Wolf Tales III

by Kate Douglas

  Losing Shannon was too painful even to consider. He forced his concerns to the back of his mind and concentrated instead on getting them both to safety.

  Jake checked the bus schedule and decided on a cab. By midmorning they reached a small town north of Portland where they wandered through a motorcycle dealership just long enough to find the bike Jake wanted and the surprisingly comfortable leather clothing he insisted both he and Shannon wear.

  Shortly after a quick lunch, Shannon found herself sitting behind Jake on the back of a gorgeous silvery gray motorcycle, dressed all in black leather with a matching helmet protecting her head and sleek black boots on her feet.

  Jake wore full leathers as well. It was all Shannon could do not to touch him, to stroke the warm leather and imagine the man inside. Jake’s leather pants fit his perfect ass like a glove and the jacket showed off his broad shoulders and narrow waist to perfection.

  The young woman who waited on them seemed absolutely mesmerized by Jake. Shannon couldn’t blame her, even though she had the strangest desire to knock the clerk silly. It all felt absolutely surreal.

  Twenty-four hours ago, Shannon had never even heard of Jacob Trent. Now she owed him her life. Craved his touch. Needed him.

  Wanted to possess him.

  Not good. Not good at all.

  Though Jake appeared relaxed and at ease, Shannon sensed his anxiety, his need to move quickly. He never stopped checking their surroundings, closely watching the highway in front of the shop and paying attention to every little detail.

  The only time Shannon even saw him smile was the moment the dealer handed him the keys to his new set of wheels.

  They stowed their gear in panniers on the sides of the bike and headed northwest out of Falmouth, putting as much distance between themselves and the men in suits as possible.

  By late afternoon Jake figured the novelty of riding a motorcycle had lost its allure for Shannon. Her arms still held tightly to his waist and her soft breasts pressed into his backbone, but she lay heavily against him in total exhaustion.

  The attraction of Shannon in leather had only grown stronger for Jake. When he thought of the huge amount of money he’d just charged to the Pack Dynamics account for the simple pleasure of getting Shannon Murphy into black leather, he couldn’t help but grin. Luc was going to have a fit.

  Knowing he had enough ready cash to pay his buddy back was Jake’s only saving grace, but for now he intended to enjoy all the hoped-for repercussions.

  They stopped briefly for supplies in a small town, buying just what they needed for the night. A few miles farther down the road, Jake turned off the main route and followed a narrow track through the dense forest before finally turning down the country lane that led to his cabin. He still wasn’t certain what had made him buy the place, but the fact it sat dead center in the middle of almost four hundred acres of dense forest certainly made the property attractive to a shapeshifter.

  Jake pulled the bike to a stop in front of the broad front porch. The home nestled comfortably among the tall pines, fashioned much like a larger version of log cabins from two centuries past. Jake wondered if he’d ever grow tired of the quiet beauty of this isolated place. He’d only been here a few times since buying the property, the last trip with AJ and Mik.

  An image of the three of them together, Jake and both his packmates making love to Shannon at the same time, hit with such intensity his breath caught in his lungs.

  “I thought you said it was little and sort of rough. This is absolutely gorgeous.” Obviously unaware of the direction Jake’s thoughts were leading, Shannon crawled stiffly from the back of the bike and pulled off her helmet. The long mass of deep red hair she’d kept tucked inside tumbled over her shoulders when she raised her arms and stretched.

  Jake’s gut tightened into one large knot. His cock swelled against the leather pants. AJ and Mik? What had he been thinking?

  No way in hell are those two sex fiends getting near my mate. Not until she’s mine. Not until we’ve bonded.

  Every move Shannon made turned him on. With her sleek body encased in the form-fitting leather she could’ve starred in the hottest wet dream ever. Jake wasn’t quite ready to include two of his most intimate friends in those dreams, much less reality, no matter how much he enjoyed sex with AJ and Mik.

  “What made you buy something so far from your home in San Francisco?”

