In a Dark Embrace (14 page)

After her orgasm Jeremy’s hands dropped to cup her hips, allowing her the freedom to angle away from his upper body. She breathed deeply and relaxed into the new position. His thrusts became faster and more penetrating. He groaned and Lee felt another orgasm building in step with his. Her hands clutched the sheets as her voice escalated into uncontrolled shrieks. Jeremy growled and pressed in even harder. Their bodies sagged in mutual release.

Jeremy stroked her back gently. “You have a great deal of skill in the bedroom, my witch. Was sex part of your studies?” he teased.

Lee thought about her sexual history. How she had moved from young men full of fire and curiosity to older men who had broadened her horizons and shown her how to dance on the knife edge between frustration and satisfaction. She had fallen for Ryan because he was funny and good-looking but also big, powerful, self-confident and ambitious. Since their breakup she’d mostly bedded men who tasted of danger—the ones that emanated suppressed rage. The psychologist in her knew she’d been deliberately courting physical pain to quiet an emotional wound. She’d also wanted a reason to lash out at men and nasty sex had been a way to do that.

“I’m clever and curious,” she finally answered.

“And I’m grateful.” He chuckled and kissed her shoulder. His stomach rumbled.

“And hungry,” Lee added with a smile.

Jeremy got up and reached for his boxers. She scooted past him to get into the bathroom first but he caught her and threw her effortlessly across the room and onto the bed. “Nope. I get the washroom. You can wait.”

His casual show of strength made Lee’s heart pound with anger…and renewed arousal. She frowned. Was Jeremy another one of her bad boys, another source of pain and a target for her anger? There was no denying that Jeremy’s hungry lust combined with the power of his body was a huge part of the attraction. It was what she’d reacted to when they first met. But Jeremy had taken that purely physical attraction and turned it into something else when he’d offered his name with a soul-deep longing.

So what was she responding to now? Her own secret desire to be overpowered? She liked rough sex but it had always been a playing field tilted unfairly to her side. Her lovers might not have known but she could never forget it. All her games of submission had been just that—games. With Jeremy however, his dominance was real. Acknowledging that made her uncomfortable. But, she admitted to herself, it also made her very, very hot.

Lee climbed off the bed and went into the now-empty washroom. She looked at her face in the mirror. Her eyes were pools of uncertainty. Yesterday she’d been sure she could keep her emotional distance from Jeremy but today she felt him worming his way past her inner shields. Being with him was unearthing things she’d never known about herself. Lee took a deep breath and resisted the impulse to get on her bike and ride away. That would be totally immature. She could handle this.

Jeremy had the table set and laden with fried chicken and four different kinds of salad when she walked into the kitchen. There was also a bottle of red wine and two elegant crystal glasses.

“Looks like a feast for a small army,” she joked and sat down.

He shrugged. “I didn’t know what kinds of salads you preferred so I got one of each.”

“I’m easy,” she said and helped herself to something from all the offerings—potato, macaroni, Caesar and Greek salad.

“I already know that,” he drawled. “But I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat.”

“Ha. Ha. Just be thankful that I like big, aggressive men or you’d have spent that first night imitating one of Medusa’s victims instead of getting the fuck of your life.” It came out sounding hard and cold.

Jeremy shot her a questioning look and Lee tried to soften her words. “But you don’t need to worry about feeding me. I like most things and this is wonderful. Looks like a nice bottle of wine too.”

His shoulders relaxed and he poured her a glass. “It’s South African. I picked up a taste for it when I traveled through Africa.”

“I’ve never been there. What’s it like?”

“Fascinating. The contrasts are so stark—between rich and poor, barren and lush. I saw the most beautiful, wondrous things there. And the most ugly.”

They eased into a conversation about other countries and the meal passed pleasantly. The wine helped Lee get her jagged feelings under control. She really didn’t know why she’d snapped at him. Sure, she was feeling pressured by his unspoken emotional demands but just because he was pursuing her didn’t mean he was going to catch her. And, she concluded with a defiant tilt of her chin, the sex was too good to give up.

