by Vivian Arend
Erik watched contently as the youths finally lured Pam to another section of the pool to play a game, leaving him alone with Maggie for the first time. She sat on the narrow edge of grass at the side of the pool, dangling her feet in the water. The thick underbrush of the wilderness behind her framed her sweet body. She clutched the mossy surface with her fingers, head averted, but he knew she was looking him over.
He stood from where he’d sat, neck deep in the hottest part of the pool. Slow, even steps brought him closer until he leaned his elbows on the grass at her side. He breathed in deeply and noticed she did the same, a fluttering pulse leaping to life at the junction of her neck and shoulder. Turning his head he admired her openly, unable to tear his gaze away. She wore a bikini of brilliant blue that matched her eyes, like a little bit of the summer sky had fallen to earth. Her curves and dips and rounded places all called to him and he swallowed hard.
Her head lifted and their gazes met. A trace of fear shone in the depths and his wolf poked him in the nuts, insistent he take care of her.
“Do I frighten you?”
She licked her lips, leaving them wet and soft. He wanted to lean over to taste her so badly.
“I’m very drawn to you, and that scares me.”
The air around them filled with the faint noises of the spring and the laughter of the others in the distance. The sunlight shone full on them and she turned her face to its warmth. He waited patiently. Patience was something he had more than enough of. It took a few minutes before she sat straighter, squaring her shoulders. The boldness with which she turned to face him made him proud. His mate was no wimp. He’d expect her to be as strong as him.
“I don’t know how much my sister told you. I’ve been avoiding wolves for a long time. I know I need to change my reaction, but it’s become a habit to stay away from any involvement with pack. I have to fight my first instinct. It’s going to take time to retrain myself not to panic when I see a werewolf. I’m sorry I screamed when I saw you. You didn’t deserve that.”
She was not only strong, she was empathetic and caring. Erik let the pleasure of her presence roll over him. “Trust me, you’re not the first person to scream at the sight of me. I’m a little larger than most people. That can be intimidating. I don’t take it personally.”
Maggie smiled. “Good for you.”
They stared at each other.
“Would you be comfortable if I touched you?” she whispered, looking him straight in the eyes.
Comfortable? He was dying for her touch. “I’d love it.”
She lowered her gaze again. “I haven’t been around many wolves recently. I’m frightened by what I’m feeling. I think I know what this is, but I’m scared…”
Oh mercy. “I’ll take care of you.”
He took a step to the side, still standing waist deep in the water. With one hand on the grass on either side of her hips he caged her between his arms. They both glanced toward the others to make sure they weren’t being watched. Then like conspirators, they leaned together and their lips connected.
Sweet summertime air. The feel of the wind through his fur on a moonlight run. All the most treasured moments of his life faded in comparison as he tasted her. This, this was the moment he’d waited for all his life. She met him with her mouth slightly open, her breath mingling with his before their tongues even touched. He forced himself to keep his hands in place but she had no such compunction. As they kissed, slow and easy, learning each other’s flavour, she caressed his shoulders, rubbing her palms over his brush cut. Smoothing her long fingers down his chest. His skin shivered in anticipation of where she would touch next. Light, fleeting touches that brought his blood to a boil.
He concentrated on enjoying her scent, drawing it into his very being. Nibbles on her bottom lip, light kisses across her cheek. He licked softly at the pounding pulse at her throat. His gums itched with the desire to bite, to mark her permanently as his. But not yet. Not now that she’d confessed her fears. Still, his wolf demanded he take some action. The beast within grew as wild as he’d ever felt it, driving Erik to claim his mate. Instead of biting he suckled, drawing the soft skin of her neck into his mouth until he’d brought the blood to stain the creamy surface. The moan of desire escaping her lips nearly made him change his mind and take her right there on the embankment.
Oh hell, he wanted her. All his. Now.
