Читать книгу Wolf Tales III - Kate Douglas - Страница 10

Tia Mason shoved both huge wolves out of her bed and swung her legs over the side. “C’mon, boys. It’s almost six. We need to head back to the city.”

The beasts sprawled limply on the plush carpet, tongues lolling. “Lucien? Tinker? Get your butts in gear. I think I hear Dad and the rest of the guys moving around out there.”

The home belonging to the Montana Chanku pack was huge, the San Francisco pack’s rooms in a wing away from the main part of the residence. Still, Tia’s Chanku senses seemed to be in high gear this morning and the low rumble of voices at the far end of the sprawling home was almost audible.

Maybe a night of sex with two absolutely gorgeous men had something to do with it. Tia stretched her arms over her head, lifting her breasts with the arch of her back. She ached everywhere, but damn, it was worth every single one of those sore muscles.

Especially the ones between her legs. She felt her pussy clench in response, realized both wolves had turned suddenly wide-awake eyes in her direction.

“No. Down boys. Behave.”

The darker of the two wolves licked his muzzle, wrapping his long tongue over the top. At the same time, he let Tia see exactly what he was thinking of doing with his long, amazingly mobile tongue.

The image of what he’d done with it the night before caught Tia in midstretch. She felt the thick wash of moisture flooding her pussy, the sharp spike of arousal in her sex.

With great difficulty, Tia brought her suddenly raging libido under control and glared at her mate, Luc, the wolf with all the ideas. He opened his mouth in a full lupine grin, his laughter and love spilled into her thoughts, totally disarming her…for the moment.

The larger of the two wolves, his black coat glistening with golden highlights, yawned and shifted. The change from beast to six-and-a-half-foot tall, gloriously naked African-American male was almost instantaneous, the mouth filled with sharp teeth slipping easily into a wide, perfectly human smile. He leaned over and kissed Tia, his mobile lips bringing her right back to a level of arousal she really didn’t need so early this morning. There was too much they needed to do.

But damn, Tinker had certainly used those lips in all the right places last night. Her nipples puckered, begging for a repeat performance. Tia bit back a groan.

Tinker slowly, thoroughly, ended the kiss. “Always in a hurry, missy. You need to learn to relax. It’s still early.”

The second wolf, his thick coat an unrelenting black, yawned and stretched. His black claws raked the plush carpet and left furrows in the thick nap. He turned his head, and in a most un-wolflike manner, winked at Tia.

Then he shifted. Not quite as tall as Tinker, his skin a fair counterpoint to the other man’s dark chocolate, Luc had the same rock-hard muscles, the broad shoulders and narrow hips characteristic of all the other Chanku males Tia had met.

The Chanku she loved. It boggled the mind, made Tia want to laugh out loud, to think that a mere couple of weeks ago she’d never even heard of Chanku outside her mother’s fairy tales—and as the old joke went, now she were one.

Unfortunately, she’d learned quickly that being Chanku carried with it risks unlike anything she could have imagined. Thank goodness her father was safe, for now. The presidential cabinet member intent on creating a breeding farm for shapeshifters needed to be stopped, but now that they knew his identity and plans, they’d won a large part of the battle.

Tia felt a gentle presence in her mind. She glanced at Luc and realized he was listening to everything she was thinking.

“Tinker said it’s bad manners to snoop in someone’s thoughts without permission.”

Luc grinned. “Yeah, Tinker would know, wouldn’t he?”

Tinker sat on the bed next to Tia. “You know how sorry I am, Luc.”

Tia sighed. She’d learned of Luc’s role in her mother’s death by stealing into Tinker’s thoughts. She knew Tinker felt terribly guilty, even though it was something Luc should have told her on his own. She covered as much of Tinker’s big hand as she could with her smaller one. “It’s not your fault, Tink, and it all worked out for the best.” She gazed steadily into Luc’s brilliant amber eyes. “I thought Luc had learned his lesson—that you don’t hide important things from the ones you love.”

