Horny? Great.
“This...didn’t happen to me when I changed before.”
“You were only fifteen. The desire part doesn’t happen until you’re fully grown.”
Desire part. To her fogged and overheated brain, all she could think about was what part of him she wanted inside of her. She’d been brave enough to try what had been her greatest fear. Surely she could be bold enough to claim her reward.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, looking into his gaze. “I want you.”
He swallowed, his gray eyes going dark. “I want you, too, but that’s just the effects of changing. No worries. I’m used to it. I can control it.”
Inhaling, she stood, letting him get a good look at her naked body, erect nipples and all. She crossed the distance between them, standing over him and speaking clearly and distinctly. “I don’t want you to control it. I’m on fire, Kane. I need you.”
His sharp inhalation of breath was the only sound he made as he stared up at her. With his gaze at first riveted on her face, he let it slowly roam over her, soft as a caress. The tingling in her nether regions made her melt inside.
He stood, his look a smoldering flame, and turned. He kept his back to her and slowly moved a few steps away, breaking her heart.
“You don’t want me?” To her horror, she realized she was on the verge of tears. Even worse, his apparent rejection of her did nothing to lessen her craving for him.
“Lilly, I want you so badly I can hardly walk.”
Though she wanted to, she didn’t believe him. Her disbelief must have shown in her face. He shook his head.
“Look,” he said simply, turning so she could see him, all of him, but most especially his massive erection.
She tried to throttle the explosive desire that consumed her, but her knees had gone weak. She could scarcely breathe, but somehow she took a step or two toward him, making a cry of desire low in her throat.
Pulse pounding, heart jolting, body aching and melting, she threw herself at him, trusting him to catch her, thrilling to the feel of the long, hard length of him pressing into her belly.
A ripple of excitement made her shiver as she felt him give what had to be an involuntary push against her.
“Lilly,” he rasped. “Please stop.”
Heady with power, buzzing with desire, she ignored him. Using her womanly instincts, she rubbed up against him, like a cat hungry for cream.
His reaction was swift, and violent. Grabbing her by both upper arms, he tried to hold her still. “Seriously. Stop.”
“I don’t want to,” she purred, raw wanting making her dizzy. She inhaled sharply as he pulled her roughly against him.
“Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he grated.
She had a second of misgiving as he let her feel the full weight of his arousal. Trembling, she clung to him as he moved against her. He no longer used his hands merely to hold her in place, but to caress her. Her skin tingled everywhere he touched her.
When he cupped her breast, her heart lurched. Body already throbbing, she gasped in delight, welcoming the strength and heat of his flesh as he surged against her.
A moan escaped her, the heat building inside of her rushed to every spot his hands caressed.
Belatedly, she began to hesitantly mimic the way he touched her, thrilling the muscles rippling under his firm flesh. He groaned as she slid her hand down his pecs, about to dare to go lower when his hand captured her, stopping her.
“Lilly, I—”
Raising on tiptoe, she pressed her mouth against his. When he responded to her as though starving, sending spirals of ecstasy through her, she knew they both were lost.
She curled into his body, went with him as he lowered her to the ground. As he kissed her, their tongues mated, and she writhed against him, wanting more.
Savage, intense, his eyes glittered with heat as his body imprisoned her in a pulse of growing arousal. “Are you very, very sure?” he asked, as he kissed the hollow at the base of her throat, making her shiver.
She wasn’t sure of anything, other than the fact that she wanted this man more than she’d ever wanted anything in her entire life. Caressing the tendons in his muscular shoulders, she let her body answer for her.
He entered her with one swift movement, the sheer size of him filling her completely, making her cry out. His hard body fit with hers, as if they’d been made for each other.
And when he moved...the heavens and the earth moved with him.
Tangled together, bodies slick with passion, he moved, and she moved with him, taking the full length of him, her body clenching with each powerful thrust.
Drowning, soaring, all at once. They danced, mated. Her blood pounded with passion, nearly shattering her. All at once, at the same time, she was on fire, she was on ice, as he made love to her.
And then...and then...gasping in sweet, perfect agony, she felt a shower of sparks explode as her body shuddered around him, tightening as if she wanted to wring every last ounce of passion out of him.
He cried out, a sound of triumph, of pleasure and of pain.
She held him while he emptied his essence into her, held him while their heartbeats slowed and their breathing quieted.
Savoring the scent of their lovemaking, she wanted to capture this instant forever, to take out and look at in those dark, lonely times that were sure to come.
“This has been the absolutely, most perfect day,” she told him, meaning it.
He groaned, though he didn’t push her away. “I’m already having regrets.”
“Regrets?” She refused to let his words hurt. “Don’t you dare. You’ve given me the gift of my wolf self, and then this. We’re both adults. There’s nothing wrong with what we did and if you say there is, I just might have to smack you.”
“You were vulnerable,” he protested. “I shouldn’t have taken advantage of you.”
“Advantage?” Slowly she shook her head. “You’ve healed me. In more ways than you could ever imagine.”
The bleak look in his eyes told her he refused to believe her. She knew that this time, she’d have to be strong, to keep him from beating himself up with guilt.
