Primal Possession (21 page)

Liam nudged open the bedroom door with his foot. Even though he’d heard the steady sound of her breathing from outside the door, he needed to see with his eyes that December was still asleep. He’d gotten up early to call Kat and ask her to watch December’s store during the morning before her afternoon ski classes. She was pissed he’d woken her up until he’d explained what happened to December. And he trusted Kat not to say anything to the sheriff about December’s attack. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that the police had no business involved in what had happened to her. If they found the guy, they’d want to prosecute him, and jail was the last place Liam wanted him.

After calling Kat, he’d woken Erin up and asked her to work with Kat today, then watch the store once Kat headed to the ski lodge. The she-wolf had given him a lot of grief for having to spend time in town and he probably owed her a favor, but it was worth it. He figured she’d also be pissed once she saw Noah hanging around the store, but Connor had ordered him to shadow Kat for the next few days as a precaution, so Erin would just have to deal with his presence for a few hours. Liam didn’t care how much he owed the she-wolf after this.

December needed a day off, especially after what happened yesterday, and he planned to make sure she enjoyed herself.

He hated sleeping in his clothes, but last night he’d made an exception. It went against every instinct he possessed, especially when the sexy redhead in his bed was wearing nothing. Since his gunshot and knife wounds were healed, there was nothing holding him back from taking her the way he wanted. Quietly, he pulled back the cover and slipped in behind December. As soon as he did, she turned toward him and wrapped her arm around his waist.

Groaning, he did the same and smoothed his hand down her bare back until he cupped her butt.

When he did, her eyes fluttered open. For a moment she looked slightly disoriented; then she blushed. “Morning.”

Okay, she didn’t seem freaked-out by the fact that she’d woken up naked in the same bed as him. Just nervous. That he could live with. “Morning, yourself.”

Though he tried to keep his gaze on her face, he strayed. Those perfect pink nipples were hard and rosy this morning. He didn’t bother to bite back a groan. Smiling, she
reached between them and cupped his hardness. The bold action shocked the hell out of him.

“You wake up like this every morning?” she murmured silkily.

He’d gone to bed hard and woken up hard, but he didn’t tell her that. “Only when pretty redheads are with me.”

Her smile widened as she continued rubbing over his covered erection. He wanted to tell her to stop, but what she was doing felt too good. But when she went to undo his button, he moved so that he was on top of her. He grabbed her wrists and held them above her head.

Settling in between her thighs, he had to force himself to breathe normally, to control his primal urges. “December—”

Arching her back, she rubbed her breasts against him like an animal in heat. Even though he had a shirt on, it didn’t matter. His cock surged at the intimate contact. That’s when he realized her eyes were slightly dilated. He stared at her for a long moment. She nipped at his mouth and playfully tugged his bottom lip between her teeth.

He managed to pull back. “How do you feel this morning?” he asked quietly.

She smiled seductively and rolled her hips against his. “Not as good as you could make me feel.”

His throat seized as he realized what was going on. The scent that rolled off her was subtle yet distinctive. She was ovulating or something equivalent to what shifter females went through when they went into heat. Shifters went through their cycles only twice a year, but December was human. From what he could tell, she wasn’t going through the mating frenzy lupine shifters went through, but she was incredibly turned on. More so
than usual. It was the only thing that could explain her sudden change of heart. Last night he hadn’t scented anything, but this morning, it teased his nostrils, taunting him. Telling him to mark and claim her. Even if there wasn’t a full moon out, he could still mark her. They wouldn’t be bonded, but it would let other shifters know she was his.

Right now she’d no doubt let him do any damn thing he wanted. Self-loathing rose up inside him at the thought.

“December, you need to take a cold shower and I’m going to make some coffee.” Somehow he forced the words out. He definitely deserved a medal for this. A really big one.

Her brow wrinkled and she tugged against his grasp on her wrists. “For weeks you’ve been trying to get me into bed with you and now you don’t want me?”

He wanted her more than he wanted his next breath, but it wouldn’t be fair to her. “I think…” He struggled to find words that wouldn’t freak her out but came up short, so he plunged ahead. “I think you’re in heat.”

She went rigid. “I’m not a freaking animal—” Her eyes widened immediately. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

He knew she didn’t, which was why it didn’t bother him. “I know you didn’t. I don’t know the right words or the human equivalent to what our females go through, but you’re…affected by my presence right now. I can see it in your eyes. You feel different this morning, don’t you?”

Her eyebrows furrowed together for a moment. “I am really…horny, I guess.” Her face flushed at the admission.

It wasn’t as if she were drugged. He wouldn’t be taking advantage of her. On one level he knew that, but his human side didn’t want to take her just yet. Not like this.
He wanted her levelheaded and he wanted to know her better. Last night was a start but it wasn’t enough. “Trust me on this and just take a cold shower. I want to spend the day with you, Red. Just the two of us, no interruptions.”

She shook her head, making her hair swish against the pillow. “I’ve got work and—”

“I called Kat. She’s watching the store this morning. Then one of the females from my pack will take over for her this afternoon.”

She gave her head a slight shake. “What about the alarm system? Didn’t you say someone was installing it at my house today? It is
Monday
, right?”

He nodded. “One of my pack members will be overseeing the installation.”

Smiling, she rubbed against him again. “Then why do we need to leave this room?” she whispered.

Using restraint he didn’t know he possessed, he released her wrists and pushed off her. Lightning fast, he was off the bed and grabbed a change of clothes from the bag he’d brought. “I’ll be in the kitchen.” Without a backward glance he hurried from the room. Behind him he heard her mumble something about him being a jackass, but he ignored it.