  Jake blinked out of his fantasy and focused on the real thing. “My family was originally from Maine. I came home for my father’s funeral a few years ago…ended up borrowing a friend’s bike and taking a road trip. Somehow I took the roads that brought me up here and the place was…right.”

  Jake shrugged, not really sure exactly why he’d felt the need to own this particular piece of property in such an isolated corner of the world. It had been an almost visceral desire to possess, a need to race through these dark woods with the knowledge the land was his, that the beautiful log cabin belonged only to him. “Working for Ulrich and Pack Dynamics pays well. I guess I just felt it was time to invest my money.”

  “Good investment. It’s beautiful here.” Shannon unzipped her leather jacket, opening it just a bit against the late afternoon warmth. Jake caught a glimpse of black lace holding the full swell of her breasts and practically groaned aloud.

  He forced himself to turn away, to open the panniers and saddle bag so they could carry their supplies into the cabin. Shannon grabbed a couple of bags while Jake brought the rest.

  The door was unlocked. Shannon glanced back in surprise after turning the handle and watching the door swing open.

  “I rarely lock it. As remote as this place is, I’ve never really worried about theft. If someone’s lost in a storm, I’d want them to be able to get in without doing any damage.” Still, they were here because someone wanted Shannon. Once inside, Jake lowered a heavy metal bar across the door and used an iron spike to lock it in place. Whoever built the house had felt a need for a simple but secure locking system, one he would use to protect Shannon whether they needed it or not.

  “Thank you.”

  Jake looked up and caught Shannon staring at him with a small quirk to her lips. Not quite a smile, more a look of bemused acceptance that her life had taken a sudden, unexpected twist. “You’re welcome. No one’s going to get through that. I promised I’d keep you safe.”

  Jake led Shannon through the large main room, past an attractive grouping of an oversized dark brown leather sofa and four matching chairs arranged around a huge fireplace, then into the kitchen which was separated from the great room by a broad bar with stools along one side. He found a kerosene lantern, trimmed the wick and lit it. “We’ve got solar for power but I like to save that for emergencies. Besides, I like the way the firelight looks.”

  When Jake turned around, Shannon stood close. Her hair gleamed like burnished copper in the flickering light from the lantern and she stared at him with a look that set Jake on fire. There was no question of wanting or needing or even whether or not this was a good idea. He leaned close and gently kissed her mouth, tracing her full lips with the tip of his tongue.

  She opened for him on a gentle sigh. Jake’s arms seemed to move of their own volition, wrapping tightly around her waist, cupping the perfect globes of her leather-clad ass.

  He kissed her thoroughly, his tongue tangling with hers, tracing the outline of her teeth, finding the sensitive roof of her mouth, thrusting in and out with a slow rhythm, one Jake realized he’d matched with the gentle thrust of his hips.

  Shannon slowly ended the kiss and rested her forehead against his chest. “I promised myself I wasn’t going to let this happen again.”

  Hiding his shock as best he could, Jake pulled away so he could see her face. “Why?”

  “Last night. When we made love, you made me come every time. That’s not normal, at least for me. And…” She shook her head, obviously confused, unsure of what she was trying to explain. “Something else happened. Something r
eally weird.”

  “I know. We shared some amazing climaxes. I want to do that again…and again.”

  “It wasn’t just the sex, Jake. It was something else. Something I can’t understand and it scared me.” Shannon turned away and wrapped her arms around her waist. “I felt like you were in my head, like I was in yours. I saw me through your eyes. Felt what you felt. Experienced the sensation of your cock inside me, the way my muscles grabbed you. Can you explain that?”

  Jake cupped her shoulders in his palms. He much preferred the gentle swell of her bottom, but the rigid set of Shannon’s shoulders told him exactly how upset she was. She deserved answers he couldn’t give. Jake couldn’t tell her, not until he knew for certain she shared the same genes. It was an unwritten law of the pack never to divulge its existence.

  A law none of them dare break.

  “Did you ever stop and think we might be so well matched, the sex so intense, we formed some kind of psychic link?” Jake turned Shannon so that she faced him, his fingers lightly massaging her shoulders. Her green eyes gazed into his with the same intensity he’d felt in her kiss.

