She shook her head. He was not even there yet, and she felt his touch. And now, since she had really experienced his hands on her, his mouth playing havoc with her senses, it was so much easier to get caught up in the fantasy.
She finished pulling her clothes off and stepped into the shower she had used the first night. How things have changed! Her world had turned itself upside down so quickly. Now he would get in the shower with her, not catch his fantasy and quit. Or she would invite him in to touch her like he had imagined that first night.
She lathered up the shampoo on her hands before scrubbing it into her hair and scalp. She loved the feeling of massage as she rubbed away the day’s dirt and grime. She stuck her head under the spray when she sensed him in the house.
Her heart rate sped up, and her breathing matched pace with it. He was purposefully withholding the exact location from her. She felt the teasing intent in his mind. Anticipation and a small thrill started through her. Soon, he would be touching her. She hurriedly rinsed her hair so she could see him when he joined her in the shower.
The water sluicing down her back felt erotic knowing he would see her soon. The shower curtain pulled to the side; she could hear but not see as her eyes still had shampoo in them. She gasped when she felt his hands on her puckered nipples. He kissed her open mouth and took one hand to bring her against his rapidly dampening skin.
The water cleared her eyes and hair of shampoo, but she kept her hands up in her hair, which pushed her chest more fully into his hand. His hand slid from her nipple to her navel then around to her ass. He pulled her into him as close as he could, his dick pushing against her stomach. She wanted to climb into him, be a part of him; she wanted him inside of her.
One leg rose to his hip, and he grabbed a hold of it and lifted her up. He was bearing most of her weight. She reached up and seized the top of the shower curtain rod and flexed her arm to help hold her up on the slick surface.
He dropped his lips from her mouth to her neck, suckling along the nerve there, drawing a straight line of lightening from his mouth to her clit. She could swear he touched her with his mouth on the inside, all the way down. She pulled on the arm supporting her weight, trying to rub even closer to him. He moved his lips lower, and she held her breath in anticipation. Yes! She wanted his mouth on her nipples. Licking and sucking.
Crash!
She screamed as the curtain rod fell, and she slipped in the tub. Nolan caught her, laughing as he did so. She was mortified. The curtain fell down around them, and she released the rod. No sense in holding on to it. She reached back to turn off the water but he reached out his hand to stop her.
She looked at him. “Why did you stop me?”
Then he kissed her lips, a whisper of a touch, a soft breath.
The water continued to rain down on them, on the floor, and the walls, but he did not seem to mind. And after his kiss, neither did she.
***
Nolan grabbed her hand as she reached for the water. He did not want to stop. The imagery in her mind as he arrived had pushed his libido into high gear. As he had stepped into the shower, he felt as if he had stepped into Venus’s private bath and been granted a gift.
As he reached to touch her, he had almost expected her to disappear into mist. But she was real, and he did not want to lose this moment in time. Smiling against her mouth as he heard her thoughts go from mortification to sex, he turned her to the shower wall.
His body was slick now, completely soaked, and they slid against each other. He picked her up under her butt and raised her high enough for her to be over the tip of his thick shaft. He steadied her against the shower wall, then slid her down it as he pushed up into her.
Groans emitted from both of them as she clenched around him, vibrating around him as he pushed. He buried himself deeper, wanting more. He slowly pulled out, reveling in the feeling of her thick juices on him as the water rolled down his back.
She dug her nails into his broad shoulders, and he jerked within her.
“You like that,” she said throatily.
“Yes,” he said next to her cheek. She dug in again, this time on purpose, and he felt his control slipping. He found purchase with his feet and plunged in again, swiftly pounding until her breath came out in little gasps in his ears. Heavenly. A storm gathered within him. Harder he went, increasing the rhythm as he felt her needs flow through him. He wanted to push her over the edge before he lost all control.
He nuzzled her neck, sucking off the water, then licking, then back to her mouth. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, alternating the rhythm from his lovemaking. She went wild under his arms.
He felt her ass muscles tense, and she clasped him tighter with her thighs. He could not stop, did not want to stop. He slid his hands down, reaching for her clit with his thumb. As soon as he stroked it, she screamed her release. Yes! As her orgasm clenched him, he buried himself to the hilt and let out his own growl.
He rubbed her clit more when she started to come down, causing her to gasp again. He moved carefully, making sure he did not slip out of their combined juices, and kissed her. She started the climb up to ecstasy once more. Moving slow with his body but fast with his thumb, he kept pleasuring her until he felt her go over the peak another time.
When she finished, he let her down gradually. He turned off the water and got out. When he turned around, she was still standing in the tub, her body flushed from the warm water and the lovemaking.
“I’m sorry.”
Panic raced through him. “Sorry for what?” he asked carefully, not sure he wanted to know.
“For the curtain rod of course,” she said looking at him like he had lost his mind.
“That’s an easy fix,” he said, relieved. “It’s just one of those that use the pressure against the wall to stay up. It’s probably not really broken. Wasn’t meant to hold up hot, naked women,” he replied, teasing.