Luc shook his head. “I didn’t realize you knew about the breeding farm. I thought you were asleep when Cheval was talking about it. I would have told you, you know.”

Tia shook her head. “When, Luc? You have to learn to share things like that with me. It’s important. Not knowing stuff could get us killed.”

“It’s hard to change old habits.” Luc leaned close and kissed Tia, his lips soft and warm against hers. “I want to be there to protect you.”

She refused to be dissuaded, though it was really hard not to kiss him back. Pulling away with a sigh, Tia managed a halfhearted glare in Luc’s direction. “The point is, what are we going to do about it? Is Shannon safe?”

“I need to call Jake. He didn’t check in last night, as far as I know. Someone would have told us.”

A soft tap sounded at the door. AJ Temple opened it just a crack, saw they were all awake and stepped into the room. He still looked rumpled, as if he’d just crawled out of bed. Tia wondered if AJ and his lover Mik had enjoyed each other as much as Tia and her two men.

“G’morning. Tia, your dad wants you to call your friend and see if Jake got there. He hasn’t reported in. Ulrich tried Jake’s cell phone but it’s turned off and he’s not answering his messages. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Tia grabbed a robe and tied it around her waist. She turned to glare at Luc. “You and I need to talk. I’ll be right back.”

Luc blew her a kiss as she left the room. Tia was glad he couldn’t see the grin on her face.

The long table in the dining room was almost filled. Anton Cheval, leader of the Montana pack, his mate, Tia’s cousin Keisha Rialto, and Stefan Aragat, another Montana Chanku, already had plates of food in front of them. Alexandria Olanet, Stefan’s mate, was pouring coffee at the sideboard.

Tia said a general “good morning” as she and AJ entered the dining room, then she greeted her father. Ulrich Mason looked none the worse for wear, considering they’d only rescued him from his kidnappers a few hours earlier. She smiled at Miguel Fuentes, or Mik, as everyone called him, who was loading two plates with food. Mik handed a plate piled high with bacon, eggs and fried potatoes to AJ, and the two men sat down at the table.

Tia leaned over and gave her father a kiss on the cheek. “Where’s a phone, Dad? I’ll call Shannon now. It’s late enough in the morning in Boston, she should be up.”

Anton Cheval handed a cordless phone to Tia. “Good morning. I hope you slept well.”

Tia felt her skin flush. She’d hardly slept at all, not with both Luc and Tinker finding such inventive ways to keep her awake.

Anton’s knowing grin made Tia blush even harder. Stefan laughed out loud. “Don’t let him embarrass you, Tia. It’s not like the four of us weren’t doing the same things as you guys.” He leaned close to Anton and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Next time, I want to be the bottom.”

Anton choked on his coffee.

Tia dialed Shannon’s number, laughing along with everyone else. When the answering machine picked up, she left a quick message with the phone number in Montana. “No answer. I wonder where they are, so early in the morning?”

Luc and Tinker entered the room. Both men looked freshly showered and, as far as Tia could tell, good enough to eat.

“No word from Jake?” Luc grabbed a plate and handed one to Tinker.

“No.” Tia poured herself a cup of coffee and slathered a blueberry muffin with cream cheese. “Should we be worried? Should we fly back there and check on them?”

“Not yet.” Luc leaned over and kissed Tia on his way to the table, clearly staking his claim in front of every other male in the group. “Let’s give them a couple more hours, then we need to think about heading back to San Francisco. We can make our plans from home base.”

Anton Cheval cleared his throat after his coughing spell, wiped his streaming eyes, and glared at Stefan. “The jet is ready whenever you feel you need to leave. Just let Oliver know so he can bring the car around.”

“Thank you.” Ulrich toasted Anton with his cup of coffee. “I would like to ask Oliver for a lift to the airport whenever the rest of you are ready to go. I feel a trip to Washington DC is in order about now. I have a strong desire to visit with Secretary Milt Bosworth.”

