Past My Defenses (Taming the Pack series) (Entangled Ignite) (7 page)

She fought a shudder. She might never be able to tell him that. He’d seen her naked, but this was a whole different version of naked, and she wasn’t about to be that emotionally vulnerable. No way.

“So?” Vanessa gestured at the doors to the downstairs den exit. “Should I go on the hunt too?”

“No. You and I are following your instincts. Something hasn’t been adding up for a while, and I can’t nail it down. Cheri’s behavior leads me to think she is guilty of something, but the rest of this…doesn’t make sense.”

“What was her ultimatum?” He hadn’t answered her before, but it might actually be important.

He glanced over at her. “Your head seems clear. Your allergy meds must be working…and, apparently, being in heat isn’t affecting your sense of reason anymore.”

It didn’t seem to be. That was nice. Maybe she’d stop hugging all males under a hundred years old for the remainder of her cycle. She wasn’t usually a hugger. Indulging her hormones within the pack hadn’t appealed to her this cycle or any previous cycles either, actually—a trip to Tijuana to mingle with some humans had seemed equally ill-conceived a week ago.

And now Jordan’s attempting to capitalize on her fertile period had led her to Dane.

Life was funny sometimes.

Not funny ha ha…more like the sort of funny you wanted to drop-kick and punch in the face—that sort of funny.

“She wanted me to get rid of you,” he said. “That was her ultimatum. She wanted you out before you went into heat.”

She nodded. It figured. Whether it was personal or not personal, apparently she was a threat to Cheri feeling like Alpha. “If you’d asked me to leave, I would have left.” And she wouldn’t have scent-matched to Dane.

He clenched his jaw. “I don’t give in to ultimatums…nor will I be dictated to.”

Jordan held the door open for her as they went downstairs. He’d always been a strange mixture of polite human traditions and Lycan dominance. He’d once told her it was a remnant of a family with mostly human offspring. He was the only Lycan born to two Lycan parents. The genetics from the prior generations had turned cruel.

She was the only child, Lycan or human, born to her parents—and they’d been older and had passed on.

“Why did you tell me to watch for anything unusual on my patrol?” It was an odd thing to tell her.

“Cheri’s behavior. When I last saw her, she told me I’d be sorry that I hadn’t listened to her. I wanted you on your guard just in case she was coming after you. Part of me wonders if she staged this scene to scare all of us as revenge, but her car being tampered with doesn’t fit with that.”

“Would she do that? Scare us, I mean?” Seemed kind of petty. There were older members of the pack who now would be worried for their lives.

She turned to see him shrug in the darkness as they got to the last step into the den. “Cheri was complex.”

Vanessa would have termed it raging bitch. And everyone in the pack knew Jordan didn’t spend much time with her outside of when she was fertile.

The others had removed their clothes in the den prior to changing and left them in piles. It was easier on their clothes—and made them easier to change back into. Jordan pulled off his shirt, and she spun away from him.

He laughed.

“It’s not funny. It all feels different now.” Everything felt different. Twenty-four hours ago, she’d been another member of the pack. Now, it was hard to even take her clothes off with another male present. She might even feel naked when she had her fur coat on—not that they had the full spectrum of human emotions in an altered state, but she might feel underdressed.

“Would you like me to wait for you outside?” he said in an overly polite tone.

She turned to glare at him over her shoulder and then jerked her face away. Yeah, he was naked. “Maybe that’d be best.”

His deep chuckle ended a moment later, and she heard the padding feet of the Alpha leaving.

“Having a mate is pretty damn inconvenient,” she muttered under her breath. Hopefully, she’d eventually find some perks to being tied to a single…human. Though when she thought of being with Dane earlier—there’d most likely be quite a few perks. Quite a few.

If she felt naked on the run over, it was lost in the thrill she always felt in the primal pulse of speed and belonging to it. She was the fastest female—faster than most males in the pack, and if they placed as much emphasis on hierarchy in the Glacier pack, she’d probably be beta female, second in command, despite the impact of her allergies. She loved the rush—how the wind felt brushing her body. She felt like part of the wind. And even as a wolf, she was disappointed, a fairly human emotion, when they reached the former alpha female’s place.

Rooting through Cheri’s house with her former lover was…awk-freaking-ward. She even threw on some of Cheri’s clothes rather than wander around her place naked.

Jordan sniffed once and gave her an uncomfortable glance. “You smell like her and you—in heat. I’m attracted and frustrated at the same time.”

Yeah. Good times.

Luckily, he took searching the bedroom.

It was dark outside, which was good because the town was crawling with Lycans, and since they didn’t have to carry around flashlights, the night was a good cover. The computer monitor felt blinding as she booted it up. It seemed strange that she had left so much behind, but maybe she’d planned to return and pack more. Maybe her leaving was an empty threat, and the car was a cruel joke.

