Let the Wild Out (5 page)

Side by side, the men’s differences became apparent. William’s
chest rose and fell as if the beast pressed against the inside of his flesh,
ready to rip out. His eyes were narrowed, and he stared at her as if he could
smell the longing unfurling in her sex. There was a great restraint in him, a
forced calmness that had to come from years of practice. It was something she
recognized because she had to do the same thing. The wolf was hard to control
even in human form.

Douglas, with his soft, Gaelic brogue and perfectly tailored
appearance, moved like a king used to sitting before his noble court. Every
gesture was deliberate and refined. He sipped his drink, as if savoring the
taste of the liquor on his gorgeous lips. Despite this, Rachel detected more
than a hint of the wild in him. The fact he had a bad boy reputation didn’t
help matters. He may look calm, but her chief knew all about letting the wild
out.

“What about a phone?” William asked.

“There is a land line, but your cellular phones should work
here. Aunt Elvie, um, made a deal to have a private tower set up on the
mountain,” she said.

Both men smiled. William said, “I think I would have liked
this Elvie. Was that her field I smelled in the forest?”

“The pot? Oh yeah. That was Elvie. I don’t smoke myself.”

“Dulls the senses,” Douglas said.

“How did you come to live with your aunt?” William sat
forward intently.

She felt like she was under interrogation. “Don’t the clans
keep records of that information? Are you a census taker?”

“Hardly,” William muttered.

“We’re just talking,” Douglas said. “And the clan records
are not complete, especially for the Americas. Shifters by nature are wild and
not prone to reporting births and deaths as they’re encouraged to do. The last
accounting was nearly two hundred years ago.”

“Two hundred and fifty for the Cononious,” William said.
“Perhaps it is time to rectify that.”

“Agreed.” Douglas nodded. They both turned to Rachel
expectantly. Apparently, they thought to start the new accounting of the clans
with her family history.

“My parents were killed in a car accident. Elvie was the
only family who could take me in.” Before they could pry further and continue
their inquisition, she asked, “And what brings you two to America?”

“We are here on official business,” William said.

“We?” She glanced at the chief and then back to the man who
spoke. “You work for the chief?”

Douglas laughed. The expression of merriment flooded his
face and filled his dark eyes. When he tried to answer, he only laughed harder.

William had the opposite reaction. He frowned, looking at
his palms. Douglas reached for the other man’s hand, lifting it up so she could
see William’s scarred palm. Rachel stiffened, whispering, “The Cononious chief.”
Then she looked at Douglas. “And the Duncanis chief.” Swallowing nervously, she
realized just how powerful these two men were. Combined, they ruled every
shifter on the planet. “Am I in trouble? Is this because I didn’t keep the
sanctuary open full time? I swear I didn’t realize I was breaking any laws.”
Then pointing at them both, she said, “And that snake shifter was way out of
line. He came here right after my aunt’s funeral trying to lay lover rights to
me, and when I refused, he threatened to take this land from me. I was only
defending myself when I cut him. I swear, I could have done much worse, and he
deserved much worse, but I refrained.”

Both men grinned.

“You are not in trouble,” Douglas said. “We’re only here for
a place to stay that is away from the cities. Even chiefs need time away from
the clans.”

William shared a secret look with Douglas. “No one will
think to look for us here.”

“Not unless we tell them to,” Douglas answered the man.

“Oh. Well, how long do you think you’ll be here? You can
have the lodge for as long as you need. I can stay in the city.” She stood. “In
fact, I’ll go now. If I jog, I’ll make it back tonight and will have supplies
delivered to you in the morning.”

“I’ll go for supplies,” William said.

“Yes.” Douglas nodded in agreement. “We wish for you to stay
here with us. We are not accustomed to taking over people’s homes without them
in it.”

“And we can fill in your education where your Aunt Elvie
left off. The mountain sanctuaries in America are few and we need to ensure
this one is maintained properly.” William finished his beer before setting the
bottle down. He held his hand out to Douglas. “Your keys. I didn’t bring a car.”

Douglas reached into his pocket and handed them over. William
nodded at them, looking for a long time at Rachel before moving to leave. When
he was gone, she asked, “Is he all right? I mean, I know I don’t know him, but
he seemed upset.”

“He’ll be fine, lass,” Douglas dismissed. “Nothing for you
to worry over.”

“Well, I suppose I should see to your rooms. I’m sure
they’re not anything like you’re used to. I’ll try to tidy up, though.” She
made a move to go to the stairs, thinking to run away from him. In the
distance, she heard a motor start. It was a low hum, almost impossible to hear
over the soft background noise of the generator.

Douglas moved right behind her, following her up. She
glanced around the hall, trying to figure out where to put them. It didn’t seem
right to stick them in her aunt’s old room. Then, going to the biggest guest
room, she opened the door. A large, king-size bed dominated the space. It
matched the dark wood of an antique dresser and oversized chest. A light layer
of dust coated the wood.

“Will this work?” she asked.

“Perfectly.” He stood a little too close.

“If you would like to wait downstairs while I dust—”

“No need, I assure you,” he interrupted.

She felt the heat radiating from his body, as if calling her
to lean into him. Rachel studied the floor. She’d just had sex with one
stranger. She wouldn’t be repeating the performance. She backed slowly away,
moving out the opened door. “I’ll leave you to get settled then. Towels are in
the bathroom down the hall on the left if you’d like a shower. The generator’s
been on for a while so the water should be warm.”

He watched her with his dark, probing eyes. When he looked
at her like that, he seemed to fill up the entire room. “Care to join me?”

She shook her head once in denial and hurried from his
sight.

