“As a matter of fact, I worked part time at the campus café when I was in college,” I admitted with a wink. “Coeds flocked from every corner of the campus for a taste of my chili-cheese fries!”
Celine laughed, a sound of genuine humor, warming me. She looked more like the old Celine now, dressed in a black tee printed with the slogan “Black Magic” in a distinctive gothic typeface and a pair of black yoga pants. Her wild curls were still a little damp from her shower and cascaded freely over her shoulders. There was healthy color in her cheeks.
“What did you study in college?” she asked, picking up a hamburger bun and slathering it with ketchup and mayo. “Anything exciting?”
“Pre-law. I had grand plans of being a prosecutor someday, like my grandfather. But with all the crazy things going on in the world, I couldn’t just sit by and do nothing, so I enlisted in the Army shortly after my first year. To my surprise, I found military life suited me better. I served for a few years before I was honorably discharged.”
“Did that happen before or after you were changed?”
I stiffened as old memories surged, but I forced myself to relax. It might be good to talk about this with someone who could actually understand. “I was changed while on active duty in the Army.”
“Wow.” Celine placed her half-prepared bun on her plate, her appetite evidently forgotten. “That must have been tough to hide in the military.”
I barked a laugh. “Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about controlling my initial outbursts. During that time, I spent three weeks with a band of hybrid wolf-shifters in a Bolivian jungle.”
“Yeah?” Celine blinked in surprise. “How did that happen?”
I sighed. “I was part of the Special Ops task force assigned to track someone down. We’d split up across the jungle to broaden the search, and my squad and I were attacked by a group of wolves. Apparently, we’d trespassed into their territory, not that there were any signs warning us away or anything.”
“That’s horrible.” Celine’s eyes were wide as she stared at me, her expression a combination of fascination and horror. “How on earth did you survive?”
“Another pack of wolves happened to be in the area, and they charged in, forcing the others to retreat,” I recalled. “I learned later, the two packs were mortal enemies, always fighting for territory in the jungles. They were sympathetic to us since all of them had once lived in the nearby villages and towns before being forced into the jungles after being changed, so they took us in. They taught us the basics of how to control our inner beasts well enough to mingle among society, and then we made it back to our camp.”
Celine frowned. “If they knew how to mingle with society, then why were they hiding out in the jungle instead of living among people?”
I shrugged. “Most of them had been abandoned by their families or just couldn’t bring themselves to face the people they’d left behind. Some preferred the wild, deciding to live in a community of people they didn’t have to hide from. I have to admit, I understand where they’re coming from. It’s tough to try to coexist with people who don’t understand you.”
Celine nodded. “I know how that is. I’m lucky I at least got to grow up with a family who was the same as me,” she remarked, a faraway look in her eyes. She blinked and refocused on me. “So, what happened after that? Did you continue in the military?”
I shook my head. “My squad and I were honorably discharged after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.” I snorted. “I spent some time messing around. Then Jimmy, with whom I used to serve, offered me a job in New York. So, here I am.”
Celine raised an eyebrow. “So, that’s it? You go from being on a task force in the Army to doing security detail at an art museum with no bumps in between?”
“Yes. There were bumps . . . but let’s leave it at that for now.” I crossed my arms and changed the subject, not willing to discuss Julia with Celine just yet. “So, this place of yours . . . it’s a beautiful spot,” I praised, gesturing around the space. “How long have you lived here?”
“I like it a lot. Plus, I don’t have any neighbors because the town house next door is empty. And, to answer your question, I’ve lived here a couple of years, but I actually spend most of my time at my dad’s residence in New Jersey,” she admitted ruefully. “My dad likes to keep me close, especially since my mother passed away. I bought this place a few years ago as a sanctuary with some of the money I’d made playing the stock market, and I come here whenever I need some space and peace and quiet.”
I blinked. “So, you weren’t lying about the stock market stuff?”
