Cook, Kris - Primal Desire [Texas Wolf Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (3 page)

Monster or man?
Whichever, she prayed he would not harm her. He’d made sure she hadn’t hit the branch. That surely meant something. Feeling like Little Red Riding Hood, she wondered if this man might be the Big Bad Wolf.

* * * *

Holding the woman, Luke knew. She
was
his mate. He’d never had such a hunger for any woman in his entire life. Her aroma ignited his primal lust into a roaring fire. Her long, dark locks made his heart pound in his chest, and her full breasts made his mouth water. Her piercing blue eyes, surrounded by the longest lashes he’d ever seen, unhinged him.

She was a tiny thing, so light in his arms. He pulled her in close as he continued to run down the path. Another whiff of her and every part of him was trapped. He would never let her go. Someone would come looking for her soon. That was unfortunate for them. What did he know about her? Not much. She was Mrs. Bullion’s granddaughter. He recalled seeing them after the car crash that his parents had died in.

The painful memory took hold of him. Normally, he was able to keep it buried deep, but being with Megan had him off his game entirely.

“Ouch!” She looked up at him with the most gorgeous eyes he’d ever seen in his life. “You’re squeezing me too tight, mister.”

He loosened his grip on her as he came around the trees that hid his cabin from view to any who wandered onto his property.

Megan sighed. “I think I remember you. Didn’t I meet you at Gran’s a couple of times? You were only a teenager then. I might’ve been ten or maybe eleven.”

“Yes. After your mother moved you into your gran’s.”

“Right. After the divorce. Luke…mmm…”

He could almost hear gears grinding in her head, working to find the memory and bring it to the forefront of her consciousness. That wasn’t something he wanted to happen.

“You live here?” she asked as he stepped up to the porch with her still in his arms.

He nodded. Talking wasn’t something he cared for much.

“You can put me down. I think I can walk.”

She probably could, but he wasn’t ready to let her out of his arms. “No.”

“You’re quite the one-syllable conversationalist, Luke.”

He had the urge to grin but didn’t. “Yep.”

“So, what do you have planned for me?”

He didn’t quite know, but he wasn’t about to let her leave. How the hell would that work? The tribe was friendly with Gran, and they’d all come looking for Megan soon. No one would let him have her given his past and his current isolationist way of living. Didn’t matter. Megan was for him alone. No one would have her but him. He’d learn to tolerate her blabbering in time. And Megan? She would surrender to him and become his mate in due course.

Luke opened his front door, carefully keeping hold of Megan. “First, you need a warm bath.”

Chapter Three

Megan looked into Luke’s yellow-brown eyes, her ankle throbbing with pain. “A bath sounds divine. I’m surprised you’d have a tub out here. You look more like a guy who likes showers.”

She scanned the space of the one-room cabin as they entered through the front door. It was neat and sparse. The word that it brought to mind was
utilitarian.
There was one chair, and it was made of dark wood. Beside it were a table and a small television. There was a rustic rock fireplace with a black pot sitting on its mantel. There was no flame in the hearth, but she did spot a few embers. There was a comfy-looking bed in one corner. In the other corner were rifles, knives, chains, bows and arrows, and all sorts of other hunting gear. She couldn’t imagine this was his only home. Likely it was a getaway space, his man cave. Was he escaping some wife out here?

Before thinking, she blurted, “You married or have a girlfriend?”

He grinned. “Now, that’s a good question, sweetheart.”

She gulped. “Why?”

“Lets me know you’re interested.”

She felt the heat hit her cheeks like wildfire. “Not true. I’m just inquisitive.”

“Right. After I bathe you, I’ll get you something to eat.”

Megan felt her heart pound against her ribs. “Wait a second, buddy. I can bathe myself.”

“Not happening. If you fell in my tub, you’re the type that would sue me for sure, and I don’t carry insurance on this place.”

She was about to blast him with a tirade of why he was wrong, but when she saw his sexy mouth curl up, she knew he was only teasing her. Luke was unhinging her, and she couldn’t help but let him.

Luke walked over to the back door of the cabin. Another covered porch. On it was a claw-footed tub.

“Alfresco?”

“No one here but us animals to see you, Megan.”

“Why haven’t you built some walls around the tub? You look like a guy who could be pretty handy if you wanted to be.” Her nerves kept her talking. She was afraid to let any moment pass without conversation. If she did, her mind might spin out of control, realizing what she’d actually gotten herself into. What did she really know about Luke? Not much. She remembered that his parents had died in some kind of crash, but that was about it. Soon after, he’d dropped off the map. That was about all she knew. Not enough to trust him with a bath.
Oh, God!

“Don’t need a bathroom. This works just fine for me. It’ll work fine for you, Megan.”

How he was able to keep her in his arms and get the water running, she didn’t know. The guy was strong. Fast, too. Probably had a little to do with him being a shifter. If he did let her down, she wouldn’t have a chance to escape, even if she wasn’t injured. With her ankle’s pain and swelling, there was no hope. Still, she needed a second to get her bearings.

