Fuck, that was hot. And unexpected. And hot. And why the fuck were the only thoughts running through her head now all involving her on her knees in front of him?
His head cocked, and he did that sniff thing she’d caught several times, and before she could ask his eyes met hers, a fire burning in them so strongly she swore they shone for a minute.
The kiss is messy, an attack on her, all direct pressure and frontal assault. There is no time to take a breath, only hold on as his mouth plundered hers.
This was nothing ever experienced. This was new, because it went beyond the physical. Desire mixed with adoration, mixed with gratefulness, and from it all came this amazing realization on how well they blended together, on how together, it was perfect.
A loud snarl sounded from behind them, and before it had even penetrated her hazy mind, they were knocked to the ground. Razor shielded her as much as he could, catching himself and rolling in such a way that he didn’t land on top of her, but the fall caused a sharp exhale, and she couldn’t breathe air back in for several moments. As she struggled to breathe, she turned to find Razor.
A wolf was attacking him, and he used one big foot to kick it in its head, but before she could process anything else, she was being grabbed up, an arm around her throat, and Razor snarled at whoever was behind her. “What the fuck you doing here, Devil. You’re banished.”
The arm around her neck tightened, and the voice held the same quality every bully had ever had through the history of time. “The new boss-to-be seems to like me well enough. He said there’s no problem with me hanging around.”
Razor’s face contorted with disgust. “You’ve aligned with Jacobson?”
“Any wolf with pride has aligned with Jacobson.” The words were rapid-fire, filled with disgust towards Razor. “Steel might think we should all be crawling on our bellies, but I refuse, and now, there are others like me. Steel’s time is over. Might want to rethink which side your on.”
Chapter Six
‡
“Let the woman go. She isn’t part of this.” Razor’s wolf was going feral underneath the skin, seeing Aaliyah trapped in Devil’s arms. Aaliyah was steady, not making a move, and as much as it was killing him, Razor had to look away from her and keep his eyes on Devil and the other wolves, or Aaliyah wasn’t going to make it out alive.
She was a fucking ER nurse. He’d seen her deal with shit before. He had to trust her to keep her head now.
Devil ignored him. “She’s pretty. Is she your mate, or are you having a bit of fun?”
“She’s fun. She doesn’t know about our little spat.” He doubted it would matter to Devil either way, but Razor had to try.
Devil’s low, cruel laugh said it was hopeless. “Well, I guess she’ll be fun for us as well.”
He couldn’t think what they’d do to Aaliyah or he’d go insane. He needed a plan to get them out, and to make one, he needed a clear head.
And then Aaliyah – brilliant, beautiful Aaliyah – stabbed something into Devil’s arm. The wolf howled, throwing her away from him, and Razor couldn’t waste any time, couldn’t think on consequences.
He shifted, his wolf coming out, and the first to go down was the hurt one, the one who already smelled like blood, but positively reeked of it when Razor was through.
Claws were on his back and teeth at his neck, and he threw the other wolf away, jumping on it, his own fangs bearing down on the other wolf.
Howls and wails and growls filtered through the forest night, because the wolf wanted blood, it wanted its enemies ripped apart, nothing but exposed flesh and the scent of carrion, and no matter how many enemies came after him, no matter how many sunk their teeth and claws into his flesh, he would devour them all, would lay waste, would spill their blood on the forest floor.
Pain was ignored. Screams were absorbed. Movement became heavy, then became an agony, and he still went forward. His mate. His mate was here, and she needed to be safe.
Protect. His beautiful mate.
The wolf kept on attacking, until, the last of its enemies laying on the forest floor, the wolf fell over.
*
It was the loud crash of the big wolf falling that finally had Aaliyah coming out of her shock.
Razor had turned into a wolf. She hadn’t just imagined that. She hadn’t.
He turned into a wolf, and saved her life.
Several…bodies?…wolves, something were laying on the ground, as well as the man who had been holding her.
