Line of Sight

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Line of Sight ISBN 9781419916335 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Line of Sight Copyright © 2008 Desiree Holt Edited by Helen Woodall. Photography and cover art by Les Byerley. Electronic book Publication July 2008 With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

LINE OF SIGHT

Desiree Holt

Dedication To Karen Whiddon, whose sensitively written books gave me a lifelong love affair with wolves and their mates.

Trademarks Acknowledgement The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction: Taser: TASER International Corporation Wal-Mart : Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

Line of Sight

Chapter One The rain always depressed Alexa Martin, underscoring the isolation she lived with. Just moments ago she’d returned from running through the trees behind her house. Concealed by the darkness, she’d given in to the urge she’d been suppressing for two days. Now, in a fleece robe with a towel wrapped around her head, she sat curled up on the window seat in her living room. Thick drops of liquid ran down the glass like tiny waterfalls. If only there was a way she could wash away the problems in her life and make it clean and free again. Why did I think everything would be fine when I moved to Florida? Running from our clan’s alpha really didn’t change anything except put distance between me and everything I’ve ever known. “You know I cannot allow your relationship with a human,” the alpha had told her in his forbidding voice. “He will turn on you when he knows the truth. Worse yet, expose you and the rest of us. Is that what you want?” He was right, damn him. She had deliberately shapeshifted in front of Ray, hoping for acceptance, but she’d seen nothing but horror in his eyes. “What are you?” he’d asked, his voice filled with disgust. “Some kind of freak? No, get away from me,” he’d shouted when she moved toward him. “Do not touch me.” “You should have listened to your elders,” the alpha told her afterwards. “I have no objection to marriage but only with our own kind. We must perpetuate our clan. Lance is ready and waiting to make you his wife.” “I will never marry Lance, old man,” she told him with vehemence. “He may be handsome and powerful but he is well known for his cruelty.”

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And so, she ran as far as she could. Now she was tucked away in a hidden corner of the universe where she was sure the clan would never find her. The slam of a car door drew her attention to the driveway separating her house from the one next to it. Jesse’s home. From where she sat, she could see Jesse Farrell’s lean, muscular body running through the rain to his porch. One a.m. She could set her clock by him. His shift with the Palmetto County Sheriff’s Department ended at midnight. Unless paperwork kept him longer than usual, he’d stop for coffee and a hamburger on the way home. At one o’clock he’d be pulling into the driveway. Alexa never failed to notice the fatigue that slowed his steps or the tension in his posture. What bothered Alexa the most were the feelings she was developing for him, feelings that went far beyond worries for his safety. She’d thought hiding away in this small Southern town was the answer to her problem. Her website brought her many clients and allowed her to work from home as a top researcher. Then I saw Jesse and I was right in the fire again. She found herself wandering out into her backyard when he was working in his, carrying a pitcher of iced tea or lemonade. From there, it was just a short step to inviting him to dinner. Or over to watch television on his nights off. Fool! Stupid! Idiot! Little by little she found herself pulled more and more to him. At night, she dreamed about him in her bed. Naked. Hot. His big hands touching every part of her body. His hot shaft plunging into her. His sensual mouth devouring her. She would awaken in a high state of arousal. Her nipples painful points, the pulse in her cunt throbbing and liquid seeping onto her thighs.

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The last thing I need is to fall in love with another human. Love! The forbidden word. Yet she felt it barreling down on her like a steamroller and she didn’t know how to get out of the way. She was lost, either way. Alexa shivered. Can it, girlfriend. You were in trouble the moment you first talked to him. Go make yourself a cup of tea. Chamomile. Nice and soothing. Something to stifle these feelings that are definitely going to get you in trouble. Sighing, she unfolded herself from the seat and headed for the kitchen. The sound of the doorbell startled her. On tiptoe she peered through the peephole. She was stunned to see Jesse on her porch, dripping wet and shifting from one foot to the other. She yanked the door open. “What’s wrong? It’s pouring rain. Why aren’t you inside?” “Can I come in, please?” “Oh, sure. Come on.” Yes, bring your fantastic body into my house. “Sorry to bother you. I left my key on the counter this morning.” He raked his wet hair back from his forehead. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” Jesse always carried his car keys separately. “In case I’m ever attacked,” he’d explained, “I don’t want anyone having a key to my house. I can keep an extra one of yours too, if you want.” Another link to him she should have avoided. “I’ll get it,” she told him now, “but come into the kitchen. You look like a drowned rat and you must be freezing. At least get that wet shirt off and let me make you some coffee.” “I’ll drip all over your place,” he protested.

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“Tile floors are easy to mop.” She took his hand. “Come on. I’d feel terrible if you got pneumonia and I could have prevented it.” In the kitchen, she flipped the switch on the coffeemaker while he took off his shirt. Then she handed him a large towel from the stack in the laundry room. “You look exhausted. Bad night?” Her heart pinched at the sight of him. Jesse scrubbed a hand over his face. “Every night’s bad with the gangs. We’ve got a couple of new ones out there ramping up their so-called initiation requirements. That makes it pretty tense on the streets.” He was a member of the sheriff’s gang task force, a thankless and dangerous job. On the night streets, he was a shadowy figure in jeans and t-shirt looking to stop trouble before it started. Even in a county as small as Palmetto, gangs were a big problem, many of them migrating south from Tampa. She’d taken to waiting up for him, reassuring herself that once again he was home safely. If only she could find a way to protect him. Well, there was one if she transformed. But she had no idea how he’d feel about a giant redwolf following him around the county. She ran a critical eye over him, noting his soaked jeans and pulled out another towel. “You’d better take off the rest of those clothes and let me put everything in the dryer. Coffee should be ready in a minute.” “I’m all right, Alexa. Honest. I just need to get some sleep.” How about in my bed? “I told you. Go to sleep like that and you really will get sick.” “Alexa, I…” She grinned at him. “I finally have a chance to get you naked in my house. Don’t give me a hard time.” Something primitive flashed in his eyes at her words and the muscles of his face tautened. He took his wallet out of his jeans and flipped it onto the counter. Still

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holding her gaze, he undid the snap, slid the zipper down and began to slide the wet denim down his legs, along with his boxers. In seconds he was unselfconsciously naked. Alexa’s face flushed. She quickly handed him the second towel and turned toward the laundry room. “I’ll go dump all this stuff in the dryer.” Her hands shook slightly as she dropped the clothes into the dryer and turned on the spin cycle. Am I out of my mind? Jesse Farrell naked in my kitchen, wrapped only in two of my towels? Correction. One towel—slung low on his hips and knotted at the side. When she came back into the kitchen, he was still using the other one to dry his hair. He winked at Alexa. “I’ve sure waited a long time for you to get me naked, darlin’.” “Don’t get any ideas,” she tried to joke. “I’m just doing my Good Samaritan thing. What do you take in your coffee?” “Nothing, thanks. Just straight from the pot.” When she turned to hand him the mug, he was so close behind her the hot liquid nearly sloshed over the rim. “S-Sorry.” His scent drifted past her nose, musk and citrus and the clean smell of the rain. Her wolf sense of smell went on high alert. She tried to inch away from him but he had her trapped between his body and the counter. Oh my God! His body! Just as she had imagined it. Lean, hard, muscled, with thick curls of dark hair covering his chest and narrowing to a point beneath the top edge of the towel. And his face. Lines of exhaustion carved into the rugged planes and accented the sensuous mouth and the slightly crooked nose. But the eyes dominated everything. God, she could get lost in those dark, whiskey-colored eyes fringed by thick lashes. Alexa had to stop herself from licking her lips. He’s not for you.

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But oh, how she wanted him. In her heart as well as her bed. Most definitely in her life. He’s not for you. The words echoed again in her head. “You must be exhausted,” she murmured, searching for conversation. “Your clothes should be dry in a minute. Why don’t you take your coffee to the table and sit down?” “I like the view better from here.” His voice was like warm syrup sliding over her. “Jesse, I—” “You what?” He set his coffee mug on the counter and leaned forward, his hands on either side of her. “Do you know how many times I’ve watched you out there in what passes for the backyard here? Seen you in those shorts and t-shirts that hug this round little body? How many times I’ve stood and talked to you hoping you wouldn’t notice what a hard-on you gave me? How many nights I’ve dreamed of taking your body into my bed and doing the most exciting things to it? With it?” “Y-You have?” “Sitting in your house eating dinner with you and watching television has been an exercise in self-control worthy of an award. You have no idea how I’ve been fantasizing about you.” She placed her palms on his chest and realized instantly what a mistake that was. Electricity sizzled through her fingertips and shot its way through her body. Her nipples, already hard, were now like tiny granite pebbles. Liquid dripped from her cunt and trickled down the inside of her thighs. Embarrassed, she squeezed her legs together. “Don’t fantasize about me, Jesse. There are things you don’t know.” Don’t give me the chance to love you. His eyes were like twin flames, all signs of teasing gone now. “Afraid of me, Alexa?”

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His words sent shivers skittering along her spine. She swallowed twice before she could answer him. “W-What should I be afraid of?” “Maybe this.” He bent his head and captured her mouth with his, a soft kiss that gradually turned hard and demanding. His tongue swept the warm, wet cavern of her mouth like a flame, scorching her everywhere it touched. His hands held her firmly against him, crushing her breasts against his bare chest. The length of his erection pressed into the softness of her belly. The kiss was endless, stealing her breath and ramping up her heart rate. When finally he lifted his mouth from hers, she felt as if a tornado had struck her and left her still swirling in its wake. “Is that what you’re afraid of, Alexa?” His voice didn’t sound any steadier than she felt. “Time to stop being scared. I want you and I know you want me. What are you running away from?” Oh, God, Jesse, if you only knew. You’d be the one running. But her feet wouldn’t move and her mouth wouldn’t work. She just stood there, silently begging for more. And he was about to give it to her. “Which way?” he asked, lifting her in his arms. She was confused. “For what?” “Your bedroom, darlin’. For what I want to do we really need a bed.” A tiny puff of breath escaped her lips. How had this gotten this far out of control so quickly? “Last door down the hall.” Reaching to pick up his wallet, he carried her to her room with long strides. She barely had time to draw a breath before he had her robe untied and on the floor. His eyes darkened almost to chocolate as he raked them over her nude body. “Magnificent,” he breathed. “But then I knew you would be.”

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He cupped her breasts with his large, warm hands, weighing their fullness, squeezing them gently. When the pads of his thumbs rasped over her already sensitive nipples, she couldn’t help but gasp. “Like that, do you? How about this?” He bent his head to capture a breast in his mouth. His tongue pressed the nipple against the roof of his mouth. One hand molded to her other breast, pinching that nipple in a steady rhythm. Alexa’s legs trembled and her knees wobbled. She was glad when Jesse carried her to the bed. His mouth still sucked her breast. Teeth gently nipped at the tip, followed by his tongue soothing the bite places. His hand continued to pull and tug on her other nipple. She hadn’t thought her pussy could release more liquid but she felt slick and wet. She was hot everywhere. If he didn’t touch her there soon she’d scream. She arched her pelvis and pressed her hips against him, urging him to do something. Anything. “Don’t make me rush this,” he whispered, his mouth now at her ear. His tongue traced the delicate line of the shell. “I’ve waited too long.” His lips drew a pattern down the side of her neck to the sensitive spot where it met her shoulder. Again he placed tiny little bites on her soft skin. With maddening slowness he trailed his mouth over each breast, between the valley separating them and down over her stomach. He paused in his journey to give proper attention to her navel. Then he was kneeling between her thighs, her legs resting on his shoulders. His thumbs parted her labia, slick with her own cream. His tongue was an instrument of torture, stroking from her throbbing vagina to the swollen knot of her clit. Her body jerked under the lash of his tongue while his thumbs opened her wider to the assault of his mouth. Her body felt hot, her skin stretched far too tight. This was beyond anything she could have imagined. “Easy, darlin’,” he crooned and nipped gently at her clit. 12

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His tongue continued its broad strokes the length of her sex, denying her its entry into her waiting hot channel. When he finally stabbed it into the slick flesh, a tiny cry escaped her lips and she gripped the bedclothes with her fists. His tongue moved in and out of her greedy cunt, her hot muscles grasping at it, clenching, desperate to hold it inside her. She tried to close her thighs to squeeze him inside but his broad shoulders held her legs far apart. The coil of need inside her wound tighter and tighter as he relentlessly pushed her up the spiral. Higher and higher he took her, toward the ultimate explosion. His tongue fucked her in a steady rhythm while his clever fingers tormented her clit and pinched her labia. “Please,” she begged. “I want you inside me. Please, please, Jesse. Please.” One hand drifted lower and the fingers teased at the tight rim of her anus. “This is where I want my cock, Alexa, if you’re willing. This is what I’ve dreamed about.” He was going to fuck her in the ass. Every animal instinct inside her roared to life and unbelievably her need escalated. “Yes,” she moaned. “Do it. I want you to.” Moving her so her legs were pushed back almost to her shoulders, his hands separated the globes of her ass. His tongue lapped at her anus. Then two fingers slid inside her hot, grasping vaginal sheath, scooping out her fluids and spreading them over the tiny anal rosette. One finger pushed against the tight ring of muscle, easing inside. When he was in to the knuckle, he forced another finger in beside it and began a scissoring motion. At first she felt an almost painful fullness and a burning sensation in her tissues. But the more he stretched her, the better it felt. Every nerve in her body seemed to be firing at once. “Oh, God,” she moaned. “Do it now.”

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With swift motions he pulled a foil packet from his wallet, ripped it open with his teeth and sheathed himself. Then he positioned himself over her. His breathing was unsteady. “Here we go, darlin’. Get ready to feel me in that tight little ass of yours.” The broad head of his cock pressed against her anus. His hips flexed and slowly, one tiny bit at a time, he pushed himself inside her. When the head popped in past the ring of muscle he began to stroke her clit again, driving her higher. Her pulse throbbed and fluid gushed from her cunt as Jesse’s cock continued to press into her rectum. And then he was in, all the way. He leaned over her, balancing himself on one hand while the other continued to stroke her screaming sex. With a deep breath, he began to move his hips, stroking in and out of her. Peering up through slitted eyes, she saw the sweat coating his face and the tightness of his jaw as he fought for control. “Let go, Jesse,” she rasped. “Do it now. Now!” “Not until you’re ready,” he spat out through clenched teeth. “I’m ready,” she cried, her hips moving with his. “Please.” “All right, then.” He increased the pace of his rhythm. Then, with one final pinch of her clit, he thrust her into her orgasm as his own overtook him. On and on it went, shudders racking her body until she thought her bones would break apart. Above her she felt Jesse shake with spasm after spasm. At last, as his tremors subsided, he collapsed on her and held her through the aftershocks. After a long time, he lifted his head and feathered kisses over her face. His eyes searched hers intently. “Please tell me you’re not sorry.” A corner of her mouth turned up in a tiny smile. “I’m not sorry.”

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She saw the relief smooth out the worry lines on his face. How could she be sorry about something so incredibly wonderful? The realization of her fantasies was even better than the dreams themselves. “But you must be exhausted. You just finished a shift and you need some sleep.” She couldn’t help the little grin that turned up her mouth. “You only came over here for your key, remember?” “I think I really came over here hoping to get more than that.” He traced the edges of her lips with his tongue. “Darlin’, you’ve been driving me crazy for too long. You couldn’t get me to go to sleep now unless you knocked me out.” He slid his penis slowly from her and lowered her legs with great care. “Give me a minute to clean up and catch my breath. We aren’t finished for the night. Not when I’ve waited this long for it.” She watched the flex of muscles in his exquisite ass as he walked toward her bathroom. Her body still limp from her incredible climax, she realized what big trouble she was in. No longer did she just harbor a natural desire to protect him from the dangers he faced each day. In giving him her body, she cracked open the wall she’d built around her heart. But Jesse Farrell would never, ever want to mate with a shifter. And she couldn’t bear the thought of the revulsion she’d see in his face if she revealed herself. What did she do now?

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Chapter Two Alexa wondered if the rain would ever stop. Almost a week now and she’d hardly seen a break in the clouds. Maybe they were in for another forty days’ flood. It certainly made her romps in the woods behind her house wet and muddy, not refreshing the way a light mist tended to do. Even in her wolf form, she didn’t like the loud crack of thunder or the jagged bolts of lightning that split the sky. She sighed and picked up her glass of wine. Four days had passed since the night Jesse showed up at her door. Four days since their hot, bone-melting mating. But one a.m. came and went with no sign of the junk car with the souped-up engine that he used for work. Where was he? Was anything wrong? He must be on stakeout or something. Damn. Her body still heated at the memory of his touch, begging for more of the unbelievable sex. Then she mentally slapped herself. Leave well enough alone. You know there’s no future with him. No possibility of a relationship. So what did she tell her heart? She carried her wine into the bedroom, where she shed her clothing, dropping it into the hamper in her closet. As she closed the closet door she caught sight of her reflection in the full-length mirror. Not bad. All that running keeps me in pretty good shape. She ran her hands over her hips, testing the firmness of the flesh. Turning sideways, she checked the rounded line of her buttocks and the tops of her thighs.

