Bonded (7 page)

Just as he was
going to ask her what she’d been studying at the Academy her
friends arrived to drag her onto the dance floor. She looked at him
apologetically, but he waved her on her way. It gave him some time
to study her, to watch how she moved, to note the way her eyes
reflected her emotions as she talked to her friend. No doubt she
was scolding the other girl for setting her up. Both of the girls
looked his way and he raised his glass in a mock toast.

The
blonde—Tabitha—was laughing and seemed to be encouraging Brandi to
do something. Brandi looked hesitant, nibbling her lip and shooting
more glances his way. Eventually she nodded, agreeing to whatever
Tabitha was proposing, then the two disappeared from his view as a
group of Lycans passed by. The next time Reno saw the girls they
were dancing and the issue—whatever it had been—seemed to have been
resolved.

Reno narrowed his
eyes as he watched her. She twirled around, her long red hair like
a fiery curtain, the tendrils swaying back and forth. The colour
fascinated him and he wondered what it would be like to have it
brushing over his body, to run his hands through it while sampling
her mouth.

He sipped his
beer, considering the situation. He was an instructor, albeit a
temporary one, yet during their brief conversation she’d indicated
this was a celebratory night as her studies were now over. Plus
she’d never been in any of his courses—except as a temporary
assistant—so there really was no problem if they chose to
associate.

Oh, yes there was,
his nobler half reminded him. Enforcers don’t get attached. The
lifestyle isn’t conducive to relationships. But, the devil in him
persuaded, who said he and Brandi had to have a long term
relationship? She was interested in him. He found her attractive. A
casual encounter might be all she was after. She knew what he was,
even if she did try to put a sympathetic spin on it.

All through his
mental wrangling his wolf remained quiet, though the idea of a
quick roll in the hay had its tail thumping. Ever since he’d pinned
the girl down, the creature wanted to do it again. He smiled
indulgently. The beast loved nothing more than the thrill of the
hunt followed by dominating its prey. Running a finger over the
spot where she’d scratched him, he recalled how she’d submitted to
him, lifting her chin, and exposing her throat. A soft growl
rumbled in his chest.

Brandi turned
about as she danced and ended up facing his way, her eyes closed,
obviously lost in the song. Her body undulated to the tempo and his
own flared to life again. Damn. Was she deliberately being
provocative or...? He stared at her, shivers of desire afflicting
his groin, his wolf becoming increasingly alert, testing the air to
catch her scent.

Lycans surrounded
them yet her scent was all too easy to find. In the short time
they’d sat together, he’d registered it and it was just as
incredible now as it had been that first time he’d encountered her
in his class. Heady and sweet, it reminded him of the drink she’d
been named after.

“So what do you
think?” Brad slid into a seat beside him, while placing two beers
on the table.

“About the girl?
She’s okay.” Reno picked up the fresh drink and gave a negligent
shrug.

“No, I meant the
Black Devils.” Brad gestured, and Reno forced himself to shift his
focus.

The three young
men Brad had pointed out to him the other day were leaning against
the bar, surrounded by a group of young females, all obviously
vying for attention. Some were co-eds while others were likely
members of the home pack who had come to enjoy the end of term
celebrations.

Kane was only
showing a passing interest in the attention being bestowed upon
him. He smiled politely at the young blonde talking to him while
Ryne could be heard making inappropriately suggestive comments,
which caused the girls to giggle. It was Damien that drew his
attention, however.

The kid was slowly
sizing up each female, a smirk on his face as if he knew he only
had to make a choice and the girl would fall in with his plans.
Reno narrowed his eyes. Yep, Damien was smirking, yet there was
something else there as well. A tiredness or cynicism as if he’d
played out this scene too many times and did it out of habit rather
than any real interest.

Damien glanced up
and caught Reno watching him. Across the distance a silent battle
of wills began. Their gazes locked, neither willing to look away.
Reno forced back the smile hovering on the edge of his lips. The
kid had more than his fair share of guts. Not many Lycans were
brave enough—or foolish enough—to try and stare him down.

