Allister, J. Rose - Disowned Cowboys [Lone Wolves of Shay Falls] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Allister, Rose J.

His eyes flashed, setting off little beacons of pleasure in her stomach. “You’re just sayin’ that because you’re tryin’ to get me to lose control.”

  “No. But just for the record, is it working?”

  With a feral growl, Kyle flipped their bodies over, and in a flash she was pinned beneath him. His rod still pulsed deep inside her. “Yeah. It might be workin’.”

  He flexed his buttocks slowly and maddeningly to push himself down to her core. Every nerve ending in her body erupted in erotic tingles, and she tensed as pressure built in her pelvis. She wasn’t ready to come just yet. Not nearly. Yet the feel of being beneath her lover this way was exquisite. Every new position she had tried during her brief tenure as a sexual being unleashed a whole new dimension of eroticism, and while she thoroughly enjoyed dominating Kyle on top, she could definitely see the appeal of having him looming over her to take command of every stroke.

  Desire was etched along every line and tense muscle on his rugged, masculine face, and her heart began skipping erratically as he stared down at her and swiveled his hips. She reached up to caress his face. “You are so damn sexy that I can’t stand it,” she said.

  He jerked his head away from her hand. “Stop that,” he growled.

  “Stop what?” She moved her hand along his face again, over the scar.

  His gaze darkened and he pinned her arms over her head, no longer thrusting inside her. “Pretendin’ I’m not scarred, damaged goods don’t make it true, and it don’t turn me on.”

  She scowled up at him. “The only thing that’s damaged is your common sense. I happen to find that scar damn sexy.” She lifted her head and ran her tongue seductively along the puckered groove. “Everything about you turns me on.”

  Kyle twisted away so she could no longer see that side of his face. “Give it a rest.”

  Aimee yanked her arms out from under his. “Is that what this is about? You’ll fuck me, but not make love to me because you think a mark on your skin turns me off?” He glared at her but didn’t reply. “Get off that pity train. When I say your scar looks hot, that isn’t just some hollow, patronizing claim. It’s a hard fact of sexual chemistry. So deal with my attraction to you already. Because it just got a whole lot more intense.”

  With an angry little grunt, Aimee pulled his head down to hers and dragged his lower lip between her teeth while she began rotating her hips beneath him. “I love you, Kyle,” she whispered against his mouth. “And I want you to make love to me in a way that will let you know it.”

  He stopped thrusting, his breathing ragged and hot against her lips as he studied her face. Her pussy throbbed for attention, but she lay still beneath him and fought the urge to gyrate her pelvis. Then he rose up so that he stared down from well above her, supporting his weight on his hands. “So you chained yourself up naked in a cave, ordered me onto my back so you could ride me wild durin’ a werewolf orgy, and now you expect me to make sweet love to you?”

  She shrugged and fluttered her eyelids. “Is that a problem?”

  He froze for a long moment, then let his head fall back while he pulled his thick, hard cock backward a torturous centimeter at a time until the wide head was stretching her entrance. There he hesitated until her heart hammered and her clit pulsed with vicious need. When his gaze returned to hers, his pupils were wide and rimmed in the orange-gold of an island sunset. That stare pulled her straight into its depths, where she could finally see him. Where she could see a longing that pierced her to the marrow.

  He pushed his hips forward, and every inch grew more intense, more personal, until finally he let out a long, low groan. “Yeah, I think I can manage that.”

  “Oh, God,” she whispered, spinning so high within his gaze that she knew she had to break contact, yet found herself unable to look away. Her body ignited with a blaze of yearning that made her wonder for a brief moment whether she’d opened a Pandora’s box she hadn’t been prepared for.

  Aimee averted her eyes first, shutting hers when his next thrust threatened to unhinge her from reality completely. She’d wanted to experience his feelings for her, and now the intensity was almost too incredible to bear.

  Her eyes fluttered back open when she felt him press a tender, feather-light kiss on her forehead. His expression when he pulled away melted her insides. “You have been one surprise after the other since I saw you standin’ in this cave at the exact wrong moment,” he said. “You ain’t nothin’ like I expected, Aimee Jo Stevens. But damn if you ain’t everythin’ that I want.”

