Animal Attraction

by Lynn Marie

  He let out an edgy laugh, but didn’t take his eyes off Brock. The second he was out of eyesight, Michael turned to her. He opened his mouth, but words seemed to fail him.

  “Come on,” she said, taking his hand. “Let’s go.”

  He tightened his grip on her and let her lead him outside. They went to the truck and sat next to each other for a few moments of silence. Well, she was silent. He was taking measured breaths and muttering under his breath.

  Evelyn chewed on her lip. “He’s not going to hurt me, Michael,” she said. She knew it was true, too. And not just because Michael wouldn’t let him.

  “No,” it was more than an agreement, it was a resounding growl, a promise of sorts.

  “And…” she swallowed, “neither are you, right?”

  He swore and adjusted his grip on the steering wheel. “Jesus Chris, of course not, Evelyn.”

  “Then do me a favor and chill the hell out. Okay? You’re kind of scaring me.”

  There was a pause, then, “Fuck. I’m sorry. He just… that was a low blow.”

  Evelyn’s eyes widened. It was one thing for him to tell her he cared. It was another to think that she mattered so much to him that she could be used as a kind of weapon against him. “I know. I can’t believe he said that. But you can rest assured if Brock ever gets near me I’m going to kick him where it counts, just like you taught me. Well, I guess you didn’t exactly teach me that, but you get what I mean.”

  Michael laughed again and she could hear the tension receding from his voice, but his smile stayed tight.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Michael let out a breath. Was anything wrong? She had no idea. He was starting to think Trip was actually being rude, Brock had him feeling downright murderous and to top it all off, Evelyn had carved out a nice little niche for herself in the town. She’d been fantastic, and didn’t that just ice the fucking cake?

  Now he had to tell her.

  But all he wanted to do was fuck her—have her up against the wall, push her panties aside and take her. He wanted to leave his scent on her skin and erase all thoughts of every other man and any other threat.

  He couldn’t though, not yet. “No, I’m… I’m okay. Let’s take a drive. I need to… what did you say? Chill the hell out.”

  She laughed and the sound went straight to his groin. He wanted her, so badly. But that was nothing new. “That’s fine with me. It’s a nice night. But don’t you have somewhere to be? With Trip, or… Brock? Sounded like they both thought they’d be seeing you later.”

  She was trying not to pry, he recognized that, but she was also damn curious. And why wouldn’t she be? He’d been trying to be subtle with Brock, but what had come out was just cryptic. He didn’t blame her for being curious.

  And now he had to explain.

  Fuck. He really hoped she didn’t run.

  “Yeah, we’ve got another, uh, meeting later. Of sorts.”

  Her brows wrinkled. “Is it not for the whole town?”

  “No, just an informal thing for some people. Well, I guess it’s not really informal…”

  At that, she looked even more confused, but didn’t reply. She turned to the window, rolled it down and laid her arm out into the night air. The moon shone on her skin, illuminating it as they drove beyond the town limits.

  Ah, fuck. He needed to concentrate, which was damn hard when his animal wanted to take her like a… well, animal.

  Evelyn, I’ve been meaning to tell you this for a while now… No, that made it sound like he’d consciously been lying to her for a month. We should talk—I have something to say… No, that made it sound like he wanted to break up. Ok, listen, here’s the thing: I turn into a wolf every full moon to defend my right to lead this pack of wolf shifters.

  So much for easing into things.

  Her head came around. “So is there a mayor?”

  It was such a sudden, unexpected question that he laughed a little. “What? No.”

  “So the only local government is conducted in town meetings and led by a foreman? It seems… I don’t know. Informal. Are there additional responsibilities to being a foreman?”

  “Yes…” he paused. Now? Was this the moment?

  “Like what?” she pressed, looking interested.

  He blew out a sigh. Here goes nothing. “I’m… the Alpha.”

  “Alpha? Like… alpha male?” She laughed, placing a hand on his knee, “I already knew that.”

  He sucked in a breath as his cock went diamond hard. Focus, man. “Alpha wolf.”

