It took me forever to fall asleep and when I did, my dreams were full of Holt. Holt in a loincloth swinging on vines through the jungle, Holt in a tux and fedora crooning Sinatra tunes, Holt covered in cookie dough and chocolate sauce.
Dream Holt was a voracious lover, too. At one point I was dressed as Cleopatra, and he had me pinned against the outside wall of our pyramid. He lifted my thigh and sunk his staff into me while I cried out his name for anyone out on the desert riding their camel to hear. Dream Sonnie was a ho. I admired that about her.
I woke up with my hands pressed between my quivering thighs, my body desperate for release after dreaming about Holt all night. I couldn’t, though. Not to thoughts of Charlie’s brother. Another cold shower, it was.
I spent the morning scrubbing my house and making a grocery list. Anything to keep my mind off of Holt the hottie.
It worked. Somewhat. Until I walked outside to head to Karmov’s Market and immediately ran into Charlie and Holt. They were driving by, in a big pickup truck, and pulled over when they saw me.
I kept my eyes on Charlie and tried to act natural.
“Where are you off to?”
I motioned towards the market. “I’m headed to pick up some groceries. Do you need anything while I’m there?”
She smiled extra wide. “We’re headed into the superstore in Smith to buy groceries. Come with us.”
“No, no, no.” I waved my hands frantically. “You two should spend more time together.” My luck was the worst.
“We’re already sick of each other.” Holt met my eyes and grinned. “Hop in.” The man was wearing a tight navy t-shirt that did nothing to hide the rippling muscles under the fabric. Every perfectly defined muscle across his chest and arms made it that much harder to say no to him.
I shifted from foot to foot and finally nodded. “Sure.”
“Help her in, Holt. She’s tiny.”
I scowled at Charlie. “Not funny.”
Holt stepped out of the truck and looked down at me. “Is it really a joke?”
“I can get in just fine.” To prove my point, I grabbed the door handle and stretched my leg up. I was flexible, and fortunately wearing leggings. I pulled myself up and slid across to the middle of the bench seat. “See.”
Holt got back in. His masculine scent was stronger in the enclosed space. I was overwhelmed and instantly regretted agreeing to go along with them. When he moved his leg, his thigh brushed against mine, and I shivered as a tingle of pleasure vibrated through me.
“You okay?”
When I met his gaze, there was something intense in his eyes that felt far too intimate. His eyes looked all hot and bothered. Was he hot and bothered for me? I jerked my head back to face forward nodding it like a marionette on a string. “Yep. Great.”
Charlie held her phone up to me. “What do you think of this piece? I’m thinking of adding in a built-in choker and spiky cuffs, or something equally erotic.”
I forced myself to look at the sexy lingerie piece and bit the inside of my cheek. I shouldn’t have gotten in the truck. Walking to Smith would’ve been a better idea than sitting next to Holt looking at kinky lingerie.
“It’s fine.” My voice came out as a hoarse whisper.
“So, how did you like that blue lacy set you bought?”
Holt grunted and rolled his window down. “Hot in here, isn’t it?”
I faced straight ahead without answering. I was in hell. I could feel my panties getting damper by the second as my body responded to the heat Holt was putting off and the flashbacks of Dream Holt. I wondered what my chances of survival would be if I dove over Charlie, out the door into moving traffic. It might be a viable option. Tuck and roll, I reminded myself, tuck and roll.
8
Holt
The scent of her arousal hit me like an eighteen-wheeler. I was instantly so hard I was concerned that my dick might steer the truck straight off the road. My wolf was clawing and howling inside, the smell of her driving him wild, too.
I’d had to put the window down to get some sort of relief, but it wasn’t enough. I moved to adjust myself and my thigh brushed against Sonnie’s. I heard her light intake of breath and glanced over to see her cheeks burning bright red. I just thanked god that Charlie had such a shit sense of smell. Otherwise, there was no way she would’ve been able to miss what was happening. As it was, she continued to chatter on, oblivious.
