Wolf from the Past: Salvation Pack, Book 4 (17 page)

He flashed her that sexy bad-boy grin that positively melted her insides. “
Oui
. If I were really pressuring you, we’d already be mated.”

Even though she knew he was deadly serious, she laughed. Gator made her happy in a way she’d never experienced before. Crazy as it seemed, she felt safe with him, even knowing he wanted to claim her.

The difference between him and Andre was that Gator would never claim her without her consent. Andre hadn’t cared.

That thought sobered her completely.

“I’m an emotional wreck,” she told him. “I’m working on accepting my past and letting it go, but I haven’t gotten there yet.”

Gator had it all together. He was so strong and sure of himself. She envied him.

He clasped her around the waist, his fingers warm and firm, holding her but not too tight. “Let me help you. That’s what mates do for one another. They help each other be the best they can be.”

“Not in my experience.” She didn’t want to think about the horror of her first mating.

“A true mating,” he qualified. “I’ve seen how it is between Jacque and Gwen, Cole and Cherise and your brother and Anny. I’ve seen it between Corrine and Joseph. I want that for myself. Sylvie, I want it with you.”

Chapter Seventeen

Gator knew he should shut his big trap before he scared Sylvie away from him. She was so tense he feared she might snap in his two hands. This wasn’t the way he’d wanted their relationship to progress, but circumstances had changed. It was one thing to suspect someone was out there watching, another to know who it was.

“I found some signs when Armand and I were out searching the woods earlier today.”

Sylvie swallowed. “Travis?”

He shook his head. “I couldn’t tell. The scent had faded too much for me to get a read on who it was. Now that I know Travis is missing, I believe it is him.”

Gator hesitated only for a brief second. Sylvie deserved to know everything. “It was near the field where we were this morning.”

She gave a low moan and buried her face in her hands. “Then he saw everything.”

“Probably.” It burned Gator’s guts to think of another man seeing Sylvie naked, watching them make love. He gently pulled her hands away from her face and brushed her hair away from her eyes. “There is no reason to feel ashamed. We did nothing wrong.”

Her laugh was bitter. “I imagine we gave Travis quite a show. The bastard was always looking at me when I was mated to his brother. I’m sure he enjoyed seeing me naked.”

Gator didn’t like the sound of that. “He was always watching you? How?”

She turned and crawled up toward the head of the bed and pulled the sheet around her. It was a warm night and the window was open, letting in the warm breeze. He knew she wasn’t cold but upset.

She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her calves. “Andre never left me alone with his brother. I think he suspected that Travis wanted me.”

A cold and deadly rage settled into Gator’s bones. He hated her having to talk about her former mate. Even worse was what she’d endured at his hands. Now his brother was in the picture, and it seemed he had the same unhealthy obsession with Sylvie that Andre had possessed.

Was he any different from them?

That gave Gator pause. Yes, he wanted Sylvie with a deep-seated need that went beyond mere want. But he also knew he wanted her to be happy above all else. No matter what that meant. He swallowed hard. If it meant she didn’t want him, would he be able to walk away? He prayed he would, but he wasn’t sure. He knew he’d do everything in his power to convince her to give them a chance.

Above all else, he knew he would never hurt her, could never hurt her.

“Are you okay?”

He pushed off the floor and sat beside her on the bed. “I want you and I would never hurt you.” It was important to him that she understood that. “I’m not like your former mate or his brother.” He couldn’t bring himself to say Andre’s name aloud.

“I know that.” She scowled at him. “You’re nothing like them.”

“So fierce,” he whispered. Her quick defense of him warmed his heart.

She took his hand in hers and raised it so it was between them. “You’re so strong, Gator.” His fingers were callused from hard work. “Yet so gentle when you touch me.”

“Sylvie.” She was driving him crazy. His cock was hard and full, pressed against the zipper of his jeans. His skin felt extra sensitive to her touch. The way she stroked her fingers over his was driving him crazy with need.

He swallowed back a moan when she lifted his hand to her mouth and sucked on his index finger. His skin tightened all over his body. His wolf howled inside him and rolled around, wanting to rub against her until she smelled like him and her sweet natural essence was all over his body.

He tried to speak but nothing emerged from his mouth but a growl. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I should probably leave.” What in the hell was he saying? He didn’t want to leave. She was naked but for the sheet and the nightgown. It wouldn’t take more than a couple of seconds to remove them.

