A Wolf's Pride (43 page)

“
Angel, I’m
going to kiss you now. Giving you that promise was painful so
you’re going to kiss it all better.”

It was the only
warning he gave her before his head descended and his lips captured
hers. Heat instantly curled through her, spreading from the point
of contact to encompass her entire body. She leaned into the kiss,
moaning lightly against his lips as she grabbed the collar of his
shirt and pulled him closer. Her body was no longer her own, she
was like a woman possessed.
I need to get
closer,
she panted, running her hands
through the already messy strands of his hair.

Ryan’s lips
curled upwards in a pleasantly surprised smile, his angel could be
very demanding when she wanted to be.
I
live to please.
His tongue swept across the
seam of her lips, demanding entrance before curling around her own.
Carnal desires thrummed through him as he deepened the kiss, his
hands wandering beneath her shirt to caress her bare skin. His
hardened shaft ached, throbbing within the confines of his pants,
desperate for release.

More,
his wolf pressed.
Take
more Ryan.

His eyes flew
open as he felt his control slipping. His hands were roaming into
dangerous territory, coming within millimetres of the soft globes
of her breasts. He was holding onto his control by a single thread
as he pulled back from her lips. Chloe moaned in disappointment as
his lips left her, her cheeks were flushed and she was panting
lightly from the pleasurable exertions.

Not
tonight,
he reasoned.
Not when I’m fresh from a kill.
He
stood up, setting her down in his seat and taking a calming step
away from her control sapping fragrance. “I’m going to go now
angel.”

What are you
doing?
The wolf snarled.

Following
Erica's advice and ignoring you.
“I’ll be
back in the morning, be ready to leave early.” He turned on his
heel and fled the room, his gait unsteady as he strove to walk with
a raging erection.
Nothing good could come
of that meeting. I want her to do more than lust after me; I want
her to love me. She’s already halfway there all I need to do is
give her a push in the right direction. Starting from tomorrow,
I’ll push her until she falls. Right after I’ve taken care of my
problem.
His eyes fell to the bulge
straining against the seam of his trousers.
It’s a good thing I’ve got a project to work on. Hopefully
it’ll take my mind off Chloe.
As he walked
down the halls, his erection refusing to fade, he quickly came to
the conclusion that nothing would be able to take his mind off his
gorgeous mate.
Maybe the project won’t
take my mind off of her but it should at least keep my hands busy
so that I don’t start something I have no hope in hell of
finishing.

Chapter Thirty
Seven

The rays from
the sun were warm against the exposed portions of Chloe’s face
telling her that she was outside. Other than that measly piece of
information she had no idea of exactly where she was or why she was
going. Ryan’s large hands were covering her eyes, effectively
blinding her and keeping her in the dark despite the bright sun and
the early hour of the day.

“
Where are you
taking me Ryan?”

“
It’s a
surprise, everyone likes surprises.”

He had been
secretive ever since he had returned to her that morning, refusing
to tell her exactly where they were going or what they were doing.
She had barely opened her eyes since he had arrived, if he wasn’t
covering them himself, he was asking her to close them, lifting her
at odd moments and carrying her for a few minutes at a time before
allowing her to walk again. She had long since lost any sense of
direction she might once have had and was solely reliant on Ryan’s
firm guidance.

“
I never did
get the hand of doing things like everyone else. I don’t like
surprises.”

His steps
faltered, drawing her to a complete stop. “Do you really not like
surprises?”

“
No. I’m not a
big fan of them. I like to know what’s going on around
me.”

“
We’re not
quite there yet but as you don’t seem to like being in the dark we
can go the rest of the way there together.”

His hands
lifted from her face allowing the sunlight to finally reach her.
She blinked blearily trying to reacquaint herself with the light.
When her eyes finally adjusted she realised that she had been
right, they were indeed outdoors. What she hadn’t expected was for
them to be outdoors, in a forest. Her breath quickened, coming in
short, sharp pants. Her eyes flickered wildly around her
surroundings, darting back and forth as though expecting a wild
animal to come lunging at her at any given moment. She took a deep
breath and then screamed, long and loud.

