Ketah released her mouth before he made them late for the movie. He looked at Haven. A surge of satisfaction shot through him. Her lips were slightly puffy from his kisses and her eyes had a glazed look about them. His mate might have a hard time trusting him but she couldn’t hide the arousal he stirred inside her.
“Are you ready to go?” Ketah asked.
Haven nodded. “Yeah.”
He walked outside first, then waited as Haven locked the front door. “You have a nice place.”
“Thanks. I’ve lived here with my mom since I was a teenager.”
“Do you still live with her?”
“No. She died after a long battle with cancer a year ago. So I’m alone now.”
“What about your dad?”
Haven snorted. “Don’t get me started on him. He left my mom when I was young for one woman after another. The only time I see him is when he wants to bum money off me. And as far as I’m concerned, that’s way too often.”
Ketah opened the crossover’s passenger door for Haven. Once she slid inside he walked around to the driver’s. He was getting the feeling it wasn’t a past boyfriend who had hurt his mate. From the venom in her tone when she spoke about her father, Ketah had to guess it was her dad. This was also the second time she’d said something derogatory about him. The first time had been yesterday.
They made small talk after that as he drove to the movie theater. Haven seemed to relax more around him. She even let him hold her hand as they walked into the building. Remembering Cassidy’s and Eryn’s instructions, Ketah steered them toward the lineup to buy the tickets. He looked up at the board that listed all the shows playing. He had no idea which one would be good.
“What movie do you want to see?” he asked Haven as they slowly moved up the line.
“I thought the comic-book-character-turned-live-action would be a good one. And we have to see it in 3D.” Haven said the name of the movie.
Ketah repeated it to the girl at the cash register, then paid for their tickets. Next, as instructed, he took Haven over to the concession stand and bought them each a soda and popcorn. With their snacks in hand, they walked to the ticket taker and were pointed in the direction of the correct theater. The man also handed them each a pair of black plastic glasses.
Haven took the lead once they were inside. Ketah followed her up the steps to a row of seats that were in the middle of the theater. He sat and looked around. On the large screen at the front of the room, ads similar to the ones he’d seen on television played.
They didn’t have too long to wait before the lights dimmed and the trailers showed on the screen. Thanks to Edensaw and Wachei’s mates, Ketah knew they came on first before the actual movie. He looked over at Haven and saw she watched them as she ate her popcorn. With his sensitive werewolf sight, the dim lighting didn’t affect him. He could still see as if there were no change. It did take a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the bright light on the screen.
The trailers seemed to go on forever. Ketah wondered if the movie would ever start. Once it did, it looked strange. The images almost appeared blurred. He rubbed his eyes but it didn’t fix it.
After a few more seconds, and it stayed the same, he leaned over without taking his gaze off the screen and asked Haven in a whisper, “Does the picture look funny to you?”
“Put your glasses on. It’s in 3D, remember?”
He looked at her as she turned her head and pointed to the glasses the ticket taker had given her, which she now wore. Ketah juggled his bag of popcorn as he slipped on his. He then looked at the screen. He just about lurched out of his seat when everything came into focus and appeared to jump out at him. This was definitely not like at home when he watched movies on TV with a Blu-ray player.
Haven was getting the biggest kick out of watching Ketah’s reactions. This obviously had to be the first time he’d seen a 3D movie. She found herself paying more attention to him than what was on the screen. He seemed totally focused on it, though.
A scene where the main character jumped from high rooftop to high rooftop in first-person perspective had Ketah clutching the armrests in a death grip until they creaked. He also let out a low, animalistic growl. Haven only heard it because she sat right next to him. She had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing when he slouched in his seat and pushed his feet on the floor as if he tried to actually stop from jumping the large open space that was shown. He also muttered something in a language she didn’t understand.
She really lost it at the big action scene near the end of the movie where objects seemed to fly out at them. Ketah practically jumped out of his seat and sent his popcorn flying, showering the guy who sat in the row in front of them as Ketah tried to ward off the images. Even though no one else in the theater laughed, Haven couldn’t get herself to stop. It wasn’t until more than one person shushed her was she able to pull herself together again.
After the movie ended, Haven had Ketah sit through the credits, wanting to see if there was one last scene, which there was. Once the lights came back on, she looked at him. He still wore the 3D glasses and clutched the armrests. His gaze appeared to be glued to the screen.
“Did you enjoy the movie?” she asked.
“I don’t really know.”
Haven reached over and took off Ketah’s glasses. “You don’t need to wear these anymore.” She’d already removed hers. “Why aren’t you sure?”
“It looked so real. I felt as if I was really there.”
She chuckled. “That’s what it’s supposed to be like. A 3D, three dimensional, movie lets you feel as if it’s happening right in front of you, not like regular 2D.”
“Well, I’ll skip on seeing any more 3D movies for a while. I don’t think my heart will be able to stand it.”
“That’s the part I like. The rush I get from thinking I’m right in the middle of the action.”