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Amazing, she thought, how unwolflike she looked in her human form. Her skin was smooth, with a slight golden cast. The bone structure of her face was delicate, her lips full and sensuous. Her wine-red hair drifted in curls to her shoulders. Only the eyes gave her away—brown with heavy flecks of amber. She knew what would happen if Jesse knew the truth. One disaster was enough for her. But she couldn’t erase the imprint of his hands on her skin, or his wicked mouth that tasted her everywhere. Taking her breasts in both hands, she massaged them as he’d done, warming the flesh. With thumb and forefinger she pinched the nipples, rolling and tugging them until they hardened and throbbed. Wetting the tip of one finger, she rubbed it across a nipple. She imagined Jesse’s mouth on it, sucking it, pressing it with his tongue. Through hooded eyes she watched her hands move down her body, over her abdomen, through the narrow patch of curls at her mound to her already weeping slit. She slowly pulled her labia apart, exposing the flesh now slick and pink and the tiny bud of her clitoris that begged to be touched. The sight of her aroused body was too much for her. Her breath quickening, she moved to her bed on shaky legs. With unsteady hands she opened the drawer of her nightstand and took out her favorite tiny vibrator. Lying back on the soft comforter, knees bent and spread wide, she place the tip of the vibrator on her clit and turned it on. Immediately, jolts of sensation streaked through her vagina, the muscles rippling in response. In moments her entire body was consumed by the heat. The harder she pressed with the vibrator, the more intense the throbbing. She arched her hips and slid two fingers into her cunt. Jesse’s face flashed into her mind, his whiskey-colored eyes dark with passion. She saw his lean, hard body covered with a fine sheen of sweat as he drove her to orgasm. The image of their bodies moving together in perfect rhythm heated her blood. She rubbed the vibrator back and forth over her clit and her fingers pumped in and out of her slick channel, faster and faster. 17

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Her orgasm grabbed her like a punch to her body. The muscles of her pussy grasped her fingers and her cream gushed into her hand. She bucked and thrust, screaming Jesse’s name while the spasms shook her. Her breath escaping her lips in tiny pants, she rode the aftershocks. At last her body, sweat-slicked and aching, was still. After a very long time she rose from the bed and made her way to the bathroom. Turning the shower on full force, she stood under the spray, letting water as hot as she could stand it wash over her body. But nothing could wash away the memory of Jesse Farrell. When she finally climbed under the covers her sleep was restless, peppered with fragments of dreams that disappeared each time she woke. At seven o’clock she gave up and got out of bed but she was plagued by a vague feeling of unease. One that somehow had to do with Jesse. She started the coffeemaker, then went to retrieve the newspaper. She glanced next door for signs of life. Nothing. No car and his paper still lay on the porch. Where are you, Jesse? She was too edgy to sit still and her body was sending her signals. Too long since she’d last changed. Tossing her sleep shirt onto a kitchen chair, she opened the back door, stretched and let her body morph into her wolf shape. She sniffed the air, loped off the back porch and raced for the safety of the woods. The rain pelted her red-gold coat and in seconds she was soaked. But the need to run off the nervous energy propelled her forward. She followed the paths so familiar to her, birds and small animals scattering in her wake. The clean scent of the woods exhilarated her, a perfume that stimulated all her senses. Faster and faster she ran, until at last, exhausted, she dropped to the ground panting. With her head resting on her paws, she struggled to slow her breathing. She needed to get a grip on herself. Running like this in daylight was risky. She should have been

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doing this last night instead of having make-believe sex. Now she was out in the open, exposed to any spying, inquisitive eyes. Not good at all, Alexa. She knew her body’s need to change wasn’t the real impetus that had sent her racing like a mad thing. The truth was, she was running away from herself. Damn Jesse for living next door to her, anyway. And damn her body for the human hormones that constantly escaped her control. And most of all, damn her traitorous heart. Finally she rose on all fours and headed back toward the house. She had just broken from the edge of the woods and was loping across her lawn when she saw Jesse’s car pull up in his driveway. Shit! Of all the damn, dumb luck. Well, nothing for it now. Head down, she ignored the fact he was staring into her yard. She kept on her path until she reached the far side of her house. Wriggling into the space behind the hedge she crouched and waited. Please, Jesse, don’t go exploring in the rain. When another streak of lightning lit up the sky, she worked her way around to the porch. Then she raced in through the open door, slamming it shut with her snout. She shook vigorously in the laundry room, spraying everything as the water flew from her coat. She could feel the change beginning already. Lying down on the rag rug, she let her body resume human form, then dried herself quickly with a towel from the counter. Retrieving her sleep shirt, she slid it over her head. She was wrapping the towel around her wet hair when the doorbell rang. Frowning, she looked through the peephole. Jesse stood on the porch, shaking off the rain he’d accumulated on his sprint to her house. Great. Just great.

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Pasting on a smile, she opened the door. “Hi. Don’t you think it’s a little wet for house-hopping?” He grinned at her. “Maybe. I have a question but I thought if I asked in person I could beg a cup of coffee.” A smile broke out at the sight of him despite her intentions and she opened the door wider. “Sure. Come on in.” “Nice outfit,” he teased. Alexa looked down and realized what she was wearing. “Oh, God. You can tell I wasn’t expecting company.” She headed for the hallway, calling over her shoulder. ”Coffee’s ready. Help yourself. I’ll only be a second.” In her room she pulled a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from one drawer, underwear from another. She gave her hair one last swipe with the towel, combed the wet strands with her fingers and tucked them behind her ears. No time for the dryer now. Jesse was leaning against the kitchen counter, a steaming mug in each hand. He held one out to her. “Here. I poured yours too.” “Thanks.” When she took it from him their fingers collided. Heat streaked along her arm and through her body. Her cunt, which last night had to make do with her fingers, began to throb. God, Alexa, get a grip. But the sight of him in worn jeans that fitted his body like a glove and the dark tshirt that outlined the muscles in his chest and arms, did major damage to her selfcontrol. She sipped at the hot liquid, struggling for outward calm. “So. You said you had a question.” “Yeah.” He scratched his head with his free hand. “I know this is stupid but did you happen to get a dog in the last couple of days?”

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Alexa’s stomach knotted. So he did see her. He just didn’t know what he was looking at. Thank God for that. She forced herself to be calm. “Do you see one here?” He chuckled, a self-conscious sound. “No. I told you it was dumb. But I could swear I saw a huge dog race through your yard to your house. You didn’t see anything?” She shook her head. “I was in the shower. Maybe he’s from the next block or something. He might have gotten out and just gone for a run in the rain.” Joe shrugged. “Probably. I’d never seen him around here before, is all. Funny, he was headed straight for your house.” Alexa took another swallow of coffee. “Probably just cutting through.” She looked up at him. “You’re late getting home again.” One corner of his mouth turned up. “You checking upon me, sweet thing?” She felt heat rise on her cheeks. “No. It’s just, well, you usually get home long before this.” He drywashed his face with his free hand. “We’re working on a tough one right now so we’ve all been working overtime. Two rival gangs are threatening warfare. That’s why I haven’t been around,” he said. “No problem.” After all, he’d made no commitment the other night except to tell her how long he’d been craving her. Maybe all he wanted was hot, sweaty sex. Which would probably be for the best, truth be told. He crowded her against the counter. “I’d never have stayed away on purpose.” His voice was low and husky. “The other night meant something to me. And I could swear it did to you.” She edged away from him and sat at the table. “Right now you don’t need to be thinking of anything except this assignment. Why don’t you tell me about it?”

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He rested his hips on the edge of the chair. Long legs stretched out in front of him, he stared into his coffee mug for a long time. “You don’t want to know about that ugliness, Alexa. These people—kids, most of them—kill on a whim. Or for gang initiation. Or to impress someone. And certainly for revenge. And it isn’t even a nice, neat death.” Impulsively she reached over and touched his arm. “I can’t imagine how you do such a difficult job. It must take so much out of you.” His face was grim. “I have a fourteen-year-old brother back in Denver with my folks. Every time I look at those kids I think of him.” “Oh, Jesse.” She didn’t know what else to say to him. He set his mug down, picked up her hand and lifted it to his lips. He ran the tip of his tongue over her knuckles. “I look at you and just your smile can make it all disappear.” Shivers danced along her spine. “Listen, Jesse.” His eyes smoldered with heat. “I am listening, darlin’. But your mouth and your body are saying two different things.” He grazed his knuckles lightly along the line of her cheek. “I said it before. You want to look at me, Alexa, and tell me what we did the other night was just physical exercise? I won’t believe you.” Her blood bubbled and moisture flooded her panties. How was she supposed to resist the electricity that flowed between them? “Oh, Jesse.” She leaned her forehead on his hand. “You think I’m the kind of man to fuck your brains out and then pretend it never happened? Certainly not with someone as special as you, sugar plum. You don’t know how badly I wanted to be back here the next day, beating down your door.” He stood up, taking her with him and lifted her into his arms. “I need you, darlin’. I need your sweetness to wipe it all away. I felt like spitting nails because the job kept me away.”

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What was she to do? She linked her arms around his neck and pressed soft kisses along his jaw line as he carried her to her room. “Let me undress you,” he pleaded. “I want to unwrap each inch of that soft, sweet body.” “All right.” She was breathless, blood racing, nerves sparking. He took his time removing each item of clothing, kissing every expanse of skin as he revealed it. When he unclasped her bra and slid the straps from her shoulders, his eyes flared at her hardened nipples and darkened areolas. He bent his head and took each nipple briefly into his mouth, laving it with his tongue. “Gorgeous.” He removed his mouth and feasted his eyes on the now wet, rosy buds. “No, dazzling. Your breasts are a treasure.” He knelt in front of her, running his tongue over the lace trim at the top of her thong, his hands grasping her ass to hold her in place. With his teeth he drew the fabric slowly down to her ankles, then tossed it to the side. He parted her labia and ran his tongue the length of her slit. “Jesus, darlin’. You taste like sweet strawberries and cream.” He lifted her and placed her on the bed with great care. His gaze never left her as he divested himself of his clothes. Reaching into his jeans pocket, he pulled out a handful of foil packets. “I don’t like to run out,” he teased. When he moved his hand to dump them on the night stand, his eyes widened. Her stomach fluttered. Oh, shit! She’d forgotten to put away her little toy. “Well, well, well,” he drawled. “What have we here?” He picked it up and rolled it between his fingers. “Were you missing me that much, darlin’?” “Listen, Jesse.” She sat up and tried to reach for it. “Let me explain.” 23

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His grin was wicked. “I think this is all the explanation I need.” He dropped his eyes to his groin. “Look how hard you make me.” She reached for the vibrator once more, flailing her hands. “Come on, give it to me.” “Oh, darlin’, you can count on that.” He held it just out of her reach, eyes dancing with mischief. “You know, one of my fantasies has always been to use one of these on a woman. But of course, it has to be the right woman.” Just the thought excited her unbearably. Heat washed through her body as the image he drew flashed across her brain. She felt the liquid of her arousal flooding her cunt and dripping into the crevice of her ass. “Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” His eyes raked her body. They paused on her hard nipples, then drifted down to her pussy. “I can smell you from here, sugar plum. The sweetest perfume in the world.” He was on the bed now between her legs. Slowly he kissed his way along the sensitive skin from her ankle to her thigh, up one leg and down the other. The kisses were like the beat of butterfly wings, soft and tantalizing. He paused in the process to taste her cunt again, his breath a mere teasing whisper as he licked the slick flesh. It was all Alexa could do to hang onto her control. The fire he’d lit inside her was raging out of control. “Please,” she moaned, reaching for his head. He raised up and circled her wrists with his fingers. “Please? Are you begging me? Oh, honey, before we’re done you’ll be begging long and loud.” Her stomach muscles clenched in anticipation. Still holding her wrists, he took his time licking at her navel. His tongue drew little circles in the tiny indentation. She never knew her belly button could be such an erogenous zone and she tried to urge him to feast at it more. He chuckled softly. Then he slicked his clever tongue through the narrow strip of soft curls on her mound, making her arch up to him again.

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“Let’s see how close you are, sweet thing” He released one wrist and slid two lean fingers into her hot channel, sucking in his breath as he felt her wetness. “God, you’re like a fountain. I love it.” She whimpered when he withdrew his hand. “I can’t wait to see this mouthwatering pussy when you come. All that pretty pink flesh clutching and quivering, your juices making it so slick and shiny.” Alexa thought she could drown in his voice alone. “All right, darlin’.” He bent her legs and spread them wide, planting her feet flat on the bed. “I want you to put your hands right on your pussy and open it wide for me. Come on, Alexa. Let me see all the way into that tempting treat.” She was sure the hunger building inside her was the reason she didn’t feel the least self-conscious. Or maybe it was the hypnotic sound of Jesse’s voice, lulling her into a sensual daze. She only knew the eroticism of his words pushed her into a place she’d never been before, one that heated her body as well as her mind. She separated her outer lips, moving her legs further apart. Heat flooded her even more at the look on his face. “You just hold it like that, darlin’,” he soothed, his voice not quite steady. “Do not move your hands at all, no matter what. You hear?” “Yes.” She could barely get the word out. He reached for the vibrator and she heard him turn it on. Then it was pressed against her clit and her body arched. Last night’s solo episode was pale in comparison to what was happening now. Her pussy felt as if a thousand live wires were sparking inside her and her hips began to thrust involuntarily. Jesse leaned into her, his wide shoulders keeping her legs apart. One large, warm hand pressed on her stomach, holding her in place. He was relentless with the tiny instrument, running it over the tip of her clit, then circling it around and around the hot nub. He seemed to know just when she reached the point of climax and backed off, doing it over and over again. Each time he took her a little higher. 25

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“Beautiful,” he breathed. “Your cunt turns such a gorgeous shade of dark pink. All that cream just runs out of that tight little opening. Oh, darlin’, I could come just from watching you.” “Please,” she begged again. “Please what?” he teased. “Please put your fingers inside me. Let me feel you. I need you inside me.” He shook his head. “Not this time. I want to see your pussy when you come. But how does this feel?” He slid the vibrator an inch or so into her vagina and turned it on high. Alexa bucked as sensations cascaded through her straight to her womb. She wanted to squeeze her legs together but Jesse’s wide shoulders made it impossible. “Oh, God.” Her head fell back and the muscles in her neck tautened as she strained for her climax. But he held that coveted peak just out of reach. Finally Jesse raised his eyes to hers. “Are you ready to come for me, Alexa?” “Yes.” She almost screamed the word. “Yes, yes, yessss.” “All right, then.” He moved the vibrator back to her clit, pressed hard and moved it back and forth against that already tormented erogenous knot. In seconds her orgasm took her, crashing her over the peak, tumbling her into space, shaking her entire body. Every muscle in her body seemed to clench and release. When the spasms slowed to little tremors, she felt Jesse’s tongue lapping at her, gathering her juices into his mouth. Just the touch incited another tiny orgasm to sweep over her. As her cunt pulsed with renewed need, Jesse sheathed himself and moved over her. With one swift movement he thrust inside her, his hot shaft filling every inch of her.

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“Oh, God, Jesse.” She arched her hips up to meet him, tilting her pelvis to take him even deeper. “Jesus, darlin’,” he rasped, “you’re gonna burn me alive.” Then his hips moved, his cock stroking her. The muscles of her pussy rippled around him. Jesse claimed her mouth, his tongue probing the wet cavern as his penis was claming her cunt. He tasted, ravaged, swept every inch of the soft, sensitive skin inside. Pressed the tip of his tongue to the roof of her mouth and stroked. Drank of her. Scorched her. Alexa clutched at him, matching him thrust for thrust as the rhythm accelerated. It was like moving up a roller coaster, one click at a time, breathlessly anticipating that elusive precipice. Her body pleaded with him soundlessly, begged him with its movement. Finally he increased his speed, harder, faster, pushing them both to the waiting crest. And then they tumbled over it together, falling into space. Colors and sparks whirled around them as he pumped his seed into the condom and her greedy cunt sucked him in. Alexa had no idea how long they lay there in the aftermath. Skin pressed against sweat-slicked skin, hearts thundered in matching rhythms. Eventually labored breathing settled back into a more normal tempo. Jesse shifted slightly, rolling to his side and taking Alexa with him. He cuddled her to his chest, his hand stroking her arm in an affectionate caress. Alexa buried her head against her chest and wondered what the hell she was going to do now. She had to let him go but it might just kill her.

