by Terra Wolf
When his tongue dipped inside her mouth, tracing lines over her lips, she whimpered. “Xavier, you have me,” she said, breathless, as he trailed kisses over her jaw and down her throat. “All of me, please.”
Her center ached, and already she could feel the wet heat gathering. She needed him inside her. She’d beg and plead if necessary.
Xavier growled from deep in his throat and scooped her up, lowering her on her back underneath him. The grass was cool against her skin, but Xavier’s hands lit a fire everywhere they touched. Laurel shivered from the heat that burned at her center, practically sizzling the dew against her back into steam.
It had been too long since she’d offered herself and never like this. She felt like a volcano ready to erupt.
“I need to feel all of you,” Xavier said in a ragged breath. His hand ran down the length of her, stopping to brush her already hardened nipple, and she moaned. He dipped his head and captured it in his mouth instead, and she closed her eyes, floating as he licked and sucked.
His hand wandered lower, fingertips trailing over her hips and thigh until he found her wet center. His thumb brushed over her clit. Laurel could only writhe against him in anticipation.
It wasn’t enough. Everywhere he touched left a trail of tingles, a promise to please, and still, it wasn’t enough. She gripped his hips and yanked him close, bucking her hips to his even as his finger pushed inside her. “This is what I want,” he told her, his breath hot against her ear.
“It’s yours,” she promised him, her breathing just as ragged as she began climbing toward the peak.
His rhythm stalled and she could have cried. “Can we—?” he began.
“I’m on the pill,” she managed to get out, already knowing what he meant, and Xavier stole her breath with another kiss. He went back to work on her with his hands and Laurel sank even further into the cool relief of the grass at her back as the fire continued to build inside her.
Like an answer to prayer, Xavier repositioned himself so that he was directly over top of her and she closed her eyes, breath hitching in anticipation. “God, you’re so fucking wet. Where have you been hiding, woman?” he grumbled. But instead of the usual shame and fear, she felt at living in hiding, Laurel grinned.
“I’m right here,” she said, drawing him down for another kiss. When the head of his cock brushed her folds, she almost cried out in release. Years’ worth of sexual frustration already had her at the brink.
Xavier slowed the pace and pushed into her slowly the first time, but Laurel bucked, encouraging him. “Please,” she whimpered, her desire giving her courage. “I want all of you, too.”
Xavier slammed into her, and she bent her knees, hooking her ankles around him to hang on. She lost herself in the fast pace, the wildness of it. With each new thrust, she inched closer to the edge. She could feel the freefall waiting for her on the other side, and she sprinted for it. Desperate to fly.
Xavier hovered just above her, whispering encouragement as he drove into her. His broad shoulders practically shone in the moonlight, and she ran her hands over them to his back, hanging on as he took her higher and higher. She’d never felt more beautiful, more wanted, than here and now. Completely accepted. And he was completely hers.
She reached up, running her teeth over the smooth skin of his shoulder. Unmarred. Unmated. But not for long. Her fox urged her to do it, to give him the bite she knew his bear would consider a mating mark.
“I’m going to come,” Xavier said, his voice ragged, and she eased back. She didn’t need to bite him to know her fox already thought of him as hers. Instead, she dug her fingernails into his hips and squeezed her ankles, riding the tension as it built inside her. Just knowing he was close was enough to send her up and over.
“Come with me,” he said as the first shot of warmth spread inside her.
Laurel flung herself off the edge, her body soaring as the orgasm rocketed through her. Xavier bucked over her, his thrusts slowing as he held himself taut, shuddering with each new wave. Laurel heard herself cry out with the intensity, and when the last of it had ebbed, she let her hips fall back to the grass. Full of him. Full of Xavier Wilde.
She’d barely caught her breath when his lips found hers again, trailing tiny kisses across her mouth and over her cheeks and nose. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured, dipping low to nibble on her earlobe.
She smiled as his breath and teeth tickled her skin, edging away until he found a spot on her shoulder instead. He planted warm kisses everywhere he could reach, and she lay there, floating on a buzz of happiness.
