by Kimber White
He pulled me close and pressed his lips against my temple. To anyone looking at us from a distance, it probably seemed like a lover’s embrace with him feathering my face with soft kisses. But, Beau dug his fingers hard into my skin and his voice dripped with venom as he whispered against my ear.
“You are going to put a smile on your face and behave like a grown-up. I’ve had about enough of your mouth and your attitude. I’ve been patient. I’ve put up with more shit from you than any other guy in this town would. I expect you to show me respect and keep your mouth shut until I tell you otherwise.”
My eyes literally stung with the shock of his words. I did, however, do one thing he asked. I put a smile on my face. Then, I spit my words out through clenched teeth. “Get. Your. Hands. Off. Me.”
He didn’t though. Instead, he pulled me further down the path so we were blocked by a large oak tree. My heart raced inside my chest. Until now, I hadn’t believed Beau would really hurt me. But, a darkness came into his eyes, and he jerked me toward him hard enough that I stumbled.
“You’re going to do exactly what I say whether you like it or not. You think you have any better choices? You and your grandfather would be out on the street right now if it weren’t for me. Did you realize that? He would have lost that house if my father and I hadn’t covered the note on it. When he dies, it goes to us, not you. How long do you think he’s going to last? A year. Two? Then where will you be? You’ll have nothing. No people left and not a dime to your name. I’m offering you a future. Security.”
“Wake up and smell the twenty-first century, asshole. I think you think this really is 1866. I can take care of myself, Beau.”
“You’ll do what I say.”
“Or what?”
“Or you’ll end up just like your mother and grandmother. Haven’t you figured that out yet? Don’t you get it? Now quit acting like a spoiled brat and think. You’re never going to get a better offer than what I’m giving you.”
“Indentured servitude would be a better offer than what you’re giving me. No, thanks.”
My blood raged inside me. I curled my fists at my side. It took everything in me not to haul off and smash his face. What the hell did he know about my mother and grandmother? What didn’t I know? Beau twisted my arm hard enough that my eyes watered, and I would have dropped to my knees if he hadn’t held me up with his other arm. Again, from a distance, it might have looked like some sort of ridiculous swoon. He crushed his lips against mine. I even heard some distant applause and whistles. God, they had no idea what was really going on. How had Beau fooled them all?
I reached up with my free hand and raked my nails across Beau’s face. I wouldn’t play this game a second longer. Beau reared back. His eyes widened and I swear, I saw into his black soul. He would hurt me. Really hurt me. I don’t know what kind of demon rested inside him, but in front of a crowd of witnesses, he was willing to break my arm to get me to bend to him. A flash of movement caught my eye from the edge of the tree line, and a shadow fell over us.
“Take your hands off her.” Luke stood there, as tall and imposing as the oak tree before us. A low growl rumbled through his body, and I recognized the struggle he fought trying to contain the wolf. His shoulders bunched and trembled as he got closer.
Luke took slow, deliberate steps across the footbridge. Beau straightened but didn’t let go of my arm. Luke’s steady heartbeat thundered in my ears and quieted my own. I saw recognition come over Beau as Luke advanced, and the muscles of his jaw twitched as he held his rage in check. Beau knew what he was. I don’t know how he did, but he seemed to understand the ominous threat Luke was.
Beau looked from me to Luke and back again. Finally, he let go of my arm and took a step back. Luke’s appearance hadn’t gone unnoticed. A small crowd gathered around the gazebo. They gawked and pointed, and hushed whispers rolled through the crowd in a wave.
“You’re not welcome here,” Beau said. “These aren’t your lands.”
“Tamryn, get away from him.”
God. He was about to shift. Hair sprouted on the backs of his hands and his pupils narrowed to slits. His fiery green irises widened. A heard a few gasps from the crowd as those closest to see it understood he wasn’t fully human. I moved toward Luke and away from Beau. It seemed to help. I felt Luke’s pulse slow a bit as some of the rage receded. Would it be enough?
“If you ever touch her again, I’ll kill you,” Luke said. Anyone within sight or earshot of him knew this was no empty threat.
