“I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that from her. What we have going on between us may or may not last,” she said, holding his face in her hands, her thumb lightly caressed his lower lip. “We can take it slow and who knows, we might just enjoy the experience.”
Cash nipped her finger playfully. “I like that. You’re not only beautiful, but you’re smart. You get me.”
“I get you?” Her eyebrow cocked as she gave him a teasing look. “As in, you’re a prize that I’ve won.”
“Oh, I’ve got a prize for you, but at the moment it’s out of commission and needs to recuperate. When it does, you’re going to know what you’ve won.” He grinned at her as he cuddled closer to her and spooned up next to her. “Want to take a nap and do this again later?”
“Oh yeah,” she replied as she turned on her side, wiggling her backside snug against him. He wrapped around her, holding her close.
Within a few minutes, Cash knew she was asleep. Her soft snore made him smile. Cherry was perfect for him and he planned to do everything in his power to make up for lost time. He yawned. Just as soon as he recuperated, he’d make love to her until she begged for mercy then he’d fuck her a little bit longer. Cash smiled as he closed his eyes and rested.
Cherry was his.
Kansas Moon
A.L. Wiley
Dedication
This book is for my mom, as always, who loves romance even more than I do; my friend Kama, who inspires; and my hubby, who married the Big Bad Wolf.
Chapter One
Marybeth struggled to sit up. She had been sick all day and it wasn’t getting any better. Her head hurt, her throat was parched and every single muscle in her body screamed at her. Even her bones hurt; hell, her hair hurt. She clutched her fingers into her auburn, shoulder-length curls and rolled her body a little bit toward the edge of the bed. She pushed her double-D sized breasts into a more comfortable position and lamented the fact that she couldn’t put on a bra. The fabric had irritated her skin so much she had left it off, which she seldom did, even when she was going to bed.
She really should have eaten earlier today. Maybe that was contributing to her pain, but maybe not. It was entirely possible that if Marybeth had eaten she would have just thrown it all back up. She finally managed to roll her five-foot-five-inch frame out of her twin bed, thinking she would get a glass of water and another ibuprofen. She would brave the upset stomach if she could get the pain to go away, even for a little while.
Her apartment, while a newer model, was still quite small. Even so, she never made it the few feet to the kitchen. She had to stop on the sofa in her living room in a “sit down before you fall down” move. Christ! What is wrong with me?
Fingering the bandage on her left arm with a shaky hand, Marybeth thought about the dog attack from two nights ago. She had been jogging in the park, not uncommon for her or anyone else in the small town of Lawrence, Kansas. Okay, she was trying to jog. There were some issues with her size-eighteen body jogging. Marybeth exercised to be healthy, and she liked the idea of jogging even though it was often just a fast walk. She did it at night because even though she was comfortable in her own skin, she was less comfortable with the staring, or the comments or the pointed not-staring. That was ruder in her opinion. There wasn’t a sports bra made on the planet that was going to keep her boobs from jiggling about, but the one she had still gave it a go. She was more comfortable without a crowd.
Marybeth didn’t just jog at that time to save herself from some body shaming. She liked twilight and she wasn’t scared of the dark, never had been. Besides, even at dusk Marybeth felt safe from most crimes. Lawrence was a medium-sized town with a small-town feel and had little to no violent crime. A cell phone was strapped to a pouch on her thigh and a can of pepper spray was in her hand, just in case. Not that she had ever needed either while out jogging. Lawrence was a fairly tame place, or at least she had thought so right up to the point when the huge dog had hit her from the side, pouncing on her and driving her body into the hard-packed running trail.
