Kane (10 page)

She was confused, and he seemed to expect her
to understand the cryptic statement. “You were looking for me?”

“My mate.” He pressed a finger to her lips to
hush her when she tried to protest. “You were so cagey. It was
obvious you wouldn’t accept any kind of claim. And if you had…well,
a lot of things would have changed, and I wasn’t ready to give them
up yet.”

She suspected she knew what but she had to
ask. “Like?”

He buried his face in her neck, nibbled a
path to her ear before answering. She couldn’t stop the flood of
cream in her core and hoped like hell he didn’t notice it. Not much
chance of that.

“I always knew when I met my mate I’d have to
come home and deal with the problems in the pack.” He took a deep
breath. “And the Branch…”

He let the answer trail off and before he
could answer, she leaned back, lifted a hand to caress his
face.

“I hate the Branch. I won’t pretend I don’t,
that wouldn’t be fair to either of us. But it doesn’t define you,
Kane. I understand that. I could have learned to live with
that.”

He met her gaze, his brilliant green eyes
boring into hers. “And what can’t you learn to live with?”

She shrugged, looked away.

“The secrets. Shutting me out. The persona…I
thought for a minute there I was getting to know the real Kane
Dupree. I liked him.” She knew her smile was bitter, but she didn’t
fight it. “I don’t want to go back to the way things were
before.”

“Maybe I don’t either,” he whispered, his
lips close to her nape again, the breath feathering over her skin
and igniting her libido.

“I left the Branch.”

She shimmied, trying to turn on his lap so
she could look him full in the face. Her heart soared and crashed
at the same time.

“I didn’t ask you do that. I wouldn’t
ask.”

He nodded. “I know. It was something that
needed to be done. I ignored the pack too long, and it needs my
attention.”

He didn’t continue, and she realized he was
waiting for something from her.

“You want me to quit going after bounties?
And then what, Kane? I’m not like most women. I have to do
something, and I have sisters to take care of.”

“I’m glad you’re not like most women.” He
grinned. “You’re like a she wolf, but human.”

She rolled her eyes, ignoring a small surge
of pleasure. Was that a compliment or insult? He fell silent, his
fingers on the nape of her neck making soothing circling motions.
It was the action of a companion, a partner. She started to believe
there was a future for them.

“About what I said out there…” She let the
thought trail off, unsure how to continue.

“Are you going to say it again?” She heard
the smile in his tone. He went on in a soft command. “Say it again,
Calista.”

If she’d had hackles, the demand would have
made them rise.

“You first,” she answered testily. He
chuckled.

“That was not part of the plan. I didn’t want
to love you,” he murmured and buried his head in her neck, kissing
the soft skin where it met her shoulder, nuzzling it. “Sebastian
had a mate. A sweet woman. Human.”

Gooseflesh rose on her arms, as unease
threaded its way through her. Sebastian was a dour, severe man, and
Kane had emphasized
had
. What had happened to her? Had she
left him? Died?

“And?” she prodded when Kane didn’t go
on.

He sighed, straightened his back so he could
look at her.

“She died.” The statement was bald, and she
sensed deep pain behind it. “To lose a mate is like…dying yourself.
Being mated is not like your human marriages. We’re connected by
more than law, more than tradition. One cannot survive without the
other.”

She cocked her head to one side. “Sebastian
survived.”

Kane grimaced. “Barely. The first couple of
years we were sure we’d lose him.”

She cupped his face in her palms, resolve
filling her. She wasn’t letting this incredible man go. She could
take what was before her or go back to the suspicious half-life
she’d been living. That was no longer an option.

“And you’re afraid of going through that
yourself? There is pain in life, but also joy. If you cut yourself
off…” She twisted on his lap moving one leg over so she straddled
him and could look him full in the face. “You made me see that,
brought me completely to life again. And I’m not settling for half
of you, Kane. I’ve always been a fighter. That’s not about to
change now.”

“I know.” He grinned. “Are you going to say
it again?”

“Are you?” she countered.

He lifted his hands, his thumbs brushing over
her cheekbones, before her pulled her face closer. His lips hovered
over hers.

“We’re already mated. I tried to hold back,
but it was no use.”

His lips touched hers, his tongue darting out
to trace them. Her body hummed in response. Couldn’t he get on with
it so she could rip his clothes off? She played with the buttons on
his shirt, slipping the top few free so she could slide her hand
over the smooth skin of his chest. She leaned in and pressed her
lips against one of his nipples.

“If you would just admit you loved me we
could move on to more interesting things.”

His cock swelled against her core, and she
reached between them to open the front of his pants, letting him
spring free. She wrapped her hand around him, groaning when his
cock pulsed in her hand. Tightening her grip, she slid it up and
down, from base to head and back again, and leaned forward, traced
the shell of his ear with her tongue. She couldn’t recall ever
being so aggressive with him, but she liked it.

“Well, Kane? What’s it going to be?”

He grunted, flipping her over so lay flat on
the sofa and he knelt between her legs. He grabbed the edges of her
shirt and ripped it open. Buttons flew through the air before he
reached her pants, opening the snaps and tugging them down over her
hips, off her legs. He tossed them aside before stripping out of
his own. Then he was over her, around her. Consuming her. His hands
and lips left a trail of fire across her skin. She arched into him,
wanting more, wanting everything. When he thrust into her, her eyes
rolled back and she swore she saw stars. He held her hips still,
his pelvis rotating against hers, his rhythm steady and building.
He nipped at her neck, and she opened her eyes, met his intense
gaze.

“Say it again, Calista,” he said. When her
reply wasn’t fast enough, he growled.

She grinned. “Still trying to boss me
around.”

“Damn it.”

His voice was low, guttural, his hips
pistoning in and out of her, driving her higher. She recognized the
edge of control he rode, felt it herself, and knowing they were
both on the verge of being beyond conversation gave him what he
wanted.

“I love you, Kane. I didn’t want it either,
but there it is and you aren’t cutting out on me again. No more
repeats of the last few days.”

He’d stopped all movement as soon as she
started speaking and stared at her. Surprise and relief crossed his
face before he groaned and moved again, thrusting smoothly,
slowly.

“I love you. I’m never letting you out of my
sight again.”

“Damn right,” she murmured. Then the power of
speech was beyond her as he drove them to a height she’d never
experienced before and knew she’d never come down from.

The End

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Loribelle is like the South she calls home. Hot and
sultry. Languid and sexy. Magnolias and gardenias scent her silk
lined boudoir, and men and children alike bow to her
magnificence…

Okay, maybe it isn’t quite that glamorous. She does
have two smart and lovely daughters who give her a run for her
money and a son that will one day be someone’s model of a romance
hero. (She promises.) Her husband is a real life hero, and
Loribelle just tries to keep up with the demands of military life.
In between, she writes a book or two.

She’s had every job under the sun, but haven’t most
writers? That Army military police, bookstore manager, waitress,
wedding photographer, website designer experience has to come in
useful sometimes. As they say in the South, it all washes out in
the end.

She loves hearing from her readers
and can be found at
http://www.loribellehunt.com/