Huh. No password. Cheri had always struck her as more paranoid than that. But then again, when she’d gone to do penance for her slip with Jordan, Cheri had laughed it off and said that she knew Vanessa didn’t have a chance with him. She’d almost seemed to have forgotten it. Vanessa wouldn’t have. If Dane so much as even touched another…

She shook her head. Less than twenty-four hours. She’d known him less than twenty-four hours. Her body and soul needed to stop screaming “mine” every few seconds. She looked at the clock and wondered what Dane was doing. She was so pathetic.

Holy freaking slow computer. When were her icons going to pop up? Wait, it was done. There was just…nothing on this computer.

“Jordan?” she whispered.

He was at her side a moment later.

“Why would she wipe her computer completely?” That was a lot of work to recover from.

He snarled. “She wouldn’t—not if she was innocent. I’ll get this to someone and see what they can recover.”

“It’s wiped.”

“It booted up…there’ll be traces of what was on it. Hell, if this is a power trip, and she tried to scare us into thinking poachers were around…”

“So you don’t think there are poachers in the area?”

He shook his head. “We’re the strongest western pack.” There was no shortage of pride in his voice. “We’ll keep looking for Cheri for a whole different reason.”

Vanessa nodded. “Should I go join the others?”

“No. Go home. Go straight home. Or go join your mate. Just make sure you take your allergy meds with you—and tell him his cat’s days are numbered.”

“Okay.”

“And Vanessa?”

She turned back to him.

“Just because it’s not poachers doesn’t mean she’s not dangerous. She always feints left in a fight.”

“How do you know that?” She’d never seen Cheri fight. Though honestly, she might’ve been able to take her. Cheri was much slower even if she looked stronger.

Jordan grinned, his teeth a strip of white in the darkness. “Cheri was lousy at submission too.”

Chapter Four

He’d trained in an area that seemed to be made of matchsticks because he was constantly dealing with fires. He felt like his lungs were coated with smoke by the time he’d gotten out of there. The upshot was that he’d slept lightly ever since, and since his previous night was spent watching over a wolf who wasn’t a wolf, he’d gone to bed early.

So when he felt the presence of another person in his room, staring at him, he jerked awake—even as awareness of who it was seeped into his consciousness. He glanced at his clock. Two a.m. He was going to be worthless mornings if this was her bedtime.

“It’s creepy as hell to stare at someone while they’re sleeping. Also…on a side note, breaking and entering is a crime,” he said without looking toward her.

She huffed out a breath in offense.

He sat up just as he sensed she was getting ready to leave.

“Vanessa.”

In the light spilling out from a night-light in the bathroom, he could make out the outline of her standing there with her hands on her hips. “What?”

Grinning, he pushed out of bed. Her blond hair made her easy to locate, even in the dark.

“How’d you get in? The doors were all locked.” He waited to see if she’d admit to it.

“Maybe you left something unlocked,” she said as he approached. Of course she wouldn’t admit to it. Maybe he would have been disappointed if she had.

When he was only an arm’s length away, he stopped. “Nuh-uh. The only thing I left open was that pet door…and usually I slide the door’s panel closed at night so I don’t get any unexpected visitors. I didn’t close the panel tonight. I expected visitors.”

She didn’t answer.

“I see you got the shirt I left for you.” He reached out and fingered the sleeve of his “Tree-Kisser” shirt. His sister had found it hilarious. He usually wore it to run in—under a sweatshirt. She was in front of his dresser, and he stepped forward, backing her against it and put a hand on either side of her. Leaning forward, he whispered in her ear, “You’re welcome here any time.”

“I’m not a vampire. You don’t need to invite me in.” Her breathing sounded fast and shallow—he hoped it was arousal and not that she was having allergy issues.

“No, but this way it’s not breaking and entering.”

“Mmm.” She inhaled deeply, and moaned softly on the exhale.

“I can get you a key,” he said, purposefully rubbing his lips on the soft skin below her ear.

Her palms slid across his chest and around his neck. She had such long, delicate fingers.

“Plus, if you get here early enough, we can brush our teeth together.” The visual of such domesticity elicited something beyond sexual arousal—it sounded pretty damn good. It sounded like what he’d wanted for a long time. Only it involved her actually sticking around longer than their sparring sessions.

He tipped backward, and they stared at each other for a long moment. The heat between them should have tripped the fire alarms.

Her fingers pulled at his neck, trying to get his mouth to hers, but he wasn’t rushing this. Some things were worth taking your time. Plus, he just liked to see her get frustrated. When he saw her eyes narrow, he dipped his head, bringing his mouth within inches of hers—a scant breath from her soft, lush lips he’d wanted to sample for hours that had dragged like days.

