She was cold but more in spirit than in body. What if his pack didn’t want her there? She’d have to leave, but she couldn’t let Reece go with her. He needed his brother and his pack.
Because of a dream he’d had, he’d already spent a decade away from them. Not that she could complain. If it weren’t for that dream and Reece’s tenacity, he wouldn’t have been there to save her life.
She owed him everything. He could have walked away from her at any point. He hadn’t had to take her home with him or offer her protection. Yet he had. And he’d given her so much more. Remembering their lovemaking made her shiver again, but in a good way.
She’d hold that memory in her heart forever. She wanted to make more memories in case her time with him was limited. He might want her now, but if it came down between a choice between her or his pack…
She didn’t want him to have to face that choice. It was up to her to make sure he stayed where he belonged.
First, she had to get well. Surely they’d let her stay long enough for that.
And, a little voice whispered, it would allow her to be with Reece one more time.
She was realistic. She was a half-breed, a wolf in her soul, but not in truth. Yes, she had the enhanced senses and genetic advantages of her werewolf heritage, but she couldn’t shift. That fact would never change.
This pack might be able to overlook that since they had half-breeds and humans living with them, but she’d brought a heap load of trouble with her. Not exactly getting off to a good start.
Whatever happened, she would protect Reece. Because if there was one truth she’d discovered when both their lives were on the line, it was that she loved him.
Sneaky wolf that he was, he’d crept into her heart and there was no getting rid of him. She snuggled closer, relishing the strength of his embrace and the warmth of his big body.
Sage turned the truck off the asphalt and onto a dirt road. It was well graded and not bumpy at all. She peered out the window. There were no houses to be seen. They took a curve in the road and a large square lot with several other vehicles came into view.
He pulled into an empty space and turned off the truck.
This was it. Her stomach jumped and she had to clamp down on her teeth to keep them from chattering. She’d never been so nervous.
Reece gave her a reassuring squeeze. “Welcome to the Salvation Pack.”
Chapter Nineteen
Reece sat in a chair he’d pulled up next to the bed. What he really wanted to do was climb into bed with Hannah and snuggle her close while he kissed her awake. Then he wanted to slowly pull back the sheet and kiss every inch of her.
He shifted position to try to alleviate the sudden tightness of his jeans. Swearing under his breath, he adjusted his swollen cock as he stared out the patio doors at the sunshine. It was mid-afternoon. Hannah had been asleep for hours. It was what she needed. Already the worst of her bruises had begun to fade, looking days old instead of only hours old.
He’d managed to get her into the shower last night long enough to get her cleaned up before putting her in his bed. Then he’d removed the makeshift bandages she’d wrapped around him and tended his own wounds. The tear on his left arm had been the worst and Gator had set a dozen stitches and wrapped it.
Thanks to his superior genetics, Reece figured he’d be able to get rid of the stitches by tonight.
He hadn’t left her side. Gator had checked Hannah’s wrist and wrapped it more securely, but she hadn’t stirred during the procedure. Sage had sat with him for hours. So had Rina. His Uncle Elias and Aunt Sue had brought food and made him eat. He hadn’t been hungry, in spite of all the energy he’d expended and blood he’d lost. He was too worried about Hannah. Still, he’d eaten, knowing he needed the fuel to heal.
He didn’t know what the others had done about cleaning up the mess he’d left behind, and quite frankly, he didn’t care. Not at the moment. He’d deal with that as soon as he knew Hannah was going to be okay.
He wasn’t leaving her side until she woke up. He didn’t want her to wake alone in a strange place. She’d dealt with more than enough over the past few days.
Reece felt the presence behind him before he tilted his head back to look at his brother. Sage had been in and out of the room every hour since Reece had finally convinced his brother he was okay.
They stared at one another and Reece slowly stood. Sage moved forward and Reece opened his arms. They held one another tight. The connection between them was stronger than ever, which was why he had no trouble sensing Sage’s fear.
He pulled back and stared into eyes identical to his own. “She’s my life,” he told his brother.
“I know.” Sage rested his forehead against Reece’s. “I’d hate her except I know exactly how you feel. I would have left the pack for Rina.”
“It won’t come to that.” At least Reece hoped it wouldn’t. He hadn’t spoken with Jacque or the others. Nor had he and Hannah had a chance to talk about what came next. Everything had been about protecting her, surviving the crash and attack, and dealing with injuries. He’d barely had time to think beyond.
“I hope you’re right.” Sage rubbed his arm. “I’m going over to Sylvie’s place with Rina. She wants to put some time in on her sewing.”
Reece knew his sister-in-law was learning to sew quilts and helped Sue sew pillows and sachet bags for her business as well.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” Sage told him. “Maybe less.”
He knew Sage was having a hard time being away from him. He understood because he felt the same way. They’d lived apart for too many years. “I’ll be here,” he assured his brother.
What left unsaid was, “for now.”
When he was alone with Hannah once again, he sat back in the chair and waited.
Hannah could smell Reece all around her. She snuggled beneath the covers, feeling utterly safe and content.
