Haley reached for the beer he handed her. “You’re not?”
He grinned. “Hell no. I wouldn’t have met you.”
She forgot she was supposed to drink the beer. In that moment all she could do was look in his eyes. It didn’t make sense. Her heart stirred. Her pulse quickened. She was completely falling for him. Or she already had.
14
Jax
She was beautiful. He promised her lunch but he took the beer from her hand. His palms slid to her face as he brushed his lips over hers. He inhaled all of her when his mouth crushed into hers.
The need for her was uncontrollable. Something had happened to him last night. He hungered for her more than ever.
She moaned and her lips parted for him. He loved how she tasted. His arms roamed over her body, gripping her ass. God, she had a perfect round ass.
His eyes darted to hers and he could read everything she was thinking. He picked her up and sat her on the table. She bit at his lips, sucking and pulling him toward her. He felt the fire in his chest when he thought about stripping her down on his kitchen table.
Her hands tugged on his T-shirt, her eyes playful. “I like this kind of lunch.” She giggled.
He was about to toss the shirt on the floor when he heard wheels crunch over the gravel driveway. He paused, shifting his ears toward the door.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I think we have company.” He left her sitting on the table and walked to the living room window. “Damn it. It’s my cousin. Wait here.”
He closed the door behind him and greeted Brandon on the porch.
“Don’t you ever call?” he grunted.
“Do you ever turn your phone on?” Brandon retorted.
Jax pulled his cell from his back pocket. The screen was black. He had forgotten to charge the battery overnight.
“Right. What’s up?” He wanted to get Brandon off his porch so he could get back to Haley.
“Did you hear the fight last night? We have a problem.”
“No. I wasn’t here last night.”
Brandon’s eyebrows arched. “Not here? Does that mean you were with the hot little doctor?”
Jax’s eyes flared. “She’s my mate,” he snarled. “Don’t talk about her like that.”
“Sorry. Just asking.”
Jax stood down. He didn’t want Haley to hear their conversation. He tried to keep his voice low. “Anyway, what happened?”
“I think the other clans have called a truce.”
“That’s a good thing isn’t it? What’s the problem?” Maybe things were better than he could have realized.
Brandon shook his head. “No. They’ve decided they’re going to divide our clan in half. Each alpha chooses a bear until we’re split equally between the two.”
Jax glared. “They can’t do that.”
“They realized when the fight got out of control last night that the only way to save the bears they have left is to stop fighting over us and just take our clan now.”
“This clan is going to be left intact. You have an alpha.”
Brandon smiled. “So, you claimed your mate?”
“It shouldn’t be any of your fucking business, but I did.”
Brandon slapped him on the shoulder. “Thank God. Now you can tell our clan the next generation is secure. There are heirs on the way.”
Jax had lied before. He had lied so many times as a Delta it was as natural as breathing. He would go undercover to gain trust. He would use sources for information, feeding them what they wanted to hear.
Brandon wanted to hear that the clan’s legacy was safe with its alpha. What he didn’t want to hear was that Jax wanted it all. He wanted both worlds. He wanted to go back to Razastan and lead his team. He wanted his mate to stay here and wait for him, leading his clan while keeping his bed warm.
“Jackson?” Brandon eyed him. “Are you going to call a meeting?”
He shook his head. Things weren’t getting better. “Give me tonight. I need to talk to Haley.”
“I don’t know if we have another night.”
“Go to the other clans. Tell them I will call a meeting tomorrow. Got it?” His finger pressed into Brandon’s chest.
“You’re the alpha. If you need another day, then I’ll tell them.”
“Good.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking over his shoulder. Haley was inside, waiting for him.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll charge my phone. Call me next time before you just show up.”
Brandon walked back to his truck. “I’ll take care of it.”
He had to go back inside and tell her. She needed to know what was going on. She didn’t know she was the key to stopping a clan war. She was a strong woman. She was intelligent. He would approach her with the facts, and she would understand her role.
Jax opened the door, expecting to see Haley sitting on the couch or on the table where he left her, but as soon as the door closed her arms were around his neck.
“Hey,” he growled.
She tugged at his neck until his mouth was pressed to hers. Her tongue curled against his. “Hey.”
He felt her hands slide under his shirt, the softness of her palms tracing the sculpted lines of his chest.
All the things he was going to tell her could wait. His bear needed her right now.
She backed away from him, slowly unbuttoning her top button. Jax crossed the room, scooping her in his arms in the process.
She squealed. “Where are we going?”
“We never had lunch,” he growled.
He saw her eyes light when he placed her on the table.
He popped the rest of the buttons from her shirt as he ripped it from her arms. She cradled his head to her chest. He flicked the clasp on her bra, and peeled it from her arms. He knew there weren’t two more perfect breasts in the entire world, as he pulled one into his mouth.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned as he sucked against her.
