by Lacey Thorn
“Hate to break it to you, brother, but you’re failing there. I watched you all day. Every time she was near, you touched her. Her arm, the small of her back, her cheek. Running your hand over her hair. We all noticed it,” Jensen warned him.
“There’s something there, Jensen. I know it. She’s my mate. I swear to you, if another man showed up tomorrow and tried to take her from me, I’d probably kill him.”
“Jesus, Laramie. What about Malachi? She’s here with his daughter.”
“I know,” Laramie agreed. “But the scent on her isn’t from him. It’s from Ruby.”
“Are you sure about that?” Jensen probed.
Laramie lifted a brow and nodded toward the washcloth Jensen held. “Other than the fact I took her virginity tonight?”
“Shit,” Jensen muttered, shaking his head. “I forgot. Listen, if you really think there’s something going on, I’d have better luck tracking it down if she gave me a sample of blood. Send her to the lab tomorrow.”
Laramie shook his head. “She won’t. She’s already said that remember. When she refused to let you look at either her or Ruby.”
“That’s right,” Jensen conceded. “What are you thinking?”
“She’s hiding something,” Laramie murmured.
“If you think she’s dangerous—” Jensen began, but Laramie cut him off with a shake of his head.
“I’m more worried she might be in danger,” Laramie confessed.
Jensen’s gaze narrowed on the closed cabin door.
“When she approached me to begin with, she asked me if I’d protect her,” Laramie told him.
“From what?” Jensen asked.
“She didn’t go into detail. Just that Malachi was chasing something down and asked her to bring Ruby here, to us.”
“We need to find out what the hell is going on,” Jensen muttered. “First, our den was attacked. Then, this den in Washington. What was there to gain? I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Neither do I,” Laramie agreed. “We’ll talk in the morning. I promise. First, I need to get Emersyn into the house without anyone waking up and interfering. Hell, I’d prefer they not even know until I have her locked down.”
“The whole family sleeps in the same wing as you, Laramie,” Jensen warned. “You can’t take her to your bed without everyone knowing. That includes Malachi’s sisters and the female shifters who expect you to pick one of them as a mate.”
“Not happening,” Laramie snarled.
“Whoa, easy there.” Jensen’s gaze narrowed on him. “I want a vial of your blood. Now.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ve never seen you like this. You’re always in control of your bear. Just now, I swear your bear was ready to burst out of your skin and take me out. Something’s definitely off. If she’s drugged in some way and you’ve ingested her blood, I might have a better chance of finding the anomaly in you.”
Laramie nodded. “Grab what you need and meet me at the house.”
“No. Chances of you making it to the house without waking Emersyn are slim. I’ll run to the lab and be right back.” Jensen grabbed Laramie’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “We’ll figure this out. Promise.”
“She’s my mate,” Laramie said again, not even trying to control the possessive growl that rose from his chest.
“We’ll figure it out,” Jensen repeated, concern clear in his gaze. “I’ll be right back.”
Laramie waited outside until Jensen returned. His brother was quick, and Laramie could tell by the look in his eyes he’d be up for the rest of the night working on the blood samples. Hell, Jensen was already going over tests in his head by the time he’d finished poking and prodding Laramie. His brother had even taken a swab of his cheek. For what, Laramie had no idea. He’d been in the middle of asking when Jensen had turned and walked off.
As soon as Laramie walked back into the cabin, he reached for the button of his jeans and started shedding them as he crossed the room. They had time. He wanted to hold her. He wouldn’t say no if she awoke and wanted to make love again, but he’d be content to press her body close and breathe her in. He carefully lifted the covers and slid in beside Emersyn. She made a throaty sound as she wrapped around him, one arm over his chest, palm resting against his heart, a leg thrown over his hips, knee riding high on his stomach. His cock rose to kiss the inside of her thigh.
He slid one arm under her, curving it around her back to press her even closer. Her breasts pressed into him, her nipples pebbling either from the slight chill in the air or from him. He wanted to believe it was him.
