Changing Hearts (11 page)

What would it take to seduce a man like Malcolm Slade? She knew he wanted her, knew his body, at least, craved hers, but could she do this? Her ex had always taken the lead in their relationship. He’d told her when and where he wanted her. Joie had always placidly gone along, never initiating contact between them. He’d once even called her a slut for reaching out to touch him.

Even when she’d sought comfort after her miscarriage, Bill had turned his back on her, preferring to spend the night out at some bar with his friends while she recovered in the hospital.

Joie shook her head. Those memories were the very ones she tried so hard to forget. But what if Malcolm responded that way? What if he took what she offered then called her names? Joie didn’t think she could bear it again. Could she even be the aggressor with Malcolm? Would he even let her? The idea of him lying back placidly while she had her way with him made her laugh.

“Not likely,” Joie chuckled as she turned her back to the woods and started back to the cabin. She saw a fat red squirrel stretching out for an afternoon nap. She couldn’t resist asking him. “Could I really do this? I don’t even know where to start!”

“Start what?”

Joie shrieked as she whirled to face Malcolm. There he stood bigger than life and dressed again. “You have got to stop doing that!”

“Doing what?”

“Sneaking up on me!” Joie thumped him in the chest. The lout just grinned at her. So she hit him again but not as hard.

“What are you having trouble starting, Joie?”

Lord, even the way he said her name caressed her. Joie grabbed her courage with both hands and faced him.
Tante
’s admonition rang loud in her mind. “Figuring out how to seduce you.”

She grinned as his eyes widened followed by his jaw dropping. For once, she’d snuck up on him. She only had a moment to savor her triumph before he moved in, sweeping her up in his arms. Joie wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight as he carried her toward the cabin. Laying her head against his chest, she heard his heart picking up speed. Cypress trees flew by until she heard the creak of the porch beneath his feet.

Malcolm didn’t stop until he stood beside her bed with her still cradled in his arms. She looked up into his eyes to see them glowing down at her. He cleared his throat then spoke softly.

“I want to take this slow, Joie, but I’m not sure I can.”

In answer, she kissed his jaw then whispered, “Don’t go slow.”

Malcolm groaned then set her gently in the middle of her bed. He quickly stripped his jeans off again. Joie laughed, bringing his gaze to her face. “How do you do that so fast?”

“Practice,” he rumbled as he knelt on the bed. His big hands moved to her shoulders, pushing her gently onto her back as he lowered his naked body on top of her completely clothed one. He angled his head to kiss her and Joie sighed happily.

Slade supported most of his weight on his arms though he let his hips nestle against hers. He fit perfectly against her body and when she moved slightly, he moved with her so that he nestled even more deeply between her legs. He kissed her eyes, her cheeks and her mouth before moving his mouth to her neck.

Joie shuddered as his stubbled cheeks scraped against her neck. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she scratched gently at him, reveling in his tremors. She’d never felt this kind of power. She imagined she could conquer the world. A whimper escaped her as his hand roamed to her breast. With his hot sweet lips nipping at her neck, she thought she might rocket to the moon in that moment. She closed her eyes and lost herself to the wicked heat of his touch.

Slade knew if he opened his mouth he would howl, moon or no moon. Her creamy skin pulled him in. He wanted to rip her clothes off and bury himself deep inside her. But he couldn’t do that. No shifter female writhed beneath him. Other Pack members had mentioned that human females needed some time to prepare for sex. Slade hadn’t paid much attention since he didn’t believe he’d ever have sex with a human. But here they were and he had to, wanted to, needed to focus on her pleasure.

He wanted to make love to this human, to Joie.

The smile on her face drew him. The feel of her soft hands moving over his shoulders and scratching, oh-so lightly down his back, made him shudder. How she managed to still have cool hands with the heat so nearly unbearable was a mystery. Slade drew in a deep breath when she trailed her fingers over his ass. He thrust against her to feel her clench at his back. She moaned softly as he nibbled at her neck.

Slade suddenly wrapped his arms around her and rolled over. Her gasp as she found herself on top of him thrilled him, but before she could object, he sat up, pulling her skirt up and off. Her face flushed beautifully from arousal or embarrassment he wasn’t sure which.

