Dark Wolf Rising (Heart of the Shifter) (4 page)

That was it. That had been his goal. To keep her alive. Simple. Straightforward.

But now that he was kissing her, the rest of his life, his grisly, shitty life, disappeared, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the emotions surging through him. She wasn't a mission. She was the person who'd stood by him, the one who'd given him a reason to stay alive when the shit had hit the fan so many years ago. And now, she was in his arms, kissing him back just as fervently as he was kissing her, accepting him completely, despite the years between them, and the hell they were facing.

She made him feel human again. She made him want to be human, to care, to be more than he was, to be the guy she'd once believed in. Hopelessly ensnared by his need for her, he growled low in this throat and angled his head, deepening the kiss, needing more of her.

Bryn's arms locked around his neck, and she leaned into him, her tongue dancing with his in a frantic tango of need, lust, and desire. His cock rock hard, Cash backed her against the side of the SUV, sandwiching her between his body and the cold steel. Her breasts were crushed against his chest, her stomach tight against his. She tasted incredible, a heady combination of temptress and an innocence that was long gone from his life. Her lips were softer than he could conceive of, her kisses a siren call that sent heat rushing directly to his groin.

He moved his right hand from her shoulder blades and slid it beneath the hem of her shirt, spreading his palm across her bare skin, beneath her tank top. Electricity seemed to leap between them, a desperate siren call that had been ignited the moment he'd felt her skin against his. She sucked in her breath, her fingers tightening in his hair as he moved his hand along her lower back, tracing the lines of her spine.

He was stunned by the softness of her skin. He'd forgotten what soft was, what it felt like to do something simply because it felt good. He slid his hand over her hip, across the roundness of her ass, and back up her spine, over all the curves that made her a woman, trying to learn every bit of her body.

A low sigh escaped her lips, a sigh of desire that fueled the fire already burning with him. He moved his hand along her ribs. She shifted restlessly as he cupped her breast, flicking his thumb over her taut nipple.

"Oh, God, Cash," she whispered into the kiss, tensing. "We can't do this." But she leaned into his touch, as if she needed him as much as he needed her. "They could be on us any second."

Shit. The pack. She was right. How had he forgotten? The kiss had swept everything else from his mind, literally consuming him. Swearing, he broke the kiss, but didn't let go of her. He just stared down into her face for a moment, memorizing the slope of her nose, the curve of her mouth, the thickness of her eyelashes. Regret filled him, a sadness he hadn't felt in a long time, a sense of loss for the years that he'd spent without her. "Damn," he said softly. "I think I missed you."

She laughed then, a laugh he remembered from a life that had once been his, her smile lighting up her face. He grinned, stupidly pleased that he could still make her smile, just like before. "Still a sweet-talker, I see," she teased. "You need to be, after disappearing on me like that."

His smile faded. "I'm sorry about that. I was trying to protect you."

"From what?"

He didn't answer. How could he tell her that he'd been trying to protect her from him? He didn't want her to know what he'd become.

She sighed, then touched his face, her fingers drifting gently over his cheek, as if to reassure herself he was really there. "It's good to see you, too, Cash. There's no one else quite like you."

"Is that good or bad?" He clasped her hand and pressed a kiss to her fingertips.

"Both, I expect," she replied, watching him, her face soft and vulnerable. "If I have to die tonight, I'm glad I got to see you first."

"Fuck that. You're not going to die tonight." He looked over his shoulder, reaching out with his mind to scan the night. It was quiet, empty of the energy signatures of his pack. "Let's get out of here." He began to step back, but when he saw her looking at him with her big blue eyes, something inside him shifted, a deep primal need to imprint on her, to claim her as his.

So, instead of stepping back, he hauled her against him and kissed her one more time, deep, hard, and relentless, not holding back, not hiding the fierceness that was a part of who he was. He needed her to see him for who he was, for what he was, to accept that he wasn't the kid she'd once known. He poured all he was into the kiss, not bothering to hide the raging, raw hunger that pulsed inside him, the one that her kiss had awakened.

