Rae, Beverly - Chasing Cally [Night Runner Werewolves 2] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition)

by Beverly Rae

  “Damn, but you’re tight. I can’t wait to get my dick inside you.”

  For a second, she thought he’d backed off, but he’d only taken his hand away to undo his jeans. She tried to fight him, but he was too strong for her to do anything more than wiggle. He pushed up her skirt, a wicked gleam in his eyes as he took her leg and forced her to open for him.

  Cally closed her eyes and prayed someone would come down the hall. Please. Someone, help me.

  Burke’s shout made her open her eyes to find him flying away, his body slamming against the opposite wall. Burke shook his head as though clearing his mind, then growled out a curse and hurled himself at her rescuer. The dark-eyed, sexy man from the other table planted his feet, took one swing, and knocked Burke back against the wall again.

  “Cool it, man, before I knock you off your feet for good.”

  Burke, however, didn’t listen to his advice and launched another attack. The man once more thrust the brute back, this time taking him to the floor. Her rescuer set a foot in the middle of the big man’s stomach and gazed down at him with a serene expression.

  “Let me up!” Burke hollered then groaned as a crowd started to form at the neck of the hallway.

  “I’ll be happy to. But you have to do something for me first.” He turned toward Cally. The angry glint in his eyes betrayed his casual tone. “Are you all right?”

  Cally nodded, unable to resist letting her gaze slide over him. He had broad shoulders, a trim waist, and a body any man would envy. His denim shirt and jeans along with worn boots fit him perfectly.

  Oh, my God. I’ve found a real, live hero. A real, live, hunky-as-hell hero. “Yeah. I’m fine. As long as he keeps his hands off me and never comes back in this bar.”

  “You got it. I’m Max Matheson, by the way.”

  “I’m Cally Sheridan.” Matheson. Where had she heard that name before?

  He leaned over and slapped Burke on the cheek. “Did you get that, asshole? The lady doesn’t want you anywhere near her. Plus, I think you’ve lost your drinking privileges.”

  He took Burke by his shirt collar, hauled him to his feet, then pointed at Cally. “Now say you’re sorry to the lady.”

  Burke grumbled something between a curse and a grudging apology, but Max wasn’t letting the jerk off so easily. “What’d you say? Because I couldn’t hear a damn thing and I have really good hearing. Speak up, lame brain.”

  By then Burke noticed his friends skulking on the sidelines. “Hey, guys. Come on. We can take him.”

  Max shifted to see the men discussing whether or not to join the fray. “Doesn’t look like your buddies are up for a fight. But if they are, I have a few friends of my own who would love to have some fun.” He tipped his head at the other group of men who stood, arms crossed, with grins on their faces. Seeing Max’s friends, Burke’s buddies slipped back through the crowd, leaving Burke to fend for himself.

  “Dang, man, your friends suck big time. They lit out like the pack of losers they are. Which means you’re going to have to make this decision by yourself. So what’s it going to be? Are you going to give the lady a sincere, honest-to-God apology? Or do I break your nose?”

  Burke’s bravado deflated faster than a balloon in a room full of needles. “I’m sorry.”

  “Uh-uh. That’s not good enough.” Cally gritted her teeth, glad her nerves were steady again.

  Max tossed her a grin then shook Burke again. “She says it’s not enough.” Turning to her, he added, “What would you like him to do? Lick your shoes maybe? You name it, and I’m sure my new friend will be happy to do it. Right, Burke?”

  Cally shook her head and stepped closer. “I wouldn’t want his spit on anything of mine.” Without warning, she brought her knee up, cramming it into Burke’s crotch.

  Burke went down, groaning and cupping his hands between his legs. “Urggh. Get her away from me.”

  “Cally, honey, is there a problem?” Sadie stood at the front of the onlookers, her trusty baseball bat cradled in her arms.

  “Nope. At least, not any longer.”

  Sadie scrutinized the men then gave a brisk nod. “Okay, then. But if things change, you’ll give me holler, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Cally gave her friend and boss a quick salute.