“Nope.” Celine laughed and picked up her bun again, plopping the hamburger onto it along with some lettuce, tomatoes, and onions before closing it up. She took a huge bite and chewed for a few moments before speaking again, “My dad taught me about stocks when I was a young girl, and I always had a natural aptitude for it.”
I raised a brow. “You’d think that, with a moneymaking skill like that, you wouldn’t be so concerned about needing to inherit your father’s empire.”
Celine sighed. “I know what you’re saying,” she declared, toying with one of her curls, “but Dad is real old-school and wants to keep the business in the family, and I don’t have the damn heart to deny him. He’s always loved me and taken good care of me over the years. I figure the least I can do is make sure the business passes into the hands of someone who will keep it going. He’s worked his entire life to build that business from the ground up. It’s his legacy. I can’t just watch it be destroyed without stepping in to save it.”
I nodded. “Totally understandable. How did Carter get involved in the business?”
Celine trembled at the mention of his name, and I reached out to her from across the table, taking her hand into mine. She looked up at me, lips quivering, blinking back tears.
It was a few moments before she spoke, “When the economy took a nose dive, Dad needed to take on investors. Carter was the only one who really had the ability to save the company from going bankrupt. Dad managed to keep the majority share, but Carter wanted a large stake in the company. And Dad wasn’t in a good situation to refuse him, so he took the fucked-up offer.”
“Your dad had no idea what kind of man he was doing business with?” I replied, my voice soft and soothing.
“No. Dad would never have agreed if he knew. No one knew. When Carter came to me, asking me to be his mate, I refused, but then he told me of his intentions . . . the reason he’d saved my dad’s company in the first place. He wanted me.”
I gently stroked Celine’s hand before moving my chair so I could be closer to her.
“I just didn’t want Dad to lose everything else when he had already lost Mom,” she confessed, choking back tears. “He’s lost so much already. We both have. That’s the only reason I made a vow to Carter, and according to shifter law, my promise can only be broken if a shifter challenges our union and wins the battle.”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and nuzzled her against me for a moment. “It’s going to be okay Celine.”
Now I knew exactly what I had to do to free her from Carter, and if things were on stronger terms between us, I’d challenge Carter without hesitation.
* * *
We finished the rest of our meal in comfortable silence and then worked together to clean up the kitchen.
“I guess I’d better head back home,” I announced, shrugging my jacket back onto my shoulders. I hated to leave her here, but I knew that staying with her would only complicate things between us.
“Please, don’t go.” Celine grasped my sleeve, her large eyes imploring as she looked up at me.
She bit her bottom lip. The gesture was so vulnerable and sexy at the same time that I nearly groaned in frustration.
“Gunner, I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
I couldn’t really fault her for that, especially since I didn’t really want to leave her alone either.
; “Please stay,” she whispered.
“All right,” I answered quietly, while making a mental note to text Jimmy to ensure he wouldn’t need his car. “I’ll stay.” I glanced at the couch. “So long as you have some extra blankets?”
Celine followed my gaze. “No,” she blurted. “What I mean is, you don’t have to sleep on the couch. There’s a guest room upstairs. Or . . .”
“Or what?” I didn’t miss the way her pulse had jumped in her throat or the longing in her eyes as she gazed up at me.
Don’t give in.
“Nothing.” She sighed heavily. “Let me show you to your room, so we can get some sleep.”
I followed her up the stairs, staring at her sexy, voluptuous ass swaying mere inches from my face, and I wondered if I was going to be able to get any sleep at all tonight.
I concluded . . . most definitely not.
CHAPTER 15
Gunner
I JERKED AWAKE TO the sound of soft whimpering. Blinking in the darkness, it took me a few moments to remember I was in Celine’s guest room, decorated in the same bold colors and geometric patterns as the living room. Sitting up, I cocked my head, realizing the sounds were coming from Celine’s room across the hall.
She must be having a bad dream.