There was probably something they should do. Leaving someone as evil as that Devil was always ended up being a bad idea. At the least, there should be some sort of cops to call.
But Razor was hurt, and if those wolves had any reinforcements coming, she and Razor would be dead before dawn. As much as she hated just leaving the creatures without somehow containing them, she and Razor needed to leave now.
“Razor,” she called out, and the wolf whined, low and non-threatening. “Razor, I need to touch you. Can you hear me?”
Another whine, and was she stupid, because if she touched him, he could lunge at her and rip her throat out. Could he even have human thoughts right now?
Slow, soft movements, and all Razor did was nuzzle into her as she came closer. “You have to work with me. Please, you’re too heavy. Please help me get you into the car.”
Whether the wolf understood her or it was instinct, it did help. Every movement was agony if the whimpers and whines spoke true, but he kept moving as she kept talking, and all through the car ride she kept speaking, kept letting him know she was near.
After she parked in front of her house, she was able to settle him into her bed the same way she got him into the car. The stairs were the trickiest part, but they managed, and now a wolf lay in her bed, a wolf that transformed before her eyes into a human being, with a lot less wounds than his wolf counterpart had.
It took time, but she got him cleaned up, got herself put to rights, put on some boxers that she used to sleep in. Then she sat in the chair beside the bed and settled in for a long night, and answers that would come in the morning.
Chapter Seven
‡
He was surrounded by softness and Aaliyah’s scent, so despite the lingering aches, Razor was overall content as he opened his eyes, smiling as what had to be Aaliyah’s bedroom came into view. Then he focused, and there was Aaliyah, sitting next to the bed, her unsmiling mouth and direct eyes slamming into him the reason for the aches and why he was currently in her bed, and all contentment vanished.
Swallowing hard, he pushed himself up, the sheets dropping to his waist and revealing he was wearing nothing but some underwear. Aaliyah said nothing, just kept looking at him, steady and stable.
Well, at least she hadn’t run screaming into the night or called some mad scientist to start cutting him up.
Refusing to give into the tension threatening to eat him up, Razor settled back and made himself as unthreatening as possible, pretty hard for a guy who stood six-sixish and considered football players underweight. “I’m sorry you saw that.”
“I’m not.”
Aaliyah’s forthright words had him jerking his head up and without a doubt, his eyes had to be taking up half his face right now. “What?”
“For a short while, I used to think you guys around here were some sort of cult or something. Even when I realized that wasn’t the case, I knew something now exactly normal was going on. It’s nice to finally know the truth.” Straight-forward and to the point – that was who Aaliyah was and always had been. It’s why she had fit in so well, though she didn’t know the secrets of the pack. Around here, those were traits to be admired and respected.
In for a penny and all that. There would be no better time to tell her, and being a nurse, he had a feeling Aaliyah would appreciate tearing the bandage off quickly. “I’m a werewolf.”
“Yeah, I got that.”
She was still looking at him, still not running away. He pressed on. “I was born
that way. Most people around here are. Tank and Cage and Iron all are werewolves.”
“Doc? Bella? Mel and Brick and House and Danny?”
Her voice was quiet and competent. He expected this was how she sounded in the ER when getting hard news about patients to act on. “Doc isn’t, but he knows about us. His sister was a true mate to a wolf, and he followed her and liked the area so much, he decided to stick around. We needed a Doc, and he needed the freedom being the pack’s doctor would allow.”
“True mate?”
Trust Aaliyah to catch the most important issue. Razor drew a deep breath. “My kind…werewolves…we have…” Razor stuttered, trying to find the words, wishing he’d practiced this part. “We call them true mates, but a term that’s pretty close is soul mates. A wolf knows his true mate by her scent.”
Aaliyah’s eyebrows were drawn together, the little furrow in her forehead too damn adorable considering she still might be considering how to get him locked up. She was kind of inscrutable right now. “So this true mate is a female werewolf?”
