Bridenapped: The Alpha Chronicles (5 page)

              Then again, getting tipsy and being in the same room as this incredibly sexy, naked man…perhaps not such a good idea.

              She cleared her throat. “Don’t try to change the subject. My family needs the money from my wages.”

              Kristofer shrugged lightly, in dismissal of her concerns. “I will of course support your family and give them anything that they need. They won’t want for anything.”

              Caitlin sighed. Oh, she wished that could happen. She’d stay married to him just for that. But her family would never go for it.

              “Here’s the thing, Kristofer,” she explained patiently. “That is actually a generous offer, but my family doesn’t take charity. Ever. They work for their money. They would not accept money from you. They’d rather be crammed into a one bedroom apartment eating ramen noodles and working around the clock than take money from you.”

              “So they have a strong work ethic. Admirable. If they will not accept my gifts, then we could hire them and pay them a very generous salary, much more than they earn now,” he suggested. “Plenty of work to be done around here.”

              Damn him, did he have to sound so reasonable and helpful? What a jerk.

              “They would never work for you. They regard you as the devil. As do I. And I don’t trust you worth a damn anyway. Even if they would work for you, which they won’t, once you’ve gotten whatever it is that you want from me, you’d boot me out of here and they’d be out of a job.”

              “Why would I do that?” He looked astonished.

              “Oh, I don’t know…why would you talk to me and ask me all about my land, and get every last bit of information about it, and its history, and then use that information against us in court? Because you’re a conniving greedy bastard.”

              He wasn’t the slightest bit phased by her anger or her insults. “I talked to you because I was instantly attracted to you, and you were the one who brought up your land. You talked about it a good deal, and I was charmed by it, by your passion for your beautiful forest.”

              She frowned, trying to remember. Had she been the one to bring it up first?

Then she shook her head in frustration, trying to clear the clouds from her mind.  The more time she spent with him, the harder it was to concentrate. Especially when he was buck naked. “I need to know where I’m sleeping. Find me another bedroom, until I find the loophole that lets me escape your furry clutches?”

              He laughed. “There is no such loophole, and pack custom dictates that you sleep in my chambers from now on. You may have the bed in the room that connects to our bedroom, if you prefer.”

              He kept saying
our
. “I do prefer.”

              She turned to go, then hesitated. “What if I went out and worked during the day, and then came back here at night?”

              “Ah, about that.  Until the wedding, pack custom dictates that you may not leave the grounds. And you will be accompanied by a guard at all times when you are not in my presence.  I know, I know,” he said, waving his hand. “It’s a very old custom. Basically it’s all about protecting the Alpha’s honor, ensuring that the bride saves herself for him and doesn’t dishonor his name, and yes, it’s foolish.”

              “You do know I’m not a virgin, right?”

              “You do know I’m not either, right?” His eyes glinted with amusement.  “It’s a tradition left over from medieval times. We have plenty of those.”

              “Fine.” She bit the word out, boiling mad.

              He led her through several rooms, and they finally reached their bedroom. His bedroom, she reminded herself firmly.

It was indeed massive, with a bigger-than-king size canopy bed and huge floor to ceiling windows with blue velvet curtains flowing down and puddling on the floor.  There were several sitting areas, with plump velvet furniture arranged around wooden coffee tables.  There was a large room connected to the bedroom. He gestured at it.

“That is what would traditionally be the nanny’s room. Technically, it’s part of this room, so it would be acceptable for you to sleep there until you come to your senses and allow me the honor of worshipping your beautiful body.  Now, let me show you to your wardrobe.”

Why, oh why, couldn’t this have happened under any other circumstances?
She doubted there was a more charming man walking the Earth.  He was like a romance novel hero come to life.

              She tried very hard not to squeal at the sight of the enormous walk in closet, bigger than some living rooms. Oh dear God in heaven, racks and racks of beautiful shoes, and she had no doubt they were her size.  Racks and racks of beautiful clothes, a three way mirror, a Victorian fainting couch, a wall of cubicles containing neatly folded lingerie in every color of the rainbow…

              “You like?” The corner of Kristofer’s lip quirked in a smile.