  Max laughed and signaled to one of his friends. “Hey, Ranlon. How about taking this bag of garbage and dumping it outside?”

  The tall, lean man sauntered forward and yanked a still-moaning Burke onto his feet. “No problem. Then the rest of us are heading back to the ranch.” His dark gaze slid to Cally. “Unless anyone has a better idea.”

  Cally recognized a come-on when she heard it. She let a real smile slide over her lips. “I just might.”

  Ranlon’s eyebrows shot up. “Maybe like a party at your place?”

  “Damn, man, you’re hitting on her? After what happened with this creep?” Max shoved his friend. “Like I said, take him outside.”

  “No harm in asking, is there?” Pushing a stumbling Burke ahead of him, Ranlon forced Burke out of the hallway, taking the crowd along with them.

  Cally laughed and waited for everyone to leave before making her decision. Not that it had been a difficult one to make. “I would like to thank you for coming to my rescue.”

  For the first time in her life, she felt like a damsel in distress who’d found her Prince Charming. But the strangest thing was that she liked the feeling a lot. A whole lot.

  “You don’t have to. I was glad to help.”

  Max’s perusal of her made her nerves quiver in a good way. “Still, if you’d like to stick around until I get off, you could come to my house for a drink.”

  “I can get a drink here.”

  She suppressed a giggle and played along. “Yeah, you’re right. So I guess you’re saying no?”

  “No way. In fact, I think I’d better make sure you get home all right.” He stepped closer. His chest brushed against her arm, sending shivers through her. “I wouldn’t want anything else to happen to you.”

  She parted her lips and let her tongue peek out before skimming it from one side of her mouth to the other. Heat simmered in the air between them. Heat that had nothing to do with the hot Texas summer.

  “I get off in a couple of hours, if you want to come back then.” She inhaled as he mimicked her, parting his lips to show a little of his tongue.

  “Are you going to sing again?”

  Her heart thumped erratically and she found it hard to breathe. “Maybe.”

  “Then I’ll stick around. I wouldn’t want to miss your show.” He tilted his head, his intense study of her weakening her legs.

  She reached out to place her palm on his chest. Was he as excited as she was? The pounding of his heart said so. “I’ll see you then.”

  Stepping around him, she strolled down the hallway, careful to make her hips swing with just the right amount of sway. Watch me, Max Matheson. Watch and want.

  Chapter Two

  “I’m Cally Sheridan and this is Roxy Priston.”

  Max and the other four men pushed back their chairs and got to their feet. Each one greeted the two women then stayed standing.

  “Wow. Real, live gentlemen.” Roxy’s tone was filled with awe and she stood a little taller, her breasts perking up with the movement.

  “Manners are hard to come by in this place, so we really appreciate it when it happens.” Cally slipped her arm in Max’s.

  “What can we say? We believe women should be treated with respect.” Max unhooked her arm to slip his around her waist then made quick introductions.

  Ranlon, the one who’d dragged Burke from the bar, was lean, with strong, black eyes and a slight hawk nose that only added to his interesting features. Nick was younger than Ranlon, with spiked, red hair and bright blue eyes like Roxy’s. The edge of a wolf tattoo peeked out from under his T-shirt. He grinned a lot, making Cally want to grin back. The other two men, Jimmy and William, were the youngest- and oldest-looking ones
of the group. Jimmy reminded her of a young Brad Pitt while William’s piercing eyes assessed her, making her feel as though he was sizing her up. She wondered if she’d passed his inspection.

  “So? What would you guys like to do?”

  Max looked to Cally, but Roxy jumped in, taking the lead as she often did. Her long, black hair flowed around her shoulders as she grabbed Ranlon’s arm. “How would you guys like to come back to my place? Drinks are on the house there.”

  Leave it to Roxy to get straight to the point.

  Cally caught a movement at the end of the bar and saw Rachel watching the scene, her brows dipping toward her nose. Crap. I bet she’s confused. First I tell her to watch mixing business with pleasure and then I’m heading back to Roxy’s with not one, but five men. But I did tell her hooking up can be okay.

