by Olivia Arran
Throwing a wink at me, he continued, “Send word to Lisa’s pride, explaining everything. If I find that you have played with the truth — I will find you…”
Ian murmured his agreement. “I am truly sorry, I didn’t know…at the time….”
“It’s done, Ian. This is the last time we will speak…but, there’s no hard feelings. Look after her?” I nodded at Jasmine, who had wrapped herself around her mate, hugging him tight.
“I will, I promise. You can visit her, if you want?”
“Or, she could visit me…at my apartment—”
“At the Colstone Packhouse,” Sean interjected firmly, reaching me and grabbing my hand.
Surprised, I looked up at him, then down at our linked hands. What the?
Not waiting for a reply, Sean tugged on my hand, leading me out of the village and up into the forest.
“Luis is waiting at the boundary,” he explained, still gripping my hand firmly.
Lost for words, I let myself be led. Did this mean? My heart swelled with hope.
***
Sean
Her hand felt small in mine, fragile and soft against my calloused palms. Searching the forest, I looked for Luis. I had left him right here, somewhere?
A chuckle sounded from above and, with the grace of his inner cat, Luis dropped from his perch in a tree, landing soundlessly in front of us.
“Lisa!” He dragged her away from me, pulling her into his arms and crushing her tight.
I bit back the growl that welled in my throat. For fucks sake, he’s her twin brother, I shot at my beast, who was pawing the ground, eager to pull her back, away from what he perceived to be a male threat. Everything was black and white with him. One of our many problems.
Mine, he growled inside my head.
Possessive much?
He grinned, baring his teeth.
Yeah, me too… I sent back, matching his grin with one of my own. With a jolt I realized this was the first time in…yeah, a long time that we had agreed on anything.
Releasing Lisa, but keeping her tucked against his side, Luis listened as we filled him in on what had happened.
“That no good—!”
Lisa laid a hand on his arm. “Luis, it’s fine. Really. Sean—” she turned and looked at me, a smile teasing her full lips, “—well, he handled it beautifully.”
Her smile tugged at me and, just like that, I melted, all my objections liquefying, until all that was left was a puddle of lust.
I looked at her, seeing her for what seemed to be the first time. This was a woman who had stood strong, protecting her family even at great personal cost. She had bounced back, retaining her spit and fire, even through being kidnapped. She wouldn’t screw with me, mess me around.
And, my beast had listened to her. Even out of control and in a haze of rage, he had stopped at her command. Stopped and listened. And that was the deciding factor, in my mind. I was so scared of losing control, of hurting someone I loved — but it turned out, love negated the need for control.
How the hell had I missed that one? And, how the hell was I going to make it up to her?
Oblivious to my inner ramblings and brilliant light-bulb moment, the brother and sister had continued to talk, though Luis now looked relaxed and not ready to kill someone.
I had to try. Maybe I could explain, without giving away too much. “You go on ahead, Luis. Let whoever is left at the packhouse know we’re on our way back. Uh, Lisa and I need to…talk…” I mumbled the last bit, flushing a little under Luis’s knowing look.
“Sure thing, man. I’ll catch you both later. Much later.” Luis flashed a wink at Lisa, then bounded off ahead, his strides long and smooth.
I grabbed Lisa’s hand again, marveling at how I could feel so calm, yet also so out of control at the same time.
Tugging her with me through the forest, I set a rambling pace, content just to be with her. But she was too quiet, and she was never quiet.
I glanced sideways at her, our eyes connecting instantly, a frisson of electricity passing between us.
“So, Lisa…” I started. Shit! I thought desperately, trying to figure out what to say, and how to say it. I’d never been one for wearing my heart on my sleeve.
Here goes nothing.
CHAPTER NINE
Lisa
Sean was shooting me sideways glances, a ‘deer in the headlights’ look in his eyes. Me, I was happy to just walk, hand in hand, and enjoy some downtime after the weirdness of the last couple of days. To relax and just…be. Though the adrenaline was starting to pump again, this time of the more…pleasurable sort. The small friction between our palms as we walked, the rubbing of flesh against flesh, conjured images to mind of the naked kind — the kind that involved getting sweaty. And, this was just from holding hands!
