Allure of the Wolf (Seraphine Thomas Book 2) (9 page)

He took the towel from me when I lowered it after he was cleaned up. Then he reciprocated the favor and tended to me, the soft cotton more like soft satin or cool water when it was in his hand. “You aligned with your wolf, didn’t you? Something was different about you tonight. You weren’t a well-trained fast human, but a very powerful
wolf
.”

“Yeah, I had help. I guess you could say it fell into place yesterday,” I murmured as he moved the towel along my neck and down to my cleavage. I smirked at him. “I have blood there?”

“A little bit of dirt.”

My skin tingled as my throat went dry. “Make sure to get it all.”

His eyes filled with anger. “It’s not nice to tease the loser, Sera.”

“Who’s teasing?” I purred as I leaned over, giving him better access. “You weren’t the only one turned on from the wrestling. I just didn’t like you getting hard over
hitting
me. But you were cool about getting me out of there and conceding that I won without being a dick about it. I like that.” I bit my lip as I stared into his eyes.

“And? There was more you were going to say.”

“Nothing,” I mumbled as I took the towel and walked back to the sink. In a flash, I was pushed up against the lockers, his hands on my hips and working their way up my stomach as he stared down at me.

“Give me this. What were you going to say?”

“I felt what was in your shorts,” I admitted as my cheeks heated up. “I can’t help but be intrigued. I’m almost sorry I won.”

“Jesus, woman,” he hissed as his fangs came out. “You are the most seductive combination of sinner and saint, it drives me crazy. You’re blushing as you’re asking what I’m packing and all I want is to show you before I please you with it and give us both the relief we need.”

I swallowed loudly and nodded. “You said not to tease the loser.” Noah’s eyes flared with lust as he removed his hands from me and pulled down the front of his shorts. I didn’t look at first, but when I did, I actually did a double take.

He was
huge
. I mean, Riley was a good size for his height and Tristan was certainly no slouch, both gifted and knew what to do with what they had. But Noah? Noah was massive and made me squirm with the knowledge that playing with him would make me walk funny for a while.

“You might kill me with that thing if you were my moon mate,” I blurted without meaning to.

“I think you can handle me,” he murmured as he pushed his shorts all the way down. “Wanna try?”

“Oh yeah,” I moaned as he cupped my breasts. “I’m a good-natured winner.”

5

My siren was
very
pleased with my decision and didn’t even ask to take over since there were still work people in the vicinity. Noah had my shorts off and the front of my sports bra pulled down before he attacked my mouth.

“What do you want, Sera?” he moaned as he fingered me. “You’re
ready
.”

“I am, I
so
am,” I agreed. I glanced up and smiled. “How’s your shoulder?”

He growled as he followed where I was looking. “Healed.”

“Lift me up.” He did and I grabbed onto the pull-up bar above the lockers with one hand and balanced my weight by wrapping my legs over his hips. He guided me down onto him, and I let my head fall back as I moaned in delight. “Fuck, you are
huge
.”

“And you are
tight
,” he groaned as he buried his face in my chest. He started slower than I would have thought, but I appreciated it, because at his size, he could have done some damage if he was too rough. “Fuck, Sera, be my moon mate. No bets, not deals, just say yes.”

“Show me you can use that third leg and not tear me in half and yes,
yes
,” I agreed. Noah bit my breast and the intense please swarmed me as my skin tingled. He moved me faster, not even entering me all the way yet.

“You always did like a good adrenaline-filled fuck,” Brian Havers drawled from our right. I froze, but Noah just turned his head enough to see the man and lapped at the blood dripping from his bite.

“It’s rude to watch when uninvited like a jealous ex-lover,” Noah chuckled. “Show you have better manners than that and guard the door for us, would you?”

“I’m not going to
guard the door
so you can bang her,” Brian sneered.

“Then watch. I don’t care,” I snapped, moving my hips again. “Just shut up. I was right there.”

“Sorry,
lover
,” Noah purred, getting the idea. He thrust up harder and I cried out. His grip on my ass tightened for better support as he picked up the pace. I bounced on him, so into what we were doing I didn’t give a shit if my old office was all standing there watching.

I cried out as I came, burying my face in Noah’s neck to muffle the noise and let go of the bar. He braced my weight against the lockers and kept screwing me like a man who needed me and my body more than air. It was wonderful.

He gave me two more blissful orgasms before he finished, still not even going all the way inside me, he was that mindful of not hurting me.

“You can be my moon mate,” I panted as I slouched against him. “Yeah, you
so
can be my moon mate.”

“Thank
fuck
,” he groaned as he walked us to the bench and sat down.

It took a while for my heart to calm down, but when I did and I could use my body again, Brian Havers was gone. Good. He wasn’t welcome in my naked activities or personal life anymore. Maybe he would
finally
get that through his head now.

We cleaned up and re-dressed, Noah staring at me the whole time as if debating whether he could get in a second round or if I would stop him.

He couldn’t. I would have, just for the record.

We walked back out to the center ring of the casino, and I sighed when I saw the crowed had substantially thinned. Glancing around, I met Tristan’s gaze only to flinch when he excused himself from who he was talking to and took off in the
other
direction from me.

“What’s wrong with Tristan?” I asked Riley once I found him.

