Awakening Abduction (2 page)

Hannah had been backed into the wall by now. James had inched forward while she’d shied backward. She was plastered to the cold, rough surface of the textured wall, Hannah’s awareness heightened.

James casually began collecting clothes off the floor. Jeans she’d had on last night, a T-shirt, even her bra. These items he handed to her with an outstretched arm, maintaining a small distance, for which she was grateful.

“I’m sorry. I know this must be strange to you. I didn’t realize you were so…uninformed. I’ll do my best to fill you in on what I know. I promise. But we really have to get going.” His tone was serious. He wasn’t giving her any more information right now.

Hannah glanced at the digital clock next to the bed, glad she had good enough vision to see it was three fourteen, but sorry she kept the back lighting on the lowest setting. She normally preferred sleeping in complete darkness without the distraction of the green glow the clock emitted, but tonight she wished for once she could actually see better.

“Don’t just stand there. Get dressed, Hannah.” He grew impatient, his voice low and rougher. “We are leaving in one minute and I don’t really care if you are dressed or not. Personally I’d prefer you stayed just as you are.” He chuckled, “but I assume you’d rather not to head out the door dressed like that. Although, I was surprised to see you traipsing around town last night in that getup.” James waved his hand in a crisscross motion through the air as if taking in the pile of clothes still clutched in her hand. “Those skintight jeans and T-shirt barely leave anything to the imagination. People can even see the lace of your bra through the shirt. Do you have any idea how many men I saw ogling your ass, and those fine tit— Never mind.
Move
.”

His last words left little to the imagination and ended in…anger?

“You were following me?” Hannah stood frozen to the spot. Trying to take this all in. He’d been stalking her. A chill raced through her from head to toe, making her shiver. She hugged the pile of clothes she held.

“Of course. I needed to make sure I knew who you were so I didn’t kidna—take—the wrong woman.” He cleared his throat. “No chance of that, I see. You couldn’t possibly be anyone other than Hannah Stone.” He was mumbling now. She could barely hear him. “I just wish I had actually gotten close enough to realize you were—” His mouth stopped moving, his gaze fixed on her face.

What the hell was he talking about? And why on earth was Hannah feeling slightly aroused rather than thoroughly pissed to know he’d been watching her?

Was the room suddenly colder? A breeze seemed to blow past her and goose bumps rose all over her body. She jerked, yanking the pile of clothing closer to her chest, which did nothing to assuage the ache in her tight nipples.

“Well, thank God you’ve got the right person.” Snapping out of her stupor, Hannah glanced down at the clothes in her hands. She still had no intention of going with him, but she’d feel better, more protected, if she had something on.

Tucking her shirt and bra under her arm, she stepped into her jeans, her butt balanced against the wall. When she had them snapped and zipped she glanced at her strange assailant and raised eyebrows he couldn’t possibly see. “At least give me the courtesy of turning around while I change into my shirt.”

“Uh-uh. Not a chance. You turn. I promise not to look.” He actually stepped closer.

Hannah paused. Was she starting to see him better? It was way too early for the sun to be coming up. His face seemed clearer than it had before, as though a dimmer switch had been bumped up a notch in the room.

Dropping her gaze, she spun to face the wall, yanked her nightie over her head and jerked her bra on. She knew her breasts were ample compared to the size of her frame. Many a curious eye had stared at her since puberty. But she didn’t need James getting any better view than he already had through the flimsy material of her gown. The way he seemed to stare at her made her think he had night vision.

Just as quickly, she jerked her T-shirt over her head and pulled the bottom of it down over the top of her low-riding jeans. Why did she still feel so exposed? This was a normal outfit for her, stylish and common among her peers. Why did she feel as if this James character was still staring at her as though she were naked?

Hannah could feel his breath grazing her neck from the short distance he stood behind her and she shivered for what seemed like the millionth time since he’d pounced on her in her sleep.

“I haven’t seen you since you were five. You’ve, um, changed.” His voice was merely a whisper behind her and she flinched when he laid a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s go. Shoes?”

Hannah spun to face him. “You knew me when I was little? How?” Was it really possible her father was still alive? Why would her mother lie about something like that? Had she run away with Hannah all those years ago? Was that why she’d always harped on Hannah about safety? Had she been afraid her father would find them? Send someone to kidnap her? Renewed fear made Hannah’s heart beat faster. Was this the moment in life her mother had always warned her about, albeit subtly?

Hannah racked her brain, trying in vain to remember her childhood. Had she known James as a child?