I glanced down at our entwined fingers. I had never thought that just a simple touch could be so stimulating. And, it never had been before. But, I was hyper-aware of him, my skin dancing and craving his touch. I now had some small understanding of how it must have been for Ian and Jasmine, to want each other so badly, yet have to accept another between them. Pure, unadulterated torture.
Glancing up from under my lashes, I watched his thoughts parade across his face, his lips twisting in comical grimaces as he obviously thought out, then rejected, several ideas. Sean’s face was normally closed off, a blank slate — but now he was this readable. And, he had linked our hands. And, asked Luis for time alone with me.
Sweet Mother! Had I finally broken through his defenses? Was he going to let me in?
Our eyes locked again, and for a brief moment I lost myself in the swirling depths, sucked in by the emotion I could see simmering just beneath the surface. Confusion, fear, lust, and…I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. His eyes seemed to caress me with wonder, holding me gently, like I was a precious artifact and he was its keeper. Like I was important to him. Could it be? My breath hitched and I stumbled slightly, my knees weak.
Just because I felt one way, didn’t mean he felt it back, I reminded myself sternly. But, it could be…what had brought on the change of heart? Was he sure? Because, I was sure I couldn’t take another battering.
He opened his mouth to speak, then clamped it shut again, his eyes screwed up in frustration.
I could make it easy for him, and ease him into the conversation he so desperately was trying to start. I chewed my lip thoughtfully. But, why should I? I had done all the chasing so far. He might be all I’d ever wanted, but dammit, he was going to work for it! And, I was going to have fun teasing it out of him.
He stifled a groan, his focus fixed hungrily on my lips.
Time to go to town, Lisa! Drawing on all the sass that I possessed, I released my lip from between my teeth and, digging my lip gloss out of my pocket, slowly ran the tip of it over the abused flesh, smoothing the sticky liquid with my finger, and finishing on a pout.
Another groan, this time slightly strangled.
Progress…
“So, Sean…” I drawled his name, dragging the sound out on a purr. “What did you want to say?” I gave him my best wide-eyed look, pulling on a springy curl, and winding it around my finger.
A hitch in his step and a sideways glance at the growing bulge in his jeans confirmed I was on the right track.
He cleared his throat, slowing down to a stop, and turned to face me. “Uh, well, Lisa. I wanted to talk about—. You know that I…we…what I mean to say is that—.” The ‘deer in the headlights’ look was back.
I smothered a giggle at the sight of his discomfort, ‘cause that would be just rude! The man was trying.
“Go on…” I prompted, continuing to twist my hair, pulling a lock down and fiddling with it at cleavage height.
His eyes followed the strand, locking onto the valley between my breasts, showcased by the simple white tank top I wore. He gulped, running his free hand over his tightly shorn head.
Now, while I wanted the man to be able to speak, an
d not turn into a pile of gibberish, on the other hand it was kinda hot watching him struggle to maintain focus. Empowering. A shiver ran down my spine, imagining him dipping his tongue into the valley between my breasts, his hands cupping and caressing their heavy weight, as he licked his way down. My nipples hardened into stiff peaks, my flimsy top and lacy bra doing absolutely nothing to hide the fact.
“Lisa…you’re killing me…” he groaned, his eyes fixed on my chest.
“Tell me what you want,” I countered, my voice husky with need.
His eyes flicked to mine, smoldering in their intensity. Liquid gold licked at the edges, emphasizing the flames of desire I saw banked within. He tugged my hand, dragging me to him, flush against an incredibly hard body that I could now feel was rigid with control.
I didn’t want him to be in control. I liked the out of control Sean, the one who saw what he wanted, and took without hesitation. The one who spoke from his heart, not frightened of the consequences.
He leaned down, his body curling around mine, hand coming up to commandeer the curl I had been playing with. Our lips were inches apart, our breath swirling and mixing in the crisp evening air. Not breaking eye contact he rubbed the curl between his fingers, tugging it ever so slightly, encouraging me to lean even closer.
