Wicked Cravings (25 page)

Suddenly four heads were peering down at them, smiling in amusement, but only one held Jaime’s attention. “Hey, Popeye, how’s it going?”

“Popeye,” chuckled Shaya with a pig-like snort. Tao, Trick, and Marcus chuckled, too.

“What you doing down there, baby?” Dante asked, smiling. She was absolutely wasted. Seeing the eight empty bottles at her feet, he could guess why.

“We’re just talking,” replied Jaime. “You’ve heard of talking, right? It’s what people do on the phone. Well, those who
answer
it.”

Dante winced. Yeah, he deserved that. “I’m sorry, I am. I just had a lot of paperwork, and I was trying to get through it quickly so I could get back to you.”

“Aw, that’s so nice,” whispered Shaya, sounding close to tears.

He squatted down and stroked Jaime’s hair. “Come on, baby, let me take you inside.”

“Dude, you can’t.” Panic was in her voice.

“Why not?”

“We’re supposed to be getting drunk.”

“Well, I think you’ve both accomplished that. Come on, don’t make me go to bed alone. I’ve missed you.”

Shaya looked at Jaime. “Aw, he’s good, isn’t he?”

“His mouth is talented in more ways than one. I recall nearly passing out once.” Both girls went into a giggling fit.

Shaking his head and smiling, Dante picked her up and cradled her against him. Surrounded by her scent, he suddenly felt much more at ease, and the tension that had been riding him all day began to leave his body. Only she had the ability to calm and settle him like that. “Come on. Maybe you can tell me what possessed you to get wasted.”

“That was why I called you,” she mumbled against his T-shirt as he carried her. “I wanted to tell you.”

“Tell me what, baby?”

“Ben’s dead.”

“Ben? Who’s Ben?”

“The dog at the sanctuary. I used to sit in his cage with him.” His eyes fell closed as guilt jabbed him. “Ah, baby, I’m sorry.” He recalled how tenderly she’d stroked the dog, how she’d looked at him with such affection. Christ. Dante didn’t think he’d ever felt this much like shit in his life. There he’d been, with his head buried in his work, deliberately ignoring her attempts to contact him, and all this time she’d really needed him.

Sure, it was his job to take care of the pack, but Jaime was pack, too. He’d been thinking of her as the distracting girlfriend, forgetting that she was also among those who needed him. He’d let down the one person he would never wish to let down, the one person who didn’t deserve it.

“I’m so sorry about Ben, baby,” he said again once they were in their room. Sitting her on the edge of the bed, he tugged off her shoes. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. It was shitty of me not to answer the phone or call you back.”

“Why didn’t you? Don’t you want me anymore? Am I boring you now? Wait! Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.”

Guilt stabbed him again. He’d made her doubt him, had made her question her own self-worth.

God, he really was a bastard. “You could never bore me, and yes, I definitely want you. I’ll always want you.”

“Prove it,” she dared, lying back.

“Oh no. Not right now. You’re wasted, and you need to sleep it off.” Not that he wasn’t absolutely desperate to have her.

“No, I don’t. I need you inside me.” She needed to know he still wanted her. Needed to feel secure in his desire for her again. But he shook his head as he neatly positioned her shoes on the shoe rack. Freak.

“I’ll prove it to you in the morning.”

It was sweet that he really thought she was so easily put off.

In a swift, fluid movement that Dante hadn’t seen coming, Jaime bolted upright, dropped to her knees in front of him, and unbuttoned his fly. “Whoa, baby, no.”

“No? Huh. Your body’s saying yes.” She licked the head of his hard, ready-to-go cock and blew on it.

Dante shuddered and bit back a groan. She hadn’t sucked him off yet, and he knew why: dominant females only did oral sex on their own terms. This, unfortunately, didn’t count. “No, Jaime, you’re drunk.”

“Objection, I’m tipsy.” She gave his cock a long lick from base to tip and smiled when it twitched against her lips.

He couldn’t let her do this, he couldn’t. It would be taking advantage of her while she was in this state. But, God, it would feel incredible, wouldn’t it? Those lips would feel amazing around his

—

Tapping into his infamous self-control, he backed away. “Not tonight.” The little witch followed him. He backed up again. She followed him again, this time reaching out and grabbing his cock—not so tight it hurt, but tight enough that it made him hesitate in trying to back away from her again.

