Pursued by a Werewolf (Mystic Isle, Book 4) (2 page)

For just a moment she wondered what it would be like to let him take control. To have his way with her. She’d never let someone else in the driver’s seat…not since Robert.

But she wasn’t going to think of
him
now. Tonight was about sex. Lots and lots of hot, multiple-orgasm sex. Delicious anticipation filled her and her smile widened. It was then that she realized why she was smiling.

“You,” she told him.

He was the reason she felt so sexy and alive and on edge. He wasn’t anything she’d expected, and for once, that was nice.

“You’ll have to tell me what I did so I can do it again.”

The door opened and they practically tumbled into the dark room. Her vision adjusted quickly, but she only had eyes for him. He did a quick inspection of their surroundings over the top of her head and as if satisfied that he was in the right place, or perhaps that there was no threat, he turned her against the nearest wall and let the door slam shut behind them.

He kissed her throat, nipped her earlobe, then gently grazed his teeth over her chin before kissing her lips again. How was it that he’d barely touched her and she felt so thoroughly aroused? Like they’d engaged in hours of teasing foreplay?

Something about the way he touched her, the way their bodies fit together made her open her mouth to speak up. Or maybe it was that alarm going off in the back of her mind.

“I only have one rule,” she murmured between kisses against his glorious chest.

She'd never had to issue her one and only rule aloud, but this man... There was something different about him from all the men she’d been with and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. His quiet strength called to her. He had a laid back nature and a confidence that she wanted to soak in. Everything about him made her want to wake up in his arms tomorrow and make plans for the day after…

She'd been down that route before and it had destroyed her.

“Name it.”

“One night only...” She nuzzled his neck and felt the thump of blood through his artery. Thanks to Valencia, she'd never had to sip from the source. But right now, she wanted to. The urge was nearly as strong as the need between her legs.

“How about we negotiate?”

She pulled back and looked up at him. He wanted more than one night?

“What are your terms?” She whispered the words, suddenly feeling out of her depth.

“I'm not good at sharing...” He coasted a possessive hand down her side. “So while you're on the island, you're with me.”

He did that hip rotation thing again, reminding her of all the thick, powerful inches that could give her one hell of a ride if only she said yes.

Who was she kidding? She was more than ready for him to rock her world.

“I can live with that,” she said and sealed their deal with a kiss.

CHAPTER ONE

Present Day

Hunter Ciolek drilled his fist into the punching bag. The reinforced chains holding the bag up jangled like a branch in a hurricane. He gave a hard left for good measure.

The gym was as quiet as a graveyard this early in the morning and that suited him just fine. He needed to get his excess energy out. The last six weeks in Siberia had cleared his head and helped him develop a plan of attack and find answers for a few important questions that had plagued him for the last two years.

Despite daily runs that had exhausted every muscle in his body, then the long plane flight to Mystic Isle, a few hours sleep recharged him. Or perhaps it was the knowledge that he’d soon be seeing Avery again.

That was much more likely.

From the moment she’d turned and smiled up at him two solstices ago, his world had tipped off its axis. He hadn’t wanted to, much less been able to squelch the desire to be with her. She alternately quieted the turbulence inside him and caused a storm of her own.

Three quick jabs shoved the leather bag backward. He grunted through the vibrations traveling up his arms, shifting from one foot to the other, always moving. Keeping his eye on the dead center of the leather, he ducked left and drilled his right fist up in a chin shot.

From across the volleyball court, he’d taken one look at her and known he’d found his mate, his other half, the one woman he didn’t want to live without. It was all there in her wide smile, the sweet, infectious sound of her laughter, and the way she treated her teammates with respect.

Thanks to Maxim and Ceara’s relationship, over the past year and a half, Hunter and Avery had slowly become friends. But she had it in her head that that was
all
they could be; that she wasn’t cut out for a relationship.

Every time he’d tried to find out more about her past and her reasons for keeping things casual, she’d switched the topic. Her denials were a source of frustration.

