He captured that gasp with his mouth and invaded with his tongue. He kept her tongue busy while his fingers were busy unbuttoning her jeans. He slid them over her hips, lingering over the newly rounded globes of her ass. Fuck, if she didn’t have a fine little ass.
He kept her mouth busy, tonguing, licking, sucking, devouring, while his hands roamed over the contours of her body. Steam poured from the shower, slicking her skin with a fine sheen of water. He let his hand trail the moisture that collected and ran down the center of her body. Her moan was needy when he reached the sweet spot between her legs.
He took his time and played until she was ready to explode. He drove his finger inside her, thrust and thrust again, until he found that other sweet spot that would drive her wild. She pushed her pelvis against his hand and he chuckled against her mouth. He wasn’t sure what she wanted more, to be able to come or be able to talk.
He voted for come and ran his thumb over her clit with the next thrust of his finger. She clamped down so hard he thought he was going to lose it. She moaned her release into his mouth and damn, wasn’t that some fine, fine candy.
He eased her down onto the bench looking dazed and happy.
“That,” he pointed to her mouth, “is a silly smile and ought to keep you quiet for a bit.”
It did, if a bit was thirty seconds. He turned to adjust the heat of the water.
“Bull-y,” she laughed languidly and slid her fingers up over his ass. She laughed again at his growled response.
“You loved it.”
He took her hands and pulled her into the shower. As she had that first night, she hissed at the feel of the spray, but this time she tilted her head back until it rested on his chest and let the water pound down her body. She moaned and began to move, languidly stretching and flexing her body to take full advantage of the hot water massage. She reminded him of a cat.
“God, I love a hot shower, don’t you?” she purred.
“They’re something you get in and get out of with a quick soaping in between.” He’d never thought much about it until that shower in the motel with her.
She turned into him and ran her hands up his chest and around his neck, then stood on tiptoe to reach his lips and murmured against them. “That’s an attitude that needs to be changed.”
She moved behind him to reach around the curtain and grab the flowered pink bag she carried with her clothes. From it she pulled a variety of plastic bottles and a matching pink wash cloth.
“A gift from Sarah,” she explained to his raised eyebrows. “I didn’t ask.”
Bull knew what she meant. “They don’t like being called tramps and thieves, but they live out of an old bus and steal for a living. I didn’t ask about those steaks Boris cooked for supper, either.”
“Fell off a truck,” she giggled.
“Fell over in some farmer’s field, more likely.”
She poured a little of the purple liquid in her hand and began to massage his head. “Doesn’t it feel wonderful to have someone wash your hair?”
“I’m going to smell like flowers.”
“That’s okay, I like flowers.”
He’d never had a woman wash his hair before. Bull closed his eyes and was enjoying the sensation when she pulled his arm to turn him until his back was to the spray. “Tilt your head back and rinse.”
She soaped his shoulders and back and ass, chattering the whole time, asking about his scars, giggling over what she claimed was the dimple in his right cheek. She made him turn again and hold his arms above his head while she scrubbed his chest. She poked and prodded his sides and belly looking for ticklish spots and complained he was no fun when she couldn’t find one.
Bull closed his eyes and let her hands and chatter soothe away all thoughts of anything except how good she made him feel. It was a minute before he realized the chattering had stopped.
She was on her knees, eyeing his erection and licking her lips. When she looked up at him, he groaned and stretched over her until his hands hit the wall.
Her mouth was silken sex, pulling him deep, stroking, licking, running her tongue along his length, and pulling him in again and again. She wasn’t quiet about it either. She moaned, she hummed, and he felt the vibrations of her pleasure. Fuck, he was screwed and in more ways than that mouth on his cock.
“Mine. Mate. Mine.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. She was his. He would have to find a way to keep her that would work for them both.
Bull gave in to his wolf and gave himself and his heart up to Tommie.
Chapter 27
“Bull?” Tommie whispered.
“Yeah, baby.”
He hooked his arm a little tighter around her neck and pulled her a little closer to his side. Tommie wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sky was grey with pre-dawn light and a misty rain was beginning to fall. The woods to either side of the road were grey and misty, too, and eerily quiet.
“Why didn’t you kill the Alpha?”
She felt his breath hitch just the tiniest bit before he answered. “There was no need. He was dying anyway.”
“I wanted to kill him.” Her confession was made in a whisper. “I bit his nose because I couldn’t reach his throat. Everybody says it was brave or cool like I did something special. What I did was savage.”
“Not savage. Wolf. You were cornered and you fought with the only weapon you had. What they found amazing was that you didn’t cower. You fought an Alpha.”
“But they did that the other day. They faced him down the first time.”
“They faced him, but not alone and they didn’t attack.”
“I don’t think I attacked him either. I felt like a bystander. My wolf took over and it frightened me.”
She couldn’t tell him what she felt for the Alpha. It was disgusting, and part of her shame was because she felt like she’d betrayed Bull. She was afraid he’d feel the same way. Tommie opted to confess the other part of her shame since he already knew most of it.
“He said we were going to get along and it was the way he said it, I guess. It made me feel... I used to feel that way when I was a teenager, after running wild,” she said because she couldn’t say the words. “I hated looking in the mirror because I didn’t like what I saw. I felt disgusted and dirty.”
