He watched her tongue dart out to moisten her lips and she raked trembling fingers through her hair, effectively pushing it back from her face. “Um. I thought I was losing my mind when I imagined someone was watching me. Have you been coming here every night?”
“You are my mate, so yeah.”
“Is that the only reason? Because you should? Or is it because you want to be here?”
Ringo moved closer, close enough that he could smell the clean scent of her. Intense emotion ran wild in his veins. Feeling dark and decidedly deadly, he stopped in front of her and cupped her cheek. “I think you know the answer to that.”
Hunger poured over him like wine, taking him under as he finally gave in. Kissing her hard, tasting her untamed response was like coming home after years lost in the desert. Plunging his tongue deep into the warmth of her mouth, he gently devoured her, drinking her down bit by bit as she answered his claiming with a taking of her own. Edgy, provoked beyond anything he’d ever felt before, he reached for the band of her shorts and pushed until they pooled around her bare feet. Her panties followed them. He didn’t give a damn about finesse when he grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it over her head.
Now he had her right where he wanted her.
Almost.
“Come to me,” he said, his voice hard with lust. “Now, Rayne.”
Before she had time to blink or to even breathe, he dragged her against him and lifted her up. As naturally as daybreak, she wound her long, sexy legs around his waist. She was wet! Gods! The wet folds of her pussy settled against his belly. It was enough to make a grown man cry.
Gripping her ass, holding on for dear life, he looked into her eyes. “I have to fuck you, Rayne. I’m dying here. Don’t expect me to be gentle.”
“Okay,” she whispered as she pressed herself against his chest and wrapped her arms around him. Her nipples were tightly drawn and when she rubbed them over the muscles there, he sucked in a breath at the feel of her. He tightened his hold and headed toward the kitchen door. Lycans were creatures of the night and someone could come along at any time. Of course the way he was feeling right now, he didn’t give a hot damn. But concern for Rayne had him pushing open the door then kicking it closed with a decided snap of finality.
He was sick to death of aching for her.
After all, a man could only take so much.
Chapter Five
The kitchen was dark with only a pitiful bit of light coming in through the windows and he immediately banged his toe on a ladder-back chair. Cursing, feeling impatient and edgy, he grabbed it and sent it crashing to the floor with restrained violence. Rayne had doodads sitting on the table. With a swipe of his arm, he knocked them aside. If he broke something, hell, he’d buy her new stuff. Fucking her was uppermost in his mind. He wanted inside and he wanted it now.
Rayne hung on tightly. Her busy mouth and tongue stroked over his shoulder while her hands cruised his upper back.
His breath billowed in and out of his lungs as impatient lust raged through his veins. Her soft, wet pussy, pressed against his belly, made him insane to get inside her. Spreading her ass cheeks, he sent his pulsing cock up through the shadowy crevice and groaned. It felt so damn good, he pushed deeper, repeatedly. Ringo bent his head and nipped at her throat. If a consummation were in their future tonight, he would bury his teeth into her shoulder while he fucked her. Growing up, he’d heard the other lycans talk about the intensity of the experience. How could anything be more intense than what he felt now?
When Rayne writhed in his arms, he disentangled her legs from his waist and turned her belly down on the heavy oak table. “Don’t expect gentleness from me,” he whispered brokenly. “Not now.”
“No. Please, Ringo. I’m aching.”
His hands went to her ass and he stroked the globes firmly before sending his fingers into the drenched folds of her pussy. Finding her center, he shoved three fingers deep, fucking her that way until her wild cry broke free. When her cream coated his fingers, his beast whimpered then howled as it clawed through his belly, eager to unleash itself. Growling low, he went to his knees behind her.
“Part your legs.”
She did as he asked and the scent of her arousal crawled through his head in a sinuous dance. Her cunt was pink and glistening, unfurling like the most exotic flower. Ringo buried his mouth against the temptation he craved, sending his tongue deep into her channel. Rayne cried out, fueling his ardor, his need. Slowly, he licked her from pussy to anus, circling, circling before going back to feast on her cunt. His fingers found her clit. She was swollen there and pulsing, each tiny spasm beating just for him. Pinching, circling, he listened to the husky sounds she made and when he finally sucked it into his mouth, she screamed, coming against his tongue.
