Wolf on the Hunt (19 page)

Cole was out there now along with Armand. When Cole retired for the night, Gator would take his place. They overlapped shifts so that one of them was always more alert. Gator would face the dawn alone. Well, probably not quite alone. Sylvie often joined him on his early morning shifts.

His bare feet made no sound on the floor as he padded to his bedroom door. He carefully turned the knob and entered. Shadow raised his head but lost interest when he saw who was there.

Louis shut the door and breathed a sigh of relief. Gray was curled up in his bed, her curly brown hair lying on his beige pillowcase, her bare arm thrown over the top of his sheet. The comforter had been kicked to the bottom or the bed.

It was another hot night. Louis went to the window and opened it even wider. There was only the faintest breeze, bringing the pungent scent of pine and leaves mixed with the sweeter scent of the wildflowers.

He quickly stripped off his jeans and stretched out on the sheet beside her. He should probably take a shower, but he didn’t want to wake her. Gray needed her rest. The past two days had been incredibly stressful for her.

He knew that moving in with him had been difficult for her. He understood even though it had hurt him. At least her bags were unpacked. They were missing from the corner of the room. It pleased him to think about her clothes hanging in his closet and resting in the same dresser as his.

She’d taken a bath too. He could smell her soap and the fresh scent of her skin. It had almost driven him crazy out on patrol imagining her naked in his tub. That was a sight he planned to see for himself, and soon.

“Louis,” she murmured his name and rooted around the bed.

He gathered her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. His cock was almost bursting with need, but he wasn’t about to wake her. He could wait until morning when she was wide awake and alert.

“I’ve got you,” he promised. “Go back to sleep.” She pressed her lips against his chest and then sighed. He knew the second she dropped back into a deep sleep. Her trust meant so much to him. It fed a longing in his soul.

Horny but content, Louis closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep to the sound of her light breathing and the heavier sound of Shadow snoring.

* * * * *

It was nearly dawn when Jean Paul entered the room. It reeked of chemical cleaners and artificial perfume. A woman was lightly snoring, but it was the man next to her that interested him.

He drew his bowie knife and made his way to the bed. He’d much prefer to show his claws to Fergus McLennan, but that would defeat his purpose. He placed the sharp blade just below his prey’s neck. Then he blew gently on the man’s skin.

Fergus came awake quickly but stopped short when he realized there was a weapon at his throat.

Jean Paul kept his voice at a whisper, not wanting to wake the woman. No need to distress her unnecessarily. “I figured you might not have taken my warning seriously.” He slid the flat of the blade along Fergus’s skin.

“Now I’m a reasonable man. You and your buddies stay away from Gray Everson and out of the woods, and we won’t have any trouble.”

Fergus was sweating, his fear a sharp scent that had Jean Paul’s wolf tearing to get out of him. The beast wanted to hunt.

“Don’t make me come back. You understand me?”

He eased the knife back far enough so Fergus could nod.

“And if you get to feeling brave in the morning, remember I’m not alone. You might kill me but someone else will come for you.” He paused. “And for your family.”

He hoped his message was enough. Otherwise the town of Salvation was in for a bloodbath. He didn’t mind killing when necessary, but he didn’t want the scrutiny that kind of situation would bring. The last thing the public needed was to start worrying about killer wolves. That wasn’t good for the pack.

He sheathed his knife and slipped out as quietly as he’d come. He heard Fergus gasp for breath as he closed the man’s front door. Robert was waiting just beyond the driveway.

“Think it will work?” Robert asked as soon as Jean Paul slid into the truck.

As his brother pulled away, Jean Paul shrugged. “Only time will tell. I hope so. We don’t need the extra trouble.”

He closed his eyes as Robert drove them back to where they were camped. So many things could go wrong. No matter what happened, Jean Paul was determined to come out alive and on top. He’d waited and watched for years. Opportunity was at hand, and no one was going to stand in his way.

