Single Wicked Wolf (4 page)

The dark curls glistened with droplets of water and the sweet ambrosia of her desire. Pressing his nose against her, he took a deep breath. He wanted to memorize the layers of her scent. Every thud of his heart seemed to pulse to his cock, but he prolonged the agony for both of them. Lapping at her entrance, he sated another desire to taste her.

The explosion of flavor on his tongue unleashed his control. His wolf bucked, wanting the woman in their arms and to plunge themselves into her pussy until they were spent. Another stroke of his tongue elicited a fresh wave of dampness and her moan encouraged him to give into his own desires. Rising behind, he swept away her damp hair. The scar of a bite mark shown on her shoulder, and his wolf snarled.

Had she mated? Lost her mate? Who the hell had dared to claim her? Covering one of her hands with his, he caged her against the wall. The hot steam rising around them filled with the scent of their sex and need. “Murphy,” he couldn’t keep the sharpness of command from his voice. “Why the mark?”

Taking what didn’t belong to him rankled. If she was another’s…his wolf snarled, but he refused the beast’s bloodlust and focused on the woman before them. His cock sat right at the entrance to her cleft, one thrust and he’d make her forget…

Panting, she turned her face to glance at him over her shoulder. “I’m turned…not…born.”

A turned wolf. Excitement flooded him. “No one claims you?” To be absolutely certain, though his wolf no longer gave a damn who did or didn’t. She was with him and they would have her.

The man needed to be more circumspect.

Her lashes dipped hiding those beautiful golden eyes from him, when they raised a ferociousness to match his own peeked at him. “
I
claim me. The mark was from the Alpha who turned me. Now, fuck me already.”

Planting his palm against her hip, he lined up the angle of his cock and thrust into her in one unrelenting push. Her howl echoed his own as the hot walls of her pussy enveloped him. Balls deep, he pressed his lips to her shoulder and covered the mark. He wanted to bite down, erase the sign of another wolf touching her. Ignoring the primitive urge, he withdrew to his tip then plunged into her once more. Every stroke amped the friction along his length. His balls tightened and he refused to give into his orgasm, not until he’d given her more pleasure. The squeeze of her muscles fought to hold him still. Finding the perfect rhythm, he gripped her hair so he could kiss her as he massaged her breasts with his other hand.

The desire to have her consumed him. Every jerk of his hips ground him deeper. Stroking his hand over her belly, he found her clit and circled the tight bundle of nerves. Her cries drove him, she kept her hands where he told her and the obedience deserved a reward. Catching her clit between two fingers, he drew her away from the wall even as he ground in. The access gave him a better angle, swift and shallow, slow and deep, until his spine went molten.

When her climax spasmed her inner muscles, he gave into his own orgasm. The flood rushed through him as he pulled her against him. Another kiss saved him from biting her but when her teeth sank into his lip again, he broke the kiss and bit down on the mark on her shoulder. The jerk went all the way to his cock and her shout of pleasure burned into his brain.

His wolf’s triumphant howl shattered him and he cradled her to him as he spent.

Mine.

Chapter Three

How the hell they finished showering, Murphy had no idea. Boneless with rippling quakes of pleasure, she’d leaned against him even as he ran soap over her skin. Eventually she’d managed to assist him with the rinsing. When it came time to soap him, Giovanni indulged her need to touch. The tactile sensation of caressing eased an ache she hadn’t even realized she experienced. Tracing a line across his pectorals, she felt more than heard his rumble of laughter.

Never one to embrace shyness, she stole a peek at his gorgeous face. Her shoulder burned from his bite, but it was a pain she found herself craving. What would it be like to sink her teeth into him and feel him come inside her again? Anticipation shivered in her belly.

“You are touch starved,” he said, his accent giving every syllable a sensuous edge. When he cupped her breasts, she leaned into the contact.

“I guess so. I’ve been traveling a lot,” she confessed as she continued to follow the sculpted line of muscle across his abdomen. Though soaked, she imagined the fine hairs across his chest were soft. They were dark, like his hair and leaning forward, she ran her tongue over the areola of his nipple. It tightened to a point as she teased it. His skin tasted fantastic and she wanted to bite into the hard muscle but sated the desire with only a graze of her teeth.