The police officer who had taken her statement had been pretty insistent that it must have been a large dog, not the wolf that Marybeth was equally insistent it had been. She could still feel the teeth sinking into her arm and almost pulling her shoulder out when it had started to drag her off the path, which was scary in and of itself just by how strong the animal was. She was a big girl, with big curves, and what dog could have done that? Marybeth hadn’t panicked as others might have done in a similar situation. Instead of simply screaming her head off, which she also did, she had pepper sprayed the crap out of the animal, landing a healthy dose right on its nose and eyes. The beast had yelped and run off, rubbing its nose into the ground as it went. The pepper spray burned the hell out of Marybeth’s own arm where the bite mark was, but she figured that was better than having a wolf attached to it. Barely.
Another jogger heard her cries and had already been on their way to help, so Marybeth was quickly whisked to the hospital, stitched up (ten of them, thank you very much) and had given a statement to the police right before it was her regular bedtime of eleven p.m.
While she had been given a battery of shots, like tetanus, when she was in the emergency room, Marybeth now wondered if she had caught something from the bite. Was this bone-wrenching pain what rabies felt like? Marybeth tried to get up off the couch with the intention of doing some Googling on symptoms on her laptop, she really did. Instead she ended up in the fetal position, scrunched in the middle of her couch on a cushion, shaking, cold and feeling as if her bones were coming out of her body. Her last thought before she passed out was, Cell phone is in the bedroom. Fucking wolf.
Chapter Two
Cade Miller was glad to be off work for the night. Even though he loved the bar he and his pack mate Riley owned together, he needed to get out of town. The full moon was calling his name and he wanted to shift, run and hunt—in that order. While the full moon only held sway over the first few shifts of new wolves, most shifters continued to enjoy the added power and sensuality that the full moon could bring and he was no exception. There was nothing like it in the world and he had been looking forward to it all week. Many of his pack mates would also be running in the hills outside of town and he hoped to meet up with them at some point. The wolf inside of him longed to get out and run, wanted the moon to shine off the sleek blond fur that was so close to Cade’s actual hair color. The wolf was scratching to get out and Cade knew it was showing through in the gold flecks that were taking over his normally blue eyes.
The sun was setting, the moon was rising and Cade lowered the windows on his truck to breathe in the early summer evening air with his heightened senses. He stopped at a light, anxious to be out of town, when he heard it: a whimper, a whine and maybe a yip. A wolf was in trouble, close by. He didn’t immediately recognize the wolf by its voice, but it didn’t really matter if it was a member of his pack or not. Any shifter should help another in need, or at least that was how he had been taught.
Cade parked his truck on the street and got out to stand in front of a fairly new apartment complex, not bothering to lock his ten-year-old truck. He liked it, even though it was old and got crappy gas mileage, but there was no point to locking it. It had never left him stranded anywhere and the four-wheel drive allowed him the freedom to go just about anywhere, no matter the terrain. That was important for a wolf.
Cade closed his eyes and concentrated on listening and scenting, putting away the distraction of sight. The shifter was inside one of the apartments, and it smelled like a first change with a whole lot of fear thrown in. He didn’t sense any other shifters anywhere nearby, not even close. What the hell? No wolf should be left alone to change on their own for their first time. That would be beyond cruel. They might not even know what was happening to them.
Cade’s six-foot-two-inch frame took the stairs two at a time. He paused at the security door, looked for and didn’t find a camera. He sighed and yanked the door
hard enough to open it without a code. One of the benefits of being a wolf was the enhanced strength, for which he was grateful, but he honestly didn’t like to break things like perfectly good doors and their crappy magnetic locks. He didn’t have the time to be picky just now or figure out another way in, though, so as long as he wasn’t seen doing something no human should be able to do, break it he would. Once inside, he jogged down the hallway sniffing and listening briefly at each door. Luckily, no one was out and about in the hall or they would have probably called the cops on the lunatic with the now glowing yellow eyes. He really hoped that didn’t happen, for no other reason than it would put an even bigger damper on his weekend plans than what was already occurring.
