A Handful of Wolf (21 page)

“I’ll be quick then. I know Alex and Hugh can’t learn about the wolves and that’s fine, I won’t tell anyone. But what about everything else you told me? The soul-mate thing?”

“Megan—”

“And why don’t you call me
Cariad
now? Stop trying to distance yourself. You’re leaving because you think it’ll be better for me. Aren’t you? I don’t believe it was anything to do with gangs, so what really happened?” She took another step closer and then another. “Don’t you owe me the truth this time?” Now she was close enough to do what she wanted. She snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him.

*

The wolf howled
yes
, the man tried to say
no
.

The wolf won.

Her lips were warm and confident, and much as he tried to resist, it was a token gesture at best. The wall he’d constructed around his heart came tumbling down faster than a house of cards in a force ten gale. Sasha pulled her so close into his body, he couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.
Mine
. He’d been fooling himself if he thought he could leave her. He’d sooner cut off his own arm.

She sighed against him and ran both hands through his hair. “Now tell me the truth.”

“The whole truth and nothing but the truth? Haven’t we been here before?” In response, she burrowed her head against his chest. Funny how all his aches and pains didn’t seem so bad now. “The guy I was talking about, he was threatening Jake. Wanted me to take a message back to him, and wanted me to stop talking to Connor. That was wolf business, by the way, nothing dodgy. I’ve been a kind of diplomat for the Snowdonia Wolf Pack.”
A pathetic one
. Jake would never ask him to do
that
again.

“I recognized Connor. You know, when he, uh, changed.”

He marveled at how together she sounded. “We call it
shifting
.” He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her wonderful scent. Inside him, the mating bond coiled tighter and his wolf sighed and rolled over, a puppy seeking pleasure. “He saw us together and I guess he’s the one that stole your phone. Connor’s pack has been hunting him, but he’s vanished.”

“So he only wanted me, to get at you?”

“I guess.”

“Sasha. My dad’s been a high-ranking politician all my life. I don’t doubt that one day he’ll make Prime Minister, but it means I’m used to crank threats. That’s why Alex and Hugh are so bloody-minded. We’ve lived with that for years. I can handle it.” She nipped his jaw and his cock hardened instantly. God, he wanted her more than the air in his lungs. “I can’t make any promises about forever. Three days is too soon to make those kind of big decisions, but I do know that I don’t want it to end here.” She rubbed against his hard-on and he swallowed down a groan.

“It’s nearly four days.” His sanity was unraveling with her back in his arms, the heady joy at holding what he thought was lost.

“Three and a half.”

He had to chuckle. “
Sure
you’re not a lawyer, baby?” He’d done enough talking and with time so limited, he needed another taste of her. He plunged one hand into her thick, soft hair and tilted her head to the perfect angle, then flicked his tongue across her plump lower lip. So tempting to take a nip, but he licked instead, teasing and enjoying her whimper. He’d never tire of kissing his Mate.

Dion’s voice was an unwelcome reminder of their limited time together. “Dude, you ready?”

It nearly killed him to pull back and when he saw the desire glazing her eyes he contemplated telling Dion he’d changed his mind, but then he remembered Tammy. He had to go home. Megan clung to his T-shirt. “What happens now? How do we make this work?”

“Did you mean it about coming to Wales?”

She blinked and he saw a hint of a smile emerge. “I’ve got plenty of holidays accumulated. I could take a couple of months off.”

“That’s where we start. You come as soon as you can get away.” He didn’t like to be over confident, but once she came to his territory he’d already be half way to convincing her to stay.

“And there’s always email, and text, and Facetime.” She played with the ends of his hair. “We can keep in touch every day.”

“I can do better than that,
Cariad
. I’ll see you every night too.” Her brows drew into a puzzled frown that he had to kiss away. Bending, he whispered into her ear. “I’ll find you in your dreams.”

*

Megan slumped onto her bed, aching in every muscle. Her hand itched beneath the bandage and the scratches on her back throbbed. She was convinced sleep would be an impossibility. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw an image of Sasha, hobbling backward through the gate at the airport, heading for his flight home, and keeping his eyes on her until the last possible minute. Alex and Hugh flanked her of course, along with Dion and the other band members. They’d kept her going with jokes and banter, but now, alone in her bedroom, she ached with loneliness. For crying out loud, he’d only been gone a few hours. All the same, she’d sort out her vacation dates tomorrow, and book her flights.