“There are no female wolves, at least not born. If a werewolf takes a mate, he can turn her into a wolf, but any kids they have will be male.” Her forehead was smoothing out, and not knowing if that was a good sign or bad, he pressed on. “A true mate is our near perfect match. Someone who is made for us. It’s not absolute. There is something magical about it, but it’s not Cupid’s arrow. There’s still choice.”
Her mouth fell open, and she stood, backing a few steps away. “I’m your true mate,” she said, and she sounded very far away from happy about the revelation. “Oh my God, that’s what all this has been about, isn’t it?”
Everything about her screamed misery, and damn this distance, within seconds he was up, cradling her to him even as she was pushing away. “I don’t know what’s going on through your damn mind at this moment, but you stop it!”
“No one waits ten years. No one gets with an old woman, a woman who can’t even have children, if they have a choice.” She was fighting, pushing away, but she was fighting herself as much as him, the devastation on her face directed inward.
“Like fuck!” Now she was pissing him off. The small shake he gave her was easy but it was determined, and her eyes went back to meet his. “You listen to me. You think I’m with you because of a fucking true mate bond? Fuck that shit. Yeah, you’re my true mate, and that’s what got me to go over to your desk – I admit all that. But that’s where it ends. I fucking fell in love with you for two years of standing by my side and then standing in front of me when my dad tried to use me and my brothers as punching bags. For keeping your head no matter what shit went on around you, shit that had grown wolves throwing up in the aftermath. For making the best pies I ever ate. For being honorable and leaving a sixteen year old kid because it was the best thing for him, even if he didn’t know it at the time. For being just like your Granny, because God knows I loved that woman, and I knew by taking after her, you were going to make my life interesting for the next sixty years and I would love every second of it. For having the fattest ass I’ve ever seen, and for giving me ten years of wet dreams and fucking fantasies, and no woman either in person or in a picture has ever affected me like you do. None of that shit is the true mate bond, Aaliyah. All of that shit is only because of you. Only you.”
He was breathing hard by the end of that that too fucking long speech, but so was she, her eyelids wide now from a different kind of shock, mouth open and face disbelieving. Her gaze kept darting around his face, locking for only a second before moving again, as though it were impossible for her to settle on one thing for any length of time.
“Me?” The voice was small, the eyes were still too wide, but a measure of hope now threaded the words. “Are you sure what you like is me?”
He let her go, sank down on the bed, looked up at her with everything ten years of loving her had brought out in him. “Only you. Only ever been you. It’s not me putting you on a pedestal or romanticizing some fucking bond. It’s me knowing they don’t come any better than you.”
Those gorgeous fingers covered quivering lips, which were forming a teary smile. “I wanted to give you a chance to grow. I was too close to loving you, and…”
“And it wouldn’t have been right. I know.” He nodded, absolving her and thanking her in the movement. “I know. It was the right thing. But I ain’t sixteen anymore. I’m a man who knows his mind. I’ve been through shit, my whole pack is currently going through shit, and considering what I am, I guarantee I’ll always be in the thick of something. I need a woman strong enough to love me anyway. Kind of think you’re that woman.”
That teary smile grew wide. “Granny would have had a blast being kin to you.”
He snorted, laughter thick in his throat. “Fuck, I miss that old woman.”
“She adored you.”
“Does her granddaughter?”
“Oh yes. She does.” Aaliyah came over to him now, her hand reaching out to caress his face. “She does so much. If you let me, I’ll be nowhere else the rest of my life.”
Finally. He clasped his fingers against the back of her neck, bringing her forehead to touch his. “I want to mate you. I want you to be like me.”
“I can’t give you–”
“You give me everything I need. The rest of it will be figured out. Please tell me you trust me to know myself.”
She pulled back, looking straight and deep into the core of him. “I trust you.”
“Thank fuck.” Razor nuzzled into her neck, breathing the perfect smell of her in deep, enjoying the texture of that satiny skin under his lips. Thank fuck she was his. Thank fuck they got here, finally got here.
