by Lea Jade
I’m on the verge losing all self-restraint when he leans in and whispers huskily in my ear. “Go into the shower and turn around, hands on the wall.”
I nod and eagerly do as he asks, bracing against the wet wall, all the while watching him advance over my shoulder. The thought of what he’s about to do sending a deep thrill down my spine. Eventually, he comes up behind me and moves my hair to the side, tracing his lips over my racing pulse as he reaches forward to open the faucet.
A sudden spray of warm water collides with my back, shimmering over us like some ghostly veil. Then he massages my shoulders and breasts, bringing soft little moans out of me with every motion, while sliding lower and lower. When he reaches between my legs, the entire world falls away and I end up turning my head so his mouth is on mine. I drown myself in his kiss. He tastes of monsoons and running rivers, of storms striking over the sea. He tastes untamed.
As he caresses me, my hips move chasing the sensation of heaven. I’m soaring, gasping as each stroke sends me into orbit, until the swell of pleasure building within me breaks. I call out his name, but he doesn’t stop. He carries on tasting me while I ride wave after wave of orgasms. I’m still gasping when he breaks the kiss and pushes me up against shower wall, hands sliding down to cup my buttocks, lifting me onto the tips of my toes. I feel him rest himself between my legs, his need hard and hot against my own.
“Jess, you drive me crazy,” he says as he nuzzles and nibbles my ear. “I’ve wanted this for so long.”
“Me too,” I say breathlessly.
“We can stop now, just say the word.”
“Don’t you dare...” Whatever happens after this, I’ll deal with it tomorrow. Right now, all I want is to feel consumed by Jake, to be taken like this by him.
I look over my shoulder, imploringly. “I wasn’t lying when I said I’ve wanted this for a long time.” I’m telling the truth. I’m just not divulging to him exactly how long I’ve wanted this.
All my life.
He nods and ever so slowly, while kissing my neck, he pushes into me, sending waves of glorious pleasure rippling throughout my body.
“How do you like it?”
“Deep.” I hear myself say. His grip on me becomes fierce. I brace myself, gasping, as he inches himself all the way in, deeper and deeper, until I can’t take anymore.
Then he begins to move, deeper with every thrust, while every nerve in my body tingles with deliciousness. As my toes curl and my shoulders tense, gradually, I feel the pressure build a second time. The heat that started in my belly spreads from between my thighs to the spot where his lips are, until every part of me feels like it’s on fire.
“Like that?” he whispers in my ear, before taking the lobe in his mouth and sucking gently.
“Exactly like that,” I say breathlessly. “Don’t stop.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” he growls, as his kisses reach the side on my neck.
I’m so close, I’m practically panting as I press my hands onto the shower tiles, the water drowning out any sound I make as Jake rides me, over and over. The feel of him and nothing else has my beast rising to the surface. If I could howl at the moon right now, I would.
Finally, giving one last thrust inside of me, Jake grunts and a tornado of energy surges from within making my entire body shake. Pleasure explodes like a rocket as we both come at the same time. Then at last I hear him roar.
After a what feels like the longest time, Jake nuzzles my neck while we catch our breath. The sound and feel of the water falling soothes me and my beast. I want to sleep for a lifetime. I want to curl up with Jake spooning me from behind and never wake up.
But deep down, I know that isn’t going happen and that we can’t do this again.
As though he senses I still need him, Jake pulls me up so that his powerful arms wrap around me like a blanket as he kisses me. “You’re amazing,” he murmurs. But the feeling of being cold comes too soon. I reach for the tap and shut off the water.
And you’re everything I never knew I wanted.
That’s what I want to say, but what comes out is “I'm freezing.” I sense him nod and disappear behind me. Jake comes back seconds later with a big, fluffy towel which he drapes around my shoulders, then he leads me out of the shower cubicle. He sits me down on the bench and starts to towel me dry, and for some crazy reason I let him. It’s oddly sexy to have him rub my skin so briskly, it’s also very comforting.