Amused by the blush that graced her cheeks, he tossed her a towel. “Come on, get dressed. We have to talk about tomorrow.”
She snapped him with her towel and sent him an impudent grin. “Sure. After I’m dressed.”
Admiring her backside, he started wondering which bra she would wear, then wished she would not wear one at all. Her laugh rang back to him as she heard his thought.
He dried himself off and pulled on a pair of button fly jeans. One of the few pairs which had lasted him more than a year, they were his favorites. He was weighing the options of shirt or no shirt when he heard Alex’s voice.
“Shirt!” she yelled. “If you want me to pay any attention to your words,” she finished ruefully.
His deep laughter rumbled out before he knew what was happening. She had surprised him again. Her wit and her intelligence were going to be the death of him. Still smiling, he puttered to the large kitchen and started making snacks. He figured she was as hungry as he was when he could hear the growling of her stomach from the guest bedroom when he’d walked by the door. She had insisted on taking the other bedroom, which was fine.
As long as she slept with him.
Putting together roast beef sandwiches and glasses of iced tea only took a few minutes. When he finished, he took a plate and glass to her where she stood in front of his huge shelf of movies.
“We could watch a movie after we talk,” he suggested. She turned her head slightly and gave him a small, sexy smile.
“Okay. So what do we need to talk about?” She sat down on his leather love seat, and he sat down next to her.
“My plan. I’ve put a plan in place to challenge Roxy, and I want you there as my second.”
Stunned silence met his pronouncement. He gave her time to think about it.
***
“How are you going to pull that off?” she finally asked. What had she missed when she’d tuned out of what was happening at the warehouse?
“I’ll go to her lodge and do it in front of witnesses. She won’t be able to deny me.”
“What if she’
s not there? What if you’re hurt? And why don’t you want Kamiakin with you?”
“Kamiakin will be taking care of Joseph. He’ll leak the information to Roxy that I’ll be coming on her land to talk with her. Sherona will be helping Kamiakin corral Joseph.”
“I don’t like it. Roxy and Boris don’t need a reason to kill you. And leaking the information that you’re coming could get you killed before you ever reach the lodge,” she said, anger crept into her voice as she tried to cover her fear. He had no idea what they were like.
“And if she tries or even sets up an attack, she’ll be seen as a coward. It’s the only way to afford us some protection before getting to the lodge. She needs to be brought to justice.”
Alex hated it, but he was right. Political intrigue went over her head, but he would know for sure the correct way to handle things. She snuggled close to him. “I don’t like it,” she reiterated quietly. “You’re right about the set up for getting us there. But what about getting back out?”
“If she chooses pack justice, getting jumped on the way out will be the least of our worries.”
“You can take her. That’s not the problem. What about Boris? Plus, we’ll be in the lodge where I know she has hidden traps and pitfalls. There’s been a couple of fights that Boris should have lost and mysteriously didn’t.” A mystery to the rest of the pack maybe but not her.
“And that kind of knowledge is why I need you for my second. Kamiakin is more useful going after Joseph. You can keep me from accidentally setting off a trap or see a trick coming because you know them. I need you.” His voice had grown husky, but she slapped at his chest.
“Hey, you won’t distract me that way. I still don’t like it.”
“It’s the best plan we have.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” she said hotly, arching an eyebrow at him.
“True, but you’ll go along with it?”
“I may regret this, but yes. I’ll help you,” she said, shivering.
“You cold?” he asked, setting their plates to the side so he could pull her on his lap.
“No. Yes, I don’t know. It’s a deep cold, like fear. I’m afraid,” she whispered. All her life, she had felt as if Roxy had been waiting for something from her. Something that would allow Roxy to kill her without the pack getting into an uproar. Would this prove to be it?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The next night they were in the truck again, heading to their rendezvous. Why did the weres insist on doing things at night? She hated this. But all day she had been unable to think of another way. It did not stop her from arguing with his plan.
“You need more backup. They’re expecting you to bring some of the pack, like the elite guard and Kamiakin, at least. Can’t we do something else?” she asked, grabbing the backpack with their extra clothes in it to take to the fight.
“No.”
“Why not? There has to be something else you can do.” In her mind, anything would be better than their current plan and waltzing into her pack’s territory without protection. She was grasping at straws, but she didn’t care. She wanted to find a different way if they could.
***
“I have to bring them in. Whether I use were justice or human justice will be up to them.” Personally, he was hoping for were justice. Roxy needed to pay. “I can’t risk any more of my pack and I can’t bring in the humans in case they want were justice.” He sighed. He felt her fear for him and tried not to look at it as a vote of no confidence.
“This isn’t a good idea,” she said in frustration. They parked near where he had first parked his truck the night they met. This time, the moon was waxing. “You could get killed.”
“I’m the ulfric for a reason,” he said.
“I know, but Roxy and Boris never fight fair. Never. You saw it back in the woods when you saved me. He was hurting a woman he believed to be human and defenseless. Even if they choose human justice, it will be a trick,” she replied. Why had she not argued this point more last night?
He felt her frustration, and it sang in her voice. Her fists tightened and released. He did not need to be telepathic to know she was upset.
