Dark Wolf Running (Bloodrunners)

by Rhyannon Byrd

  Feels fucking incredible, his wolf rumbled, its guttural voice thick with pleasure. Need more...

  Yeah, he did, too. But as she gripped his biceps in her soft hands, Wyatt knew he had to be careful. He was built too damn big for her snug sheath, his thick shaft dragging at the plush, silken walls of her sex. He had to work in careful nudges to make her take a little more of him, the soft, voluptuous flesh slippery and slick. But she was so tight it was unreal, and he felt like a complete bastard for loving it so much when he knew she had to be uncomfortable.

  “Sorry,” he gasped, closing his eyes as he concentrated on going slow. After what felt like an effing eternity, he was finally lodged against the mouth of her womb, her tender sheath pulsing around him in an exquisitely hot, possessive hold. His lips pulled back from his teeth, and sweat rolled from his temples, stinging the corners of his eyes. “You’re so damn tight, El, and it feels incredible. But I’m terrified I’m gonna hurt you.”

  “You won’t,” she breathed out, running her soft hands over his shoulders.

  “I’ll be careful,” he groaned, shaking as he fought for control. He pulled back, then carefully worked himself back into her slippery heaven, his jaw clenched so hard his teeth hurt. All he could keep thinking was that this was his woman, and he finally had her, and she felt more perfect than anything he could have ever imagined. Perfect, hot and drenched...and tighter than a goddamn fist.

  “Wyatt, look at me,” she whispered. “Please.”

  He lifted his spiked lashes, trying to conceal how hard this was for him as he finally locked his burning gaze with hers.

  “Don’t you dare hold back on me,” she said in a low, fervent voice, squeezing his shoulders. “I want all of you. Everything. All that you’ve got, Wyatt. It won’t scare me. I promise.”

  “Christ, El. You think I don’t want that? But I have to take care of you. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Everything,” she snapped stubbornly. “Right now. Or walk away. I don’t need to be coddled like a baby.”

  “I’m not coddling you!” he growled, pulling back his hips and then pushing in even deeper. “And no way in hell am I leaving you!”

  Cupping the hot side of his face in her palm, she said, “Then stop worrying about how I’m going to react to what you want and just take it.”

  “You don’t know what you’re asking for.” His voice was rough, his muscles twitching as he fought to hold still inside her.

  She lifted her hand, pushing his hair back from his brow, and gave him a playfully crooked smile. “Trust me, Wyatt. I just might surprise you.”

  That’s my girl, tossing those challenging words right back at me.

  A choked, gritty laugh punched up from his chest, and he came down over her, bracing his weight on his elbows as he pressed his forehead against hers. “Okay, we’ll do it your way, El.” He lifted his head and gave her a hard stare. “But you have to promise to tell me if it’s too much.”

  “I promise,” Elise whispered, loving the way his eyes got even darker when she bit her lip. She could feel his need and his power locked up tight inside him, but it didn’t frighten her. It just made her feel needed and powerful herself. Made her feel wanted...and necessary. An amazing feeling, when she’d never been necessary to anyone before. Her brothers loved her, but they didn’t need her.

  Wyatt did.

  True to his word, he pulled back his hips and then squeezed himself back inside, working against her tight resistance. Then he did it again and again, each grinding lunge making her gasp as he nearly went beyond her limit, hitting the end of her, her nails digging deeper into the slick indentations of muscle on his back. And somewhere in the midst of it all, her body stopped resisting. She was still tight, clenching down on him with every mind-shattering stroke. But the pleasure was outweighing the discomfort, making her desperate for every incredible thing he could make her feel. She’d been so starved for so long, and now she couldn’t get enough.

  “Harder,” she moaned, craving the feel of him letting go. “Faster!”