Chapter Nineteen

Gray opened her eyes and blinked. Sunlight filled the bedroom, giving everything in the space an ethereal glow. The window was set low enough in the wall that she could see outside without moving from the bed. The world was coming awake. She could hear birds chirping and insects buzzing.

It surprised her that she’d slept so well. Being in a strange place and in a strange bed usually didn’t bother her. She’d traveled a lot over the years. Worrying about Louis out on patrol had kept her awake a long time. She had no idea what time she’d finally fallen asleep trying to wait up for him.

Heavily muscled arms tightened around her from behind, and Louis kissed the top of her head. “I’ve got you,” he murmured.

He made her feel safe and cared for. She hadn’t felt that way for most of her life. Yes, her grandmother had loved her. There was no doubt about that. But as a young child, Gray had always worried about something happening to her grandmother and ending up in foster care again. The few days she’d spent with strangers after her mother’s death had left an indelible mark on her psyche.

“You’re thinking too loudly.” Louis nuzzled along her neck, sending shivers of awareness down her spine.

“Go back to sleep.” She had no idea what time he’d gotten home, but it had been well after midnight, probably closer to dawn.

“Can’t.” He sucked on a sensitive spot, grazing his teeth over it. She arched her neck toward him.

“Why?” It was getting harder to talk now that his hands had joined in the seduction.

He cupped her breasts through her thin nightgown and gently squeezed the mounds. He pushed his hips against her and rubbed his erection over her butt. “I’m awake.”

She started to laugh, but it turned into a moan instead when his clever fingers teased her nipples into hard points. “So I see. Or rather feel.” She shoved her hips back, grinding her ass against his cock.

He growled and the low vibration sent goose bumps down her arms. “What should we do now that we’re both up? I know—” she continued without giving him time to answer, “—we should get some coffee,” she teased.

His growl deepened and he shoved his hands down the scooped neck of her nightgown to find her bare flesh. “This is better than coffee.”

“Is anything really better than coffee?” She’d never had this much fun in bed with a man. She knew she could be herself and have fun without him getting angry or annoyed.

He gripped the neckline of her nightgown and tugged. The thin material ripped all the way down to the hem. “I love a challenge.” He palmed one of her breasts. His other hand went lower and delved between her thighs to find her wet heat.

Gray’s breath caught in her throat as he slid one thick finger into her slick channel. She loved having Louis’s hands on her. She reached behind and ran her fingers through his hair. He dominated in every situation without even trying. It was simply part of his nature. But he was giving too, so it balanced out. Even now, he was extremely aroused but his sole intent was her pleasure.

He kissed her neck and shoulder while his fingers caressed her taut nipple. Gray vibrated from head to toe, her desire for him growing with each passing second. She undulated so that her hips stroked his thick shaft. He released another growl, this one so deep it was barely audible.

A second finger joined the first, and he pushed them both inside her, stretching her in a way that made her toes curl. It wasn’t enough. “Louis,” she gasped.

“Hmm,” he replied, not pausing as he nibbled on her shoulder.

“I need more.”

He paused and brushed his chin over her skin. The stubble from his morning beard was slightly abrasive, but in the most delicious way. “You’re right. It’s not enough.” He eased his fingers out of her. “We should get coffee.”

It took a second for his words to register. When they did, she gave a slight shriek, turned and pounced on him. He fell back against the pillows, grinning from ear to ear. The devil was teasing her, getting back at her for earlier.

Two could play that game. Even though every inch of her skin was sensitive and she wanted to rise over him and impale herself on his thick erection, she nodded and pushed herself away instead. “You’re absolutely right.”

His smile disappeared, and a heartbeat later, she found herself sprawled across his chest with him glaring up at her. “That’s not funny.”

She reached down and between them and gripped his shaft in her hand. “No, it’s not.” The muscles in his jaw clenched and his breathing quickened.

He looked tough and remote with his stubble-covered jaw, narrowed dark eyes and thin lips. And he was all hers. She shivered with delight when he eased her up until she was sitting on his upper thighs. His shaft stood upright and she worked it with her hands. The skin was so soft, but his erection was so incredibly hard and alive. It pulsed against her fingers as she pumped from base to tip.

