The Alpha's Choice (12 page)

There was something she was missing here. He
should at least give him the opportunity to explain, right? Her
nether regions eagerly agreed.

Charles smiled as if he'd scored a point and
advanced another step. "We don't see sex the same way you do. A
courting couple usually stays faithful, same as a mated pair, but
most unattached adults see sex as a recreational activity."

"You just dug your last six inches. That hole
is six feet deep and ready for the headstone." The paint roller
kept Kat from putting her fists on her hips.

"You still don't get it," he laughed. "I
played with you. You played with me. I indicated I wanted to chase.
You refused to run. That's a Wolver's way of saying I don't want to
play. Haven't you ever had a guy hit on you in a bar? He makes a
pass. You say no. He smiles and goes away. No harm, no foul, Wolver
style."

"Does, uh, getting together always involve a
chase?" she asked and hated that her curiosity got the best of her.
Again.

Charles raised his eyebrows. "No, but it sure
adds to the fun."

"So if I'd run…"

"I would have flashed and come home and
chased you up the stairs. Maybe we would have made it to the
bedroom and maybe we wouldn't."

The stairs? Her eyes strayed to the door that
led to them. She caught herself and forced them back to Charles
where she avoided his eyes and mouth and focused on the spot just
below his chin. It was a very nice chin with just a hint of a
dimpled crease in the center. Kat shook her head and cleared her
throat.

"We wouldn't," she said, purposefully
misconstruing his reference, "And just so we're clear, I will never
run from you." Though if he hadn't told her, she'd be running hard
and fast right now. Damn, the man oozed sex appeal.

"Never say never."

The whole time they were talking, Charles was
moving closer. Before Kat realized his plan, one hand slid about
her waist pulling her close while the other hand grabbed the handle
of the roller and raised her hand along with it over her head.

"You, me, and a paint roller isn't a good
idea," he said as he lifted it from her fingers and tossed it onto
the plastic covering the floor. "But if you're into body painting,
I'm sure we can find something sweet and edible."

They were nose to nose, those piercing green
eyes drilling into hers. Kat sucked in air and then found she
couldn't release it. She swallowed hard and moistened her lips. It
was all the invitation he needed.

"It seems we're right where we left off," he
whispered before he kissed her.

Oh God, why did he have to be such a good
kisser? Why couldn't he be one of those guys whose lips were so wet
and sloppy you felt like you were drowning or so dry you may as
well have been kissing your ancient Aunt Mildred? His kisses were
perfect. His lips were warm and demanding and they perfectly
covered hers. His tongue almost delicately probed its way between
her lips to tango with her tongue. Why couldn't he be the kind of
guy who acted like he was on a search and destroy mission for her
tonsils instead of treating her to this sexy and playful dance?

Her hand was on his chest and she should have
pushed him away, but her fingers curled into his shirt and clung to
him. She closed her eyes and followed his lead, not caring for the
moment where this dance would take them.

Some semblance of good sense remained for
when he withdrew for a moment she opened her eyes and whispered, "I
can't do this."

Charles' head drew back another few inches,
looking genuinely concerned. "Why? Are you a virgin?"

"God, no," she answered, startled by the
question.

He chuckled deep in his throat. "Good, then
there's no problem. I've never been fond of cherries and you
already know how it's done." He bent her backward to reach behind
her and pull the dust cover from the sofa.

"That's not what I meant," she said not sure
exactly what she did mean.

"Tell me about it later," he said as he eased
her down onto the cushions. "I can only concentrate on one thing at
a time."

There was something important she was about
to say, but she forgot what it was because he was kissing her again
and all thoughts of opposition fled. He slid his hands beneath her
shirt, splaying his fingers over her stomach and ran them lightly
up her sides, leaving a trail of fiery warmth until they reached
her breasts and there they stopped. His thumbs rested along her
ribs beneath the full mounds, while his fingers tested their
weightiness at the sides.

Oh God, that wasn't where those hands were
supposed to be. It wasn't enough. Kat wanted more and when she
arched her back and moaned a little, Charles laughed.

