Howl & Growl: A Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Various Authors

  “What.” Rafe heard the flatness of his own voice and grimaced at himself. He'd been slipping more and more in his usually unyielding self control lately. His brother, though, could take it.

  “I said,” Caleb drew out in exaggerated slow motion, “did you see who just walked in and is looking for trouble?”

  Rafe shrugged. He wasn't interested in his brother's fights. All he wanted tonight was a stiff drink to get that one sexy, vexing she-wolf off his mind. Just for one night, it would be nice.

  “You might want to take a look at the dance floor.” Caleb's gravelly voice barely contained laughter. “Clearly your nose isn't working right now. She's broadcasting her needs like nobody's business.”

  An odd challenge underlay Caleb's words and nudged Rafe's interest. He glanced over at the crowded dance floor, where bodies flailed and bopped and ground together. Girls flaunted their assets beneath barely-there clothing. Men pumped their hips behind women in drink-fueled imitations of back door fantasies.

  And one outrageously sexy Sara Kenyon gyrated just to the side of the dancing mass, surrounded by several men with lust clear on their faces and in every motion of their bodies. Rafe's mouth dried in an instant as he took in the scene. She wore a postage stamp excuse for a skirt that revealed miles of leg, flashing as she spun around and shook her booty. Red high heels gave her both height and a clear message of “do me, baby.” How she managed to stay up on those, let alone bust out some provocative moves, was beyond Rafe. Those sweet little breasts he'd been allowed to touch and stroke and fondle bounced under the revealing peach-colored top that dipped dangerously low between them, accentuating their gorgeousness and sheer availability.

  His wolf sat up and snarled. Mine.

  “Yeah, there's a girl who's gonna get some tonight,” Caleb said. He reached over and hit Rafe's shoulder with a slightly less than brotherly punch. “Wonder which one will be the lucky guy? You think all of them?”

  “Shut the hell up, Caleb.” Rafe's voice ground out like rocks pounding through a crusher. “She's not like that.”

  Caleb shot back, “You mean she wouldn't be acting like that right this very second if you'd go over there and get her, Rafe. As in, take her. You want to be her Alpha? Then show her you can do it.” His voice held no softness when he added, “She's already yours, bro. You're the one who needs to act on it.”

  Rafe glared at the men grinding away by his mate. Already on his feet, he was headed in her direction before he realized it. He might have heard his brother shout out, “Finally, ya dumbass!” behind him, but he was too focused on Sara to care.

  It felt so freaking good to be dancing. Sara reveled in her body. She let it move, shake, and shimmy to the music pounding out. She'd pulled in all her senses to filter out the overwhelming aroma of sweaty humans, skyrocketing pheromones, spilled beer, and questionable smells drifting over from the bathrooms. By simply grounding herself into her own body, she lost herself in her own sweet, freeing movements. This was exactly what she needed.

  Her wolf still remained silent on the matter.

  This wasn't her usual bar of choice, but she was sure to find some hot guy who just wanted a quick tumble and nothing more. Cowboys around here worked hard, and they played harder when it was quitting time. She'd already noticed a few in here she'd played with once or twice before. But tonight was all about meeting someone she'd never seen before and would never talk to again afterward.

  The one guy who'd moved in closest to her come-hither smile and little finger wave would be just the ticket. Dark hair, dark eyes, a young guy just itching for a good time. He'd already given her that knowing grin, the one that promised some yee-hawing later on.

  Perfect. She moved a little closer, flashing him her best sultry smile as she let his hand circle over her waist. She ignored the fact he didn't remotely turn her on, cute as he was. This wasn't about being turned on. It was just about forgetting, pure and simple.

  “Hey, cowboy,” she said into his ear as she let his hips grind closer to hers. “Wanna have a good time?”

  “No, he doesn't,” a familiar voice flooded with dangerous fury snarled over her shoulder. “Get the hell off my woman.”

  “Rafe!” was all Sara got out before the dark-haired cowboy flew through the air to the chorus of a few screams and several goading cries. He slammed into a few other drunk guys, who shoved him back with encouraging yells of, “Fight! Fight!”

