by Jodi Vaughn
He dipped his head as his mouth closed around her pretty pink nipple and sucked. She clasped his head and held him against her breast.
“That feels so good.” She moaned as she writhed against his dick.
“Easy, baby. I want to make you come, but you need to go slow.” He sucked harder on the pretty pink bud.
A thin sheen of sweat covered their bodies as their lovemaking turned frenzied.
She whimpered against his mouth and tightened her legs around his waist.
His heart pounded in his head as his balls constricted. He reached between their bodies and flicked the nubbin between her thighs. She moaned and trembled against him.
“Like that?”
“Yes.” She breathed out the word as her eyes glazed over.
He quickened his thrusts inside her tight wet heat. Her moans grew louder in the silence of the night.
“Come for me, Skylar. Come all over my dick,” he growled as he pistoned his hips faster.
“Zane,” she cried out. Her head dropped back and her body quivered as her climax washed over her. He rode out her orgasm while holding back his own impending pleasure.
“Fuck.” He tightened his hold on her body as he buried himself deep. His climax stole over him to the point of stars floating in front of his eyes. He growled as his seed spilled deep within her body. He held her close, refusing to let her go.
They stayed that way, their sweaty bodies clasped together while they struggled to catch their breath.
Sated, he lifted his head and stared down at her.
A satisfied smile crossed her beautiful lips as she stared back at him through heavy-lidded eyes.
“You are a man true to his word, Zane Steele.” Her grin deepened.
“Damn right I am.” He pressed his lips to hers in a gentle, unhurried motion.
“That’s the fastest I’ve ever climaxed,” she whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck.
He smiled with male satisfaction as he ran a hand up and down her back. Fuck, he loved the way she felt under his touch. It was as if he couldn’t get enough of her—how she looked, how she tasted, how she felt.
He shifted his chest against her. Her hard nipples rasped against him and made his dick twitch.
He wanted her again. He couldn’t deny that.
But next time, he wanted her in bed, where he could take his time exploring every inch of her glorious body with his fingers and mouth.
She glanced in the direction the attacker had fled. Fear flickered behind her blue eyes.
“Don’t worry. He’s gone.” He cupped her head and brought her into his chest.
“For now. He’ll come back.” She burrowed into his embrace, and his arms slid around her, cocooning her against him.
The thought of Skylar getting hurt or worse shook him to his very core. He tightened his hold on her, needing the reminder that she was still here, with him and safe.
“And when he does, I’ll be here. And next time I’ll kill him.”
***
“I got breakfast.”
Damon frowned as he was awakened from a deep sleep and reached for Ava across the hotel bed, but all he got was air. He sat up and glanced around the hotel room.
No sign of her anywhere.
So who was talking?
“Open up! I've got coffee and doughnuts and everything,” Granny’s voice called out from the other side of the hotel door.
“Fuck me.” Damon growled and whipped the sheet off his bare body. He snagged his jeans off the floor and smiled as he remembered Ava getting down on her knees last night to help him get undressed. She’d stayed there until he’d almost exploded before taking her on the floor.
Buttoning his jeans up, he lumbered to the door and peered out the peephole.
Granny had her eye up to the tiny opening as if she could see inside. Shaking his head, he opened the door.
“I’ve got breakfast,” the older woman said brightly. She pushed her way into the room and set the tray of coffee and bag of doughnuts on the dresser.
“What time is it? And where’s Ava?” He glanced out the door into the hallway, but it was empty.
“She’s downstairs using the hotel computer. Said she was emailing her contractor today.” Granny glanced around the room. Her gaze landed on Ava’s thong hanging on a nearby lampshade. She arched her brow.
Damon snagged a glazed doughnut out of the brown paper bag and shoved half of it in his mouth. He was an adult, but Granny had a way of making him feel like a naughty teenager.
“Go ahead and eat all those.” Granny waved her hand at the bag. “Ava already took two and a cup of coffee with her.” She grabbed the second Styrofoam cup and popped the lid off. Pulling out some pink packets of sugar substitute and tiny cups of creamer, she doctored her coffee to her liking before tasting the brew.
She eased into the chair by the window and took a sip. “Are you ready for Ava to have her house finished?” She stared up at him with expectant eyes.
“More than ready.” He finished off his second doughnut and fished his hand in the bag for another.
“You know, that girl ain’t going nowhere.” Her eyes danced with mischief.
“I didn’t say she was.” Damon forced the bit of doughnut down his throat and shifted his weight. He might be mated to the love of his life, but his past of being abandoned rose up in his mind.
“She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” He sat the coffee down and walked over to the window.
“Don’t give her all the credit, son.” Granny stood and patted him on the back. “She’s lucky to have you, Damon. I hope you know that. You should know that you are the best thing that happened to her too.” She made her way over to the door.
“Granny.” Damon turned to face the woman who’d raised him for the better part of his life. They might not be blood-related, but their bond went much deeper, and she was very much his family.
“Yes?”
“I think I’m lucky for all the women in my life.” He gave her a respectful nod.