Beau came toward him. He was only a man, though. When Beau raised his fist and tried to strike him, Luke easily blocked him. He caught Beau’s fist in his own and bent his arm back. Beau cried out, and I heard the popping of a small bone breaking in his hand. Beau went down to his knees, his eyes wide with terror.
“Never touch her again. Never so much as say her name. Do you understand?”
My grandfather burst through the crowd. His own eyes clouded and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I don’t know where he got it, but he held a shotgun in his hands and raised it, pointing it directly at Luke’s head. Some fool in one the tents must have had it. The snap echoed through the air as he racked a round.
“Wendigo!” Shit. He’d shoot him. I knew it. I did the one thing I could even though it might not have been the wisest.
“No!” I stepped in front of Luke and raised my hands. “He’s not what you think he is.”
“Get away from him, Liddy. I told you to stay away from him.”
For once, Grandpa’s confusion came as a blessing. He pointed the barrel away from me. He thought I was my mother. Or maybe he saw me. He wouldn’t hurt me. But, if I moved an inch, I knew he’d take the shot. I looked over my shoulder. Luke was losing it again. His ears stretched up into a point and his shoulders quaked. I reached back and caught his hand. Again, I felt his heartbeat quiet, and he got himself under control.
So, I was caught in the middle of them. If I let go of Luke, he might shift right in front of the whole town. And if I moved, my grandfather might blow his head off.
I turned my head and whispered to Luke. “Can you move? Like faster than a speeding bullet fast?”
His glinting wolf eyes stayed focused on my grandfather and the barrel of the shotgun. He bared his teeth and his growl vibrated through me. But, he gave me a sharp nod.
“When I count to three, then.”
“You’re done here, Tamryn,” Beau said from the ground. “You walk out of here like this, I’m finished with you.”
“Yeah. That’s kind of the idea, asshole.” I nodded to Luke. “One . . .”
I never made it to two. A shot cracked through the air. A small tree branch exploded right over Luke’s ear. Strong arms came around my waist and lifted me off my feet. The ground came up toward my face, and the world moved by in a blur as Luke carried me through the trees.
Chapter Thirteen
I was breathless. Weightless. The world spun white and green as Luke ran with me in his arms. When he stopped, my stomach lurched, and I would have sunk to my knees had he not held me up. He burst through the door of his cabin and carried me over the threshold. Finally on my feet again, I staggered forward and leaned against the wall.
Luke stood in the doorway, filling it shoulder to shoulder. His eyes still flashed green and a tremor went through him. I went to him, placing my hands flat on his chest. “Are you okay?”
He closed his eyes slowly and swallowed hard. When he opened his eyes again, the wolf inside him had quieted. “The question is,” his deep voice sent a shiver down my spine, “are you okay? Did he hurt you?”
“Not really. Shook me up a little. I don’t think even Beau Karrow is crazy enough to do me real harm with the whole town lined up to witness it.”
“That man has something evil inside of him. He wants to take. Control. Tamryn . . . I would have ripped his throat out if he hadn’t let you go.”
“It’s okay. I’m okay. Thank you.”
“No
.” He put his hand on my arm, then pulled it away as if touching me might have burned him, or more likely made it that much harder to control the wolf right then. “No. I came too close to doing it.”
“Yeah, well, you didn’t. Luke. I felt it. You, I mean. You’re more in control than you think you are. Now, come inside. It’s freezing out there, and the sun’s about to go down.”
Luke nodded, then quietly shut the door and latched it. “I’ll start a fire. Your skin’s like ice.”
I stood against the wall and watched. I liked the way his brow furrowed in concentration as he arranged the logs in the fireplace and lit them. The fabric of his flannel shirt strained against his biceps as he lifted another cord and laid it along the base. Finally, he dusted his hands off and rose.
“Come here,” he said, holding out his hand. “Sit by me.”
I pushed myself off the wall and crossed the room. I leaned against Luke’s strong chest as he folded his arms around me and we stared at the blazing logs. When I looked up at him, fire danced in his eyes.
“I’m sorry about my grandpa. He didn’t know what he was doing.”
