I moaned as he trained the shower head against my nipple. The jets pounded against my sensitive flesh, bringing a whole new range of sensations. The heat, the pressure…it was part pleasure, part pain, all wonderful. Luke moved the head to the other nipple, alternating the water pressure with sucking and blowing until I was begging him for more.
“As you wish.” He trailed the head across my stomach, slowly, slowly inching lower. And then, he took it away, leaving me dripping.
“Luke—” I growled with frustration, my core throbbing with need.
The shower head was thrust between my legs, and the jets of hot water hit my most sensitive parts. I bucked against the wall as the pressure built up inside me. Who could believe he could do this to my body with just water?
Luke moved the shower head down my legs, teasing the sensitive skin between my thighs as he pushed a finger inside me. I moaned, bucking my hips forward, not even caring that I was begging for more. He pushed a second finger inside, then brought the head back up, pressing it hard against my clit.
“Luke…I…I…” breathing was hard.
“Yes?” He angled the head away and pressed a finger against my clit, moving it in slow circles, giving me soft when I desperately wanted hard. Just when I thought I couldn’t take it, he pressed the head between my legs again, hitting me with the full force of the jets.
That threw me over the edge. The world exploded. I melted away, my body turning into molten lava and flowing down the drain. Red welts formed behind my eyes, and for a moment I lost myself.
When I came back, I was on my knees in the shower, clinging to Luke’s legs. He stared down at me, stroking my damp hair, a self-satisfied smirk across his face.
“I know I’m good,” he grinned. “But I didn’t know I was that good.”
“It’s my turn now,” I’d wipe that self-satisfied smirk from his face. I grabbed the loofah from the corner of the shower, and stood up, holding him for support as my legs were wobbling dangerously. I lathered it up, running it over Luke’s chest, following the line of soap with my hands, the way he had done. As the water washed the soap away, I kissed a trail along his chest. He kept his eyes locked on me, his expression intense.
As I ran the loofah over his throbbing cock, he sighed, “Anna.” He gripped my shoulder.
I took the shower head and crossed it over his shoulders, down his chest, up the insides of his legs, anywhere but where he most wanted it to go. Two could play this game.
When Luke let out a frustrated groan, I knew I had him. I aimed the warm jets directly on the tip of his cock, letting the warm water wash off the soap. He dug his fingers into my shoulders. When his cock was thoroughly clean, I aimed the spray at the wall and I took him into my mouth. First the head, which I circled with my tongue, and then the shaft, deeper and deeper, pulling him back as far as he could go.
Luke wound his fingers through my hair, his eyes boring into mine as he watched me take him in again. His facial muscles twitched as the pleasure coursed through him.
He tasted clean and warm and totally, utterly masculine. As my mouth rolled over his cock, it hardened between my lips. Hard for me.
Luke kept watching me. I’d never seen a guy do that before. The eye contact was so hot. Sucking Luke was making my body ache for him again. Between my legs, I throbbed with need of him.
I pumped him faster, using my hand along the length of his shaft, as my tongue licked and sucked at the tip.
“Anna,” he moaned. “Please. I’m so close. I want to be inside you.”
My whole body flushed with pleasure. Right now, nothing would make me more satisfied.
I removed my lips from him, and stood up carefully, not wanting to slip. Luke leaned out of the shower to grab the condom from the pocket of his jeans, and he rolled it on. His lips found mine, his tongue probing deep, hungry for me. He wrapped his powerful arms around me, smothering me with his warmth. The water pelted us as the shower head flailed around beneath us, completely abandoned. We no longer needed the heat.
Luke lifted me with ease, pressing my back against the tiles. I wrapped my legs around his torso, pulling him closer. He lined himself up, and with one thrust, he entered me, his shaft filling me to the hilt. I groaned with pleasure as we fitted together like two puzzle pieces that had found their mates. I dug my heels into his back, driving him deeper inside me. He sighed with pleasure.
“You feel so good, Anna.” He braced himself against the tiles with one hand, the other gripping my arse. He began to thrust up into me. Slowly at first, our bodies moving together. Luke built up a steady rhythm, his body fitting perfectly into mine.
