by SM Reine
I stare into her midnight blue depths and whisper, “Not here.” I brush my lips faintly over hers, promising more to come in private. I’ve never been one for public displays of affection and I don’t want our first kiss to be surrounded by strangers.
She nods and stands, adjusting her dress as she rises. The shift of fabric releases her aroused scent into the air. A hard fist of want punches me in the gut, requiring me to use all the restraint I possess to not dart out the doors toward the parking lot, dragging the tempting woman with me.
The steady sexual partners available in a large wolf pack are both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, having an increased libido and a host of willing single partners is great. On the other, trying to establish any kind of true intimacy or a real relationship is next to impossible.
Maybe that’s why many Weres find their life mates outside their pack. Summer hunting expeditions, the rare regional pack gatherings I’ve heard tales of, or dating humans seem to be the best way to find a lifelong mate. No one ever mentioned the idea of two loners, like me and Raine, hooking up—but it certainly seems possible now that I’m living it.
The late May night wraps its moist hold around us as we exit the bar and make our way to Riane’s car. Short pants of breath reach my ears in the dark, indicating she’s as turned on as I am at the prospect of being together. Her warm hand links with mine as hot coils of anticipation writhe in my gut.
Raine tugs our clasped hands, changing our direction from her car door to the nose of her vehicle, where the shadows from the building lie deep. She presses my back against the wood siding, leaning in to kiss me. Our raging desires, carefully held in check inside the bar, explode. Her hot mouth latches onto mine as her soft body molds to my front.
Eager hands reach under my t-shirt, lingering over my abs on their path upward. Raine breaks our kiss, whispering in a husky voice, “My, my, my, Jon.” Her nimble fingers find my hardened nipples and she tweaks them with a twist. “You’re hiding quite a nice body under here.”
Heat races over me, along with a flash of Lori touching me like this a mere two weeks ago. I clasp her hands, settling mine firmly over hers to help block the unwanted memories. “What do you expect from a man who works outside for a living? A soft body and pasty complexion?”
The sexy Were nips my bottom lip lightly. “I guess I wasn’t expecting you to be so… hard.” Her hand slips free of my hold and skims down to cup my erection through my pants.
A soft growl erupts from me as I pivot, reversing our position and pinning her supple body to the wall. “You like to move fast, don’t you, Raine?” I press forward with my hips, rubbing my arousal against her middle, effectively pushing her hand away as well.
I bow to gently bite the tender flesh between her ear and shoulder. “All ‘pretty in pink’ in that waitress outfit…” Another nip to her heated flesh draws a gasp from the young woman. “I never would’ve expected the fire…”
She reaches two hands to grab my hair, pulling me up to her mouth. “Well then, Jon, looks like you underestimated me.” Raine plasters her mouth to mine, ratcheting up my already raised hormones. Lust courses through me, pushing to barrel ahead, to take her—wherever she wants me—even if it’s in a parking lot.
In a few moments our kiss breaks, leaving us both panting and grasping at the other’s body, desperate to rein our passion despite the waves of desire crashing over us. “Want to come back to my place?” she asks. There’s a desperate edge to her voice that gives me pause. “It’s out past Purcellville.”
It would be so easy to take her offer. To follow her the distance to wherever she lives and make love to her all night. But things went fast with Lori, too. And look where that got me—dangling on the end of her raw sex appeal and oblivious to her baser nature of a two-timing horny Were.
I take a small step back and reach up to cup Raine’s cheeks in my hands. “Would you hate me if I said ‘no’?” Confusion mixes with the lust in her eyes. “I like you, Raine.” I kiss her again. “I want to go slow.”
Her spine straightens. “Uh… what?” She makes a last grab for my pants. “You want me. Why deny it?” She wraps a hot hand over me and begins to stroke. “We can make all the noise we want and no one will hear us.” A cold, evaluating look comes into her eyes, making me wonder why she’s so desperate for my attention.
