In that moment, Alyssa might have let Michael claim her right there on the couch in the middle of the day. Lost completely in the feel of his hard frame around her, his lips pressed against hers, she didn’t care about anything in the world except ensuring that feeling never ended.
*
It took every ounce of strength Michael possessed to remove himself from the lip-locked position. He didn’t want to frighten her.
When he did, he only released her soft, sexy mouth, not the grip he had on her shoulders. A grip he’d purposefully maintained in an effort to avoid letting his hands roam all over her curves.
She was tiny, not much bigger than she’d been two years ago. Her frame was small, probably five-two compared to his almost six feet. However, she was not fragile. She had an inner strength that had pushed her to escape an arranged marriage to a man she had no interest in. She’d fled in the middle of the night to an unknown future. She was small, but she was not delicate.
Alyssa Franklin was tough, even if she didn’t have the total confidence yet to realize that fact.
Suddenly she jumped up and backed away from the couch, her chest heaving. Michael was left almost cold where she’d been touching him. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees to catch his own breath and keep his mate from noticing the effects of that kiss between his legs.
He didn’t want to scare her. He wanted to pull her in at her own pace … as long as it didn’t take too long. He didn’t know how long he could keep himself from taking her.
“Wow,” she finally muttered. “Yeah, that’s how I remembered it. Only better.”
Michael chuckled and looked up at her. “Much better.” He pushed off his knees and stood. “And I can’t wait to do it again.” Instead of stalking her like his dick demanded, Michael circled the couch and leaned against the back. He could look her in the eye from that position while not scaring her to death with the bulge in his jeans.
“God.” Alyssa started to pace. “What about…?”
She didn’t need to say it. He could tell her mind had gone to the other wolf she’d met—no, not met, smelled—last week. Michael gripped the back of the sofa and tried to put on a smile. “Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, okay? It’s been what … four days? And no sign of the guy?”
Alyssa nibbled that lower lip again and nodded. “But I can’t deny it happened, Michael. And I can’t…”
She didn’t finish, but he got the picture. She couldn’t let him claim her until she knew for sure the other man was fictitious.
Lord, please. Whatever caused that guy to run, please feed him some more of it. The only thing Michael could think of that would be worse than sharing his mate with another man would be sharing her with a stranger.
Unlike his brothers, Michael had never shared any woman. The thought had never appealed to him.
“Listen, just relax. I’m not an ogre, and I won’t force you to do something you aren’t ready for. Let’s just take this one day at a time and get to know each other, okay?”
And while we’re at it, I’ll pray my dick doesn’t fall off waiting.
Alyssa nodded. She did that a lot, the nonverbal commitment.
Michael wasn’t an ass. He meant what he’d said about not pushing her, but when he did finally get her to consent to the mating, he’d demand a lot more from her in the bedroom than silent compliance.
He might not be into ménages, but his dominant nature was something he did share with his brothers. Sure, it had been a few years, but he’d had enough experience with women before Alyssa came into the picture to know his tastes. He just hoped his mate would understand his needs in that area and defer to his judgment where sex was concerned.
A car pulled up outside, the tires rolling across the gravel to announce the arrival of some family member.
Michael glanced outside to see his mom returning from her afternoon at Tessa’s. His mother approached the back of the house with leaden feet, and Michael smiled. She was subtly giving him time lest she find him and Alyssa in a compromising position. As if.
Chapter 4
Tyler fiddled with his cell phone for the twentieth time this afternoon, flipping the gadget over and over in his hand just to occupy his fingers.
He’d nearly paced a hole in the carpet of his bedroom in his parents’ house.
Six days. It had been six days since he’d gotten close enough to Alyssa Franklin to realize she was his mate.
After turning his back on her and sprinting for his rental car, he’d sped away from that rodeo with his tires squealing.
He hoped to God she’d not noticed him, but there was no way to be sure.