Without me realizing, a dull ache has filled a void in my soul I never knew existed. This is not just a school-girl crush anymore. This is fast becoming much more. I still want him, but whatever he has unlocked in my body, and deep within my psyche, has left a longing that can’t be satisfied easily.
Taking a breath, I shove aside my cravings for him and tuck my tattered heart away, and allow my eyes to roam his face. He looks so deep in thought, so serious at carrying out such a trivial task that I have to stifle a laugh.
“Oh, Jake.”
He smiles. “I love it when you say my name.”
Dare I tell him? “Jake Cabot.”
He stops drying me and looks up.
“You said that last time. You know it’s not my name, right?”
I sigh. “It is your name, before you came here, I mean.”
“We knew each other.” He says it like a statement, as though he already knows it in under his skin. Somewhere beneath his external shell that is Jake the Raging Wolf, he has the truth of me and who he was, tattooed where no one can see.
I nod, unable to say anything more. I feel like crying, but I don't. I can’t. omegas don't cry. He frowns and runs his hands through his wet hair, hands that were drying me only seconds ago, hands that had me buckled over in pleasure what feels like a lifetime ago.
Damn this wolf.
I miss him already.
Finally, he speaks. “Let’s get dressed and talk. I have something to say too.”
I nod and start pulling on my clothes. I have no idea what he wants to say to me, but after everything, it can't be good.
Ten minutes later, I’m dressed and Jake is looking at me like I’m about to eat him.
“I don't know where to start,” I say truthfully.
“Just start at the beginning.”
I close my eyes and open them, but Jake is still there, sitting next to me in the changing room. I take a breath and start.
“I told you I had a pack.”
He nods.
“Well, so did you, once.”
“You remember me?”
“How could I forget?” My voice breaks. “I’m sorry, I should have told you.”
“It okay, Jess. You couldn't break your cover, I get it.” He takes my hand and kisses it. “Take your time. Tell me what you remember. If had a pack what happened to them?”
“About seven years ago you and my father were the Alpha and Beta of the Wildecross Pack.
“Wildecross? Didn't that used to be the biggest pack on the East Side? If your father was the Alpha then…”
“We were part of the same pack.”
“Okay, so what happened?”
“You and my dad went out one night to strike a bargain with the twins. You know Purgatory?”
“The twins’ nightclub?”
“Well, it was thriving at the time, not like now, and the debts owed to the Dragons had escalated into some sort of illegal fight ring. Back then it wasn't called the Pit. It was debt club or something like that. Rumors were, if you fought in the ring and won, the twins would slash your debt.”
“Sounds familiar.”
“I don't know how it went down that night but you both didn’t come home after. A week later, Eric turns up at our house. He doesn’t recognize me now because then I was just a kid. He killed a few of our betas. Then he told us my dad was dead, killed after you switched sides. And since my father lost his leadership to Eric during a challenger fight, Eric now owned our pack. He appointed a low-ranking pack member as stand-in alpha and said no one could chal
lenge them or they’d lose more than their life. We never saw him again after that. I think he forgot about us.”
“Fuck, Jess… I'm so sorry. I don’t… remember any of it.”
“Later, when the twins started up the Pit as a proper venture, rumors were flying around that you were the fucking star of the show. Dylan and I, we used to worship you. We didn't believe it. After we snuck into a fight one night and saw you with our own eyes, Dylan swore he was going to kill you.”
“And he tried to.”
“What?”
“I should have told you. I remembered him from a fight a year or so ago. I didn't want to say anything until I was sure it was him.”
“Is he… alive?”
Jake nods and all the pain and worry stored inside of me comes flooding out. Tears stream down my face.
“Thank the fates.”
Unexpectedly, he gathers me in his arms and holds me tight. I can’t help but bawl my eyes out.
