Wolf Moon (3 page)

Taking her breasts in both hands, she massaged them as he’d done, warming the flesh. With thumb and forefinger she pinched the nipples, rolling and tugging them until they hardened and throbbed. Wetting the tip of one finger, she rubbed it across a nipple. She imagined Jesse’s mouth on it, sucking it, pressing it with his tongue.

Through hooded eyes, she watched her hands move down her body, over her abdomen, through the narrow patch of curls at her mound to her already weeping slit. She slowly pulled her labia apart, exposing the flesh now slick and pink and the tiny bud of her clitoris that begged to be touched.

The sight of her aroused body was too much for her. Her breath quickening, she moved to her bed on shaky legs. With unsteady hands, she opened the drawer of her nightstand and took out her favorite tiny vibrator. Lying back on the soft comforter, knees bent and spread wide, she place the tip of the vibrator on her clit and turned it on.

Immediately, jolts of sensation streaked through her vagina, the muscles rippling in response. In moments, her entire body was consumed by the heat. The harder she pressed with the vibrator, the more intense the throbbing. She arched her hips and slid two fingers into her cunt.

Jesse’s face flashed into her mind, his whiskey-colored eyes dark with passion. She saw his lean, hard body covered with a fine sheen of sweat as he drove her to orgasm. The image of their bodies moving together in perfect rhythm heated her blood. She rubbed the vibrator back and forth over her clit, and her fingers pumped in and out of her slick channel, faster and faster.

Her orgasm grabbed her like a punch to her body. The muscles of her pussy grasped her fingers and her cream gushed into her hand. She bucked and thrust, screaming Jesse’s name while the spasms shook her. Her breath escaping her lips in tiny pants, she rode the aftershocks. At last, her body, sweat-slicked and aching, was still.

After a very long time, she rose from the bed and made her way to the bathroom. Turning the shower on full force, she stood under the spray, letting water as hot as she could stand it wash over her body. But nothing could wash away the memory of Jesse Farrell.

When she finally climbed under the covers, her sleep was restless, peppered with fragments of dreams that disappeared each time she woke. At seven o’clock, she gave up and got out of bed but she was plagued by a vague feeling of unease. One that somehow had to do with Jesse.

She started the coffeemaker then went to retrieve the newspaper. She glanced next door for signs of life. Nothing. No car and his paper still lay on the porch.

Where are you, Jesse?

She was too edgy to sit still and her body was sending her signals. Too long since she’d last changed. Tossing her sleep shirt onto a kitchen chair, she opened the back door, stretched, and let her body morph into her wolf shape. She sniffed the air, loped off the back porch, and raced for the safety of the woods.

The rain pelted her white coat, and, in seconds, she was soaked. But the need to run off the nervous energy propelled her forward. She followed the paths so familiar to her, birds and small animals scattering in her wake. The clean scent of the woods exhilarated her, a perfume that stimulated all her senses.

Faster and faster she ran, until at last, exhausted, she dropped to the ground, panting.

With her head resting on her paws, she struggled to slow her breathing. She needed to get a grip on herself. Running like this in daylight was risky. She should have been doing this last night instead of having make-believe sex. Now, she was out in the open, exposed to any spying, inquisitive eyes.

Not good at all, Alexa.

Her body’s need to change wasn’t the real impetus that had sent her racing like a mad thing. The truth was, she was running away from herself.

Damn Jesse for living next door to her, anyway. And damn her body for the human hormones constantly escaping her control. And most of all, damn her traitorous heart.

Finally, she rose on all fours and headed back toward the house. She had broken from the edge of the woods seconds before and was loping across her lawn when she saw Jesse’s car pull up in his driveway.

Shit! Of all the damn dumb luck.

Well, nothing for it now. Head down, she ignored the fact he was staring into her yard. She kept on her path until she reached the far side of her house. Wriggling into the space behind the hedge, she crouched and waited.

Please, Jesse, don’t go exploring in the rain
.

When another streak of lightning lit up the sky, she worked her way around to the porch. Then she raced in through the open door, slamming it shut with her snout.

