Logan watched her take in the sight of him and tried so very hard to ignore the signs of her arousal. He found it amusing the way she tightened her thighs together in an effort to remain composed.
Ah yes, little wolf, the Alpha knows what you want, but will you give it to me? Let’s see where this takes us.
Smiling, he approached slowly and smoothly, making her wonder what he’d do next.
He enjoyed keeping her on her toes. And now that she’d had time to relax, to be lulled into a false sense of security, he intended to take advantage. As his cock jerked, he wondered, though, who was going to take advantage of who. The closer he got to her, the harder he had to deliberately keep himself from ripping off her clothes and sinking into her sweet heat. Needing to touch her, he placed his hands on her knees. She did nothing to stop him. He could almost feel the electricity sizzle as his cold hands touched her hot skin.
“Ah,” she moaned, not exactly protesting.
“Enjoying the sun?” Logan asked softly. His hands held tight to her knees, not moving.
“Yes. It feels so good. The sun…I needed this.”
“I see you found the suits Fi brought you,” he acknowledged. He’d arranged for clothing to be sent while they’d been at lunch.
“Thank you. I really appreciate everything you’ve done. I don’t know how I can repay you for helping me.”
Ah, so that’s where all the new suits came from.
Wynter knew it was silly but she felt relieved to know that he’d brought bikinis to his pool house just for her.
“Just showing you a little southern hospitality is all. I’ve got lots of things to show you as a matter of fact,” he laughed.
“I just bet you do,” she flirted. “And something tells me that I’d like to see them.”
“Well, I’m sure that can be arranged after we’re done with our business.”
“Yes, that.” The reference to business dulled the ache between her legs considerably. How could she forget?
“I got a text from Jax,” he mentioned nonchalantly. “He can’t get down here tonight. Looks like he’ll be here tomorrow at the earliest.”
“Why not?” she asked, concerned he wasn’t going to come for her. She was about to get up but Logan held her still, placing his palms on the tops of her thighs.
“Snow. Airport’s closed. No flights in, no flights out,” he explained in a calm voice. “But don’t worry; I told him that I’ll take good care of you.”
“I’m sure you will,” Wynter replied sarcastically. And wouldn’t she just love it, she thought.
He smiled broadly. Truth was that he wasn’t a damn bit upset that Jax was delayed. It gave him more time to get to know Wynter and hopefully, find out what secrets she held.
“In the meantime, we’re meeting with some vamps tonight.”
Her face went white with fear. Too soon. They’d take her. As much as she wanted to trust Logan, there was no way she could be around another vampire.
“Hey there. It’s okay,” he coaxed, caressing her skin. “Come on, look at me, Wynter.”
She complied, meeting his eyes. Once again tears threatened to fall. “You don’t know…what they did. I can’t go back.”
“I told you that you’re safe with me. No one will get to you while you are in my protection. Do you understand?” he asked calmly.
What did they do to her?
He’d seen the bite marks, but hadn’t delved any deeper. A serious expression washed over his face. “I would never put you in danger. Ever.”
A tear ran down her face as she struggled to maintain contact with the powerful Alpha. She wanted to trust him, but it was so very difficult after everything that had happened.
“Listen sweetheart, I don’t know what happened to you…what they did to you, but I promise to stop whatever’s happening. Do you remember?” He had to ask. In a low, soft voice he proceeded, trying to be as nonthreatening as possible. “You can tell me…what they did to you. The bite marks…I saw them. They’re mostly on your arms, but there were a few on your legs…your thighs.”
Wynter closed her eyes and then opened them slowly. She’d thought long and hard about her periods of unconsciousness. “I wasn’t raped,” she stated definitively. “That is something I’d know. But everything else…”
She’d been violated. Bled. Infected. She looked away from him, embarrassed that she even had to discuss it.
Logan waited for her to finish. He wanted to hold and hide her so that no one could ever hurt her again, but he needed her to open up to him.
“There were times in the beginning…the guards…they fed on me. I was conscious. But then they stopped because the blood loss made it hard for me to work…I couldn’t think straight. They eventually figured out it was slowing my progress,” she recalled with disgust. “So they stopped…for the most part. If I refused to work, they’d attack me…shove me against my cot…their fangs.” She rubbed her arms, reliving the pain.