Closing those inches, he stole a short kiss that was more a nip of that gorgeous full lower lip of hers. Whimpering, she stood on her tiptoes and dragged his mouth to hers. He’d intended to go slowly—he’d pulled on pajamas on the off chance she dropped by. They’d need layers between them, especially since she’d arrive without a stitch on her.

From the first brush of their lips, they were a wildfire raging out of control. Her mouth opened beneath his immediately—no chaste kisses for Vanessa. She sucked his tongue into the wet warmth of her mouth and her moan caught in his. She sucked, and bit, and those moans made his heart pound, and his brain get bypassed.

He pulled back with every intention of slowing down. They were into day two of their relationship—if you counted the time she was a wolf, and she wasn’t counting that time. They needed to get to know each other. He shouldn’t screw around with a local who he wasn’t sure would stick around when they had clothes back on. Vanessa leaned in and buried her nose in his neck and inhaled deeply.

“Dane, don’t stop. Don’t stop.”

He didn’t want to. Ever. But… Vanessa yanked his shirt off him and then leaned forward and licked a line from his breastbone to his collarbone and he almost said, “Good intentions be damned.” Then her fingers went to the hem of the shirt she was wearing, and he pulled her tight against him. While it felt pretty much perfect having her curves pressed against him, it also prevented her from removing more clothes. “Vanessa, I think we should slow down.”

Okay, that was a lie—he didn’t think that. He’d planned that and sometimes he liked to follow the plan to prove he was in control, but he definitely didn’t think that. Only an insane man would want that when faced with a luscious blonde wearing only his T-shirt.

She moaned. “No.”

“No?” he asked on a laugh. He hadn’t expected her to come out and say that…or for her to be frantically pressing kisses on his skin as her hands roamed, killing his resistance.

“I don’t think I can. You could have been anyone yesterday, but today you’re not anyone,” she murmured, nearly incoherently. “And he said I could have you. And I haven’t had anyone for this whole time…and…hell, you smell good.”

It was hearing the vague “he” that doused his lust enough that he grabbed her arms and held her away from him. When she continued to push toward him, he picked her up and set her on the dresser. “Whoa. Vanessa.” No acknowledgment he’d said her name. “Vanessa, we need to slow down.” And he needed to find out who this “he” was who had said she could have him. She
could
have him—nearly any way and anywhere, but as far as Dane was concerned, the only “he” allowed to tell her that was in this room right now.

“No…no…no…” She pushed against the dresser and his hands.

He let go of one of her arms and pressed his palm against her forehead. “Are you feeling okay? You feel warm.”

“Hot,” she agreed and turned her mouth to kiss his wrist before biting it with her teeth.

While it wasn’t painful, he jumped in surprise nonetheless. “I don’t think you’re feeling well.”

She groaned—deeply, and with obvious aggravation. “Males! You play coy and they get all interested. You get interested and they’re not.” Then she used her free hand to pull his wrist back to her mouth.

He didn’t want to agree with her words because it wasn’t that—it was that this wasn’t…her. Vanessa was confident, and she was coy. This was fevered and intense and, ow, not gentle. She hadn’t been this aggressive in the time he’d known her—other than when she’d confronted that black wolf in front of his place. It was like he’d inadvertently unleashed the wolf—it was like she was in heat.

Wait.

He grabbed her face and forced her gaze to his. “Vanessa, are you in heat? You said something about that.”

She couldn’t seem to focus or catch her breath. Finally, she said breathlessly, “It doesn’t matter.”

Uhh, actually, it did.

“How long does it last?”

She growled—growled—like he was dealing with the wolf and not her. “I don’t care how long you last.”

He rolled his eyes. Yeah. Tender. They weren’t doing this. Pulling her off the dresser, he flipped her around, grabbed her around the waist, and dragged her into the bathroom. Flicking the water in the shower to as frigidly cold as it went, he waited to make sure it was near ice cubes dropping from the showerhead before he pulled both of them under the spray.

She screamed. And it wasn’t in ecstasy. Though hopefully, if her little wolf friends were outside, they’d assume that.

…

She rounded on him in the dark shower stall and punched him in the chest. “You…you…you…” As soon as her muscles unfroze, she’d kill him and then she’d leave…and then she’d come back and kill him again. She kept punching him. She’d never been more angry or humiliated. That had been the definition of throwing yourself at someone—and he’d dumped her in a cold shower. Well, sure, she was so out of her mind with lust that she stopped processing anything shortly after they’d started kissing, but…

Her senses started to return.

Oh…she’d really thrown herself at him.

Oh…she’d just…and he’d just… She stopped punching him and pushed out of his arms and against the shower wall. She’d just… No…no…no… Even with the frigid spray beating down on her, she dropped to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms. She’d just gone all crazed and…nooooo… As soon as she could get out of here, she would. She’d run and run and never stop running. She could outrun this. Maybe.

