Rebel's Claw (12 page)

Bedding
…. The tingling in her nipples morphed to throbbing.

“We can walk from here,” he said when he returned from the closet with a roll of covers in his arms. She carried a lantern plus the food and water he’d given her.

As they hiked through the woods, the wind fingered their clothes, stirring her up inside. The ground was soft with fragrant pine needles. She itched to throw down the items she carried and shift so she could really explore.

“Where are you from, Lara?” he asked.

He had a deep, resonant voice. The way it echoed against the quiet trees tickled her ears in a good way.

“Yellowstone. Lamar Canyon.”

He stopped short, cracking the stick he stepped on. “Are you a member of the pack there?”

“Yes.”

So he knew about it. Understandable since the pack was in a neighboring state, but why did he look so pale when she’d mentioned it? Wolves didn’t go around cracking sticks in the woods like lumbering bears either. Was he connected to her pack somehow? Maybe her mother knew a lot more than she’d told her. Unfortunately, she couldn’t ask her now.

“And the name of your pack here?”

“Tao,” he replied. “There are about two hundred of us.”

There was no need to ask each other about being Werewolves. They’d realized it as soon as they’d met. To her chagrin, she also didn’t have to verify he was an Omega, not a Dominant. He broadcast his lower status in the lupine pecking order with his unassuming posture.

When they arrived at the shed, he pushed open the squeaky door, revealing a room with two small windows and a bare wood floor littered with dead bugs. Cobwebs swayed from the ceiling. It sure wasn’t the Hilton.

“I didn’t realize the place was such a mess. I’ll get a broom.” He frowned and shook his head. “What am I saying? I can’t let you sleep here.”

“It’s fine,” she said quickly. Camping out at his place would be too dangerous.

“You’ll have to stay with me,” he insisted. “You can have my bed.”

A tingle bolted down her legs when she imagined sharing it with him.

“I’ll be fine, really,” she said, setting down the items she carried. “I camp a lot.”

“I built it myself,” he said, looking up, “so I can at least tell you the roof won’t leak if it rains tonight. You’re welcome to use the house when I’m at the mill, which is most of the time. I leave it unlocked.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll fetch the broom.” She reached for the bedding the same moment he moved to help her set it down.

The contact marked the first time they’d touched. His skin—tough and velvety at the same time, like the hide of a big-horned buck—was hot. Below the surface, thick veins and muscle called to the most primal part of her being. Deciding whether or not to mate with him was no longer a choice. She had to lie with this man before she went crazy.

The bedding fell to the dirty floor in a heap—a ready-made bed. He stared into her eyes with his blue, endless ones as he kissed her. His cedar scent grew even warmer, mixing with male arousal while he made a slow, thorough exploration of her mouth.

A sigh of surrender escaped her throat before she could stop it. His lips were as strong as his arms. An animalistic grunt resonated through his chest, stimulating her breasts, which pressed against him.

Male stubble scraped her face as his lips left hers to explore the underside of her jaw and the lobe of her ear. Her fingers dug into the faded shirt over his broad shoulders when hard teeth nipped the side of her neck.

Claim me!

Her pelvis brushed against his, needing him to quench the sweet, wet ache building deep in her cleft. She’d forgotten intimacy with a man could be a pleasure instead of a chore.

Before she could react, he gripped her by the sides of her arms and hauled her against the wall. His mouth ransacked hers, pushing it open with his hot tongue, which swept every corner. Bare two by fours dug into her back, but she felt nothing but him.

He’d built this room, and he acted as if he planned to take her apart, board by board. His erection pressed against her mound through their jeans, promising mindless satisfaction.

Maybe Mr. Woods wasn’t so boring after all.

The man trapping her in his steely arms didn’t seem so Omega anymore. In fact, he felt right down Dominant. No longer capable of logical thought, she unbuttoned his shirt. The gesture rewarded her with even hotter skin, muscles, and a smattering of chest hair. He closed his eyes and groaned as her fingers skated down his belly to the waistband of his jeans.

Before she could go farther, two vise-like grips encircled her wrists. Damn. His hands were every bit as strong as they looked.

“There’s an attraction between us,” he said, staring into her eyes.

No shit. What are you going to do about it, Mr. Lumberjack?

“What is it about you?” he asked next. “Why do I want you so much?”

“I think you already know,” she replied.

He scrubbed the lower half of his face with his hand. “Exactly what family business brings you here anyway, Lara?”

The less he knew, the better. “And why are you so curious,
exactly
?”

“I want to know how soon you’ll be gone.”

The words stung harder than she expected. Her swollen breasts and cleft throbbed, reluctant to accept a mating wouldn’t take place.

“Don’t worry. I won’t stay long.” She might even light out at dawn. This town was useless, and so was he.

His voice softened. “I didn’t mean to sound harsh. I’ve got lumber orders coming out of my ears. I’m not looking for a mate.”

“Neither am I,” she blurted. But didn’t her mother send her here to find one? “We are, though, aren’t we? Wolves have only one in a lifetime.”

He nodded. “I’m afraid so, but it doesn’t mean we have to act on our impulses.”

She couldn’t help hanging her head. After spending less than an hour with her, he’d already made her weak. She didn’t need this!

“Believe me, if you weren’t my probable mate, I would have had you on this floor already for a quick lay.” He buttoned his shirt. “I’ll go get the broom now.”

“Leave it outside the door.”

As soon as he left, she sank to her knees in the cedar-scented bedding. So, he didn’t want to bind himself to her either. Good. Relief washed through her, followed by an emptiness she didn’t expect.