  “Hell, yeah!” another deep voice hollered over the melee. Caleb Bardou leapt into the fray and started pummeling random cowboys left and right. The dance floor immediately became a free-for-all of bodies either scrambling to escape or struggling through to get in on the down and dirty action.

  Rafe tugged at Sara's arm, then grabbed her full body and literally swung her out of the way when two guys began landing punches on one another about an inch away from where her nose had been seconds earlier. Kicking and spitting indignant words at her would-be rescuer, she saw the bouncers moving like enormous Mack trucks toward the fray, boredom evident on their faces as they began a familiar chain of Friday night events at their raucous little watering hole.

  Rafe firmly set her down in front of him. Keeping his arms around her like a protective shield, one hand circling her upper left arm and causing no small amount of ridiculous tingling over her body, he steered them out of the crowd and toward the door.

  “Rafe, let me go! What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Saving you from your idiotic self, it seems,” he snapped as he continued to march her through the throngs of people. “And finally taking what's mine.”

  “What?” she said, twisting her head to look at him. She tripped over someone's foot and yelped as she started to go down. Rafe righted her and held on tight until they reached the door. He shouldered through it and maneuvered them outside into the cool night spring air.

  Sara wrenched away from him. He immediately let her go and she stumbled again. He reached out again to catch her before she tripped once more over large, heavy ashtray pots just outside the door. This time, she let herself laugh a little, though there was a somewhat desperate edge to it.

  “We have to stop dancing like this.” She kept her tone light to cover the way her hormones had sprung to life the moment she'd heard his voice rumble by her ear.

  Her wolf danced in her mind as well.

  Rafe steadied her once more, this time making sure there was nothing else she could gracefully stumble over. When he released her, his hand lingered on her arm, sending more tantalizing shudders through her. Something dark and feral lurked in his eyes. She had seen that look before. Each time, it meant she was about to get naked and howl in ecstasy with this man.

  The deep forest green button down he wore complemented his eyes and the chest she longed to run her fingers over. The sexy five-o-clock shadow still dusted his face. She wondered what it would feel like to have it scratch over her sensitive skin as he kissed his way across her body.

  She must have started to breathe more rapidly at the thought, because his eyes darkened even more. The intoxicating scent of an aroused wolf engulfed her. Swallowing hard, Sara let the shivers consume her body with their languid thrill as Rafe stepped toward her.

  Rafe almost swallowed his own tongue at the look Sara gave him. The way she was dressed was already enough to make him hard. The yards of bare skin became all the more inviting when framed in peekaboo manner by the slight amount of clothing she wore.

  Seeing that guy in there putting his hands on Sara had pushed Rafe over the edge. Hard. After the long day—year—of tension between them, the futile search for the unknown wolves, and his own internal questioning whether or not he'd completely messed up any chance with her, he finally, spectacularly, lost his famous even temper.

  Now, he moved toward with a stalking grace that came directly from his wolf, who prowled just beneath the surface.

  “What were you doing back in there, Sara?” he asked in a silken growl. Sara's eyes widened. The puls
e at her neck jumped and his eyes shot to it. Sliding his tongue between his teeth and lips, he could almost taste her there. Sweet salt on her skin would explode through his mouth as he traced the blood throbbing underneath, traveling heated through her veins because of him.

  “Wh-what?”

  “Did you dress up for the boys,” he said with some disdain, “in there, or for the wolf you knew would come for you?”

  Sara's mouth opened a bit. The pulse in her neck raced and her chest made the most intriguing things happen to the scrap of material covering it as she began breathing faster. She shook her head as if slightly dazed. There was no fooling Rafe's sense of smell now he was focused so immediately on her. Knee-knocking desire radiated from every centimeter of her luscious little body. She knew exactly what she wanted, and it was him.

