I dropped my sweater on the ground and stifled a scream.

  The sound lady never took off my wire. I picked up the sweater, examining the tiny microphone that had been clipped inside. A vampire clip, she called it. It was usually a little scratchy, but I’d forgotten all about it in the midst of all the other uncomfortable things I had to deal with in the last two days. There was no way to tell if this thing had been on the whole time, recording every damning word that Sebastian had shared with me. Shit. I’d been under no illusion that Sebastian was safe because he walked away from the fight last night. I hadn’t let myself think of what it meant for me. But with those secrets falling into the wrong hands, we were really screwed.

  The Real Werewives would do anything for ratings. I wouldn’t put it past them to incite a pack war.

  But the microphone could’ve been off. We had to be out of range for them to keep recording. We got enough of a head start that they didn’t follow us with their cameras to the mountain last night. Only time would tell. So I treated the microphone like any other thing I didn’t want in my life. I dunked it in the bubbly water then threw it in the trash.

  Now I could relax. This was the best bubble bath ever, and I had to be careful not to let myself fall asleep. The minty scented fog was enough to shove me over the edge. Too bad I didn’t have company. It would be so easy to call Sebastian in here. I imagined him hovering over my body like he did on the couch. His muscles tense; naked and ready like he was last night.

  A knock at the door shattered my fantasy—my heart pounding hard enough to shatter the porcelain tub. I gripped the edge of the bath, trying to stop myself from saying get in here and shag me rotten.

  “Wanted to make sure you didn’t fall asleep,” he said through the door. “Pizza’s here.”

  I was ready for a lot more than pizza, but my stomach rumbled loud enough to alert an angry pack of rogue wolves to my whereabouts. One thing at a time.

  It wasn’t easy getting out of this tub. “Sebastian?” I called.

  He didn’t answer right away. “Yeah?”

  I wondered if he came back to the door, or if he’d been standing there, thinking about the same thing I was. His body slick with minty bubbles on top of mine. He was right there, all I had to do was ask for it. “I might need some help.”

  Another long pause. “Getting out of the bathtub?”

  “No, I managed that.” I considered taking a swan dive back into the bubbles. “Getting back to the living room.”

  He laughed like he was so full of desire for someone who was barely more than a stranger he was ready to burst. “I’ll talk to the trainer tomorrow about getting you some crutches.”

  My pajamas had never seemed more ridiculous. My curves ate little lacy things like a snack, and I spent half of sexy time pulling them out of places it shouldn’t be. Somewhere around the time I started my campaign to horrify everyone with my dating choices, I said goodbye to sexy lingerie. Man, was I regretting that decision right now.

  I hoped Sebastian appreciated my unicorn pajama bottoms and pink top that screamed SASSY in silver.

  At least I wouldn’t have a wedgie.

  “Nice pajamas.” He grinned when I opened the door.

  “Let me guess, you have the same pair?” I hooked my arm around his solid, warm back and took my first hop toward the living room.

  A rumble emitted from inside him. Sebastian was like an earthquake with all this pressure so close to the surface. At any time, he could erupt. “Actually, I don’t wear anything to bed.”

  I’d be waking up in this house with his naked, perfect body somewhere close to me. It was going to be really hard to stay on the couch. Now I was the one ready to explode. “I’m not criticizing your fashion choices, but I think you’d look pretty hot in a pair of these. Bet I can find a pair in your size with wolves on them.”

  “Or you could try it my way,” he said.

  “I could.” He had me flat-out flustered. Along with Sebastian’s strong arm holding me up. There was an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. They were both screaming at me: sleep with him.

  But their campaign was temporarily interrupted by the spread in the living room. “We’re having a picnic?”

  He grinned. “I thought it would be fun.”

  “This is amazing.” I let go of him once he eased me down to the pillow. He’d laid out a blanket with the pizza box on top and set two places with paper plates and a bottle of beer. Sebastian might be a wolf, but he knew how to make a woman purr.

  “Don’t expect this all the time. My trainer is gonna kick my ass when he finds out about the pizza.”

  “That’s okay. I’m not allergic to healthy food.” I pulled a piece of pizza out of the box, wrapping the hot strings of cheese around my finger and licking them off. Sebastian’s gaze followed the move, and my finger stayed on my bottom lip. “But you’ve got to treat yourself every once in a while.”

