by Kai Andersen
His fingers delved into her folds and rubbed against her clitoris with fast, insistent strokes. The tension built, tightened and climaxed. She shook and writhed against his frenziedly massaging finger. She felt her pussy close around her fingers and savored the sweet release.
* * * * *
Jake locked the car door and turned, swinging an arm around Adrienne’s shoulders. He yawned. “Whew! What a day; I’m so tired. Let’s get to your place, snuggle a bit and then sleep.”
His voice came out hushed in the dark, quiet night. Few cars passed by on the street and most people were already indoors and asleep. Jake had parked his car a few blocks down from her apartment building, since the parking lot there was always full.
“That’s the best suggestion I’ve heard all day.” Adrienne slung her handbag more securely on her right shoulder and then leaned against Jake’s wonderful strength as they walked. She couldn’t stop the yawn from breaking out. “I can’t believe the board would keep us in the office so late.” She checked her watch. “It’s nearing midnight.”
“Well, it’s understandable that they would want to know how the meeting went.”
“Yeah, but for them to analyze each snippet of response or question is a bit too much.”
“If we didn’t manage to win this deal, they’d probably want to be able to pinpoint what went wrong and see how to improve --”
The loud, insistent, beeping alarm from Jake’s car sliced through the deepening night. Adrienne felt him stiffen.
“Stay here,” he said, and he was gone.
She blinked. How could he move so fast? One second, he was right there beside her, and the next, he was nowhere in sight. She stood on tiptoes and craned her neck, hoping to be able to see Jake checking out the car. But they’d walked some distance, and he was now too far away for her to see him. The alarm was suddenly cut off, and the silence was deafening. She hoped there was nothing wrong with the car. Normally, her residential area was a good neighborhood, but with the increased criminal activities lately, even the previously “safe” areas were not so safe anymore --
Someone gave a vicious tug at her handbag. Her shoulder was almost wrenched from its socket.
She whirled around, screaming.
“Give it to me, lady,” The beefy, towering male spoke in a guttural voice. Something sharp poked her in the ribs. “Don’t fight, and you won’t get hurt.”
“No!” She couldn’t stop screaming, and instinct made her cling stubbornly to her purse.
The thug cursed, and a tug of war ensued between them. His arm swung in an upward arc.
She flinched, certain he meant to strike her.
The knife flashed in the street lamp and severed the strap of her handbag from the bag itself, which was in the hands of the hooligan. She lost her balance and stumbled backward, the detached strap in her hands. She watched, helpless, as the thug made a threatening gesture at her with the knife, no doubt warning her not to follow.
He turned to flee, but had only taken a few steps when someone -- or something -- flew past Adrienne.
The blur of motion knocked into the thug, bringing him to the ground with a hard thump. Her handbag fell beside him.
Adrienne’s mouth opened in a wide “O” when she realized what she was seeing.
Jake.
He was straddled on top of the thug, one hand around the thief’s neck in a vicious grip. Low, angry growls issued from Jake’s throat as he stared down at the thug, who was blubbering with terror, his arms and legs flailing as he tried to scuttle away from Jake with an unmistakable expression of alarm. However, he was doomed to failure for Jake was sitting squarely on top of him.
Adrienne breathed out a sigh of relief, thankful that Jake was with her. In hindsight, she felt incredibly stupid for hanging onto her handbag, which contained nothing but a few coins, some cosmetics and her mobile phone. She stepped forward and scooped the bag from the ground. “Jake --”
He turned to face her.
Startled, she couldn’t control the gasp that escaped from her lips. She saw the reason for the look of terror in the thug’s eyes.
Under the street lamp, she saw that his gray-brown eyes were inundated with flecks of yellow amber that glowed with an eerie light, and his incisors had grown about an inch long. His expression was feral and fierce, like that of a dog protecting its master. No, something more terrifying than a dog -- a wolf. Yet, there was human intelligence shining from his eyes.