  She swallowed a thick lump that sprang to her throat. “Then show me.”

  He seemed to unhinge at that. His eyes squeezed shut as he pumped himself inside her pussy, deep and long strokes that were far from the pistoning action of a man merely taking selfish pleasure inside a woman. Each time his cock bottomed out inside her, he touched a brimming pool of emotion in her and sent it rippling outward, wider and higher each time until she felt as dizzy as if she were on a roller coaster plummeting down a steep track. There was no denying that what she felt for the men she’d only known a few days was bigger than her entire body or spirit could hold. It flared and pushed out of her every time he moved, leaving her fighting to catch her breath.

  The cave had gone completely silent now, save for her and Kyle’s ragged gasps with every stroke. As her impending climax suddenly sharpened toward the apex, Kyle bent down and whispered in her ear. “I do love you, Aimee. I feel so damn lucky that you agreed to be mine. I thought you never would.”

  She felt a hot tear roll back along her temple into her hair, and his eyes bore a suspicious sheen when he rose up to look at her. “Oh, Kyle,” was all she could say. She threaded her hands through the back of his hair and pulled him down to her breast as he rocked against her. He stiffened and sucked in a breath, and together they shouted out an orgasm that took her completely out of the cave, Shay Falls, and her senses.

  She was still clutching him tightly to her bosom, both of them panting heavily and slick with sweat, when she came floating back to reality some while later. When her eyes opened, Dillon was sitting above her head, stroking a hand through her hair. Every pair of eyes in the cave, human and canine alike, was riveted to her and Kyle.

  Kyle raised his head from her chest and glanced at Dillon. “I’m sorry that I’ve been such a tight-ass,” Kyle said.

  Dillon leaned over to grab one of Kyle’s round globes. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I kinda like your tight ass.”

  She was entranced by the moment passing between the men when Solomon cleared his throat and shattered the reverie. “I hate to admit it,” the man said, “but I’d say what I just witnessed settles things rather completely.”

  Kyle glanced down at her, then back up at the alpha. “Because you felt my love for her when we cemented the bond.”

  Solomon shook his head. “No. Because I didn’t.” He stood up and tugged on his jeans. “And judging from the way you were looking at her while you two were making love, I know I should have.”

  Without answering, Kyle pulled out of Aimee and rolled beside her. Dillon was there right away with her blazer to hide the curves she was no longer quite as eager to have on public display.

  “The bond between us was severed the moment you marked your woman,” Solomon went on while Kyle and Dillon grabbed their own jeans. “I felt it clear enough. I’m just sorry I wasn’t thinking clear enough to realize it was inevitable before anyone got hurt.” He glanced her way, and Aimee knew he was apologizing as much to her as he was to Kyle. “And I’ve been a shifter long enough that I am not normally swayed by the scent of a female. That might have gotten in the way some as well.”

  She nodded and glanced at David, who had shifted into wolf form again. He sat on his haunches beside two of the others. He wasn’t looking at her anymore. His attention was focused on Solomon.

  “This is where we part ways,” Solomon said to Kyle. “I’m sorry to lose you.”

  Kyle, who was tugging on his boots, stopped a
nd faced the man. They stared at each other for a weighted span, their eyes flaring gold. Aimee wondered what passed between them in that moment.

  The contact broke and Solomon turned away. His wolves fell into line and followed, except for Jack, who picked up the pack’s scattered garments and carried them along. David rose on all fours and brought up the rear, but stopped to gaze at Aimee with his new yellow eyes. The moment lasted as long as Solomon’s had with Kyle, and she had the odd feeling he was saying goodbye.

  Then he turned and trotted off behind the pack.

  “David,” she whispered. But he was already gone.

  “I’m sorry,” Dillon said, coming over to put an arm around her. He was shirtless and barefoot, and his pants were zipped but still unsnapped.

  Her heart thudded as she stared into the empty tunnel. “What about his job? His life?”

  “He’ll be okay,” Kyle said, buckling his belt.