I hesitated, wondering if I should go check on her or give her some privacy. But the whimpers quickly escalated to sobs, and I bounded out of the bed and into the master bedroom across the hall before I really even had time to think about what I was doing.
“Shh,” I whispered.
Celine was thrashing around in the sheets, so I sat down on the edge of the bed, turning on the lamp sitting on the bedside table, and lifted her into my arms.
“It’s all right. You’re safe.”
“Please stop! No more!” she cried, simultaneously cringing and flailing as I settled her into my lap. “Why won’t you stop?”
“Shh.” I rocked her gently, pushing down the sudden surge of bloodlust at her words. I wanted to find Carter and rip him limb from limb. “He’s not here, baby. He can’t hurt you anymore.” I continued to murmur reassurances until she eventually calmed down, growing limp in my arms, twisting around so that she could curl herself up against me.
Her eyes snapped open. “I’m sorry,” she muttered into my bare chest.
I’d only worn my boxers to bed, and I hadn’t thought to put on a shirt in my haste to get to her.
“That was stupid of me.”
“It’s not stupid,” I murmured, stroking her hair as I continued to rock her. I paused for a moment before adding, “Sometimes, I still have nightmares, too.”
“Really?” Celine looked up, her green eyes luminous in the moonlight that spilled in through the windows. “About your attack?”
I nodded. “Less than I used to, but yeah, they still happen every once in a while.”
“I’m sorry.” She buried her face into my chest again. “Please, Gunner . . . stay in here with me. I need you to keep the nightmares away.”
Wordlessly, I acquiesced, rolling back onto the bed so that I spooned her from behind, and I pulled the sheet over us both. Closing my eyes, I tucked my head into the crook of her shoulder, burying my face in her hair, and tried to relax. But the scent of her shampoo mixed with her own unique, enticing scent teased my nostrils. The round curves of her ass pressed deliciously into my groin. Instantly, my pulse shot up with my heart pumping blood into my nether regions. I gritted my teeth, trying to resist the hard-on I knew was growing.
I heard Celine draw in a breath, and then I nearly cursed as I scented her own arousal. Holding myself rigidly still, I tried not to move, not to breathe, hoping like all hell that this would pass and we would both fall asleep. But she shifted in my arms, her ass rubbing against my erection, and I nearly groaned out loud.
She’d have to be dead to miss that.
I thought she would settle down after a moment, but instead, her ass kept brushing up against my cock, and I realized she was doing it on purpose.
“You little vixen,” I growled, grabbing her around the waist, forcing her to hold still. Unfortunately, that caused her ass to press up tightly against my pulsating cock, and this time, I really did groan out loud. “Celine? Are you trying to kill me?”
“Sorry!” she exclaimed, not sounding the least bit regretful. “I think it’s an involuntary reaction.”
She rubbed her ass against me again, and I let out another groan.
“I can’t seem to help it. My ass has a mind of its own.”
“Shit. I knew this was going to happen,” I moaned. My hands gripped the waistband of her yoga pants. I barely managed to stop myself from yanking them down around her knees and taking her right there.
Celine turned her head, facing me, hurt shimmering in her eyes. “Are you saying you don’t want me?”
“Of course, I want you,” I countered with an exasperated huff. “That’s the whole problem. I’m not supposed to want you. You’re supposed to . . .” I trailed off.
She’s supposed to what, exactly? Be with Carter? There is no way in hell I am letting her marry that sick fuck. Not after what he did to her tonight. If I had to go track down her father and tell the guy myself, I would do it if it meant her safety.
“You’re the only one I want, Gunner,” Celine confided softly, completely turning around in my arms and now facing me. “We both know we’re meant to be together, and I’m tired of trying to fight it.”
She kissed me before I could respond, sliding her tongue into my mouth, and whatever I’d been about to say flew straight out of my damn head as my sensory perception burst into overdrive.
