The Keeping (35 page)

“Ryne. Please.”
Melody panted her appeal, clutching at him, trying to pull him to
her. Needing no further invitation, he shifted so that he was
between her legs. He slid his hands under her shoulders and rested
his weight on his forearms. His arousal brushed against her
temptingly moist flesh. She whimpered in response.

“Do you want me?”
He growled against her throat as he raked his teeth over her soft
skin.

“Yes...I want you.
I need you now.” Melody whimpered and squirmed under him.

Her desire pleased
him, but his wolf wanted more. “Then show me. Show me how much you
want my possession. Take me and guide me inside your body.” He half
closed his eyes and watched as she slid her hands down his body and
hesitantly touched his throbbing erection. A shudder passed through
him as she caressed him, her thumb sliding over the head and then
down the vein underneath. It was exquisite torture, the feel of her
hand, the sight of her holding him. She spread her legs wider,
bending her knees and tilting her hips before guiding him to her
opening.

Ryne pressed
forward until the head was buried in her. Melody’s eyes closed and
her lips curved. He paused and her brow furrow. She looked up at
him. “Don’t stop.”

“You want more?”
He teased her with the slightest movement forward before stopping
again. “Then what do you need to say?”

A needy sound
arose from her throat. She slid her hands to his buttocks and tried
to pull him closer. “More. Please, Ryne. I need more.”

He nipped at her
ear and whispered darkly. “Do you want me to take you? To fill you?
To be so deep inside you that you can’t tell where you end and I
start?”

“Yes!” Her head
moved restlessly, her nails digging into his back. His wolf
relished the erotica pain and finally gave in to the overwhelming
need to possess her. He gathered himself and then thrust into her
until he was buried to the hilt.

Heat and tightness
surrounded him and he shuddered in pleasure. Melody felt so good,
the walls of her tunnel pressing against his sensitive flesh,
caressing him, holding him, as if she’d been made just for him. For
a moment he stayed still, appreciating the sensation. He looked at
her and saw that her lids were heavy, her lips slightly parted as
she sighed in contentment. Shifting his weight to one arm, he
brushed his hand across her cheek and down her neck to where a vein
throbbed. Fascinated, he stared at the pulse point. With each beat,
a feeling grew and thrummed inside of him. He could feel his
canines lengthening and a voice in his head urged him to mark the
woman he now possessed. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply,
drawing her scent into his lungs, feeling her heat surrounding his
body. Licking his lips, he bent forward and nuzzled her throat.
Yes, yes, that’s it. Bite her, mark her...

He opened his
mouth to comply with the instinctive demand, then hesitated, some
last remnant of reason making itself known. She didn’t know; she
might not be willing... Damn, she was possibly the enemy! Ryne drew
his head back, feeling his ardour fade, but then she opened her
eyes and smiled up at him, gently rocking her hips. His body
responded and he pushed his concerns to the back of his mind; he’d
deal with them later, right now there was a more urgent need.
Slowly, he set the rhythm, watching her face and moving
accordingly. She rewarded him with soft cries and smiles, little
frowns of concentration and clutches of her fingers.

Slowly, he picked
up the pace and Melody met him stroke for stroke. He went harder
and deeper, his balls hitting against her bottom, her panting cries
urging him onward. Sensation built within him, a tightening in the
base of his shaft, a growing tingle. Knowing he couldn’t last much
longer, he moved with even greater determination, the couch
creaking with every thrust.

“Oh, oh...!”
Melody stiffened, her limbs began to tremble, and then her back
arched as her body clenched around him.

As her orgasm
ripped through her, he allowed himself his own release. Grunting in
pleasure, he twitched inside her, spilling his seed before
collapsing on top of her.

Chapter
25

For a moment they
both lay still, appreciating the aftermath of great sex. Heavy
limbs, a pleasantly relaxed feeling, a sheen of sweat helping to
cool overheated bodies. Ryne reluctantly shifted his weight,
pulling himself away from the sated woman beneath him. Resting on
his side, pressed against the back of the sofa, he stared down at
his companion. Melody had her eyes closed, a happy smile curving
her lips.