The shower shut off above her, and Dane crouched in front of her. “Vanessa?”

“Just go away,” she mumbled into her arms. This definitely one-upped the time she’d attacked Jordan. No wonder he had run off. It wasn’t the allergy meds—it was her. She was this mad animal—all instinct and blind, crazed lust. Her ovaries had been calling the shots with a “hello sailor” and a “let’s not waste time with foreplay—how about oneplay?”

So pathetic.

She’d pulled Dane’s shirt off and licked him—which was fine and good when they were both into it, and it was all consensual, but she’d been mauling him. And he’d been holding her off, and so not into it. He’d probably end up with bite marks on his arms. Holy freak, she’d been gnawing on him practically. Talk about making a guy feel like a piece of meat…

Maybe she’d be able to face him in a decade. Or so.

“Vanessa?”

“Go away!” She’d never wanted to die from embarrassment like this. This wasn’t her. She was badass. She didn’t care what anyone—especially not a human—thought of her. Only…this was Dane, and he wasn’t any old human, and she’d thrown herself at him, and he’d tossed her back into the water—the cold, arctic water.

If he had any kindness in him, he’d leave without needing to hash out how horribly awkward that must’ve been.

If she shifted, she might be able to crawl out the window…and never crawl back in. Well, this at least answered if he felt the scent-match as she did.

No. Not so much. Even dripping, freezing wet, her brain was shivering out a “mine?” stubbornly.

No. Definitely not mine.

And she’d come here—she’d crawled through a pet door, past that damn cat who’d hissed at her and feinted at her, like an evil sentry. She should have scurried back home. Anywhere that Lucifer guarded could only be hell.

This felt a lot like hell.

He was still there, crouched in front of her.

Absolutely silent.

And not moving.

Vanessa glanced up, and he grabbed her face, cradling her head with his hands, and pressed his mouth to hers. His lips were cold, and frigid water dripped down his face from his hair, but his mouth and tongue were warm. Mmm. All the cold parts of her jumped from thirty-fricken-two degrees to maybe thirty-three or thirty-four. She let him be the aggressor—let his tongue tangle in her mouth. Let his teeth bite her lower lip softly before he sucked on it soothingly. When he pulled back, his breath still making her lips tingle, she murmured—from warm lips—“Well, I think that’s what they call a mixed message.”

He laughed and dropped down beside her and sat with his back against the shower wall. “No, I just wanted to make sure you knew who you were kissing earlier. I’m not sure you did for a while there.”

“I did!” She had. She’d known it was Dane somewhere in that fog of lust.

“Well, I didn’t. You weren’t acting like yourself—and while I realize my acquaintance with you is somewhat limited, you felt like you were running a fever.”

She probably was. Her temperature skyrocketed from the hormone rush and then her skin flushed from being so turned on. She’d probably gone from a pale white to a healthy glowing “let me tear your clothes off” pink.

Beside her, Dane shuddered as a shiver ran down his spine. He tipped his head back and took in a deep breath. He was out of breath—she’d been pretty frantic, and he must have been desperate to stop her. He’d dragged them into a cold shower to get her off him. It was like they were dogs, and he’d taken the hose to them.

To her.

To get away from her.

Nice.

This would never work. She was passionate and, yes, a little crazed. If he tossed her into a cold shower when she showed some initiative, well, they’d have a very cold relationship—at least on her end.

He shivered.

She shivered.

“I’m sorry,” she said. This sucked. She needed to get out of here—to run hard and fast and hope that she outran her hormones.

He turned to her, leaned over, and kissed her lips softly before brushing kisses across her cheek and temple. When he returned to her mouth, she breathed a sigh against his lips before kissing him back. Her mouth might be back up to temperature with all the friction he was providing. He tasted like heaven. Cinnamon and Dane. She could smell his toothpaste on the counter. From now on, cinnamon bears were going to have her running a fever and searching for Dane and a flat surface.

Mmm. Maybe this could work. It was really working right now. Her body was humming and warming up…and these shivers were definitely not from being cold.

He pulled back after biting her lower lip softly. There was a night-light in the bathroom, but she could see him without it, and his smile made her smile.

“How long are you in heat?”

Annnnd the smile dropped off her lips.

Vanessa pulled back and pushed farther into the corner. It was one thing for Jordan to mention it offhand, but something about Dane saying it—it sounded dirty and like she was a creature incapable of controlling her primal urges. Okay, maybe for a moment there, that wasn’t a bad description of her capabilities, but it was really none of his business. And the more he knew, the more he might reveal accidentally, and then Jordan would kill him. So playing dumb on this wasn’t just her being scared—it was logical.