He lifted her chin and his kiss was so sweet it almost made her cry. “What do you feel after you’ve been with me?”
She felt like she’d made love. For the first time in her life, she’d made love. But she couldn’t tell him that either. “I feel like I have a silly smile on my face.”
He smiled and kissed her nose. “I’m glad to hear it.” And then he became serious again. “What you did when you were a cub wasn’t you. Your wolf was in control. You hadn’t mastered it back then.”
“I don’t think I’ve mastered it yet. She keeps putting strange things in my head.”
“Listen to her, Tommie. That doesn’t mean you have to follow her, but you need to listen. Her instincts can save your life. If she’s scared, you should be, too. If she says something is good, it probably is. But you have to remember that a wolf doesn’t reason like a human. They think in the present, not the long run. You have to find a balance.”
He let her go with a chuckle and began picking up the things he’d dropped. “Like now, my wolf wants me to drag you under those trees over there and have my way with you. My human says it’s going to rain and we need to get a few hours’ sleep. We have a lot to do today.”
Tommie knew he was trying to make her smile and she tried. She picked up the towels. “My wolf wanted you to kill the Alpha. She wanted you to take the mantle.”
Cora had explained that the mantle was a kind of mystical cloak that the Alpha wore. It gave him special powers. The mantle was what made the Alpha the leader. An Alpha could set aside the mantle, but most died wearing it. A Challenge to take it was a fight to the death.
“Was that the job Cora said you refused to take?” she asked.
&nbs
p; Bull’s sigh sounded like he regretted promising to answer all Tommie’s questions. “It wasn’t a formal Challenge, but yeah, I didn’t want to take the chance that his mantle would fall on me. I couldn’t tolerate a pack like that and I’d end up fighting Challenges once a week.”
“I’m glad. I wouldn’t like you to become like him. He was creepy, evil. I don’t understand why everyone is so gung-ho about finding one.” She could never be with anyone who made her feel like the Alpha did. The thought of it made her shiver with disgust. “Alphas are horrible creatures.”
Bull had started the walk back, but stopped and waited until she caught up. “You’ve got it wrong, Tommie. Like everybody else, Alphas run the gamut from bad to good and everything in between. A good Alpha should be a leader, not a dictator,” he said patiently. “The best Alphas care more about the welfare of the pack than they do about their own. It shouldn’t be about strength or power unless it comes to the safety of the pack.” Bull poked his chin in the direction they were heading. “They’ve forgotten that because they haven’t had a good Alpha in thirty years. Most of them were pups back then.
“Good or bad, most of us feel better when there’s an Alpha in charge. We feel lost without a leader and a pack. It’s ingrained in us, like never getting lost or knowing where the moon rises. We function better with it than without it.”
Tommie had heard about something like this before in one of her college classes. “It’s called genetic memory. I had to sit through a lecture about it once, but I think it’s only a theory.”
“Never heard of it, but if the theory fits,” he joked and then went on. “Without an Alpha, there is no pack, and pack is everything.”
Tommie nodded that she understood, but she didn’t think the theory of genetic memory applied to her. “I’ve never been much of a joiner and never looked for a leader to blindly follow.”
Bull started to laugh. “What about the PB&Js? What about your special ladies at Harbor House? I’ll bet there were others in between. You didn’t look for a leader because you were one; a bossy little mini-Alpha.”
Tommie rolled her eyes. “Great. I’m an oddball there, too. Cora says all alphas, little and big ‘a’,” she clarified, “are male.”
He was still laughing. “That’s what we like to think, but look at these guys. Because he’s the oldest male, Samuel appears to be the boss, but it’s Cora who has the real power in this group. So do you. Look how fast they changed sides over Macey.”
“They changed sides because they knew it was right.”
“No. They followed because they instinctively understand that you and Cora are the strongest.”
“Oh please,” she disagreed, “Have you seen Helen?” The woman was heavy, but definitely not fat. Tommie had watched her toss coolers of meat into the back of the truck like they held nothing but air.
“It’s more than physical. They sense your inner core of strength, your determination.”
She laughed. “My stubbornness, you mean.”
He bumped her with his hip. “It’s only stubborn when you use it with me.”
“Won’t Cora be upset when a real Alpha shows up?” Tommie couldn’t picture Cora allowing anyone to boss her around.
“No, and if an Alpha is smart, he’ll value her wisdom. Genetic memory, remember? I don’t think that’s going to be an issue anyway. They’re not going to find an Alpha, not a good one.”
“How can you say that?”
“Because it’s true. I know you like them, spitfire. I do, too, but look at them. They’re a band of misfits, and that’s putting it kindly.”
“They are not.” She felt like a mother whose child had been called ugly. Even her wolf snarled.
“Denying it won’t change it. These wolvers are thieves, Tommie, and I have a sneaking suspicion Bogie’s worse. With the exception of a few, they’re not very bright. They’re the wolvers other packs throw out. I’m not even sure some of them are good at what they do.