  “You’re right.” Sebastian clinked his beer bottle against mine before taking a long sip. He shook his head, a stormy amber swirl danced in his eyes and
I wondered if he was close to shifting. If that was the energy I’d felt from him and he wasn’t that into me after all. No, he was into me. I had to stop doubting my charms, even in my unicorn pjs. “If I learned anything from my first attempt to show you a good time, it’s that life’s too short. You can’t play things safe.”

  Oh man. By the time I got to the bottom of this beer bottle my unicorn pajamas would be in a crumpled heap beside me. This pizza was amazing. I hadn’t had anything to eat since the day before. “You like order in your world, don’t you?”

  “Yeah, guess I do.” He scooted closer to me, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. “The pack has rules, the team has rules. I can measure rules, and know that I’m doing my best.”

  “Rules make me itch.” I picked a piece of pepperoni from my pizza. Sebastian watched me eagerly, and I took my time dropping it into my mouth. “I’m not good at sticking with things when they get hard. I run. Production knew I’d quit. They only signed me on because they knew I’d fuck up.”

  I wasn’t feeling so sexy anymore, and the beer couldn’t wash this feeling away.

  He put his hand on my thigh. “Don’t think of it like that. You don’t answer to anyone, and that’s freedom. The sky’s the limit. But it might be fun to see if I can get you to follow a rule or two.”

  “I have a rule. Remember?” Which I wanted to snap in half and throw into Sebastian’s fireplace.

  “I can follow your rule.” His voice rumbled, like his wolf was ready to burst through.

  He gave the neckline of my top a playful tug, then traced his finger along the stripe of the armhole where the shirt changed from dark pink to light pink. He continued his journey down the sleeve of my shirt and my nipples strained against the fabric between the letters, wanting the same attention Sebastian was giving my arm. He noticed. His eyes were pure amber with the promise of so many things I desperately needed locked inside. I’d have to shatter the stone to get them. I licked my lips, and electricity danced between us. It pulsed like a heartbeat, and I didn’t know how I’d survive without it. He played with the bottom of my sleeve, and I grabbed his hand. Electricity shot through my body, as he read me like a play from a scoring drive. The imaginary crowds in my head were cheering for him to go all the way, but reality would throw him a tackle that would land him on his ass.

  He toyed with the waistband of those ridiculous pants. He took advantage of my shock, catching my lips in a kiss. He tasted sweet and salty and warm like a fire burned inside him. A long-neglected part of me throbbed as I met his kiss, and I gave it to him as good as he was giving it to me.

  Which was pretty damn good, considering the low, rumbling growl that crawled up Sebastian’s throat. I loved it when he did that.

  He almost had me flat on my back, and my body pulsed in time with that imaginary crowd, cheering for him to score.

  He broke the kiss. Flag on the play.

  “What are you doing?” I asked between ragged breaths.

  He sat up and ran his fingers through his dark curls. I was this close to stripping off my pajamas and taking back my stupid rule. But that pulse, the electricity that connected us, intensified.

  “Showing you that I can follow your rules.” His voice was as rocky as the forest floor, and I wished I knew how close his animal was to coming to the surface. “Like I said, that’s how I measure progress.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  SEBASTIAN

  I spent my whole life looking for openings. Opportunities. Places I could exploit weaknesses. That was the place I’d break through and dominate. That was why I liked rules so much. I played them to my advantage.

  Naomi fell asleep as soon as I put a movie on. I brought her to my bed, and my plan to sleep on the couch went to shit as soon as I pulled the blanket over her. As soon as I let her go, she groaned her in sleep, reaching for something that wasn’t there.

  Me. The animal inside me growled in satisfaction. My mate wanted me. Needed me. My wolf wouldn’t let me ignore him any longer.

  You need to make things right for her, the beast said. She needs a home.

  I couldn’t run from my past anymore, playing defense against Stefan’s pack. It was once my pack, and it was time to reclaim my freedom. It had only been a day since our brawl. No word on Stefan. Whether he was dead or alive, it was a matter of time before the pack came looking for me. To tell me I was alpha or to kill me.

  This was my opportunity to make things right with the pack.

  I didn’t know if this number would work anymore. But if I knew my best friend, he was still on Faraway Island. Doing the work I ran from.

  “Hey man, I heard you were back,” Gunnar said when he answered the phone. “Congrats on getting drafted by the Bloodhounds. Always knew you’d make the pros. Heard from Stefan yet?”

  “I’m sure you have.”

  Gunnar laughed. He’d been dealing with my brother’s asshole antics ever since I left. “Yeah. That he wouldn’t let you defy him by coming back to Alaska. That your ego was too big and you needed a knockdown.”

