by Vivian Arend
“Thank you,” Amanda mouthed.
“It’s not always possible to avoid gatherings like this, so it’s good to develop some coping strategies. I can teach you, if you’d like.” Amy shifted her gaze into the room, giving Amanda more space. “You seem to be doing very well, though. You are strong enough to accomplish anything you want.”
A small aching sigh escaped the other woman. “I’m pretending I’m strong, but each step takes so much energy.”
“It does, I agree.” Amy offered her hand. “It looks as if you’ll be around town for a while. Any time you want, you call me. Ask me anything. I’m pretty good to talk to.”
Amanda snuck her fingers into Amy’s and squeezed. “These wolves have been nothing but welcoming since I escaped my abusive husband, but they are rather…”
“Rambunctious?”
A small nod. “I enjoy the energy, but at times it’s overwhelming. And I want to move forward, but it feels as if I keep getting dragged backwards.”
Oh boy, Amy could understand. “Is there one thing you’d like more than anything else?”
The other woman stared into the room for a moment, her gaze landing on the large imposing bulk of Justin.
Ah. That was an unexpected twist. “You like him.”
Amanda shook her head in denial, before reluctantly turning it into a single nod. “It doesn’t matter if I like him or not, I’m not falling into the same trap twice.”
“Is he a trap?”
“He’s a dominant male bear. He’s demanding, and dangerous, and always looks as if he’s ready to whip out a weapon or his checkbook to make his point.” Amanda paused. “I don’t need someone with that much power. A powerful man had me in his grasp, and it nearly killed me. The next person I let in will be someone who wants me for myself.”
A rush of pain struck. Deep inside, Amy realized, that’s what they all wanted.
Fortunately for Amanda, her dilemma might be more easily solved than Amy’s convoluted situation. “I think Justin’s outside might not be showing you the real inner man,” she hinted.
“Perhaps.” Amanda brushed Amy’s arm lightly in thanks then slipped from the gathering down one of the quiet hallways.
Evan was working the room. Patting people on the back. Hugging some, joking with others. The volume continued to rise, and someone turned on music. The dining room table was picked up and moved to the side and dancing spontaneously broke out.
Amy sat quietly for another few minutes as she debated. This was her life. All her planning and preparation had been taken out of her hands, and this was what was left. Revenge had been torn away. There was no agreement between her and her mate how to proceed.
She still wanted him with a craving that neared obsession.
Ever since she’d removed herself from her final foster home, she’d been in charge of her own destiny. Maybe she couldn’t change some of what she’d been handed in the past twenty-four hours, but she would damn well take what she needed.
She was pissed off at how her life was proceeding? Fine.
Angry sex was better than no sex.
She tracked her mate to the corner of the living room, standing to one side until he noticed her. The delay gave her time to ogle his strong body with an increasing determination to enjoy what she’d denied herself. His muscular arms flexed against his short sleeves, biceps and shoulders a mass of curves she longed to grab hold of and explore. That firm jaw she wanted to bite, the layer of scruff she wanted him to rub against her sensitive bits.
The wolves he was speaking to fell away as he moved toward her.
“You forgot to say goodbye.” Amy accepted the hand he held out. “I was waiting until you were done.”
He pulled her against his body and swayed to the music. “Are you freaking kidding me? They understand. You came looking for me, and the expression on your face says something other than you want to kill me or kick me. No way am I letting this opportunity slip by.”
Amy allowed a laugh to escape. “I’m not confrontational all the time. Really.”
He pressed his cheek against hers, fire flaring between them. “I’m not complaining. I’ve decided I like you the way you are.”
Her frustrations unfurled a tiny bit.
Amy slipped her fingers into the hair at the back of his neck and stroked as she spoke. “You’re good with your pack,” she admitted, caving that much.
“Stop analyzing for a bloody moment and dance with me, woman. You have to take a holiday from your plotting at some point.”
All around them, people continued to talk and drink and eat. Some joined the dancing while laughter rose from the corner of the room where someone had started a board game. The entire house rocked with energy, but Amy’s world reduced to the man who was holding her. He pressed one hand possessively against her back, using his firm grasp to direct her where he wanted. And where he wanted her was locked tight to his torso, no distance between them. Only rising heat and need.
Her wolf had been sulking, but roused to agree that taking her mate for a test drive wasn’t a bad idea. Amy wasn’t nearly as upset at the beast’s suggestion as she should have been.
Evan put his lips by her ear and spoke in a whisper, probably in an attempt to keep the other sharp-eared wolves from overhearing. “Come home with me. Let me make you feel good.”
Lust was temporarily smacked down by another shot of guilt. “Umm, about your place. We need to talk.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I noticed my apartment was on the list of things you appropriated.”
“You can ignore the eviction notice when it arrives, okay? I mailed it two days ago.”
His chuckle broke into full-out laughter, and he twirled her. Brought her to the ground carefully and cupped her face in his hands. “You are the most perfect woman in the world.”