* * * * *

The room was dark, only a glimmer of light coming in through the partially closed curtains. Jeremy leaned over and watched Lee sleep. She looked like an angel, her tiny hands folded and held against her cheek. The full lips were soft and slightly parted. He wanted to stay by her side. For the first time the call of the wolf was less compelling than the allure of another living creature.

She’d seemed to swing from one emotional pole to the other today. Lee was always changeable but throughout the evening she had cycled from hot and sweet to cold and biting and back again several times. He wasn’t sure what was causing the extremes and didn’t dare ask. She was good at getting others to talk but didn’t like revealing her inner thoughts and feelings. Such a contradictory woman. But her strong, fiery temperament was part of her allure. He wouldn’t change a thing about her. Except her resistance to becoming his mate.

He wanted her body underneath his but more than that he wanted her to sleep in his bed, eat in his kitchen and leave her hair in his bathtub. He would gladly give her the keys to his house and his car. An extra set was waiting in the laundry room in case she asked. There had been time this week to get things ready. He had bought new sheets and a set of good wineglasses because Lee was the type who noticed such things. The closet had space in it for her clothing. Yet she had brought only a few items with her—just enough for one night and the next day. It irked him, that concrete limit to her involvement. Admittedly she’d been on the bike and that restricted what she could carry but the backpack had been half empty.

He knew that he was moving too fast for her but he didn’t need any more time to be sure. She was the only woman for him. They belonged together. Lee was obviously reacting against his possessiveness but he suspected it was more than that. Her previous relationship had hurt her badly.

Jeremy’s hand curled into a fist. If he ever met the bastard he’d pulverize him. He closed his eyes and sighed. What a stupid thing to even think. She’d taken her vengeance already and it was a more powerful and lasting one than any pain he could inflict. His clever, wicked witch.

Jeremy slipped carefully out of the bed. He needed to change. The itch to become a wolf and run through the night was very strong. He had been denying it all week. Trying to ignore his nature would not do him any good. It would just make him irritable and impossible to be with tomorrow. He needed this. No matter how much he wanted to be with Lee, no matter what he felt for her she could not placate the beast inside him.

“Have a good run, my wolf,” Lee said softly.

Jeremy turned in the doorway but she was already back asleep. He smiled. For the first time he didn’t need to make up excuses, would not face concerned, questioning looks in response to his nighttime absences. In a joyous mood he left Lee for the soft embrace of the warm summer’s night. She would be there when he got back. For now that was enough.

Jeremy walked to the far end of his property, climbed the fence and headed into the neighbor’s thicker woods. He hoped that distance was enough that she would not feel the pain of his change. He called the wolf and clenched his teeth as reshaping bones filled him with agony.

Then, panting, he lifted his muzzle and yipped at the moon.

* * * * *

Lee looked up from the menu as the hostess walked over to their table. Behind the hostess was a slender dark-haired girl and following closely on her heels was an absolute mountain of a man. He was even taller than Jeremy and much broader across the chest. Combined with blond hair, Nordic good looks and pale ice-blue eyes he was gorgeous. Jeremy introduced her and Lee didn’t even try to hide her interest.

“Hello, Eric, an absolute pleasure to meet you,” she purred.

“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you as well,” he replied and his eyes glowed with an answering warmth. “Lee, this is Sally.”

Lee threw the other girl a barely registerable hello then fixed her attention back on Eric.

“I’ve never been here before. What do you recommend on the menu?” she asked him.

“I like the spicy chicken penne myself. If you don’t mind it hot…”

“I love it hot. The hotter the better.” She gave him a slow smile.

Lee could feel Jeremy tense up. She glanced at him. The muscles in his arms and shoulders had hardened. His jaw was rigid but he was still managing to keep a smile on his face. It would be good for him, she decided, to learn to control his jealously while she flirted with another man. And she was definitely going to flirt with Eric.

She and Eric tossed light banter back and forth. Sally put in a comment now and again. The other girl was at least trying to participate in the conversation. Jeremy, on the other hand, volunteered nothing and answered questions in monosyllables.

When the waiter came by to pick up their empty salad plates Lee figured she’d better toss the wolf a bone before he started snarling. She leaned into Jeremy.