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Chapter Three The rain had finally stopped and sunshine escaped the prison of the dark clouds to bathe the wet landscape with its heat. Alexa gave thanks for the break in the weather. The intense sexual activity had her body on edge and the desire to change plagued her constantly. Now that the weather was nicer it was exhilarating to race through the trees. The stars formed a canopy overhead and a soft breeze riffled her fur. She kept her romps in the woods to the hours when Jesse wasn’t home, though, not daring to take any more chances. Fortunately her hours were flexible. No one cared if she did her work at two a.m. or two p.m. Nothing mattered as long as she got the job done. She had finished showering after a run three nights later when she heard a car door slam in the driveway next door. Then a strange voice drifted up through her open window. “Come on, buddy, let me just help you into the house.” Hurrying to the side window in her bedroom, she strained to see through the dark. Her eyes picked out a tall, husky man who was walking Jesse slowly to his porch. Fingers of apprehension danced in her stomach. She threw on shorts and t-shirt, grabbed her key and raced next door. The front door was still open and the man was trying to get Jesse onto the couch. “What’s wrong?” She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice. The man straightened up and stared at her. “And you would be?” “It’s okay, Charlie.” Jesse’s voice sounded like pebbles bouncing on concrete. “Alexa lives next door.”

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“Maybe you can talk some sense into this jerk, then,” Charlie growled. “I tried getting him to make a quick trip to the ER but he’s just damn stubborn.” “What happened?” Her heart thumped with anxiety. Positioning herself on Jesse’s other side, she draped his arm over her shoulders. Together she and Charlie managed to get him onto his couch, where he collapsed like a limp dishrag. Charlie let out his breath with a whoosh. “Couple of gang members thought it would be great fun to mix it up with a couple of cops. You know, earn their stripes, so to speak.” He held out his hand. “Charlie Aquino. This idiot’s partner, for my sins.” Alexa shook hands with him. “My God, he looks like a truck fell on him.” “Might as well have. Too Big Sheehan weighs close to four hundred pounds. He sat on your friend here and tried to beat the shit out of him.” “Too Big Sheehan? Is that a real person?” Charlie nodded. “Bang Bang’s right hand man.” “What names.” Alexa was talking more to keep herself calm than anything else. “Something special set them off tonight?” Charlie’s laugh was unpleasant. “Yeah. Us being there. Maybe you know from Jesse that all-out warfare is right over the horizon. This group would be the one to start it.” “So just the two of you went?” She was flabbergasted. “No, the captain sent four others with us but Too Big was on Jesse before anyone could stop him. One of the guys finally had to Taser him.” He unbuttoned Jesse’s shirt with careful fingers. Alexa sucked in her breath at what she saw. Jesse’s skin was viciously discolored and already swelling in a number of places.

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“Let me get some ice and cold towels. He really should be checked for any broken bones, you know.” She stole one more quick look at Jesse. “And I think his nose is broken.” “Yeah, well, good luck with getting him to a doctor. I’ll get his shirt off while you get the stuff.” When Alexa came back into the living room Charlie had Jesse stripped down to his boxers and lying flat, with a pillow behind his neck. She placed a baggie with ice cubes under his nose and another one on his shoulder, which had already turned dark purple. She then made a second trip, hurrying back with a bowl of warm soapy water and a dish towel. She looked up at Charlie. “I’ll be okay with him. Really. You must have someone at home waiting for you.” He gave her a rueful grin. “My wife. A saint and an angel.” She smiled back at him. “Go on, then. I can take care of this big lug.” Charlie reached into his wallet and pulled out a slightly battered card. “I don’t give this out too often. It has my home and cell numbers on it. Call if you need me, okay?” She nodded. “Thank you.” She made sure to lock the front door after he left. Then she washed away the dirt and grime from Jesse’s body. He groaned when she touched his ribs but it wasn’t the sound a man would make if any bones were broken. Okay, then. Just beaten to a pulp and a candidate for a wide assortment of bruises. She rummaged in his medicine cabinet and found some peroxide, salve, bandages and a bottle of aspirin. When she finished cleaning and bandaging his cuts, she washed the blood away from his nose. Not broken here either, she decided, but she put the ice back to keep down the swelling. Then she got a glass of water and managed to raise his head enough to get him to swallow three of the pills.

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There didn’t seem to be any kind of throw or afghan in the living room. She found extra blankets folded at the foot of his bed and covered him with one of them. Satisfied she’d done all she could for the moment, she stretched out in his big arm chair with the ottoman, covering herself with the other blanket. Well, Jesse, you sure got yourself into a pile of shit, didn’t you? She could feel her wolf self raging to emerge, ready to savage the people who attacked her mate. Mate? Holy shit. Get your mind back on track, Alexa. Great sex with this man doesn’t make him your mate. No way, no how. Regardless of what he thinks, one look at you when you change and you’ll be dead meat. But she couldn’t bury her feelings for him deep enough. She had to face the fact she was in love with him. And that consumed her with the need to protect him. Well, that was something she could take care of, if he insisted on jumping back into the boiling pot. Which, knowing Jesse, he was sure to do. She didn’t know how long she sat watching him before she dozed off, only to be roused by the sound of a deep moan. Her eyes popped open to the sight of Jesse trying to lift himself from the couch. She was next to him in a flash. “You can’t get up, Jesse. You’re in terrible shape.” He’d knocked the bags of melting ice to the floor where they rested in tiny puddles. Now he was working at pushing himself to his feet. “Whatever you want, I’ll get it.” She tried to get him to lie back. “Can you pee for me?” he ground out, his jaw clenched. She almost laughed. “Well, no, I guess not. But let me help you to the bathroom.” Balancing herself with strength she didn’t know she had, she helped him to the master bathroom. He leaned on the sink next to the commode and glared at her. “Out. I can do this by myself.” 31

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“But—” “Out!” he roared, then groaned with the effort. “Okay, okay. But yell or bang on the door or something when you’re finished.” She leaned against the wall outside the bathroom, waiting until she heard the flush of the commode and the jiggling of the door handle. He was right there when she pushed the door open, body clenched with the effort to remain upright. “I have to shower.” His breath was raspy when he spoke. “The hot water will be good for me. I hate to ask but can you help me?” “Jessie, I really think you need to see a doctor.” He shook his head, then moaned at the pain it generated. “Captain will put me on medical leave. I just need a couple of days. Then I’ll be good to go.” “If you say so.” She was just happy he hadn’t told her to go home. “All right, big guy. Let’s do this.” The shower was an arduous process and an exercise in self discipline for Alexa. The wolf inside her continued to rage at the punishment Jesse had taken. Meanwhile her human hormones threatened to overtake her with every touch of her hand on his lean, hard, mouthwatering male body. She stripped her clothes off first, then got Jesse’s boxers off. Forcing herself not to be affected by the site of him totally nude, she sat him down on the little built-in seat. With the spray carefully directed to avoid pummeling him, she soaped him up as gently as she could. His erection, even in the midst of all this pain, was hard to miss. Alexa had to bite her lip to keep from stroking it too long, or caressing his balls. When she cleaned him there, Jesse looked at her from beneath half-open lids. A ghost of a smile played with his mouth. “If you did all the work we could do something to make me forget the pain,” he teased.

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But she saw how his jaw was set and the grooves in his face deepened. “If we did anything like that you’d be a permanent cripple,” she teased and moved her hands away. He grabbed one of them and placed it over his cock. “I won’t be stove up for very long, Alexa. Then I’ll make you pay for forcing me to wait.” Laughter bubbled up from her throat. “Ooh, big bad cop. Are you going to handcuff me and do evil things to me?” Wincing, he leaned close enough to put his mouth to her ear. “That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Alexa shivered. She was glad Jesse couldn’t see the liquid of her arousal gush from her pussy and wet her thighs. She had no idea how long they were in the shower. When the water finally began to run cool she shut it off. Opening the glass door, she reached for one of the oversized bath towels she’d placed on the counter. She wiped off Jesse’s face, then helped him out so she could dry the rest of him. By the time she got herself dried off and Jesse into clean boxers and onto the bed she was panting with the effort. She put fresh salve on his cuts, got more aspirin into him and found one of his t-shirts for herself. Exhaustion suddenly hit her. Worse than that, her wolf-self, which had been raging to get out at the first sight of Jesse’s bruised body, was giving her no peace. Not now. Go back in your closet. With fierce determination she suppressed the urge to change and pulled a sheet over Jesse. He reached out a hand to her. “Lie down with me? Please?” How could she say no to him? Besides, this way she could keep a better eye on him. She slid in beside him, put her head on the pillow and one hand on his biceps. If he moved, she’d know about it.

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He woke once, moaning in a low voice. She gave him more aspirin and put more salve on his cuts. Then she resumed her place next to him, monitoring him, unable to relax. At some point she finally fell asleep. When she woke, bright sunlight was flooding the room through the window. In the chaos of the night, she’d forgotten to close the blinds. She turned to see if Jesse was still asleep and found him looking at her with watchful eyes. “Morning.” He sounded marginally better than the night before. “Good morning.” She lifted herself on one elbow. The sheet had slipped down to his waist and she ran critical eyes over his body. He was a mass of discoloration and swelling. “I’ll live,” he told her, as if reading her mind. “Although at the moment I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.” If he hadn’t already been in such bad shape she’d have slapped him. “Don’t even think that.” She grinned at him. “You have some interesting bruises, Mr. Farrell. Not even an artist could have done a wilder job.” “Thanks. I think.” His face turned serious. “And thanks for taking care of me last night. It really wasn’t your job.” “Just shut up. My nursing skills needed practicing, anyway.” He circled her wrist with his fingers and moved her hand to lay it on his morning erection. “I think I’m in a little better shape today,” he teased. “Want to find out? I’ll let you have all the control.” She leaned forward and nipped the edge of his jaw. “Don’t tempt me. Besides, I don’t want to spoil the scene with the handcuffs.” Fire blazed in his eyes and she felt his cock twitch beneath her hand. “Don’t you worry, darlin’. Nothing’s going to spoil it.”

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“Still, I think we better hold off on this a little.” She climbed out of bed. “I don’t know about you but I think some coffee would taste really good right about now.” “You really are an angel come down from heaven.” His grin was weak but it had a touch of the wicked in it. “Even if you won’t let me play.” “Sure. Wait while I get my wings.” An hour later they were sitting at the kitchen table, drinking the last of the coffee and finishing off the toast she’d made. Jesse looked much better. His eyes were clearer and the pain had receded to a tolerable level. “You sure don’t spend a lot on groceries,” Alexa told him. “I couldn’t even find an egg in the fridge.” “Takeout’s a lot easier,” he told her. “I’m going to do some shopping as soon as I get dressed. You aren’t in any shape to go out to eat and you can’t live on pizza and Chinese food.” He reached for one of her hands. “Alexa, I have to go back to work. I can’t just lie around here while you tend to my battered body, much as I’d love to.” “But you can’t go back yet,” she protested. “You’re in no shape to confront these gang members right now.” The phone rang and she grabbed it before he could get out of the chair, relieved it was Charlie. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice,” she told him. “Tell this partner of yours he can’t go out with you tonight.” “Put him on,” Charlie said. She held the phone out so she and Jesse could both hear. Charlie raised his voice so it would carry. “Captain says if you come back to work within the next two days he’ll beat you up himself.” There was more back and forth but at the end Jesse gave in. Charlie promised to come by later before he started his shift. 35

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“Okay,” he told Alexa, a grin teasing at his mouth. “I’m yours to do with as you wish.” “If only,” she teased. “Big talk for a wounded man.” But once he’d gotten his protests out of the way, Jesse proved to be an amenable patient. Alexa went home to change, then grocery shopped to stock his cupboards and fridge. When he could stand the pressure of her hands on him, she rubbed soothing ointment into every muscle of his body, taking particular care with the bruised areas. Twice she ran hot water in the tub and made him soak until the water cooled off. By the end of the second day he was moving around with only a twinge of discomfort and the swelling around his nose had diminished considerably. When Charlie came by the second night, Jesse was feeling almost human. Alexa fixed a fresh pot of coffee, then told the men she was going home for a while. “No, stay,” Jesse told her. “There’s nothing you can’t hear.” “That’s all right. Talk to Charlie. I’ll be back soon. I just have a few things to do.” Like finally give in to the need to change and take a run in the woods. After suppressing the urge for more than forty-eight hours, her body was in distress. She slipped out of the house through the back door and hurried to her own rear entrance. Shedding her clothes in her utility room, she peeked out to make sure it was dark enough to hide her movements. Satisfying herself that neither Jesse nor Charlie had stepped outside, she gave herself over to the change. In moments her limbs had lengthened, her hands and feet morphed into paws and her nose into a snout. Soft, shiny fur covered her skin. Feeling the blood surge through her veins, she nosed open the door and raced across the lawn to the woods. Even in her wolf form her desire for Jesse still coursed through her system. No matter how fast she ran she couldn’t get away from it. Blanking her mind, she concentrated on the scent of the trees and the wild plants, the rustling sounds of small animals and the feel of the soft breeze against her pelt.

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When she reached her favorite resting place, she dropped to the soft earth, panting. Conflicting feelings were bubbling through her—a thirst for revenge for Jesse’s attackers, fear of his rejection if he knew the truth about her and an emotional need for him so strong it threatened to overtake her. She was doing exactly what she’d promised herself she’d never do again. Never mind that Jesse had given her no indication of his own feelings except to devour her body. She’d have to find a way to reign in her feelings. But in the meantime there was one thing she could do. She could keep watch over him, even though he wouldn’t know it.

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Chapter Four The following evening Alexa watched from the side of her house as Jesse got into his car and headed for work. She’d been edgy and nervous all day, knowing what she planned to do and hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake. Yet doing nothing, when she knew he was in danger, wasn’t an option, either. Fifteen minutes before she knew he’d be leaving she’d allowed herself to change, using the shrubbery to conceal herself. Seconds after he left she was loping down the street, lengthening her stride to keep up with the car yet still remain out of sight. The night was warm, the air heavy with humidity. Before too long she was sweating beneath her pelt and panting but she kept on, always with the car in sight. At the police station she hid behind the dumpster while Jesse went inside to check in. Minutes later he came out with Charlie and they got into his beat-up car. When they drove away, she took off after them. She used buildings and other structures to shield herself when she could. The most nervous situations were when she had to move into the open just to keep the car in her line of sight. Soon they left Dolphin City behind and traveled along a two-lane country highway lined with giant oak trees. Here and there a farmhouse sat well back from the road, the property bordered by a chain link fence. When they entered the outskirts of Grantville the scenery changed again. This was a town of migrant workers and day laborers, not a place where any type of wealth had intruded. Small houses crowded together on narrow residential streets, where both pavement and lawn cried out for care. The downtown area, barely six blocks long, was clustered around the showplace of the town—the Super Wal-Mart. Jesse’s car pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store. At least twenty youths were gathered smoking and drinking beer. They were very young, maybe too young to 38

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be perched so close to the edge of prison or death. She guessed the ages of the group from sixteen to twenty-five. All wore what seemed to be the uniform of the day—baggy hip-riding jeans and oversized t-shirts hanging below their knees. Some had the familiar bandana tied around their heads. Their expressions were filled with arrogance and disdain. This was where Jesse had been hurt, trying to keep peace between this gang and the neighboring one. Every one of Alexa’s senses went on alert. She had read enough about gang warfare in the newspaper and seen enough on television to know the danger Charlie and Jesse walked into every night. Alexa knew more than she wanted to about pack mentality. Reason went out the window. She’d faced other predators, four-legged ones, who didn’t frighten her the way these people did. The beating they’d given Jesse had been a warning. From the atmosphere they projected, they’d just begun. She readied herself to act at the slightest sign of trouble. It was hard to restrain the urge to show herself, fangs bared. She swallowed a menacing growl that bubbled up from her chest. She stiffened as Jesse and Charlie got out of the car and leaned against it. She was marginally relieved to see that he and his partner each carried two handguns. Charlie also cradled a riot gun in his arms, a silent warning. Why don’t Jesse and Charlie have any backup? Surely their captain wouldn’t have sent them out by themselves after what happened. Then she remembered Jesse telling her how thin the task force was stretched. The crowd moved forward as one mass, the tension in the air so thick it was nearly visible. “Hey! Cop boys!” A large youth with an arrogant swagger moved to stand in front of the group. He lifted his chin in an aggressive motion. This must be Bang Bang, she thought. The alpha.

