Blood Moon (Entangled Select Otherworld)

by Lisa Kessler

  Nadya laughed and my heart swelled. I could get used to making her happy.

  After we paid the check and stepped outside, the afternoon sun hung low on the horizon, the shadows stretching out along the worn wooden sidewalks. I took a few slow breaths, but the wind didn’t hold a trace of the jaguar. If I had smelled him, he had to know we were here, too. He wouldn’t have left. So where was he?

  A few doors down I noticed a rock shop and gave Nadya’s hand a squeeze. I tipped my head toward the sign. “Want to go in?”

  “Sure.” She smiled and hustled for the door.

  I pulled it open and followed her inside. Crystals and rocks never did much for me, but seeing her light up when she showed me a clear quartz, and listening to her explain to me that if I carried a little amethyst in my pocket it could bring me peace and help with my spiritual awakening, was worth it. I assumed she meant the dream walking, but before I could reply she was gasping over some kind of green rock.

  Last night her hands almost shifted into paws, a jaguar was following us, and somehow she set all the concern for the things we couldn’t control aside and lost herself in her passion for the refracted light in the stones. How did she do it? How did she keep from wallowing in the unfairness of the fate she’d been handed? She was amazing. I watched her discover new rocks, her face bright while she chatted with the storekeeper. Nadya was her own light.

  And somewhere inside my soul, my wolf stirred. Our mate. Pride swelled. How the hell did I ever get so lucky?

  She turned my way with a smile that stole my breath. “What?”

  I raised a brow. “I didn’t say anything.”

  “I know.” She came closer. “But you looked…happy.”

  I pulled her into my arms and kissed her forehead. “You have that effect on me.”

  She tipped her head back, brushing a soft kiss to my lips. “Best news I’ve heard all day.”

  I bought her a bag of rocks and a few postcards, and followed her outside. No sign of the jaguar’s scent. I couldn’t help scanning the streets, but no one looked suspicious.

  “Can we go up and see if Piper’s Opera House is open?”

  “This is your day.” I nodded and tried not to smile. “I’m just your arm candy.”

  She grinned with a sparkle in her eyes. “I do like candy.”

  Holy shit. We were flirting.

  …

  In spite of my lack of interest in classical music, Piper’s Opera House ended up being enjoyable. A docent walked us through the interior explaining how it burned down not once, but twice. The current building had been up since 1885 and was one of the most famous opera houses west of the Mississippi for most of the 1800s. Not bad.

  Like the main drag through town, seeing the stage and the balcony seats of the opera house was like we’d slipped back in time two hundred years. Pretty cool, but it was nothing in comparison with the joy and life on Nadya’s face. Her smile silenced the ticking of the damned clock.

  After the opera house, we toured our way through a couple of churches and visited the Mark Twain museum. My personal highlight was the toilet labeled “Mark Twain sat here.” With still no trace of the jaguar’s scent, I stayed alert, but some of the tightness in my muscles eased a notch. We ended up in the Bucket of Blood Saloon for dinner. The live bluegrass band was tough on my heightened sense of hearing, so we found a table as far from the stage as possible.

  Nadya rested her hand on my thigh. “Thanks for a wonderful day.”

  I leaned in and kissed her temple. “You don’t need to thank me.” I stared into her eyes, wishing I could bottle the day and keep it forever.

  “You could’ve taken me to Reno when we realized a jaguar was snooping around.”

  “I probably should have. We could’ve come back another day.”

  She gave my leg a squeeze. “I’m sort of in an if-not-now-then-when pattern these days.”

  “No reality yet. I’m not ready to go back there.”

  She rested her head against my shoulder. “Me neither.”

  We ate our burgers in silence, watching the band and the folks dancing in front of the stage. After the server cleared our plates, I ran my hand up her leg. “Would you like to dance?”

  She grinned, the dimple in her cheek coaxing me to smile. “I’d love to.”

  We found a clear spot and I pulled her close. I was no Fred Astaire, but in spite of the grease that was usually under my nails, I could cut a rug all right. Half of dancing was being able to lead. If you led the dance right, the woman could trust you and rely on you to let her shine.