Slade pulled on her legs so that she straddled his body. He moved her closer as he ran his hands up under her t-shirt. Placing soft kisses on her throat and jaw, he slid his hands up to her shoulders then down her body to cup her gorgeous rounded ass inside her panties. He wanted her on her knees in front of him so he could lick from her neck to the small of her back, but for now he’d settle for holding her ass and pulling her against his hard cock.

She whimpered softly as he started a slow rocking motion. Slade had every intention of taking his time with her. For the first time in his life he was actually going to ignore his own body and make love to a woman slowly. He moved one hand down her body and one hand up slightly to the small of her back, holding her in place.

He slid his fingers around her ass and pushed his middle finger into her. She gasped then moaned softly as he pulled his finger out then pushed it back in.

“Soft, oh baby, you’re so fucking soft.” Slade practically growled against her neck, setting up a rhythm with his finger, forcing her body against his as she moved on him. Her body tightened around him as her excitement grew. His thumb caressed her core. Watching her climb toward her peak, Slade thought he might explode.

He withdrew his finger but not his thumb and she arched her back as she came. He moved his hand to his mouth and sucked her essence off his fingers, never taking his eyes off hers. Her lashes framed her doe-like eyes that widened as he moved his hands back to cup her ass again.

She braced herself on his shoulders then sat back slightly. He stared into her face as she reached for the hem of her shirt. Slade knew her breasts were an issue for her. She hid them in those freaking jumpers and t-shirts. He managed, barely, to keep his eyes on her face as she pulled her shirt off. He wanted to lean forward and smother himself between those beautiful orbs.

He waited until she dropped her arms and met his eyes. Smiling slowly and letting his eyes glow, he leaned forward to lick and gently bite her chest above the top of her bra. He wanted to suckle her, wanted to roll her nipples around in his mouth, but he held back. She sighed as she leaned into him.

Slade pulled her closer so that his erection hit right where he wanted it, right between her nether lips. Only a thin piece of cotton kept him from entering her. At that thought, another popped into his head. One he should have had long ago.

“Condom,” he rumbled against her neck. “I need a condom, baby.”

“What?” Joie kissed his face, trailing her soft, sweet lips over his cheeks and chin.

Slade closed his eyes as he throbbed against her, reveling in her softness. “I need a condom. I need to get inside you.”

Joie leaned back to meet his eyes and he hissed as her action forced him even closer to her warm, wet heat. “I don’t have any.”

It took a moment for her words to penetrate the sensual haze that wrapped around his brain but finally he gained control again. Slade shut his eyes as he fought his base side down. “First rule, no condom, no sex.”

“Malcolm, it’s okay.” Despite the blush covering her face and neck she smiled softly at him. “I use the patch. Birth control isn’t an issue and I’m clean.”

“Shifters don’t get or carry STDs.” Slade rumbled against her throat.

It took every ounce of self-control he had to move her off his lap. “I don’t take chances, Joie. No condom, no sex.”

Her look of confusion, followed by hurt, as he got off the bed tore at him but he made himself grab his jeans off the floor.

Slade shoved his legs into the jeans and yanked them up over his hips. He couldn’t look at her. He couldn’t let the sound of her tears rip him apart any more. If he did, he’d go back to the bed, he’d take her in spite of his vow not to do so. He snagged a shirt and his shoes as he left the cabin, slamming the screen door behind him.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” he shouted as he entered the woods with the taste and smell of her clinging to him. Slade advanced on a fallen tree. Dropping his shirt and shoes on the ground, he tore into the rotting wood. Using all the strength he could, he reduced a good section of it to kindling as he growled, releasing some of the frustration, anger and lust from his body.

Breathing hard, he pulled his shoes on then stood and finally zipped his jeans. He grabbed the shirt off the ground and took off through the woods. He hadn’t even gotten her out of her underwear, damn it all.

No condom, no sex. The one rule he’d always maintained. It didn’t matter if his lovers could have kids or not, didn’t matter if they wanted them or not. No condom, no sex, no kids, not for him. He’d never put a child through what his life had been like. No way, no how. She’d hate him now. She would probably pull her godmother’s pistol on him if he went back to the cabin right now.