One of the young
women near Damien, tired of his inattention, boldly reached up, and
kissed him. Damien obliged her by grasping the back of her head and
kissing her enthusiastically, but part way through he looked up
towards Reno and winked before returning his attention to the
girl.

Reno burst out
laughing.

“What?” Brad
looked puzzled, having missed the exchange in favour of staring at
the women dancing before him.

“Nothing.” Reno
didn’t bother trying to explain the incident to the other man. “I
was just enjoying the antics of my next recruit.”

Brad glanced
towards the Black Devils. “Damien’s agreed to work with you?”

“Not yet. But he
will.” Reno spoke with assurance. The kid reminded him of himself.
He’d take a lot of work, but in the end it would be worth it.
Damien would make a damn good Enforcer and in return, Lycan Link
would provide him with a home, something he’d be hard pressed to
find in the real world. Reno couldn’t imagine many Alphas willingly
taking the kid in.

“So how’d you make
out with Brandi?” Brad’s attention had wandered back to the dance
floor.

“Fine. She doesn’t
want to be an Enforcer though.” Reno raised his brows and looked at
his friend. “Funny how you managed to mishear that.”

“Yeah, well...”
Brad shrugged. “I had to keep Tabi happy. And it isn’t as if
Brandi’s hard on the eyes. I mean, if I wasn’t with Tabi, I’d be
after her tail myself.”

Unbidden a snarl
rose in Reno’s throat and Brad shot him a look. Reno quickly took
another drink to hide his own surprise. Dammit, every time he
thought he had the roguish beast under control it would rise up and
try to gain the upper hand. And since when did his wolf get that
riled up over a casual female?

“Feeling a bit
possessive?” Brad smirked.

Reno narrowed his
eyes, his wolf very near the surface and quick to take offence.
“And what if I am?”

“Nothing.” Brad
shifted in his chair and looked away, instinctively backing away
from a more dominant wolf. “I just didn’t think you’d be that
interested in her given your track record. You’re known for your
one night stands with no strings attached.”

“You’re right.”
Reno looked down noting how his fingers clenched the glass he held,
surprised it hadn’t shattered under the force of his grip. It
wouldn’t be the first time. He inhaled deeply and forced his wolf
down. There was no reason to get in a fight with Brad over a girl
he’d just met. “I usually don’t go after little co-eds.”

Brad looked
relieved that the situation was easing and quickly resumed his easy
grin. “That’s because you have scruples. But neither she nor Tabi
are students anymore, so they’re fair game now.”

“Only now?” He
quirked an eyebrow. “Then why were you seeing Tabitha last week
when she was still a student in your class?”

“I was looking to
the future, Reno. I’m a planner.”

“You’re an idiot.”
Reno shook his head at the man’s logic and then changed topics.
“Did you know she’s the girl that helped me out with my demo class
last week?”

“No. Really?” Brad
gave Brandi a puzzled stare. “I thought you said you couldn’t even
remember her. That she was a dud or something.”

“Her fighting
skills sucked, but I remember the hair.” He didn’t add that he also
vividly recalled the feeling of her soft breasts crushed against
his chest as he lay on top of her, of feeling her breath skitter
over his face and of being surrounded by her scent.

“Maybe you could
offer to ‘tutor’ her in self-defence. You know, a little one on one
wrestling.” Brad gave him a sly look.

Reno made a
non-committal noise, still thinking about being pressed closely
against Brandi. His wolf rumbled its approval and strained to get
free again wanting to be nearer the female that had caught its
interest.

“She scratched
you, didn’t she?”

“Yeah.” Reno ran a
finger over his cheekbone, reliving the moment when she’d drawn
blood and his wolf had sprung to life, ready to reciprocate.

Brad grinned. “If
you’re lucky she might leave some more marks on you before the
night is over.”

Reno suddenly
focussed back on the train of conversation and, realizing Brad’s
brain was in the gutter, reached over and smacked him hard on the
shoulder. The action only elicited a laugh from the man.

“Whatever. I’m off
to get Tabi. Hope you get to do some ‘tutoring’ with Brandi
tonight. Maybe you can show her some new moves.” Brad winked and
left, leaving Reno trying to push the images evoked by those words
out of his head.