A spinning round-house kick made the bag shake anew.

Friends
. He hated ‘being friends.’ It was time to push through the barriers she’d erected around her heart. He knew Avery had secrets. Deep down somewhere, the kind that ate at a person over time. Even though she was always happy-go-lucky, friendly...no one was
that
happy.

No one focused that much energy on appearing carefree without trying to cover something up. It was all a ruse, he was sure now.

His fists connected with the bag.
Left. Right.

Friendship be damned.

Left again. Double jab. The pressure reverberated up his wrist.

It was time to make her tell him the truth. To break down the walls she’d erected around her heart.

His plan was a calculated risk. Ease off the gas, become more aloof in hopes that she’d miss him. Resisting her would be hell, especially since he had to put himself in her line of sight, sit back and wait for her to come to him. But pursuing her, no matter how gently, didn’t work.

She held fast to their original agreement. While she’d been his, exclusively, completely, for those three glorious days, it’d been too short. That time in her arms, getting to know her, only whetted his appetite for more.

He stepped back and sighed, his heart sinking. What if his plan didn’t work? What if he failed and she never got past her demons? Grinding his teeth, he closed his eyes and dropped his head. She could be stubborn, ornery where he was concerned.

Letting out a deep, frustrated growl, he jerked his right fist back and plowed it into the bag with everything he was worth. The chains snapped and the heavily padded bag tumbled end over end across the room.

“Taking your frustrations out on an innocent punching bag?”

Hunter ripped the Velcro tab on his left glove and turned toward the voice. Charles Latham. The god who owned Mystic Isle was tall, blond, blue eyed, and according to Avery, physically perfect.

Hunter bit back a snarl of jealousy.

“Something like that.”

“Let me guess,” the god said, striding forward with a grace only gods possessed. “Woman trouble.”

“Got it in one.”

“A certain black haired beauty?” Latham guessed.

“Yep.” Hunter ripped off the other glove.

“Give her time.”

Something about the way Latham was looking at him led Hunter to believe the god knew something about Avery, her past perhaps, and was giving advice accordingly. Part of him wanted to beg for the information. But the wolf inside him demanded she come to him on her own. Come and submit. His human side said he must stick with the plan. Perhaps she was the one honeybee whose taste buds preferred vinegar to honey.

“Don’t you mean fly?” Latham asked.

Hunter frowned.

“The expression is ‘you’ll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.’”

“Oh.” Being around an all knowing god took some getting used to. “Right.”

Still, he preferred to think of Avery as a honeybee rather than a fly.

Latham’s lips quirked.

Hunter sighed and put the gloves away. “I’ve given her over a year and a half. Isn’t that enough time?” He picked up his bottle and squirted a stream of water into his mouth.

“Time will tell.”

Hunter used a small towel to wipe the sweat from his face. “Sorry about the bag.”

Latham waved off his concern. “Happens all the time. I bought the company that makes the chain.”

His attempt at levity made Hunter relax a fraction. He strode across the gym and refilled his water bottle.

“Tell me this,” he said, walking back over to where Latham stood. “Will I ever be enough? Will I ever get through to her? Or am I just fooling myself?”

“Does it matter if you’re fooling yourself?” Latham countered.

Hunter inhaled deeply, then let the breath out slowly as he stared up at the ceiling. It was an unremarkable drop ceiling, standard grid pattern with squares of white cork like material. But he barely saw it. Instead he saw Avery in her little red bikini, deep blue eyes shining up at him from her spot on the volleyball court. There was a smirk on her sexy
come-kiss-me
mouth.

Restraining himself that night two Decembers ago had taught him new things about patience. Her giggle was addicting. A sound he’d never heard before and if she wasn’t in his life, a sound he’d never hear again.

The thought of never seeing her again made his chest seize up. He rubbed the thick wall of muscle over his heart and took a deep breath. Even breathing was painful when he thought of losing her.