“You planning to use that?” Pale, blue eyes blinked up at him while she slid a palm along his shaft, rubbing her thumb over the head and giving it a squeeze.
“I thought you were sleeping,” he murmured, reaching down to cup her ass and give it a pat.
She took the invite and crawled atop him, sitting astride his thighs, gaze firmly planted on his straining cock.
“I want to taste you.” She licked her lips, ripping a groan from him.
“Yes,” he agreed.
She grinned as she wormed her way down his body until she’d pushed his thighs wide and sprawled between them. She gripped his cock with both hands and tilted it toward her, blowing a puff of air across the leaking tip. He shuddered at the heat of her breath, the promise of what was to come. She flicked her tongue out and slid it along the ridge where the glans crowned over the shaft.
“Fuck, yes,” he hissed, clenching his hands in the covers to prevent himself from grabbing her and fucking her mouth.
“Mmm,” she hummed and took the head in her mouth, running her tongue over the slit while she sucked lightly at him.
He let her play, let her explore until a light sheen of sweat covered his body from the fight he waged to lie still and leave her in control. She’d suck him in as far as she could, bob up and down for a moment, then release him with a pop to suck and lick all along the shaft. She even teased his scrotum, rubbing it with her tongue and giving him soft sucks on the taut skin. When he couldn’t take any more, he grabbed her under the arms and pulled her up, flipping her to her back.
He caught her cry of dismay in his mouth and moved his fingers between her thighs to see how wet she was. Emersyn was drenched. Fuck! He thrust two fingers inside and used his thumb to rub back and forth over her clitoris. She made needy sounds in her throat that turned him on and clenched her fingers into his shoulders. When neither of them could take any more foreplay, he covered her, guiding his cock home and filling her with one hard thrust.
She met him thrust for thrust, not what he’d expected from a newly initiated lover. Her passion matched his. They clung, coming together in a clash of bodies, breaths panting, sweat dripping. It bordered too close to rough, and come morning, they’d both bear the marks of the night. He brought her to orgasm twice before letting himself give in. Her name was a guttural cry pulled from his soul as he filled her with his seed.
Still, he fucked her. He turned them and guided her until she sat astride him again. This time, with his cock buried deep. He helped her find her rhythm then let his attention switch to her magnificent breasts. The woman was well-endowed. He plucked and pinched her nipples, tugging them before leaning up to suckle at her. Back and forth, he went until she cried out, her cream coating his shaft and dripping down to drench his balls.
She collapsed on top of him, and he rearranged them again, sliding her onto her belly on the bed. He grasped a pillow and wedged it under her stomach, pulling her to her knees as he moved into place behind her. Her ass was as gorgeous as her chest, and as he slipped his cock back inside her, he imagined taking her there.
He held onto her hips, keeping her on her knees while he pounded into her. Her cries were dampened by another pillow and the covers as she rolled her head back and forth. Pleasure. All he heard was how much she enjoyed every touch. More and yes interspersed with his name. He made her
come again, felt her tighten down like a vise before going liquid around him. Only then did he allow himself to fill her up with his cum again. He held his cock buried deep while jets of his semen spilled from the tip of his dick. And still, he wanted her. Still, he stayed hard.
It made no sense. He should have been more than satisfied. Instead, he was like a beast in a mating frenzy. It was as if he couldn’t mark her enough, couldn’t coat her enough in him to satisfy the beast within him.
He should have taken her to the house as he’d intended. Instead, they stayed in the cabin, reaching for each other several more times during the night. And when morning came, so did he, with her lips wrapped around his cock, swallowing every drop he gave her.
Chapter Nine
The sun was just rising when Emersyn and Laramie sneaked into the main house. Or at least, she tried to sneak. He had no such inclination. She wanted a shower, though she doubted it would wash away the night of debauchery she’d indulged in with him. It had been easy to forget the rest of the world when they’d been alone together, but with the sunrise, came the call of reality.
