No? Chloe suddenly felt empty, alone. She tried to turn, but he gripped her arms and kept her facing forward. Maybe he was the kind who didn't like to be touched. Although Chloe couldn't imagine such a man existed. She tried another tactic. “I want to feel you inside of me.”
Silence.
“Hello?”
He was behind her once more, kissing a line from her shoulder to her ear. She slid her lower lip between her teeth as desire burned through her body. His teeth raked over her lobe, and a momentary sting shot through her body. She groaned as it subsided, leaving her feeling weak.
“Don't move,” he said. Cool air brushed her back as he stepped farther away.
Chloe moistened her lips. What was he doing? She started to turn around.
“Don't move,” he repeated.
She froze. A tearing sound echoed behind her. Within seconds his heat enveloped her once more.
“Close your eyes.”
“Why?”
“Trust me.”
The odd thing was that she did trust him. Although deep and harsh, his voice had that calming familiarity. If she could just concentrate…
She closed her eyes and stood still for a moment, letting him slide his fingers down her bare arms to her hands. Chloe bit her lower lip as her mind blanked, and her muscles tightened in anticipation.
He laced his fingers with hers and led her a few steps across the roof. There, he guided her to something hard and unyielding. She recognized it as the decorative balustrade that ran like a short wall the along the western part of the roof.
“Bend over.”
She tightened her fingers on the edging as he lifted her skirt around her waist once more. Cool air whispered against her skin.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Shh, don't think, just feel.”
“But—”
“Do you want to stop and go inside?”
Go inside and face her father and Karl? After she had just refused the proposal? She shook her head.
He ran his fingers over her backside, underneath her thong. “So perfect.” The stranger slid his hands up and down her inner thighs, spreading her legs apart. “Are you sure you want me inside you? Because once I'm there, I won't stop until you come for me.”
He touched between her legs, sending ripples of pleasure through her body.
“Yes,” she gasped.
He brushed her thong aside. Something hard pressed against her opening, and she curled her fingers into the hard surface in front of her. Desire warmed her skin and wound her muscles tightly in her core.
He curved his body over hers, slipping his hands underneath her shirt and up over her skin. Undoing her bra, he freed her breasts and palmed them. “You've grown into a beautiful woman, darlin'. I'm just sorry I wasn't with you to see it happen.”
Before Chloe could process what he said, he plunged deep inside her. She cried out as her body stretched to receive him, widening her stance so she could take him fully. He stroked her breasts as he let her adjust to him. His touch was rough and exciting. Desire pulsed in her veins. Chloe wanted more, much more. Arching her back, she pressed her chest into his hands and inched her ass toward his hips.
He growled near her ear and started to move inside her. The sound was more animal than man, low and possessive. Chloe shook as her need rose. Her whole body burned with desire. Soon she was bucking against him, opening herself up completely. He pushed harder, faster, dragging her toward the edge. She felt dizzy with need and pleasure and excitement. Each thrust elicited another moan as she inched higher. Closer…
“Chloe?”
Karl. Her eyes flew open, and she looked down, in the direction of the voice.
He stood on her bedroom balcony directly below, looking down toward the street. If he looked up…
The stranger's thrusts slowed. He buried himself deep inside her, moving inch by delicious inch. Leaning over her body, he wrapped his arms around her middle and rested his chin on her shoulder. He cupped her breasts as he whispered in her ear. “Exciting, isn't it?”
She stifled a moan as he pinched her nipples, his cock retreating. Pleasure and pain mixed in her bloodstream, making her forget what was happening below.
The stranger thrust deep inside her. Chloe bit her lip as pleasure burst through her body.
“You don't want to live the life your father laid out for you.” He pulled away, sliding slowly through her wet channel until only the tip remained inside.
Oh no. Her father would kill her.
He pushed hard and deep, making her gasp as pleasure shook her. “You want to be rebellious. Admit it.” His voice sounded deeper, rougher, as if in pain.
But he was right. She was so tired of being the good girl. Just for once she wished…
“Do something for yourself, Chloe. Something you need.” He repeated the motions, this time stroking her nipples as he drove himself deep.
All she could do was groan in reply.
“Tell me you want this,” he whispered.
“Yes.” Her answer was barely audible over the thumping of her heart.
The stranger rewarded her with another thrust. Chloe bit back a moan.
“Is that Cristal?”
Chloe opened her eyes and followed Karl's line of vision to the bottle in the bushes.
The stranger quickened his movements, and Chloe tightened her grip on the roof as he dragged her closer to oblivion.
They might be caught.
But then again, they might not.
Chloe closed her eyes as she tightened her muscles around his cock. She sighed, enjoying the added friction along her inner walls.
The stranger growled in her ear. “Come for me, Chloe.”
She was so close…
Another voice blended with Karl's, but she was beyond caring.
The stranger let go of her breasts and grabbed her hips, thrusting again and again with a feverish pace. He dug his nails into her skin, mixing pain and pleasure. She tightened her grip on the structure before her. Never before had sex felt this raw, this animalistic. Chloe embraced her wild side as the stranger claimed her. Desire built, and she stretched for her release. Resting her forehead on her hands, she concentrated on the sensations ripping through her body.