              “It is incredible,” she had to admit.

              “I took the liberty of directing the purchase of clothing that flatters your beautiful curves.” He fingered her jacket. “You always hide behind these. I want to see more of you. All of you.”

              “I…well, thank you.” She realized she was blushing.

              Then she glanced over at him. “If I absolutely am required to have a lady in waiting, I’d prefer Twyla.”

              “Twyla?” he looked startled. “That’s…that would be a major change in tradition. Elzbetka’s family has always served as lady in waiting to the Alpha Queen.  Do you think that you could at least give her a chance, for a few days?”

              Damn it, when he was being so reasonable and polite, it was really hard for her to argue.

              “All right,” she said with an unhappy nod.

              “And now,” he said, “do you want to choose your gown for tonight’s welcoming banquet?”

              “Man, I haven’t seen you look this good in ages. Bridenapping really agrees with you,” Lottie said cheerfully, digging into her prime rib.  Elzbetka was sitting stiff backed several seats down, shooting disapproving looks in their direction.  Caitlin was getting used to that.

              She’d insisted that Lottie and Paige be invited to her welcoming banquet, and she’d insisted that they sit next to her. She and Kristofer sat on thrones with velvet cushions, at the head of the table, and Paige and Lottie sat on her right. Apparently it was tradition for Elzbetka to be sitting right next to her, and it was not tradition to have human friends attending the welcome banquet.

              “Um, thank you? I think? I had a makeup artist and hairdresser doing major renovations on me all afternoon,” Caitlin said. She glanced down at her gleaming pink nails. “And a manicurist. Haven’t been to one in forever.”

              Then she scowled at Lottie. “And stop being so cheerful about my bridenapping! I am a prisoner of war. You’re visiting me in prison.”

              Lottie snickered. Paige made a scoffing noise, and took a sip of wine from her jewel encrusted goblet. “You’re living a nightmare,” she agreed. “As soon as I get home, I’m going to get William to file a complaint about the inhumane living conditions you’re being subjected to. I mean, is your wine goblet even solid gold? I don’t think so.”

              Caitlin glanced at her goblet. Was it solid gold? It was heavy as a brick.  She glanced at the goblets and forks and spoons; all jewel encrusted, all metal. Not silver, of course, because silver was poisonous to werewolves.

              “Platinum, actually, although we also have solid gold, if you prefer,” Kristofer said cheerfully. At Paige’s surprised glance, he added “Werewolves have excellent hearing, even in human form.”

              “Whatever it’s made of, it would hurt pretty bad if I clonked you with it. I demand and deserve sympathy for my plight,” Caitlin said indignantly to Paige, but she couldn’t stop herself from eating another bite of a delicious jam tart.

              Paige looked around the room. “Mansion…lavish feast…servants hovering nearby ready to fulfill your every command…incredibly handsome groom to be…your own makeup and hair team…I’m having a hard time coming up with any sympathy. Now, envy, that I can produce in spades.”

              “Have we forgotten what this man sitting next to me has done to my family? Because I haven’t.” But damned if she didn’t follow that up by popping another jam tart into her mouth.

              “Well, if he thought that the land really belonged to his pack…” Paige pointed out, ignoring Caitlin’s glare. 

              “Thank you! Your friend is most reasonable and welcome to visit any time. Can I get you another one of those tarts?” Kristofer asked solicitously.

              “Ohmigod, is that Alexander? You didn’t warn me. It is Alexander. Do I have anything in my teeth?” Lottie asked frantically.

              “He’s actually late,” Caitlin said, as Alexander made his way down towards their end of the lengthy banquet table. She’d made sure there was an empty seat next to Lottie. “You look fine. I told you to dress up, didn’t I? I asked that he come to the banquet, because even in my darkest hour, I think of others. That’s how I roll.”

