Far From Innocent (7 page)

Going into Valle, the nearby town that was predominantly werewolves, was an option. But his pack hung out on the mountain, and he’d possibly find a few willing to head out on a run. Kicking some energy loose sounded like a damned good idea. A willing bitch or two might not hurt either.

Maybe he’d get Erin out of his system.

He stuffed his fists into his coat pockets, leaving the truck and opting for a quick hike instead. He picked up his pace, already hearing voices and laughter through the trees. Erin might be with them.

Juan blew out a breath of cold air. “No other bitch is going to get her out of your system,” he muttered.

He sniffed the air, struggling to pick out her scent although he was still too far away to smell anything more than the fact that werewolves were nearby. He could fuck every available bitch in the pack tonight. None of them would take away his craving for one little, hot female who’d crawled under his skin and stayed there.

Werewolves and bitches hung around one of the dens alongside the mountain. The smell of cooked meat and beer were invitation enough. Juan stepped into the clearing, his scent quickly picked up as most of them turned, growing alert for only a moment before recognizing him.

“Juan Anthony. Do you come alone?” Josef Failo, the new member of their pack, held a beer in his hand and sniffed the air.

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“He’s alone. Have a brewski, Anthony.” Perry Zammit had his arm around his mate Claudette. “The cooler by the door is full of them.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” Juan nodded to Perry. He’d worked with the werewolf building a few of the dens and he smelled like a male to be trusted.

“You going to be part of the challenge?” Josef asked.

Juan pulled the lid from the cooler and stuffed his hand into the ice. He pulled out a longneck and twisted the lid between his teeth.

He spit the lid on the ground, staring at the large werewolf. Josef had some kind of foul smell to him. Maybe it was just too many stuffed emotions. Every single one of them had some bad experiences behind them since leaving Malta. He sauntered over to Perry and Josef, ignoring Josef’s beady eyes that followed his every movement.

“Politics aren’t my thing.” And discussing who was strong enough to kill whom didn’t appeal to him either.

“What exactly is your thing?” Tonya Miccatto brushed against him, giving him a good feel of her large breasts and the smell of beer on her breath. She’d be an easy fuck tonight.

Another scent drifted toward him and he glanced through the darkness at the few other werewolves lingering around. Erin sat on a stump at the edge of the group, holding her bottle of beer to her lips and glaring over the top of it. She looked ready to pounce on Tonya. Juan hid his smile, gently taking Tonya’s arm and pushing her toward Josef.

“I wouldn’t mind getting to know
your
thing,” Josef said to her, and the werewolves around him laughed.

Erin’s anger didn’t subside when Juan walked toward her.

“Waiting two weeks for the challenge is going to stir this pack into all sorts of fights.” Josie Balzon stood next to Erin, glancing down at her when Juan reached her side. “Seems to me it would be better to have it done with.”

“I can see why we wait.” Perry walked over to them with his mate in tow. “Word is out that there are other Malta werewolves working to settle here. Our pack will grow and they all have a right to witness their new leader fight for his title.”

Josie Balzon grew up on Malta, as did a fair amount of the werewolves living on the mountain. Standing maybe an inch taller than Juan, the black sweatshirt he wore made him look even larger than he was. He met Juan’s gaze for a moment and the smell of confidence suddenly flooded the air around them. Erin glanced up quickly, biting her lip, and looked from one to the other. Juan guessed that she sensed what he did. Josie had the gift. Juan wouldn’t swear to it, but he’d learned hanging around with these werewolves over the past few months that those who did have the gift emitted a stronger-smelling emotion when they used it.

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Juan wouldn’t let the werewolf gain the upper hand in front of Erin. “It might prove rather entertaining watching werewolves with the gift fight each other. But I can wait two weeks for a good show.”

He swore he saw Erin smile, but she looked down quickly.

“I do believe I’ve heard word that no werewolf will be allowed to use the gift during the challenge,” Josie said quietly.

“Then I sure hope you can fight without it.” Juan watched Josie’s lip twitch, his confidence turning into the spicier smell of anger.