  He gave her exactly what she’d asked for, using every part of his magnificent body to immerse her in a pleasure that was so deep it threatened to consume her. Their bodies heated and trembled, skin sliding against skin as he moved and thrust in an ever-increasing rhythm, shoving himself into her. His hips hammered against hers as he gripped the backs of her knees again, spreading her even wider, a savage, visceral growl on his lips as he somehow rode her even harder. He found her lips, his wicked mouth working over hers with hungry aggression, kissing the holy living hell out of her, until they had to break apart for air. Sharp, breathless cries repeatedly spilled from her lips as he took her...and took her, the bed slamming into the wall so violently she was surprised they hadn’t busted through it.

  And, boy, would that be a fun one to explain to my brother, she thought with a mischievous smile, running her open mouth up the strong, corded length of Wyatt’s throat, loving the salty taste of his skin. Almost as much as she loved the wickedly sexy sounds he made when she did it.

  “Fuck, El. I’m going over,” he growled, burying his face in the curve of her shoulder, his breathing hard and ragged. Then he suddenly reared back, taking her with him as he sat on his heels, her legs straddling his powerful thighs, his strong hands clamping her to him as he rammed his massive shaft deeper. He shoved into her with two hard, thick thrusts, the blistering heat of his release surging inside her, again and again, making her scream as it triggered her own powerful, heart-stopping climax. His body shuddered as dark energy roared through him with savage force, feral and wild, and for the first time since they’d shared their first kiss, Elise felt the press of his fangs sliding against her skin. He didn’t break the surface, just skimmed them over her damp flesh, letting her know they were there. It was the loveliest compliment, telling her that she’d not just satisfied the man, but his beast, as well.

  “You okay?” he whispered, sounding out of breath, while her body continued to pulse around him in little vibrating aftershocks of pleasure that made them both twitch and groan.

  She licked her lips, searching for her voice, and finally managed to find it. “I can honestly say that I’ve never been better. There isn’t even a close second, Wyatt.”

  He lifted his head and smiled at her, slow and sweet and heartbreakingly beautiful. “Me, too.”

  “You liked it?” she whispered, sounding shy, which just made her laugh, considering she’d been a freaking wild woman.

  “I loved it,” Wyatt rumbled, and it was so damn true. Christ, he’d come so hard—so much—and for a moment there he’d wondered if it were ever going to stop. “You’ve ruined me for life.” And you’ve sure as hell ruined me for other women.

  She smiled, the glowing expression on her beautiful face telling him how much she liked what he’d said, and she lowered her head, pressing those plump, tender lips to his healing shoulder. “I hope you didn’t hurt yourself,” she murmured, her husky voice soft with exhaustion and concern and what he sure as hell hoped was happiness. Raw, blinding “I’ll never be able to get enough of this man” happiness.

  Oh, yeah, she’d ruined the hell out of him.

  He didn’t know how it was possible, but he was still hard as a rock inside her, his body craving the feel of her. The warmth and the sweetness. He’d never felt like this in his life and it should have been scaring the shit out of him, but he was too damn gone to care.

  Keeping them connected, Wyatt laid down with her in his arms and forced himself to carefully pull out of her body, not wanting to make her any more tender and sore than she was probably already feeling. He might be in a world of hurt, already needing more of her, but he could suck it up and control himself when he knew it was what she needed.

  “Tell me something,” he whispered into the moonlit darkness after reaching over and turning out the light, thinking he could get closer to her in other ways, instead of just the physical. “Something that nobody else knows about you,
El.”

  “Why?” she asked, sliding her leg over his hip.

  He held her a little tighter, loving the press of her soft, feminine body cushioned against his hard planes and hair-roughened limbs. “Because you’re mine and I want to feel close to you.”

  He could feel her smile against his chest. “Okay, but you had better not laugh at me.”

  “I wouldn’t dare,” he murmured, grinning as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  “Well, you know the book you read to me the other night?” she asked a little breathlessly, her voice shaking with nerves.

  “Yeah.”

  She took a deep breath, her delicate fingers clenching against his side, then slowly exhaled. “Um, well, I’m writing one of my own.”

  A broad smile spread across Wyatt’s face. He didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been that. “Are you serious?”

  Nodding, she said, “Yep.”

