Before the Moon Rises

by Catherine Bybee

  Richard wore a knowing smile when she came back inside. “So, Miss O’Brien, what movie should we watch?”

  Janet followed him into the den, completely at home with her personal bodyguard. She turned her attention to the movie selections. They were entirely male. Not one ‘chick flick’ to be found. Picking something at random, she gave it to Richard to put in the player.

  He checked the title and starting laughing.

  “What is it?”

  “Oh, man. You have no idea.” He kept up the chuckles and fired up the DVD. “I’ll get the popcorn.”

  Richard left the room, laughing hysterically.

  Janet tucked her feet under her and removed the throw from the back of the couch. The opening credits of “An American Werewolf in London” hit the screen.

  Richard returned five minutes later, though the telltale smell of popcorn hit her senses first. “I hope you added extra butter.”

  “A woman after my own heart,” he said before plopping down the bowl of popcorn.

  A yelp behind the couch had Janet tense into a rigid sit. From behind Richard, the cause of the noise walked up and pressed its nose against her arm.

  Janet sprang away and backed up against the wall in alarm. “What is that?”

  Richard smirked and grabbed a handful of popcorn. “Didn’t Max tell you he had a dog?”

  “No! He didn’t. That...” She motioned toward the four legged, pointed-eared animal. “Doesn’t look like a dog.”

  “Well, he thinks he’s more human than dog. But you’re right, he’s a wolf.”

  Janet started backing out of the room, never taking her eyes off the animal.

  “He’s harmless, really. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

  As if in understanding, the wolf walked up to her and tried to lick her hand to prove Richard’s point.

  “I’m deathly allergic to dogs.” She snatched her hand away.

  Richard’s laughter returned. This time the cola he sipped sputtered out and onto the floor.

  “I don’t see what is so funny.” Annoyed with his amusement, Janet continued to back out of the room. “I start sneezing, swelling and tearing up within two feet of a dog.”

  “You hear that, ah... Rex? Janet is allergic to you.”

  The wolf sent out a yip in response.

  “Can you take it outside?”

  “Ah, no. Rex is an indoor dog, a very protective indoor dog. Max wanted him to stay by your side while he’s away.”

  How could that be? Janet asked herself. Outside of the tears over the intrusion on her life, she hadn’t as much as sniffled since she came into Max’s home. “Huh...” She relaxed slightly, but waited for the sneezing to start.

  “You don’t seem to be sneezing now.”

  Rex moved toward her, his head lowered. Once directly in front of her, he sat on his haunches and sniffed the air.

  She reached her hand out and touched his fur. His coat was silver with tips of black and soft like mink. Accepting her touch as an invitation, Rex stood up and rubbed against her leg.

  “You big flirt,” Richard called from the couch.

  Janet held her breath, but the sneezes never came. “He’s a wolf?”

  “Yeah, Max doesn’t like anything conventional.”

  Having never been this close to an, otherwise, wild breed of dog, Janet assumed her lack of an allergy attack was due to his heritage. “What was his name again?”

  “Rex. Isn’t that right, Rex?” Richard called in a sing-song voice.

  “If I start swelling up, I’m going to retreat to my room.”

  “Fine by me.”

  Janet sat back down. To her distress, Rex hopped on the couch and made himself comfortable. He dropped his head in her lap as if he had done so a thousand times. Not willing to shoo the dog off, Janet mumbled, “I’m asking for trouble.”

  Richard started to laugh again. He smacked Rex’s leg and pointed to the TV. “Look there, Rex. One of your family members.”

  Rex growled at Richard in response.

  ****

  Max rested in her lap, her scent filled him more in this form than it did in his human state. He felt her body relax as she grew more accustomed to his presence.

  Richard continued to prod him during the ridiculous movie, a gag gift his baby brother gave him years before.

  Once it was over, he followed Janet up the stairs, never leaving her side.

  Inside her room, she stopped him at the door. “Stay.” She pointed to the space outside her room.

  She started to close the door, but Max moved to follow her in.

  “I said, stay.” She pushed him back.

  He let out a yip and bolted between her legs and into the room.

  “You can’t be in here.”

  She bent down and tried to move him, but instead of budging, he smeared her face with his tongue.

  Janet laughed and wiped her face clean. “Aren’t you supposed to be loyal to your master? That would be Max, not me.”

  Max lay down, put his head on his paws, and settled in for the night.

  “Oh, whatever.” Janet tugged her shirt from her pants and started undoing the buttons. She walked into the bathroom and ran the water in the sink.

  Unable to stop himself, Max moved in closer to get a better view. She tugged the shirt off her shoulders, under was a black lacy bra, her creamy breasts heaved over the top of the thin material.

  He watched her brush her teeth and hair, completely oblivious to his presence. She peeled off her jeans and kicked them clear of her feet.

  Dear God, her panties matched. He felt the growl in the pit of his stomach and couldn’t control his reaction. She cocked her head to one side. “Okay, out with you,” she waved him away before shutting the door in his face.

  Just as well, I can’t do anything until I’m human again anyway.

