Taming the Wolf (4 page)

“Jared, I need to look at your shoulder now,” I say, trying to stay calm. What the hell do I know about first aid? Nothing, of course, but I suppose checking the wound is the first step to assess the gravity of the situation.

I bend over him, and move my hand up to his shoulder. Oops, too close to the wound—Jared growls, a terrifying sound. I freeze once more, taking my hand out of his pelt quickly.

He’s not going to hurt you, Blondie.

Cupid’s voice in my head is not really helping me stay calm. The only thing that keeps me going is the knowledge that this is the man I love and he needs me. The very one who saved my life just a minute ago. I can’t let him die on me—not now, not before we have a chance at our happily ever after.

I look again, this time even more carefully than before, making sure my hands are nowhere near his wound. Yuck. It’s not pretty. The flesh is torn, and the whole area is bloody. And there, I think I can see… Yup, that white part? It’s bone. I gulp, feeling sick to my stomach.

“Jared,” I say, trying to fight the dizziness. “You need medical attention. It doesn’t look good. You need to stay here and stop moving. I’ve called for help, and they’re on the way. Can you— Can you shift back to human?”

There’s no way anyone would approach Jared in his actual state right now, that much I know.

I look at his clothes—all shredded, hanging on him. This is not good. How are we going to explain his nakedness if he shifts back?

Jared growls again, discontent.

“Okay, that whole growling thing? I gotta say: not practical.”

Jared’s lupine ears move, detecting a sound I’m not capable of hearing. I look around us, worrying about another attack—with Jared defeated like this, and with nowhere we can go, this would be an easy win for the wolves if they doubled back.

And then I hear it too—the siren of an approaching police vehicle. I jump to my feet, trying to think quickly as I run toward the sound. I need to find the right words that will make them take me seriously and force them to help Jared—mostly so that they don’t shoot him on sight. I stop dead in my tracks as the black police cruiser turns into the alley, its blue and red light bar sending flashes of shadow and light on the walls around me.

“Help!” I call, waving my arms in the air to signal them I’m the one who called.

Two police officers get out of the car, and I can hear them communicating with their radio. One of them takes me in, and his eyes double size when he realizes my hands are covered with blood.

“What happened, Miss? Are you hurt?” he asks, walking straight to me. I stop, standing in front of him, and babble a
yes
.

“I got attacked by two huge dogs,” I say, which technically is not a total lie. “Another one came to my rescue with its owner, but I think someone got hurt in the process. Not me,” I add, as they look again at my bloodied hands. “This isn’t my blood. I just checked the wound.”

We jog toward where I left Jared, and I worry that my lie is not going to work. Wolf Jared does not look like a dog at all, and human Jared is going to be naked… not good. The police officers are going to be suspicious.

But as we arrive to where Jared was, there is only a pool of blood on the pavement, and he is gone.

“Is that where you left the injured person?” asks the police officer.

“Yes,” I nod, anxiety taking over.

You’re gonna have to be very careful about your explanation now, Blondie.

I shiver at Cupid’s warning.

Right there, apartment one-twenty-two.

The door of apartment one-twenty-two is slightly open. I push it open and step inside, closing the door after me with a quiet click. Jared is right there, looking at me, hands full of the clothes he was about to throw inside an open suitcase. His face is incredulous as he realizes it’s me who’s standing in front of him.

“How— How did you know where I live?” he asks, dumbfounded.

“Cupsy.”

“Of course,” he says, anger tainting his usual caring voice.

I walk into the room, eyeing him. He’s half naked, his ripped body encrusted with a bit of blood but no wound in sight.

See? Told you.

“H— How?” That’s all I can articulate as I go to him, curious, and trail with my finger across the scar that has replaced his gaping wound within perhaps an hour’s time. It’s a bit whiter than the rest of his skin, but really, you’d have to know where to look to notice it now.

I look up at him, it’s like he’s just realizing how close his body is to mine. His eyes are intense, boring holes into my soul.

“Why are you here, Paige?” he asks, a frown on his face.

“What do you mean, why? I was worried about you,” I say in a softer voice, now that I’m sure he’s fine. Despite Cupsy’s reassurances, I had felt a gigantic knot in my stomach when I thought of Jared, alone, hurt, and on the run.

Jared grabs my arms, a bit roughly. “I mean, why are you here when you know what I am?” He is angry still, and I can’t figure out why.

“I understand you’re… upset, because I found out you’re a… a werewolf? Is it the right term?” He doesn’t answer, waiting for me to go on with my explanation. “But you did nothing wrong… You s— you saved me,” I say, tears flowing unexpectedly.

It was due. After all, I saw the man I love be attacked, alone against two huge beasts, to protect me. I had to see him morph into a werewolf… I didn’t even know they were anything more than myths or scary stories or Halloween costumes. And then I had to spend half an hour making up excuses and half truths to the police officers, when I had no idea how to explain any of what happened tonight. And I had spent a whole hour and a half worrying about Jared, wondering if he was bleeding to death in a gutter. So, yeah, the tears were due. I had to let all the angst out, and let myself feel relief.