It took concentration to pull away, to watch her panting breaths slowly calm, his body aching for more. His gaze fell on the rosy circle marring her throat and his wolf grumbled with delight. His mate. He paused.
“Your friend is full human, isn’t she?”
Maggie ran her hands over his shoulders again and again, her fingers clinging to him. She peeked at where Pam still played with the boys. “There’s no way I can explain to her why I’d let a total stranger give me a hickey. She’s going to think I’ve gone insane.” She snorted. “Maybe I have. Oh Lord, I never expected this to happen.”
Erik lifted her off the edge and lowered her into the water. He longed to pull her back onto his lap, and touch her more and more intimately. If this had been any normal situation, they would already be making love. It was the way with mates. Sometimes it took a lifetime to find the one special person who would complete you on every level—physical, mental and emotional. Once you found each other there was no hesitation. No recrimination for simply taking and joining together what was meant to be.
Waiting was going to kick his ass.
He took a seat on one of the underwater benches opposite her. “We don’t have to tell her. She’s flying back to Vancouver in a couple of days, right?”
Maggie nodded.
“We’ll wait. As much as I want to take you back to my tent and make love with you right now, we can wait for the sake of your friend.” A shiver shook Maggie briefly and she glanced at him, a trace of fear back in her eyes. His wolf howled and fought to comfort her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want a mate.”
He snorted. Bullshit. “Too bad. You’ve got one.”
Her jaw dropped, and she gaped at him. “You can’t just say something like that and expect me to be all right with it. I’m telling you I don’t want a mate. I’m still freaked out at the thought of trying to live within the confines of a pack. Why would I also want a mate to deal with?”
That made no sense at all. “A mate isn’t to deal with, a mate is to love.”
She stopped cold. He had the sudden vision of the two of them, tangled together intimately, and had to reach into the water to adjust himself before his cock exploded. Her gaze followed his hands and she blushed hard.
“I know this isn’t fair. I’m sorry, I really am, but as much as my body is interested, we can’t do this. I’m telling you straight up so you can be prepared. Even after Pam leaves, I’m not having sex with you. I’m not ready to be anyone’s mate until I deal with some issues.”
“Are you telling me this because you think if you say it, you’ll be able to resist wanting to be with me? Maggie, we’re werewolves and we’re mates. There’s a chemical reaction between us, yes, but this isn’t just physical. Becoming mates is in our best interest.”
“Best interest? What the hell are you talking about?”
“Those issues you mentioned, let me help you with them. That’s my job. As mates we’re better as a couple. I need you, you need me.”
“Arghh, you are so frustrating.”
“I’m your mate.”
The shouting and laughter from the others got louder as they moved closer. This conversation would have to be put on hold. Erik raised a brow at her. “We’ll have to agree to disagree for now. Let’s head back to the campground. We’ll follow you to Whitehorse in the morning. Keil gave me orders to keep you in sight at all times while we’re there.” He stood and held out a hand to her. She took it reluctantly and he squeezed it. “It’s going to be okay, Maggie, really.”
She shook her head. “You just don’t understand.”<
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They waded to the stairs and he led her out of the pool. “Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care.”
The bright hope in her eyes calmed his fears. There was obviously something big she wasn’t sharing yet, but they’d deal with it. Together.
“Holy cow, what happened to your neck?” Pam exclaimed as she and the boys crowded around them.
Maggie froze for a second, her face flushing red. Erik stepped in smoothly. “Bug bite.”
One of the boys snorted and Erik elbowed him in the ribs while Pam dug into her bag and pulled out a container of cream. She dabbed some on the mark. “Must have been a hell of a big bug.”
Maggie glared at him and he smiled, turning away to head to the change room. “The biggest around.”
Chapter 3
“I’ve changed my mind about heading home. I’m canceling my flight, Maggie. I’m not letting you head off into the wilds of Alaska with this group of misfits.” Pam folded her arms in front of her.
