Secret of the Wolf (17 page)

Every thought fled Dante’s mind like water swirling down a drain. All but one: He had to get this woman in his bed. Now. “You know,” he drawled, “I think Lily had the right idea.” When Tori appeared confused, he added, “About going to bed, I mean.”

Now she looked disappointed. “Oh.”

He leaned toward her. “There are other things to do in bed besides sleep.”

Her smile was slow and wickedly sensual. “If Lily’s trying to sleep…”

He shook his head. “Split floor plan. Our rooms are on opposite ends of the house.” He stood and held out one hand. When she took it, he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “Are you sure about this?” He wanted to give her a chance to change her mind before things got too hot.

She looped her arms around his shoulders, warm fingers sifting through the hair at the nape of his neck. “I’m sure. I’ve been sure for a while now.” She scraped her fingernails lightly across his skull, setting up fireworks in his groin. “What about you? Are you sure about this?”

His direct gaze never faltered. “Life’s too short, and I’m sure I don’t want to pass up the opportunity to be with you. And if it ends up meaning our time together is limited…well, I’ll take what I can get. A few months or years is better than decades without you. So, yeah, I’m damned sure.” Dante swept Tori into his arms and strode into the house, pausing to flip the lock on the patio door before heading to his bedroom.

He placed her gently on the bed and stared down at her a moment. What she did to him…He wasn’t a believer in love at first sight, though he’d certainly been attracted to her from the moment he’d seen her. The more he was around Tori, the more he was interested in her, admired her. She was his friend, soon to be his lover. Yet, more than that, she was the woman of his soul.

Dear God, he wanted her like he’d wanted no other. Possessiveness—raw, sharp, and primitive as hell—surged inside him with astonishing fervor. He came down on top of her, bracing his weight on his forearms, and crashed his mouth onto hers. Her soft, sweet scent wrapped around his senses.

With a groan he pulled her up, helped her shrug out of her jacket, then pulled the silky blouse over her head. As she lay back down, bare, pink-tipped breasts quivered with her quickened breathing. He buried his face between them, feeling her heart thudding against his skin.

He’d been an idiot to fight this for so long.

Tori squirmed beneath him, her hands coming up to fist in his hair. She directed his face toward her right breast.

“Just what I like,” he murmured and swiped his tongue over the velvety tip. “A woman who knows what she wants.” He licked the nipple again, watching it go red and hard before his eyes. As he closed his mouth over it, her breath hitched in her throat and then eased from her in a long moan. He paid homage to her, suckling each nipple, wringing cries from her, making her arch against the bed.

“Dante…”

He raised his head and stared down at her. She had the prettiest breasts, plump, pale, and soft. Her nipples were a contrast, tight and red, wet from his mouth. He moved his gaze to her face, seeing her full lips parted, her eyes flecked with amber arousal.

That reminder of her inner werewolf should have given him pause, but it didn’t. What it did do was ramp his arousal even higher. His cock, thick and heavy, strained against his jeans and pulsed with each heavy heartbeat.

He wanted to be buried deep inside her. With a growl of impatience he managed to get the side zipper of her skirt undone, and then he lifted her and yanked the skirt off. It was quickly followed by lacy peach-colored panties.

Soon, she was completely bare to his gaze. “God, you’re beautiful.”

“I’d like to be able to return the compliment,” she murmured. She rose up on one elbow and ran a hand from his shoulder down to his wrist. “But you’re still dressed.”

Dante took care of that little problem in two seconds. He reached into the top drawer of his bedside table and pulled out a condom, and took care of that in about one second flat. Then he was on top of Tori, gently easing himself between her soft thighs. He braced himself on his forearms and brushed strands of hair away from her face. “God, you’re so lovely, inside and out. You’re a feast to a starving man.”

 “I’ve never felt this way before. I feel like…I need you like I need air to breathe.”

Emotion clogged his throat. He clasped her hand and held it against his cheek. “I feel the same way. Whatever I have to do to make this work, I will.” Releasing her hand, he bent his head and pressed his mouth to hers. This time his kiss was soft. Reverent.

He licked a path down her throat, lingering in the sensitive bend of her neck. He stroked a hand through the folds of her sex, letting his thumb circle her swollen nub.

