Michael stood and faced Ariane. “I’d like to spend some time together and get to know each other a little better, but I don’t want to give you false hope. I don’t know if anything will come of it, but I know I want to know more about you.”
Ariane smiled. “I’d like that too, Michael. It’s enough for now.”
Michael came closer, pulled her to his body, and lowered his head for a kiss. She opened her lips in invitation, but he didn’t take advantage of it right away. Gently, he nibbled, taking tiny bites out of her lower lip before pulling it into his mouth to soothe it. Slowly, he licked around the outer edges of her mouth and then dipped his tongue inside briefly to touch against hers. After Michael repeated his caress several times, her tongue followed his back out and into his mouth. He began to suck lightly, smiling against her mouth when he heard her groan softly. He had started running his hands up her sides when there was a hard knock on the door. Startled into raising his head, he smiled at Ariane, and then called to the person at the door. “Come in.”
Maddie stuck her head in the door and smiled broadly when she saw them in each other’s arms. “Okay, cease and desist, guys. Remus says it’s time for the meeting with Mali so we can get this show on the road. Ariane, how about you and I go back to our house and make some lunch, and these handsome gentlemen can join us when they’re done?”
Ariane looked up at Michael, almost like she silently asked for his approval. After he smiled and nodded, she turned her attention to Maddie. “Sounds like a plan, Maddie. Just lead the way.”
As she started to turn away, Michael grabbed her and kissed her hard, then let her go. “See you later.”
She gave him a saucy grin. “Count on it, big guy.”
The two women took off out the door, leaving him to wait for Remus and Mali to go over the house plans. Even though he couldn’t help but wonder what the next couple of weeks would bring, he didn’t think he’d ever felt happier in his life. He didn’t understand the tangible need he had to be with her and, unfortunately, it scared the crap out of him.
* * * *
Later that afternoon, Remus and Michael were walking through the front door of Remus’s house when they heard the sound of the women’s laughter coming from the kitchen. Smiling, both men headed toward the sound.
“Ladies, ladies, what on earth is so funny?” Michael asked.
The ladies were sitting at the kitchen table, each with a glass of ice tea, laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes. Guiltily, they looked at each other and then burst out laughing again.
Remus began to feel a little uncomfortable. “Maddie, baby, what’s so funny?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer to his question but waited patiently for his mate to get herself together enough to answer him.
“Sorry, guys, we were just swapping stories about the two of you, you know, funny things that show how human you are,” Maddie said.
That might have been an acceptable answer if she hadn’t lost control at the last word and broke into more laughter. The men exchanged a glance, and Remus wondered if Michael was also thinking back on things in his life that he would rather not be discussed in front of anyone else.
“Okay, on that note, is lunch ready?” Remus decided the best defense was a change in subject.
From the expression on Maddie’s face, he hadn’t fooled her for a minute. “Sure, love, everything’s ready. Why don’t you and Michael go wash up while we get everything on the table?”
“Sure thing, baby. Michael, you can use the guest bath off the living room and I’ll go use the one off our bedroom. We’ll be back in a flash, ladies.”
* * * *
While the men were off cleaning up, Ariane set the table and Maddie took food from the oven. When the men returned, everything they needed to make chicken fajitas had been placed in bowls on the table.
“Take a seat, guys, and help yourselves. We’re being very informal today. You get to make your own. If there’s anything you want that you don’t see, just ask. I probably forgot to put it on the table.”
Remus smiled and sat down to what she knew was his favorite meal. “I can’t wait to dig in. Maddie, everything looks great. You didn’t have to go to this much trouble. A sandwich would have been fine.”
He might have been saying all the right words, but he was digging into the food like he was afraid there wouldn’t be enough. Maddie looked over to Michael and realized he had skipped complimenting them in favor of filling his plate before Remus ate everything.
“Just so you know, don’t stuff yourself too much, there’s a peach cobbler for dessert.” She waited for their happy groans and then added, “With ice cream.”
Both men stopped in mid bite, looked at each other, and then rapidly went back to eating. The women just looked at each other and smiled.
Conversation at lunch had flowed smoothly. Maddie couldn’t help but notice the looks passing between Michael and Ariane. They couldn’t keep their eyes off each other. She sighed in relief when she saw Michael take the last bite of his dessert. “Okay, guys, that’s it. Why don’t you go relax on the back deck while we load the dishwasher, and we’ll join you in a few minutes.”
“Sounds good to me. Come on, Michael. We can go rest while they do the women’s work.” Remus laughed and took off running, already out the door before Maddie realized what he’d said.
“I’ll women’s work you, you mangy dog.”
Chuckling, she turned back to Ariane and laughed out loud at the scowl on her face.
“What? Don’t tell me you think of this as women’s work too?”
“No, of course not. I just wondered how you get away with calling the Alpha a mangy dog?”
Maddie snorted. “He may be Alpha, but he’ll always be my little mangy dog.”
Ariane sighed. “I’m envious, Maddie. You practically have the Alpha wrapped around your little finger.”
“Nothing to it, honey. It just takes a little practice.”
Ariane wiped the table off and then threw the dishrag in the sink. “Okay, then it’s time I started wrapping Michael around my finger.”
