“Hunters are crazy bastards – they’d have to be to do what they do. I don’t want you and Mikey being put in danger because of all the things he’s done over the years.”
“We could easily be in danger because of something you did,” she pointed out reasonably, “and so could Ariel for that matter – in fact, she already has been in danger because of your time as a hunter.”
“Yeah, but, to be fair the guy who came after us was also a hunter, and pretty incompetent. Trust me, my enemies are more likely to dump a bag of flaming dog crap on our stoop than anything else.”
Carrie shuddered. “I really hate that prank.”
“Yeah, me too,” Mal agreed grimly.
Some neighbor kids once did it to their father, and he went ballistic and took his anger out on their mom and Mal, and would have moved onto Carrie if it weren’t for Mal stopping him. Mal took her away after that, and brought her here to the herd – to safety. Her inner beast shivered remembering those times.
Carrie drained her milk and let out a small burp, making Mal chuckle. She’d read somewhere that burping out loud encouraged your baby to do it too. Though she wasn’t sure how well that worked, at least she amused Mikey and Mal when she did it.
“The thing is, he is Mikey’s dad.”
“I know.”
“And I do want Mikey to know his dad.”
“Yeah.”
“But you’re not convinced it’s going to happen.”
Mal smiled sadly. “You barely saw me when I was a hunter, and I wasn’t half as in demand as Riker. He’s the council’s right hand man, and that’s another thing to think about if he wanted to leave – they wouldn’t let him go without a fight.”
“They couldn’t stop him from leaving.”
They weren’t the freaking mafia – they had laws and rules.
“You try telling them that.”
Carrie rose to her feet. She had thought to get a glass of milk to calm herself down so that she might get some sleep, but now her reindeer was pacing nervously and she was more agitated than before.
“I’m going to try and get some sleep.”
Mal nodded and she turned to leave.
“Carrie?”
She paused at the door. “Mmm hmm?”
“Is Riker’s first name actually Michael?”
Carrie glanced over her shoulder and snickered. “You didn’t know his first name?”
Mal shrugged. “Seemed kind of personal.”
“Sure.”
They were talking about a name not a shoe size for heaven’s sake!
“So that’s where Mikey got his name?”
Carrie flushed. “Yes.”
He nodded and looked at her thoughtfully. “Riker is a good man – loyal and honest. I guess you could have done worse. But don’t tell him I said that, officially I’m still mad.”
She smiled. “Good night, Mal.”
“Night, Carrie.”
Chapter Fifteen
Riker leaped out of bed at the first tap to the door. He reached for his weapon and then paused. Would someone trying to kill him actually bother to knock on the door and alert Riker to their presence?
He inhaled and his wolf lit up like an extremely furry firecracker. Riker abandoned the weapon and tore the door open. His inner beast growled happily.
“Carrie?”
She blushed and smiled and lust surged within him. She opened her mouth to say something, but that turned into a yelp as Riker pulled her into his room, slammed the door and locked it.
Riker ran his hands down her arms, enjoying the touch and feel of her at last. The brief touches and far-too-short kiss the day before had done nothing to satisfy his desire for her.
Carrie chuckled and pressed her hands to his stomach, her fingers brushing over the bare skin. “I was going to say I could come back later if it’s not a good time, but never mind.”
Unable to stop himself, Riker pressed his lips to her hairline, buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply.
“Oh, my,” breathed Carrie and he scented a rush of arousal from her.
As always, she smelled amazing. Better than he remembered. Though, he did think her scent had changed slightly. That might be down to Mikey – speaking of which…
Riker pulled back. “Where’s Mikey?”
Carrie’s smile turned a little stiff, almost as if she was uncertain about talking about Mikey around him. “Ariel’s babysitting. I’m sorry, did I wake you? I know it’s a little early for some.”
It was just turned 7 am, and while Riker was still in his boxers, he had been awake for an hour. But, a little frustrated – in more ways than one, he hadn’t bothered to shower or shave, and was instead considering smoking a few cigarettes. He used to smoke like a demon back in the day, but he managed to kick the habit about fifteen years ago. Though, he was currently keeping the nicotine gum industry afloat single-handedly with all his purchases. He hadn’t seriously thought about smoking in years before his night with Carrie. Since then, annoyed and angry at every turn, he had bought about a pack a week thinking to smoke them. Oh, he always managed to throw them out before he did, but he kept buying them just in case. Last night, he bought one on his way home from the party.
“I always wake at 6 am,” he told her.
Well, unless interrupted by annoying phone calls to tell him he had to get out of bed and chase down some asshole shifter, who had inconsiderately decided to go on the run in the middle of the night. Though, he had never really minded that until he met Carrie – now it forever pissed him off because it reminded him of the time he made the mistake of leaving Carrie alone, and losing her… But, he had her again now…
Carrie softened, her expression becoming almost dreamy. “Mikey’s exactly the same. 6 am every morning no matter what.”
“Just like his old man,” rumbled Riker.
Her lips parted but she didn’t say anything. They stood together for a few beats, until, finally, she said, “I just thought I’d stop by and… ah… apologize again for Mal hitting you.”