  She scowled at him. “Will he? Neither of you seemed particularly happy with your situation.”

  Kyle strode over and knelt in front of her. “Not always. But humans aren’t immune to hard times, either. Just because you get a raw deal don’t mean you can’t turn it around for good.” He tenderly brushed back a strand of her hair. “I did.”

  “One of us should go move her car before the rangers have it hauled off,” Dillon said.

  Her car. Aimee had totally forgotten that such mundane matters even existed.

  “I’ll check on it,” Kyle said. “I’m gonna have to go grab my things and bring back the key to that collar, anyway.” He sighed. “You realize they most likely towed the car by now.”

  Dillon nodded. “Probably.”

  She crossed her arms. “Guess I’m stuck up here, unless I can ride a wolf home piggyback.”

  Kyle shot her a wry grin. “I was thinkin’ more along the lines of drivin’ you back in my truck.”

  Dillon arched a brow. “You have a truck? You never mentioned that.”

  He shrugged. “I have a lot of things.”

  “But you never mentioned it.”

  “That’s because what matters most to me is right here.” He turned on his heel and snugged on his hat.

  She rubbed at her neck, which was chafing from the heavy collar. “You two can stay the night at my place, unless you’re in a rush to get back to this dusty old cave.”

  “Oh, you and I ain’t quite finished with this dusty old cave yet,” Dillon said, grabbing a hold of the chain. “Or this collar. We’ll discuss it while he’s gone.”

  Kyle chuckled as he loped off with a sexy cowboy walk. “In that case, I’ll make it quick.”

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, Aimee’s hand paused on the doorknob of Anders Investments. She found herself reluctant to twist the knob and find the door locked. David’s car wasn’t in the tiny parking lot, which was an ominous sign. Not that she’d really expected him to be there. His life had just been turned completely upside down. Dillon said he not only had to leave ranch work, but he hadn’t been able to hold down any job because of battling his nature—and he had been turned six years before. Still, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from getting up at the usual time to shower, dress, and come to work.

  Hesitation turned to fear, and she was about to release the knob without turning it when the door yanked open, almost pulling her off balance.

  “David!” she said, her hand flying up to her throat. “You scared me to death.”

  Although his expression bore no hostility, he seemed more imposing somehow while staring down at her with his new eyes. The same pale, glossy browns she’d known sparkled with gold highlights in the early morning sun. “How come you’re out here?” he asked.

  She shot him a guilty grin. “I wasn’t sure you had showed up for work. Your car isn’t outside.”

  “I got a lift from Adam this morning. He was heading down the mountain anyway.”

  Her brow rose. “Wasn’t he the one you shot?”

  “He’s right as rain now. And over it. Jack’s still busting my nuts over it, though.”

  She cocked her head. “How’d you even know I was standing out here?”

  “I picked up your scent.”

  Her eyes widened. “You can smell me through a closed door?” A stab of alarm hit, and she took a step back. “Wait, I don’t still smell like…?” she trailed off, afraid to say the rest.

  The smile he gave her was warm, genuine, and pure David. “Like every aphrodisiac on the planet mated together and made a love child? No. You smell like Aimee.”

  Relief flooded her. “I didn’t realize wolves could smell things through closed doors,” she said.

  “My senses are heightened unbelievably. But in all honesty, that also includes my ears. I heard the truck pull up.” He nodded to the four-wheel monster Kyle loaned her for the morning. “Car got towed after all, huh?”

  She nodded. “We’re swinging by the impound lot later to spring it.”

  “I’m surprised Kyle and Dillon let you come here.” He stepped aside and gestured her in. “You look dressed for work, if I’m not mistaken.”

  Her eyes wandered over him as she followed him inside. He wore a mocha-colored dress shirt she didn’t recognize and his dark brown trousers. “So do you, if I’m not mistaken.”

  She frowned when her gaze dropped to his shiny Italian loafers. His slacks, which were always meticulously tailored to hit just across the tops of his shoes, now hung above them. Her eyes rose up as she trailed him into his office, past his shoulders and higher than she remembered having to look to find the top of his head. “Are you taller?”