It wasn’t enough.
Surging to his feet, he took his pulsing, hard cock in his fist and plunged deep to the hilt. Pausing to catch his breath as his heart pounded wild and fast, he took her hips in his hand to piston in and out, in and out. She squeezed her vaginal muscles repeatedly and that simple action threatened to send him over the edge.
“I couldn’t stay away,” he panted. “I couldn’t. I’m a fool.”
“Never. More, Ringo. Give me more.”
Hard and fast, he gave it to her, loving every twist of her body, the way she pushed back against him, seeking more. Gripping her hips, he felt her velvety skin against his palms. Soft, sweet, delicious. He hadn’t had those things in his life and his beast raged at the cruelty of it. He had it now though. Had it beneath his palms and pulsing around his cock as he thrust, bringing them both to the edge of pleasure.
Then they fell. Together.
Rayne stilled then drew a sharp breath. Her scream echoed in the small kitchen and the sound of it made Ringo’s toes curl against the hardwood floors. Tensing, he dropped his head back as sensation zipped tiny arrows of pleasure from his balls to the base of his spine. They raced up his back and over his scalp. His guttural groan joined her dying cries as he came long and hard, jetting his cum deep into her body.
Panting against her bare back, he settled his mouth at the nape of her neck. “Not done,” he breathed.
Beneath him, Rayne was silent. Was she withdrawing from him already? He’d been too rough, too crude. His heart cried out at the expectation of the rejection that was sure as hell gonna come.
Withdrawing from her body, he stood and turned her, took her shoulder and pulled her to her feet. Staring straight into her eyes, he caught his breath. She wasn’t looking at him with disgust or recrimination. Her eyes were shiny with tears. Her bottom lip trembled.
“Ah darlin’,” he whispered. “You’re breakin’ my heart.”
Without another word, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her through the darkened house. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.”
He paused. “Where’s your room?”
“Next door on the right.”
Without a pause he carried her into her girlie room. A small lamp was shining on a bedside table, casting soft shadows across the creamy-white bedspread. Instantly he knew he was too big, and too damn unworthy to even dare step foot in a room like this. Gently, when it wasn’t his nature, he settled her naked in the middle of the big bed and leaned over her. “I’m gonna ask you again, sweetheart. Did I hurt you?”
She drew a slow breath and then blinded him with a brilliant smile. Her eyes were shiny with tears. Ringo’s heart lurched then squeezed tight. Slowly she shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“I’m sorry if I was rough but I’ve been dying for you.”
“And I’ve been dying right back.” Then miraculously, Rayne reached out and drew him down to her to whisper in his ear. “And I want more. Stay with me.”
“That’s all I needed to hear, darlin’.”
* * * * *
Cloverfield lycans were lined wall-to-wall in Joe McKinnon’s study the following night as Silas MacAdam, the Supreme, stood befor
e them. The council members were in attendance tonight, all leaders in the community and the strongest of personalities. They mingled easily with Joe’s lieutenants who included Cactus, Manuel, and himself. Though Ringo had his suspicions about why Silas was here, it wasn’t until the Supreme stood from his seat behind Joe’s desk and began to speak that he knew for sure.
“Thank you all for coming,” he began. He was a big man with strong features and a heavy Scottish accent. No lycan present would dare mess with the man. He emanated danger and authority. “My contacts here in America have talked with me over recent months about the threat of rogue lycan packs who are terrorizing our women and breaking our laws. Not long ago, another outrage was perpetrated here at the ranch. Thank the gods, no one was seriously harmed and those unmated females were returned to us.”
Murmurs went up through the mixed crowd, both male and female lycans. Angus Poteet and his wife Betty, elders among them, were seated near the desk and he watched Angus reach for his mate’s hand. His stern face was rigid with anger. Ringo expected him to speak but instead, Clyde McNair shot to his feet. “The bastards stole my girls and they are just teenagers. We got ’em back but I want their bloody hides for what they did.”