She’d seen such a being before. Her ex-love ... “You’re a werewolf.” Even to her ears, her voice sounded flat.
She didn’t understand the look of resignation that crossed Jake’s face. “Call the police. We’ll talk later.”
* * * * *
Eventually, the police came and hauled off the thug. By then, Jake had willed his features to assume human form. He cursed himself inwardly for allowing the beast to take over his physical appearance, but when he’d heard Adrienne’s scream from several blocks away with his canine ears, his one thought had been to reach her before she was harmed.
Fortunately, Jake was acting on the right side of the law, i.e., rescuing his friend’s possession. Anyway, the thug wasn’t injured, so nobody would be able to press charges against Jake. Nor would The Council come after him. To aid the police in their investigation, Jake added the information that the thug might have an accomplice who’d provided the decoy by causing the car’s alarm to go off so that Adrienne would be alone. The police promised to look into things and to inform them should they have any leads. Before the police left, they dispersed the neighborhood residents who’d come out to watch the fun long after the excitement was over.
Jake and Adrienne walked back to her flat in silence. The crunch of their shoes on the sidewalk was unnaturally loud to his ears. Her face was averted from him so he couldn’t see her expression; he also didn’t know what she was thinking. He could have lowered his shields to let her emotions flow through to him, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to hear it from her lips. In such an important situation as this, it was better that she tell him her thoughts herself.
Adrienne could be like Lila, and reject him for the aberration, the monster that he was. He didn’t know many women who could accept being with someone who was half-human. Still, he drew comfort from the fact that she had recognized him for what he was -- a werewolf. Which meant that she might have seen or heard or encountered one of his kind before, and just might be one of those humans with the big heart that Jared had mentioned. Despite himself, hope burned like a tiny wavering flame in the wind.
Jake hadn’t said anything to Jared when they’d met the other day, but the moment Jake had seen Adrienne, he knew. She was the one -- his mate. There was a sense of rightness with her, something that he didn’t feel with Lila ... with any of his past girlfriends. He didn’t know what he’d do if Adrienne couldn’t accept him for what he was. His fear of her reaction to the truth was the main reason he had forced himself to keep his distance from her all this time.
The moment they entered the flat and shut the door behind them, Adrienne rounded on him. “When were you going to tell me that you’re a werewolf?” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you ever plan to tell me?”
“Adrienne --”
“Or didn’t you think this is something I needed to know? Would I just wake up one day to see you biting me? Or to see you changing to a wolf while making love to me?”
He flinched at the unjust accusations. How could he explain he’d been so consumed with his fear that Adrienne couldn’t accept his werewolf heritage that he hadn’t thought so far ahead?
“So, tell me, Jake! Speak up! I’m not an empath like you; I can’t read your mind!”
“Adrienne, I realize you’re in shock --”
“Damn right I’m in shock! I never expected my boss and lover to be a werewolf!”
“But you recognized me.” Anger at Adrienne’s illogical behavior filled him. His voice was cold as ice, in direct contrast to the heat of wrath that w
as fueled by uncertainty burning within him. “You saw me and knew that I am a werewolf.”
“Yes.” Her voice was flat and her face devoid of all expression. “I had a lover once, and he was a werewolf, too. I knew he was one from the very beginning, before our relationship started. I was given the choice to accept him or not, based on the truth of what he was. What about you, Jake? I didn’t know you were an empath, until after we’d made love. When was I supposed to know that you’re a werewolf, after we’d parted?”
How ironic that he’d withheld the truth from her for fear that she couldn’t accept his genetics and would leave him, and instead the withholding would backfire on him and bring about their parting. If he’d told her from the very beginning about himself, then perhaps she might have decided to stay with him? He was dismayed to find that he was trembling; it conveyed too much of his inner turmoil and anguish. He was going to lose her, lose everything, and it was all his fault.