Tyler spent the next several hours speeding back to Portland to catch a flight back to Oklahoma. During the long wait in the airport, he convinced himself leaving was the right thing to do.
Alyssa was settled, happy. No, she wasn’t mated. But her life there was better than any life with his pack. Before he’d even gotten close enough to her to catch her scent, he’d known he wouldn’t rat her out to Fredrick Wells and cause her to be dragged back to Oklahoma kicking and screaming to mate with a man against her will.
After he’d realized what she was to him, everything had changed. Tyler had pulled over to the side of the road to vomit the meager food he’d eaten that afternoon.
The lies he would have to tell compounded by the minute. Not only was she not mated to Michael Masters, a fact he couldn’t deny, but Tyler’s reasons for not turning her in to Wells now had less to do with just wanting her to be left alone and more to do with his own body’s claim on her.
He’d meant to leave her be, let her live her new life in peace.
Wells had been preoccupied with two gentlemen in his office when Tyler had arrived. Fredrick motioned for Tyler to enter anyway, but the older man had barely given him the time of day. It made things easier. A simple, “yes, she’s mated,” was all he’d had to produce. Tyler shook as he gave the information, hoping neither Wells nor the other two men in his office could tell how nervous he was. Although Fredrick was shuffling around on his desk in search of something, the other two men peered at Tyler with eyes that nailed him to his spot. Tyler didn’t even know who they were, but they gave him the creeps.
Actually, for as urgent as this task had been to Fredrick just a few days before, Tyler found it rather odd that the man didn’t seem even remotely interested in the outcome. Why had he been sent to check on Alyssa after two years? Relief over not having to answer two hundred questions had made him slump into bed exhausted beyond belief.
Tyler’s issues didn’t go away though. He awoke every few hours in a sweat, his dick hard. Alyssa and her sweet smile seized his brain day and night.
He’d gone to a few job interviews the past week, both local and short distances away, but nothing had sparked his interest. Of course, he could barely concentrate on anything.
Shit.
Tyler tossed his cell phone onto the bed and ran his hands through his hair. A glance in the mirror confirmed the strands were sticking up on end. His eyes were bloodshot, and his hands were shaking. He’d not eaten or slept well for days.
And there he stood making the most monumental decision of his life.
It wasn’t a choice really. He didn’t know why he was deliberating over things so hard. Alyssa was his, and he had to go claim her. He had to leave his family, his home, his pack and never return.
He couldn’t even tell his mother goodbye. The break had to be fast and clean. Everyone knew he had an interview tomorrow in Denver, and they believed he was flying out tonight for that purpose. Carrying no more than what he’d managed to sequester in his car over the last few days, and the overnight suitcase stuffed as full as possible, Tyler was about to walk away from his life of twenty-four years, never to return.
He wasn’t heading for the airport. Instead he was going to drive to Denver for the interview. He hoped it went well, and he’d be offered a job. His next stop—Corvallis, Oregon, where
he intended to claim Alyssa. God, he hoped she liked the idea of living in Denver because that interview was very promising.
He glanced around the room at his childhood. Trophies, trinkets, mementos from his life in high school and college. His father would be pissed, and his mother would cry when he didn’t return. By the time they realized his disappearance was permanent, he’d be nowhere near the state of Oklahoma.
* * * *
Alyssa sat at Kara’s kitchen table, turning the mug in front of her around in circles. The liquid was cold by now and untouched. Didn’t matter. She wasn’t overly fond of coffee anyway.
Kara plopped down in the seat across from Alyssa and took a deep breath. “The kids are finally napping.” She leaned forward and rested her chin on her palms. “Talk to me.”
Guilt flooded Alyssa as she considered her encroachment on Kara’s only free hour each day.
“And wipe that look off your face right now. I’m all yours for as long as you need me. You’re like a sister, and I love you.” Kara smiled warmly and reached with one hand to grab Alyssa’s.
Tears filled her eyes … again. She was like a leaky faucet these days.