When her orgasm came, she bit back her cry as pleasure exploded around her. The stranger stiffened and dug his fingers deep into her skin. Pain shot through her body, heightening her pleasure. Somewhere behind her, a neighbor's dog howled. Again and again he pumped into her, allowing her orgasm to stretch out into oblivion. Only after he emptied himself completely did his movements slow.
Chloe couldn't move if she tried. She felt so sated, so complete.
The stranger muttered a curse and loosened his grip on her hips. “I didn't want…” He pulled out and lowered her skirt. His voice sounded even more pained than before, if that was even possible.
Chloe closed her eyes. He regretted what they'd done together.
Well, she didn't. It was wonderful, exciting. Chloe didn't realize how much she had missed the excitement in her life until just this moment.
She heard him remove the condom behind her. Soon he was back, wrapping his arms around her middle and bringing her upright.
“Did I hurt you, darlin'?” He nuzzled her neck and brought her into a standing position.
Her hip throbbed, and her heart thudded in her chest, yet she had never felt better in her life. “No.” She smiled to herself as her breathing slowed. The scents of sandalwood and sex surrounded her. She reached behind and ran her fingers through his thick hair.
Voices continued below them. Karl and her parents had left the balcony and were combing the bushes at the base of the house below them.
“I found the bottle.” Karl held up her Cristal like a prize.
“Maybe she just went for a walk.” This came from her mother.
“Why would she go for a walk at this time of night? On Christmas Eve?” her father asked.
�
�She's upset, Jerry,” her mother said.
“She has no right to be upset. Doesn't the fool girl know everything I've done for her?”
“Don't worry, Mr. Bradford. I'll find her,” Karl said.
Chloe listened to Karl's footsteps fading away.
“Come inside, Jerry. It's cold out here,” her mother said.
“Not without Chloe.”
“There's nothing you can do right now. She'll come back when she's ready.”
“I don't know, Eva. That girl…” Their voices faded as they entered the house.
The stranger kissed her neck. “You should go.”
She nodded. Chloe had no idea what she was going to tell her family, but she'd think of something.
He pulled away from her, leaving Chloe feeling empty and alone.
“Wait!” She turned. The stranger had already made it to the other side of the roof. His body was cast in shadow. She could make out his outline against the sky but little else. Another breeze picked up, rustling his hair. His figure seemed larger than before, more ominous.
How did he make it over there so fast?
“Who are you?” she asked. “Will I see you again?”
He turned slightly and glanced at her. “Do you want to see me again?”
Heat sprang up in her center as her mind replayed their time together. “Yes,” she whispered.
He shifted his stance. “Then you will.”
She wished she could see his face. “When?”
“Soon.” He stepped off the edge and disappeared over the side of the house.
“Wait!” She didn't care that her father might hear her scream; she needed to know the stranger's identity. When would they meet? How would she know him? Chloe ran over to the opposite edge of the roof and peered over.
Nothing.
Damn, he couldn't have gotten far.
She leaned farther and scanned the ground. “Come back!”
Did something move down there?
“Who are you?” Chloe squinted. Something moved beneath her in the shadows. She tried to find leverage with her feet so she could bend down for a closer look. Her foot slipped, causing her to tilt forward. She swore and tightened her hold on the roof. It was no use. She felt her fingers slip and screamed as she fell over the side of the house.
Chapter 3
Zach grunted as Chloe fell into his arms. Foolish woman. “Are you all right?”
A soft groan was his only reply.
He placed her body gently on the pavement. His inner wolf howled at him to take off her clothes and bury himself deep inside her once more. He gritted his teeth and ran his hands over her soft skin. Besides a few cuts and scrapes, she seemed well enough. Maybe she was in shock.
“Chloe?” His throat felt dry and scratchy, as often happened when he felt the pull of the moon.
Zach squinted toward the house as the front light went back on. Movement increased inside. He couldn't be discovered, not like this. With a soft growl, he moved Chloe and himself close to the bushes surrounding the house, out of the light. A quick glance at the moon confirmed he didn't have much time before his inner wolf would control him completely. Sex with Chloe had held off the moon-curse for perhaps an hour—two at most. Before the night was over, his inner beast would demand to be released, and he would be a danger to himself and everyone around him.
He was so stupid to come here. What was he thinking? That she would just jump into his arms and accept him, curse and all?
The truth was, he hadn't been thinking.
When he and Marcus had set out on that camping trip, neither one of them could have expected how much their lives would change. Or at least, how much his would change, when the creature attacked them, ripping out their throats and dragging them to a nearby cave.
Marcus didn't live to notice.
Zach should have died too, but it wasn't to be. For reasons he couldn't explain, he was spared, while his best friend and future brother-in-law was ripped to shreds. He could still remember the yellow eyes of that monster peering at him in the dark as he feasted.
Eyes like Zach now possessed.
He shuddered.
