Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

“ S he loves with the insatiable hunger of the wolf. Bloodthirsty lust dripping from her savage bones. She longs to be devoured like the dark of the sky in the moon drenched night. She’s craving every part of your raw, wild soul.”

—JL MacDougall

Jax

My actions were unusual.

Demanding.

In need.

There were reasons, some by instinct if nothing else. I had the distinct feeling she was in danger, but that wasn’t the reason behind my possessive behavior.

My wolf had awakened fully. He was restless, the woman only part of the reason. But she was a damn good one. I was aroused just thinking about her. Damn it. I needed to get her out of my mind. I ran my hands through my hair out of frustration. I hadn’t lost control in a long time and doing so twice in a short timeframe was troubling.

I needed to concentrate on the real issue. I’d picked apart what I’d heard at the council meeting along with what Mother had told us.

Stories.

I’d heard several stories over the years regarding the Wolfen. Our kind. Not just from my mother, but also from others in the pack.

There’d been a point when I was a young boy when a huge number of the pack had met on a regular basis, not only discussing the past but also aspects of the future. We hadn’t met in a dark and gloomy forest setting as the majority of humans and dozens of horror stories might suggest. We’d met either at someone’s house or at least twice inside the conference room of a hotel.

A convention of sorts.

Of wolves.

The meetings had been held in secrecy and the utmost privacy. Certain members had been assigned to ensure humans never arrived when not anticipated. I’d been fascinated by the wild tales of hunting during the time when humanity had been limited by more boundaries than currently existed. Very few people ventured into the woods surrounding us for fear of being attacked and eaten.

By wolves.

But eventually, the old tales had died out along with the human elders of Cartersville, leaving our kind to build lives that had nothing to do with our pasts.

By the time I was nine or ten, my thoughts centered on playing little league football and attempting to escape the confines of my bedroom to see my friends. Kids my age played video games and longed for summer when school was out.

We hadn’t considered what our lineage meant or the fact we were different than almost everyone else in my school.

Yet I remembered something my mother had talked about more than once.

Finding our true mates.

Of course a ten-year-old kid knew what marriage was, but finding a mate seemed to have a much darker meaning. I’d listened only half the time, barely gleaning that in order for our species to survive the way we’d been used to living, breeding with our kind was necessary.

The practice had been ignored.

I’d thought little of it over the years as I grew, aging to the man I was now. Most of the Wolfen dated whoever they wanted, often marrying humans who never learned about their true heritage.

Some had.

I’d heard horror stories about horrific divorces where the husband or wife had threatened to expose who and what we were to the world. The situation had quietly gone away and I’d never asked questions. I hadn’t cared.

Until now.

What had finally settled in about Sedona was that it was entirely possible she was my mate. But she seemed entirely human. I hadn’t detected a wolf scent on her and my keen senses would be able to gather the odor immediately.

It threw me.

She threw me.

Who was I kidding?

If what my instinct told me was true, I was right about my first thoughts. She would be a likely target for any member of a rogue pack or this creature the council seemed terrified of. But I had to know if I was right before I made a decision to do anything drastic.

Sedona looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. As she leaned down, the rebellious expression I’d caught first inside the dance club flashed in her venomous smile. And in her eyes. “Look, buddy. I don’t take orders from anyone.”

“Is that what I’m doing?” I asked. “Issuing an order or providing you with a reason to stay?”

“What reason?”

“Because I want you. Because our connection is unusually strong. Because there’s no other place you’d rather be.”

“Arrogance doesn’t suit you. Stick to your Italian suits instead.” She sat down, her attitude still a delightful surprise.

She was one of the few women who could make me laugh, her ease at telling me exactly what I needed to hear refreshing. “I thought I’d passed that test.”

“Which one?”

“Your arrogance test.”

“Unfortunately, just when I think perhaps I was wrong, the prick inside of you rears his ugly head.”

“Prick, huh? Do you always speak your mind?”

