First Moon (New Moon Wolves) BBW Werewolf Romance (11 page)

Audrey blinked. “What does that even mean? I don’t understand the inner workings of this werewolf stuff.”

“If another wolf, one at least equally strong as him, claims you first, he won’t be able to mate you or tell you what to do.”

She gave him a doubtful look.“So claiming turns his penis off?”

“Well, no.” Tao shifted his weight from foot to foot, hands crossed over his broad chest like a shield. “But mating with another wolf makes it so you can fight him and keeps him from bonding to you even further. His power over you would be displaced.”

“Are you sure it would work?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s never been done, but it makes sense.”

She put the birdseed away and rubbed her good hand on her pants, dusting off the birdseed clinging to her palm. “Great. So the solution, which might not even work, is another werewolf. It’s hard enough for me to find a date with a regular man let alone snag a werewolf.” She glared at Tao. “Where do you suggest I find this werewolf?”

“Right here,” he said, looking her straight in the eye.

Audrey gaped at him. “You?”

He nodded. “You helped me when I was locked in that cage. Besides, we are not blameless here, the pack owes you a concession.”

“Just to be clear, when you say mate and claim, you mean that you and I,” she pointed at him and then to herself, “would be having sex? Or kissing? Or what exactly?”

“Mates are claimed through sex.” His voice remained steady as he spoke, but his gaze flickered from her to something behind her.

“What does it mean to be mates? Are we friends with benefits? Are we married?”

“Mating is more like getting married.” He continued to not look at her, as if afraid of upsetting her.

“I have to
marry
you?” She put a hand to her head, overwhelmed. “I mean, I like you, Tao, I really do, but I’m not ready to get married.”

“No, we won’t take it that far. I’ll claim you as mine and when this is over, we’ll just take it one day at a time. If we move on, we move on. If we stay together, we stay together.”

“Can we un-mate?”

“No, but it’s a bond that can be ignored.” He shrugged. “I’ve seen enough werewolf marital problems to know that.”

“What if you meet your real mate?” she asked. “You won’t be able to claim them if you’ve claimed me.”

He ran a hand through his dark, wavy hair. “Listen, don’t worry about me. I want to do this for you. I need to know you’re safe. You say you like me?”

She nodded.

“Then trust me. I want to protect you and I think I have a shot at being able to do that. Let me do this for you.”

“So you’re going to take one for the team?” She crossed her arms and glared at him. She’d said she liked him and he’d come back with ‘trust me.’ What kind of bullshit response was that? Did he even like her? She wanted to tell him he was crazy, tell him to get the hell out of her house, but werewolves were real. Nick was still out there, and she definitely wanted out from under his paw. Abject terror mixed with a bright burning rage at her situation, making her cold and hot at the same time.

He frowned. “Why are you angry? I’m helping you.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Audrey threw up her hands. “Maybe it’s werewolf PMS. Maybe I want to be more than a duty fuck.” She gestured to her body. “I know I’m big. I know you would never in a million years want me unless you had no choice.”

He held out a hand, his brow furrowed in concern. “Audrey.”

“Don’t Audrey me.” She stabbed a finger in the air. “How about this? You know where Nick is. Let’s just go take care of him and eliminate the whole mating issue.”

“I will take care of him, tomorrow. I have it all planned out. But tonight I want to be sure you’ll be safe no matter what happens.” Tao sounded frustrated, but Audrey was too worked up to care.

“What does that mean?” She didn’t like his ominous tone. “What else could happen besides Nick coming for me?”

He sighed. “For one, my pack alpha doesn’t like that there are bitten people up here. Wolf-made wolves.”

“What’s he going to do about it? Come up here and kill us?” When Tao froze, going completely still, her jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.” She’d been basing her impressions of werewolves on Tao, discounting Nick as an aberration. But the truth seemed to be that werewolves were a bloodthirsty, murderous lot, making Tao the outlier. Well, shit on a shoe. What was she going to do now?