I was on some insane level of hell, where there was so much raw need coursing through my body that I felt like I’d snap at any second. I’d been itching to be close to Sonnie since I’d dropped her off at her door the night before, but I should’ve known better than to try to do it while crammed in a truck cab with my sister.
Sonnie seemed to want some space, too. She’d looked like she was ready to run when we’d stopped next to her. If she was feeling even a fraction of what I was feeling, I couldn’t really blame her. And, judging by the scent she was putting off, she was feeling what I was feeling.
The drive to the store was a lesson in restraint. By the time we got there, I was ready to shift and run for the hills. My body was wound up so tight, it was a miracle that I didn’t explode.
We still had to do our shopping, though, so I held it together. Up and down the aisles we went, Charlie and Sonnie each pushing their own cart. I trailed along behind with my eyes glued to Sonnie’s plump, gorgeous ass.
At one point, Sonnie stopped moving and I bumped into her. I instinctively grabbed her hips to catch her from falling, and pulled her to me. She gasped and grabbed my hand.
“Holt…” Her voice was breathy and I felt her shiver against me.
My fingertips dug into the soft skin of her hips. A low growl emerged from deep in my chest. I was losing control. My body shook and I was seconds from shifting. I forced myself to step away from her and let her go. “I’m waiting outside.”
With long strides, I exited the store before my sister could catch me groping her friend. I sat in the truck the rest of the time trying to figure out how to maintain control. I was both disappointed and relieved when Charlie climbed into the truck and sat between us on the way back home. Space would help.
At Sonnie’s tentative but heated glance, my foot on the gas pedal grew heavier, and I envisioned racing home and kicking Charlie out of the truck so I could have my way with Sonnie right there in the front seat. When I stopped in front of Sonnie’s house, she practically leapt from the truck while it was still moving.
She started grabbing bags out of the back, her mouth drawn in a taut line. I got out to help her, but Charlie beat me to it. All I could do was stand there and watch as they disappeared into Sonnie’s house.
Charlie emerged a few seconds later. “Come on, big bro. I’ll let you carry ours in.”
I got back behind the wheel and blew out a slow breath. Things weren’t working out the way I wanted them to. Not by a mile. To be fair, though, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted except that it involved Sonnie naked.
I drove us back home where Charlie and I spent the night in, cooking dinner together. My mind was stuck on Sonnie, but I kept reminding myself that I’d come to town strictly to visit my sister and I hadn’t wanted to get involved with anyone.
The reasons why hadn’t changed. I had to remember that.
The next couple days went about the same way. I couldn’t stop thinking about Sonnie. My runs were consumed by her, in human and in wolf form. Hourly, I had to fight the urge to barge into her shop. There must have been a reason that she hurried away after the shopping trip. I knew she wanted me, but she was fighting it, too.
I didn’t know enough about her. Maybe she had a reason to stay away from me. I wanted to ask Charlie about her, but that seemed like a bad idea. Charlie was also really fixed on the idea of me dating her friend, Dana. While Dana was nice, I hadn’t felt anything for her. At all. She wasn’t Sonnie.
I told myself to leave Sonnie alone, but it wasn’t that simple. No matter where I went, I could
smell her. Whenever I caught a glimpse of her, my wolf practically surged forward demanding I go to her.
The way my wolf responded to her was unusual. He’d never before reacted to any of the women I’d been with. He always seemed to find them boring. Oddly, he was just as hung up on Sonnie as I was. He wanted her to stroke his fur. He wanted to watch over her and nuzzle into her while she slept next to him.
The thought crossed my mind that she could be our mate. That was crazy, though. She was a tiny human. Normally, mates were well matched in stature. I’d always assumed that if I ever did find a mate, she’d be taller and stronger. Like some of the women I’d served with in the military.