“Stay, Popeye.”

He ground his teeth as she began working her soft hand up and down his length with a firm, sure grip. Forcing himself to ignore the pleasure and attempt to reason with her, he placed his hand over hers to still her movements. “Not tonight, not while you’re wasted.” As if he hadn’t spoken, she let her tongue flick out to circle the head of his cock. “
Fuck
.”

“Well we
could
fuck, but you don’t want to. So I’m thinking I’ll just give you a blow job instead.”

His eyes drifted shut as she licked him again, and he was so tempted to let the pleasure sweep him under.
No
. He drew in a deep breath to help clear his head, but instead was assaulted by the sweet scent of her arousal. That really didn’t help. Then she licked the slit, sweeping up the precome there. “Son of a bitch, Jaime, stop.” She didn’t. She took the head into her mouth and sucked hard, wrenching another loud groan from him. The heat of her mouth was unbelievable, but he couldn’t let her do this. He yanked on her hair, tugging her head back. “I said stop.” She looked up to see his lips set into a hard line and a burning resolve in his eyes—both of which told her not to disobey him. Snort. He should know her better than that by now. “I want to taste you.”

He groaned. What guy wouldn’t want to hear those words? And hearing them in that carnal voice while she was on her knees in front of him…It was his fantasy come to life, and he wanted it so badly. “If you still want to do it in the morning, I’m definitely game. But not right now. If I let you do it, you’ll be pissed with me when the alcohol’s out of your system.” He felt her go lax as her grip on him loosened, and she nodded. “Good girl.”

He released her hair and was about slip his hand under her arm to pull her to her feet when she surprised him by shooting forward and clamping those plush lips around his cock again. “Shit!

Jaime…Jaime, I’m not a saint.” She sucked so hard her cheeks hollowed as her head bopped up and down on him. “Jaime…” The witch sucked harder while at the same time massaging his balls with one hand. He shuddered when the head hit the back of her throat as she sucked him deeper. Worse, she grazed him lightly with her teeth just before he felt her throat contracting around him.
Fuck it.
He slid one hand to the back of her head and tangled it in her hair. “Harder. Oh yeah, baby, that’s it. God, that feels so good.”

Jaime smiled triumphantly around his cock. She had him. She’d splintered his self-control, which meant that he still wanted her as badly as he had before. Rewardingly, she danced her tongue along his shaft, enjoying bringing him this pleasure that she knew he’d wanted for a while.

“That’s it.” Keeping his grip on the back of her head, he fed her more of him. “Suck me deep, Jaime. Take as much of me as you can.”

She could tell by the sound of his voice that he wasn’t expecting her to take all that much of him. But there was something he didn’t know about her, and it made her smile inwardly.

As Dante watched her swallow his entire length—something that no one had ever done before

—he almost came right then. No gag reflex. “Shit, baby.” He drank in the sight she made, knowing it was burned into his memory. “You look so damn gorgeous down there with my cock in your mouth.” Her eyes briefly darted up to his. “Are you mine, Jaime?”

It wasn’t a question, Jaime knew. Flicking a look at his face again, she saw the warning in his eyes to give him the answer he wanted. Knowing he would lose all control if she didn’t even slightly object, she simply nodded. He growled his approval, wrapped her hair around both his fists, and began fucking her mouth.

“Suck harder, Jaime. Make me come.” The combination of her obedience and the feeling of her claws dragging down his thighs pushed him over the edge. Growling her name, he came hard in her mouth, brushing the back of his hand down the column of her throat to ensure she swallowed it all.

For him, it was another way to mark her as his. He might not be able to claim her as his mate, but he could sure as hell mark her in as many ways as he could.

He was ready to return the favor when she suddenly flung herself on the bed in a starfish position, and he’d swear she was asleep before her head even hit the pillow. Crazy bitch.

CHAPTER ELEVE
N

Mom screaming. Black wolf. Blood. Growls. Black wolf. Dad shifting. Teeth. More wolves. Claws.

Mom screaming. Black wolf. Dad roaring. Claws. Black wolf. Blood. Teeth. More wolves. Dad roaring. Blood. Blood. Blood.

“Jaime, wake up, baby.”

