“She called Leah earlier tonight wanting to explore the City.”
His emotions warred between need to believe she was still alive and worry about a single female alone in an unfamiliar city late at night. How would they ever find her? Anything could have happened to her out there. But…
“Leah?” He’d gotten the impression Laurie didn’t care for Leah. She hadn’t said anything, but her smile froze whenever the other woman’s name came up.
“I guess she called Amy but Leah picked up.”
That made more sense. Amy won everyone over instantaneously. To the point he and the other cousins had to step in and discourage the leap’s more presumptuous male members from making a move on her.
He rubbed a hand over his face. Think. While he was happy on one hand knowing Laurie hadn’t been kidnapped, on the other hand, she still might have been. She knew no one in the City. It was approaching midnight. He’d already tried her phone at least twenty times with no response. Where could she be? He didn’t even know where to start.
“Where do we look?” he asked, giving voice to the anguish inside him.
She had to be safe. Anything else would push him over the edge. Laurie hurt, or worse. It would be too much. His brother and his mate. The universe couldn’t be that cruel.
“We can send out some leap members, but…”
Tyler didn’t need to finish. The City was huge. The possibilities of actually finding Laurie were slim. But slim though they were, it was all he had.
“Send out whoever can go. Give them different areas to search. Concentrate on—” He broke off, freezing at the ding of the elevator in the front hall. Laurie swept into the room, her smile growing wider as she caught sight of him.
“You’re home,” she said, placing her purse on one of the bar stools.
Of course he was frickin’ home. What time did she think it was? He gaped at her as she leaned down and placed a kiss against his cheek.
“Didn’t make it in time for dinner, huh?” she said, staring over his shoulder at the table he’d yet to clean up. “No worries. I had the most amazing burger at this restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen called Five Napkins. Have you been?”
He continued to stare, which apparently meant keep talking to Laurie.
“We’ll go sometime. It’s almost like a gourmet burger. And then I met these people on the subway who were heading to this bar in west village, so I tagged along. Did you know there is a bar with a pianist who plays showtunes and the entire bar sings along? I don’t know a lot of musicals, but it was so much fun.”
“I’m guessing I should cancel the cavalry?” Tyler asked in his ear.
“Yes.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re on the phone.” Laurie crossed to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water from the Brita pitcher in the fridge.
Max closed his eyes. Worry and anger churned in his empty stomach, rolling together into a ball of fury. Empty because he’d been so panicked over Laurie, he hadn’t eaten. Panicked because she’d left, apparently to have a grand old time painting the town red. Without a word. And then, to top it off, she had the nerve to flounce in here and tell him about her night as if she hadn’t scared ten years off his life. As if he hadn’t envisioned her lying in a hospital bed somewhere, or kidnapped, or worse.
She jumped as he slammed his hand down on the table. The wood groaned against the force of the blow.
“Max?”
“You have a lot of nerve. What the hell were you doing?” She’d better have a damn good reason for making him worry.
“What do you mean? I just told you. I went out for dinner, and then drinks. You need to work on your listening skills, mister.” Her joking tone ramped up his anger. Color leached from the world as his eyes shifted to leopard. How could she joke about this? He’d gone insane envisioning every horrible thing imaginable.
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“Why are you so angry? I know you wanted to show me around my first time, but you’ve been so busy. Besides, I only saw a small part of the city. There’s still plenty left to see.”
Max moved away from her hand when she reached for him. Rage pulsed through his blood. He couldn’t trust himself not to hurt her right now.
“Do you have any idea…” He swallowed against the knot growing in his throat. “Any idea how out of my fucking mind I’ve been?”
“Max—”
“No! I’m talking now. I’ve spent the last few hours envisioning you lying in a ditch somewhere. Or in some dark place scared and helpless. And you’ve been out, this whole time, living it up.” Anger flared on her face. Good. Let her feel some of it. “What the fuck, Laurie?”