Warmth flooded my body, seeping through Luke’s touch, and rising up within me. I’d never had a guy before who made me feel like this, as though the very act of sex was something I claimed for myself. I loved the power of his body, watching his muscles expand and contract with concentration as he thrust into me.
The pleasure built inside me, the warmth bubbling over like a kettle boiling. I dug my fingers into Luke’s shoulders. He buried his face into my neck, his teeth digging into my neck, finding the same spot where he’d bitten me before. The pain arced through my body, becoming one with the pleasure welling within. I fell over the edge, my body wracked with heat. Fire seared my limbs, lighting every nerve, firing off wave after wave of pleasure.
My muscles clenched around Luke’s cock. He thrust harder, his fingers digging into my arse. A low growl rose in his throat. Every muscle in his body clenched – a snake coiled in wait.
As he came, he sank his teeth into my shoulder. The pain raced through me, becoming one with the ecstasy in my veins, driving me to a new level of pleasure.
Luke collapsed against me, his body shuddering, his breath panting against my neck. He withdrew slowly, his arms still supporting me.
“Woah,” he said, his eyelids heavy.
“Yeah. Woah is right.”
Slowly, Luke lowered me to my feet, then leaned back against the shower wall. I turned off the water and replaced the shower head, then pulled open the door. Water pooled across the floor, the shower mat and all our clothing completely soaked. We’d managed to fling soapy lather across the ceiling, and on the mirror. I didn’t want to clean up. I wanted the mess to stay there forever, to remind me of what had happened.
I wrapped myself in a towel, and handed one to Luke. Without him inside me, my body felt empty, bereft, but still warm from his touch. I was drenched in the scent of him, high on his taste and the power he gave to me.
Luke took my hand in his and kissed my knuckles. “Are you still angry with me?”
“Absolutely furious,” I replied, as I sank into his arms.
Nothing made me hungry like good sex. Which meant that right now, I was ravenous.
Unfortunately, I mused to myself as I searched the kitchen cupboards for a frying pan and pulled ingredients out of the fridge, if I’m going to be with Luke I’ll probably put on a hundred pounds.
Funny, but I didn’t even care. What we’d just done in the shower…phew. My body still tingled from head to toe at the memory of it. Maybe being his mate wouldn’t be so bad after all...
Our clothes had been utterly saturated in our antics. I’d placed everything in the dryer, and put on some leggings and a pretty wool dress from my own closet. Luke wandered around with only his towel wrapped around his hips, which I didn’t have a problem with at all.
While I fixed us bacon and mushroom pasta, Luke walked around the small flat, staring at the photographs of archaeological sites covering the walls, my father’s books stacked in the bookcase. He paused for a long time in front of the portrait of my father that hung above the fireplace.
“You have his eyes,” Luke said, his voice husky. I knew he was thinking about his own father. “He looks like a very kind man.”
“He was,” I said. “He was gruff and distant and sometimes I got the feeling he didn’t really know what he was supposed to do with a daughter. But he was very kind.”
&n
bsp; “Can I ask how he died?”
“He worked in a factory in Crooks Crossing. It was an old place and all the company managers lived down in London, so there wasn’t a strong management presence and the factory was kind of run down. A lot of the equipment broke or failed, and they were always in the paper after worker accidents. One day, my Dad was working on a machine and some critical part fell off, jamming the mechanism. He needed to fix it quick, as product was still coming down the line. So he lifted the guard and reached inside.” I cleared my throat. “The piece dislodged, and the mechanism basically sucked him inside.”
“Shit,” Luke crossed the room and scooped me in his arms. “That’s rough. I’m so sorry, Anna. How old were you?”
“Eighteen.” I rested my head against his shoulder. “It’s fine. It’s old news now. I don’t want to upset you by talking about it—”
“You don’t upset me,” Luke murmured into my hair. “I find you inspiring. I’m still learning how to live with this grief thing. But seeing what you’ve done after losing not only your father but a boyfriend, too…you’re much braver than I.”
