When she was satisfied with her clean-up, she dressed again. She ran her fingers through her knotted curls, trying to fix them into a decent ponytail. If someone would have told her a few weeks back that her carefully ordered life would turn into chaos, she would have laughed in their face. But now, it seemed she not only had a wolf inside–a very horny wolf–she also had to figure out who the hell had turned her into one. And the bigger question was, why?
Ryder stood by the door in his jeans and a fresh T-shirt, waiting for her. His dark hair was messy from when she’d run her fingers through it. Her gaze did an immediate swoop down his body. Then another visual caress back up to his face. Lord, that day’s old beard made her want to whimper. The muscles she knew lay below the clothes had her gulping. Damn but the man was sexy. Not just the body, or award-winning tongue, it was the way he carried himself. What he’d said was true. He was definitely the alpha. No other animal had that type of commanding presence.
Out at the bar, Theo stood behind the counter. Ryder held her hand as they made their way to the counter.
“I think we need to talk about you now.” Theo studied her with intensity. “If what you told us is accurate, others could be suffering the same thing you did.”
That was her point exactly. She wanted to sigh in relief that she’d told someone and they’d believed her. It was still hard for her to believe what she’d seen, so she hadn’t dared share her experience with Mandy.
“We’re going to send some people to the place you originally went to. See if there’s anyone operating from there.”
“Where’s James?” Ryder glanced around the bar.
“Who’s James?” Raine rubbed her side next to Ryder’s hulking frame.
Theo disappeared below the counter before coming up with a clean glass. “James is Quinn’s best friend and right hand.” Theo smiled. The blond man was quite handsome when he showed his teeth. He motioned the drinks behind him. “What can I get you, darlin’?”
She grinned, liking this version of the second. That’s what Ryder had called Theo, his second. Not that Raine understood how their whole hierarchy worked. But now she realized that Ryder was Alpha, and that made him top dog.
“Just water, please.”
He hauled out a sweating bottle of water and filled a glass with ice before placing it on her side of the bar. She sat down, watching Ryder continue to glance around the bar.
“So why is James so important?” She took a sip, allowing the coolness of the water to tamp some of the fire coursing through her veins.
Ryder grabbed the stool next to her and pulled it, until they were flush next to each other.
“Quinn and James are like twins. One is never without the other until Quinn began seeing Jessa.” Ryder drank from his beer.
She watched his throat work, the muscles contracting with each gulp. Her throat went dry. She wanted to nibble on his neck, lick her way up his jaw and to his firm lips. He’d taste of beer again. Her body throbbed. Shit. No thinking of sex.
“You sure I can’t get you anything else?” Theo’s voice broke through her thoughts.
A room? A chastity belt with no key? Heaven help her. She was going to end up attacking Ryder in public. That was surely not legal. But how to tamp the flares of lust every time she smelled or looked at Ryder she had no idea.
Clearing her throat of the knot gathered there, she sipped some more water. “Then it’s obvious we need to find James. He’ll know where Quinn is.”
Ryder’s dark gaze bore into hers. “Do you remember where you went exactly to do the sleep study?”
The change of topic caught her off guard. “Yes. It was on the Westmore side.”
“You should’ve known better than to go to that side of town. Most of those buildings are abandoned. It’s the dead side.” He frowned, but took the bite out of the reprimand when he curled his hands over hers.
“Well, I know someone who has a lab on that side, so it didn’t seem like a big deal.” She finished the water, grabbed a pretzel, and took a bite. “It’s not like I know every corner of this town yet. I’m still learning. I didn’t really visit much since my parents moved. The past few weeks have been an adjustment.”
“I’ll be right back.” Theo jumped over the counter, headed to one of the doorways she’d seen waitresses coming and going through, and left.
“So where is the rest of your family?”
She shook her head and glanced down at their hands. Ryder’s lighter skin contracted so beautifully against her darker tone, like vanilla ice cream and caramel. Like the warring light and dark feelings inside her. “I don’t have any.”
He squeezed her hands in his grasp. “What do you mean?”
The rough quality of his voice made her look up. Unease flashed in his eyes. She gulped. Sand started to build in her throat, making it hard for her to swallow.
“I don’t have any family. My parents were only children as were their parents. I was adopted as a baby. There’s no other family.”
“What about your birth parents?”
“They were teen parents. In a bad situation. In a poor Latin country. You hit the jackpot if you can get a loving couple from the United States to adopt your child. I never felt the need to go looking for them.”
A shadow of pain flickered in his eyes. “You’re not alone anymore.”
He lifted a hand and caressed her cheek. Thoughtful. The man had already gotten under her skin. Her mind had trouble wrapping around that. He slid his thumb over her lower lip. Rockets went off inside her chest. Her heart flipped and her pulse raced.
“I—”
“Here we are.” Theo’s voice stopped her from what she had been about to say, which was probably a good thing. She’d let herself get caught in the moment and his words. Ryder had a life, a position in his pack. More. She had to figure out what came next for her. The world of shape shifting was new. Not something she’d ever even considered existed before.
Theo brought a tray and placed in on the bar between her and Ryder. He grinned and took the top of the tray. Three large plates, brimming with food sat there.
