Wolf Moon (10 page)

“Sorry,”
he repeated. “Obviously I don’t expect—”

“No,”
I interrupted. “I know, but everything is still so…screwed up in my head. All
of this—the new house in a new country, what happened to David—it’s
all just a little hard to sort out right now. I just need…I don’t know…time?”

Nodding,
Nick took my hand in his again. “I know. I really didn’t mean anything by it. I
tend to get a little…worked up after I shift.”

Heat
filled my cheeks, and I tried to hide my embarrassment behind a smile. “Oh.”

“Not
that you’re not alluring any other time,” he rushed to elaborate, making me
giggle. It wasn’t often he flustered himself. “Apparently I have a chronic case
of foot-in-mouth syndrome afterward too. I blame the amount of concentration it
took to shift back this time. Kind of disengaged my filter.”

“It’s
fine, really. I think I get it…or I will?” I was rambling like an idiot. How
was one supposed to segue out of an awkward conversation? Was it even possible?
Maybe I should just change the topic entirely.

I
cleared my throat, noticed the time on the clock read almost ten, and then
turned back to Nick. “It’s been a long day,” I said. “You ready for bed?”

Nick
glanced at his enormous bed and nodded. “Yeah.”

I
grabbed some shorts and a tank top from my dresser and excused myself to get
ready for bed in the bathroom. After I finished changing and washing up, I headed
to the bed and pulled the thick duvet down before crawling beneath it while
Nick finished his routine. When he emerged from the bathroom and approached the
bed, he eyed it and me questioningly.

I
didn’t need to read his mind to know he was curious about the sleeping arrangements.

I
smiled, pulling the blanket on his side down. “I think in an effort to keep up
the pretense, we should share a bed,” I whispered to keep anyone else from
overhearing—that would be just what we needed right now: complications
within the Pack.

Nick
joined me, and I lay down, turning my body to face his. I had both hands under
my cheek initially, but when he relaxed next to me, I realized I needed to be
touching him in some way. After our stressful first day here, I needed the
comfort of his touch, and I felt like he needed the same from me.

However,
because I wasn’t ready for more, I only reached out and took his hand. He was
okay with that.

“Can
you tell me about it?” I asked softly. He looked confused, so I tried to be a
little more specific. “What you felt before you shifted out there. Can you tell
me about it? I’ve only done it once by myself, and even then
it
was triggered by that scrap of cloth that was left at my house
. Maybe I
can learn from it.”

Nick
shuddered visibly, closing his eyes and grimacing. “It’s not something you want
to learn from. I lost complete control of my emotions—of who I was. I was
so angry about the wolf being dumped on our land by one of
them
, and then…to find that body in the woods, taunting me and
reminding me that that bitch has been gunning for you for months…” His hand
tightened around mine, and his skin heated up, but before he let it go any
further, he took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and held my gaze. His eyes
were intriguing; the aqua bright around the outer edge and that amber ring I
sometimes noticed almost glowing around the pupil. It only did this when the
wolf was on the brink of breaking through. A sign it was pacing at the surface
of his control.

“It
pushed me over the edge. I don’t even remember the transition
happening—and I haven’t blacked out in
years
, Brooke. It was unsettling after so many years of careful control.”
He sighed, the look in his eyes simultaneously angry and ashamed.

“And
the body?” I asked carefully, hoping I wouldn’t upset him further.

 
Nick exhaled heavily and closed his eyes
for a moment. “They moved it off the property and called in an anonymous tip.
We can’t have the cops sniffing around here.”

“That’s
probably smart,” I offered.

After
another excruciating pause, Nick’s eyes held mine. “I’m just glad
Jax
was there… If I’d have done anything to hurt
you—”

“Hey,”
I said, scooting closer on the bed and slipping my hand from his to push his
blond hair off his forehead. Our feet touched, and Nick brought one leg up, slipping
it beneath mine for more contact. “Don’t even think about the what-ifs. Nothing
bad happened, and nothing will.” He still seemed unconvinced, so I took a
chance and leaned forward, lightly pressing my lips to his. It wasn’t a kiss
borne out of passion and desire, but one of friendship and comfort.

