“Serena,” Connor rasped. “Are you trying to kill me?” He shuddered, thrusting his cock tighter against her.
“Until you, I’d never been fucked,” she said breathlessly. “I never dreamed it could be like this.”
With a violent shudder and a deep groan Connor pulled away, drawing the edges of Serena’s blouse together at the same time. His expression, so taut and dark, and his glittering eyes of gold, revealed how turned on he was.
“Fix your clothes, sweetheart, we’re about to have company.”
Serena buttoned up her blouse, wondering how he knew that, and then she heard a far-away sound. Automatically glancing in the direction of the long driveway leading to the house, she saw a car gradually come into view. She gave Connor a questioning look.
“You’re about to meet my mother.”
Chapter 9
Nothing caused an erection to deflate faster than when your mother came around. Connor instinctively knew why she was there, too, and he dreaded the upcoming conversation. She’d always favored Clive, had always given him anything he wanted, and now she was going to beg for him. Only this was one time Connor was going to remain firm in his decision, even if it meant alienating her.
He glanced at Serena as she quickly buttoned her blouse, her complexion a rosy glow and a spark in her eyes that he’d put there. Damn. It was a good thing he’d heard the car coming because he’d been within seconds of taking Serena’s jeans off and bending her over the railing.
Serena glanced his way when she was done. “I still have questions.”
“Somehow I knew that. We’ll finish our talk later.”
“Is that all we’ll finish?” she teased with a promise in her eyes.
“You want to play some more?” Connor asked, with raised brows. The flame of awareness in her pretty eyes was all the answer he needed. Interesting, his little innocent was turning into a sex fiend, which was just fine with him.
He heard his mother shut the door to her Lexus and got to his feet to greet her. “Mother.” Connor kissed her cheek when she reached the top of the steps. “I was expecting you.”
She looked uncomfortable. “You were?” she asked, giving Serena a smile. “You must be Serena. As you heard, I’m Connor’s mother, but please call me Anne. Welcome to the family. I think we’re going to be good friends.”
Connor frowned, because his mother couldn’t possibly know how much he’d told Serena. Welcoming her to the family could have been premature and complicated things.
“Nice to meet you, Anne,” Serena smiled.
“Mother, why don’t you get to the reason that you’re here?” Connor didn’t mean to sound harsh, but knowing that she was there to plead Clive’s case irked him. Why couldn’t she let him grow up and be a man?
“I thought you knew why I came for a visit,” Anne said, sitting in one of the vacant chairs. At sixty-four she was a slender, attractive woman of medium height. Giving birth to four boys hadn’t filled her figure out. She kept her short hair colored a light natural brown that complimented the darker brown of her eyes.
Connor shrugged. “Humor me, maybe I’m wrong.”
She released a heavy sigh. “I doubt it.” She cast a glance at Serena.
“Would you like me to leave?” Serena asked, looking back and forth between Anne and Connor.
“Stay,” was all Connor said, his tone firm.
Anne glanced at her son and then back at Serena. “He’s right, dear. You might as well hear what I have to say. After all, you’re family now, and–”
“Mother,” Connor drew her attention away from Serena.
“Why are you so brash today?”
Connor could hear the trembling of her voice but didn’t let it sway him. “Maybe because I know you’re here on Clive’s behalf, as usual. I’m getting damned tired of being in the middle. He’s a grown man, and you should let him stand on his own two feet. It’s time he faced the consequences of his actions, or he’ll never learn from them.”
“But banishing him from Savage Hills?” Her bottom lip quivered and Connor could see that she was trying to keep it together. “He’s the youngest,” Anne continued with a look in her eyes that pleaded for his understanding. “And your brother. I didn’t challenge you at the meeting today, but you have to know how I feel.”
“And you know how I feel. Do you think I made that decision lightly?” Connor asked, his brows drawn together in a frown. “How many times have the elders and I given Clive another chance? His attacking Serena proves to me that he’s unstable, Mother, and you know I will do anything to protect what’s mine.”