  I kept one hand at the small of her back while I held the other and led her in a slow waltz, swaying around the floor. Giving her hip a little push, I guided her out in a smooth turn before pulling her in close again. The soft curves of her body teased me, making me want to explore and memorize every inch of her.

  Resting my forehead to hers, our eyes locked. Gradually her lips curved into a soft, sexy smile meant only for me. “Let’s stay here tonight.”

  I wet my lips. “The Silver Queen had rooms across the street.”

  “We could be in bed in minutes.”

  Now I was smiling. “Let’s get out of here.”

  …

  It seemed like it took forever to get checked in, but once we were safe in our room with the door locked behind us, I pressed her back against it, my lips fusing to hers. Her mouth opened, her tongue tangling with mine the way I wanted our limbs to be. Nadya dropped her bags from the day’s shopping and slid her soft hands up under the back of my shirt, her touch sending fire through my veins.

  My teeth skimmed her neck. “I want you naked. Now.”

  I didn’t wait for an answer. I unbuttoned her pants and she pulled her shirt over her head. I reached around her, unclasping her bra and tossing it aside. My lips marked her skin with possessive, hungry kisses down her chest as I knelt down to slide her jeans and underwear over her hips. She gripped my shoulders for balance, kicked off her shoes, and stepped out of her pants. I rose up a little and caught her nipple in my mouth, swirling my tongue around the firm tip, flicking it until she gasped my name.

  She slid her fingers into my hair as I cupped her other breast in my hand. When I opened my eyes to see her face, she watched me, her lips parted, breaths ragged. I’d never seen a sexier woman in all my life. Hunger burned in her eyes as I slid my other hand up the inside of her thigh until my fingers brushed her folds. She widened her stance and I smiled, kissing my way over to her other breast.

  My finger stroked her slowly at first. Making love on my Harley was hot, but this time I wanted to savor her until she begged me to make her come. Just thinking about it made my erection jump in my jeans.

  My lips trailed down her body, my tongue tracing her naval before moving even lower. Looking up at her, I moved between her legs, my breath caressing her skin. “Put your leg on my shoulder.”

  She wet her lips and complied, opening herself to me. I kissed her inner thigh, moaning at her scent. This was my mate, my Nadya. Mine. Unable to wait a second longer, I teased her folds open with my tongue, finding the sweet spot that made her balance wobble. She tightened her fists in my hair, pulling it as her hips tilted toward me. While I supported her with one hand, I brought the other lower, sliding a finger inside of her. I groaned against her when I realized how wet she was for me.

  Taking it slow and savoring the experience was going to be tougher than I thought. I wanted to rip my clothes off and bury myself inside her.

  She worked her hips into me. “Don’t stop…”

  Nothing could make me stop. I stroked her faster with my tongue, sliding another finger inside of her as her inner muscles clenched. “Let go for me. I want to taste you…”

  Her entire body shuddered against the door. I pulled my fingers free and slid my tongue inside her, my thumb pressing her core, feeling it pulse. She cried out loud enough for the other rooms to hear. As the aftershocks ran through her, I kissed the soft skin of her inner
thigh and moved her leg off my shoulder so I could stand up.

  I lifted her into my arms and carried her to the bed while she tried to catch her breath. She stretched out, cheeks flushed with color and smiled up at me. “Your turn to get naked.”

  “Okay.” I took a step back and waited. “Are you going to help me?”

  She grinned and shook her head. “No, I’m going to watch.”

  I chuckled. “All right.”

  Truth was, I’d never had a real relationship before. My life was a patchwork quilt of one-night stands with dry spells in between. When I had sex with a woman, it was fast and furious—sometimes we didn’t even get all our clothes off.

  Long story short, I’d never stripped for anyone before. Sure I’d been naked with them, I’d been naked with Nadya, but actually stripping for a woman…that was something completely different. I wasn’t shy. Hell, I got naked in the forest once a month during the full moon. But I’d never had an audience. An audience I wanted to please. Damn, had I ever given a shit what anyone thought? Not until Nadya. She held the key to my heart. A heart I thought died years ago.

