by Dee Carney
To keep from crying out and breaking down into a sobbing pile, Sable tried to make conversation with her good Samaritan through gritted teeth. “So…can I know the name of the guy fondling my toes and ruining my pedi?”
He exhaled with a forceful breath. After a moment, he must have considered it too rude not to respond. “Murphy.”
“Is that a last name or first name?”
“Murphy Hagen.”
The motion of his hands on her foot drew Sable’s attention. She couldn’t help but admire his long, tapered fingers and the way they seemed to work magic. He’d replaced the cotton balls of doom with a massage of ointment over the cuts and scrapes. She continued to grit her teeth, but now for a different reason. If she opened her mouth to ask another question, she might release the moan of pleasure welling in her stomach. It was the mating cycle and her intense attraction to him working against her in the most delicious of ways.
If she didn’t get this mating thing under control, she’d find herself beneath—or riding—the gruff shifter before he could blink.
His fingers wrapped around her foot, the pressure grabbing her attention. She met Murphy’s brown eyes and in them, she saw turbulence. “Whatever it is you’re doing, could you get control on it?” he muttered.
“What is it that you think I’m doing?” she asked, genuinely perplexed. Her face felt flushed, the skin of her neck overheated.
The pressure increased, his grip tightening. “You’re in heat and you’re radiating it everywhere.”
Sable gasped. She should have known he’d be able to detect the pheromones, except… “You’re not a wolf. How do you know?”
As far as she knew, only her kind should have been able to sense her cycle. Only a wolf.
Or her mate.
Murphy couldn’t smell anything else.
The scent on her came off her skin in powerful waves, wrapping around his neck and choking him in sweet seduction. By some miracle she hadn’t noticed the way his fingers trembled as he’d held her delicate feet in his hands. Concentrating on disinfecting the wounds had taken all of his will power, but with every second that passed, he’d sensed himself losing to her mating call. It had triggered in him so many emotions and stirred to life a fierce protectiveness. He hadn’t recognized it for what it was at first. Not until his cock began to harden. Finally he’d been unable to take it anymore and begged her for some relief.
“This can’t be right,” he muttered. Couldn’t be. Not with a wolf.
Hell, of course it could be right.
His own parents defied all odds too. Why wouldn’t their son follow in their unusual footsteps? A wolf-tiger hybrid and a purebred bear shifter making babies. His mother’s people, already scandalized by her unusual parentage, washed their hands of her after her pregnancy could no longer be hidden. Of course their son would fall for a wolf. Not just fall, but be mated to one. Of course.
“I think you should tell me more about who you are and why you’re here, lady.”
“Me? Nuh unh. I’ve told you about me. I’m looking for sanctuary, that’s it. Not much more to my story.”
He couldn’t figure out why he suspected that wasn’t all of the truth, but there was something else hidden in what she wasn’t saying. Although tempted to ignore it, he knew he had to find out more.
“What’s the deal with you?” Sable asked.
Murphy glanced at the mark on the inside of his wrist, the tattoo given to him once he’d decided to take up permanent residence in Deal’s Gap. “I’d come here to be with family. But that kind of fell through. Ended up staying.”
Her blue eyes softened. She bit down on her bottom lip, then said, “My family is the reason I’m here too. Thing is, I’m hiding from them.”
“Why?” It suddenly dawned on him that he’d been massaging the soles of her feet, as if his hands had a mind of their own.
“They think I should get married to one of the soldiers,” she said with a frown.
His hands stopped then, but the turbulence in his gut kept churning. A burst of jealousy twisted around a rising burn of anger until he could hardly see through the red haze. “Do you love him?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“I barely even know him,” she whispered.
Murphy unclenched his jaw. “But… I don’t understand.”
She lifted her gaze, showing him the hurt housed there. After a loud exhale, she said, “Our pack is dwindling in numbers. We’re having to look outside for available females of child bearing age. With Uncle Luke being who he is, it wouldn’t look good if his own family wasn’t helping in the whole purity of the pack mentality. So, I was offered up to a strong bloodline. Yay me.”