Logan deliberately calmed himself. He detested the bloodsucking demons he’d met over the years. Yes, most vampires were mainly well integrated within society. But some vampires skated the edge of morality, often justifying the torture they inflicted on their victims. He refocused on Wynter, absorbing every detail she shared.
“The bottom line is that there are missing time periods. I don’t remember. Did they bleed me? Yes. Did they infect me with something…change me? I was human. Now look at me,” she pleaded. “I don’t know what they did…I don’t know what I am…I don’t know…” Her words trailed off as she shook her head in frustration.
“I’m sorry,” Logan told her sincerely. “I don’t know what they did to you either, but I promise you that we’ll find out.”
“I don’t know, Logan. This was my responsibility. It’s so messed up,” she confessed.
“Right now, you’re safe. And we’re going to work things out. Now, of course, it would be a whole lot easier if you’d tell me everything, but I get that you need time with Jax. I may be new to this Alpha gig, but I assure you that I’ve been a wolf a very long time. I know protocol. Been livin’ and breathin’ it for over a hundred years. The last thing I want to do is get you in trouble with your Alpha. In the meantime, we’re meeting with Kade Issacson tonight. Yes, he’s a vampire. And as hard as it is to believe, he is one of the good guys. I hate to have to drag you there with me, but I can’t leave you alone, and this can’t wait.”
Wynter pursed her lips, unsure that any vampires could be anything less than vicious. But she wanted to trust him. “You’re sure? You’re sure the vampires won’t attack me?”
Logan laughed, “Questioning the Alpha, huh? Seems we’re going to have to work on those pack skills of yours.”
Wynter gave him a small smile in return. “Ha, ha. Funny wolf.”
“And you, too, are a wolf.”
“So you say.”
“And that is what counts. Hey, I want to tell you a story.”
“A story, huh?”
“Yes. A story,” he confirmed. “A few months ago in Philadelphia, my Alpha met his mate, Kalli. The interesting thing about Kalli is that she’s a lovely little hybrid, but at one time, she denied her wolf. And in the process, she just happened to invent this nasty little drug that essentially masked her scent and stopped her from shifting.”
“So if she took the drug you would think she was a human?”
“Exactly.” Logan let his hands wander down to her calves as he spoke. Goddess, she felt so good.
“And do you think that is happening to me? Maybe they drugged me?”
“Well, if you were human and now you are wolf, they did something. A drug? Maybe. The drug she created? No. But my point is that there’re always things in this world that we don’t understand. People will always push the frontier of what we think is possible. Biology. Nature. It’s always changing. Slowly but changing. And like what Kalli did, supernaturals and humans are finding ways to accelerate the process regardless of whether it’s the right thing to do.”
If you only knew,
she thought guiltily.
“I’m Alpha for a reason, Wynter. Like Jax, I’ve been around a long time. I’m not going to sugarcoat what I sense, what I know. You may have been human when you started but I can tell you with certainty that you’re wolf now. I don’t know how they did it or why they did it, but it’s who you are.”
Wynter stared off, refusing to verbally acknowledge what he was saying. Deep inside, she knew he was right. Her recovery, even since this morning, had been accelerated, deviating far from what would be considered normal for a human. She was feeling good. No, not just good but excellent. As a scientist, she knew there was no logical reason to explain it. After being bitten and chased, it should take her days to recuperate.
“Look at your skin,” he urged, rubbing his hands up her shins until he reached her thighs. Gently placing his hands on her knees, he parted her legs and moved toward her until the insides of her thighs straddled his sides. His fingertips teased the small strings that barely held her bikini bottoms together.
Ah, finally got her attention,
he thought with amusement.
Wynter had barely been listening to his words when she felt him open her legs. At his intrusion, she snapped her focus back on his eyes, not moving but simply watching him as he grazed his palms up over the tops of her thighs until he reached her hips. She didn’t try to stop him; she wanted his hands on her skin. Her eyes locked on his as his big strong hands skimmed over her body, flaring her arousal.
What was he saying? Something about her skin?
“That’s it,” she heard him say. “Look at your skin. It’s healed.”