The forest around us had grown still, aware that two predators were engaging in a battle, a dance of sorts. The only sounds were those of our ragged breaths, the thumping of our hearts.
Push him. Break his control…my jaguar purred inside my head. She was preening, rolling around in bliss at the attention from her true mate.
I pressed closer, just a fraction, our bodies meshing and fitting, soft curves yielding to hard planes of muscle. He rested, fully aroused, against my soft stomach, his height and my lack of it not allowing me to feel him where I really wanted — where I needed to feel him. A whimper escaped from my throat, drawn from a primal place deep inside, as I felt him throb against me.
I could see him fighting for control, trying to push his wolf back, to make him submit. I could feel the tinge of his fear and frustration seeping through the bond.
“Don’t…” I whispered, a wrenching sorrow overwhelming me. What must it be like to always fight your beast? For the human to have to always to be in control? “You won’t hurt me. He won’t hurt me.”
The gold flames roared, nearly eclipsing the brown, as he shuddered against me, still fighting it. “I know that now, I just…I can’t…”
“You can. You’re not the man you think—”
My words were swallowed as he swooped in, claiming my mouth in a punishing kiss, his lips molding like steel against mine, furiously moving and probing, tasting every part of me.
This was what I wanted, what I needed. A man who wanted me above all others. A man who needed me — and only me. Like I needed him.
I tugged at his t-shirt, as he backed me up to rest against a conveniently placed tree. The rough bark bit into my skin, snagging my hair, but I didn’t care. I was lost to the world. Every sensation, every thought, focused on my dark wolf, the man who was kissing me like he wanted to possess me. Own me. Like he was trying to crawl inside of me.
I struggled with the t-shirt, desperate to feel him naked against me.
His hands took over, followed by the glorious sound of fabric ripping, then his warm skin met mine, muscles bunching as he picked me up, grinding me back against the tree.
Wrapping my legs around him, I opened myself up, his length rubbing over the seam of my jeans, a delicious friction building.
I ripped my mouth away, panting like I had run a marathon. His lips sought mine again, his control shattered, stripped and thrown away.
“Sean,” I gasped, as his lips swerved, instead kissing my neck, licking and nibbling along my collarbone.
“Sean,” I tried again, my eyes rolling back in my head as he pressed harder against me, his body cocooning me with his warmth, his mouth watering scent invading me. “What do you want?” The words flew out of my mouth on a gasp, as having secured me against the tree, his hands were moving up, over the top of my exposed breasts, fingers darting into the fabric, seeking, searching…
I needed to hear him say it. Needed to know this wasn’t a one-time thing, that he could accept this between us.
His fingers slipped inside my bra, the lace catching on his work roughened skin. With barely controlled restraint, he gently rolled my hardened peak between finger and thumb, tugging and exploring as he kissed and nuzzled his way down.
Grabbing his chin, I wrenched his face up to look at me. His eyes were almost completely golden now, the brown bleeding into pinpricks of black.
I met his growl of frustration with a stern stare. “You listen to me, Mr-Hot-Wolf-Bad-Boy-Beta. You need to tell me what is going on in that lunk-head of yours. I’m not a mind reader! And, while I’m…um…enjoying how things are going, I need to know—”
“You,” he growled, nipping my plump skin between even, white teeth.
At the slight sting, my bones liquefied, my blood thrumming through me, heading straight to my groin.
“I want you. All of you. Always,” he ground out, hips rocking against me, punctuating his words.
“Uhuh…” I mumbled, all hope of coherency gone. Jeez, the man was going to be an animal in bed. And, on the floor. And, up against a wall.
“The control issue?” I forced out.
“Gone. Not needed. Not with you.”
That was all I needed to know. “Good. Clothes off. Now,” I mumbled, pulling his mouth back to mine.
“Sorry if I’m interrupting. Actually, no I’m not. Beautiful looking girl, you got there. Oh, sorry — feline — whore, then,” a deep voice drawled lazily from behind us.
Sean froze, every inch of him tensing up until it felt like I was snuggled up against a steel drum.