He couldn’t be too
upset with Brad. After all, it turned out the man had done him a
favour.

His wolf rumbled
in approval as he continued to watch Brandi dance. The sound of the
music, the din of conversation, and the clink of glasses faded into
the background as he became mesmerized by her movements. Only the
deep bass throb of the drums had any impact on him. It thundered in
his ears, matching the beat of his heart and the ever increasing
throb in his groin.

Unexpectedly,
Brandi opened her eyes and he found himself staring directly into a
pool of sea green. She faltered, almost coming to a stop before
recovering and continuing to dance. However, her gaze remained
locked with his and he made no attempt to hide the lust that he
knew must be blazing in his eyes.

Her hips moved,
breasts swaying from side to side. Another rumble rose in his chest
as the ache in his body grew. The primitive background music
swelled, surrounding him, summoning the wild creature inside him,
and uniting with it.

Reno wasn’t a
dancer yet he found himself moving to join her. He clasped her hips
with his hands, bringing her closer to him. Their bodies touched,
retreated, then touched again. She ran her hands up his arms to his
shoulders, finally resting her palms against his chest. The heat of
her touch burnt into him and his breath caught in his throat.

God, what was
coming over him? He wasn’t some young pup who got randy at the
sight of any passable female. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply
seeking some self-control, but her scent filled his nostrils
instead, pulling him even deeper under her intoxicating spell.

Unable to resist,
he held her tight, grinding their hips together, making his desires
known. He felt her body jerk, her quick inhalation a quiet hiss as
she registered his arousal. Leaning even closer, he nuzzled her
neck and spoke directly into her ear, his voice rough with
need.

“Feel what you do
to me.”

She clenched her
hands where they rested on his chest, her nails scraping lightly
through the material. A groan escaped his lips. Her muscles tensed,
and after a pause, she answered breathily. “Me too.”

“Really?” He
leaned back and studied her flushed face, her heavy lidded eyes.
Through her thin t-shirt he could see her erect nipples. It was
like a punch to his gut and he tightened his grip on her even more.
“Do you want to leave?”

She hesitated and
seemed about to look around for her friends then apparently changed
her mind. A quick nod was followed by a husky “Yes.”

Her acquiescence
notched his desire up even more and he barely registered how they
left the bar or got to his car. “Your place or...?”

“Mine. It’s close
by and no one will be home. Tabi’s staying at Brad’s.” There was a
faint trembling in her voice and he reached out to hold her hand as
he drove, following her directions. Once he’d parked his car
outside her dorm, he turned to face her. It was hard to see in the
shadowy interior, but he could sense her nervousness.

“If you’ve changed
your mind...” He paused, giving her an out, but she shook her head
and surprised him by taking his face in her hands and kissing him
thoroughly.

The feel of her
warm mouth was his undoing. Unclasping his seatbelt, he twisted
around and gathered her close. He teased her lips intending to go
slow, but when she opened for him he couldn’t help himself.
Slipping his tongue inside the warm cavern, he stroked and
explored, the tang of alcohol mixing with her sweetness.

He slid his hands
around her body and leaned in, pressing her back against the seat.
She shifted around and rubbed her calf against his leg while
skimming her hands up and down his back. Grabbing the edge of her
shirt, he pulled it up then smoothed his palm over her stomach. It
quivered at his touch and excitement flared within him. His wolf
narrowed its eyes, intent on its goal. A growl rose in his throat
and she responded with a whimper, clutching him even more closely.
She was eager, nervous yet willing.

“
Yes,”
his
wolf murmured.
“A female for us.”

Reno broke the
kiss and gave his head a small shake, warning his wolf to remain
controlled before returning to nuzzle Brandi’s neck. He couldn’t
seem to get enough of her scent, inhaling deeply so that it filled
him, reaching out to every corner of his being. It wrapped around
him, breaking down his reserves and he revelled in the sense of
freedom that burst to life inside him.

“
She is for us.
With her we can be ourselves, wild and unrestrained.”
The beast
within growled at him, but before he could respond, Brandi pulled
his mouth to hers again and the sliding of lips and tongues made
all else fade from his mind.