The bite marks were healed. Small pink spots were the only evidence that anything had happened to her.
“I know. I feel it,” she admitted.
“Yes, I’m sure you do. I know you’re scared. But it’s going to be okay. Tell me, what do you know about being wolf?” His hands roamed upward. Goddess, her legs were smooth and silky, begging to be touched. He kept going, pushing the pink fabric upward.
Lifting her arms, Wynter let him remove the sheer barrier that covered her skin. Part of her wanted this, him. Moreover, she yearned to reveal her body and soul to this man, hating to keep secrets from the Alpha who sought to help her. He tossed the fabric aside, and she gasped as he tugged her into the water against him. Her smooth belly met his rock hard abs, and she really thought she might pass out from the rush.
“I…I grew up around a pack,” she confessed.
Logan brushed his lips to her hair, resisting the urge to kiss her. Gently, he cradled her in his arms, letting her float along the surface. She held his gaze, never looking anywhere but to him.
“Let go, Wynter. Trust me?” he smiled down on her.
She was helpless to resist. Having no idea what he was doing, she gave in to her desires. “Yes.”
“Relax. Let yourself go. I promise to keep you safe.”
Wynter willed herself to go limp within his incredibly strong arms. And even though she knew better than to let a wolf touch her, she reveled in the experience of trusting him. As she closed her eyes and the cool water washed over her, every nerve lit on fire with need. In spite of the heat, she opened her hands, her thighs, until she was completely relaxed. And all the while, he never let her go. He adjusted his hold, carefully supporting her upper back and bottom with his hands.
“That’s it. You’re so beautiful. So calm and at peace,” he crooned softly. “Like this, we’ll talk about wolves. Tell me about your pack, what do you know?”
“I grew up around wolves. My parents worked with the pack…for Jax. I…I wasn’t allowed around the pack that much when I got older. They were afraid I’d get hurt but I knew it’d never happen. My friend, Mika. She’s a wolf,” she said proudly.
“Okay, so our behavior. Our habits. You must have seen something.” Logan watched her soft pink lips break out in a broad smile at his words.
“Ah yes. Wolves. Well, you like to run on a full moon. I never got to see them but I knew.”
“That is true. What else?”
“Wolves are competitive. Mika’s an alpha. Hates when she loses to me at tennis.” She laughed, remembering their last match. “She breaks quite a few racquets. It’s actually kind of funny. Good thing she makes a lot of money working at that law firm.”
Logan shook his head at the thought. “Sounds delightful.”
“She’s okay, just a little short tempered is all. Never with me, though. She gets mad at herself. Which brings me to my next observation,” she continued. “Loyal. Wolves are very loyal to their friends, their pack.”
“That’s correct. See, this wolf thing is going to be easy for you.” He noticed she frowned at his comment. He kept pushing to distract her from her thoughts. “What else?”
Wynter tried to keep her face impassive as the next idea popped into her head. Considering an incredibly hot wolf was holding her against his bare skin, she reasoned it should have been the first thing she told him.
“Come on then. It can’t be that bad,” Logan commented as she hesitated to answer him.
“Naked.” Her eyes flew open and met his. She giggled. “They love being naked.”
“Yes we do. Clothes are very restrictive. Highly overrated.”
“I can see that you practice what you preach.”
“And how do you feel about that? Does it embarrass you?” He queried as his fingers wandered to the knotted strings tightened against her back.
“I’m not sure how I feel. I mean, it’s not like I was allowed to run around naked. I just knew they did. Jax wouldn’t be crazy about me doing it though. Not fair really. A double standard I suppose. Believe me; I think the whole pack would freak out if I decided to join them.”
“I understand how you are worried about what your pack would think but how do you feel?” He pulled on the strings, releasing the knot. The cords floated freely in the water, no longer tied.
Wynter felt his fingers move along her back. It was if she could actually feel the coolness wash over the skin that had been covered by the small strap. With the tension loosened, her top drifted easily across her breasts but didn’t fall away.
“I think…I think it’d be freeing,” she whispered, aware of the message she was conveying. Oh God, she wanted him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, seeking her approval. His fingers traveled up to her neck, pinching the remaining knot that held tight around her neck.