  “You're coming with me,” he said, and shot his arm out to grab her hand. She held on as he closed his grasp on her and pulled her with him down the street. He strode past small bus benches, potted flowers set out by the town, and other businesses, all shut for the night. The low thumping from the bar they'd just exited spilled out behind them, along with the whoops of the crowd inside, clearly still amped up. He wondered for a split second how many guys Caleb had taken out by now. Then he wiped all thought from his mind but that about the delectable woman at his side.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, half running to keep up with his long, determined strides. Excitement thrilled beneath her words. Wherever he took her, she was in. All the way.

  He turned left at the next street corner, tugging her willing body along. His wolf stayed alert, focused on the moment.

  Abruptly, he stopped. Sara collided with him, all softness and spicy vanilla scent. He took a deep whiff of her and said, “Here.”

  Sara stared into the blackness toward which he pointed.

  “There?”

  He turned her so she faced the dark alley completely, nestling himself behind her. The gasp that escaped her lips soothed his wolf. Rafe's cock throbbed against her backside as he nodded into her bright hair.

  “Yes,” he breathed into her ear as he pushed against her. “Right there. Right now.”

  Chapter 9

  Sara stared wide-eyed into the very dark alleyway behind Main Street's cute little commercial storefronts. She wasn't sure if her mini bout of hyperventilating came from the apprehensive expectation she felt at the sight of the looming darkness before them...or from Rafe's hardness pressing demandingly into her ass, letting her know in no uncertain terms just what he meant to do to her in there.

  “Oh,” she whispered. Rafe brushed his fingers from her wrist to shoulder. Chills bumped out along her arms.

  “Back in there, sweetheart.” His voice rasped over her. It held an edge she'd only ever heard when he looked at her with the expression that promised immediate gratification. The one that said his wolf was in charge, ready to claim her in every way possible.

  He nudged her, pressing his entire body length into hers. The ridge of hardness against her ass drew a soft groan from her. Rafe chuckled, the sound rumbling through her. She allowed him to propel her forward, letting her sharp night vision adjust to make out shapes.

  The short alleyway was remarkably clear of trash. Fire escapes clutched the brick sides, a few large wooden crates lay neatly stacked in a corner, and a metal grate hunkered down beside one wall halfway through. No doorways opened up into it, which accounted for the lack of any trash. The sometimes haphazard design of downtown had obviously left this random corner awkwardly stuck between buildings.

  Despite its cleanliness, the thought of what was about to happen in a dark alley made Sara feel very dirty, in a very turned on way.

  Her breath caught again as Rafe moved to her side, still walking them both forward. After a quick glance around, he led them directly to the crates and let her go. With quick movements, he unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it over his head, and carefully laid it out over the top and front side of the crate facing them. Without warning, he reached forward, took hold of Sara, and swiveled her around to face him. His teeth gleamed for a split second in warning before he suddenly hoisted her into the air.

  She squeaked in surprise as her butt gently hit the shirt covering the crate. The smooth wood below scraped gently at her bare calves. The sensation only aroused her more, and her squeak ended on a tiny gasp. Rafe pushed her legs apart and positioned himself between them. Cupping his hands around her hips, he pulled her forward until her heated center pressed directly into his very hard cock.

  Completely unintelligible sounds left her mouth. Sparks seemed to shoot out from the intensely aroused nerve endings right between her legs as Rafe demanded closer contact. All too willing, she spread her legs more so he could get even closer. She reached her hands around his strong, broad back to pull him closer.

  Rafe grabbed her hands before they could get there, tsk-ing under his breath. “No way. I'm in charge now,” he said.

  Liquid fire roared through her as he put her hands behind her back and caught her wrists together in one hand. Supporting her body with his one arm wrapped around it, he leaned her back just a little, still pressing into her from the front.

  “Tilt your head back, Sara. More,” he said in rough voice. Shivering with anticipation, she tipped her head more deeply to the left. His mouth came down on her throat. He licked from her collarbone to her ear, his tongue trailing fire along the way.

  “Oh, my...” she whispered. Her wolf whimpered with sheer longing.

  “Shh,” he said. The rasp in his voice let her know his wolf prowled just under the surface. “I do the talking.”

