A Hell Hound's Fire (4 page)

But she’s a normal werewolf, not a Hell
Hound. How could she be my True Mate?

His Brother whined.
True Mate.

It doesn’t matter. That’s a secondary
concern if a concern at all. I don’t have time for love.

“On and on you will trek, and reach for the
stars to take on your problems wherever they are.”

Heh. Truth and wisdom from a kiddie
author.
Alex leaned back against the wall beside the door and
closed his eyes. He’d been asked to help Sarah and Liam, not keep
them as his family.

He had to get his head back in the game and
focus on the threat, not on the luscious female in the next room.
She’d experienced enough difficulty already. The last thing she
needed was some horny male backing her against the wall and kissing
the hell out of her.

The idea made his cock swell.

Shit. Get downstairs before she sees you,
fool.

Alex lurched off the wall and shoved the
sheets back in the closet. Then he bolted for the stairs, damn near
tripping on the way down.

Sarah’s voice floated after him. “Your
mountain needs moving, so get on your way.”

I’m going. I’m going
.

Alex scanned his living room, trying to
think of something to help him calm his hard-on before she returned
to the first floor.
Think!
Nothing came to mind except the
radiant color of her hair and the softness of it in his hands.
Is she red everywhere?
His cock flexed with hope and
interest.

Chewed bones!

“Alex, is everything all right?” Sarah
stopped at the base of the steps.

Alex glanced over his shoulder and tried to
smile. “Yeah. Why?”

“You’re staring out the window and your
knuckles are white. I thought perhaps we had unwanted company.”

He shoved his fisted hands in his pockets to
disguise the rigid bulge pressing against his fly. “No, sorry. I
was just thinking.”

“Oh, I know all about those sorts of
moments.” Sarah shifted past him and settled on the couch, rubbing
her face with her hands. The action broadcast so much weary
resignation, he couldn’t help but sit down beside her. Everything
inside him screamed to wrap her up in his arms and hold her close,
but he settled for taking her hand.

“Did Liam go to bed okay?”

“Yes, thank goodness. He hasn’t been
sleeping well since we left Dublin.” She shook her head. “Nor have
I.”

Alex’s arm slid around her shoulders of its
own volition and he gathered her against his side.

Sarah stiffened for a moment, surprise
filtering through her sweet scent. She relaxed after a few
moments.

“I suspect demons make it hard to unwind,
but I think you’ll be able to get some good sleep tonight. Here.”
He shifted his body until his back wedged between the armrest and
the upright cushions. “Lay your head on my chest and get some
sleep. I’m not going anywhere.”

Sarah gave him a long look. “You want me
where?”

Alex patted his chest. “Lay your head here.
Your hips here.” One hand tapped the couch beside his extended
leg.

“You want me…between your legs?”

Hell yeah, I want you between my legs, hot
and snarling and begging for more.

“You’re exhausted, Sarah. Take a break and
let me watch over you for the moment. I promise not to do anything
you don’t want me to do.” He patted his chest again.

Sarah’s shoulders slumped and she ran a hand
through her hair, pulling a few strands out of her ponytail. His
hands itched to smooth the tendrils back and he held his breath,
hoping she’d agree.

“All right. Maybe just a wee nip o’ sleep.”
She shifted her hips, scooted closer to him, and settled her
shoulder against his side. The warm swell of her breast pressed his
ribs, branding him with her heat, and he prayed to the Goddess his
cock didn’t poke her in the belly.

Thank the First Canid for jeans.
Even
if they got too tight.

“Better?” It was certainly better for
him.

“Yeah, thank you. You’re wonderfully
warm.”

I’m on fire.
“I try.”

She sighed and closed her eyes, settling her
body against his. Alex reveled in her scent and laid his arm across
her back. It felt so natural to cradle her this way. Maybe his
Brother knew better after all. Alex listened to her soft breathing
and contentment unfolded in his chest.

Before he knew what he was doing, he stroked
her hair back from her face, sliding his hand over her head in a
repeated pattern. Sarah started, her breath hitching in surprise,
but he just kept stroking, enjoying in the soothing motion.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to help you rest. My mother used
to do this after I woke up from a nightmare. It calmed me right
down. Do you want me to stop?”
Please, please, don’t say
no.

