Tooth and Claw (The Harry Russo Diaries Book 2) (11 page)

“Eww,” I replied, yanking his arm off my shoulders and
pushing him away. “Thanks for your help tonight Tomas, but this doesn’t change
the fact that I think you’re a bit of creep.” I looked over to Isaac who was,
as usual, waiting in bodyguard mode off to the side. “I’ll get a ride home
with you, if that’s okay.”

“Certainly,” he replied.

Tomas laughed. “Your loss, Russo.” He reached into his
breast pocket and pulled something out, tossing it to me. Without another
look, he started to walk to his car.

I caught the small object and looked at it with a frown. It
was Nash’s bug. So Tomas did have it all along. I guess that probably meant
Nash had heard every word we’d said. Hopefully that meant we wouldn’t have to
sit through the third degree when we got home. I was tired and my feet were
killing me. I looked at Isaac. “Let’s get out of here.”

Isaac nodded and led me towards his big, black
Escalade
.
As we approached, another big, black truck roared up, coming between us and
Isaac’s vehicle. The driver side window slid down and Nash leaned out.

“Get in,” he growled.

“Get in, Harry,” Nash repeated, the expression on his face
making it clear he wasn’t taking no for an answer. He turned his
glare to Isaac and another one of those silent guy exchanges, where nothing is
said but volumes are spoken, took place.

“You’d best go with him, Harry.” Isaac looked resigned but
unconcerned.

I sighed, knowing any resistance at this point would be
futile. “Fine,” I said with a pout and stomped my way around the truck. When
I got to the passenger door, Nash leaned over and pushed it open. I hesitated,
looking at the rather large step up to get into Nash’s monster of a truck. How
the hell was I supposed to climb up there in what I was wearing? Thankfully,
Isaac saw my dilemma.

“Allow me, Harry,” he said, putting his hands on my waist.
He lifted me easily and set me on the seat of the truck.

“Thanks, Isaac.” I glanced at Nash, who sat scowling in the
seat beside me and then leaned back over towards Isaac. “You sure this is a
good idea?”

Isaac smiled wryly. “You will come to no harm.”

“Let’s go,” Nash grumbled.

Isaac gave me a look of sympathy then shut the door. Nash
peeled away, roaring across the parking lot and out onto the road while I
scrambled to get my seatbelt on.

We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few minutes. I
glanced around the truck and noticed Nash’s laptop on the floor by my feet.

“So was Bryce able to get any security feeds to you?” I
asked, hoping some conversation would warm up the frosty atmosphere.

“I could see everything.” Nash’s reply sounded as if it
came out between gritted teeth.

“Uh, okay.” I nodded, biting my lower lip. “How about the
bug, did it work?”

“I could hear everything too.”

“Oh, good. So you know then, we have a number that may help
us…”

“There is no
us
, Harry. Your involvement is no
longer required.” Nash kept his eyes on the road. I frowned at him, but kept
my mouth shut.

A few minutes passed before I realized that we were no longer
heading towards home, at least not my home. In fact, I didn’t really know
where we were. Finally I caught sight of a street I recognized.
“Hey, where are we going? This is the way out of town.”

Nash turned and pinned me with steely eyes. “Just sit back
and relax Harry, we’ll be there soon.” He inhaled deeply and then huffed out a
breath. Scowling, he turned his eyes back to the road; the driver’s side
window glided down a couple of inches letting in a blast of cold, fresh air.

I sat shivering from the cold in silence as we left Riverton
behind, watching as the city streets disappeared to be replaced by a rural
highway. It was late and there was very little traffic on the road. The area
was sparsely populated; the few houses we passed were dark except for the
occasional outside security light. The landscape became more and more wooded,
until we were soon driving between rows of scraggly aspen, birch and pine.
After a few more minutes, Nash slowed down and turned off onto a narrow,
unmarked gravel road.

“Where are we going?” I asked again, knowing it was probably
a waste of breath. As I expected, no response was forthcoming.

The road got rougher and the ride bumpier as the trees
seemed to close in on either side of us. Frankly, the whole place was
beginning to look a little spooky. “You know, you can’t just bring me out here
to bury my body,” I tried as a joke. “Isaac’s a witness.”

