Her belly clenched. “You’re hurt, you should be . . .”
A shrug. “I don’t even feel it. I dug the bullet out, slapped a bandage on it.” His lips quirked. “The wound will be healed in no time.”
Because blood, pain, and bullets were nothing to a wolf. What was the little matter of death to a beast?
His eyes narrowed on her and Lucas crossed the room in long, slow strides.
Stalking me.
Goosebumps rose on the flesh of her arms. “Lucas . . .”
He knelt beside the tub. His fingers dipped into the warm water, his knuckles so close to her thigh.
She hunched her shoulders. “I didn’t . . .”
Invite you here. “
You shouldn’t be here.”
“You’re here. Where else should I be?” His fingers trailed in the water and slid over her thigh. “Don’t you want me here?”
Yes, dammit.
She did. She’d wanted him, secretly, desperately, and quite stupidly, for a long time now.
Before they’d ever met.
She stared at his hand in the water. There was no point lying to him. He’d smell her arousal anyway.
Just the touch of his fingers and she was almost trembling.
“I came in just to make sure you were all right.” His voice seemed so deep and dark.
“I’m all right.” Hers was a whisper.
“That’s why I came in . . .” His fingers curled over her thigh. Her nipples tightened. The warm water was no longer soothing. Nothing could soothe her then. “But I’m here now,” he said, “because I fucking want you.”
Sarah swallowed.
His hand tightened on her. She wanted him to move those fingers, to slide them deeper under the water, to press them against her sex,
into
her.
He released her. “But you’re the one who has to say—”
Her hand flew up and she grabbed his wrist, held on way too tight. “I don’t want you to leave.” Right then, being alone was the last thing she wanted. Remembering blood, pain, death—
no, thank you.
She wanted passion. She wanted pleasure. She wanted him. A muscle flexed in his jaw. “What
do
you want?”
She rose from the tub, slowly, and the water slid down her body even as the steam drifted around her head. “I want you.” Admissions didn’t get more stark than that.
His lips lifted in a half-smile that revealed the sharp points of his teeth. “Then that’s what you’re getting.”
He pounced. No other word for it. Lucas moved in a blur, grabbing her and lifting her out of the tub. Her hands flew out and clutched his shoulders as she tried to balance herself.
“I’ve got you,” he said and he lifted her higher. Strong wolf. He took her breast in his mouth, licking the moisture away, sucking the aching nipple.
Liquid heat shot straight to her sex. His jeans rubbed against her legs, and she wanted to spread her thighs. Wanted to wrap them around his hips and hold on tight as he thrust deep inside. As deep as he could go.
His tongue worked her nipple, making her twist against him, making her pant, making her
want.
His breath blew over her skin as his head lifted. “So fucking sweet . . .” His gaze burned into hers. “Are you like that everywhere?”
“I—”
In four strides, he had her at the bed. He spun, dropping her lightly on the mattress, and then came down on top of her as he caged her against the bed. The mattress dipped beneath their weight and Sarah lifted her hands, wanting to touch him so badly that her fingers shook.
His smile flashed again. “Do anything you want, Sarah. I sure will.” And he licked her other breast. Licked and sucked and when she felt the light edge of his teeth, Sarah bucked off the bed.
Her hips slammed up against his, and there was no mistaking the thick bulge of his arousal. Long and hard. She wanted him inside her. “Lucas!” Her hands buried in the thick darkness of his hair.
The water was drying fast from her skin. Thanks to the thick comforter, his mouth, and his hot flesh. She seemed to burn everywhere she touched him, her body so sensitive, too ready.
Then he started to lick his way down her body . . .
Her eyes squeezed closed and her breath came faster. She heard an eager moan fill the air—
me, that’s me.
Because the need inside her was blazing out of control. Burning so hot—burning just like Lucas.
She didn’t wait for him to ask . . . when his mouth pressed a kiss to her stomach, she parted her thighs wider. Why pretend? She
wanted
his mouth on her. No, right then, she needed it. Because her whole body was coiled tight, her sex so eager and hungry, and the pleasure he promised was so close.
