“It’s a gift I have. Along with acute hearing.”
“A gift?” The answer was vague, but enough for her to understand there was nowhere to run. She nodded. “I give up.”
With that, he rolled off her.
Denim sat up on the ground Indian-style and didn’t even bother getting up. Instead, she glared over at him still trying to understand if what happened had really happened.
“Have you always been a… you know?” she asked.
“A Were?”
Denim nodded.
Jax also nodded while Denim watched the way the moon cast shadows across his handsome face. “Yes, since puberty.”
Her pulse had begun to slow and she was finally breathing normal again. Denim dragged one leg up to her chest. “So back then when we were hanging out you weren’t a Were yet?”
He shook his head. “I didn’t change until after I turned thirteen.”
All she could say was, “Oh.”
There was a long silence. She had so many questions she didn’t know where to begin. She felt like Alice when she’d landed in Wonderland and maybe even like that kid who went through the wardrobe and met the lion and the witch. It was so unreal Denim new she had to be dreaming, so she pinched herself. “Ouch!” Nope, she wasn’t dreaming.
“What did you do that for?”
Tossing hands into the air, Denim cried, “I’m having a hard time believing this is real!”
“It’s real.” Jax released a long sigh. “You have to promise not to tell anyone.”
“Why’s that?” she asked curiously.
His gaze suddenly turned dark and focused as he replied, “Because it would be dangerous for Weres if humans found out.”
“Us?” she chirped. “Aidan and Chayton are werewolves too?”
“Shit,” Jax mumbled under his breath, then dragged his fingers through his shoulder-length hair. “Look Denim, you can’t tell anyone. We just can’t afford a security breach.”
“Who would believe me?” Denim said with a snort, then released a long shaky breath. “Relax, your secret is safe with me.”
His shoulders relaxed slightly. “My family has lived here for generations. If anyone found out about our pack it would be detrimental to us and to all the other Weres.”
“You mean to tell me there are more of you? No freaking way!”
A lot more than you’d ever imagine, living right under your nose.
“Are you serious?” The situation was getting crazier by the second.
He frowned. “About what?”
“What you just said. A lot more than you would ever imagine, living right under your nose.”
“I didn’t say that!” he cried incredulously. “Well, I was thinking that, but I didn’t say it.”
Now it was Denim turn to look confused. “Well you would have had to. How else would I have known you said it?”
Can she read my mind?
“What? No. Of course I can’t read your mind.”
“You just did.”
She gasped and stared at him a long moment. “Say something else… I mean… think of something else. I need to watch your lips.”
You are so beautiful.
Her mouth formed an O. His lips hadn’t moved and unless he was one hell of a ventriloquist Jax was right. She had read his mind. That would explain the voice she kept hearing. “There’s no way I can hear your thoughts.”
“I was just thinking about how beautiful you were.”
The discovery stunned her. She felt strange, the blood rushing through her veins. “This can’t be happening.”
“Sweetheart, I’m afraid it’s real,” he growled in a kind of fury. “You have the ability to hear my thoughts. You know how many centuries have passed since a Were found a woman who could hear him even when he wasn’t in human form?”
“I heard you while I was watching you from the treehouse. You said, I know you’re there watching me.”
He grinned. “You’re good.”
There was no way this was happening. It was crazy. She was reading his thoughts, but she figured it was no crazier than discovering Jax was a werewolf.
Her eyes shifted down between his thighs. His cock was resting in a bed of golden hair. Denim swallowed. “Could you please put on your clothes?” She spat and there was no denying the frustration in her voice. She hadn’t had sex in months, so the sight of him had her thinking of all kinds of things they could be doing right about now.
Jax inclined his head with unaffected modesty. “I left my clothes back there.”
“Then go get them.” She gave him a dismissive wave.
“Oh no! How about we go together?” Jax rose and held out a hand. Oh, the things she could do with a naked man in the forest. Denim brushed aside the ridiculous thought. It didn’t matter how sexy Jax was. The last thing she wanted in a boyfriend was someone who was warm and furry.
Denim allowed Jax to drag her up onto her feet, then she fell into step beside him as they headed back to get his clothes. “Do you always run around naked?” she asked, breaking the silence.
He shook his head, “Usually I undress at home and then shift before coming outside, but I was out on the grounds and I smelled trouble.”
“Smelled trouble. Really?”
Their eyes met and held in the shadowy darkness. “Weres have a strong sense of smell.”
“How strong?” she asked, with a pointed look.
“You were easy to track. I just followed your scent.”
Denim chuckled nervously. “My scent? You make it sound like you’re a dog or something.”
He looked down at the ground, smiled and said, “I am… sorta.”
Suddenly, she stopped walking and faced him. “What did you mean by smelling trouble?”
“It’s a personal matter I’ve been dealing with and I thought trouble had tried to sneak up on me.”
“And instead I was peeking at you from the treehouse.” She couldn’t take her eyes off Jax, and apparently the feeling was mutual. His eyes were dark and intense, heating the blood in her veins.
