Sworn to the Wolf (7 page)

He smiled at seeing her loosen up a bit. She gasped when he turned down the path toward his new cabin.
Their
new cabin. “This is where you live? “

He opened the door, not surprised but still comforted by Anna’s thoughtful touches around the cabin. Vases of wildflowers filled the rooms. “I’m just going to put this in the bedroom. Again, no pressure to sleep over.” He dropped Rain’s duffel in the large master bedroom overlooking the lake. The kitchen was fully stocked.

“Wow, this place is amazing. I’m running out of adjectives here.” She walked through, heading to the sliding glass doors in the master bedroom to step out onto the deck outside. Two Adirondack chairs and a table with an umbrella waited out there.

“Andreas’s family owns the land here, the lake too. Most of the immediate family have houses here. His brother Sean and his wife as well as Kari’s brother and his wife and kids too. Even his parents live out here.” Laurent pointed out to different places around the shore.

“In the lodge there’s Kari and Andreas, their four kids, Skye, Ryan and Phillip. The extended family is gigantic. Some days there are over forty people here. Devon, the youngest brother, lives with his wife and son in Portland but they’re here all the time. The sisters-in-law are all very close.”

He looked to her and saw the confusion on her face and smiled. “It’s a lot to take in, but you don’t have to know every detail at this very moment. For now, why don’t you freshen up? I’m just going out to sit on the porch. Come get me when you’re ready.”

Overwhelmed by the events of the day and all the information she’d been fed in the last hour, Rain wandered into the bathroom, grimacing into the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red but at the same time it felt good that he knew the truth. It’d been so hard to live a lie for so long, to not be able to share her life with anyone. Being on guard every moment was exhausting.

And yet, the reality of what she escaped and the threat to anyone else around her still existed.

Rain focused on what she
could
handle right then. After some time with cold compresses, the swelling and redness around her eyes went away. She managed to find some lip gloss and neatened up her hair as well. She wanted these people to like her. They all seemed to adore Laurent and she couldn’t blame them. He’d been so good to her in such a short time.

The short time thing along with the declaration of his love scared her. She shouldn’t feel so much for someone after so short a time. It wasn’t normal, was it? Still it felt right. She felt safe with him. She felt a lot of things for him. The chemistry between them was intense. Really intense. When he was near it was all she could do not to touch him or kiss him. She wanted his hands on her every moment. But it was more than lust, he made her warm and fuzzy inside too.

The way he’d told her about Andreas and the gallery, the way he’d assured her the decision to stay or not was up to her—she loved that he thought about that stuff. And she’d pretty much already decided that unless something freaky happened that afternoon she wanted to stay overnight. The whole place was heaven. So beautiful and green. The light was perfect and she couldn’t wait to work.

And then, when this was over and she was back in Seattle, she’d figure out what she needed to do.

Meanwhile, Laurent sat out on the deck, trying to process his emotions. Rain’s father had really done a number on her. Witnessing the terror she had at being found—at the thought of anyone she cared for being hurt—enraged him. Worse, that she imagined having to give up her art, when it was clear how much she loved it—he wanted to wring the man’s neck.

On top of that Laurent himself had spooked her. He hadn’t meant to move so fast. Telling her he loved her freaked her out, he could tell. Still, another positive thing about converting her was that the change would help make her even safer from her father. The more he was with her the more he
wanted
to be with her. He’d never thought it was possible to be so totally in love with someone after just two days but the thought that she’d be going back to her life in Seattle while he’d have to be at the lodge made him edgy. He didn’t want to be separated from her, not even for a day. He knew he’d have to woo her and all but he wished she was already a werewolf and understood their culture so they could skip the whole dating thing and get straight to the mating bond ritual.

“I think I’ll get a lot of work done in this very spot.” Rain came to stand next to his chair. Reaching out, he grabbed her waist, pulling her down into his lap so he could drink her in while he nuzzled his face into her hair.

“Feeling better, sweetheart?” he asked, massaging her shoulders.

“A bit. Oh that feels nice.” She snuggled into him.