When he came to Apartment 4 on the first floor, he stopped. He took another long pull of air into his lungs and was certain that the new shifter was on the other side of the door. Cade looked down both sides of the hall, seeing if he was alone before knocking on the door. No immediate response, but he wasn’t exactly expecting any with the amount of distress he was sensing from the other side of the door. He knocked a little harder and heard something crash to the floor followed by an agonized groan. Shit. It was a woman. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t scented her until now, but even without the groan, the scent was definitely that of a female shifter.
Cade took a deep breath and another quick look up and down the hall before he grasped the knob and pushed inward, breaking the lock and the chain that had secured the door. He took another quick look to see if anyone was going to exit their doors and investigate the loud noise, but apparently neighborly concern wasn’t a big priority in the building. One TV down the hall was actually turned up, probably to cover the sound. His mouth compressed in a grim line. As much as he loved Lawrence and its small-town feel, there were parts of any town that were less than desirable and she had managed to find one of them. What the hell was a new wolf doing living here?
The sight that greeted him upon entering the apartment was as disturbing as he expected, maybe even more. Cade didn’t like to see any creature suffering needlessly, but to see a new wolf shivering and groaning on the floor amidst shards of glass from a broken lamp sent the air from his lungs. He quickly strode inside, shutting the broken door as best as he could behind him. He carefully crouched down and picked up the distressed figure that had started whining again, the same wolfy sound that had drawn him here. The sound was so slight but so heartbreaking, like a new hungry puppy.
“It’s okay, little wolf.” He tried to project as much calm as he could into his voice, letting his touch do the same by running one hand up and down her back to her decidedly glorious hips. Wolves were pack animals and he knew just his presence and touch would help, but he wasn’t sure how much. He turned her in his arms and brushed some of the ginger curls out of the girl’s face. She was pretty, with white skin and freckles that stood out a little too much with how unnaturally pale she was. Even her lips looked pale, but he smiled slightly to note that there were freckles there. Who had freckles on their lips?
Cade quickly glanced around the small, box-like apartment before carrying her to a short hall that he thought would lead to the bathroom and a bedroom. Carefully avoiding the broken glass, he carried the shaking girl into the bathroom hitting the light switch with his elbow. Her whining had lessened and she was snuggling into his chest, her hands clutching at his shirt as the wolf inside of her curvy body sought the comfort of others of her kind. Cade’s wolf responded with a gentle growl and he carefully put his nose into her hair, breathing in her scent. She smelled of strawberries and vanilla and a light musk that was all woman. She also still smelled strongly of fear and confusion. Cade sighed into her soft auburn curls. “What happened to you, little wolf?”
He pulled her a little bit away from him so that he could examine her more closely and see if she had injured herself. Her healing factor would be increased a hundred-fold compared to an average human, but it wouldn’t kick in fully until she had completed her first change. He noted the bandage on her arm and shoulder and carefully lifted the tape and gauze to look at the wound underneath. He gritted his teeth when he saw the telltale signs of a wolf bite, a pretty savage one at that. What the fucking hell? No one in his pack would ever do something like this, bite a girl and leave her to suffer. Not that he could find fault with the choice of turning her, just the method. Even in distress the curvy redhead had to be the prettiest girl he had seen in maybe ever. He needed answers and would have to take her to his alpha. Eventually. First, she had to shift into her wolf.
He grimaced at the thought. Cade and Travis, the alpha of the Lawrence pack, had been butting heads lately. Cade didn’t like all the decisions that had been made recently, and as a beta part of his job was to question and push a little bit, but lately it was more than that. His alpha had been pushing as well, pushing natural boundaries and ideas that had been in place for thousands of years. Goddammit, he hoped the pack hadn’t had anything to do with this.
That would have to wait, however. His first priority was the shaking wolf he held in his arms. She had started to whine again when he stopped petting her and her face was grimacing in pain as she tried to lean back into his chest, the wolf in her seeking comfort. She must have been on her own for hours and Cade felt a surge of fury at the thought. “Hold on little wolf, I need to see if you’re hurt anywhere else.” He took a quick look over her before starting the water in the tub, all the while never letting her go.