Black wolf. Blood. Growls. Mom screaming. Black wolf. Teeth. Claws. Blood.

“Wake up.”

Mom screaming. Claws. Black wolf. Blood. Blood. Black wolf. Blood. Blood. Blood.

“Jaime, now!”

With a loud gasp, Jaime vaulted upright in the bed. Her panting quickly became a loud cry of pain as her wolf fought with everything she had to escape her cage and deal with the threat that she didn’t understand was long gone. Jaime instinctively creased over with the pain, curling her arms around her stomach to help ease the spasms. Her wolf persisted in trying to escape her confines, leaping at the walls, clawing at them, and body-slamming them as she howled in anxiety. Breathing and thinking through the familiar agony, Jaime fought to keep control, to prevent the change.

“Come here, baby, come here.” Dante curved his body around her. His wolf was frantic with the need to do something, to cancel out her pain. Snaking a hand around her throat, Dante whispered into her ear, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” But he sensed no response from her wolf. “Calm down,” he ordered, pouring authority into the words. That seemed to get her wolf’s attention, as a rebellious growl trickled out of Jaime. Good. If her wolf was focused on him, she was focused on the present as opposed to the past. “Stop.”

“I’m going to be sick,” warned Jaime as her wolf became distracted enough that she resisted fighting to surface. Leaping out of Dante’s hold, she dashed to the en-suite bathroom and vomited repeatedly into the toilet until there was nothing left. The entire time, Dante held her hair out of the way and stroked her back.

“She fought a lot harder than that time at the bar.”

Jaime simply nodded, breathing heavily.

“But you kept control, baby. You still fought off her efforts to shift.”

“Only just.”

He understood now why she so feared what her wolf might do if she took over. He’d sensed her wolf’s fear and anxiety, her need to defend and protect and to eliminate the threat she believed was there. If she had surfaced in that state, she would have attacked him or anyone else near for sure.

“You certain you still want to keep me here?”

It was a rhetorical question, he knew. She genuinely thought he’d fear her wolf now. He gripped her chin. “You’re not going anywhere.”

She sounded tired and defeated even to herself. “Dante, you know it’s best for me to—”

“You’re not leaving me. You promised me you wouldn’t, Jaime. Yes, she was strong. But you were stronger. And you’ll keep getting stronger.”

“Yeah, but so will she.”

Just as Dante had anticipated, Josh had gone totally over the top for his birthday. Colored lanterns, balloons, and birthday banners were everywhere, particularly in the opening of the forest. Hey, Dante loved a good party like everyone else, but the whole thing was set up in a way that suggested the guy was all-important and deserved to be worshipped. Being Alpha didn’t mean the pack owed him that.

It was his job to earn their trust and respect.

“Is it just me who’s thinking that he’s gone a little overboard?” grumbled Jaime. Although she wasn’t at all interested in celebrating Josh’s birthday, she was quite enjoying seeing her old packmates.

“Nope, not at all.”

Seeing that yet another guy was ogling Jaime, Dante curled an arm around her and gripped her hip possessively. Not that he could really blame the guy. She was always beautiful to Dante, but she looked particularly stunning tonight in her white strapless dress and white stilettos. He’d barely resisted taking her hard and fast before they left. He was looking forward to rolling up that dress and bending her over while he fucked her until she forgot how to breathe.

Seeing so many males admiring her had his wolf on edge, as if waiting to be challenged. Dante couldn’t help wondering if any of those guys from this pack were ex-boyfriends of hers. It was probably best that he didn’t know. He couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t punch them if it turned out that they were.

Snapping him out of his thoughts, an elderly couple approached. Immediately he recognized them from when he was younger. Just as many other members of his old pack had done that night, they shot question after question at him: How had he been? How was the rest of the Phoenix Pack doing?

Were he and Jaime mated? Then they would ask Jaime if she had any intention of returning and all about how Gabe was doing. He quickly came to realize that Jaime and Gabe had been popular in the pack, and he had to wonder why it was that they left.

Although it was nice seeing old pack members, he often found his mind drifting. He was very much aware of just how much work he had waiting for him back at his office, and it was playing on his mind. Being here was taking away valuable time he could have used on getting all that done.

Several times people had had to repeat their questions at least twice before it even registered to him that they were talking to him. Luckily, Jaime was a good conversationalist.

