by Bonnie Vanak
Cranked up from passion, Troy looked feral, taut with sexual need. She didn’t fear him. Not Troy, the wolf who craved her body and held her heart.
“I don’t need a bed. I have the sun as my candlelight and the earth as my bed, the way I want it. And you.” She kissed him again, pulling him down atop her.
This was real. This was life, not the bubble she’d encased over herself since her parents died. Since meeting Troy, her life had changed. Before Troy, it was day to day survival. He brought a spark back into her life, a sense of belonging. Now she needed skin to skin contact. Only with Troy.
His touch made her shiver with awareness. “Aren’t you wearing too many clothes?” he murmured.
Since the near rape in the alley, she seldom got naked in the wild, only briefly when she shifted from one form to the next. Times when she’d bathed in a river or creek, Troy always gave her privacy, turning his back and keeping guard on the shore.
Being nude in human skin meant being vulnerable. But this was Troy, who had saved her in the alley, who watched over her and would protect her with every last breath in his body.
At first, she fumbled with the buttons on her shirt. So much easier to shift into wolf than undress in front of him. Memories surged of the dark alley, the Skin who’d ripped her blouse, making her feel powerless and weak…
She stopped unbuttoning her blouse and dropped her gaze. Troy’s hand was on her chin.
“If you’re not ready for this, Jenny, tell me. I would never rush you. I want you badly, but I don’t want you scared.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “I could kill those Skins for trying to violate you in the alley. Remember, you’re strong, Jenny. Stronger than them. Stronger than me as well.”
She forced herself to relax. “It’s this process…”
“What if you shifted into a wolf and shifted back without clothing?”
The thought crossed her mind. Jenny smiled. “You read my mind.”
“We can both do it, if that helps.”
After living in the wild for two months together, shifting as wolves, the process came naturally. Jenny shifted into her wolf, feeling the rush that always accommodated the change, the thrill of power, the wash of senses sharpening.
Wagging her tail, she looked at Troy, now also in wolf form.
Troy shifted back first to Skin, and sat on the blanket fully nude. Still in wolf form, she stared at him, the scent of him flooding her nostrils. Such a magnificent male.
“Keep looking. You know you want to.” He patted the blanket. “But I’d rather you look at me while you’re in Skin as well.”
When she didn’t move, he lay flat, his belly and dangling bits exposed, the most vulnerable position for a wolf.
“You have the power, Jenny,” he said in his deep, seductive voice.
Jenny understood. Troy was fast, but the power was in her hands. Leisurely, he stretched out on the blanket, hooking his hands behind his back.
“Look all you want, sweetheart. Take your time. I’ll be ready when you are.”
Lean and wiry, he had a terrific chest with a faint covering of hair. Everything about him was perfect male beauty.
She glanced at the thick nest of black hair at his groin, and his impressive erection. Whoa. Long and thick, and eager for her.
She wanted to jump him, lick her way up his ridged abdomen, enjoying the taste of him beneath her exploring tongue, then kiss his mouth…and take his shaft inside her…
I can’t wait.
She shifted back. With the shift came the full kick of heated desire. Moisture flooded between her legs, preparing her to take him fully inside her. Troy sat up, his nostrils flaring.
“I smell your arousal,” he murmured, his pupils dilating.
Drawn to the admiration in his dark gaze, she resisted the temptation to cover her breasts with her hands. Troy didn’t want her with the same violence the Skins in the alley had expressed. That had been violence, and cruelty, the Skins need to overpower her.
Troy leaned close, kissed her. She closed her eyes, enjoying the slight pressure of his mouth, the little flicks of his tongue darting inside her mouth, a promise of what he’d do soon with his cock. She hooked her arms around his neck, drawing him closer.
Then she pulled away and pushed him downward. “I have to touch you.”
He obliged. The thought of this magnificent male under her power, hers to do with as she pleased, fed her confidence. He could easily overpower her, despite her magick. Troy was strong and fast, and for a moment she faltered.
