Wolf on the Hunt (13 page)

Louis was a very tactile person. It was something she’d noticed because she was the same way. He was always touching her, sometimes sniffing her skin. It was second nature to him and had to be a part of his wolf nature.

“Tell me about werewolves.”

He tensed beneath her and released his grip on her hair. Then he eased her away from him. She wanted to cry at the loss of his arms around her even though they were still joined in the most intimate way. His cock flexed and she responded immediately, flooding him with more of her cream.

“Later,” he promised. “I need you again.”

He was putting her off, but there was no denying he was also telling her the truth. Gray needed him again too. She pressed her hands against his torso, using him for support as she levered herself up and then dropped back down on his hard shaft.

Louis groaned. “Oh yeah. Just like that,” he encouraged.

Gray liked being on top. Liked being in charge. She undulated her hips as she raised and lowered herself so his cock touched the most sensitive places inside her. He was so strong and powerful, yet she was the one in control. It was intoxicating.

Her breasts ached. “Touch me,” she ordered.

He covered the mounds with his big hands and squeezed before he began to tease her aching nipples. It wasn’t enough.

They were both panting hard now. A bead of sweat rolled down Louis’s temple. The window was wide open, but there was barely a breeze to cool them. The room was wreathed in shadows, but she could see him perfectly. She’d always been able to see well in the dark.

Half-breed.

The word shot through her brain but she ignored it. She’d think about that later. She rode Louis hard. She was so close to coming it hurt.

The muscles in her thighs ached and she was almost breathless as she pushed harder. He slid one hand down the center of her torso and slid it between her legs. He found her clit and brushed his thumb over the nub.

Gray screamed. Her orgasm slammed into her like an out-of-control freight train. She lurched forward, but Louis caught her. He rolled until he was on top of her. Then he began to slam into her over and over. Her orgasm crested again and she cried out his name.

He shoved one hand under her ass and lifted her as he hammed his hips against hers. He tensed and then she felt the flood of his seed. She shuddered, wanted to yell that she couldn’t take any more, but speech was beyond her.

Louis growled and fell to the mattress. They were still joined, but he managed to angle most of his chest off her so she wasn’t totally crushed by his big body. Breathing was difficult.

Gray felt shattered yet whole. It was the strangest sensation.

Like before, Louis’s cock seemed even larger. “Why do you get bigger at the end?” Her words were slurred and she wasn’t sure they actually came out the way they sounded in her head.

“Biology,” he muttered. “I won’t be able to leave you for a while yet.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “S’okay. I don’t mind.”

Some of the tension left him, and she realized he’d taken her question as a criticism. “I don’t mind the swelling. I was just wondering about it.”

He sighed and raised his head. She loved his chocolate-brown eyes and lush eyelashes. There was still heat in his gaze. It was banked but it was still there. “I keep forgetting there are things you don’t know. It’s okay to ask.”

Louis turned them so they were both on their sides. She pressed her hands against his chest and traced a pattern over his pectorals. Finally, he slipped free and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out against the loss. Louis was quickly becoming an addiction.

* * * * *

Pierre LaForge tucked his phone into his pocket as he pondered the latest news from Jean Paul Dupointe. It was bad enough when Jacque had taken up with a human female, now it seemed his younger son had done the same.

He growled and paced in front of his home. Stupid whelps. He should have been harder on them when they were pups. They never would have left home in the first place.

At least Jean Paul knew how to take orders, unlike Travis Dubois. Pierre spit into the dirt. That idiot had caused Pierre to lose face yet again with his pack. No, the time was coming to end this. He’d thought to bring his sons home, but now he all he wanted to do was kill them. That was the only way to reassure the pack he wasn’t weak, wasn’t afraid to do what needed to be done.

A sense of being watched crept over him, and Pierre whirled around, teeth bared and claws out. He searched the darkness, but there was no one there.

“Pierre.”

He spun around and pulled in his claws at the sight of his mate standing in the doorway to their home. “What the hell do you want?” She’d been good looking when he’d mated her all those years ago. Now she looked worn and tired all the time.

She kept her eyes downcast and her body completely still. Her deference diluted some of his anger. “I wanted to know if you needed anything before I turned in for the night.”

He thought about taking her to bed, something he hadn’t done in months. Then he thought about a female who worked at a bar only about a ten-mile run from here. His sons were always so hot for humans, but he could understand the allure of something different.

“Go to bed.” He turned and ran off, not bothering to let her know where he was going or when he’d be back. It wasn’t any of her business.

Elise watched her husband disappear into the night. She kept her expression bland as she reentered the house. Only when she knew there was no one to see her did she allow the anger that bubbled inside her to show.

She’d heard his phone call with the Dupointe boy. Yes, Jean Paul Dupointe was a man, but he was no older than her two boys. What was Louis doing with a human when he knew his father was still at war with him?