“Michael’s been here two days. He’s the most patient man I know, but I can’t put him off forever. I can see it’s killing him. And…” Alyssa choked on a sob. It was killing her too.
In fact she didn’t think she could sleep another night under the same roof as him. The house was big, and she had her own room in a separate wing from his, but that didn’t keep the entire place from filling with his scent to drive her crazy.
“Why are you hesitating?”
Alyssa stared into Kara’s eyes. The woman knew.
“Look,” Kara began, “I know this is hard. You’re convinced you crossed paths with another wolf who is your mate last week, and you’re torn. I get that. But, Alyssa, sweetie, no matter who or what that other man is to you, it doesn’t take away from the fact Michael is your mate. It’s not your fault the guy took off. You may never see him again. And wouldn’t it just suck if you spent the next thirty years guilt-ridden, feeling like any relationship with Michael meant you were cheating on the mystery man?”
And there it was, plain as day. How did Kara know her so well? Alyssa smiled and wiped a tear off her face with her free hand. “You’re right. That’s exactly it. I feel like I’m cheating on another guy. And it’s not fair. It’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to Michael. I didn’t ask for this.”
“Exactly. So you can’t take the blame.”
Alyssa pulled her hand from Kara’s grasp and stood. She had to pull on her big-girl panties and mate with Michael. And that thought was almost as scary as not mating with him. “What’s it like?” She stared out the window now, her back to Kara.
“What? Mating?” Kara’s voice was low and gentle.
Alyssa nodded.
“So simple. You don’t have to worry about a thing. Michael will handle everything, and I know for a fact he will keep your feelings at the forefront of his mind the entire time.”
That didn’t answer her questions. Alyssa wrung her hands. Until two years ago, she’d understood the basics about sex from reading. Her mother had told her very little except that her mate would handle things “in the bedroom” when she was claimed. The woman was so old-fashioned it was a wonder Alyssa even knew her vagina from her urethra. Thank God for the library, but reading about sex in books hardly compared to putting the act into practice.
After two years surrounded by her new family, including five women who were built strong enough to put up with nearly a dozen men, Alyssa wasn’t completely ignorant about what mating entailed, but there were still plenty of holes that needed filling.
“Are you worried about having sex?”
Alyssa nodded again.
“Oh, honey, we all were the first time. Don’t think so hard. It’s the most natural thing in the world.”
“What if I hate it?”
“You won’t. Trust me.” Kara came up behind Alyssa and hugged her tight. “No one does.”
Bells went off in Alyssa’s head. She knew that wasn’t true. She was sure plenty of women in her Oklahoma pack cringed every time it was their night to sleep with their mate. She’d heard them whispering amongst themselves, groaning over the dreaded act. Maybe it was biological, and Alyssa wasn’t made to enjoy it either by accident of birth.
Kara turned Alyssa in her arms until she faced her. Her gaze was questioning.
“I can see that you and Lindsey and Jessica and even Tessa and Nancy seem to enjoy spending time alone with your mates, but that’s not the way I was raised. My mother appeared to consider the act a chore, and so did most of the members of my pack. I saw the looks on their faces when it was ‘their turn.’ I’m scared.”
“Oh, hon, that’s awful. Why didn’t you ever tell us about it?” Kara shook her head. “Never mind. I understand. Listen to me… That crazy pack you were raised with has things all messed up. There is a natural way among wolves and arranged matings is not it. Of course they don’t like to have sex. They aren’t with the right man. Believe me, when you’re with the right person, it’s fantastic. In fact, I promise you won’t want to leave the bedroom for about two weeks after you get started.”
Alyssa flushed from her cheeks to her fingers. If the response she got from her body every time Michael was around was any indication, there was every chance what Kara said was true.
In fact, the heightened sense she had of all sexual body parts this past week had made her squirm in bed at night. Alyssa had never masturbated or even thought the word until this week. Now her fingers itched to touch herself, and even alone, the idea made her face heat. She hadn’t done it … yet … but if she didn’t let Michael take over soon, she’d find herself reaching for that aching little nub between her legs that had begun to throb nearly all day.