  No pressure.

  I started with my shirt, forcing myself to take it a little slower than I normally would. When I pulled it over my head, her gaze moved over me slowly before she met my eyes again. She wet her lips and my pulse raced. Knowing my mate wanted me was a huge turn on. I dropped my shirt and reached for the button on my jeans.

  “What, no shirt toss?”

  I laughed. “Would it make you hot?”

  She grinned and nodded.

  I snatched my shirt off the floor and spun it around once before it went flying across the room. Her laughter made it more than worth the extra effort and inspired me to go even slower with my jeans. I popped the top button and bent over to unlace my boots. I almost chuckled when she sat up and scooted to the edge of the bed. Holy shit, I was having fun teasing her. I pulled my boots off and set them aside.

  I slid my hand in my pants to adjust myself. I was way too hard to risk catching myself in the zipper.

  “Come here.” Her voice was breathy, laced with desire, and I could deny her nothing. My instincts screamed at me to wake up, to protect myself. Every second I spent with her, she got deeper inside of me. I shoved the caution aside and crossed to Nadya.

  Standing inches from her, I stared down into her eyes as she ran her soft hands down my abdomen to my naval. She traced her index finger along the fine line of hair to the edge of my pants and slowly grasped the zipper. Carefully she lowered it, every click of the metal bringing me closer to her. Finally she opened my jeans to find my erection aching to break free of my boxers.

  She ran her fingers up to my hips and under the elastic on my boxers. She helped lift the waistband over my raging hard-on and pushed the pants down a little farther before she looked up at me from underneath her dark lashes.

  I held my breath as her lips parted. She moved forward and took me in. I dropped my head back, burying my hands in her silky hair. The second her warm mouth surrounded me, my entire body tensed, alive with passion. She sucked gently, circling the tip with her tongue.

  I growled her name and stared down at her lips on my skin. Working my hips into her slowly, the pressure built as the pleasure intensified. It would be so easy to lose myself, but I wasn’t ready for it to be over. Not yet.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Nadya

  “No more.” He tightened his fingers in my hair. “I’m on the edge.”

  Hearing the raw desire in his voice was a heady aphrodisiac. I hummed around him, sending vibrations along his length as I pulled back. He stepped out of his pants and laid over me. My pulse pounded, feeling his bare skin against mine. I wanted to be one with him, to forget where I ended and he began.

  I parted my legs and he sank even closer. The tip of his erection teased me but he made no move to plunge forward. I writhed under him, aching for more. Gareth took my hands in his, our fingers lacing together, and brought them up over my head, opening me to him completely.

  “You are so beautiful, Nadya.”

  My heart flipped. I’d never been so turned on physically and emotionally all at once. “I feel beautiful.”

  He bent to kiss me, moaning as he finally drove my hips forward and sank into me. He fit my body perfectly, made for me, every inch of him mine. I pulled my hands free and clung to him. I couldn’t hold him tight enough. My nails dug into his back as his thrusts drove the passion even higher. Claiming each other over and over.

  Without any warning, emotion swamped me, like a floodgate had opened all at once. I stared up into Gareth’s eyes but he didn’t say a word. His feelings jumbled together, fear, joy, lust, happiness, pride, all blending until I recognized one strong, pure emotion. He’d opened his emotions fully to me. Shared himself completely, laying his battered heart bare before me.

  Tears swam in my eyes. I cupped his face in my hands. “I love you, too.”

  He kissed me again, hard and urgent. I wished he could feel emotions like I did. I wanted to give him that, for him to experience them and know without question, how I felt. I broke the kiss gasping against his lips, “I love you.”

  He moaned, kissing me again and again as our bodies collided, consumed by pleasure and passion. My orgasm rocked through my entire body, taking Gareth with me. He broke the kiss, calling out my name as he erupted deep inside of me.

