“Plus, it would be nice to know a little something about the woman I’m about to go to bed with.”
“What?”
Did she sound like a parrot or what tonight?
“You’re still cold. We need to get your core temperature up. The fastest way is to share body heat.” He paused a moment, for dramatic effect she had no doubt. “At least that’s what my mother said.”
Katie was glad that with each passing moment she was feeling more and more like her old self. Yes, she was still colder than she’d ever been in her life, and her head ached like a bitch, but her senses weren’t as foggy. More and more details about the last twelve hours were coming back to her.
As she looked into his brown eyes, as innocent looking as a puppy’s could ever be, she realized she’d have to have all her wits about her to deal with this man. She’d bet every last one of the hard earned dollars in her bank account that he hadn’t been innocent since he was seventeen. Maybe sixteen.
“I’m sure I’ll be fine by myself.” She looked around and realized this had to be the master bedroom. It was too large not to be. “If you’ll point me to the couch, I’ll leave you alone.”
“Not happening, sweetheart.”
“My name is Katie, remember?” She’d rather be thought of as a stuck up prude then admit what his casual endearments did to her. Like making her tingle in all her naughty parts. “You never did tell me your name.”
He acknowledged her request with a nod of his head. “Logan McCall. Now, please come to bed with me.”
Talk about making a woman tingle, she thought, feeling herself become woozy at his words. Who would turn down that kind of invitation?
Wait, what had he said? He was Logan McCall? The Logan McCall? Chicago Bachelor of the Year for three years running? She blamed her fuzzy memory for not recognizing him earlier. And the fact that he looked nothing like he had on the magazine cover she’d seen months ago. He’d been dressed in a suit and tie that probably cost more than what she made in a year. Tonight his dark hair was damp and uncombed, and his knit bottoms could have been bought off the rack at Wal-Mart.
Oh, no, there was no way Katie was getting her heart broken—or even a little dinged—by spending the night in Logan McCall’s bed, even if it was strictly platonic. She had a feeling her body wouldn’t recognize that little distinction.
She jumped from his lap, taking him by surprise because he let her go without trying to restrain her. “I need to sleep on the couch.”
The room started to spin, and she heard him say a curse word that would have gotten his mouth washed out with soap at her house.
He caught her to him. “I really think the best thing for you to do is get into the bed.”
The feel of his big body and the sound of that velvet smooth voice made her want to mindlessly obey him and forget all the stories she’d heard about his philandering ways. He was dangerous. She knew that.
“I don’t have a concussion.”
“And how would you know that?”
“Because I’m a nurse.”
“Cool,” he smiled down at her. “So is my mother. Or she was.”
“That’s nice.” This was the most bizarre conversation she’d ever had in her life. She was standing in the arms of a complete stranger, wearing his oversized t-shirt and nothing else. Is this what awkward morning-afters were like? She’d never had one. She’d had sex. But not a morning after. Just a quick fumble or two on her twin-sized bed in college. The boy had left her dorm room faster than a duck could grab a June bug in July.
“Let’s get you under the covers.”
“No, I told you—” Her protest went unnoticed, and before she knew it, one arm lifted her beneath her knees, and she was in the bed, covered up with a silk comforter.
To her surprise, he laid next to her—on top of the covers. He faced her with one arm propped under his head, his long legs crossed at the ankles. Dear heavens, he looked like he was about to do a shoot for Playgirl.
“I’m an honorable man, Katie Who-won’t-give-me-her-last-name.”
She blushed, knowing it would be foolish to even try and lie. Logan McCall was certainly not a nut job that would follow her home and start stalking her. “It’s Wilson.”
“Where do you work Katie Wilson?”
Katie told him the name of the hospital and relaxed against the soft down pillow. Their conversation was no different from one they might have had at a bar on a Friday night. They’d just skipped ahead to the going to bed part. She giggled.
A frown appeared on his forehead, and she had an irresistible urge to smooth it away. She realized he must be thinking she was going off the deep end again. “I’m fine Logan,” she reassured him.
“Good.” Just then, a phone vibrated on the nightstand and Logan turned over to grab it. It was obviously a text, and he took a moment to answer, smiling as he did so.
Probably a good night sex-text from his latest girlfriend. Her mood disintegrated quickly.
“Well, that’s one brother accounted for.”
“How many brothers do you have?” It was a natural question to ask even though Katie thought she knew the answer. The McCall family was considered royalty in some Chicago social circles. What little she did know about the family she’d gleaned from gossip magazines left around the locker room and lounge areas at the hospital or eavesdropping when other nurses talked about the McCall family.
“Two brothers, one sister. She has two daughters and a son. Do you want to see a picture?” He grinned and she could see the pride and love he had for his family. Oh, man, was he just too good to be true or what? He rescued damsels in distress and appeared generally concerned about his family.
“I’d love to.” She could imagine him in the role of doting uncle—or father. She was surprised there was a tinge of anger riding the sadness of the thought of him having children someday.
He swiped his phone a couple of times, then handed her the screen. Two dark haired girls and a lightheaded boy smiled up at her. She could tell the girls took after their uncle. If she wasn’t mistaken Logan’s sister was married to a lion shifter which explained the blonde headed boy.