As soon as Jared sees me crying, his frown fades and he takes me in his arms. “It’s okay,” he soothes me. “It’ll be all right.”

I bury my head into his chest, and am overwhelmed by his earthy scent. It almost hides the smell of the dried blood. His skin is hot to the touch, and I relish brushing my hand on his pectorals.

I hear him sigh—a sigh of contentment, of relief—and hug me tighter. I look him in the eye again, wanting to understand his state of mind.

“You can’t imagine what it means to me, having you in my arms like this, knowing what you know,” he says, his voice softer now.

“Tell me,” I demand, eager to hear something sweet.

Jared lets me go, and paces in the room.

“I’ve never… dated much. I’ve had girlfriends, of course, but nothing was ever serious, because I couldn’t let them know what I am. They would have run screaming into the night—either afraid or thinking I’m insane.”

He turns to me suddenly, staring at me. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t talk about these girls with the woman I love, and I won’t do it again, I swear… but I need you to understand what this means and how I feel about you.”

I gulp. The woman he loves. Me. Okay. My heart jumps in my chest from this glorious declaration. I nod at him to continue.

“I’ve had a few crushes, like anyone else. But when I met you, I felt something else. A connection. You are as beautiful as you are smart and funny. From that evening when I tended to your cuts, I have not been able to think about anything else.

“All I wanted that night was to throw all that stuff on Cupsy’s desk to the ground, and ravage you right there. Having my face so close to your knees, your thighs… It was almost impossible to resist, but I had to. I couldn’t blow my chances with you by being too forward.”

It’s your fucking chance, Blondie. You can either tell him how you feel, or let him leave the town. Don’t be dumb, bitch, choose wisely.

It’s my turn to sigh. “It’s been love at first sight for me too,” I confess, wondering if he knows about Cupsy’s involvement. Is this love real, or only induced by Cupid’s arrow? It feels real enough to me… a love I’m willing to throw any caution to the wind for. “And I thought about you between my legs that night as well. I wanted it, badly.”

I can feel myself blush. Jared’s eyes wander on me, taking me all in. I feel tense as he traces my curves with his gaze, lingering on the parts he desires the most.

“I was desperate,” he continues, still peering. “I knew I would have the same problem with you as I had with those other girls. I could never be fully honest with you, when I wanted to tell you everything.

“I was worried my secret would keep us apart—that you would never go for someone like me. I knew that, with your smarts, you’d be suspicious soon enough. Yet, I was still all in, hoping against all odds that I could make it work, even if our relationship was doomed from the start.”

I feel my heart break at his confession. How lonely he must have been… how sad. Never daring to give even part of his heart, for fear of getting attached to someone who would be too terrified of the very thing he is to love him back. I’d never be that girl. I felt special too, for him to want me despite all his rules about not getting too close. There was something in the stars for the both of us—probably something we wouldn’t have realized were it not for Cupid’s involvement. I had kind of been annoyed and pissed off at Cupid until then, but I couldn’t thank him enough now.

“I was hoping you’d be far away when I had to change tonight. I didn’t want you to see me like… this,” he says, with a disgusted face. “But you didn’t listen to me, you stayed.”

I don’t like that frown when Jared talks about himself. I desperately want to cross the distance between us, but I don’t dare. The decision is his, I’m already hopelessly devoted to him, soul and body.

“Of course. I wouldn’t have left you. I was too worried, even though I knew pretty damn well that I was of no use.”

“And now,” Jared continues, “you know everything I’ve tried to hide so badly since I was able to comprehend what I am. And yet, here you are.”

“Here I am.”

“Here you are, unafraid. Here you are, standing in my living room, going against everything your instinct is telling you. Here you are, not running away… Accepting my explanation, my love, my touch.”

To underline his words, he strides back to me in two steps, one arm going around my waist, and one hand, cupping my chin.

“Am I right, Paige? Or am I deluding myself?”

“You’re not deluded,” I say, as he lifts my face to his. I can feel his breath on my mouth, and I very much want him to kiss me. “I am very much in love with you—crazily so. Don’t ask me how, I have no answer—it just is so.

“And I don’t care what you are… I just care about who you are. Your personality, your good heart. The way you laugh. The way you care. The way you hold me close in your arms. I couldn’t stay away if I wanted to.”

I barely finish my sentence before his lips crush mine in a powerful, hungry kiss. His silent question—do I want him despite his other form—is answered by my complete abandon into his embrace. He is not hesitating now—his kiss becomes more demanding, while his hands constrict around me, pressing my body against his.

I moan softly as his hand finds its way on my butt. My own hands keep busy exploring his chest, pressed between both of us, and I’m enjoying the feel of his sinewy muscles under my fingers.

