Clint Black was singing now. She’d really enjoyed Patsy Cline, and there’d even been some Willie Nelson and a couple of old dudes she didn’t recognize. Whichever one of the guys was driving sort of hummed to himself, and she’d heard soft snoring from the passenger seat.
She couldn’t stand it another minute. Tala reached out from under her blanket and stretched her fingers across the lumpy piles of gear. Finally, after a few minutes’ quiet search in the darkness, she found a warm Styrofoam box next to a pair of big hiking boots. Eureka!
Tala brought the box close to her nose. It smelled absolutely delicious and her mouth watered. She’d learned not to be picky, living with Jimmy, but this smelled better than anything she could remember. Carefully she lifted a corner of the lid. It squeaked so loudly she was sure the sound echoed over the SUV’s engine noise. Tala held perfectly still while the wonderful aromas teased her nostrils.
No one seemed to notice how much noise she’d just made.
She finally managed to pop the lid and sighed with barely restrained ecstasy. Mashed potatoes, a huge piece of meat, even horseradish. Sliced carrots, perfectly steamed and seasoned to perfection. Tala practically moaned aloud. It tasted even better than it smelled. Slowly but thoroughly, she devoured every bite, running her finger around the inside of the container to make sure she didn’t miss a single scrap.
Then, tummy full and mind totally relaxed for the first time in months, Tala pulled the blankets and sleeping bags back over her head and snuggled down against the back of the seat.
Running. The night wind blowing hot against his thick coat, rough sand burning his paws. Sounds of night creatures and the usual stew of scent, of rodent and bird, deer and predator.
The scent of his packmate just ahead. Another, not familiar. Chanku? Stopping in his tracks, he raised his nose to sniff the air. Felt his body quicken, the thick ruff of fur between his shoulder blades rise up.
Female. Most definitely female. He cast ahead, searching for AJ, finding another. A new mind, open, welcoming. AJ? Where the hell was AJ?
“Hey, bro. Wake up. You’re having one hell of a nightmare.”
AJ’s soft grip on his shoulder brought Mik out of whatever dream held him. He shook his head to clear his thoughts; then inhaled deeply.
Scented the female. Slowly, Mik turned and stared at AJ. “I was dreaming I smelled a woman.”
AJ laughed. “I’ve never known that to get you all hot and bothered. Now, a good-looking guy, maybe…”
Mik shook his head. “No, Chanku. In my dream I scented a Chanku female. I’m awake, now. I still smell her.”
This time AJ grinned, then nodded toward the back of the vehicle. “Don’t know about Chanku, but we’ve got ourselves a female whether we want her or not.”
“What?” Mik spun around and looked over the seat. There was so much crap thrown back there it was hard to tell what AJ was talking about. The sleeping bags and a couple of old blankets were right where he’d left them.
The scent tickled Mik’s nostrils and his Chanku senses stirred again. With his night vision, much clearer than that of a normal human, Mik studied the pile of blankets for a moment. They moved, ever so slightly.
Grinning, he turned back around in his seat, this time choosing silent conversation. You’re right. Sleeping, I imagine. The little girl from the bar?
You tell me. AJ concentrated on the road ahead. I didn’t get close enough to smell her.
Mik inhaled again. Neither did I. I just smell female, and… He took another deep breath. The stink of at least three or four other guys on her. Maybe more.
You don’t think that bastard turned her over to those butt-uglies in the bar, do you? AJ’s eyes flashed at Mik before he turned his attention back to the long stretch of highway.
Yeah, I do. Imagine that’s why she finally decided to get out. Sometimes it takes something over the top to motivate a person to stop acting out the victim’s role. Mik studied AJ’s profile while he thought about the problem. The odds of this woman being Chanku were about a million to one, but they couldn’t just leave her out here in the middle of nowhere. He didn’t want to even think about the fact he felt attracted to her. Mik imagined that might be a tough one for AJ to handle.
I don’t want to leave her along the road. I’d like to take her with us, at least for a while. You okay with that?