“I’m thirty years old, Max. I can go out and have a good time if I want to.”
“Not without telling me, you can’t.” She flashed a fang at him, so he flashed one back. “Why the hell didn’t you answer your damn phone?”
“It was loud at the bar. Believe it or not, I’ve lasted over thirty years without your influence, dad.” She sneered.
“Not in the New York City, you haven’t,” he said, stepping toward her.
“I’m not some stupid hick. I can take care of myself.” She took a bold step closer. They were toe to toe now, shouting in each other’s faces.
“You have no clue what’s out there.”
“I’m a shifter. What could possibly be out there that I can’t handle?”
“Other shifters. Gangs with guns. Crazy taxi drivers who can’t tell the difference between green and red.” Okay, so the City might not be as dangerous as that, but he only voiced some of the many scenarios that had flashed through his head when he heard she was in the City alone at night.
“Oh, now I don’t even know how to cross the street?” She threw up her hands and stalked away from him, turning to stalk back once she reached the wall. “You’re being unreasonable.”
“I’m unreasonable? I’m not the one who disappeared for hours!”
*****
Silence. They stared at each other, neither willing to bend or admit they were wrong. Laurie sighed, and looked away. At least he wasn’t yelling at her anymore. Even if the glare remained in place.
What worried her most wasn’t that they fought, but that he actually expected her to seek permission when she wanted to leave the building. It was barbaric.
When Leah had told her to ask him, she’d thought the woman had been facetious. To find out she’d been telling the truth hurt. Max hadn’t seemed the caveman type, but, then again, how well did they really know each other? A couple weeks, and most of that time spent together was in bed. They’d mated so fast, there hadn’t been time to find out if they worked together.
“Maybe this was a mistake,” Laurie blurted out. As soon as the words left her mouth, she wished she could pull them back. Or rewind time and slap herself before they could escape. All couples had arguments. That didn’t mean the whole relationship was a mistake.
“Maybe?” He sneered, lifting his lip a bit to show off his fang.
Laurie flinched as a sharp pain split her chest. Her heart seized.
Okay, that had hurt. His certainty that their mating was wrong bled into the one word. Somehow, she’d expected him to contradict her. To force her to retract her statement. Maybe even to fight for her.
“You’re right, of course.” She still had her pride, if nothing else.
She clenched her hands against the urge to slap the smug look off his face. This killed her. She’d really thought the relationship between them might work, yet he stood there with a smile as they dissolved everything between them.
Did he not feel any remorse? Had she meant nothing to him? Worse. Was being mated to her really that horrible?
“I’d worried we had rushed into this without knowing each other first,” she bit out.
“Exactly.” His condescending nod infuriated her, and Laurie tramped down the urge to punch him with her clenched fist. She might have, too, if he hadn’t stopped to lo
ok at her, confusion crossing his face. “Wait, what?”
“It will take me a few days to pack.” She gritted her teeth, refusing to show him how much he’d hurt her. “I can sleep in one of the guest rooms until I’m done.”
“Wait a minute.” He reached out a hand when she moved to the stairs and closed his eyes. “Just a minute. What are you talking about?”
“Us.” Dread started to bloom in her gut. How could she have screwed up this badly? “I mean, we smelled a potential mate and bam, suddenly we’re in bed, biting each other, and… God, I moved my whole life here. I gave away my business and sold my house. What was I thinking? We didn’t even stop to consider whether we were compatible.” The words rushed out, a freight train with no brakes to stop them. She’d thought everything would work. Had even begun to care for him. Thought he felt the same. All for naught.
That was a lie. She’d more than begun to care. Love might still be a ways off, but in her heart, she knew she’d been well on her way. She’d given up everything to move here, but not until Max admitted that they didn’t belong together had she felt as if everything was falling apart.
“Whoa. Slow down.” He gripped her shoulders, giving her a small shake until she met his intense stare. “You’re not going anywhere.”