Some of her dreams had left her drenched and bolting upright. Dreams of Michael leaning over her naked body, staring at her nipples in the moonlight. She wanted him to touch them … and other places.
“Go to him. Talk to him. I promise he’ll be understanding. Have you ever seen any evidence to the contrary?”
“No.” It was true. She needed to be talking to Michael, not Kara. But a woman’s perspective had sent her driving over here this morning. A woman who wasn’t within a hundred yards of one hovering Michael.
Mating was inevitable. She was certain of that. Alyssa wasn’t ready to completely give herself to Michael yet, but she could and should at least talk to him. Tell him about her insecurities.
“I’ll talk to him.”
“Good. No time like the present.” Kara turned Alyssa toward the door and gave her a gentle shove.
The grin on Kara’s face as Alyssa turned to wave goodbye made her stomach do a somersault. The smile was knowing and teasing. What the dickens had Alyssa gotten herself into?
Chapter 5
Michael paced the floor of the barn from one end to the other. He was a patient man, but his patience was wearing thin. He was tired from not getting enough sleep. His cock hurt nearly all the time, even when Alyssa wasn’t nearby. And he’d had so many cold showers in the last forty-eight hours it was a wonder his skin wasn’t pruned.
“Son…” Richard Masters, his father, stepped into his path. The wry grin on his face perturbed Michael. This wasn’t funny. “I know it’s a dirt floor in the barn, but if you keep that up, I’m going to have to haul in a truckload of soil to fill in the divot.”
“Ha ha.” Michael brushed past his father and continued on his path.
“Can I make a suggestion?” His dad didn’t pause for a response. “Talk to her. Instead of facing this problem head on, you two are avoiding each other as though one of you has the plague.” He chuckled again. “Have you even said more than three words to each other since the afternoon you arrived?”
“No.” Michael paused. “What’s there to say, Dad? We’re mates, and she needs to get over the idea there’s anothe
r mate for her out there before she’ll be willing to commit to me. It’s pretty simple.”
“That is not simple, nor is it easy. And you aren’t helping out any by pacing around in here avoiding her.”
“Every time I get too close to her, my mouth dries out, and I freeze. I need her, Dad. Like I need sunlight and food and water.” Fuck. This was not the kind of conversation Michael wanted to have with his father. He was a grown man for crying out loud.
His dad lowered his voice and his tone when he continued. “I know, Michael. Trust me, I know. I commend you for being as calm as you have been. I couldn’t have gone two days like this with your mother when I met her.”
“TMI, Dad. Just … ew. Stop.”
Richard laughed. “It’s natural. It’s not a secret. It’s the way of wolves. Go to her. Let her get her feelings out. Women need that sort of thing. They need to express themselves. And this won’t be the last time. She’ll need you to listen to her occasionally for the rest of your life. And you need to man up and suffer through it.”
“Suffer?”
“Well, suffer isn’t really a fair word. I’ve never felt listening to your mother was a task. I love her more than my right arm, and I’m glad every day that I have her to listen to. The moment I can no longer hear her voice in my head, in my heart, and in my house will be the worst day of my life.
“The suffering I’m referring to is what you are experiencing right now before claiming her. It will be hard. I understand that. But you need to use your big head and open the communication lines between you and Alyssa. Now.”
“You’re right, of course.” Michael paused and stared out the barn door. As if he’d conjured her up, Alyssa’s car pulled up the driveway at that precise moment. She’d spent the morning at Kara’s, probably doing the same thing Michael was doing with his father. Getting advice.
Michael’s father didn’t say another word. In fact, he wasn’t even in sight any more. Michael glanced around and headed out into the cool morning air to meet his mate at her car.
Alyssa's Wolves (Wolf Masters, Book 4) Page 5