He
sighed contentedly, his lips softening against mine as I kissed him once more,
soft and sweet. “There…” I pulled back slowly, watching as his eyes fluttered
open. “Go to sleep with a happy thought in your head instead, okay?”

Nick’s
smile widened and his eyelids drooped slightly as he dropped his hand to my
waist and pulled me closer. “Remember how you said I kept your nightmares at
bay?” I nodded, hoping that this would continue to be true. “Well, I wonder if
that works both ways.”

With
our legs tangled beneath the blankets, my chest was flush against his, our
noses barely an inch apart. I could feel his heart beat against my breast, and
his fingers found the hem of my shirt. He toyed with it, lifting it an inch or
two so he could run his fingers along the sliver of skin there—he did
this for comfort; had ever since we’d dated years ago.

Soon,
our breathing patterns fell into sync, and we fell sound asleep. We’d face
whatever hurdles life brought our way in the morning.

T
he sun crept along the
floor that morning, stretching across the room with every passing minute. Soon
our entire bed was bathed in it. I stretched my body lengthwise, reveling in
the way various bones crackled and popped, and then an arm flew back around my
waist. Nick grumbled something incoherent, pulling me back against him. I
laughed as he pressed his entire body against my back, his grip unrelenting,
and rested his head against mine. I could feel his warm breath wafting over the
bare skin of my shoulder, and it tickled.

“It’s
too early to get up,” he mumbled. “Let’s just stay in bed.”

“Oh,
so the first impression I’m going to give off is that I’m a lazy hermit?” Nick
nodded behind me, and I smacked his arm lightly. “I don’t think so.”

I
tried again to slip from the bed, but his hand ensnared my waist and turned me
around until I faced him. His eyes were open, not looking the least bit tired,
but mischief flashed in them. “You know,” he whispered, “everyone would
probably buy our little back-story more if we stayed hidden in solitude all
day. All newly-mated
weres
do.”

“Ah,”
I said, pushing his blond hair back from his face. “But you forget, Nick. We’re
not exactly ‘new.’ Our honeymoon stage ended years ago.” I was just teasing him
and he knew it, but he still growled and retaliated. He straddled my thighs,
pinned my arms above my head with one of his monstrous hands, and proceeded to
tickle me.

“Stop!
Stop!” I cried out between fits of laughter. I had to admit, while the last
week had been pretty horrible, it was nice to be able to laugh and forget.
Even if it was only for a minute.
“Please!” I begged,
breathless, as tears of laughter rolled down the sides of my face. I tried
moving my legs to throw him off me, and while they were definitely stronger,
they were no
match
for him. “Nick…I…I can’t breathe!”

Laughing
himself
, Nick slowly released my arms, and I tried to
catch my breath as I brushed my tears away. My abdomen was sore from laughing
and struggling, and my heart was racing. “You’re a jerk,” I teased, smacking
his chest. He caught my wrist, gave me a warning look, and leaned over me until
we were nose to nose. My body temperature spiked and desire bloomed in my
belly, tendrils of it slithering beneath my skin. My grief was momentarily lost
in the fog that now rolled around in my head.

The
air in the room suddenly shifted. Gone was the playful mood, and in its place
was a fast-growing hunger. Biting my lower lip, I let my hand linger on his
chest, feeling how fast his heart was beating. My thumb moved back and forth of
its own volition before my fingers joined in, tracing each of the scars on his
chest. His breath shuddered as he released my wrist, and my fingers moved from
one scar to the next. He looked uneasy, but he really shouldn’t have been.
These were a part of who he was now, just as the scars on my left shoulder were
a part of who I had become—even if I had tried to fight it tooth and nail
in the beginning.

I
moved my hand down his body, finding more scars on his abdomen. I wanted to
know the stories behind every single one of them, because I strongly believed
it might bring us closer. When my hand fell to the one on his right hip that barely
peeked out above the waist of his pants, he hopped off the bed so fast my head
spun. I could hear his heartbeat flutter nervously as he grabbed one of his
T-shirts and pulled it on.

“I
think I smell breakfast,” he announced. “Maybe we should go eat.”

I
propped myself up on my elbows, confused about what just happened. Had I done
something wrong? Or could his behavior have something to do with what happened
last night?