“Dad, do you think it’s safe?”

“We’ll go with you.” Luc grabbed Tia’s hand.

Ulrich shook his head. “No. This is something I need to do on my own. Less risk of anyone finding out about us. Besides, I want the rest of you available in case Jake needs help.” He turned his attention to the leader of the Montana pack. “Cheval, you and yours have been more generous than I ever imagined or expected. Thank you.”

Cheval dipped his head in acknowledgment. “We have much to learn from one another. We are, in essence, recreating an ancient culture, an entire species in fact, with very little history on which to base our knowledge. It’s imperative we work together, help one another, share what we know whenever possible.”

“Agreed.” Tia’s father took another sip of his coffee and smiled sadly. He grabbed Tia’s hand in his. “I wish your mother had lived to see this.” He gestured with his other hand, encompassing the entire room, the ten of them together. “For years we wondered if there were others like us. We knew of Keisha and her mother, but no one else. Then you were born, but we didn’t know for sure if you were Chanku. A few years later I found Luc, then he found Jake. Mik and AJ joined us. There’s no reason to wonder if we’ll find others. Not any more. Now we know they’re out there.”

His cell phone rang. Ulrich stood up as he reached in his pocket to take the call. He left the room, talking quietly. When he returned a few minutes later, Ulrich was smiling. “That was Jake. Bosworth’s men grabbed Shannon, but Jake got to her in time. They’re in a motel on the south side of Portland, Maine.” He laughed and pointed a finger at Luc. “We’re buying Jake a motorcycle. You know that Beemer he’s been drooling over? Seems he really needs it to get Shannon away from the bad guys.”

“He what?” Luc slammed his coffee cup down on the table. Then a slow grin spread across his face. “Where’s he taking her?”

“Remember that cabin he bought a while back, somewhere near the Canadian border? I’m not really certain where it is and I wasn’t about to ask when he called, in case someone’s monitoring our calls. Anyway, seems as if that’s the perfect place to keep Shannon safe.” Ulrich was grinning broadly when he sat back down at the table.

Tia frowned, not quite sure what was going on.

“It is perfect.” Luc nodded in agreement. “Deep forest, very few people. Does he have enough of the supplement?”

“He has enough.”

Tia’s glance shifted from Luc to her father. “What the hell are you two talking about?”

Luc patted her on the knee. Her father shook his head, still grinning. “You know I suspected Shannon might be Chanku. Jake’s reached the same conclusion. He’s not a hundred percent sure, but enough that he’s going to get her to a safe place and see if the nutrient has any effect. They’ll be safely out of the way, in any case, which gives me time to have my talk with dear old Milton.”

Tia was still trying to process her father’s comment when Ulrich wiped the napkin across his mouth, folded it carefully at his place and stood up. “Cheval, Aragat…Alexandria and Keisha, though the words are hardly sufficient for what you’ve done, thank you all.” He turned to Tia and the men of his pack. “Finish your meal. I have a feeling things are just beginning to get interesting.”

Ulrich left the room. Tia was barely aware he’d gone. Her mind spun with Ulrich’s casual announcement. Now even Jake thought Shannon might be Chanku. This went way beyond Ulrich’s casual suspicion, and it would explain so much. Tia’s lover, her friend, her closest confidant until Luc, a member of the same magical race. And, like Tia had been for so long, completely unaware of her own heritage.

Jake sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the cell phone resting in the palm of his hand. Whatever made him dial Ulrich Mason’s number? Jake had only meant to check for messages. He really hadn’t intended to call his boss, to say anything to the rest of the pack about where he was going with Shannon, his very strong suspicions about her heritage, but now he’d talked to Ulrich, Jake actually felt more comfortable about his plans.

Ulrich hadn’t said a word when Jake announced he planned to buy a motorcycle and put it on the Pack Dynamic account. Instead, the old man had mentioned his own quick trip to the nation’s capital. Jake shook his head, wondering what Ulrich was up to.