AJ nodded. Yeah, of course, it depends on what she wants. She might have a particular destination in mind. We’ll have to leave her somewhere at some point. She can’t come all the way with us. It’s too risky.
Yeah, I know. Just far enough that old Jimmy can’t find her, okay?
AJ nodded again and glanced briefly in Mik’s direction. His expression, usually so open, was guarded. Just far enough. That’s all. We can’t let her know what we are.
2
She’d had the most amazing dreams. Her mind had spun with confused images of wolves and dark, damp forests and the sense Tala ran on four legs instead of two. A sense of two huge, black wolves chasing her, of the wind blowing through her own thick pelt. Dreams so real she wanted to check her hands to reassure herself they truly were her hands and not broad, nail-tipped paws.
Tala knew she should have been frightened, but instead she woke up horny as hell in spite of her aching body. Needy in a way that consumed her. She felt sore vaginal muscles tighten involuntarily and knew there’d be no stemming the rush of fluid, no controlling her swollen labia and needy clit.
Damn. What was wrong with her? Women didn’t lust like this, weren’t consumed by carnal needs that drove them like…like exactly what she was. A whore. Nothing but a whore.
Suddenly the thick blanket lifted away from her. Straight teeth glinted in the pale glow of street lamps and she cowered back into her nest of sleeping bags and pillows.
“Did you sleep well?”
It was the tall one, the guy with the long sweep of black hair and cheekbones a model would kill for.
“Uh, yeah. I guess I did.”
Tala rolled out of the pile of bags and reached for the door handle. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll just…”
The hand that grabbed her shoulder was gentle enough, but Tala knew there’d be no breaking his grip. He leaned over the back of the seat. Up this close, all she saw was the shimmer of light over the muscles in his forearm.
“Wait. Don’t go. Don’t be afraid. It’s damned cold out there and AJ and I were going to get a room. Stay with us tonight.”
A startled laugh burst out of her. Men. They were all alike. She flipped her hair back over her shoulder. “You expect me to do both of you?”
The one holding her glanced toward his buddy and then back at Tala. Light glinted off white teeth and she had a feeling he was quietly laughing at her. “Actually, I was planning on doing AJ later, but you’re welcome to watch.”
She almost choked. What a waste! “You guys are gay? You’re like…”
The one called AJ turned around in the seat and grinned at Tala. “I’m not sure what you think we’re like, but I’d like to think we just want to help you. It’s your call. We’ll get a room with two beds and you’re welcome to have one all by yourself.”
She hadn’t really looked that closely at him in the bar, as scared as she’d been of Jimmy. Hadn’t realized quite how gorgeous he was. Amazing eyes, thick, dark brown hair, lips that made her mouth water and her pussy weep.
To be honest, she’d love nothing better than a chance to fuck both of them. How contrary was that! Just a minute ago she’d mouthed off about…“I’d like that. Thank you. And I apologize.”
“No need.” The fingers grasping her shoulder dropped away, freeing her. The man turned his hand, palm up. Tala placed her much smaller hand in his.
“I’m Miguel Fuentes. Mik to my friends.” He nodded toward AJ. “This reprobate is Andrew Jackson Temple. We call him AJ.” Then, in an aside, he whispered, “It was easier for him to learn to spell it that way.”
Tala laughed. She felt the
tension in her shoulders fall away. “My name’s Tala and I would love to stay with you, if you don’t mind. In fact, I’d like to travel with you for a while if it’s okay. I won’t feel safe until I’m farther away from Jimmy.” She felt an involuntary shudder race down her spine. “He thinks he owns me.”
“I got that feeling.” Mik unlatched his seat belt and got out of the SUV. AJ did the same and held the door open for Tala. She stepped out into the glow of an overhead light.
“Shit.”
AJ’s quiet gasp reminded Tala how she must look. She didn’t even want to think how she must stink. Her cotton T-shirt was stretched out at the neck and covered in stains. Her short skirt was ripped along one side and stained as well. The bastards hadn’t even taken her clothes off of her, just shoved them out of the way.
Tala figured her panties were probably still somewhere on or under the pool table, not that she’d ever want them back. She took a deep breath and answered AJ’s unasked question. “I’m okay. Really. I just need a shower something awful.”