“They survive because they don’t stay in one place long enough to get caught. They want to change.” He used the point she was about to make. “But a good Alpha would have to stand for his pack first and allowing twenty plus thieves to move into his territory would put his pack at risk.” Again, he answered her next argument before she made it. “He wouldn’t take the time to get to know them. He wouldn’t take the chance that they’d rob his people blind while he was getting to know them.”
“They can find an Alpha,” she argued. “There must be one out there someplace.
“If there is, he’ll be just like the one that died up at that shack. He’ll use them. It doesn’t matter how we see them, Tommie, to the rest of the wolver world, they’re tramps and thieves, omegas. No one wants them.”
“I do,” she said indignantly. “I want them.”
“I know.” Bull shook his head. “But we’ve already established that you’re crazy.”
“Then we’ll have to find an Alpha who’s crazy, too.”
“Stubborn,” he said, but he was smiling.
“Determined,” she answered back.
Chapter 28
It took the men most of the day to hide the damage, as Samuel euphemistically put it. The bodies had to be taken far from the scene and no two would be buried together. They’d used the ax as much as the shovel. The floor of the woods was carpeted with mats of fine roots that grew just below the surface and no matter how clear the space looked when they began, far reaching tree roots had to be dealt with.
The morning’s threatened storm moved in soon after breakfast and didn’t stop until late afternoon. They were muddy and exhausted by the time they returned and Bull insisted they spend another night before moving on.
Tommie wasn’t happy and Bull was pretty sure he knew why.
“You’ve got more thunder in your face than the storm had.” Bull leaned down to kiss her nose and caught her ear instead.
She kept her head turned away. “Go soak your head,” she grumbled.
“Already did.” He laughed and shook his head, sending drops of water over her and then jumped back. “Thunder in her face and lightning from her eyes. Who peed in your cereal?”
“You did.” She wiped her face of the water from his hair. “You don’t want me to take them to my house and you’re finding excuses to stay.”
He was, but not for the reason she thought. “Burying evidence is not an excuse, spitfire, and one more day isn’t going to kill them or you. The rain’s moving out and we can pack up dry in the morning. Besides, your new outfit is sexy. Stolen goods look good on you.”
She was wearing a clear plastic poncho that looked like a garbage bag with a built-in hood.
“It would look a lot sexier with nothing underneath,” he whispered as an aside. “Show off that skinny little ass of yours and that mole you have right below your...”
She jabbed him with her elbow, but she laughed as she did it, and that’s what he was looking for.
“Don’t change the subject.”
“Baby, that subject never changes.”
“Admit it. You don’t want me to take them home. You think it’s a bad idea.”
The damn woman was like a crow on a carcass. He gave up trying to chase her away from it. “You’re right. It’s a bad idea. Gantnor will have eyes on that place.”
“There’s safety in numbers. He wouldn’t come for me with all those people around me,” she argued. “Besides, all his notes, all his proof, are destroyed. He’s lost. You heard the news. He’s got more on his plate than li’l ol’ me.”
The news of the fire had been the lead story for days. The investigation into the cause had led to other questions, beginning with the evacuation procedures. Things were complicated by the escape of several high security patients. While most of the escapees were recovered, five were still missing.
Bull wondered if two of them went by Buster and Stu.
The State was now involved and politicians were jumping in front of any hand that held
a microphone. They demanded answers. The public trust had been violated. Political bullshit at its best, but at least it kept Gantnor in the spotlight. As long as he was news, Bull’s hunt would be easier.
“His problems will make him more desperate,” Bull told her. “Or he’ll be looking for revenge. And who says he needs you?” If she wouldn’t think of herself, she would think of the others. “He knows about Samuel and Eli. Don’t you think he’ll put the rest together?”
“Once we’re inside, we won’t leave. He’s not going to storm the place. It’s a quiet residential street for God’s sake.”
Bull shook his head. Crow on a carcass. “I’ve seen that house, spitfire. It’s a nice little house, little being the operative word here. Five rooms?”
“Six,” she huffed with a little purse to her lips. He’d insulted her house.
“Six. How long do you think you can keep these wolvers happy in six rooms? Look at them.” He used his chin to point. “It rained most of the day. How much time did Cora and the others spend in the bus? How much did you?”
“None,” she bit out before she frowned. “For them. They put that tarp up over the picnic table.” Her shoulders sagged. “I took a nap in the tent. By the way, the corner leaks,” she informed him and then looked miserably up into his eyes. “Am I a bad wolver if I hate sleeping in a tent? Am I a failure as a wolver because I want cozy covers instead of sleeping bags with broken zippers? I want a soft, cushy mattress instead of a yoga mat. I want pillows that aren’t soggy. I want...”
“Me in this cushy bed of yours?” He slung his arm around her neck
“Oh, all right,” she said without enthusiasm. “but I get the side closest to the bathroom and we keep the nightlight on.”
Bull laughed and pulled her closer. “Are you that miserable living wild?”
“I hate it. Oh, Bull, please don’t tell them, but I hate it. I absolutely hate it. I’d give anything for a nice warm bed.” She buried her face in his chest.
It was the best news she could have given him. Ferals sought the wild. To hide his relief, he snickered salaciously. “Anything?”
Wolver's Rescue Page 23