“We’re waiting out here to congratulate you, finally get to spend some time with you given how busy you’ve been, and you were in there celebrating with your
opponent
according to Chief Havers,” he explained, not looking too happy with me as well. “He’s hurt. Can’t say I blame him. We were the loudest ones in your corner.”

“I didn’t mean to go in there to do that,” I defended. Riley nodded, still frowning. I leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I’m going to go home and shower. I’ll meet you guys at the after-party and we’ll have some fun.
Us
, okay? I appreciate all you did tonight and the support. I know who had my back.”

“I know you do, and I get the thrill of a fight. Make sure Tristan does,” he muttered and then walked away.

Rage swarmed me as I zeroed in on Brian Havers and stormed over to him. I shoved him out of his conversation and pinned him up against some seats off to the side. “For someone who works for the
FBI
you sure have a big fucking mouth when it comes to non-case information.”

“If you were so embarrassed with what you were doing, you shouldn’t have been doing it,” he snapped, his face flushed and eyes tight.

“It was
personal
, Brian! It was none of
your
business.
Fuck!
” I shoved him hard and backed away, shaking my head. “You have no
idea
what this all has been like for me. I
always
had your back. When did you stop having mine?”

He swallowed hard enough for me to hear it even has his breath hitched. “I have your back, Sera.”

“Bullshit!” I barked, not caring who heard us now or that people weren’t even pretending not to listen. “You were gossiping about us when I worked for you. I had to hear about that from my new boss. I can’t trust you with
anything
not case-related. I’m in deep, unknown waters here, Brian, and
strangers
have been there for me where my own team and boss weren’t, leaving me like road kill when I stopped being
human
. I was good to you, good to
them
. I deserved the same!”

“We would have been there for you if you had
asked
.” His lips curled as his eyes went cold as if angry at
my pride
or some bullshit.

“I shouldn’t have had to ask!”
I roared, finally letting out what had been bugging me most all this time. I stumbled away from him a few steps as it really hit me that was what had been the chain weighing me down in my life. I couldn’t look at him this time, rasping out the words. “I shouldn’t have had to ask my team to be there for me or my boss or the man I was sleeping with, so remember that next time you want to play the jealous ex-lover card.

“I got hurt in the line of duty as if I was shot, and the
moment
I became a wolf, I was dead to you all, the next monster squad joke.” I turned and pointed to Chief Monroe and my team who were all staring at me. “They’re not human but they’re more loyal and have more
humanity
than any FBI agents I’ve worked with.
They
have had my back from the moment I walked into that office because I’m one of them.

“But I was also and still
am
one of you. I
am
FBI. Our division is
no different
than coming in from New York or white collar.” I moved forward and shoved him again. “I was one of
you
and you guys ditched me to figure this out all on my own. So stop fucking judging me. Stop running your mouth about me. Stop pretending like you
care
about me.”

“Just answer me this. Why do people say you’re not
really
a wolf?” he pushed, stepping away from the wall of the seats and coming towards me. “I’ve seen the teeth and eyes. You’re a shifter. Bernard was a wolf. What are you then?”

“I was always more than human when I worked with you and I became a wolf and—” I shut my mouth and backed away, shaking my head.

“And?” Brian demanded.

“You want to know the truth?” I asked, honestly curious if he did or if he wanted to be lied to as I studied him. Sometimes people wanted the lie.

“Yeah, I think I deserve some answers.”

That
raised my hackles. “You
deserve
a punch in the face for the shit you’ve pulled,” I sneered, my hair even standing up at the balls he had demanding anything of me. “But you want the truth, prove to me you can be trusted with more than case work and you won’t run your mouth the next time you get pissed at me or have a few drinks and
maybe
I’ll tell you.” I spun on my heel and walked over to Vlad, giving him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for the circus. I ended up having fun. I just wish I’d gotten my cotton candy. I like that stuff.”

“Thank you for being such a good sport, my dear Seraphine. Get some rest. I did not know how hard you have been working or I would have rescheduled this
circus
.”

“I know you would but you put a lot of time and effort into having some fun. I can sleep later.” I waved to Monroe and my team, ignoring the worried looks on their faces. I brushed past Riley, knowing he was right about what he’d said earlier, but I couldn’t deal with that right then. I needed at least a time-out between my meltdowns and embarrassing moments.

But I didn’t get that because Tristan was out in the parking lot leaning against his car which was parked next to mine, staring up at the sky. I took a moment just to study him, the way the moon caught the shades of dark red in his curly hair, his pale skin that looked like stone and was cool to the touch but I knew it was soft. And while his eyes were closed, when they would open, I would be looking into the deepest, most piercing cobalt blue ones on the planet.

Yeah, he was the type of man to make any smart woman swoon. He affected me and I cared for him—a lot. And that scared me, having grown up with
no one
and after the recent betrayal of the people I thought I could count on.

Call my crazy for being cautious.

“Tristan, I’m sorry,” I whispered as I joined him.

“I’m fine,” he
lied
through his teeth, even slapping on a smile. “You’re not hurt, right?”

“No, I’m okay. I was worried about Noah and then his ego was bruised.” I shook my head and sighed, my reasoning for not thinking about how it might make Tristan and Riley feel sounding stupid even to myself. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Too much going on and I took the distraction in front of me instead of the chaos waiting outside the locker room.” I moved closer and kissed his cheek. “But he’s not my date tonight or the man sharing my bed at home.”