Maggie sighed. Not again. The entire seven-hour drive from Liard to Whitehorse, Maggie had struggled to answer her friend’s endless nosy questions. It didn’t help that during their couple days of sightseeing in Whitehorse before Pam’s fight home, Erik shadowed them everywhere. He seemed to be trying his best to give them a little space but still refused to leave her alone.
“I’m not headed into the wild with them. I’m simply getting a ride to Haines to rejoin my family.”
“Yeah, right. The family you’ve been soooo thrilled about. It’s been years since your parents’ accident. I thought you told me your sister was involved in some kind of a cult at one point. You never wanted anything to do with her friends when we were at university. There was that one time you even hid from them. Or don’t you remember?”
A shiver ran over her skin at the memory. She wished she could forget. “Damn it, Pam. Of course I remember, but things have changed.”
“Right.”
Maggie hesitated. How was she supposed to convince Pam when she wasn’t sure herself? A wolf pack was supposed to be the safest place on earth. A place to be nurtured and cared for, not a hellish trap. That hadn’t been her sister’s experience, or her own. In defense, she’d rejected the pack of her youth, had even managed to reject the whole idea of being a wolf for a long period of her life. She couldn’t do it anymore. Her body wouldn’t let her.
But her heart and mind were terrified to take the next step.
She settled into one of the rigid plastic chairs in the airport waiting area. “Pam, I know it seems strange, but you’ve got to trust me on this. My sister and I have always kept in touch and I love her dearly. Plus she’s married to a wonderful guy now.”
Pam shook her head reluctantly. “I just don’t understand why after all this time you’re deciding to move back to the Yukon. I thought we were going to keep rooming together. I’m…disappointed.” She squatted beside Maggie. “I’m worried about your health. You’ve never shaken off this mono or whatever it is you’ve got. What if you have another attack while you’re on the road?”
“That’s part of the reason I won’t be driving.” She grabbed Pam’s hands. “I’m going to be fine. Really. I’m so glad we got to spend this time together. You kick butt when it comes to singing on road trips.” Pam snorted and they grinned at each other.
“I couldn’t sing my way out of a paper bag.” Suddenly Maggie was wrapped in a huge hug, the breath squeezed from her body. Pam let her go only to shake a finger in her face. “I want regular emails. Let me know when you’re settled and if I don’t hear from you often, I’m coming back with a gun.”
Maggie laughed. “I expect you to visit me in Haines when you can. You’ve been an awesome friend. I’m going to miss you.”
One last final hug and Pam joined the short line winding its way through the security checkpoint. Maggie felt him at her side before she saw him. While it freaked her out a little to have Erik hovering over her, it also felt very right. The two days she’d shopped and visited the theater and museums with Pam, his presence in the background had reassured her. Made her feel safe. No wonder Pam thought she was crazy to go anywhere with him—he was like an obsessed stalker in her friend’s eyes. Now through final security, Pam turned back to wave farewell. She gave Erik a dirty look and held her fingers like a phone, pointing at Maggie and mouthing “call me”.
Maggie would miss her, but dealing with the pack for the first time in years with a human around? Not a good idea.
“She’s a nice girl.” The deep timbre of his voice hit her low in the gut. “You okay?”
She nodded. The familiar protective layers she’d built around her for years were disappearing fast. Now she headed into dangerous territory. Oh damn, was it possible to get comfortable being around a huge group of wolves again? Would she ever feel safe?
“I left the boys at the Canada Games Center to play for a while. I’d like to take my mate out for lunch.” He slipped an arm around her, tugging her to his side.
A thrill shot through her at the layers of meaning she could read into his words. His claim on her—she couldn’t deny it was real. Her wolf pranced at the thought of going anywhere with him. Especially somewhere private where they could remove a few articles of clothing and get intimate.
She shook her head to break free of the images taunting her. She couldn’t. They shouldn’t. Not…yet. “I told you we’re waiting. I meant it.”