The McNair girls had been rescued shortly after being taken but Ringo figured if he were their dad, he’d be just as pissed. He didn’t blame Clyde a bit for demanding retribution. Joe stalked up to Clyde and settled a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll get them, brother, and I promise you, they’ll pay for daring to take your girls.”
Murmurs in agreement went up through the group.
“This will not stand,” Silas said, his voice ringing with authority. “Our rules, our laws have held us in good stead throughout these many centuries. We do not harm humans unless first attacked and we do not prey on each other. We do not murder or steal. To do so means death to the violators. Rogue packs have formed across this country and are particularly threatening in desolate land such as this.”
Joe moved to stand next to the Supreme and sent his gaze out over the group, stopping to rest briefly on Ringo. At the moment he was propped against the wall on the far side of the room. Ringo didn’t make a move but inside he tensed.
Fisting his hands on the big desk, Joe leaned forward. “The Supreme and I talked long into the night, folks, and we have a plan. Rest assured we will take out as many of the rogues as possible. We must control them or they will control us. Keep your ears to the ground and let us know if you hear anything at all or see anything suspicious in town.”
With that, the group was disassembled and everyone left with the exception of Ringo, Cactus Mackey, Manuel Montoya and Gabriel Dunham, all of whom had been asked to stay behind. The Wolf Creek cowboys remained sprawled on a heavy leather couch and Gabriel, Cloverfield’s sheriff, leaned forward in his chair. Like the rest of them, he was a big man. His sandy blond hair brushed brawny shoulders and his expression was grim. “I checked on the truck the rogues used when they took Rayne Poteet,” he began. “Stolen from somewhere in Mexico. They’d replaced the tags. Ringo took care of them but we know there is a settlement of sorts across the border. A ragtag bunch that is seriously short on unmated females and I reckon they figure on taking ours to form their own pack.”
“Zavalos was their alpha and he’s dead now,” Joe said with a narrowing of eyes. ““He was killed during the recent attack at the ranch. They’ll be fighting among themselves for superiority right about now.”
“Do you think Selena is with them?” The question came from Cactus, who, despite his deceptively lazy sprawl, was coiled tighter than a rattlesnake. Emotion swirled in his narrowed hazel eyes.
“You bet she is,” Joe said. “I’d stake my life on it. Her goal has always been to mate with a pack’s alpha. That’s the only reason she focused in like a laser beam on me. She’s the queen of the power trip. In her attempt to ingratiate herself with Zavalos, I bet she led him straight here.”
Selena was strong, sexy and as dangerous as hell. She’d been Joe’s lover and had hoped to be his mate. It wasn’t to be. When things ended badly between her and Joe, she’d turned to Ringo and Manuel, who liked sex as much as the next man, and she was offering. Fucking Selena and sharing her with Manuel had been a mistake he’d lived to regret, especially when she’d shown up at the ranch and presumably orchestrated Rayne and the other two girls’ kidnapping. Ringo slid his gaze to Manuel and their eyes connected. Yeah. He was also wondering what the hell had possessed them to get involved in heavy ménage action with the she-wolf.
She was nothing but trouble.
Joe suddenly turned to him. “Ringo, I’d like you and Manuel to infiltrate the rogue pack. You men have a history with Selena and the fact you’d turn rogue wouldn’t be as suspect.”
Ringo stiffened. “Guess you’re talking about the fact my dad was an out-and-out traitor. Like father like son?”
“You know I don’t believe that, brother.” Joe stared him dead in the eye. “None of us here believe you are anything but honorable. The rogues won’t know that.”
Manuel stood and looked at them. “It’s a good idea, Ringo. We’ve worked side by side for many years and every man here knows you. We don’t blame you for what your father did. Hell, you were just a boy. Thing is, Selena doesn’t understand honor. It would make perfect sense to her. She believes everyone is like her and wants nothing but what they can take. It would make sense to her that you would want to be alpha of your own pack.”