“Then help me. Quit fighting me. Use your knowledge and our telepathy to warn me.” He got out of the truck and slammed the door. He had no other choice. Why could she not see that? “You’re my ace in the hole. Together, I think we can beat whatever tricks the Feral or Roxy can come up with.”
She stood looking over the hood of his truck. He felt the rapid succession of thoughts as they flowed through her. He also felt her fear and revulsion of facing Boris again and knew the moment she had resigned herself to the course of action they were on. “You’re showing a lot of faith in me.”
“I’ve already seen you fight,” he replied. “You were willing to protect me before you knew I was your mate. I doubt you’ll do less now, even with your fear of Boris.” He walked over to her and held her close. “Thank you,” he said into her hair. Everyone who helped in her kidnapping would pay for endangering his mate. His feelings were visceral and surprising. They had to get through this.
“Don’t thank me yet. If they hurt you, I’ll kill you myself.”
“I look forward to your hands on my body,” he said meaningfully. He smiled at her flushed face. “That’s better. Let’s go.” He took her hand in his and trekked toward the base of the Lupin pack’s territory. He had always been independent. Only counting on himself. He hated that he needed her in this fight. Hell, I hate the fact I need her at all.
Want, sure. Lust after, no problem. But he was too self-aware to not understand it was stronger than that.
There were so many reasons she was the wrong woman for him. It would cause dissension in the pack and already had to a degree when he had put himself in danger to save her.
Many women in his pack had thrown themselves on him, hoping he would at least give them the prestige of being the girlfriend of the ulfric. He had played along sometimes but became increasingly frustrated with their clinginess and power plays.
That alone was enough to make him fear the commitment fate had thrown on him. Plus, he had seen what his job had done to other relationships. The fear of not coming home had frozen more than one man’s hand at a crucial moment. The ones at home became upset, decrying the lack of family time.
Yet, here he was, content to be holding her hand, heading into trouble. He shook his head. And all this time he had thought it was the women who were complicated. He needed to stop musing and get his mind into the fight.
***
Alex tried to stay out of his mind as much as possible as they walked. She sensed he had some introspection he needed to do. Not only were they headed into likely battle, but their personal relationship had reared up strong, more powerful than she had imagined being mated could be. Being separated had nearly killed her spirit. She did not like the feelings of need she felt. However, she was happy to belong.
She had always felt like an outcast, despite her mother’s love and assertions otherwise.
She supposed she could have shifted and proven she was one of them. But something had always stopped her. There was an undercurrent she had felt, if not understood, whenever the pack talked of her mother and father. She had instinctively known things would somehow be worse for her if they knew of her ability. So she had held back.
With Nolan, she felt intuitively connected. The telepathy helped, but it was deeper than that. She was filled with sweetness and yearning when she was around him. She had never been emotionally connected that away around adults before now. Sometimes, she would get a glimpse of the feeling when holding a baby or helping a child. She could not help but wish that their lives would hold more hope than hers had as a youth.
As she thought of her childhood and the way those in the pack were being raised, she knew it was why she and Nolan had to do this and they had to succeed. For the children. They needed a better chance than Roxy would provide. Not only did a murderer have to be brough
t to justice, but the poison had to be cut out of the body before it killed the rest of them.
Without warning she stopped. “Wait, I heard something.”
“What?” he asked in a low voice.
“A whisper of hatred. We haven’t been seen yet, but they’re waiting for you. They know you’re coming. No, it’s more than that. They know you’re coming without your pack and backups not coming until later.” She turned to him. “Nolan, someone in your pack is feeding them information about you. Besides the one you know the identity of. Someone with privileged information.”
She felt the pang of betrayal and hurt flow through his mind, before he shut it away. He pulled her close to him, in a hug. “How close are they? I can’t read them.”
“I…I don’t know. This is the real trap. Last time you came in our area of the restricted lands, it was a quick setup. This is the one they’ve been planning for a long time. They’ve kept this from me. I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s okay. We’ll make it. Besides, you’ve been with me lately. I have faith in you. In us.” They walked farther apart in single file in case he had to shift suddenly.
They were almost there when her pack in human form began to come out of the trees lining the path. Their eyes glowed eerily in the moonlight. They didn’t say a word, not even her mother as they passed the place she stood, confirming Alex’s suspicion that they’d expected him to have come alone. In fact, their surprise at seeing her was nearly all she could get from their minds—expectations of blood, violence, and freedom to be who they were. The last thought confused her. What did they mean by that?
Alex and Nolan walked up to the community lodge and went in. She sat the backpack near the door, out of the way. She was there as an official for the pack and for the humans and had to address this the right way. With the pictures of blood and violence from the others flooding her mind, she wished she and Nolan could just leave.
Although she could not completely hide it, she tamped down her fear. Nothing got the pack more excited than the scent of fear—except blood. She did not wish to give them the satisfaction of either one tonight. Her trepidation set on high, every sense on alert. She turned her head to the stone chairs that served as the high court for their pack. She felt the crazy satisfaction and knew Roxy was here.
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