I kiss her once more, ignoring the warning bells that she could be another manipulating she-wolf out to break my heart, and pour my pent up sexual frustration into the kiss before I break away. “I definitely want you.” My breath pants in the darkness as I seek her eyes in the dim light. “You know that, right? You deserve more than a night of lust on our first date—we deserve more.” Her calculating look fades, to be replaced by one of disbelief. “I want to make a life here, and I’d like to see if that can be a life that has you in it for longer than just a few hours of sex.”
Raine slumps against the wall, her aggression and passion draining out of her at my words. “Wow, you really know how to take the wind out of a girl’s sail—but, in a classy sort of way.” She runs a hand through her short hair, pushing it back from her face. A small smile lights her features in the night. “At least I know you want me and it could lead to more.”
“What do you say?” I can’t believe I’m talking this woman out of jumping my bones, but until I get to know her better, it’s for the best. “Want to go on a second date?”
Her face closes and she looks into the distance. “Sure. I might be up for a going out again.”
Chapter Four
Next week I ask her out again. “How about it, Riane? Ready for date number two?” I wiggle my eyebrows suggestively, hoping to make her smile.
She’s been distant the past few days when I visited the diner to eat. Something has changed on her end, and I’m not sure what.
Her eyes dart away before she answers. “Sorry, Jon, I’m busy tonight.”
My stomach plummets. “How about tomorrow?”
A sadness creeps into her gaze as she shakes her head. “I’m busy all weekend. Sorry.”
I nod as she leaves to wait on a customer, taking her refusal like an adult, but curious to find out what happened. She was climbing all over me last Friday. It makes no sense.
I’ve eaten at the diner every day, even if Raine wasn’t working. Some days we don’t get to do more than exchange a few pleasantries, but it’s worth it. Being in her presence soothes me. I’ve never been away from other wolves for this long and hadn’t realized how much I needed her companionship.
Last week our flirting was intense. But I was still too raw from Lori’s betrayal to want to leap into anything—did I screw things up by waiting too long to ask her out again? Getting to know her through casual conversation felt refreshing, something I lacked with every other wolf I’d been with prior.
I wasn’t ready to follow through on the lust we explored on our first date. But now I am. I’ve rented a small apartment and acquired some decent furnishings. I have the beginnings of my own den to share. We may not turn into anything permanent, but I aim to find out.
There’s something about the young woman that calls to me. Resigned to the fact she said no for tonight, I grab a free spot at the counter and settle in for dinner. Determined to not act like a jerk, I wave to the young Were when she glances my way. Her shoulders relax and her face softens. She’s pinned her short dark hair behind her ears with butterfly barrettes, the style making her look even younger than her twenty-one years.
Unlike the robust health and curves of Lori, and most of the other female Weres in Manitoba, Raine has a delicacy to her. I’m not normally attracted to overly slender women, but she pulls my protective alpha nature to the surface. I want to coddle and cosset her, protect her from harm and wrap myself around her while she sleeps.
Every time she walks past me, my wolf leaps to the surface, eager to rub against her for companionship. I like this casual state of arousal I’m in when around her. My senses feel heightened and
the world looks fresher. Is it being free from the burden of the Manitoba pack or the stirrings of what will be a brighter future here in Virginia?
My meal arrives and the smell of homemade cobbler drifting from the kitchen reminds me of home with my folks. Could I approach them now that I’m stronger and no longer a risk to their safety? Was Romeo’s suggestion of severing all contact with family truly the only option available? I tamp down the slow burn of anger coiling in my gut. No purpose in dwelling on the past.
Raine’s eyes lock with mine across the length of the counter. She’s pouring coffee for a patron, allowing her attention to wander my way. I deliberately focus on lustful thoughts, encouraging my sexual pheromones to blanket the air. Raine becomes distracted by the scent, and over pours, spilling coffee to the saucer below the cup.