His hands wrestled with her jeans, unsnapping the button before peeling them over her hips and thighs. The need for her was spiraling. He wanted to take his time, pleasure her, make her come over and over, but his bear couldn’t think straight.
Haley’s fingertips trailed over his chest, stopping to trace the ridges at his ribs and torso. She worked his belt free, and in one motion, he shoved his jeans and boxers to the floor, standing in front of her throbbing with want.
“I want you, Haley,” he growled. It hurt how much he wanted her. His chest ached. His cock pulsed. He could feel his bear hungry for her.
“I want you too,” she whispered. Her hand landed on his hard shaft, and she guided him toward her entrance, already wet for him.
It was too much. He didn’t have enough restraint to take things slow and easy. He gripped her hips, roaring as he buried himself inside her.
“Oh, Jax,” she screamed as her back arched off the table.
The urges controlling him were wild and consuming. He wanted to fill her with his essence. He wanted his hot seed buried so deep in her there would be an army of cubs. He clawed at her nipples, twisting and pinching them between her fingers. Her head thrashed to the side as she whimpered.
“It’s so good. Fuck me more,” she begged.
The more she encouraged him, the harder he got. The stronger the need to mark her with his seed. He leaned forward, sucking her tit against his tongue. He lashed over her. His mouth moved between her breasts, kissing along her throat. Then he felt her lips. The sweet honey of her mouth, drowning everything else out.
“Come with me,” she coaxed.
And he felt her body quiver and vibrate under him as she kissed and breathed against his lips.
“I need it,” she whispered. “I want to feel you come with me.”
And he knew he needed it too. He needed this woman like nothing he had ever needed in his life. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her body quake with her orgasm. As he stared in her eyes he felt his own r
elease break free.
“God, Haley.” He buried himself in her so deep he knew they were now one. He pumped his essence hard, giving her everything he had. The primal need to give her cubs ripped through his chest as his hot seed spilled from him.
She clawed at his back, as her legs spread for him, letting him drive deeper and farther. She screamed as his final thrust shattered them both like glass. Their bodies, dewy with sweat, gasped for breath as the fire consumed them, raging through their blood.
He kissed her lips gently, knowing he hadn’t done anything gently.
“I’ve never felt anything like that.” Her green eyes sparkled.
“Me either.” He kissed her throat. His chest tightened. He was holding his mate, the one woman made for him, but the realization hit him like a stray bullet.
He wanted more.
15
Haley
“Let me help you.” Jax carefully pulled her from the table. Her back was sore where it had been pressed into the wood.
“Thank you.” She looked in his eyes.
“Come on.” He picked her up.
“Where are we going?”
“Shower.” He nudged the door open with his foot.
He held her against his chest while he turned the water on. Carefully, he set her feet on the shower floor and then stepped in behind her.
She leaned against his back as his hands began to lather soap over her breasts. Her body had never felt like this before. It hummed and tingled all over. Her muscles felt tired and soothed at the same time.
He kissed the top of her head.
“I feel different.” She hadn’t meant to say it, but it came out anyway.
“What do you mean?” His hands worked the bubbles over her stomach.
“I can’t explain it. I know it has to be hormones, right? The adrenaline leaving the body with a sense of exhaustion. There’s a biological explanation for all sensation.”
“Is that what you think about sex? You break down the medical components?” He laughed and she realized she must sound ridiculous. The super nerd in her was coming out.
She shook her head. “No, I’m just thinking out loud.” She smiled when she felt his hand slide between her legs.
She was so sore. But his touch was warm and gentle.
“It’s just…” her words trailed off.
She didn’t want him to think she couldn’t enjoy what they experienced on the kitchen table. That she couldn’t get pure pleasure from his body, because holy hell she did. He had fucked her all the right ways.
He spun her to face him. The water trickled over his chest.
“I like that you’re smart, doc.” He kissed her forehead. “I think it’s kind of sexy how you try to analyze everything.”
“Sexy?”
“Yeah. Fucking sexy.” He grinned. His fingers trailed over the slit between her legs and she sighed. “See? When you do that.”
“What?” she breathed, knowing her hips were rocking into his fingers.
“Make those sounds.” He slid a finger inside her and grinned when she groaned.
“I can’t help it.” It was as if she had lost any control of her body when he touched her. She did whatever he wanted.
“I don’t want you to stop.” His mouth covered hers as his tongue began to move over her lips. “Let me hear you, doc.”
Her eyes flashed to his, feeling another finger spread her wider. “Ohh,” she cried, sinking harder on his hand.
He smiled, moving in and out of her, growling with satisfaction as her whimpers turned to moans. She danced up and down on his hand, letting his fingers guide the sounds from her. With a twist of his thumb over her nub, she screamed his name.
He kissed her. “That is what I call fucking sexy.”
Haley rested her forehead against his chest while her body came down from the high he had given her. She took the soap from his hands. She couldn’t wait to wash every inch of his muscular frame.