He had passed out from lack of blood and had awakened surrounded by others like him. They told him he was immortal—half-human, half-beast. He didn't believe them, as the only outward change seemed to be his damaged voice. Soon he learned what his new family meant. When that first full moon rose…
His new family taught him to live with his inner beast and how to control the moon-violence with sex. The problem was, he didn't want meaningless sex. He wanted Chloe, but not like this.
She was better off without him.
Zach meant to only come to Houston for business, but the wolf craved more. It was almost as if it had sensed Chloe was nearby. He'd gone to their old neighborhood on the outskirts of the city to check up on her. He had convinced himself that he’d just take one look to make sure she was okay. He knew neither of them would benefit from a face-to-face meeting. He had much more control over his shifting now than when he was eighteen, but there were still risks. He could hurt her or the ones she loved. Lives depended on Zach's keeping his wolf half a secret—his, his pack's, and if she freaked out while he shifted, even hers.
He wasn't going to interfere, but when he saw her out on the roof, wishing for a different life, he'd paused. Her blonde curls and soft curves had called to him. She hadn't changed since he'd last seen her years ago. She even still had that intoxicating citrus scent. Back before the curse, her father had disapproved of their relationship. Zach's family was too poor, too dysfunctional. Thank God Chloe wasn't like that. She had been so much fun, so beautiful.
But now she looked…defeated. Gone was the youthful glow, the twinkle of rebellion, the eagerness to experience life. What happened to you, Chloe?
Both Zach's human and monster halves wanted to touch her. God, it had been so long. Too long.
He could find that sparkle in her again; he knew it.
Before he could stop himself, Zach had climbed up onto top of the roof. Now she was unconscious in his arms.
He should have left her alone, for both their sakes.
“Chloe? Is that you?” Chloe's father poked his head out the front door.
Zach stifled a growl and took Chloe back behind one of the bushes, deeper into the shadows. He examined her once more, forcing his desire under control as her smooth, pale skin begged for his touch. He gently patted her cheek and cursed when he saw his hand shake.
“Come on, sweetheart. Wake up. Daddy's calling.”
She didn't move.
He fought back a wave of panic and used his fingers to prop open her eyes. There was a flicker of life there. Maybe…
Zach bent low, his cheek hovering above her mouth. He closed his eyes as the smell of citrus overpowered his senses. Her scent. Warm breath brushed past his skin.
She was alive.
He ran his fingers around her head, sifting her long, curly locks through his fingers. His cock hardened painfully inside his khakis as he worked. After a few moments, he felt a small lump on the back of her head. She must have hit something on her way down.
A shaft of moonlight filtered down between the house and tree, landing on his hand. Thick, brown fur sprang up from his skin.
He closed his eyes and attempted to control the beast. He couldn't shift here, out in the open. Not in front of her. If he gave in to his beast now, he’d be useless. He might even hurt her. Zach ran his fingers over the tear in her skirt. He'd lost control on the roof, and Chloe had paid the price. The deep claw marks she received on her hip tonight would take weeks to heal.
“Who's out there?” Another man joined Chloe's father on the front step.
Zach couldn't let her father find her like this. There’d be too many questions, and he wouldn't betray his pack. He couldn't stay with her either. Unfortunately, his control wouldn't hold for long. Already he could feel it slipping. He would need a continuous supply of sex if he had any chance
of keeping his wolf—and the beast's rage—under control.
He had dealt with the rage before, but he wouldn't dare attempt such a thing near Chloe. He had to think of somewhere to keep her until the moon went down and she was well enough to go back to her family.
Picking her up, Zach slipped away from the house and raced back to his car. He'd have to bring her back with him, back to his hotel room. There was nowhere else for her to go. Nowhere safe, anyway. He would figure out what to do with her once he got there.
He cut through side streets as his heart raced in his chest. Every once in a while he’d hear a soft groan from the woman in his arms.
Please, don't wake up. Not here.
He could feel the pull of the moon. Zach was running out of time. Normally he’d be chained up or deep in the woods where he couldn't harm anyone. He was so stupid to think he could seek her out tonight.
Hopefully he could see her safe before the madness began. There was no one else he trusted with Chloe's life.
Zach keyed into a side door of the hotel. His hands and arms had almost completely changed. He could only imagine what his face looked like. Luckily, there was no one about. Now if it could only stay that way long enough to get her inside…
He took the steps two at a time.
Somehow he made it safely to the room. Zach used his foot to close the door and made his way to the bed. The beast raged inside him, and he beat it back the best he could. After placing Chloe gently on the comforter, he spun around and looked in the mirror.
Shit. He looked like a something from a nightmare. Chloe had been ripped away from him once. If she saw him now, he would lose her all over again. He couldn't let her go. Not after he saw how defeated she looked.
Her family needs to pay for robbing her of her passion and hope for the future. They should all pay.
Zach put his hands to his face and shook his head. He had to get a grip; otherwise Chloe wouldn't receive any more help tonight. Calm, stay calm. He ground his teeth and pulled the blankets around her. Sighing, she turned into her pillow. Zach closed his eyes as her scent pulled at him. The beast wanted sex and wanted it now.
No. He wouldn't take her like this, never like this. She wasn't some object to appease his wolf. She was Chloe.
Alphas for the Holidays Page 179