“Hey man, enough talk of the challenge.” Perry tapped his beer bottle against Josie’s. “I thought we were going to head out on a run.”

“Sounds good to me.” Josie looked away from Juan first then nudged Erin. “What about the single bitches? Should I escort you back to your den before we head out, sweetheart?”

Juan took her arm, pulling Erin up quickly before she could let out a smartass response. And from the sudden glow in her eyes, it would have been a damned good one. He had no doubts.

“She’s not unescorted. She’s with me.”

“Oh,” Josie said, his gaze dropping to Juan’s hand on Erin’s arm. “My apologies for sniffing around your bitch.”

Erin opened her mouth to speak and Juan pulled her to the side, letting the other werewolves think what they would. Word would be back to her den before they returned from their run that he’d just spoken for her, but he’d deal with that later.

Something about that Josie rubbed his hide wrong. Erin didn’t need some brute like that sniffing around her. And it wasn’t because he was jealous. He’d told Erin he’d watch out for her and that’s what he was doing.

“I can escort myself back to my den,” she told him, shrugging her arm free from his grasp.

“You don’t want to go on the run?” He glanced over her head at Josie, who had already peeled off his shirt. The werewolf was fucking built. It didn’t bother him a bit that Erin’s back was to him, which prevented her from getting an eyeful.

“Seems to me I was reminded recently that good little bitches didn’t run by themselves.”

“You won’t be by yourself. You’ll be with me.”

“And that makes me safe?”

He almost told her she’d be better off with him than with any other werewolf. Her eyes sparked with silver when he hesitated, amusement and lust smelling real damned good on her.

“As safe as you want to be,” he told her, his tone garbling when the change rushed inside his veins. Damn it if this little bitch didn’t bring out the more carnal side of his nature.

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Erin ran her fingers through her long, thick hair and he noticed her fingernails had lengthened and were pointed. His dick got hard thinking of how those nails would feel scraping over his flesh.

“Why don’t we head out on our own run?” she whispered, and her tongue darted over her top lip.

Grabbing her and dragging her away from the others sounded like a good plan.

Then Claudette walked over to them.

Perry’s mate was a cute little thing—young, with short black hair that made her look younger than she probably was.

“Perry says we can call Erin and Tonya’s den and get permission for them to run with us.” She smiled almost apologetically when Erin groaned. “We can tell them you’re running with us,” she added quietly, blushing when she glanced at Juan.

“My littermates would faint if I called them and told them what I was doing,” Erin said quietly, turning to face Claudette as if she wished he wasn’t hearing the conversation.

“I can imagine,” he said, grabbing both bitches’ attention at the same time.

Claudette grinned as Perry walked up and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Erin scowled, although whether from frustration or thinking his opinion of her was low, he couldn’t tell. Irritation sprinkled the air with its spicy scent.

“What do we do about the single bitches?” Perry looked worried, obviously not wanting to take the rap for running with the females without their dens knowing.

“I’ll escort Erin to her den and catch up with you all later.” Juan gripped Erin’s arm when she turned on him quickly.

“I don’t want…” she began.

“No arguments.” He almost dragged her away from the surrounding males and bitches.

“Look here, wolf man. I don’t want to go to my den,” she argued the moment they hit the road.

“Good.” He didn’t quit pulling her but headed back toward his own den.

“Oh lovely,” she whined, hurrying alongside him to keep up with his determined gait. “Taking me to your den would go down worse than if I ran with members of the pack.”

They crossed the road and trudged through undergrowth. Her small hand in his was warm and soft, her grip solid. No matter that she complained. She held on tight.

Juan led the way but her scent still managed to wrap around him, intoxicating him with need that ran rampant inside him.

She tripped and Juan tugged her to him. Erin fell into his chest, her long hair draping wildly around her. He grabbed her under her arms, his thumbs caressing the swell of her breasts. She stilled. His heart hammered in his chest.

“I need to taste you now.” No way could he wait a minute longer.