But the saner side of him protested that she’d been through a lot today. She needed rest and care, not a male werewolf fucking her. Besides, her brother was just across the hall. He knew Armand was probably listening to make sure Gator left her alone.

She pulled his finger from her mouth and released his hand. “Yes, of course. I’m sorry.” She gave a small laugh. “Presumptuous of me, wasn’t it?”

“Fuck.” Gator curled his hands into fists and pressed them into the mattress on either side of her. “Not presumptuous. You can touch me wherever and whenever you like,
chère
.”

“Then why?”

He shook his head to try to clear the sexual haze muddling it. “It’s been an emotional day,” he began.

“Gator, I’m a little scared and a lot confused.”

He nodded. “That’s what I’m saying. You should rest. I’ll be outside on the sofa if you need me.” It took more strength than he’d ever imagined he possessed to push his body off the bed and away from her.

She reached out and grabbed his hand, her touch chaining him in place.

“But there’s one thing I do know.”

“What?” His voice was low and rough. His wolf was close to the surface, fighting to get free. The animal part of him didn’t want to leave Sylvie, wanted to protect her.

“I want you.”

All the air left Gator’s lungs in a rush and he almost fell to his knees. She wanted him. He licked his lips, wanting to taste her sweet mouth. His fingers itched to touch her. Then commonsense kicked in. She’d admitted she was scared. She probably didn’t want to be alone.

“I’ll stay with you until you fall asleep,” he promised. It might kill him when his dick exploded, but he’d stay with her for as long as she needed him.

She nodded and patted the mattress beside her. “Stay with me.”

Sylvie hadn’t imagined it would be this hard to seduce Gator. He was such a badass with his tattoos and his ability to track and fight. He was also a male werewolf and they weren’t exactly known for turning down sex if they could get it.

She knew he was as tough as they came. But he was so sweet as well. He was doing everything in his power to be gallant, to give her what he thought she needed. No one had ever put her wants and needs first before Gator. It made her want him even more.

Her wolf wanted him too. Scented his wolf inside him. They’d run together in the woods and made love among those same trees. He’d changed her, enabled her to move beyond her past. All by being himself.

The fact that he always put her first allowed her to take risks she’d never think of taking with another man—human or werewolf.

Long-buried memories stirred. She’d watched Gator when they were younger. He’d always seemed so aloof and unapproachable, dangerous even when he was still a young man. She was a little younger than him but could remember having fantasies about him.

Was that why she found it so easy to trust him?

“What are you thinking?” he asked as he stretched out beside her and patted the mattress. She uncurled her body and scooted down so she was lying beside him, both their heads on the same pillow.

“I was remembering when we were kids, teenagers really.”

He gave a low laugh. “That sounds interesting.”

Sylvie nodded. “Very.”

“I remember watching you and several of your friends swimming once. You had on a modest one-piece suit in basic black.”

She’d hated that bathing suit. All her friends had colorful two-piece ensembles but her father would allow her to wear nothing but the hated black one-piece. “You remember that?” She couldn’t imagine catching Gator’s eye in that granny outfit.

“Oh, yeah.” His voice was husky with desire.

Her entire body responded to that and his nearness, heating from the inside out. The sheet was suddenly very heavy and she shoved it away, kicking it to the bottom of the bed. The light breeze coming in through the window skated across her skin like a caress.

“I remember how long your legs looked. How the material cupped your firm breasts and emphasized your small waist and your curvy hips.”

“You must have some imagination. I’m more lanky than curvy.”

He shook his head and a lock of hair fell across his forehead. “Perfect.” He sighed. “And when you got that suit wet it clung to you like a second skin.” He brushed a kiss over her forehead. “I fantasized about you in that suit. A lot.”

“If only I’d known.” Her voice was filled with both sadness and regret.

“Your father would never have let me anywhere near you. We both know that.” He brushed his fingertips over her face. “He was saving you as a pawn to increase his power. I was nothing but swamp trash to him.”

His touch was feather light. Her heart pounded in her chest and the throbbing between her legs matched the beat. It shamed her to know that the entire pack had known her father thought of her as nothing more than a commodity to be traded to the highest bidder.

“Our paths never really crossed, except at a distance,” he continued. “I watched you often, wishing things could be different.”

To have a man as tough as Gator admit such things was a balm to her tattered spirit. He made her feel special, more than just something to be bartered or a possession to be used like her mate had.