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“I’m not your cop boy and neither is he.” Charlie’s voice was even and controlled. Alexa didn’t smell the intense fear from him she would have expected. Good. He has himself under control. “I mean you, the other cop boy.” He inclined his head toward Jesse. “You come back for more beat-down lessons? You don’t learn the first time?” Alexa’s pulse speeded up and she padded over to the rear of the car, watchful. Her nose picked up the scent of fear emanating from several of the gang members. Aha! They aren’t quite as cool about the cops as they pretended. “You think beating the shit out of some cop is going to keep us out of here, Bang Bang?” Jesse’s voice was deceptively calm. “Forget it. Stay in your own territory. We don’t need trouble here in the county.” “Oh yeah?” Bang Bang swaggered closer. “Like what kind of trouble you talkin’ about?” Charlie still leaned against the car, letting Jesse have the lead. He’d been the victim. He needed to take control. “You know damn well what I mean. Challenging the Cubans for their turf. Bad idea. Very bad.” Bang Bang laughed, an unpleasant sound. “Them boat people need to go back where they came from and leave this turf to the homies. We’re just gonna help them along a little.” “I’m telling you, give it up.” “Or what, cop boy?” Bang Bang moved closer. “I think maybe we need to send a better message this time. Stay out of our territory.” “No can do.” Jesse shook his head. Alexa sniffed the adrenaline coursing through his system. She was afraid he was ready to provoke another confrontation and she couldn’t let him do that.

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Charlie straightened his posture and slipped his finger into the trigger guard of the rifle. Bang Bang moved closer, a look of menace on his face. “Listen good this time, cop boy. Stay out of our way or they’ll be hauling your ass out of here in pieces. That plain enough?” The crowd surged behind him, looking to surround the two cops. Alexa moved instinctively, padding to Jesse’s side, finally allowing herself to growl menacingly. Bang Bang’s eyes widened. “Shit! You got yourself a dog?” Jesse looked down at Alexa and his eyes widened fractionally in surprise. She could almost see his brain processing, recalling the glimpse of her the other day. “He followed me here from my neighborhood. I don’t think he likes you, either.” “Better call him off before he gets hurt,” someone shouted. Alexa growled louder and bared her teeth. “I don’t think I like that dog, cop boy.” Bang Bang’s hand came forward, holding a gun in the sideways grip that gangs favored. “You got a permit for that piece?” Jesse took one step forward. “As much a permit as I need to shoot your ass.” His hand tightened on the grip. Alexa launched herself, a reddish-brown blur as she clamped her teeth on Bang Bang’s hand, knocking him to the ground and shaking the gun loose. The man’s scream of agony split the air. “Hey, cop boy. Call off your damn dog,” someone shouted. More guns suddenly appeared. Charlie fired a warning shot in the air with the assault rifle. “Nobody moves. Get back now and drop your guns.” Bang Bang continued to shriek in agony and one of the gang members pulled out a Taser. Charlie fired the rifle in the air again. 41

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“I said don’t move. Don’t you understand English?” Now Jesse had his gun out too. He and Charlie stood with their backs against the car, guns moving from one side of the crowd to the other in steady sweep patterns. “Get that dog off Bang Bang then,” someone yelled. Satisfied she’d accomplished her purpose, Alexa opened her jaws and released her grip on Bang Bang. But her warning to the others was plain. Stay back. Blood gushed from the puncture wounds on Bang Bang’s hand. He cradled it against his body, moaning loudly. “Better take your buddy to the doctor,” Jesse told the crowd. “Don’t want him to get rabies.” Charlie snorted. “Yeah, better not let him bite you on the way. Come on. Pick him up. And I don’t want to see any hardware, understand?” Alexa continued to bare her teeth, Bang Bang’s blood still dripping from her jaws. These were the people who’d hurt Jesse. She couldn’t let that happen again. Two youths came forward slowly, eying the rifle and giving Alexa a wide berth. Clumsily, they helped Bang Bang to his feet, then hustled him off to a pickup parked beside the store. The others dispersed into the darkness, muttering to themselves. Jesse and Charlie waited until the pickup left and they were sure everyone else was gone before putting away their firepower. “God, Jesse.” Charlie shook his head. “You didn’t tell me you got yourself a vicious dog.” Jesse shrugged and reached down to stroke Alexa’s thick, glossy pelt, strangely unafraid. “I didn’t. He just sort of showed up near my house the other day, then again tonight.” Charlie grinned. “Well, your biology isn’t too good, either. He’s a she.” He pointed. “Look. No dick.”

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Alexa raised her face to Jesse’s as his gaze swept over her body. For just an instant she saw something flare in his eyes and she turned away from him. “Well, girl,” he said, “I don’t know where you came from or why you picked me but I’m damn glad you decided to show up.” “Come on, Jesse.” Charlie stowed the rifle in the car. “We gotta move.” “Yeah, all right. I’m coming.” But he lifted Alexa’s snout and searched her eyes, looking for…what? Alexa pulled away from him and trotted to the side of the store. Come on, Jesse, get moving. I can’t stand here all night. “We need to check the whole town, make sure these guys don’t regroup,” Jesse reminded his partner. “They’ll lay low tonight,” Charlie pointed out. “Maybe try to figure out some kind of payback. It’s tomorrow night and the next one that concerns me.” “Meanwhile, we’ve got three more towns to sweep before we turn back. Need to make sure all the chickens are in their cages for the night.” “Think your pet will come along for the ride?” Charlie asked, climbing into the passenger’s seat. Jesse shrugged. “I told you, she’s not mine.” Alexa saw Charlie peer out the window, looking for her. The last thing he said before the car pulled away made her stiffen with shock. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say that’s no dog but a wolf. Seen any wolves around this part of the country lately?” Whatever Jesse might have answered was lost in the roar of the muffler. Great. Just great. That’s all I need. With the darkening of night it became easier for her to hide herself as she loped after the car. At each stop the same process was repeated—Jesse and Charlie would confront a group, remind them of their situation, then move on. But somehow the word had spread. None of the other groups were as threatening as the first one. 43

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By the time they’d finished their tour Alexa was exhausted. She was, however, convinced Jesse would still be alive when the night was over. But then there was the next night and the next. How long could she keep it up? When the car finally pulled into the station, Alexa raced home. She breathed a sigh of relief as she made it to her back porch without being seen. Changing back to human form, she fished the key from where she’d stashed it and let herself into the house. She really needed a shower.

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Chapter Five Jesse pulled into his driveway, killed the motor and leaned his arms on the steering wheel. His mind was filled with streams of chaotic thoughts. Where had the damn dog suddenly come from? There’d been no sight of him—her—until the other night, then this evening she’d shown up apparently as his guardian angel. He’d certainly enjoyed watching her take a piece out of Bang Bang’s hand but only shock and Charlie’s rifle had kept the others from shooting the animal. And was Charlie right? Was the dog really a wolf? He knew there were some red wolves in the abandoned orange groves just outside town. He’d never actually seen one before, though. And why him? What was it that made him a special project of this dog-wolf? He looked up to and saw the light on in Alexa’s living room. She’d developed the habit of leaving it on every night now, a welcoming beacon for him. I’m here, Jesse, if you want me. Want her? Oh, hell, yes. Knowing he was sinking deeper and deeper into a relationship that probably couldn’t go anywhere, he climbed out of the car and mounted the steps to her porch. He was already hardening at the thought of seeing her.

* * * ** Alexa headed for the shower as soon as she locked the back door. She needed to wash off the stink of the roads and the taste of Bang Bang’s blood in her mouth. I wish Jesse was here to shower with me. The thought of the two of them naked in the shower made every pulse in her body throb. Soaping her body, she ran her lathered fingers over her clit and into her cunt. 45

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God! I want Jesse’s hand in there. No, his cock. Manipulating her clit, she managed the give herself enough of an orgasm to take the edge off. But it wasn’t nearly enough. She sighed as she turned off the shower and toweled off her body. After rubbing her special lotion all over her body, she slipped on a night shirt and was drying her hair when the doorbell rang. She peered through the spy hole, her heart skipping a beat. Jesse. Ignoring him right now, when her pheromones were ramped up after the night’s adrenaline hit, would be the smartest thing to do. But of course smart wouldn’t have had her out patrolling the Florida shanty towns to keep Jesse safe. She took a deep breath, gathering herself and opened the door. There he was, leaning against the door frame. Fatigue lined his face but desire smoldered in his eyes. He looked down at her. “Hi.” “Hi.” She was frozen in place, sure that he could hear the loud thumping of her heart. Come in, Jesse. Let me rip off your clothes and impale myself on your magnificent cock. “I know it’s late but somehow this is becoming a habit.” One corner of his mouth turned up in a seductive grin. “Yes.” The word came out as a breathless sound. “It is.” “So, can I come in?” His eyes raked over her. “You’re on the way to bed, right?” “Yes. No. I mean, of course come in.” And join me in bed. The door had barely closed before he swept her into his arms and pulled her body tightly against his. Even through the rough denim of his jeans Alexa felt the hard thickness of his cock pressing against her soft belly. Her nipples hardened and peaked and her legs trembled.

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Jesus, what this man did to her. She was getting herself in deeper and deeper and had no idea how to pull back. One touch from him and she had no control over her senses. He tore his mouth away from hers at last, trailing his tongue along the line of her jaw and the sensitive column of her neck. “I guess you’re pretty well healed up.” She managed to get the words out while trying to ignore the tiny fingers of flame racing up and down her skin. “Oh, yeah. Bet on it. Right now, though,” he mumbled, “I stink from the streets. I know you just showered but maybe you could still wash my back?” She struggled to keep her voice even and took his hand. “No problem. Come on. I’ll give you a taste of my magic fingers.” “God, Alexa,” he breathed in her ear. “You’re teasing a man in combustible shape.” “Maybe the water will cool you off,” she dimpled.

***** But if anything the shower only heightened his arousal. This had become a place where they had some of their most inventive sex. He took the bar of soap and began to lather himself with it but Alexa slipped it smoothly away from him. Pushing him with her small hands, she turned him to face the tile wall. She was grateful to notice his bruises had faded a lot and the swelling was gone. “Put your hands over your head, Jesse and lean forward.” Her voice had a ragged edge to it, matching the thunderbolt rocketing through her. “Are you going to frisk me?” he teased, his own voice none too steady. She gave his shoulder a gentle bite. “And a whole lot more.” Beginning with his shoulders, she traced the line of hard muscle from side to side. Her fingers made sweeping strokes down his arms to his wrists and back again. With a light circular motion she worked the soap into the taut flesh of his back, slowly drawing a path to his waist. 47

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When she backed off to wet the soap again, a tiny growl rolled up from his throat. “Getting anxious?” She let her fingers trail lightly from shoulders to waist again. “For you? Always.” He started to turn around but her small hands at his waist signaled him to stay the way he was. Shoulders hunched against the spray of water falling on her, she washed first one ankle then the other, working her way up the insides of his thighs. When she reached forward and spread the thick lather on his testicles, he shuddered and widened his stance to give her greater access. With a touch like a feather she lathered the soft hair covering his balls. A fine tremor ran through his body and his cock twitched. Giving in to a bold urge, wanting to shock his mind away from the night’s activities, she slicked her fingers again with the soap and ran them up and down the cleft of his buttocks. The muscles in his butt clenched and she fully expected him to pull away but he didn’t. He stood plastered to the wall, letting her fingers tease and tantalize him. She leaned closer and nipped his shoulder. “What will you do if I explore forbidden territory?” she whispered. “Wouldn’t you like to feel my fingers inside you, just like I feel you inside me?”

***** Even through the scent of the soap that permeated the mist surrounding them, Jesse could smell her arousal. He felt excitement course through him at her suggestion. If he could reach between her legs to her sweet, sweet pussy he knew it would be rich with cream, the thickness of it dripping down her thighs. Against him her body quivered. “Ever done this before, darlin’?” He could barely get the words out. “Never.” Her voice was as ragged as his. “I’ve never wanted to do it to another man. Ever. But I want this so bad with you, Jesse.” He had swallow twice before he could speak again. “Then go ahead, darlin’. Try it and see.” 48

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Covering her hand with a thick lather, she rimmed the edge of his anus with one delicate fingertip before slowly pushing it past the resisting muscle. He sucked in his breath with a sharp sound as her finger invaded him, pulled in by the hot, tight channel. Reaching around in front of him she cupped his testicles. Her nails raked lightly over the sensitive surface as she began to move her finger in and out of him in a steady motion. “Jesus Christ, Alexa.” The words exploded from him. “You’ll make me come before I want to.” She nipped his shoulder again, those perfect, even white teeth sending tiny electric shocks through him. “Does it feel good, Jesse? Oh, yes, I can tell it does. Your cock is enormous.” “Yes, it feels great,” he gritted through clenched teeth. “Better than great.” “Have you ever let another woman do this?” It took him a long time to get the answer out. “No. Never.” He drew in a sharp breath. “I…never wanted to get this personal with anyone else.” “Good. That’s good.” And all the while her fingers were doing wicked, clever things to him. “This is what it feels like when my cock is stuffed in your ass, isn’t it?” “Yes.” The word was barely a whisper. Even in the short time they’d been together he knew when he was inside her nothing else mattered. Not to either of them. Everything was centered on his hot erection filling every corner of her body. Of her soul, damn it. And his. And what did he do about that?

*****

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Exultation coursed through Alexa as she realized they had crossed some invisible boundary of intimacy. Jesse gave her such mind-blowing pleasure and now she was able to do the same for him. At the same time a tiny voice sounded an alarm. Don’t think this is going anywhere, little wolf. Remember the last time. Deliberately she pushed the warning voice aside and slid her finger from Jesse’s ass, lightly scraping the tissue as she did so. Urging him with her hands, she turned him so he faced her. His face was taut with passion, his cock swollen and throbbing. She forced herself to move at the same, slow pace she’d used on his back, swirling the lather through the dark hairs on the hard wall of his chest. Her fingertips lightly pinched his dusky nipples and his penis bobbed against her abdomen. When she could no longer restrain herself, she took his erection in her hands. The head was a dark purple now, engorged with blood and the ropy vein that ran down the underside pulsed with life. Scooping water into her hands she rinsed the soap from his shaft and began to stroke him with an unhurried rhythm. Wanting more, needing more, she dropped to her knees and took him into her mouth. Deep inside her a primitive pounding vibrated the walls of her channel, reaching out through her womb and spreading throughout her entire body. Her breasts felt heavy and her nipples ached for the feel of Jesse’s mouth on them. God, this man had become like a drug to her. One touch, one glancing caress and she went up in flames. She was in such big trouble. Suddenly she felt his hands on either side of her head, lifting her despite her protests. “Much as I want to come in your mouth,” he rasped, “and feel my liquid sliding down that beautiful throat, I have to be inside you. Now.” He slid the shower door open enough to reach the condom he’d left on the counter. A quick movement of his hand and he was sheathed. Pressing her against the wall, his strong arms reached under her and lifted her thighs, opening her wide to him. One flex of his hips and he was seated to the balls, filling every inch of her slick channel. 50

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She gripped his arms tightly, nails digging into his rigid biceps. She wanted it to last, wanted to hold onto it. But finger-fucking his ass had turned her on so and the night’s activities had given her such an adrenaline high, she began to climax almost at once. A low, keening sound rolled from her partly-open mouth, her cunt gripping his cock like a suction cup. He held her while her pelvis thrust out at him and spasms shook her. She pulled herself as tightly to him as she could, the heated tissues of her vagina grasping at him, wanting to suck him into her body. Mine, mine, mine, pounded through her brain as she rode his erection to completion. Jesse reached behind her to turn off the water and slowly lowered her legs to the floor. A scattered thought pierced her mental fog. “You didn’t…I mean…” “No, darlin’ but don’t you worry. I’m saving it for something special.” In what seemed like seconds he had them both dried off and on the bed, arranging her on her hands and knees. He knelt behind her wide-spread legs, his big, warm hands resting on the cheeks of her buttocks, his thumbs pulling apart the lips of her pussy. Already she could feel the trickle of her arousal seeping from her tissues. Jesse inhaled. “Mmmm. Sweetest scent in the world, darlin’.” And then his tongue swept the length of her slit, leaving a trail of fire as it moved up and down. With the tip he scooped the rich cream running from her, his warm breath like a thousand feathers on her tender skin. When he plunged his stiffened tongue inside her she automatically pushed back at him, clenching her vaginal muscles to lock him in place. He dragged his tongue back out, teasing her as he left her empty once more. “Jesse, please,” she begged. The one orgasm in the shower had merely whetted her appetite. Now she need more. Harder. Longer.

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His lips brushed the line where buttocks met her thighs as his fingers scooped her juices from her cunt. “Time for your treat now, darlin’. Your turn to feel that hunger.” He licked the cheeks of her ass. “Remember how good this felt the first night, Alexa? You loved the feel of my cock in your ass, didn’t you?” “Yesss.” The word hissed from her mouth, every nerve leaping to attention and quivering in anticipation. “Then get ready, darlin’. Here we go.” He spread her juices around the tightly puckered rosebud of her anus, then slid one finger inside, moving it back and forth. Alexa’s stomach clenched, her pussy clenched, heat suffused her skin and her breasts felt as if tiny arrows were pricking them. There wasn’t an inch of her body inside and out that wasn’t hot for this invasion. Slowly Jesse slid a second finger in next to the first and began to scissor them gently, stretching her. His penetration was easier tonight than it had been that first time. Alexa began to rock against his hand, silently begging for more. Then she felt his fingers slip out and the broad head of his cock pressed against the muscles, pushing, pushing, until pop! And he was inside her. “Do you know what it felt like to have your finger up my ass?” His voice didn’t even sound as if it belonged to him. “You hit the hot spots, Alexa. I thought my dick would take off on its own.” His words were pushing her farther and farther toward the edge. She gritted her teeth to keep from coming at once, struggling to absorb the strange sensations racing through her body. “And then,” he went on, “I thought, holy shit! This is what it felt like when I fucked your ass before. I remembered your sweet little body and your oh-so-tempting little hole. The feeling when it clutched around my cock like a steel glove. This is where I brand you, darlin’. As mine. All mine.”