His mother’s gaze moved over Serena, as though looking for proof that she’d been attacked. “Did he hurt you, dear?”
“I–”
“You know damn well I intercepted him before he could get his hands on her,” Connor barked, cutting Serena off. He got to his feet. “He has two days to leave Savage Hills, or suffer the consequences.” He walked away, opened the door, and went inside the house.
His mother would never accept that Clive was a bad apple. He couldn’t be trusted, and the trouble he’d gotten into last year had gradually escalated until they could no longer ignore it or make excuses for him. Clive’s jealousy of Connor’s position as alpha was the driving force behind his actions and enough was enough.
Connor grabbed a beer out of the fridge, hearing the muted voices of his mother and Serena through the screen door. He didn’t intend to go back outside, so he headed to the living room instead. Shit, he needed to run off some steam, but until Serena turned and could join him and the others, he knew he wouldn’t leave her alone.
He popped the top and took a long swig, then went to the hearth to start a fire. There was nothing hotter than fucking a beautiful woman before a blazing fire. He could visualize Serena now, naked, her body glistening with tiny beads of moisture, twisting beneath him.
God, how did I get so lucky? Wolves chose their mates by scent, it didn’t matter what they looked like. The fact that Serena was a natural beauty was an added plus, and he could hardly wait to have another taste of her. He was just about to strike the match, to set the scene, when his phone began to ring. Standing up, he dug his cell out of his back pocket. Max’s number flashed back at him.
“Yeah?”
“Uh oh, someone’s in a bad mood.”
It wasn’t Max on the phone, but his wife, Rose. Connor took a calming breath and apologized. “Sorry about that, Rose, Mother’s here.”
“Say no more,” she laughed. “I heard about Clive, sorry it had to come to that.”
“It was a long time coming,” Connor said, meaning it.
“Well, the reason that I’m calling is because we’d like to invite you and Serena for dinner tonight, figured you might like to go on a run with the others while we girls become acquainted.”
It was Connor’s turn to laugh. “You don’t know how tempting that is.”
“Yes, well, I know how unmanageable and grumpy Max is when he can’t go running. I figured I’d spare Serena that.”
He could hear the amusement in her tone. Rose and Max had only been together a couple of years. In the beginning it hadn’t looked like it was going to happen, they had fought like cats and dogs. Max’s life-mate had been killed in a tragic accident early on in their marriage, leaving Max with the rare opportunity of choosing any woman he wanted for his mate. Rose didn’t come from their world, but had discovered Max’s secret. As their laws went, he had the choice of killing her or turning her.
“Well?” Rose asked impatiently.
“What time?”
“See you both at seven.”
Connor was slipping his phone back into his pocket when the door opened and Serena walked in. Meeting his eyes, she offered him a smile. He had to wonder what she and his mother had talked about.
“Your mother, Anne, is a nice lady,” she said, walking further into the room. Connor nodded but remained silent. “So, you have three brothers?”
He nodded again. “Julian, Dominic, and Clive. I’m the oldest.”
“I understand about alphas, but why does Clive want to hurt me?”
He held his hand out, beckoning Serena over to him. She slipped her hand into his, letting him lead her to the leather love seat that matched the sofa. As he sank down onto the plush cushion, he pulled her down onto his lap. He liked keeping her close, liked her slight weight against him, liked taking in her scent with every breath he took.
“He wants to hurt me,” Connor admitted reluctantly, realizing that Serena deserved to know the truth. “I don’t think he would have killed you the other night, but he would have hurt you in the most savage and degrading way.” He wrapped his arms tighter around her when she shivered. “Clive has always had jealousy issues, and it seems the older he gets, the worse he gets. Mother refuses to acknowledge it.”
“He wants to be the alpha?” Connor felt her warm breath against his neck where she rested her head.
