by Cecilia Lane
“Well…” Leah paused and flicked a glance between him and Bruce. “I guess one dance won’t hurt.”
Bruce smiled slowly over her head. He showed too many teeth and his eyes silver churned with his inner bear. Daring Callum to call him off. Forcing him to make a stand as alpha.
Not yet. He wasn’t alpha yet. Bruce was proving the point and looking for a fight.
Not in the bar. Not in front of Leah. She didn’t understand them. She’d see the blood and run. Just like his mother had run. Just like all outsiders ran.
He followed behind Leah, bear crushing him from the inside out. Bruce was too close to her. The threat was too real. He wanted her.
Too fucking bad. Leah belonged to him. Bruce would never touch her.
“You shouldn’t do this,” he murmured. Bruce would hear and he couldn’t find it in himself to care.
She turned and poked him in the chest. Hard. A dangerous light entered her eyes. “I don’t need you telling me what I can and cannot do. It’s one dance.”
“Yeah, Callum,” Bruce taunted. “One dance.”
He ignored the other man, even if he wanted to throw a punch. How far was Bruce willing to go in the rivalry that brewed between them? The incident in the town hall hadn’t left Callum’s mind. Bruce was on unsteady ground.
He addressed Leah quietly. “I’m just looking out for you.”
“I thought we had that settled. No one looks out for me but me.”
His bear clawed at his insides, but Callum took a step back. He recognized that stubborn streak as one like his own. She’d already made up her mind and he wouldn’t be able to change it without reducing her opinion of him. She needed to see Bruce’s nastiness for herself. He’d be there when it fell apart. “Fine.”
He stepped off the dance floor and ripped his pint off the table. The fresh beer was gone within seconds, as was the shot that Cole passed him.
Anything to not watch Bruce stumble around with Leah. Uncoordinated bastard.
Bruce lowered his arm on a sloppy turn and grabbed a handful of Leah’s ass. She glared at him and timed a step to crush his toes. Good girl.
“Where are the skills I was promised?” she laughed.
Mistake. Even bigger than agreeing to the dance in the first place. She didn’t have an instinct for the undercurrents surrounding her. They’d drag her to the unbreathable depths if she wasn’t careful. He couldn’t lose her. Not to Bruce.
Bruce dragged her hand to his crotch. “Right here, baby.”
She gave him a withering look and shook her hand and head in disgust. “Really?”
Bruce’s neck turned red with anger and the color spread fast up his face. “Don’t be such a prude. We all saw you in the square.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. “Come on, let me show you what a real man feels like.”
Callum was on his feet and pulling Bruce away before Leah could wind her hand back for a slap.
“Real men don’t need to pull stunts like that, you impotent prick,” she spat at him.
Bruce snarled. “You little—”
“Go on. Say it,” Leah challenged. “Finish your fucking sentence. Threaten me like the little man you are.”
The others were there in an instant. Callum growled a warning to Bruce even as he tried to dodge the rest of the clan. Hands were on his chest and arms, pushing him steadily away from Leah. Callum held her back with one hand wrapped in his. Stupid, brave woman. She didn’t know what mess she courted.
By the Broken, she was pushing all his buttons. Standing up to a male shifter and refusing to back down? That exact attitude was needed for the mate of an alpha. She needed to stand by and for him if he wasn’t able. His cock strained against his zipper. He wasn’t even alpha yet, and he already was looking for her potential.
“Dance with me,” he murmured. He placed a hand on the small of her back and whirled her right back onto the dance floor and away from the commotion. He needed to get them both into air not tainted by Bruce. Cole could calm Bruce or kick him out, whatever he saw fit, because Callum was ready to kill the man. His inner beast was in full agreement.
Steady. He needed to stay steady. No changing, no brawling, no dragging Leah into a fight she didn’t understand.
He should never have let Bruce get near her. Over her head, he shot the man dark looks. Fuck him and his bullshit. Leah owed him nothing. At least the rest of the women in Bearden had claws and fangs to ward him off when he didn’t take a hint. Leah didn’t have weapons under her skin.