She was besotted with him now, after just three days.
Three and a half,
she corrected herself with a smile. If she spent a month with him, she’d learn if they had enough potential for something long term. She’d like to think they did. Megan yawned and shoved her pillows into a better position. She needed to talk to Gran too, find out what she knew about Welsh wolves. Her eyelids were heavy. Maybe she’d sleep after all.

When she opened her eyes again it was bright daylight and she sat on warm sand, the sparkling blue sea a short distance away. She knew this beach, and the nearby quiet seaside village. Gulls wheeled and squawked overhead and she had to shield her eyes from the sun. What a gorgeous day. Glancing down, she wore cut-off denim shorts and a soft tank top, and she sprawled on a bright red blanket. This made her smile. Was it Sasha’s blanket?

“
Cariad
.” His husky voice sounded behind her and she peered over her shoulder.

“Hello, Sasha. Fancy seeing you here.”

He dropped to the blanket next to her and pressed a hard, possessive kiss onto her lips. As always with him, she melted into the kiss, her heart racing at his touch. Releasing her, he slid an arm around her shoulders and gave her a lazy smile. The dimple flashed and she smiled in reply. “This is a pretty place. Where are we, baby?”

“This is the beach near my Gran’s house.”

“I like it.” He traced one finger around the scoop neck of her top. “I like anywhere you don’t wear many clothes.”

“You’re shameless.” She tried to hide her delighted smile, but was pretty sure she failed.

“And you’re gorgeous. We make a good pair,
Cariad
.”

He nuzzled at the shell of her ear and licked a lazy circle around it. Her stomach went into freefall and she tried valiantly to continue talking. “Do wolves like the seaside?”

“This one does.”

He propped himself on one arm and leaned over her, silky hair brushing against her face, hot breath on her cheek. She touched the stone around his throat, stroked his neck, smoothed his eyebrows; any excuse to touch him was good. The sun made her sleepy and she gave a big yawn. This was a delicious dream and she didn’t want to leave it just yet. Sasha kissed her again, gentle and unhurried. “I know you’re going back to sleep, and you need to rest,
Cariad
. I’ll phone you the minute I land in Manchester, but let me hold you now.”

With the crash of the surf and the steady thump of Sasha’s heartbeat to rock her to sleep, she snuggled into his arms and closed her eyes.

Sasha was dog-tired when he stumbled through the Arrivals Hall at Manchester Airport, but at least he was almost home. Jake would be there to pick him up and from here, they only had a couple of hours drive at this time of night. Three at the most. He fucking hated long-haul travel. His sleep patterns were disrupted, his wolf antsy from being cooped in a series of confined spaces, and his muscles ached. His injuries were healing rapidly, but it would still be a few days before he could go for a long run. He’d also only been able to enter one of Megan’s dreams, but that was probably something to do with his own sleep cycle being screwed.

Goddamn phone, there was no signal in this part of Arrivals. He walked a little farther and finally—thank you, God—his phone sparked to life. Two texts from Jake, two from Connor, one from his Mum, and one from Megan. He read that first.

Hey you. I dreamed about you last night. Miss you already. M xxx

Sasha checked the time. Eight-thirty in the evening translated to morning for New Zealand. Perfect timing.

“Sasha.” Megan sounded breathless.

“
Cariad
. I’ve just landed in Manchester. I should be home in a few hours. How are you, baby?”

“I’m fine, just getting ready for work. How was the journey?”

“Long and boring. It would have been more fun with you in the seat beside me. I had to put up with a skinny Liverpudlian who farted after everything he ate.”

She giggled and he closed his eyes and tried to pretend she was standing next to him. “I dreamed about you. It felt so real…was that something to do with you?”

“We were on a beach near your Gran’s house. You asked me if wolves like the seaside and I told you this one does. I like anywhere you are,
Cariad
.”

She made a soft humming noise and it sounded as though she was amused. “I have to go in a minute. I don’t want to be late for my last day at work. Lots of documents to hand over.”