“I won’t allow you to leave me!” He growled, catching her by the shoulders and pulling her close against him. Her handbag, which she’d clutched in her hands all this while, dropped to the floor due to his hard shaking. “So now you know I’m an empath and a werewolf. All my secrets are bared to you; I’m not hiding anything anymore. Do you accept me as I am? Would you stay with me?”
“No!” Adrienne struggled in his arms.
That one word functioned like a knife and cut him up.
She continued to struggle. “You presume too much! What if tonight hadn’t happened? Would you have told me? When would you have told me?”
“So you can’t accept that I’m a werewolf? But you had a werewolf lover once, surely --”
“That’s beside the point! When were you going to tell me that you’re a werewolf, Jake? Answer me!” Her eyes blazed with anger. “Did you even plan to tell me?”
Cold fear washed over him, extinguishing the hot burning fire of anger and uncertainty. “I was afraid that if I’d told you, you’d leave me,” he whispered.
As quickly as that, her anger cooled down. She wrapped her hands around his waist and laid her head on his chest. “Oh Jake.”
“I had a lover once; her name was Lila.” He closed his eyes, letting the memories flow into his mind. “We got along very well; she was open-minded, carefree and gay. I’d told her I was a werewolf early on in our relationship and she seemed to have accepted it and even delighted in it. She went with me to the hunting grounds during the full moon and kept my mother company while the rest of us hunted. One day, I went home and found her gone. She left a note, saying that she couldn’t live with a werewolf. I --” He swallowed.
“I’m sorry.” Adrienne moved her hand over his chest in a caress. “Sorry that you were hurt, but not sorry that she left you. She didn’t deserve you.”
“And you?” He waited with bated breath. The hope that wavered like a tiny candle flame flared up a little. “Are you going to ask me to leave?” He let a little humor creep into his voice. “Since we’re in your flat?”
Adrienne gave a soft laugh. “I’m sorry, Jake, sorry for being angry awhile ago. I thought you never intended to tell me about your being a werewolf; that’s what made me so angry. I didn’t know the strong grip your past has on you. That, combined with the shock of finding out about your heritage, well, I just blew up. Nobody at Creative Minds knows you’re a werewolf.”
It wasn’t a question. Still, Jake answered. “No.”
“You were afraid they’d have the same reaction as Lila.”
“Yes.” Though he had nothing to do with it, pride surged through him that Adrienne was quick and perceptive. “Though the treaty that recognized weres and vamps, to name a few, was signed more than ten years ago, a lot of people still cannot accept the fact that we are to be accorded the same status as everyone else, that we don’t need to go into hiding anymore, that we can come out into the open and expect to be rendered the same rights and privileges as everyone else, that we are protected by the law like every human on this planet! But like everyone else, I need money to survive in this world, Adrienne, hence, I need to work. I can’t let a little prejudice hinder my career, or at the very least, my ability to survive. If I must keep my heritage a secret from everyone else, so be it.” He hesitated. “So, you accept me? Willing to stay with me and see if we can make a go of this relationship?”
“Wasn’t I clear enough?” Adrienne presented him with a tremulous smile that he ached to kiss from her lips. “Then let me make it plain to you, Jake, that I’m not sorry Lila left you, for if she didn’t, I wouldn’t have the chance to be with you. But now that she did -- more fool she -- I’m not about to commit the same mistake. You are someone special, Jake, and not just because of your unique abilities, but because you are you -- my boss, my empath, my werewolf, my lover.” She frowned up at him in a considering manner. “Though I think it’s unfair that not only are you an empath, but you’re also a werewolf, when there are poor souls like me who don’t have a shred of talent.”
“You do have talent.” He nodded in a very solemn manner, which belied the joy that was splintering through his very soul. “Very formidable talent.”
If anything, she only frowned deeper. “I do?”
He nodded emphatically. “Not everyone has the talent to make me so crazy with lust as you do, with those infernally sexy long legs in high stiletto heels.”
A sensuous expression crossed her face. “Really?” She asked in a breathy voice.
