by Treva Harte
When he got near the bar at the other end of the dirty little alley, he paused, trying to decide if he felt any better.
Not much. The immediate need had drained off, but not the underlying problem. Moonbeams hit his face through a break in the buildings surrounding him. Almost a full moon. Shit. That never helped his itch.
Lowell hesitated at the bar’s battered door and listened to the music wailing inside about good times, bad women and cold beer. Why go back at all? He’d been there before—maybe not this particular bar in this particular part of El Paso, but to enough bars just like it and enough men just like his already forgotten partner.
You’d think I’d be tired of this by now. Shit, I am tired of it. Thirty-one and still picking up the flotsam at two-bit bars to fuck.
Lowell grinned. Maybe the real problem was his cock still wasn’t tired and it hadn’t had any ass tonight.
He was an idiot. There was more than enough ass at home. Why did he hang out at these damn places and let himself get picked up like he was some kind of desperate whore?
Because I once was a whore. That’s why. Sometimes going back to where he’d been as a scrawny kid, back when he was ready to bend over and be fucked on command—literally and figuratively—reminded him that his life now wasn’t all bad. Hell, there were plenty who would envy everything he had right now. He was the one with the problem. He just hadn’t quite found what he needed yet.
And odds were that he wouldn’t find it tonight. He should give it up and leave. He had responsibilities now.
The volume of the music rose up in the bar, sending its false notes about the good times to be had. He wasn’t restless enough to get suckered in by that, was he? Then again, he’d left his hat in the bar. No harm in getting it before he headed back.
Telling himself he was being stupid to linger, Lowell stepped back inside anyhow. The bar was smoky and noisy and like a million others. That was no surprise. There was nothing for him here and never would be.
Lowell walked to the back booth, where he could see his Stetson hanging on a hook against the wall. One minute, two minutes, and he’d be gone. The babble of drunken or excited voices hit his ears and he tuned it out. No more beers tonight. No more cock.
“I’m not interested.” The cool voice that cut through his protective shield was female and husky and somehow familiar.
Pussy. That was something different.
His damn cock twitched. Bad idea, cock. Pussy is way too dangerous for us.
“If you’re not, then what are you doing here?” The male voice answering her was slightly drunk and very unhappy.
“Maybe I should have said I’m not interested in you.”
Lowell glanced over at the couple, deciding no one else cared whether he eavesdropped. The bar was getting more intriguing by the minute.
His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared just a little once he saw her. She was a pretty girl. Tall. Reddish-brown hair, blue eyes. Flat stomach with a tiny ring attached to her belly, a fact she had no problem showing off since her skimpy little T-shirt cut off just under her boobs.
“Maybe you’re too picky.” The man started to get up from his chair.
Pretty and she smelled…He sniffed again. She smelled like someone he should remember. Lowell scowled, keeping himself from rubbing his forehead with an effort. Sex, no matter how meaningless, made you sluggish. Why couldn’t he place her?
He didn’t have time to think about it, though. The girl got out of her chair, facing the would-be pickup artist down. Her jaw jutted out as if she meant to confront him with more than words. The kid was tall and looked strong, but she was still facing a drunken man. Lowell knew what that meant.
Unless he intervened.
“The lady isn’t interested because she’s with me.” Lowell stepped up to the guy’s elbow and growled the words into his ear.
“With you? But you just stepped out with—” The guy stopped, measured how much taller and broader Lowell was, and sat back down. “Whatever. You probably deserve each other.”
Lowell gazed at the almost-familiar girl and frowned. “Are you even old enough to be here?”
“I’m twenty-one. Had to show my I.D. at the bar to prove it, too.”
She pouted at him and then the memories clicked into place. He knew that lower lip and how it stuck out. The rush of remembrance almost made him dizzy.
Lowell laughed and leaned over to flick the braid from her shoulder. “Bullshit, girl. I can do the math. You might be eighteen, Lin, but even that could be pushing it.”
