The Alpha's Hunger (8 page)

Get off her.

His body would not obey his mind. He pulled her head back and licked a line up her throat, nipping her neck. The act triggered the true instinct, and suddenly his teeth were out, fully extended.

He jerked back, twisting to the side to get her neck out of the line of his jaws as they snapped closed. He turned his back on her and started walking swiftly away, needing to put distance between their bodies. He drew in deep breaths of the cool September air, gazing up at the moon as if it might somehow help him find his way back to sanity.

“Ben?” she called out. Despite her tough guy act, he caught a note of vulnerability in her voice.

“I’m coming,” he said, his voice deeper than normal. He walked a wide arc around the car, as his vision returned to human norm and his teeth receded. He hoped the tightness in his pants would soon ease, too. After a couple of circles around his bewildered employee and the car, he came back to the driver’s seat, climbed in, and slammed the door without looking at Ashley.

She climbed in and buckled her seatbelt.

“I’m sorry,” he said gruffly. “That won’t happen again.”

She turned her head and stared at him, her expression a blank mask. What the hell did she think about all this?

Her phone rang. She dived for her purse, batting the phone out so it came flying up toward her face. She caught it with shaking hands and turned it over, looking at the screen. “It’s them,” she whispered as if they might hear.

“Answer it.”

“H-hello?”

“What happened?” the electronically altered male voice asked.

“Where’s my sister?”

“Your sister’s going to die if you don’t bring that laptop to us. What was that animal at the meeting place?”

“I don’t know—it came after me, too. It chased me into my car and I drove off without seeing where it went.”

A silence followed. Then, “Who have you talked to?”

“No one! Not a soul. I still have the laptop and I want my sister.”

“Be prepared to meet. We’ll call you with the location.”

“Wait—when? What time?”

“Tomorrow night.”

The line clicked off.

She looked up at him and exhaled. “Well, it sounds like she’s still alive.”

Maybe. He wasn’t too sure. The fact that they hadn’t brought her sister out of the car made him think they had no intention of letting either woman walk away.

She plugged her phone into the car charger. He was grateful she had one that worked on both their phones. “Do you think I should call my parents? I mean… they should know they might never see their daughter again.”

“No,” he said, lacing his voice with authority. “That would only endanger your sister.”

He half-expected resistance, but she just nodded. “Ben?”

He liked that she used his first name, even though it was impertinent. “Yeah?” He braced himself for another heavy question.

“I’m hungry.”

His initial relief at this easy-to-solve problem was overshadowed by guilt. He should have known she was starving. What kind of provider was he that he let his mate go hungry?

But no, she wasn’t his mate, nor could she be. He needed to stop thinking of her that way.

“Are you okay with fast food?”

“I’d be okay with dog food at this point,” she muttered.

He saw a sign for a cluster of fast-food restaurants and he took the exit and went into the drive-thru. With her blouse ripped and covered in blood, he couldn’t very well bring her in anywhere.

He ordered their food and paid for it, handing her the bag and getting back on the highway.

She unwrapped her sandwich and took a huge bite. “Do you want me to open something for you?” she asked with her mouth full.

Despite all the tension between them, he couldn’t help but find her cute. He experienced a flash of longing. This is what it would be like if Ashley was his girlfriend. Talking with their mouths full, laughing, comfortable with each other. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed with anyone. Definitely not since Leon and his father’s death. Not since he’d betrayed his family and left them to die.

* * *

Ashley stuffed herself, eating too fast. She leaned back against the seat, suddenly exhausted. “Where are we going?”

“First to my sister-in-law’s, then to see a guy who might be able to help.”

“Like those guys back there?”

He gave her a dark look. “I made a mistake,” he said. “I shouldn’t have left you with them. I’m sorry.”

For some reason, his apology hit her with a pang. She hadn’t expected any concessions from him, and it was easier to steel herself against his dark allure when he was being a jerk. Still, she’d known he was sorry. He wouldn’t have attacked that other guy if not. And while the display of violence had been somewhat nauseating, it also left her feeling more than vindicated.