  “That’s so incredible,” he told her, unable to resist hugging her even tighter. He was probably crushing her, but she wasn’t complaining.

  “Well, I haven’t done anything with it yet,” she murmured shyly. “It’s just a dream of mine, really.”

  “But you’re putting the work in and doing it, El. I’m so proud of you.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered, and he could tell by her voice that there was a wide, beautiful smile on her lips as she pressed a kiss to the center of his chest, right over the heavy beat of his heart. Their bodies were still heat-glazed and slick, the air thick with the scents of raw desire. His was earthy and male, hers so mouthwatering he just wanted to lick her from head to toe, lingering over all the sweet spots in between. He was still hard and aching, but she was falling asleep against him, and that was, in its own way, just as sweet. God knew he craved her more than he could have ever imagined craving a woman—but he craved these moments, as well. The trust it took for her to snuggle against him, surrendering to sleep. He’d have given his right arm for the ability to stay there, beside her, wrapped around her like a friggin’ octopus. Arms and legs tangled together, heads sharing the same pillow. Her beautiful face the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes in the morning. Every morning.

  Yes-s-s, his wolf hissed inside his mind, but he knew he had no business listening to it.

  Wyatt waited until she slept peacefully, then carefully moved from the bed. Standing at the side of the mattress, he shoved his fingers back through his hair, wishing like hell that he could just crawl back onto the rumpled bedding and cuddle up against her. Drape himself in her womanly curves, her mouthwatering scent filling his head, while need simmered through his veins in an intoxicating rush.

  He thought about the conversation they’d just had about her writing, and smiled. Who would have guessed the little badass redhead was such a romantic at heart? He loved knowing her secret. Loved that she’d trusted him with it. And now he wanted to know them all. Wanted to be intimately acquainted with every facet of her personality, of her very soul, and claim them for his own.

  Damn it, he didn’t want to leave. What he wanted was to stay. He wanted to hold her in his arms, letting her sleep for a while, and then wake her up by kissing his way down her beautiful body, spreading her legs, and lashing her clit with his hungry tongue until she was moaning and begging him to come into her again. To take her. Make her come in another one of those blinding, mind-shattering climaxes that damn near stopped his heart. His wolf prowled beneath his skin, restless and possessive, wanting it every bit as badly as the man. But they couldn’t have it, because he didn’t trust himself.

  Hating his past and the mistakes he’d made more deeply than he ever had before, Wyatt stalked quietly from the room, forcing himself to leave behind the only thing in the world he’d ever wanted for his own...and knowing damn well that he didn’t deserve to keep it.

  Chapter 15

  As she opened her eyes to the watery morning sunlight, it took Elise all of two seconds to realize that she was the only person lying in Wyatt’s sex-rumpled bed. Running her hand over the far side of the mattress, the sheets were achingly cold, and she knew that she’d spent the night alone. He’d left her instead of sleeping beside her, and a spark of anger slowly started to build beneath her lingering happiness.

  The coward. She’d taken a chance and given him everything last night, but he hadn’t done the same. No, he’d cut and run, and she felt she deserved an explanation.

  It didn’t take her long to brush her teeth and hair, then dress in a flowing white sundress that was flirty but casual, which she’d thankfully had in the small bag he must have brought in from Cian’s Land Rover sometime during the night. Struggling to control her temper, she padded out of his bedroom on her bare feet and went in search of him.

  “You left me,” she said with a soft note of accusation the moment she found him sitting behind his desk in the small room he used as an office. “You didn’t sleep beside me last night.”

  A lock of hair fell over his brow as he looked up from his laptop, a guarded expression on his gorgeous face that made her heart give a painful little jolt.

  “I trusted you,” she told him, coming into the room. He was bare-chested and breathtaking, and even though she was upset, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. “Can’t you trust me, too, Wyatt?”

  Drawing an unsteady breath, he said, “It’s not the same, sweetheart.”

  “Why?”