“Hardly.” Luke’s words and the warmth of his arms brought on a rush of emotion. A lump rose in my throat.
“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I…admire you, Anna. And not just because you’re fucking hot. And now I understand why you’re such a stickler for safety. You know firsthand what can happen when things go wrong.”
I sniffed. “The pasta’s boiling.”
“Right.” Luke pulled away, his kind eyes searching mine. But I didn’t want to break down right then. I wanted to keep on floating in postcoital bliss. So I pushed thoughts of my dad and Ben and what could happen to Luke to the back of my mind, turned back to the kitchen and focused on stirring the sauce.
Luke continued his perambulations around the room. Occasionally, he sniffed the air. “Something smells off in here.”
“That’s no way to talk about my cooking.”
He frowned. “That’s not what I meant. It smells like an animal in heat.”
“It’s probably just my mum’s friend, Cynthia. She does tarot card readings at a shop downtown, and they burn all sorts of incense. The smell follows her like a cloud. She’d be just the kind of lady to wear a scent called Eau de Wolf. Oh, that reminds me.” While the pasta boiled, I dragged the huge book Derek had given me from my satchel beside the door, and held it out to him. “My friend Derek gave me this. He’s a mythology student and I think it might help me create a case to discredit Ruth—”
As soon as the book touched his hands, Luke flung it across the room. It hit the wall and bounced off, landing on the floor with a defiant THUD.
Luke stared down at his hands, his breath shallow.
“What is it?” I touched his shoulder. He flinched away.
“It’s another wolf,” Luke hissed, bringing his hand to his face and sniffing deeper. “A very ancient, powerful wolf.”
“Here?” Fear tightened my chest. I stared around the room with fresh, frightened eyes, searching for a chair out of place, a window cracked open, a cupboard ajar. Had a wolf come to my house? Could he still be waiting somewhere, lurking in the shadows ready to attack?
“Luke, has someone been in my house?”
“They must’ve been while we were in the shower. That’s the only explanation.” Luke sniffed the air again. “The scent isn’t strong. But it’s all over that book. That’s what I was smelling before.”
“You could smell a wolf who had touched a book, which was sitting in my bag?” He’d told me his senses were stronger, more attuned, but I had no idea just how much.
Luke nodded, his eyes wild. He jabbed his finger at the side door, leading out to the alley where we kept the bins. “Anna, did you leave that ajar?”
“What?” I glanced at the door. He was right, it was slightly open, a few droplets of rain driving through the gap and splattering on the floorboards.
I thought back to when I’d arrived at the house, retracing my steps from the bedroom to the kitchen to the door to the car. My hands had been full with Derek’s books. I had my keys in my mouth. I’d thrown everything down and gone to look for Mum. I hadn’t been anywhere near that door. “No. Did you come in there?”
“I went in the front, after you.” Luke indicated the locked front door.
“Maybe Mum left it open accidentally?”
“Fuck.” Luke slammed his hand down on the counter. I winced. I hated seeing him so worked up. It was making me even more afraid of what was out there. “This wasn’t your mum being forgetful. It’s him, Anna. It’s the black wolf I’ve seen earlier. He’s old, and powerful. He said he has killed before, and that more will die if I don’t get out of his way.”
Chills ran through my body. “Could he still be here?”
Luke shook his head. He sniffed the door handle, and around the door and the stool where I’d placed the books. “Whoever this wolf was, he’s gone now. He didn’t get very far into the room, and he didn’t touch much, as far as I can tell. If the wolf was still here, I’d be able to smell him – even with his scent disguised – he couldn’t hide for long in such a small space.”
My blood turned cold as I realised something. “My mother wasn’t here. The neighbour said someone took her out. I thought it was Cynthia, but what if it was this wolf?”
“Don’t worry, Anna. We’ll find her.” Luke pointed to the phone hanging from the kitchen wall. “Call your mum’s friend, and anyone else she might be visiting. We may find her yet.”