James was so close to her, they shared the same air. Contrary to all that was happening, he didn’t seem dangerous. He didn’t appear to have any intention of hurting her.

It didn’t seem possible he could get any closer without smashing her, but he did. His body pressed her back to the wall once more. His hands splayed against the smooth surface on both sides of her head. Her long curls fell forward over her face, a tangled mess.

“You’ve grown up to be a beautiful woman, Hannah. Your father will be shocked when he sees you.” James closed the short distance between his lips and hers and pressed firmly into another mind-blowing kiss, erasing Hannah’s ability to think. His taste intoxicated her. All she knew was she wanted more. She never wanted him to stop.

Minutes went by, his mouth exploring every crevice of hers once again. He was like a drug. She couldn’t make any rational thoughts form while he devoured her. By the time his hands slipped to her shoulders and then grazed down to her waist, she craved the contact so much she couldn’t have stopped him if she’d wanted to. With a slight squeeze to her hips from his big hands, Hannah found herself efficiently lifted off the ground, her back sliding up the wall.

When she was once again lowered, she was vaguely aware of her shirt catching on the rough wall and dragging up her torso, exposing her stomach to the cool air. The realization was quickly forgotten when her legs were pushed open and her crotch settled against James’ large knee, grinding the rough denim of her jeans into her sensitive pussy, her thong pressed tight against her butt crack and between her folds.

The only noise in the room was the moan she knew could only be her own as she gripped his shoulders as though her life depended on hanging on to him for support.

With her feet dangling above the ground, she couldn’t get any sort of purchase and the pressure against her sex grew each second.
Holy shit, I’m going to come against this stranger’s thigh!
She didn’t even care enough to stop it. All she knew was fulfilling her body’s desires and granting her poor pussy its every wish. If only he were also inside her. If only she were naked so she could feel his skin against her own.

Desperation drove her bonkers. She groaned loudly and squeezed the firm pecs beneath her fingertips tight enough to leave bruises. She was so close.

James simply continued to devour her mouth, his tongue rhythmically entering and retreating as though in imitation of his cock. A curtain of her hair veiled their kiss.

Hannah began sucking gently on his tongue, not unaware she was mimicking a blowjob. She’d never in her life given head and hadn’t any idea what it might be like, but James brought the feeling out of her as though it were as natural as walking.

When his large hands wandered from her waist to graze the bottom of her aching globes, she shot off, an orgasm rippling through her, tightening her vaginal muscles and forcing her to grip his knee with her thighs.

Her mouth popped loose as she concentrated on the best feeling of her life. Her head rocked back, knocking into the wall and rolling from side to side. She didn’t even care if the sounds she heard ringing in her ears were her own moans filling the darkness.

As soon as the last waves of pleasure eased off, reality struck. “Damn,” Hannah mumbled as she laid her forehead against the broad shoulder in front of her. “Fuck.”

Embarrassment flooded her. How could she possibly get off so quickly? And Lord, she’d done so against the wall of her apartment with a man she’d known for all of five minutes. A kidnapper nonetheless. What the hell was the matter with her? And why did she want to do it again? She knew she wasn’t even close to fully satisfied. She wanted nothing more than to have what was sure to be a huge cock stuffed into her. She wanted this…this stranger to take her virginity and fuck her senseless. Jesus Christ. She’d lost her mind.

She couldn’t seem to concentrate on the anger she should be feeling. The confusion. Her entire life had just turned upside down. She needed answers, not sex.

Strong arms encircled her as James eased her to the ground. Firm lips nibbled around her neck and shoulders before traveling to her cheeks and eyelids.

She couldn’t bring herself to even look at him right now.

“You are the sexiest creature alive, Hannah.”

She held her breath.

“That was so…so hot. God, I want you.” James paused to set his forehead against hers in what was becoming a customary position for them, given the longevity of their relationship.

She turned her face up toward his, only his shadow giving her any indication as to the shape of his features. Dark. Mysterious. Were his eyes as dark as his hair?
Lord, not only did I just come against the wall with a stranger, but I don’t even know what he looks like. For all I know he could be the ugliest person alive
. Somehow, she knew instinctively it just wasn’t true.

“Come on.” James shook his head as though to rid himself of a trance, which surely wasn’t far from the truth. He stepped back, setting Hannah gently on the floor from her perch against his leg, and adjusted his crotch. The small movement of his hand was all she could see in the dimness of the room. No doubt he was as hard as a rock, but he said nothing.

This madness had to stop.