  Her smile fell at his grave expression. “You’re kidding,” she said flatly. “It’s not funny, but it’s a joke.”

  “It’s not a joke.”

  She faltered. “I don’t get it.”

  “I’m a wolf. Like a werewolf, but not exactly.”

  With an exaggerated eye roll, she hit him on the arm. “You’re teasing me. Is this because of what I said when we first met? I know it was a stupid question to ask you if you had a wolf for a pet, but my sister had just done a Tarot reading and—”

  “I’m not teasing you,” he cut in. He gauged the look on her face. She didn’t believe him one little bit and wasn’t going to unless he did something drastic.

  Shit. He was going to have to show her.

  He sighed and pulled the truck over on the side of the road. In the woods on the outskirts of town, they were the only car on the road, but he wasn’t taking chances.

  “Come with me,” he said, unbuckling himself and opening his door.

  “This isn’t funny, Michael,” she said. Her voice was high-pitched and uneasy. “Where are you going?”

  He went around to her door and opened it for her. The acrid scent of her fear stung his nose, so he kept his distance. The last thing he wanted was to scare her. “Evelyn, you need to see this. You need to understand what I am—what we are, here. I’m showing you because you’re my mate.”

  “I’m your—” Her sentence abruptly stopped as he began removing his shirt and pants. “What are you doing?”

  Wordlessly, he willed the change, letting it overtake him just enough before he became fully wolf. He stared up at her through the eyes of his wolf, trying to seem as innocuous as possible, but it was no use. She screamed and scrambled back in her seat, facing him through the open door.

  As quickly as he could, he changed back and made a move for her. She screamed again until he backed off. “Evelyn—”

  “What the fuck?” she yelped. “What the fuck… what the fuck are you? What the…”

  As her eyes travelled downwards, he remembered he was naked. And probably aroused, as per usual around her. So he bent over and shucked on his pants, getting tangled in the leg holes. “I can explain.”

  “Jesus Christ! Explain what, how you can become a… an animal?” she shot back, eyes wide as she stared at him like she’d never seen him before. Her breaths were coming in short and quick, nearly hyperventilating.

  He felt helpless. “I’m so sorry—”

  “You’re sorry?” she howled in outrage. “What the hell is going on? Tell me right now. Did I just see… What did I just see?”

  “I turned into a wolf.”

  Her eyes widened, then narrowed. “You’re standing there telling me… You’re telling me that all that stuff… all that stuff in movies and books and… Oh God, it’s real? How…” she trailed off.

  “I don’t know how—”

  “Don’t!” she shrieked as he took a tentative step to her. “Don’t hurt me!”

  Michael watched with alarm as she hugged her middle and folded into herself. He wanted to go to her, to reassure her, but he didn’t want to scare her. “I understand your fear, but you have to know you’re safe with me. I wanted to tell you sooner. I should have, maybe, the second I knew…”

  Her eyes lifted. “Knew that you were a werewolf?” she croaked.

  “That we belong together.” He winced as her eyes widened. Way to go, moron. Tell her you’re a wolf and
you love her. “I know you must be freaking out…I’d freak out. I’m so damn sorry for being an idiot and blurting it out.”

  “That you’re a… a freak of nature.”

  “I know I didn’t tell you the right way,” he began, trying not to let on that her insults cut him. When she said nothing, he went on, hoping she could hear him. I’m still me.”

  “I thought…” she sighed in frustration and wiped away an angry tear with the back of her hand. He could sense how conflicted she felt. “This is so… fucking weird. How can it be possible that you’re not human?”

  “Beats me. I don’t know how people became wolves or vice versa… we’ve got stories, but that’s all they are. I didn’t ask to be different, but you have to know that you’re not in danger.”

  “I know,” she said quietly, distractedly. “I just… this is hard to wrap my brain around.”

  “I get that. But I needed you to know what I am. We’re connected on some spiritual level that I don’t nearly understand. We’re bonded. It’s a wolf thing—we mate for life. All I know is I want to be in your life and your bed for as long as you’ll have me.”