Her face flushes while she reaches for extra napkins, her eyes flick my way, a desperate edge in their depths. She finishes cleaning and scurries to the back room, avoiding me. Interesting reaction. I wonder what has her so jumpy. Female Weres don’t normally react to an alpha’s heat by running away. Within a few heartbeats everyone near me is smiling, their sexual energies higher than normal. I tone down the pressure; worried I may have overplayed my hand.
She’s a tough nut to crack.
Are you going to let a scrumptious werewolf ripe for the picking slip from your grasp so easily?
Damn. I’m used to female werewolves chasing me. This hard-to-get crap is a whole new experience, especially after her blatant invitation in the parking lot.
You could have bruised her ego when you turned her down.
But then why the flirting since then?
Are you an alpha or a puppy? Show her what you want.
Decision made, I toss my napkin on my plate and make my way to the back hallway. The tingling awareness of hunting prey stretches across my skin, enticing my wolf to draw closer to the surface. This is fun.
Wait a minute—there’s a back door at the end of the corridor I was unaware of. Hmm… I wonder if she was planning to slip out unseen to avoid me. Definitely time to find out what the hell is going on.
The ladies room door opens three feet away and Raine emerges. She’s changed into a snug pair of hip-hugging jeans and a tight t-shirt. A strip of honey colored skin is exposed between the two, the flat planes of her stomach teasing me to touch. A small squeak escapes her when she sees me.
I push out sexual lust when I whisper her name. “Hi, Raine.” She shudders at the sound. “You weren’t going to ditch me without saying goodnight, were you?”
She stumbles away to press against the rear door. “Uh… no. I have to be somewhere.” Her breath huffs out, her gaze sliding away from me, to her escape.
I nod, shifting position against the wall, bringing her attention back to me without having to step any closer. “You seem to be avoiding me lately. Then the refusal for another date. What’s going on?”
The scent of her arousal drifts in the air toward me, proving she’s not as unaffected by me as she’d like me to believe. “Can you tone down the sexual vibe?” Her voice cracks with the strain. “I’m barely hanging by a thread here.”
Immediately I cut off the outpouring of pheromones. The air clears in the space of a few heartbeats. “Done. Now, come clean. I know you’re interested and yet you’ve refused me for a second date. Did you lie about having a boyfriend?”
A shadow crosses her face. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend, that was true. I just changed my mind about going out with you again so soon.”
Her puckered nipples strain against the tight fabric of her shirt. Her breasts are small enough that she doesn’t need a bra. Not wearing one works to my advantage—she can’t hide her response to me.
A slow smile spreads across my mouth. I glance down at her chest and back up, purposely calling attention to her arousal. “Really? Your body begs to differ.”
Heat suffuses her cheeks. She shrugs and her tone comes out flat. “We can’t always get what we want.”
I push off the wall and cross the hall to stand in front of her. “What happened, Raine? Last week you invited me back to your place.”
Her eyes flick to the door again, her discomfort at my nearness quite clear. “And you refused!” One tiny hand lifts to my chest, halting my advance when I would have pressed against her. “It turned out to be for the best.” Her face shuts down. “I need to go.”
The metallic click of the releasing door lock shatters the silence, spurring me into action at the sight of her disappearing form. I’m not giving up without a fight. I feel something for her dammit, even if I’m not sure what it is.
“Raine, wait!” I rush after her, catching the door before it closes, and leap down the three stairs to the back parking lot.
She turns, keys clutched in her hand, ready to get in her car. The anguish on her face fuels me forward. I close the space and pull her stiff form into my arms. Before I have a chance to think things through, I lower my lips to hers and capture her mouth in a kiss.
Ignoring the desire to plunder her softness, I hold back my animal instincts, tasting her sweetness in a tender brush of skin on skin. A spark of yearning burns between us and I deepen my pressure, gently running my tongue along her lower lip. With a soft moan she succumbs, opening her mouth to mine as stress melts from her body.