Normally a first change was a time for celebration, whether the wolf was born a were or whether they had shifted from a bite. He had heard of weres that forced a shift onto unsuspecting people, but Cade had honestly thought such things were from the past, or at the very least far removed from his own pack. He himself had been bitten by his best friend Riley when they were teenagers. It was something he had wanted when he found out what Riley and his extended family were. His first shift had hurt, but it had been beautiful as well. Cade had been surrounded by loyal pack mates, his new family, for the first time. All of them had been touching and sniffing, soothing him with gentle hands and words. It wasn’t sexual so much as sensual and he had never known anything like it in his sixteen years in and out of foster homes. It made him stable and grounded him as nothing else could and found him a home with Riley’s parents. They were his last placement, thank God.
Cade shook his head and concentrated on the little wolf in front of him. Shit. The water would help, yeah, but he wasn’t sure if that would be enough. Letting it run over her skin would soothe her, but he needed to get her out to the countryside, out to the pack so that she could shift with the support of others. That would be better. They couldn’t very well shift in her bathroom. He glanced around at the space, with its neatly folded towels and cheap tiled walls. Well, they could, but even with the neighbors that she had, the ones who ignored breaking and entering, they would definitely call in howling and growling. Shit, he was going to have to haul her out to his truck.
The soft beauty in his arms started to stir against him, her generous breasts rubbing into his chest. She mumbled something and pressed that amazing ass into his groin, holding it there and making a small circle. The sounds coming out of her now were not ones of panic and pain, but arousal. Cade sighed loudly, telling himself that this was just a normal part of a first shift, and he couldn’t take advantage. His dick wasn’t listening, however.
Cade struggled to control his breathing and his rising libido. That wasn’t the only thing that was rising. He took a deep breath as he felt her nails scrape into his chest hair through his T-shirt.
“Little wolf,” his voice came out as a growl as his own wolf responded to the one in his lap, “I think we need to get you cleaned up.” He had thought about just dumping her in the tub, but he didn’t want to throw her into shock, just wake her up.
“Marybeth.” The voice was muffled and weak against his T-shirt as her hands flexed again, pulling his chest hair just enough to make him hard rather than to hurt, a
reaction he tried like hell to hide from her. Last thing she needed was a big, bad horny wolf. She just needed him to help her through the change.
“Little wolf?” Cade was reaching for a washcloth he had spied hanging up on a bar in the tub. He wetted it in the warm water in the tub.
“My name.” The voice was soft and slightly raspy, like her throat was sore or she had been screaming. Her pretty bow mouth was frowning as if she didn’t like or didn’t understand what he was saying. “You should know my name if you’re going to be part of my dream.”
Cade brought the damp cloth to the girl’s face and noted the smooth skin, the fine features that spoke of a Norse heritage, and her lovely golden-red hair color which extended to her generous eyebrows and softly fanning lashes.
“Marybeth.” Her name sounded good on his lips. “I’m Cade, and I’m going to help you through this. Do you know what’s happening to you?” He expected a negative answer, but wanted to ask the question anyway. Better to have facts than assumptions.
“Yep.” She still sounded sleepy and raspy, but the amount of pain she was in seemed to be lessening with Cade’s touch and presence. “You’re part of my dream.” She leaned her head back so that it lolled on his shoulder, exposing the slim length of her neck which he swiped with the washcloth. “Good dream.” She smiled, relaxing into his arms as her shift was put on hold for the moment.
Cade cleared his throat. Her unconscious gesture of submission, baring her throat to him, had his own canines extending. Shit and fuck. His wolf was taking notice. Cade struggled to put the beast into the background for the moment. He was finding that now he had to control his own shift when he hadn’t had this much trouble since he was a teenager and a new wolf. Maybe he should have thrown her into the tub after all. “It’s not a dream, Marybeth. You were bitten, probably in the last couple of days, by a wolf.” He stated it as a matter of fact, and tried to smooth out the gravelly rough edges that had appeared in his voice.
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