Shivering, she thrust her legs apart farther. “Now, Dante. I want you inside me.”

She was slick and hot. Ready. He slid one finger into her sheath, teasing her, teasing himself. With a short snarl she flipped him onto his back and straddled his hips. She took him in a slow, devastating descent that robbed him of breath. Of his mind. He arched, his heels digging into the mattress, the move pushing him even deeper.

She planted her hands on his shoulders, bracing herself as she lifted her hips up and down in a rhythm that threatened to shatter him. She took…everything. And he…

He was finally willing to let go and love her.

S
everal hours later, Tori awoke in a sweat. It took her a second to figure out where she was, but once she remembered, she knew right away the reason she was so warm. She had a hot, naked man pressed against her back. Dante’s soft, even breathing told her he was asleep. His right arm was draped over her, a welcome weight. His hand cupped her breast, and his left thigh rested between her legs.

She carefully slid off the bed and padded into the bathroom. Once she’d finished, she crawled back into bed with him, lying on her side so she could look at his face subdued in the light of dawn. In repose his face was softer. Even though he carried himself with such a carefree attitude, he was anything but. He worried about his sister. He worked hard on his career. He was concerned that he’d somehow do wrong by Tori. He really was a kind man, a genuinely nice guy, though sometimes he let the bad boy show. Most important, he made her laugh. That combination was impossible to resist. And as a lover…

My God. He was incredible. She’d felt cherished, as if she were the only woman in his world. That was a heady feeling.

She reached up and brushed a fringe of hair off his forehead. Lying here in the still hours of early morning, with only the light of the moon illuminating their small island of solitude, it was easy to push aside the anxieties of the day. She could look at this man for the rest of her life.

Her gaze traveled down the strong column of his neck, across the sharp ridge of his collarbones, over the light dusting of hair that sprinkled his pecs. She rose up on one elbow to get a better look at him.

“Like what you see?” Dante’s voice was husky, whether from sleep or arousal, she didn’t know. Maybe a combination of both.

“Very much.” Tori stroked her fingers up and down his stomach. “I’ll need to leave soon. I have to go home and get ready for work.”

“Well, then, give me a minute and we can get a head start.” He slid off the bed and went into the bathroom. After a few seconds she heard the toilet flush and then he was back, scooping her up into his arms.

Not expecting the move, she gave a startled squeak and grabbed his shoulders. “What are you doing?”

His grin was pure devilry with the promise of more sensual wickedness. “Takin’ a shower with my lady,” he said as he walked into the bathroom. He set her feet on the plush rug in front of the shower and held her close to his heart while he turned on the water and held his hand under the stream, waiting for it to warm up.

The glass-enclosed shower was big enough for two, with an adjustable shower head and a small built-in bench at one end. Anti-slip strips were evenly placed on the tile floor.

He stepped into the stall, helping her in, and pulled the glass door closed behind them.

“You know I could’ve managed to walk from the bedroom into the bathroom under my own power,” she said, watching water splash off his broad shoulders and trickle down his chest.

“Hmm. No doubt. You’re the strongest woman I know, both physically and mentally.” There was such caring, such love in his voice it brought tears to her eyes. “However, you deserve to be carried every now and then.”

Not even a strong woman like her was proof against that kind of sweetness. She pulled his face down for a long, slow kiss. When they broke apart, they both were breathing heavily.

Tori put shower gel in her palm, inhaling the spicy, manly scent, and ran her soapy hands over Dante’s massive shoulders. She marveled at the differences in their bodies. He was so big, so broad, muscles flexing and releasing as the two of them moved against each other, touching, seeking. Finding. His hot erection stroked against her belly, making her go soft and slick between her legs.

He reached out and squirted a dab of shower gel into his wide palm and then rubbed his hands together to create lather. “Let me,” he murmured. He ran his hands all over her, washing her with exquisite care. He brought her nipples to hard buds, using his mouth after the water rinsed the soap away.

She sighed and undulated against him, feeling the velvety soft head of his cock rubbing against her stomach. He ran his hands under her breasts, between her thighs, making her legs threaten to stop supporting her weight. His hands trailed down to her legs and then he went on one knee and washed her feet, first the right one and then the left.