“I can’t believe him,” she muttered angrily.
“Ignore him. Don’t let him ruin your night.” He snapped his mouth closed before he could stumble into the awaiting I-told-you-so trap. He needed her to smile again. The bristling anger hanging over her head made his nose itch. And with it came his bear aching to take a piece out of Bruce.
Music spilled through the air, a fast and choppy song meant for a quick two-step. Exactly what he needed to distract them both from Bruce’s shitty actions.
He spun her out and then right back in, never looking down at his feet. He kept his eyes on her and watched her expression change from anger to surprise to joy. “Texas girl knows how to dance.”
Her cheeks flushed from the activity. “So do you.”
He twirled her in one direction, then walked her around his body. “Pop always said the way to a girl’s heart was on the dance floor.”
“Funny.” Her laugh tinkled above the music and she slid her palm around his back to meet him on the other side, shimmying her hips as she danced. “Momma always said the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach.”
“Oh yeah? You going to cook for me?” Slowly, his tension faded. Working out the stiffness or just seeing her happy, he wasn’t sure which. She calmed the beast raging for blood inside him. She made him want to be a better person and not rip Bruce into pieces.
“I have one meal I don’t mess up. Linguine and clams is my one trick pony dish.” He smirked and opened his mouth, but she was faster. “Don’t you dare ruin this by making a clam joke.”
The music switched up to a slow, crooning song. Another glance to the clan found most of them gathered around the jukebox, with Cole and Bruce missing. He couldn’t find it in him to be upset, especially when Leah sighed and snuggled against his chest. He swayed back and forth with her, utterly lost in the feel of her against him.
She wound her arms around him and slipped her hands into his back pockets. That little touch laying claim to him, zinged straight through him. Need hummed to life with a rumble from his bear.
He slid his hands down slowly, giving her time to pull away. There was a hitch to her breath and then a tightening of her arms. Callum growled low in his throat. He slid his hands lower, over the swell of her ass, and dragged her even closer. His leg moved between hers, and her heat rubbed against his thigh.
“Want to get out of here?” he whispered against her ear. Unable to help himself, he pressed his lips to the soft spot below her lobe and trailed hungry kisses down her neck.
A soft moan accompanied her nod. That was all he needed. He grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the door before the final note of the song.
Chapter 13
Callum’s hand felt so hot on her thigh that Leah could barely breathe. The streetlights passed in a blur as fire and impatience burned through her. She itched for more. Wanted it. Needed it. That single, strong touch had her keyed up and unable to resist. He was water after she’d wandered the desert for weeks without.
She pressed her lips to his neck. Coarse stubble rasped against her skin with a delicious burn. She needed to feel his mouth on her everywhere, feel the scrape of him against her skin.
“If you don’t stop,” he growled, “we’re not going to make it past the door.”
Desire circled in her veins and she pressed her thighs together. That sounded wonderful.
She slid her hand up from his knee and squeezed the thick bulge between his legs.
<
br /> “Leah,” he groaned, strangled.
The truck rocked to a stop in front of a cabin and Callum was out the door and around the hood almost before she could register they’d parked. He swung her door open and stepped between her legs, hauling her closer to feel the buck of his hips.
“Tease,” he whispered against her lips. A promise or a complaint? She wasn’t sure until she chased his kiss, but he was determined not to give in. A peck on her nose, a nibble on her ear, that was all he gave her.
“What are you going to do about it?” Her voice sounded needy, almost pleading.
She didn’t care.
Callum growled and hitched her around his hips. Oh, he felt good. The thick bar of his erection rocked against her center with each long step towards his door.
She peeked over his shoulder. Other cabins weren’t far away, mostly hidden by trees. Close enough to be neighborly and far enough for some privacy. It was a cozy little clearing. “Do the others live here?”
