Passionate Craving (5 page)

He’d just finished that when there was a knock on his cabin door. He
ran his hands through his hair, then walked out of the bedroom to answer it.
Memphis opened the door and covered his mouth with his hand as he brought on a
yawn.

“You’re up early,” he said as he waved Tori inside. “How was your
night in the tent?”

“Good,” she stepped through the doorway. “Another one of that new
species of wolf paid me a visit.”

“Really?”

“Yes. And he was still in the clearing when I woke up. Right in
front of my tent. He even let me pet him last night.”

“Sounds as if you had a good experience.”

“Yeah. Are all the wolves in that pack so tame? I was surprised he
wasn’t scared of the fire.”

“They are.”

“How come? That’s not normal behavior for a wild animal. Have you
and your family taught them to be like that?”

“Not really. That’s just the way they act.”

“Hopefully I’ll be able to work that out as I observe them. After
breakfast, I’m going to see if I can find their den.”

She’d be looking in vain for that. Most wolf shifters had made the
switch from dens to houses long ago. They even registered the births of their
cubs as human so they’d be able to get identification and to hold jobs like
anyone else.

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you where to start,” he said as he shut
the door. “What would you like to eat? I have eggs, bacon and juice.”

“Do you have any bagels?”

“Nope. I only have whole wheat bread. My mom makes loaves for the
family every couple days.”

“I love homemade bread. I’ll have everything you mentioned and a two
slices of the bread.”

He smiled. “Hungry, are you?”

Tori returned his smile. “A bit. I’m going to fill up since I don’t
plan to come back for lunch.”

Memphis nodded toward the clothes and toiletry bag Tori held. “Why
don’t you take a shower and I’ll set to work making us breakfast.”

“Okay.”

“The bathroom is the door on the left.” He pointed to the opposite
side of the cabin. “My bedroom is the one on the right, if you want to use it
to dress once you’re done.”

“On second thought, why don’t you join me in the shower and then we
can both make breakfast after that.”

“You do realize if I shower with you, we’ll be doing more than washing
in there. You can’t be naked around me and not expect me to make love to you.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Memphis leaned down and kissed her thoroughly. “Then I suggest you
put your things in my room while I get us a couple towels.”

“I’ll meet you in the bathroom.”

He turned and headed for the bathroom as Tori went into his bedroom.
Memphis opened the cabinet under the sink and took out two bath towels. He’d
just set them on the counter when he caught sight of her out of the corner of
his eye. He turned and almost swallowed his tongue.

Tori stood inside the doorway without a stitch of clothing on. He
ran his gaze down the length of her body. She was curvy and slim. He remembered
how well she fit against him. He didn’t have to look down to know his cock was
fully erect and tented the front of his pajama bottoms.

She stepped closer. “I think you need a little help with these.”

She untied the drawstring on his bottoms, then pushed the material
down past his hips so it fell to pool around his ankles. He stepped out of them
and kicked them out of the way. He would have pulled her into his arms, but she
put a hand on his chest and shook her head.

“Not yet,” she said. “I didn’t get to do much exploring last night
or see all of you very well in the dim light. I plan to make up for that now.”
Tori ran her hand up his pecs to his neck to his mate brand. “I have to say I
find tattoos on a man really sexy. I can’t help but love yours since it has
wolves.”

“I’m glad you like it,” he replied, his voice husky and low.

Tori went on tiptoes and took his lips in a kiss so erotic his cock
throbbed in time with his rapid heartbeat. She left his mouth and gently nipped
his chin before she licked the hollow of his throat. Memphis forced himself to
keep still to see what she’d do next.

She placed her hands on his hips as she made a trail of kisses down
the center of his chest, lowering herself as she went. Tori didn’t stop until
she was on her knees with his cock level with her face. Memphis couldn’t tear
his gaze off her. The sight of her looking at his erection as she licked her lips
just about undid him.