“Listen, Ashley… I should have warned you before we went in. Never get mouthy or disrespectful with a wolf. It’s taken as a challenge to the power structure, and swift, physical retaliation will always follow to re-establish order.”

“Is that why you spank me?”

“Yes.”

“You enjoy it, don’t you?”

His eyes slid sideways, the corners of his mouth turning up. “I might enjoy some of it, yeah.”

She flushed, two parts angry and one part something else. Something slithery and fluttery that moved in her belly. “Heathen,” she muttered, moving her attention out the window.

“Ashley,” he said, looking serious. “I mean it—don’t offend anyone else. I know Brian asked for it, but this is important. If one of them had left a serious mark on you, I might have killed him. And then I’d have the whole pack coming after me, and consequently you. So it’s a big deal.”

I might have killed him.
That piece of information made her slightly lightheaded. He did have a thing for her. She knew it.

“Okay.”

“Yes, sir,” he corrected.

“Yes, sir,” she said, only slightly sarcastically.

“Thank you,” he said.

She considered how much their relationship had changed in less than twenty-four hours. If it didn’t go forward, could they go back? Working at Stone Tech seemed like a completely different world now.

“Ben?” She didn’t know when she’d started calling him that. But considering she’d seen him naked and in wolf form, and he’d spanked her with her panties down, Mr. Stone didn’t seem right anymore. “Do you mind when I call you that?”

She glanced at his chiseled face, the stubble growing on his jaw making him even sexier than when he was clean-shaven.

“No.”

Would the man ever give more than the monosyllabic answer? His little speech about being respectful to wolves might be the longest he’d uttered.

“Do you think we’ll ever return to work?”

“Yes.”

“I mean… will I still be your assistant?” She held her breath. She wouldn’t blame the man for firing her. After all, she had stolen from him and planted a bomb that could have killed him.

“Yeah,” he said, but his throat sounded tight, as if he might be lying. Did he plan to fire her? Or worse… kill her? He had told the pack members that he would ‘take care of’ the fact that she knew about them. Was he just keeping her alive to arrange the meetup with the men who wanted him dead? Did he plan to kill her when it was all over? From what she could tell, he was a dangerous man.

“Will you still spank me if I get out of line?” she asked, trying to lighten her own tension, if not his.

It worked. Ben’s shadow-smile appeared, that little hint of amusement that crinkled his eyes and touched the corners of his lips. “You like talking about getting spanked,” he said.

Her pussy clenched involuntarily at his words. She held her breath, trying to ward off the blush she felt creeping up her neck. She plowed forward, though. “Who else have you spanked? Have you spanked Karen?”

“No,” he said, sounding surprised. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Then who? Your girlfriends? Lovers? Were they wolves?”

“You were my first,” he said.

Why did that answer please her so much?

“You were my first, too,” she said, knowing she sounded like a little fool.

He actually smiled, which made her heart do strange things in her chest.

“So spanking is a wolf thing?”

He shrugged in the dark car. “It’s a common practice. It’s an easy show of dominance without causing any harm.”

“So basically wolves are sexist pigs who think they’re better than women and deserve to spank them?” She held her breath, expecting his irritation, but he smiled.

“No. I think some relationships fall more equally. But I’m a natural alpha. I don’t think I’m better than women. I just need to be on top.”

She considered that, remembering the words that had been tossed around at the warehouse. “I thought they said you weren’t alpha.”

It took him so long to answer she’d given up hope of a response, but at last he said, “I refused to lead my brother’s pack. I just didn’t have it in me.”

She reached over and touched his thigh. “Well, of course it was too much. You already had to take over at Stone and you were probably still grieving his death to boot.”

Ben’s eyes shot over to her, a muscle jumping in his cheek. He looked slightly alarmed, as if shocked she understood him. At least she hoped she’d understood him. But he picked up her hand and moved it from his leg, which made her want to crawl under her seat for the rest of the drive.