  “I felt you the same way, Shannon. That’s never happened to me with another woman. Never. I made love to you at least a dozen times.” He laughed. Shannon smiled in return and her body seemed to relax just a bit. “That hasn’t happened before, either. I mean, I can usually get it up when I want, but there’s a limit. Last night erased limits. It was pretty intense, but it was also absolutely amazing. I think of our connection as a very special gift. I’d like to see where this takes us. Are you willing?”

  Shannon turned away again, moving out of his grasp, obviously avoiding his gaze. She clasped her hands over her belly in what could only be a protective gesture. Jake dropped his hands helplessly to his sides. He wished he could see into her mind as clearly now as he had at the height of orgasm.

  “Someone’s trying to kidnap me. I don’t know why, but they hurt me and scared me half to death. I just met you yesterday, and while I know Tia sent you, I don’t know anything about you…except that somehow you’re able to read my mind, to let me see into yours. Still, you don’t know anything about me, either.” She bowed her head, her shoulders rose and fell with her sigh. “I might not be at all what you think.”

  “And what might that be?” He ached to touch her. Jake realized he’d tightened both hands into clenched fists, pressed tightly against his thighs. It was either that or drag Shannon into his arms.

  “Do you know Tia very well?” She turned around and tilted her head to one side.

  He certainly couldn’t tell Shannon how intimately he knew her friend. That he would recognize Tia’s taste anywhere, that his hands had stroked her swollen pussy, his fingers found their way deep inside her ass.

  Jake shook his head, accepting Shannon’s abrupt change of subject. “Not really. She’s with Luc. Lucien Stone, her father’s right-hand man. Tia and Luc hit it off from the beginning. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them end up married.”

  The color left Shannon’s face. “Married? She didn’t say anything. Not a word.”

  Jake shrugged. “I’m just guessing. I wasn’t with them when they rescued Tia’s dad, but I imagine it’s really been intense. I know they’ve been in Montana and also in Washington DC, though they’re probably back in San Francisco, now. The last time I saw them, they were pretty tight.”

  The half-truths rolled off his tongue as if he hadn’t almost gotten himself killed trying to take Tia away from Luc. Jake still didn’t know how he would be accepted when he finally returned to the pack. What if they kicked him out, made him find his own way? He wished he could see Luc, fact to face, talk to his best friend in person and then apologize to Tia. Wished he could undo the stupid moves he’d made just a few days ago.

  Shannon worried Jake didn’t know what she was really like? Jake almost laughed at the irony.

  Shannon didn’t have a clue what kind of bastard she was with.

  It must have been the shock of the past twenty-four hours finally hitting her, but Shannon felt as if she might fly apart, right here in the front room of this gorgeous mountain home, standing mere inches from the one man she had never expected to find.

  Too much, too soon, too impossible to accept. She’d experienced heart-stopping fear, unimaginable sexual ecstasy and a terrifying link with the only man in the entire world who had the power to break her heart.

  Shannon stared into Jake’s amazing eyes and wanted to weep. He had no idea what or who she was. Never in her life, not once since hitting puberty, had Shannon regretted her actions. Now, looking at this beautiful man she felt nothing but self-disgust. She’d screwed anyone she wanted, had sex with total strangers. If he knew she was nothing more than used baggage, would he still look at her as if he wanted to hold her forever?

  What would he think if she told him she’d been fucked by more men than she could remember—and just as many women? What would he think of her then, learning he was one in a long line of sexual partners she’d known since she was nothing more than a kid, just one more warm body capable of giving her an orgasm?

  Except Jacob Trent was more. So damned much more. Therein lay the problem.

  Shannon wanted to scream! She’d never cared before. Never, except for Tia. She and Tia had been lovers for almost fifteen years, sharing men as easily as most women shared outfits. But damn it all, she would not put Tia in the same class as those nameless, faceless partners. She’d loved Tia, still loved her, in fact, but at least Tia had understood. Tia’d been looking, too. Just like Shannon.