She couldn’t believe it. He’d seen all of her, and he’d wanted her even more afterward, red fox and all. She closed her eyes, a happy smile spreading over her face. This was what it was like to be accepted completely.
Chapter 6
Xavier bent to retrieve the shirt he’d discarded earlier and handed it up to Laurel. She smiled and pulled it on while he yanked on his jeans. Although he definitely preferred her bared to him, he saw the gratitude in her eyes as she mumbled her thanks. What the hell was it about this dominant woman’s submissive side that made him putty in her hands?
He’d gone to her in that clearing without conscious thought. His bear had wanted only to protect and comfort. But somewhere along the way, it had become more. She had become more important than he could have imagined. And now, he was in too deep. There was no turning from her, not even if he wanted to.
That scared the ever-loving shit out of him.
He’d known for a while now that his bear craved a mate. But he denied it. Just like Laurel denied her fox. He couldn’t have that responsibility on his shoulders again. Not when he’d handled it so badly the first time. Putting a mate first meant possibly putting his other loved ones in danger. He couldn’t—no, he wouldn’t—do that ever again.
“Xavier?”
He found Laurel watching him uncertainly and knew he’d let his dark mood show in his expression.
“Come on, let’s get you home,” he said, guiding her along the tree line with his hand on her back.
“Did I do something wrong?” Her voice was too damn small and vulnerable and he cringed. Underneath all that alpha-woman bravado, she was so sensitive. He’d seen it when she’d told him about her childhood. And he hadn’t been brave enough to share his own secrets back.
“No, you didn’t do anything,” he said.
“Then what—?”
He grabbed her wrist and stopped them just inside the tree line. From here, he could see the station. His truck was parked near the wall, and thankfully, Jake’s truck was gone. At least one thing was going right. “There are things I haven’t told you about my past. Things that make it hard for me to…”
“To what?” She frowned, and he had to resist the urge to smooth those lines from her delicate mouth.
“If you knew, you’d change your mind about me. I’m not who you think.”
She shook her head. “You’re not making any sense.”
“You can’t tell me you haven’t heard people talk in town. The Wilde Bear alpha, head of Search and Rescue. How I used to party hard and fuck even harder, right?”
“They say you don’t go out. You don’t date anyone. It seems like I’m not the only one hiding,” she said.
“So you think you know me.” He snorted, and Laurel flinched like he’d slapped her.
His polar bear reared up, furious at him for the way he was acting, but he couldn’t make himself stop. It was the first time he’d ever tried explaining himself. The first time he’d felt the need to, dammit. Of course, he was going to be an ass. His guilt wouldn’t let him do anything except hurt and be hurt when it came to his past.
“Look, the rumors are true. I was called Wilde Bear for a reason in high school and it’s not because of my last name. But that’s my past. It’s not my present and it’s sure as shit not my future.” Guilt and regret rose up so fiercely he couldn’t breathe for a moment. His vision blurred as memories h
e’d buried long ago broke the surface, threatening to cripple him. “Tonight was fun, but it’s not a part of the plan. It can’t be.”
Laurel’s face swam in front of him and he grit his teeth to keep it together. When she came into focus again, a single tear tracked down her cheek.
He hated himself for hurting her. His bear wanted to roar and stomp at watching her cry. But better she heard it from him rather than someone else. The drawback of growing up in a small town: there was no escaping your mistakes. In fact, given long enough, they became you. It was only a matter of time before someone else told her and who knew what version she’d get from one of them.
Xavier shoved his hands into his pockets, hating himself for what he was about to say. “I’m telling you all this because you told me your stuff. And because my bear wants you.”
Laurel’s eyes widened at that and he felt that pull tugging at him. The same one he’d felt the moment they’d met. And every damn time he touched her. Earlier, when he’d been on the brink of coming, he’d wanted to bite her. Just a nip at her shoulder, but it would’ve meant so damn much. A claiming mark. He snorted at the impossibility of that choice. His bear was just itching for a mate, craving it, actually. But he couldn’t do it. Not to himself and not to someone else. It wouldn’t be fair. His job would always come first and last.