After a few minutes, the tears stop flowing enough for me to compose myself. What the hell is wrong with me? I never cry.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you until now.” he says, squeezing my hand.
“I'm just glad he’s ok.”
“It’s why I agreed to fight the twins. They’re allowing a rematch with an ex-challenger of my choice as the undercard.”
“Ex-challenger… you mean Dylan?”
He nods. “If all goes well, you and your brother can get out of here while the main fight is happening.”
I shake my head. “No, you said you could beat them but that’s not true. Everyone is saying this fight is the ultimate death match. I'm not leaving you to die, there has to be another way.”
“Look at me.” He lifts up my chin, running his thumb over my lips with sorrow in his eyes. “I never knew where I came from, or how I became a fighter. I woke up one day in this life. You have given me a glimpse of my history and a brief moment of happiness. Only the fates know how I lost my memory, but knowing now what I did to you, your pack, your father, means I have no choice but to do this. If getting you your brother back can make up partially for what I did and give you a chance to escape, I’ll gladly fight those bastards to the end.”
A loss which feels so sharp pierces my chest and rises in my throat taking away all the words. All I can do is shake my head and cling to him. He pulls me into his arms again, holding me so tight I can practically feel his heart beating.
“I can’t leave you.”
“You have to. You need to get Dylan and your pack to safety. Once the fight ends, even if it’s over for me, they might come looking for you. If you’re with your pack, they might think twice. Promise me you’ll get out of here and live your life. Promise me.”
His voice sounds gruff in his throat.
“You should come with us, before the main fight. We can run and hide, they’ll never find us.”
“No, if we run what about your family? I owe you and Dylan your freedom. I damned well don’t deserve to live after what I did. At least let me do this for you, please?”
“Fine,” I choke, before burying my face into his shoulder. Letting the familiar scent of his skin wash over me. “But, what now? Where do we go from here?” I think of Nadine and her offer. Despite not trusting her, it might be the only way to stop Jake killing himself for me.
Jake holds my hand, squeezing it so hard I never want to let go. But I have to. I stare deep into his vivid blue eyes, the muscles in his face tensing as the answer to my question swells within him.
“Now, I get ready to go into the Pit with Eric and Xavier in three days’ time. And I grind those fuckers into a goddamn pulp for all the shit they've put you through...”
Three days, not a lot of time at all.
Chapter 10
Jake
Time passes in the blink of an eye. Too fast. Too soon.
The day before the fight, I wake early, stretch and then head down to the gym. After a longer than usual workout, I take a swim in the twins’ outdoor pool, then head to the showers where I take a minute to check my old injuries one last time, mulling over my condition.
On my desk back in my apartment are the papers Jess left me to read, my blood test results, to be exact. I should dig into them, but with everything hinging on tonight I haven’t exactly been in a reading mood. That, and ever since Jess came by to my apartment to drop off the test results, I haven’t been able to get the thought of her, wearing her white coat and nothing else while riding me, out of my head.
I hear her before she knocks, or my wolf does—he can practically smell her jasmine scent in the hallway. I open the door. Jess is standing there, fist raised as if to beat her way inside. She’s wearing her white coat and a pair of specs that have slid part way down her nose.
Her hand drops as she looks up at me, a puff of air exhaling from her throat. She reaches out, pushing a load of papers at me. “You need to mate,” she says briskly.
I let loose a grin. “Okay, but didn’t we do that the other day?” I say as I take the papers, rifling through them, not really knowing what I’m supposed to be looking at.
I glance up at her just as a cute frown creases its way onto her brow, intensifying the urge I have to drop the papers and kiss her breath away. “What? No we did not!” she exclaims, looking around and then pushing me in the apartment.
“Come in, why don’t you,” I say, stepping back to allow her inside my place. Her place too, if she ever needs it to be. Although, I'd never say that out loud.
She stalks in and shuts the door. “Someone… might be following me.” She says by way of explanation.