“He knew exactly what he was doing, Tamryn. It’s a pretty safe bet there will be pitchforks and torches outside my door by morning if I don’t get you back. He knows what I am, and he’s right to be worried about you with me.”
“I’m not. I mean it. I get that I should be. But, I think I’m starting to know your heart, Luke. Beau was the only threat to me today. Not you. When everyone has a chance to calm down, I’ll talk to my grandpa.”
“Why aren’t you afraid of me? Why haven’t you run screaming in the other direction?”
I turned in his arms and looked up at him. Luke’s expression tore at my heart. Pain etched deep lines in his face. I reached up and smoothed his furrowed brow. Why did he want to believe the worst about himself when all he’d ever shown me was the best?
“Do you want to hurt me?”
Luke blanched and sucked in a breath. “God. No. I think I’d die if anything happened to you. That’s what scares me most of all, Tamryn. You’re the only thing that feels normal in my life. The only thing that makes me feel . . . human. I saw you. I watched you. For weeks. Even before that day you came to me asking for help. I don’t want to scare you any more than I already have. But, when you came to stay with your grandfather, it’s like I felt you. In here.” With my hand clasped in his, he brought it to the center of his chest. His heart beat strong in time with my own.
“I could have gone anywhere,” he said. “I meant to. I was going to get as far away from Wild Lake as I could. That was the plan. I was headed for the Yukon. I couldn’t do it. Something drew me here. God, I know it’s crazy, but I think I knew. I think I came here to wait for you.”
It did sound crazy. Except it wasn’t. I could have gone anywhere too. Oodena had brought me nothing but pain and loss. The one person who was supposed to want me here had sent me away. It was better now. I was starting to understand why my grandfather made the decisions he did, but I owed him nothing. I knew what it was like out here. Most of the people in town were warm, welcoming. But, there would always be a few like Beau who saw me as an outsider, even though I was born here just like they were. I remembered that much. And yet, after graduation I had the choice to start over anywhere. I came back here.
“I think you did too. I mean, I think there was something else that drew me back to Oodena.”
“I tried to stay away,” Luke said. “But you were in my dreams. And you were so close. And then you did come to me. I tried to pretend I didn’t want you there. But, you trusted me. You came back. Now, when I’m with you, I can almost believe that I’m a good man again.”
“You are a good man.” I wouldn’t let him pull away from me. I put a hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and kissed my palm, sending a little shock through me. “I feel it in you.”
The pain, the doubt in his eyes broke my heart in half. Nothing about the day should have made sense. And yet, sitting here with Luke, everything did. God knew what I’d find when I went back home or tried to face the people of Oodena again, but right now, in the space of a heartbeat it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was Luke. It happened so fast. It was impossible. But, I understood everything he felt. Everything he said.
“I’m . . . we’re . . . supposed to be like this, aren’t we? It just feels like you’re . . . mine.”
Luke’s eyes widened in shock and he rose. He walked to the window and pressed his hands against the glass. I went to him, put a hand on his shoulder, and turned him back to face me. He tried to put up some wall between us. I understood it because I was beginning to understand him. He was afraid. Afraid of hurting me. Afraid of himself. But, I knew. I was right. This was right. I took a step forward and went up on the balls of my feet. I slid my fingers behind Luke’s ears and pulled his head down until our lips met.
He kissed me slowly at first, his tongue teasing the corners of my mouth. I kept my hands locked around his neck and kissed back harder. An urgent need arose in me, igniting me from the inside out. I’d held back before. We both had. I couldn’t do it anymore. A few days ago I’d told him I wasn’t ready. This was different.
“Luke,” I gasped when we finally came up for air. “I want . . .”
He kissed away my questions. His arms came around me, lifting me off the ground. And then he had me stretched out on the rug before the blazing fire. He held himself above me. He stopped for a fraction of a second and I knew what he needed.