              “Aren’t you a peach,” Paige said drily. “Interrupting your makeup session to make a call for our dear Lottie. Pass me some of that prison-issue pate de foie gras, will you?”

              Alexander walked up to them and sat next to Lottie at the chair that Paige had reserved for him.

              “My sincerest apologies for my late arrival, sir, I had just finished up my shift on patrol,” he said to Kristofer.  From what Caitlin had heard, that meant he’d been patrolling the grounds in wolf form. He bowed his head to Caitlin. “Milady. I am honored to make your acquaintance.”

              “Oh, heck, nice to meet you will do just fine,” Caitlin said around a mouthful of mousse.

              Elzbetka cleared her throat loudly.  “Tomorrow, we will begin our training on how an Alpha Queen addresses her pack.”

              Paige shot her an annoyed glance. “OK, so there’s a fly in the ointment, but other than that, it’s heaven on earth here.” Then she added to Elzbetka. “Yes, yes, werewolf sensitive hearing. I know you heard me. I meant for you to.” And she went back to enjoying her pate. 

Caitlin made a mental note to forgive Paige for being so damned nice to Kristofer and for refusing to pity her. Partially forgive.

“I recognize you,” Alexander said to Lottie. “I saw you at the Liquid Lounge a couple months ago.”

“You did?” Lottie squeaked. Some of the younger generation of werewolves liked to hang out in the city with the humans on a semi regular basis, a sign that werewolves were finally starting to join the 21
st
century. Alexander was one of them. Lottie had been dying to talk to him from the first day that she’d laid eyes on him, but she’d always been too shy.

“Yes, you were wearing a delightful green and yellow - ”

As he spoke, Lottie’s hand, which was shaking, twitched, and she dumped an entire glass of wine down the front of her dress.

“Oh, let me get that,” Alexander said, grabbing a napkin, but Lottie turned bright red and leapt to her feet.

“I should go,” she mumbled, blushing furiously, and hurried away from the table.

“Well, I’m her ride, so I guess that’s my cue to exit. Thank you for a lovely dinner,” Paige said to Kristofer. “Stay strong, sister, we shall overcome,” she added to Caitlin.

“You’re not half as funny as think you are!” Caitlin called out to Paige as she hurried after Lottie.

Kristofer was laughing. “I like your friends,” he said. “And by the way, we’ve got half an hour to moonrise.”

              Caitlin leaned back in her bed, idly thumbing through the pages of a book without really looking at the pages.  The room she would be sleeping in had several walls of bookshelves stocked with everything from classic literature to current bestsellers, and she’d grabbed a mystery novel, but it was impossible to concentrate.  Kristofer was in the next room. Was he still naked? The thought made her squirm uncomfortably on her bed. 

              She set the book down and climbed out of bed, and began pacing the floor.  The room was bigger than the first floor of her family’s house, and it was just the nanny’s room. The floors were wide plank hardwood, the furniture hand-carved Victorian style.  Just pacing from one end to the other was going to give her quite a workout.

              She heard a noise coming from Kristofer’s room.  Was he talking on the phone? She could hear his voice. Laughter.

              Pheromones, my big fat butt, she thought indignantly.  She knew that he had made that up.  Wouldn’t she have heard about moonrise pheromones before, if they were real? He didn’t really want to have sex with her. That must be it. He had carried out the bridenapping because he thought somehow it would help him with his pack’s land grab. 

                And now he was probably sitting there talking about her to his pack-mates, laughing at her.

              She flung over her doorway and stomped right into his room.

              He looked up, surprised.

              “There is no such thing as moonrise pheromones! And I did not believe it for one minute, so don’t think you pulled anything over on me!” she yelled.

              “I’ve got to go, Alexander,” he said hastily, and hung up the phone.

              She stormed into the room.

              “You think that was funny? Well, I’ll tell you what-”

             
Oh. Dear. God.