Tori fisted his shaft and stroked up and down. A low growl rumbled
out of Memphis. There was no holding it back. She shifted closer and dragged
the flat of her tongue across the head of his cock. Another growl punched out
of him, accompanied by a loud groan.

She kept hold of him at the base and took as much of his length as
she could handle into her mouth. Tori sucked as she slid him in and out. At the
head, she swirled her tongue around it before taking him back inside. He grew
harder. He thrust his hips in time with her movements. It felt great having her
mouth wrapped around him, but being inside her was even better.

Memphis reached down and gently tugged on Tori’s arm. She released
his cock, then stood. He wrapped his arms around her and took her lips in a
hot, deep kiss. He didn’t let her up for air until she moaned.

“I’d better start that shower,” he said.

“Yes. Don’t keep me waiting.”

He released her, then stepped over to the bathtub. Memphis pulled
back the shower curtain at the end where the faucet was and turned on the
water. Once he had it set at the right temperature, he closed it and returned
to Tori. He picked her off her feet and carried her to the shower.

He yanked back the curtain on the opposite end and then stepped inside
the tub still carrying her. He closed them in before he slowly lowered her to
her feet. Memphis walked Tori backward a few steps until she was angled under
the spray of water. She tilted her head back and wet her hair. As she did, he
bent his head and sucked on each of her nipples, one after the other. She
moaned.

They changed positions. Memphis wet his hair down, then took Tori
into his arms. He kept his gaze on her face as he reached between them and
found her pussy. He pushed a finger inside and found her more than ready for
him. He added a second digit and thrust them in and out of her slick passage.

He pulled out of her and put his arms around her waist. He lifted
her off her feet. She wrapped her legs around him. Memphis turned and put
Tori’s back against the tiled wall. He braced his feet on the bottom of the
tub, positioned his cock at the entrance to her body and shoved inside. Her
walls closed around him as he worked his length into her until he was seated to
the hilt. She fit him like a glove. It was the best feeling in the world.

Memphis shifted his hands to Tori’s ass and held on as he surged in
and out of her. She held on to the tops of his shoulders as she moaned his
name. Her inner muscles clamped around his shaft, holding it in a snug grip as
he took her over and over again.

He growled and groaned, the sound of their breathing loud in the
confined space. She locked her ankles at the small of his back and dug in her
heels, urging him on. He grew even harder, taking her in faster thrusts.

His eyeteeth shifted, becoming longer and sharper. The need to bite
his mate rode him. Memphis had to close his eyes and concentrate, to shove the
urge away. It was something he wanted to do so badly. It’d be easy. Tori
wouldn’t try to stop him since she had no idea of the battle he fought with
himself, his instincts.

“Yes,” Tori said with a whimpered moan. “Just like that. I’m so
close.”

So was he. His point of no return raced to the surface. Memphis
couldn’t fight it and his need to bite her. One was going to lose, and it
wouldn’t be the latter. He pumped his hips faster, sliding almost all the way
out before slamming home again.

At the first flutter of her pussy walls rippling along his cock, his
orgasm took hold of him. He growled as she came, clutching and releasing his
shaft, prolonging his pleasure, milking him for everything he had. With his
climax, his teeth returned to their human form, and the urge to bite receded.

He kissed Tori as he held her to him, not ready to be parted from
her body. “Are you sure you want to go in search of those wolves today? I can
think of something that would be more enjoyable and that the both of us can do
together.”

“I know exactly what you have in mind. That will only lead me to not
getting any work done while I’m here. It’ll be too easy to say the hell with it
and spend hours with you in bed. I’d enjoy it, but my boss wouldn’t be too
thrilled. I’m being paid to do a job.”

“Sure, spoil my fun.” Memphis pulled his softening cock out of her
pussy. “In that case, we’d better finish showering before the hot water runs
out and then get some breakfast into you so you can work.”

“I promise to make it up to you. Tonight.”

“You’ll sleep in my bed with me? Every night that you’re here?”

