Claiming the She Wolf (6 page)

Curious, Yas drew closer. The entire time he’d been there, except for the delivery, they hadn’t received any visitors. They. As if they were a
they
.

“Hey, Ryker. What can I do for you?”

A low baritone voice rumbled. Since the speaker was on the other side of the door, Yas couldn’t quite hear what was being said. He noticed, though, the body language of the she-wolf who’d been in his arms moments ago. No longer relaxed. Every muscle tensed, as if she was ready to shift into fight-or-flight mode.

If he hadn’t been watching, he wouldn’t have noticed it, but ever so slightly she leaned back and glanced in his direction. Then he knew. They were talking about him.

“Hey, Tala,” he said, “Is everything all right?”

This time, when she looked at him, her eyes flashed with anger. He was supposed to stay in the background like a good little wolf.

Fuck that shit, his wolf said for an altogether different reason.

He gripped the door, and she stepped out of the way, giving him one last warning look.

“Hi, can I help you with something?” he asked.

The man standing in front of his was tall with long dark hair. Almost as tall as Yas. His American Indian features told of a long history of living on the land. He emitted a sense of authority. He glanced at Yas’s outstretched hand, and the side of his lip snarled upward.

“Ryker. I heard we had an interloper in town.”

“Interloper?” Yas wanted to laugh at the archaic vocabulary.

The men sized each other up.

“I don’t expect any trouble from you,” Ryker said.

Yas shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m not planning on making any, but”—he glanced at Tala—“if someone comes at me, I’m not the type to run away with my tail between my legs.”

Ryker accessed him. “Fair enough. How long were you planning on staying?”

Get right to the point, why don’t you buddy
.

“I figured a few weeks originally.” He paused. “But Tala could use some help around here, and I don’t have anything pressing happening. So for right now, let’s say for as long as I’m needed.”

With a final nod, the man turned and headed off. Yas stepped into the house and shut the door.

“What the hell was that all about?”

“Ryker is basically the ‘law’ around here,” she explained. “He keeps the peace and also makes sure everyone stays in line. Often, he’s behind the scenes. If you see him in an official capacity, it’s usually not a good thing. Though, since he met up with his mate Saja, he’s mellowed out a bit.”

“If that’s mellow, I’d hate to see him riled up,” Yas said. “Now, where were we before he so rudely interrupted us?”

Her eyes widened as he moved toward her. With a sly smile, she tried to outmaneuver him, but for each step to the right or left, he kept pace.

“I think you’re trying to catch me,” she replied, before turning and dashing out the door.

Outside, the night was darker than any in the city, and mother moon had laid a streak of light in a path. Still in human form, Tala ran, and Yas’s wolf urged him to run faster.

One following the other, they crested a small hill, and he closed the gap between. Racing downhill, the force of their speed took over, and they tumbled, rolling down the soft grass, landing with him on top of her. Yas wedged his knee between Tala’s thighs. Her hair fanned in a halo around her head. She gazed up and him, and parted her lips ever so slightly.

The tension between them stretched out time. Her chest heaved from the exertion of their running. He rested on his elbows and shifted his weight to one side. He stroked her hair, caressing the side of her face.

“You’re so beautiful.”

She bit her lip and looked to the side. Wetness slipped down her cheek. He brushed away the tears.

“Hey, what’s up? Why so sad?

She took a deep breath, and the expansion of her stomach pressed against his body. “I want you, but I can’t be with you.”

His insides clenched. Would he be any good for her? He’d only known her for a short while and never planned to stay. Should he be selfish and be with her simply because he lusted after her?

“Why? I think we’d be good together.”

“I see you, though. How you hold yourself back. I want someone who’s willing to lose himself.”

He fought against the instinct to push up and walk away. She was worth more than his normal reaction. For a long time, all of his emotions had been shut up. “That’s not true. I do care.”

Bringing his mouth flush against hers, he set about to prove he could be the wolf she needed. Staying in Los Lobos may not have been his original plan, but somewhere over the last two weeks, his priorities had shifted. Where else could he go to feel so welcomed and at home?

He’d come to this town looking for part of his past, and he’d found his future.