Her weathered face broke out into a wide grin. “I think you’re right.” She nodded toward the panty-clad lampshade. “You know, if you ordered some of my edible underwear, there would be no evidence of Ava’s drawers hanging all over the place.”
***
“A headache, clothes reeking of cigarette smoke, and some ugly chick’s underwear. That’s all I got to show for our little investigative trip to the club last night.” Lucien scowled as he lifted his leather-clad arm to his nose and sniffed. “God, I hate cigarette smoke.”
“I get the headache and the smoke, but how the fuck did you get some chick’s underwear?” Jaxon smirked, then took a sip of his coffee and leaned back in the chair in the back room of the Moon Goddess Tattoo Shop.
“She pulled them off at the bar and stuffed them in the back pocket of my jeans.” Lucien’s eyes widened in horror. “Dude, she even wrote her number on the crotch.”
“So girls are getting creative with their calling cards.” Jaxon nodded his head in appreciation. “I like it. Maybe I should be whipping off my boxers, scrawling my number on the band, and giving them to the next girl I wanna hook up with.”
“You don’t even wear underwear, dumbass.” Lucien shook his head and pulled a pencil off the counter. He used the pencil to pick the thong off the floor and fling it into the nearby wastebasket. He’d been digging in his back pocket for his phone and had pulled out the panties instead. The second he’d realized what he was holding, he had tossed them to the floor like a hot potato.
“You’re not that squeamish about thongs.” Jaxon snorted.
“You didn’t see the girl wearing these. Plus, she smoked.” He cocked his head at his partner. “Even you wouldn’t have tried to hit that. And you try to tap everything.”
“I resent that statement.” Jaxon took a sip and shook his head. “I can’t help it if the ladies love me.”
“You just wait, asshole. There’s going to be
one girl who comes along who’ll break your heart. You’ll be as whipped as Damon, Braxton, and Jayden.”
“Don’t say that. You’ll jinx me or something.” Jaxon sat up straight, and his eyes widened.
Lucien shook his head as his cell phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and gritted his teeth.
“Fuck, it’s Barrett.”
“Dude, you’ve got to talk to him sometime. You can’t keep holding him off,” Jaxon warned.
Lucien hit the answer button and held the piece of plastic to his ear.
“What’s up, boss?” Lucien steeled himself for Barrett’s barrage of questions.
“Nice to see you haven’t lost your phone. Seems like a lot of my werewolves are in the habit of losing their phones and can’t seem to get in contact with me.” Barrett’s low voice growled across the line.
“Boss, I don’t know where Zane is. I’m sure he must be deep undercover if he’s not calling you back.” Lucien looked down at the counter where Zane’s phone sat. He’d talked Matt into parking Zane’s Harley in the locked parking lot. He knew Zane would come back for his Harley, and he wanted it available for him when he did.
Never get in between a Were and his Harley.
“What’s your location?” Barrett thundered.
“The Moon Goddess.”
“I find it ironic that you just so happen to be at the last place Zane was actually seen before he apparently up and disappeared without letting his Pack Master know where he was going.”
Lucien flinched. “I’m sure whatever is going on with Zane is . . . temporary.”
“Temporary. Sounds like a perfect word to describe his future status as a Guardian.”
The call ended before Lucien could say another word.
“How bad was it?” Jaxon looked as if he was bracing himself for bad news.
“Let’s just say if we don’t find Zane and find him quick, then he’s no longer going to be part of the Guardian team.”
***
Zane woke up in bed with Skylar’s naked body pressed against him. A smile grew on his lips, and he ran his fingertips down her slender back, loving how she felt under his touch.
After they’d made it home, he’d carried her straight to bed. After doctoring her head wound, they’d made love two more times before she’d drifted off to sleep, sated and content.
His dick stiffened and lust licked deep in his stomach. He wanted her again. He couldn’t help himself. She was irresistible.
She moaned in her sleep and turned over. He wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her into his chest. His erection prodded at her entrance.
His fingers found her nipple, and he teased the bud. A soft moan slipped past her lips.
“I like the way you wake a girl up.” Skylar’s husky voice made his dick pulse with lust.
“I’ve actually never woken up with a girl in bed before.” He kissed the pink shell of her ear and rubbed his dick between her thighs. She was wet and ready for him.
“Really? You always kick them out before morning?” She chuckled.
“I’ve never had a woman stay after sex.” He moved his mouth to the crook of her neck and nuzzled her soft flesh. What he wouldn’t give to smell her desire for him.
She stiffened in his arms and looked over her shoulder at him.
“What?” He frowned.
“You’ve never spent the night with a woman?”
“No. I’ve never wanted to before.” He dipped his head and captured her bottom lip between his teeth and growled.
***
Her heart squeezed in her chest at his words.
Zane had never woken up next to a woman before? She’d known he wasn’t a virgin, not by a long shot. By the way he knew how to move his body and the miraculous things he could do with his tongue, she knew he was no novice.
“I’m stunned.”
“Not the reaction I was hoping for. I’d rather have you breathless and screaming my name.” He grinned as he dipped his head and sucked a nipple into his hot mouth.
Her breath caught in her throat as her body warmed with desire. She rubbed her legs together to quell the ache he’d awakened.