“Luke, do you have a toilet?”

He nodded. “Do you need to go, or are you trying to avoid the bath?”

Crap. The guy sees right through me.
“I need to go,” she lied.

“I’ll take you to the outhouse.” He turned the water off and carried her down the steps to a path. It curved and ended at a little wooden building. “Here we are.”

Luke opened the door. Like his cabin, it was pristine though rugged.

“Thank you. This I can do on my own.”

“Quite the spitfire. I don’t want you putting too much weight on your ankle. If you do, you might really injure yourself. Understand?” He actually sounded concerned.

“Yes.” Megan decided to soften her tone. He’d carried her at least a mile to his home, while he was naked to boot. He could’ve left her to fend for herself, but he hadn’t. Still, she sensed something dark inside him, something dangerous. “May I have some privacy, Luke?”

He looked at her and nodded. Then he lowered her down on the outhouse’s seat. Without a word, he unbuttoned her Levi’s, causing her to tremble violently. His fingers curled around the top and he pulled them down to the middle of her thighs. She touched her skimpy panties, the Victoria’s Secret pink ones, and wished she’d chosen differently this morning. The white ones would’ve been less provocative. When she looked at Luke staring at her panties like they were some kind of present for him to unwrap, her cheeks burned.

“I can handle it from here, cowboy.”

His gaze didn’t falter from her underwear, and he still didn’t speak.

“Luke, I said I can handle it now. Thank you.”

He blinked then looked up at her, fixing his stare on her eyes. She looked down at his cock, still exposed for her to view, and realized how hard and erect it was. Massive. Megan’s heart pounded in her chest, and her pussy began to dampen. Sparks seemed to dance on her skin, warming her up. She felt the increasing wetness on the fabric of her underwear.
Oh no.

“Please,” she begged, hearing the shake in her voice.

“I’ll be back.” Then Luke left her, shutting the door behind him.

She listened for him to walk away but heard nothing. The guy was stealthy. Was he walking back to his cabin or just standing outside, waiting for her? She didn’t know. With his wolf-shifting powers, he might be able to run to his home and back without her ever hearing a thing.

Well, I might have witch powers that could stand up to his shifter stuff. Oh, God! Kate’s book.

In all the confusion of Nightmare going off, she’d let it slip from her hands, deciding to hold tight to the reins. When Luke had knocked her off the saddle and carried her back to his cabin, she’d forgotten about it completely. He’d made it clear that she wasn’t leaving tonight. Well, she wasn’t about to leave the book until morning. It was her sister’s spell book. Megan would insist he take her to get it. But then she’d have to explain what it was. She wasn’t up for that, especially not with Luke. With him, she didn’t want to give him any advantage. Kate hadn’t said if the book was to be kept secret, but it surely was implied.

The dampness in her panties that had come as a result of Luke’s intense stare reminded her how vulnerable and out of control she was. Had he been aware of her arousal before he’d left her? Kate had mentioned that werewolves had heightened senses. Of course he must have.

* * * *

Luke ran silently to his cabin. He needed to get a little distance from the scent of Megan, not that a few hundred yards would do much to help to curb his primal desire. After smelling her want, it had taken every ounce of his willpower to keep from devouring her pussy right then. When the seductive scent of Megan had first hit his nose, he’d been able to shuck his clothes just in time before they were ripped to shreds by his involuntary shift. Being in control was important to him, and being around Megan had an adverse impact on him.

He gathered up his good jeans and slipped them on. Then he pulled on his socks and boots. He was about to put on his shirt when he caught the scent of someone other than Megan. A man. He was close. Too close. Luke was possessive and angry, and his teeth elongated and sharpened. Without regard for his clothes, he finished the shift into wolf form, ripping his jeans to pieces. His boots were saved, but just barely.

His animal nature took hold of him, and he rushed to the outhouse to protect his mate.

* * * *

Megan tried to stand up but couldn’t. The pain in her ankle was too much. She sat back down. “Luke, I’m done. You can—”

The door swung open. Luke stood there with a scowl on his face that frightened her. He was still naked, but his face and body were deep red and a thin layer of sweat covered him, as if he’d been working out at a gym or sunning himself on a beach. Neither was possible.

He lifted her up in his arms, turned around, and ran back to his cabin.

“What’s wrong, Luke?” she asked as they got back to his porch.

He didn’t answer but opened the door and took her inside. Then he placed her on the bed. “Stay here. Be quiet.”

“B–but…I…”

He glared at her with his mesmerizing eyes, and she clamped her mouth shut. “Good girl.”

Luke sniffed at the air. Then he frowned.

Megan knew something was up but had no idea what it could be.

“I’ll be back.” He left her, again, shutting another door, the front one to his cabin, as he exited.

She curled up on the bed, worried about what could’ve put him in such a state so quickly.

Time marched on. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. Her body was quaking inside as her imagination took over. She’d only just learned about shifters and witches. What else in the world was real that she’d always thought was make-believe? The list was long and very scary.