They stood and filed out of the theater with everyone else. Outside, it was still sunny, even though it was the middle of the evening. A typical Alaskan summer night. Haven let Ketah take her hand as they walked to where he’d parked his crossover. Now that the movie was over and she was no longer entertained by his reactions to it, she became aware of Ketah as a man she was extremely attracted to. She wasn’t ready to see the evening end.
At the crossover, Ketah pulled her to a stop once they reached the passenger side. He tugged her close so they were chest to chest and kissed her. It was another one of his toe-curling lip locks that left her breathless. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around his neck. If they hadn’t been out in public, Haven was pretty sure she wouldn’t have stopped Ketah if he’d wanted to take their embrace to the next level.
And riding that wave of desire, she blurted out once he released her lips, “When you drop me off, you can come in.”
Ketah smiled, turning his already handsome face even handsomer. “I’d like that.”
He unlocked the car door for her and held it open as she slipped inside. After he shut it, she watched him walk around to the driver’s side. She’d see where the night led, and hope like hell she wasn’t making the biggest mistake of her life.
* * * * *
Tanner watched the crossover that one of the wolf brothers drove as it pulled out of the parking lot. He couldn’t believe his luck. He sat in his car across the street and just happened to look toward the movie theater. Seeing Ketah walking hand in hand with a mortal woman hadn’t been what he’d expected to find. Tanner had been hoping to meet up with a lone wolf who had recently come to Juneau, to bring him to Andre to become another new member of their dark wolf pack.
But he’d seen something even better. Ketah had swept the mortal woman up into an intimate embrace and kissed her in the parking lot for all to see. She had to be Ketah’s mate. Whether the wolf brother had claimed her or not didn’t matter. The big thing was who she was to Ketah. She’d make an excellent tool to be used against the werewolf sentinel.
Tanner start
ed his car and followed the crossover, but not too closely that Ketah would notice he was being tailed. He was surprised the wolf brother even knew how to drive, considering it had only been a year since Ketah had wakened from his long slumber. Obviously, he’d taken to the modern age very well.
He slowed his car and pulled to the side of the street as Ketah drove into the driveway of a small two-story house. Tanner then watched the wolf brother and the woman walk up to the front door. It was the mortal who unlocked it, which made him think Ketah hadn’t claimed her yet. If he had she would have been living with her mate in the big house where all the werewolf sentinels lived.
After making note of the street and house number, Tanner eased back onto the road and drove away. He’d have to tell Andre what he found. His maker would be very pleased, and would more than likely order the mortal to be watched. Tanner would volunteer for the job. He didn’t want to take the chance that one of the newer members of the pack would mess it up. As the saying went, if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself.
* * * * *
Ketah closed the door behind them, then followed Haven farther into the house. She took him to the living room and placed her purse on the small table at one end of the couch.
She turned to face him. “Take a seat. Would you like a beer? I have a couple of cold ones in the fridge.”
He actually had come to like the taste of beer. And like his werewolf descendants, he could drink enough to get a mortal drunk and not feel it. Ketah hadn’t tested to see how much it would take to get him in that condition, and didn’t plan on ever trying it.
He nodded. “Sure, I’d love a beer.”
“I’ll be back with it in a minute.”
Ketah watched Haven leave the room and took a seat on the couch. He looked around. There was a TV across from where he sat with a couple of framed pictures on top of it. Curious to see if Haven was in any of them, he stood, then walked over to look at them more closely.
The first one was a picture of Haven when she had to be a young teen. The second picture was of her and a woman and a man, who Ketah assumed were her parents. Haven was even younger. From the big smile she wore, he saw she was missing her two front top teeth. He picked up the frame to study the photo. Haven looked a lot like her mother, right down to the same auburn hair and green eyes. Her father’s smile didn’t seem to reach his eyes. He also had the looks that a lot of women would find irresistible. And from what Haven had said about him, her father knew it too.
“The reason why I’ve kept that picture out is because it’s the only one where my mom looks really happy,” Haven said as she came to stand beside Ketah.
“You look a lot like her.” He replaced the picture and turned to face Haven.
“Thanks.” She passed him a bottle of beer. “I know I would hate it if I had to look in the mirror every day and see a reminder of my father.”
“You dislike him that much?” Haven crossed over to the couch and sat. Ketah followed her and took the space beside her.
“You could say that,” she said, then took a sip of her beer. “Plus, he’s a touchy subject right now. He’s here in Juneau at the moment, trying to get money out of me, as usual. So far I’ve been able to turn him down, but he won’t give up that easily. He’ll keep coming back until he wears me down, or drives me nuts, and I’ll give him what he wants to get rid of him.”
Ketah didn’t like the sound of that. The man may be Haven’s father, but Ketah still didn’t want him harassing his mate. If her dad came around while he was with her, he’d have a private word with the man and make it perfectly clear he was no longer welcome around Haven. She’d have Ketah and the rest of his pack to be her family. She didn’t need a father who really wasn’t one to be around to upset her.
“Since your dad isn’t something you want to talk about, how long have you worked as a guide at the park?”