How long had it been? How long since she’d just let go with a lover? Trusting him to give her the pleasure she needed? With Rafe, she’d never been able to let go. Not fully.
Lucas’s fingers touched her first. Strong, rough fingertips that parted the folds between her legs and found the center of her need. His lips touched her next, pressing against her clit, sending a fierce, sensual jolt through her body that was so strong that she would have flinched away . . . but his hands were on her wrists—when had he grabbed her?—holding her tight.
Then came his tongue. Wet and warm. Licking. Caressing. Sliding against flesh and then thrusting inside her core.
Her hips arched toward him.
More.
The whisper in her mind. So close, she was so close and she just needed—
“Even sweeter,” he growled the words against her. Then his tongue plunged deep, his fingers stroked her, and Sarah came against his mouth.
When he growled, a long, ragged rumble, the vibration trembled against her sex and the wave of pleasure lashed through her body.
Then he was moving, shoving off the jeans, jerking on a condom, and coming back to her with eyes that were far too bright for a human’s. But then, she’d known he was more than just a man from the beginning.
He pushed her legs farther apart. The tip of his thick cock pressed against her sensitive flesh, flesh that was still ready and eager for more.
But . . .
But she could see the edge of his teeth. So sharp. And those eyes were more wolf than man.
A shiver slipped over her as the past whispered around her. Her hands flew up and pushed against his shoulders. Lucas froze.
Pleasure still hummed through her body. Lust had her aching, but—
but . . .
“Now you’re scared.” Gravel-rough. He shook his head and leaned in close to her, so close those glowing eyes bored into hers. His lips were just a few inches away from her mouth. All the while, his cock lodged right at the entrance of her body. Not thrusting inside, not yet, and not withdrawing.
Her nails bit into the hard muscles of his chest.
“You want me,” he said, voice dark and dangerous, “but deep down, you’re scared as hell of me.”
Not deep down. Right then, the fear was on the surface, fighting her need. “It’s not you I’m afraid of.” The damn memories. Her own past.
Not Lucas—not the man anyway, but the wolf she could see gazing back from the man’s eyes. If a wolf got too strong, grew too wild during sex, the man would lose control, he would—
“That fucking bastard hurt you.”
She flinched. He already knew Rafe had tried to kill her but...
Lucas’s mouth pressed against her cheek. A light touch when she’d expected force and fire. “How many times,” he gritted, “do I have to tell you? All fucking wolves aren’t the same in the dark. We’re not all psychotic bastards.”
His lips trailed down her cheek. Under the line of her jaw. Just lips and tongue, kissing, licking, caressing. No teeth. No pain.
“Trust me,” he breathed the words against her and the fear began to give way once more to the need and the lust that tightened her body. “Let me show you what
I’m
like.”
Her nails stopped digging into his chest. Her fingers curled over his shoulders, the better to pull closer, not to push away.
His head lifted and those blazing blue eyes stared into hers. “Trust me,” he said again.
His mouth took hers. A hot, open-mouthed kiss of hunger and lust. Of need and—
His cock pushed into her. Not a hard, slamming thrust. A gentle drive of thick, strong flesh, a glide that sent his cock sliding over her clit, making her arch and gasp beneath him.
“Better,” he whispered against her lips.
And it was. He was. The past disappeared as he withdrew. His fingers pushed between them, found the center of her desire, teased, pressed—
He thrust. A little harder this time, a little deeper.
Just right.
Again. Again.
His fingers touched, stroked, knew just where she needed him. His cock filled her, so heavy and thick, and her sex clamped greedily around him as the lust built and built.
His mouth was on hers again. Tongue thrusting. Tasting, taking, even as his body took hers.
He was all she could see, everything she felt. Her sex strained around him, the pleasure pressing close again, and when his cock drove into her, a plunge that stole her breath—Sarah came, gasping, body shuddering, as the release blasted through her.