The last time she’d been around wolves had been…Belgium? No, Norway. When he nudged her beneath the water, she arched her head back and let him rinse the conditioner away.

“It’s been a while. We spent the last six months in Russia, Armenia, and the Baltics.”

His muscles tensed beneath her fingers. When he cupped her chin, she met his intense gaze and her stomach bottomed at the power in his eyes. “Russia?”

“I stayed in the embassy the whole time. My Alpha ordered me to stay inside. None of their wolves came in and the only time I saw one was at the airport as we passed through the diplomatic checkpoint.”

With a gentle thumb, he rubbed her lower lip. “The packs in Russia are not to be trusted. Not for one as gentle as you.”

If not for the protectiveness drenching his voice or the way he’d just played her body like a fine instrument, she might have taken offense. “I obeyed Mason. I have no desire to pick a fight with anyone. My job was to be a translator.”

“Bravo,” he murmured then gave her another slow, almost tender kiss. Damn, he took her breath away. “I am happy to satisfy the need for touch.” With one hand cupping her ass, he pulled her into him. She looped her arms around his neck, delighting in the easy dance of his tongue on hers.

By the time the water turned chilly and he drew her out of the shower, she’d forgotten they were even in an airport. The amenities were nice, but hardly homey. Still, she let her gaze linger on the way his muscles bunched and moved with every step. Thankfully, she’d packed jeans, a cotton shirt and a light jacket as well as clean underthings. He’d destroyed her panties.

Her body ached in all the right ways, and her nipples tensed when he glanced at the destroyed scraps of her panties in his hand. “Thank you for the pleasure,
cara
.”

The sweetness in his direct approach swooned through her system. “I think I should be the one thanking you.”

Closing the gap between them, he kissed the corner of her mouth before taking possession of her lips in another moment of soul searing contact. “It was my pleasure,
cara
. Now, we should eat.” Her stomach rumbled at the offer. Joy speared her at his grin. Licking her lips, she finished packing her carry on. The suit folded up tight and it would have to go to the cleaners anyway, so she didn’t worry about it. By the time she slid her shoes on once more, he’d taken possession of her bag and led her from the suite. It was nice to be free of cosmetics, jewelry and the artifice she armed herself in for her job. Giovanni helped her feel like plain old Murphy again. It felt damn good.

Food turned out to be a wonderful seafood meal with white wine and a wide selection of cheeses. When she glanced at her watch again, Giovanni captured her hand and rubbed his thumb against her skin. “Relax, Murphy. They will tell us when it is time to board. One of the benefits of the lounge, they worry about the time and let us enjoy.”

Blushing, she chuckled. “I get that intellectually, but I’m used to looking after myself and making sure I’m prompt.”

“I understand and I appreciate the effort. Will you allow me to see to this particular need?” The offer softened her resistance, but she tugged her fingers from his captivity and claimed her wine glass.

“I’ll try, it’s all I can offer at the moment.” The tease had the desired effect. A fresh flame of interest kindled in his eyes. So full on his scent, she wanted to drown in it.

“Then I accept your generous offering. Tell me about your journeys, please.” Though the last word seemed like an afterthought, she appreciated his candor. Dominant wolves tended to be more demanding of what they wanted and it harmed her none to share.

“I studied languages in school, discovered I had something of an ear for them.” Three in high school, four more in college. She spoke a grand total of ten, and loved them all. “I always wanted to travel, but I also wanted other things.”

A glance at his expression told her he understood the reference. Turning was a choice all humans in Willow Bend had when they reached their majority. Most waited for mates, if at all. The Sullivan family one of the holdouts for being almost a pure human line had recently broken with tradition—part of the reason she elected to go home early rather than vacation for a few more weeks in the country of her choice after her current contract ended.

“I had to make some choices. So once I had a firm grip,” a laugh escaped on the last two words. She hadn’t quite meant the innuendo, but it suited them. “I went back to school and finished my degree. Long story short, I got recruited about six months before graduation to work as a translator with the diplomatic corps and here I am.”

