by Beverly Rae
“Catch me later? What the hell does that mean?” Max gnawed on his lower lip. What the hell was wrong? Had she lied when she’d said she’d forgiven him for pushing her to go to her place? Granted, they’d never agreed to be exclusive, even if he’d assumed as much. He stewed for a moment, breathing deeper to control the tightness creeping up his spine. The animal inside growled, itching to claw its way out and take her. But he had to take it easy. After all, he had no claim on her. Yet.
Cally rushed behind the counter, stepped onto a stool, then hopped on top of the bar. Three other girls joined her and formed a line. Together, they tapped their boots and put their backs to the audience. The crowd whistled and cheered, encouraging the girls.
Max sat back, crossed his arms, and tried to stuff down the unfamiliar feeling of envy. Finding his intended mate was one thing. Having to watch a room full of strangers lust after her was way too hard. Still, he couldn’t deny it. She was something to watch.
Cally and the girls bent over, their heads between their legs, their smiles alluring and enticing. Whipping her head up, she spun around and bumped her hip out then pretended to shoot everyone with an imaginary pistol. Blowing pretend smoke from her fingertip, she sauntered down the mahogany top of the bar, going through the routine with ease.
Max smiled whenever she glanced his way, but he wasn’t sure if she smiled back at him or if it was just part of the show. Her long, tanned legs made his mouth water. Maybe it wouldn’t happen tonight, but he’d have her legs wrapped around him soon. Either that or he’d die of frustration.
The song ended, and Cally and the girls waved their thanks to the crowd. Max watched her, enjoying the way her full breasts filled out her shirt as she gracefully slipped to the floor. Instead of coming toward him, however, she headed toward the restrooms.
He had to talk to her again. Maybe he could convince her to change her plans and come out with him instead. Tossing money down to pay for his drinks, he strode toward the hallway.
“Hey, Cally.”
She spun around, surprise lifting her eyebrows. Scanning the area around her, she joked, “We need to stop meeting like this.”
“At least this time you don’t have a jerk bothering you.”
She laughed, the sound twinkling like chimes blowing in the wind. “True, and thanks to you, I can powder my nose in safety.”
He eased near her, then pressed a palm to her cheek. “I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed spending time with you this week. And I don’t mean just your singing.” He grinned and inched nearer.
“Yeah. I did, too.”
“I really want to see you again tonight.” He hoped she could see his desire, his yearning for more than mere sex. If not, he’d have to prove it to her.
The tip of her tongue peeked out from between her pink lips. “I’d like to, but I’ve got something else to do.”
“Then blow off whatever it is and come with me.”
“I can’t. I made a commitment.”
“What do you mean? What kind of commitment?” She couldn’t get involved with anyone else. Not now that he’d finally found her.
She hesitated then stiffened. “I don’t think it’s any of your business.”
“Why are you always saying that? Besides, it is now.” He tried, but he couldn’t keep his irritation out of his tone. “You’ve got a date, right?”
She moved away from him, shooting him a wary look. “Who said anything about a—” She stopped, then let out a huge exasperated breath. “Maybe you need to leave.”
He ground out his words, angry that the conversation had gone so far off track. “Fine. I’ll leave. But not before I do this.”
He grazed his palm along her cheek to cup her neck then tugged her to him. She gasped in the same second his mouth covered hers, depriving her of releasing her breath. The gasp thrust out her breasts, pushing them against him. He moaned into her and bit her lower lip as she inhaled.
She flattened her hands against his chest and pushed, but not hard. He smiled into the kiss, knowing that if she’d wanted him to stop she would’ve pushed harder.
She tasted sweet. Her body warmed him as though he’d suffered through a snowstorm and had only now realized he’d been chilled to the bone. She shuddered as he slipped his tongue into her mouth and tracked his fingers through her hair at the nape of her neck.