Sedona wrinkled her nose, which was about the cutest thing she’d done so far. “Not nearly enough. If I did so on a regular basis, perhaps I wouldn’t be taken advantage of.”

Her statement provided clues about her past, but pressing her wasn’t going to win me any points. She was one tough and vulnerable lady.

The thought she could be my mate was never far from the forefront of my mind.

“We were going to start over,” I told her.

“Then don’t be an asshole. I don’t respond to dominating commands. Not my style.”

But it was her longing to find a man she could release her inhibitions with. I could sense it as I did about her extreme desire.

“Then I won’t.”

“It might be difficult since it’s in your nature.”

“I’m glad I make you comfortable enough to be so opinionated.”

As her features slowly softened, she finally reached for her glass. At least an indication she was staying for the time being. “I’m sorry. I’ve had an extremely unusual and difficult week. I shouldn’t be taking that out on you.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not particularly. Do you want to discuss your latest venture that failed?” she countered.

Another smile crossed my face. “Not a chance.”

“Good.”

“Why don’t we dance instead?”

“You saw me dance the other night. I’m no ballerina,” she said softly.

“I would beg to differ with you.” This action I wasn’t going to allow her to take the lead on. She allowed me to grasp her hand, guiding her away from the table.

As I took her into my arms, pulling her close, her response was innate. She was still tense around me. I held one of her hands, intertwining our fingers while I wrapped my arm around her slender waist.

She kept one hand against my chest, prepared at any time to attempt to push me away. Plus, she was claiming her space. I found providing her with the space she wanted an issue instantly. Her perfume alone, sweet and lightly floral with a hint of vanilla, was enough to awaken the beast from his lair.

I moved slowly, highlighting the fact my dance skills would never be enough to get me onto a season of Dancing with the Stars . When I stepped on her foot, she laughed. Not the fake one I’d heard a few times but a belly laugh, which seemed exactly the kind she should allow.

Full of life.

She was craving to break out of her shell.

“I told you I wasn’t the best dancer,” I admitted.

“You said no such thing. You led me to believe you were amazing at everything you dared to try. Isn’t that the case with all powerful, arrogant men?”

“It’s not the first time I’ve been called arrogant.” I grinned and spun her around in a full circle, dipping her just enough she clamped her fingers around the lapel of my jacket. “Almost everything.” As I held her in position, she finally relaxed her fingers. When I jerked her up seconds later, she was pressed completely against me.

Her slight gasp was another moment of sweet music.

Our lips were almost touching and she dragged the tip of her tongue across the very bottom of her mouth. She truly had no idea just how sexy she was.

I didn’t need to have the keen senses of a wolf to know she wasn’t ready to let go of her increased inhibitions. Or the fact something had made her nervous over the last day or so. Perhaps Daphne knew what was going on.

“When are you going to tell me what you really did to convince the assholes to run away the other night?”

The mood breaker was exactly what she needed.

And nothing I wanted.

“It was all about my nasty personality. Arrogance. Remember?” I spun her around again, bringing her close to the railing. When I dipped her a second time, she arched her back on purpose even more.

Ten seconds later, she stiffened, the slight gasp concerning me. As soon as I pulled her into a standing position, she struggled to free herself from my hold. She immediately turned around, facing the trees surrounding the restaurant’s property.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” she stated with far too much defiance.

“Talk to me.”

“Really, it’s nothing. I just thought I saw an odd glint. The moon can play tricks on my eyes. I was thinking about a wolf for some reason. It’s crazy.”

“A wolf? Why?”

“It’s silly.” Her insistence had me even more curious.

While I also sensed a presence, at this moment it was difficult to draw any conclusions. “Nothing about you is silly.”

“When I was a little girl, I got lost in the woods behind my mother’s house. It wasn’t for long, maybe three hours and the strangest thing happened.”

Her memory was raw, her breathing shallow. “What happened, Sedona?”

“A wolf led me back home.” She tilted her head, darting her eyes back and forth across mine.