Crushing her to me, I devoured her mouth with single-minded purpose, wanting to drink her in until I was filled to the brim, though part of me knew I would never truly be satiated. Growling, I slid a hand beneath the waistband of her pants, squeezing her left cheek before moving between her legs to caress the soft, wet folds waiting for me.
“Yes,” she moaned. She dug her fingers into my shoulders and tipped her head back, exposing the elegant column of her throat. “More.”
“Yes.” I slid two fingers into her from behind, slowly pushing in and out, while ducking my head so I could nibble on the sensitive flesh near her collarbone. I inhaled the scent of her sweet arousal, which was growing stronger by the second, until I felt as if I were drunk on it, my head swimming from the deliciously heady scent.
“Careful,” I ordered, gently turning her over onto her stomach. “I don’t want to hurt you.” I pushed her pants down to her knees, positioning her so her ass was thrust up higher in the air than her shoulders. But instead of sliding into her, I spread her knees wider and started licking her pussy.
“Oh!” Celine jerked in surprise, quickly followed by a moan as I sucked her clit. “Yes, please, please, please don’t stop . . .” She trailed off into incoherent cries as I finger-fucked her again, consumed by the need to push her over the edge.
My inner beast howled triumphantly as she came hard and fast, shuddering against my mouth and fingers.
“And you can’t hurt me. You could never hurt me.”
“I can’t wait any longer,” I growled, my voice rough as I rose up onto my knees and yanked off my boxers. “I need to be inside you now.”
“Condom,” she whispered. “I think there’s one in the bedside table . . .”
Quickly, I reached over, opening the table and finding a gold condom packet. Tearing open the wrapper, I sheathed my cock. Gripping her hips, I filled her with a single thrust, nearly groaning aloud as her tight core squeezed my cock. As I began moving inside her, she pushed her hips back up against mine, meeting me thrust for thrust, and I couldn’t help but think she was the sexiest woman I’d ever seen as she looked over her shoulder at me. Her hair falling around her face and spilling across her back, she gave me a smoking-hot, wanton stare, scorching me all the way to my toes.
“Harder,” she demanded, pushing more firmly against me. “Faster.”
“You won’t. I’m already fully healed. Shifter, remember? Now, please, harder,” she begged me.
I complied with her request, slamming into her with a hunger and ferocity I knew might hurt a human woman but only seemed to excite Celine. Her moans grew louder and louder until she finally came again, her pussy clenching tightly around my cock as she shuddered. White light exploded in my vision as her release triggered my own, and I gripped her against me as my hot seed spilled inside the condom. Waiting a bit while she curled onto the bed tiredly, I went to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Wasting no time, I came back to her.
I love you, I wanted to murmur aloud as I drew her back against me, lying down on our sides and tucking her into my body as she drifted off into what I hoped would be a peaceful, dreamless sleep. I fucking love you, woman. But I couldn’t say it, not until I was really sure she was ready to hear it.
Soon, she’ll be mine, I vowed before nodding off to sleep. I’ll find a way to fix this, and then we can be together . . . forever.
CHAPTER 16
Celine
I WOKE UP TO the sound of someone pounding on my front door. Groggily, I sat up and pushed my hair out of my face, dread pooling in my stomach as I wondered who the hell it could be. It was still dark out, so I hadn’t been asleep for long.
“Open the door!” Carter yelled, pounding on the door again. “I’m not done with you, Celine!”
Shit. With all the racket he was making, I thanked God I didn’t have neighbors to witness his embarrassing display.
“That twisted bastard,” Gunner seethed, already on his feet. “Stay here.”
“Wait . . .” I started to say, but Gunner was already out the door and storming into the guest room.
Quickly, I hopped out of bed, running over to my dresser, yanking it open and pulling out a tank and sweats. I tugged them on with fear pulsing through my veins as I wondered why the fuck Carter was here. It didn’t take Gunner long to come out of the guest room, tugging on his jeans.
Operation Wolf: Gunner ~ Sedona Venez Page 9