  She shook her head and made a point to talk to Rachel tomorrow. She’d make time to give the young girl an explanation.

  “Sounds good to me,” Max leaned closer to her, giving her the impression that he was sending a message to the rest of them. Like he was claiming her as his. She dipped her head and shot a pleased look at Roxy.

  “Great.” Roxy grabbed Ranlon’s hand and scribbled her address along with her phone number on his palm. “We’ll meet you there, okay?”

  “Sounds good. Let’s get going.” Jimmy’s big grin covered most of his face and his exuberance was catching.

  Together, they exited Sadie’s and stepped out into the warm summer night. Roxy waved to the others then climbed into her bright red Beetle. She was laying down skid marks before Cally had even made it to her trusty old Honda Civic. The men clambered into two pickups with Ranlon at the wheel of one and William at the other. Ranlon honked his horn then drove after Roxy with Nick and Jimmy with him.

  “I think Ranlon’s in a hurry to get with Roxy.” She reached up to brush a wayward hair from her face.

  Max waited for her to unlock her car door then opened it for her and rested his hand on the top of the window. She slid into the driver’s seat and tossed her purse on the passenger’s side.

  “Do you think they’ll get together tonight?” She liked watching his face, the way his emotions played out across his features as he thought about what he’d say before he said it.

  “Yeah. Sure.” He paused, then rested both arms on the rolled-down window. “But nothing will happen that you or Roxy don’t want to happen. Still, you should know. If anything does happen, the guys…they’re used to sharing. If you get my meaning.”

  “You mean they’d expect Roxy and me…with all of you?” She swallowed, suddenly unsure of herself. Sure, she’d had her fair share of threesomes involving two men, but she’d never had group sex. She struggled, her emotions going haywire until, at last, she recognized the overwhelming sensation. She was excited as hell.

  “Again, if you two aren’t cool with this, then I’ll let them know in no uncertain terms. But I’d better do it before they get to Roxy’s. I’d hate to let them think you two are down with this and then yank it out from under them. But like I said, it’s up to you and your friend. Nobody’s going to force either of you.”

  She calmed at his promise, sensing he spoke the truth. The sprinkling of hair on his chest glistened with perspiration from the clammy evening. His black hair fell forward to cover his cheeks and amber flecks glistened in his eyes.

  “In any case, I’d like to get to know you better. Either tonight with the others around or by ourselves. It’s your call.” He reached in and covered the hand she’d placed on the steering wheel.

  At the first touch of his hand, the decision was made. A sizzle rushed along her arm, seizing her breath, and swirling the butterflies in her stomach. His hand rested on hers as he waited for her answer, but it was his touch that stole her voice.

  For a moment, she caught an image of something more, some inner essence lying beneath the man. Yet instead of fearing what might be hidden behind the dark, mesmerizing eyes and sexy curve of his mouth, she found a desire to learn his secret. He’d helped her once and, without understanding why, she knew he’d never hurt her.

  “I’ll call Roxy and clue her in on the way over. Until then, I can’t speak for her, but as for me? I’m in.” She released a breath and let the thrill of what lay ahead take over.

  She turned the key in the ignition, the wetness already heating between her legs. Each man oozed animal magnetism in his own way, but Max was different. He was more. And she was damn sure going to find out how much more.

  “Hey. Are we doing this or what?” William leaned out the window of his truck.

  Max pushed away from the car and held up a hand, signaling him to wait. “Hang on.” Turning back to her, he asked, “See you in a bit?”

  “Yeah. See you there.”

  He pivoted on his heel and strode over to the pickup, then turned to wave at her before hopping into the cab.

  Cally put the car in drive, maneuvered out of the parking lot, then steered onto the two-lane highway. She glanced into the rearview mirror. William pulled the red pickup in position behind her to follow her to Roxy’s place.

  “Oh, my God. What have I gotten myself into?” Her nerves started tingling a second before she glanced into the mirror again and saw her image smiling back.

  * * * *

  Max watched as Cally’s car weaved in and out of traffic. “I don’t think she’s used to doing a group.”