              It hit her in a wave so intense that she staggered back several steps, desperately sucking air into her lungs. The arousal she’d felt all day was multiplied a thousandfold, and she felt as if she were burning up from the inside. The entire universe shrank to a single burning focus: him. She had to have him or she’d die.

              She struggled to catch her breath as she rushed forward, frantically tearing at her clothes.

              “I tried to warn you,” Kristofer said, with a smug look. “But I’m glad you ignored me.”

              She ignored his words, climbing on to his lap, straddling him.

              He grabbed her hair, tangling his fingers in it.

              “Do you want to know what happens when you try to resist an Alpha?” he asked.

              “What?” she panted.

              “You fail. And then they fuck you till you scream for mercy. And then they fuck you some more.” Something about hearing him say the crude words in his deliciously aristocratic accent made them even sexier.

                He stood up with her legs still wrapped around him, supporting her easily. He swiveled and dropped her onto the bed, following her down and pressing her into the mattress with his full, delicious weight. She found herself surrounded by the earthy scent of his cologne, the heat of his skin and an underlying aroma of musk and man that caused her to whimper with need and arch beneath him, desperate to be closer.
Moonrise pheromones
, she realised in a vague, dreamlike way.

Kristofer tore at her half-undone pajama top with rough fingers, ripping it open and exposing her full breasts to his ravenous gaze. The look in his eyes was feral and he gave a low growl as he took in the sight of her plump, creamy flesh. She could feel the rigid length of his cock against her pussy, and he rolled his hips as he dropped his head to take her nipple into his mouth, suckling and lapping at the swollen nub and sending a shock of desire racing through her body. Her juices drenched the fabric between her thighs and she could smell her own arousal mingling with the maddening, addictive scent of Kristofer.

Reality seemed to swim and warp, and she found herself oblivious to everything but the sweet sensation his lips and fingers were inflicting on her helpless body. He traced her ample curves with greedy hands, growling his approval, seemingly desperate to touch every inch of her body.

His mouth on her breast sent quicksilver thrills of arousal to her clit and her thighs trembled. She ran her fingers into his thick curls. He shivered and growled, and she startled to her senses. God, what was she doing? This was Kristofer, who had snatched her family’s land and left them on the brink of bankruptcy.

She put her hands against his chest and pushed, twisting underneath him to try to dislodge his hot, muscular weight from between her thighs. He shifted so he was straddling her, pinning her to the bed with his strong thighs to either side of hers. This was Kristofer, who had tricked her with his charm and attentiveness so he could pump her for information to use against her and the people she loved.

She pushed harder with her hands, using her nails, fighting to get out from underneath him, but he wrangled her arms over her head and held her wrists firmly in one big hand. This was Kristofer, who knew he could do whatever he wanted, because no woman could resist his sultry looks, his aristocratic drawl, the toned grace of his muscular body.

“I don’t want you,” she protested, then whimpered when his mouth came down on hers. She couldn’t resist kissing him back. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, and she could feel the frantic hammering of his heart as his kiss sent swirls of electricity dancing over her skin, the feeling so tantalizing that she was surprised sparks didn’t crackle between them. She felt as though she might burst into flames.

Kristofer worked his free hand roughly into her pajamas and slicked a finger between the drenched lips of her sex. He pulled away and brought his finger to her lips, beaded with the evidence of her arousal. “Liar,” he growled and she held his gaze for a moment, struggling for breath. He suckled his own finger, tasting her arousal, and his pupils blew wide, making his gaze seem dark and dangerous. This was Kristofer, whose demanding touch and heavenly scent had her half crazy to feel his thick cock thrusting inside her, roughly and without restraint.

Her lips parted on a harsh breath and she nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly. The need she felt for his body entwined with hers, on top of her and inside her, was too strong to resist.

He gave a triumphant, possessive growl and stripped off his shirt, heedless of the fine silk tearing and the buttons scattering across the coverlet. He yanked down her pajama pants, abrading the soft flesh of her generous thighs, and unzipped his fly, taking his cock in his hand and hastily positioning himself between her legs. She felt like a coiled spring, tense with pent-up energy, and as Kristofer shoved himself into her slick, grasping channel, she groaned and raked her fingernails down his back. He grunted his approval and pushed farther inside her, seating himself to the hilt and holding himself still above her for a moment before he started to move.