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I’d like to protect you. I want to be able to tell my alpha you’re not under Nick’s influence. It might help change his mind.”

“Hence the pity fuck,” she said, her voice harsh as her words.

Tao stiffened. “No. Not a pity fuck, a trying-to-keep-you-alive fuck.” His tone matched hers, he was angry now.

Well, join the club, wolf-man,
she thought. “What about the other people who were bitten? You going to do them, too?”

His eyes narrowed. “Nick’s not mating them, it’s you he wants. They’re just his new pack mates. They don’t have to worry about my brother like you do.” He ran a hand through his hair, brow furrowed with concern. “Look, I know it’s not ideal. I know it’s probably the last thing you want. I mean, I didn’t come out here thinking I would fall into bed with you, but here we are. I have a plan and claiming you away from Nick is just step one.”

She gave a derisive snort. “And now we’ve come full circle, right back to duty fuck. I’m not that kind of fat girl, Tao. I don’t spread my legs just because a guy looks at me twice.”

She didn’t hear what he said next because she fled to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. She leaned against the wooden door and tried to calm down. The mental pictures of a naked Tao and her in a heated embrace didn’t help. He was an attractive alpha male, there was no denying that, but she wouldn’t have him in her bed unless he wanted her the way she wanted him. It wouldn’t be right otherwise.

But, a little voice in her head chided, it might save your life, give you a chance at returning to some semblance of a normal existence. His alpha wanting to kill her, shook her. Everything was spinning out of control around her, violence on top of violence. She should sleep with him, the logical side of her brain reasoned.

And damned if she didn’t want him. Bad. It wasn’t right. Maybe it was just a case of ‘about to become a werewolf’ hormones.
She wasn’t ready to ‘fuck marry’ anyone…let alone a werewolf, no matter how hot.

Life was so unfair.

Don’t be so stupid, said the voice in her head. Save yourself, worry about the rest later.

Audrey frowned. She liked the idea of living in the moment as the next person on a self-improvement kick, but this moment came with a future that frightened her. The past leading to the moment wasn’t much better.

A light knock came on the door. “Audrey?”

“What?” Her voice came out in a harsh growl.

“You’re not a duty fuck and you’re not big, you’re curvy.”

“Don’t play semantics with me, Tao.” Something rumbled in her chest and she started. This time she didn’t sound like she was growling, she was
actually
growling. For real. Like a dog or...a wolf. “Oh my God,” she whispered to herself.

“It’s not semantics. You’re beautiful, Audrey.”

She snorted and another growl shook her body. It felt like thunder shaking her down and it also tickled a little bit.

“I mean it. I wanted you the second I saw you.”

Audrey stiffened. “Don’t bullshit me.” Men like Tao never wanted her. Audrey wasn’t the girl who got the guy. First, he’d asked her to believe in werewolves, and now she was supposed to believe he thought she was sexy? Second, she’d said she liked him and he’d said…nothing. Audrey had her limits and Tao had just reached them.

“I’m not. Wolf’s honor.” He jiggled the doorknob. “Come on, let me in.”

She smacked the door with her good hand, the contact with the wood stinging her palm. “I’m fat, Tao. I have cellulite. I eat too much ice cream. I’m a cake snob, it’s practically my religion. You’re lying.”

“You’re not fat. Whoever thinks you’re fat is an idiot,” Tao said patiently through the door. “I don’t believe you about the cellulite. I love ice cream and I want to go to your church so we can eat cake together, okay?”

When she didn’t say anything, he sighed. “Here, I’m going to slip something under the door.”

Audrey stepped away from the door and looked at the floor as a photo appeared. She picked it up, staring at it with a frown. The picture featured a woman as large as she was, but with auburn hair. The woman smiled broadly into the camera and she wore a low cut tank top, revealing ample cleavage. Next to her stood Tao, his smile just as wide.

“What is this?” she called through the door.

“A picture of my ex-girlfriend, Celia.”