Why couldn’t she touch his leg when he’d just mashed her against the car and kissed the living daylights out of her? She slumped back in her seat and stared at the headlights of the cars passing them. Too much had happened that day for her to even try to make sense of it all.

* * *

He pulled into his brother’s circular drive in Golden, a western suburb of Denver. Nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, Leon’s back yard featured spectacular views and even a natural, rocky mountain spring-fed creek running through. Motion-sensing lights went off, lighting the sidewalk.

“Am I coming in?” Ashley asked as he opened his car door.

“Yeah.”

She climbed out and smoothed her rumpled skirt, holding her blouse closed.

He rang the bell.

After a long time, Shayla spoke from behind the closed door. “Ben?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Sorry it’s so late, but I have to talk to you.”

She opened the door, her face tight, but she offered her cheeks for South American-style kisses. A female alpha, Shayla might be petite in human form, but was large, sleek, and fast as a wolf, with tan fur and yellow eyes.

“This is Ashley Bell. She’s my assistant at Stone.”

Shayla gaped at Ashley’s torn and bloody blouse. “What happened?”

“May we come in?”

“Oh, of course, I’m sorry,” she said, standing back to let them in. “What’s going on, Ben?”

He rubbed his face. He knew Shayla didn’t appreciate having drama dumped at her doorstep in the middle of the night when she had two kids asleep in their beds. Leon had been a perfect husband to her—providing her the lifestyle she wanted to be a stay-at-home mother. When he’d asked Ben to be their godfather, he’d made it clear that if anything happened to him, Ben’s top priority was to run Stone Tech to provide the same luxury and comfort his family had grown accustomed to.

He also knew Shayla didn’t necessarily approve of him and the way he’d handled things since Leon’s death. He could practically feel the judgment rolling off her in waves right now, and unfortunately, he probably deserved it all. God, did she know it was his fault Leon was dead? He hadn’t been able to look her in the eye since the day they buried the mangled remains of his brother’s body, which had been flown back to the States for the funeral.

“So why are you here?”

“May I sit?” he asked pointedly, although it was rude of him to highlight her lack of graciousness, considering he was the one crashing down her door when her kids were already in bed.

She blushed as he knew she would, and gestured toward the table. “Would you like something to drink? Some tea, maybe?”

He looked at Ashley.

“No, thank you,” she said, “but you wouldn’t have a shirt I could borrow, would you?”

He cursed inwardly. He should have asked Shayla for clothes for Ashley. What the hell was wrong with him? He should be more thoughtful about his woman’s needs.

“Of course,” Shayla said and disappeared into her room, returning with a small, mauve t-shirt, which looked almost child-size. She handed it to Ashley. “I hope this will fit,” his petite sister-in-law said.

Ashley unfolded it and held it up to her chest. “Thanks,” she said. “Is there a restroom I could use to clean up?”

“I’ll show her,” he said, trying to redeem himself. He led her to the hall bathroom and ushered her in, shutting the door behind him.

She turned to face him. “You don’t trust me?”

He didn’t sense any hurt from her, just a question at face value. “I don’t trust my own judgment where you’re concerned,” he said, stepping forward and unbuttoning the only remaining button on her blouse, the one between her breasts. The blouse fell open and he went dizzy at the sight of her lacy purple bra. It matched the panties he’d seen earlier. Her perky breasts filled it completely, flesh pushing forward out of its confines.

His cock thickened, pressing against his jeans zipper.

To his surprise, her small hands appeared inside his shirt, sliding up his abdomen, shoving up the fabric.

He sucked in his breath at the shock of her skin against his. “What are you doing?” he croaked.

“Didn’t you get shot tonight?” she asked, pulling the shirt higher to examine him.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, blinking to steady himself, He twisted to look in the mirror. The bullets had risen to the surface, ready to come out. He squeezed one of the wounds and it popped out.

Ashley caught it, turning it over in her fingers in awe. He repeated the action with the other.

“Shifters heal fast.”

“So I see,” she said, dropping the bullets on the counter and bringing her palms back to his torso. Everywhere she touched created a fire under his skin, his self-control ebbing with each passing second.