“Yes, but that will never happen. As the youngest, he has to get through my brothers and me before he can reach that rank. So realizing he can’t hurt us, he’s decided to hurt the ones we care for.”
Serena lifted her head and pulled back to meet his gaze. “How can you care for someone you don’t know?”
Connor chuckled. “It’s different for us, and I do know you. I know where you’ve spent the first twenty-four years of your life, I know what schools you went to, the college you attended, and I know who you went to the high school prom with. As your mate, and alpha, the elders are required by our laws to keep me informed.”
“So what happens now?”
“Right this minute?” He put his hand beneath her chin and tilted her face so he could look into her eyes. “I believe we have some unfinished business,” he grinned, lowering his face and covering her mouth with his.
Connor had only meant to kiss her briefly, but as soon as their mouths meshed, it turned into something long and needy. She was so damned sweet and responsive. She opened her mouth willingly, letting his tongue slip inside to graze over hers. Lost in the moment, he buried his hands in her soft hair, and held her to him tightly.
In no time, their earlier desire returned. Sounds of mutual hunger surrounded them as they tasted and explored each other’s mouths. Serena arched into Connor, as if willing his body to absorb hers. When she began squirming on his lap he lay back, arranging her on top.
“Maybe this time we won’t be interrupted,” she said between kisses, covering his face and neck with tender pecks.
God, I hope not. He thrust his hips against her, seeking relief for his aching cock. Serena was working her way down his chest, unbuttoning his shirt as she went until she was able to open his shirt all the way. He sucked in his breath when her open mouth traveled back up his abs and chest, bathing his flesh with damp heat, before latching on to a nipple.
Sweet Jesus! A sharp feeling of pleasure traveled straight to his cock. It wouldn’t take much to send him over the edge. He let Serena nip and tongue his nipples until he couldn’t take it anymore. Then, grasping her by the upper arms, he hauled her up his body so he could place his mouth at the base of her throat. Tugging her blouse open, he lifted her higher until her breasts were level with his mouth.
Connor didn’t hesitate in taking her breast into his mouth. Her little cry of pleasure fueled his hunger and he suckled her flesh hard, feeling it swell inside his mouth, aware at the same time that she was moving her lower body against his as if they were already fucking.
Suddenly Serena pulled away from him and their gazes met. Connor watched her eyes turn gold with arousal, knowing his were probably the same color. As they stared at one another, their heavy breaths mingling, Connor wondered what her hesitation was.
“What, baby?” He brushed the hair out of her face, sensing her unease.
“Something wild flows through my blood,” she whispered, almost in awe. “It makes me want to do things.”
Connor tried not to smile, but he was elated inside. Serena’s wolf was getting closer to the surface, making itself known in a rollercoaster ride of confusion and emotions that kept her on the edge of knowledge. Once she stopped fighting her new condition, the rest would be explained.
“What things?” he asked.
Her pupils flared. “Things to you,” she said softly. “I have an urge to do something to you that I’ve never done to anyone before.”
“Then do it. You can’t hurt me.”
Connor barely got the words out when Serena continued making love to him with her mouth. He closed his eyes, a deep groan rumbling through his chest when she made her way down to his jeans with her tongue. He waited, holding his breath at what she would do next. Small hands tugged at the snap to his jeans, causing Connor to lift his head and glance down at her.
Their gazes met and held, as Serena carefully lowered the zipper over his bowed cock. She parted the material and it sprang free, right into her waiting mouth. Connor fell back with a weak moan as a feeling of deep pleasure overtook him. His fangs dropped, and he began to tremble, trying to concentrate on what her mouth was doing to him, while keeping his wolf at bay.
She seemed to know instinctively what to do, going down on him as far as she could and using her hands on the lower half of his shaft. Sweet Jesus, she used her tongue to taste and explore every inch of him, urging him to pick up speed as he thrust in and out of her mouth. It didn’t take Connor long to slip over the edge. There was no stopping the rolling orgasm rushing through his body like a locomotive out of control, blasting from his cock against the back of Serena’s throat.