His brother’s advice telling him to talk to December about her past rang in his head. He’d planned to talk to her yesterday, but getting shot and then the shit that had happened at her house had blown his plans to hell. And he wanted her clearheaded the first time they made love. That thought brought him to an abrupt halt at the end of the stairs. “Making love” wasn’t a term he was accustomed to, but he knew that’s exactly what he and December would be doing.

December let the warm, pulsing water rush over her body as she scrubbed herself with a loofah. She wasn’t sure what had come over her this morning. Waking up naked in Liam’s arms, she’d felt positively possessed with the need to feel him inside her. Last night she’d wanted to take things to the next level, consequences be damned, but this morning had been…different. She’d been almost overcome with a hunger.

Now that she was by herself, she felt more in control of her lust. Not that it took away from her burning desire for Liam. After being attacked in her home yesterday, she’d been terrified and sure she was going to die. But Liam had been there for her. Just like before. It didn’t matter how much she told herself she needed to stay away from him—Liam always came through for her.

She knew she needed to tell him about her past. About her younger brother’s death. The longer she was around him, the more she realized she owed him that much. She understood why her older brother mistrusted shifters, but she couldn’t lump them all together. Not after all the kindness she’d seen from Liam.

As she rubbed the sudsy loofah between her legs, an image of his head between her open thighs flashed in her mind. Even though she was alone, she felt herself blush. The way he’d pleasured her last night had been amazing. Unexpected. He’d been so giving and he hadn’t wanted anything in return, even though she’d have willingly given back to him.

Her thoughts started to take a much hotter turn, so she twisted the shower knob to cold. The icy blast jolted her out of her fantasies. Quickly, she finished showering, dried her hair, and got dressed. She wasn’t sure what Liam had planned for the day, but she was relieved not
to be going in to work. She felt bad that Kat was covering for her when she wasn’t even technically an employee, but for the first time in what felt like forever, December wanted to enjoy herself. After last night, she figured she deserved a little break.

She found Liam downstairs in the kitchen with his back to her, pouring a cup of coffee. The rich aroma made her stomach growl, but it was hard to care as she stared at him. Today he wore a pair of faded jeans that hugged his butt so perfectly, her abdomen tightened with pent-up need. She wanted to grab him and pull him close.

When he turned to face her, his knowing expression said he could read her thoughts. Which was ludicrous. Though he could probably scent her desire.
Damn it.
She really hated that sometimes.

“How are you feeling?” He stayed where he was, leaning against the counter, so she remained in the entryway.

“Fine. And I am
not
in heat.” She might feel a little loopy and a lot more turned on than usual, but she wasn’t in heat. She was human. That idea was crazy.

His eyebrows rose as if he didn’t believe her. “Hmm.”

She glared at him. “Don’t ‘hmm’ me. You said you called Kat. Are you sure she’s okay working at the store today?”

He nodded quickly. “When I told her what happened last night, she had no problem.”

December cringed at his words. She hadn’t thought to call the police last night and since Liam hadn’t brought it up, she figured he hadn’t called either. Which didn’t surprise her. If he didn’t have to involve the law in something, she knew he wouldn’t. Part of her wondered if she should tell Parker, but she knew it would upset him, and worse, he’d probably try to get her to leave town or something.
She might not feel safe in her own home at the moment, but she did feel safe with Liam and she wasn’t going to give those assholes who’d been harassing her the right to make her flee like a coward. This was her town and she wouldn’t walk away from her friends or her job. And on a primal level she wasn’t sure she wanted to acknowledge, she trusted Liam to take care of the man who’d come after her. “Did you tell her not to tell anyone?”

“No, but I don’t think you have to worry about her. She knows how to keep a secret.”

“How do you know?”

He shrugged, which infuriated her. The man kept so many secrets it was nauseating. She didn’t bother trying to grill him. It was too early, she hadn’t had any coffee, and she was unusually turned on. Rolling her shoulders to ease some of the tension, she eyed him suspiciously as a new thought occurred. “Did you do something to me?”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. Put a spell on me or something?”

A bark of laughter escaped. “I’m not a witch or a faerie, so no spells, I promise. Why?”

Ignoring his question, she made a beeline for the coffee. If he hadn’t done anything to her, she figured ignoring her raging libido was the best thing. As she brushed past him, their arms made contact and a zing of awareness shot straight to the hot ache between her legs. And he’d only touched her
arm
. She refused to look at him, because she didn’t want him to see the truth in her eyes. The truth being that if he asked, she’d strip right there and let him take her up on the counter. As she poured herself a cup of coffee, he moved to the side, but didn’t give her much space.

She could feel his gaze on her, intense and scorching hot. If he kept looking at her like that, she had a feeling
they weren’t going to make it out of the kitchen with their clothes on.

“So why a bookstore?” His deep voice always had such an erotic effect on her senses, but the question surprised her and managed to jerk her out of thoughts of nakedness.

Cup in hand, she turned to face Liam, still barely a foot from her. Her cup acted as a small barrier between them, but she savored using it as a shield. “I enjoyed teaching, but I wanted something that was all mine.” She paused as she contemplated opening up to him, but finally continued. “I can teach anywhere, but buying my store gave me roots the same way buying my home did. I volunteer at the literacy center and have story time for the younger kids once a week so I still get that interaction, but I love owning my own business and I love books, so it was a perfect choice.”

He was silent for a moment before he slightly nodded. “It suits you.”

“What about you? I know you’ve lived all over, but what exactly do you do?”