It’s my turn to frown. “Who?’
She tosses her head, waving her hand at me dismissively. “Look, I came here to tell you why you’re experiencing decelerated healing.”
“Go on,” I say folding my arms. My mind is still caught up in the fact that ‘someone might be following her’. If the twins are messing with her, if that grizzly is back… I'll kill them.
“Tell me, how long has it been since you’ve had the urge to mate?”
“What?”
Of all the things I expect her to say, that was not it.
She looks at me with clear grey-blue eyes and lips so pink I swear she’s been biting them. If it wasn’t for the seriousness of her tone, I’d have already swept her off her feet and bruised those lips a little more.
“Why, doc? That seems like an overly personal question to me.” I say, trying to salvage the situation. Like an idiot, I can’t quite keep the smirk off my face as I say it.
“Really, after what happened the other day, you’re going to be a dick about it?” I can almost taste her fury in the air.
I shake my head, grin widening. “I’m teasing you, doc.”
“Well, it’s not funny. This is serious.”
“Okay, okay. It’s been, I don’t know, about a year give or take.”
She frowns again, deeper this time. “That’s a long time. Your wolf is disconnecting with you, as though it’s been several hours since you had the urge, not one year. Are you sure?”
“I’m not going moon mad if that’s what you’re implying.” Not yet anyway. I would know if that was happening. I wouldn’t be able to come back from my beast for one.
“Okay, but the signs are there, you’re long overdue to claim a life mate,” she says it almost casually, while her eyes look up at me longingly from under her dark lashes.
“I think I would know if I wanted a mate. It's the last thing I want right now,” I say slowly, carefully.
“You’re a terrible liar,” she huffs, assessing me from across the room with a sort of sad smile that I want to erase from her beautiful, heart-shaped face. I'd love to know what she's thinking. I could ask her…
Instead, I shrug.
She rolls her eyes. “Fine, be an asshole, but if you don't fix this soon, you'll get hurt or worse get yourself killed. Your wolf will start forcing you to shift until your human side is consumed. You do
know what they do to shifters who turn feral, don't you? You're not protected from the Council, even here.”
“It won't come to that. I’ll be dead before the week is out.”
“Don't joke about that.”
“It's true. If I'm not able to heal quickly, I'll be dead after the first round.”
Her eyes widen. “You're still going to fight?”
“Yes, I'm still going to fight. I’m a man of my word. I said I'd help you get your brother back, and I will. I thought we talked about this?”
“I wasn’t myself the other day and I thought you were just considering it, I didn't realize you had already decided. Don't I get a say in this?”
“No. It's the only way to get your brother back.”
“You don't know that. There might be another way…”
“What way?” I growl.
“I don't know yet, I'm looking into it.” She can't even look at me.
Before I know it, I'm crossing the room, closing the distance between us. I take her hands in mine, almost losing myself in the depths of her eyes.
“Promise me you’ll stop. Stop doing whatever it is you're doing and trust me instead.”
“Jake…”
“Jess, I mean it. Don't cross the twins. Please.
Finally, she assents, her lips stretching into a grim line. “You're a stubborn bastard, Jake Cabot.”
I flash her my signature grin.
She sighs and then glances at her watch. “Shit, I need to go. Look, read the results, properly, and then we’ll talk tomorrow. I can probably help delay the effects, enough for you to fight on Saturday.”
She gives me one last lingering look as a soft “Thank you,” spills from her lips. Then she’s gone, out of my apartment like a hurricane, one I could never dream of catching, never mind claiming for my own.
Jess was meant to meet with me later that night but she never showed. In fact, she’s been avoiding me ever since that day. She must have an idea of how much my wolf wants to claim her and thought it best to stay away.
Just as well. By tomorrow this will be over. It’s best she distances herself now rather than get snared in whatever this attraction is between us, but fate knows it’s hurting me to be apart from her more than I want to admit. Not just because of the mythical moon madness.