Maddie laughed as she headed for the back porch. “You go, girl!”
Chapter 4
Michael watched Ariane as she told a story about her uncle. Her eyes were lit with humor, and her hands were moving frantically. He smiled. Apparently, she was one of those people who talked with their hands. They’d been sitting on Remus’s back patio for over an hour. It had been great, just relaxing and getting to know one another.
He glanced over at his sister. He still couldn’t quite believe everything she’d told him in the last twenty-four hours. He’d seen Remus as a wolf with his own eyes, but his brain kept trying to convince him that it had been a dream. Maddie, what the hell have you gotten yourself into? She’d asked him if he wanted to see her wolf, but he’d been too afraid to say yes. Remus said he believes I have my own wolf, and I just need to find him. I think maybe I need to see your wolf, Maddie. Michael was startled by the sound of his own name.
“Michael, are you all right?” Ariane asked.
He looked up into Ariane’s emerald green eyes. “I’m sorry, I guess I just got caught up in some memories of my own.”
Ariane smiled at him. “That’s okay. My stories tend to run long sometimes. I was just telling Remus and Maddie that I have to get going. I’ve got some chores I need to get done, and I promised my uncle a home-cooked meal tonight.”
He quickly got to his feet. “Why don’t I walk you home? You can fill me in on what I missed when I zoned out.” He stepped closer to her.
Ariane appeared flustered. “Well, I, uh…”
Maddie stood up and interrupted. “I think that’s a great idea.” She walked over and sat down on her mate’s lap. “Michael, you can spend some time getting to know Ariane. She can fill you in on some of the people here on the mountain and what life is like here, and Remus and I can have some alone time.” She gave him a wicked grin.
Mich
ael couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on her face. “Not terribly subtle, sister dear, but understood.” He turned his attention to Ariane and held out his hand. “So, will you let me walk you home?” He watched as she hesitated just a moment. An incredible feeling of happiness washed over his body as she slid her hand into his, linking their fingers.
“Okay, I’d like that.” She turned to Maddie and Remus. “Thank you for having me join you for lunch today. I’ve had a wonderful time.”
“It was our pleasure, Ariane. I hope we see a lot more of you in the future.” Maddie squealed when Remus smacked her ass. “What? What did I say?” She had a fierce frown on her face and then ruined the mood by giggling.
Remus shook his head. “You are definitely not the most subtle person in the world, Maddie.” He smiled at Ariane and Michael. “We’re happy you could join us, Ariane. We hope you’ll feel comfortable to visit us often.”
Ariane put her hand over her mouth and coughed. From the twinkle in her eyes, Michael thought she was trying to stifle a laugh. “Thanks, Remus, I’ll see both of you soon, I promise.” She grinned at Michael. “You ready to go?”
Michael nodded then allowed himself to be led off the patio and across the field. He was enjoying the feel of her soft, warm fingers in his hand. Slowly, he pulled her closer to his body. “Tell me about yourself, Ariane.” It surprised him to feel her hand release his.
Ariane crossed her arms across her chest and gazed down the forest path. “What do you want to know?”
Michael was puzzled by her withdrawal. “Anything you’re willing to tell me. I know you’re from Canada and that you came here about a year ago. Do you have any other family, brothers or sisters? What do you do? What’s your favorite color, favorite food, favorite…?” He stopped when she began laughing and uncrossed her arms.
“Okay, okay, let’s see. I’m an only child, and I came here to live with my uncle fourteen months ago. My parents were killed in an automobile accident two years ago and I had to, well umm, I needed a change of scenery. I petitioned the pack for permission to leave, but it took some time for permission to be granted.” She looked at Michael and seemed apprehensive. “I’ve been responsible for taking care of preschool pups since I’ve been here.” She gave him a warm smile. “I love the afternoons I spend with them.” She laughed. “Some days it’s a toss-up to figure out who is teaching who!”
Michael felt uncomfortable with her use of the word pups. It put a picture in his mind that wasn’t easy to shake and made him want to ask all sorts of personal questions. “Do you plan to stick with that age group, or do you plan on teaching older, uh, pups at some point?”
He was shocked to see a fearful look come over her face. She stopped walking and faced him. “I’m not qualified to be a real teacher. You might as well know up front that I don’t have much of an education. I graduated high school because the government demanded that children stay in school until a certain age. I never went to college.”
She looked like she was waiting for his reaction, so he tried to make her feel better. “Nothing wrong with that. Lots of people don’t go to college. The main thing is to be doing something you enjoy.”
Ariane scowled at him. “You don’t understand.” She sighed heavily. “I wasn’t allowed to go to college. The pack I lived in was very old-fashioned and very strict. They lived by the old rules that said a woman’s place was in the home, mated and populating the pack with new pups. That’s why I moved here.”
Michael put his arm around her shoulder. “I don’t understand.”
“If I had stayed in Canada, the Alpha of my pack was going to pick a wolf and force me to mate with him. He believed that it was unthinkable for a girl of my age to be unmated. He was furious when I submitted a request to leave and would probably have ignored it if it weren’t for my uncle.”
Remus didn’t like what he was hearing. “How did your uncle help?”