Tala stiffened beneath him, but as his tongue sought out hers, she softened. She may act all tough on the outside, but he knew she’d locked away a heart of gold on the inside. Why didn’t others see that? He couldn’t be the only one to discover her wealth.

She slipped one hand under his T-shirt, raking her nails across his sensitive skin. He moaned against her mouth.

So good
. How could one person feel so incredibly right beneath his body? Her curves molded against him. He rose, breaking the connection. Her eyes sparkled with a wicked lust.

“Is that all you got?” she asked.

“Are you comfortable? Am I squashing you?”

“Has anyone ever told you that sometimes you can be too nice?” She hooked a foot over his calf. “You kiss better than I imagined.”

“Well, I had some help there. Too nice? I’ll show you too nice.”
Hell, that’s not what I usually hear. I’ve been having the opposite problem—taking things too far, too fast
.

Reaching between their bodies, he lifted her shirt over her head and took in the sight of her gorgeous breasts. He dipped to tease one nipple between his teeth. It pebbled against his tongue, and he blew hot air on her soft skin through the black bra.

She squirmed, deliciously rubbing his already hard cock. “Someone is sure about what he wants.”

Passion flared deep within his soul, and his inner wolf howled. Could he have her without taking her? She’d given herself freely. He wanted to stay in the moment and not war with his demons. His skin rippled, and he fought the power of the other side.

With a frustrated grunt, he pushed off, tumbling until he rested on all fours. He remained in his human form but was quickly losing the battle. He hung his head over, panting. He couldn’t risk it.

What the fuck?
One moment, they were kissing hot and heavy and she thought she’d finally broken through whatever wall was imprisoning him. Mouth on her breast, cock pressed against her hip, the next step would be to get naked and take it to the next level, and then he reacted like all hell broke loose.

She watched him, heaving on the grass. Could he be sick? Shifting was different for each male. Maybe his was extremely bad. She moved toward him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me,” he snapped. “I’m a monster.”

Instead of removing her hand, she smoothed, caressing his shoulder, offering soothing words of comfort. “It’s all right. You won’t hurt me.”

“You don’t understand.” He lifted his head, his eyes glowing red—the color an even starker contrast against his pale skin. “I can’t control it. My wolf controls me. And he wants you.”

She shivered. From her feet on up, he sucked in her image. The sheer lust behind the look struck her to the core.

“He wants you with every DNA cell in my body. He wants to possess you.”

“That doesn’t scare me.” Emboldened by her own wolf, she moved to stand in front of him. She hooked her thumbs in the front of her waistband and unbuttoned her jeans. The sound of the zipper lowering garnered his attention.

“You tell me what he wants. What do you want?”

She pushed her jeans down over her ass, bending slightly to accent her bottom, and stepped out of them, leaving her in a black thong. She ran her palms up and over her breasts, squeezing and lifting them.

His tracked her movements with his eyes. “You don’t want to do that.”

“Why? Because I might make you go over the edge? You might lose control? Maybe if you let your wolf have a little bit of what he wants, he’ll surprise you, and you’ll both feel better.”

Taking two steps closer to him, her crotch was eye level for him. It was now or never.

“I can smell you, your desire. Fuck me.” He inhaled.

“I sure hope so.”

Before she could react, he pounced, one hand snaking behind her to soften her fall, and his mouth delving into her pussy. He ripped her underwear full off and slid his tongue between her cleft. She arched up.

“Mmmm, nice. That feels good.”

He reached up, bringing his fingers into her mouth. “Get them wet for me.” His order came out a growl rather than a polite request.

In her mouth, she twirled her tongue over his fingers, sucking on them like she would suck on his cock. She put everything into it, so he’d get the overt hint. He brought his face close to hers, and his eyes smoldered.

“Naughty little she-wolf, aren’t you? Do you know what I’m going to do with them now?”

He brought his hand between her legs, sliding his slick digits into her before returning his mouth to her clit. She squirmed against him, digging her fingers into his hair.

“Oh, Yas. That feels so good.”