“Busted. This town is just too dang small. I don’t know you, but you sound just like…Lowell! Of course it’s you!” She flung herself at him and Lowell grabbed her, getting a nice armful of tits and hair and squealing laughter. “Damn, I forgot how pretty you looked. Your hair is shorter. And your goatee is just too cute.”
Home. Damn it, she smelled like home and family. His arm closed around her just a little too tight and too long. He stepped back once he realized what he was doing, but her laughter had already faded.
“Now you.” She focused in on him as if he were tasty prey. “You, I was always interested in.”
His cock twitched again. Damn it.
Lowell scowled at her. “Bullshit again, girl. The last time you saw me you were five years old and yelling at me to get you some cookies.”
“Well, I was interested in the cookies and you. That’s why I yelled.” She grinned at him and then her smile disappeared. “Hey, I always liked you, Lowell. I missed you—I cried for days after you left. You’d always been around to take care of me and then you were gone.”
Lowell hunched up his shoulders, uncomfortable with the sadness just under the light tone. He’d missed her, too. He’d missed them all with an intensity he never wanted to feel again.
“Speaking of taking care of—what are you doing out on your own, girl?” He took his hat with one hand and gripped her by the arm with the other. “Tell me on the way out. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Oh, c’mon, Lowell. The last—” Lin paused until they stepped out of the building and the door was safely shut. “The last were attack we almost had was from the pack you took over, you dog. That was over a decade ago.”
“Right. Maybe that was the last attack for your pack. Now, where are your bodyguards, girl?” He knew just exactly how carefully her daddy would protect his daughter.
She sighed. “Rossi was supposed to be on watch. He’s passed out in the last bar we went to.”
“He didn’t have any help passing out, did he?” Lowell looked at her. “And is he in a safe place?”
“He’s fine. Everyone knows him at Jeeter’s.” Lin deliberately pressed her body a little closer to him, changing his grip to one that was more intimate than he’d planned.
“And did you do anything to him?”
Lin looked at him, those blue eyes completely blank and innocent. Lowell almost laughed. He remembered that look, too, and just how fake it was.
God, he had forgotten how much he loved her pack and all those little quirks that had kept them together.
“Don’t do it again, girl. Otherwise, I’ll have to tell your daddy. Were females aren’t safe alone and you f—frigging well know it.”
“But you’re the one who caught me, Lowell. Aren’t I safe with you?”
Damn. There was that hunting look again. And damned if something inside wasn’t telling him he wouldn’t mind being caught.
“Of course you’re not safe, baby. I’m not part of your family anymore. I’ve got my own pack, and I’ve been needing a fresh and tasty alpha bitch in it. Stop looking at me like that. You’re too young for the job, little girl.” He didn’t need a teenaged tease to mess up his life. It’d be easier to lay the facts of were life right out and make sure she backed off. She was a virgin still. He knew that by knowing her pack. Besides, he could almost smell innocence on her. If he got closer, he would be able to smell it. He pushed that tempting thought aside. He wasn’t t
rying to get himself interested. He was trying to keep her away.
But Lin just kept looking at him. For a brief moment, while she measured him for size, a thrill ran down his spine and centered in his damned stupid cock.
Down, boy.
“I’m no younger than you were when you took on that new pack and made it yours. And, pardon me for saying so, I’m smarter, quicker and female. I could whip your pack—and you—into shape before any of you could blink.” She looked down at her hands. “Without even chipping a nail.”
Shit. Why did she have to go and tempt a perverted fuck like him? He’d been good and done the right thing, but then she had to keep pushing. When Lin raised her gaze back up to stare at him without blinking—giving him a direct challenge—it tripped every were alpha instinct he’d gained over the years.
Promises he’d made long ago to protect—the fears of what a mate could discover about him—for the first time they were nothing compared to the sudden roar in his brain. She was calling to him. Daring him to mate. He’d never known how strong that lure could be until now.