The moment, the deep connection, was even more unusual. “Wolves are often loners, but they are also fiercely protective. Were you afraid?”

“No. I was fascinated. It was surreal, like I could talk to him with my mind. I know that sounds crazy. Trust me, my mother said I must have fallen and hit my head, but I knew better. The wolf was real.”

I shifted my attention to the trees. She noticed when I inhaled deeply, holding my breath for several seconds.

“Why did you do that?” Her question was softly accusatory.

“Do what?”

“Don’t do that. Don’t act like you think I’m not attentive. Who inhales to see if someone is watching them? Are you able to decipher people from animals from their scent?”

Coming up with a solid excuse wasn’t going to be the way to handle answering her question. She wasn’t easily fooled or someone who would believe a frivolous answer.

“I have very keen senses, smell being one of them. You can tell many things about a person by the fragrance they carry. Fear. Hatred. Love.” What bothered me was that if there had been another wolf watching us, stalking even, my senses hadn’t picked up on it. Mine had never faded, never failed me when I’d needed them.

“What does mine tell you?”

“That you are a very sensual woman.” I looked again and she followed my gaze.

“You have me confused with someone else. I’m just a down to earth girl who loves being in the lab. Anyway, maybe I was just seeing things. I couldn’t see a wolf from here anyway. After the other night, I’ve been a little jumpy.”

“Perfectly understandable.” Now she was the one lying to me.

The story had just been jarred from her memory. My presence was the reason.

As it seemed every single time we were in the same room, we were interrupted, this time by the waitress returning.

“Are you ready to order, sir, or should I come back?” the girl asked.

“I’m perfectly capable of ordering for myself,” Sedona said. “And yes. We are ordering.”

I watched as she stormed back to the table, taking a few seconds to glance back at the forest line. This time when I gathered a scent, I was able to detect something: a stench unlike anything I’d ever smelled before. It was rancid, much like rotting trash full of raw meat.

Or worse.

The instant my nostrils were filled, a deep vibration swept through me. It was exactly the way I’d felt moments before coercing my wolf from the depth of my being. Only this time, it was instinctual.

The need to protect her.

My mate.

While the jury was still out on my gut feeling, my wolf didn’t give a shit about semantics or truths. He was very… hungry.

And far too eager to escape his dark confines.

Exhaling, I forced myself to turn away. At least I also sensed the unknown wolf was just watching. Gathering information. Nothing more.

I returned to the table, my muscles remaining tense. As soon as I sat down, Sedona stiffened herself. I wasn’t prepared to tell her just yet that she wasn’t going home tonight.

Even if I needed to lock her in one of my spare bedrooms. Which I would do if it meant keeping her safe. Until I had a handle on what was going on, I wasn’t planning on allowing her to get but so far out of my sight.

I was certain that would go over well.

And what about her kid?

The complications were adding up.

A part of me was annoyed when her phone sounded as if the ringer had been turned on high.

She acted as if she didn’t want to look or care who was contacting her. Her thoughts were far too easy to read at this moment.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” I asked rather casually if I could say so myself.

“Just a text.”

“Ah, yes,” I told her and reached for my champagne.

My tone forced her to lift her gaze. The look on her face was rather hateful. So much of me wanted nothing more than to tame her.

Just like she deserved.

My cock ached from the thought. Protecting her could be enjoyable.

“The oldest trick in the book. Is that Mattie contacting you to provide a way out of the date?”

Sedona couldn’t have been any more shocked than she was. The tiny furrow in her brow and the way her soft lips twisted in both frustration and embarrassment brought another wave of desire.

She held up her hand as if using the other to swear on a bible. “Guilty as charged. I just… I’m not good at dating. Nothing against you.”

“You’re going to need to make it up to me.”

The little tilt of her head meant she was no longer so embarrassed. “How so?”

“Oh, I assure you I’ll think of something. Only you need to promise you’ll accept your punishment without argument.”