He twisted to face her, their bodies sliding closer. “You think it’s too dangerous to share lunch with me?” Heat rolled off his skin and she had to look way, way up to see into his eyes. Her mouth watered, her hormones kicking into high gear.
Bastard. He knew how much his touch affected her. “You’re a royal pain in the ass.”
“Not yet.” He stroked her hip intimately, cupping her butt cheek in one palm briefly. He winked, then pressed his wide hand on her lower back to direct her steps toward the parking lot. Heat shot through her core, and her wolf sat up and begged. Maggie jerked free from his touch by picking up the tempo. Of course, since her legs were much shorter, she almost had to run to outpace him. She twirled and planted her hands on her hips. She needed to regroup before they headed to Haines.
“Look. I know you’ve got direct orders from your chief Pooh-Bah, but I’d like some time by myself. No one is going to accost me on the streets of Whitehorse. I’m perfectly safe. I used to live here. I just want to be left alone and…”
Lordy, how was she supposed to stay angry with him when every time she gave him hell, he did nothing but smile? It wasn’t just any kind of smile, it was a do-you-want-to-crawl-into-bed-with-me-now kind of smile. The expression had a lot of impact when you placed it on his six-foot-five frame and added in his gorgeous features and his dark sparkling eyes.
Did he have to smell so damn good?
“You can’t walk by yourself in Whitehorse. I don’t know if you noticed over the past couple days, but there are a lot more wolves living here than in Vancouver. Not only are you a member of a rival pack, you’re also related to a couple of the most powerful wolves in the North. Keil thought you were single. He didn’t want any young pups trying to take advantage of you.”
“I am single.”
He growled softly and her core muscles tightened in reaction. Oh shit, she’d pissed off his wolf. Icy fingers of dread raced up her spine and her heart pounded. She wanted to drop to her knees and bare her throat in submission. Another part wanted to scramble away, to flee from his anger. Somehow she kept her eyes open in the hopes she’d be able to duck if he swung at her. With his height advantage, he towered over her, and she felt overwhelmed by the sheer size of the man.
He lifted her chin with a single finger and spoke firmly. “You. Have. A. Mate.” Her wolf panted in agreement and crawled closer to the surface. She grabbed her stomach as cramping pain rocked her. “Damn it, what the hell…?” Erik wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. Somehow she ended up in his lap as he squatted on his heels, his
back against a rental car. The world spun in circles and she scrambled for the vial of pills in her pocket. He took it from her, shook out a few and handed them over. From somewhere he produced a water bottle and she gulped greedily. She kept her gaze averted. Between her fears and her rising need for him, she felt completely out of balance.
It didn’t take long for the pain to ease. When she opened her eyes it was to stare into his concerned face.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He cupped her face in his big palm, examining her carefully.
She nodded slowly. All she sensed was his concern and desire. She ignored her tangled nerves and forced herself to calm down. He’d been nothing but trustworthy, and he deserved to be treated with respect.
“You want to tell me what’s wrong?”
Maggie bit her lip. “Chemical imbalance.” For now, that’s all she wanted to admit.
He frowned. “You’re a wolf. Change and you’ll heal.”
She scrambled off his lap and wavered for a second before his strong arm supported her. That was one topic she was nowhere ready to discuss with him. “I’m hungry. Can we have lunch?”
Erik eyed her as he led her to his SUV. “Nice try at changing the topic. Why are you fighting this so hard? You need—”
“I need lunch. Something raw. Is that possible here in Whitehorse?”
His smiled wryly. “I know just the place.”
“A combo platter for four please.”
Maggie elbowed him. “Four?”
Erik sniffed. She must be extra hungry, maybe that was part of her problem. Silly women were always on diets when they didn’t need to be. “Sorry, make it for six. Everything raw, extra wasabi on the side, and skip the pickled ginger.” They grabbed spots at the end of the long counter and he held her high-backed stool as she sat, still chuckling.
“You turkey. That’s not what I meant.”