“Watch it there.” Laurent chuckled when she rubbed her ass into his lap as she squirmed, awakening his cock. His anger ebbed, replaced by an onslaught of pure lust.

“Hmm. Laurent? Is that a pickle in your pocket or are you happy to see me?” She giggled. “I crack myself up.”

He groaned. Both at her silly joke and his predicament. He wanted to take her into the bedroom and spend the rest of the day showing her just how happy she did make him. But he knew his Pack. And he knew Andreas was probably holding Kari back bodily to keep her from coming down. They’d been there for half an hour already and by extension Rain was one of Kari’s wolves, she’d want to be sure Rain was all right.

“Oh, I’ll show you just what it is. However if we don’t go up to the lodge soon people will start coming down here.”

Rain turned around so that she was straddling his lap. “Oh well. I was hoping for some hot, sweaty naked time with you. Like, in how much time will people start coming down?” Her voice was sultry and she stroked the heated softness of her pussy over his cock for emphasis.

He brought his lips to hers and their combined passions united and the flames overcame them. She mewled deep in her throat. The edge of need in the sound drove straight to his groin. Moaning, he pulled her tighter to him, one of his hands moving to cup her breast, the other sliding down to cup the curve of her ass.

Her hands went to his hair and pulled his mouth even closer. His breath became hers. Her head lolled back and he feasted on her neck and bit her pulse, marking her. In response she cried out, jerking back, arching her spine.

Standing, he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her into the house, placing her on the counter in the kitchen. Her hands went to the waist of his jeans, yanking at them desperately. “I need you now, Laurent. Please,” she panted.

He helped her out of her jeans and panties, spreading her thighs wide, exposing her pussy. He could see how slick and swollen she was and his breath whooshed out of him at the sight. “Shit. Hang on, I need to grab a condom from the other room.” He stepped away quickly to riffle through his bag where he’d tucked them and was back in moments.

“Now. Now. I can’t wait.” She grabbed his cock in her hands and stroked it, helping him roll the latex on.

Groaning, he moved back to stand between her thighs, surging into her cunt in one stroke. She gasped, her fingers digging into his biceps, wrapping her legs around his waist. She was safe from STDs as wolves couldn’t transmit them, they couldn’t crossbreed with humans either so she was safe that way too, not that he could tell her either thing.

Until she knew, he had to keep up the fiction and use condoms.

Their coupling was hard, fast and wild, born out of fear of separation and acceptance of the intensity of feeling of one for the other. Her fiery heat surrounding him like a velvet vise drove him to distraction. He knew it wouldn’t be long until he came.

Releasing his tight grip on her hip, he moved his hand to her pussy, finding her clit swollen and ready for him. Spreading her honey, he flicked slick fingertips against her clit over and over. Her moans started soft but gained intensity as her hips rolled in unison with the thrust of his own, the heat of her pussy meeting his cock over and over.

The sounds she made, the smell of her hair in his face, the spice of her pussy and the hormonal perfume of their sex pushed at his control. “I’m going to come, come with me, sweetheart,” he grunted out and she nodded before her head lolled back.

Her muscles tensed around him as he increased the speed and intensity of his thrusts. His fingers on her clit matched the rhythm of his movement into her pussy.

It hit them both in a screaming, moaning climax that most likely echoed out over the lake. His knees nearly buckled with the overwhelming sensation of her pussy coming around his cock. It seemed like his orgasm would never end. Each time he thought his breath was returning to normal a small aftershock would hit, driving him upward again.

His face buried in her neck, he stayed inside her for long minutes afterward, never going totally soft.

“That was...” Her words were slightly slurred as she panted.

“Me too.” He kissed her forehead before pulling out and helping her down.

“I’ll just freshen up again and we can go up to the lodge.” She grabbed her jeans and underwear and headed back to the bathroom. This time when she looked in the mirror she saw a lush, sexy woman with kiss-swollen lips and passion in her eyes. She cleaned up quickly, getting dressed and redoing her lip gloss and hair.

It was as good as it was going to get. With one last smoothing hand over her hair, she went out front where he waited for her.

“Shall we then, love?” He held out his hand and she took it and they walked back up to the lodge.