“Ta-dah!”
She giggled at his over the top excitement.
“I found us some food. But don’t get used to me being a waiter. That’s usually Sally’s job, but she’s gone for the day.” He placed a plate of stewed beef and vegetables in front of her. Ryder let go of her hands to grab his own plate. Theo moved his plate a little further down the bar. He left a basket of bread between them.
Her stomach grumbled loud. She hadn’t had anything to eat since she’d left her parent’s house earlier. For some reason, she didn’t feel comfortable going to her own home. It was not something she’d ever experienced before, since she loved the small cottage. But it felt so isolated with almost everyone on her street on vacation.
They ate in amicable silence. By the time their plates were clean of food, the bar patrons had dwindled down to a handful.
“I should go.” Not that she really wanted to. But she couldn’t very well stay there. She glanced around the bar and noticed the few remaining people were watching them.
He grabbed her arm. “I asked you to stay before. Stay.”
She shifted to glance at him. That possessive look he gave her just about did her in. “This is… I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
Her vision strayed down to his mouth. She licked her lips. After a moment, she realized she was staring and glanced up.
Dark eyes sparkled with laughter. “I have a guest room.”
She could tell he was trying to be funny. The last thing either of them wanted was a bedroom, but Raine was not one to jump into anything. And the past few hours she’d done a lot of jumping all over Ryder’s body.
Her wolf made the decision for her. The animal brushed under her skin almost in a plea to get her to agree.
What the hell? It did it again. The soft movement was strange and comforting. She nodded in agreement.
“Come on.�
�� He stood and helped her to her feet. “I’m not far from here.”
She glanced over her shoulder at Theo. He waved at them with a grin. She waved back and followed Ryder out the back door. He guided her down a darkened pathway into the woods. They’d been walking for only a few minutes when they reached an opening in the trees. A large, two-story house sat in the middle of a clearing.
She gasped. “Is that your house?” Raine couldn’t keep the awe from her voice. It was a log cabin. A gorgeous, two-story log cabin.
“Yeah.”
The closer they got, the more impressive the cabin looked. When they entered, she was struck by the sheer comfort of the place. Thick brown sofas were scattered around the large living area. A massive fireplace took over an entire corner. He had a gorgeous oriental rug in front of the fire. It was like her dream home.
“This place is amazing.”
He chuckled. “You sound more impressed by my house than me.”
She jerked her head his way in disbelief. The house was great, but he was… well, she was still trying to figure out what he was.
He winked. “I might get jealous.”
The large room seemed to shrink in on her. A mantle of heat covered her cheeks. “Can you show me to your guest room?”
She followed behind him until they reached an open door. He flicked the lights to a pale gold room. Sheer panels covered the windows. A bedspread in a deeper shade of burnt gold covered the large sleigh bed.
“I hired a decorator to redo the place when my parents died. My mom’s sisters wanted most of the family heirlooms, and so I just kept a few pieces and bought everything new. I didn’t have a woman I slept with do this.”
Her gaze clashed with his. She wondered if he’d read her mind. The thought that some woman had done his place nagged her.
She widened her eyes. “How did you know I was wondering?”
Arousal gathered in her core as he closed the distance between them. His gaze roamed her face, kissed her lips, and traveled back up to meet her eyes.
“I could see the wheels turning in your beautiful face.” He drove his hand into her hair and snapped the band holding her ponytail in place.
She licked her lips, raised her hands to his biceps, and caressed his muscled arms. “I need a shower.”
He fisted her long hair and tugged her head back. She whimpered. Arousal washed over her like a dip in a hot tub. Turning her face into his touch, she displayed her neck for him. Something about the move made her feel at his command.
Passion intensified. It turned her pussy slick with need. He licked a trail from her shoulder up to her ear. She shuddered and moaned.
“I’ll bring you something to wear.” His warm breath stroked her ear. Her lungs constricted when he trailed soft kisses down to her lips.
She panted. Frozen in place for moments before she realized he wasn’t even in the room with her. How in the world did he do that? She couldn’t think. Her brain had turned to a quivering mass of arousal.
Her wolf whined, wanting to get him naked. “Yeah, join the crowd, sister.”
She stripped off her clothes and rushed to the bathroom. If she didn’t figure out how to tame that animal, she’d end up getting arrested for public indecency.
The entire time she showered, she tried to stop the muscles tightening on her. Cool water slid over her heated skin in pinprick caresses. It didn’t help. She lost control. Dropped on all four. Hair matted to her face when her head fell forward. The sound of cracking filled the enclosed space. Not again. Her chest burned. Fur coated her skin again. She shut her eyes.
“No no no!” She whimpered past her locked throat muscles.
She mentally ordered the animal back. To stop trying to take control. There was too much to think about. It was not the time for her to be in a different body.
Panting with exertion over her push back at the change trying to take hold, she jerked her eyes open and studied her legs. The fur covering her limbs receded. Her curvy legs and thighs returned. Her muscles stopped burning after a few moments. She sat there, letting water drip over her. She was having a hard time controlling the beast and no telling what she’d do if it got out.