“
Chloe, angel,
calm down,” Ryan pressed, pulling her against him. “It’s okay. I
promise.”

“
What are we
doing out here? This is insect territory Ryan. They live here.
We’re meant to be living safely indoors.”

“
Chloe, I’m
doing this for you. I want to show you just how beautiful the
outdoors can be. I’m not going to let anything hurt you I
promise.”

“
Ryan, I don’t
want to do this.” Her eyes widened in fear, darting back and forth
over their surroundings. “Ryan there are wild animals out here. You
can’t expect me to just walk in there with no form of protection.
Do you even have a gun or something to stop them from eating
us?”

“
I don’t need a
gun Chloe and when you’re with me you don’t need one either.
There’s nothing out here that’s bigger or badder than me and
everything out there knows it. If some animal were to try and hurt
you then I’d tell them to get lost or deal with the
consequences.”

She laughed.
“So you can talk to animals now?”

“
I don’t need
to talk to animals angel. Animals can sense when a predator is
nearby and they know that it’s in their best interests to
flee.”

“
And what about
the insects? I don’t want them crawling all over me with their
spindly legs, their feelers moving over my skin.” She shuddered. “I
can’t deal with them Ryan. I won’t.”

“
Angel, insects
are no bigger than your baby toe, they can’t hurt you. Chloe, I’m a
wolf. That’s the only reason I’m even alive today. I have to be
outside, I can’t stay indoors all the time, it goes against my very
nature to do so. You’re my mate; I want to be with you whenever I
can. If you asked me to I’d give all of this up.” He stretched out
both arms to encompass the wilderness surrounding them. “I’d give
it up but I think it would change me. I wouldn’t be the same person
I’m now. I’d be more irritable and probably make mistakes more
frequently than I already do but even knowing this, I’d still do it
for you.”

“
You’re awfully
willing to give up things for me.”
First
his life and now his freedom.

“
I don’t know
how many times I have to tell you this before you believe me.
You’re the most important person in my life. Nothing is more
important than you.”

How many times
in my life have I been as willing as he is to compromise, no, to
sacrifice? After all that he’s done for me, is willing to do for me
in the future, the least I can do is try.
“Fine, I’m willing to do this but you have to promise that I
won’t get eaten or anything like that.”

“
I swear. I
give you my word even though I think it’s a bit unnecessary, I’d
never let anything happen to you, that’s the promise I made to
myself when I first saw you. I’ll try to keep the insects away as
well.”

“
You had
better. I think I could just about handle getting mauled by a wild
animal but being touched by bugs is a whole different ball game.”
She shivered, rubbing her hands over her crossed arms as though she
were freezing. “The thought of them being near me makes my stomach
turn.”

“
Really?” He
purred, pulling her close to his side. His hand crept beneath the
flimsy material of her shirt to gently caress the skin hidden
beneath. “Do you want to test that theory? We’ve got a wild animal
right here, do you think you’re up to the task of being mauled by
me?”

Laughter
spilled from her lips and she pressed closer to him, allowing his
touch. She melted against him, her limbs becoming weak, her body
pliant allowing him to guide her further into the woods. Held
within the safety of Ryan’s arms she was able to see the wildness
around her with new eyes. Whenever she had ventured on an outdoor
trip with her family she had been too terrified to enjoy the beauty
of nature but things were different now. With Ryan she felt
protected, one hundred percent safe from harm.

I like this
feeling,
she decided, wrapping her own arm
around his waist and pulling him closer.
Who am I kidding? I like him full stop. Arrogant, idiotic
Ryan. Kind, wonderful, loving Ryan.