“She needs a doctor.” Mik had come around the front of the car and was shoving her tangled hair back out of her eyes. The left one was hard to see out of, so it must be swollen almost shut by now.
Tala shook her head. “No. No doctor. They’d call the police and I’d end up right back with Jimmy.”
AJ stared at her for a moment. “No way would any cop send you back to a bastard who did this to you.”
Shrugging her shoulders, Tala refused to meet either man’s eyes. “They would if the bastard’s brother was the county sheriff. Believe me, I found that out the hard way. It’s the reason I haven’t been able to get away from Jimmy. His brother always helps him find me.”
Mik nodded toward AJ. “You go get us a room. One with a big tub, preferably, so this little gal can soak for a while.” AJ headed across the parking lot to the hotel office. Mik turned back to Tala.
“Did Jimmy turn you over to that bunch of idiots at the bar? Did they do this to you?”
Tala hung her head. Heat swept across her face. Strong arms came around her and pulled her filthy body up against a hard, warm chest. Mik’s kindness was her undoing.
She felt the stinging behind her eyes again and a shudder raced throughout her as she struggled for control. Mik’s big hand swept slowly along her spine. Surprisingly, the need for tears slowly ebbed. There was something so comforting about him. Something that made her feel safe.
They were still standing like that, arms around each other, when AJ returned. He didn’t say a word, but Tala thought she heard him chuckle. He handed a keycard to Mik.
“We’re number twelve, just around the back. I’ll bring the car and meet you over there.”
Tala’s legs felt like rubber. Mik seemed to understand without her saying a word, because he picked her up like she was a little kid and held her against his chest. Once again she felt like crying, but she managed to wrap her arms around his neck without making a fool of herself.
His hair felt like silk. It was longer than hers, falling board-straight down his back. It should have felt coarse but it wasn’t. Not at all. Tala concentrated on Mik’s hair as he walked quickly across the parking lot.
Concentrated on the feel of it, the glossy shimmer and the silky texture, and not the broad expanse of his chest or the muscles in his powerful arms or the fact he smelled so good.
Gay! What a waste, especially since her body certainly hadn’t figured it out. Mik’s touch made her cunt throb and her nipples pucker against her soft T-shirt. He had to know she was turned on.
Then again, maybe he didn’t. If he liked just guys…
Mik set Tala down in front of the door, slipped the plastic keycard into the slot, and held the door open for her. AJ pulled the car into a space just outside.
Tala forgot about both men the minute Mik turned on the lights. The room was gorgeous. Big and luxurious and a far cry from the cheesy rent-by-the-hour dives Tala used when she worked. Two huge, king-sized beds piled high with pillows took up most of the space at the far end, but there was a separate sitting room and a bathroom that was bigger than her bedroom at Jimmy’s.
“Good. It’s got a tub.” Mik leaned over Tala’s shoulder to inspect the bathroom and she fought a powerful compulsion to lean back against him.
“Looks more like a swimming pool to me.” She wasn’t exaggerating. It was round, at least six feet across and three feet deep.
Mik laughed. “Hey, we’re big guys. We need a big tub.” He stepped around beside Tala to take a closer look. “It’s got jets. Should help your sore muscles.” He flipped the lever to plug the drain and turned the water on high. “I expect you to stay in here until you’re all pruny. Turn the jets on with that control.” He showed her a switch and then turned to leave. At the doorway, Mik paused for a minute. “Are you hungry? Should we order something for you to eat?”
Tala blushed. “Umm…I ate somebody’s leftovers in the back of the car. I’m sorry, I…”
Mik just laughed. “Well, at least I know they went to a good cause. You could use a few pounds. The bathroom is all yours. I’m going to see if I’ve got something else in there you can wear. Your clothes have about had it.”
AJ met him just outside the bathroom door with a hug. “Shit, man. You could get an Oscar for that performance. You sound totally calm and together.”
“I’d like to kill the bastards.” Mik soaked up some of AJ’s warmth, then pulled away. “We need to burn her clothes. They stink of half a dozen dead men.”