She shook vigorously in the laundry room, spraying everything as the water flew from her coat. She could feel the change beginning already. Lying down on the rag rug, she let her body resume human form then dried herself quickly with a towel from the counter. Retrieving her sleep shirt, she slid it over her head. She was wrapping the towel around her wet hair when the doorbell rang.

Frowning, she looked through the peephole. Jesse stood on the porch, shaking off the rain he’d accumulated on his sprint to her house.

Great. Just great.

Pasting on a smile, she opened the door. “Hi. Don’t you think it’s a little wet for house-hopping?”

He grinned at her. “Maybe. I have a question, but I thought if I asked in person, I could beg a cup of coffee.”

A smile broke out at the sight of him despite her intentions, and she opened the door wider. “Sure. Come on in.”

“Nice outfit,” he teased.

Alexa looked down and realized what she was wearing. “Oh, God. You can tell I wasn’t expecting company.” She headed for the hallway, calling over her shoulder. “Coffee’s ready. Help yourself. I’ll only be a second.”

In her room, she pulled a pair of shorts and a T-shirt from one drawer, underwear from another. She gave her hair one last swipe with the towel, combed the wet strands with her fingers, and tucked them behind her ears. No time for the dryer now.

Jesse was leaning against the kitchen counter, a steaming mug in each hand. He held one out to her.

“Here. I poured yours, too.”

“Thanks.”

When she took it from him, their fingers collided. Heat streaked along her arm and through her body. Her cunt, which last night had to make do with her fingers, began to throb.

God, Alexa, get a grip
.

But the sight of him in worn jeans that fit his body like a glove and the dark T-shirt outlining the muscles in his chest and arms, did major damage to her self-control. She sipped at the hot liquid, struggling for outward calm.

“So. You said you had a question.”

“Yeah.” He scratched his head with his free hand. “I know this is stupid, but did you happen to get a dog in the last couple of days?”

Alexa’s stomach knotted. So, he
had
seen her although he obviously didn’t know what he was looking at. Thank God for that. She forced herself to be calm.

“Do you see one here?”

He chuckled, a self-conscious sound. “No. I told you it was dumb. But I could swear I saw a huge dog race through your yard to your house. You didn’t see anything?”

She shook her head. “I was in the shower. Maybe he’s from the next block or something. He might have gotten out and gone for a run in the rain.”

Joe shrugged. “Probably. I’d never seen him around here before, is all. Funny, he was headed straight for your house.”

Alexa took another swallow of coffee. “Probably just cutting through.” She looked up at him. “You’re late getting home again.”

One corner of his mouth turned up. “You checking upon me, sweet thing?”

Heat rose on her cheeks. “No. Except it’s, well, you usually get home long before this.”

He dry washed his face with his free hand. “We’re working on a tough one right now, so we’ve all been working overtime. Two rival gangs are threatening warfare. That’s why I haven’t been around,” he added.

“No problem.”

After all, he’d made no commitment the other night except to tell her how long he’d been craving her. Maybe all he wanted was hot, sweaty sex. Which would probably be for the best, truth be told.

He crowded her against the counter. “I’d never have stayed away on purpose.” His voice was low and husky. “The other night meant something to me. And I could swear it did to you.”

She edged away from him and sat at the table. “Right now, you don’t need to be thinking of anything except this assignment. Why don’t you tell me about it?”

He rested his hips on the edge of the chair. Long legs stretched out in front of him, he stared into his coffee mug for a long time. “You don’t want to know about that ugliness, Alexa. These people—kids, most of them—kill on a whim. Or for gang initiation. Or to impress someone. And certainly for revenge. And it isn’t even a nice, neat death.”

Impulsively, she reached over and touched his arm. “I can’t imagine how you do such a difficult job. It must take so much out of you.”

His face was grim. “I have a fourteen-year-old brother back in Denver with my folks. Every time I look at those kids, I think of him.”

“Oh, Jesse.” She didn’t know what else to say to him.

He set his mug down, picked up her hand, and lifted it to his lips. He ran the tip of his tongue over her knuckles. “I look at you and your beautiful smile can make it all disappear.”

Shivers danced along her spine. “Listen, Jesse.”

