Stripped (Wolves of Mule Creek #2)

by Katharine Sadler

  “Get on your mat and we'll get started,” he said.

  I snapped back to the real world where Zane was the reason I was about to do yoga. “Seriously, can we do something about the music? It makes me want to kick things.”

  “Just give it a chance,” he said. “If you still hate it after twenty minutes, we can work in silence.”

  “Silence? How about something upbeat or—”

  “Yoga is supposed to be relaxing, meditative, it's not supposed to make you want to dance.”

  I huffed and went back to my mat.

  “Since you're still shaky, we'll start with seated poses.”

  He put his mat in front of mine and faced me. “Just do what I do,” he said. “I'll correct your form if I see anything off.”

  He twisted and contorted and I did my best to follow him. The stretches felt pretty good, but I wasn’t back to my normal level of energy and I ran out of gas pretty quickly.

  I didn't even have to make apologies. “You need a break,” he said. “Do you want to crash upstairs on the couch for a while? We could watch a movie.”

  A movie? Why would I need a movie? What I wanted was to get comfy on that yoga mat and give my full-attention to Zane's half-naked body contortions. “I'm good here,” I said. “I don't want to interrupt your workout.”

  He gave me a look, a sort of a smirk, like he didn't believe me.

  “Really, I've never done yoga before. I want to learn more about it.”

  “Want me to turn off the music?”

  The music had faded into the background and I'd forgotten all about it until he mentioned it. As soon as he did, it was like he'd turned it up to full-volume. “Yes, if it won't affect your workout.”

  “I can manage.” He turned off the music and went back to his mat. He did some standing exercises that twisted his body and put different muscles on full display. It was making my heart beat faster just watching him, I was getting a workout and I didn't even have to move.

  He did this one exercise, where he bent at the waist and stuck his butt in the air and then he dropped into a plank and slid down until his back was arched and his head was back. I don't know what it was called, but all I could think about was him moving like that over me, him pressing his naked body and all that warm skin against me.

  I bit back a moan. Maybe I should have gone upstairs.

  His head swung around and he looked at me in surprise. Did I moan aloud? I must have, or he saw something encouraging in my expression, because his lips turned up in a wicked smile and he crawled over to me on all fours. “You know,” he said. “Yoga poses can be fun in the bedroom.”

  “Can they?” I asked, my voice raspy. Damn it, there were no words for what this guy did to me. I cleared my throat. “I don't think I'm flexible enough for that.”

  “You don't have to be flexible.” He crossed his legs and sat with his back straight. “Come here. Sit on my lap.”

  I went to him and sat on his lap, because I was tired of fighting him. I was tired of denying myself what I wanted. I'd told him we couldn't have a relationship, I'd told him I wasn't staying in Mule Creek, it was on him if he got attached.

  “Wrap your legs around me.”

  I sat on his lap, my legs wrapped around his waist. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me tight against him. I laced my arms around his neck. I looked into his eyes, expecting him to kiss me, but he didn't make a move.

  “Um, so we just sit here?”

  “Just enjoy the moment,” he said. “Let it be what it will be.”

  I would have rolled my eyes but I was tingling everywhere my skin touched his and I could feel him under me, his length slowly hardening, thickening. I'd seriously thought he was feeding me some line, but he didn't make a move, didn't try to kiss me or cop a feel. He just stared into my eyes. “Just breathe,” he said. “Focus on your breath.”

  So, I breathed. I stared into his eyes and I concentrated on breathing in and out. I noticed the flecks of green mixed in with the amber and brown in his eyes, the freckle in his brow line, the tiny bump on his nose that suggested it had been broken and healed wrong. I noticed that his lips were soft and so, so kissable. I felt his chest moving against mine, felt opened up and exposed to him in a way I'd never felt when I'd stripped naked in front of strangers.

  And suddenly, it was too much. It wasn't just physical, it wasn't just anything. It felt like everything. I tried to wiggle off his lap, to get away, but he only held me tighter. “Just breathe,” he said. “It feels uncomfortable at first, but give it time. Breathe into it.”

  I didn't want to breathe anymore. I wanted to get away. I needed to get away, because he was looking at me like I mattered to him.