Sonnie was not just another attractive woman, though. She evoked feelings that I’d never experienced before. They were so intense. They also caused me to panic a bit. What if she was my mate? I wasn’t ready for a mate. I was at a crossroad in my life, not sure of the direction to take, and certainly not in a place where I could provide for a mate. I didn’t even have my own shit together.
The timing was all wrong, but I couldn’t fight the fantasies I had of Sonnie. I couldn’t help the way my wolf ran towards her house, or the way I’d changed my route to run by her shop in the morning. I was hooked on her.
The thought of her with all those single men at her speed dating event made me a little crazy. I decided to simply show up afterwards and help her clean up again. I wanted to be there for the whole thing, but not to sit and talk with other women again. Not to pretend I was available and looking for a date. I was, but only with one specific woman.
9
Sonnie
Our first true mate match! A real match. The second speed dating event had been an even bigger success than the first. I’d managed to get a couple of shifter males from Smith and one of them, Anton Ortiz, had found his mate in our very own Trudy Lawson, a local Helen’s Corner lady. The night had quickly become a raucous party after that, with everyone in the mood to celebrate. The energy around the pair was intoxicating and I spent the evening alternating between being thrilled to death at having played a part in them finding each other, and green eyed with envy that I would never know a mate bond like they had.
Real, true, soulmate love. Belonging to one other person as though you were made for each other. I’d found out the hard way when I was young that human love wasn’t a sure thing. Things changed, people changed. Love faded. Being mates was the real deal, though. I wanted that, but I’d never get it.
Not only did I not have the awesome ability to transform into another creature, one with heightened senses of sight, hearing, and, unless you were Charlie, smell, but I would also never know the true mate bond that shifter mates shared. It was one of the main reasons I felt so jealous and put out around my shifter friends. Carter and Alec found it, Denny and Raif found it, and now Trudy and Anton. Of course, shifters didn’t always find their mates, but the possibility was good.
After everyone filed out of my shop, I sat down on one of the chairs and let my head fall back. I was tired. More than tired, fatigued. And sad.
The whole time I’d been celebrating with the couple, I’d had an image of Holt in the back of my mind. A “what if”. What if I was a tall, strong, long-legged, fierce, wolf shifter model? What if I was the woman of his dreams? My mind was playing some cruel tricks on me, trying to convince me that I wanted the man. And, okay, my body definitely wanted him. But my mind? I would maintain control of my own mind.
As hard as I tried to shake it, there was an intense longing for him that I couldn’t get over. So, I told myself that he had a mate out there somewhere. Anything I felt for him was just me setting myself up for misery.
I kicked off my heels and propped my feet up on the table. I was just about to unsnap my bra when the bell over the front door rang and there stood the devil himself.
I lowered my feet and stood up. “Holt.”
His arms were crossed over his chest. I couldn’t help but enjoy how it made the muscles in his arms and shoulders bulge. His pecs were accentuated as well. He nodded toward the door. “You should lock this at night. Any stranger can just walk right in.”
“Howdy, Stranger.”
A light smile played at his lips and he moved closer. “I don’t know. On one hand we’re practically strangers, on the other, we have already grocery shopped together. The lines have blurred.”
My heart rate sped up and my body was already reacting to his nearness. It was insane. “Technically, I grocery shopped with your sister.”
“Then I am a stranger. You probably should’ve locked me out.” He flashed his teeth in a faux snarl. “You know the story about the big, bad wolf?”
I shivered and tried to nonchalantly hide my pebbled nipples. The light fabric of the dress I had on wasn’t doing enough to cover them. “I can promise you that the big, bad wolf will have met his match if he tries to mess with me.”
His laugh lightened some of the sexual tension between us. “I’m one hundred percent sure that’s true. I came to help you cleanup.”
I gnawed on my lip as I looked around. The place was more of a mess than the last time he’d helped. “It’s late. Don’t you have anything better to do than janitorial work?”
“There’s only one thing I’d rather be doing, but I’m still working on arranging that.” The look he gave me went right through me and sent chill bumps over my body. “I’ll just help you clean for now.”