  The command in his voice made the throbbing deep inside her pitch to a stronger level. It also dampened her panties with wetness. Inanely, all she could think was how grateful she was to have worn a silky black new pair.

  Rafe nipped at the skin just beneath her cheekbone. He nibbled and then let his tongue stroke over her again, eddying it around her neck until she thought she might hyperventilate for real. Slowly, his mouth made its way back up to cover hers. Sara moaned against him as he kissed her, tongues colliding in sharp hunger. She tried to move her hands but he tightened his grasp on her wrists. The sensation of being held sent another direct shot of pulsing fire to her clit. She kissed him with fierce greed, tasting him, drinking him in.

  Rafe pulled back the barest amount to whisper, “Yes. Kiss me just like that, like you can't get enough.” His voice walked the wild edge between man and wolf, dark and deep with rough promise. Sara felt her own wolf merging closely with her, riding this tsunami of lust and longing in uninhibited joy.

  His mouth surged over hers again. She feverishly pushed herself into their lip contact, reaching for him with her mouth when he drew back a millimeter, seeking him with a need that might have embarrassed her if she didn't really care what he thought of her right now. Her body felt shuddery, as if pricked with thousands of tiny electrical wires delivering mini shocks that jolted and zapped her all over, elevating her arousal to a pitch she knew was a mating frenzy.

  Mate, her wolf/Sara whispered with fierce joy. The urgings of her body were unraveling her mind and coherent thought, and she let it happen.

  “Sara,” Rafe said against her lips, the word vibrating softly. With his free hand, he began a slow exploration of her body. His fingers stoked her neck, traveled down her collarbone, traced a path down alongside one breast. Gently pushing away the fabric, he discovered her bra and nudged his fingers under it. Pushing it up, he began tiny circles of the nipple with just the pads of his fingertips.

  Sara trembled under the attention of his hand, pushing her breast into it. “Oh, yes, please,” she said in a pleading whimper.

  The hand still and she cried out in frustration.

  “No talking, my beautiful wolf.” His voice held that dangerously silken tone again, the one with a barely-leashed growling wildness beneath it. “We're playing this by my rules right now. If you want to come, and come hard”—he li
ghtly pinched her nipple and she gasped—“and deep, and long, you do as I say and let me lead.”

  Sara nodded her head in a frantic bob. Speech fled from her and she gave herself up to pure sensation.

  His fingers played over her nipple again, then his hand cupped her entire breast and gently squeezed. Sara's answering moan was lost in Rafe's long, voluptuous kiss. His hand reached behind her to find the clasp to her bra. With barely a fumble, he unhooked it and let both breasts free for his mouth, which descended to feast upon them.

  Sara arched her head back, straining against his hold hold on her wrists as she pushed her breasts into his mouth. He nibbled on one, then turned his attention to the other. Her heart hammered ferociously in her chest and she thought it might explode out. She could hear her own blood racing through her veins to pulse in her neck, her thighs, right between her legs in that one spot clenching and tightening in urgent desire.

  Rafe released her hands, then her breasts. She made a noise of protest that was quickly swallowed when he tugged the rumpled top over her head and pulled her bra off. Bracing her with his arm, he lowered her back onto his soft shirt covering the crate. Reaching up to cradle her head, he let it nestle in his hand while he placed her top under her head. Carefully pulling away, he let her head settle onto the bit of softness.

  “Is that okay?” he asked, voice still low and barely restrained.

  She nodded, heart thudding an extra step or twelve at his astonishingly tender action. Breath rapidly skidded in and out of her.

  “Good. You're going to like this. I'm going to make you come, Sara.” Laced with his rasping arousal, the simple words sent another charge to the plumped out, slick lips between her thighs. A strangled sound escaped her as he went on. “You'll come really hard, and you'll scream my name. But I'll have my hand over your mouth so no one hears you.”

  Completely at his mercy, Sara moaned. She let her thighs open more, urging him on. Her wolf pushed at the edges of her mind, lost in the unbridled longing.