Gently, she slid out from under him and, brushing herself off, got to her feet. After a second, he did the same. Naked, they stood looking at each other. She drank in his male perfection with her gaze before taking a deep breath.
“Kane, all my body has known before today was abuse and pain. I’ve never...” She blushed as words momentarily failed her. Lifting her chin, she continued. “You showed me that two people can come together with pleasure and joy. Please don’t try and take that away from me.”
He made a strangled sound as he reached for her. This time, she evaded his grasp, wanting anything from him but his pity. “Come on.” Turning her back to him, she snatched her clothes up from the ground. “Let’s get dressed and go back to the cabin. If we’re lucky, we might be able to get in a few hours of sleep.”
* * *
Struck speechless, Kane wasn’t sure what to make of this calmly assertive, and sexy, Lilly. He’d always known she’d eventually find an inner strength, but this sensual, confident aspect of her wasn’t something he’d anticipated so soon.
Though she’d assured him otherwise, he couldn’t help but feel as though he’d taken advantage of her in a weakened state. He was supposed to be her Protector. He knew how the change back to human form made Shifters horny. Not only that, but he’d made love to her without protection. There could be a consequence. He stifled a groan. He should’ve taken precautions. Lilly had enough to deal with right now without having to handle an unexpected pregnancy.
Despite this possibility, she’d still claimed he’d given her a gift, when in fact it had been the other way around. He’d known lots of women in his lifetime and the sex had ranged from mediocre to fantastic. But this, this had been different. Not once with any of the others had he been even remotely tempted to call it making love.
Damn. Maybe he was the one in trouble, rather than Lilly.
Again he remembered her horrible imprisonment at Sanctuary. When he’d first seen her huddled in a metal bunk in a cold and damp basement, emaciated and filthy, he’d wanted to find the people who’d done this to her and make them pay. Only the fact that he was there as a professional law enforcement officer had kept him rational.
And now this. While he’d guessed she’d probably been raped while a prisoner at Sanctuary, hearing her confirm it in the same breath as she discussed the physical act they’d just shared, had been disconcerting, to say the least.
When they reached the cabin, she disappeared inside without a backward glance. He followed more slowly, wishing he could find the right words to straighten this mess out.
To his surprise, when he went in, Lilly waited for him in the kitchen.
“We need to talk,” she said, getting two glasses of tap water and placing them on the countertop.
Instead of trepidation, he felt relief. “Yes, we do.”
“I’m a wolf,” she said. “An honest-to-heavens wolf. Not some sort of monster.”
He nodded. “Yes, you are. And now you can shape-shift whenever you want.”
“And I don’t have to worry about anyone else getting hurt. What I don’t understand is how the crazies at Sanctuary had me convinced I was some sort of monster.”
Some of the tension eased from him. Taking a long swallow of water, he sighed. “I’m still not sure what they were trying to do. What could they hope to accomplish by making you think you’d change into some sort of fire-breathing dragon type thing?”
She bit her lip, looking surprisingly vulnerable. “Yeah, but apparently they succeeded with the singing thing.”
“I’m going to have you do that again, but only when someone else, preferably female, is here to help you. I want it videotaped.”
“Why female?”
“So they won’t be susceptible.” He smiled at her, trying for gentle, but knowing he probably looked grim. Just the thought of some other man being compelled by her song and putting his hands on her...made Kane feel violent.
She yawned, making him feel contrite. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw it was after 5:00 a.m. “I didn’t realize it was so late—or early. We stayed out a long time. Maybe you should just go ahead and try and get some rest.”
Her gaze, so intensely blue, seemed bemused. “Oddly enough, I’m not tired. I’m more energized than anything else. What about you?”
“I’m going to make a pot of coffee,” he told her, grinning. “You’re welcome to join me.”
“Sure.” She grinned right back. He was pleased at the absence of the shadows that usually haunted her. While he wasn’t foolish enough to think they’d all been vanquished, the events of that night had evidently gone a long way toward healing her.
As he made the coffee, she sat silently and watched him. He liked that she didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with chatter. Once the coffee had started brewing, he turned and let his gaze drink her in. Despite just having made love to her, he felt the same tug of attraction. Pushing that away, he took a deep breath, telling himself to focus.
“Uh, Kane? There’s one more thing we need to discuss.”
The tiny tremble in her voice alerted him. “What?”
“I need to make sure you understand...” Hesitating, she swallowed, and then raised her chin and met his gaze. “Despite the sex, there can never be anything between us.”
He wasn’t prepared for the emotions that slammed into him. Shock and surprise, of course, but more than anything he wanted to deny the truth of her words, and prove to her that she was wrong. Completely wrong.
Instead, he tried rationality. “If you think it’s because you’ve got too many issues, I want you to know—”
“No.” Her blue eyes had gone cold. “I know you’re willing to work with me on those, and I thank you for that. It’s not you at all, it’s me.”
The clichéd break up line seemed totally out of place coming from her, especially since they’d never been a couple. Had they?