Cupping her breast, he skimmed his thumb over her peaked nipple and she whimpered. Sucking on his tongue, she lifted a leg and wrapped it around his. He grabbed her butt cheek, his fingertips sneaking under the shorts to feel the soft skin. The curve of her bottom enticed him to move farther, and he did until he discovered her crack.
She was hot, so hot the heat was oozing into his jeans to torment his cock. Breaking the kiss, he traced a path to her neck with his tongue.
God, she’s so soft. So warm.
He slid his tongue along her shoulder and the tips of his fangs broke through his gums, urging him to bite her and make her his.
It’s too soon. Slow down.
Although he managed to retract his fangs, he couldn’t leave her. Instead, he hoisted her up, holding her with one hand under her bottom as he pushed aside the tight material of her shorts to find her without panties.
Moaning, he pushed aside the folds of her pussy lips. She threw her head to the side, once more tempting him to bite her.
“In the closet.”
Had he heard her right? His mind was too clouded with lust to know for sure. “What?”
“There. The second door on the right. It’s the supply closet.” She panted her words, her eyes glazed over.
Growling his need, he set her on her feet, dragged her to the door, opened it, and yanked her inside. Shelves filled the small room and a dusty light swinging from its cord cast a dim haze.
She shimmed out of her shorts as he unbuckled and shucked his jeans to the floor. Not bothering to remove either of their shirts, he pushed her shirt up her chest, tugged her bra out of the way, and filled his mouth with her breast.
“Fuck me.”
Her voice was harsh, filled with yearning as he lifted her again and draped her legs around him. Pausing, he gazed into her eyes, saw the answer he sought there, and plunged into her. She cried out then slapped a hand over her mouth to cut off her sound.
She’s tight. Even tighter than I remember.
The beast inside him went crazy, clawing to be set free, but he didn’t give in to the urge to go wild. As much as he ached to sink his teeth into her smooth skin, claiming her as his, he resisted. He wouldn’t take her by force. Not now. Not ever.
* * * *
Oh, my God. He’s huge.
Her thoughts buzzed like bees flying around a honeycomb. A few made sense. Others were emotions incapable of forming into words. He stirred so many feelings within her, new and old, familiar and mystifying. She’d never known any man like him, had never sensed such a strong connection with anyone before him.
He sucked on her tit and she let him hold her as she put her back against the shelf. Rocking back and forth, she tried to keep up with him, but he moved faster, harder than she ever could. Instead, she gave up and held on, giving way to the climax tearing her apart. Again, she muffled her cry, this time against his shoulder.
But he wasn’t finished with her yet. Gripping her bottom, he pushed a finger into her butthole and thrust into her pussy. She moaned, unable to cover the sound as the two sides of her seemed to meet deep inside her abdomen. Another orgasm ripped into her, making her tremble.
All at once, Max stopped and, for one horrifying moment, she thought someone had found them. He lifted his head to search her, his dark eyes flashing with bits of amber. Suddenly he tensed, laid his head on her shoulder, then rammed into her, knocking the back of her head against the shelf.
She held on to him as his body jerked, wave after wave moving the hard muscles of his back and arms. He growled as he came, the sound reverberating on her skin.
They stayed, her legs s
till wrapped around him, their breaths harsh sounding in the quiet of the room. At last, he set her down then brushed a stray lock of her hair away from her face.
“Come home with me.”
She stared at him, unsure she’d heard him right. His words were filled with a huskiness and she wondered if he meant more than his words implied. He’d spoken almost as though he’d asked her to come home with him forever.
And God help her, she wanted to.
But she wouldn’t give into the fantasy. She’d made a promise and she wouldn’t break that promise. Too much was at stake. “I told you. I can’t.”
He looked at her as though she’d lost her mind. Or he’d lost his. “You’re kidding, right? How can you go on a date”—he spat out the word—“after this?”
She hated not telling him, but the fewer people who knew, the better. If she had to let him think she had a date, then she’d do it. “This has nothing to do with it.” Tugging on her shorts, she straightened her clothes and waited until he’d finished doing the same. He ground his teeth together, making the muscles in his jaw twitch.