He kept thrusting. Faster now, deeper. Harder. The pleasure shook her body, had her heart racing as the drumming filled her ears.
She stared up at him, the taut lines of his face, those eyes . . .
His jaw was clenched, his muscles bulging.
Sarah wrapped her legs around him and held him tighter.
Then she saw the wild rush of pleasure in his eyes as he came. Lucas thrust deep and stiffened against her. His hands caught hers. His cock jerked inside her with the hard jet of his release.
And he never looked away from her gaze.
Man, not beast.
No,
both.
But with Lucas, the man was in control.
His lips brushed hers. She kissed him, closing her eyes. Dammit, why did it have to be like this? A man of power, a man that she
might
truly be able to trust, and a man that she was deceiving.
What would happen when he found out the truth?
His lips broke from hers, and he searched her gaze.
There’d be no running from him.
“You trust me.” No question from Lucas. Just a statement now.
“Yes.” And it was the truth.
But please, don’t trust me. Whatever you do . . . don’t trust me.
Because sooner or later, she’d have to betray him. Life could be such a bitch sometimes.
Chapter 8
L
ucas’s eyes opened the instant he heard the light scratch on the door. He turned at once, and his gaze landed on Sarah.
Sarah.
What in the hell was he going to do with her? Careless, mind-numbing sex was one thing—but not what he’d had with her.
She’d been afraid. He’d had other lovers who were afraid. Others who sensed the beast he kept chained, but had still wanted the wild ride in the darkness.
Sarah had been different. Wanting him
despite
the fear. And the damn thing was . . . of all his lovers, he’d expected her to fear the least.
The woman talked to wolves. She
knew
them. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe she knew just how strong the beast inside could be, particularly when he wanted something.
Rafe had hurt her. He’d seen that truth in her gaze.
I’ve only had one wolf lover.
One who’d taught her to fear a shifter’s touch.
The scratch at the door came again. Shit. Caleb. He’d sent the shifter to make contact with Dane and to get a report on the coyotes.
He needed to go, but . . . his gaze turned to Sarah once more, just as she rolled onto her stomach. Her sheet dipped with her movement, and he saw the sexy curve of her spine, and the long, still-pink scars that marred the flesh on her lower back.
Lucas didn’t make a sound. Didn’t snarl. Didn’t howl with the sudden fury inside him. His hand reached toward her, his claws springing forth, and he didn’t feel the tear of his flesh.
His hand hovered over those lines. A perfect match. But then, there really was no mistaking clawmarks on a woman’s body.
No fucking wonder she feared me.
He leaned in close to her. Didn’t touch her. Couldn’t, not then, because the beast was far too angry then. “He’s dead,” he whispered the words in her ear.
Sarah stiffened. “Wh—”
“And I’m gonna make damn sure the bastard suffers before I put him out of his misery.”
She glanced back at him, her eyes wide, her lips still red from his kiss. “Lucas, I need to—”
He rolled away from her. “Get some sleep.” If he stayed . . .
no.
Fuck,
no.
“I’m going for a run.” Because the beast
was
howling inside.
The bedcovers rustled behind him. “No! Wait, Lucas! We’ve got to talk.”
“Not now.” No time. He glanced down and saw that his claws were still out. Claws just like the ones that had ripped into her skin.
I’ll rip him open.
Her hand grabbed his arm. “Oh, what, you got what you wanted, so now you’re—”
Her touch burned through him. “I’m in the mood to fuck or kill.”
Silence.
He glanced back at her. “I don’t think you want to be touching me now.” The beast would be staring at her from his eyes, he knew that. And she feared the beast.
Sarah swallowed, but she didn’t drop her hand. “It’s because of the scars.”
The wolf clawed inside, desperate to be free.
Her gaze dropped to his hands, yeah, right to those claws. Razor-sharp. Perfect for tearing flesh.
“Were your claws out during sex?” She shook her head, a frown between her eyes. “I didn’t even notice. I should have, but . . .” Her gaze rose back to his. “
I didn’t notice.