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Jesse snaked one arm around her waist and reached between her legs to pinch her clit. He placed his lips close to her ear. “I’m gonna give you the ride of your life, darlin’.” And he did. Even more than the first time. His shaft felt enormous inside the hot tunnel of her ass. His fingers on her clit were like pressure on a faucet as liquid poured from her in a steady stream. She was mindless with the sensation of it, pushing back hard with her hips, riding that roller coaster one click at a time as she strained to reach the top of the rails. “Ready to come again, aren’t you, darlin’?” His voice at her ear was hoarse and uneven, his body hot and sweat-slicked against her back. “God, yes.” She could hardly get the words out. Every fiber of her body was focused on reaching that elusive peak. Jesse’s enormous cock filled her so full she didn’t think there was room for a whisper of air in her body. It was raw and brutal but at the same time intensely personal on a visceral level. He was doing more than taking her flesh—he was claiming her soul. She had never had sex like this before, so all-consuming. Nothing in her life had prepared her for the primitive nature of this coupling. Yet as hard as he pushed her she reached for more and tried to climb even higher. A freight train roared through her, the noise obliterating everything but the thundering of her heart and the convulsive clenching of her muscles over and over again. She couldn’t breathe, her heart hammering against her ribs so hard she was afraid it would explode “All right, then.” His voice was barely distinguishable. “Let’s do it. Let me have every bit of that tasty body that I crave like a drug.” Above her his muscles tensed, then his hips increased their pace, his testicles slapping at her thighs. One moment he was driving her forward, the next he was shuddering over her, flooding the condom with his seed, pumping into her again and again. 53

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Her orgasm exploded through her, shaking her from head to toe, every muscle clenching and spasming. Perspiration poured from her as she felt the pulsing of his penis inside the hot, dark channel of her rectum. “Mine!” he hollered and she didn’t have the strength to disagree. Or the desire. He held her as the aftershocks rippled through her, body jerking and convulsing, tight little ass pushing back again and again on his still swollen cock. How could she ever give up the feelings he aroused in her, the volatile sex that threatened every moment to burn them alive? No man had ever given her this, made her pleasure more important than his own. He owned her now, she was his to do with as he wished and she wasn’t sure she’d ever get enough of him. She’d gone and done it now, for sure. At last, when she was sure one more spasm would kill her, Jesse collapsed forward on her, pressing her into the mattress, his strong arms holding her tightly to him. Alexa had no idea how long they lay there, glued together, sweat drying on their skin, lungs gasping for air and hearts trying valiantly to find a calmer rhythm. Jesse’s arm moved and his fingers traced a pattern on her cheek. He tucked the sweat-soaked strands of hair behind her ear and feathered tiny kisses on her shoulder and neck. “Jesus Christ, Alexa,” he breathed. “Indeed.” They were silent again for a long while. Then he moved and rolled them to their feet. “I hope you have an inexhaustible supply of hot water, because I think we need another shower.” He lifted her with arms that shook slightly and headed for the bathroom. “We have some serious talking to do,” he told her, adjusting the faucets. “Whatever this started out to be, it’s moved way past it. It’s not just play any more. I’m a selfish

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bastard, darlin’ and I’m through trying to be noble. Somehow we’ll work through what I do and what we are together, because I have a news flash for you. You belong to me now, Alexa Morgan. You’re mine. Remember that.” Would you still feel that way, Jesse, my love, if you knew the woman you’re holding in your arms was only half-human? What then?

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Chapter Six Alexa had pulled her night shirt back on and Jesse had a bath towel knotted low on his hips. She found a half-open bottle of wine in the fridge and brought it into the bedroom with two glasses. Now they sat cross-legged on the bed, sharing it. “I don’t know why I’m not passed out on your floor,” he grinned. “Charlie and I had a hellacious night tonight. Then I show up here and fuck your brains out. Not to mention what’s left of mine.” He raised his glass in a toast to her. “You could breathe life into a mummy, sweet thing. I see you and I don’t know what I want to do first—lick that sweet little slit of yours or suck your tasty nipples. Maybe feel your ass clench itself around my fingers or fill your pretty cunt jam-full with my cock.” Alexa couldn’t believe she blushed. “Maybe it was just all that adrenaline driving you,” she pointed out. He shook his head. “Possibly a little but darlin’, the rest is you.” His eyes raked her over the rim of his glass. “I don’t know what it is, Alexa. The first time I saw you I wanted your body. That’s all it was. I’ll admit it. You don’t know how many nights I dreamed about stripping you naked and stuffing my cock into you as far as it would go.” “I…had thoughts about you too,” she admitted with a shy little smile. Jesse put his glass down carefully on the night stand. “The sex is phenomenal. Better than I could have imagined.” “But?” Her stomach knotted. She didn’t think she wanted hear what came next. She wasn’t ready for this yet. He reached for the hand not holding the wine glass, linking his fingers through hers. “This is about a lot more than sex, sweet thing. A lot more. And I don’t think either of us expected it.” 56

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I didn’t. That’s for sure. “I tried to talk to you about this the other night but we got…sidetracked.” “I like that track,” she grinned. “Me too, darlin’, but I can’t have you walk into this unless you really know what’s going on.” Oh, Jesse, you have no idea how much I know. “Like I tried to say before, there are reasons why I’ve never looked for any kind of permanent relationship,” he went on. “You know what kind of job I have. I don’t think it’s fair to a woman to ask her to deal with that. All that garbage and anxiety and the constant worry.” Alexa sipped slowly on her wine. She had to be very careful here not to give anything away. “I know you’re on the gang task force. And I’ve seen and read enough about it to know it’s dangerous and dirty work.” His face darkened and his eyes shuttered, an automatic response to close out unpleasantness. “See, that’s the thing, Alexa. What I do is so dirty I hate to soil our relationship by even discussing it.” “Damn it, Jesse.” She tossed back the rest of the wine. “If you’re setting up roadblocks here I should at least know what they are. I’m a big girl. I won’t run away screaming.” She leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Jesse picked up one of her hands in his and began to play lightly with the fingers. ”This county has been a breeding ground for gangs. It’s a poor county and doesn’t offer the kids a lot.” “So they form gangs,” she guessed. He nodded. “For a long time it was just a lot of pushing and shoving and posturing. We kept it pretty much under control. But the last few months the action’s been ramped up. There’s a couple of idiots who think they need to earn their stripes with all-out warfare, plus they’re looking to expand their territory.”

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“That’s how you got beaten up, right? Trying to keep this from happening.” Jesse nodded. “Charlie and I are assigned to keep the lid on the central part of the county. But that’s where the worst of the trouble is brewing.” He took a deep breath and let it out in a slow stream. “Which is why we’re having this chat. Darlin’, I could come home any night in a body bag. That’s not something I’d like to think of you waiting up for.” Alexa tightened her grip on his fingers, weighing her words carefully. Everything he said made sense and gave her the opening she needed, so why didn’t she just take it? Stupid, Alexa. Dumb, dumb, dumb. “I think part of that choice has to be mine, don’t you agree?” “Alexa. Darlin’. You saw the condition I came home in the other night. What if I’d been dead, instead?” “But…” “Take tonight, for example.” She listened carefully while he spoke, keeping her eyes focused on her hands in her lap. Not even by a flicker of an eyelash would she give herself away. “It might have turned out worse,” he told her, “except the strangest thing happened.” “Oh?” She tensed, knowing what was coming. “Remember the other night I told you I thought I saw a big dog run through here? Well, she showed up again tonight. And here’s the craziest thing. Charlie thinks it’s a wolf.” “A wolf?” Her heart almost tripped over itself. She tried to keep her voice to a normal level of surprise. “Around here?” Jesse nodded. “Yeah. Can you believe it? It was the damndest thing. I guess some of them hang out at that old deserted citrus grove.” He laughed. “This one seems to be adopting me.”

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“Adopting you.” “Uh huh. You wouldn’t believe what happened if I told you.” He sighed heavily. “You know, I had it all planned out. I’d come in here tonight, give you a big hug, then tell you in a reasonable manner why it isn’t good for you to be seeing me. Tell you everything I just said.” No, Jesse, not yet. I can’t walk away from you yet. “Besides,” he continued, “I hate the dirt I bring in here with me, the garbage from the streets that still clings to me.” “Jessie, I—“ “But the minute I lay eyes on you, all I can think about is devouring every inch of you. Wrapping you up and keeping you in my pocket forever.” Alexa drew in a deep breath and let it out. “Life is all about chances, Jesse. You do what you do to protect the people who can’t protect themselves against these vermin. But to survive you need someone to lead you out of the darkness and into clean light.” She inched herself closer. “Why can’t I be that person? There are lots of things you don’t know about me that might send you running for Alaska. But hell, for now at least, I’m willing to take a chance.” But will you? He studied her face for a long moment. “I don’t guess we have much choice, do we?” One corner of his mouth quirked up in a sexy half-grin. “Especially when you tempt me like this.” They were sitting cross-legged, Indian-style, knees touching. Her cunt was exposed to him, wet and slick once more. His cock was hard again despite the intense orgasm they’d shared. His eyes dark with passion, he reached forward with his thumbs and peeled away the hood shielding her swollen erogenous knot, now a dark red. “You know, your clit’s like a tiny dick,” he said in wonder. “A miniature cock.”

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He pulled her closer until her naked breasts rubbed against the hair-roughened wall of his chest. Uncrossing her legs, he wrapped them around his waist and pulled her as close as possible. A look of awe was still stamped on his face. He took his shaft in one hand and with the other peeled back the hood protecting the hot bud of her clit, pressing against it as intimately as he could. The tiny bundle of hot flesh rubbed against the slit at the head of his cock, lubricated by the thick drop of precum. “Tell me how it feels, Alexa.” His voice was hot and raw. “How does it feel to rub that clit right on my cock?” Alexa felt cream flood from her at his words and the nerves in her cunt danced in response. Fire bubbled in her veins and primitive urges that she fought every day to control surged forward like a wild storm. “Jesse,” she breathed, rubbing her distended clit into the notch of his broad head. His hands grabbed her face with unintentional roughness. “Christ, Alexa, I need you more than I need to breathe.” He pushed away from her. “Don’t move. I’ll be right back.” He returned wearing a condom. Lowering himself to the bed again, he gripped her hips, lifted her and impaled her on his swollen, rigid penis. Hard. Seating her so their thighs were glued together. They were both so aroused the moment her vaginal muscles gripped him, clamped down on him, they both began to climax. Alexa trembled, sweat pouring from her as her body shattered and flew into space. Their bodies rocked together as they shook and shivered, Time passed as they sat with their arms tightened around each other, as if letting go would allow their bodies to splinter. As they struggled to drag air into their lungs, Alexa could feel the heavy beat of Jesse’s heart slamming against her ribs, in cadence with her own. She wanted to say something but her brain couldn’t make her mouth work or find any words to string together. At last Jesse pulled his head back, placed a feather-light kiss on her parched lips and rolled them to the side. 60

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Eventually Alexa felt him soften inside her, enough that they could separate themselves with a wet, sexy plop! It sounded like a whip crack in the air. Jesse rose and went to dispose of the condom. When he came back he slipped into bed beside her, pulling her body against his, her head tucked into his shoulder. “I think we could both use some sleep,” he told her. She rubbed her hands on the moist curls on his chest, her fingers caressing his flat, hard nipples. “You just take care of yourself out there at night, you hear me, Jesse Farrell? We’ll worry about everything else later.” He tucked her head under his chin. “Doin’ my best, sweet thing. Doin’ my best.” And I’m doing my best too.

***** Alexa had to plan carefully. With the gang situation likely to explode at any time Jesse—and by extension, Charlie—would require her constant vigilance. Each night as she changed into her wolf self and followed Jesse and Charlie she could feel and see and hear the high voltage crackling in the air. Bang Bang was determined to have it all, no matter what the cost. Trailing the banged up cop car through the county, she listened at every stop as Jesse and Charlie tried to be the voice of reason with a jacked-up group of kids. Her night vigils meant a change in both her work and sleep habits. Especially since Jesse was at her front door minutes after he arrived home each night. She was eternally grateful that she could get by on a minimum of sleep, get her work done and be awake and alert when Jesse rang her bell. She also thanked all the gods and fates that the rain had decided to move on with no immediate plans to return. The hot, sultry Florida nights were bad enough when she was running all over hell’s half acre. Getting seriously drenched at the same time would be totally unpleasant.

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Most evenings as she followed the car she kept to the shadows. No use calling attention to herself unnecessarily but she was constantly vigilant, keeping them in her line of sight, ready to attack if the situation called for it. Sometimes she caught Jesse searching the shadows, as if sensing her presence. She wondered if he was beginning to catch her scent. No. Impossible. She’d been told her wolf form masked her human odor. Still, she noticed an ever-present air of expectancy in his posture whenever he was out of the car. And maybe that was good. Word of the attack on Bang Bang had spread throughout the county and by now had reached epic proportions. Combined with the growing rumor of wolves in the area, the gangs didn’t seem quite as anxious to be aggressive with Jesse and Charlie. Oh, they were hyped, no question about it. But to Alexa it seemed everyone was waiting for someone else to make the first move. “It’s a balancing act,” Jesse told her one night, greedily swallowing a cold beer. “If we can just get each group to find a comfort zone in their own geographic area we can call a general meet. Try to set some ground rules. Maybe let out some of the steam.” “Are you worried that won’t happen?” “Bang Bang’s injury is serving a dual purpose. It’s making him more cautious. But it’s also giving the other groups a sniff of his fear. They might decide to move in on him when they think his defenses are down. You know, like predators attacking a wounded animal.” Oh, yes, Jesse. I know all about that. But the talk always came much later, after their bodies were sated and spent. They no longer required words or signals to tell each other what they needed. Jesse would hit the door and be pulling his clothes off even as he captured her mouth and devoured it, his body vibrating with desire. Hyped up on an adrenaline high, he was barely inside her house before he was inside her, filling her with his swollen cock, cleansing himself of the street dirt with the beauty of her orgasm. She knew what he wanted. Quick and hard to take the edge off. 62

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Then, their greedy hunger slaked for the moment, they took a long, sensuous shower. Body vibrating in anticipation, he would draw her into the shower with him, immediately leaning forward against the tile wall, waiting for her touch.

***** Ever since that first night of dangerously exciting exploration, she could feel his hunger for what she did to him under the hot stream of water. He was so ready for her that he almost came just from anticipation. The place where Alexa penetrated his body tightened with expectation. Her knowing fingers always took him to an incredibly high peak, wringing an orgasm from him that exceeded anything he’d ever felt. Now, as he stepped under the spray of the shower, the tentacles of things dark and forbidden reached through his body, coiling up from his belly as he awaited the touch of her hands, the glide of her fingers into his ass. It was always the same. He closed his eyes, visualizing her lathering her hands with the scented soap. In a moment he felt her small hands, like the wings of a bird, moving in a slow circular motion from his neck to his waist. He’d never known what erogenous zones shoulders could be, or the tiny spaces between bumps on the spinal column. Her nimble fingers danced up and down his spine, light as a feather, then swooped over the taut muscles of his buttocks. Jesse couldn’t believe the hunger she’d created in him for what he called her “little trick.” Do it now, he wanted to beg her. But she always took her time, drawing out every sensation until his body felt ready to explode. He sucked in his breath when her hand moved around to the front, caressing his belly, then toying with the thick nest of pubic curls. He almost cried with relief when her fingers at last wrapped themselves around his cock. She began a gentle up and down motion, sliding from the root to the thick head and back again.