Now, he felt the urge to claim her just by looking at her. She was killing him.
“As in…?” She trailed off.
He nodded. “Claim you, yes. As a mate. It’s all I can think about. And it’s all I can do to resist. But… I don’t know if I can pick you, Laurel. I can’t pick anyone. I’ve chosen already. My job, my life is about rescuing people. No matter what time of day or night or what else I’m doing, I have to go when I get called. Doesn’t leave room for anyone else. Especially not a mate and honestly, not even for—”
He broke off and Laurel’s eyes flashed, cutting him. “For a quick screw,” she finished for him.
She huffed and he knew he’d fucked up. She shoved past him, nudging his shoulder as she went. He hurried to catch up with her, determined to somehow make it right. He couldn’t change how he felt, but he could still take care of her tonight. “At least let me give you a ride home.”
“No thanks. I’ll walk,” she said, still striding toward the road.
He stared after her a minute, taking in the short hemline of his shirt—more like a mini-dress on her—and her bare legs and feet. Like hell he’d let her walk.
He rushed her from behind, scooping her up and tossing her over his shoulder. She squealed and kicked her legs, but he held tight. “Woman, I’m taking you home.”
“Put me down,” she demanded, practically screaming the words, but Xavier held fast. Laurel gave one last yell, and then her body shook and trembled violently in his arms. With a final pop, her torso and legs disappeared and he lost his grip on anything firm.
The shirt she’d been wearing went slack. He grabbed at the fabric but it was empty. A large red fox leaped from his shoulder to the ground and shot off into the woods, giving a high-pitched bark as it went.
“Dammit!” Xavier cursed and considered going after her, but she was already gone. His alpha fox had disappeared into the night, and true to his worst fears, taken his heart with her.
Chapter 7
Laurel let herself into her apartment as silently as she could. The sliding glass door was already unlocked, and she sighed in relief, glad she wouldn’t have to bother with the noisy deadbolt on the front door. She only vaguely remembered leaving the house earlier. Her fox had been in a frenzy from too many weeks of not shifting, and she’d almost blacked out when she’d finally shifted.
She couldn’t even remember if she’d undressed first or where she’d stashed her clothes to retrieve them now. She hoped it wasn’t an outfit she liked.
She didn’t bother with light as she crept across the tiny dining area she shared with her roommate. Kelly was a light sleeper, and the last thing she needed now was a bunch of questions about why she was creeping inside after one am. Kelly was friendly enough, but she was also Laurel’s landlord, and she was a “no bullshit” kind of girl. Laurel had met her when she’d come to town for the interview with DOT last year. Kelly had been working in HR, doing background checks for new hires. These days, she’d graduated to working for a local bounty hunter’s office downtown that had an owner known for being anti-shifter. Even though Kelly had never said anything one way or the other about the subject, she was not someone Laurel wanted to cross.
Besides, Kelly was bound to have questions, including why Laurel was currently dressed only in a size XL men’s tee. Not a conversation Laurel was dying to have. After everything that had happened tonight, she just wanted a shower and bed. She’d sort out Xavier and everything he’d said tomorrow.
“Ow!” Her foot came down hard on something sharp, and she yelled out before she could stop it.
A second later, the hall light came on, and Kelly appeared, disheveled from sleep and wielding a wooden bat. “What the…?” Kelly didn’t relax at the sight of a familiar face like Laurel expected. Instead, she switched her shocked gaze from Laurel’s face to the apartment around them.
For a split second, Laurel stared in shock too, too distraught to understand. The apartment was trashed. Utterly and completely. Books and shelves all littered the living room floor. A floor lamp lay on its side barring the front door, and the bulb shattered into tiny pieces across the entryway.
