MoonlightDrifter (5 page)

She ground her hips back against
him. “Not on the pill.”

Right then he didn’t much care.
The thought of having cubs with her wasn’t an unpleasant one. She was feisty
and had the mouth of a trucker, but he knew she’d be a good mom. He felt it in
his bones.

He leaned over her back, his
fangs scraping her neck. She shivered in response. “This isn’t a quick fuck for
me, Allie. No one-night stand. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted any
woman.”

She twisted to look at him over
her shoulder. “What the hell are you saying? And why the
fuck
aren’t
you moving yet?”

He eased back and plunged into
her, watching as her eyes closed in bliss. “I’m saying I won’t give you up.”

Her eyes opened, flaring wide.
“Forget it, kitty. I’m not mating with you. Now shut up and fuck me already!”

Cain growled and slammed into her
again, his control slipping.

“Oh God!” she cried. “Fuck the birth
control. Just take me. I want it hard and I want it fast. When I wake up
tomorrow, I still want to feel your cock inside of me.”

Cain’s self-control snapped. With
one hand gripping her hip and the other flat on her back, he began powering in
and out of her, the sound of flesh slapping again flesh filling the room. He
felt her pushing back against him with each thrust and it drove his lust even
higher. It felt like fire was licking at his skin as his balls began to sizzle
and draw up. He shifted his angle and her pussy clamped down on his cock as she
came, letting out a long, loud cry that sounded like it was being ripped from
her very soul. Unable to deny his nature, the desires of his beast, he leaned
forward and clamped his teeth onto her shoulder. As he broke the skin, the
taste of her blood coating his tongue, he came with long, forceful thrusts.
Buried inside of her, he released her shoulder, licking at the wound. She was
going to be so fucking pissed at him, but his cat purred in contentment.

She shifted beneath him and he
withdrew from her body, helping her sit up.

“I need a shower, and you need to
go,” she said.

What. The. Fuck?

“You’re kicking me out?” he
asked.

She glanced at him. “You fucking
marked me, Cain. What the hell were you thinking?”

Well, he was thinking that he
wanted everyone to know she belonged to him, but something told him he
shouldn’t admit that to her. Not if he wanted to keep his balls attached.

He shrugged. “My tiger took
over.”

“Well, you and your tiger can get
the hell out of my apartment.”

With a sigh, he realized he
wasn’t going to get anywhere with her right then. Yes, he could back her sweet
ass up against the wall and take her again, show her who she belonged to, that
they were meant to be together, but she’d probably hate his guts for pointing
out her weakness. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she wanted him. Time
to regroup and come up with a game plan. He knew when to retreat and when to
advance, and this was definitely a retreat moment.

“I’ll go. For now. But this isn’t
over, Allie.”

She stormed into her bedroom,
slamming the door. Cain dressed quickly and let himself out. Damn psychotic
she-wolf. One minute she’s begging for his cock, and the next she’s tossing him
out on his ass. If he didn’t know how much she wanted him, hadn’t been able to
smell and taste her desire, he might have been offended. But knowing what
little he did about Allie, he realized she was running scared. She’d finally
let a man touch her and now she was questioning herself. He’d give her a day or
two to think things through, give her some space, and then he’d be back. And
next time, he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Chapter Five

Three days later, Allie’s head
still hurt from where she’d banged it, repeatedly, against her wall after Cain
had left. She’d felt so stupid, letting him have his way like that. She’d been
on countless dates over the years, and there had been more than one insistent
guy wanting to get laid. Always, she turned them away. So why had she let Cain
get so far? He’d fucking mated her and she’d just sat there, enjoying the ride!

He’d come by twice already,
knocking and demanding entry into her apartment, but she’d ignored him both
times. Thankfully, he hadn’t caught her out and about. She wasn’t ready to face
him yet. What would she say? Thanks for the ride but fuck off? All right, maybe
if she were completely honest with herself, she’d admit that she was a little
scared of seeing him again. She’d been overwhelmed by his scent, his heat, his
touch. As much as she hated to admit it, it could very easily happen again. On
the one hand, his thoughts about women in the workplace infuriated her but, on
the other hand, she found herself desiring the hunky Cajun. Obviously she
needed to improve her taste in men.

Speaking of men, thanks to Cain’s
announcement at Lagoona’s, combined with the bite mark on her shoulder, none of
the other men in the pack had come anywhere near her. They barely even made eye
contact. She couldn’t believe he’d ruined her dating opportunities, not that there
had been many to begin with.

Her work phone rang and she
answered without checking the caller ID.

“Hello.”

“Allie, I swear if you don’t give
the tiger a break soon, I’m going to be forced to take drastic measures.”

She smiled. “Hi, Connor. What’s
wrong with the big, bad kitty?”

“He’s snarling at everyone and
nearly got into a fight with another worker earlier. He’s been testy ever since
you threw him out. I know he’s been at your place every night since then,
banging on your door. You think I haven’t had complaints from the neighbors?”

She winced. “I don’t want to see
him, Connor. He force-mated me!”

“Really, Allie? Are you sure he
forced you?”