  He sat back in his leather desk chair and rubbed a hand over his mouth, watching her with a look that was equal parts wariness, fear and need. Finally, he scraped out a stilted reply. “Most nights I have...nightmares, El. Violent ones.”

  She tilted her head a bit to the side as she studied him. “I’m sorry. But why does that mean that you have to—”

  “Because I don’t want to hurt you!” he choked out, surging to his feet so quickly the chair he’d been sitting in crashed against the wall behind him. Fisting his hands at his sides, he said, “Don’t you get it? I don’t trust what I might do if I slept beside you. If I struck out and hit you by accident, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”

  Understanding started to filter through her frustration, and she walked over to him, putting her hands on his powerful shoulders, begging him with her eyes to open up to her and tell her about his demons. Because she knew they were the driving force behind more than just his refusal to sleep beside her. They were what kept him from thinking she would want him for more than a hot, blistering affair. What kept him from following his primal instincts and demanding she give him everything, every part of her, forever.

  His dark gaze was locked tight with hers, his hands clutching her waist as his lips parted, and she prayed to every god she’d ever heard of that this was it—that he was going to open up to her now. But all he ended up saying was “I’m sorry, El. After last night, the last thing I wanted was to upset you.” He lowered his head, burying his face in her hair, his lips moving against the sensitive shell of her ear. “Forgive me?”

  “I guess,” she murmured, unable to stay irritated when he was melting her down with the sensual touch of his mouth at the side of her throat.

  His hands started to slide up her back, and she could feel his heat through the thin cotton of her dress. “Please, baby. I’m begging you.”

  She gave in with a soft sigh of surrender. “Well, when you say it like that, yes. I forgive you.”

  “Thank you,” he said huskily, slanting his mouth over hers with a ferocity that made her breath catch. The devastating kiss was deep and hungry, their tongues rubbing and tasting, his hands in her hair, tilting her head until he had her right where he wanted, the angle letting him plunge into her mouth again and again. When their lungs were aching for air, they finally broke apart to draw in desperate breaths—and then their lips were fusing together again, as if drawn by a magnetic force. She lost herself in the warm silk of his mouth, intoxicated by his taste and the way he touched her.

  “I want you,” he growle
d, gently nipping the side of her mouth as he cupped her jaw.

  “Mmm,” she moaned, while he pressed tender kisses across her flushed cheek. “You can have me, Mr. Pallaton.”

  His low voice rumbled in her ear, and she could tell he was smiling. “I’m holding you to that later, Miss Drake.”

  Confusion creased her brow. “Not now?”

  “Don’t tempt me,” he breathed against her lips, before lifting his head. Electric sparks of heat skittered in the air between them as their gazes locked, and she knew he’d felt it, too, his hands tightening in her hair. His rugged face was tense with lust, and there was a grittier edge to his words as he said, “I’d have you on your back, legs spread, with every inch of my dick buried deep before you could even blink, sweetheart. But your brother wants to talk to you. He’s already stopped by twice. I told him you were still sleeping.”

  “Oh. Does he, um, know that we slept together?”

  “Would you care if he did?” he asked a little too carefully, a vulnerable edge to his words that she knew he didn’t want her to hear.

  “No.” She gave him a soft smile. “I don’t want to hide what happened between us.”

  His lips curved into a crooked grin that was stunningly beautiful, the wicked heat in his dark eyes melting her, making her even wetter than she already was. “Good. Because I’m pretty sure anyone who sees us together is going to know I’m thinking about getting you naked again. I can try, but I doubt I’ll be very good at hiding it.”

  Elise was still smiling as she lifted up onto her tiptoes and kissed him again, her hands finding their way into the silky mass of his hair as if it were the most natural place in the world for them to be. He made a deliciously thick, aroused sound in the back of his throat, his powerful arms wrapping around her, holding her close as he lifted her off her feet, taking her mouth as if he wanted to own her, and she laughed into the kiss, happier in that moment than she could ever remember being. It was every birthday and Christmas and special occasion that she had longed for as a child, all rolled into one bone-melting, heart-stopping kiss.