“Laurent?”

He turned to her, smiling.

“I’d like to stay here tonight if that’s okay with you.”

Leaning down, he kissed her quickly but thoroughly. “Okay? I’d be thrilled. Thank you. I’m very much looking forward to waking up with you again.”

When they walked in through the side doors of the big house, everyone got up and looked toward them both, smiling.

“Well, you both certainly look better,” a tall lanky man with black hair like Laurent’s said with a wry grin.

“Rain Foster, this is Skyler Andrews. He fancies himself a comedian. Don’t take anything he says seriously.”

Skye gave a rub to his nose with a not-so-surreptitious raised middle finger before turning his attention back to her. “You’re very welcome here at Star Lake Lodge. We’ve all been waiting to meet the woman who has so captured Laurent’s heart. I can see why he’s smitten. Can I just tell you that I’ve always had a deep appreciation for heart-shaped asses?” He gave her an infectious grin and a wink.

Laurent growled, smacking him playfully. “Watch yourself.”

“Thanks, I think.” She smiled, unable not to.

“I’m going to introduce everyone. Don’t try to remember all the names.” Laurent chuckled and Rain felt a bit easier. “This is Ryan. He and Kari run a computer gaming company out of the lodge.”

She smiled at the tall man with caramel-colored hair. Did Laurent know any short, homely men at all?

“Welcome, Rain.” Ryan smiled at her warmly and took her hand, kissing it.

“This is Sean, Andreas’s younger brother. The lovely woman beside him is his wife Emma. She’s a doctor in town.”

Emma walked forward and gave her a hug. “I know it’s a bit overwhelming but we’re all very happy to meet you.”

“You’ve already met Kari and Andreas.”

Rain looked at the giant man who had the tiny woman folded into his side.

“You met Anna outside. She’s sort of the den mother around here. She’s an amazing cook. Nothing happens without her.” Laurent put his arm around the gray-haired woman who’d been so kind to her outside earlier.

“Are you feeling better, love?” Anna asked her, grabbing her hands. “I’ve made you a pot of tea, that should help.” She smiled and pointed to the older man at her side. “That’s Gregory, he’s my husband and he does the work to keep this place running.”

Gregory tipped an imaginary hat at her, smiling. “Nice to meet you, Rain.”

“This is Jack, Kari’s brother, and his wife Alyssa. He’s a police officer in town. Alyssa does website design out of their home.”

They both smiled at her broadly and said their hellos and welcomes.

“Last but not least this is Phillip. He’s Kari’s bodyguard and has been my right-hand man for the last sixteen years.” Laurent indicated a tall broad man with a long strawberry-blond braid.

He walked forward and embraced her and said into her ear, “Both you and your secret are safe with us.”

She looked back and up into his face, confused for a moment until it occurred to her he meant the situation with her father. “T-thank you.” She wasn’t ready to think about that without panicking, so she pushed it out of her mind the best she could.

“Well, that’s the basics. These are the people who live here except for the kids, you’ll meet them when they get out of school. Jade and Tomas, Sean and Andreas’s parents, are away on a road trip right now,” Laurent explained.

“I imagine you’re hungry. I’ve prepared some lunch so let’s go into the dining room.” Anna waved her hands to spur them on and led the way through to a large room dominated by a huge table.

“Rain just got offered a show in six weeks at The Holt. Diane Holt also offered her another solo show at her gallery in Portland in six months,” Laurent announced.

“Fantastic news. You know Andreas owns part of The Holt but I imagine that you’re like me and glad you got it without influence. You have to watch these guys. They get a bit, shall we say,
zealous
when it comes to the women they care about. It drives me nuts,” Kari said. “It’s all with good intentions but still annoying.”

“I
was
glad to know I got the show on my own merits. No denying the
who you know
influence in the art world, of course. In fact my friend Shane is the one who told me The Holt was looking for new artists to begin with. But knowing I got a show because my art is good, that means a lot. By the way, this is a beautiful place. I think I’ll be doing a lot of work here.”

“I’ll bring your stuff out to the cabin when we’re finished with lunch,
mon coeur
.”