He felt his own
mouth forming a similar expression. Contentment filled him and his
wolf. Good.
This is how it will be from now on
, the animal
inside murmured.
No more talk of sending her away.

No sooner had the
thought passed through his mind, than he swore. Damn! He had no
business smiling at the likes of Melody Greene. Whether innocent or
not, he’d come here with the express intention of severing all
connections with the woman. Instead he’d ended up having sex. What
the hell was wrong with him? Was he ruled by his brain or his
instincts?

Melody stirred and
of its own volition, his hand reached out to gently brush damp
curls from her forehead. Slowly she opened her eyes and stared up
at him. He bit back a gasp at the tender emotions evident in her
eyes. She smiled up at him, then mimicked his movement, brushing
his hair from his forehead before curving her hand to cup his
cheek. He leaned into her caress for but a moment before hardening
his resolve and pulling away with a frown. Melody opened her mouth
as if to speak, then froze. The happiness drained from her
expression and her hand fell to her side.

Ryne knew he was
the cause of her abrupt mood change yet couldn’t bring himself to
remove the scowl from his face. This was all wrong; himself and
Melody, his wolf, the Keeping, new pack members. He shook his head.
There was no equation that could make them work together and so he
scowled both in anger and frustration at the hand fate had
dealt.

“Oh crap! You’re
doing it again.” With surprising speed, she slid away from him,
half falling onto the floor before catching herself and stumbling
to her feet. She looked around and snatched up her clothes, turning
her back to him while she quickly dressed, all the while hurling
accusations over her shoulder.

“What is wrong
with you? What kind of a man glares at someone he’s just had sex
with? And don’t tell me that it wasn’t any good, because I know you
got off!”

Ryne stood as
well, saying nothing to defend himself, nor offering a kind word to
relieve her emotions. He reached for his pants, slowly pulling them
on. Idly he noted that his nudity didn’t bother him as much as her
own obviously did. As her body disappeared from sight under layers
of clothing, he wanted to protest, but didn’t. It was better this
way. He wouldn’t concentrate properly if her delectable body was
before him.

Once she was
dressed, she turned to face him, arms crossed in a defensive
gesture. “What are you? Some kind of Jekyll and Hyde?” She gave a
brief, dark laugh. “Do you enjoy messing with my mind this way? One
minute you’re so nice and the next you’re scowling like I’m a mass
murderer or something. Which is it, Ryne?” When he didn’t answer,
her eyes started to cloud with tears. “Do you even care a bit about
me or am I just conveniently available when you want sex?”

A wave of guilt
washed over him as he saw the hurt in her eyes. He didn’t enjoy
treating women this way. Hell, he
never
treated them this
way. He loved women; the way they looked and talked, the quirky way
their brains worked, the scent and feel of them... Sure, he wasn’t
always a roses and pretty words kind of guy, but he had his own
code of chivalry towards the fairer sex and it didn’t include
blowing hot and cold like this.

“Melody, I—” He
stopped not sure what to say. Could he tell her that his inner wolf
lusted after her, but because she might be the catalyst that
brought about the destruction of his pack, he had to push her away?
Not likely. Thankfully, she didn’t notice his hesitation.

“Never mind.
Whatever you have to say, I wouldn’t believe anyway. After all, you
can’t even give me an honest answer about a dog!”

“What?” Her
comment about dogs caught his attention. It made no sense to him
whatsoever.

“It doesn’t
matter. I’m leaving. I’ll...I’ll talk to you later about the damn
interview.” She turned on her heel, grabbed the door handle to
throw the wooden panel open...or at least that’s what it looked
like she’d planned on doing. Unfortunately, she hadn’t noticed the
door was locked and merely succeeded in wrenching her arm by
pulling on the unyielding handle. Muttering under her breath, she
dealt with the lock and stormed out of the room.

Wait. She can’t
leave...
She just did, so deal with it, he snarled at himself.
Pulling his shirt over his head, he dropped onto the couch and
leaned back, exhaling loudly. Staring at the ceiling of Armand’s
office, he noted the spider web in one corner and a few stained
ceiling tiles. There must be a leak on the roof, he thought idly.
Maybe he’d offer to fix it as a sort of a payment for using the
man’s couch without asking, not that Armand probably cared. No
doubt the bar tender had used the couch for similar purposes a time
or two.