But he looked at her with complete and utter trust. She began her exploration of his body.
She traced the knobs of his narrow hips, his flat stomach and then her hand shyly grasped the hard length of him rising from his groin. Troy gave a low moan as her fingers danced along the soft skin, the rigidness beneath.
“Does it hurt?” she asked.
His gaze burned into hers. “In a good way.”
Jenny kissed each ridge of muscle, lapped her tongue over his flat brown nipples and then licked her way downward to his erection.
Opening wide, she took him into her mouth, flicking her tongue over his penis, enjoying his deep moans of pleasure. She swirled her tongue around the crown, sucking deeply, tasting the little droplets moistening it. Troy groaned again as his cock pulsed inside the deep cavern of her mouth.
“Stop. You’ll make me come and it’s much too soon for that. My turn.”
Jenny pulled away, licking her lips. Quicker than she could blink, he sat up and pushed her flat to the blanket. “You feared Skins because of how they wanted to violate you as a woman. Relax sweetheart, and let me show you how this male cherishes you as a woman, and wants you to experience incredible pleasure in Skin.”
Jenny felt suffused with tremendous heat as he began to touch her, his gentle caress light and arousing. He took his time, leisurely exploring her body. She arched beneath his touch as Troy brushed his thumbs over her hardened nipples. When he bent his head and took one into his mouth, the warmth and the shocking sensation caused a whimper deep in her throat. Troy lapped his tongue, swirling it over the taut peak, then suckled her. She was growing hotter now, a fire stoking inside her as the sweet tension braced her body.
A strangled sob escaped her as he slid his hand between her legs and began to stroke her wet flesh. Moisture seeped out of her and she arched.
“Doesn’t it feel good?” he murmured. “I want to make you feel pleasure.”
Jenny clutched his shoulders, squeezing the hard muscles as he thumbed her center, flicking over it. Troy slipped a finger inside her, and her core squeezed around him.
He stroked and caressed, then circled her center. Shudders wracked her as Jenny cried out, caught in the grips of a climax.
“I want to watch you come.” More pressure to her clit and she bucked, whimpering, the tension exploding in her loins.
When she finally gathered her scrambled senses, Troy watched her through his hooded gaze. “Damn, I love that,” he murmured in his husky voice. “You’re so fucking beautiful when you come.”
He pushed her legs wide apart, exposing her fully to his hungry, hot gaze. His rigid cock, strong and thick, was ready to take her.
Barely had she caught her breath when he mounted her, nudging her trembling legs open with his.
Bracing his palms on either side of her, he held her gaze with a fierce intensity. “Look at me, Jenny. Only me.”
Troy lined his cock up against her soft, quivering center, then slowly began to push inside. Jenny felt tight and hot, the intruder sinking into her flesh.
Her core squeezed in resistance. Muscle and sinew in his shoulders tautened beneath the digging pressure of her fingertips. “Please Troy. Do it!”
His rich laugh, ringing with male satisfaction, washed over her sweating body. “All right,” he said, his eyes glittering like dark diamonds. “Look at me.”
As Jenny locked her gaze to his, he thrust past her barrier. A brief sting and
then he worked his cock in further. For a minute, it felt as if a steel pipe had invaded her body.
Holding himself above her, Troy looked down, concern in his eyes, now darkened by passion. “Are you all right?”
The momentary pain had fled. Nodding, she wriggled and cupped his muscled butt. “More,” she purred, barely recognizing her voice, deepened by need.
Troy pushed harder. She moaned and wrapped her legs around his pumping hips.
He thrust steadily, driving upward, slapping against her as harsh groans rumbled from his deep chest.
She panted, desperate for orgasm, desperate to reach the pinnacle of tension. The delicious friction built higher and higher as Troy’s flesh slapped against hers.
“Come for me, Jenny. Come for me!”