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Far From Innocent

He cupped her chin, pushing her head back.

“Does it look like I’m fighting you?” she teased, beckoning him with her tongue as she pressed it to her upper lip.

Juan attacked her mouth with the need he felt for her that had built up over the past couple of days.

She sighed, relaxing against him while offering her mouth. The action was so submissive, especially for Erin, that his insides hardened to the point where he couldn’t breathe.

He loved how her fingers moved over his shoulders. She stroked and caressed him, then dug her fingers in as if she’d searched and found the perfect spot.

“You taste so fucking good,” he growled, giving them a moment to catch their breaths and then devouring her mouth again.

Her scent wrapped around him, filled his lungs, becoming one with his. He probed deeper into her mouth, breathing her in while tasting and feeling her.

Erin was short, her figure absolutely perfect—not too thin but with curves he could feast on all night. Blue jeans hugged her round ass, and when he ran his hands down the soft curve and pressed between her legs, her heat sunk deep into his flesh.

She clung to him, her tongue darting around his. There was more adventure with the intimacy this time, as if over the past couple days she’d dwelled on him as much as he’d thought about her. It seemed she wanted to explore him, taste every inch of his mouth, open to him and give him all that she had.

And she was one hell of a damned good kisser.

He grabbed her soaked lip between his teeth, scraping her soft, swollen mouth, and gazed down at her. Her lashes fluttered over eyes that had gone almost completely silver. She attempted a smile, panting hard enough through parted lips that he just knew would feel awesome wrapped around his cock.

“I need you,” she said on a breath, moving her hand between them and stroking his chest, then moving lower.

Juan grabbed her wrist before she could touch his cock. “No longer want to go on that run?”

She made a face at him. “Sure. If you’re willing to chance it, then I am.”

“We can run and not get caught.” Like he gave a rat’s ass right now if they were caught.

“After telling Josie I was your bitch, if we do get caught, the pack will start believing it.”

“I don’t care what the pack believes.”

She searched his face, her scent changing for a moment, something akin to hesitation sobering her expression. She hid the emotion quickly.

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“You already know I don’t care what any of these werewolves think of me,” she lied, lowering her gaze when the salty smell of it drifted between them.

“You care what I think of you.”

“Think so?” When she smiled, her eyes had more of an almond shape. With so much silver in her eyes, Erin was breathtaking.

“Yup. Enough to risk running alone with me.”

He teased her, running being the last thing he wanted to do right now. His cock burned so badly he doubted he could walk that far. Her nose wrinkled and she tilted her head, brushing a strand of hair from her face while studying him.

“I think it would be fun running with just you,” she said quietly.

He guessed she didn’t open up her feelings to too many werewolves.

“What would your den say?”

“Does that matter to you?” Her question was sincere, the smell of an emotion deeper than her obvious lust drifting toward him slowly.

“Yes. Actually it does.” The way her expression softened hit him like a knife slicing into his heart. Suddenly he felt flushed, although it wasn’t embarrassment. “Dimitri and Nicolo don’t want you tarnished with the reputation of a slut. I won’t have it happen either.”

Her mouth puckered as if the word slut put a sour taste in her mouth. “No matter what you think, wolf man, I’m not sleeping with every werewolf who howls my way.”

“No. You’re not. Running alone with me, however, without consent of your den will give the impression that you are. It will also make everyone believe that is what I like about you.”

“You’ve never run alone with a single bitch before?” Her look showed she already believed that he had.

Juan couldn’t help smiling and shook his head while grinning down at her. He ran his fingers over her hair. It was so thick, yet soft and silky—probably just how her coat would feel when she was in her fur.

“I’ve run with many single bitches before and not given it a second thought.”

“Then what’s so different about me?”

That knife in his heart twisted, and then the pain swelled until his entire chest hurt from it. His cock still throbbed in his jeans. Standing this close to her, inhaling her with every breath had turned his entire body into an oversensitive nerve ending. Her question was sincere though, and she waited, holding her breath as if scared to hear his answer. It dawned on him that his answer made him nervous too.