Tori kissed him. “All right. You win. I’ll stay in the cabin.”

Memphis let her down onto her feet. “Good. While you’re off looking
for wolves, I’ll take down your camp.”

“Deal.”

He handed Tori the bottle of shampoo. At least he’d managed to move
her into the cabin, and his bed. He’d give her a week, then he’d tell her everything
she needed to know about the “new species of wolf” and what she meant to him.

Chapter Five

Tori had left the cabin a half hour before Memphis went to the
clearing to take down her tent. He’d taken the time to call his family to tell
them his mate was out wandering the property, looking for wolves, and not to go
out of their way to let her see them in their wolf forms. If they happened to
have gone wolf and she ran in to them, then they weren’t to shift in front of
her.

Memphis stepped into the clearing and headed for the fire pit. He
decided to scatter it before working on the tent. He’d just finished that and
had unzipped the tent to pull out the air mattress to deflate when Jaimie, Gage
and Derrick arrived. Gage was in wolf form and Derrick rode on his back.
Memphis had to wince at the sight of Derrick’s grip on his brother’s ears. That
had to hurt.

“Hey,” he said as he stood.

“Hi there,” Jaimie said as she came closer with Gage at her side.
“Don’t worry. Tori didn’t see us. We made sure of it.”

“Dad made us come the long way,” Derrick said as he slipped off
Gage’s back.

Gage’s body blurred as he took on his human form. “That I did,” he
said as he ruffled his son’s hair. “Whenever I caught Tori’s scent, I kept us
away from her.”

“Thanks,” Memphis said with a smile. “So what brings all of you
here?”

Gage put his arm around his mate’s shoulders. “Jaimie wanted to see
how things were between you and Tori. Since I can smell your scent mixed with
hers, I assume you’re working on claiming her.”

“Yeah. Last night we…you know.”

“You didn’t bite her?”

Memphis pulled back the collar of his t-shirt to reveal his mate
brand, which was still only black. “What do you think?”

His brother smiled. “That would be a no.”

“Are you having a hard time coming up with a way to tell her about
you being a wolf shifter?” Jaimie asked.

“Sort of…maybe a little. I decided to give Tori a week to get to
know me better, then I’ll spring it on her. And hopefully by that time I can
change her mind.”

“About what?”

“Well, my mate says she doesn’t do serious relationships. Her work
comes first. We can be together while she’s here, but after that all bets are
off.”

“Ouch,” Gage said. “Are you sure you can hold out for a week? The
longer you wait the harder it’ll be to stop yourself from claiming her now that
you’ve found her.”

“I know. I can already feel the strain. I’ll have to resist the
urge. At least you were lucky and didn’t have to go through this.”

Gage had found Jaimie as she lay in the hospital days from death. When
he’d made the split second decision to bite her with the hopes it would cure
her cancer and save her life, he’d bypassed the urge to bite, to claim. Jaimie
had been asleep and drugged up at the time so she’d had no idea what Gage had
done.

“Yeah, well,” Gage said, “there were extenuating circumstances or I
would have been doing what you are right now with Tori. Playing the waiting
game to tell the truth.”

“I’m glad I learned about you being a wolf shifter after you bit me,”
Jaimie said to Gage. “And it helped that my sister and her husband already knew
about your kind.”

Jaimie’s sister, Lynne, and her husband, Rob, and been to visit a
few times. They’d also brought Sam, Rob’s best friend, who happened to be a
wolf shifter from the Helena pack. Memphis and his family had taken an instant
liking to Lynne, Rob and Sam. Rob and Sam were friends since their teenage
years. The two were funny to watch. They liked to make bets about the stupidest
things where if Sam lost, Rob got to walk him around in his wolf form while he
wore a collar and leash like a dog. Needless to say, Sam made sure he won most
of the bets or talked his way out of the penalty if he lost.

“Why aren’t you out wandering the bush with Tori?” Gage asked. “I’d
think you’d want to stay close.”