“I’ve spent half my life in captivity,” she continued. “I’ve never learned how to be strong enough to live on my own. You’ve shown me that it’s possible, and I owe you for that.”
She owed him?
“But I can’t start any kind of relationship.” Her earnest voice seemed at odds with her frozen expression. He had the sense she might be retreating again, hiding behind an inner wall for her own protection. To keep herself from being hurt.
Or that might have been just wishful thinking on his part.
“That’s fine,” he heard himself say, managing to sound relatively normal. “I wasn’t looking for a relationship anyways.”
Though he’d begun believing he spoke only the truth, the instant he’d said it he realized it was the first time he’d ever lied to her.
“Thank goodness,” she said, sounding relieved. She cleared her throat, keeping her gaze averted. “So what’s on the agenda for us today?”
Normalcy. Good. Better to get back on track and minimize the danger of saying something he didn’t mean to say.
“I’d planned for us to practice shooting today, but I think we’ll do that another day.” He cleared his throat. “I want us both to be well-rested and sharp.”
She nodded, still appearing skittish, which irritated him more than it should have. “We can always take a nap.”
Again, the images that flashed into his mind made him lose the capacity for speech. Though he knew she’d meant actually resting, all he could picture was the two of them, curled into each other on the bed. There were a lot of things he’d like to do with her, and sleeping was the least of them.
He swallowed hard, reached into the cupboard and pulled out a couple of mugs. Keeping himself occupied would help him get his libido settled down. He didn’t know what it was about her, but Lilly affected him, arousing him with a single look of her long-lashed baby blues.
She accepted her coffee with a lopsided smile, making him see he’d added powdered creamer and one sugar without even asking.
“Just the way I like it,” she said, taking a small sip.
Together they watched as the sky outside the kitchen window began to lighten. He felt a sense of peace, something he usually only felt occasionally, and then only when he was around his family.
“Thank you.” Her silken voice yanked him out of his introspection.
Finishing his first cup, he grabbed her nearly empty one and made them each a second. He knew he was enjoying this more than he should have, but he decided to just go with it.
“It’s hard to believe you grew up here,” she said. “What was it like?”
“Not much different than it is now.” He chuckled. “My two brothers and I ganged up on my sister. We had the entire woods as a playground. We had tree forts and spent most of the summer days outside. It was a great place to grow up. What about you?”
The instant the question left his mouth, he wanted to call it back. “Sorry. I’m guessing you grew up at Sanctuary.”
She nodded. “For as long as I can remember. Still, Lucas and I did the best we could to have some sort of normal life.”
“Did you go to public school?”
A shadow crossed her face. “Yes, at least until eighth grade. We were outcasts at school anyway, and then Jacob decided to homeschool us, which essentially cut off all of our contact with the outside world. At least I had my brother.”
The sharp rap on the front door startled them both. Glancing at her, he tried to hide the way he automatically tensed. Especially since dawn had barely broken.
“Wait here,” Kane told her. Since there was no peephole, he tried looking out the front window, but couldn’t get a good view of the front porch. Deciding he was being too paranoid, he cracked open the front door.
“Morning.” His brother Kyle looked as if he hadn’t slept much either.
“Barely,” Kane responded. �
�It’s 6:00 a.m. What’s going on? Are Mom and Pop okay?”
“Yeah, everyone’s fine. I came because Muriel Redstone just called. I don’t know if you remember her, but she works the front desk at the Value Five Motel. Wanted to know if we had room for a party of three.”
“Okay.” Opening the door wider to allow Kyle entrance, Kane led the way into the kitchen. “Coffee?”
“That would be wonderful.” Accepting the steaming mug gratefully, Kyle drank with appreciation.
Kane and Lilly exchanged looks. Finally, Kane shrugged.
“So you came over to tell me Muriel referred a party of three? Isn’t that pretty standard since we are the only other lodging in town?”
Setting his mug down on the counter, Kyle’s expression turned intense. “Three people—think about it.” When Kane didn’t respond, Kyle rolled his eyes. “They’re asking about a woman from Texas. Even showed Muriel a photo. From what she described, they’re looking for Lilly.”
Chapter 12
Kyle barely finished speaking when Kane exploded into action. Locating his cell phone, he dialed the emergency number for the Protectors and punched in the prearranged code. The instant that was done, he started to call Lilly’s brother, then remembered it would only be 4:00 a.m. in Colorado.
When he looked up, both Kyle and Lilly were looking at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“Are you okay?” Kyle asked.
“Never been better.” He flashed them both a savage grin. Adrenaline felt a thousand times superior to simply waiting for something to happen, as they’d been doing. Now that it had, he could deal with it and eliminate the threat. Exactly as he’d been trained.
“What did you just do?” Lilly asked, the tiny wrinkle between her eyes attesting to her worry.
Though he wanted to go to her, wrap her tightly in his arms and assure her she’d be safe, he knew if he did, his brother would read too much into the reassuring gesture. He settled for what he hoped was a reassuring look.
“I activated the Protectors. I dialed a number and punched in a code. They’ll send a team, incognito.” Kane inclined his head at his brother. “There should be six and they’ll be here before sunset. Can we make room for them?”
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