Before
I could ask, he disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar.
I heard the water turn on as he brushed his teeth. There wasn’t a doubt in my
mind that there was a reason behind his strange reaction, but I decided to let
him tell me when he was ready. No sense pushing. He’d had a pretty rough night,
so it was the least I could do after everything he’d done for me lately.

Even
if the curiosity was maddening.

I
got up and made the bed before knocking on the bathroom door. He pulled it
open, smiling when he saw me. “Do you think I have time to try out your
amazing-looking shower?”

Smirking,
Nick nodded toward it. “What? That old thing?”

I
pulled a towel off the well-stocked shelf behind the door and laughed. “Yeah.
That.”

“Sure.
I’ll grab some clothes and have one after you.”

“Sounds
good,” I said, practically pushing him out the door as the shower called my
name. “I’ll be right out.”

After
closing the door, I looked in the mirror and was
horrified
to see what a mess my hair was. My long copper locks were
a tangle of waves with stray strands sticking up every which way. I couldn’t
believe Nick didn’t tell me how awful I looked. Silently cursing him, I ran a
comb through it before brushing my teeth, and then I stripped down and stepped
into the huge shower. I contemplated using the waterfall head, but ultimately
decided to hold off since Nick wanted to shower too, and I couldn’t promise
that wouldn’t keep me in here longer.

I
turned on the regular
shower head
, and it was like
heaven. The water pressure was strong, and as strange as it sounded, the water
smelled cleaner than any water I’d ever bathed in before. It was odd, but I
also noticed a difference in the air quality up here too, so maybe the two were
connected.

I
let the hot water wash over me as the entire bathroom slowly filled with a
thick blanket of fog. The pressure behind the water did what it could to work
out every knot of tension in my shoulders. It suddenly occurred to me that maybe
the waterfall showerhead would’ve guaranteed a shorter shower, because this was
like heaven. I hadn’t even realized how tense I was until now. It was possible
it was the impending full moon, or maybe it was the long trip from Arizona,
last night’s events…or a culmination of all three.

The
tension wasn’t concentrated to just my shoulders, though. It was how I felt
before last month’s full moon, and while it wasn’t nearly as intense, the rest
of my body was definitely feeling stiff and in need of some kind of release. I
could tell it would only get worse as the days went by.

When
I was done, I wrapped my towel around my body. I wasn’t sure what they used
when doing laundry, but this was quite possibly the softest thing I’d ever put
against my skin. I opened the door to find Nick staring out the window. It
didn’t take him long to sense me staring, and he turned around with a big goofy
grin on his face.

“You
know, if you keep prancing around in towels with your skin all wet and glowing,
I can’t be held accountable for what the wolf does.”

Rolling
my eyes, I headed to my dresser and grabbed a pair of light-wash skinny jeans
and a black
v-neck
sweater. “Down boy. Don’t make me
muzzle you.”

Chuckling,
Nick headed for the bathroom
,
stopping
once he reached me
. He wasn’t even touching me, but I could feel him on
every inch of my skin. The heat of his body melted into mine, his breath tickled
when it hit the exposed wet skin of my shoulder. I forced myself to remain
still, even though everything inside me wanted to do the opposite.

I
jumped when he pushed my hair over my shoulder and ran his finger down the exposed
length of my back. He released a humored breath when
goosebumps
popped up in response. The tingle traveled down my body until my knees threatened
to buckle.

“Nick,”
I said, my voice low and raspy. “You should go get ready.”

He
cleared his throat, and the fog of lust began to lift, though the intoxicating
scent of our mutual arousal still lingered. “I’ll be right out.”

While
Nick showered, I started getting dressed before realizing I forgot to brush my
hair after my shower. I waited a couple of minutes, thinking Nick wouldn’t take
much longer, but when ten minutes passed, I decided to see if I could just slip
in.

I
approached the door and knocked lightly. When I heard his muffled response, I
opened the door slowly, avoiding the shower on the right and bee-lining for the
vanity where I left my brush. Even though the mirror was slightly fogged up, I
noticed Nick directly behind me, his back to me as the waterfall showerhead
rained down on his back and shoulders.