“What do you want for yourself?” The scent of her was driving him mad, but he wouldn’t allow himself to be drawn in by it until he knew her mind. Mates didn’t always end up together. That kind of shit happened in fairy tales and for a lucky few. If Sable needed to do what was best for her family and her pack, he wouldn’t stand in her way. He’d come here to be alone, not take up with some woman he didn’t know.
“You feel what’s happening between us, don’t you?”
“I do. It’s not a death sentence.”
“If my family finds out that I’ve found my mate—and he’s not a wolf—it will be a death sentence. I just don’t know if it’ll be mine or yours. You don’t understand how important this marriage is to them. I have to marry another wolf, someone from my clan.”
Murphy’s bear made a low grunting noise of protest. To quiet it, Murphy grasped Sable’s ankles and then did a slow climb with his hands over her calves. He walked between her widening thighs until she was able to wrap her legs around his waist. To keep her from off-balancing on the stool, he kept a firm grip on her outer thighs. Loving it.
A more reserved woman might have protested at the way his groin fit so intimately against her naked skin, but Sable’s eyes darkened while her plump lips parted. Her breathing roughened while her scent flared in the room. Murphy held on to the slimmest thread of control standing this close to her, his mouth watering. He needed to taste her so badly.
Everything she said about her family and marriage should have triggered a million warning bells in his mind, but damn if he could find a reason to listen to them. He wanted her so much his balls ached. Inviting her in had been a bad idea. Touching her made it an even more colossal of a bad idea. He didn’t care.
“You didn’t answer me,” he said, his voice husky. “What. Do. You. Want?”
“I want passion and romance and…” She shook her head. “I want it to not make sense. I want to fall in love and have a story to tell to our grandkids later. I want more than just a written contract. I want sex that makes me shudder and moan. I want to make love with someone who loves me back. I want it all. Not just a handshake agreement between families. Is that so wrong?”
Murphy couldn’t say for certain whether he could give her exactly the fantasy she’d conjured in her head.
But he would damned well try.
He placed two fingers beneath her chin and tilted her face up to his. With a thundering heart, he lowered his mouth to hers and right before he kissed her said, “Not wrong at all.”
Chapter Three
Sable’s mind wrenched between two directions—oh gods, this is happening! and oh gods, this can’t be happening!
The moment Murphy’s lips brushed across hers, she abandoned all thought, however. A low moan rippled out of her throat from the electric contact. Her hands found his shoulders and pulled him closer because she wanted more of this kiss. More of his taste. His tongue swept into her mouth, teasing, before retreating. He did it again and again and Sable found herself breathlessly waiting for that delicate tip to tantalize her even more.
He tasted like a snickerdoodle. Spicy and sweet. Utterly unputdownable.
This was what she expected out of falling for someone. This urge to kiss until her lips were swollen and the world spun faster. Where her heart beat a crazy b
eat against her ribs like it was doing now.
Murphy stepped closer, the front of his jeans brushing against her swollen pussy. She gasped at the unexpected pulse that traveled through her from the contact. If that’s what it felt like from an accidental touch, what would it be like with concentrated effort? Oh gods…
“Fuck, we should not be doing this,” Murphy groaned. His lips touched hers over and over, his bruising kisses contradicting him.
“I know, but don’t stop.”
His hands slid beneath the t-shirt, climbing higher until he could cup her heavy breasts. Sable’s nipples were tight buds, aching for just the slightest attention from him. The trail his hands left behind tingled, her skin overly sensitive. She ached to have him touch her all over and settle the need making her wolf grumble with frustration.
He kissed her and shattered her thoughts again, bringing her back to what he was doing and how he was making her feel. In just one kiss Sable found the elusive thing her brothers couldn’t understand she needed. Passion.