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Her fingertips on his balls were like the touch of a faery and he felt them harden and draw up. Jesus, she had gotten good at this since that first tentative episode. He was still shocked at how it turned him on and how much he anticipated it. He couldn’t think of another woman he would allow to explore him so intimately. He held himself in breathless anticipation as her hand stroked the length of the cleft of his buttocks. Each time she passed the tight opening of his asshole his cock jerked and he knew tiny drops of pre-cum had to be beading at the head. Then she was there, small fingers sliding into that firm opening, into the hot darkness of his rectum. One finger, then two, moving in a scissor-like motion to stretch the tissues. He could have ejaculated at that very moment but then he’d miss the rest of the erotic play, the teasing, the tormenting. A groan rumbled up from his throat as tonight a third finger joined the other two, the first time she’d done that. Her delicate hand began its ride up and down his rockhard penis. The muscles of his rectum clenched around her, alternating sensations of heat and ice flashing through him, his shaft swelling almost painfully in her hand. There. Oh, God. She’d found that spot inside she loved to probe, the one that took him right to the edge of the world. Ohgodohgodohgod. He couldn’t help it. He began to roll his hips, pushing against first the one hand, then the other. He felt his orgasm begin to build in his belly, in his testicles, at the base of his spine. And then she stopped, just as she always did. He would never have believed that Alexa Martin could be such a terrible tease. Only it wasn’t just the teasing. She knew exactly what she was doing—building him by layers to a climax that would shake him until he came apart. He felt the soapy massage again—shoulders, waist, buttocks, then the dainty fingers sliding into his asshole and fucking him with infinite care. Her fingers moved in and out of that dark channel, setting every nerve in his body on fire. As the blood in his 64

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veins heated to boiling, Alexa dragged a fingernail over the tip of his cock, running it lightly over the slit. “Jesus Christ,” he exploded. She nipped at his shoulder, a favorite habit, then rubbed her cheek against the teeth marks. And finally, finally, she increased the movement of both hands, pulling him to the top of the mountain, stealing his breath. Every muscle in his body clenched with anticipation. And then he was there, the orgasm spreading from the base of his spine, through his balls, through every nerve and fiber. His cum spilled over her hand in a hot thick stream, pulsing, spurting, until at last he was completely emptied. Spent. Weak as a kitten. Alexa rinsed them both off under the shower head, dried them with her big fluffy towels and led him to the cool, crisp sheets of her bed. He collapsed onto his back, taking her with him. She lay expectantly nestled against his shoulder, waiting for him to recover, shivering with need. Then it would be her turn. With a surge of energy he rolled her to her back, circling her wrists with one of his powerful hands. He stretched them over her head while his tongue did wicked and clever things to every inch of her body. He felt her tense with disappointment and surprise when he tucked her up against him and closed his eyes. He had a treat for Miss Alexa Morgan tonight but he needed every bit of his strength to pull it off.

***** Snap! Click!

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Alexa came awake at the sound of metal on metal. When she opened her eyes, Jesse was looming over her, desire smoldering in his whiskey-colored eyes. A hungry smile teased his lips. Heat rolled off his body and covered her like a blanket. “Did you really think I’d let you go off to sleep without giving your pussy the proper attention? Or any other part of your body?” He chuckled, a predatory sound. Alexa tugged at the handcuffs, threaded through the bars of the headboard and securely locked in place. She ran her tongue over her lips. “And what exactly do you plan to do with me, Mr. Policeman?” “Make you beg for mercy. What else?” He reached for something on the nightstand. Alexa turned her head to see him opening a small white box and remove what looked like chandelier earrings. “You brought me jewelry?” she asked. “Very special jewelry,” he nodded. Bending his head he took one nipple into his mouth, biting it gently, then using his tongue to press it against the roof of his mouth. Her nipples had always been extremely sensitive. From the moment Jesse discovered that fact he’d delighted in tormenting them any way he could. Sometimes he would bring her to orgasm just from licking and sucking those hard diamond buds. She arched up against his mouth, urging him to take more of her breasts into his hot cavern but he focused only on the nipple and the darkening areola. Now, taking the tip of one in his teeth he tugged until it swelled to his apparent satisfaction. Then he reached for one of the pieces of jewelry. “I saw these and knew they were made for you, darlin’.” His voice was husky as he slipped a thin gold circle over the distended nipple and locked it into place. Immediately Alexa felt the pinch of metal, then the quick segue of pain into pleasure. Liquid trickled from her pussy down the inside of her thighs. She saw Jesse’s nostrils flare as he scented her arousal.

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“You like that, do you?” That soft chuckle again. “God, you have no idea how beautiful your look with your nipple all hot and red and swollen like that, just begging to be tormented. Let’s make it a matched set shall we?” In what seemed like forever but actually was probably only seconds, he’d teased and nipped and sucked her other nipple into readiness. Then he clipped the other nipple ring into place. Finally he picked up a small piece of rectangular black plastic. “These come with a little something extra too.” He pressed a button and tiny vibrators set into the dangling beads began to pulsate, sending the vibrations into the rings. Streaks like bolts of electricity jolted through her breasts and arrowed through her body. Her pussy began to respond and she knew more liquid was flooding from her. A satisfied smile spread across Jesse’s face as he watched he response. “God, your nipples get so red. Like ripe strawberries. Gorgeous, darlin’.” She looked down and a self-satisfied smiled crept over her face. Jesse pressed the off button, the vibrations stopped and a tiny moan whispered from her lips. “More?” He swiped his tongue across the over-sensitized tips. Alexa jerked at the touch. “All right, sweet thing. See how you like this.” The buzzing began again but this time as the sensations vibrated through her nipples, Jesse took first one then the other into his mouth. He suckled them so the little pulsing shocks shot through his tongue and back into her breasts. The muscles in her pussy began to flutter and her belly tightened. “Good stuff, darlin’. Let’s see if I can make you come without touching your pussy at all.” He turned up the intensity, watched as her breathing became choppy, then used his mouth on her nipples again. Underneath him she squirmed and lifted her hips, trying to

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urge his cock closer. He held himself on his elbows, just far enough away so his penis only brushed the top of her mound. When her eyes widened and a low keening sound erupted from her throat, he took both nipples between his lean fingers. A pinch and he sent her flying into space. She arched, she thrust, she begged him to shove his cock inside her. The sense of helplessness generated by the handcuffs only increased her level of excitement. She tried to squeeze her legs together but his lean body prevented her from doing anything but convulsing helplessly beneath him. When her body calmed again he kissed each nipple, slid down her body and ran his tongue from one end of her slit to the other. “Yum.” He licked his lips. “You taste better every time I put my tongue on you, darlin’. The finest wine is no comparison to the sweetness of your juices.” The orgasm had only left her wanting more, like a lick from an ice cream cone on a hot day. “Fuck me, Jesse,” she pleaded. “Hard. The way I like it.” He lifted her legs and draped them over his shoulders, eyes heating as he stared at her slick, quivering cunt. His thumbs pressed against her labia, opening her wider to his intense gaze. His thickening cock bumped against the globes of her ass. “Oh, darlin’, there’s so much more I want to do to you. So many ways I want to fuck that sweet little opening of yours. But I don’t think I can wait any longer, either, so hard and fast it is.” With quick movements of his hands he sheathed himself and thrust inside her. Sliding through the lubrication of her cream, he began to roll and thrust his hips. Alexa locked her ankles behind his neck and began to match his movements with her own. He pressed the button on the remote again. As the vibrations shot through her system the muscles of her cunt clamped down on him like a vise. A cry tore from her throat and she shattered around him, throwing him into his own orgasm.

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As the last pulsing sensation died away, he turned off the remote, removed the nipple rings and unlocked the handcuffs. With the last of his strength he collapsed on Alexa’s sweat-covered body, pulled the covers over them and tucked her against him. Shit, was Alexa’s last coherent thought. I’ll never be able to walk away now. Then she too sank into a dreamless sleep.

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Chapter Seven Just before dawn Alexa left Jesse sleeping soundly and raced for the woods behind her house. This time she kept her clothing on until she reached the safety of the trees. Then she stripped and stuffed everything into a notch between two limbs. Last night’s intense sexual activity had roused in her body the need to change. It had taken more self control than she thought she possessed to subdue it until she could get away on her own. Today she had another purpose for her run. She could follow Jesse and Charlie every night and attack when necessary, as she’d done with Bang Bang. But if a major confrontation went down she wasn’t sure how much she could handle on her own. Having him hurt or killed because she couldn’t protect him would devastate her. So this morning, with the grey dawn still shrouding the area, she loped through the woods but instead of stopping at her usual place to rest she continued out the other side and down the shoulder of the dusty highway. About three miles beyond the line of trees was the ruins of a once-thriving citrus grove. But harsh freezes and an uncertain economy had driven Barden Groves out of business. Now derelicts slept in the tumbledown remains of equipment sheds and a variety of wild life nested there away from traffic and that great predator—man, the hunter. Alexa had never been here before, although she’d certainly heard people talk about the wild animals that prowled the grounds. Especially red wolves. Since she’d fled her own home and pack, Alexa had avoided contact with wolves of any kind. And certainly rogue wolves like those hanging out here. Not only that, if they weren’t shifters, she could be putting herself in danger of attack from the very animals she sought help from. This would take some doing. 70

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First she needed to just make herself known, let them see she wasn’t poaching on their territory. She wasn’t a threat. So she slunk around the edges of the grove, not foraging for food of any kind, not approaching any of the wolves who’d gone on instant alert. And maybe today that would be enough. She still had to figure out how to communicate with them and she had an uneasy feeling time would not be on her side. Not only that, red wolves were nocturnal—night wanderers—so this morning was just to give them a look and smell. She’d have to figure out a way to get back to them during the hours of darkness while still keeping Jesse and Charlie in her line of sight. So today she just stood there, on the edge of their lives, watchful, for a long time. As if the scent of non-aggression carried on the wind, they stayed in place also, watching and waiting. Finally, she turned and headed back the way she came. That was enough for a beginning. She found her clothes where she’d left them, hastily pulling them on and lacing up her running shoes. She deliberately made noise as she hurried onto her back porch and into the house. Jesse was lying in bed, awake, when she huffed into the bedroom. Her breath froze in her lungs at the sight of the gun in his hand leveled at the doorway. She had to swallow twice before she could force words from her mouth. “I didn’t think my performance was so bad you needed to shoot me,” she tried to joke. He stared at her for a long moment, unsmiling, before releasing the clip from the gun and clearing the chamber. Then he put the gun and clip on the night stand and rolled over on his side. “It might have helped if you’d left me a note. So. Where did you go before the sun was even up?” She didn’t have to pretend to gasp for breath. Her heart wouldn’t stop racing. “For a run. Just for a run. You were asleep and I figured I’d be back before you woke up.” 71

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She saw the muscles in his face relax and his mouth turn up in a slow, sexy smile. “I guess I didn’t wear you out quite enough. Shame on me.” He held out a hand to her. “Come here, darlin’. Let’s see if you have any of that excess energy left.” Exhausted as she was from racing back to the house, just the touch of his hand breathed life into her hormones. She yanked off her clothes as fast as she could and crawled up onto the bed beside him. “Let’s see how those luscious nipples are after last night.” He cupped one breast in a warm hand and rasped the pad of his thumb over the distended bud. Alexa sucked in her breath. “Still sore?” “Yes.” She shook her head. “No. Just…aware.” “Those little vibrating rings will do it every time,” he grinned. “Oh?” She tilted her face up to his. “You have a lot of experience with them?” He chuckled. “I read a lot. Let’s see if we can make them feel a little better.” He glanced over at the nipple rings, still sitting out on the night stand where he’d left them. “Maybe I should put them away, though. Don’t want to damage such mouthwatering goods.” “No. I mean, yes. I mean, don’t put them away.” She touched her nipples lightly with her fingers, sending tiny electric shocks through her body. “I like feeling this way. I can think about you all day.” He took a long time using his mouth on her breasts, attending to more than just the nipples. He licked the sides and the underslope, drawing lines with the tip of his tongue. He blew on the wetness his mouth left, then licked again. Lying over her, braced on his elbows, he pushed her breasts together and swept his tongue in a steady rhythm back and forth from nipple to nipple. Before long Alexa was writhing beneath him, rocking her pelvis against him, trying to capture his hot erection between her thighs. He skillfully avoided her. The heat

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continued to build, radiating from her breasts to the rest of her body, setting up tiny flutters in her pussy. “Please.” The word was a whisper on a long sigh. “Please what, darlin’? Please let you come?” She nodded, thrusting against him. “Please slide my cock into you and fuck you with it?” She nodded again, head thrashing on the pillow. “Oh, not yet, sweet thing.” He continued to tease her breasts, arousing her more, until he felt her body clench beneath him. With his knees pressed against her inner thighs, he spread her legs wide and moved one hand to her dripping cunt to test her readiness. She was already convulsing, flooding his hand the moment he slipped one finger into her. “Fuck me,” she cried. “Damn you, Jesse.” She bucked against him as her orgasm gathered in intensity. He reached for one of the condoms on the night stand, then pressed his hands against the backs of her thighs. With no preamble he lifted her legs high and wide and rammed himself home. She wasn’t the only one ready. He exploded the moment he was inside her, the walls of her cunt gripping his pulsing shaft, his seed filling the latex inside her stillspasming vagina. The only sounds in the room were the ragged rasp of air being dragged into their lungs and the lazy swish of the ceiling fan as it cooled their sweat-slicked bodies. “I think we broke some kind of speed record that time,” Alexa said at last. “You have the most incredibly responsive nipples,” Jesse smiled. “I think I’ll just keep trying to see how fast I can make you come stimulating those alone.” She swatted at him playfully. “I hate to break up our little love fest here but I have a project due for a real estate client.” 73

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“And the captain wants all of us in this afternoon for a general meeting.” Alexa’s stomach knotted. “More trouble than what you told me?” “Bang Bang’s got to defend his position after the attack on him. Otherwise his gang, as well as others, will perceive him as weak. That could mean one of the other gangs will see this as an opportunity to strike. Or, it could mean Bang Bang will go on the offensive. Either way we need to be prepared. Plan how to allocate our resources if all hell breaks loose.” “Jesse?” She reached up and stroked his beard-roughened cheek. “Yeah, darlin’?” “Be careful, okay? Please?” “Believe me, I’ll do my best.” She worried about him while she worked on the research project for the developer. They’d never met but she’d been researching properties for him for a long time now. He bought and sold projects based on the information she provided him, so she always tried to be meticulous, as she was with all her clients. The work completed, she worried about Jesse while she puttered around the house, keeping herself busy. She baked a chocolate cake, thinking she’d have something nice to tempt him with at the end of shift. Maybe they could even find some interesting ways to devour the mouthwatering confection. Finally she just stood at the living room window, watching until she saw him jog down his porch steps to his car in the driveway. “Hey.” She pulled her door open and hurried over to where he was standing. “Hey yourself.” He wrapped his arms around her and captured her mouth, nibbling her lower lip, then sweeping his tongue inside. “What’s up? Miss me already?” She forced a grin. “Always. Are you off to your meeting now?”

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“Yeah. Captain’s giving us two hours to get our shit together with the other shifts. Gotta run.” He dusted a light kiss on her nose, then searched her face. “You be up when I get home?” “Aren’t I always? I even have a special treat for you.” He laughed, a warm sound, “I don’t know how many special treats I can take, darlin’.” Then he was gone. Alexa tried to calculate time. If she went to the orange grove now the wolves might be sleeping and resent her intrusion more than they normally would. On the other hand, Jesse and Charlie would be starting out on their shift, just at the beginning of darkness this time of year. Could she make a quick visit to the grove and still catch up with them? She’d have to chance it. If the situation out there was heating up there was only so much she could do by herself. Alexa paced inside her house, watching the clock and the sky until daylight had faded enough for her to make her move. She showered twice to remove any trace of Jesse’s scent from her body. Then, leaving her clothes in the same tree again, she followed the path through the woods and along the road to the ruined orange grove. The pack was just beginning to stir, readying itself for its evening activities, when she stopped at the edge of a row of dead trees. They saw her at once, each of them freezing in place, watchful. Waiting. The largest of the males, probably the alpha, took a step forward. He lifted his snout, catching her scent. Analyzing it. Could he tell the difference? Would he reject her or, worse, signal the pack to turn on her? Heart racing, Alexa forced herself to stand completely still. After what seemed like an eternity, the alpha moved forward slowly. None of the others followed him, waiting for his signal to move one way or another. When he was

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within five feet of her he stopped, lifted his snout again and a low growl rumbled up from his chest. Again Alexa forced herself not to move, although the urge to bolt and run was enormous. Finally the alpha dipped his head, fixed her with his gaze and rumbled at her again. Who are you? Why have you come here to our home? Whose pack do you belong to? No pack. I am alone. Wolves do not exist in solitude except as outcasts. Have you shamed your pack? I…had a disagreement with our alpha. His nostrils flared. You scent is not pure. Are you a hybrid? Is that why you were cast out? Alexa swallowed. Here it was. I am a shifter. Part human. Our entire pack is shifters. The alpha stared at her. Show us. Okay, Alexa. Now or never. She closed her eyes, focused in on herself and concentrated on the shifting of her molecules and cells. She felt the hair on her skin disappear, her bones adjust, her facial features change. In less than a minute she stood quietly before them in her human form. Waiting while the alpha’s eyes raked her naked body and the others in the pack studied her in minute detail. Hold out your hand. Tamping down the fear that bubbled up, Alexa lifted her arm and reached a hand out to the wolf. He moved closer until his snout touched her fingers. She nearly jumped when, unexpectedly, his rough tongue lapped the skin of her palm. He backed away a few steps, turned to the others behind him and nodded his head. What happened then was the last thing Alexa expected. Each wolf, centering in on itself, began the process of change, until she was surrounded by a small group of naked humans, the alpha included.