“I figured I’d let her go looking for her ‘new wolves’ and I’d take
down her tent since she’ll be staying in the cabin with me now.”

“Can I help, Uncle Memphis?” Derrick asked.

“Of course.”

“What do you want me to do first?”

“I need the sleeping bag rolled up and the air let out of the
mattress.”

“I can do that.”

Memphis chuckled as Derrick darted into the tent. He looked at Gage
and Jaimie. “I guess you’ll be hanging around for a little longer.”

“That’s okay,” Jaimie said. “Mom invited Derrick over. He’s to come
for lunch and then spend the night. So we’ll hang out here until it’s time to
drop him off.”

“That was nice of Mom to give you some time alone.”

Gage snorted. “I doubt that was her reason. More like she needs her
grandson fix. It just happens to give Jaimie and me a break as well.”

Memphis had to laugh at that statement. It was a hundred percent
true. Their mom had been looking forward to grandchildren ever since Kiel, the
first to be born in their litter, became mate branded. She’d been overjoyed at
being a grandmother when Jaimie and Derrick had joined their pack. It would
only be a matter of time before she dropped hints to her other sons who were already
mated to get to work and catch up with Gage.

“You’re right,” Memphis said with a chuckle.

With Gage’s help, and Derrick’s small contribution, Memphis had the
tent taken down and packed in its carrying bag in no time. They even helped him
carry everything to the cabin where he stored the items in his shed.

Gage and his family stayed for another half hour before they said
their goodbyes and then headed for his parents’ cabin. His brother had to go
wolf and carry Derrick on his back. It was a good thing Derrick would
eventually outgrow wanting wolf rides.

* * * *

Tori wasn’t having any luck at all when it came to finding wolves. She’d
found plenty of tracks for the gray wolf and the new species. It was easy to
tell the difference between the two types. The new one had much larger paws
than their smaller cousins. Theirs were more prevalent in the property as well.
Actually, they appeared just about everywhere she looked.

She could find the prints, but she hadn’t spotted one animal. Tori
wasn’t about to give up just yet, though. She knew approximately where the
property ended, thanks to Memphis, so she headed in that direction. There was a
good chance if she went higher up on the mountain she’d find one animal, at
least. Or so she hoped.

There wasn’t a fence of any kind to mark the property line. She did
spot a no-trespassing sign nailed to a tree and that was about it. Tori
shrugged her backpack off and took out her cell phone from the small front
pocket. She used the GPS to mark the spot. She didn’t need to get lost in the
bush.

Tori took a sip of water from the canteen Memphis had given her and
had insisted she take on her walk. She was glad he had. The sun was hot where
it filtered through the tops of the trees. She wore a t-shirt, jeans and hiking
boots. At least the mosquitoes weren’t bugging her.

She put the canteen away, shouldered her backpack once more, then
set off walking. If she were to live there, she wouldn’t find it a hardship.
She wouldn’t even mind the winters. She could handle it.

Thinking about living in Canyon Creek brought Memphis into her
thoughts. If she changed her mind and decided to have a serious relationship
with him, and things progressed to them wanting to live together permanently,
there was no question she’d be moving into his cabin. He wouldn’t want to leave
his family, not that she’d ever expect him to. What they had there was perfect.
Each member had carved out what she considered a slice of heaven.

The way things stood with her and Memphis, Tori wasn’t ready to walk
away from him any time soon. For the first time in a long time, she found
herself wanting to get close to a man. Sleeping with Memphis wasn’t all about
scratching an itch. He made her feel things she hadn’t been sure she was
capable of. Sensations of her feeling protected, cared for and loved.

Tori rolled her eyes at herself. Loved? Now she sounded like a girl,
but there was no denying it. The way Memphis held her, made love to her, made
her feel as if she were his one and only, she couldn’t help it. And she liked that
she could lean on him and he’d always be there to hold her up, no matter the
circumstances.