Hannah began to push on James in her feeble attempt to escape. She wasn’t sure what she needed more—to escape the man or the feelings he elicited. “You have to go. This is ridiculous. I can’t believe I—”

“Yes,
we
have to go. We should have left already. It’s dangerous to remain here in your apartment.”

“What? What danger?”

“I’ll explain on the way. Please believe me when I tell you I have only your best intentions in mind. There are others that do not.”

Those last words brought on a sense of urgency. Hannah glanced around as though “others” might also be lurking in the corner hoping to kidnap her themselves. How many were after her? And who was she supposed to trust? At this point, she didn’t feel inclined to trust anyone. Even the close relationship she’d always had with her mother hung in a precarious balance right now, threatened by unanswered questions.

Who else was after her? Based on her mother’s frequent warning, Hannah had no doubt she’d known this would happen one day.

Hannah turned to the male specimen currently driving her hormones into a frenzied state. Could she trust him? Did she have a choice really? James quickly gathered things from around the room with a purpose. He seemed to know exactly what he wanted to take and even pulled a duffel from the closet to stuff things in.

Hannah stood rooted to the spot, wondering how he could be so composed, so precise in his movements around a dark room in an apartment he’d never seen.

Seemingly done, he glanced her way and began to zip up her duffel before taking two large steps toward her and leaning down to retrieve the flimsy pool of material she’d been wearing on his arrival. “I might like to see this again later,” he joked.

As swiftly as this whirlwind began, it was over, and Hannah found herself being whisked out the door, her duffel slung over James’ shoulder and his strong arm circling her body. At the last second, he reached down and grabbed the sneakers she had by the front entrance and then swept her into his embrace and carried her across the threshold, the wrong way.

Chapter Two

James could not believe his good fortune, or perhaps the beginning of his demise.

Sweat pooled on his lower back, not from the exertion of carrying the tiny nymph in his arms, but from the stress of what had just transpired and the rock-hard cock begging to be set free from the confines of his jeans.

With brisk efficient steps, he gritted his teeth and maneuvered them to the little black Jag he’d leased. Hopefully, once he got behind the wheel, he could revel in the glory of this vehicle and forget the permanent state of need he’d found himself in from the moment he’d entered her apartment.
Not a fat chance in hell
.

With only a minor adjustment on his part, James whipped open the passenger door, deposited Hannah in the seat and fastened her in as though he kidnapped sexy damsels every day of the week.

Hannah batted at his hands as James reached across her front and tossed her bag into the tiny section behind the seats. “Stop it. I can buckle myself in.” She exhaled tiny puffs of air in her concerted effort to push him out of the way as she reached for her belt.

Good. She seemed resigned to this new destiny. At least slightly more resigned than she had been moments before.

Her heart beat so loud even a regular person would surely be able to hear it. Her brow was sweaty, and the smell of the film on her forehead mixed with her cum soaking into her jeans drove him mad. His hands shook with the need to take her right here against the car. Instead, he cautiously brushed her glorious, long blonde curls away from her face.

She was all grown up, but somehow he could still see the five-year-old child he’d known in her deep-blue eyes. He’d never forget those eyes as long as he lived. They sparkled when she looked at him. At least they had when she’d been just a tiny girl. Now they were angry—no, confused.

How would he live through this adventure? They had a long drive ahead of them. He was damned. He suddenly wished they could have flown across the country instead of driving. The confined space of the car was going to push him to the brink of insanity. But her father had been adamant about driving and keeping a low profile. He’d feared a paper trail would catch up with them if they tried to fly. The airport would be the first place someone would look for them.

Her father was going to kill him.

He’d been sent with explicit instructions to bring Hannah to Maxwell Stone unharmed and in one piece. He most definitely did
not
say to take her virginity, mate with her…or claim her as his own.
Shit
. All of those things were now imminent possibilities.

And she was without a doubt a virgin. That much he was sure of. Her innocence had been written on her face as she came against his leg. It had been her first orgasm. Her response to him shocked her, made her eyes widen, and her mouth had rounded into an O. How had someone as sexy as Hannah managed to fend off all the men who’d surely been ogling her since puberty? Did she somehow sense no one was quite right for her? Quite like her?

What did she even know about who and what she was? It hadn’t occurred to James when he’d been sent on this mission that Hannah would be so oblivious and uninformed about their kind.

What information had her mother kept to herself and what had she shared? How large was the web of lies?

Curiosity caused him to ponder these thoughts as he flung himself over the hood of the car and jumped into the driver’s seat.

Hannah sat ramrod straight next to him. He smelled her unease, but right now it was overpowered by her need to…fuck…
him
.