“You know, you could at least
look
like you’re enjoying yourself.” He blinked at her words, only then realizing the elderly couple was gone. He supposed it was kind of obvious that he was eager to leave. “Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.” Yeah, and that was always the problem with him, thought Jaime with a sigh. She wanted to be understanding, she really did, but sometimes she couldn’t help resenting how little consideration she got. It was one thing for him to be tending to his duties, but it was another thing for him to be off in a world of his own when he was supposed to be spending time with her. Resisting the urge to argue with him was difficult, but she managed it.

“Dante,” drawled a voice that was almost as gruff as Dante’s. Jaime inwardly rolled her eyes.

God, she despised this guy. Out of all the brothers, he looked the most like Dante, but he was nowhere near as attractive.

“Josh,” said Dante with a nod and a shake of the hand. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks. This is my mate, Rhea. You saw her briefly when we came to your territory with some of the others to ask about Taryn.”

Dante gave her a nod. “Congratulations on the pregnancy.”

“Thank you,” she said, placing a hand on her flat stomach. Josh turned to Jaime then.

“Jaime, it’s been a while. How’ve you been?”

“Super,” she replied flatly before quickly switching her attention to Rhea, giving her a brief hug. The redhead was a lot like Ryan in the sense that she didn’t say much, but she had a keen pair of eyes and a strong set of morals.

Dante frowned when Josh didn’t even arch a brow at Jaime’s lack of respect toward him. It was clearly no surprise to him.

“She’ll never forgive me for the way I was with you when we were kids,” he told Dante. “She didn’t feel that she could respect and follow me as she should be able to with her Alpha.” That was what her behavior was all about? That was why she left the pack? Dante swallowed hard, touched by the idea, and ran a hand down her hair. He’d known she was angry at all his brothers, but he hadn’t suspected that this anger was what made it impossible for her to follow Josh.

He hadn’t suspected it was enough to make her leave the pack she had been born and raised in.

Another redhead suddenly approached and gently nudged Rhea. “Aren’t you going to introduce me?”

As Rhea’s sister’s gaze raked over Dante, Jaime had the urge to poke those ogling eyes right out of her head. That same urge had repeatedly come to her throughout the night when various females had flashed him smiles that said they were remembering good times with him. Jerk.

Rhea nodded. “Dante, this is my sister, Marley. Marley, this is Josh’s brother. He’s also Beta of the Phoenix Pack.”

Marley gave him a dazzling smile and began chatting away to him, not even sparing Jaime a glance. Not that she and Jaime had ever been good friends or anything. Quite the opposite. It was kind of hard to be friends with someone who once tried to shove your face in a toilet, and Jaime was a grudge holder. Seeing that Marley was now licking her bottom lip invitingly at Dante and had moved even closer, Jaime clenched her fists. Her wolf was urging her to bare her teeth. “I take it the staring and drooling are side effects of your meds?”

Marley’s eyes finally went to Jaime, and she actually blushed. “Oh. It’s you.” She turned back to Dante. “Please tell me you’re not with her. I mean, she’s had nearly every guy here.” Just like that, Dante’s blood was boiling. His attention shot to Jaime, who, rather than looking angry or defensive, appeared bored.

Jaime sighed. “You never let the facts get in the way, do you, Marley?”

“She’s lying?” Dante had to hear her say it loud and clear.

Offended, Jaime gawked. “Of course she’s lying! How could you think she wasn’t?!” Insulted, her wolf flexed her claws, wanting to take a swipe at him.

Marley’s expression was sympathetic when she spoke to Dante. “Oh, you didn’t know? Well, I guess I wouldn’t want to broadcast that if it was me. I can understand why she’d lie about it.” Seeing that Dante was actually looking doubtful, Jaime wasn’t sure who she wanted to hit more. It wasn’t as if the guy was the Virgin freaking Mary anyway, was it? How hypocritical was that! What hurt her most was that he would actually think Marley was telling the truth.

“Marley, enough,” chastised Rhea.

“He has a right to know. I actually figured he already knew.” She shook her head at Jaime.

“You really have no one to blame but you, though.”