“They’re beautiful.”
“I’ll be sure and tell my brother-in-law you called his son beautiful.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I meant.”
“I do.” He held up the phone. “Do you mind if I call my other brother?”
“No, of course not.”
He sat on the edge of the bed while he made his call. She wondered if she should offer to leave, but decided that was silly. If he had wanted privacy, he would have left the room. He’d basically ordered her to bed. His bed.
The shiver that traveled through her body had absolutely nothing to do with her earlier exposure to the snow and cold.
She unabashedly listened to Logan’s side of the conversation, stiffening when he asked for some woman’s phone number. That gave her common sense a swift kick in the pants.
When he ended the conversation, she asked, “Do you mind if I use that?”
“Are you going to call Brad?”
Her heart fluttered at the anger in his voice as he asked the question. Should she lie and say she was?
“I can go get your phone if you need it.”
Again, he spoke in that jaw-clenched, tight tone that made her think he was jealous. And what that thought did to her body.
“No, I’m going to call my friend.” She had promised Rachel she would call when she made it to the cabin. She’d seen Katie storm out of the supply room and had been one of the few people who had known about her weekend plans. She left a quick message on her friend’s phone.
For a moment, she wondered if the whole hospital knew about Brad’s little indiscretion. Thankfully, the thought of Brad left her more angry than upset. She’d known even before she’d caught him boffing the nurse—was it strange that she didn’t even care who it had been?—that the relationship was going nowhere, but still…
>
No woman likes to be dumped. “Do you think maybe we could go to bed now?”
“Honey, I thought you’d never ask.” Again, that fantastic grin that made a woman want to buy whatever he was selling—whether it was good for her or not.
Katie turned over onto her side away from him and waited for him to turn off the lights and get under the covers with her. She didn’t think she could face that wide expanse of tanned skin without doing something foolish like sticking out her tongue and licking it, inch by inch.
One moment she was on the verge of shivering again and the next, a wall of heat was at her back. He’d kept a respectable distance between them. She didn’t know whether to be happy or sad for his gentlemanly ways. Then she gasped when a large hand covered the side of her hip and he pulled her unresisting body against his. “Go to sleep, Katie, I’ll take care of you.”
Whether it was the warmth radiating from his body, the culmination of the night’s event, or those words of promise, Katie didn’t know. All she knew was that she was drifting off to sleep, feeling safe and secure for the first time in a very long time.
Chapter 15
The next morning, Logan watched as the woman beside him slept. It was a peaceful sleep, so his wolf didn’t go all crazy worrying about her. He fingered the bump on her head. It had already turned an interesting shade of bluish purple.
He wasn’t surprised by the fire—the need—ripping through him as he watched her. Jarod had told him how it would be when he found his mate. He hadn’t expected this swelling up of protectiveness that engulfed him, though. He wanted to wrap Katie in cotton wool so she’d never get hurt again. Now he really didn’t understand how Jarod was resisting claiming his mate. And why the hell he would want to. His big brother was either a fool or had more control than any other wolf Logan had ever known.
He was putting his money on Jarod being a fool. There was no way in hell this woman would ever be out of Logan’s sight again. Maybe he’d just keep her here at the cabin forever. Now he did sound like the stalker she’d halfway accused him of being last night.
His instinct on discovering his mate had been to throw her over his shoulder and take her to the nearest bed. To thrust his cock inside her, bite her, claim her, so no other man would ever come near her again. All of those feelings had flashed through him when he’d only caught her scent. After he’d seen her pretty face and curvy body, he’d had a hell of a fight on his hands to keep his animal side from taking over.
Katie snuggled into the soft pillow and sighed, dreading the moment when she’d have to open her eyes and start her day. She was on nights this week, no doubt that’s why she still felt so groggy. Switching shift times played havoc on her system the first few days. At least the hospital where she worked scheduled its nurses for thirty days at a time, unlike others who switched a nurse’s shift every two weeks.
She stretched her leg, thinking how good her sheets felt. If she didn’t know better she’d say she was sleeping on satin—
Crap!
Her body stilled as she came instantly alert and aware of her surroundings. Aware of the down pillow under her cheek and realizing those were satin sheets under her naked thigh. But that wasn’t the worst of it. There was a big, solid male body sprawled out beside her.
She slowly opened her eyes not at all startled to see beautiful brown eyes staring back at her. She felt her heart skip a beat. Maybe two. She was conscious of more than a tug of attraction and a tremor of anxiety.
“Good morning, beautiful.” His dark hair was a pleasing contrast against the white pillowcase. Sunlight from the window gleamed on the planes of his strong brow and prominent cheekbones. One arm was bunched beneath his head and the other was stretched across the space between them, his hand lying possessively on her thigh. His finger span widened, covering a larger expanse of her skin protected only by a thin layer of cotton. They flexed and smoothed across her flesh as he studied her expression. She wanted to close her eyes and imagine those hands roaming across every inch of her needy body.
He moved slightly and his scent wafted over her. He smelled of the woods and man. The mysterious essence curled around her, making her pussy clench in need. She could have sworn she heard the growl of a wolf inside her head.