A laugh born of hysteria bubbled in her gut. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? You want to keep me locked up in this tower. Seek your permission before leaving.” The word permission left a sour taste in her mouth.
“No. I want you to leave a note. Or answer your phone. Send a text. Something so that I don’t think you’ve fallen off the face of the Earth with no clue how to search for you.”
Hope and doubt clashed swords within her. So he didn’t want her to leave? Wouldn’t make it impossible for her to stay?
“You don’t regret mating me?” She held her breath waiting for his response. Vulnerable. She hated the emotion. Hated to give voice to her doubts. Hated to feel so raw. But she had to know.
He looked shocked. Maybe even a touch distressed.
“Of course not. That’s not even… I never…” Max broke off with a swear, closing his eyes. When he met hers again, the leopard was gone from his gaze. “I want you. I have never, not for one minute, regretted mating with you. These things are just glitches we have to work out. Okay?” The tension visibly left his shoulders when she nodded. He pushed her hair behind her ear. “You scared the crap out of me there.”
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have left a note. That was careless of me.” Now that she stopped to think about it, it had been cruel of her. She’d never meant to make him worry.
“You should have. I shouldn’t have blown up at you like that, either.”
She nodded again, mesmerized by his eyes. She read the regret in their depths.
“But when I said you scared me, I meant the other stuff.”
Confusion wrinkled her forehead. “What other stuff?”
“The mating stuff. Everything else I can handle, just don’t give up on us. On what we’re building here. Okay?”
Relief tugged at the corners of her mouth. He wasn’t getting rid of her. When she’d thought he wanted her gone, the hurt had been sharp and intense. But things weren’t as hopeless as they appeared.
“You won’t be mad when I go out again?” She needed to be sure. Some girls might be fine under lock and key. Laurie wasn’t one of them. Independence was too much a part of her.
“Not if you’re safe and don’t leave me to stew in worry about it. But if you pull another stunt like tonight, I can’t promise I won’t scream and shout.”
“I’ll make sure to leave a note.”
“Or a text. Something.” He rested his forehead against hers.
“I promise.”
“And you won’t think that shouting in any way shape or form indicates a desire to end our relationship.”
“That too.”
Laurie leaned up and brushed his lips with hers. Once. Twice. Teasing, feather light kisses. After a moment, his arms pulled her against his chest, his mouth pressed firmly against hers.
Soft and hard. She ran her hands up his chest. Gripped his shoulders and pushed her chest against him.
When his tongue touched her lips, she didn’t hesitate to open. Heat enveloped her. His taste burst on her tongue as he swept inside. She trembled against him, giving herself over to the strength of her lust.
She pulled back, lingering with her lips barely touching his. His growl rumbled against her chest, filled the air between them, as she nipped at his bottom lip. Sucking it into her mouth, she soothed the pain of the bite.
How could she have thought to give this up without a fight? She’d kissed her share of men, but no one who matched her as well as Max. Hearing him say he wanted her had been potent. Such a simple thing to mean so much.
His hands slid down her back, squeezing her butt as he reached it. Definitely an ass man. She swung her hips back, placing her booty further into his hold. It wasn’t big, but Laurie worked with what she had.
“I’ve come to care for you, Laurie. Never doubt that.” His words shivered down her spine. Her heart thumped hard before turning over in her chest.
She softened against him even as lust pooled low in her belly. “Me too,” she answered, placing soft kisses against his collar bone.
His hand moved to her chin, tilting her head up. His lips captured hers again, deepening the kiss until she tasted him with each breath. He consumed her.
She gave herself over to him. Lost herself in the moment, moaning into his mouth as his hands slid over the waist of her skirt.
“I need you,” he murmured against her lips. She moaned in response, pushing him into the room until he collapsed backward on the couch. She crawled into his lap. They both needed to heal after the fight. Both needed the comfort of each other.