“Aaaaaaaaaaggghh!” he swore, shuddering beneath Serena. He’d told her she couldn’t hurt him, but her sweet mouth was going to be the death of him.
Chapter 10
Serena remained quiet as they made the ride to Max and Rose’s place, contemplating the changes that had taken place in her life in such a short span of time. She’d left her normal world and beliefs behind, entering a world of dark fantasy and darker desires. Something told her she would have to embrace everything about Connor and Savage Hills, and that going home was impossible. From what she’d heard so far, outsiders that knew about them didn’t leave, at least not alive.
She still had questions, but right now Serena was trying to come to terms with her insatiable lust for Connor. What else could it be? The image of the sex act she’d preformed on him earlier wouldn’t leave her head. Serena had been innocent when they met, but something she couldn’t explain took over when they were together, causing her to act like a woman with sexual experience.
Casting a sideways glance at Connor, she wondered what he was thinking. He seemed on edge, and deep in thought. Is he wondering what his mother and I talked about after he left the porch? Serena had been waiting for him to ask ever since Anne had gone home and she’d gone inside. How would he react if he knew that Anne had asked her to talk to him about Clive? She’d insisted her youngest son was just misguided and needed a male influence in his life.
Clive had gone into a deep depression after losing his father, and Anne’s solution had been to over indulge him in everything. She admitted to Serena that she knew it was wrong, but by the time she realized it the damage had been done. He’d been a spoiled, unmanageable teenager who thought he should get whatever he wanted and he didn’t care how.
“You’re quiet.”
“So are you,” Serena responded.
Connor glanced her way. “I guess we both have a lot on our minds.” He slowed his vehicle down to take a sharp turn to the left.
Serena sighed. “I came here for a job.”
He laughed softly. “There is a job for you here, at the Savage Hills Wolf Sanctuary.”
Serena looked at Connor with surprise. “For some reason I thought that was all made up just to get me here.”
“Not at all, the sanctuary is located on my property, about half a mile behind my cabin. We’re basically a medical clinic but we do offer rehabilitatio
n services to injured wildlife.” He glanced Serena’s way. “Mostly wolves, and just so you know, there are some of us who prefer to stay and live in wolf form.”
“I’m so glad to hear that,” Serena said, smiling. She was going to get to work at her dream job after all. “I’m anxious to get started. Tell me more.”
“It’s not a very big place. You’ll have two assistants, Ellie and Patrick, to help you with surgeries and to keep the place clean. Right now your only patient is a bald eagle, but you should be able to release her back into the wild by the end of the week.”
“A bald eagle!” Serena couldn’t contain her excitement. “I got to work with one during my internship. They’re magnificent.”
“Yes, they are.” The look Connor gave Serena spoke volumes. His gaze made a hasty sweep over her appearance before he turned his attention back to the road. “You look magnificent in that dress.”
“Thank you.” His husky compliment sent a thrill down Serena’s spine.
She knew the short sleeved, light grey sweater dress with the scooped neckline fit her curves like a glove. Usually she wore black leggings under it, but had decided to forego them that evening in favor of her black knee-high boots. She hadn’t packed with the thought in mind that she’d need anything dressy, yet she knew the simple elegance of her attire would go great for any occasion. Once Serena had accepted the job at the sanctuary she’d put everything else she owned in storage, deciding that she’d send for what she needed if the job worked out.
As they were traveling down a long driveway a large house came into view. It was a rustic two-story structure with a wraparound porch, a huge stone fireplace on the side, and a large picture window at the front. As Connor followed the circular drive, the headlights of his Hummer showed several sets of glowing eyes in the distant field beyond the house.
Serena caught her breath, looking at Connor as he switched off the engine. “There must be a dozen or so animals out there. Are they–”
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