“Shit,” he muttered and slapped a palm over the steering wheel.

Hannah flinched. Her gaze remained forward, but he’d scared her.

“Sorry. I…”
You
what
, you asshole?

He hadn’t envisioned it going like this. What were the chances the one man in all the world Maxwell would send to retrieve his precious daughter would find his body needing to claim her in a ritual as old as time?

He’d been essentially stalking her for three days without approaching her. Somehow he’d not gotten quite close enough to catch her scent, a small detail that would have been nice before he entered her apartment and pounced on her sleeping form.

He’d never forget the moment he’d taken the first big inhalation on top of her. Lord. His cock had gotten so hard, he thought his jeans would spit open.

James revved up the engine and flew out of the parking lot. They had a lot of ground to cover. As much as he’d like to pull over and ease her nerves, they didn’t have time right now. Maxwell had specifically requested that they leave now and get to Seattle as soon as possible. James needed to concentrate on the road, the posted speed limits and squelching his need to claim her right this minute.

Could he possibly make it all the way from Boston to Seattle without taking her? If so, maybe he could explain to Maxwell what had happened, tell him his sweet, innocent daughter’s body was his.
Riiight
.

And what difference would it make? A lot actually. Maxwell already had a mate in mind for Hannah. That was one of the reasons James had been sent to get her. Was it someone in their own pack? Or a neighboring pack? Suddenly he felt the urge to punch the guy. His hands twitched against the steering wheel. Jealousy made his cheeks flush. Whoever it was couldn’t have her.

Could Maxwell even break the bond already forming between James and Hannah as they sat here? James didn’t even know if it was possible. He knew about claimings from his brothers and friends, but having not experienced the event himself, he just wasn’t sure.

One thing he did know, however, was he’d been in no way prepared for the overpowering need—drive—to take what was clearly his, this instant, over and over again. Until her body was completely covered with his scent. Until she couldn’t stand on her own from the exertion.

Was it always like this?

He turned toward Hannah, who now stared directly at him.

“Where are we going?”

“What?” He glanced back at his hands, gripping the steering wheel hard enough to cause carpal tunnel.

“Where are you taking me? Don’t I at least deserve to know that?”

“Oh, yeah. Seattle.”

“Seattle? Are you kidding? That’s like thousands of miles away. Why on earth would we go there?”

“I told you already.” James strained to keep his head facing straight, looking only forward. “Your father summoned you.”

“Uh-huh. Riiight. My father. The dead one?”

“Honey, I have no idea what you’ve been told for the past…how long has it been? Sixteenish years? But your father, Maxwell Stone, is alive and well in the outskirts of Seattle.”

Silence. What was she thinking? Did she believe him?

James only knew bits and pieces of what had happened sixteen years ago. Hannah had simply vanished during the night. Her mother sneaked her away in the wee hours and no one ever knew where they had gone. James had been only ten at the time, but he remembered clearly. He’d heard his parents speaking in hushed voices early the next morning and sneaked into the hall to eavesdrop. His heart had sunk that day and he’d never been the same since. He’d felt a hole in his life without her sweet toddler self hanging around.

Shit
. James clenched the steering wheel tighter. His knuckles were white with the effort. Had he known even then she was the one? Could his prepubescent mind have understood his attraction to her, his need to watch over her and keep her safe?

Flashes of memories scrolled through his mind. A toddler Hannah chasing after James during a birthday party, squealing in delight when he’d let her catch him and had given her a piggyback ride through the backyard. Her tiny hands had clutched his hair and he’d loved the smell and feel of her little body cradling his head.
God
. Had his body already been drawn to her then?

Fuck
. This was messed up. How was he ever going to get out of this?

“So, my father is ‘alive and well’ and living in Seattle, you say?”

“Yes.” James glanced her way, wishing he had all the answers she needed. He was going to have to stop looking at her. And she was going to have to stop talking in that sweet, sexy voice, and smelling up the entire inside of the car with the sweet scent that drove him completely mad to mate with her.

“That’s it? Yes?”

Determined to breathe through his mouth and keep his vision steady out the windshield for…oh…thirty hours, James narrowed his gaze toward the dark highway, not unaware of his hands gripping the wheel at ten and two as though he were a boy testing for his license.

James cleared his throat.

“So sorry to harp on the obvious, but take a step back and examine this from my perspective, will you?”

“And what exactly is your perspective, if I might ask?” he mumbled almost hesitantly.