With the skyline shining from the windows behind her, Laurie straddled him. This time, she’d have him begging for mercy.
Her hands reached for the buttons on his shirt, sliding the first one open. With a quick peck against the corner of his mouth, she moved lower, avoiding his lips as he sought to deepen the kiss. She bit his chin lightly as her hands found the second button and slid it open.
Moving lower, she followed her hands with her mouth, nibbling, licking and sucking a trail down his torso. Her tongue swirled over the exposed skin of his chest. His flavor burst over her taste buds, salty and masculine.
Above her, he groaned, gripping her shoulders as her teeth scraped over the ridges of his six-pack. Dipping her tongue into his belly button caused his hands to clench against her. She smiled against his flesh. He didn’t stand a chance.
Her hands reached for his pants, slipping the button open. The scrape of the zipper was ten times louder in the silence of the room. A soft groan rumbled from the back of his throat, the sound rolling through her system, empowering her.
The soft material of his dress pants folded back, and she quickly pulled his erection out between the slit in his boxers. The sight of him, engorged and pulsing with need, sent a flood of moisture to her core. The urge to taste him nearly overwhelmed her. She licked her lips in anticipation as a dot of pre-cum beaded the head.
Stalling to torture them both, she ran her hand over the top, smearing the escaped moisture. He groaned, throwing his head back against the couch cushion.
Laurie growled. That wouldn’t do. She wanted him to watch her. To see everything she did to him. She wanted to look up and meet his eyes. Determined, she dug her nails into the inside of his thigh until he yelped, and looked down at her with accusation in his eyes.
“Eyes on me.”
Anger gave way to passion as he stared, a smirk curving his lips. Without preamble, she took him into her mouth. His smirk vanished with a garbled exclamation. She moved back, curling her tongue around his shaft as she moved. Her tongue circled the tip as she pulled away.
Max’s hand swept over her hair, his thumb stroking her cheek at the end.
Tenderness bled into the gesture, almost weakening her resolve. The desire to have him inside her was a craving she could barely resist. But she couldn’t give up so soon. Tonight, she’d take him to the brink.
Laurie leaned down and licked the head of his cock one more time before rising. She moved back, putting distance between them. Confusion lit his gaze.
“Laurie?” He reached for her but she avoided his touch.
“Uh uh, not yet. You can look, but no touching.”
Her hips swayed as she danced to music in her head. She pulled her shirt out the waist of her skirt, exposing a flash of skin before dropping it down. Sure enough, his eyes were glued to her stomach.
“Look up, Max. Wouldn’t want you to miss the show,” she murmured, infusing her voice with a sexy purr. His cock twitched, and Laurie bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning.
Puckering her lips into a pout, she unfastened one button. His gaze left hers and dropped to her hands. She slid them over her breasts, thrusting her chest outward and letting a small moan slip past her lips.
“Dear Lord,” he hissed from the couch as she continued her strip tease. The whispered words and the heat in his gaze galvanized her forward.
She reached for the second button, slipping it open. Then the third, revealing the lace beneath. Never taking her eyes off Max, she swept a finger along the edge of her bra, and watched his hands clench on top of his thighs.
“Touch yourself,” Laurie commanded. His gaze collided with hers, questioning, contemplating.
Would he do it? Until she uttered the words, she hadn’t known she wanted to see it, but now the idea of him jerking off as she stripped for him brought a rush of heat.
She gasped as he reached for his erection. Watched, mesmerized, as he fondled his balls. After a moment, he cleared his throat, bringing her gaze to his. He merely raised his eyebrows, a silent directive to continue what she’d started.
With a smile, she trailed her hand down her front, opening buttons along the way. When she reached the bottom, she turned, giving him her back as she slithered the shirt over one shoulder. Her lips skimmed her naked shoulder as she looked over her bared back at him. Fire lit his eyes as his hand pumped once. Twice.
Brink Of Passion (Alpine Woods Shifters) Page 11