She laughed. “To make sure my request didn’t get lost, he petitioned for me to the National Council at the same time. When they contacted my Alpha he had no choice but to let me go. He didn’t have a valid reason for keeping me there.”
Snaking his arm around her waist, Michael pulled her even closer. “I’m glad you were able to get away. I know Remus is the Alpha here, and there’s no way he would ever force you to do anything you didn’t want to do.” He lowered his head and brushed her lips with his. Her scent filled his head, and his hands tightened on her body. As her eyes drifted closed, Michael closed his mouth over hers and plunged his tongue inside. The hands gripping her waist lifted, sliding her up his chest so her mouth was even with his. He could feel her arms going around his neck, her fingers lodging in the hair on the back of his head.
He flicked her teeth with his tongue and then drew circles in the moist surrounding tissue. She was making little whimpering noises that were firing his blood. Shock poured through his body when he felt her begin to suck lightly on his tongue. A loud groan rent the air, and he was even more shocked to realize it had come from him. He felt his cock pushing against the zipper of his jeans and yanked back from their kiss. Her body began to tremble as he buried his face against her neck, under her flowing hair. He had begun to suck and lick behind her ear when he heard her voice.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Michael kept one arm tightly in place and moved the other one to the base of her spine. He pressed her tightly against his erection. “No, baby, you didn’t do anything wrong. This is what you do to me, Ariane. I’ve never reacted to any other woman the way I respond to you. Every time I’m near you, I want to lay you down and touch and taste every inch of your body.” He smiled against her neck when he heard her shaky voice.
“Oh, God, maybe we should, um, well, stop. Anybody could come along here. It’s the only path from the pack house to the Alpha’s home.” She was beginning to sound desperate and had begun pushing against his shoulders.
Michael lowered her to her feet and loosened his hold. “Shhh, it’s okay. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.” He took her face between his hands. “You’re so beautiful, and you make me want things that scare me a little.” He pressed his lips lightly to hers and then released her. “Come on, I’m going to walk you home if it kills me!” He was relieved when she laughed at his words.
They had been walking down the path for a few minutes when she grabbed his arm with both of hers. “Hey, I want to show you something.” She tugged him along behind her as she stepped off the path and walked further into the dense forest.
Reluctantly, he followed her. “Where are we going?” When she didn’t respond right away, he tried again. “Did Maddie ever mention to you that I’m not exactly the Daniel Boone type? I’m not very comfortable being out in the wilds.” She made some kind of noise that she covered up. It had sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
After a couple of minutes they emerged from the trees into a small clearing. There were logs and dead tree limbs lying all along the ground. Ariane turned and smiled at him. “I wanted you to see this place, Michael. This is where your sister found her wolf for the first time.”
Michael looked around, puzzled. “I don’t understand.”
“She didn’t tell you about the first time she shifted into a wolf?” Ariane asked.
“No, I guess I was too shocked when she told me to even ask. What happened?”
Ariane looked uncomfortable. “Oh, maybe I’d better not say anything else. It’s not really my story to tell.”
He walked over and took her shoulders into his hands. “It’s okay, she won’t mind. She wants me to learn everything because she’s hoping I’ll follow in her footsteps. I promise you, she won’t care if you tell me.”
“Well, I guess it’ll be okay. It’s not like it’s a secret. Half the pack was here when it happened.” She took a deep breath. “The pack was having a big luncheon, in honor of our Alpha taking a mate. He’d formally introduced her that day. I don’t know the entire story, but for
some reason she left the party and took a walk in the woods. I think Remus was tied up with the Elders when she took off. Anyway, she didn’t know it, but one of the other wolves in the pack had her sights on becoming Remus’s mate. We knew Nanita was jealous, but we never dreamed how far she would go to get rid of her competition.”
“Nanita? That’s the other wolf who wanted Remus?” Michael asked.
“Yeah, she’s a real piece of work, but that’s another story. Anyway, Maddie was taking a walk and met up with Nanita here. She challenged Maddie, and it made Maddie so mad that her wolf just came out in defense.” Ariane laughed. “It was all over but the crying then. Maddie whipped her butt, but good!”
Michael swallowed hard, not believing what he was hearing. “She challenged her? Maddie fought a wolf?”
Ariane looked up at him with alarm showing on her face. “Please don’t get upset, Michael. It all turned out for the best. Yes, Maddie fought a wolf, but remember, she won.”
He grimaced. “What would have happened if she’d lost?” He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her say it anyway.
She dropped her gaze. “It would have been a challenge to the death,” she said quietly.
“Fucking great! No wonder she didn’t go into detail about how she found her damned wolf. She knew I’d blow a gasket. It’s barbaric.” There’s no way I’d ever be able to live among these people.
Ariane pulled out of his arms and gave him an angry look. “Don’t judge what you don’t understand, Michael. It’s a way of life for our people. It’s always been the strongest survive and take care of the less fortunate when possible. There’s no denying that Maddie is an Alpha through and through. She defended her right to keep that title, and she won. You should be proud and in awe of her, not judgmental.”
Martine, Missy - Denying His Wolfen Heritage [A Wolfen Heritage 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 9