  William kept the truck behind her car, cussing now and then when another car cut between their vehicles. “Not many women are.”

  “Yeah. But she seems up for it. She’s calling Roxy to make sure she knows.”

  “We could’ve tried to get more of the girls to come along. To have a real party.”

  Max shook his head. “I know. But too many people, especially too many women, clog the connection.” He closed his eyes, picturing Cally the way he’d first seen her.

  Her long, wavy, blonde hair captured his attention as it moved along her back, teasing the rise of her hips as she danced. Her voice was a fine instrument all by itself and he could see the passion in her big brown eyes as she held the audience enthralled. Her body was perfect with big enough breasts to fill out his hands without wasting the rest, and a bottom that called for a love spanking. Her skin shimmered under the lights and he wondered if she’d sprinkled glitter on her body. But it was her face, oval and yet so womanly, that bewitched him.

  He’d had no choice but to follow her when she’d headed down the hallway toward the ladies’ restroom. When he’d seen the brutish man attacking her, he’d almost lost his mind to rage.

  William glanced sideways at him. “So you think she’s the one for you?”

  “I do.” He couldn’t have explained how he knew, and William wouldn’t ask. As a Night Runner, a werewolf just knew whenever he came in contact with his future mate. “Do you think Sara will like her?”

  “Not sure since she’s the first to be considered. I hope so for your sake.” Sara was the queen of the pack, the alpha-female who was mated to all the pack males. She’d entered their lives a little over a year earlier, and since then, the men rarely made major decisions without her input. As the alpha-female, she would have a say in accepting—or not accepting—any female into their pack.

  “She might not like what Cally does for a living.”

  William was right. Coming from a background as a teacher, Sara had adapted well to their lifestyle and their belief in every male mating with her, but she still had some pretty conservative ideas. “Maybe we should tell Sara that Cally’s a singer and leave it at that.”

  William chuckled. “If you want to risk your neck, then go ahead. But not me. I’m not about to hide anything from her. Somehow, some way, she’ll find out and then there’ll be hell to pay.”

  As usual, his pack brother’s advice was dead-on. “Well, we’re jumping the gun anyway. I’m not even sure she’s the one yet.”

  William’s silence said it all. They both knew a werewolf’s ability to
recognize their future mate never erred. Why should he be the first to get it wrong?

  Cally’s car pulled into a gravel driveway of a one-story, modest home and stopped behind Roxy’s Beetle. Although the home was small and the surrounding neighborhood not the best, he could tell Roxy took pride in her home. The house looked as though it had a new coat of paint and the well-tended garden boasted a kaleidoscope of colorful flowers. William parked on the street, positioning the truck behind Ranlon’s pickup.

  William turned off the motor then turned to Max, his expression serious. “I guess we’re about to find out.”

  * * * *

  “Do you think we’re a couple of sluts?” Roxy set several beer bottles on the kitchen counter then dove back into the refrigerator for more.

  “No. I mean guys do this kind of thing all the time, right? Why are we sluts for wanting to have fun like they do?” Cally scooped up one of the beers and twisted the top off. “Okay, maybe it’s a little wild, but I don’t care. This is one of my fantasies and I’m not going to miss the chance to let it play out.”

  Roxy helped herself to a beer, took a swig, then saluted her with her beer raised high. “Damn straight. Here’s to womankind. Hear us roar.”

  The question bugging Cally since they’d met the men had to come out. “Where do I know the name Matheson from?”

  Roxy took another drag, then sputtered her drink. “Oh, hell. Matheson. It just hit me.”

  “What is it? Please don’t tell me he’s a drunk or an ex-con.”

  Roxy shook her head, but it didn’t make Cally feel any better. “No. But maybe worse. You’ve heard the stories about the men who live on the Matheson ranch, haven’t you? About them being werewolves?”

  Now it was Cally’s turn to sputter her drink. “They’re those guys?” She glanced through the screen door at the men gathering in the yard. “Oh, come on. You don’t really believe the stories, do you? That’s just a bunch of bull the locals use to scare kids.”