“Time to wake up, sweetheart.” His voice, deep and low, made her sigh. He chuckled and she felt a weight on her shoulder. “Open your eyes, Hannah.”
She blinked and was surprised to see a ray of sunshine coming into the room. How much time had passed?
“That’s it. How are you feeling?”
She had to think about that. She knew she should be starving, but was more thirsty than anything. Her wrist no longer ached. She glanced down and found a flesh-toned bandage expertly wove around it. She had a vague memory of another man tending to her while Reece looked on.
“Gator wrapped it for you,” Reece told her. “I’m not sure how much you remember.”
She sat up and shoved her hair out of her face. “Some.” Reece was beside her in a heartbeat, propping the pillows behind her back. “How long have I been out?”
“Almost ten hours.” Reece didn’t return to his chair but sat on the mattress instead. He brushed his fingers down her cheek. “You’re safe now.”
A cold shiver went down her spine. “What happened? After?”
He shrugged. “I’m not really sure. My only concern was for you. I know the pack handled it.”
Hannah frowned. That wasn’t going to endear her to his family and friends. “Where are my things?” Now that she knew she wasn’t going to die, she had other concerns. Everything she needed to start over had been in Reece’s truck.
“Your duffle bag is over there.” He pointed to the bag sitting by the closet. “I figured you’d want this closer.” He lifted her knapsack onto the bed. “I haven’t looked inside,” he assured her.
“That’s okay.” She’d trusted him with her life. She could sure as hell trust him with the contents of her backpack.
She knew worry about her stuff was an avoidance technique on her part, but didn’t care. One of the straps of her bag was busted and would have to be sewn back on. She pulled the bag close, loosened the drawstring, and opened it.
Her laptop didn’t look any worse for wear. She popped open the lid and powered it up. Reece waited patiently as icons danced across the screen. She tried opening a file and had no difficulty. “It seems fine.” She shut the lid and set the computer aside.
Her wallet was there and so was her camera. That didn’t look as though it had fared quite so well. One of her lenses was smashed and her camera didn’t respond when she tried to turn it on. “Oh well.” She set the pieces back into the bag. “Could have been worse.”
It was going to cost her to have to replace her camera and lens. Thankfully, her other lenses were carefully packed in their own case so she’d probably only lost one.
“I’m sorry.” Reece set the bag on the floor and the laptop on the nightstand.
“I can replace it.”
Their conversation was stilted, like they were two strangers instead of people who’d slept together. Maybe he’d decided she was too much trouble. She couldn’t blame him.
And she was being selfish, thinking only of herself. “How are you doing?” He’d killed a man to protect her, lost a lot of blood, and been injured. He was wearing jeans and a T-shirt so she couldn’t get a gauge on how he was healing. He was sporting a bandage on his left arm.
“All healed except for the worst cut.” He raised his arm. “Gator set some stitches. They’ll be out by tonight.”
“Your head?” He’d given himself quite the knock in the accident.
“Hard as a rock,” he quipped. “I slept for a few hours and the swelling went down. I have a bit of a headache, but even that’s almost gone.” He rubbed his hand lightly over her arm. “How does your wrist feel?”
She lifted her right arm and tentatively flexed her fingers before she attempted to move her wrist. “Still a bit sensitive, but much better than it was.” She lowered her arm and he carefully twined his fingers through hers.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he ordered. He took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Do you have any idea how I felt when I regained consciousness in the truck only to find you gone?” His fingers tightened around hers.
“I did what I had to do.” She wouldn’t apologize for her actions.
He groaned and his head dropped forward. “You were protecting me.” When he raised his head, she could see the tortured look in his eyes. “It’s supposed to be the other way around,” he informed her.
“You saved my life in the end,” she reminded him.
“I should never have let him get to you in the first place.” Reece was obviously beating himself up over what had happened. Her wolf took too much on himself.
She ignored the possessive flare in her heart. “It wasn’t your fault.” Unable to listen to him castigate himself any longer, she scooted closer and patted him on the chest. “We’re both alive and he’s not. That’s what matters.”
He scooped her into his arms, bedclothes and all, and cradled her close. “I thought I’d lost you.”
She could relate. “I thought I’d lost you too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. “If he hadn’t thought you were dead, he would have finished the job, and I couldn’t have stopped him.” She’d be having nightmares about that for months, maybe years to come.
Tears pricked her eyes. They’d both come so close to dying. He might be a werewolf, but he could die. Her father had told her there was three main ways to kill one—cut out the heart, break the neck, or chop off the head. All grisly and final. She also knew that fire would work too. If Edgar Treadmont hadn’t believed Reece dead, it would have been so easy for him to kill Reece. Unconscious, he would have been unable to defend himself.
Hannah figured a werewolf could also die from blood loss if the body couldn’t repair itself fast enough. Too many injuries and a wolf could bleed out. She shivered and clung a little tighter.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he reassured her. She shook her head. Both of them were forever changed by the event. How could they not be? She’d learned he was willing to die, to kill for her. And she was willing to do the same for him.
