The Road to Redemption (48 page)

He could feel
her relaxing and rubbed his chin against her hair before
continuing. “My turn now.”

“What do you
mean?” She twisted and looked up at him.

“You know I’m
a rogue.”

She
nodded.

“I’m not sure
about being part of a pack. I want to be, but I wonder if I’ll be
able to handle it, day in and day out.”

“You were fine
when you were with us.”

“But that
wasn’t year after year. What if I get restless?”

“Then you’ll
hop on your Harley and take off for a road trip for a week or two.
As long as you come back.”

“Are you
sure?”

“Damien, I’m
not the clingy type. I’m pretty independent. I’ll understand if you
need your space. Sometimes I need mine, too. The important thing is
that we’ll always come back to each other.”

He nodded.
Reaching out he traced her eyebrow with his fingertip, then the
curve of her cheekbone. “I guess the future is full of unknowns,
but whatever it holds, I want to face it with you. If you’ll have
me.”

“Well…” She
placed her hand on his chest, seeming to absorb the steady thumping
of his heart. “Tina once told me men are like motorcycles and you
should never buy one without taking it for a test drive or
two.”

A crooked
smile formed on his lips. “And that means…?”

“I want a
ride, Damien Masterson.”

“A gentleman
should never refuse a lady’s request.”

“Are you a
gentleman?”

“No. Are you a
lady?”

She snorted.
“We’re a good match.”

“I think
you’re right.” Once again he tried to pull her closer but the
console was still in the way. “This is
not
going to
work.”

“No, we need
to find someplace with a bit more room.”

He started the
car up and made a u-turn. “We’ll head back to Stump River. I have
some friends there you should meet.”

“And a room
with a bed.” She slid her hand into his lap and cupped him.

“Yeah.
Definitely a room with a bed.” He grinned over at her, a feeling of
lightness that had been absent for years filling him. Driving down
the open road, his mate at his side…

Somewhere in
the distance he heard a long, low wolf howl. He glanced at Sam but
she didn’t seem to have noticed. Had it been Beth? Was her spirit
wishing him a final farewell? He’d like to think so. It put an end
to any final feelings of guilt he might have had.

Putting his
hand on top of Sam’s, he laced his fingers with hers, feeling her
warmth blending with his.

This was
right.

This was his
destiny.

This was his
road to redemption.

Frowning, Sam twitched her leg. Something was
tickling it, disrupting her concentration. She was lying on her
stomach in bed, laptop in front of her as she finished going over
the contract Sinclair had sent her and…

The tickling
sensation returned.

Absentmindedly, she reached back and waved her hand in the general
direction of her leg again. The deal she’d worked out with Sinclair
to lease part of her territory should prove to be financially
beneficial to the pack. They’d spent the last three months hashing
out all the details, but she wanted to make sure Sinclair hadn’t
slipped something extra in at the last moment.

Some might say
she was over-cautious, but she still didn’t completely trust
the—

Damn! Was that
a fly walking on her or…? With a growl, she swung her hand
backwards and promptly connected with something hard.

“Hey!”

“Damien!” She
rolled onto her side to find her mate sitting beside her on the bed
giving her an affronted look and rubbing his cheek. Last time she’d
checked he’d been sleeping beside her.

“Why did you
hit me?”

“Why were you
tickling my leg?”

“I wasn’t
tickling your leg. I was blowing on it.”

“Technicality.
Why?”

“Because the
back of your thigh is irresistible, and it leads to other, even
more irresistible places.” He gave her a crooked grin and she
couldn’t help but smile back.

Reaching over,
she closed her laptop and then settled on her back. The contract
could wait. Damien had apparently woken in a playful mood.

“Other
irresistible places? I’m not sure what you mean.” Sam blinked at
him innocently.

A mischievous
glint appeared in Damien’s eye and she could feel a quiver of
excitement starting within her. In the short time they’d been
together, her mate had proven to be an adventurous and extremely
skilled lover.