Sable tightened her legs around his waist, not wanting anything separating them. He made a sound of approval. Then Murphy slid his fingers higher and she gasped as they plucked at her swollen nipples. He’d somehow managed to find a direct line to her pussy and it squeezed hard.
She reached for his face, the scruff of his beard exciting her further. “Stop teasing me,” she said with a moan.
Murphy pushed her shirt off, tossing it to the floor. His hot mouth covered the tip of her breast and Sable threw her head back as pleasure consumed her. Her skin went from tingling to feeling almost aflame. Was this what it was like because she’d found her mate? If just his kiss could excite this much arousal in her, she knew without a doubt that no other man—not even a wolf—would be able to satisfy her.
Rolling her hips, begging him bodily to put out the fire he’d lit, Sable dragged her nails down Murphy’s chest. She left raised welts in its wake, the curls of his chest hair hiding the damage as soon as she caused it. One day soon, she planned on rubbing her entire naked body over that field of hair. So sexy.
She arched her back as Murphy hooked her leg over his arm. The heady scent of her pussy perfumed the air and Murphy responded with a growl. “I need to taste you.”
“Yes.”
Somehow she held on to her balance when those hot decadent kisses moved down. She was breathing hard when his lips grazed over her lower belly. Further down. Her breathing grew labored.
Sable spread her thighs, making room for him. But Murphy took a firm hold on each, splaying her wide. A red hot blush covered her face at the intensity of his stare. He was making her dripping wet with a hungry look that left no doubt in her mind that he wanted her.
Murphy dropped to one knee in front of her. She wanted this so much, but what if… “Murph—oh!”
He licked through the pool of moisture coating her pussy, his tongue curling inside her as he lapped. She pushed a hand through his hair, pulling him closer, needing more of this deliciously wicked sensation. He went for her clit next, drawing on it with his teeth and sending lightning through her veins.
“Dear—”
Sable’s entire body tensed, pleasure shooting out in a tidal wave that left her drowning. Her breath caught and she had the fleeting thought her mind was on the verge of shutting down.
Murphy growled low and licked again.
“Gods!”
She shouted as he began to feast, his grip on her thighs almost bruising in his enthusiasm. But, sweet mercy, Sable didn’t care. She focused only on how her body trembled beneath his skill. How she wanted more of this and couldn’t wait to taste him too. He kissed her pussy with careful attention, teasing her with light licks and then with brutal intensity. The contrast made her entire body tremble.
Her muscles went tight, her back bowing. Sable tried to roll her hips, but the orgasm swam through her, holding her immobile. She cried out, the sound drowning the steady stream of Murphy’s growls. “Murphy.”
His licking eased, her overly sensitive clit pulsing in time with her heartbeat. He held on to her and provided balance while he stood and Sable tried to regulate her breathing. Her eyes went wide as she spotted the thick outline in his pants. Before she could admire him outright, Murphy leaned in and pressed his mouth to hers.
She threaded her fingers into his hair, holding him close while their tongues tangled. She tasted the subtle piquant of herself on him, but the sweet snickerdoodle snuck in and she smiled with appreciation. She would never look at cookies the same.
His brown eyes were flecked with gold when he pulled back to look at her. “What’s so funny? That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting.”
“Oh no…that’s not. No, that—what you just did—was very nice. Very. I’m smiling because I’m enjoying myself a lot. A whole lot. I can’t wait to sample what’s next on the menu with you, in fact.” Her heart began to pound at the prospect of returning the favor. She had no idea what she was doing when it came to making a man feel good.
What would Murphy say when he found out she was a virgin?
He’d found his mate.
From the moment he’d tasted her, all doubt shattered about who she was to him. Fuck, this was not what he needed or wanted in his life right now, but when did life ever go according to plan? Sable was literally dropped on his front step and he’d be a damned fool to not recognize he needed to step up and claim her.
He couldn’t though.