Then he kissed her. Wrong place, wrong time for a gesture that might have appeared a claiming, but she was far too into what they were doing to complain.
To hell with it. All she was worried about was enjoying the way he tasted. The way his tongue tangled with hers, and the intense pleasure streaking through her entire body.
Some smart-ass wolf whistled, and Evan finally let her go, breathing heavily as he flashed the bird at his pack member. He grabbed Amy by the hand and dragged her toward the door.
Raging desire fought with the urge to do at least a few things to smooth her future with the pack. “We shouldn’t vanish. We need to say goodbye, and say thank you to Gem, and all of that,” Amy chastised him.
“You’re right,” he agreed without slowing one notch. He shoved her coat at her, jammed his arms into his leather jacket. He barely waited until she’d pulled on her coat before picking her up.
“Evan!”
He jerked the door open, shouting over his shoulder into the room. “Thanks for dinner, Gem. Goodbye, everyone. Don’t do anything that gets you arrested, because I’m not bailing anyone out.”
They were beside her car before she could protest again. She went for one desperate shot at regaining control. “My place.”
His response was to grin like a maniac. “No problem.”
Oh boy. Amy focused hard on not getting any speeding tickets on the way. The little internal argument with her conscience about keeping things platonic until she’d been told the full truth was over. Evan met her outside the driver door, scooping her up in his arms again and damn near sprinting to the front of her house.
If she hadn’t been as eager as him, she would have laughed.
It was time. Her head and heart might regret this in the morning, but her body was currently the one in control. Damn the consequences, full speed ahead.
Chapter Twelve
He needed to get his head back in the game, but with the scent of his mate filling his head, Evan teetered on the edge of losing the final link
to his humanity.
He should be more concerned about how they were going to balance their differences, but he simply couldn’t muster a single damn fuck.
She unlocked her door, and he pounced, every last iota of patience vanishing. Maybe she had other plans, but his were pretty direct and to the point. “Excuse me while I shred your clothes.”
He kicked the door shut behind them before crowding closer. He picked her up and planted their lips together the way they belonged.
Amy wrapped herself around him like she had earlier in his office, fingers driving into his hair to keep their mouths connected. Her taste was mesmerizing, and he could’ve stayed there all night licking and tasting, and tasting some more. Nibbling on her lower lip as the air from their lungs mingled.
His shirt was already open as she worked to strip it away. She clung with her inner thighs to his hips while she jerked the fabric free, tugging upward to bare his skin. He leaned back, balancing her against his body so he could return the favour and yank her shirt off in one motion.
Their bodies made heavenly contact. He went back for another round of kisses, stumbling forward blindly. Amy moaned, and the noise went straight to his balls. His knees trembled, and the next thing he knew she was smack up against the wall.
Twice in one day. He could get used to this position. Oh. Hell. Yeah.
She pulled his hair hard enough to free their lips from each other, drawing in a deep breath. “Touch me. Touch me everywhere.” She tilted his head until their eyes made contact. “Just don’t mark me. Promise.”
“Biting is okay though, right?” He snapped his teeth, and her pupils dilated further. “And nails. Please, dear God, tell me you like to use your nails.”
She shivered and touched their foreheads together. “This thing tonight between us? It isn’t a forever commitment, but I want you. So, yes, do your worst.”
“You mean do my best.” He twirled them, finally having identified where the couch was. The curtains hung wide open, and the sky was clear enough that moonlight slipped in. He dropped her and had the button on her pants undone, unzipped and stripped away before she stopped bouncing.
He snapped the fabric at both sides of her thong and tossed it over his shoulder. He picked her up and returned to the wall, only this time, he lifted her higher. Nudging his teeth against her breast.
Amy caught his head for balance. “I don’t need a lot of foreplay.”
“It’s not foreplay, it’s a conversation. And I like to talk in detail.” Evan hummed happily as he examined one pretty breast then the other. “Oh look! Just what I ordered.”
He licked in slow circles, sneaking in on the tip until he could no longer resist closing his lips and sucking. Amy squirmed, attempting to get more of her breast into his mouth. He was content to torment her, alternating sides until she was swearing at him, thighs squeezing his ribs so hard they creaked.
“I can scent how turned on you are,” Evan gloated.
She groaned in frustration. “I think we’ve established that fact. Hurry up and fuck me.”
Evan shook his head, pushing one hand down her body so he could slip his fingers between her folds. “I’ve waited a long time for this. No one gets to take away my toys.”
He played her, stroking his fingers over sensitive spots. Every time he hit the right speed and tempo, Amy rewarded him with a gasp or moan. He had two fingers buried deep, his thumb working her clit when she stiffened, a long, low keen of delight echoing off the walls.
They weren’t yet fully mates, but the absolute satisfaction of getting her off blew him away. He always made sure his partners had a good time, but this was different. He not only wanted her to feel great, he wanted her to know it was him who had taken her there. That no one else could possibly want as much for her.
He put her feet on the ground, bracing her against the wall as he fell to his knees. “Again. A little louder this time. I don’t think the neighbours heard you yet.”