“I love that subvocal growl thing you do,” she whispered in his ear. “Sets tingles running up my spine.”

He shot her a look totally devoid of amusement. Lee raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged. If he was going to insist on remaining stuck in a bad mood she’d just ignore him.

She turned to the other woman. “So, Sally, how did you meet Eric?”

“I do temp work at the police station every once in a while.”

“How lucky for you. I’m sure very few offices have such wonderful scenery.”

Sally smiled. Her dark slanted eyes lit up and she looked directly at Jeremy. “No. They don’t.”

Lee stiffened. The unspoken message was clear. She brushed off the momentary discomfort. There probably weren’t too many attractive local girls he hadn’t been with at some point in the last three years. And if Sally was still stuck on him that was her problem. Lee glanced at Eric. Did he know? The big man was leaning back in his chair, smiling faintly. Yeah, he knew and was enjoying the subtle byplay. Lee smiled back at him. The guy was a shit-disturber. And very much her type. It was almost too bad she’d met Jeremy first.

“Where are you working now?” she asked Sally.

“Reception for an accounting firm.”

“That sounds dull.”

“Jeremy tells me you’re a counselor,” Eric put in.

“Yeah. I get to mess with people’s minds,” she said lightly. People tended to react strangely to learning she was a psychotherapist. Some got uptight while others wanted to dump all their personal shit on her. It was usually best to turn her training into something of a joke.

Jeremy barked a laugh. Lee looked at him. They all did.

“You certainly do, my little witch,” he said without the faintest glimmer of a smile.

Lee narrowed her eyes at him. He glared back. Jeremy was angry to the point of boiling over. She hoped he wasn’t about to say anything nasty or they would have a roaring fight right here in the restaurant.

Their staring contest was broken by the return of the waiter. Lee turned her attention to the seafood pasta in front of her. Jeremy was shoveling in food like he couldn’t wait to have it disappear. There would be no friendly sharing of dessert tonight. Her stomach clenched up. Damn his jealousy.

She’d only been having a little fun. Eric knew she wasn’t serious. There was a tremor of desire in him but his mental state was more amused than aroused. He had no intention of taking her up on any of the coy, suggestive comments she’d been making. If she had gotten any sense from him that her flirting was being taken the wrong way she’d have stopped. Sure, Eric tugged at her interest but she wasn’t the type to string along two guys. Lee glanced over at the solid hunk opposite. Having him in her back pocket, however, would be awfully nice. He was damn attractive.

She let out a slow breath. It occurred to her that Jeremy would be reading the scene with his other senses. He could smell desire…and her body had definitely reacted to Eric. It wasn’t the powerful surge of heat she’d felt when she first saw Jeremy but then Eric wasn’t walking toward her naked in the moonlight either. Lee got swept up in the memory of her first view of Jeremy and her body temperature increased another couple of degrees. She slanted him a look out of the corner of her eyes. Long slender fingers lifted a piece of bread to his mouth. She swallowed and admitted to herself that even fully dressed and in a crowded restaurant Jeremy could send her pulse through the roof. At least he could when rage wasn’t coiled up like a snake inside him.

“You guys want to catch a movie or something?” Eric asked when the bill arrived.

“What’s play—” Lee started to ask.

“Lee and I have plans,” Jeremy said, interrupting her.

Eric looked at her and concern flashed over his face.

“Okay, buddy, I know you don’t like movies much,” Eric said soothingly. “How about a drink somewhere instead?”

“No,” Jeremy snapped and got out of his chair. “Come on, Lee.”

She gave Eric a reassuring smile. “It was really nice to meet you. And you too, Sally.”

Jeremy was pulling her away before she even finished her goodbyes. They got outside the restaurant and she hissed at him, “Stop it, Jeremy. Behave.”

His control broke. “Behave? I’m supposed to behave? You’re the one that’s been acting like a bitch in heat right in front of me.”

“Oh, get over it. Eric is gorgeous, charming and a really cool guy. That doesn’t mean I’m going to jump him.” She continued to walk toward his car.

“You want him.” Jeremy grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “Don’t deny it. I can smell it on you.”