“Really.” He was having difficulty breathing as well. She unbuttoned his shirt then slipped her hands inside, caressing his naked chest, tugging on his nipples. She bent her head and licked his right nipple, rolling her tongue around the hardened tip. He groaned and arched his chest. Shocking tingles shot all the way to his groin. His cock stirred, hardening. “I came close to throwing you on top of my desk and making desperate love to you every time you came into my office.”
She straightened, her tongue sliding in sensuous play over her lips. “Hmmm. What a lovely thought.” Her gaze roved over his face, lingering on his mouth. “So, do you change into a werewolf sometimes?”
“Only during the full moon,” he replied thickly. “Other times, we can control it.” His sense of fairness demanded that she get the same treatment. His fingers flew down the buttons at the front of her blouse, soon revealing her lush creamy cleavage. Her white lacy bra couldn’t conceal the jutted prominence of dark brown nipples. He swallowed. Hard.
“Wow. I wish I could see it happen.”
“You really do?”
Her answer was straightforward. “Yes.”
Shock rendered him speechless and without thought. As in, his mind went blank. He reached out ... and felt nothing from Adrienne but a sincere wish to witness his transformation and unfeigned acceptance of his werewolf heritage. Stunned, he could only look at her as an overwhelming joy crashed through him. His voice unsteady, he said, “You will. At the next full moon, which is in three weeks.” He leaned down and touched his lips to hers in a tentative, emotion-filled kiss. Her lips were eager, willing and ready.
After a few minutes, he nuzzled his nose against hers, and voiced the thoughts that had been puzzling him. “Most pure humans still can’t accept my kind; I assume you have such an open mind because of your werewolf ex-lover. It would seem that I have a lot to thank him for.”
She stole a kiss from his lips that was so sweet it took his breath away. “I know, it’s sad, isn’t it, considering that weres have been recognized by polite society for some time now? But I suppose, as you said, people generally have a hard time accepting those who are different from themselves, for a variety of reasons. In your case, they may be afraid that you’ll harm them; after all, you’re part wolf. What if you suddenly shift and gobble them up?” she teased.
“Ah.” He nodded sagely. His fingers remained busy, taking off her bra and unsnapping her skirt and allowing both garments to fall to the ground in silken whispers. The urgent beat in his burgeoning erection dema
nded that he undress her as soon as possible. He hooked his fingers inside the band of her panties, and tore the lacy material away. “Shades of Little Red Riding Hood.”
“What?” She mocked him, even as she rubbed herself against him. “A wolf reading fairy tales?”
“The wolf’s mom,” he said, getting into the spirit of the game for a moment, but then he turned serious. “So is there any other reason why you are different, why you aren’t afraid of me?”
“I believe that no matter how different people are, they are still special.” Her eyes were dark with some expression he couldn’t define. “They have a heart, they have feelings, and they can get hurt.”
“I have a hunch you didn’t get your profound understanding from textbooks.”
She hesitated, and then it seemed as if she’d come to a decision. “My brother, David, is a very special person. He’s only ten years old, but he’s very talented with his paints. He isn’t normal, based on how society dictates normalcy.” A trace of bitterness crept into her voice. “He is very normal though, in his world, which I think is a far better and more beautiful world than ours. He’s autistic, but that doesn’t mean he’s not brilliant. That doesn’t mean he’s less human, or that he doesn’t have very deep emotions.”
“I see.” He hugged her tight. He understood a lot about her now.
She shook her head. “Enough about me. What about you? How come you’re an empathic werewolf?” She made a tiny movement with her head. He could easily imagine her grimacing. “Did that sound right?”
Laughter shook his entire body, a laughter that was cut short when her tongue licked his left nipple this time. Desire came back in ripples, then in waves. He dug his fingers through the thickness of her hair. “Mom’s family,” he said, “has paranormal ability, while Dad has the werewolf genes.” Her tongue pointed and played with his nipple, teasing it to hardness, and causing his rock-hard shaft to demand satisfaction with great urgency. He ground his hips against hers, seeking her softness.