Unable to disobey that command, she cried out, orgasm washing over her as her body convulsed. Troy’s powerful body bucked against her, as he tossed his head back and climaxed with a rough shout of her name. Hot seed jettisoned inside her. And then his penis grew impossibly thicker, locking them together as her heart hammered a staccato beat.
The mating lock, how a male Lupine ensured his seed would stay deep inside and impregnate her.
Chest heaving, Troy leaned his forehead against hers. “Relax,” he murmured. “Just relax.”
They were sealed together, Troy’s penis pulsing inside her, still releasing his seed. Then she felt something else. Another climax hovered, and she surrendered to it, screaming and clawing at him.
Again.
Again.
Finally the spasms from his cock slowed, and with them, her orgasms. Jenny found her breath, unable to speak, unable to do anything except stare up at him in drugged lassitude as his penis softened and he pulled away. He collapsed atop her, and she welcomed his muscled weight.
Troy slid off her body, gathered her into his sweat-slicked arms, both of them spent. He tenderly stroked her hair, and kissed her temple.
“Damn, that was worth waiting for, Jenny. You were worth waiting for.”
For a few minutes they lay together, looking at the bright blue sky overhead, the sun dappling the pine and oak trees, listening to the song of the rushing river and the birds calling to each other from the treetops. She had never felt so exhilarated nor so content.
Then she raised herself on one elbow, her strength returning.
“That was wonderful.”
He smiled, playfully tugging at a lock of her hair. “Better than wonderful. That was just the first time, Jenny.”
“I know. How long before…”
Glancing down at his groin, she saw the answer. His penis was pulsing upward again, showing his eagerness all over again for her.
Troy’s smile widened. “Yes?”
“Let’s do it again.”
Troy couldn’t hold back this time.
The first time, he’d been gentle, not wanting to scare her. This time he had no control.
So beautiful, lying on the blanket, flushed with passion, her long hair spilling around her, her eyes so blue like the ocean. He could drown in her.
He hovered over her, sweat from his forehead dripping onto her bare breast. “You sure, Jenny? Because I don’t know if I can control myself.”
In answer, she hooked her legs around his hips. “Do it.”
Troy slid his cock between her legs, found that sweet wet spot of paradise that he’d dreamed about for weeks.
He nudged inside and her core encased his cock, squeezing it as he pushed deeper.
Jenny arched upward, making him penetrate deeper still.
Troy lost it.
He angled down, and she took more of his muscled weight, her arms hooking around his back, urging him on. Troy didn’t hold back. He thrust hard and deep, pushing her, pushing himself, grunting as he watched her beneath him. Jenny moaned, her gaze locked to his as they fucked. No, this wasn’t fucking like he’d done before meeting her with women who were happy to have him in their beds and didn’t’ care that he slipped away when the sun rose.
This was making love, their two souls tangling together, two lone wolves coming together in one flesh.
Impossible to keep this pace, because he felt the pressure rising, his climax hovering. Troy angled his cock to hit her secret spot, knowing it would push her over the edge as well. Jenny’s breaths increased and she arched upward, taking him all inside her. He could feel her quiver around his cock. So close…
As she opened her mouth and screamed his name, climaxing around his thrusting cock, he let go.
Flinging back his head, he shouted her name as his balls tightened and his seed shot out of his cock, flooding her passage, shooting deep inside her. He kept coming, each release making her orgasm again, a Lupine’s special secret.
Their cries echoed in the forest, drowning out the river’s roar.
Chapter 10
After a long swim in the river to refresh them, they walked back toward the lodge. Jenny felt different. It wasn’t merely the heated intensity between them, and the shift in their relationship from friends to lovers.
For the first time in her life, she felt comfortable in her own skin. Troy did that for her.
They decided to take the four-wheeler to explore the access road near the Timberline wolf pack. Scents abounded in these woods, a miasma of smells, along with a faint, but discernable, smell of metal shavings. The metal shavings scent bothered her the most. She’d never smelled anything like it, and her instinct warned it wasn’t natural.