She paced the confines of the house, not sure what to do. Pierre could come back at any time. Even if he didn’t, if any of the others saw her out on her own at night, they’d tell him. Then there would be hell to pay.

Her spine snapped upright. What had become of her? She’d been proud once upon a time. Too many years of living with a brute like Pierre, of being beaten down emotionally and physically had taken their toll.

It had almost broken her heart when her boys had left, but she’d been happy and proud too. They’d done what she hadn’t been able to do. She knew she’d disappointed them by not going with them, but she couldn’t leave. They didn’t understand she’d stayed so she could watch their father and protect them.

Elise turned out all the lights and carefully opened the back door. She listened for several minutes before slipping outside. The normal sounds of the night surrounded her as she stealthily made her way to the one house where she knew she wouldn’t be betrayed. She went to the back door and lightly knocked.

She shifted from one leg to the other, getting more nervous by the second. She was about to knock again when the door opened. The big man standing there motioned her inside and quickly closed the door.

“What are you doing here? Is everything all right?”

“I had to come,” she began.

“Elise.” Corrine Blanchard hurried to her mate’s side. The three of them were part of a secret group that tried to help those in their pack who needed it. They’d helped several females escape over the years, but that was rare. With the others, they tried to ease their burdens as much as they could. “What happened?”

“I can’t stay.” She looked from Joseph to his mate. Their son and his mate were with her sons in Salvation. They needed to know the latest news.

“I overheard Pierre on the phone. Louis has taken up with a human female and Pierre knows. He’s going to kill them all. I recognize the look I saw in his eyes. He no longer wants them to come home.” Elise twisted her hands together. “You must warn them all.”

Joseph nodded. “I can’t leave tonight. It would cause too much speculation if anyone saw me.”

She nodded. They needed to proceed with caution.

“I’d planned to go into town tomorrow. While I’m there, I’ll buy two new disposable phones and contact them.”

Elise approved of his plan. They were always careful, always destroying any phone that they’d used. Pierre hadn’t remained alpha for so long by being stupid. She never made the mistake of underestimating her mate.

“I have to go.” She was sweating. If Pierre came home and found her gone, he’d kill her.

“Stay safe.” Corrine put out her hand and then dropped it. They didn’t touch, each of them aware that if they did, Pierre might scent them later.

Joseph opened the door and Elise slid out and hurried away. It was only after she’d showered and put the clothes she’d worn into the washer that she relaxed. She climbed into bed and stared out the window, listening to the hum and chirp of the insects.

She closed her eyes and prayed her sons would be all right, that the warning would come in time. She didn’t think Pierre had given Jean Paul any orders other than to watch them.

The sad fact was that her sons would never be safe while their father was alive.

Chapter Thirteen

Gray woke to the most delicious sensation of warmth and comfort. Louis was spooned around her, his arms holding her. She sighed and snuggled closer. Something hard and long pressed against her back. Her wolf was aroused…again.

“Good morning.” His voice was a deep rumble that settled low in her belly and sent tingles running through her entire body.

“Morning.” She needed to get up. Poor Shadow had been alone all night. He wasn’t used to the door being closed and him being shut out of her room. She was surprised he hadn’t whined or scratched to remind her he needed to go outside.

Louis roamed a hand down her arm and onto her stomach. She sucked in a breath when he slid his fingers upward and cupped her breast. She bit her lip to keep from moaning aloud.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Sore?”

How the heck would she know anything when he was touching her? All she felt was pleasure. He carefully teased one pert nipple, and this time she couldn’t hold back her moan.

“Gray.”

She licked her lips and reached behind her and ran her hand over his thigh and tight butt. “I’m fine. I think.”

His laugh was low and positively wicked. “You think?” He trailed his fingers down her stomach and delved between her legs to find her moist heat.

In retaliation, she pushed her behind against his erection, eliciting a groan.

Louis nipped at her neck, finding the spot that drove her wild. She gasped and moved her legs restlessly against the sheets, trying to get closer. He lifted her leg and draped it up and back over his. He pressed his cock against her opening and pushed.

His shaft forged inward, stretching her. Filling her. Her breath caught in her throat. The sun was shining through the window, heating her already warm skin. “Louis.” She said his name, nothing more, but he responded by giving her what she wanted. He moved his hips slowly at first, barely withdrawing an inch before pushing inward once again. He played the sensual game of advance and retreat until she thought she’d go mad.

His hands were busy too. One minute he was rubbing her clit and the next he was teasing her taut nipples. It was exquisite and quite different from how she usually started her days. She could get addicted to this.

That put a slight damper on her ardor. This wasn’t permanent. This was just for now. She had to keep reminding herself of that so she didn’t get in over her head with Louis.