As he set her left foot on the shower floor, he knelt on the tile before her, looking up at her with hot, dark eyes. Water flowed over his shoulders, running in rivulets down his chest. Their gazes locked and his mouth went to her belly, pressing against her skin before his tongue dipped into the tiny hole. Lightning zinged to her core.

As he kissed his way over her hip, she braced her back against the wall, shivering at the coolness of the tile on her back, and widened her stance. He blazed a trail to her inner thigh, pausing there to nip her lightly with his teeth.

She gasped and arched against him. To make more room for him, she lifted one leg and draped it over his brawny shoulder. “Please,” she said, her voice raspy with need.

He nuzzled her thigh, the stubble on his jaw rasping against her skin. His tongue licked through her folds with one sure stroke, ending with a jab against her swollen clit. She gasped and moaned, arching into him even more. His fingers sank into her hips as he held her still, his head buried between her thighs as he got down to serious work. Lapping and sucking and thrusting until she slid down onto the bench, unable to support her own weight. He stroked two fingers into her sheath, his tongue sucking and flicking at the top of her sex.

Tori came hard, her keening wail rising above the sound of the pounding water. When she was finally spent, she collapsed against the tile, panting and staring at him with eyes she knew had to contain some of the wildness she felt inside.

He pulled his hand back and brought it to his mouth, tasting her. Looking at her from beneath dark brows, he said, “I love it when your eyes go amber like that,” his voice rough and low.

She saw his erection, hard and ruddy, and knew he needed release. Knew that she needed him right then and couldn’t wait another moment. Reaching out, she urged him to sit on the corner bench and knelt between his legs. She took him in her hand, marveling at the strength of him, the vulnerability he was loath to admit.

Using more shower gel to lubricate her hands, she began to stroke him. The sight of his blunt head sliding through the ring of her fingers, the tip ruddy and weeping, made her hot all over. His chest rose and fell as his breathing accelerated, his lips parting with his rising pleasure.

“You’re such a beautiful man,” she murmured, squeezing the fingers of her right hand a little tighter around his length. She reached her left hand between his thighs and grasped his sac. She focused her attention on bringing him to completion.

“Ah, God, I don’t think I’m gonna last much longer…”

He was so sensual, so open in front of her, powerful and vulnerable at the same time. The house could have caught on fire and she’d have remained transfixed by this sight.

“I’m going to…” He threw his head back, the cords of his neck straining, his hands clenching and unclenching on his thighs. His hips punched up, driving his flesh deeper into her fist.

“Come on, Dante,” she said. She wanted this to last forever. “Come for me.”

As if her voice was all the trigger he needed, his orgasm roiled through him, spilling onto her hands and breasts. He bucked and moaned, his flesh straining through her fingers until finally he was still.

He met her gaze before leaning forward, snagging her chin with one hand, and kissing her. Then he stood and drew her to her feet, turning her into the water to wash away the evidence of his release.

After their shower, they dried each other off, hands lingering, bodies touching. Dante pulled a new toothbrush from the medicine cabinet. “An extra one I got the last time I went to the dentist,” he said. “You can use it if you’d like. After some breakfast, of course.”

He wrapped a deep-green towel around his lean hips and went into the bedroom, returning with a soft, well-worn T-shirt. “This might be better than just a towel.”

She smiled and slipped it over her head. The seams on the shoulders went halfway down her upper arms, and the bottom hem reached her midthigh. “You must buy extra long,” she mused.

“I do.” He looked at her, eyes black with desire. He glanced down, drawing her gaze to his groin where the towel had begun to rise over a growing bump. “Damn. I’m like a teenager around you.” His grin was a white flash against tanned cheeks. “Not complainin’, mind you.”

Breakfast consisted of cereal and coffee. Though Dante offered to cook something, Tori declined. She hadn’t had any raw meat in a few days, and her wolf was snarling its displeasure. She didn’t think Dante was quite ready to see her scarfing down uncooked hamburger meat just yet, so she’d wait until she got home.

By the time she was dressed and ready to leave, Dante had also gotten dressed in blue jeans and the T-shirt she’d discarded. His big feet were encased in cowboy boots.

“That’s kind of casual for work, isn’t it?” she asked. “Not that I’m complaining. I like cowboys.”

