Still staring at him, she exposed her other shoulder, holding the shirt up by her elbows.
“Turn around.” She did, letting the shirt fall the floor and leaving her in a see-through lace bra. He groaned. “Please tell me that’s a matching set.”
She laughed, a throaty chuckle that sounded sexy even to her own ears.
“Wanna find out?”
He reached for her once again, but she dodged his hands.
“Not yet.”
Not that she didn’t want his hands on her. But first, she wanted to drive him wild with desire. He growled, but she ignored it.
Showing him her back, she reached for her zipper, sliding it down tooth by tooth until the skirt fell at her feet. She smiled at his groan, never more grateful that Julie and Samantha had talked her into the sexy see-through lace bra and thong set. Sexy underwear wasn’t her thing, but judging by Max’s reaction, she’d need to stock up.
She slowly spun, showing him the front of her set, before reaching back and unhooking the bra. Her nipples were already pebbled, and she saw his gaze locked onto them. His erection jerked in his hand.
Watching him stare at her sent heat flaring through her veins. Inspired, she ran her hands over her breasts. Hunger spiraled from her nipples to her pussy. She pinched both at the same time, groaning as the intense pleasure rippled down.
Unable to resist much longer, she slowly slid her hands over her stomach and lower, catching the edge of her thong and slipping it over her hips. It fell to her feet and she stepped out, moving to where Max sat waiting.
She turned when she reached him, pressing her back to his chest and sliding flesh to flesh. The contact drove them both wild, their groans mingling in the air around them. She felt his erection in the crease of her butt, and undulated her hips backward.
Reaching back, she circled his neck with her arm and buried her hand in his hair. Perhaps sensing her need, or acting on his own, he clutched her hips and lifted her away only enough to line his cock up with her pussy. Then he brought her down, filling her completely in one brutal thrust. She cried out in pleasure as an unexpected orgasm slammed into her. She clenched around him over and over as wave after wave assailed her.
She came back slowly. His mouth sucked at her neck. His hips were still as he waited for her orgasm to recede. She opened her eyes and saw the almost panoramic windows before her. The lights of the city glittered like stars in the night sky. The thrill of being so exposed, but still hidden in the mass of nameless, faceless strangers of the city electrified her.
Her hips jolted as Max ran his hands from her waist to her breasts, following the trail hers had traveled earlier. Just as before, he circled her nipples before pinching them at the same time. Laurie shuddered as pleasure bombarded her. His lips trailed over her shoulder and neck, sucking, then biting. An endless assault.
Desperation for release built once again within her, coiling inside until she thrust against him. His hips met hers thrust for thrust.
She stared into the night as they raced toward the peak together.
“Touch yourself,” Max echoed her command from earlier. Unable to resist, she ran her hand up the inside of her thigh. First, she moved lower, brushing against Max’ s cock and the place they were connected. He growled against her shoulder, thrusting harder inside her. Laurie moved her fingers up, finding the nub of pure sensation and rubbing against it until…
The world exploded in a blaze of color. The lights of the city blurred together as tears pooled in her eyes. Sensation after sensation assailed her. Vaguely, she was aware of Max thrusting furiously into her as she seized against him. Of his own roar of release as his seed flooded her. But she was too wrapped up in her own pleasure for more than a passing awareness.
She came down slowly, Max’s hands drawing circles on the exposed flesh of her belly. Sensing her return, he placed a quick kiss against her shoulder.
“Shower, then bed.”
It wasn’t a question, but she nodded anyway. When she started to rise, Max clutched her hips for a moment, preventing her escape, before releasing her with a sigh. Then he stood, swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs.
Chapter 8
The shrill ring of the phone woke her. She groaned, burrowing deeper into Max’s warmth. For his part, Max seemed to be of the same mind. His arms pulled her close, one big hand petting her from the base of her neck to the curve of her butt before settling there.