Damn, but he’d
screwed up big time; Ryne scolded himself, not even cracking a
smile at the bad pun he’d unintentionally made. Whether she knew it
or not, Melody had a thing for him and it was more than just the
fact that he was a sexy, handsome devil, he was sure of it. For
some reason, she actually seemed to like him and now he’d hurt her
feelings. The worst part was that there’d be no ‘making up.’ In
fact, he had to figuratively kick her again, by cancelling the
interview and sending her on her way.

It was for her own
good, as well as his pack’s. There was some alternative agenda
associated with the interview, he was sure of it. And whatever it
was, it would likely endanger her, as well as his people, if he let
this continue. He was being cruel to be kind, he told himself. Sure
she’d be angry, but if she left, everyone would be safer and that
was more important than her hurt feelings.

Well, sitting here
wasn’t solving anything and the ambiance wasn’t going to improve
his mood. Ryne took in the dark panelling, over-filled filing
cabinets, and truly bad paintings on the wall. He chuckled wryly as
he studied the landscapes. Armand might have the soul of an artist,
but his talent was better suited to serving beer. Heaving himself
to his feet, Ryne went in search of just that.

*****

Back into the main
part of the building, Ryne immediately headed for the bar. He
leaned against the wooden structure and stared at himself in the
cracked mirror that backed the liquor shelves. His face appeared to
be set in stone, cold and unfeeling. It wasn’t how he felt inside,
not even close, but it was a suitable mask to present to the world.
Allowing anyone to know how he really felt at this moment was
unacceptable. Alphas did not show weakness.

Armand set a beer
in front of him and quirked an eyebrow. “What gives my friend? You
came in looking happy enough and in less than five minutes you were
taking the little lady out back. That usually results in a happier
expression than the one I see. Was she not cooperative?”

Ryne gave a dry
laugh. “No, she cooperated. We had a...falling out afterwards.”

“Ah, clingy was
she? She didn’t listen to your warnings beforehand.” Armand nodded
wisely. The bar keeper and he had shared numerous conversations
about women, so the man knew Ryne’s policy. It wasn’t the case this
time, but Ryne wasn’t about to correct him.

“Something like
that.” Glumly, he took a swig of beer and turned to face the room.
Near the pool table, Bryan and Daniel were racking the balls,
preparing to play another game. They were showing no ill effects
from his earlier growling. In the far corner, a few men were
playing darts while half watching a rerun of last week’s hockey
game. There was nothing to hold his interest, so he returned to
brooding. Was Melody still here? He really should tell her the
interview was off. That way she could pack up her things tonight
and leave first thing in the morning. A quick break would be safer
for everyone involved. He closed his eyes and discreetly sniffed
the air. Her scent lingered, indicating she was probably still in
the building. Good, he could say his piece here rather than driving
out to her cabin. Scanning the length of the bar, he searched for
signs of her.

Armand gave him a
nudge. “The little lady is at the far end of the bar, if that’s who
you are looking for.”

Nodding his
thanks, Ryne started to get to his feet, but Armand placed a
restraining hand on him. “What?”

“It might be best
if you gave her some time to cool down. She looked angry when she
came back from your little encounter and, my friend, I do not
believe her mood has improved substantially. This might not be the
best time to approach. An upset woman is not to be taken
lightly.”

“Normally, I’d
agree with you, but the sooner I make this break, the better.” He
glanced at the bar keeper then looked away. Armand was studying him
with a puzzled expression.

“You are brushing
her off so quickly? Why?”

Sighing heavily,
Ryne tried to avoid the question. “Armand, maybe I’ll be able to
later, but not now. It’s too damned complicated.”

The large man
scowled at him before shrugging. “It is your choice. It is wrong,
but it is your choice.” With that, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey
and went to serve another customer.

Huh! Armand had
certainly made his feelings known. Shit, the bar keeper didn’t know
all the facts and had no right to judge.