“Well…the sex wasn’t forced, but
he sure as hell bit me without permission!”

She could hear his fingers drumming
on his desk.

“Do you want him punished, Allie?
Would that make you feel better?”

Did she? She huffed out a breath.

“No, Connor. Don’t punish him.
This is my problem and I’ll deal with it.”

“Well, think you can head this
way to deal with it? Like now? The last thing I need is him partially shifting
and taking out some guy on my crew.”

She glanced down at her cutoff
shorts and tank. She wouldn’t be winning any beauty pageants, but then no one
would be looking at her anyway.

“Yeah. I’ll head out now. Give me
ten minutes.”

“Make it five.”

Her alpha hung up and she stared
at the phone. Shoving it into her pocket, she slipped on the flip-flops by the
door, grabbed her keys and her small purse, and headed out. How Connor thought
she’d make it across town in five minutes she didn’t know, but her alpha had
spoken. Now she just had to pray that Ashton Grove’s finest weren’t out to
clock her as she broke every speed limit in town. That was a conversation she
didn’t want to have.
Sorry Officer. You
see, I’m a werewolf and my alpha demanded my presence within five minutes. So
sorry for doing sixty in a thirty.
Yeah, that would go over well, with both
the cop and her alpha. Straight jacket anyone?

Allie pulled into a parking space
at the job site, grabbed
an elastic
off the gear
shifter and pulled her hair up into a ponytail. Her stomach clenched as she
thought about facing Cain. Maybe he’d say or do something that would fuel her
anger and distract her from the lust that raged through her whenever he was
near. Getting out of the SUV, she approached the singlewide and knocked on the
door.

“Come in,” Connor called through
the door.

She pushed it open and poked her
head in. “Where’s the bad kitty in need of a spanking?”

Connor grinned. “No foreplay on
the job site.”

She snorted.

“Grab a hard hat and head east.
You’ll find him putting up some support beams.”

She snatched a hat off the rack
by the door and dropped it onto her head. Talk about uncomfortable! If she
didn’t think Connor would get in trouble for her not wearing it, she’d have chucked
it at him and refused.

Allie avoided two by fours,
buckets of nails and screws, and tried to keep an eye on her surroundings as
she approached the tiger
who
was hard at work. Oh
goodness. He’d taken off his shirt at some point and all of those muscles she’d
been so fascinated with the other night were not only on display, but were
glistening in the sunlight.

Someone let out a wolf whistle
and she whipped her head in that direction. An average looking human male was
checking her out as he hefted some lumber onto his shoulder. She was about to
let him have it when she heard a rumble. A quick glance in Cain’s direction
showed he was no longer working and was fast approaching the ass who’d whistled
at her.

“That’s my woman you’re eyeing,” Cain
snarled as he approached the man.

Idiot that he was, the man merely
smiled bigger and shrugged his free shoulder. “I don’t see a ring on her
finger. She still has options.”

Before Allie could grab Cain, he
launched himself at the man, the boards tumbling to the ground with a clatter.
She almost felt sorry for the asshole as Cain plowed his fist into the guy’s
face. If the crunch was anything to go by, he’d broken the man’s nose. This so
wasn’t good! She was supposed to be diffusing Cain, not making him worse. She’d
always been taught to stay back when shifter males fought but, if she didn’t
get in there and break it up, this could end badly.

As she tried to worm her way
between them, the man lashed out, hitting her in the middle of her chest and
sending her flying. She landed on the hard, unforgiving ground with
bone-rattling force. If anything, it just made Cain worse. He landed blow after
blow until the guy was a bloody mess and couldn’t lift a finger against him. As
he dropped the man on the ground, he approached her, his knuckles bruised and
the skin broken.

With a gentle touch, he tipped
her chin up. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. Maybe a little
bruised, but I’ll be fine.”

Connor approached them quickly.
“What the fuck happened?”

“Greg decided Allie was up for
grabs since we aren’t married, so we fought. Then he knocked her on her ass.
He’s lucky I don’t kill him.”

Connor assessed the damage. “I
think you’ve already earned him a trip to the hospital. Take Allie and go to my
office. We need to talk.”

Connor addressed the gathering
crowd. “Someone want to take him to the E.R.? Tell them to bill the company for
the visit.”

Two men surged forward, lifted
the injured guy between them, and walked off.

Connor faced them again. “Didn’t
I tell you two to go to my office?”

Cain scooped Allie up into his
arms and began striding toward the singlewide. Allie gazed up at him, not quite
sure what to think. Part of her was angry that he’d gotten into a fight just
because some guy made a comment and whistled at her. But, secretly, her inner
wolf rolled over in joy that their mate thought so highly of them. Oh crap. She
was starting to think of the tiger as mate material. All the testosterone must
be getting to her.

When they entered Connor’s
office, Cain sat in a chair near the desk and held Allie on his lap. She
wriggled, trying to get free but he wouldn’t let her. The look in his eyes told
her he was worried.

“I’m fine,” she assured him.

The door slammed and she looked
over Cain’s shoulder to see a furious Connor approaching them.