“They’re not dead, and you, my friend, are not going to kill them.” AJ headed for the door. “There’s a gift shop in the hotel lobby. I’m going to see if I can find her something to wear.”
Mik nodded, but his attention was on the bathroom door. He’d left it partially open.
Tala hadn’t closed it.
The sound of running water finally stopped.
“Mik?”
He practically swallowed his tongue. “Yeah? You need something?” Mik realized he was standing just outside the bathroom door. He didn’t even remember walking across the room.
“My back. It hurts really bad and I can’t tell what…”
He didn’t need an engraved invitation. The bathroom was steamy. Warm and intimate. Tala sat in the middle of the big tub with water frothing and bubbling about from the underwater jets. She had her knees drawn up under her chin and her back was turned to him.
She looked about twelve years old, sitting there in the bubbles with her shoulders rolled forward and prominent vertebrae marching down her narrow spine. She was covered with bruises, but her back was a raw and angry red. Mik noticed flecks of green caught in her injured flesh. When he realized what he was seeing, he bit back a litany of curses.
He grabbed a soft washcloth and, kneeling next to the tub, dipped it in the warm water. “This may sting. In fact, I know it will.” Without pausing, he asked, “Did they rape you on the pool table?”
Tala jerked. She didn’t answer aloud. Mik barely caught the small nod of her head.
“You’ve got really bad friction burns. There’s some felt caught in them. I need to wash this whole area so there’s no infection, but it’s going to hurt like hell. Are you okay with that?”
She nodded again. Her body stiffened when he touched her with the soft cloth, but she didn’t make a sound. Mik wondered how many times in her life she’d been hurt. How often she’d just taken the pain without complaint.
He heard the door open, the sound of bags hitting the table. AJ’s light tap on the door.
Tala’s shoulders rose and fell as she sighed. “You might as well come in. It’s not like I’ve got any modesty left.”
“What the fuck?”
“AJ, you are not a subtle man.” Mik glared at AJ, but he had to admit he’d wanted to say the same thing. Bastards screwed her so hard on the pool table they drove felt into her back.
I’ve got some antibiotic in my overnight kit. AJ flashed one of his killer
smiles at Tala. “Be right back.”
He returned with three surprisingly nice wineglasses and a bottle of very good wine…and the antibiotics. Mik handed Tala a glass filled to the brim with cold Chardonnay. She giggled when she took it and then took a big gulp that made her choke and sputter. Her next sip was much smaller.
“You realize this is way beyond every woman’s fantasy. Soaking in a hot tub with two gorgeous men attending me, and a glass of wine to sip. All I need now is for you both to be willing to fulfill my every desire.”
AJ parked his butt on the broad tile edge of the tub. “We’ll check on those desires later, after Mik finishes your back. I brought the wine because I thought it might dull the pain while Mik works on you.”
Tala smiled at him and took another swallow. “I sure hope so, because whatever he’s doing hurts a lot.”
Mik jerked his hand back. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Tala turned and looked over her shoulder at him through her water-soaked bangs. “You told me it was going to hurt. What would be the point of complaining?” She shoved the wet hair back from her face.
Mik almost fell into the tub. Without saying a word, he turned to see AJ’s reaction.
AJ stared at Tala. He was shaking his head slowly back and forth with a look of total disbelief on his face. Her eyes. She has Tia’s eyes.
I know. I was sure I scented Chanku. Do you think…?
I don’t…
“Well? What are you staring at?” Tala frowned. Her brilliant amber eyes darted back and forth as she looked from AJ to Mik and back again at AJ.
Mik had to shake himself just to answer her. “You remind us of someone we both know. A really good friend of ours. Her name’s Tia Mason.”
Tala turned back around so that Mik could finish cleaning off her back. “I don’t know any Tia, but then I don’t know very much at all.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know much?” Mik rinsed Tala’s back and draped the washcloth over the edge of the tub. Without really thinking about it, he grabbed the small vial of complimentary shampoo and squirted some into his hand, then proceeded to wash Tala’s hair.
Sexy Beast II Page 2