Slade walked without a firm direction in mind. He found a deer path and followed it. His awareness of his surroundings extended only to the very minimum basic safety. Nothing else caught him. Not the copperhead slithering away, not the deer watching from the shadows, not even the pirogue being poled down the bayou could drag him away from his thoughts of Joie.

He’d walked nearly a mile before the sound of cars on gravel drew his attention. He veered toward the faint sound. As he drew nearer, he heard music, and people talking.

Slade stopped before a small clearing to watch as an ancient pickup pulled into a small gravel lot. The house looked a little bigger than Joie’s cabin but that’s definitely where the music came from. As he watched, two men got out of the truck and walked into the old house. When the door opened he smelled cigarette smoke and booze.

Great, a bar in the fucking boondocks.
Slade grinned slowly as he walked across the gravel. No neon lights announced its presence. No speakers directed music into the parking lot. Definitely no tourists would ever be here, unless they were lost in a scary
Deliverance
kind of lost.

Perfect. A workingman’s bar. The kind of place that men came to for the type of action they didn’t want their wives and girlfriends to know about. It fit his mood. He needed to blow off some steam.

All conversation stopped when he walked into the small bar. The jukebox wailed a country song in the corner. Men of all ages stared at him. He wasn’t dressed that much differently than they were, so he knew it was the whole “stranger” mentality. Slade approached the bar as he would approach an unfamiliar Pack.

He didn’t make eye contact with anyone, just let his eyes sweep the entire bar. He didn’t show any fear, but curtailed his arrogance at the same time. When he reached the nearly empty bar, he pulled a five-dollar bill out of his pocket and put it down in front of the bartender. “Beer.”

The bartender spat into a foam cup then set it down before reaching for a Mason jar. Slade leaned one hip against the bar as he gazed around the room again. Six tables with three or four men at each. Two pool tables and an electronic dartboard occupied the far corner. None of them held anyone’s interest at the moment. None of the men met his eyes but he could feel their gazes as his own eyes swept past them.

Another of Tonio’s lessons rolled through his mind as he caught sight of a small hallway that probably led toward the bathrooms or the back door. The hallway stood directly opposite his location. Good to know. Always know where the nearest exit is.

Slade turned back to the bar. Conversations resumed slowly, some of the men watching him, some ignoring him. He could feel the tension from one table off to his right. He glanced that direction to see four men sitting there. All of them had on work-worn clothing, all about his age, all obviously drunk. Their murmurs were slightly louder than the rest of the people in the bar, their eyes glassier, the tension at their table almost strong enough for him to touch.

Slade finished his beer and ordered another. The bartender stared hard at him for a moment as he refilled the jar. When he set it in front of Slade, he leaned closer. “Look, mister, I don’t want no trouble here.”

“I’m just drinking a beer.” Slade let his eyes glow slightly and the bartender nearly swallowed the remaining bit of tobacco in his cheek. He backed away from Slade even as he surreptitiously made the sign of the cross.

Slade snorted as he picked up his drink. One of the men from the table behind him got up and started past him. He purposely bumped into Slade, knocking against his arm. Only Slade’s shifter reflexes kept him from spilling the beer down the front of his shirt.

“Watch it, buddy.” The drunk human spat the words at him.

Slade simply set his beer down and turned to face the man. “You want a piece of me?” The glow in his eyes brightened, and the man’s face blanched as he headed for the bathrooms.

Slade turned back to the bar. He could feel the anger simmering just below the surface and knew he would have to do something to get it out of his system.

When the drunk had gone back to his table, muttering to his friends that he wasn’t going to fight this one, Slade went down the hallway. He entered the door marked “men”, closing and locking it behind him.

He stared at his reflection in the rusty, flyspecked mirror. His eyes glowed like mini-suns. Joie had done a good job on his hair. As he thought of her, he took a deep breath. Slade washed his face and hands. As he pulled paper towels out of the container on the wall, he saw it. The one thing that all bars have.