  He turned when he got to the front of his desk and leaned against it. “A side effect of last night. My bones and ligaments stretched a little. My muscles were augmented during the transformation, too. I had to dig out an old shirt that was too big, but none of my slacks are long enough. I’ll have to conduct all my meetings from behind the desk until I can get out to go shopping.”

  She stayed just inside his doorway and crossed her arms tightly. “You seem to be taking this quite well, all things considered.”

  David shrugged, and she noticed that his shoulders did seem broader. “I can’t say yesterday ranked as my favorite day ever, but it’s done now.”

  She hesitated. “I wasn’t sure you’d want me here after what I did.”

  “You weren’t the one who bit me.”

  “It’s my fault that you got bitten. You went there after me.”

  “You didn’t make me follow you. One of the reasons yesterday is not my best day is because of my animal behavior toward you—and not all of it happened after I was bitten.”

  She threw her arms up and stalked forward. “You couldn’t help it. It was my ridiculous scent. I’m the sole reason you went up there.” She averted her eyes to stare at the gray carpet. “And I betrayed you.”

  He ran a hand through his brown hair, which hung loose over his forehead rather than tamed back like usual. “You were never mine to betray. I know that now. You couldn’t stop that bond any more than I could. Any more than Solomon could.”

  She shook her head sadly. “That doesn’t change the fact that I strung you along. If I’d have just admitted the truth to myself and given that ring back sooner, you wouldn’t have wound up in that cave. I’m so very, very sorry, David.”

  He pushed himself away from the desk and moved forward. He seemed to tower over her now, even though the difference in his height was only perhaps an inch or two. “Is that why you came here? So I’ll help you beat yourself up about how guilty you feel?” She blinked, taken aback. “If you would have handed me back that ring and told me it was over, it wouldn’t have changed a damn thing. I’d still have followed you up there and tried to change your mind.”

  “But…”

  “Aimee,” he said, silencing her protest by taking her hands in his. His skin was hotter than Kyle or Dillon’s, and she wondered if he would always be warmer or whether it was a residual
effect of the change that would wear off with time. “We could stand here and chicken-or-egg this all day, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Weres believe that those who are turned, by accident or design, become shifters by fate. Fate holds a lot of things in balance for were society, because otherwise the superior advantages we have could upset the natural order of things. I was meant for this. You were just the instrument that drew me to my appointment with fate.”

  Her eyes searched his. “That sure doesn’t sound like the ‘I’m a practical guy’ boss who took me hiking a few days ago. You sound like one of them.”

  He gave her a tiny smile. “I am one of them.”

  They stared at each other for a moment. “What’s it like?” she whispered.

  His smile held secret depths she’d never seen there before. “The first shift was a hellish nightmare I won’t even try to describe to you. But being claimed by the pack…” He trailed off for a moment, his eyes staring into space. “Well, you experienced what that was like yourself last night.”

  “Yes, but I’m not supernatural now.”

  “You are, in your own way,” he said. “Were mates are human, but more than just human.”

  She wondered how he knew something like that when she didn’t.

  Her eyes took another tour of his larger physique. “Do you feel different? When you’re not shifted, I mean.”

  “‘Different’ doesn’t quite begin to cover it. I’m bigger and stronger. My senses and reflexes are sharper, and the wheels in my head whir a bit faster. And there’s the whole nigh-invulnerable thing, with rare exceptions. Don’t feel sorry for me, Aimee. I sure as hell wouldn’t have chosen this, but it definitely has advantages.”

  “You’re stuck living in a pack now, though. Solomon’s pack.” She made a face as the name slipped out. “You have to do what he says.”

  The corner of his mouth twisted upward. “Solomon’s not so bad, really. He’s just very territorial about protecting his own—and has a chip on his shoulder the size of Manhattan where Blaise is concerned.”

  “You mean his bark’s worse than his bite?” He shot her a mock glare, and she grinned. “Sorry. Bad canine humor.” Her smile faded. “Are you sorry that you wound up in a different pack from mine?”