by Leslie Chase
“Thanks, Marty,” Karl said, pulling a couple of the big bags out. The touch of the cold was blissful, and he already felt better. But he could feel the pain hanging around the edge of his vision, still – this was going to take some time to recover from.
I don’t even know why I did it, he thought, shaking his head as he hauled the heavy bags back to his room. He didn’t have to worry about being seen now; who’d question someone grabbing some extra ice in this weather? In fact, having the hunters see him around the motel might keep them from connecting him to the attack.
The hunters were too busy to pay much attention, though. He could see a group of them gathering in the parking lot, heading out in different directions as Damian barked orders at them. The men he’d hit must have made it back, or radioed in – and their encounter with a monster had stirred up the rest.
Karl growled to himself as he kicked his door shut behind him. No time to think about the hunters and what they were up to, and his pounding headache wouldn’t let him focus on it anyway. Hurrying to the bathroom he tore the bags open, emptying ice into the bath before pulling off his clothes and jumping in with them.
Oh God, that’s better! The cold seeped into him, leeching the terrible heat from his bones and leaving him feeling a lot better immediately. He smiled and lay back, feeling the ice cubes crunch under his weight. For a blissful moment he could ignore the heat, and he felt himself waking up as the cold cleared his mind. Finally, he could think clearly again, and he found himself replaying the encounter with the wolf in his mind.
His bear rumbled contentedly too, enjoying the touch of cold ice. Reaching up, he turned on the cold tap and let the bath fill around him, icy water embracing him as he remembered the look in the wolf’s eyes, the shock as their gazes had met for a moment that seemed in his memory to last forever. There was something familiar about those green eyes, but he couldn’t place it.
I hope she got away, he thought as he let his eyes drift shut.
9
Allison woke in the darkness and panicked. Where am I? This isn’t my bedroom.
A hot breeze played across her body. She wasn’t under her sheets, and as her head cleared she realized that she wasn’t on a mattress. Or even a carpet. She was lying naked on the cold rough earth.
Above her, she saw the stars twinkling. The massive arch of the sky spread magnificently overhead, the full moon shining down on her. She looked around and saw the barren landscape stretching towards the black rocks of the mountains. And in the distance, she saw people moving, flashlights shining in the darkness.
What the hell is going on? Why am I alone, in the desert? And why am I naked? The dream of her run through the wilderness was still with her, though the details were gone. Scrambling to her feet, she considered calling out for help. But she didn’t want to be seen naked in the desert, especially not when she didn’t know how she got there or why she was there. And something inside her really didn’t want to be found by these people. She didn’t know why not, or who she thought they might be, but something was wrong.
Well, obviously something’s wrong! I’m waking up naked in the desert, for God’s sake! Shaking her head, she looked around for somewhere to go.
Fortunately, there were buildings nearby. She wasn’t too far into the desert and she even recognized the buildings. The Mayfair Motel. Not exactly the best place to run to, but not the worst either. At least it gave her a direction to go. From there, she’d be able to find her way home easily enough, though she didn’t look forward to walking that far barefoot and naked.
She reached the building quickly, wincing with each step on the hard ground. Following the edge of the building around towards the road, she was almost there when she heard voices ahead and froze.
“Are you sure it’s the monster?” The voice didn’t sound familiar, and the tone wasn’t friendly.
“What else could it be? It trashed our gear and Bob saw it head out into the desert.” That voice she did know. Damian. She wouldn’t forget his condescending cold tone anytime soon.
Shit, they’re looking for the monster? Allison carefully pushed the obvious conclusion out of her mind and tried to figure out a route around the men. They were in the parking lot, and light spilled out from doors opening onto the lot. Peeking around the corner she saw two men leaning over the hood of a car, a map spread out over it.
She couldn’t help noticing that they had rifles slung over their backs. Normally that wouldn’t bother her, but tonight it felt like a threat. She couldn’t place the reason for her fears but they were there and she couldn’t ignore them either.
I could sneak around them, she thought, glancing at the road beyond the parking lot. But then it was still a long walk to her house, and she would be pretty easy to spot following the road. Maybe she could go to see Marty in his office? Looking at the door, open and inviting, she realized that there was no way she’d get there unseen. Maybe someone who knew how to sneak around would be able to, but she wasn’t some action movie star and she knew her limits.
Gravel crunched behind her and she froze. Someone was coming! And now she was pretty much trapped between the building she was hiding behind and the hunters.
Getting caught by the hunters was something she wanted to avoid at any cost, and she had to get out of sight before she was seen. There was only one option. Looking at the doors on the building, she nerved herself up to try one. The footsteps approached rapidly as she picked the door that felt right to her. Before she could talk herself out of it, she darted across to it, praying that it wasn’t locked.
Luck was with her, or fate was, and the door opened at her touch. She swung it shut behind her, collapsing back against it with a sigh of relief as she heard the men outside walked past, oblivious.
Taking a deep breath, she looked around for the first time. The room was clearly taken: there was an open case on the bed, and a backpack dropped carelessly on the floor near her. Maybe there’s something I can wear, she thought, feeling guilty at the idea. Promising herself she’d return anything she borrowed the next day, along with some homemade sweets as a thank you, she stepped over towards the bed.