Lowell bared his canines and closed in. Her neck, soft against his teeth, felt good. Right. And, damn, the sweet virgin taste and her quiver of submission kicked excitement into his bloodstream. Mine. Heat bubbled through his veins at the possessive thought. For that buzzing moment he stopped thinking and let his little head rule. Let himself do the thing he’d craved and feared for more than a decade.
“All right, then. We can do this the good old-fashioned way, if you want.” His voice was muffled as he shook her, just a little, the way you did unruly puppies. “You’re mine now, Lin. I’m claiming you. Welcome to my pack.”
* * * *
He was bigger than she remembered. That wasn’t normal. People were supposed to shrink when you saw them again after years of absence. She’d always remembered Lowell as looming over her.
Damn. She’d grown—some might say even overgrown, if you didn’t like females to be six feet tall—and he still towered over her.
Her neck throbbed from where he’d bit into it. He hadn’t been gentle, the way the old Lowell always had been. She touched the mark, lightly. The bite had been dominating, old-fashioned, kind of patronizing. And exciting.
She’d spent thirteen years being an alpha’s oldest child. Even if she hadn’t been just the least little bit bossy all on her own, her position in the pack had assured her deference.
Lowell used to be deferential. Lin smiled. He used to be the lowest in the ranks, the omega of the pack. If he got too pushy, she could remind him of that. He’d been her babysitter, for heaven’s sake.
Until he left and fought his way to alpha. Not many weres could say they’d managed that.
Alpha and omega. Lin stifled a giggle. That was funny, but not that funny. She must be getting a little nervous. Lowell never used to make her nervous. Hell, no one ever made her nervous.
But something still prickled at her skin, heightening her senses, making her jumpy. If it wasn’t Lowell and nerves, she couldn’t imagine what it might be.
“I owe your daddy a lot.” Lowell’s voice, sort of rumbly and faintly accented, broke her from her thoughts. She used to love the difference between his voice and the others in the pack.
“I owe Daddy a lot, too. Your point?”
“I’m letting you think things over again. Kid, you really think you’re ready to take on me and my pack? No one will fault you for saying no. Hell, no one but me would even know.”
That focused her the way nothing had since he claimed her. Lin leaned over and licked his ear. There had been an earring in it once. She remembered it, vaguely, as she traced the healed over indent on his skin. She wondered when he gave it up. There were lots of things to learn about him.
“Why would I say no? I say what I mean. I led you on back at the bar, but I wasn’t teasing.” She decided to be honest. At least a little bit. “I was made to be alpha, but I can’t be anything but Daddy and Mommy’s little girl in my own pack. You’ve got the only other were pack around here that I know of. I’ve been waiting forever for you to come back.”
“I’m flattered. But, you know, there is that age thing. I was an adult before you lost your first tooth. And yeah, I really can remember you losing your first tooth.”
He’d promised the tooth fairy would give her money. Lin scowled. That was not the vibe she wanted between them right now.
“Then you might finally be mature enough for me. I’m kind of hoping you’ve learned a few things since we last saw each other.” Lin shrugged.
“What if I can’t get it up?”
“What?” Lin gaped at him and saw the half-smile he couldn’t quite hide.
“Maybe I think of you as part of the family. Or maybe I think you’re too young and inexperienced to interest me in sex.”
“Oh, my G—” Lin glanced down at those worn jeans and let out a laugh. “You—you—asshole. You almost scared me off. I think what you’re packing is a whole lot different from what you’re telling me, bucko.”
She took a step closer, deliberately too close for comfort. His body warmth tugged at her. She tried to hide the catch in her breath, but his eyes narrowed again.
She better take the initiative before she was lost.
“Kiss me, Lowell.” She paused a half-second. “If you don’t, I’m going to kiss you.”
“Shit. Oh, shit. I suppose I’m kinky enough to want someone from my family.” He fastened his mouth over hers and kissed her, hard, showing the rough edge of his need with the scrape of his teeth against the tender underside of her mouth. The little bite of pain was perfect. Oh yeah, perfect. She arched against his erection and savored the feel of his cock rubbing against her mons. God, she hoped he was as big as he felt right now. Too bad they had clothes on. Too bad they were in public.