  Searching. Always searching for something missing, some nebulous piece of herself. Like Tia, Shannon had tried to fill that need with sex. Why hadn’t she wondered what it would be like to finally find the missing piece?

  Because I never expected to find it. Never expected anyone like Jake.

  Shannon’s eyes filled with tears. She blinked them back and held her chin high. Tia had lived the same life, yet Jake said she’d found someone to love, someone who loved her. Did Lucien Stone know about Tia’s past? Did he know she’d done everything sexually possible?

  Did he care?

  “What’s wrong, Shannon? Are you upset Tia’s found someone? I know you were lovers for a long time. I…”

  “What?” Jake knew? “But how did you…?”

  “I don’t know. Tia might have told me. Maybe it was her dad.”

  Shannon slowly shook her head from side to side. “I often wondered if Mr. Mason knew we were lovers. Are you sure?”

  “I imagine so. Not much gets by him.” Smiling, Jake reached for her, cupped his strong hands over her shoulders and dragged Shannon up against his chest. “Are you afraid that’s going to put me off? That you and Tia had sex?”

  She felt his soft laughter rumble in his chest. “Aw, sweetie. I don’t care about your past, not how many lovers you’ve had or what sex they were. We’re a lot more alike than you realize. I’ve been with as many men as I have women. If that’s an issue with you, let’s get past it now. It’s not important. You’re important. What we’ve discovered is important.”

  Jake’s words, spoken so naturally, so comfortably, rolled through Shannon’s heart and caught her totally by surprise. She raised her head to see what his eyes might tell her. His calm, earth-shattering words reverberated in her mind. It was hard to imagine Jake with another man, not when he was so damned good at making love to a woman.

  He leaned close and literally captured her mouth, kissing the confusion away. Once more his tongue invaded, once again she felt the steady thrust of his hips against her belly.

  This time, though, Shannon allowed his kiss to take her. She let her body find its own natural rhythm, which amazingly matched perfectly to Jake’s.

  He kissed her throat, his hands moving to the zipper on her leather coat. Slowly he lowered the tab, one metal tooth at a time. He followed with his mouth, kissing the tops of her breasts, sucking at her skin and making wet little sounds that tur
ned her on even more.

  Jake peeled the jacket away from her shoulders until it fell to the floor behind her and Shannon wore only the black lacy bra and tight leather pants.

  Jake stepped back and stared at her. His smoldering eyes, the catch in his breath, the harsh line of his jaw—all signs of a totally aroused male.

  “My God. You’re beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.” Like a celebrant approaching an altar, Jake knelt in front of her and carefully unfastened the zipper on her pants. Shannon felt the cool rush of air as he tugged the tight leather down over her hips. He left the waistband resting on her thighs as he leaned down and slipped her boots off her feet. Tugged her socks with them, slowly worked her pants down over each foot.

  Standing in the middle of the large room dressed only in tiny scraps of black lace panties and bra, Shannon had never felt so exposed in her life. Or as aroused. Jake sat back on his heels and studied her body as if he could watch her forever. Still fully dressed, he slipped his leather jacket off his shoulders.

  His blue chambray shirt strained across his broad chest. The leather pants bulged between his legs. Shannon’s gaze darted to his crotch, then back to his dark amber eyes. Jake slid his hands along her thighs, raising gooseflesh wherever he touched.

  Shannon’s nipples puckered against the lacy bra. Her panties barely contained the fluids seeping from her swollen sex. Jake leaned forward, went down on his knees and inhaled. Shannon watched his chest expand as he breathed in her scent and something deep inside her flowered into life.

  Slowly, firmly, Jake pressed his mouth against the triangle of fabric barely covering her damp curls. His breath flowed hot and moist over sensitive tissues. Shannon whimpered, the sound forming deep in her throat.

  Jake’s hands cupped her ass and he tugged her closer, nibbling now, his teeth scraping the wet satin panties, nipping at her clit through the fabric. Shannon’s knees almost buckled. She spread her legs to give Jake better access, then reached forward blindly, grabbing his shoulders and hanging on for balance.