Beside her, the kitchen chairs had all been upended and lay upside down and sideways on the tile floor, which was covered in something white. Flour? Sugar? She ran a toe through it to check, but red liquid stained it and she examined her foot closer.
Blood.
She yanked a shard of something sharp from her foot and held it up. The lamp that used to sit by the back door. The end table it sat on was now on its side. Above it, the window had shattered, leaving tiny shards of glass in a pile on the windowsill.
“Oh my god,” Kelly shrieked. “Were we robbed?”
Laurel opened her mouth, ready to speculate that very idea along with her friend, but then dread washed over as she realized what had really happened. Her fox. In her panic over shifting against her will, it had done all but tear the walls down.
She hadn’t done damage like this since she was a kid. Seventeen, to be exact. Her parent’s house. It was the last time she’d seen her parents. But even then, it hadn’t been this bad. Everything that could possibly be broken was. And it was all her fault. What was she going to say to Kelly?
“I think we—”
“Ssh!” Kelly crouched, knees bent, as she turned left, then right. “We need to call the police. We can’t touch anything, we—” She broke off, and her eyes narrowed as she zeroed in on something across the kitchen floor.
She crept toward it, tiptoeing over the flour, and Laurel held her breath.
“What the hell?” Kelly demanded as she bent over something. “What is this?”
Laurel could see it from here. She already knew.
Kelly whirled, eyes wide, as she pointed down at the animal print caught in the pile of flour. “Is this a… paw print?”
“Yes.” Laurel squeezed her eyes shut in resignation. After tonight, she wouldn’t deny it. Xavier might be a complete and total ass, but he’d shown her one thing: she couldn’t possibly continue this double life. Not in her own home. And she wouldn’t lie. Not after Xavier had just basically done the same thing to her.
Okay, maybe not an actual lie, but he was hiding something. And now that she knew how it felt, the shoe on the other foot sucked. Besides, she didn’t have the mental energy to even think of a good excuse right now.
She sighed. “I think it is.”
Kelly’s eyes narrowed to slits, and her head cocked sideways, her cropped brown hair bouncing. “Why are you wearing a man’s shirt?” Her expression changed as she finally noticed Laurel’s bare feet and the half-open back door. “Are you just getting
home?”
Laurel nodded. “Kelly, I’m sorry about the damage.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “I’ll pay for it all.”
“What? Why would you do that? It’s not your fault.”
Laurel didn’t answer, but she felt Kelly’s suspicion finally land on her.
“What is going on here?” Kelly demanded. She looked down at the paw print in the flour and then back to Laurel’s feet. The cut from the lamp shard had already stopped bleeding. It had probably already healed. Kelly’s lips thinned. “Tell me now.”.
“I’m a shifter,” Laurel said quickly before she could change her mind. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I try very hard not to shift unless I’m far away from home and town and everyone. I’ve been busy at work and fighting it, and I think I waited too long this time and… I’m sorry. I’ll pay for everything,” she repeated, and because she knew she was rambling and Kelly hated that, she shut up.
Kelly stared at her for a long, wretched moment, and for a second, Laurel thought maybe she’d let it go. Accept it. Maybe she’d finally found a human who would let her be herself. But then Kelly’s face went red, and she stabbed a finger in the direction of Laurel’s bedroom. “Get your shit and get. Out.”
“Right. I understand if you want me to give notice. I know the lease says thirty days—” Laurel began.
“Now!” Kelly screamed. “You can get out right fucking now!”
“You’re really that mad at me for being a shifter?” Laurel yelled back.
“Are you kidding me?” Kelly demanded, continuing before Laurel could answer. “I’m kicking you out for lying to me and for trashing my house. Yes, you can pay for it by mailing me a check tomorrow. But right now, you can get your shit and get out. I don’t believe this.” She stomped out and a second later, Laurel heard Kelly’s bedroom door slam shut.
She held her breath and listened, waiting to hear if Kelly had decided to call the police or worse, her boss, but all she heard coming from behind Kelly’s closed door was muttering. Curses—lots of them, at first, and then nothing.