” There was shock in her voice.
Should he tell her the truth? Lie? Fuck it. “They were out.” It had taken all his damn strength to keep a stranglehold on the beast. Fighting or fucking—the wolf liked both. Sarah would know that, though.
She had the marks to prove it.
Her lips parted.
He stepped away from her, breaking her hold. The wolf wanted
out.
“We have to talk,” she told him again. “There are things you don’t know about me.”
He laughed at that. “Babe, tell me something I
don’t
know.” But now wasn’t the time for talking. The wolf wanted to run. No, he wanted to kill, and maybe Caleb had news on those coyotes that would let him do just that.
Rip. Claw. Blood.
A fist shook the door. “Lucas! I know you can hear me!” Caleb. But with an edge to his voice. Guess the guy’s patience had run out. Not that the Texan ever really had much patience.
Lucas yanked open the door. Caleb’s narrowed eyes met his. “I can’t make contact with Dane.”
Shit.
“We sent scouts to the area. There were signs of a fight, and the coyotes are locked down tight now.”
Caleb’s gaze drifted to Sarah. Widened a bit.
Because Sarah was only wearing a sheet. Lucas stepped to the left, blocking the view. “Did the scouts catch Dane’s scent?”
Caleb’s gaze snapped back to him. “They . . . thought they picked up his scent in one of the houses but—”
“Then we’re going to fucking get our man back.” The wolf howled inside. Just what he needed. Blood and death and fury. “I’m tired of screwing with the coyotes. Time to break that pack.”
Caleb’s lips twisted into a savage grin. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“Tell the wolves it’s time to hunt.”
“Lucas,” Sarah touched him again. Dammit. He knew Caleb noticed the slight jerk of his body.
Toward her.
“You’re hurt,” she said, “you can’t—”
He laughed at that. “Babe, I can do anything.” She looked so delicate, so sexy with her hair mussed and his scent on her. His scent, not his mark.
Already been marked by that fucking bastard.
Rip. Him. Apart.
“You’re afraid of the wolf in me.” He didn’t bother to keep his voice low. Caleb would hear no matter what with his shifter ears. “Fair warning, that wolf is hungry, and he’s about to come out.”
She didn’t let him go. Surprising. “Be careful.”
He knew his smile held a razor’s edge. “I’m not the one who has to worry.” No more playing nice with the coyotes. They’d come at him . . .
my turn.
The idiots probably thought he’d wait until the cover of darkness to attack. The better to not be seen by humans. What they didn’t understand . . . he didn’t give a fuck about the humans. They had Dane, the wolf who’d stood by him in hell, and in order to get his friend back, Lucas would cut through anyone who got in his way.
Sarah’s gaze held his. After a moment, her hand fell away, and he went to hunt.
With her scent on him.
Sarah watched him leave through the window. Lucas had to know she was there, but he didn’t glance up at her, not even once. He left as a man, loading into the SUV with the others, but she knew he’d soon be shedding the cover of flesh for the power of fur and fangs and claws.
The sheet felt cool around her body, and damn if she didn’t still feel the press of his hands and lips on her.
What was happening? She’d thought sex might be a possibility, but . . .
But she was weakening with the wolf. She’d almost told him the truth before he left. Talk about crap timing. With his wolf so close—that would have been a nightmare.
The sun beamed down from overhead. Attacking in daylight. Figured that would be something Lucas would do.
The SUVs disappeared along the winding road.
Her gaze darted to the left. To the phone that waited on the nightstand. Should she call and give a warning?
She was at the phone before she gave herself time for second thoughts. One ring. Two.
Answer.
Lucas knew exactly where the coyotes were hiding. The bloodbath would be brutal. She’d seen what he could do when he was the only one fighting.
How fast would they all die when the wolf pack attacked?
Another ring.
Not answering.