The man looked sexy and terrifying as he smiled slowly, the not-so-drowsy gaze taking in her face, then her throat before resting on the crevice of her breasts, bunched as they were between her arms. The neckline of the shirt he’d given her was wide. She had no doubt she was exposing more cleavage than she wanted to. Trying to pull up the neck would only draw more attention to the fact that her nipples had hardened under his gaze.
At his hungry gaze, a wisp of something she’d never felt before tingled along her body, lifting the hairs on the nape of her neck.
“So last night wasn’t a bad dream?”
He chuckled and she remembered that sound from last night. It was warm and deep and seduced her almost as easily as his good looks and roguish charm. His personality was laid back and not nearly as intense as some of the shifters she’d encountered in the ER. She liked that. She wasn’t good with intense men. They intimidated her to some degree. What had her mother said? There was a fine line between dominant and domineering? She had no doubt Logan knew the difference and how to make the most of being a dominant alpha male.
“Do you think being in bed with me is the remnant of a bad dream?” He brushed one finger down her cheek.
“Maybe.”
“Oh, honey, I think you enjoyed sleeping in my arms last night, even if all we did was sleep.”
She shivered as his mouth curved slightly in a sensuous smile.
If he wanted to disconcert her, he knew exactly what to say in order to do it. Thinking of sleeping in his arms—of not sleeping while she was in his arms—conjured up all kinds of erotic dreams. She’d never thought of herself as a sensual woman and had convinced herself whatever she was experiencing right now wasn’t reality. It was leftover sensations from last night. A surreal night.
“I need to find the cabin I’m supposed to be in.”
“We’ll call the rental agency after breakfast.” Although, he already knew exactly where she was supposed to be. Right here. In his bed. In his arms. At his side. He only had two days to convince her of that before the world intruded. Against all his instincts, Logan pulled away slightly because he didn’t want to scare the woman with the instant response his body had every time he looked at her. Smelled her. He knew her scent did not come from the shampoo and conditioner he’d washed her hair in last night, but from her skin, from her essence. And it beckoned to him and his wolf.
“But first, I think I deserve a thank you for saving you, don’t you?” he murmured as he leaned down to kiss her. There was no sense in having a reputation as a rake if you couldn’t cash in on it once and a while. And fuck, he just wanted a taste of her.
As Logan’s mouth roamed over hers, warm and firm and tempting, all Katie could do was hold very still. Afraid if she moved, he’d stop. Afraid if she moved, she’d climb all over him. He tasted as good as he smelled. Masculine, intense. His light kiss slid to the corners of her lips, nibbling as if he was trying to taste her. He didn’t linger anywhere very long. He moved those full lips to her cheek and to her ear. He nuzzled the soft spot beneath her ear slowly as if he was breathing in her scent. It wasn’t just his mouth that was touching her. The hand on her thigh caressed her, seduced her, and caused a wave of heat and hunger to slam into her. Her hand reached for him, cupping his jaw as if she needed to touch him to know that this was real, that he was real.
Hers, she thought hazily as that same unknown sensation of before washing over her. He was hers.
The thought scared her and she jerked away.
“Katie?”
He still leaned in close, their breath mingling together. “Thank you for saving me, Logan.”
He searched her eyes and he waited a heartbeat before pulling away and answering. “Any time. I’m going
to take a shower and then fix us something to eat.”
Turning away from her, he flipped his side of the covers up and bounded out of the bed. She had little choice—unless she closed her eyes—but to watch him walk toward the bathroom. Needless to say, she didn’t close her eyes. His ass was firm and flexed with each step that he took. Some men didn’t have a butt, but Logan McCall wasn’t one of those men. It was firm and fleshy. He had it all.
Broad shoulders, wide chest, huge arms and a muscled torso. She’d caught more than a glimpse of his six pack abs. She couldn’t see them, but had no difficulty imagining the bulging muscles of his legs and thighs as he walked.
It didn’t take him long to shower and dress and leave the bedroom, after giving her a big smile and telling her to make herself at home. She sighed, realizing she’d stayed under the covers as long as she could. She hesitated about making the bed. Would he want to change the sheets? Her ingrained sense of responsibility wouldn’t allow her to leave the bed unmade. She straightened the sheets and smoothed down the comforter, lingering on his side of the bed.
She shivered thinking of going to bed with the big wolf without being injured or suffering from the cold. Her memories of last night had returned. She totally remembered the shower they had taken together. Walking away, she hurried to the bathroom.
Shaken at her unprecedented reaction to a man, she stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. She looked like a woman who had just been thoroughly kissed. She could still see the need darkening her eyes. If Logan hadn’t stopped when she’d gotten scared and pulled away…
Her heart thundered at the thought. Yes, he was sexy. Okay, he was damn sexy, but that didn’t mean she could throw herself at his feet. She couldn’t keep kissing him. He wasn’t her boyfriend, her lover or even a friend. He was a virtual stranger who had saved her from potential hypothermia after a nasty fall. He was just offering her shelter from a storm.
Alphas for the Holidays Page 115