Somehow suppressing her wolf, who was eager to slice open Marley’s stomach, Jaime simply gave her an unpleasant smile. “You know, I watched an old episode of
Friends
yesterday. It was so damn funny it could have made your boobs fall off…Oh, you saw it.” Startled laughs burst out of both Rhea and Josh. In an instant, Marley’s expression went from amused to horrified.

Jaime jabbed Dante in the chest with her finger. “And you…It’s almost as though you have a curiosity about testicle retrieval surgery.”

As she began marching off, Dante strode after her and looped his arm around her, pulling her back against his chest. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Get off me.”

“I shouldn’t have doubted you, I’m sorry. My head’s just full of all kinds of stuff right now.” Of course it was. She sharply shrugged out of his hold and turned to face him. He stiffened as if bracing himself for impact. What, did the workaholic jerk think he’d actually cracked her hard-won self-control and she was going to lunge at him? He should. She was thinking about it. Now would be good.

“Don’t be mad, baby—”

“We’re leaving.”

“What?”

She couldn’t believe that he sounded genuinely surprised. “You might be standing right there, but you’re not actually
with
me. Your head’s somewhere else, just like always. Sorry to see that spending time with me bores you so much.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you. You know I do.”

“When there’s sex involved, sure. Or when you know that sex will
soon
be involved, sure.” He felt his face harden. “It’s not like that.”

Ignoring him, she continued, “But any other time, your head is back in your office.”

“You knew my job was demanding, Jaime.”

“Yeah, I knew I’d have to share you with your job. What I didn’t know was that I’d come second to it.”

“You’re not second.” How could she even think that?

“Yes, I am. But I don’t deserve to be.” He looked about to say something, but then a tall, regal-looking brunette decorated in pearls appeared, and his mouth dropped open wide, making Jaime frown inwardly. Was it admiration? Shock? Horror? All three?

“Laurie,” he muttered to himself, stunned.

The bottom fell out of Jaime’s stomach, and suddenly it felt as though her lungs had been pierced. God, not
her
. Not the woman he’d once loved enough to imprint with. Her wolf instantly growled, viewing her as competition. Then Jaime looked down and saw the boy at her feet, a boy who looked just as Dante had when he was ten years old, and a sickening feeling overcame her. It was well known that female shifters couldn’t get pregnant by anyone they weren’t mated to, but Laurie had been partly imprinted with Dante. She had been his mate—well,
half
mate—for a short while.

Could that count?

“Dante, how are you?” Laurie stepped forward and hugged him hard. When Dante’s hand left Jaime’s back and he awkwardly returned the hug, Jaime honestly thought she was going to be sick. Or slaughter them both right there and then.

Stepping back and trying to regain his sense of equilibrium, Dante replied, “I’m great. You?”

“Fabulous, thanks. Who’s this?”

Double-blinking, he turned to Jaime and saw how stiff she was. Her face was totally blank, but he could sense that she was pissed with him. Hugging another female was asking for trouble. Hugging a female he had once been partially imprinted with was pretty much suicidal. He had a feeling that he might have to do some serious groveling tonight. “Jaime, this is Laurie, Blane’s mate. Laurie, this is Jaime, my—”

“Packmate,” Jaime finished.

Dante winced. Oh yeah, he was in deep shit. It wasn’t as though he’d
wanted
to hug Laurie.

He’d just been in shock, and she’d practically dived on him. He’d always thought that if he saw her again, he’d at least feel a mixture of sadness and yearning, but there was nothing. There wasn’t even anger at the pain she had once put him through. That pain had been dulled since being with Jaime and was now nothing more than a slight prick of betrayal. How could he possibly yearn for someone else when he had a woman as amazing and perfectly suited to him as Jaime?

Despite recognizing Laurie as the female he had once been partially mated to, his wolf paid her no attention. He was more concerned about Jaime, fretting over how agitated she was. Right now, Dante was thinking of killing Josh for not warning him that he’d invited their eldest brother and his mate. “Where’s Blane?”

“He couldn’t make it. So it’s just me and Leif.”

Dante hadn’t even noticed the kid until then. He felt the color drain from his face. He decided to ignore the fact that the kid looked so much like him. He also decided to ignore that the boy was approximately ten years old and it had been ten years ago that he and Laurie were together. Lots of people had kids who resembled their siblings. It didn’t mean anything.