His eyes smoldered with heat. “I
am
listening, darlin’. But your mouth and your body are saying two different things.” He grazed his knuckles lightly along the line of her cheek. “I said it before. You want to look at me, Alexa, and tell me what we did the other night was nothing more than physical exercise? I won’t believe you.”

Her blood bubbled and moisture flooded her panties. How was she supposed to resist the electricity flowing between them?

“Oh, Jesse.” She leaned her forehead on his hand.

“You think I’m the kind of man to fuck your brains out and then pretend it never happened? Certainly not with someone as special as you, sugar plum. You don’t know how badly I wanted to be back here the next day, beating down your door.” He stood up, taking her with him, and lifted her into his arms. “I need you, darlin’. I need your sweetness to wipe it all away. I felt like spitting nails because the job kept me away.”

What was she to do? She linked her arms around his neck and pressed soft kisses along his jawline as he carried her to her room.

“Let me undress you,” he pleaded. “I want to unwrap each inch of that soft, sweet body.”

“All right.” She was breathless, blood racing, nerves sparking.

He took his time removing each item of clothing, kissing every expanse of skin as he revealed it. When he unclasped her bra and slid the straps from her shoulders, his eyes flared at her hardened nipples and darkened areolas. He bent his head and took each nipple briefly into his mouth, laving it with his tongue.

“Gorgeous.” He removed his mouth and feasted his eyes on the now wet, rosy buds. “No, dazzling. Your breasts are a treasure.”

He knelt in front of her, running his tongue over the lace trim at the top of her thong, his hands grasping her ass to hold her in place. With his teeth, he drew the fabric slowly down to her ankles then tossed it to the side. He parted her labia and ran his tongue the length of her slit.

“Jesus, darlin’. You taste like sweet strawberries and cream.”

He lifted her and placed her on the bed with great care. His gaze never left her as he divested himself of his clothes. Reaching into his jeans pocket, he pulled out a handful of foil packets.

“I don’t like to run out,” he teased.

When he moved his hand to dump them on the nightstand, his eyes widened.

Her stomach fluttered.

Oh, shit!

She’d forgotten to put away her little toy.

“Well, well, well,” he drawled. “What have we here?” He picked it up and rolled it between his fingers. “Were you missing me that much, darlin’?”

“Listen, Jesse.” She sat up and tried to reach for it. “Let me explain.”

His grin was wicked. “I think this is all the explanation I need.” He dropped his eyes to his groin. “Look how hard you make me.”

She reached for the vibrator once more, flailing her hands. “Come on, give it to me.”

“Oh, darlin’, you can count on that.” He held it just out of her reach, eyes dancing with mischief. “You know, one of my fantasies has always been to use one of these on a woman. But, of course, it has to be the right woman.”

The thought of it excited her unbearably. Heat washed through her body as the image he drew flashed across her brain. She felt the liquid of her arousal flooding her cunt and dripping into the crevice of her ass.

“Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?” His eyes raked her body. They paused on her hard nipples then drifted down to her pussy. “I can smell you from here, sugar plum. The sweetest perfume in the world.”

He was on the bed now, between her legs. Slowly, he kissed his way along the sensitive skin from her ankle to her thigh, up one leg and down the other. The kisses were like the beat of butterfly wings, soft and tantalizing. He paused in the process to taste her cunt again, his breath a mere teasing whisper as he licked the slick flesh.

It was all Alexa could do to hang onto her control. The fire he’d lit inside her was raging out of control. “Please,” she moaned, reaching for his head.

He raised up and circled her wrists with his fingers. “Please? Are you begging me? Oh, honey, before we’re done you’ll be begging long and loud.”

Her stomach muscles clenched in anticipation.

Still holding her wrists, he took his time licking at her navel. His tongue drew little circles in the tiny indentation. She never knew her belly button could be such an erogenous zone and she tried to urge him to feast at it more. He chuckled softly. Then he slicked his clever tongue through the narrow strip of soft curls on her mound, making her arch up to him again.

“Let’s see how close you are, sweet thing.” He released one wrist and slid two lean fingers into her hot channel, sucking in his breath as he felt her wetness. “God, you’re like a fountain. I love it.”