“What are you thinking?” He stroked his thumb over her clit. “You’ve gone away somewhere in your head.” He pumped his hips harder and a bit faster. “Come back to me.”

Louis was proving to be more perceptive than the average male. There was an entreaty in his voice that pulled on her heartstrings.

“I’m here.” Even if what was between them was only temporary, she didn’t want to shortchange either of them.

“Don’t leave me.” He buried his face against her throat and lightly nipped her skin.

Gray moaned and rocked her hips more frantically. She was getting closer. She’d always been in control sexually, until she’d met Louis. He brought out needs in her she never knew existed.

“I’m here,” she repeated.

He growled and she sensed those words weren’t the ones he’d wanted to hear, but they were the only ones she had to offer him. She was drawn to Louis in a way that defied all logic. They hadn’t known one another very long, but they’d been through some major life-altering events together. That built a bond it might have otherwise taken months to develop.

His sharp teeth grazed her nape but never broke the skin. Pure adrenaline and excitement flowed through her veins, along with a longing for something else, something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. There was an emptiness inside her, a craving for a deeper connection.

Gray shoved aside the unwanted emotion and concentrated on the delicious physical sensations coursing through her. She squeezed her inner muscles. Louis swore and his cock rippled. The warmth of his orgasm set off her own. She moaned as her body shook and shivered. Her inner muscles squeezed him tightly.

Louis wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Her orgasm wasn’t as explosive as the ones she’d had the night before, but there was an emotional depth to it that left her shaken to her core. Louis had come into her life and unerringly found his way into her heart.

She was in big trouble.

Then the sensual fog lifted and she was aware of a more practical concern. “We didn’t use a condom this morning or last night either.” She was on birth control, but there were other concerns like sexually transmitted diseases.

Louis stilled and then he kissed the top of her head. “Werewolves don’t get or transfer any kind of disease.”

That was good to know.

“As for pregnancy,” he continued, “the chance of that happening is astronomically small.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re a half-breed and I’m a full-blood. Werewolves don’t breed well outside their own species.”

“But it does happen,” she pointed out. “After all, I’m here.”

He carefully withdrew, but it was still a very tight squeeze. Gray gritted her teeth to keep from asking him to stay inside her. He turned her so they were lying face-to-face. He brushed her hair away from her eyes. “You’re here. And I’m very glad you are.” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind if you got pregnant.”

What kind of a man said such a thing? Most of the men she’d known were more concerned about their careers, nowhere near ready to settle down and have kids. Of course, he was male and wouldn’t have primary care of the child. “Easy for you to say,” she grumbled.

He kissed her, a soft, seeking caress. She responded immediately, tilting her head to deepen the contact.

“You’d never be alone.” He dropped soft kisses on her cheeks and forehead. “I’d take care of you.”

Gray knew he was sincere. Knew he wasn’t feeding her a line. It warmed her even as she shied away from it. “Tell me about werewolves.”

He sighed, rolled onto his back and tucked her under his arm. She rested her head on his shoulder and used her fingers to trace designs on his skin. The crisp hair on his chest tickled her hand.

“What do you want to know?”

“You said that werewolves are almost always born, rarely ever made through biting.” She was trying to get all her facts straight. She’d done a lot of reading about werewolf folklore, but there was no way of knowing how much or how little of it was true.

“That’s right.” He skimmed his fingers over her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. She liked the way he was always touching her. “Our metabolism is faster than that of a human. But you already knew that.”

She nodded. “I’ve always been different in other ways. Enhanced vision, hearing and smell.” There was something that was bothering her. “If you’re a separate species, why is there no record of you? No bones in a museum or something?”

He gave her a quick squeeze before continuing. “We heal faster than a human. Because of that, our life expectancy is also higher.”

“Really?” That was intriguing. “How long?”

“We can live twice the lifespan of a human—150 to 200 years. Of course, our world is a violent one and not many live to be that old.”

Gray was having a hard time wrapping her head around that one. “What about me?” She was only a half-breed.

Louis tightened his hold on her as though he was afraid she might slip away. “I don’t know. I assume you’ll live longer than the average human.”

That was pretty cool. “What does this have to do with my earlier question? Why don’t humans know about you?”

“It all ties in together. Our fast metabolism continues after death. Our bodies decompose rapidly. Two or three days tops, and we’re dust. We also cremate our dead. That only takes minutes. Fire is very dangerous to us.”

“Holy crap.” She sat up and stared down at him. “You’re not kidding?”

He shook his head. “Nope.”

Gray blinked and studied Louis. No man had a right to look this good in the morning. His short-cropped hair looked slightly tousled and his dark-brown eyes warmed the longer she stared at him. He was all tanned skin and muscles. If it were only his looks she were attracted to she’d be okay, but Louis was so much more than that.

He was loyal and honest and brave and funny.