  “That was one of the things he said the other night when he showed up in Holiday Falls.”

  “How’d that go?” Gunnar asked.

  “Seen him around town in the last day or so?” I needed to know what I was starting with, and then I could figure out what my opportunity was. Exploit my old pack’s weaknesses.

  “It’s been blissfully quiet.” He chuckled again. “But you know as well as I do that’s never a good thing. I’m worried about you, Sebastian. I know why you came back, but Stefan’s not going to let you undermine him. He’ll humiliate you when you least expect it. Hit you where it hurts.”

  “That’s why I called you.” I was about to say something I never thought I would. “I’m coming back to Faraway Island.”

  Gunnar whistled low. “My herd will help you when you come. You’ve always had my back. I’ll never forget that. But why now? The team making you do it?”

  “No.” My wolf rumbled. He thinks you’re weak. They all do. If it was just the team, I’d ride it out in Holiday Falls, staying one step ahead of my old pack. I’d use human law to my advantage. I’d do what I’d done my whole adult life. Run. “I found my mate. I want to make Alaska my home again.”

  “Good for you, man,” Gunnar said. “I’m looking forward to meeting her. But you don’t have an easy road ahead. People haven’t said the best things about you since you left. You’ve been used as an example on the island.”

  “You said your herd would help.” I could take on Stefan by myself, if he was still alive. But I couldn’t sustain a long-term attack from an entire pack.

  “We will.” If Gunnar was anything, he was loyal. That was why I refused to kill him when it was the only thing that would’ve kept me in my pack. “I just don’t want you to think it’s gonna be easy.”

  A weight had been lifted off my shoulders already. Going back to Faraway Island was the hardest thing I’d ever do. Facing everyone who thought I was weak, a traitor, and earning their respect back. Even if I was never welcomed back there, I had to show I was worthy of belonging to a pack.

  This was so much more than that, and I crawled into bed next to Naomi. Her body relaxed against mine, but there was no guarantee she wanted the same thing I did. Commitment scared the shit out of her. She’d take her suitcase and hop out of here on her good foot at the first mention of forever.

  I had to take it one date at a time. It was the only way to win her over.

  She’d been curious about my wolf, and she didn’t shy away from the truth. Forever, I thought as I watched her sleep in the early morning light. It scared me too, that she’d awoken a force I’d neglected since I got kicked out of my pack. I swore to myself I took care of my animal by playing football. By being ruthless and vicious and leaving everything I had on the field.

  It was bullshit. I’d ignored it and pushed it away. It made me less of a man and even less of a wolf.

  No more excuses.

/>   My mate lay beside me in her unicorn pajamas, sprinkling my soul with sweetness and spice. Her eyes fluttered open, and she startled, waking in a room she’d never seen before. She gave me a sleepy smile, but it was short-lived.

  She lifted the blankets and I turned away. It was no secret I woke up ready for her, but if she knew how ready...

  “Had to make sure I still had them on. It’s like, ‘you had one job’, but with a rule.” She rolled over and kissed me. “Sorry about my morning breath.”

  She was adorable. Pink hair all over the pillow, and her blue eyes were bright against my white sheets. I wanted her. “I brought you in here, and my plan was for me to sleep on the couch.”

  “Good thing plans can change more easily than rules.” She propped her head up on her elbow, tracing my bare collarbone with her other hand. It took everything I had not to throw my head back and let out a howl. She ran her fingers along the tight, pink skin that would be my souvenir from my brother’s attack. “The bite looks a lot better this morning.”

  “Feels better.” My wolf groaned in satisfaction. I wanted her to keep touching me, but this was still technically our first date. I’d follow her rules.

  My plan to go back to Faraway Island was risky. Even if I was successful in fighting my brother, or his pack, if that was all that was left, it didn’t mean the war was over. They’d punish me any way they could. Including hurting Naomi.

  The pack knew there was one thing I wanted more than football. It was a place to belong.

  Naomi frowned. I had to figure out a way to explain this to her. How much I needed to protect her from things she didn’t understand.

  “You make me feel safe, Sebastian,” she said, turning my face to hers with the tips of her fingers. “Even when we were in the forest. I knew as long as I was with you, nothing would hurt me. I like that feeling.”

  It was a lie. She wasn’t safe. The last time I took a stand for someone, my brother insisted I take his life. Stefan had something to hold over me then—the pack. Football wasn’t enough of a negotiating chip. He couldn’t take that from me. But if they got my mate, it would be a near fatal blow.