She was taken aback. “I’ll think about it. Don’t get your hopes up.”

As she snatched her champagne glass off the table, I tipped mine, waiting for her to clink our glasses together.

“You’re not just an arrogant man,” she admitted after allowing the crystal to touch.

“Then what am I?”

“You’re…”

She struggled to find words and in those few seconds I realized, mate or no mate, I liked this girl. Maybe a little too much. Maybe enough I needed to remember being a gentleman was a worthwhile attribute.

Especially when a woman who was also a mom.

“Hand me your keys,” I told her when we were in the parking lot.

“Why?”

“Because I told you to.”

Sedona laughed. “Do you always get your way?”

“Usually.”

“That still didn’t answer the question. Why? Am I too inebriated to drive?”

It was a trick question. “Back to Cartersville, yes. We did have two bottles of champagne.”

“Along with a huge bowl of pasta. Need I remind you that you consumed several glasses of champagne as well?”

“I have a man’s metabolism.”

“Oh, bullshit.”

I had my hand out, enjoying watching the way she squirmed. I could tell she knew I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. When she handed them to me, she sighed.

“Where are we going if not back to the tiny town?”

“Twenty-eight thousand people isn’t tiny, but to answer your question, we’re going to my condo, which is not too far from here.” I jiggled the key as I moved to her driver’s door, finding the right one to fit the lock immediately.

“You’re very presumptuous. And what are you doing?”

“Grabbing the overnight bag you brought with you.”

“You are as presumptuous as you are arrogant. I always keep an extra set of clothes in my car.”

“For work of course.”

“Yes.” Her voice was lower and I could feel the heat from her body increasing.

“You don’t need to be embarrassed.”

“At what?”

I locked and closed her door, turning back toward her. As I crowded her space, I also sensed excitement. “At wanting to enjoy an evening for yourself away from your daughter.”

She was thrown, blowing out a puff of air. “You knew?”

“We did walk by her room.”

“I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think this was going anywhere.”

“And is it?”

“What?”

“Going anywhere.” I lifted her chin with a single finger, enjoying the moon’s reflection in her eyes.

“I can’t make any promises, Jax. I don’t really know you and you have no clue about me or my life.”

“I know all I need to know at this point, lady.” As I lowered my head, I did so slowly. Spooking her was the last thing I wanted to do.

She was receptive, parting her lips and rising onto her tiptoes. Sedona was truly a sensual woman, her fear keeping her from enjoying so much of her life. I made certain the kiss was tender at first. She responded, pressing both her hands against me.

Every move she made was subtle, including gathering my shirt into her fingers. The excitement we shared increased and it was difficult not to ravage her right here in the restaurant parking lot.

The taste of her was enhanced by the lingering champagne. She was the one who darted her tongue inside my mouth first, more tentative in her actions than she’d been two nights before. I allowed her to explore before taking control and dominating her tongue.

Just being able to drink in her essence was enticing, yet the feel of her in my arms burned deep within.

Tonight I’d break through her outer shell, allowing her to understand and accept just how beautiful she truly was.

When I pulled away, she licked her lips and sighed.

“Are you ready?” I backed away, holding out my hand.

There was no debate, no hesitation. “Does that mean I get to ride in that fancy sports car of yours again?”

“I hate to disappoint you, but I brought another one.”

“Then the deal is off.”

“Look, lady, I will have what I want.” It was difficult not to be playful with her. When I swatted her on the bottom, I was once again rewarded by her lovely laugh. “If you don’t agree, then I’ll spank you right here as your punishment.”

“If you do, I’ll scream.”

“I think everyone in the restaurant will be on my side. I suggest you reconsider your decision or face the consequences.”

“You drive a hard bargain, but as long as I get to play with the satellite radio, I’m game.”

She was a breath of fresh air during a time in my life I hadn’t stopped to smell any roses, or wolves for that matter, in a long time.

Too long.

That would need to change.

A war was coming.

“Deal.”