She was just a step into the room when she heard the bathroom door open and jumped with fright. A startled squeak escaped her lips as she looked around, and then she froze.
Standing in the doorway, dripping wet and as naked as she was, stood Karl. It was only then that she remembered the door number he’d scrawled on the card he’d given her, and realized that part of her had picked his door on purpose.
Oh God, she thought, frozen like a deer in the headlights. What’s he going to think?
She couldn’t look away from him. A quick glance turned into a lingering look that traveled up and down Karl’s body. He was magnificent, a sculpted masterpiece that belonged in a gallery somewhere. A museum displaying the super-hot male form, perhaps. His presence had had an effect on her before, when they were both fully clothed, but now that they were naked, her body called out for his and she could scarcely fight the urge to run to him.
Am I still dreaming? She didn’t think so, but this was the strangest moment in her entire life.
Unable to resist, she glanced between his legs and gasped. She could feel her cheeks flush bright red as she looked at his manhood. Oh my God, he’s huge!
The sound of someone sneaking into his room was enough to make Karl’s eyes snap open. He’d been in the field too often to allow someone to creep up on him, and whoever was here now wasn’t doing a terribly good job of moving quietly. Karl lifted himself from the ice water bath with quick, quiet precision and threw open the door.
He’d intended to catch whoever was burgling his room by surprise, but what he saw left him standing stunned himself. Allison? She jumped around to face him, and he found himself staring at her. Their eyes met and he swallowed, wishing he’d grabbed a towel before opening the door.
“What -” he started, broke off, and tried again. “What are you doing here?”
The words broke the spell, and Allison blushed bright red, grabbing the top sheet from the bed and pulling up to cover her. It looked like she was trying to talk, but no words came. After a moment of that, Karl smiled and shook his head.
Why am I even questioning it? A beautiful woman sneaks into my hotel room naked, this is either a dream or a dream come true. In either case, why spoil it?
He stepped forward, and saw her eyes flicker over him as he moved. His smile broadened – he knew, without any false modesty, that she liked what she saw. His body was toned, hard muscle under smooth skin. And he couldn’t help being pleased at the way her eyes widened when she looked down at him.
He could feel the call of her body reaching for him, the call of one mate to another. His bear felt it as much as he did, awake and alert and hungry for her touch. Does she feel that too? Is that what brought her here, like this? What other explanation could there be?
Another step closer, and he was near enough to reach out for the sheet. But something wasn’t right. The look in her eyes wasn’t just embarrassment or nerves. Allison was afraid of something.
He stopped and took a step backward, giving her space. “What’s going on?”
Flustered, Allison couldn’t speak, she just shook her head. Karl lowered his hand and smiled, trying to be reassuring. This didn’t seem like the kind of thing that Allison would do often, or really at all, and he didn’t want to make it worse for her.
“I’m very happy to see you,” he told her, keeping his voice soft. “But if you’re having second thoughts, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
It was an effort to keep calm, so close to her, and his bear didn’t seem to understand the idea of restraint. It wanted to claim her, had wanted to since he’d seen her for the first time that morning. But he wasn’t about to let his animal side overrule his mind, no matter how much effort that took him.
Allison sat on the bed, pulling the sheet around her. It didn’t do anything to hide how sexy she was, and he could feel his body responding. And hers, he thought. He wasn’t sure if it was real, but he thought he could hear her pulse speeding as she looked at him.
“I’m not -” she shook her head, speaking so quietly he could barely hear her. “This isn’t what it looks like.”
Karl raised an eyebrow and grinned at her.
“I’m not sure what else it can be,” he said, “but I’m not going to judge you, whatever you’re here for. Or if you’ve changed your mind. I told you that you could come to me for anything.”
He reached out again, slowly so as not to startle her, touching her cheek gently. The touch was as powerful as the first brush of their skin had been, back at her house, and she gasped at the contact. He smiled again.
“But I think we both want this, don’t you?”
It was the smallest nod he’d ever seen, but it was there. She looked away from him, flustered and nervous, and he pulled back his hand. No sense pushing her, he told himself, though his bear wanted to tear the sheets out of her hands and hold her to him. But that would be too much, too fast.
She stared at the floor, focusing on the pattern of the cheap carpet rather than him and chewing on her lower lip. “Karl I, I didn’t mean to come here,” she told him, and he nodded, encouraging her. That seemed to frustrate her, though.
“I don’t do this kind of thing!” her voice was still quiet, nearly a whisper, but the intensity of her words was palpable.
“I’ll admit I was surprised,” he said. “But there’s something between us, you know it and I know it. There’s no point in denying it, Allison. You feel it whenever we touch, don’t you? Just like I do.”
She nodded, firmer this time, and he gently took her by the chin, raising her face up to look at him. “Then trust yourself, trust the fate that brought us together, and enjoy it.”
Her eyes, so intense, looked into his, and he could see the conflict in her. The drive to be good in the way society expected pitted against the desire she felt and the pull of fate. The pull that he felt too, drawing the two of them together.