  I pushed against him. “I can't do this,” I said. “I'm not…” And I realized what I was so afraid of, why I was pushing so hard against the attraction I felt for him. I wanted him. I wanted him more than I'd ever wanted anything in as long as I could remember. Except I didn't just want sex, I wanted to be a part of his life. I wanted him to walk down the street holding my hand and I wanted to come home to him every night. For a moment, a vision flashed of him holding an infant, smiling at me and I wanted that, god I wanted that so much. But I couldn't have it. If I gave into him, if I let myself fall into this fantasy before I had a stable job and a dependable income, then everything that felt so good now could become toxic and horrible later.

  He pulled me tighter against him. “I won't ask for anything, Abby. I know you're leaving, that maybe all we have is this moment. But I want it anyway, because we'd be idiots to throw it away.”

  He made a good point and he was looking at me so intently, like he saw every part of me and still wanted more, that it brought tears to my eyes. I pressed my lips to his and I kissed him to get him to stop looking at me.

  It was like I'd lit a match and thrown it on kerosene. He groaned and kissed me back, hard, almost bruisingly hard. And it felt amazing. It felt like nowhere near enough.

  I shifted on his lap, finding just the right spot and rubbing my core against him, managing to get a friction that felt so good I never wanted to stop. He moaned and pulled my shirt over my head.

  He stopped the shirt at my wrists and held my arms over my head, my breasts exposed, because I hadn't bothered to put on a bra when I got out of bed. “So fucking perfect,” he said, devouring me with his eyes. Then he tossed the shirt away and lifted me off his lap. He laid me down gently on the nearest yoga mat and studied me. “You sure you're up for this?”

  “I am if you are,” I said with a pointed look at his crotch, a region that was most definitely in the up and ready for anything position.

  “I've never been more ready.” He shucked off his shorts and… There were no words to do that cock justice. Seriously, if cock models existed, he should get the job. He was like a sculpture, a perfect marble sculpture with a large, lovely cock.

  I had one goal in mind for that cock and I was in a hurry to get there before reason returned and I remembered what a bad idea this was. I shimmied out of my yoga pants, arching my back to do it, but not willing to stand and facilitate the process. Zane didn't help me out, he watched, smirking at first, before his gaze grew more and more heated, his cock bobbing as though in anticipation.

  Finally, I got the pants off and Zane was over me, sliding into me, just as eager as I was and no more inclined to think this through. He felt so darn good my eyes rolled back in my head and I moaned with pleasure. “More,” I begged.

  “I don't want to hurt you,” he said. “You're still recovering and it—”

  I glared at him and flexed my hips, forcing him deeper. “I know what I can handle. Give me more.”

  He grinned. “You think you can handle all of it?”

  I growled and his grin widened. It widened until I lifted my hips and he slid another inch deeper. “Fuck,” he said.

  “Yes,” I said. “Fuck me already.”

  He slid in and back out, slowly, torturing me. “Like this?”


  “Do that thing you were doing,” I said. “After you stuck your butt in the air and did that plank thing.”

  He replicated the movement, sliding deep inside.

  “Mmmm, yeah, just like that.”

  He made that move a couple more times, before his expression changed and his eyes lost focus. “I'll save that for another time. How do you feel about hard and fast?”

  “I love hard and fast.”

  He pumped in and out of me, just as hard and fast as I needed. His flat groin rubbed me in just the right way and in just the right place and I was soaring with an earth-shattering orgasm in minutes. He followed quickly behind, roaring with his climax.

  He had just dropped over me, panting to catch his breath, when a bell chimed upstairs. “Fuck,” he said. “They're here.”

  “Darn fine timing.”

  He chuckled. “They can wait a couple minutes.”

  He pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. “Thank you, honey,” he said. “That was—”

  “Yoo-hoo! Zane? Abby? Are you here?” Iris' voice carried down from upstairs.

  “Shit,” Zane said.

  I shoved him off and we yanked on our clothes. I had never dressed so fast in my life.

  I started up the stairs, but Zane grabbed my waist and yanked me back. “Stop,” I said. “They'll be down here any second.”