She’d left Ruby alone all night. Not alone exactly, but Emersyn hadn’t been there. What if Ruby had asked for her? Needed her? What if someone had come to get her and overheard her with Laramie instead? She’d never been so irresponsible and self-indulgent in her life.
She was deep in her self-recrimination and didn’t pay attention to where she was going until Laramie shut the door to his bedroom behind her. He immediately put a finger to his lips and pointed toward the bed. Ruby lay on her side, curled in the middle of his bed. Xandra sat in a chair in the corner, feet curled under her, head leaning to the left.
Emersyn immediately headed toward Ruby, tugging the covers up around her and brushing curls off her forehead.
“She came looking for you a few hours ago,” Xandra said behind her, but Emersyn refused to turn and see the censure she heard in the other woman’s voice. “I thought she might panic when she couldn’t find you, but she jumped up into Laramie’s bed, crawled under the covers, and fell asleep almost instantly.”
“Thanks for watching over her,” Emersyn whispered.
“Someone had to,” Xandra stated.
“Xandra.” There was warning in Laramie’s tone.
“I don’t know what you are to my brother, but I do know what you mean to my niece. Maybe, you need to remember that,” Xandra muttered.
“Enough,” Laramie snapped before Emersyn could say anything. “You overstep yourself, little sister. I think it’s best if you leave.”
Emersyn turned in time to see the cold look Xandra sent their way. Her words were a reminder of what couldn’t be, of what Emersyn couldn’t allow.
“There are four women in this house who think they might be your mate,” Xandra reminded. “Maybe, you should remember that before you go parading her around or coating her in your scent.”
A growl rumbled from Laramie’s chest, and Emersyn stood quickly, planting herself between him and the other woman.
“Laramie, enough,” she told him firmly, keeping her voice soft and low. Then she turned her attention to Xandra. “Laramie’s correct. You do overstep yourself. You don’t know who I am. Period. So don’t make the mistake of thinking you can judge me. I’m the woman your brother trusts with the life of his daughter, and believe me, when I say that’s not something I take lightly. Despite what you currently think, I don’t owe you any explanations. Neither does your alpha.”
“If you think—”
“You can leave now,” Emersyn said, interrupting Xandra.
She turned her back and walked back to the bed, ignoring both Laramie and Xandra. She didn’t move when she heard the door open and shut behind her, but she knew Xandra had left and the moment Laramie stepped toward her.
“Don’t.” She never shifted her attention from Ruby. It had strayed too long as it was. “I need a shower, then I’d like to crawl in with Ruby for a few hours of sleep. It looks as if we’ll be stealing your bed again for a little bit, but you can show us to a different room later today.”
“Em.”
She shook her head. “Not right now. I’d like to be alone with my little girl, Alpha Holloway.” She recognized her words for what they were. An attempt to put distance between her and Laramie. Malachi had warned her to be on her guard, but she’d taken one look at Laramie and lost her damn mind. Enough. She needed to pull herself together and remember why she was here. Not to sleep with Laramie, but to protect Ruby.
A hard hand gripped her hair and tugged her head back. The look on his face was one of controlled anger with an edge of lust. After the night they’d spent, it seemed impossible that desire would still be so thick between them, but it was. He lowered his face to hers and took her mouth in a forceful kiss. She wondered if it was to remind her he was alpha or of the passion they shared. Perhaps both. When he lifted his head, dark blue eyes sizzled fire as they stared at her.
“You can have my bed as long as you want,” he told her softly, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip. Then he tapped it and turned, shutting the door and leaving the room without another word.
She moved to the bathroom on autopilot. She knew what he meant. There was no way to misinterpret his words. But she wasn’t naïve enough to believe she could hide from him forever. Remaining with him, would mean sharing the truth with him. If he thought his pack had been hunted and attacked before, that would be nothing compared to what would happen if she let him know what she was. His family would know. And eventually, no matter how quiet they tried to keep it, word would spread. The rumor would be enticing enough to call forth hunters with one goal in mind. Capture the last female Kodiak. Dead or alive.