  He knew the second that her fear turned into something hotter; maybe it had been the “in your bed” comment that did it. But her desire was overlaid by confusion, anger, fear. If he could only use that desire… “You said once that you were confused by our relationship—you didn’t understand why everything seemed so intense, and I’m guessing you’ve been feeling turned on all the time…”

  She looked away and he knew he was on the right track. Tentatively, he started moving towards her. When she didn’t back away or scream at him not to come any closer, he took it as a good sign.

  “I think you’ve sensed that something is different about this from the start. If you’d been one of my kind you would have recognized the mating bond. All that passion, all that desire and deep emotion, and it happened so quickly. That’s our connection. I know you feel it.”

  Gulping, she nodded, ever so slightly. “Maybe I do…”

  He nearly groaned as the scent of her arousal grew stronger. He was getting to her. “You can’t fight the way you feel. I’d be willing to bet that you’ve been more satisfied with me than you have with any other man.”

  She shot him an annoyed look and he chuckled. “I’m not on an ego trip. It’s a product of all this—your body is responding to the hormones or whatever it is. And I know that it scares you because you can’t control it, but I’m asking you to embrace it anyway.”

  “I don’t know if I can,” she said. Her voice wavered. “I mean, the wolf thing… It’s strange, but I’m not sure… It’s just…”

  He was now right up against her legs. They parted for him and he wasn’t sure if she’d done it consciously or not. Her body and mind didn’t seem to be on the same page. “Let go, Evelyn,” he purred, stroking her cheek gently.

  She jerked back. “No… don’t touch me.”

  “Please, Evelyn. It’s me. Nothing about me is different from how it ever was. You just know about it now.”

  “Because you lied—” she rasped.

  “You wouldn’t have believed me. I know it doesn’t excuse the lie,” he added when she glared at him. “It’s still my fault for keeping it from you, but… Evelyn, this is me. I’m sorry I lied, but please don’t push me away. Let me back in.”

  “I want to,” she replied, breathlessly. She closed her eyes and he used the opportunity to cup her cheek in his hand. She shivered, but didn’t shrink away. “It’s so much to take in; I don’t know where to start or what to think. How can we… how can I—”

  “I’m not that different from you, baby. My heart beats, same as yours,” he said, taking her palm and placing it on his chest. “My brain thinks. My body wants,” he added in a low voice as he trailed her hand down to his jeans. She didn’t pull away, instead seeming fascinated by what he was doing with her hand. “The same way it always has. I’m the same.”

  “But you’re a wolf sometimes,” she said flatly.

  “Sometimes. Full moon and all that.”

  She met his eye briefly, maybe trying to decide if he were joking. “And the wolf is you. Like, your mind in a wolf.”

  He nodded. “It’s still me, just a part of me that gets tucked away when I’m man-Michael.”

  Her shoulders dropped. “There’s so much…” she gulped and tensed her hand. A fresh wave of desire flooded outwards from her core and his dick punched painfully against the underside of his zipper. “There’s so much I want to know.”

  He had her. He grinned down at her and grabbed behind both of her knees, drawing her towards him and against his length. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know. But right now… I need you.”

  She let out a very feminine gasp of longing. “Michael, God… what are you doing to me?” Abruptly, she laughed, “I guess it’s good to know that I’m not going crazy—there’s actually a reason why I feel like this…”

  “Evelyn—”

  “Just get up here,” she ordered. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, considering what I just found out, but I want you so badly I can’t think straight.”

  The testosterone roared in his veins. Jesus, he loved this female. With one motion, he picked her up around the waist, slid into the cab and settled her on his lap. He sensed that she needed this—she needed to have control this time. He was more than happy to accommodate.

  As she fumbled with his zipper and he reached underneath her to push her panties aside, she kept talking, “You’ve got a fucking lot to explain. Starting with how you thought it would be ok to lie to me—” she cut herself off with a cry as she lowered herself onto him.

  Jesus, she’d… she’d taken all of him in one go. His head fell back. “Couldn’t tell you,” he managed through gritted teeth.