Jared pushes me backwards, still keeping me close in his arms, and puts one knee on the couch, lowering me slowly without breaking the kiss. I slide to the side, allowing him to lie down over me, the lower half of his body pushing mine into the sofa cushions.

I feel alive under his touch, now more than ever. The bulge in his pants pushes against the knot at the top of my thighs, demanding, and I can only push back with eagerness, pulling him even closer. His weight on me is maddening—the way our bodies seem to fit one next to the other, pulsating against one another, as if we were two pieces of a broken heart finally connecting.

Jared’s mouth quits mine to explore my jaw, and then my throat and earlobe. I close my eyes, sighing, content. I can feel his warm breath on my skin as he kisses me right behind the ear, at the base of my hair, and it gives me goosebumps.

For a second, his lips leave my skin, and our bodies disconnect. My eyes dart to his face. He is pushing himself up on his arms and looking into my eyes, deep, almost in a trance. I can see that he, too, is engulfed by desire, but I feel like he’s looking for something… some kind of consent from me—that I really want this, that I am totally aware of what is happening—before he will allow himself to go further. I grab his neck and pull him closer, hanging myself at his hips with my leg and arching my back, wanting to make my decision clear.

“I want you,” I whisper in his ear, tickling his lobe with my lips.

Good girl. Be happy.

He doesn’t need much more of a permission, and hikes his hand up my long skirt, lightly brushing the bandages hidden underneath for half a second, and then reaches my panties. Jared presses his fingers, a little rough. His thumb quickly finds the right spot, and massages there, making circles on the fabric right over my clit. I gasp in pleasure at his touch, and then bite my bottom lip.

His face finds its way past the neckline of my wrap-around top, and he bites my breast over my bra. I jump a little in surprise.

This is oddly very exciting, these little ounces of pain he inflicts upon me. I’d never been with anyone that sexy and daring before, and I kind of wonder now how I could have lived before I knew such passion.

My hands fly to grab his hair, not to push him away but to encourage him. He is lying over me, completely blocking any other movement.

“Jared,” I sigh.

“You’re at my mercy now,” he growls into my ear, intensifying his caresses. “You can’t escape me.” This—his control, his need to subdue me—sounds primal in my ear and sends electric shocks down my spine.

I feel my tension building up. Jared lifts himself back up and rolls my skirt up, revealing my white lace panties. He grasps the elastic band with his teeth, and pulls them down my thighs with no difficulty.

I look down and see him taking a deep breath, smelling before emitting a little satisfactory sound and then plunging in deeper, licking my slit with a velvet tongue while eyeing me predatorily, like the wolf starts his dinner by licking his prey.

I feel myself let go. A wave of quivers fans from his touch and spreads to every part of my body. This is so good I don’t ever want it to end. I don’t dare to move for fear he would stop, and Jared doesn’t. He licks and he bites and he presses his tongue against me again and again, until I let a loud moan out and curl up from the pleasure.

Before I can find my senses, Jared gets up, tosses me on my stomach—as easily as if I weigh no more than a feather—and slides my panties all the way off.

I turn my head and look at him over my shoulder, still floating on my little cloud. I see him pulling on the buttons of his jeans, unhooking them one by one. His penis is huge and protrudes straight as an arrow against his stomach—the fabric of his boxers is hardly strong enough to contain his erection.

He kneels behind me on the sofa, right between my legs, and his hand finds my slit once more. With a finger he explores it for a second—either making sure I’m wet, or docile enough, I don’t know. Despite the orgasm I just had—exhausting and violent—I find myself wanting more, and angle myself to entice him, raising my butt and getting on my knees.

“We’ll make an exception about the work you can do on your knees,” he whispers, and with a firm hand, he pushes my head forward into the cushions of the sofa, while he enters me from behind. He is hard as a rock, and so thick it hurts a little.

This sting, this excitement… it makes me feel fully alive.

He grabs me by the hips, and starts moving in and out with strength and speed. After the first few uncomfortable seconds, I only feel a world of pleasure. He plows into me, in command of our bodies. My pleasure rises quickly and loudly. I hear him grunt a
yes
in response to my shivers.

His hands leave my hips, and one takes support near me on the sofa while the other undoes the knot of my wrap-around situated on my back, and then slides underneath my top to squeeze with force one of my boobs. His testicles thump against my clit at a torrid pace, marking the tempo between my orgasms.

Jared pulls me up, joining my back and his chest, and bites my shoulder with passion. He rams and rams, our bodies banging together every time his huge cock slams into me. His hand leaves my breast and plays with my clitoris.

“Oh God,” I mumble as I get another orgasm, even more powerful than the previous ones.

“You feel so good,” he says in my ear. “I can’t wait any longer, I am going to come.”

I can’t find the strength to speak yet, still shivering, but with one hand I reach behind my head, finding his neck, and press him against me to encourage him.