“Hey, you okay?” He sat up in bed. The sheet pooled in his lap, but there was no disguising his obvious arousal. Another reminder that he wasn’t quite human.

“It’s a lot to digest.” She had a lot more questions but was almost afraid to ask. The more she knew, the more she got pulled into his world. She knew it was cowardly to back away, but she wanted to take things slowly.

Gray laughed out loud. Yeah, they were taking it slow all right.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing.”

He glanced away and she had the feeling she’d hurt him with her dismissal of his question. Before she could think of something else to say, he turned back. His jaw was set and there was a familiar determination in his eyes.

“Come home with me today. Meet the others and spend some time with us.” He took her hand in his.

Gray closed her eyes against his entreaty. She was already too close to him, already in over her head, but she’d also been alone for so long. His offer was very tempting.

“I’m a half-breed. You said yourself that most werewolves don’t like my kind.” And that had hurt her. Even among those of her own kind she was an outcast. She didn’t seem to fit anywhere. Not with humans and not with the werewolves. Still, Anny had seemed sincere in her offer last evening. She hadn’t sensed any animosity from the other woman, only a friendly curiosity.

Louis caught her chin in his hand. His gaze was steady and reassuring. “We’re not like other packs. I wouldn’t take you there if I thought for one second you’d be in any danger.”

She knew that, and still she hesitated.

“Let’s get a shower and have breakfast before you make any decisions.” He rolled out of bed and then held his hand out to her. “Either way, you’re stuck with me. I’m not leaving you alone.”

Gray took his hand and let him pull her off the bed. Determination bled from every pore in his body. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do about the invitation. A part of her longed to meet the others and to see where Louis lived, while another part warned her to not get too close, to not get too involved in their lives.

Louis led her into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He helped her step into the tub and then pushed her back against the cool tile. He slapped his hands on either side of her head and loomed over her.

She swallowed heavily. Louis was going to protect her whether she wanted him to or not. He was going to stay with her if she didn’t go home with him. It was more dangerous for him here. He’d be safer with his pack, his family. She knew it would do no good to point out that fact to him. He wasn’t leaving her alone.

No one but her grandmother had ever put her first. Emotion threatened to choke her so she reached around Louis, grabbed the soap and started working it into a thick lather between her hands.

He started to speak again but then stopped himself. Instead, he took the soap from her. “Here, let me.” He rubbed the bar between his palms until a thick froth coated them. Then he tossed the soap back into the holder and rubbed them over her shoulders.

Louis wished he knew what Gray was thinking about. She’d gone pensive, and he could see the upset in her eyes, practically scent the sorrow coming from her. His wolf grumbled, not happy with the turn of events.

Sex with Gray was the most moving experience of his entire life. Probably because it was more than just sex. His entire being was involved. It had taken every ounce of willpower not to toss her onto her stomach this morning and take her from behind while he marked her with his teeth. It had been so close, his wolf pushing him to mate with her.

Even now, he could turn her toward the wall and mount her. He struggled to keep his fangs in check.

His cock prodded her belly, and she gasped. “Are you serious?”

He shrugged. “What can I say? I find you utterly tempting,” he teased, hoping to make her smile. It didn’t work. She was far too serious, thinking way too much for his liking. He didn’t pretend to understand women. Any man who claimed to be able to was a fool. They were much too complex. He’d always known that, but having women in the pack since last year had driven the point home.

Louis ignored his swollen cock and concentrated on washing his woman. And she was his, whether she admitted it or not. The wolf in him recognized her as his mate. Gray was instinctively drawn to him, but he didn’t know how much of the mating impulse was actually a part of her and how much was muted by her human side.

He rubbed his soapy hands over her delicate collarbone before he cupped her breasts. Her breath hitched and he caught the scent of fresh arousal. His wolf rumbled his approval until he realized Louis wasn’t going to take advantage of the situation.

He was smart enough to know he’d already pushed her as far as he dared, at least physically. He needed to give her a break.
Later
, he promised his wolf. The beast grumbled but subsided.

Louis went down on one knee before her as he spread the lather over her flat stomach and down her thighs. He briefly dipped between her legs and almost lost it when he felt her moist heat.

Gray shivered and took a half step back. Louis surged to his feet and gently maneuvered her under the spray, letting the water wash away the soap and cool her growing arousal. She glanced over her shoulder and he could see the question in her eyes.

“I don’t want you to get sore. You heal faster than most humans, but I don’t want to push it.”

Her cheeks turned pink before she looked away. Louis tried not to notice the curve of her hip and ass as he vigorously washed away the sweat and remnants of their lovemaking. His answer to her was only partially true. Sure, he didn’t want her getting sore. He didn’t know how quickly she’d recover from their vigorous love play. He had no idea just how much werewolf was inside her. He also wanted to leave her wanting more so she’d hopefully welcome his attention again later.