FMR (16 page)

the living room and down the hallway.

"My room's more comfortable." He grinned, bumping the door

open with his hip.

Decorated in deep forest greens and ivory, the room was warm and

inviting. A vaguely familiar aroma greeted her senses when Ray

gently laid her down in the center of his large bed. She propped up on

her elbows and watched him switch on the CD player by the

nightstand.

The mellow harmonies of The Eagles'
Hotel California
filled the

room. Ray peeled off his shirt, revealing his hardened torso to her

eager gaze. With a quirky smile, he sank down onto the bed,

spreading his body over hers.

"Now, where was I?" he whispered in a low, husky voice.

"You were kissing my – " The words dissolved in her throat,

replaced by another low moan of pleasure when Ray's lips brushed her

neck with kisses.

"Oh, my God." She panted as a warm hand slid beneath her

sweater. Even though his palm was rough, his touch was silk, gliding

up her tummy to the lacy cups of her bra.

Her skin burned with heat while Ray deftly moved the lace aside,

freeing her pebble-hard nipples to his touch. Sinful sensations washed

through her body. He brought his lips back to hers for another

scorching kiss.

Ray felt the moon zinging through him. The
sithech
inside him

relished the sweet taste of her mouth. His body tingled with

excitement while his cock thickened in response, buried in his jeans.

A low growl escaped from back of his throat. Jac pulled away,

gazing up with a dazed smile. "Wow! You sure know how to kiss

with gusto," she teased, pressing her body against him.

"Say, why don't we lose these clothes? I'm smothering," Ray

suggested. If the truth be known, his skin itched, the
sithech
-blood

pumping through his veins.

He lifted up, giving her enough room to remove her sweater. As

she discarded it, his mouth watered at the sight of her breasts accented

by the thin, lacy bra.

"Here, let me help you," he offered. His nimble fingers reached

around, unhooking the bra.

Jac blushed as he peeled away the lacy material and tossed it aside.

"Damn, you're gorgeous!" Ray couldn't help himself. She licked her

lips with a nervous gesture of her tongue and pulled the tie from her

hair. He stifled a groan. His cock pressed tighter against the denim.

Whether she knew it or not, Jac was melting away every ounce of

his self-control.

Jac felt the intenseness of his gaze. It had been a long time since

anyone had looked at her with such blatant longing. Encircling her

arms around his shoulders, she drew him back to her. She wanted him

desperately with every fiber of her being.

Their lips met again with such heady sensations, Jac was

intoxicated. It was a kiss favored with cinnamon and passion. He

pulled his lips from hers and gazed down at her, lust shining in his

eyes. "Ah, this feels wonderful," he smiled.

Jac's eyes widened in disbelief. "Oh my!"

"What?" Ray's brows knitted together. His expression was tender,

yet perplexed.

But, for the life of her, she couldn't remember. "I-I just had a funny

sense of déjà vu."

"Déjà vu?" He grinned.

Her cheeks warmed with embarrassment. "Never mind," she shook

her head, then lowered a hand to the fly of his denim jeans. "Now,

where were we?"

She loved the way Ray closed his eyes, surrendering to her touch as

she unfastened his pants and slowly slid the zipper down. His musky

scent filled her senses, quickly dissipating the nagging feeling in the

back of her mind.

It was her turn. She gave him a hand, tugging down the jeans from

his waist. As she tossed the denim aside, revealing his stiff cock to

her gaze. She flashed him a wicked grin. For a moment, she could

have sworn he blushed.

"Are you modest, Ray? Surely not," she teased, reaching over and

stroking over the length of his cock with a light brush of her hand.

Ray quivered at her touch. He let out another low, ragged groan. A

groan of pure pleasure.

"You're making me crazy." He opened his eyes. They were dark

and hooded with passion. He reached for the fastenings of her jeans.

"I want you sooo bad."

"Same here." Her body was heavy with lusty heat. It mingled with

the strange, impulsive desire to jump his bones.

As soon as he peeled off her jeans, the scent of her arousal filled the

room. Moisture tickled between her legs. She lay back on the soft

mattress and swiftly wiggled out of her panties.

Jac beckoned him closer with a crooked finger. "Come here."

Ray had never witnessed a more beautiful and inviting sight. A

woman who desired him as much as he did her. Mixed emotions

flooded through him, along with the heat of the moon. Like a giant

magnifier, the power of the moon was amplifying his feelings for Jac

Hamilton.

Her musky aroma and willing demeanor was acting like an

aphrodisiac, overpowering his self-control. He was hard, his body

aching from head to toe. The
sithech
-blood pumped with intensity

through his veins.

Ray quickly rose from the bed and stood over her. He gritted his

teeth, balling his fists at his sides as he willed to control the
sithech

inside him.

"What's wrong?" She angled her head, gazing up at him with a

perplexed expression. "Do you need a condom? I have some in my–"

"No. No, that's not it." He shook his head.

Jac rose gracefully from the bed. The sight of her luscious curves

was wreaking havoc on him while she stood in front of him.

She snaked her arms around his shoulders. The softness of her

belly pressed erotically against his cock. She leaned closer. "I haven't

felt this way in a long time, about anybody. You're special, Ray.

There's something about you that makes me feel ... "

Her silken voice trailed off. However, the look in her eyes pierced

his heart. Ray inhaled sharply. His senses were overloaded with

lunar-induced desire. She caught him off-guard, assaulting his mouth

with a hungry kiss.