“
Where are we
headed?” she asked, struggling to get the words out. His proximity
was making it hard to think. The warm, rich scent of him and the
pressure of his thickly corded muscles against her side were all
combining to cloud her mind, fog her judgement.

“
There’s
somewhere I want to take you. If it doesn’t cure your dislike of
nature then I don’t know what will.”

Her eyes
wandered again, looking at the sun-dappled leaves with new eyes.
She couldn’t remember ever having seen leaves so green, they
practically shone in the light of day. She turned her gaze skyward,
looking up at the tall trees that surrounded them as they stretched
ever higher as though trying to reach the sun. The air was fresh,
clean as it entered her lungs. She smiled as the beauty Ryan was
trying so hard to show her was revealed to her with no effort on
his part. The arm around her waist tightened suddenly, forcing her
to stop and she turned to him, confusion in her gaze.

He leaned
down, whispering in her ear. “Do you want to see something
special?”

“
I thought we
were going to see something special.”

“
Yes, but I’ve
just scented something that I think you’ll find pretty. Do you want
to see it?”

Why not? If
I’m going to do this I might as well go all the way.
“Yes.”

“
You have to be
very, very quiet. Don’t make any unnecessary sounds.”

“
Okay.”

He pulled her
against him, lifting her from the ground. He crept on silent feet
towards their new destination, trying his hardest to ensure the
twigs and branches beneath his feet didn’t snap. His breaths were
slow and steady, his movements swift and silent. He stopped,
setting Chloe on her feet before pulling her down to crouch beside
him. He smiled, his eyes alight with joy as he pointed towards a
small clearing.

Chloe’s gaze
wandered in the direction Ryan was pointing towards, a small gasp
escaping her lips when she saw the doe Ryan had been eager for her
to see. The animal personified all the positive traits Ryan was
trying to show her were intrinsic to the outdoors. Its coat was a
smooth sable brown, adorned with simple white spots. A slender neck
ended in a gently sloping head from which deep brown eyes looked
out. The doe’s eyes were currently focused on the grass underfoot
as it calmly chewed away at the long grass.

Ryan’s breath
was hot against her skin as he whispered in her ear, “I said no
sounds.”

“
I couldn’t
help it,” she retorted. “It’s beautiful.”

The doe
raised its head, dark brown eyes flicking back and forth as if it
were looking for something. Chloe watched from a distance as the
muscles in the creature’s legs tensed, quivering for a moment
before it fled.

“
It’s gone,”
she groaned, disappointed that she had only managed to catch a
fleeting glimpse of the beautiful animal in its natural
habitat.

“
Well we
couldn’t expect it to stay there all day. I’m surprised it stayed
still for so long.”

“
Why?”

“
Because
animals like that are usually very good at sensing when a predator
is nearby. That doe was slow.”

“
It was
beautiful,” she corrected. Her eyes were riveted in the direction
the doe had fled as though she expected it to come back at any
moment.

Ryan barely
resisted the urge to groan. Those who lived in cities had almost no
understanding of how nature actually worked. Chloe overlooked the
doe’s slowness, instead focusing on how beautiful it was. He didn’t
have the heart to tell her that if it stayed that slow it might not
survive the week. “Come on,” he urged, standing and offering her
his hand.

Her eyes
flitted between his outstretched hand and the direction the doe had
run in indecision. Her mind made up, she grasped Ryan’s hand and
allowed him to pull her to her feet. They resumed their walk, Ryan
easily guiding her back on to the path they had been on before he
had taken them on the detour. Ryan was silent as they walked,
allowing Chloe to hear the different sounds that were being made
around her. They were so far away from civilisation that she could
hear everything, birds tweeting over head, the twigs breaking under
their feet as they passed, she could even hear the wind as it
rustled through the trees. The quiet wasn’t as disconcerting as she
thought it would have been, in fact as they continued walking, it
became rather soothing. Her heart slowed, her thoughts became less
frenetic and her muscles relaxed as tension seeped from her. In
short, she was at peace.