“First, we are so not family, you idiot. Second, I want to rip your shirt off and bite you right back, Lowell.” She felt a little tremor under her nails, right where she was digging into his chest hair. “Third, I want to fuck until we fall down from exhaustion. I want—”
“I want you to mind your manners until we get home, girl. No need to spend our first night in jail for indecency, especially when we’d be given separate cells.” He whirled her around, so his clothed cock was between her ass cheeks. She rubbed against that tempting heat and heard his breath catch. Mmmmmm. Even covered, his erection felt way too good. But his hands stayed firm on her shoulders, not letting her turn back to what they had been doing. His voice stayed firm, too. “My truck is right there. Climb in.”
Chapter Two
Lin slid across the truck’s seat to open the door. Lowell stepped inside, trying not to feel too deprived. “I wanted—”
She didn’t finish the sentence before he had her pinned to the unyielding fabric. She found herself sighing into his mouth before she could think clearly. The memories of the high school boys she’d toyed with and the almost sexual possibility in her packmate, Rossi, faded as if they’d never existed. Nothing before had ever been quite as hot or urgent as this taste of Lowell in her mouth.
She wanted him. Not just that hard cock that was prodding her bare stomach and moving lower, but all of him. She hadn’t even realized how much she’d wanted him to arrive, how deeply she needed him.
Maybe she shouldn’t tell him so right now. As her mama would say, it was better to leave a man wondering. But she wanted to. Oh, yes, she wanted to.
IT FELT RIGHT. That was the most frightening, most sexy thing of all. He didn’t know her—he’d known a little girl a long time ago, not this woman who urged him on with a murmur and then a growl. But it felt as if he did. As if his body was meant to take hers.
When had he last known anything like that?
Never.
Submission. Domination. Grapples in dark places. Paid-for sex. He knew about that. Not this urgency that promised fulfillment whenever he wanted, however he wanted. Not little flickers of want that lashed at him whenever her
fingers slid over his body.
Dangerous. Very dangerous.
He fought the craving to bite her again, hard. To hold her down like he would any wolf and dive into her for a few hours without thinking. He’d like to do that. He had the feeling she would, too.
But he also wanted to go slow. This first time was something that needed to be done properly. She was new to all of this and their kind mated for life. He had to get them started right.
She sighed, just a little, her chest rising and falling, and his hand was under that tiny shirt before he took a second thought about starting out right. Dear, lovely Jesus, the tight nub under his hand was already drawn up to an excited peak. He brushed his thumb over that piece of sensitive flesh and she whimpered.
“You aren’t helping,” he said.
Lin laughed. “I’ll help whenever you do what I want.” Then she sobered. “Fine. I can’t believe you’re so conservative. If you’re going to be that old-fashioned, take me to your pack, then, so we can get on with things. But—could you…play with me a little more first?”
He wanted to. He wanted to swallow her moans when he pinched those responsive nipples. He imagined how sweet they would taste when he licked and sucked them. Then he’d bury his face in the sweaty, musky liquid spilling from inside her supple young body right before he buried his—
“No. I don’t play with something this serious.” He lied with his most convincing tone as he fought what they both wanted. He had to go through with what he’d just told her. Things weren’t going to go all her way, whether she helped him or not. What they really wanted didn’t matter. He had to show her that of the two alphas in the pack, he was stronger.
The alternative was—He pushed the seductive idea away quickly. Instead he thought about what was going to happen next, not what he wished would happen, and his heart rate slowed. Reality had a way of sobering him up.
“Brace yourself. My family isn’t like yours. They’re—it’s—they’re—” He tried to come up with the right word for the pack. There was none. “It’s not safe.”
“You haven’t been home for a while, Lowell. I have one evil hellion baby sibling. I think I can handle almost anything your pack has.”