“Like hell it doesn’t.”
“Max, you’re being an asshole.” She didn’t wait for his response, pushing open the door and checking the hallway before stepping out. He clutched her arm, twisting her around. “Let me go.”
He stared at his hand as though he hadn’t realized he’d grabbed her. “Cally, I didn’t mean to—”
“Go home.” She spun around before he could say anything else and ran down the hallway.
* * * *
Max sat in his pickup and glanced at the clock on the dashboard for the hundredth time. Only five minutes left and the club would close for the night. What he’d do then, he wasn’t sure, but he knew one thing. Cally was right. He’d acted like a jerk. Nix that. He’d acted like a jealous jerk.
He had to make it up to her. Had to apologize before he could come back tomorrow and try again. Not that he’d get any rest. Hell, he didn’t think he’d ever sleep until she was his.
My mate. I finally found my mate, and what’d I go and do? I pissed her off. Why didn’t anyone tell me taking a mate would be so hard?
Cally stepped out of the bar, her face lit up in laughter as she waved good-bye to Roxy. Max started to go to her, but she’d already made it to her car and was pulling out of the driveway. He growled, angry at himself for not waiting beside her car. Unable to think of anything else to do, he followed her, hoping she’d give him a chance to talk to her before her date picked her up.
Her date. Damn. But what if she went on her date anyway? If so, he’d have to run all night to release the tension. Damn it all to hell and back.
Ten minutes later, he stopped his truck several yards down from where she’d parked. She walked up the walkway leading to the cozy, two-story, yellow cottage, stopping a moment to smell one of the many roses lining the way to the welcoming front porch. Shifting enough to enhance his hearing, he could hear her mumbling to herself as she dug in her purse for her keys.
Now’s my chance. I just hope she doesn’t think I’m stalking her. Granted, I kind of am, but not in the way she’ll think. He swung his legs out of the truck and landed on the ground. Here goes nothing. Or everything.
The front door of her home opened, spilling out a young child. The little girl’s blonde hair streamed behind her as she dashed toward Cally. Max froze, his mind going blank.
Cally hugged the girl then stroked her hair. “Hey, sweetie-pie, what are you doing up so late?” Her words were meant to be stern, but the joy in her voice overshadowed the chastisement.
“I couldn’t wait. I had to tell you.”
Max narrowed his eyes, letting his shifter sight take over. Big brown eyes, so much like Cally’s, widened as the girl hopped up and down with excitement.
Cally matched the girl’s exuberance, took her hand, then led her up the steps to the front door. “Don’t tell me Zach Timmons likes you!”
The little girl squealed and nodded until Max thought her head might fall off. “Oh, my gosh. I told Missy that I liked Zach at lunch, then Missy told Sally, and she told Willy.”
“And did Willy tell Zach? What did Zach say?”
“Well, Zach told Willy who told Sally who told Missy who told me that he did like me. Plus, he’s going to invite me to his birthday party next week.”
“Wow, that’s wonderful, Brittany. How about we grab a little ice cream and you can tell me all about it?”
“Goodie.” The little girl skipped into the house.
Cally stopped at the door and, almost as though she sensed him, she turned and scanned her front yard. Worry knitted her brows, making his heart ache.
What was her look about? Why was she worried? Did it have something to do with him? Max ran a hand over his face. Had he made yet another mistake? He couldn’t just walk up and knock on her door now. Could he?
He climbed back into his pickup and leaned his forearms on the wheel.
Cally has a kid.
Of all the barriers he’d imagined between them, her having a child wasn’t one of them. But it was a problem. Not that he didn’t want kids—he did and a lot of them—but no werewolf had ever brought another man’s child, a human child, into the pack. At least not without major trouble.
“Crap. When am I going to catch a break?”
Michael, the alpha of the pack, had brought Sara, the alpha-female, into the pack and that hadn’t been easy. First, he’d lured her to them with dreams and then, once she’d seen them shift into werewolves, she’d fled straight into the arms of a killer werebear. Right now, however, he’d gladly face down a killer than deal with a mate bringing along a child.