I
tried not to stare since his entire backside was exposed through the open-concept
shower entrance, but I couldn’t help myself. The muscles in his back and lower
body were all taught, his left hand flat against the tile wall as the water
poured over his neck and back, and his right hand was out of view as he…

“Oh,”
I exhaled breathlessly, dropping my eyes and grabbing my brush. My face burned
with embarrassment from having just intruded on a very private moment. What was
worse, I couldn’t just escape unnoticed. Not after voicing my surprise aloud. I
glanced up just as Nick turned around, his water-darkened hair whipping across
his alarm-stricken face.

Keep your eyes on his. Keep
your eyes on his,
I mentally willed myself.

I
held his gaze through the mirror, forcing myself to remain still. His eyes were
dark and stormy, his hair falling over his forehead and dripping down his face
and neck as the showerhead continued to pour behind him. My resolve wavered and
my knees threatened to buckle.

“Sorry,”
I managed to mumble. “I thought you…that is, I knocked, and I thought you…”

He
approached the edge of the shower slowly, like a predator stalking its prey,
and my eyes rebelled against my brain and better judgment for just a second to
find him standing at full attention. I inhaled a shaky breath and licked my
lips; he was as glorious as I remembered.

He
put his hands on each side of the entrance and looked to be struggling to stop
there…he wasn’t the only one; I was too. I looked away, choosing to focus on my
hands. My body ached for him, and I gripped the edge of the sink to keep my
hands from shaking as I tried to remind myself why this wasn’t a good idea. I
was still grieving; I shouldn’t have even been entertaining such thoughts.

That
was when Jackson’s words played over again in my head.
“The pain never stops, Brooke. You’ll never forget those
you lost, but you have to remember the good times you shared instead of how
they died. And while the grief you feel is very, excruciatingly real, they’re
gone. It’s not an insult to their memory to seek solace in the arms of an old
lover. It’s an insult to not go on with your life.”

Something
about what he’d said made so much sense, but I still fought the urge to lose myself
in Nick’s arms.

Closing
my eyes, I tried to ignore the pull he had over me. I took several deep
breaths, gasping when I felt his presence right behind me. His heat radiated
off of him, seeping deep into my skin until my entire body throbbed with
desire.

“Brooke…”
His voice was low and gravelly, my name slipping past his lips and rolling over
me like warm honey.

I
looked up and met his eyes in the mirror once more, and that was all it took to
bring my guard down. I exhaled heavily, every ounce of my resolution going with
it.

 
Before I could let uncertainty get in my
way again, I turned and let Nick pull me into his arms. The carnal intensity in
his eyes entranced me as the fingers of his right hand threaded deep into my
damp hair. I sighed as he tilted my face upward and kissed me hard. The force
of the kiss was so wild and
fierce,
it made my toes
curl and stoked the embers of desire in the depths of my belly.

My
skin tingled and blazed with warmth as I arched my body toward his and released
a soft moan against his lips. He slipped his free hand between
us and yanked open
my jeans. My pulse quickened when he
thrust his hand behind the denim, and he groaned when he realized just how
turned on I was already. I frantically shimmied out of my pants as he pulled my
shirt over my head, tossing it to the bathroom floor. Our desperation escalated
until it was an unstoppable force. Nothing could slow us down at this point.

Kissing
me, and with his one hand still tangled in my hair and pulling it lightly, his
left hand pressed into the small of my back as he stepped back into the shower.
He lifted me over the small tile riser and pressed me against the wall beneath
the falling water.

The
tile was cold against my back, forcing me impossibly closer to him, but the
water was warm as it poured over our bodies. We were pressed so tightly
together that I could feel his temperature soar and his heart beat as we lost
ourselves in the moment. Breathing heavily, Nick kissed a trail along my jaw,
gently biting every couple of inches. Goosebumps covered my skin as he made his
way down my neck and over my collarbone.

“Nick,”
I moaned as his hands cupped my breasts, fingers curling beneath the wet fabric
of my bra. With one sharp tug, he tore it down the middle and groaned as he
dragged his tongue down between the
valley
of my
breasts. My body quivered a little more noticeably, reveling in the way he made
me feel, and I could feel his lips turn up into a cocky smile against my belly.