How was it possible to be so crazy about a person who obviously didn’t feel the same way? He wouldn’t go so far as to say she wanted nothing to do with him, because she’d made it clear that she enjoyed his friendship.

“No. It wouldn’t matter.” Hunter hadn’t so much as looked at a woman and felt the slightest interest since the moment he’d laid eyes on Avery. And he knew he never would again.

That knowledge had scared him. No, it had terrified him at first.

“Then that’s your answer. If she’s the one you want, the one person you need above all others, then you must discover a way to reach her. You and you alone can find the way to her heart.”

Hunter wasn’t so sure about that. He’d thought that a year of slow and steady friendship would chip away at her one-night-only rule, prove to her what she was missing.

“It’s up to you to tear down the walls and earn her trust and make her fall in love again. It won’t be easy and I’m willing to bet she’ll try your patience in ways you’ve never been tried before. But it’ll be worth it. She’ll be worth it. You know that…or you wouldn’t be so crazy over the thought of losing her.”

Hunter stared at the golden haired god for several long seconds. He was tanned, toned, and sophisticated. Confident to the core. But this was a sex resort,
his
sex resort, and Latham was handing out relationship advice as if he ran a matchmaking service.

More importantly, everything he’d said had been spot on.

“Am I right?”

“Completely.”

“Where do you want to be three weeks from now?”

Hunter looked down at the thick rubber mat covering the floor and thought about the question. If he had his way, he’d whisk Avery off to a chalet in Switzerland and keep her in bed for a month, at least.

“And a year from now?” Latham asked, obviously having read Hunter’s mind.

Cuddled up in a log cabin somewhere in the western United States waiting for a long cold winter to trap them inside.

The thought brought a smile to his lips.

“And a hundred and fifty years from now?” Latham asked, crossing his arms over his broad chest.

Hunter met the god’s gaze. “I want to show her the first blush of sunrise over Paris.” By then she’d be old enough to withstand sunlight and the world would be their oyster.

“There you go. Keep the end game in mind.” Latham turned to leave. But he paused at the door and glanced over his shoulder. “Speaking of oysters… Pearl’s plane just landed. She’ll be excited to see you.”

Years ago, he’d saved the princess’s life. They’d become friends after that but he hadn’t seen her in two years. As much as he wanted to catch up with her, he needed all his concentration on Avery and his plan. But maybe his plan could use a little adjustment. “Thanks Latham.”

He needed a nap so he’d be fresh for Avery’s yoga class. But first a shower. And then he’d see an old friend about a favor.

CHAPTER TWO

Avery Cooper would know that ass anywhere. Once upon a time she’d sunk her fingertips into the perfectly round globes of flesh as its owner had thrust into her with abandon. She’d enjoyed it too much.

But that had been almost two years ago, when she’d never expected to see him again. Then one of her best friends had fallen for his brother. And she’d suffered through a dozen meetings with the ridiculously handsome werewolf since then. Suffered because he was so insanely charming and good looking and he made her want to forget her rules and hard won independence. He was the first man who’d caused her to long for more and that made him especially dangerous in her book.

“Didn’t take you for the yoga type,” she murmured, squatting down next to where he crouched atop a blue yoga mat. She had to hand it to him, he was limber.

But then, she’d known that. Firsthand experience and all.

Hunter Ciolek’s hazel eyes changed from green to brown depending on mood and light. She’d been around him long enough to memorize the hues. Right now they were a muddy green and not exactly surprised to see her.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”

The corners of his kissable mouth turned up and his eyes lit with mischief. True, there was plenty she didn't know about him. And plenty that she did. Like the fact that those lips could drive her wild with hot kisses, whisper her name in a way that melted her spine, and should be considered weapons of mass destruction when it came to the tender nerve endings between her thighs.

The few days they'd spent together two solstices ago had rocked her world like an earthquake. Her knees still knocked together when she thought about how many times he'd made her come in a seventy-two hour period.