Or benign.
All the previous contentment leeched out of her. She glanced at Troy, who frowned.
“Something’s not right here,” he said, his fingers tightened on the wheel.
“Let me check on the wolf pack.”
“I’ll go with you.”
But the female alpha and the pups were safe inside their den. They peered down to see her asleep with the pups, another wolf guarding the entrance. The wolf growled at them, and they retreated.
As they returned to the four-wheeler, Troy shook his head. “I don’t get it. The wolf pack is okay, but there’s something not right about this area. Are you able to detect anything with your magick?”
She shook her head. “I just want to get out of here.”
Finally they cleared the woods and entered the open pasture, much to her relief. He stopped, hooked an arm around her waist as they looked at the jagged mountains in the distance.
“So beautiful,” he murmured. “Serene.”
Troy glanced down at her.
“Do you think you’d like to remain here, Jenny? Because I like it here, the more time I spend.”
Staying here for good took a leap of faith. More like a canyon leap. Jenny didn’t want any of them getting close to her. Sam was right. She did push people away from her.
Those who did tended to get close lost their lives. It happened before, and she never wanted it to happen again.
Only Troy, stubborn, darling Troy, her best friend, refused to abandon her. She’d taken it one step further and made love with him. Sharing her body was one thing.
But sharing a life with him here?
She opted for caution. “It’s too soon to tell, Troy. But it is nice, all these surroundings. Beats sleeping on a forest floor.”
He laughed.
When they returned to the lodge, Troy put away the picnic items in the kitchen while she sat on the sofa, feeling her body sink into it as if it were a giant marshmallow. She ran her fingers across the tan leather, sighing wistfully at the butter softness beneath her touch.
Despite the July warmth, a fire crackled in the stone hearth. The Mitchell Ranch Lodge was warm, welcoming and dangerous. Filled with Lupines who would turn on her in a heartbeat if they saw her as a threat.
Troy came into the living and joined her, swung an arm around her shoulder. “Told you this place was all right.”
For a minute, she snuggled against him, unable to resist the temptation. Yeah, her resolve was melting like winter snow in Flo
rida. But for now, she enjoyed the closeness and the feeling of being home.
Even if this could never truly be her home.
Troy swept a hand across the air. “Everything here is something each Lupine in the pack contributed. Artwork, vases, lamps.”
She flicked a finger at a table lamp fashioned from deer antlers. “Trophy lamp from a hunt?”
He chuckled. “More likely something someone bought from the store.”
His laughter died as Aiden, Darius and Dale walked into the living room, the alpha looking serious and his head of security equally so. Immediately Troy sat up, withdrew his arm. Tension flickered through the air, despite the alpha’s smile for Jenny.
“What’s wrong?” Troy sat up straight, all alert. “I can see it in your faces.”
“We’re expecting a visitor. No ordinary visitor.” Dale studied the front door.
A knock at the door warned the visitor had arrived. Time for her to leave. But before she could jump to her feet, the sofa that ate you alive prohibited any kind of jumping, Dale was opening the front door. He ushered in a man of medium height, with wispy light brown hair and sharp brown eyes that had an odd gleam in them. The man was fidgeting as Dale offered a seat.
Judging from his scent, definitely human. Skin.
Aiden did not smile as he introduced the Skin as Professor Eric Perry, who taught at the college where Beth took classes. Unease tightened her stomach as she caught Troy growling low in his throat. So low no one could hear it.
No one other than a Lupine, anyway.
“I won’t take up your time. Thank you for seeing me.” The professor sat on a chair and leaned forward, legs splayed, quite comfortable despite the obvious hostility in the air. “As your wife told you, Mr. Mason, I’m part of a conservation group concerned with protecting endangered species, but also balancing that with protecting livestock on local ranches. Mr. Mitchell, since your spread is one of the largest in the state, and borders a forest where a known wolf pack lives, I want your permission to camp out on your land to study the wolves.”