He opened his eyes, instantly alert. “Say that again?”

“My holiday starts tomorrow and I’ve booked on the mid-afternoon flight from Wellington. I should see you in a couple of days. Is that okay?” For a moment he couldn’t speak. “Sasha? You still there?”

“Yeah, baby, I’m here. Text me the minute you know your arrival time in Manchester and I’ll be waiting for you.” They said their goodbyes and Sasha walked on with a new, lighter spring in his step while he checked his other messages. Tammy had come through her op just fine and Jake would take him straight to the hospital, despite the lateness of the hour. So what did Connor want? The first text was interesting.

Sasha. I’m looking for someone to help with Pack integration issues. There’s a job here for you if you want it. Jake has already given his approval. Let me know.

Wow. He wasn’t sure he wanted to work in New Zealand permanently, but if Megan wasn’t ready to move to Snowdonia just yet, it might work. He flicked to the next one from Connor and the satisfied smile was quickly wiped from his face.

The wolf didn’t survive. He gave us one word. Purity. Mean anything to you?

Purity. The rogue wolf had talked about Jake Mating with Lillian. Did he mean the purity of the bloodline? Couldn’t be. Why would a wolf twelve thousand miles away be grumbling about bloodlines? It made no sense. Perhaps it was a code word for something else?

Apart from the weird text from Connor, everything was great in Sasha’s world. Tammy was fine. There was plenty of beautiful, pristine snow on the mountains, he was home again and best of all, his Mate would be there in a couple of days. They could finally spend long nights together in his bed, while he explored every inch of her luscious body and told her how much he loved her. Yeah, that would be good.

* * * *

Megan gripped the luggage trolley, squared her shoulders and pushed her belongings down the long, over-bright corridor to the Arrivals Hall. She hadn’t flown into Manchester Airport before and it felt large and anonymous after Wellington. Was she making a huge mistake? Possibly. But if it all went hideously wrong, she’d just bring her return flight forward. Her stomach churned. She’d meant to sleep on the way over, but it had eluded her. The way she felt now, strung out and anxious, she wouldn’t sleep for a week.

Her phone vibrated inside her handbag and she fumbled in the side pocket without breaking her stride. It was Sasha, she
knew
it.

Welcome to Manchester. I have coffee and a kiss. Which do you want first?

Yes
. Coffee. It drew a smile and she sped up, veering around a pair of bickering teenagers. How much further could it be? She’d be in the city center at this rate. She rounded another corner and there he was, waiting on the other side of a low barrier. That lasted half a second before he vaulted over it, and covered the remaining yards to wrap his arms around her, and lift her off the ground with the force of his hug.

“
Cariad
.” His arms were strong, his leather jacket familiar and his scent unforgettable. She buried her nose in the crook of his neck and inhaled, God, he had no right to smell so amazing while she was grubby and tired. She was vaguely aware of other people pushing past them, and she remembered. Her trolley was blocking the corridor.

“We need to move,” she murmured against his neck.

“Uh-huh.” Sasha let her slide down his body until she stood on solid ground again, but still in the circle of his arms. His smile was warm, proud and loving, everything she needed at that moment. The dimple flashed in his cheek and he bent his head to nuzzle against her throat. “So,” he whispered, the hot breath igniting her insides, “coffee or kiss?”

“Hmm, let me think.” She ran her fingers through his hair. Was it really only a few days since she last saw him? It felt like forever. “Kiss, please, and then coffee.”

He hummed his approval and brushed his lips across the corner of her mouth, took a quick breath and then devoured her. This was no gentle greeting. It was hot and hungry and every kind of needy, and she reveled in it. She kissed him back just as hard, their tongues dueling as she tried to press herself even closer. She wanted to climb inside his skin and never come out. It felt as though she’d come home.

*

A small part of Sasha had feared she wouldn’t be there, that she’d change her mind and opt for the safety of home and family. The fact she hadn’t, and she’d chosen instead to fly half-way round the world—
for him
—made his heart swell to bursting point. His wolf strutted, proud and happy, and he wanted to punch the air in triumph. Fucking-
A
. His Mate by his side, as it should be.