“Yes,” I gasped. Luke slowly rose. He looked down at me with an expression mixed with tenderness and need. I sat up and gathered the hem of my leather smock and the thermal gear I wore beneath it. Slowly, I pulled them both over my head; the beading clicked together and I cast them aside. My nipples rose to instant peaks as my chest rose and fell with my hitching breaths. Luke’s eyes went wide with lust and flashed green just for an instant. Heat speared through me and it took everything in me not to rip off the rest of my clothes and jump him.
Luke sank down, kneeling before me. He kept his eyes locked with mine as he gently reached out and ran his thumb across my exposed nipple. I gasped as a shock of pleasure shot through me and settled between my legs. If just that little touch could make me feel that way, I shuddered thinking about what else he could do. He leaned in and kissed me softly.
“Are you sure?” he whispered.
“I trust you. Yes.” Then, I slid out of my skirt and laid back. I shivered with anticipation as Luke took his time raking his eyes across my naked flesh.
“You’re so beautiful. God. You’re made for me.”
I reached up and ran my fingers along his jawline. “Now you.”
Luke smiled and pulled his shirt over his head. He rose and unfastened the button of his jeans. I couldn’t help that my mouth dropped open as he stepped out of them and I saw all of Luke. Naked and glorious, he towered over me, his erection huge and hard and bobbing before me. Yes, I’d seen him like this before. But, this was different. This time, I meant to let him take me. A little stab of fear went through me as I wondered whether he’d tear me in two. I smiled knowing that maybe I wouldn’t mind.
Luke went to his knees in front of me. He ran his fingers over my shoulder and leaned in to suckle my breast. I arched my back as he moved his hand over my stomach and slid it between my thighs. He gently pushed my legs apart. My blood turned molten. Heat flared between my legs, making my sex throb. He pressed my knees flat, spreading me wide before him as he trailed a finger up my inner thigh. He leaned up, resting on his elbow as he slid his fingers over me. I gasped and shuddered as he found the sensitive little bud between my legs. He stroked me there, sending waves of pleasure shuddering through me. He found me slick and wet as he gently grasped my clit between his thumb and forefinger and worked me there.
“Luke!” My hips thrust up unbidden as I struggled to press against his hand. It was torture and pleasure all rolled into one. A lustful smile lifted th
e corner of Luke’s mouth as he watched me writhe and buck as he used those expert fingers on me. I clawed at the rug, feeling wicked and out of control.
“Please! Luke. I can’t . . .”
“Shh. Yes you can.”
He had me worked into a lather. My juices coated his hand as he kept up the relentless stroking between my legs. It was torture. Madness. All I could do was claw at his shoulder and the ground beneath me to keep from floating right off the floor in wave after wave of pleasure. But, Luke knew what he was doing. Just when I thought I’d explode and give into it, he would pull back, resting a single finger at the center of that tiny nub. He’d let me come down before he started in again.
Just when I thought I couldn’t take it, he leaned up on his elbows and settled himself between my legs. The tip of his rigid erection slid against my heated opening. I took a breath and braced myself, but Luke wasn’t ready. Or, he didn’t think I was ready. He took my hand and brought it down between us, closing my fingers around his shaft.
“Touch me,” he whispered as he kissed me.
I slid my fingers gently down his cock. Hard as steel wrapped in velvet. He pulsed in my grasp. Luke groaned as I slowly stroked him, and I learned what he liked. I made a circle with my thumb and forefinger and worked him. I ran my palm over the bulge at the base, gently kneading the two orbs within. He shuddered when I did that, and I felt the weight of his fullness as I cupped him in my hand.
I grew bold. I pushed him back until he leaned on his side, then I peppered soft kisses along his chest, following the trail of curls past his belly button. He was beautiful. Turgid and hard, his cock pulsing before me. I smiled up at him, knowing it was my turn now to deliver sweet torture. I could give as good as I got. A bead of moisture dotted the tiny slit at the head of his cock and I licked him there. A zing of heat went through me when I did it and Luke threw his head back. His fingers trembled as he threaded them through my hair and struggled to maintain self-control. I knew a part of him wanted to drive himself into my waiting mouth and set the pace. I would have let him. But, Luke sensed my needs too. This was so new. I wasn’t afraid. This was Luke. This was me. And this was supposed to happen.