*
Riker frowned the moment the lie left her lips. She hadn’t been thinking about that at all. After a restless night, and frankly, a restless eighteen months, she had just wanted to see him again. Last night, he had startled her by appearing. She hadn’t taken full advantage of the fact that he was back – that the sexiest man alive had just walked on into her house, and clearly still felt attraction for her given that he had tried to kiss her.
“No, you didn’t,” he said simply.
“Didn’t I?” she murmured.
Riker’s lips curled into a devilishly sexy smile and Carrie almost moaned as she felt the arousal between her legs.
He plucked the strap of the purse from her shoulder and dumped it on the floor. Then he peeled the jacket off her, and she remained in place, almost hypnotized, as he pulled the sweater off her.
Amber seeped into his eyes more and more as he removed her layers, and when he landed on her bra, he growled. The sound sent tingles directly to her sex.
He moved to divest her of the bra and Carrie put her arms over her chest. “My body’s… changed since you last saw me,” she whispered awkwardly.
She had never been that fond of it before, but now she was packing extra pounds and breastfeeding was not kind to breasts.
Riker rumbled and carefully moved her arms. “You’re always beautiful, Carrie. So beautiful I can barely breathe.”
He took the bra off and leaned down to kiss her breasts. She wasn’t sure if it was him or her that snapped, or possibly both, but the slowness of those few moments was quickly forgotten, and in the next moment, they were in one another’s arms, desperately trying to touch and kiss and take their fill of the other.
Riker laid her down on the bed, divesting her of shoes, socks, jeans and panties. He growled in satisfaction and tossed his own boxers away. Carrie gasped on seeing his beautiful body again. Oh, how she had dreamed about him, how she had wished he had been bes
ide her for so many lonely nights. She didn’t think she could stand to be without him for another second, but there was one thing they needed to take care of…
“Wait,” she breathed and Riker snarled. “Protection?”
Riker arched an eyebrow questioningly.
“I’m no longer on the pill – not that it worked the last time we were together.”
Riker huffed impatiently. “I don’t have anything…”
“My purse. I got some condoms,” she admitted as she blushed. Yes, she bought them on the way over… just in case. Well, she was hoping for the best when she bought them.
He grinned lasciviously. “No kidding.”
“Hurry,” she hissed.
Her body was so overheated that she feared combustion wasn’t far away. She watched with simmering impatience as Riker grabbed the box, tore it open and slid a condom onto his hardened length. Her sex ached with desire for him, to feel him again.
Riker grinned an almost feral smile and she shivered. He climbed over her body and she accepted him eagerly, possessively, loath to let him go for a second lest he get away again. Mine cooed her inner beast.
His fingers dipped into her channel and he chuckled on finding her so wet, so ready. In truth, she’d been ready for him for over a year. Even while nursing a broken heart over him she had wanted him.
Carrie bit her lip as he pressed his thick manhood to her sex. That familiar, wonderful feeling of completeness that had almost been forgotten flooded through her, and as he pushed inside her body, she almost sobbed with relief.
Riker snarled in pleasure as he came to rest in her. Oh, it was bliss, better than she remembered.
“You’ve no idea how much I’ve wanted this,” he growled.
“Oh, I think I have,” she murmured.
Carrie nipped his bottom lip and he smirked before giving her a breathtaking kiss. He started thrusting in and out of her. She found her hips moving to meet him, pushing against him, wanting more. She always wanted more.
“Please, Michael,” she begged.
He snarled and drove himself inside her violently as his teeth nipped at her neck.
She didn’t think she would ever have her fill of this man. He called to her on such a base, primal level that she knew in both her heart and beast that no other man would ever be good enough. If he turned away tomorrow, there would be no other male for her – she didn’t think she could ever feel any passion for another male. He was it for her, and as he roared his completion and she dissolved into ecstasy, she realized that both thrilled and scared her.
Chapter Sixteen
“Wow,” Carrie panted, “I can’t believe how fast that happened.”
His wolf bristled but Riker didn’t really mind. He hadn’t been with anyone since Carrie – hadn’t wanted another female – and yes, he hadn’t been able to take as much time with her as he was hoping, but he was sure there would be plenty of time for that later.
“Yeah, it’s been a while.”
Carrie giggled and wriggled on the bed, moving around so she was leaning an arm on his stomach, and cupping her head in her hand so she could look at him.
“That’s not what I meant. What we just did was… was…”
Her already flushed body turned an even darker shade of embarrassed.
“Was?” he prompted, interested in her response.
“You know it was amazing,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You won’t hear any complaints from me there.”
Okay, his wolf was back to preening. Yeah, it was.
“No, I mean I can’t believe how fast we fell back into bed again. I honestly came here just to talk.”
“You brought the condoms with you,” he chuckled and then narrowed his eyes, “unless you carry them around all the time.”
His wolf snarled, imagining other males leering after Carrie – his Carrie, the mother of his pup!
Carrie slapped his chest. “Sure, I like carrying them around in my baby’s diaper bag in case I get lucky,” she scolded sarcastically. “Okay, fine, I bought them at that drugstore on the corner on my way here. But I didn’t specifically buy them to use today, just, you know, in case we needed them in the future… It’s not funny!”