  “Bull… shit…” she said, panting as she started riding him.

  “Oh fuck, oh Evelyn,” he said, grabbing her hips to help her move.

  “Michael,” she moaned.

  He strained against the seat, all his muscles screaming to grab her and take her. But Lord did he feel amazing in her slick heat. She was so wet for him and she felt like velvet. As she was on his lap and up on her knees, they were nearly at the same height, so she didn’t have to stretch very far when he pulled her face towards his. He claimed her mouth as she claimed the rest of him, meeting his tongue fiercely with her own and her teeth.

  As she kissed and fucked, she gave him a new, profound appreciation for taking his turn on bottom. Rocking, she was grinding her pelvis against his as she sought her release. God, she was sexy—so demure and wild, beautiful and intense.

  He reached between their bodies, where they joined, and fitted the pad of his thumb over her clit. As he stroked it determinedly, her eyes met his and in an unguarded moment, he saw right through her. She was more scared than she’d ever been, but not of his wolf. She was scared of him as a man. And it was because of how much she cared for him.

  That sent him off. His release prickled through his balls, tingling at the tip of his dick before exploding outwards, bringing a rush of emotions with it.

  His head hit the rest behind him and he picked up the pace with his thumb so she’d join him. He felt her contracting around him, her walls undulating and stroking the most sensitive part of him. As she came down, she relaxed against his chest and he stroked her hair, counting her breaths.

  They’d just taken from each other in a way that had felt both primal and right. He’d used her body to forge their connection again and she’d used him right back. He felt reaffirmed.

  Chapter 11

  The poor, cheap rug that covered her floor was getting all matted, but Evelyn couldn’t stop pacing. Her feet hurt, her back ached from stomping around barefoot and her mind was exhausted from all the racing it had been doing.

  She had a million questions. Two million, maybe. And the implications of some of them were terrifying. Was she going to turn into a werewolf since he’d bitt
en her? Instinctually, she guessed no, but it was just fucking perfect that the one person who could answer her questions was out of reach. Yeah, she was torn about seeing him again but couldn’t he pick up the freaking phone? He’d been so cryptic about where he was going, too, so it probably had something to do with werewolf-stuff.

  Evelyn froze, mid-step, only to resume her pacing. A quick glance at the clock told her it was well past 1 AM.

  A werewolf. A werewolf. The man she’d been sleeping with, dating, sharing herself with… he was a… wasn’t a man at all. How was it possible? Were there others? In the world, around here, or even in the town? Was the whole town un-human? If that was true, no wonder she hadn’t been welcomed.

  God, it explained so much. About him, about this place, about the sex… She stopped again, chewing on her lip, fisting her hands and resting them on her hips. Then, with a strangled sigh, she collapsed on her couch.

  She’d been sleeping with an animal.

  In spite of herself, she didn’t really care that he’d lied—if pop culture had taught her anything, it was that supernatural creatures had to protect their super identities from the rest of the world. She didn’t even really care that much about the subject of the lie. Yes, it was weird that he was a werewolf. Yes, she was slightly more scared of him now. Yes, it made things much more complicated. But it wasn’t his fault that he’d been born different, and he’d never done anything to hurt her. Every relationship was complicated in its own way.

  Though, most relationship complications paled in comparison to having to question if your boyfriend were technically a different species.

  So, no. It wasn’t the lie. In the wake of a world-shattering announcement that Michael Blackwood could turn into a wolf at will, her misery was more than half self-inflicted. She’d spiraled down from anger, right into a chasm of self-doubt and fear. And not because of the lie, but because she realized that her first thought when she’d found out had been, what about our kids, which was now freaking her the fuck out.

  Concern that their non-existent children would turn out to be werewolves wasn’t a normal reaction for a sane, reasonable woman. Most women would instinctively have run far and fast. But not Evelyn. On her instinctual level, she was planning forever with him. Still. Despite now knowing what he was, she had to admit that she’d fallen, and hard. Completely, out of nowhere, and without her knowledge or permission.