My words froze in my throat, so I just nodded.
We cleaned in silence, with stolen glances at each other every few seconds. The tension got thicker and thicker until I felt like he was caressing me with his eyes from across the room. Every time I caught him looking, my body would heat. I’d pulled my hair up in a clip to get it off my neck, but I was still sweating. Fanning myself was little relief.
We finished cleaning and Holt volunteered to take the chairs back to the courthouse himself while I counted the money and closed everything down. I sent him with my keys and locked the cash into the safe under the counter before turning out all the lights.
I was hurrying across the dark room when Holt opened the door and called to me. “Come on. I’ll walk you home.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I’m walking you home.”
I hesitated, but when I looked up at him, I couldn’t remember why it was a bad idea to be close to him. I wanted him, he wanted me, we were grown adults. That, at least, was my thinking at that moment. I ignored the niggling feeling that I was asking for trouble.
“Are you enjoying Helen’s Corner?”
“It has its bright spots.”
“Yeah? I’m sure getting to catch up with Charlie is nice.”
“It is.”
I kept my eyes straight ahead. “And I’m sure having all the women in town enamored with you is nice.”
“All of them?”
I blushed. “Especially Dana, apparently. Charlie said you made quite the impression on her.”
He grunted. “What about you?”
I looked over at him and raised an eyebrow. “I’m the matchmaker. Speed dating hostess extraordinaire. It’s my job to match up others.”
“Such restrictions you’ve put on yourself.”
I laughed and shook my head. “It’s best I focus on keeping my business afloat. Anything else…Are you planning on appointing yourself my cleanup crew for the duration of your visit here?”
He stopped at the bottom of my porch stairs and shrugged. “You shouldn’t have to do it alone. You’re tiny.”
My jaw dropped. I was suddenly struck with an arrow of pain dipped in anger. I moved up a few steps so I could look him in the eye. “Tiny? So, this is about you feeling sorry for me?”
“Excuse me?”
I narrowed my eyes and dug my fists into my hips. “The charm. The chivalry. You help me clean, you do all the heavy lifting, you even offer to take me grocery shopping. Because you feel sorry for me? The small, weak, helpless human with no one to care enoug
h about her to help her?”
He took a step up. “No. That’s not it. I don’t feel sorry for you. I feel sorry for me.”
I stepped up another step. “Why in the world do you feel sorry for yourself?”
He matched me step for step until I was backed up against the front door and his face was only inches from mine. “I feel sorry for me because I’m having the damndest time keeping my hands off you and I’ve never experienced anything more torturous. It’s agony.”
My breath caught in my throat. “That’s not funny.”
“Unlock your door, Sonnie.” His voice had gone deep and his eyes were glowing silver as he stared down at me.
I turned around and fumbled with my keys, not even fully aware of what I was doing. I opened my mouth to ask if he was coming in when I felt his teeth on the back of my neck. I gasped and dropped the keys. “Fuck.”
10
Holt
Mine. She was definitely mine. My mate. Everything in me was screaming for her. I couldn’t think of any of the pitfalls that might exist with her being so close and so ready for me. I could smell that she was aroused for me and I was hard as stone for her. When she showed me her back, my wolf took over and reacted on instinct. My teeth clamped down over her neck, and it was all I could do not to bite down. Hard. I wanted to, though. I wanted to claim her. I wanted her to wear my claiming mark.
I gripped her hips and fighting as hard as I could, managed to pull my teeth back and kiss her neck. She was so soft and she tasted like wild berries after a spring rain. She had a dirty mouth for such a sweet tasting woman.
She mumbled something, but I couldn’t hear her. The blood was coursing through my body, past my ears, headed down south and making everything up north a little hazy. I wanted her so much that I was losing control. I needed to slow down.
I knelt and grabbed her keys, reached around her, unlocked the door and pushed it open. “Do you want to go inside, Sonnie?”
Wolf Soldier (She-Shifters of Hell's Corner Book 3) Page 4