  ****

  Max slept off and on during the night, confident that any alarm raised would bring him around. He heard nothing of Gorman, or any of his pack in the distance. Most full moons Max spent his time watching out for Gorman, or others like him. Werewolves who prowled every month, turning innocent people into more like them.

  Gorman and his like were what gave werewolves their Hollywood name. Vicious, blood-thirsty animals that either ate their prey or turned them for the purpose of mating or controlling.

  Like any species of animal, or humans for that matter, there were good and bad amongst them. Max’s family had werewolf blood in their veins for centuries. They considered themselves defenders, vigilantes of the full moon. They never turned another without their express permission. Even Max had been given the choice. He exercised it when his father had become ill, and a pack had invaded his childhood neighborhood. Max watched as one of his best friends was turned. The power of the change did more than shift his form each month; it changed his personality. He killed others instead of protecting. It was as if the werewolf who turned him injected evil with his bite.

  Unfortunately, without the power of the change, Max was unable to hunt down and find the werewolves who killed. But with heightened senses, the task proved easy. He hunted during the full moon to find his prey. With their identity confirmed, Max followed in his human form, often finding them in illegal acts. A simple phone call to the police led them to the renegade were’s location.

  A few times, he attacked the enemy in wolf form, sometimes causing their death. But that was risky, and not something Max would do unless he was left with no other choice.

  Gorman was slick. Max had been following him for three months. Unfortunately, Max couldn’t find anything on him, and the time to fight him soon approached. Now that he had his sights on Janet, Max was left with little choice.

  Janet was his. He placed his head on her thigh and closed his eyes. She didn’t know it yet, but she was his.

  Chapter Five

  The sun’s glaring rays through the window woke her. A few minutes passed before Janet remembered where she was. When she did, she
glanced around the room for Rex. But he was gone.

  She noticed the door to her room slightly open and assumed someone heard him and let him out. His presence in the room had kept her calm after she realized she wasn’t going into anaphylactic shock by being in his presence.

  Janet made her way to the shower and wondered if Max had made it home.

  Max’s kitchen was enormous like his house. But it lacked in supplies. Janet found what she needed for coffee and started a pot. She rummaged through the maple cupboards and subzero refrigerator, found a loaf of bread and some eggs. Her mouth watered with the thought of French toast.

  On her second cup of coffee, Max sauntered in the room.

  “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  He smirked and leaned over the stove where the bread was sizzling in the pan. “I could think of worse ways to wake up. Smells good.”

  “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

  “Not as long as there’s enough for two.”

  Janet removed another plate from the cupboard. “Isn’t your brother going to eat?”

  “I sent Richard home when I came home.”

  “Oh, what time was that? I didn’t hear you.”

  He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned on the counter. “A few hours ago.”

  Janet watched him stir cream into his coffee. He appeared rested. He was probably used to working late, like her. It was amazing how little sleep you needed, as long as it was at night.

  Janet went back to cooking. “Where’s Rex?”

  “Who?”

  “Your dog, Rex? Why didn’t you tell me you had a dog?”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  “True.” She dished him up a plate and turned off the stove. “Where is he?”

  “Rex? Oh, ah, I had Richard take him for the day. I didn’t know you were allergic to dogs.”

  “Not yours, apparently.” She poured a glass of milk, held it out to Max who indicated he would take some too. “I don’t understand why Rex doesn’t bother me. I’ve always been so sensitive to dogs.”

  Max didn’t comment. His smile crept into his face much like a boy with a secret, the glee in his eyes made her wonder what he was thinking.

  “Maybe it’s because he’s a wolf.”

  “I guess. Crazy though, I can’t even walk by the Dingo’s at the zoo. I’ll have to ask one of the doctors at work why when I go in again.”

  Max pulled a chair out when she sat down. “When do you go back to work?”

  “Tuesday. What about you?”

  He watched her eat, his expression unreadable. “I might have to go back tonight, it depends.”

  She wanted to question what he did, but didn’t know if it was her place. She had known the man a little over twenty-four hours and yet she slept in his home, made herself comfortable in his kitchen and met his family. She didn’t think prying into his life more was wise. Funny, yesterday she quizzed him relentlessly on his naked and unconscious state. Today she could care less.

  “What is going on in that pretty little mind of yours?” Max had stopped eating and studied her.

  “Nothing.”

  “Oh, I doubt that.”

  “All right, I was thinking about how long we’ve known each other.”

  His lip turned up, “And...”

  “And... how much I feel I know you.”

  Max put his fork down and laced his fingers with hers. “I thought the very same thing about you all night long.”

  “Really?”

  His eyes did the swirly thing again, like a hidden signal of desire only she could see.

  “Really!”

  Little beads of sweat formed on her brow. She fanned her shirt away from her body searching for a breeze. But she knew it was the way he looked at her that made the temperature rise. She remembered his naked body lying on the gurney and suddenly the temperature soared in the room.

  “What’s the matter, Janet? You look a little flush.”

  “I do?” she gasped.

  “Like maybe you need to lie down.” He placed a playful smile on his face and put the back of his hand to her forehead as if checking her temperature.

  “But I just woke up. I’m not tired.” And where did the breathy voice come from?

  His body was inches from hers, his eyes searching. “You don’t have to be tired to go to bed.”