At least now Jake had some idea of why he’d been sent to protect Shannon Murphy, though it was hard to believe a cabinet member was behind Ulrich’s kidnapping, that a trusted government servant might be the one who had ordered not only Ulrich’s kidnapping, but also Shannon’s attack.

Pipes rattled when Shannon shut the water off in the shower. Jake turned off the cell phone and stuck it in his pack just as Shannon walked through the door, emerging out of the billowing steam like a red-haired wraith.

Jake held his arms wide and Shannon walked into his embrace as if they’d been lovers for years. She leaned over and kissed him, her mouth moving over his in a light, teasing manner that had his cock standing at attention in a heartbeat.

“What’s that for?” Jake kissed her back, sweeping his tongue along the seam between her lips. She didn’t open for him as he’d expected. Nothing Shannon had done since they first made love had gone as he expected.

She leaned back and smiled at him. “For saving me from those men. For making absolutely exquisite love to me all night long. For letting me have the shower first. Take your pick.”

“Exquisite, eh?” Jake leaned forward to nip at her smooth belly. Shannon turned quickly, slipping out of his arms and out of reach.

“Maybe I overstated. It was okay.” She propped her hands on her hips, which effectively forced her perfect breasts up and forward.

“Just okay? What happened to exquisite?”

“I was being polite. C’mon. I’m hungry.”

Jake wiggled his eyebrows. “So am I.”

“For food, Bozo. I think I missed a meal or two somewhere.”

Jake wrapped his fist around his erect cock and stroked slowly along the length, rolling his foreskin back from the broad head, exposing the blood-filled crown, then slipping his palm forward, covering it once again. Slowly, methodically, he taunted her with each careful stroke, until he was almost certain her eyes took on the glazed look of arousal he’d aimed for—and achieved—over and over again last night.

“I’ve got something here you can eat.”

Shannon blinked, then took a moment to study what he offered. She wrapped her hand over his, pushing the protective skin back and exposing his sensitive glans. Her fingers slipped over his hand and she swept one finger across the head of his cock, lifting a small pearl of pre-cum from the narrow slit at the end. Making complete eye contact, she lifted her finger to her mouth.

Jake thought his heart might beat right out of his chest.

Shannon slowly sucked on her finger, closed her eyes and swallowed with a look of pure ecstasy on her face. The tip of her tongue slipped out, followed by a glimpse of her teeth as she carefully licked her lips. When she opened her eyes again, instead of the sexy invite he expected, Shannon flashed Jake a saucy grin. “Tastes great, but I was thinking more along the lines of a cup of coffee and a bagel. Now hurry up. It’s getting late.”

Grumbling, Jake headed for the bathroom. Damn. Would he ever understand women? They’d linked, damn it. They’d shared their souls during sex last night, melded, one into the other in a way he’d never imagined, and she hadn’t said a fucking word about it!

Just thinking of what they’d done, the wild, uninhibited sex they’d shared, turned Jake on. He’d lost track of how many times he made her come, lost track of his own mind-blowing climaxes, but he hadn’t forgotten the feeling. The frightening intimacy of linking with a woman at the height of orgasm.

Sharing thoughts, sharing sensations, sharing passion.

And all she could talk about was coffee and a damned bagel. Shit.

Jake closed the bathroom door behind him, fighting a really childish urge to slam it hard enough to rattle the windows. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d beaten off under the warm spray of a shower, though after last night, he’d really hoped that lonely activity was a thing of the past.

He stared at his cock. The damned thing practically stood at attention. How he could be horny after the workout last night was beyond Jake, but there was no denying the familiar ache in his balls or the insistent glare of his own one-eyed monster. Stepping beneath the warm spray, Jake imagined Shannon, naked in this very spot. Picturing her soft hands wrapped around his cock, Jake reluctantly took the situation in hand.