She stiffened for a moment, and he knew she'd sensed the difference in the kiss. She knew she was in the arms of a predator, a lethal, dangerous monster. He waited, continuing his assault, his entire soul held in abeyance as he waited for her to decide how to respond.

It was a long, agonizing moment, and then she leaned into him and kissed him back, sinking her body against his once again, accepting the new side of him that he'd revealed to her. Satisfaction roared through him, and he wanted to howl with triumph. He wanted to drag her into his truck, and peel off the layers of clothing that kept them apart. He wanted to trail his mouth over every part of her body, discovering each curve and making it his. He wanted to bury himself inside her, and claim her as his own for all eternity.

His hands crept to her ass, dragging her against him. The kiss instantly turned carnal, so intense that he felt like his skin was going to turn to fire and incinerate them both—

An owl hooted in the distance, jerking him back to the present, and to the reality that they were in a vulnerable position, out in the open, with his pack potentially on their trail. Swearing, he broke the kiss and stepped back, breathing heavily. This time, he dropped his hands from her, unwilling to trust his self-control if he was touching her. Her face was flushed, her eyes wide as she stared at him, trying to catch her breath as well.

"We need to get you safe," he said, his voice rough.

"From you?" She raised an eyebrow as she said it, and he knew she was only partially kidding. Her question was far more accurate than she had any idea.

"Babe, there's no place you can go where you'll be safe from me, now that I've found you again." He pulled the door open and indicated the front seat. "Let's do this."

For a long moment, she didn't move, searching his face, as if trying to decide how to interpret his comment. Her cheeks were still flushed from the kiss, and he could scent her arousal, which was making his cock even harder. "Bryn, if you don't get in the truck," he said quietly, "I'm going to start kissing you again, and I'm not going to stop until we're both naked. This is not the time or the place for that, but I can't help myself when it comes to you. So, get in the truck, please."

Her eyes widened. "You mean that."

"I do." For a second, he wondered what he'd do if she refused to get in the truck. It would be typical Bryn to call him on his threat to see if he was bullshitting her. He could tell she was considering it. "Not this time, Bryn. There's too much at stake. Just get in."

Her gaze slid past him, into the darkness, and then she nodded. "Okay." She ducked past him and hoisted herself into the SUV. She swiftly climbed over to the passenger side, moving with the lithe grace she'd always had. He'd always found it captivating to watch how elegantly she moved, but now, it affected him on a whole new level.

Swearing, he followed her into the truck. By the time he was seated, she was already belted in, and looking down the dark road behind them. "I don't see anything," she said.

"I don't sense them," he agreed, as he adjusted his jeans, trying to make space for his rock-hard cock. He hadn't been this turned on in a long time, and despite the degree of his discomfort, it felt good, damn good. He'd forgotten how it felt to feel like he was alive.

Bryn noticed him adjusting himself, and her eyebrows went up. She didn't make a comment, but a small smile played at the corners of her mouth as she turned away to scan the road behind them.

He was pretty sure that smile was a good sign. A really good sign. It was time to get them off the road and back to the safety of his place, and not simply to escape the pack. He wanted a few moments with her, alone, with nothing but her to think about.

But right now, he had to get them to safety. His mind refocusing on their situation, he turned on the ignition, and the engine roared to life. "Hopefully Drake can intercept the pack and give us time." Drake was highly skilled at survival and deception. The only variable was whether he could find Damien and the pack in time.

Keeping his mind attuned to their surroundings, Cash pulled out onto the road again, shoving aside the fact that his cock and his subconscious were still fixated on the kiss and the feel of her body against his.

"Where are we going?" Bryn asked.

"I have a place where we can lay low." He noticed suddenly that she was bleeding through the comforter strips he'd bound around her arm. He nodded at her arm. "How bad is it?"

She shrugged. "It's fine. It doesn't hurt."

Her casualness made him grin. She'd always been tough, tough enough to keep up with him. Tough enough to ignore her own injuries when she shouldn't. A familiar sense of protectiveness surged through him, a need to keep her safe from her own refusal to take care of herself. "We need to stop first. You need to get treated."

She looked sharply at him. "At a hospital? Do you think that's safe?"