  “We didn't use anything,” he said, his words brushing the sensitive skin behind my ear, heating me again.

  His words sunk in and I froze. I'd never not used anything. I'd never been so caught up in a guy that I just let go and didn't think about what I was doing. I'd had more than one friend who'd gotten pregnant and stuck in Aspens Whiten with a guy she sort of liked. “I'm not on anything,” I said. “It screws up my moods.”

  His grip tightened. “Next time, we use a condom.”

  “Agreed.” I was glad he didn't dwell on the possibility I might be pregnant. I'd have to find out if there was a pharmacy in town, somewhere I could get a plan B pill. “Now, let's face your parents and pretend we weren't just having sex and might, possibly, become parents soon.”

  His gulp was audible. “Good plan.”

  ***

  “And he bit my lip, sucked my blood, and left,” I said to Axel, Julie Jacobs, Paulie, Clarissa, and Zane, who were all seated on couches or on the floor in Zane's living room. Axel had introduced me to Clarissa as his second in command. She looked tough enough to do the job well. I'd told them the whole story of my encounter with Leopold, and I was barely holding my head up. I was exhausted.

  “And then she puked her guts up and nearly died,” Zane said.

  I opened my mouth to tell him to stop being dramatic, but he shot me a glare, like he knew what I was about to say, and I decided I didn't have the energy for that fight.

  The rest of the wolves stared at me, wide-eyed, like I was some sort of alien. Except Julie, who looked as tired as I felt.

  “That's not possible,” Paulie said. “No one can resist vamp compulsion.”

  “She has siren blood,” Zane said. He was sitting on the floor, legs crossed, his back straight, the way he'd been when he'd held me, but there was no tenderness or passion in his gaze, only worry. “She resisted the compulsion, and she almost died doing it.”

  “We can't be sure,” Axel said. He held up a hand as Zane, Julie, and I all tried to protest. He looked at me. “I'm sorry, Abby, but you have to understand where I'm coming from. Leopold could have compelled you to tell us this story, and he could have also suggested you attack us in an entirely different way.”

  Zane shot up from his seat on the floor, his hands in tight fists. “That's bullshit, Axel. She's not acting like Alice or Carly, she's not under a compulsion.”

  “We can't be sure, man,” Paulie said. “There's no way to be sure.”

  Zane ignored Paulie, his glare focused on Axel. I knew Axel was a good guy, but he was the alpha and he couldn't allow a lower-ranking wolf to challenge him. I stood, feeling shaky again, and hungry. I stood next to Zane and covered one of his fists with my palm. He heaved a sigh and entwined his fingers through mine. “What do you want me to do?” I asked Axel.

  Axel gave me a grateful smile. “I just want to have two wolves with you at all times. Security for you and us.”

  Zane growled. “I'll be with her.”

  Axel looked at our linked hands. “You're clearly biased, Zane. It's for Abby, too. If she does something…” He looked at me. “I'm sorry Abby, but if you hurt someone while under compulsion, I'll have to take action against you as though you weren't under compulsion. I don't want to have to do that.”

  “I'll be with her,” Zane said, but he sounded less fierce, less sure.

  “I know you will,” Axel said. “I'll ask Aron and Payne to take the first shift, if that's alright?”

  “It's fine,” I said, since Zane's teeth were clenched together so tight I didn't think he could speak.

  “When she meets with Leopold, we'll have more wolves on her. They'll have to hang back, of course, but—”

  I could feel Zane heating next to me as soon as Axel said Leopold's name. “Fuck. No.” Zane said. “She's not going anywhere near that asshole again.”

  Axel glanced at me, looking less sure. “If she doesn't meet with him, he'll know something's up. He'll have a reason to come after her again.”

  Zane squeezed my hand so hard I was worried for my circulation. “Bullshit, Axel. If he comes after her we'll protect her, you're thinking about how you can use this.”

  Axel sighed, looking pretty darn exhausted and worried himself. “We need an edge,” he said. “If we can feed him false information, send him off on a wild goose chase—”

  “She almost died,” Zane roared. “She's not going anywhere fucking near that fucking bloodsucking piece of shit ever again.”