Shannon managed to keep the smarmy grin plastered on her face until the bathroom door closed behind Jake’s perfect ass. Then she slowly sank to the edge of the bed and rested her head in both hands. Dear God, what had she gotten herself into?

Who was this man? Her body still thrummed with desire, her nipples hadn’t lost their taut pucker, her pussy clenched with rhythmic spasms and wept with need, just because he’d wanted her again.

Men always wanted her. Women, too. She’d never really known why. Sure, she was attractive enough, though not so much more than any other woman—but that need of theirs, that desire, had never affected her before. Not like this.

For as long as she could remember, Shannon had loved sex. Loved the power it gave her, the sense of control over the hundreds of men and women she’d slept with since she’d first reached puberty over fifteen years ago. Even Tia, for all her strength, had deferred to Shannon.

Not Jake. Never Jake. No, this man had somehow slipped beneath her defenses, found the chink in Shannon’s armor and the code to unlock her heart.

Not only that, he’d gotten inside her head. She wasn’t going to think of that now. Couldn’t allow herself to try and understand what really happened last night. It was too much, too soon. Shannon glanced at the closed bathroom door, listened to the steady tattoo of water against the shower stall and imagined Jake beneath the hot spray.

He’d be stroking that massive cock of his right now. She’d bet good money on it. She’d watched, mesmerized, as he’d slowly slipped the foreskin back and forth over the head of his cock with a natural ease that said he’d done this often and enjoyed it immensely. She’d felt him even then, his thoughts somehow hovering in her mind—Jake’s need, Jake’s passion.

All wound up with her own mindless arousal, her body’s cry for more. A cry she’d ruthlessly silenced. She didn’t know him. Didn’t understand this connection with him. Until she figured out exactly what was going on, who the hell Jacob Trent really was—what he was—and how he managed to wield such sensual power over her, Shannon swore to keep her guard up.

She’d never believed in things like mental telepathy or any of that psychic babble, but she couldn’t deny what Jake had done. She’d felt him, understood his thoughts inside her head.

Damn. Except for that one small aberration…

Shannon pressed her fist against her mouth, afraid she might laugh out loud. Well, other than that, whatever that was…Jake was gorgeous to look at, sexier than any man she’d ever seen and, as far as she could tell, intelligent, caring and so damned perfect he made her heart ache. More than enough reasons to move slowly. To watch him carefully and listen closely to everything he said.

Even when he wasn’t saying it out loud.

Shannon shoved her wet hair out of her eyes. She was going to have to be damned careful she didn’t do something stupid like fall in love. Love got you hurt. It ruined everything. Took away your control. Eventually, it left you alone and wanting.

Shannon thought of her mother, the nights she’d spent crying alone in her room when Shannon’s father hadn’t come home. Thought of the long months of cancer slowly killing the woman who had already died a little every night Shannon remembered.

No. She’d never allow herself to be so needy, to love so deeply. No man would have that power to wound her, to leave her an empty shell waiting for a merciful death.

She found her sweats and quickly dressed in the warm outfit Jake had bought her last night, then shoved the extra things they’d gotten into a plastic bag. Wandering slowly across the room to open the heavy blinds, Shannon slowly ran a comb through her tangled hair.

She glanced through the narrow crack in the shades as she reached for the cord to raise them, and stopped. The black sedan they’d driven last night was parked in full view a few spots down from the space beneath their room. Three men wearing dark suits and equally dark glasses appeared to be inspecting the vehicle.

One spoke into what looked more like a radio than a cell phone, another stood to one side, his arm resting in a cloth sling and a white bandage covering one side of his head. Another man had a bandage wrapped all the way around his head, but Shannon knew she’d recognize him anywhere.

He was the one who’d been waiting last night, sitting on the edge of her bed with his back to her. A fourth man moved into view and gestured toward the registration office at the far end of the complex, then took off in that direction at a brisk walk.

Shannon moved quickly away from the window and knocked on the bathroom door. Jake opened it immediately, caught in the act of rubbing himself dry with a fluffy white towel. If Shannon hadn’t been so terrified she would have enjoyed helping him.