The pressure from pleasure built low in her belly, winding tighter and tighter. He licked and pumped his fingers, using the tip of his tongue to flick her clit, then folded it and thrust inside her pussy.

A low purring growl rumbled against her inner folds, and that added sensitivity pushed her over into climax. Her internal muscles contracted on his fingers, and he rubbed her, drawing out every last shiver.

She opened her eyes to the clear sky and stars. The moon glowed bright in the night.

He crawled next to her, sliding his hand over her outer thigh and closing her legs. Lying beside her, he brought her closer to his body, molding to her. His cock nudged her ass. Even through his jeans, his arousal was obvious. Smiling, she wiggled her bottom, rubbing her ass over his crotch.

“You best watch that. I’m barely controlling myself here.”

“Who said you needed to stay in control?”

Experience with Yas so far said she needed to push his limits to truly get a rise—well, of a different sort. Every time she brought him to the edge, he flipped the tables to retake the reins. She didn’t exactly know what in his past made him so fearful, but he’d have to overcome it in order to truly be with her.

The moment he loosened his grip, she slipped from under his arm and sprinted just far enough away.

“If you want me, you’ll have to catch me.”

She closed her eyes, willing the power of the moon and the cycles of the earth into her body. Seamlessly as sliding on a change of clothes, her body morphed into wolf form. She shook, starting at her head and shimmying down to her tail. Her coarse black hair waved in the wind.

“Holy fuck! How’d you do that?” Yas stood, mouth ajar. “You turned, so easily. So fast.”

She tilted her head. Not quite sure why it surprised him so. He needed to shift and follow her. A high-pitched howl erupted from low in her throat, and she lifted her head to free it into the night.

His eyes glowed as bright as the moon, and he took a step toward her. She trotted a few feet, and then glanced back at him. Boyfriend was slow on the uptake.

Hands clutched at his shirt, he yanked off the material and discarded it. Next, he stripped off his jeans and boxers. Naked, standing before her, he looked more scared than she’d seen him before. She whined and nuzzled his leg.

“It’s not as easy for me—the shifting. You make it look so easy.”

Here’s the thing. Either I tease the hell out of him and get him to shift and chase me, or I have to turn into my human side and talk him through it
. After concentrating, she returned on her knees before him, his cock directly at face level.

Sliding her hand up his leg to cup his balls, she greeted him with a “Well hello, big boy.”

The moment her palm touched him, he leaned forward, and the head of his cock brushed against her lips. “Mmmm,” she said, licking the tip, and sliding her tongue into the slit. “I wonder what you want.”

In one long swoop, she took him into her mouth deep.

He groaned. “That might not help me at all, but it feels fabulous.”

As she rose up, she stroked the silky skin, pumping her mouth on his sensitive erection. He’d been hard and awaiting some attention for a long time now. Before he stopped everything again, she wanted to work out some of the kinks.

With a light touch of her nails, she rubbed his perineum as she continued to suck his cock. He pumped his hips in rhythm to her movements and gripped the back of her head, holding her in place. She wasn’t going anywhere. She was in it for the long haul.

“Oh, Tala.”

His leg muscles flexed, contracting, and she knew he must be hovering on the precipice. With a firm grip, she increased the pressure until his body completely stiffened, and his cum flowed.

She slowed the stroke, coaxing him on, until his cock stopped pumping and she removed her mouth. “That’s good, baby. Feel it,” she said, with a last gentle caress.

The moment she let go, he collapsed on the ground, pulling her down with him.

“Wow, that was amazing.” He leaned over, kissing her long and deep. “I didn’t realize how much I needed that.”

Elbows bent and hands tucked under his head, he reclined staring up into the galaxy. His entire body lost its tension.

“Are you ready to try to shift with me?” she asked. Making him shed his fear was the next step toward happiness.

He rolled over onto his side, studying her. “You’re not going to let it go, are you?”

She shook her head. “Nope. You have to trust me. Merge the two beings of yourself, or else you’ll never feel in control.”

“Okay, let’s do it.” His voice took a resigned quality.

When he stood, he hung his head, and if he’d been in wolf form, she swore his tail would be tucked between his legs. She ignored the pouting.