Wild Card (11 page)

Any hope of control dissolved at the words. Pleasure rushed through him as he sank into her again and again, fucking her through the first orgasm and into the second before he gave himself permission to let go.

He bit the back of her shoulder as he came, muffling the tortured groan as he found release in the hot depths of her body. She was still writhing beneath him, whimpering and rocking into his slowing thrusts, when he lifted his head and found her ear with his lips. “I love you, Virginia Howard.”

She’d torn free of the ruined nightgown, and she raised a shaking hand to his face. “Ginny Owens.” Her lips met his in a tender kiss. “I like the sound of it.”

Exhausted, he collapsed to his side and dragged her tight to his body. “As long as I can move in with you, baby. My place isn’t exactly ranch material.”

She grinned against his shoulder and warned, “I’ll have you doing chores before sunup.”

Better chores with the woman he loved than one more lonely night in front of his fireplace. “I’ll hold you to it.”

Ginny kissed him again as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’m sorry you had to wait for me. I was… scared of disappointing you.” She smiled ruefully. “Still am, I suppose.”

“Impossible.” And it was true. Just her presence, her scent and the comforting press of her power, mingling with his, soothed him so much it was hard to keep his eyes open. “As long as you love me, it’s more than enough.”

“That,” she murmured against his temple, “is a sure bet, honey.”

Lulled by the warmth of her body, he was almost asleep when one last thought occurred to him. “Wait, I lied. You do have one job from now on.”

“Typical. What is it?”

“Starting tomorrow, all of the hormonal young female wolves in the pack are having their awkward sex talks with
you
.”

She laughed sleepily. “Deal.”

The Down & Dirty Trilogy

Wild Card
Calling the Bluff
Ante Up

Enjoy this excerpt from book two in the Down & Dirty trilogy,
Calling the Bluff
, featuring Hazel and Oliver.

Oliver couldn’t deny the role he’d played in her frustration, even if it wasn’t his fault. “You’re going to hurt yourself,” he told her gruffly. “The fever’s nothing to play around with.”

“
Play
?” Her voice rose. “You think I’m
playing
? I went there to fuck him and I
wanted
to. But I can’t give in to the mating without giving in to the wolf, and
she
almost ripped him apart for touching me.”

“Calm down.” The hair on the back of his neck rose, along with the animal inside him. The wolf stirred, awakened as much by the power rolling off her in waves as by the Siren call of her lust. He needed to get her to safety before the fever took her, but he couldn’t touch her. He knew what would happen the moment he did. “We need to get you somewhere. To Jack’s place.”

“No!” Hazel snatched up her mud-stained skirts and circled around him, her entire body rigid. “I’m not getting near Jack, and I’m not going anywhere with you.”

He followed her. “Like it or not, I’m what you’ve got right now. So you can act like a child, or you can let me get you someplace safe.”

Hazel wheeled so quickly he almost ran into her. “If you think I’m going to let you hand me over to the alpha so he can do his duty by me and break my best friend’s heart, you’re a bigger fool than I thought.”

“That isn’t what I meant,” he protested. “He and Ginny can find a way to help you. He doesn’t have to -- it’s not --” He bit off his words with a growl. His hands were starting to itch. “Damnation, if you hadn’t waited so long…”

“Yes, I’m a fool. I’m a stupid, romantic fool.” She turned again, but her body had begun to tremble. “Go away, Oliver. I’m fighting her as hard as I can right now, but it hurts. And it won’t stop until you’re gone.”

“It won’t stop at all now. That’s what I’m trying to tell you.” He had no choice, so he reached out and grasped her arm. “Hazel, stop.”

Her skin felt hot under his hand. A noise tore free of her, desperate yearning and need, and her arousal filled his senses. She took a gasping breath as her entire body went tense. “Oliver --” Her voice sounded tiny and maybe even afraid. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Shh.” He didn’t have a clue himself, aside from the obvious, but he drew her back against his chest and tried to soothe her. “Try to relax. You’ve got to -- We have to get you somewhere.” There was a fishing cabin on the
Lonely
River
, close to Ginny’s ranch. If he could get Hazel there, maybe he could help her until the fever passed. If not, Ginny and Jack wouldn’t be far away. “Just relax.”

She shivered under his hands even as she rubbed back against him in a way that was anything but innocent. “You don’t have to love me, Oliver, but please… please make it stop hurting.”

About the Author

How do you make a Moira Rogers? Take a former forensic science and nursing student obsessed with paranormal romance and add a computer programmer with a passion for gritty urban fantasy. Toss in a dash of whimsy and a lot of caffeine, and enjoy with a side of chocolate by the light of the full moon.

By day, Bree and Donna are mild-mannered ladies who reside in the Deep South. At night, when their husbands and children are asleep, they combine forces to unleash the product of their fevered imaginations upon the page. To learn more about this romance writing, crime fighting duo, visit their webpage at
http://www.moirarogers.com
. (Disclaimer: crime fighting abilities may appear only in the aforementioned fevered imaginations.)

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Copyright Information
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Down & Dirty Trilogy
About the Author