She felt him nod. “Clans and packs like to stay near each other. We all have a place here. Been that way since my father took alpha.”
She could feel the importance in his words and in the surrounding cabins. This place meant family. Home. Connections. How many generations had been birthed and died within Bearden’s borders? How many lives would be lost if she helped Jamin again? Guilt made her dizzy.
She’d betrayed her newly formed friendships, Callum, and all of Bearden. All for a shitty man who promised the world and never delivered. She was as weak as her mother, when she vowed to never be like her. She didn’t want to make the same mistakes and end up with a battered body and ego.
No. She needed to take the plunge. All in. Go big or go home, like Callum teased earlier. Fuck Jamin. Fuck her past. She just needed to reach out and take what she wanted.
She wrapped her arms tightly around Callum’s neck, clinging to him even when he slid her down his body and set her on her feet. That damn infuriating, damn sexy man. He made her blood boil and her mouth water. She wanted him.
He reached around her, nearly pinning her against the door as he stuck his keys in the lock. The wood disappeared, and she took a cautious step into his domain.
Callum urged another step out of her, then another, and slammed the door closed as soon as he crossed the threshold. His eyes flashed in the low light. Gold, beautiful gold. Glinting in the night like the predator he was. Hunting her. She wanted to be caught.
She stumbled backward, and he stalked forward. Her back hit a wall. Callum caged her with his arms.
“Last chance to back out,” he rumbled against her neck, grinding his hips against her.
She placed her hands on his chest. God, how could a man be so solid? He was a mountain compared to her. Rock hard, where she was soft curves. “Don’t want that. Want you.”
Callum growled and crashed his lips against hers. Need overrode every other thought and stole her breath away. He devoured her moans with one swipe of his tongue at a time.
He crept his hands up her sides, teasing his fingers under the hem of her shirt. She swallowed his deeper groan as he pushed higher, tugging down the cups of her bra and grazing his thumbs over her nipples. She arched her back, pressing her shoulders into the wall and shoving more of herself into his hands.
“Skin,” she huffed. “Need to feel your skin.”
Urgency gripped her, and she shoved the outer layer off his shoulders. Callum paused only to yank his t-shirt over his head. He locked her in place with his golden eyes and stripped her shirt over her head, then returned for another toe-curling kiss.
Leah practically purred as she skimmed her hands up his chest. He was made of strong muscles and hard lines just like she expected. She’d wanted to explore those ridges from the first moment he stripped for her and showed her his inner bear. Strong, sexy man had secrets enough to match her own.
He broke their kiss and trailed a hot path across her jaw and down her neck. Cool air followed, raising fine hairs all over her body in her excitement. Her world narrowed to entirely to Callum. His breath was loud in her ears. His hands blazed a blistering trail over her skin.
Quick fingers unsnapped her bra, then zeroed in on her waist. The button of her jeans popped open and he ripped the zipper down. He dropped to his knees and closed his mouth over her nipple as he peeled her out of her jeans.
Breath heaving in her chest, Leah toed off her shoes and stepped out of her clothes. He pulled back, and his fingers followed the path of his eyes. He traced the bruises across her stomach and chest, worry etched on his face. They weren’t nearly as bad as before, but she still bore the ugly green and yellows of the last healing stages.
Her jaw set. Fuck Jamin. He still intruded, even when he wasn’t anywhere near. Callum’s eyes lost their golden glow and she could feel him locking himself away.
She caught his chin between her fingers and met his eyes. “I won’t break. Don’t treat me like I’m fragile.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Fighting himself, she could see. She wasn’t sure where he would land until, finally, he ripped his gaze away with a growl.
Callum’s hungry kisses dotted down her sides and hips prevented her from feeling any sort of shame or embarrassment or first-time jitters. He didn’t give her time for it to settle into her head. Hot mouth, palms rough from hard labor, growls filling her ears... he distracted her from her thoughts and replaced them with pure need. His hands rested on her thighs, thumbs grazing just between her legs. So close to where she wanted and still so teasingly far.