I grabbed the phone and dialled my mother’s mobile phone. I hung up as soon as I heard it ringing from in the lounge. Panic tightened my throat. I dialled Cynthia next. She picked up on the first ring. “Oh, yes. Elaine’s here with me, dear. I found this amazing five-thousand-piece puzzle of Tutankhamun’s tomb paintings, and we’ve got the whole border nearly complete. And I’ve pulled your card for the month and must give you a warning—”
I thanked Cynthia and hung up. I didn’t need a tarot card to tell me I was in danger. Luke had the book open on the table, and was thumbing through the pages, sniffing the edges and frowning.
He looked up when I had finished. “So she’s safe, then?”
“Yeah. She’s with Cynthia. It sounds as if she’s had a small breakthrough. They’re doing a puzzle together.”
“That’s wonderful.” Luke frowned, and held up the book. “Anna, where did you get this from?”
“I told you, Derek gave it to me.”
“He’s your university friend, right? Where did he get it from?”
“I don’t know.” I grabbed my phone and wrote a frantic text to Derek. Luke clenched and unclenched his fists, his neck muscles bulging and tensing up. A few moments later, my phone beeped.
“Derek says it came from Astarte.” I said. “It’s the new-age shop downtown—”
“I know the one.” Luke said. “I’ve been there before.”
From the pocket of his jeans, he pulled out a small bottle. It looked familiar. I peered closer at it. Then I remembered where I’d seen it before. It was identical to the one Clara had shown me when I’d visited the shop, the one Caleb had wanted but she wouldn’t sell to him. I remembered her saying Luke had come in for the pills.
“That’s right. You’ve already met Clara.”
“She’s quite something,” Luke said. “And these pills are fantastic. My full moon shift lasted only two nights this time. I’m wondering if Clara might be able to tell us who has touched the book after your friend.”
“She can probably do more than that. Clara said there had been more wolves in the area than usual.” I said. “When I visited her, she had run out of those pills because you’d brought them. She didn’t have enough to sell to Caleb. Maybe there have been other wolves in the shop asking for the pills, too. She’d know who they were.”
Luke grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair and tossed it to me. “Grab your mittens, geek girl. Let’s go.”
“But the pasta—” My stomach growled in protest.
“It will have to wait. We need to find out everything we can about this other wolf.”
A few minutes later, we found ourselves standing outside Astarte. I couldn’t believe I was back at this shop for the second time in a week. The sceptical scientist in me silently rebelled against the crystals and dreamcatchers hanging in the window, although I did have to smile at the sign by the door that read, “I tried yoga once, but found it a bit of a stretch.”
I remembered Clara’s unique sense of humour, and brightened. She was certainly a character. Besides, where was the sceptical scientist when you were having hot sex with a werewolf against your shower wall? My cheeks burned with the memory. I hoped Clara wouldn’t be able to read that particular thought in my cards.
Luke grinned as he saw me hesitating. “You come to this store often, then?”
I shook my head, then pointed across the street at the Bewitching Bites bakery. “That place is much more my style. There were far too many hippy dippy new agey folk in my first year archaeology lectures, writing essays postulating the location of Atlantis and derailing lectures with discussions about whether aliens really built the pyramids. I find it all rather ridiculous.”
“You’re dating a werewolf. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
“Maybe.” I grinned back at him. “Depends if we’re actually dating.”
Luke squeezed my hand. “I’m game if you are.”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
I pushed open the door to the shop. It must’ve been a slow day for crystals and Crookshollow ghost tour brochures, because the shop was completely deserted. From somewhere in the back, a little bell tinkled. The place looked just the way I remembered it – tiny tables and dark mahogany bookshelves lined the dimly-lit space, crammed full of candles and crystals and strange books. I coughed as a wave of sweet-smelling incense hit my nostrils.
Clara glided in from the back of the shop, carrying a stack of books that was almost as tall as she was. Her kind face broke into a grin as she saw us both.
“Yes?” she asked, her head tilting to the side. Luke rushed over and helped her set the books down on a small round table under the window.
Digging the Wolf: a paranormal romance (Werewolves of Crookshollow Book 1) Page 16