The ringing stopped for a moment, before the trill started up again. Laurie opened her eyes and gazed at the far wall, but still didn’t leave the comfort of Max’s embrace. A growl rumbled in the chest under her ear, the only sign the second call had disturbed him at all.
Once again, the ringing stopped only to start up again a moment later. Max turned, jolting her as his arm slid out from under her, and roared at his cell phone sitting on the nightstand. If only that would actually work.
Alright then. Not a morning person. Still he made no move to pick it up. With a huff of a laugh, Laurie crawled over him and grabbed the phone.
“Might as well answer it. I don’t think they’re giving up until you do.” His glare would have frightened a lesser woman. Lucky for both of them, Laurie didn’t scare easily. She’d never backed down from a fight yet. After a quick peck on his cheek as he took the phone, she scrambled out of bed. Neon green offered a glowing 4:00 from the clock on the nightstand.
She barely suppressed her groan of frustration. Getting back to sleep would be next to impossible, despite barely three hours. But she supposed that was just the hazards of mating with a Premier. And unless Max’s pack had a habit of bothering him this early in the morning for trifling problems, something Laurie couldn’t see Max putting up with, they’d probably need to be up regardless.
Heading to the bathroom, she pulled out her toothbrush and toothpaste, keeping one ear tuned to Max in the bedroom as she brushed her teeth.
Wolf hearing was good enough that she’d have heard both sides of the conversation if she’d stayed in bed. But even though they were mates, her place in the pack was still up in the air. It had only been a little more than a week since she’d moved to New York. Despite the strides they’d made in their relationship, especially the night before, they still didn’t know each other that well yet. Listening too closely would feel like a violation of privacy. Besides, she wanted Max to come to her with his problems, not to hear them by eavesdropping.
Still, she’d never claimed to be a saint. So she listened to Max’s side of the conversation from the bathroom. An illusion of privacy.
He’d been concerned at first, confirming her suspicions that he didn’t let his pack run to him with petty arguments at all hours of the night. But his tone had quickly changed. Max was asking questions. Unfortunately, one-word questions. When, how, and what, didn’t give her any clues about who was on the phone or what they were discussing.
Rinsing out her mouth, Laurie grabbed Max’s shirt off the floor and pulled it on as she moved to the doorway to lean against the frame. The light from the bathroom illuminated the bed. A lot had happened in the past two weeks since meeting in Tucson, but Max had always seemed content to go with the flow. Now, tension radiated off him. His jaw twitched as he clenched it. His hand curled into a fist on top of the covers.
Laurie ached with the need to go to him and ease his stress. To fix whatever problem had caused him such strife. But she had no means of doing any of that. So instead, she walked out of the room and to the coffee bar, opening the cupboards until she found the filters and beans. She’d been making an effort to eat with the leap in the restaurant downstairs and had yet to use the machine. Something told her they would need something to help wake up. She might not be able to help with the problem at hand, but coffee she could do.
While the machine percolated, Laurie went back into the bedroom to see Max pulling on his jeans. She’d heard him hang up but had decided to give him a moment to himself.
“Coffee should be done in
a minute.” The pot held just four cups, enough for one, maybe two people, not more. She’d seen a larger one in the cabinets downstairs, no doubt used during family gatherings.
“No time,” he called back.
Biting her lip, she stilled the questions prickling the tip of her tongue. Not bothering with underwear, Laurie grabbed jeans from a drawer and pulled them on. Then hurried to the bathroom to pull on her bra. Underwear she could get away with skipping. A bra? No way. She might not have huge breasts, but she wasn’t twenty-two anymore. Some support was necessary.
She turned and caught Max’s stare. He looked tired. Not the kind of tired caused by lack of sleep, but the kind brought about by experience.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, no longer able to hold back the question.
“Ryan’s awake.”
Laurie’s spirits lifted, until reality crashed them down. If his brother had woken, why did Max look like war had just broken out?
“And…” she prompted when he didn’t offer more. There had to be something missing to the story.