Louis started to reach for her, but she scooted back out of reach. When he frowned, she shook her head and smiled. Now he looked worried. Good.

Gray gave him no inkling of what she was going to do before she lowered her head and took the bulbous head of his cock into her mouth. He shouted her name and his hips shot off the bed, pushing his shaft deeper.

She eased her head back and circled the plum-shaped head with her tongue, swirling around and around. He gritted out her name from between clenched teeth. The muscles in his arms bunched and swelled as he exerted an obvious effort to control himself.

A sense of power washed over her. More than that, a sense of rightness, of belonging filled her. She was still wearing the torn remnants of her nightgown while he was naked. She released his shaft long enough to yank the cloth away so she was bare too.

His gaze caressed her, and she couldn’t control her reaction. Her nipples pebbled and her pussy clenched. She wrapped her fingers around his shaft once again. He felt so alive, so real, so hers.

She loved him. She could admit it to herself. While it still frightened her, there was really nothing she could do about it. Wherever their relationship went, it was far too late for her to back away from what she was feeling.

To cover the emotions roiling around inside her, Gray lowered her head once again and took Louis into her mouth. Right now, all she wanted was for both of them to feel good. The future, and all the decisions that went with it, could wait.

Louis was going to come. There was no holding back, not when Gray had her sweet hot mouth wrapped around his dick, not with her talented tongue swirling around the tip. His balls swelled in his sac and pulled up tightly to his body.

He wished he knew what she was thinking. There was always so much going on inside her nimble brain. He loved that she’d teased him earlier. And her laughter, God almighty, he needed to hear her laughter for at least the next hundred years, if they both lived that long.

She’d moved so low on his body she was sitting just above his knees. He hated that he couldn’t touch her the way he wanted to. He thought about flipping her onto her back and fucking her but sensed she wanted to do this. That she wanted to be in control.

He almost snorted. Yeah, he was such a giver. It had nothing to do with how her hot, wet mouth felt twined around his cock, nothing at all to do with the impending explosive orgasm that was almost within reach.

He was being a selfish bastard but couldn’t bring himself to really care. He’d make it up to her in a big way just as soon as she was done. He moaned her name when she flicked her tongue along the slit in his cock head. Gray was a strong woman, and the hand she’d wrapped around his cock was steady and sure as she pumped up and down.

Louis started to close his eyes but forced himself to keep them open. He didn’t want to miss a second of this. Gray’s hair was a halo around her face, an explosion of curls that tumbled to her shoulders. Her full, plump lips rose and fell over his shaft. Her thick lashes fringed her expressive blue eyes.

And her body, well, her body was the stuff of fantasies. Her skin shone from the combination of heat and exertion, making her glow in the morning sunlight. Her breasts were full and firm and topped with stiff nipples a shade darker than their usual rosy pink. Her waist dipped inward and her hips curved outward.

Gray was all woman, and she was all his.

She sucked hard and he came, lost to the sensation of her mouth tugging at him. She swallowed and stars exploded. He said her name over and over, unable to stop. The base of his shaft swelled and she squeezed her hand around him. He growled and kept coming until she’d drained him.

His chest was constricted and his heart thundered, blocking out all sound. Gray finally released him and climbed up his body to curl up next to him. His arms automatically went around her. She felt completely right against him.

It took him longer than he’d thought it would to recover his wits. Of course, having Gray swirling his chest hair with her fingers didn’t help matter. He’d just had a mind-blowing orgasm, but his cock was already hard again. It was times like these when he really appreciated his werewolf heritage.

He moved so quickly he startled a yelp from her. She was flat on her back with him looming over her. The smile she gave him was filled with satisfaction. She reminded him of a smug little cat. He couldn’t help but grin. His little wolf was obviously pleased with herself.

“What’s so funny?” she demanded.

He shook his head. “You are amazing.” Better to change the subject than to tell her his thoughts.