Chapter Six
Ryder debated with himself. It was either go back into her room and take her, or get his ass up to his bathroom and take a cold shower. He sighed and made his way to his bedroom.
She was so beautiful with her caramel skin and delicious pouty lips. The image of her golden eyes, filled with so much vulnerability and confusion, twisted his stomach in knots. He wanted to reassure her that everything would be fine, but he had no idea who was out there experimenting with lab created shifters.
He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. She was so aggressive. Strong. Much stronger than most shifters he knew. Clearly she needed to be taught how to control her animal, teach the dominant wild side that she was in charge.
Soft buzzing in his pocket grabbed his attention. He pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. Theo.
“What’s going on?” He sat on the edge of his bed, looking around his darkened bedroom.
“It’s James.” Theo’s voice was somber. “His family hasn’t heard from him in days.”
Ryder’s anxiety spiked. “When was the last time they spoke to him?”
“It seems over a week. He was running with Quinn in the north side of the Tenam Forest.”
“Have we sent anyone out there to look for them yet?” He fisted a hand, wishing he knew what Quinn had been thinking when he took off for the run.
“Already on it. I’ve got two of the enforcer’s combing the side that links with the business side of town.” Theo stopped talking to him to give instructions for others to questions any friends James had.
Ryder was running out of ideas. “I’m going to pay Jessa a visit in the morning. Maybe she’s thought of something else that could help us find them. Heck, maybe he’s called her.”
Theo sighed. “Give me a call and tell me if there are any other places we should be checking.”
He ended the call and opened a chest of drawers. After grabbing a pair of boxers and a T-shirt, he made his way back to her bedroom. He stopped by her door. Inhaled. A strained groan slipped past his lips. He dropped his head forward, hitting the door with his forehead. Her scent was intoxicating. And he couldn’t even say it was the soap. Everything in his bathrooms was unscented. What he smelled was a combination of her arousal, her wild wolf, and musky woman. His cock jerked in readiness.
Fuck!
He visualized licking his way down her body, starting with her sexy mouth. He wanted to suck on her tight, little nipples again. An electric shiver raced down his spine. He licked his lips. Gripping his cock over the uncomfortable jeans, he visualized caressing her full hips while rubbing his face in her pussy, licking her into orgasm.
But he knew Raine hadn’t been born a shifter. She had no idea that his fate was already in her hands. Not only was it his wolf that wanted hers, but the woman intrigued him. She was handling something that would have made a grown man freak out with such strength. He was more than impressed. Her aggression turned him on, but the softer side he saw was what really caught his attention. He wanted to hold her. Protect her.
He was about to lift a fist to knock on the door when he heard her speak. That voice of hers could tempt a saint into sinning. Husky. Low. Pure decadence. Luckily, he was no saint.
“Mandy? No, I’m fine.”
Thanks to his enhanced hearing, he also heard her friend at the other end of the line.
“What did you do, Raine?” Mandy sounded frantic. “Where are you?”
“I went to look for…” He heard her low inhale. Followed by an almost inaudible whimper. “I went to look for Ryder.”
“Are you insane?” Even from a distance, Mandy’s squeak hurt his eardrum. He winced and took a step back.
“I told you I need him.” Raine’s voice was soft by steely.
“Why? What could he possibly do
for you? They’re dangerous, Raine. You don’t know what you’re getting into.”
She sighed. He could almost hear her exhaustion dragging her down. “I-I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry so much. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
“Wait! Are you okay?” Mandy’s worry reduced some of his tension. She was concerned for her friend. Wanted her safe.
“I’m fine. Really, don’t worry. Bye.”
He stood there. Waiting. Knowing she was aware he was outside the door.
A heartbeat later, she padded to the door and opened it. Her brown hair hung in half-dried clumps. She wore a white bathrobe he knew she’d found in his guestroom.
She licked her lips. Inhaled loud. Desire sparkled in her eyes. “Do you want to come in?”
That was the best question he’d ever been asked. But he knew she was allowing her need to guide her actions. He had to fight the wolf that wanted to pick her up and take her then and there.
Time to get away from her before she ended up with her back against the wall. He shoved the clothes into her hands. “I-I think this should work to help you sleep.”
The dominant wolf howled inside, angry that he wasn’t fucking her, or at the very least stripping off the bathrobe.
“Have a good night.”
Calling himself all kinds of fool, he turned on his heel—which was the hardest thing he’d ever done in his life—and wanted to kick his own ass. He was going to end up with blue balls because of his stupid need to give her time. Fucking hell. His cock was going to suffer all night. But he didn’t want to push her when she’d been unsure about coming home with him. She was a new shifter for crying out loud. She hadn’t even done her first shift yet. If he took her, and goddamn it all to hell he wanted to, he’d just add to the confusion he saw in her features. The confusion he saw when need wasn’t clouding her brain.
That last glance into her eyes, and the passion he’d seen there, was going to be what helped him give his body some manual stimulation later on. Though later meant the minute he got to his bedroom and he could remove the annoying jeans to relieve himself.
Wolf Fever (Alpha Project - Book 1) Page 6