Heat shot up, flaring between their naked bodies.
Ah shit! No!
Ray

quickly grasped Jac's shoulders and pulled her away from him.

"Back away," he snapped. "Back away, now, Jac!"

His skin began to itch. He was powerless to stop the

metamorphosis. The last thing he saw was the hurt on her face. His

shape rapidly began to change form. It happened.

Jac fell back onto the bed with a shrill, startled cry. A large, jet-

black wolf was standing in the spot where Ray had been. Her heart

raced in her chest. She scrambled back on the mattress, clutching a

loose sheet to her chest.

"Oh, my God!" She gasped, not taking her eyes off the wolf.

Shock and fear coiled in her stomach.

The wolf's ears flattened against his head. He tucked his tail

between his legs when his dark gaze met hers.

The creature's eyes were familiar. A shiver went down her spine.

"R-ray? Is that you?" she stammered.

The wolf gave a pitiful whimper and then turned, bolting from the

room.

Jac leapt to her feet, wrapping the sheet around her before she

scrambled after him. Her fear evaporated, she raced down the

hallway toward the kitchen.

Her only concern was Ray.

"Ray! Come back!"

When she reached the kitchen, her heart sank in her chest. The

doggie door was slapping to and fro. He'd escaped outside. She

flipped the latched, pulling open the backdoor.

Jac called out again, stepping out onto the frigid porch, but was

only met with silence. A trail of paw prints marked the snow-covered

yard which lead out to a large expanse of wooded glade.

"Damn it," she cursed as the biting cold permeated the thin sheet.

Stepping back inside, she slammed the door. Her legs wobbled

beneath her. Pulling out a chair, she sank down at the kitchen table as

the initial wave of shock hit her.

Ray McShaw was a wolf.

Jac palmed her face, her mind racing.
What the hell just happened?

It was like an episode of
The X-Files
– with her in the starring role.

She drew a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Pull yourself together.

Then again, it's not every day a handsome man morphs into a wolf

before my eyes!

A chill passed over her. She stood and headed toward the bedroom.

With trembling hands, she picked up her clothes scattered about the

room, putting put them back on to ward off the cold.

Her organized, ordinary world had been turned upside down.

* * * *

dampness which clung to his fur. His mind was elsewhere. He'd

heard Jac calling out to him when he dashed out of the house, putting

a safe distance between him and her.

His heart ached recalling her fear. It was his fault. He was unable

to control the
sithech
. He had got caught up in the full moon fever ...

and it left him stunned and changed.

Cursing the
sithech
-blood which ran through his veins, he slowed

his pace. Sunlight shone through the clouds, but gave little warmth to

the snow-covered glade. His wolf senses were alive, picking up on

the wildlife in the area. Ray was not interested. He was distraught.

His loss of control had revealed his secret to Jac. And, more than

likely, had frightened her away.

He knew he'd have to return home once he changed back into

human form. Being nude out in the snow was not a good idea.
But,

will Jac still be there?
He wondered.
It won't surprise me if she's

already grabbed the truck keys and headed back to town.

If she was still there, then he would have a lot of explaining to do.

It was something he didn't look forward to. Being
sithech
was

difficult enough. Ray realized that revealing it to Jac, who was both

human and a reporter, would be like climbing Mount Everest in a

blizzard.

Settling down beneath a pine tree, Ray decided to rest until the

fever simmered down in his veins. All he could do right now was be

patient and wait it out.

* * * *

Jac wanted to talk to someone, anyone. The silence in the house,

combined with the questions running through her head, were enough

to make her crazy. She stepped to the bay window and glanced out.

Her heart sank in her chest. There was still no sign of Ray.

The shrill whistle of the tea kettle jolted her. She headed to the

kitchen, eager for a soothing hot cup of chamomile to ease her nerves.

Too bad it's not vervain tea,
she mused with a thin smile. She poured

the hot water into the cup, inhaling the aroma that scented the air.

But,
she recalled,
at least chamomile tastes better.
Picking up the

steaming cup, she walked back into the living room, sinking down

onto the sofa. She was worried about Ray. He'd been gone for over

an hour. Jac spotted the cordless phone on the coffee table. She

reached over and picked it up.
I should call someone, but whom?

Jac yelped with surprise as the phone rang in her hand. "Oh man!"

Her heart beat a rapid tattoo as she glanced at the caller ID. 'Meg'

showed up on the tiny display. Without hesitating, Jac quickly

depressed the button.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jac. It's Megan," A familiar voice came through the receiver.

"May I please speak to Ray?"

"Uh, Ray? He's not here." Jac's heart was still thumping in her chest

as she rose, pacing into the kitchen.

"What? He's not there?" She could hear the surprise in the woman's

voice.

"No, he's uh, outside." Jac gazed down at the doggie door.
What

the hell am I supposed to say?
She chewed her lip nervously, noting

an uncomfortable silence on the other end of the phone.

"Jac, what's wrong?" Megan inquired. "I know something's wrong.

I can sense it."

Jac drew a deep breath to calm her nerves, returning to the sofa, the

phone pressed against her ear. "Ray ran outside about an hour ago. I

haven't seen him since ... and I don't know what to do."

"Wha–?"

"He's changed into a wolf." There. She'd said it out loud ... to

another person, to Ray's sister. There was silence on the other end of

the phone.
Oh, good grief. She's going to think I'm nuts!
Jac's