  Axel slumped. “Zane, we're closer to broke than we've ever been. If we don't figure out a way to get past all the roadblocks Leopold's set up, we're going to have to move.”

  “So, we move. We go somewhere we can run our businesses and trade and make money the way we always have.”

  “It's not that simple,” Axel said. “Not everyone wants to leave and there's not a person in this country who doesn't know who or what we are. How many humans you think want us moving in next door?”

  “No. Fuck no. You figure out another way, Axel. She's not doing this.”

  I wanted to be the woman who stood up and offered to take the risk and save the pack, but I was with Zane on this one. I didn't want to get anywhere near Leopold again, and that wasn't just fear talking, it was common sense. I don't know what happened in that hotel room, but I didn't want to take a chance that Leopold's venom would kill me the next time.

  Axel looked at me, the hope in his eyes making it obvious he wanted me to step up and sacrifice myself. I stared back at him, shoulders straight, expression hard, 'no' in every line of my body. He sighed. “Fine, we'll figure out something else.”

  The whole room seemed to expand with those words and the tension flowed out. “Thank you,” Zane said. “Thank you, alpha.”

  Axel nodded, but he looked weary. “The town's running tonight,” he said. “Aron and Payne can guard Abby. You should run with us.”

  “No,” Zane said. He pulled me against his side. “I'll stay here.”

  “You should go,” I said. “Don't wolves need to run regularly to keep from going crazy?”

  “I'll be fine,” Zane said.

  “You will run,” Axel said. “That's an order from your alpha.”

  Zane huffed, but I could feel no tension in his body. He was relieved. “Yes, alpha. But if anything happens to her—”

  “You'll rip off Aron's balls and feed them to Payne. Yada yada yada,” Julie said. She looked at me and rolled her eyes as if to say, “Men.”

  I smiled in agreement.

  “Hi, all,” Iris yelled into the living room. “I've got grub.”

  Iris and Zeke had stopped in to give m
e hugs and wish me well before Axel and the rest had shown up. I liked them both, and their hugs… It made me feel like I was part of a family again. I had to remember it was temporary, it wasn't real.

  No one needed to be told twice. We all rose and headed into the kitchen. Well, I tried to, but Zane held me back. “You won't see him again,” he said. “I swear I won't let you get anywhere near him again.”

  I looked up and met his gaze. He looked so worried and I hated it. He should always smile. I brushed a hand along the side of his face and pinched his cheek. “I know, Zane. I trust you.”

  “Even if I have to challenge the alpha—”

  I pulled his head down and kissed him hard. When I pulled away, I looked into his eyes. “I won't allow you to challenge your alpha. We'll figure this out together, okay?”

  Finally, he smiled. He smiled like I'd given him a pony for Christmas. Something in my chest pinched tight. I was getting in too deep and I needed to tread carefully.

  “Come on,” I said. “I'm starving.”

  The others were already seated at the kitchen table or standing with loaded plates. I headed for the counter, where Iris had food set up, buffet style, but Iris grabbed my elbow and pulled me to the side. “How are you feeling, honey?”

  “Exhausted. But much, much better.”

  She smiled warmly, the way a mother might smile at a sick child and, for the second time in less than ten minutes, my chest pinched. I missed my mother. “I made some chicken soup,” she said. “In case you aren't feeling up to a heavy meal. It's one of the few things I can make well.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  She nodded and looked around. “You can't be expected to stand. Go have a seat in the living room and I'll bring the soup to you.”

  I've never been one of those super friendly, touchy-feely people, but Iris just broke through all my barriers. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tight. “Thank you.”

  She patted my back. “You're welcome, honey. Don't let these boys keep you up. You eat and go to bed if that's what you want.”

  I stepped away, biting back a smile. It was amusing that she thought I might be intimidated by the boys. I wondered if she knew I was a stripper and what she thought about that. I'd never been ashamed of my profession, but I wasn't an idiot, I knew stripper wasn't the first profession any mother would wish for her son's girlfriend. Not that I was her son's girlfriend… I shut down that train of thought and headed for the living room.