Her phone rang and she gave a little shriek. Then she laughed and picked it up. Flipping it open, she checked the number.
Unknown caller.
A chill ran down her spine. It could be anyone. A sales person. She let it roll over to voice mail. She was smart enough to know you could be traced through the phone, so she turned it off, and put it back down on the nightstand.
The doorknob rattled, and Tori jumped, clutching a pillow to her as if it could protect her from an attacker. If someone came through the door, she’d stand a better chance out of the bed.
She tossed the pillow back on the bed, snatched her car keys, and threaded them through her fingers, points out like tiny daggers. Not much protection, but better than nothing.
Tensed, she waited as the door opened and Russ walked in.
“Shit!” she exhaled and sank onto the bed. “You could have called out.” Her heart thundered in her chest.
“And let everyone know I had someone inside?” Russ shook his head. He held up a bucket of chicken. “Will the Colonel do?” He put the food down on the table by the window, along with two sodas.
“Lord, yes.” Tori scooted around the bed and into a chair. “I’m starved.”
Russ sat in the other chair and they split the food, eating without much talk. Once her belly was full, exhaustion hit Tori like a wave on the breakers, shredding the last of her remaining energy. She washed her hands, took a last sip of her soda, and climbed back into bed.
“Coming to bed?” she asked as her eyes closed.
Russ sat in the chair at the table. He reached out and turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. “Get some sleep.”
Tori sank deeper into the pillows. Her last thoughts were of her wolf on guard and that she was safe.
*
Russ sat in the dark, staring through a small crack in the curtain. Outside, the lights from the building let him see the parking lot below them. Something near the end of the lot moved.
His gaze sharpened as he focused on it. An alley cat danced in and out of the shadows around the dumpster.
He settled back into the chair, prepared for a long night. He should sleep, he knew it, but for right now, he needed to stand guard. After a solid hour of quiet, Russ stood and looked down at Tori as she slept.
Safe and protected.
Nothing would get between him and her. Not without leaving him dead.
“I swear it, baby,” he whispered as he leaned over and brushed his lips against her forehead.
Then he propped the unused pillows against the headboard, kicked off his boots and stretched out on the bed on top of the covers.
No need to further test his will and resolve. If any part of him touched her bare skin, there would be no holding him back.
He leaned forward, reached behind him and under his shirt. He pulled out the gun tucked in the holster at the small of his back. The Sig, previously stored in his bike’s compartment, would keep them safe.
Russ fell asleep, the gun clutched in his hand.
* * * *
Tori rolled over, stretched, and her out-flung hand hit a solid wall of man. No doubt about it, Russ Magnus had muscles to spare. She lingered there, feeling her way over his shoulder, down his chest, to his forearm.
Tempting.
How easy it would be to indulge her needs with this man. All she needed to do was let her hand drift lower and he’d get the message loud and clear.
She wavered, hand hovering over unfamiliar but desired ground, and then she sighed and tucked it under her chin. Safe and sound.
She’d never felt safer than when she’d been in his arms. On the bike, on the run, and even here in this bed.
His soft snore told her he still slept. From the light coming under the curtains, it had to be morning. Not late, but the sun was up.
Russ lay on top of the bed, dressed. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him. Ruggedly handsome. Well built. Every woman’s dream.
But not hers. No, not Tori McCallan. She’d sworn off weres and alpha males in particular.
You couldn’t get any more alpha than Russ. It oozed out of him, even now at rest. His body hadn’t quite relaxed, still tensed as if ready to spring.
She grinned.
And coughed.
Russ bolted upright, brought the semi-automatic in his hand to bear at the door, and flung one arm over her chest, pinning her down to the bed.
Tori snickered.
He turned to her and looked down.
“Good morning.” She smiled at him, tapping his arm like a wrestler. “I give.”
He lowered the gun and rubbed his eyes with his other hand.
“Where’d you get the gun? They sell them at the Colonel’s now?” She batted her lashes at him.
“It’s mine.” He sat up on the edge of the bed. “I need coffee.”
“I need to pee.” Tori slipped out of the covers and headed to the bathroom. She grabbed her clothes on the way to change into and closed the door. “Hey, if we pass a Walmart, I need to stop. I can’t wear these clothes another day!” she shouted through the door.
All she heard was a few grunts, which she took for assent.
Doing her best to clean up with a wet washcloth, she dug her brush out of her purse and tried to do something about her hair, but then remembered she’d be getting back on the bike and within a few minutes her hair would be a mess again.
When she came out, Russ was sitting at the table, looking as if he hadn’t had enough sleep.
“Hey, maybe you should sleep a little longer,” she suggested as she sat on the bed next to him.
“Naw. I’ll be fine. Just rough getting started in the morning without a cup of Joe. Let’s get out of here and find some breakfast.” On cue, his belly rumbled.
“Good Lord, you got that thing on a timer?” She laughed, but it was ruined by her own tummy rumblings.
“Same as you, it seems,” he replied, grinning back at her. Lord, speaking of food, he looked good enough to eat. And that thought led her to imagine the things she could do to him that involved her mouth and various parts of him. Okay, one part in particular.