“I knew you were there long before I heard you scream. And once I joined you in the forest I followed your scent.”
Denim tossed her hands in the air and stormed off. “You keep talking about the way I smell!” It was insane. First his brother was sniffing her, then Jax, and now she was walking around the forest with a naked werewolf man.
Jax chuckled as he fell into step beside her. “Like I said before, you smell wonderful.”
She looked over at him and said, “Like what?”
A rueful smile touched his lips. “I can’t explain it, but you know how you can smell Madeline’s Donut Shop blocks away? Well it’s like that only much more intense. The other day I smelled you in the parking lot long before I stepped into the diner.”
Why was it she found the way he was talking about her so arousing?
“I can even smell the cream that just slid down inside your panties.”
Denim gasped, turned and just stared at him, and then her eyes traveled down to his beautiful penis jutting as her tongue slipped from between her lips. His response had set off a sweet, pulsing throb between her legs.
Jax moved closer as he spoke, “I’ve been trying to fight everything I feel for you, but after tonight, I don’t think I want to fight it anymore.”
Her breath caught. “Fight what?”
“The way my body craves you every single time I’m around you. It’s been like this since that summer, only I was too young at the time to understand.”
And now he was a handsome and virile man.
Jax closed the distance between them and Denim stood there waiting anxiously for him to drag her into his arms again.
She tilted her chin upward and met him halfway. The moment their lips touched, she felt it. Fireworks, heating her blood until every part of her pulsed with delight. Denim’s nipples tightened against him, and despite every intention to pull away she found herself arching even clo
ser.
There was nothing gentle about the kiss. Instead it was hard and intense, escalating her own hunger. When he pushed his tongue inside, a whisper of a sigh escaped her lips. His hands glided down the center of her back, along her narrow hips, and rested at her ass, where he squeezed and lifted her off her feet, bringing her closer to his hardened flesh.
He groaned against her mouth. She sighed, wrapped her arms around him and leaned closer, meeting each swirl of his tongue with one of her own. Jax kissed her mouth with power thrusts that were slow and controlled and downright confident. With each sweep of his tongue, she felt her control slip, and the moist intimate area between her thighs pulse with need so intense moans slipped from her throat. Oh, it had been a long time since a man had made her feel this way. His mouth was delicious and persuasive and Denim gulped greedily at his lips. Her nipples tightened and moisture settled between her thighs.
His hard body against hers had her own on fire, and she found her hands doing what they were itching to do. She allowed them to slide across his chest, over his broad shoulders and down his solid back, stopping at his firm backside, then she squeezed. Wow! His ass was tight and perfect.
Jax lifted his head slightly, then gazed down at her with heavy lids half covering those big, beautiful golden eyes of his. Their hearts were thumping, breathing ragged, and lips moist. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a woman as bad as I want to make love to you,” Jax confessed, as he lowered her feet onto the ground.
Slowly, Denim drew back and narrowed her gaze, her internal temperature kicking up another degree. Jax was the most beautiful creature she had ever met. And now the most frightening. Denim forced herself to step away, she had to. Or she was going to reach down and start stroking the erection throbbing against her leg. After that, there would be no turning back. “I can’t think straight around you.” Especially when you’re standing beside a gorgeous naked man.
“Neither can I, which means we need to go or I might not be responsible for my actions.” He laughed, though the sound was forced. Denim detected the frustration behind his words because she felt it, too.
“I guess there’s a first time for everything,” she teased, forcing herself to put a little more distance between them, and trained her eyes on his face. It wasn’t easy. “Come on. Let’s keep moving.” The sooner he put on his clothes, the better.
Jax had a puzzled look on his face. “You might find this hard to believe,” he said, as they began walking again. “I haven’t dated a human in three years.”
“Three years? Is that a record?”
Chuckling, he replied, “If you only knew, but to answer your question, the answer is yes.”
“How many women have you dated?”
Smiling, he took her hand and while they walked, he told her about all of his human encounters. Jax had been right. A lot more than she’d cared to know about. It was weird, but she felt a hint of jealousy knowing someone before her had been kissed by him, possibly with the same intensity, even worse they’d had a chance to feel his gorgeous cock inside them.
They reached the edge of his property line and Denim spotted a heap of clothes under a tree. A few feet away, two beautiful motorcycles were parked.
“Who rides?” she asked and when his brow rose inquisitively, Denim pointed and he followed the direction of her gaze.
“That red one belongs to Aidan and that black Harley is mine.”
It was definitely beautiful.
“We parked them out here last night and decided to shift and race home.” Jax laughed. “Sometimes Aidan and I can be real competitive.”
Denim shook her head in awe. On the outside the Wilde bunch seemed like any other twenty-something boys-next-door. Who would have ever guessed on the inside was a world very few knew anything about?
“You see that clearing there?” Jax reached for his jeans then pointed to the area where from the treehouse she’d first spotted him in Were form. “A big storm ripped through here last fall and tore down all the trees that lined that area of our land.”
“Is that why no one has seen you shifting out here?” It took everything she had to keep her eyes on his face while he dressed.