She slapped his chest again but he just laughed even harder. Though his amusement soon cleared up as his phone started ringing. It lay on the nightstand and was buzzing incessantly. It was probably the fool Lucas again, only this time he was ignoring protocol and calling Riker’s personal phone.
“I better deal with that,” he muttered.
He started to move and Carrie patted his chest and leaned over to grab his phone. She handed it to him and made a move to roll out of bed. Riker caught her wrist and kept her there, and with his other hand, he turned his phone off and tossed it across the room.
Carrie smirked. “That’s dealing with it?”
Riker shrugged and pulled her back down into bed, curling her into his arms. “The hunters have had me for a whisper away from twenty-eight years, I told them I was taking a few weeks vacation – figured I was finally owed some.”
“Twenty-eight years,” repeated Carrie as she nestled in his embrace.
“Longer than you’ve been alive, right?” he said mildly.
He knew she was young, but he tried not to dwell on it too much, lest he start thinking about how she could do a lot better than an old bastard like him. His wolf growled in annoyance but it was true.
“I’m nearly thirty,” she countered.
Riker humphed. “How long until you turn thirty?”
“In about eight months… and two years, but age isn’t important.”
He chuckled and ran his hands over Carrie’s back, marveling at the softness of her skin. “No, it never is when you’re twenty-seven.”
“You must have been young when you joined the hunters.”
Riker grunted. “Sixteen.”
“I thought you had to be eighteen to join.”
“They made a special allowance for me – I fit their mental profile, and back then, they would have taken pretty much anyone.”
The hunters were founded less than forty years ago, and the profession was still in its infancy when Riker joined. The hours had always been dreadful, but back then the pay was also abysmal. At least now hunters got paid a pretty exorbitant sum for doing their jobs. They didn’t get any benefits though – that was something that had to come out of their paychecks. Plus, there was certainly no retirement fund – most of the hunters never needed it because they didn’t make it that far.
“Why did you join?” she asked, her voice laced with innocence.
Riker stared at her, catching and holding her gaze. She blushed.
“You’ve been talking to Mal,” he rightly surmised.
Carrie blushed even more. She tried to wriggle out of his grip but he held her firm and continued stroking her, making sure she knew he wasn’t mad.
“He just asked me if I knew, but when I asked him to tell me, he felt guilty for bringing it up and wouldn’t say a word. You really don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“It’s not really a secret,” he said slowly. “And there’s not much to tell. My stepfather was a drunken asshole. Used to hurt my mom, used to cheat on her, and had the nerve to follow her around because he was convinced she was cheating on him. But she always defended him – never let anyone intervene and it drove me mad. He was possessive and crazy, and one day, he was so sure that she’d cheated on him that he killed her. So, I challenged him, and just about killed him in a fight. Then I went to the hunters and said I wanted to join.”
“Oh,” she breathed. “What happened to him? Did the hunters arrest him?”
“No.”
Riker’s hands paused as he considered not telling her, but he wasn’t really wired that way. He wasn’t someone who would hide from the truth just because it would make his life easier, or perhaps stop him from losing something he wanted. If he had any hope of anything with Carrie, she needed to kno
w who he really was, and let the disappointing chips lay where they fall.
“He died from his injuries a couple of days later. I killed him.”
Carrie blinked at him as he stared at her emotionlessly.
“I was very angry when I was younger,” he murmured. “Could barely control my temper half the time. I’ve learned to control myself over the years. I wouldn’t hurt you.”
“I never thought you would.” She smiled sadly. “My poor Michael,” she murmured.
His eyes flashed in surprise and Carrie frowned. “What? Did you think I’d be horrified to hear about your stepfather? Come on, I may be a little naïve now and again but I didn’t just fall off a cloud and dust off my halo yesterday.”
Riker’s lips quirked. “No, I figured that when you were screaming my name earlier.”
She slapped his chest. “He killed your mother and you had the right to challenge him. I’m just sorry you had a crappy childhood. Believe me I know what crappy childhoods are like.”
“I know,” growled Riker, his face immediately hardening. “I read your dad’s file, and Mal told me enough.”
Carrie shook her head dismissively. “Mal shielded me from most things, and it wasn’t all bad, when I moved to the herd to live with my grandmother, I was very happy.”
“My little angel,” he crooned and kissed her.
“So umm, what was that you were saying about taking a few weeks off from the hunters?” She looked up at him hopefully, and he couldn’t ignore the pleasure it gave his inner beast.
“Yeah, I thought I’d stick around over Christmas, spend time with you and Mikey.”
“Oh!”
Her face blossomed into the most achingly beautiful smile that he thought his heart might burst at that very moment.
“That sounds wonderful,” she gushed in giddy glee. “And actually, umm, I was wondering if, since you’re in town, you wanted to, and say no if you don’t, but maybe you should,” she took a deep breath, “come and stay at the house.”
“Really?”
“Well, yes, I mean, you want to be with us, so you might as well be there for everything. I just think that we need to spend time together, getting to know each other, so we can see what it’s really like – the three of us.” She licked her lips and he tried not to groan. “Then we can decide what we want for the future.”
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