“Too bad we can’t do this every day.” She started with his chest, loving how firm it was.
“Maybe one day.” He looked at her with hints of sadness in his dark eyes.
“Tomorrow I’m back in the ER. What are doing on the rest of your leave?” She worked the bubbles lower, covering the hard lines of his ribs.
“I’ve got some family business I have to take care of.”
“Is that why your cousin keeps stopping by?”
Her thumbs made circles over his hipbones. She sucked in a sharp breath. His body was gorgeous. She wondered if he would let her return the favor.
He nodded. “I have to take care of a few things before I leave again.”
She felt the stab of pain as the words filled the shower. She couldn’t imagine him leaving. He had just gotten home. She had just met him.
“And when is that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t have orders yet. I won’t be here more than two weeks. It could be closer to one.” He tilted her chin upward, locking his eyes on her. “I think we need to talk, doc.”
He reached across her and turned off the shower. She stood as he wrapped a towel around her and stepped from the shower. Something was different. His tone. His mood. The sexy banter had vanished.
She followed him to the bedroom and sat on the bed, clutching the towel to her chest.
“Clothes.” He pointed. “Get dressed and we can talk over lunch.”
Before she had a chance to ask what it was about, he pulled the bedroom door behind him and was gone.
She stared at the closed door. She tried to remind herself she didn’t know Jax. There was no telling what he was dealing with from his acclimation back into U.S. culture, but there was something nagging at her, telling her this had nothing to do with his Delta status and everything to do with her.
She got dressed, toweled her hair dry, and walked to the kitchen.
16
Jax
He worked on lunch while Haley got dressed. He shuttled around the small kitchen, searing steaks and sautéing vegetables. He put two plates on the table and waited for his mate.
He knew he was jumping from hot to cold, but that’s how everything felt. Holding her, making her come undone was the hottest sensation he had ever felt. Knowing he had to leave again, made things come back into a chilly focus.
Haley appeared in the doorway.
“Sit.” He pulled a chair for her.
“Looks good. I’m starving.”
He sat across from her. Time had slipped away. Lunch had run into dinner. There wasn’t going to be much more time before he had to meet with the clans.
They ate quietly while Jax tried to think about how to ask her to lead his clan as the alpha.
“Doc?”
“Mmmhmm?” She looked up from her steak.
“I need to talk to you.”
“Ok. What is it?”
“You know I have to go back with my Delta team?”
She nodded. “You’ve mentioned it.” She pushed back from the table. “I wish you didn’t have to go back.”
“Let’s go sit by the fire.” He led her to the living room, where the fire had kicked up.
He pulled her against him on the sofa, loving how her body fit against his. He kissed the top of her head.
“I need your help.”
She pulled her legs behind her as they stared into the fire.
“What is it?” Her hand pressed against his chest, resting where his heart beat rapidly.
“I haven’t been exactly honest with you.”
“What are you talking about?” She sat forward, her eyes meeting his.
“You asked me in the shower about how your body was feeling. About how you were reacting to…me.”
She nodded. “I know I should just enjoy it, but I feel different. There is something buzzing in me as if I’m drunk, but I’m completely sober.”
“I know what it is.”
Her eyes widened. “You do?”
He thought it would be easier. H
e thought he had been trained enough to handle any situation, but with his mate in front of him his world had been turned upside down.
“God, Haley. Everything I thought is different now. I want two different things. I need them both.”
“What are they?” she asked.
“I crave you like nothing else in this world. I want to get lost in you. So lost I don’t remember what day it is.”
She smiled. “Me too.”
“But I want to go back to Razastan.”
The smile fell from her lips. “Oh.”
“I’ve trained my entire life to be a Delta. It’s who I am. At least until I met you it was everything I wanted to be, but you’ve awakened something entirely different in me. A part of me I ran from. The part of me I ignored. The part of me I didn’t want to face, but was waiting for me here in Watkin.”
“What part is that?” she whispered.
“My bear.”
Now that the words were out, he had more clarity. He had devoted himself to Special Forces to avoid being the alpha. He thought being a part of an elite force of men would be more powerful than his bear. It would drive him. It would feed him.
But it didn’t compare to the need he had for Haley.
“Your what?”
“Doc, don’t try to analyze this. Don’t start digging for medical terms and scientific explanations.” He held her shoulders firmly in his hands. “I’m a bear.”
“That’s not even possible.” She shook her head.
“It’s very possible.” His eyes narrowed. “And you are my mate. The one woman made for me.”
“There are some possible causes for this.” She tried to wiggle out of his grasp. “Hallucinations or avoidance tactics as a result of post traumatic stress. It’s very common. You’re looking for an escape.” Her hand slid across his face. “I can help you. I have a list of names. There are probably some medications we could start to help equalize things.”
He shook her. “No. I am a damn bear shifter, Haley. You are my mate. Not just any mate. My alpha mate.”
Delta Bear (Rogue Bear Series 2) Page 5