Douglas grinned. Every part of him wanted to go after her
and play the role of predator to her prey. He resisted. Charging after a woman
like a beast wasn’t his style—at least not at first.

He whistled lightly, stripping out of his clothes before
walking towards the shower. Rachel was on her way up the stairs, carrying
blankets. His grin widened as he stopped whistling. She skidded to a stop and
stared at his naked body. When she didn’t look away, his cock twitched with
interest. She gasped and quickly spun around. Douglas chuckled and continued on
towards the bathroom.

Rachel peered out the window, using all her senses to detect
William’s presence. He’d been gone for hours, more hours than a trip to town
should have taken. Though, seeing him shifted and knowing he was a chief, she
wasn’t worried about anything happening to him. She was more worried about
being left alone with Douglas. The man was altogether too sexy for his own
good. As she had listened to the shower, she couldn’t help but imagine beads of
water flowing down that tight flesh, caressing each curve, molding wet rivulets
and trailing down hot crevices.

If she was going to take a shifter lover, and she wasn’t
convinced she would, she would have to pick the man she’d already slept with. Wouldn’t
she? It’s not like she could have two. Rachel glanced over her shoulder to
where Douglas lounged on the couch, book in one hand, drink in the other. He
pretended not to look at her, but she felt his attention.

“No one is out there,” Douglas said, not looking up. “I
promise to tell you if anyone comes within a ten-mile radius. You might as well
take a seat.”

Rachel inched slowly across the room. “I think I need to buy
a television for this place and some DVDs. Aunt Elvie had dial-up internet put
in through the phone line, but it’s impossible to surf the net with dial-up
these days and I canceled the service.”

“Hmm,” Douglas answered. He flipped a page in his book.

Rachel sighed, eyeing the room. Things had been so much
different when Elvie was there. Rachel had never noticed the silence of the
woods because there were always people around—telling stories, building metal
sculptures in the yard, painting, writing, shifting, drinking and partying. She
missed the noise, the smell of beer and cooking food. On evenings like this,
someone would have the smoker going outside and the mesquite scent would hang
thick in the air. A wave of sadness washed over her.

Instantly, Douglas’s book was down by his side and he stood.
“What is it?”

“What is what?” She tilted her head to the side and listened
to the distance.

“I felt your sadness. What is it?” He didn’t move.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was thinking of the silence.” She
studied her hands. “This house always had so much life. It drained out the day
Elvie died. People tried to stay, but she was the force behind this isolated
world. Without her, it was too depressing, and one by one everyone wandered
away like the wild animals they are. I think that’s why I don’t live out here.
The silence is too much. I can’t stand it beyond a couple days at a time.”

“Silence or loneliness?” He moved to sit beside her.

“Sometimes I think they’re one and the same,” she admitted.

“You don’t have to be lonely. You could be the new life in
this place. It would be what you make of it,” he said. “Shifters would come if
you opened the doors and welcomed them.”

She looked at him, suddenly realizing how close he sat to
her. “Elvie had a kind of magic I don’t possess. She was a light that drew
people in like a beacon in the night.”

His hand brushed her thigh, and she felt the tingle of it
all the way up her body. She looked at that hand, watching it draw a slow
circle up her leg, imagining she could feel the scar on his palm through her
clothing. For a long moment, he didn’t answer as his hand made its way
seductively higher. She could smell the unmistakable interest of his desire. It
washed over her, the pheromone nearly undetectable but incredibly potent. His
hand slid over her lap to her hip. Fingers worked over her side, pulling her
gradually closer to him.

His breath fanned over her cheek and ear. She forced her
eyes away from where he’d touched her leg, away from the tingling nerves that
remained there. She looked at his waist, not surprised to find the thick
arousal pressing from beneath his slacks. She’d seen the thickness of his cock,
the tight flesh of his body.

No one would know. She was an adult. He was… She swallowed
nervously. He was a chief.

Perhaps it was the power of his position or the forbidden
temptation of it that fueled her lust. Or, more likely still, it was his
cologne-scented, pheromone-infused smell and fiery heat. Either way, she found
her hand moving onto his hard thigh. Caressing him as he had her, she didn’t
stop on her journey up. Rachel kept her eyes down, watching her fingers glide
closer to the hidden prize.

His breathing became labored as she cupped his erection
through the clothes. She explored the thick length of it. Her pussy ached, so
wet and ready, as if remembering the intense orgasm William had given her and
wanting the sensations again by any means necessary.

How could she do this? She rubbed his cock harder. How could
she not?

She didn’t belong to any man. She could be with whomever she
wanted. Douglas pushed his hand up into her shirt. Rachel unfastened his pants
only to discover silk boxers. The elegant, black material suited him. He tugged
at her cotton pants, easily removing them from her hips along with her panties
when she lifted up from the seat. Her naked ass pressed into the leather couch.
Douglas slipped a hand over her sex and rubbed.

Rachel pulled his boxers off his erection so she could
return the favor. She stroked him, growing more excited with each pass. His
finger pressed into her wet slit before dipping up into her body. She breathed
hard, kicking the pants off completely and spreading her legs. Pleasure built where
he touched, as if he knew exactly how to make a woman come. She bet he did. A
man who looked like him probably had tons of experience.

His hand pulled away and she moaned in protest. He lifted
up, pulled his boxers off his hips and then pushed her leg to the side so she
was forced to turn on the couch. As she fell on her back, he came over her.

A low growl sounded in the back of his throat, and she saw
the silver power flecking his eyes. He drew himself to her, as if propelled
forward by urgent need. His cock rubbed up against her sex, not dipping inside,
but simply gliding along her pussy. He groaned.