He grinned. “I’ve gotta take care of the horses before I go in. The more I do, the less there is for Lily to do. She needs her rest.”

Tori gave him a hug. “You’re such a good man,” she whispered, leaning up to press a kiss to his lean cheek.

She knew he’d shrug off her compliment, which he did with a scowl and muttered, “It’s nothing.”

She shook her head and pulled away. Hefting her fanny pack in one hand, she looked at him. “What do we do with this?”

“You finally ready to admit it’s not safe at your house?”

“I admitted that to myself a while ago,” she said with a frown. “That would be why I’m wearing it twenty-four seven.”

“Hmm.” Dante held out his hand, and she gave him the pack. He slid open the zipper and pulled out the rift device. “I’ll put this in my gun safe. You keep the schematics—I think it’s a good idea that we keep them separate.”

“That way if someone gets one of these, we still have the other one. Hopefully.” She took the bag from him and fitted it around her waist. “And you’re confident Lily won’t be in any danger?”

“Your brother doesn’t know I have it, right? Hopefully he has no idea what it is.” He put the device in the gun safe and made sure it was secure. “I think Lily will be fine.” He opened the top drawer of his dresser and pulled out a thin, flat cell phone. He held it out to her.

“What’s this?” she asked, taking it from his hand.

“It’s an old cell phone I haven’t gotten around to recycling. Put that in your little pack there,” he answered, motioning toward her back. “It might fool someone since it’s the same size and shape as the device.”

“Good thinking.” She put the phone inside her fanny pack.

He took her hand and walked with her outside to her car, giving her a searing kiss before letting her go. “Call me when you get a minute,” he whispered against her lips.

“You got it.” Tori glanced toward the house and then back at him. “Please tell Lily I said good-bye, and thank her again for a lovely dinner.”

He nodded. “Drive safe.”

“I will.” She went on tiptoe and pressed a kiss against the corner of his mouth. “God, you are too tempting,” she said as she held those sexy lips against her own. Taking a breath, she whispered, “I’ll talk to you later.” She got in the car and started the engine.

As she made her way down the drive, she saw Dante lift a hand in farewell before he headed toward the stable.

Pulling into her driveway ten minutes later, she let herself into the house and listened for Rand. When she didn’t hear anything, Tori headed down the hallway, pausing at his bedroom, before rapping softly on the door. When there was no response, she pushed it open, but he wasn’t there. She glanced at his bedside clock. It was just before 7:00
A.M.

Where the hell was he?

It wasn’t like he had to get her permission to stay out all night but she couldn’t help but worry about him. She’d fallen asleep at Dante’s and hadn’t called to let him know she wouldn’t be home. Checking her phone and finding no messages, he apparently hadn’t been too worried about her well-being, which saddened her.

She went back into the kitchen and tamed her inner wolf with a couple handfuls of raw hamburger meat. Just as she was rinsing the last bite down with a glass of water, her cell rang. She set the glass on the counter and put the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Good morning, Tori.” Tobias’s voice came clear and strong through the receiver. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“Uh, no. I’ve been up awhile,” she said. But it couldn’t be good that he was calling her so early in the morning. “What’s going on?”

“I was wondering if you could swing by the house for a few minutes. I’d like to get an update.”

 “I need to change clothes first, but I should be able to be there in about fifteen minutes.”

“See you then.” He ended the call.

Tori went into her bedroom and tossed her phone on the bed. She took off her clothes and redressed, this time in a T-shirt and jeans. She fastened the fanny pack around her waist and shrugged into a denim-colored blouse, leaving it hanging open like a jacket. She slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. After she put on her shoes and strapped on her gun, she stopped in the kitchen to jot down a quick note for her brother. Using a Snoopy magnet, she stuck the note to the fridge, then headed out to her car again.

Tobias opened his front door before she even pulled her car to a stop. As she approached, he put a finger to his lips. “Let’s try and keep it down, all right? Nix is still asleep.”

“No, I’m not.” Nix appeared at his side, complete with rumpled penguin pajamas and bed head. Her eyes were bloodshot and a hint of fangs peeped over her bottom lip. “Hey, Tori.”

“Hey.” Tori went into the house and followed Tobias and Nix into the kitchen.

“Can I pour you some coffee?” Nix asked as she reached for the pot.