She stood and gathered up her purse and her camera, slinging them over her shoulder. “Okay, let’s go.”
Russ chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”
“You can call my mother ma’am, not me. And stop calling me baby. I’m not your baby.”
“Got it. No ma’am. No baby. Is Tori okay, or do you want me to use Miss McCallan?”
She pursed her lips at him. “Tori is fine.” She went to the door, but before she could open it, he was at her side, his hand over hers on the doorknob.
“Wait. Let me go first and check it out.”
She blew out a breath that pushed a strand of hair from her face and leaned back against the wall. “Seriously? How could he have tracked us to here?”
Russ closed his eyes, and then opened them and stared into hers.
“If it were me, I’d have been to your house. Gone through your things and found out more about you. Maybe go through your bills, check your computer out, that sort of thing.”
The blood drained from her face and she slumped against the wall. “Oh Lord.” She gazed up at him. “He’ll see all my photos. He’ll figure out I took pictures of him in the woods.” She groaned. “My address book is on the kitchen counter.”
Russ pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her, holding her safe. “Look, we’re hours ahead of him. He might not think to find your family. He might just hang at your house and wait for you.”
“At my house?” She shuddered. Knowing he’d been in her car had been enough for her to abandon it. If he’d been in her house? “I think I may need to have it cleaned. Tented and fumigated. I’m going to throw away all my food too.”
He chuckled and the warmth of his laugh eased her. She leaned into him, taking strength from him.
“Tori, you’re going to be fine. I’ll get you home to your family and you’ll
be safe there. Then you can contact the police and tell them everything.”
“Everything?” She slugged him on the arm.
“No. Leave out the wolf stuff.”
“Don’t worry. Been doing that my whole life.” She pulled away. “Let’s ride. I’m starving.”
Russ opened the door and stepped out. He stood on the threshold, looked around, and then said, “All clear.” Once again, acting as her protector.
She swatted him on his belly as she passed him. “A girl could get used to this special treatment.”
“I’m at your command.” He gave her a courtly bow, complete with flourish as she chuckled and rolled her eyes at him. She waited at the bike as he slung a leg over, kicked the stand, and balanced it so she could get on. Then they headed out of the motel to find breakfast.
Chapter 8
Marvin pulled his car into the gas station and up to the pay phone. He unfolded the paper from the address book and got out of the car. After dropping enough coins in it to make the call, he dialed the number.
“McCallan Specialty Lumber Mill. Can I help you?” One of those pleasant voices, the kind that irritated Marvin. He let his mind go places…
“Hello? Is anyone there?” she asked again.
“Where are you located?” he asked.
She rattled off the address and he wrote it down next to the entry Mill. So it wasn’t a name after all, but a business. The family business, by the sound of it.
Without another word, he hung up.
Another pass by her house to see if she’d returned, and then he’d pay the McCallan’s of Louisiana a visit.
Grinning, he got back in the car and cruised back to the red dirt road to check if her car was still there.
He pulled up next to it. A bright orange sticker had been slapped across the driver’s window notifying the owner it would be towed in twenty-four hours if not moved.
She hadn’t come back for her car and she hadn’t shown up at home. One last check there and he’d be on his way.
Well, he’d planned to go to Louisiana next, and this just played into his plans. Now he didn’t have to worry about selecting his next victim. The McCallan whore would pay.
* * * *
Tori wrapped her arms around Russ’s waist and leaned into the curves with him. Aside from the damage her hair was taking, she really enjoyed riding. If she was honest, it wasn’t so much the bike as the man in front of her.
She knew if she let him in, she’d follow him anywhere on his bike. And to her, he was almost more dangerous than the killer from the woods. She thought she could survive a run-in with him, but wasn’t so sure her heart would survive a run-in with Russ.
Tori’d had many boyfriends and a few of them she’d let become lovers, but she’d never let any of them get close enough to work their way into her heart. Russ Magnus danced along the edges, teased her body with promises of the wild animal sex she’d always suspected weres shared, and made her doubt herself.
She never doubted herself.
It terrified her.
And yet she couldn’t seem to let him go. She could have told him no from the beginning. She could have gone straight to the police. Called a tow truck for her car. Taken a cab. Let Russ go on his way, and ride off into the sunset on his Valkyrie, never to be seen again except in her fantasies.
Once he delivered her to her home, to her mother and her brother Jake, what then?
Would she let him go then? Just let him walk out of her life?
She leaned her forehead against his back and held on a tad tighter.
*
Russ felt the warmth of Tori at his back. This is where he belonged. Where she belonged. Not on his bike, running from a killer, but together.
He’d failed before to protect his mate. This time, he swore he’d die protecting Tori. He’d been given a second chance, and those didn’t come around every day for a were.
Sure, she was sexy and gorgeous. Sure, she got him harder than he’d been since his first mate. But there was so much more to his feelings for her.
He had to give in. There was no denying it anymore. She was his mate and there was no way in hell he could walk away from her.
She was smart. Calm and level-headed. Funny. God, she was funny and a real smart-ass. And how surprised was he that it turned him on? And he respected, even envied, her artistic abilities. Photographer, painter, and sculptor.