10
Allison gasped at his touch, looking up into his steely gray eyes. There was something about them that tugged at her memory, something she couldn’t quite name. As though she’d seen those eyes in a dream.
What am I doing? She couldn’t bring herself to pull away, to break the connection. Her body felt weak in his presence, and his touch sent a shiver through her, a spark of lightning up her spine.
She lifted a hand to his chest, intending to push him away. But feeling the warm, firm muscles under her palm, she couldn’t bring herself to. The trouble was that she did want this. It might have started as a misunderstanding, but it felt as right as everything else about her day had felt wrong.
Every part of her felt pulled towards him. And looking up at him, she could see he wanted her just as badly. Maybe he was right, maybe it was fate that had brought them together like this. Biting her lip, feeling her heart race, she relaxed her arm and trailed her hand downward. She could feel his heart beating as her fingers traced across his ribs, a strong and steady rhythm that was almost hypnotic.
Karl smiled down at her, lifting his hand to hers and holding it against him. The water dripping from him was ice-cold, she realized, a welcome and refreshing feeling in the heat of the night. His hand, though, was warm and his touch made her squirm as she leaned in towards him, her lips parting. He bent to meet her.
His lips met hers in a kiss that drove all rational thought from her mind. It was overpowering, sending sparks flying through her and kindling feelings she couldn’t name. His touch was firm, his tongue pressing against hers eagerly, and he slid a hand behind her head, holding her to him. She never wanted him to let go, never wanted that moment to end.
Eventually he pulled back. Allison didn’t know how long the kiss had lasted, time seemed to stop once their lips met. All she knew was that it hadn’t been long enough, and she let out a moan of disappointment at its end. Karl chuckled.
“Don’t worry. There will be plenty of time for more kisses,” he said, stroking a strong hand through her hair. His free hand took hold of the sheet she still held up between them.
His eyes locked with hers, and she gave the tiniest nod. Karl’s grin widened, and he pulled the sheet from her grip, throwing it aside. Allison had to fight the urge to cover herself, to hide her body. But she didn’t want to hide, not from this man.
Still, she was afraid of his judgment as he looked her over. Stepping back, he made no effort to hide the thoroughness of his examination, his eyes tracing down across her body and back up again. Allison couldn’t help worrying. He didn’t see me properly before, what if he doesn’t like me now?
She knew that she didn’t have a model’s figure, she’d never been nearly slim enough. But there was no sign of disappointment on Karl’s face. If anything, the look in his eyes intensified as he took her in, devouring her with his gaze.
“You, Allison,” he said with simple sincerity, “are beautiful.”
That made her feel shy again, and she raised her hands to cover herself as best she could. Karl caught her wrists, gently but inexorably pulling them away and shaking his head.
“Don’t hide yourself from me,” he told her, and she shivered at the hungry need in his voice. It spoke to a similar hunger in her, a need that had been buried deep for too long.
“I’m not pretty,” she protested, scared by the intensity of the feelings he was awakening in her. “Don’t – you don’t have to flatter me.”
“I’m not.” His voice was firm, uncompromising. “You are perfect, and I won’t lie to you.”
She couldn’t doubt him, his tone of voice and the way he looked at her didn’t allow it. That just increased her confusion: she had never thought of herself as perfect, and even the guys who were interested didn’t. Or hadn’t, until now.
Karl, on the other hand – she couldn’t imagine a hotter man, and to see him so eager for her touch was overwh
elming. Allison took a deep breath and surrendered to her feelings, and to him.
Perhaps sensing her decision, he pulled her closer and kissed her again. This time she felt no hesitation as she pressed herself to him, their naked bodies feeling so right against each other. The contrast of the cool water on his warm skin was delicious, and the feeling of being enveloped in his arms was intoxicating.
And the kiss itself was magical.
Allison whimpered as he released her wrists to hold her close, one hand at her back the other gliding down to her ass. Her own hands slid around him without any conscious thought on her part – her body wanted him close, and her mind wasn’t needed.
With no sign of effort, he lifted her, holding her against his chest as he straightened, their lips still locked in a kiss. Allison felt her heart hammer in her chest at his casual strength – she’d never met anyone who could lift her so easily. It was a strange sensation, but a good one, to be supported entirely by his strength.
Their lips parted, and he moved down to kiss her neck. She felt his teeth nip at her skin and gasped, throwing back her head and biting down on a cry of pleasure. Karl’s chuckle shook her, and he bit again a little harder. This time she couldn’t resist crying out, a hand sliding into his short hair and pulling him to her.
He didn’t need the encouragement, kissing and biting on her neck and shoulder, making her shake in his arms. Allison’s breathing sped up and she felt herself tense, her hands gripping tight, nails digging in as her body responded eagerly to his caresses.
Oh God I need this, she thought. I need him!
Karl growled into her shoulder as he bit down again, and she felt a wave of joyful fire wash through her body. Taking a step forward, he let go of her with one arm and swept the case and all his clothes off the bed to fall in a confused tangle on the floor.
Then he lay her down on the bed and started to kiss his way down her body. She tried to sit, but his hands held her down. Against their firm, gentle strength, she found herself pinned as he kissed her breasts.