"Let's see how much it takes to make this
kitten purr." His hands slid back down her sides and his thumbs
hooked the hem of her shirt to lift it over her head and remove
it.

The chill of the air settling over her bared
breasts soon turned to warmth as his hand covered one and his mouth
covered the other. This was where he was supposed to be! She
moaned, lost to the sensations coursing through her body. Her
sensible half made one last attempt at protest, but it was drowned
out by a mewl of pleasure when he nipped at the pebbled nipple with
his teeth and then laved the tiny sting away with his tongue.

"I like that sound," he chuckled against her
breast, "I want to hear it again."

She obliged when he addressed his
ministrations to the other breast. From there he moved downward
showering hot kisses along the center of her body.

"Oh. O-o-oh. Oh, my god," she breathed out
followed by a sharp intake of breath.

"Not yet, but I will be," he whispered to the
sensitive skin below her navel but above the metal button of her
cut-off shorts.

He looked up at her as he undid the button
and zipper below it and she saw in his eyes the same blazing need
and want that she felt for him. Drawn by those eyes, she tried to
rise to meet him. She wanted to feel his lips against her own, but
he placed one hand between her breasts and gently pushed her
back.

"No," he said in a hoarse whisper. "Stay
where you are. This is for me. You'll have your chance when I'm
finished."

Kat laid back and closed her eyes on a sigh.
Charles' imperious voice commanded and she felt compelled to obey.
He'd done nothing to her that hadn't been done before and yet his
lips ignited a fire in her she had never felt before. His hands
made her body sing; every nerve and muscle in her attuned to the
melody his fingers played. She wanted nothing more than to please
him, to give him all he asked of her.

"Lift your hips for me, kitten," he directed
as he slid her shorts and panties from her hips. "You are the most
beautiful thing I have ever seen," he told her as he took in her
full length and because of the look in those beautiful, blazing
eyes, she believed him.

He ran his hands up her calves to her knees
and spread them wide and smiled knowingly at what he had exposed.
That smile alone sent a shiver of anticipation through her. Her
breasts tightened further and tiny goosebumps appeared on her legs
and arms.

Charles pressed her knees together and with a
short nod, as if he'd come to some decision, he took her hands and
pulled her to her feet.

"This isn't right," he said as much to
himself as to her and laughed at her whimpered protest. "We'll have
plenty of time for odd places and adventure. Our first time should
be done properly in a wide, soft bed. Wrap your arms around my
neck."

Somewhere along the way Charles had lost his
shirt and it was heaven to press her breasts against his bare
chest, to feel the beat of his heart next to hers.

Charles must have like it, too, because for a
moment he just held her there pressed closely to him and then his
hands slid along her back to her buttocks and he hoisted her to his
waist. Kat didn't need to be told where to wrap her legs.

He groaned and rolled his eyes at the sight
of her breasts now bobbing conveniently in front of his mouth and
Kat laughed. The sound of it was strange to her. It was deep and
throaty and sexually charged and nothing like her laugh at all.

Deftly avoiding all obstacles and pausing
only briefly on the stairs to nuzzle her breasts, Charles carried
her to the bed she had so recently left. He laughed when he saw the
tumble of covers.

"Restless sleeper or were you missing
something?"

"I couldn't sleep," she told him honestly, "I
couldn't stop thinking of you."

"Yeah, I'm that kind of guy."

He bent until her back was on the mattress,
but Kat didn't let him go. He laughed and kissed her and unwrapped
her fingers from around his neck.

"As much as I love to feel you close to me,
this isn't close enough." He stood, kicked his shoes from his
sockless feet, undid his pants and kicked those away, too.

With his broad shoulders, narrow hips and
well-defined muscles, he was everything she dreamed of in a man.
His legs were long and lean, but there was nothing skinny about
them. There was a tensile strength to their leanness. In her eyes
he was a perfect specimen and he knew it. There was no
embarrassment as he stood before her and let her admiring gaze wash
over him.

When she had looked her fill, Kat reached for
him and he obliged, covering her body with his. She expected him to
fill her, wanted him to fill her and she spread her legs in
invitation, but Charles had other plans.