That was a rare and precious thing.
“Hannah.” He said her name and then his lips found hers. The kiss was soft and undemanding. She made a small sound of contentment when his lips skimmed hers. She parted them and he licked at the seam before delving inside.
Pleasure radiated down her arms to the tips of her fingers, through her body and legs, all the way to her toes. It was like sinking into a warm bath. He used his clever tongue to engage hers. They stroked and kissed. There was no rush. No need for hurry.
She lost all track of time. It felt good to be alive, to be able to luxuriate in such sensual delight. Eventually though, it wasn’t enough. She broke first and rubbed her hands over his shoulders, careful to avoid the bandage on his upper left bicep. His muscles were coiled tight beneath the cotton T-shirt he wore.
She knew he was aroused, could feel the blunt outline of his erection pressed against her hip. Yet he didn’t push her for more than she was willing to give.
“Hannah,” he said after he slowly pulled his lips from hers. “You need to eat. You’ve lost weight, sweetheart.”
She shook her head. “I need this more.” And she did. She needed the elemental connection between the two of them, the primal joining between man and woman that celebrated life in the most basic and beautiful way.
She shoved her hands under his shirt and pushed. “Take it off.”
He grabbed a handful of fabric and yanked it over his head. She practically purred as she spread her hands over his powerful, tanned flesh. He tossed the shirt aside and set her back on the bed. Then he slowly pulled the covers down, exposing her naked body to his view.
“You are so fucking gorgeous.” He gave a small growl, which made her toes curl. She didn’t fit any standard definition of beauty, especially not battered and bruised as she was, but Reece made her feel like the most desirable woman in the world.
“You’re the sexiest man I’ve ever met,” she told him. That was the truth. With his hair hanging down to his broad shoulders and his wide chest bare, he was a walking, talking sexual fantasy.
She batted her eyelashes at him. “You’re still wearing way too much clothes.”
He laughed and quickly shucked his jeans. Then he crawled over her, keeping all his weight on his forearms so he didn’t crush her. She gave a low hum of pleasure as she ran her hands down his torso and over his abs. She kept going until she reached his thick cock.
When she wrapped her hands around him, he groaned and buried his face against her neck. “I’m trying to take this slow.”
“Slow is good,” she told him. “So is fast.”
He gently raked his teeth over her throat, sending goose bumps down her arms. She had the urge to arch her neck and beg him to bite her.
That startled her. Did she want him to claim her?
“Sweetheart?”
She got a little thrill at his endearment. He’d called her that several times now and she liked it. She fisted her hand around his erection and stroked.
He sucked in a breath and released it in a huge rush. Supporting himself on one forearm, he cupped her face with the other. “Are you sure?”
She’d never been more sure of anything. Her entire body ached for him. Instead of answering, she raised her legs and wrapped them around his hips. There was no time for foreplay. Not this time. They’d both almost died. She needed to feel him pulsing deep inside her, and she needed it now.
Hannah guided the tip of his shaft to her opening. He groaned and slowly flexed his hips. She grabbed his taut butt and squeezed, trying to get him to go faster. He grunted but kept to his own pace, sinking one inch at a time until he filled her.
They were both gasping for breath at that point. “You feel so good,” he told her.
“So do you.” She twined her arms a
round his neck and tightened her legs around him.
Reece retreated, pulling back until only the broad head of his shaft was still inside her. Then he sank deep once again. He did it again and again, advancing and retreating as the heat swelled inside her. He angled his chest so it brushed against her nipples with each stroke, teasing and tormenting the sensitive nubs.
She gripped his waist, his shoulders. She touched him wherever she could reach him. She had a vague concern about his arm, but then she was beyond coherent thought.
“Reece.” She needed more than the slow, steady back and forth. Her skin burned with pleasure. Pressure built inside her. She arched upward. Striving for deeper contact. Needing more. More. More.
She wanted him to move faster, go harder, but his rhythm never faltered. He reached one hand between them and touched his thumb to her clit. On the third light stroke, the pressure inside her exploded. He covered her mouth with his, catching her scream of pleasure.
Her orgasm seemed to last forever, flashing over her entire body like a gentle wave that never ended. She heard him groan, felt the flex of his cock and then the warmth of his release. When he collapsed on top of her, she wrapped her arms around him and held him.
She was where she wanted to be. No matter what the future held, she’d never regret their time together. Reece was special. What they had when they came together was extraordinary.
The base of his shaft was swollen, locking him inside her. She didn’t mind in the least. He shifted most of his torso to the side, making it easier to breath. Neither of them spoke. Just being together was enough for now.
Hannah knew it wouldn’t last, that the world would intrude all too soon. It had to. But that didn’t take away from the moment.
Finally, Reece disengaged from her and rolled off the bed. He padded into the bathroom. She heard water running and knew he was getting cleaned up. She should do the same.
Before she could gather the energy to get up, he was back with a damp cloth. “Give it to me.” She held out her hand.
Wolf in her Soul: Salvation Pack, Book 8 Page 21