  “No, I suppose you’re right.” She licked her bottom lip. “There are plenty of things to do in bed when you’re not tired.”

  “Plenty,” he agreed.

  He moved in more, but damn it, he wasn’t kissing her. “Max?”

  “Yes.”

  “Can you stop talking and kiss me already?”

  Like two single flames, they came together as one bright fire. Every part of her body tingled in response to his lips on hers. His hands caught her head as he plunged into her mouth, desire, red-hot and willing, soared through her.

  Sitting on a kitchen chair proved awkward, Janet tried moving closer and almost fell in her effort.

  Max urged her to her feet where at least she could feel his frame against hers. She tugged at his shirt, reaching to feel his skin beneath. He, too, pulled at her clothes. He leaned back briefly and surveyed the room.

  “Not here, not the kitchen.”

  Janet remembered his butler and shook her head. The last thing she wanted was an interruption.

  He dragged her from the room and up the stairs. Hand in hand they tumbled into his bedroom, slamming the door behind them. He gathered her back into his arms the second the door clicked.

  Janet scrambled with his clothes.

  Max pushed her toward his bed. She fell back with part of his shirt clasped in her hands.

  “Take this off,” she pleaded.

  He chuckled and did as she asked. In turn, Janet removed hers.

  “You are so beautiful,” he told her before stretching out on the bed beside her.

  “Show me.”

  His smoky eyes simmered before he bent to kiss her again. “I plan on it.”

  He pushed her hair back, and made passionate love to her neck, moving down to her shoulders. His fingers drew circles over her skin, and dipped under the lace of her bra.

  Her hands explored every muscle on his broad chest while he worked the fabric off her body. Once free, her breasts reached out for him to taste, to savor. And thankfully, he did just that.

  She was utterly explosive and passionate. Max felt like the luckiest man in the world. The small pink buds of her breasts hardened with the slight breath he blew on them. When he took one tip in his mouth, her moan set him trembling.

  He’d made love to many women, but had he actually trembled before? Shuddered during orgasm, yes... but small anticipatory tremors before he buried himself deep inside, no.

  This was his soul mate, and this was how making love was supposed to be. She felt it too, he could tell. Everywhere he touched, she responded. Every kiss was earth shattering.

  He wanted to take her hard and fast, but there was no way he would rush this moment. A lifetime he waited for a lover such as her, and now she was here. His.

  Reaching for the layer of her jeans, he slipped his fingers over the zipper. Her hips moved, giving him room to remove the offending clothing. Lace panties, similar to what he saw her in the night before kept her most private parts hidden. But he could almost taste her desire, pheromones filled the room, his and hers. Their scent together intoxicated him.

  She kicked free of her pants while he explored her stomach with his tongue, his hand followed the curve of her hip which arched in offering to him. He let his hand linger on her thigh until she opened for him. A slight resistance came when he dipped his head lower.

  She eased back. Her eyes remained closed as he stroked his fingers over the thin material before removing it. Soft blonde curls covered her core. He smiled knowing she wasn’t a bottle blonde after all. No, there was nothing fake about this woman.

  His woman!

  Her hands tried tu
gging him up and away from her, but he wouldn’t have it. He needed to taste her. He kissed the inside of her thigh, the higher he moved the more she tugged him away. “Let me, Janet,” he told her, coaxing her thighs apart.

  She stared at him, eyes wide with passion. “I’ve never, no one has ever.”

  Smiling in surprise, he ogled at what he had every intention of having. “No one has done this to you before?”

  “No, not that. Sex yes, but not...”

  Max smiled in triumph, he’d had no illusions about her being a virgin, but to know he would give her a pleasure no one had given before gave making love to her a new light. Like a child staring at a massive birthday cake, Max could hardly wait to dig in.

  Without asking, he stroked up one side of her folds with one long lap of his tongue. She groaned. Her head fell back on the bed.

  He slid one finger into her moist heat. God, she was so ready, so hot. Max worried he would lose control.

  Closer, he spread her open for his tongue to explore, to love. He found her sensitive nub and sucked it into his mouth. Her moan had him glancing up. Her arms stretched over her head, her hands held on to the post of his bed.

  He dug in again this time moving back and forth until he felt her body rising to meet him.

  “Oh, my...” he heard her cry. He stopped briefly to watch but her hands flew to his head guiding him back. “Don’t stop, please, Max.”

  He gave in to her demands and continued the gentle pulls of her sex with his mouth until he felt her stiffen. Moving faster, he relished her release as if it was his own. Her cries came, not in hushed whispers but roars and groans. She shuddered all around him, giving him the gift of knowing he was the only one to have her in this way.

  Max’s erection throbbed for release. He crawled up her body. Her smile gave him such pleasure.

  “I had no idea it would be so amazing.”

  “The men in your life were selfish.”

  Her hands reached for him, stroked his length outside his jeans. “You’re ruining me for anyone else.”

  “That’s the idea,” he said before taking her lips to his.

  He helped her remove his pants. When she closed her hands around him, his moan rumbled deep within the back of his throat. “I can’t hold back much longer,” he groaned in her ear.