When she had been thoroughly kissed, he began
to explore the rest of her body with kisses, teeth, and tongue. The
bend of her elbows, the backs of her knees, the soft spot where her
neck met her shoulder; he searched for and discovered every spot
along her body that gave her the most sensual pleasure and Kat did
the same for him.

They rolled about the bed, tangling further
the sheets and blankets, kissing, licking, nipping, tasting, yet
both avoiding the places most wanting of the other's caress. By the
time they finished their exploration, they were each covered with a
fine sheen of sweat and Kat was panting with her need for
completion.

Entwining his fingers with hers, Charles
brought her hands to her side and raised himself above her.

"What is it you want?" He asked huskily.

"You," she breathed and it was true. She felt
as if he was the one she had been waiting for, had been wanting her
whole life.

He freed one hand from hers to snake it down
between them, lower and lower until he found her throbbing
clit.

She was so wet and swollen with need that she
thought she might explode with that first touch and Charles gave a
satisfied chuckle when she gasped as he ran his finger over it. Kat
moaned softly and arched her pelvis up to meet his dancing
fingers.

"That's it. Purr for me, kitten. Come for me,
my beautiful Katarina."

She wanted to save it until he was inside
her. She wanted to share and savor that shining moment with him,
but Charles had taken the lead, made his demand, and his dancing
fingers insisted she obey. She exploded and cried out with the
sensation.

Charles plunged his fingers within and she
rode the crest of the wave on his hand, but it was not enough for
him. Before she had fully recovered he took her to the heights
again and this time she closed her eyes and begged.

"Please, please," she whimpered.

She gasped out her pleasure when he entered
her, stretching her and filling her with his heat. Over and over he
plunged into her, deeper and deeper until she felt consumed by him.
Legs wrapped tightly around his hips, she met him thrust for
thrust, rising higher and higher until another orgasm shattered
conscious thought. She felt his body stiffen and heard his groan of
release. She could feel his warmth mix with hers and she had never
felt so complete.

Chapter 12

Kat awoke feeling cold and alone; abandoned.
Bereft of his presence, her eyes snapped open. "Charles?"

"Miss me already?" Charles poked his head out
the door of the walk-in closet, winked and walked back to the bed.
He tugged the zipper of his jeans into place but left the button
undone.

With the bright light of morning, Kat's
doubts returned and she became self-conscious of her nakedness
particularly in the presence of the man who stood before her. There
was no denying the animal grace that was an intrinsic part of his
being. Even the simple act of getting dressed was so smooth and
sensual it took her breath away. He was the Alpha.

She looked around at the room at her
luxurious surroundings, her employer's room. This was wrong on so
many levels. She didn't belong here in this fairytale. Charles
didn't know her and heaven only knew she didn't know him. Who was
this man/beast who drove all rational thought from her head and
made her feel things she never thought possible? The Alpha.

Kat turned away to shield herself from his
view and reached for the tangled sheet to cover herself.

Charles went down on one knee beside the bed.
She thought he would reach for the sheet to take it from her and
she clutched it to her chest, but he didn't reach for her covers.
Instead, his hand cupped her cheek and insisted she turn to face
him.

"Tell me," he said and as before, the
compulsion was there to follow his command.

"I don't know what I'm doing here. I don't
know what you want from me," she whispered. "I don't know if what
you make me feel is real. I don't even know if you are real.
Wolvers? Alphas? You? It's all beyond belief and for all I know,
the last two days are some kind of bizarre hallucination."

"Is this the 'later' where you fall apart?"
he asked gently.

Kat pressed her lips together and nodded her
head. She'd spoken all she could without an overflow of tears. Why
was this happening now? Yesterday… Was it only yesterday? …had been
filled with rejection and brutality; wolves, leghold traps, cruel
men and death. She'd held up through it all as Grams had taught her
to do, facing down her fears and doing what must be done. So why
now, after experiencing the most beautiful thing she had ever felt,
did she feel like the world might be coming apart?