While Jax slipped into his t-shirt, he nodded. “My father is having trees flown in from California and planted there this fall. In the meantime, I wasn’t worried about being seen because I knew Pappy went to bed early.” He shrugged. “I always waited until he was asleep.”
“And you weren’t expecting me to be here,” Denim said, understanding what he was getting at.
Jax shook his head. “Not at all and especially not playing in a treehouse.” He smiled. “But I’m glad you’re back.”
His smile caused her heart to bang beneath her chest. “So am I.”
As soon as he zipped his jeans, he signaled for her to follow. “C’mon. Let me drive you back to the house.”
9
The whole time with her riding on the back of his motorcycle, clutching his middle, Jax tried to remind himself Denim was a threat. Her having knowledge that he was a Were was complicated and downright dangerous for both her and the pack, but thinking of her as the enemy wasn’t easy. Instead one thought kept scrolling through his brain.
She’s mine.
As he reached the dirt road, Jax took another deep breath. He was a man who believed in getting what he wanted. And right now it was Denim. He knew he’d told his brothers the last thing he wanted was a human, but there was something about Denim and the way she’d made him feel that never died. In fact, it was burning hotter than ever before and he was starting to think there was nothing he could do about it except embrace it … regardless of the consequences. But it was hard to think with her soft breasts pressed against his back. The bike’s engine thrummed between his thighs. Her scent was floating through the air, making it hard to focus on the road, driving him insane.
Jax breathed a sigh of relief when he finally turned onto her driveway. As soon as he parked the bike in front of Pappy’s house, Jax climbed off and helped Denim to her feet.
“Thanks,” she said, smiling. “You know, I could have walked.”
As Jax removed the helmet from Denim’s head, he caught her gaze. “I wanted to spend a little more time together. Is that a crime?”
She blushed. “No, I’m just saying.”
Their fingers touched, and she jerked back. It didn’t take a scientist to know she was just as attracted to him and he was to her.
She gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you so much. I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle before.”
“Really?” he smirked. “You’ll have to ride with me more often.”
Denim nodded. “I’d like that. Actually I would love to ride one of your beautiful horses.”
He winked. “That can be arranged.”
Jax watched as she reached into the front pocket of her denim shorts and removed a single key. Turning, he followed her up onto the wide wraparound porch and waited for her to unlock the door.
“We still on for dinner?” Jax asked, hating for the night to end.
Denim swung around and faced him. “Yes.”
Jax nodded, then moved forward. “Denim, you do understand no one can know what happened tonight, right?” his voice was thick with warning.
She rolled her eyes. “Jax. I understand. You can trust me. Really you can.”
Something in her eyes told him he could and it helped him relax a bit.
“But you know I’m going to have questions.”
His brow rose. “Questions, huh?”
She blushed a bit. “Like for instance, at night, do you sleep in a coffin or a doghouse?”
Her question caused him to laugh out loud and she joined in. They must have been making too much nose because she brought a finger to his lips, silencing him. “Shhh, we’re going to wake up Pappy.” Then Denim made the mistake of moistening those delicious-looking lips of hers and Jax lost it.
He tucked her into the far corner of the porch and braced his
hands on either sides of her head. Leaning in, he pressed his mouth to hers in what was supposed to have been a simple peck. However, the second their lips touched, he was a goner again.
Denim tasted just as good as she smelled. Seductive. Sweet. Intoxicating. She opened her mouth and the flavor of her tongue damn nearly dropped him to his knees. Part of him couldn’t believe she was really here and that he was holding her, touching her, and most importantly, tasting her. Jax deepened the kiss with skillful strokes, staking complete possession of her mouth. Denim followed him stroke for stroke, sending heat radiating through his body and settling right smack down at his throbbing cock. Jax gyrated against her leg, trying to soothe the ache she had created. A frustrated whimper slipped from Denim’s lips before her hands slid from his shoulders and then she took a step back. Tilting his head, Jax met her luminous brown eyes.
“Good night,” she whispered.
Jax took several breaths to calm the wolf inside. His animal instinct had kicked in and mating with Denim weighed heavily at his cock. “Good night.” He forced himself to walk down the steps over to his motorcycle and straddled it. Denim was still standing in the same spot, staring at him.
“Denim, unless you want to go back to the ranch and share my bed, I’d advise you to get inside.”
Jax heard the desperate warning in his voice. Apparently so had she, because obediently she turned the knob and stepped inside the house. Once the door clicked shut, he released a low growl. His wolf was anxious to emerge. Denim had no idea how close he had come to losing control and mounting her. But the day they finally made love—because they would—he didn’t want it to be with him taking her like a savage beast. He wanted their lovemaking to be slow and agonizingly sweet.
He waited until Denim had switched off the porch light before he started up his bike and drove away.
* * *
Jax pulled his motorcycle into the garage, turned the, key shutting it down, and then climbed off. As soon as he swung around, his muscles tensed when he discovered who was standing behind him.
Wilde About Her (Wilde Pack Series) Page 6