She attempted to collapse to the floor with him, but he held her vertical, one hand braced over her stomach as he put his lips to her sex. Her full taste hit him, and for a moment he froze, absolutely rocked with delight.
Amy trembled. “If you stop right now, I swear I will duct tape you to the center of the street then organize a stampede of wild caribou.”
“Hush. I’m savouring my dessert.”
Her shaking turned to laughter. “Damn you, Evan. I need you inside me.”
He nipped at her inner thigh, rumbling happily when she let out a little shriek. “Once I get in, I’m not leaving for a while,” he warned.
He leaned forward, scraping his teeth over the sensitive spot at the apex of her mound. She buried her hands in his hair and stopped fighting to get away.
Evan lifted one of her legs over his shoulder to get more room to work, then slid back in to enjoy himself. Using long slow licks followed by deep plunges, he tormented her until her fingers tightened in his hair, pulling the roots as she shook and came.
Hmmm. His cock might be rock hard, but he was already satisfied at making his mate happy.
He scooped her up and headed down the hallway. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“At the end of the hall, on the left. I can walk, you know.”
Evan clicked his tongue. “Damn, I didn’t do a good enough job then.” He pushed the door open with his shoulder. “Oh, now that is nice.”
He lowered her to the king-sized bed, staring into her eyes as he crawled over her, once again taking her lips. He was in the middle of a long, slow kiss when his hand touched something hard. He adjusted his fingers, and a click sounded.
Music burst out from nowhere.
Amy’s lips curved into a smile against his. “So that’s where I left the remote.”
Evan tossed the small object aside. “Now we have the perfect ambience.”
He supposed it was perfect. Classical music swelled around them as some guy with a deep voice bellowed in a foreign language. Evan was more interested in licking every inch of Amy’s perfect naked body. He put his teeth together over the curve of her neck, lightly enough not to be a mate mark, but with perfect pressure. She just about levitated off the bed.
She curled upright, swooping in on his belt and jeans. “Naked. Now,” she ordered.
“Eager.” Evan evaded her grasp and slid to his feet, debating if he wanted to get naked as fast as possible, or continue to push her delectable buttons.
“Desperate.” She scooted forward on her hands and knees, bouncing as she stared. “Hurry up, or I’ll tie you to the bed first next time.”
“That’s kinky.” He leaned on the bed and got his face right in front of hers. “Ropes can be added at some point, but I think you’ll be the one wearing them.”
“Too much talking, not enough fucking,” Amy complained.
“Savouring, remember?” Evan dropped his clothes to the floor. It took two seconds flat.
His mate swallowed hard, settling back on her heels. Her gaze dropped to take him in, and her look of appreciation made him rumble.
This moment had been a long time coming, and it had been totally worth the wait.
Amy let out a contented sigh as six-foot-something of muscular shifter stood before her in all his naked glory. He was sculpted and cut in all the right places. She’d finally gotten a good look at his tattoo, the words Whitehorse Forever waving on a banner that wrapped the rock-hard biceps. From his shoulders to his toes, she didn’t have any complaints.
She wasn’t even focusing on any sexual bits, but if she did…
“Whoa.” Okay, the sexual bits were as fine as the rest of him. Although bits was too…small…a word for what she was looking at.
Evan laughed, and his abdomen and other parts of his anatomy moved in the most interesting ways. “You’re drooling.”
“You’re gorgeous, and
you know it. Now get your ass over here and stop making me wait.”
He prowled closer, the predator clear in every step. “You’re damned demanding.”
“What did you expect when you put two Alphas in bed?” Amy stared up at him as he stopped at the foot of the bed, close enough she could drag her nails across his ass cheeks.
“Hell, yeah. Do that some more.” Evan’s head fell back as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his skin. He moaned as she kissed her way past his belly button, headed for her target.
She swiped her tongue across the head of his cock, enjoying the constant rumble of pleasure rising from his chest. She moved slowly, running her tongue along the underside of the heavy shaft. Licking and getting him wet. Taking in his taste, which was oh-so-right, and far too addictive.
Only when she went to wrap her fingers around him, he broke free, grabbed her under the arms and collapsed onto the mattress with her on top of him.
The music station changed, this time to old-fashioned bluegrass. Evan dug under his back. “This thing is going to haunt me, I can tell.”
“I’ll teach you how to use it tomorrow. Just don’t push—”
The dim lighting was shattered by neon glaring along the ceiling. Brilliant red and blue strobes alternated with green and yellow, turning the room into a bad disco setting.
Evan sat up, his jaw falling open as he looked around. He kept a tight grip on her though, refusing to let her go even as he laughed. “Do I want to know?”
Her cheeks were red hot. “It’s a long story. Just give me the control.”
Evan held the small object in his hand, lifting it away from her so she couldn’t make any adjustments. “What happens if I push this button?”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
The bed started shaking under them. Evan collapsed back, clutching his stomach as he laughed. Amy joined him, because there was nothing else she could do.