“It would
appear a demonstration is in order.” He rose to his knees beside
her and began to unbutton the shirt she was wearing. It was one of
his that she’d donned as a nightshirt; she loved having his scent
wrapped around her.

As the
material fell from her body, Damien replaced it with soft touches
and tender kisses. She gave a contented sigh as he murmured against
her skin.

“Right here,
your cleavage, is very irresistible to me.” He licked between her
breasts.

“My boobs
aren’t big enough to have cleavage.” She pointed out.

Damien
responded by cupping her breasts and lifting them, testing their
weight. “They’re the perfect size,” he declared, kissing the tip of
each before sliding lower on her body. “Your bellybutton is
fascinating.”

“Really?”

“Are you
doubting my judgement?” He cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Well…”

Damien shook
his head and continued his inventory of her charms. “But this
spot…” He nuzzled the crease of her thigh. “Is what I really can’t
resist.” His breath tickled her sensitive skin and she squirmed
under his attentions. “I love your scent. Your taste…”

She felt the
hot moisture of his tongue as he flicked it over her skin.
Anticipation grew within her and she reached down, burying her
hands in his hair, guiding him lower.

“And down
here…”

He was so
close to where she wanted to be touched, to the place that was
moist and aching.

Suddenly, he
sat up. “What about you? Do you find any part of me
irresistible?”

A snarl of
frustration escaped from her throat. “Damien, that isn’t nice!”

“And since
when have I ever been nice?” A smirk curled his lips.

“It would seem
a certain co-Alpha needs to be put in his place.” Abruptly, she
pushed him onto his back and began to tickle him mercilessly.

He laughed and
attacked back, the two rolling like pups on the mattress.
Eventually the game grew sensual and soon they were kneeling,
facing each other.

“I love you,
Sugar.” He urged her to straddle him.

“I love you,
Damien.” She said the words on a sigh as she sank down on him.

Face to face,
equal. It was her favourite position. She wrapped her arms around
his neck. He held her hips. Together they began to move, staring
into each other’s eyes. She loved watching him, seeing the
fierceness in his face, the protectiveness, the love.

Her fingers
lightly brushed the mark of their blood bond. It was on the
opposite side of his neck from Beth’s. She hadn’t wanted to erase
the other woman’s memory. Beth had helped make Damien the man he
was now.

Sam leaned
forward and kissed her mark. Damien responded by quickening their
pace. She could feel the need growing within him, and still
marvelled at how a blood bond could multiply the pleasure both
partners felt. She knew there was a tingling at the base of his
spine, that his balls were drawing up, the pressure mounting inside
him. It increased her own excitement and she rode him even harder,
her breasts brushing against his chest, sweat slickening her
skin.

Damien growled
in approval. Sam knew he was experiencing her feelings as well. The
growing tension within her, the way her heart was pounding, her
vision beginning to blur. She hovered on the edge, hanging on to
him tightly, her nails digging into his flesh as she tried to
prolong the moment. The tiny pinpricks of pain drove them both
beyond reason and with a unified shout they lost all control.

Passion spent,
they slumped against each other, hearts pounding, enjoying the
afterglow.

The doorbell
rang.

“Damn.” They
swore as one, eyes meeting, equal looks of frustration on their
faces.

“We could
ignore it.” Damien suggested. “Someone else will answer.”

“No one else
is home except us, and Grandfather and Florence; they’re both
resting right now.” She’d made her peace with the old man—sort of.
As Damien had pointed out, you never knew when someone would be
gone forever. Holding onto old hurts didn’t prove anything.

The doorbell
rang again.

“Maybe whoever
it is will go away.” Damien nibbled at her neck.

Sam sighed
regretfully even as she angled her head to allow him better access.
“You’d better see who it is.”

Damien
grumbled but got up and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. “Don’t go
anywhere. I’ll get rid of them and be right back.”

“Hurry!” She
urged him as he left the room. Another round of lovemaking seemed a
lot more interesting at the moment than going over legal notes.