“It is a long time to spend traveling from country to country so far from home.”

“Yes and no.” How did she explain the restless desire to explore and discover? She loved her pack, adored her family, and she really did look forward to returning. “I like my work. Some of it is boring, but I get to see so many places. I always have at least a day or two in every city we visit, and until the last few months, I would go and explore.”

“
Si
, I understand. I spent time in the United States and Canada last year. I enjoyed both visits though I, too, had to work.” Why it took her so long to put the pieces together she would attribute to a case of exhaustion and lust. Giovanni had to be referencing the unprecedented visit of the Italian Alpha to Willow Bend and the rise of the sixth pack. For months, it was all her family discussed. Later Shiloh Sullivan’s involvement aside, an involvement Murphy hadn’t learned about until after the fact, the bigger news was her taking the bite and mating to Matt Montgomery. Their wedding and Murphy’s role as a bridesmaid was why she headed home.

Since the Alpha of that newly formed pack came from Giovanni’s pack, she decided to sidestep the landmine entirely. “Did you get to see anything exciting?”

“It is a beautiful country, but we did not have time for much sightseeing.” When he didn’t elaborate, she didn’t pursue it.

“I hope you have some time for sightseeing on this trip. I know of a couple of really great places to go rock climbing if you like that or fishing…” She pondered what other options. “Or shopping.” The Mall of the Americas was in Willow Bend territory.

Finished with his food, he motioned to one of the servers. “If the time is available, I accept your offer. Espresso?”

Pleasantly drowsy from the food, the wine and the company—not to mention the most excellent sex she’d had in, well ever—she considered coffee. “Actually, I’d like some tea. English.”

“Of course.”

The waiter took his instruction then cleared away their plates. “If I asked to split the bill with you, would it offend you?” She’d burn through her personal credit card in all likelihood, but she had to ask.

“Absolutely not,” he waited a moment as his espresso and her tea were served before adding. “And I would absolutely not let you pay. You are my guest, Murphy.”

“I thought you’d say that.” She added two squares of sugar and a dollop of cream to her cup before pouring the hot brewed tea over them.

“Is it so very hard to let me take care of you?” The question surprised her, so she gave it consideration.

“Not hard so much as unfamiliar.” Then, because it bothered her, she added. “I don’t like to be presumptuous and I was raised to be self-reliant.” She tried to avoid idioms, they rarely translated as well as she’d like.

“Very well, when we are in your land, I will let you spoil me.”

Words could be provocative, but when Giovanni spoke they were like sex dipped in chocolate. “You’re teasing me.”

“Only a little,
cara
, only a little.” His phone rang and he gave her an apologetic smile before answering. “
Ciao
.”

She did her best to tune out his conversation, choosing instead to focus on a couple arguing across the room. Like any wolf, her hearing was sharp. Her work, however, taught her the necessity of bland attention and selective listening. When it wasn’t her business, she stopped listening. Verbal cues would alert her to when his call completed. The arguing pair was Italian from the sounds of them. They were arguing about his mistress. The husband had invited his mistress to join them at the end of their trip, but the wife told him no. Their disagreement seemed to be more over scheduling than over the fact he cheated.

Europeans were far more flexible in their definition of relationships or perhaps they were simply more defined in what they meant by marriage. She’d met one couple in France who’d attended a wake for the wife’s lover. The man had died rather unexpectedly and the wife was in deep mourning. Her husband comforted her, reminding her he would always be there for her and they would get through it together. The strangeness of those moments lingered in her memory, not only because of the openness in their relationships but also the way they discussed it in such matter of fact and accepting tones.

Most of the humans she’d grown up around, herself included, would never want to be a second fiddle in a relationship or share their significant other with someone else. The wolves were a little more sexually liberal until the day they mated.
Huh. I wonder if there has ever been a triangle mating before…
Ménage had always been a fantasy of hers, one she explored in college. It never seemed to work out, the men she’d chosen had either only been good for a fun-time romp or grew attached and competitive. If it were possible, she wished the trio who found their joy together that way much luck.