Running a hand over her silky cap of hair, I lightly cup her skull, angling her head for better access. Eager for more, my tongue ventures inside, licking her top teeth and sparring with her own shy advances.
Very soon our ragged breathing is the only sound in the deserted lot. I playfully nip her bottom lip and an anguished cry rips from her throat, right before she pushes me away.
“I like you, Jon. A lot.” She raises a stiff arm to hold me at a distance. “But there are things going on that you’re unaware of.”
The passion boiling through my veins makes my voice harsher than I’d like. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
She jolts, like I’ve physically smacked her. Fear skitters across her face, chased away by firm resolve. “You need to leave northern Virginia.” She yanks open her car door and rushes inside. The engine turns over while I stand with my mouth agape. “Trust me. It’s for your own good.”
Chapter Five
I sit in my jeep for thirty minutes, contemplating what the hell just happened. I know I didn’t misread her attraction; our scorching hot kisses prove there’s chemistry on both sides. Could she have some crazy ex-boyfriend stalking her and she lied to spare me the drama of having to face the nutjob?
A snort huffs through my nose. Highly unlikely a werewolf would worry about that kind of crap.
Or could she currently be involved with someone and she lied about being available? That idea rings more true than the first. But why sound so doom and gloom and cryptic, telling me it was better if I left for my own good? I shake my head, reining in the angry impulse to punch the steering wheel.
She said I didn’t have to worry about poaching on existing pack territory, but how is it possible she’s living as a lone wolf in an area I know is inhabited with other werewolves. I was attacked on campus by a werewolf only a few hours from here. Romeo and Elsa had been traveling on business when they heard of my bizarre animal attack.
The couple’s outrageous explanation of my wounds sunk in only after I witnessed my own body healing at an unreal speed. They assured me the attacking wolf had been dealt with by the local pack. Could Loudoun County, just a little ways north in the same state, have lone wolves and no ruling pack? Doesn’t seem likely. And yet I was all too ready to swallow that line when Raine fed it to me. I grip the wheel in frustration, wishing I could rip it out and toss it through the darkening parking lot.
I want to call Romeo and ask advice, but can’t risk it. There’s no way he’s ready to talk to me after the scene I made when leaving. I should be grateful he hasn’t sent pack members out to haul my ass back to the fold. Maybe it’s the whole alpha thing. He could be reliev
ed I left because now we wouldn’t have any physical confrontation.
Dammit! I punch the dash, my rage getting the best of me. If I hadn’t stood frozen in shock I could have followed Raine and questioned her further. I’ll have to wait until she’s working again to corner her.
I’m not a quitter. I’ll be damned if I walk away from her without a real reason.
That look on her face when I asked what was going on haunts me. Her slight recoil and the subsequent fear mean something. Resigned to the fact I won’t get any answers tonight, I head home, determined to discover the truth.
Raine hasn’t been at work for two days. Since I know which car is hers, I cruise by several times a day looking for it. At first I worried maybe she had someone drop her off, or borrowed someone else’s car, just to avoid me. A casual stroll from me past the large windows to check out the wait staff working each shift confirmed she wasn’t there. I even searched for her scent on the back stairs. Nothing.
When I finally see her battered Honda late on Sunday relief sweeps through me. Should I approach her inside at work, wait out here for the end of her shift, or just follow her home? My attempt to talk to her in the parking lot a few days ago didn’t go well and I’m acutely aware the second option of following her home skirts perilously close to stalker behavior. Well, my actions of driving by several times a day were stalkerish, too, and that didn’t stop me.
Before I decide on a suitable plan, the back door swings open and Raine walks down the steps. Her shoulders hunch forward and her thin arms wrap around her middle like she’s cold despite the high temperatures hitting on the first day of June. She’s not dressed for work and heads directly to her car, not sparing a glance around the lot in her haste.
Looks like my only option is the scary stalker following her home.