“No…it’s nice. Your mother was right.”

Delight flowed through him as she snuggled
deeper against his side. He tried to keep his touches light, but he
wanted to drag her up his body and take her mouth in another hot
kiss. Sarah sighed with appreciation and Alex’s cock flexed.

I’m just offering comfort, that’s it.
But it’d get uncomfortable for him soon if they didn’t stop.
What’s a little sexual frustration between friends?

He forced himself to concentrate on the
silkiness of her hair and the warm scent of contented woman.
Mine. True Mate
. He gritted his teeth against the urge to
claim her, pausing before he did anything like grab her hair and
drag her lips to his.

“Is everything all right?” Sarah looked up
at him, her misty green eyes searching for danger.

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, everything’s
fine. Just…”

Silence filled the space between them and
Alex fell into her eyes, everything around him drifting away. He
dropped his gaze to her lips and the memory of her flavor filled
his mind, urging him to taste her again.

****

Sarah stared up into his amber eyes and
wanted nothing more than to sink into his sexy heat.
What am I
thinking?
Running from a demon didn’t leave time for romance or
even sex. But she wanted it more than she wanted anything else, and
her Sister self acted like a bitch in heat around Alex.

This could be the last time you get any kind
of loving, ever.

“Make love to me.”

Alex blinked, the surprise on his face
mirroring her feelings. She cursed her impulsive Sister.

“Are you sure, Sarah?”

“Yes. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
This may be our last chance to celebrate life. Please, Alex.” How
had she lost control of her voice?

Alex groaned. “Here’s the thing. I don’t
think I’ll be able to stop if you change your mind.” He shifted
beneath her again and the long, hard ridge in his jeans ground
against her belly. “I usually have more control, but tonight I’m as
rabid as a honey badger, and I won’t give up until I’ve had you, if
you give me the go-ahead.”

His frank words set her core on fire and she
whimpered with the lust they inspired.

“Chewed bones, you make more sounds like
that, I’ll be forced to make love to you.”

She dusted off her sultry smile and let it
curl her lips as she wriggled, moaning in supplication. “I want
you, Alex MacLaren, rabid as a honey badger, smoky as a fine
whiskey, and hard as stone. I’ll take you anyway I can get
you.”

He growled and fisted her hair, dragging her
face closer. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Alex took her
lips in a consuming kiss, stealing her breath and her sanity. One
hand slid down her body into her pants, long fingers strumming her
clit. “Oh yeah, give me some of your honey, sweetheart.”

Sarah gasped as a single finger slid deeper,
stroking the walls of her pussy. She writhed around the digit as
Alex’s tongue battled hers for supremacy, his growls counterpoint
to her moans. Electric pleasure surged between her legs, swamping
her mind with nothing but bliss.

“Oh, Goddess, Alex.”

“I love it when you say my name, Sarah. It
turns me on so much.” He pulled his hand out of her pants and slid
his fingers into his mouth, tasting her cream. His eyes closed and
an expression of ecstasy flooded his features. “Damn, you taste
good.”

The scent of her own arousal combined with
his earthy musk created a potent mixture so delicious she had to
have more. She grabbed his face between her hands and planted a
kiss on his lips, desperate to recapture the taste of them
together. Flavors from dinner and her own tart juices filled her
mouth as she suckled his tongue, making him growl.

Sarah groped down his body until she grasped
his jeans, and fumbled with the button at the top.

“Whoa, wait a moment.” Alex pushed her back
and everything within her squealed with disappointment. “Easy
there, little wolf. If you get your hands on me, I might come too
soon. That won’t be good for anyone.”

“But…”

“Come on.” He squirmed out from under her
and pulled her up, kissing her knuckles when she stood. “Let’s take
this somewhere more comfortable.”

Sarah raised an eyebrow. “What happened to
the honey badger rabidness?”

Alex laughed. “It’s countered by two
centuries of experience at pleasing my lover.”

By the Goddess, she liked the sound of that.
She’d only been sexually active for forty of her sixty two years,
but no one had pleased her in a long time. Not even Malcolm.