“Who?” I whispered, my words muffled against his chest.
Sean slowly and carefully let me down to the floor, maneuvering me behind him as he turned to face the stranger. His face was drawn tight, ice in his eyes.
“No, not a whore,” he said, his voice controlled, “my true mate.”
I gasped as the stranger slunk out of the trees, revealing himself. He was the image of Sean, only twenty or so years older.
“Hello, Dad,” Sean bit out. “Now, what do you want?”
CHAPTER TEN
Sean
“Hello, son,” said the man I thought I’d never see again. After so many years, I had believed him dead — and good riddance.
“I’m not your son, not anymore.”
“Now, now. Don’t be like that — not when we haven’t seen each other in…what must it be? Nearly ten years?” He whistled through his teeth, grinning at me like we were long lost buddies. “Time flies when you’re having fun.” His expression changed, darkened. “Or, when you’re trying to drag yourself back on to your feet because your family has disowned you, kicked you out, and tried to kill you! I know what you did — sliding in with the alpha’s son, getting him to listen to your lies, believe you—”
“Don’t blame me for your failures, Dad,” I sneered. Though his hair was tinged with gray, he had obviously been keeping in shape, his big frame rippling with muscle. “And, it looks like you have done alright for yourself?” I let the question hang in the air. I told myself I didn’t care where he had been, so long as he went back there immediately, but a part of me yearned. The sadistic part, I kicked myself mentally.
I was not a young pup anymore, a kicking post for when my father decided he needed to vent. He had no place in my life — not anymore.
“You’re not welcome here, Bert.” The warning was clear, leave of his own free will, or be forced. My fists clenched at my sides.
“Well, well. The pup thinks he is all grown up. Ready to fight his own battles — and I taught you well, didn’t I? To fight, that is. I don’t think you learned the first thing about fucking a woman — not from what I’ve seen.” He leered at Lisa, add
ing, “Sweetheart, if you want to upgrade — feel a real man. I can show your kind a world of experience…”
Lisa stiffened at my back, her claws pricking into my bare waist.
“Do…not…insult…my…mate!” I roared, immediately seeing red. “She is nothing like those women you used to whore yourself with—”
“But she is, son. Just look at her.” Stalking to the side, his eyes roamed over Lisa as he licked his lips. “A wicked feline. Good for you, but remember what I taught you — they’re good for one thing only—”
His words ground to a halt as I wrapped my hand around his throat, hoisted him up and pinned him against a tree.
“I said, don’t talk about my mate like that,” I growled, my vocal cords shifting along with my claws. Blood trickled from small puncture wounds at his neck, running down and seeping into his dirty collar.
The man smelled foul, stale — like he hadn’t had a shower in weeks. Underneath was the familiar smell of musk and aniseed, but it smelled bitter…wrong.
“You treated my mother like a doormat, expecting her to put up with your philandering, parading all those sluts in front of her—”
He coughed, trying to talk. I loosened my grip on his neck, only slightly.
“Your mother was weak. With her holier-than-thou speeches, trying to tell me what I could and couldn’t do,” he spat out. “At least with a more agreeable type of woman—” his eyes flicked behind me, to Lisa, “—I could always do what I wanted, whenever I wanted — and they begged me for it.”
I tried to silence the words that were coming, but I had to know. “Why did you stay with her, then?”
“Because, she was my true mate. Can you believe it? Why the Mother of All would bind me with one so weak—”
Smack!
I couldn’t help it. I slammed my fist into his face, satisfaction flooding me as my knuckles connected with bone.
My father laughed, spitting blood onto the ground, revealing teeth stained and broken. “That’s my boy.”
Panic raced through me, freezing me inside. Dropping him, I backed away, memories flashing before my eyes. Fragments I had buried, tried so hard to forget. The times he had used me as a punching bag — drunk, or high on something. Sneaking out and watching him with woman after woman, dishonoring my mother. The many times he had tried to teach me to be a ‘man’, beating me so severely that I couldn’t walk for days, breaking nearly every bone in my body.