Nash snorted, but kept his eyes on the road. A few minutes
later it split off into an even narrower lane. At least this one seemed
to have been graded, the potholes and washboard recently filled with new
gravel. The trees were thick on either side of the road, if it could even be called
that. I flinched as a branch thrashed against the window. The truck slowed
and the road took a sharp turn to the right.

I gasped in surprise when the lane widened out into a
large clearing. At the centre of the clearing stood a rather charming looking
little cabin. It was built in the Craftsman style of the early 1900s with a
low pitched roof and exposed rafters. The foundation and porch posts appeared
to be fieldstone, while the remainder of the building was clad in a dark
clapboard siding - it was too dark outside to tell what colour. There were
numerous windows, many with coloured, leaded glass.

Nash pulled further into the yard then shifted the truck
into park.

“We’re here. Get out,” he growled. Not waiting for a
reply, he hopped out his side of the truck and slammed the door.

I sat in the truck, not really sure if getting out was a
good idea. Before I had a chance to make up my mind, the door on my side of
the truck flew open. Nash stood there looking at me expectantly.

“Listen, Nash…” I began, not really sure what I was
going to say, but stalling for time seemed like a good start.

“Get out of the truck, Harry,” Nash repeated quietly. He
stood between the open door and the truck with one arm resting on each side,
boxing me in.

Biting my lip, I swung my legs out of the truck, hoping my
dress would cooperate. I kept one hand firmly on the hem, just in case, as I
slid off the seat to the ground. It was a further drop than I was expecting
and I stumbled forward. I flung my hands out in front of me only to encounter
the solid mass of Nash’s chest. He grabbed my wrists to steady me while I
gained my feet. The look in his eyes was so intense, my breath caught in my
throat and I took a reflexive step back, away from him.

A momentary flash of something, regret maybe, registered in
Nash’s eyes and he dropped my wrists, taking a step back. “I would never let
anything happen to you Harry,” he said, his voice low and raspy.

“Why are we here Nash?” I looked at him, searching for an answer.
“Why did you bring me here?”

“I…I need…” He broke off with a growl of frustration. He
started to turn away and I thought he was going to just walk off and leave me
standing there, but then suddenly he was back looming right in front of me,
pressing me up against the truck. He reached out and grabbed my jaw, firmly
but gently. Before I could process what he was doing, his mouth was on mine.

The kiss was more like a complete assault on my senses. I
could smell his crisp, clean man scent, mixed with a hint of soap from a recent
shower. The heat from his body seared into me, causing a different kind of
goosebumps to race across my bare skin. He tasted like peppermint gum.

His lips were firm and demanding and I felt myself begin to
yield to his assault. He slipped his other hand behind my head, his fingers
threaded through my hair, tipping my head back. My lips parted in surprise and
his tongue slipped into my mouth. He took total control of the kiss, gentle
yet demanding, licking and sucking, even nipping my lower lip. I melted up
against him, any protest completely obliterated by his kiss and how it made me
feel.

Suddenly, he jerked away, pushing himself off the truck. He
took a deep breath, running his hand through his hair. My body, which had been
well on its way to reaching scorching temperatures, suddenly felt bereft, the
cold air prickling against my skin.

“You smell like him,” Nash choked out.

“Like who? You mean Tomas?” I looked at him feeling
confused. “You know that was all for show. The guy wouldn’t keep his hands to
himself. I can barely stand him most days.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nash replied with a frown. “The
wolf…” He stopped, biting off his words. He looked at me, the heat of desire
bright in his eyes and then suddenly he was pressed up against me again.

This time I reached up to him, pulling his face down to
mine. I kissed him as hard as he had just kissed me, pushing my tongue between
his lips and he growled in pleasure. I moved my hand, sliding it behind his
head, but he grabbed me by my wrists, pushing my arms down to my sides then
around behind my back. He captured them there, wrapping his big hand around
both my wrists. I made a little sound of protest, but truthfully, the feeling
of being trapped in his grasp just turned me on even more.