Alex drew her up the stairs and through the
first doorway on the right. The room had a dusty, disused scent,
but under it Sarah detected Alex’s earthy musk. He flipped on the
lights and pulled her to the bed. Sarah didn’t have much time to
take in the décor before he tore off his shirt and unbuttoned his
jeans.

“
Now
, I’m going to go all rabid on
you.” He grinned as he gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it
off. “Rabid wolf.”

Alex dropped his head between her breasts
and snapped her bra apart with his teeth. Sarah’s heart beat a
rapid tattoo against her ribs and her pussy clenched around a new
influx of cream. She inhaled his masculine scent and her nipples
hardened to the plundering of his tongue, the wet heat stealing her
breath.

“Holy Goddess, you taste wonderful, Sarah.”
The moan originated at her chest before his hot tongue swiped along
the swell of one breast. “I could spend hours sucking on your
nipples.”

“Chewed bones, Alex. I don’t have hours.”
She arched her back and pushed her flesh against his lips.

“You will someday, but I won’t torture you
tonight.” He chuckled, the rumble echoing through her body.
“Tonight is about giving you pleasure.”

“I’m all for that.” If Alex gave her the
opportunity to be selfish for one night, she’d take it. Tomorrow
she’d have to face her son’s needs, and the demon who hunted
them.

Her thoughts splintered as his tongue dipped
into her navel then skimmed around the swell of her belly. While
she’d never been vain, her belly had never been the same after her
pregnancy and she slid a hand over it to hide the stretch
marks.

Alex paused. “What’s wrong, Sarah?”

Chapter Four

Alex’s gut clenched and he swallowed hard.
Had he hurt her? Had some of his fire escaped and singed her? A few
times while making love to Lisa, they’d set the bed aflame in their
exuberance, but it had always been localized. Hell Hounds had a
natural affinity with fire, but Sarah didn’t have such
imperviousness.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. You were
lovely.”

Chewed bones. Here comes the ‘you were okay,
but I’ve had better’ speech.

“But…childbirth changes the body and…well,
the stretch marks…”

He huffed a laugh and his guts unclenched.
Thank the Goddess I didn’t hurt her
. “Sweet Sarah, you are
beautiful. You have nothing to be concerned about.” He ran his
hands over her stomach, kissing the skin in their wake. “You’re
real, sexy, and so gorgeous I can’t keep my hands,”—he kissed her
again—“or lips off you.”

Sarah gasped and arched into his caresses,
and he used the distraction to unbutton her jeans and slide them
off her hips. He pulled her panties off with them and the delicious
scent of her arousal slammed into him. His mouth watered and his
cock solidified as he thrust his nose against her pussy lips.

“Alex!”

He couldn’t answer. Her taste overwhelmed
him and he needed more. He pressed her back onto the bed and
nestled between her thighs. Sweet and tangy, hot and wet, he
couldn’t resist opening his mouth and swiping his tongue along her
slit. Sarah moaned and squirmed, pulling a growl from his chest as
his hands clutched her hips.

Mine.

Damn right she was. Tonight he’d take her to
the limits of pleasure and make her his forever. He ignored the
implications of his thought as he settled to feast on her sweet
pussy. Ambrosia coated his tongue as he sipped from her cream,
savoring the hot, sultry flavor swirling in his mouth.

He caressed her folds with his tongue,
luxuriating in the smooth, slick flesh contrasted with the crinkly
hairs. His cock jerked each time she twitched and her moans set his
brain on fire. Every gasp tightened his balls until he couldn’t
stand much more. He hummed against her clit, suckling on the little
nubbin until she grabbed his head.

“Oh, Goddess, yes, Alex. Lick me harder
right there!”

He feasted on her folds, licking and
devouring her sweet cream. The sounds of wet pleasure mixed with
her moans of ecstasy in the quiet room, and Alex reveled in the joy
of both. His own pleasure ramped up as Sarah’s body tightened. She
keened an ecstatic wail as he sent her over into orgasm, rocking
her hips hard against his mouth. Alex damn near followed her, but
he held back by lapping up all her juices, taking everything she
had to give.