“He doesn’t remember anything.”
“Oh, Max.” Laurie’s heart broke for him. For his whole family. The Ryan she’d met in Tucson had been sweet, kind, and overall a strong, loyal friend to his brother.
Her legs carried her forward until her arms could wrap around him. She clung to him, putting every ounce of sympathy and support she could muster into her embrace.
Slowly, his arms came up and enveloped her. She felt his lips brush the top of her head.
“Thank you.”
They stayed like that, taking comfort in each other, until Laurie pulled away. She took his hand and squeezed.
“Come on, let’s go see him.”
*****
“We need to talk. Alone.”
Max assessed his brother. Lying in bed with tubes coming out of his arm, he looked tired, but there was alertness Max hadn’t expected.
Thank God it hadn’t been as bad as he’d expected from the phone call he’d received. After the word amnesia, he’d tuned everything else out. Buzzing had filled his ears and brain, so he hadn’t heard the words Retrograde or Lacunar, not that he would have understood what the words meant even if he had heard them. He’d have to talk to Tyler about how he delivered news. The important things needed to be first. Like the fact that Ryan hadn’t lost his entire memory. He remembered everything up to the incident. He was lucid. Most importantly, he was still the big brother Max depended on for support. The knowledge of that nearly overwhelmed him.
But he could see the seriousness in Ryan’s expression. Read the significance in his eyes. He transferred his gaze to his cousin leaning against the wall before landing on Laurie, curled into one of the chairs beside him fast asleep. Most of the family had left a few moments ago seeking a cafeteria, but when Laurie had moved to join them, Max had squeezed her hand in silent appeal.
The strength of his desire to have her beside him had been surprising. The leopard inside hadn’t wanted to part with her.
Colin leaned against the wall kitty-corner to them. Max met his eyes briefly, saw the curiosity, but he knew enough not to question his Premier.
“Why don’t Laurie and I go find a Starbucks?” That he would watch her and protect her with his life went without saying.
Turning, Max crouched down and ran a gentle hand over her hair. Still asleep, her cheek nuzzled against him.
Tenderness welled inside him. She’d been through a lot the past couple weeks—leaving her home, her family—yet she hadn’t hesitated to come with him to the hospital, nor had she complained about the lack of sleep. She’d been there for him, and somehow he knew it wasn’t because she felt an obligation as his mate. It was simply because she cared. About him, yes, but he suspected she would have done it for anyone in the leap.
Some of her brothers’ stories about Laurie whirled through his mind. Even though she’d never held a leadership role in her pack, she’d been loved. It had been obvious from her interactions with the people in town before they’d left. People looked to her for support. And she gave it without thought or expectation. She cared, but more than that, she protected.
Inside, his leopard strutted in satisfaction that the human half had learned what it had instinctually known all along. Laurie was a woman he could be proud to call his.
Smug bastard, Max thought with affection. He hated when his cat side lorded things over his human half. As if the cat’s ego wasn’t big enough. But at the moment, he felt nothing but gratitude. His other half had chosen their mate well.
“Laurie?” He brushed his knuckles along her cheek once more, marveling at the softness. He placed a quick kiss against her lips. She groaned, low and deep. The less-than-ladylike sound brought a smile to his lips. “Time to wake up, sleeping beauty.”
“What time is it?” Why did her sleepy murmur make his dick harden?
“Early.”
She sighed before opening her eyes. The smile that curled her lips when she met his gaze caused his heart to stumble in his chest.
“Do you think you and Colin could go grab some coffee? I need a minute alone with Ryan.”
“Of course.” The smile left her face as she quickly rose. “What do you want?”
No guile. No strategy. Her first thought had been his needs.
“Nothing fancy. Plain coffee with a splash of cream.”
“Sugar?”
He shook his head. She flashed him a smile and turned toward the door.
“Laurie?” He stopped her before she could leave the room.
“Yes?”