  We kissed, breathless, desperate kisses, as a tear spilled down my cheek. My fingers slid back into his hair as he parted my lips with his tongue. I could still taste myself in his mouth, and my wolf stirred inside of me. Possessive. Gareth was ours.

  Finally he pulled back and whispered, “You felt it.”

  “I did.” I nodded. “All of it.”

  “And you feel the same.”

  “I do.” I smiled, my eyes brimming with tears. “I wish you could sense it the way I do so I could give you more than just words.”

  He shrugged. The corner of his lips curved into a crooked smile, I’d never seen on him before. “The words were pretty fucking awesome.”

  I laughed, wrapping my legs around his waist so he couldn’t get away.

  He kissed me. “I love hearing you laugh.” He sobered, staring directly into my soul. “I love you, Nadya. It doesn’t fix anything, but it’s honest.”

  “It doesn’t have to fix anything.”

  Another tear slid down my cheek and he kissed it away. “In our haste to get a room, we left all our clothes and toothbrushes in the saddlebag.”

  We both knew he was changing the subject, but I’d never been more grateful. I didn’t want to think about our problems right now. This day had been a miraculous gift. Why ruin everything with reality?

  “I guess we’d better get dressed and go get them.”

  He kissed my forehead and rolled over beside me, separating our bodies. “I’ll go grab our stuff. You can stay here and rest.”

  I laid my head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. “What about the jaguar following us?”

  “I think he’s gone.” He caressed my back, his fingers sliding up my spine. “I haven’t caught his scent in a few hours.”

  I propped my chin on his chest. “Why would he leave?”

  “I don’t know.” Gareth sighed, tipping his head to look down at me. “But I’d rather have you here, safe in the room. I’ll come right back.”

  I didn’t like it. If the jaguar shifter was still in Virginia City, he could attack Gareth and I’d never know. He’d be safer with someone else on the lookout. Maybe we could wait on our stuff until morning. I laid my head on his chest again and noticed another tattoo right over his heart. I’d seen it briefly the night before, but in the dim light, I’d thought it was a full moon. Now I realized inside the small circle was the silhouette of a howling wolf. When I took a closer look, there were actually three wolves, overlapped. His family.

  Unlike the barbed wire around his bicep, this tattoo seemed more personal
. More Gareth. I brushed my lips over it, kissing tenderly. “I like this one.”

  He smoothed the back of my hair with his large hand. “I got that one a few years ago on the anniversary of the accident that took our folks.” His voice softened. “I added Gabe’s wolf a few weeks ago.”

  Would I end up as another wolf over his heart? I didn’t want to think about it. I rested my head on his chest. “Why don’t we go get the stuff in the morning?”

  “Because my saddlebags don’t lock. Our stuff could be gone by morning.”

  Good point. I sighed. “Okay, I’ll put my clothes on and come with you.”

  He rolled over so I was underneath him, his dark eyes pinning me. “The jaguar is gone. This will take me five or ten minutes, tops. Let me do this.”

  I stared up at his chiseled face, his sober features. His broad shoulders made me feel small in comparison. This was my mate. Strong and bull-headed.

  “I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I reached up to caress his cheek. “I’m a werewolf, too. If there’s a jaguar outside, I could help.”

  He turned and kissed my palm, his gaze never leaving mine. “If I thought he was still in Virginia City I might take you up on that, but he’s gone.” He kissed me and murmured, “Please, sweetheart. Rest for me.”

  He said “please,” and hearing my big tough mate call me sweetheart left me defenseless. “Fine.” I pulled him in for one more kiss. “You’ll come right back?”

  “I will.” He nodded. “You’ll keep the bed warm?”

  “I can do that.” I grinned.

  He pushed up and got out of bed. I watched him get dressed, warming up all over again. Every muscle in his body tempted me.

  Gareth came over to give me a kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

  I caught his lower lip in my teeth, enjoying the deep growl in his throat. “You better.”

  He crossed to the door and turned back. “I’ve got a key. Keep this door locked and don’t open it for anyone. Just in case.”

  He didn’t wait for an answer. The door closed behind him and I glanced at the clock. Ten minutes and counting.