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“I am Derek,” he told her and held out his hand, totally unselfconscious in his nudity. This despite a cock that rivaled Jesse’s in thickness and length. Alexa was sure his mate appreciated it. “Alexa Morgan,” she told him. “How long have you lived in this place?” A look of pain flashed across his face. “The woods that were our home were destroyed to make way for new development. Many of our pack were killed by hunters. We have been trying to find a new place where we can live in peace in both our human and wolf forms. Are you in such a place?” She shook her head. “No. I had to leave my pack and I’m alone here. No one knows my true nature.” “Then why are you here looking for our help?” one of the women asked. She moved forward to stand beside Derek, giving notice of her claim. “I have a…relationship with a human. He doesn’t know I’m a shifter but he’s in trouble.” She proceeded to tell them about Jesse and the gang situation, about the terrible beating he’d taken and the rumors that the gang violence was ramping up. And her attack on Bang Bang. “I’ve been following them every night,” she explained. “But if things get out of hand, I can’t manage this by myself.” A tall blond man stepped forward to Derek’s other side. “I am Rand,” he told her. “Why should we bother to help you? What’s in it for us?” Well, you knew this would come up, kiddo. “What do you want?” “A place where we can live in peace, a place to rebuild our little community.” Alexa chewed her lip. “If you do this for me, I will help you find such a place. You have no reason to trust me but I give you my word. I have a client who might be able to

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help. We’ll see. In any event, you wouldn’t be any worse off than you are now.” She looked at each of them in turn, then back to Derek. “So, what’s the answer?” Derek and Rand exchanged looks. “We need to discuss this. Come back at the same time tomorrow night and we’ll give you our answer.” “But—” “Tomorrow night.” His voice was firm. In an instant they had all resumed their wolf forms and disappeared into the protection of the devastated orange trees. Fighting back her frustration, Alexa also resumed her wolf form and took off at a run along the highway. From the angle of the moon above the horizon, she calculated she’d barely have time to catch Jesse as he and Charlie made their first stop of the night.

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Chapter Eight Alexa felt the tension everywhere as she trailed the cop car. Rather than hang back in the shadows as she’d been doing, she made sure to show herself to the gang members. Anyone even considering raising a gun to her when they heard her menacing growl remembered the swiftness with which she’d attacked Bang Bang, whose hand was still an unsightly mess. But the gang leader’s need to reassert his dominance was as thick as smoke in the air. The stops at the gathering places of the other two gangs didn’t help much, either. They were like hounds scenting blood, ready to strike at a weakening leader. And Jesse and Charlie were square in the middle. She barely made it home before Jesse was at her door. “This is stupid,” he told her after kissing her with such intensity she was sure the souls of her feet were scorched. She blinked. “Kissing me is stupid?” “No. My having to bang on the door every night. Or morning. Or whatever. I should just use the key you gave me.” He studied her face. “Or maybe we should think about combining our living arrangements.” Oh, Jesse, not yet. Not until you know my secret. Then you’ll probably be gone so fast it won’t matter. “Okay. We can definitely discuss it.” She kept her voice as steady as possible, putting every bit of heat into it she could. “Meanwhile the key thing is fine.” As long as I can be sure to get home before you do. “How was the meeting?” His mouth set in a grim line. “Everyone’s got the same feeling. Trouble’s going to blow any second. And the natives were definitely restless tonight. We did a lot of

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talking to keep things from exploding but that will only last for so long. Maybe not more than a day.” He looked so weary Alexa wanted to cry for him. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face to his chest. “I worry so much about you.” “I’ll be okay. Just be glad when we can finally put a lid on this situation.” Jesse cupped her face in his hands. “You look tired. Did you work on your project all night?” “Yes, you could say that. I was just about to take a shower.” She saw the smoldering look come into his eyes and gave him a slow, sexy grin. “Want to take one with me?” He brushed his lips against hers. “The only thing that got me through my shift tonight was thinking about the things we do together. Every night you take away the grime of the day. Make me whole again. When I feel your soft fingers inside me and your hand stroking my cock, the rest of the world disappears under the intense pleasure.” “I love doing that,” she told him in a soft voice. “And I love to have you do it. But tonight I have a greater need. To give that pleasure back to you.” “But—” “No arguments.” He swooped her up in his arms and carried her through the house to her bathroom. He leaned into the shower stall to turn on the water before setting her on her feet. “Slow tonight, darlin’. I want to make you shatter in a million tiny pieces. Watching you come apart in my arms is better than any medicine.” Alexa shivered with anticipation. Jesse undressed her slowly, running his hands over each part of her body as he exposed it, kissing and licking her bare skin.

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He took her hands and placed them under her breasts. “Hold these out for me, darlin’,” he whispered. “Let me see you offer them to me. They are such a precious treat.” Alexa cupped her breasts in her hands and lifted them. She felt the wet heat of Jesse’s mouth as he bent his head and captured each nipple in turn with his lips. He grazed them with his teeth and swirled his tongue around them so gently it drove her crazy. He teased and tormented them, stopping finally to remove her jeans and panties. In seconds he had his own clothing off and discarded and lifted her into the shower. With the warm water beating down on him, he knelt before her, moving her legs apart. Lifting one to place it over his shoulder, he positioned her so she was wide open to him. He closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. “Better than any perfume,” he whispered, his voice husky with emotion. His fingers parted her labia, so pink and flushed with arousal. With unerring accuracy he placed his lips over the hard knot of her clit. “Oh, God,” she moaned. Grasping her hips with his hands, he held that hard erogenous bundle of nerves firmly in his mouth while he lashed it with his tongue. The rapid strokes set up a quaking in her cunt and made her so weak she had to clutch the top of his head to steady herself. She was nearing the peak of an orgasm, cresting, just reaching for it, when suddenly he moved away, easing her leg to the floor. She wanted to cry in frustration. “Jesse!” “Hold on, darlin’. Tonight I’m going to show you just how good you make me feel every night.” He opened the shower door, reached for something on the counter, then was back holding a silver cylinder in his hand. Her waterproof vibrator. Alexa leaned against the shower wall and closed her eyes, breathing accelerated.

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Jesse chuckled. “Tonight we’re doing it a little differently.” She watched with hooded eyes while he slicked soap over the little cylinder, then soaped his hand and lathered first her slit, then the crevice between the cheeks of her ass. When he was finished he turned her to face the wall, tilted her forward and used his foot to separate her legs. His breath brushed against her cheek like a warm breeze. “Just lean right there, darlin’ and hang on for the ride.” She felt the tip of the vibrator press against her anus, then pop in as the soap eased its way. She had a sudden sense of fullness, of being stretched, that set every nerve in her rectum snapping and crackling. It was the same feeling she had when Jesse’s cock was inside her, a feeling of burning heat. Deep inside, she felt her womb react. Jesse held the little toy in place with one hand while the other crept around to her front. He probed her swollen pussy lips and placed two fingers on either side of her throbbing clit. He put his lips right next to her ear. “Here we go, sweet thing.” He pressed the button that kicked on the vibrator. In a moment, jolts of power shot through Alexa’s rectum and into her body, shaking her from head to toe. She had barely begun to absorb the erotic sensations rushing through that dark tunnel when Jesse began to massage her clit with a steady rhythm. The double assault on her body nearly lifted her off her feet. Every muscle clenched and she rocked back and forth, trying to draw his hand into her body even as she pushed against the vibrator. The warm water cascading around them was like a steamy cocoon and all that she was aware of was the intense need building inside her. And Jesse’s warm, strong body anchoring her as she rocketed to the top of the rollercoaster. When the orgasm hit, it was with such force she was sure she’d been catapulted into space. And in the middle of it, as her pussy was clenching and convulsing, Jesse turned her. Lifting her, he lowered her onto his rock-hard erection. The little vibrator

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hummed and buzzed in her ass, her vaginal muscles squeezed his penis and Jesse pumped into her. She shot to the top of the peak again and off into space. She had no idea how long they stood like that, Jesse leaning against the shower wall holding her, his penis still filling her cunt. He’d turned off the vibrator at some point but its length still filled her ass. She didn’t think she’d ever be able to breathe again, or get her heart rate under control. Finally he lowered her feet to the floor, reached around to slide the vibrator out of her body and turned off the shower. She was so limp as he dried her off she had to hold onto him for support. Finished, he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed. He crawled in beside her, spooning her against his body. Then he smoothed her hair back from her face and placed soft kisses on her temple. “Mine,” he whispered softly. “All mine.” Her last coherent thought was, Oh, Jesse, if you only knew.

***** “That was the captain.” Jesse clicked his cell phone shut and clipped it to his belt. “He wants everyone in early for tonight’s shift and he’s holding the afternoon guys over.” Alexa felt a knot form in her stomach. “More trouble?” “Same trouble. He got an anonymous tip that tonight’s the night everyone plans to mix it up.” He picked up his gun and his keys from the table. Alexa threw her arms around him. Maybe if she held on tightly enough to him she could keep him safe at home. He tilted her face up to his. “Hey, darlin’. It’ll be all right. I promise. Besides, we have Kevlar vests and riot shields. We know what we’re doing.” “I have a bad feeling about this, Jesse.”

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“Yeah, well, gang wars don’t give anyone a good feeling, that’s for sure.” He kissed her, hard, then set her away from him. “But I’ll be careful. I know what’s waiting for me at home.” He grinned. “And maybe my wolf will show up to protect me.” Damn straight about that. Maybe a lot of wolves. As soon as Jesse was out the door, Alexa picked up her phone and called her real estate developer client. He had a small block of bungalow-style homes he’d picked up that needed a great deal of work. With most of his capital committed elsewhere at the moment, he was offering the use of the homes to whoever would agree to do the renovations. Maybe he’d even work out a plan for them to buy the places, because he had to get rid of them. So far he hadn’t had any takers. Alexa told him she might have some people interested and she’d get back to him. Then, giving Jesse plenty of time to be gone from the neighborhood, Alexa repeated her process of the previous day and thirty minutes later was standing at the edge of the old orange grove, waiting for the wolves to notice her. Derek rose from the place where he’d been resting and padded forward, still in his wolf form. You’re back. Did you think I wouldn’t be? I need your help. I’ll ask you again. What do you have to offer in return? She told him about her client and described what would be required. If you are clever with your hands and willing to work hard, you can create new homes for yourselves. The rest is up to you. I need an answer from you right now. Tonight there will be big trouble and I must protect my…mate. Was that what Jesse was? She’d find out soon enough when he learned the truth about her. We have talked. Tell us what you want. We’re ready to help.

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Aware that there was still lingering hostility among these strange wolves, who didn’t know her from a rock, she told them carefully and clearly exactly what they all needed to do.

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Chapter Nine They followed the same dusty two-lane highway Alexa had been taking every night. By now she knew every twist and bump and turn and where to swerve to avoid the traffic. Led by Derek, the wolves followed behind her, silent predators in the fading light. The crowd noise signaled activity at the convenience store as they approached it. Alexa stopped and signaled the others to move behind the trees while she scoped things out. Cars were scattered everywhere, several of them pulled into a circle surrounding at least fifty young men armed and ready for battle. Behind the circle were both unmarked police cars like Jesse’s and cruisers with their roof lights flashing. Police were dressed in protective vests, helmets and holding riot shields. From behind the barricade of vehicles someone was using a bullhorn to address the crowd. “I am once again ordering you to disperse. Get in your cars and leave and we will not bother you.” “Fuck that shit,” someone shouted and Alexa saw it was Bang Bang. “Stay outta our faces while we take care of these guys. Then we’ll leave.” “Yeah, Bang Bang,” someone shouted. “We need to teach these assholes some respect. Stay out of our business.” “Now, Bang Bang, you know we can’t do that.” Jesse’s voice. Alexa’s heart clenched. She padded forward, keeping the cars between herself and the crowd. She spotted both Jesse and Charlie inside the ring, leaning against one of the cars. The poses they affected were casual but she knew they were anything but relaxed. Once again Charlie was cradling the riot gun. Get out of the way, Jesse. Don’t challenge them. 86

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“I don’t see your big dog tonight, cop boy,” Bang Bang sneered. “Tonight I get rid of the rest of this trash and then it’s just you and me.” “I will give you one minute to disperse” the bullhorn voice said again, “or we’ll break this up for you.” Bang Bang moved forward, chin jutted out, his body in a “bring it on” attitude despite the heavy bandage on his hand and arm. Behind him his gang surged like a slow-moving wave. Opposite them, the other gang also moved forward, the leader drawing his gun. Alexa turned to Derek. Be ready to move. Go for the gun hands. But be swift and don’t give them a target. Derek dipped his head once, then turned back to the pack. “Come on, Bang Bang.” Jesse pushed away from the car. “Give it up. Let’s all go home.” “I’ll send him home,” someone from the other gang shouted. “In a box.” Before anyone could move, the speaker lifted his hand and shot Bang Bang twice. Then all hell broke loose. The gangs began shooting at each other and Jesse and Charlie were trapped in the crossfire. No one expected the furry bodies that suddenly leaped out from nowhere, so fast they were blurs of motion. They attacked and retreated, each time causing enough damage to stop the gunplay, then leaping in again. They moved too fast to make themselves targets for guns or Tasers. In seconds, several of the young men lay writhing on the ground bleeding from wolf bites, screaming in pain. Derek led his pack quickly back into the trees again, while Alexa stood to the side, waiting and watching. The police moved forward, guns drawn. No one seemed to be paying enough attention to the young man kneeling beside Bang Bang. Before anyone could reach him, he lifted his gun and pointed it at Jesse. “This is all your fault, asshole,” he screamed and his finger tightened on the trigger.

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Alexa was a blur of motion, leaping at the gang member. She knocked his arm to the side but not before the gun fired. A bullet ricocheted and plowed into her side and she dropped to the ground, blood pouring from the wound. Jesse shot the man twice, without even stopping to think. Everyone else froze, unsure what to do next. “All right,” the man with the bullhorn shouted. “The next gun I see, the owner’s a dead man. Let’s get in here and clean this up.” As if released from a time warp, the cops moved forward. They collected guns, cuffed the startled gang members, called for medical treatment for the wounded. Jesse approached Alexa, frowning. “Is she dead?” Charlie asked. “I don’t think so but I’m afraid to touch her.” “And where the hell did all those other wolves come from?” Charlie wanted to know. “Think she brought some friends?” “Don’t know but I’m damned glad they showed up. Too bad she got hurt.” “I’ll call animal control.” He reached for his cell phone. “They’ll know what to do.” No. No, no, no. Panting with the effort, Alexa pulled herself to her feet. She limped off toward the tree line where Derek and the others waited just out of sight. “Come on, Jesse,” she heard Charlie say. “We need to finish up here. You can’t do anything to help her.” “Yeah.” Jesse sighed. “I guess you’re right.” Alexa managed to pull herself close to Derek. Help me get away from here. You’re badly hurt. I’ll heal but I have to get home. You can’t let him find you. 88

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I know. We will wait to hear from you again. Go now, before anyone comes looking for you, she insisted. Derek and his mate moved close to her, ready to assist, as they made their way back to the orange grove. She watched them lope away before she began the painful process of heading home. If she could just make it to the woods behind her house and find a place to lie down for a day or two, she’d be all right. Shifters healed fast, although right now she wasn’t sure she’d ever be whole again. The trek was arduous and she was dizzy and disoriented from loss of blood and pain. Somehow she ended up on the edge of the trees at her backyard rather than safely concealed by them. With the last of her strength she tried to drag herself to a hiding place but the effort proved too much for her. She dropped to the ground and closed her eyes as another wave of pain washed over her.

***** The sun was well over the horizon by the time Jesse dragged his weary body home. Pulling his car into the driveway and climbing out of it seemed about all he had energy left to do. The mopping up at the scene of the gang fight had been arduous and messy. There had been lots of screaming and cursing and a few last attempts at bravado that made more problems for them. He was eternally grateful that most of the cheap guns the gang members had were so poorly made they either misfired or jammed. Finally they had everyone transported either to the station or the prison ward of the hospital. Then the booking process took forever and they had to catalogue all the guns for the evidence locker. By the time he left the station, Jesse felt as if he’d been on duty for a month. The appearance of the wolf again had startled him but not nearly as much as the fact she’d brought help with her. Jesse was sure that without those bodies attacking and distracting the gang members, things would have been worse. A lot worse.