He held nothing back, thrusting inside her hard and fast, gripping her fleshy hips with bruising fingers, working her relentlessly towards a climax she knew would be earth-shattering; impossibly intense. She ran her hands down to clench his flexing buttocks, urging him on, unable to get enough of him, uncaring that tomorrow she’d be sore and bruised.

His cock was long, thick and rigid, and with every powerful thrust it caught against her G-spot, sending her spiraling higher and making her pussy clench around him as her juices slicked her thighs. His scent surrounded her, overwhelmed her, and she drank it in like an addictive drug she needed more than the air she fought to pull into her lungs.

He bit her shoulder, sinking his teeth into the flesh, grazing the skin and making her gasp, then moan. Then he hitched her knees up over his hips so she could wrap her legs around his lower back, allowing him to drive into her farther still.

Caitlin shuddered and moaned beneath him as a sweet sensation built inside her, throbbing, thrilling,    until she cried out her release; hoarse, unfamiliar sounds that seemed wild and animal to her ears.

She mewled at the sharp sensation of loss as he withdrew from her, feeling an aching emptiness inside that made her want to beg him to return to her.

But with strong hands and brisk movements, Kristofer rolled her onto her front and urged her onto her hands and knees on the bed. She arched her back, presenting herself to him, completely unashamed of her nakedness or of letting him know how badly she wanted him.

Kristofer grasped her hips and she groaned and pressed back against him as he swiped his tongue along her slick slit, from her swollen clit to the rosette of her anus. Her pussy clenched and throbbed with the desire to feel him moving inside her again, possessing her.

She squirmed with pleasure as he covered her, his chest and belly burning-hot against her back, and a shudder ran through her as she felt the heat of his breath against her neck and heard his low, needful growl in her ear.

He positioned the head of his cock at her entrance, rubbing himself against her in a slow, teasing rhythm, allowing their juices to mingle, and Caitlin found herself muttering senseless words of desire and invitation. She dug her fingers into the bedcovers and pressed back against him, eager to take him inside, but he pulled back, teasing her, keeping himself a scant, tantalizing half-inch inside her channel.

“Kristofer,” she growled, and her voice was hoarse, almost unrecognizable to her own ears. “Fuck me – please fuck me.”

Kristofer plunged inside her, seating himself to the hilt, pressing as far as he could inside her and rolling his hips to enjoy the full sensation of her spasming heat around him. Caitlin allowed her head to drop, eyes squeezed shut, on the brink of another orgasm just from his brief, powerful invasion of her body. Every nerve ending thrummed and she found herself fighting for breath again as he started to move inside her.

His claiming was rough, primal, but so skilled that at once she found herself caught up in the thrilling, electrical sensation of orgasm as it washed over her body in peristaltic waves, leaving her trembling and weak even as he continued to thrust, driving her mercilessly, unrelentingly back towards the brink.

She could feel the heaving of his chest and the rapid pounding of his heart against her back, and she marveled at his control as he continued to drive into her. She shuddered blissfully as she felt his teeth on the nape of her neck, a wild, instinctive claiming that had her crying out with a feeling of need and desire and completion and belonging she had never dreamed existed.

She arched her back further, allowing him total access to her, and rolled her hips in a wanton attempt to drive him over the edge, to give him a taste of the overwhelming bliss she felt when he was inside her.

Kristofer gave a series of low groans with each thrust and then, as she clenched and spasmed around him, hammered into her with abandon, all restraint and control gone as he came inside her.

He collapsed to one side, drawing her after him and holding her in his muscular arms. They didn’t speak, fighting for breath and wordlessly spent. As her heart rate slowed and the sweat began to cool on their skin, Caitlin drifted into an exhausted sleep, her mind still hazed with lust.