“Your ex?”

“She ditched me for a guy from another pack.”

His tone was matter-of-fact, but Audrey heard a little edge of sadness in the deep timbre of his voice. She knew what it was to be left behind. To not be good enough. That was the story of her life. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?”

“Yeah.” Audrey couldn’t deny the woman had a beautiful face and a great figure even if she wasn’t perfectly skinny.

“So why can’t you be gorgeous too?”

Audrey snorted. “Tao, come on. We’re not the same.”

“No, you’re not the same, but you’re just as beautiful as her. Beauty doesn’t have a size.” He opened the door then and stepped into her bedroom, his blue eyes dark and stormy. “I’ve never looked at your size, all I’ve ever seen is how beautiful you are.”

“Tao,” she said, her voice soft.

“Sh.” In two steps, he was in front of her, hands going to her shoulders, pulling her close for a kiss. The photo fluttered to the floor, forgotten. Audrey fought not to swoon, but it was difficult. His musky, woodsy scent filled her nose and his lips claimed hers with a fierceness that surprised her. This was no gentle kiss, but a possession. His tongue stroked her hard and fast while his teeth sank into the full flesh of her bottom lip.

Audrey moaned and tried to keep up, sagging against him as her knees dissolved.

“I have three brothers,” he told her when he finally came up for air. “We’re all huge, bigger than other wolves. Sometimes women are afraid of us. Are you afraid of me, Audrey?” He tilted her chin up with a finger until their eyes met.

Audrey thought of the first time she’d seen him naked in the cage. He
was
big. All over big. Just like her, yet different. “No, I’m not afraid.”

“Will you give yourself to me? All of you?” His hands went to grip her backside.

Audrey felt the heat rising in her cheeks...among other places. “I guess so.”

Tao shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like yes. Let me ask you, do you want me?” His gaze bored into hers and something strange happened to her body. Her nipples hardened inside her bra and wetness seeped between her legs. Just like that, the man had undone her with one look.

Well, damn.

“Yes,” she whispered as a tremble of desire and fear shook her. She’d wanted him since she first saw him, but she hadn’t been able to admit that to herself until that moment. “But do you want me?”

He answered her with another kiss, his mouth urgent, his body hard against her curves. Audrey moaned and leaned into him, letting him support her. She could barely feel her knees. Her body had ceased to exist, overtaken by heat, want and desperate need.

Tao backed her up to the wall as he kissed his way down to her neck. “You’re so perfect, Audrey. You don’t even know how perfect you are.” His hands found her breasts, lifting them up, fingers grazing her nipples through her scrub top.

Audrey stopped breathing as a bolt of pleasure seared her nervous system. Her good hand roamed his shoulder and then up to his hair. She threaded his locks through her fingers and held on.

He nuzzled her neck, teeth lightly nipping the sensitive flesh there. She shivered as his hands moved to cup her ass and pull her hips into his. Their bodies cleaved together like two halves finally made whole.

Tao came up for air then. “God, I want you, Audrey.” His gaze found hers, full of passion. “And I need you to know, I wouldn’t do this unless I wanted you. I need you to believe me or else we should stop.”

Audrey shook her head. Stop? Was he insane? Every fiber of her being screamed for him to keep going. She didn’t just have to do this, she wanted it. “No, I believe you. Crazy as it sounds, I wanted you from the moment I saw you in that cage.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Which time? As a wolf or a naked stranger?”

“Both,” she said without hesitation.

A slow smile lit his face. “I wanted you the moment I smelled you.”

“I smell?” She sniffed.

“Like strawberries.” He leaned down and nipped her neck playfully. “And the beach.” He became more serious. “This might not work though. It’s just a theory. Nick might still...” He trailed off, leaving the words unspoken.

Audrey cupped his cheek with her uninjured hand and tilted her head up until
their eyes met. “But there’s something between us, isn’t there?” Her heart skipped a beat at the idea. This was insane. Crazy. Perfect.
Right.