He searched for the words to express the gratitude he felt. To her for supporting him. To his leopard for bringing her to him.
“Nothing.”
She smiled at him again, and he knew he would do everything in his power to keep her smiling forever.
He followed her with his eyes as she left the room. Colin held the door open for her, shutting it behind them.
Max breathed deeply. The lingering scent of his mate soothed the beast inside him who was no happier seeing her leave than it had been earlier.
He stood and walked to his brother, reaching out to grab his hand. The tactile comfort of family further placated his leopard.
“How are you really?” Max asked. With the others around, Max worried Ryan pushed himself too hard to act as if he had no pain.
“Fine, except I feel like I’m in a botanical garden, or a tropical forest somewhere.”
“Yeah.” Max glanced around at the flowers overflowing every tabletop and counter space. “You know how Leah gets with family. She’s been refreshing them every few days.”
“She shouldn’t have wasted the inventory.”
“What’s wrong, brother?” Max asked, sensing his brother stalling. He hadn’t asked to be alone to discuss the flower situation in the room. For a long moment, Ryan remained silent until Max wondered if he’d have to repeat the question.
“You need to watch your back.” His brother’s brusque tone surprised him.
Suspicion slid through him. His brother must know The Family wouldn’t stand for an attack against one of their own. The only reason to pretend amnesia would be to protect someone. Surely, his brother wouldn’t protect his attacker. So who was he protecting?
“I thought you didn’t remember the attack?”
“I don’t.” There was no lie in the tone or the eyes that stared at Max. But Ryan’s earlier words left a puzzle in his mind.
“Then why?”
Ryan fidgeted in his hospital bed, wincing and clutching his forehead as a particular move jarred him.
Max waited patiently, squeezing his brother’s hand to comfort both Ryan and himself. “Whatever it is, it’s okay.”
“I’m not sure how to describe it. I remember pulling into the parking garage, but everything after that is blank. But there’s this…” He shook his head, his eyes moving back and forth as if searching for the right word. “Urgency. I don’t know how, or
why, but I know you’re in danger.” Ryan reached out and grabbed his arm, his eyes wide with alarm. “You have to be careful.”
“It’s okay,” he soothed. He leaned down and rested his head against Ryan’s, rubbing back and forth. The touch of family comforted them both. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”
Ryan quieted. Max stayed until he heard his brother’s breath even out, deepening with sleep. Rising, he quietly crossed to the doorway and stepped into the hallway. The strong smell of antiseptic tickled his nose.
He leaned against the wall next to the door and closed his eyes. What would he have done if he’d lost Ryan? His brother had always been there.
Of the two of them, there’d been no question who was more dominant. Ryan, a beta male at heart, had none of the alpha tendencies that Max had displayed from day one when he’d frowned at his mother instead of crying for food.
The differences between them had been obvious, and had precipitated Max receiving the mantle of Premier above Ryan, despite Ryan being older by four years. But beta or not, he wasn’t submissive. He could fight with the best of them if pushed to it. He just felt no need to dominate. Since the beginning, he’d supported Max from behind. Always cheering him on.
Though beta, Ryan had taught Max how to be a better alpha. A better man.
He’d come close to losing him. The blow to his head had been deep, and if he hadn’t been found when he had, he might have bled out before help could arrive. As it was, he’d been out cold for over an hour before one of his leap mates had found him, lying on the floor of his office. Too long. He’d lost hours of time between parking in the garage and being hit over the head. Some of the leap had seen him at the restaurant downstairs having dinner, but Ryan remembered none of it.
The need to protect beat a steady tempo against his temples. He’d failed this time. It wouldn’t happen again. Ryan’s words haunted him. Was the injury causing his anxiety, or could some part of him be evoking the shadow of a memory?
Max rubbed his hands over his face once again, desperately trying to hide the lack of sleep and worry he knew must be clearly displayed.
Brink Of Passion (Alpine Woods Shifters) Page 12