Their children would have her looks and talents. Her sense of humor. His ability to shift and undoubtedly his size and strength. What a combo they’d make.
If she accepted him as her mate.
But from the way things were going between them, that wasn’t going to happen any time soon.
He’d have to just relax and let it happen. Give up control and let her lead the way. He chuckled. If Tori had been a were, she’d have been an alpha. If she accepted him, great. If not, he’d have to suck it up and move on, like he’d been doing for the last few years. Never in the same place for long, never making friends or getting involved with anyone. Just waiting to sicken and die, alone and mateless.
Russ missed his pack, his place in it, the friendship and companionship of his brother weres, running the wild woods with them, and planning his future with his mate.
Russ’s thoughts tanked as Tori’s hands slid up his chest, dragging fire along his body. What was she doing? Did she even know what she was doing? Probably not. Nothing to get excited over. Tell that to his body, because it was not listening.
Her fingertips found his nipples and she flicked them both.
Russ jerked and nearly wrecked the bike.
What the fuck? Guess she did know what she was doing after all.
She fingered them until they were tight, all the while pressing her pointy nipples into his back, and his cock ached to join in the fun. He shuddered and moaned, barely able to keep the bike upright and on the road.
“What are you doing?” he asked. “I’m going to wreck the bike and kill us both.”
“Pull over,” she whispered in his ear. She didn’t have to tell him twice.
He looked ahead for a spot. Nothing but woods on either side of the highway. But like an oasis in the desert, a sign for a small rest area whizzed past. He spotted the entrance and slowed the bike to take it.
It was nothing more than fifty feet of a semicircle dirt road, some trees, and a few old picnic tables. A lone trashcan hung at an angle next to the road. A rusted grill leaned precariously. Behind it, the woods called them.
He parked the bike under the shade of a large oak and Tori got off. Her eyes looked wide and glazed and the color had risen in her cheeks. The wildness of her hair called to him, made him think how she would look when he took her, the untamed mass of dark locks spread out on the forest floor.
What he looked like, he had no idea, but he could feel the slight change of arousal coursing through his body, strung taut, so close to the breaking point. Her explorations of his nipples had affected his cock, and as if a wire ran between them they reacted in tandem.
Tori took his hand, and he let her lead him into the woods. They stepped through the underbrush near the edge and traveled deeper into the forest. Tall pines laid a thick carpet of dry brown needles, and dogwoods had sprinkled their white petals sparingly.
They came to a clearing, no more than a dozen feet across. Above, the blue sky canopy covered the space. When she turned around, the feral look in her eyes left him unable to think.
She slid his jacket off and tossed it down, and then worked his T-shirt off his shoulders and it joined the jacket. Russ closed his eyes as her hands repeated their performance on the bike, and when she lowered her mouth to suck his nipple, he groaned and cupped her head to him, burying his fingers in her tresses.
“Tori.”
Fuck, it was going to happen. She was going to give herself to him. Be his mate. His heart thudded hard and his prick stiffened in response. Her mouth, oh God, her tongue flicked at the tight points of tender flesh, but
her hands had moved lower.
His belt and jeans were undone. In a rough jerk, she brought them to his knees, and he stagger-stepped to push off his shoes and get naked. She pushed him, and unbalanced, he collapsed onto the jacket.
Flat on his back, he toed off his shoes as she straddled him. He gazed into her eyes, loving the sexy lust-filled baby blues gazing at him as if he were a forbidden treat and she was going to be very very naughty.
She sat on his belly and stripped off her shirt, and then her bra disappeared, leaving the full firm breasts he’d dreamed of exposed. He reached for her, but she swatted his hand away.
“No.” She grabbed his hands and leaned over him, pinning them down above his head. “Don’t move.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” was all he managed to say.
Tori rose up, and shimmied out of her jeans and panties. Naked at last, and damn, wet and hot between her legs. Leaning forward, hands on his chest for balance, she wiggled her ass, and smeared his belly with her scent.
Oh fuck, she was marking him.
His cock stood up and smacked into her ass, impolitely nudging her for attention. But she had a game plan, and if this was the beginning, he couldn’t wait to see the end.
Reaching between her legs, she dipped her fingers into her pussy. Head back, eyes closed, a soft moan vibrated in her throat; she was the most beautiful creature he’d seen since…
Russ closed his eyes, seeing the image of his first mate, Rhonda. She’d been so different from Tori. Shy and submissive, yet beautiful. Blonde with doe brown eyes, and a head shorter than he.
Tori was tall, dark, bold, and assertive. Three years ago, she wouldn’t have been his type. But worlds can change with time. People can change.
And now, he was here with her, on the verge of taking a new mate.
She gave herself a final fingering, the little hitch in her throat telling him she liked what she felt, and then she painted his lips with her honey.
Indescribable flavor burst on his tongue as he licked his lips. She dipped her finger into his mouth and he suckled it, until he’d taken every last hint of the taste of her. His cock leaked against her ass, and she moved lower on his belly, smearing her juices down his abdomen, until she sat over the thatch of curls at the base of his dick.
McCallan's Heart Page 6