Getting her naked and beneath him hadn’t been in the plans, but all common sense seemed to have disappeared the longer he stood next to her. He couldn’t smell anything else but her sweet scent until his mouth watered. His self-control, a thing he’d been proud of until now, fractured into nothing. His bear knew his mate was near and wasn’t going to let anything get in the way of that. Speaking of…
He scooped up the discarded shirt and handed it to her, grateful his mind seemed to have return to working order. He’d needed that brief interlude. A part of him deflated as she covered up, but his brain could use the much-needed blood and oxygen for a few minutes, anyway. “I think you’d better tell me more about your plans. Your uncle probably isn’t going to look kindly on some hybrid feeling up his favorite niece.”
She ducked her head, avoiding his direct gaze. “Well, about that, I might have stretched the truth just a tad.”
Murphy arched a brow. “Are you related to the Blackwoods?”
“Yes, I wasn’t lying about that. It’s true that I’m his niece, although maybe not the favorite. But he does like me. I just meant maybe he might not owe you a favor for harboring me.”
“Oh?”
“If anything, he’d probably give you a reward for turning me in,” she said, almost mumbling. His sensitive hearing picked apart the words, though.
Shit. “You’d better tell me more about what’s going on.” Now that he could think straight, maybe he could find a reasonable solution to whatever dilemma she’d found herself in.
“He wants me back intact so that I can marry some wolf they’ve picked out for me. Make lots of babies, if what the witch said is true. I told you.”
His run-ins with the local witches hadn’t always been pleasant. The last one gave him the mark on his wrist that made him a resident of Deal’s Gap, but not all of them were honest. And none of them were straight-forward as far as he could tell. Wait a minute… “Intact. What’s that mean? Somebody out to hurt you, for some reason?” All of his protective instincts went rampaging, his bear perking at the suggestion someone might harm their Sable. Over their dead body.
Her face lit up in the most brilliant shade of red he’d ever seen on a person. Until now, he’d been standing within touching distance, needing to keep his hand on her naked skin. He couldn’t stop touching her, their connection too new and fragile. He hadn’t realized he’d been stroking her, until this new reaction caused him to stop.
“Well…” She looked askance again and Murphy was almost tempted to follow her gaze
to see what drew her attention. “The thing about me is that I’ve kind of lived a sheltered life. You know, overprotective brothers, not allowed to date a lot. And—”
The chimes of the doorbell rang out and they both whipped their heads toward the front.
“Expecting company?” Sable whispered.
He didn’t like the new sound in her voice, one that riled his bear to wakefulness. “No. Any chance it’s your—”
“Yes.” Terror in the single word.
“Stay here.” He waited for her to nod before heading toward the front door. After a second thought, he doubled back and then thrust his hands into her hair. Her mouth fell open in surprise and he took advantage. Murphy pressed a molten kiss to her lips, thrusting his tongue inside for a quick taste before releasing her. “I’m going to take care of you. No one gets to you while you’re with me.”
He didn’t know much about Sable beyond her name and the name of her people, but he knew this without a shadow of a doubt in his mind.
A moment later when he opened the door, he spotted the family resemblance right off the bat. The young man at the door had Sable’s blue eyes, cheekbones and chin. A tribal tattoo crawled down the side of his neck, snaking past the collar of his black t-shirt. He stood lean, with a hungry look about him that spoke to his position in his pack. Here was a man out to prove something to someone. Apparently turning on one of his relatives made it onto the list.
“Can I help you?” Murphy asked, struggling to keep all challenge out of his voice. His bear was on the surface, ready to protect their Sable.
“I hope so. My name’s Cal and I’m looking for my sister, Sable. About five four, blue eyes, look like me. She done run away from her family and we’re trying to get her back home safe.” Cal tried to peer around him, but Murphy made a point of blocking the view into the house. So long as she stayed back like he’d told her to, Cal shouldn’t be able to see her at all.
“If I run into her, I’ll be sure to tell her to head home.”
Cal lifted his nose in the air and then sniffed. His eyes narrowed, his gaze turning hard. “She’s in there,” he said, his tone accusatory.