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Charlie kept teasing him about his pet but he’d been damned glad she’d shown up. He wondered if Alexa was waiting for him. He needed a long shower and a month of sleeping before he felt fit enough to see her. But he at least owed her an explanation. As he headed toward her house, something in her backyard caught his eye. With weary steps he forced himself across the lawn to the tree line. He was shocked to see his wolf lying on the ground, panting shallow breaths. The bullet that hit her had plowed a furrow in her side, fortunately not penetrating her body but a rough wound just the same. Blood matted the reddish brown fur. Blocking Charlie’s warnings from his mind, he knelt down on the grass beside the animal and stretched out a hand to caress her head. She moaned and reached her tongue out to lick his palm. Her eyes were shadowed with pain and…something else. What? Jesse sighed. She’d helped him. Now it was his turn to do as much for her. “Come on, girl. Let’s see if I can fix this wound. It doesn’t look too bad.” Exhausted and barely able to manage himself, he stooped and lifted her in his arms. He was surprised at how small and light she actually was. Being careful not to jostle her, he carried her into his house and placed her gently on the couch. Fighting to stay awake, he went to get a bowl of warm water, a cloth and his first aid kit. Did you treat wolves the same as humans? He’d just have to chance it. With gentle fingers, he cleaned the wound on her side and applied what remained of the antibiotic salve. He fetched a bowl of water from the kitchen and put it on the floor, hoping she could reach down to drink from it. Finally, he took the blanket that still lay folded at the end of the couch and covered her with it. “That’ll have to do for now, girl. If I don’t go to bed I’m going to pass out.” And Alexa will have to wait until tomorrow.

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Sunlight blazing in through his window woke Jesse in the late morning. He hoped his wolf had slept through the past few hours. Dragging himself out of bed, he stumbled into the living room to check on her and stopped, frozen to the floor. The wolf was gone. Instead, Alexa Morgan, nude shoulders showing above the edge of the blanket, lay there fast asleep. What the hell? He shook his head as if to clear it but the scene didn’t change. His brain had to be playing tricks on him. It’s the fatigue, he thought and squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them Alexa was awake, her face pale. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and clutched it around her, a look of desperation on her face. Jesse stared. Am I asleep and dreaming this? Am I so tired I’m not smart enough to be afraid of this? Whatever this is? I don’t know what the hell is going on but I can’t leave her lying here. “Jesus Christ. Alexa?” He could barely croak her name. Alexa’s face turned whiter than a sheet. “Jesse?” she whispered. “How did you get here?” he demanded. “And what happened to…” He stopped. Maybe he just imagined the whole thing. Maybe he’d brought Alexa home last night and didn’t remember it. Yeah, right. And maybe he’d won a million dollars in the lottery. No, something weird had happened here. “Jesse, listen.” She changed position, trying to push herself into the corner of the couch and pain slashed across her face. “What is it? What’s wrong? What are you hiding there?” He moved to the couch and lifted the blanket. Alexa shrank away from him but not before he got a good look at the angry gouge in her side. Just like his wolf. And strangely, the wound seemed to be partially healed.

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He dropped the blanket as if it was on fire. “What the hell’s going on here?” She wet her lips with the tip of her tongue. “Jesse, listen to me. We have to talk.” “How did you get hurt? And where’s the wolf?” He looked around the room and demanded, “There was a wolf here, right?” She was trembling as she looked up at him. “If you’ll just stop shouting and sit down I’ll explain.” He raked his fingers through his hair, stark frustration carving lines in his face. “Explain what? Jesus, am I dreaming this? Or maybe having a nightmare?” Alexa swallowed, hard. “Can you come sit down beside me?” She giggled nervously. “I won’t bite you.” Oh, oh, bad joke. “You know,” he said, “maybe it’s the fatigue, or the stress from everything that happened tonight. Maybe I should just go back to bed. I’ll get up again and it will be yesterday. None of this will have happened.” “Jesse!” She all but shouted his name. “Jesse, please. Just listen to me. Five minutes. That’s all I ask.” “Five minutes, huh? All right. But it better be some doozy of an explanation.” He leaned against the wall, refusing to come near her. Alexa drew in a breath, wincing slightly. “I’m going to tell you something you’ll find very hard to believe but I want you to listen carefully. Jesse, have you ever heard of shapeshifters?” “What? What are you talking about?” “People who are part wolf, part human. Who can shift from one shape to another.” “Are you nuts?” His eyes narrowed. “I mean it, Alexa. What kind of drugs are you taking.” “Just give me five minutes to explain to you. Then if you want me to leave, I will.”

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Plucking nervously at the blanket, eyes focused on her hands, voice not quite steady, Alexa told him her story and the truth about her nature. About her flight to Florida and why. Falling in love with him. Changing into her wolf form to protect him. About the wolves at the abandoned orange grove who came to help her. When she finished she lay back on the cushions, pale and exhausted. Jesse stared at her. Finally he said, “That’s the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever heard. You’re shitting me, right? You’re making this up?” She shook her head. “I wish. You know, there are hundreds of cases where shifters and humans have…mated successfully.” She tried to keep the note of hope from her voice. “How is that even possible?” “You know how it’s possible.” The words came out in an angry flood. “We’ve had enough sex to show you just how possible it is.” “Have you ever…I mean, did you ever…” “Have another relationship?” She closed her eyes briefly. “Yes. It ended in disaster. That’s all you need to know.” “You’re lying. About everything.” “Why would I do that? This isn’t easy for me to tell you.” “Okay, if that’s true, show me.” “What?” “Show me how you…change, or whatever it is you do.” “Jessie, I’m wounded. I don’t know if…” “Damn it.” His eyes were wild. “Show me.” Alexa gritted her teeth against the pain, focused and forced her body to shift. Then she rolled off the couch, padded over to Jesse and licked his hand. He jerked it back as if she’d stabbed him. “Jesus Christ.”

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Alexa padded back to the couch took a deep breath and forced herself back to human form. Then she lay back on the couch, totally drained. “Look.” She pointed to her side where the wound was looking even better. “Shifters heal very quickly. Although I really, really want to thank you for taking care of me last night. Most people would have just left me where I was.” “I didn’t know than that you…” Jesse stopped. “That I was what I am?” But Jesse stood rooted to the floor, unable to say another word or move his feet. “Please say something,” she begged. “Anything. I love you.” He stood for a long time, staring at her, then turned toward the door. “Jesse?” “What?” He refused to turn back to look at her. “Where are you going? This is your house. You don’t have to leave.” She saw his shoulders tighten. “Go home whenever you’re ready. I can’t stay here right now.” He moved into the hallway, the door slammed and he was gone. In seconds she heard the engine of his car crank and tires screech on the driveway. Alexa leaned back against the couch pillows and let the river of tears she’d been holding back break loose. She cried until her throat was raw and her eyes burned. At last there were no tears left and the gulping sobs subsided. She dragged herself off the couch, wrapped the blanket tightly around her and stumbled home. The pain in her heart was far greater than the one in her side.

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Chapter Ten A week passed and Alexa ventured out of the house only twice. She made a necessary trip to the grocery store and a visit to the orange grove to let Derek know what she’d worked out for them. Otherwise, she was a recluse. She listened for Jesse’s car when he left for work and the sound of the door slamming when he returned. Some nights he didn’t come home at all. She restrained herself from looking out the window. Seeing him, even from a distance, would be just too painful. For the first three days she waited optimistically for him to appear at the door, to call, anything. Then she realized he was probably still in shock and the reaction would come later. His absence said it all. Her wound healed quickly. That was a blessed side effect of being a shifter. The body repaired itself fast. But there was no cure for a broken heart. It’s my own damn fault. I should have known better. I was stupid to put myself out there, thinking somehow this could work. By the end of the week she’d decided the best thing for her was to move on, find somewhere else. Start over. Only this time she’d guard her emotions much more carefully. Yeah. That’s what I said last time. She found a real estate agent in the yellow pages and two days later the “For Sale” sign went up in front of the house. You’re safe now, Jesse. I’ll be gone before you know it. Sleep was a rare commodity for her. Whenever she closed her eyes she’d see Jesse’s face. Feel his hands and body. And wake up wanting what she couldn’t have. So she stayed awake until, exhausted, she’d fall into bed for a dreamless hour or two.

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Tonight she’d started packing up her things. She had no idea yet where she was going. If necessary, she could rent a storage locker until she found a new location. Far away from here, that was for sure. About three o’clock in the morning her eyelids finally began to droop. She stripped off her clothes and fell into bed for what passed for sleep these days. But this time she was dreaming. In her dream Jesse was beside her, holding her in his arms. Kissing her, his mouth moving over her face, her jaw line, her breasts. His hands were on her everywhere, touching and caressing her. Arousing her. “Jesse,” she cried out, tears running down her cheeks even in her sleep. “Ssh.” She swore she heard his voice. Then gentle thumbs wiped away the moisture on her face and soft lips covered hers. Her eyes flew open and there he was in the flesh. Jesse. Hovering over her, his dark eyes molten with desire. “Oh, God, are you real?” “You tell me.” He took one of her hands and moved it down past his belly to his swollen cock, wrapping her fingers around it. “I can’t believe you’re here. Why are you here?” “Later.” He captured a nipple in his mouth and swirled his tongue around it. “First things first.” He took her mouth then, his lips moving over hers with rough intensity. His tongue pressed inside to sweep the lining of her cheeks and taste the roof of her mouth. Threading his fingers through hers, he stretched her hands over her head. His body covered hers as he ravaged her mouth, drinking from her, savoring her taste. “Oh, God.” He shifted suddenly. “I forgot. Your side.” 96

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“All better,” she smiled, turning her body to show him. “I told you I heal fast. Jesse…” “Later,” he repeated. He went back to kissing her, pressing his lips to the hollow at her throat where her pulse beat heavily, then down to the slope of her breasts. He nipped, he licked, he nibbled, pulling on her nipples until they were red and swollen and throbbing with need. Slowly and carefully, he moved his mouth over the flatness of her belly. He paused only to dip his tongue into her navel before moving to the trimmed curls at her mound. “I want to see that beautiful cunt.” His voice was hoarse and thick. “God, I’ve dreamed about it every night.” He pressed her legs wide apart with his broad shoulders. With his thumbs he opened her labia until her entire pussy was exposed to him. “Play with your nipples for me, Alexa. Pinch them, the way you like me to do.” Overtaken by the fog of lust rolling through her, she did as he asked. Tiny jolts of lightning sparked through her body from the hard buds. She lay there in an agony of expectation while he simply stared at her open sex. His thumbs massaged her outer lips, her juices gathering and running from her opening. “Please,” she begged. “Please what, darlin’?” “Please let me feel you inside me.” “What do you want, Alexa? My fingers? My tongue? My cock?” “Yes, yes, yes.” She tried to thrust herself at him. “All of them.” One finger moved lazily to flick at the tip of her clit and she arched up at him. “Shall I suck your clit, darlin’? Take that hard little nub into my mouth and pull on it until just that touch alone makes you come?” “Oh, yes. Please.” 97

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He bent to his task, grazing the hard bud with his teeth, swirling his tongue around it, sucking at it, all the while keeping her pussy wide open. She felt the familiar flutters starting in her vaginal walls. With her body she tried to urge him to finger fuck her but he was having none of it. Tonight he was calling the shots. Period. When the flutters increased in intensity she begged him to put hic cock inside her. He only chuckled and backed off, leaving her in a high state of arousal. He drew in a breath. “God, that cunt is so beautiful. I have to touch it.” He slid one lean finger into her, moving it in and out, coating it with her juices. But when she tried to clamp down on it he pulled it back. “Nuh-uh, darlin’. Not yet.” He moved the finger thick with her fluids down until he found the tight ring of her anus and pressed gently against it. Alexa pushed against the intrusion, helping him. When his finger slipped all the way in he bent his head and captured her clit again. He nibbled at it and teased it with his tongue. “Oh, God,” she cried. “Please, Jesse. I can’t stand it.” “Pinch your nipples again, darlin’. Let’s make this really good.” She took her nipples between thumb and forefinger, eyes closed, reaching for that elusive peak that he refused to let her reach. His finger moved from her ass. Then his hands separated her buttocks and the finger was replaced by his cock, already wearing a condom. He had lubricated her so well that one thrust was all it took and he was inside her. “Oh, Jesus,” he breathed and began to pump his hips. His big hands held her in place and his thumbs dragged over her clit. He increased his rhythm and shock waves built up in the core of her body. Harder and faster he drove her, his thumbs working her clit. She opened her eyes to see the cords rigid in his neck and his jaw tight as he pumped into her.

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“Now, darlin’. One more hard pinch on those nipples.” She did and went off like a rocket. She felt the pulse of Jesse’s swollen shaft inside her ass. The walls of her cunt were racked with spasms. On and on it went, until she was sure her body would turn inside out. At some point the spasms became shudders and the shudders aftershocks. Jesse collapsed on her, his flesh pressing against hers. His heart thudded against her ribs in time with her own. When his breathing approached something like normal, he pulled out of her and went to the bathroom to clean himself off. He brought back a warm washcloth and bathed Alexa’s pussy and ass, following his hand with a trail of kisses. Then he dropped the wash cloth on the floor and slid into bed beside her, pulling her close to him. She nuzzled against the hard wall of his chest, thinking if this was a dream she didn’t want it ever to stop. But his warm hand stroking her arm and her back felt real enough. So had the earth-shattering orgasm that had claimed her body only moments before. “Are we going to talk?” she asked finally, unable to wait any longer. “Yes, darlin’. We’ll talk.” Jesse tucked her head under his chin and kept up the soothing strokes his hand was making. “I never expected to see you again,” Alexa told him. “You have to admit the whole thing was beyond weird. Until I took care of you,” “You certainly ran out of there fast enough,” she pointed out. “But not,” he reminded her, “until I took care of you.” “I know, I know. Okay. Go on.” “I still don’t know how I even got my mind around it. Thank God we were busier than shit at work for three days so I didn’t have to think about it. But when the initial shock wore off I did some research on the internet. About shifters.”

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She tilted her head up to him. “Oh?” “Yeah. Something inside me kept pushing me forward. I even went to the library and took out some books.” He kissed her forehead. “Interesting people, shifters. Very interesting.” “And?” she prompted. “I began to think about our relationship and how intense it was. About all we’d given to each other. And I don’t mean just the sex. And the more I read about shifters the more fascinated I became.” “And?” she said again. “While I was sitting around like a dickhead trying to figure out if this was really something I could live with, two things happened. The “For Sale” sign went up in front of your house and a guy named Derek came to see me.” “Oh, my God. Derek? He did?” “Uh-huh. We had quite a little talk. About how you got them to help us the night of the gang fight. About their lifestyle and what you’d done to help get them a place again. About how most shifters live in human form most of the time. All that good stuff.” “Didn’t you freak?” He chuckled. “By that time I was beyond freaking. He even talked about the children of humans and shifters and how to raise them. I did a lot of thinking after he left, mostly about how much I love you regardless of anything else. That was the one thing I couldn’t get away from.” “Oh, Jesse.” She pressed herself tightly back against him. “And of course, Derek gave me the clincher.” Alexa looked up at him. “He did? What was that?” “He told me red wolves mate for life.” She smiled. “That’s true. Oh, Jesse, I was so scared. I was sure you’d never want to come near me again.” 100

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“I love you, Alexa. Once I figured out I couldn’t walk away from that, the rest was easy.” “I love you too, Jesse. More than I can ever tell you.” “So romp when you need to, do whatever you have to. Because from this moment forward you’re mine and only mine. Got that?” She was crying again, only this time they were tears of happiness. “Are you sure?” “Absolutely,” he grinned. He moved and loomed over her. “But I think we need to seal this deal one more time.” As he sheathed himself and slid into her, he kissed her with such emotion her heart filled with joy beyond anything she’d ever known. Sometimes when you took a chance, life worked out just the way you wanted it to.

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About the Author I always wonder what readers really want to know when I write one of these things. Getting to this point in my career has been an interesting journey. I've managed rock and roll bands and organized concerts. Been the only female on the sports staff of a university newspaper. Immersed myself in Nashville peddling a country singer. Lived in five different states. Married two very interesting but totally different men. I think I must have lived in Texas in another life, because the minute I set foot on Texas soil I knew I was home. Living in Texas Hill Country gives me inspiration for more stories than I’ll probably ever be able to tell, what with all the sexy cowboys who surround me and the gorgeous scenery that provides a great setting. Each day is a new adventure for me, as my characters come to life on the pages of my current work in progress. I’m absolutely compulsive about it when I’m writing and thank all the gods and goddesses that I have such a terrific husband who encourages my writing and puts up with my obsession. As a multi-published author, I love to hear from my readers. Their input keeps my mind fresh and always hunting for new ideas.

Desiree welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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Also by Desiree Holt Cupid’s Shaft Diamond Lady Double Entry Emerald Green Journey to the Pearl Night Heat Once Upon a Wedding Teaching Molly Where Danger Hides

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