“Look at me,” he said thickly, voice barely human.
Her eyes snapped open when she felt his lips at her waist again. He closed his teeth on the waist of her panties and dragged the thin fabric down. She couldn’t have torn her eyes away if the end of the world happened all around her.
“Callum...” she whimpered.
He nuzzled a stubbled cheek against her side and plunged a finger deep inside her wet heat. Soft gasps echoed around the room and her fingers scrabbled for a handhold against the wall. Nothing to grip there. His shoulders, then. His hair. She needed to touch him. Hold him. Feel all of him.
Her hips bucked against his onslaught and she was done when he closed his mouth over her throbbing clit. He was done building her up, and truly, she didn’t need anymore. His tongue crashed through her folds, licking and tasting until she dug her fingers into his scalp.
Her knees buckled, but his strong arms were there to keep her upright. He pumped his fingers inside her, licked her, sucked her, demanding she give him her pleasure. He pulled it out of her until she was nothing but panting breath and curses dripped from her lips.
Fuck. How did he feel so good? No one in the world made her feel so breathless. No one gave her such pleasure with so little effort. He knew her body better than she did.
“Callum!” she moaned, body shattering around him.
He was up in an instant, even before her aftershocks faded. He slung her legs around his waist and carried her through the darkness. Her world tilted, and she landed on a soft, fluffy comforter. She wanted to bury herself in it.
The jingle of a belt and then the mattress dipping with Callum’s weight had her attention once more. Moonlight peeked through the curtains and cast shadows over his naked chest and powerful arms. The dips and lines of his muscles cut a vision straight down his body and to his hand pumping slowly between his legs.
Leah reached for him. “Need you,” she groaned. She wrapped her hand around his, following his motion. Up and down, pushing his cock through their combined fists. A shudder of anticipation worked its way down her spine and settled hotly in her center.
Callum growled, and that shudder expanded through her. She loved his growl. Loved hearing the noises he made when he touched her. It made her feel more appreciated and wanted than ever in her life. In that moment, no one existed but Callum.
The rattle in his throat changed pitch, and he knelt between her thighs in the blink of an
eye. The head of his cock brushed against her slick folds, coating himself in her liquid heat.
“Leah,” he groaned against her mouth and thrust inside.
Leah sucked in a hard breath and forced herself to relax. He dragged out until only the tip remained notched inside her, then surged forward. A strangled moan left her lips.
“Fuck,” he groaned, burying his face into her neck.
He left biting kisses up and down her neck and shoulder, thrusting hard into her. She reached for his hands and twined their fingers together. She needed the connection. Needed to center herself with him.
He rose up on his forearms, one hand wrapped around the bars of his headboard. His eyes locked on hers and she was lost in the moment.
He saw her. All of her. And instead of making her want to run, she felt safe. She wanted to lay out all her secrets and pick through them with him. She wanted to give him everything.
Each slam of his hips pushed moans from their lips. The room filled with the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Every slide, every thrust, pushed her closer to the edge of pleasure. It built in her middle until she was shuddering and trembling. Almost. Almost.
The wood of the headboard cracked under the force of his grip. Leah’s eyes went wide, but she didn’t panic. That wild woman under him grinned. Grinned! Then she dragged her nails down his back, nearly drawing blood.
“Fuck!” Callum grunted and rocked into her harder than before. She didn’t want gentle and he couldn’t hold back. Perfect, tough, feisty woman. She’d make one hell of an alpha’s mate.
She met him stroke for stroke. He drove deeper into her, each drag of his cock tightening the noose around his throat. She was it and there was no turning back.
“Leah,” he groaned. Heat circled in his spine and drew his balls tight. She felt too fucking good. Too wet. Too hot. Each panted moan pushed him closer to his release.
Callum shut his eyes against the pleasure bursting through him. Around him. By the Broken, she was everywhere. In his nose, against his skin. She filled his vision when he opened his eyes again.