She frowned but let it go. Louis pushed back until he was kneeling between her thighs. He cupped her breasts, admiring the plump mounds. “Have I told you how beautiful you are this morning?”

She shook her head. “No, you haven’t.”

“How remiss of me.” He leaned down and kissed one pretty pink tip and then the other. “You are beautiful,
mon coeur
. My heart.” His voice was husky. His cock was throbbing, more than ready to be buried in her heat. He brushed his prickly chin carefully over the sensitive skin of her breasts.

Gray sucked in a breath and then moaned as he continued the caress. Her fingers clutched his head and pulled him closer. He loved the way she wasn’t afraid to let him know what she wanted, what she needed from him. It was a hell of a turn-on.

He lapped at her nipples and nuzzled the valley between her breasts. Her heartbeat quickened. She tangled her fingers in his hair and tugged at his scalp.

He loved her curves and her smooth skin and set about to show her just how much. He used his fingers and lips and tongue to trace every inch of her flesh, working his way down her torso until he hit the curls that covered her mound. He rubbed his nose against them and inhaled, breathing in the perfume of her arousal.

“Louis.” He loved the desperation in her voice.

“Yes, my love.” It was probably wrong of him to tease her at a time like this, but he was enjoying himself more than he ever had in his life.

“Don’t make me hurt you, because I will,” she warned.

He decided he’d probably pushed her far enough. He shuddered to think exactly how she might choose to get even with him. He pushed her thighs wide and settled between them. She was wet, her folds plump and red.

Louis growled, leaned in and tasted her. Her cream was sweet and spicy, a combination exclusive to Gray. He swept his tongue over the swollen lips of her pussy before delving into her slit, pushing his tongue deep.

Gray gasped and her hips surged upward. He tasted and teased and explored every sultry inch of her. Then he homed in on her clit. The little nub was begging for attention, and he gave it everything he had. He sucked the bud between his lips and swept his tongue over it.

She let out a moan that made his skin tingle and his cock jerk. The head of his shaft was wet with need. He had to get inside her.

“Come for me,” he demanded as he pushed two thick fingers inside her. She stiffened and then she was coming, clenching his fingers hard. She bucked against his mouth as he continued to suck her clit. She moaned and groaned and thrashed against the sheets, but he was relentless, wringing every last inch of pleasure out of the experience for them both.

“Oh my God.” She threw her arms over her face and sucked in a breath.

He sat up, gripped her thighs and positioned her so his shaft was poised just outside her entrance. “You can call me Louis,” he told her. Then he thrust balls deep.

Gray gasped and her entire body shuddered when his thick shaft invaded her. It was too soon after her orgasm. Aftershocks were still pulsing through her. Her channel was swollen but expanded to make room for Louis’s cock. He filled her completely, the spasms from her orgasm causing her inner muscles to ripple around his shaft.

He groaned and gathered her into his arms, lifting her so she was sitting in his arms with him impaling her.

“Wrap your arms and legs around me.”

She managed to do as he asked. He kissed her temple, her forehead and cheek. She looked into his eyes and lost herself in the heat and need she found there. They’d both already come once, but it wasn’t enough. Gray wondered if it would ever be enough, or if she’d always be left wanting more of him.

He lifted her a few inches off his shaft and then lowered her. Then he did it again and again. This was different from the explosive orgasms they’d both had earlier. This was softer but no less potent.

She ran her hands over his broad shoulders and thick arms, down his muscular back and across his hard pecs. Her nipples ached, so she rubbed them against his chest, making the tips pucker even more.

Then she kissed him. Louis tasted hot and male. She could also taste her own arousal on his lips and wondered if he could taste himself on her lips. It was so intimate.

He whispered her name and then he was coming inside her. The hot pulsing of his release pushed her over the edge. They rode out this softer wave together. She rested against him when it was over, content to simply be with him.

Then it occurred to her they hadn’t been disturbed. “Where’s Shadow?” She swiveled around and the action drove Louis deeper. They both moaned.