Ringo looked around the room and saw nothing but acceptance. Sighing, shifting his stance, he hooked his thumbs in the back pocked of his jeans and nodded. “All right.”
Several hours later, Ringo drove with Manuel into town to set the wheels in motion for a staged defectionfrom the Wolf Creek pack. It had to be believable and he knew it wouldn’t be a stretch to convince some of the town’s residents that Ringo Ramone was the spitting image of his traitorous father. The parking lot at Moondoggie’s was packed with an assortment of big, badass trucks. Ringo found a vacant spot and braked to a stop. Moondoggie’s was a honky-tonk just like a million other Texas bars with one exception, the place would be packed with lycans on any given night.
The local nightspot was a big, barnlike structure that featured a neon sign of a wolf howling at a blood-red moon. It hung over the front door to splash red, white and blue colors off the faces of anyone coming in and out of the place. A blast of hot wind sent a tumbleweed rolling across the dozens of trucks where it caught and bounced from several windshields before scuttling off into the night.
“Do you figure Rayne is in there?” Manuel asked into the silence that fell between them. “She usually shows up every ladies’ night and has a drink or two with her friends.”
“Why wouldn’t she be there? You know as well as I there’s nothing much to do around here.”
Manuel turned his head and gave him a look. “Sure you want to do this in front of Rayne? She’s your mate, Ringo.”
“I know that!” Ringo snapped the words out on the back of a low growl. “Don’t you think it’s killing me to have her believe I’m a traitor?”
His friend huffed a breath and shook his head. “I think you should tell her what’s happening.”
“This has to be believable, my man.”
“Don’t you trust her?”
The air in the cab of the truck crackled with tension. “Of course I do,” he said at last. “But her safety comes first. So does the safety of the pack. Our little show has to seem real in every way. There could be spies in the club.” He looked over at Manuel, whose dark features stood out starkly in the shadows. “Leave it alone.”
Manuel shook his head. “You should consummate with her, Ringo. Right now she’s a target, a nice juicy target for those lycans. Do it now before we leave for Mexico.”
“Back off, brother.”
“You’re being an ass.”
“Maybe. My business and my decision.” Ringo settled his hands on the steering wheel and flexed his finger
s over it. “Maybe she’d be better off if we don’t consummate.”
“I can feel it,” Manuel said. “You want to. You want her. And you know that among us there is only one.”
“Yeah.” He laughed bitterly. “What a fucking joke. Her one mate is a man who could bring shame to her family. When I first realized we were mated, I wanted to just beat the shit out of something. This isn’t fair to a woman like Rayne. But now that I’ve tasted her, had her, I want nothing more than to make a life with her. I’m an ass, all right.”
Manual fastened his eyes on the door to the club. “You’re right. None of this is my business but I just want you to know that if something goes wrong once we’re in the middle of those criminals, there’s not another man I’d rather have at my back. I suggest you stop with the pity party and take the gift that life has handed you.”
As they stepped out of the truck into the night and headed toward the crowded bar, Ringo thought about Manuel’s words. She was a gift, all right. Too bad he might not get to keep it.
Chapter Six
“You’re awfully quiet tonight, honey,” Quinn said as she settled her drink on the scarred table and leaned back to give her a considering look. “Did you have a fight with Ringo? Has he come to his senses yet?”
Tonight Rayne had met up with Quinn, Martha MacAdam, the Supreme’s mate, and Alyssa Campbell to have a few drinks, listen to music and catch up on the gossip. Unfortunately, the gossip all seemed to revolve around her and Ringo these days and it made her darn uncomfortable. Pretty much everyone in Cloverfield knew that she and the moody cowboy were a mated pair especially after he’d rescued her that night weeks ago.
“This was a bad idea,” Rayne said suddenly. “I shouldn’t have come here tonight.”
Martha leaned across the table and patted her hand. “Of course, you should’ve. After all what else is there to do in Cloverfield other than chill out with friends? Besides the guys have been meeting at the ranch. I’m actually expecting them to all come walking through the door at any moment now.”
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