Damn, she’d only known him for almost twenty-four hours and he made
her think of a life with him. When did she become so sentimental? Or such a
romantic? Her work would always be important to her, but Memphis had already
started to create a small space within her for himself.

Tori was yanked out of her musing by the sound of a loud growl from
close by. It wasn’t a wolf’s, but a cat’s. A big cat’s. She came to an instant
standstill and looked around. There it was, just up on a small rise about a
couple hundred feet away. It was a large male mountain lion, and it stared
right at her.

Shit, she had herself in a bit of a bind. She’d been so lost in her
mind she hadn’t stayed aware of the environment around her. If she’d been
paying attention, she would have seen the cat before it came this close. The
trees had thinned in the area, and he was higher up on the mountain than her.

Tori took a slow step back. The mountain lion curled his upper lip
in a snarl and growled. She stopped in her tracks. She was obviously in his territory,
and he wasn’t too happy about it. Turning her back on him and running away
would only incite him to go on the attack. She didn’t have a damn clue how to
get out of this situation without taking the risk of getting seriously hurt.

Before she could attempt anything else, a streak of black fur ran
past her and came to stand between her and the big cat. The wolf that’d spent
the night at her camp site had his hackles raised as he threateningly growled
at the mountain lion.

* * * *

Memphis waited until well after lunch before he decided to go in
search of Tori. Since she was a wildlife biologist, he was sure she knew how to
look after herself while out in the bush, but he still wanted to check on her.
It was the whole being her mate and his right to protect her thing.

He took on his wolf form when he arrived at the spot in the yard
where Tori had entered the trees. It was only a matter of seconds before he
picked up her scent trail. He loped through the bush, following it.

Tori hadn’t walked in a straight line, by any means. Sometimes she
went off to another section of trees only to return to where she’d originally
been walking. It wasn’t hard for him to guess at what she was doing—inspecting
the paw prints his family left behind. Of course they’d be all over the place.

Memphis reached the end of his family’s property. Tori’s trail
continued past it. He continued to follow. His ears twitched at the sound of a
mountain lion’s growl coming from the direction his mate had taken. He put on a
burst of speed, hoping he’d be in time to get between Tori and the pissed off
big cat.

Finding her, he growled as he ran past her to confront the mountain
lion. The cats usually kept away from his family’s territory. Being bigger than
the wild gray wolves in the area, wolf shifters were basically a match for
strength and size of the felines. Plus, there was something about their scents
that kept the big cats away.

Memphis’ hackles rose as he continued to growl. When it didn’t look
as if the mountain lion would back down, he made a lunge for it. That was
enough to have the male hightailing it out of there. He watched until the big
cat disappeared from sight to make sure it didn’t decide to come back.

Satisfied the cat would no longer be a threat, Memphis turned toward
his mate. Tori hadn’t moved from where he’d last seen her on his arrival. He
walked toward her and came to stand in front of her.

“You found me again,” she said. “Thanks for scaring off that
mountain lion.”

If she’d known he was a wolf shifter, he would have taken on his
human form and given her a lecture about being more careful. Seeing that big
cat staring her down, ready to go in to attack, had sent a chill through him.
Tori wouldn’t have gotten away unscathed if he hadn’t found her.

“That was a close one,” she said with a chuckle.

Damn right it was, and it wasn’t going to happen again, at least for
today. Memphis stepped closer and head butted Tori hard enough to have her
stumble back a few paces. He kept doing it until she turned and started
walking.

“Okay, I’m going.”

Not fast enough for him. He gently nipped her ass as he followed
her.

“Hey,” she said as she looked over her shoulder at him. “Did you
just bite me in the butt?”

He did it again.

“Enough already. I’m going. Gee, I feel as if I’m being herded like
a sheep.”

Which she was. Memphis was going to make sure she went back to his
cabin. He couldn’t resist giving her shapely ass a few more nips before he came
from behind her to walk at her side. She sent him a glare that said she wasn’t
impressed. He laughed inside.