She slammed the phone down. Dressed as fast as she could. Then Sarah ran for the door. She wrenched it open—
And found herself staring up into a pair of golden eyes. She stumbled to a stop right before she slammed into the human wall.
“Going somewhere?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and thoroughly blocking her way. He was young, probably barely in his early twenties—
not much younger than me—
but his face . . .
like Lucas’s.
The same hard chin. The same cheeks. His eyes held the same hard edge, even though the color was different. But then, she’d seen those eyes before.
The wolf who came to greet Lucas the first day.
Sarah forced her shoulders to relax. “You’re Jordan.”
His dark brows rose. “Lucas told you about me?” He even had the same thick, dark hair that Lucas had.
No.
“I’ve heard about you.” About the young wolf who’d once been taken by a band of vamps. Lucas had become legend when he’d gone after them and destroyed the bloodsuckers.
Don’t fuck with the LA pack.
That message had been loud and clear for years. Until Rafe’s patience had worn too thin.
He’d
wanted to be the legend.
Jordan’s gaze searched her face. “You’re my brother’s lover.” Said without inflection.
Her shoulders stiffened. So much for relaxing. “I’m sure you brother has plenty of lovers.” Okay, now why did that actually hurt? Wolves were sexual, she knew that. Fucking was sometimes as necessary as breathing.
“None that he ever brings around the pack.”
Oh.
His head cocked. “You going somewhere?” Now an edge of steel had crept into his voice. “I don’t think Lucas would like to come back and find you missing.”
There was a reason the wolf had survived capture by the vamps. He had a core of fire inside. Strength that was apparent in the hard stare of his eyes.
Not a kid.
She’d been foolish to make that mistake when he was in wolf form. She’d been nervous because of Lucas, and hadn’t been focusing enough. This wasn’t a kid. This was definitely a grown man. A very dangerous man.
“I didn’t think Lucas wanted you . . .”
Near me.
Ah, how could she put this delicately? “I thought you were out—”
“He told me to keep an eye on you.”
While the others hunted.
His gaze dropped to rake her body. “So here I am.”
Right.
His stance widened, and the smile he gave her wasn’t pretty. “And trust me on this, you’re not going anywhere. Not until the pack is back, safe and sound.”
She recognized the look in his eyes. She’d seen it plenty of times. “You don’t trust me?”
“I don’t trust anyone who isn’t pack.”
While similar to Lucas, she realized that Jordan’s face wasn’t as hard. More handsome, less dangerous. But the threat was still in him.
“I was just going down to the kitchen.” She put her hand on her stomach. “I skipped a meal last night. What with the fire and attempted murder and everything.”
No smile curved his lips, but he did step back, giving her space to cross over the threshold.
Guess that meant she got to eat.
Sarah had taken five steps down the hallway when she heard the smash of glass. Jordan lunged in front of her, and she saw the deadly flash of his claws.
The scent of blood filled the air. The wolves growled behind Lucas, their instinct to lunge forward and attack. Blood always drew them in . . .
Lucas let the shift sweep over him, barely feeling the burn of the change. The crack and snap of bones filled his ears, drowning out those growls as the wolf inside was—fucking finally—free.
He sprang forward, his paws slamming down on the earth and the others were right on his heels, racing forward toward the line of buildings nestled near the woods.
No mercy.
He sent out the order, knowing the others would understand. If they showed mercy now, word would spread that their pack was weak. Too many bastards were already trying to come after them. Too many enemies needed to learn to stay away.
The coyotes deserved what was coming for them with hungry jaws and sharpened claws.
He burst through the window, and the glass shattered around him.
“Get back in your room!” Jordan ordered, never glancing back. “Lock the door and stay there!”
He raced for the stairs.
Because she wasn’t a fool, she raced back for her room. She hurried inside. Slammed the door shut. Clicked the lock, thought about hauling the dresser over in front of the door and—
“You’re a hard woman to catch, Sarah King.” A low, taunting growl.
She froze, her eyes on the closed,
bolted
door. If she’d been a shifter, she probably would have caught his scent in time, but...