Nash took control of the kiss again, his body pressed
heavily against mine. His free hand began to roam down my body, stopping to
cup my breast. His thumb rubbed against my already erect nipple and a gasp of
pleasure escaped me. He left his thumb pressed against the hard nub of my
nipple, rubbing it in circles. I moaned again and I could feel him smile
through our kiss. His mouth moved along my jaw, kissing and nipping down my
throat. My breathing began to sound more like panting and I cried out when he
nipped the erogenous zone just below my ear.

“Oh god Nash…” I whimpered. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him
to stop, or do more.

“I need you Harry,” Nash groaned. “The thought of his hands
all over you, his mouth on yours...the wolf…”

I struggled in his grasp, leaning my head away from his.
“Is that what this is all about?” I finally pulled my hands free and pushed
him away. “The wolf is jealous?”

Nash took a step back, a look of regret on his face. He
tousled his hair with his hand again in frustration. “The wolf went crazy
watching Tomas touch you. It was all I could do to contain him, to keep myself
from storming into the club and pulling him off you.”

“So that’s what this is? The wolf is in charge right now? What
about the man? What does he want?” I looked at him reproachfully. “What do
you want, Cian?”

A flash of arousal sparked in Nash’s eyes at the sound of
his name. His hands fisted at his sides. “Don’t test me Harry. I’m barely in
control.”

“So what? I’m supposed to just let you….” I paused,
throwing my hands up in frustration. “To let you fuck me because the wolf
wants it, even if you don’t?”

“I…the wolf…I mean…Fuck it!” Nash slammed his fist
against the side of his truck. There was going to be a dent there. “I can’t
think. I can’t be here right now.” He turned and stalked away, pulling his
shirt off over his head as he went. “Stay here, Harry. Don’t go anywhere.”
He paused and I could hear the jingle of his belt buckle. He looked over his
shoulder at me. “I’ll be back in a while. Use the cabin. There’s a shower
and clean clothes to change into. When I get back you had better not still
smell like him.” He pushed his jeans down and I caught a momentary glimpse of
his very fine ass before his body shimmered. A moment later, a large, black
wolf stood in his place. The wolf turned and took a step towards me. I put my
hands out in a futile sort of ‘nice-doggy’ gesture. The wolf snorted and then
sneezed in obvious disapproval of Tomas’s scent on me. He turned and without a
second look, ran off into the surrounding forest.

I fell back to lean against the truck, wrapping my arms
around myself. What the hell had just happened? I slammed the truck door
shut. With the light from the truck no longer illuminating it, the yard
suddenly closed in on me. It was really dark out, the moon hiding behind the
low hanging clouds. I gathered Nash’s clothes up off the ground. His keys
jingled in his pocket and for a brief second I contemplated just jumping in his
truck and driving home. No, that wouldn’t be a good idea. I couldn’t just
leave him stranded way out here. I folded the clothes and left them in pile on
the front porch.

The door to the cabin was surprisingly unlocked. I guess
Nash didn’t have to worry that much about intruders way out here in the middle
of the woods. I stood in the open doorway, hoping my eyes would adjust enough
to see my way around until I could find a light switch or something. Luckily,
improved night vision seemed to be one of my newly acquired abilities. I found
a switch on the wall, but after a flick or two I resigned myself to the fact
that there was no electricity, at least not until I found the generator. There
was a small table by the door that held an old fashioned oil lamp. I pulled
open the drawer closest to the lamp and found a package of matches.

Once lit, the lamp light glowed warmly, illuminating the
room. I looked around, nodding my head in appreciation. The furnishings echoed the
Craftsman design of the cabin itself, incorporating sturdy structure and natural
materials. The room was open plan with a kitchen and eating space on one side, the
living room on the other. A huge, stone fireplace commanded your attention forming
a wall between the living room and what was probably the master bedroom behind
it. A narrow hall led off into the dark towards the back of the cabin. I
imagined it led back to the bedroom and bathroom.

I took my chances on finding the generator using a second
door that led outside from the kitchen. It opened back out onto the wraparound
porch. There was another set of stairs that led down and I followed them
around to a small shed behind the cabin. I didn’t find a generator, but I did
find a set of breakers that controlled the power coming from a bank of solar
panels on the shed roof. Inside the shed was a series of batteries that must
have been used to store the energy that was captured by the panels until it
could be used as electricity. I snapped the master breaker on and several
lights inside the cabin flicked on.