Laramie would die. She had no doubt that would be the only way she’d be taken. His family would die. Ruby. Emersyn shuddered as she stepped under the hot spray. She’d never let anything hurt Ruby. Slowly, she sank to the shower floor, wrapping her arms around her knees and crying softly. She’d never felt so surrounded by people, yet so alone.
She missed her father with a vengeance. His easy smile and booming laugh. The way his face lit up whenever she was near. He’d loved her with every fiber of his being. Had protected her with everything he was. Then he’d been taken from her in the blink of an eye.
The same with Amber. God, the plans they’d had for Ruby before she was even born. Amber had been more than a cousin. She’d been Emersyn’s best friend, a sister in every way that mattered. And she’d died, alone, after cutting her own child from her womb to make sure Ruby lived.
In the aftermath, it had been Emersyn, Ruby, and Malachi. She and Malachi had both been the walking dead who had slowly come back to life because of one special little girl. Once again, Emersyn wondered what it was that had compelled Malachi to send her to the Holloways with Ruby while he looked into a hunch he couldn’t shake. She knew there was more to it than that, but Malachi had been closed lipped, pushing her to put Ruby first, playing on her love for their little girl. She didn’t think either of them could have foreseen how things would play out once she arrived.
The shower door opened, and Emersyn quickly wiped her eyes as she surged to her feet. He had her against him in the next instant. Tugging her to his chest and holding her tight.
“Your tears are killing me, baby,” Laramie soothed, one big hand running up and down her spine. “Tell me what’s wrong, and I’ll make it better. I promise.”
She shook her head where it rested against him, trying unsuccessfully to stem the flow. It was as if his touch had released a dam, and she sobbed against him. Other than the day she’d lost her father and Amber, she hadn’t cried. She’d bottled up everything inside, concentrating on Ruby, staying strong for Malachi, appearing every bit the alpha’s daughter she was. For years, she’d denied herself the need to grieve. Why was it suddenly demanding release?
Laramie held her through it all. She’d expected him to kiss her, to turn things into sex
, giving her another way to release the torment ripping through her. Instead, he held her then washed her from head to toe before quickly scrubbing himself clean. The entire time, he crooned to her. Then he carried her into the other room and tucked her into his bed with Ruby, leaving her with a kiss on the brow. She watched him pull on clothes before glancing her way then slipping out the door.
Ruby snuggled close to her, burying her nose in Emersyn’s throat. Em wrapped her arms around her little girl and breathed her in. With Laramie’s scent surrounding them, and Ruby tucked tightly against her, Emersyn finally fell asleep.
* * * *
Laramie’s temper seethed as he headed above stairs. It killed him to see Emersyn as torn apart as she’d been. He still had no idea what had brought on the crying. It was easy to realize it wasn’t something she allowed herself to do often, if at all. The way she’d viciously swiped at her face, the way she’d bitten into her fist to try to stop the sobs. God, she’d ripped his heart out. Then when he’d tucked her into his bed next to Ruby, he’d wanted nothing more than to crawl in with her, to hold her next to him while she fell asleep. It had taken everything he had to turn, dress, and leave.
He headed straight to his office, knowing most of the house was still abed this early in the morning. He was lost in his head when Jensen burst in. His hair was mussed, his eyes tired, and his clothes rumpled. Laramie knew his brother had been up all night working on what Laramie had asked him to.
“I need more blood,” Jensen stated without preamble.
Laramie pushed up his sleeve.
“Not yours,” Jensen said with a shake of his head. “Hers. I’d like to test Ruby’s also, but I won’t push on that.”
“What did you find?” Laramie questioned.
“A whole lot of nothing at first. Then something. But so minute of a something I almost wonder if I found anything at all.”