“Seriously? You kidnap me, take me from the only home I’ve ever known, and you want to know
my
view on the subject?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I don’t have one, okay? So let’s start with your story.”

James flinched. What was he supposed to tell her? In some ways, he seemed to be just as in the dark as she was. He didn’t even get the impression she knew anything at all about their species, let alone the pack she belonged to.

“Look, honey—” James stiffened. Did he just call her “honey”? The word rolled off his tongue on its own accord. “Hannah. I don’t know all the details, but you were born in Seattle to Maxwell and Meredith Stone, and lived there with them until you were five. One day your mother took you and vanished without a word in the middle of the night. I don’t know what happened in the last sixteen years, but last week Maxwell called me into his office and asked me to come out here. I was shocked. He hadn’t mentioned you in years. I’d begun to think I’d simply conjured your existence up myself.” James glanced at Hannah before continuing. She was intently staring at his profile, frozen, her lips pressed firmly together. Her forehead scrunched up.

“Anyway, he had a private investigator keeping tabs on you. I don’t know for how long. Apparently it was discovered that someone else also had a lead on your location. I don’t know who it is. Suspicions arose when this man’s employees were spotted in Boston not far from your apartment. I was immediately sent to check up on you and make sure you were safe. I’ve been…watching you. Tonight your father told me it was time to go in and get you. The danger was getting too close apparently. That’s the gist of it from my end.”

“So I’m in some kind of danger from an unknown source and my father sent his right-hand man to come out here and follow me around and then kidnap me? Why didn’t he come get me himself? What about my mom? How does she fit in to all this? Obviously, if what you say is true, she ran with me for a reason all those years ago. Why shouldn’t I believe that reason has something to do with my father? She must have left him for
some
reason.”

“I wish I could fill all these holes in for you, but I don’t have many more details than what I’ve already told you. What I can tell you with certainty is that your father is a good man and there is no way I would ever believe for a minute that your mother left because of something he did to her or to you. He loves you very much. That was clear.” James clenched his stomach, feeling her pain. She was far more uninformed than he’d anticipated.

“Why didn’t you just ring the doorbell like a civilized human being if what you’re saying is true? Why was it necessary to essentially abduct me in the middle of the night?” Hannah grabbed his arm, pinching his biceps hard with her grip. His skin practically burned where she touched him, the warmth traveling up his arm and across his torso.

“Would you have quietly come with me? Just jumped in the car with a stranger spouting a story as ridiculous as all this?” James flexed his muscles under her grip and she released her hold, sitting back with a long sigh.

“I suppose not. But it still seems excessive, your means. Did you think this through first or just burst in and lay in wait?”

“Seemed like the best thing to do.”

Could this all be true? Flashes of her childhood ran through her thoughts. Christmas when she was about nine, alone in an apartment with her mom. Her seventh birthday, also just her and her mom at Chuck E. Cheese’s.

She closed her eyes and tried hard to recall a memory of her father. If she’d been five as James said, she should be able to remember something. A beautiful pink bedroom fit for a princess surfaced in her mind.

Suddenly she’d found herself wrapped in a blanket, her mother holding her tight against her body and carrying her in a rush out the door. Without a word, she’d yanked open the backseat of their sedan and settled Hannah against the cool leather upholstery, buckling her in.

“We’re going on an adventure,” her mother mumbled. Hannah’s tiny sleepy eyes opened just enough to see the look on her mom’s face, lips pressed together, brows furrowed, belying her words of excitement.

“Is Daddy going?” Hannah asked.

“No, baby. Not this time. Go back to sleep.”

“Oh my God,” Hannah uttered. Was it possible? Had her mother really fled with her in the night? Why? And if so, did she even want to go back there? She must have had her reasons. Abuse? Money? Divorce? She was reeling with suppressed memories when James spoke again.

“You remember, don’t you?”

“Yes. But that doesn’t explain anything. My mother loves me. Why? Why would she take me away from our home, my father, if not for a good reason?”

“I don’t know. I’m sorry.” James paused and glanced her way. His eyes were full of sorrow. He tentatively reached a hand toward her cheek and grazed the skin next to her ear gently.

Déjà vu hit Hannah right in the gut. She’d seen that look before, a look of extreme concern for her, followed by the same gentle touch. Hannah flinched.

“You were there…when I fell on the front steps…you-you…” Hannah yanked away from his touch. An overwhelming sense of betrayal made her head swim. What had been true in her life so far? Why would her mother run with her from their home in the middle of the night and then tell her that her father was dead? Why hadn’t her father come for her sooner? Had he been looking for her all this time?