"No. It's not." He ground his jaw, trying to think of their best option. If Drake didn't intercept them, the pack would soon be searching for her, as would the cops. "I can take care of it. I just need to get some supplies."

"Okay. Sounds good." She smiled at him. "Thanks."

Her acceptance of his protection was automatic, reverting back to the trust they'd had so long ago. He liked that she still trusted him, despite all the time that had passed. The bond they'd had was still there...although it was different now. More powerful. More dangerous. More sensual.

She pressed her hand to her arm absently, as if she wasn't even aware she was in pain. "What's going on, Cash? Why were you there tonight? How do you know the pack? How is it that you showed up at my hotel room the night I was supposed to be murdered?"

And there it was. The questions he didn't want to answer. The truth wasn't something he wanted to share.

"Cash?"

He looked over at her, at the woman who had once been his best friend, his only friend. Her blue gaze was steady, her body relaxed as she let him escort her down the darkened road. Something shifted inside him, and he knew he wanted to tell her the truth. If anyone would believe him, it would be Bryn. If anyone would still be able to trust him after learning the truth, it would be Bryn.

But if there was anyone who could break his soul by deciding
not
to trust him upon hearing the truth…it would be Bryn.

He couldn't risk it.

HE NEVER ANSWERED her questions.

It was the first time he'd ever kept secrets from her, and it made Bryn uncomfortable. What was he hiding? Why didn't he trust her with the information?

"We're stopping here." Cash pulled into the parking lot of an all-night pharmacy a short while later, parking in a spot hidden in the dark shadows by the edge of the lot. Dawn was just starting to break across the sky, a faint glow in the night that was still dark and dangerous.

Bryn scanned the empty parking lot, her discomfort with Cash's evasiveness making the night seem even more threatening. The street lights left many pockets of darkness where someone, or something, could be lurking. "You think it's safe?"

"Yeah." He shifted into park, looking around as carefully as she was. "I can sense if my pack is near. We're okay."

She glanced over at him, and she saw the truth on his face. He'd never broken a promise he'd made to her, and she believed him again. Maybe he would hide secrets from her, but he wouldn't actually lie…she hoped. What choice did she have? She'd aligned herself with him, and she had no other options than to trust him. "Okay, let's go."

He caught her arm as she started to get out, his fingers sending heat spiraling through her, despite her rising tension. "We need to stay low profile in there. A romantic couple out for a good time, that no one will associate with you or me once word gets out that a key witness for the murder trial of the century has gone missing. Got it?"

She nodded. "I promise not to talk about how I sliced my arm open to get away from a pack of murderous wolf shifters."

He flashed her a grin. "Damn, woman. I forgot about your sense of humor. No one but you can find things to joke about when the situation is this ugly."

She shrugged, knowing that her humor had been her instinctive attempt to shake the tension trying to consume her. "I'm just talented that way, I guess."

"I guess." He held out his hand to help her out of the truck. "Let's do this, sweet lips."

She raised her eyebrows at him, irritation flooding her. "Sweet lips? Really? That endearment is not nearly as innocent now that you just blew my mind with that kiss. Plus, it's kind of sexist." But she put her hand in his, and her heart fluttered when his fingers closed around hers. She'd held his hand a hundred times in her life, but this time, it felt different. His hand was so much bigger than hers, and she could feel the calluses on his palms from a rough life.

Damn him. He was sending her emotions in so many different directions, she didn't know what to think.

He winked at her, that same wink that she'd always loved. "Sorry. You bring out the worst in me."

She laughed slightly, unable to keep her tension up in the face of his familiar wink. Despite the fact that he wasn't telling her everything, he was still Cash, and he'd saved her life. She took a deep breath, and relaxed slightly. "You know damn well that I am the only person in the world who brings out your good side." She stepped out of the truck, grimacing when her bare foot landed on a pebble, reminding her that she was wearing only her leggings and camisole. The pavement was cold and hard, and her feet were freezing almost immediately. It had been unseasonably warm for December in Seattle, but not warm enough to walk around in a camisole and bare feet. "I can't go in like this. I'm not even dressed."