“I watched you too.” She gave a small laugh. “You always seemed so much older than the boys you hung around with. So tough and worldly. So sure of yourself.” And she’d envied his self-confidence.

Gator snorted. “I was just good at faking it for a lot of years.” He trailed his fingers up and down her bare arm. Goose bumps broke out on her skin.

She shook her head. “You were always tough. Did you know my father was afraid of you?”

He stilled. “Really?”

“Oh, yeah. You and Cole and Jacque. I think he always feared what you might do.”

“He underestimated his son and Louis,” Gator murmured. “A lot of folks do because they’re quiet and thoughtful.”

“You’re a good friend to all of them.” After her brother, Gator was the most loyal person she’d ever known.

“We are brothers,
chère
,” She could tell he meant it. They might not all share the same blood, but they were bound by something even stronger—love and respect. She wanted to have friends like that and thought it could happen with the women who lived here.

He resumed stroking her skin. She didn’t want to talk anymore. Life was precious and the way he made her feel even more so. She might not be sure about the whole mating thing but she did know she wanted Gator. Whenever he touched her, he made her feel whole and brave and desirable.

It was a gift, and an unexpected one at that. When she’d come here in search of Armand, she’d never thought she’d discover something special with Gator. Having the object of her teenage imaginings tell her he’d watched her as much as she had him was heady and exciting.

But he was more than a simple memory. He was a flesh-and-blood man. He was sexy and loyal and funny and he wanted her. And she, who tensed up around most men, who could never have imagined having sex with anyone after all she’d been through, wanted him back.

It had all happened so fast, but she wasn’t human. She was a werewolf, a primal creature who listened to her instincts more than her mind. And she’d already lost many years of her life being alone. She didn’t know where her and Gator’s relationship would end up, but she didn’t want to waste any more time.

She tilted her head back and pressed her lips to his. His mouth moved gently, sliding over hers, totally relaxed and unhurried. She knew his façade of calmness was a lie. His pelvis was pressed against hers and she could feel the throbbing of his erection through the thick material of his jeans.

He was as aroused as she was. She could smell the musk rising from his skin and knew he could scent the dampness between her legs.

“Sylvie,” he groaned.

Poor man. Still trying to do the right thing. Didn’t he know he was the right thing for her? She sat up, whipped her nightgown over her head and tossed it onto the floor. Naked, she lay back in Gator’s bed and opened her arms to him.

“Love me.” It was getting easier and easier to be brave around him. He inspired her to be courageous, to stand on her own two feet and reach for what she wanted. Her wolf, cowed for so many years, was quickly regaining the innate confidence she’d had when she was younger.

Gator gave a low growl and levered himself over her, holding the bulk of his weight on his forearms so he didn’t crush her. “I do,” he promised. “I will.” Then he kissed her.

Gator knew he should leave, but he just couldn’t bring himself to walk away from Sylvie, not when she wanted him to stay. Her lips were warm and welcoming. He stroked her tongue with his, enjoying the way she welcomed his touch and returned the caress. He angled his head and went deeper. She moaned into his mouth and the small sound made his balls tighten.

He eased away, peppering her cheeks with kisses.

“Do you think this thing between us happened too fast?” she asked.

He gazed into her brown eyes, searching for fear or reluctance but found neither. Only an honest question. “
Non
,” he assured her. “If we were fully human, it might be too fast.” He tore his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. “But we are more than human, we are werewolves.” He nuzzled her jaw. “We live by our instincts.”

She stroked his shoulders and trailed her fingers down his biceps.

“I know I want you,
chère
,” he continued. “I’ve known you for years, wanted you for years.” Those had been long, lonely years. “And when I thought I lost you…” He didn’t want to think about that time.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” She hooked her arms around his neck. “I wanted you for years too. That’s why this seems so easy, too easy.”

Gator snorted and her eyes widened. “There’s nothing easy about this situation or how we got here.” He rolled onto his back and pulled her over him. Her pussy lined up with his jeans-covered cock and he pressed her against his straining erection. “I lost you once, I’m not willing to waste any more time.”

Sylvie nodded. “I feel the same way.”

He held his arms out and smiled. “Then take me, I’m yours.”

He’d startled her with his offer. He could tell by the expression of confusion and then delight that crossed her face. The smile she gave him in return was sultry and full of sensual promise. “So I’m in charge?”