“Four men, all suits, checking out the car. Two of them were my visitors last night. One just headed for the hotel office.”

Jake didn’t hesitate. He nodded, slipped past Shannon and took a quick look through the slit beside the blinds. While he dressed, Shannon gathered up Jake’s belongings and stuffed them into his leather carry-on bag. She put her plastic bags together into the larger laundry sack the hotel had provided. Neither of them said a word. Shannon had the oddest feeling they had no need for speech. Each knew what the other expected.

Moving swiftly and economically, they had their belongings gathered and were moving down the stairs at the far end of the complex in less than a minute. The stairwell was hidden from the parking lot until the bottom level, which opened directly to the lot.

Jake slipped over the railing on the second level and dropped quietly to the ground behind a large holly bush. Shannon tossed his leather bag to him, followed by her plastic sack, then made the leap herself. It was at least an eight-foot jump, but with Jake waiting to help her, she didn’t hesitate.

Jake caught Shannon just as her feet hit the ground, steadying her, breaking the jolt of her landing. With a quick nod of thanks, she grabbed the bag Jake handed her and followed him. Moving soundlessly, he found a narrow trail through the riparian zone bordering a small creek behind the hotel. The trail skirted the parking lot through a tangle of thick brush, then turned at an oblique angle, away from the three men still standing by the car.

Heart pounding, senses on high, Shannon felt a strange exhilaration, an excitement that somehow reminded her of that amazingly sensual dream she’d had just last night.

They broke into a quick jog as soon as they were out of hearing of the men in suits. Racing along the overgrown trail, following in Jake’s footsteps, leaping over rocks and fallen tree limbs, Shannon felt as if she could run forever. Her heart and lungs seemed to have found a perfect rhythm. Her legs stretched out in long, powerful strides and she followed Jake’s quick pace without any effort at all.

Jake leapt over the creek, aiming for a break in the brush on the far side of the water. He turned to help Shannon but she was landing lightly beside him even as he stretched out his arm.

He gave her a quick thumbs up and a wolfish grin, then turned and raced up the narrow pathway through ferns and twisted willows. It almost seemed as if Jake were enjoying himself!

Shannon stayed right on his heels until they both broke out of the small forest into a perfectly normal looking neighborhood of older homes and small shops.

They paused on the narrow sidewalk, lungs heaving, eyes sparkling with excitement. Jake leaned close. His amber eyes glinted now with a dark intensity, his lips parted slightly. Shannon stood perfectly still, waiting for his kiss, but he merely reached up and brushed twigs out of her tangled hair, then smoothed it back over her shoulders.

The air rushed out of her lungs on a long, disappointed sigh as Jake turned away, slung his leather bag over his shoulder and took Shannon’s hand in his. His palm was warm against hers. She found herself thinking of those long, sensuous fingers, of the things Jake had done with them last night. Of the responses he’d dragged from her, over and over again.

Shannon’s pussy contracted in remembered heat. Jake appeared oblivious to her growing arousal. Just like the aftermath of her dream, she felt energized by the run. Euphoric. As if her body had been awakened in some unusual way. So many emotions and sensations raced through her mind, titillated her body. Shannon found it almost laughable, the way the two of them walked along the street as if they were merely browsing through the shops, not dwelling on the amazing sex shared the night before, not catching their breath after running for their lives. She should be frightened, to know those men were following her, that they wanted her for some mysterious reason.

Instead, Shannon felt as if she’d been dropped into a most amazing adventure, complete with her own superhero. She turned and looked steadily at Jake walking beside her. “What now?”

He gazed down at her with that same grin, the one she remembered when he’d knelt last night between her legs, his face shimmering with her fluids. He’d grinned just that way, then dipped his head between her thighs once more and given her a climax that had left her senseless.

“What now? Why, a cup of coffee and a bagel. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Laughing out loud, Shannon followed Jake across the street.