He needed advice. Turning on the motor, he started to pull away from the curb when another car whisked by him, almost scraping the side of the truck. “Hey! Watch where you’re going!”
The older, rust-covered Mustang slammed to a stop, blocking Cally’s car in her driveway. Max frowned as a big, burly brute of a man hurled his body out of the car and dashed down the walkway toward the house.
He reached the door and pounded on it. “That bitch of mine better get her ass out of there or I’m going to break down the fucking door.” When nothing happened, he kicked the door twice then yelled more obscenities.
“Aw, hell. This can’t be good.” Max flung his door open.
Chapter Four
Cally jumped at the loud bang on the door, her breath catching in her throat.
“Oh, God.” Lena Horton, Brittany’s mother, reached for the child, and hugged her close. The girl, her eyes wide with fright, clung to her mother, a frightened whimper escaping her.
Shouts mixed with more pounding, making nearby windows rattle.
“It’s him.” Lena’s voice squeaked.
Cally’s adrenaline ramped into high gear, and she brought a finger to her lips. “Shush. Whisper.”
“But how did he find us?” Lena’s hand trembled as she brought her palm to her chest. “I didn’t tell anyone where we went.”
Cally shook her head, her mind whirring, trying to figure out what to do. Should they make a mad dash to her car? Or run out the back way? “Neither did I. Someone must’ve seen us talking the other day when I ran into you at the Women’s Aid Society.” She loved volunteering at the counseling office, but the stories she heard often left her in tears. Lena was an old friend from high school, so she’d offered to take her and her daughter in for safekeeping.
“What are we going to do?” Lena tugged at her hair, a habit that surfaced whenever she was afraid.
“I know one thing we’re not going to do. We won’t let him haul you two back home.” As frightened as she was, Cally resolved not to let Carl, Lena’s husband, hurt her friend again. “Hurry to the back room and lock the door.” She tossed Lena her cell phone. “And call the sheriff.”
“But what about you?”
“Don’t worry about me.” Cally took her friend by the shoulders and pushed her toward the small
kitchen and the back room beyond. “I’ll be fine. But whatever you do, whatever you hear, you don’t come out until I tell you everything’s all right. Got it?”
Lena took Brittany’s hand and tugged her along with her. She paused, then turned back. “Cally?”
“Yeah?” She reached behind the old upright piano her grandmother had left her and plucked the baseball bat out of hiding. Thank you, Sadie, for my bat.
“I’m so sorry.” A tear tracked down Lena’s face, her stringy blonde hair and sad gray eyes sending a twinge of pity into Cally’s heart.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. Now get going.” Cally whirled around as another barrage of pounding shook the door.
Taking a big breath, she stalked over to the door and flattened her palms against it. “Who the hell are you?” No way would she let on that she already knew. Her own safety as well as Lena’s and her child’s depended on her lying.
“Lena Horton, get your scrawny ass out here right this minute.” Carl’s words were slurred with alcohol. “If you don’t, I’m going to fuckin’ kill you, bitch.”
“This isn’t Lena Horton’s place. I’m Cally Sheridan, and I’m calling the sheriff if you don’t get off my property.” She hoped Lena had already called, but maybe, if she was lucky, the threat of calling the sheriff would be enough to make Carl leave.
“I know she’s in there.”
A louder bang brought a mind-sickening crack as her door shuddered under Carl’s assault. Peeking out the small window running the length of the door, she saw Carl rear back, ready to kick.
She scrambled out of the way a second before the door burst open and Carl charged in. Raising the bat in front of her, she planted her feet and stood her ground. “Carl Horton, get the hell out of here.”
He searched her small home with bloodshot eyes. “Not until I get my kid and my woman.”
“I told you. They aren’t here.” She straightened as tall as she could, trying to look more intimidating, encouraged that her voice wasn’t shaking as much as her knees. “Now leave.”