Haven smiled. “Three years. I was twenty-one when I first got the job. I’d been going to the glacier since I was in my late teens. I befriended one of the guides and she taught me what I would need to know to become one too. She knew about my family life and I think she took pity on me.”
“Does she still work with you?”
“No. She got married a couple of years ago and now has a beautiful daughter. She’s a stay-at-home mom now. I do talk to her from time to time, though. What about you? Where do you work?”
Ketah took a drink from the bottle of beer he held. “I don’t have a job.”
Haven visibly stiffened. “Oh.”
He realized his mistake from her tone and the way she would no longer meet his gaze. He had to fix it quick or she’d put him in the same class as her father. “I don’t mean that I can’t find work. It’s that I don’t need to.”
His mate looked at him. “So you’re rich or something?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m rich, just comfortable.”
“How did you manage that?”
“Five friends—who I consider to be brothers—and me came into the possession of some precious and semi-precious stones, along with a few gold nuggets. It turned out they were worth a lot of money.”
“Cool. Are you still close to these friends of yours?”
“Very. We actually all live together.”
“Wow, you must have a pretty big house if the six of you can all stay in one place.”
“It is, and it’s eight of us. Two of my friends are married. One for almost a year and another for two months.”
“I couldn’t imagine living with that many people. For the longest time it was only my mom and I. And now I’m used to being on my own.”
Ketah turned so he faced Haven and reached over to run a caressing hand down her cheek. “You don’t have to be any longer. You have me.”
She gave him a small smile. “I really want to believe you, but there’s still the untrusting part of me that thinks you’re only saying what you assume I want to hear.”
He obviously still had his work cut out for him. Ketah shifted closer and cupped the side of Haven’s face. “Will you give me the chance to prove to you that I’m not doing that?”
“If I do and you turn out to be a jerk, I’m going to have a hard time getting over it.”
Ketah kept hold of Haven as he leaned over and placed his beer on the small table at the end of the couch next to her. He then put his hand over his heart and looked her right in the eyes.
“You have my word I’m nothing like your father, and never will be.” He smiled. “And I promise we’ll be so good together neither one of us will ever want to be apart from each other.”
She chuckled. “You might not be like my father but you can sound full of yourself.”
Ketah had no idea what that last part meant. He couldn’t even come up with something remotely close to it. Slowly, he asked, “Is that a good or bad thing?”
Haven laughed. “It depends on what situation you’re in at the time.”
Still feeling a little more than lost, Ketah did what he thought would be the best way to get Haven off that particular subject. He leaned in and kissed her. A shot of arousal surged through him right to his cock, which went instantly rock hard. As he deepened the kiss and Haven responded by sucking his tongue into her mouth, he blindly took her beer from her and placed it on the table where he’d put his. The action had him pressing against her, forcing her to recline along the couch.
Ketah shifted and settled on top of Haven. He wedged his hips between her spread thighs, his aching cock coming to rest against her jean-clad pussy. The contact had him unable to hold back a low howl. Remembering how she’d come out on the glacier that afternoon as she rode his erection through his pants had his mating urge riding him harder. The need to sink his dick deep inside her was almost a tangible thing, but he kept it caged. There would be no doing that until he had Haven fully understanding what he was and what she meant to him. Once done, a mating bond could not be undone.
He thrust his hips against Haven and
groaned when she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. Her hands came up and she threaded her fingers through his hair, eagerly kissing him back. Ketah made sure he kept his eyes closed. As turned-on as he was, they had to be glowing. Now was not the time to scare his mate. Being in her arms was exactly where he wanted to be.
Chapter Five
Haven was once again getting washed away on a tide of intense desire. She shamelessly rubbed herself against Ketah’s erection as he thrust his hips. She tugged at his hair, holding him at the best angle for her to ravish his mouth. Wetness leaked out of her pussy and into her panties. And the way her body coiled, she didn’t think it would be very hard to have her coming again with what they were doing.
Ketah pulled away from her mouth and nuzzled the side of her neck. “I need to touch you. Will you let me?”
She’d let him, all right. Hell, she’d strip naked and spread herself out so he could feast on her. “Yes,” she said on a moan. “Most definitely yes.”
He lifted off her a little and rested his upper body on one bent arm wedged between them and the couch. With his other hand, he dragged her t-shirt up and over her head. He tossed it aside and it landed somewhere on the floor.
Ketah’s eyes were mere slits as he looked down at her bra-covered breasts. A fingertip traced the lacy edge of one of the cups before it slid over the material to circle a taut nipple through it. Haven sucked in a breath when he repeated the same process with the other one.
Instead of taking off her bra, Ketah used a finger to tug one cup out of the way. His tongue came out and circled her nipple. Haven thrust her chest forward in invitation for him to do more than that.
He continued to play with her, flicking his tongue against the bud until she squirmed beneath him. Only then did he open his mouth and take the nipple inside. He sucked and gently bit it. A jolt of arousal zinged through her straight to her pussy each time he did that. She squeezed her legs tighter around his waist and ground herself against the hard length of his cock.
Love Bound in Ice: 3 (Werewolf Sentinels) Page 4