“No, you aren’t,” Connor said.
“You need to make an appointment with the pack doctor, today, to get checked
out.”

“Connor, it’s just a bruise or
two.”

He lifted a brow as he sank into
his chair. “And what if the baby is in distress?”

Allie froze and felt Cain
stiffen.

“Baby?” she asked. “What the hell
are you talking about?”

“I’ve never smelled anything like
it before,” Connor said. “Your scent has changed. I don’t just smell you
anymore, but a mixture of Cain, you and another scent. I’ve never heard of
anyone being able to scent a pregnancy before but, in your case, I can. Must be
the tiger genes. Damn unpredictable cats.”

Cain’s arms tightened around her.
“She’s pregnant?”

Connor gave him an incredulous
look. “You mean you can’t smell it?”

“I knew she smelled different,
but I just thought that was because of my mating mark. My saliva entering her
system could have given her a faint scent of tiger.”

“This is more than that.”

Cain
rose
,
Allie still in his arms. “I’ll get her to the doctor right away.”

“Sit!”

Her tiger sank back into his
chair.

“I can’t have you starting fights
on the job site, Cain. I know for sure that Greg’s nose is broken but, if it’s
worse, I’ll have to let you go. Or at least suspend you until this job is
done.”

“How am I supposed to take care
of my mate and child if I don’t have a job?”

“Have you thought of joining the
local law enforcement? They’re hiring three spots. I already sent two of my
wolves over to apply. There’s no reason you can’t, as well.”

“If Greg presses charges, there’s
no way they’d hire me,” he pointed out.

“I’ll talk to Greg. He shouldn’t
have pulled your whiskers if he didn’t want a reaction.”

Allie fought to get free. “First
of all, until I see a positive test result, I won’t believe there’s a baby.
Second, just because you marked me doesn’t make me your mate.”

Connor cleared his throat. “If
you’re pregnant, I’m going to have to let the mating stand, Allie. You’ll need
protection and Cain, as much as I hate to admit it, is the best you’re going to
get around here. I didn’t recommend him to the police force lightly. Before you
decide he isn’t the guy for you, maybe you should get to know him a little
better. There’s no one better in the pack to protect you.”

She looked up at Cain. “What’s he
talking about?”

Cain sighed. “I don’t go around
advertising it, but I’m ex-Special Forces. I spent eight years in the military.
What Connor probably doesn’t know, is that he has at least two other males in
his pack that were in the military. I’d trust them with your safety, but if you
think I’m letting you go…”

Allie wasn’t sure what to think.
There was obviously more to Cain than she realized.

“Take her to the doctor,” Connor
said. “Then head over to the station to pick up an application. I’ll try to
keep you on the job as long as I can, but I think you’d be better off in a
different environment.”

Cain nodded and rose. “I’ll
handle it. Sorry if I caused you any problems today. My tiger’s instinct to
protect Allie was stronger than I was. She’ll always come first.”

Did he mean that? She would
always come first with him? She’d never had anyone think of her that way
before. Allie wasn’t even sure her parents had felt that way. Maybe having Cain
for a mate wouldn’t be horrendous. He just needed to learn that she had value
as something other than a housewife. She didn’t know where he got his archaic
thinking from, but she’d just have to school him when it came to modern women.
Obviously the kitty hadn’t dealt with a strong woman before, and Allie was
determined to always be a strong woman. No way would she sit back and let the
“man of the house” take care of everything. It just wasn’t in her.

When they reached the parking
lot, she pointed to her SUV. “I drove. Just set me down and I’ll take myself to
the doc’s office.”

Cain shook his head. “I’ll send
someone back for your car later. I’m not letting you out of my sight right
now.”

She bristled, but the intensity
of his gaze, as he looked at her, stopped her tirade.

“I need to be near you right now,
Allie. My tiger won’t rest until it knows you’re safe, that the baby is safe.
Don’t push me away. I’m not like your wolves. I won’t just go somewhere and
lick my wounded pride. I’ll break shit and tear someone up.”

“That should probably frighten
me,” she muttered.

His gaze turned tender. “I would
never harm you, or our children. But the beast inside of me is wilder than the
wolves you’re used to. Tigers are…Well, we’re just different. We’re damn near
obsessive when it comes to our mates and we never start a fight we can’t
finish. You’ll always be safe with me; I promise you that, Allie.”

“I guess there’s a lot we don’t
know about one another.”

He smiled. “There’s plenty of
time for us to learn more. I’ll call Matt and set up an appointment for
tomorrow.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Appointment?”

“To look at some houses.”

“Now wait just one minute! I
never said anything about moving in with you.”

He settled her on the seat of his
truck and buckled her in, grabbed a shirt out of the backseat and drew it over
his head. “Whether you like it or not, Allie, you’re my mate and you’re
carrying my cub. I meant what I said. I’m not letting you go. As for us living
separately, it isn’t safe. Most of the women in my family have miscarried at
least twice. If you think I’m taking a risk with you and my child, you’d better
think again. I’ll try not to stifle your independence, but I’m going to be by
your side every step of the way.”

“How am I supposed to be
independent with you hovering over me?”

“We’ll work it out.”