He traced the line of her neck up to the curve of her jaw, smiling into her as she giggled at the movement. He was determined to memorize every inch, move with her as she moved, not letting enough space for even a breath to get between his mouth and her skin.
The meeting of their mouths was soft, almost tentative. It was loving, a delicate stroke, a fitting into each other. It was a promise, unshakeable and unbreakable, and it was everything he ever wanted from her.
Razor pulled back, though Aaliyah followed, her lips on the scruff of his cheek. “I hate to say this in case it stirs any shit up, but I feel like I got to.”
“What is it?” she asked, her breath warm on him, and his eyes closed in pleasure despite himself.
“I’ve never slept with anyone.”
That stopped her cold, though she didn’t pull away. There was only a sharp inhale and several moments of silence before she asked, “What did you say?”
“I’m a virgin. I wouldn’t have said a damn word about it, but I didn’t want you to think you were committing yourself to a lousy lay.”
She was still holding herself motionless, and the fact he couldn’t read her had Razor spitting out the story in fast, slightly nervous speech. “I saw Iron before he got his head out of his ass. Fuckhead could actually have his mate, and instead he’s sleeping with every girl he could convince. I don’t know…I couldn’t. I won’t say I didn’t give it a shot or two, but in the end, I wasn’t interested. It wasn’t love, so…” he shrugged, and never felt more like a wuss in his life. He’d be shocked if he looked down and still had a dick.
And then Razor was flat on his back on the bed. “What the–?” but Aaliyah was crawling above him, fire in her eyes, and fuck yeah he had a dick, because it was standing at total attention now, waiting to yes ma’am at whatever order she gave.
She pinned him down by his shoulders, her lips inches from his and her gaze locked with his. When she spoke, her voice was two shades lower than normal. “I am going to lick every inch of you. You are going to lick every inch of me. I’m going to fucking show you what to do to make me come, and I’m not going to expect you to last more than two minutes in my mouth or my pussy, so use this time well, because it’s the only time you’re allowed to come without getting me off first.”
Fuck, he wa
s going to come now, because she was the sexiest bitch who ever took charge.
Take charge she did, because her clothes were coming off, and his underwear was too small, so he needed to take that off as well. Her eyes went to his dick and she licked those thick lips as she took him in, her eyes going up and down like he hoped her hand soon would. For a little extra show, he gave a slow pump, and his dick sure as hell didn’t need the extra attention, because he was hurting like a mo-fo with only that small movement. “Who licks first? You or me?”
Then she was naked, and talking was no longer possible. All Razor could do was stare at that gorgeous body, thick waist and thick thighs, and he knew, without a doubt in his mind, if she turned around and bent over, he’d be coming all over himself.
Her smile said she knew all his secrets, and of course she did. She walked over, hips swinging, and she climbed onto the bed, straddling him so that wet pussy was right above his dick, and his dick was really really happy to have it there.
She leaned down and took his mouth with hers, and fuck if his heart didn’t stop, because the softness was back, the quiet, loving exploration, the calm before everything changed, where she reassured him that yes, this was right, and this was meant to be.
And then she rose on her knees and sank down, and he was surrounded by warmth and pressure, unimaginable pleasure and hit hard with the thought that every fucking one of his dreams just came true.
“You can’t–” No way she was ready. No way she’d enjoy this.
“Shhh.” Aaliyah placed her finger against his mouth, calming any words. “Are you mine?”
“Always been yours.”
“Then let me do this. Let me give this to you. Now close your eyes and feel.”
Her fingertips backed up her words, closing his eyelids, and every sense was attuned to her as she moved above him, her blunt fingernails faintly scratching into his chest, heightening the pleasure of the contact lower down. He couldn’t keep his hips still, thrusting up to meet hers.
Razor: Blue Collar Wolves #5 (Mating Season Collection) Page 4