Damien stomped
down the stairs. His afternoon delight with Sam was being
interrupted and he wasn’t happy. He’d arranged for everyone to be
away for the day and now some door-to-door salesman was going to
ruin everything. Funny how he’d never given much thought to the
restrictions a pack placed on an Alpha’s sex life. There was always
someone around, always someone wanting to talk to you. He and Sam
really needed to look at reorganizing the house so they had a wing
to themselves. A sound-proofed wing.

The doorbell
rang again just as he reached the front entryway. He jerked the
door open.

“Yeah?”

“Damien
Masterson?” A tall rugged-looking man eyed him up and down. A
Lycan. Older, with a scar on one cheek. He looked vaguely
familiar.

Damien gave a
brief nod. It was probably someone from Lycan Link sent to check up
on him. His name might be off the most-wanted list, but he had no
doubt they still kept close tabs on him.

“Good.”
Without warning, the man slugged him in the jaw.

The unexpected
greeting had him staggering backwards into the doorjamb and the
other fellow grabbed him by the throat before he could react.

“What the f—”
Even before he could finish his curse the Lycan replied.

“My name is
Stone. Did you work for Deirdre?”

Damien
stiffened, wary of the man. Elijah Stone. Deirdre’s mystery
partner. “Why do you want to know?”

“If you did, I
might have to kill you.”

“Do you get a
lot of positive responses with this warm friendly manner of yours?”
Damien quirked a brow, refusing to acknowledge the man’s scare
tactics. Breathing was overrated anyway, or so he tried to tell
himself when his comment resulted in the man tightening his
grip.

“Just answer
the question.”

“You seem to
already know the answer, but yeah, I was stupid enough to work for
her.”

Stone slowly
released his grip and stepped back, arms held loosely at his side,
his gaze assessing.

Damien
straightened and tested his jaw. It wasn’t broken, but the man had
a damned good right hook. “Interesting way you have of greeting
people.” Stone didn’t react to his snide comment, so Damien tried
again. “If you’re here to kill me I’d suggest we take this out
back. Too many human witnesses.” He gestured towards the
street.

Stone didn’t
turn to check behind him. “Deirdre said you’d quit. Why?”

Realizing he
couldn’t distract the man, Damien sighed and answered his question.
“Let’s just say I saw the error of my ways.”

A sneer
twisted the man’s mouth. “Poetic, but what the hell does it
mean?”

“It means I
was fucked up and the whole organization was, too. I finally
realized it and left.” Damien moved to fold his arms and then
thought better of it. He needed to be ready to block another
attack. His inner wolf didn’t trust the man before them and neither
did he.

“Good answer.”
Stone inclined his head.

“Come
again?”

Stone didn’t
explain, instead seeming to steer the conversation in a new
direction. “I’ve been watching you on and off for the past few
months.”

Damien
frowned, recalling all the times he’d felt he was being watched but
had never been able to locate who it was. Stone? But how had the
man remained undetected? He hadn’t been using a scent mask…or at
least not one that left a flowery trail. “How and why?”

“The how is my
secret. The why… Like I said, you left. I wanted to find out
why.”

“Deirdre
didn’t tell you?”

“We’ve had
a…falling out over the direction our organization developed during
my absence. I’ve spent the past few months tracking down
ex-employees and dealing with them. My way of making restitution
for any damage they might have done.”

“Which
means?”

“Some lived.
Some died.” Stone’s eyes narrowed, a deadly look coming over his
face.

“Not the best
severance package.” Damien murmured. He had no difficulty seeing
this man enact it. There was a cold, ruthlessness about the Lycan
that had been evident in some of the men who worked for Deirdre;
men for whom life had no meaning, and killing was as much a part of
their daily routine as taking a piss. Yeah, Elijah Stone had that
look about him with something extra added in; an air of
determination that he’d accomplish his mission no matter what
obstacle got in his way.

Not even a
hint of a smile curved the corner of the man’s mouth. “They got
what they deserve.”

“And what do
you think I deserve?” Damien flicked a glance over Stone’s shoulder
to the street beyond. Traffic was light, a few neighbours were on
their porches. Still too many witnesses for the man to kill him on
the spot.