“I didn’t scream your name last night?” She struggled to concentrate on her words as lust swept through her body.
“Actually, you did—many, many times.” He moved his attention to her other breast.
She turned over to face him. She wanted to look into his eyes as he slid inside her body. She wanted—no, needed—this connection. She’d never had that before. Someone kind and gentle yet able to control her body and give her what she needed when even she didn’t know what that was.
She pressed her palm to his chest and froze as she met his gaze.
“What’s wrong?” He frowned down at her, his eyes glowing yellow.
“How do you feel?” she whispered. The other time she’d been this close to a Were when he’d shifted, it had been horrifying.
“Horny. How do you feel?” He cocked his head.
“Zane, your eyes.” The words slipped out as she tensed.
His eyes widened in horror. He shoved himself away from her and jumped off the bed, putting distance between them. He glanced at the mirror and then clenched his hands.
Forgetting her nakedness, she rose up to her knees and reached for him. “Zane.”
His gaze swept across her body, and his nostrils flared. His muscles tensed as he seemed to struggle not to touch her.
She grabbed the sheet, tugged it around her body, and stood. With her heart pounding in her chest, she took a step forward.
“Don’t touch me. I don’t have any control, Skylar. I don’t want to hurt you.” He stepped away and squeezed his eyes shut.
“Even as a werewolf, I doubt you would hurt me.” She spoke softly.
“Are you fucking serious?” He shot her a heated glare. “Skylar, I have no control over my body anymore, and if I don’t find a way to cure it, I’m as good as gone.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned. Was he sicker than he was letting on?
“What do you think is going to happen when I shift in front of humans? That crime is punishable by death.”
“Yeah, but you are a higher-ranked Guardian. They won’t punish you for something you can’t control.”
“Yeah? How am I going to prove that I can’t control it? Is there some kind of werewolf test you can buy at the fucking drug store where you can pee on a stick?” he growled.
Irritation flared in her gut, and she fought to keep her temper under control.
“I get that you are frustrated about your condition, but you have no right to talk to me like I’m an idiot.”
“Then get your head out of your ass and understand what’s going on.” He slammed his fist on her dresser. The wood cracked and splintered.
“You need to back that shit up right now, Zane Steele. You may be a male, but I’m not going to stand here and take your shit. Are we clear?” Her body trembled under her anger, and she wanted nothing better than to knock him on his ass.
And it was looking like she was going to get her chance.
Chapter Six
A low growl rumbled out of his throat as he threw his head back and squeezed his eyes shut. His mind was fighting with his body to control his shift, but it was a battle he was quickly losing.
Sweat popped out across his body as his muscles strained to accommodate his new form. He fell to his knees, adrenaline coursing through him, fueling his transition into wolf. His muscles stretched and lengthened as his tendons shifted into his new body.
Why the fuck couldn’t he control his own goddamn body? He couldn’t continue to live this way. He wouldn’t.
He lifted his head and opened his eyes, hoping Skylar had the sense to take off before he could hurt her.
“Zane.”
He jerked his head to the corner of the room, where she was standing like a goddess in nothing but that damn sheet wrapped around her. Her beautiful red hair hung like satin cu
rtains to her shoulders, and her blue eyes met his.
He growled, showing off his teeth and hoping she would get the hint and run like hell.
She dropped to one knee and held out her hand. “I know you won’t hurt me. I trust you.”
Rage and anger pulsed through his body. The urge to taste blood swamped him. How the hell was he not going to hurt her? He had lost all his control. Why didn’t she understand?
He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to force the shift back into human.
But his body couldn’t be controlled. He couldn’t be controlled.
Opening his eyes, he saw his target. And pounced.
***
Skylar had braced herself, hoping that any minute Zane was going to snap out of it and shift back into his human form. Or at best, be able to control his anger in wolf form.
She knew she had figured wrong the second his eyes popped open and his pupils dilated. The only thing she could do now was brace herself for the attack.
He pounced and shoved her to the floor, and his massive body pinned her down. She sucked in a breath at the impact. His hot breath was inches away from her neck as he growled low and deadly.
Bloodlust. He wanted blood. He wanted her blood.
The realization had her frantically searching for some object on the floor with which to defend herself. A shoebox sat a foot away from her face.
She never bought shoes, and she sure as hell couldn’t remember what she’d put inside this particular box. Hopefully something heavy, like a brick.
She reached out and grabbed the box with one hand. Surprisingly, it was pretty heavy. Her fingers found the top and she tried to pry open the lid, but it wasn’t budging. It was tied down with some twine.
Zane lifted his head back and growled, and she knew what was coming next. He was going to rip her throat out. She’d been around alpha males enough to know the drill. Once they were set on bloodlust, nothing would satisfy them. They needed the taste. Craved it.
Grasping the shoebox in her hand, she brought it down hard across Zane’s furry head. He fell off her and collapsed in a heap on the floor.
“Oh, shit. I killed him.” Her heart dropped to her toes. “Please God, tell me I didn’t kill him.”
A tear escaped from behind her eyes and rolled down her cheek. Forgetting her sheet, she crawled over to his lifeless body and laid her head on his chest.