Howling Moon (16 page)

Raphael took Cat’s hand in his. He concentrated, focusing his power, picturing the delicate bones of her hand whole and aligned the way they should be. The power washed out of him in a gentle wave. Cat gave a soft gasp of pleasure. Raphael’s body hardened in response.

Raphael started to pull back, but she was having none of that. Pulling her hand from his, she took his face between her two palms and kissed him. It was not a chaste meeting of lips, but a slow, seductive demand.

Raphael groaned as electric energy poured through his body from their mouths, every cell aching to take this woman and make her his. He pulled her close, pressing against the strong supple length of her. His hands seemed to move of their own accord, unfastening the clothing that kept her from him while her hands explored his body in a way that made coherent thought impossible.

Keep that up and this won’t last long, he warned.

She didn’t answer, at least not with her mind. Her hands, however, knew the perfect response, one finger tracing along the sensitive skin behind his testes, before delicately running the length of him from base to tip in a single, languid movement.

He pulled back from the kiss to look into those gorgeous green eyes.

Raphael had been with more than his share of women. As Second for a pack with a mated Alpha, he was
breeding stock.
But never in his life had a woman affected him the way Cat did now. It was more than a wanting. It was a primal need. He had to know if she felt the same. He prayed she did, because this was no mere roll in the hay for him, and while he might be able to stop physically – magically and emotionally he might very well be too far gone to turn back. Mated.

It was a terrifying and exhilarating thought.

“Raphael, what’s wrong?”

Her voice was tentative. He could see the hurt and confusion in her eyes. He felt a pang of remorse. His confusion was hurting her, and she was the last person on earth he ever wanted to see hurt. In that moment he made his choice. He wanted
this
woman. Not just for tonight: for always. To hell with the pack and the future he’d planned. Without her it would mean nothing. To hell with Jack. They’d face him, fight him, together.

He reached for her. “Just admiring the view,” he teased. There would be no smell of black pepper. It wasn’t a lie. She was so beautiful, inviting, lying there, and her answering smile was an invitation he couldn’t refuse.

He ran his hand lightly over her breast and down her abdomen, his hand teasing the blonde triangle between her legs. She was wet for him, eager, her scent heavy with musk.

Raphael lowered his mouth to her taut stomach, his tongue teasing her belly button before licking a slow line downward. She gasped, thighs spreading for him. He slid his hands beneath her, cupping her ass as he began giving slow, sensuous licks to the skin of her upper thighs: coming ever closer, but not
quite
touching the very core of her. She whimpered then, her body arching, her hands tangling in the length of his hair as her body struggled for release.

He had to fight down his own need, force himself to wait. He didn’t want to rush this. There would only be one first time. He wanted it to be something to remember.

When he pulled back, she groaned in frustration, until he slid his hand between her thighs and began using his fingers to bring her to climax as his mouth covered hers. Her body arched, muscles tightening around his hand, her cries silenced by his mouth on hers. Only when the thunder of her pulse had begun to slow did he pull away, shifting position to thrust himself deep inside her.

Not only did her body respond, her magic did as well, building with each stroke until their combined power sizzled across his skin in a way that was just one hair short of painful. It was the power that pulled him over the edge, made him lose control until they both came in a single, overwhelming burst.

Cat opened one
eye. It was raining. Soft fat drops plopped down on her skin through the canopy of tree limbs above. She shivered, snuggling farther in against Raphael. He was so
warm.
It felt wonderful being nestled in his arms, feeling his body curled protectively around her body, pulling her close. What
didn’t
feel wonderful was the sharp rock digging into her left hip, or the second, third and fourth cold drops that splattered more quickly down from above.

Raphael shifted, grumbling in his sleep, pulling her more tightly against him, squeezing until it was almost painful. She took a deep breath, reveling in the scents of him: skin, fur, and, oddly – fresh baked bread.

“Raphael,” Cat whispered. There was no reaction. “Raphael, it’s raining.”

He shifted again, making a grumbling noise. Cat shifted, and lifting his arm, she slid away from him and stood. She needed to get dressed. But first, first she needed to find a nice private spot in the woods and take care of business.

“Where are you going?” Raphael cracked open an eye to stare up at her.

“I have to pee.”

“Mnnn.” His other eye cracked open as fat wet drops started beating a tattoo on his body. “Hey! It’s
raining.”

Cat rolled her eyes, but didn’t comment. Instead, she walked into the trees. She didn’t go too far, just put enough distance between them for a semblance of privacy.

She was sore, and more than a little stiff from sleeping on the bare ground, and there were other small hurts as well. Hurts of the kind that came from uninhibited sex. It had been wonderful, really amazing, and oddly she didn’t feel at all awkward with him this morning. It just felt
right
waking up next to him, as if they’d been doing it all their lives. She’d never felt this comfortable with Brad, or any of the few other men she’d been with.

Of course Raphael was the first man who’d ever accepted her for exactly who she was, faults and all. In fact, he was quite possibly the first person in her life to do so. Her parents had loved her unquestioningly, but her mother had been constantly pushing her to “toughen up,” while her father wanted nothing more than for her to share his interest in all things mechanical. They’d loved her, they’d even
liked
her. But she knew there were things about her they would’ve changed if they could. Only fair – she had her complaints about them, and hadn’t appreciated them nearly enough. It made her sad, but she didn’t feel the overwhelming pain she had before. She would always miss them, but today she could actually believe that eventually it was going to get better.

It’s already eight o’clock, we’d probably better hurry.

I’ll be right there.

When Cat returned to the spot where they’d slept she found Raphael in wolf form, curled up next to her neatly stacked clothing. When she raised an eyebrow in inquiry he gave her a wolfy grin and said, “I got cold without you. Besides, walking through the woods in human form naked is uncomfortable. Now hurry up. I want coffee, and I want breakfast.”

“Fine, fine. Jeez” Cat grumbled under her breath as she pulled her clothes on. Now she was self-conscious, but it was just because of the way Raphael kept looking at her with undisguised hunger with those big gold eyes. “Will you please stop staring?”

“Then stop looking so damned appetizing.”

“Appetizing?”

How he managed a salacious look on wolf features she couldn’t say, but he did, and Cat caught the hint of some very naughty images in his mind. “Raphael!”

“Oh, you’re no fun,” he complained, laying his head on his paws with an exaggerated sigh.

“That’s not what you said last night,” She pointed out as she pulled on her bra and shifted it around a bit until it was comfortable. She shook her sweater, watching as dead leaves and pine needles fell to the ground. The rain was coming more steadily now. She sighed. Her clothes were going to be soaked before they got back to his car.

“No,” Raphael acknowledged happily as he watched her slipping on her jeans. “That’s not what I said last night.”

Once she was fully dressed he quit teasing, leading her swiftly through the woods in an almost direct line down to the parking lot. She followed, trying not to make too much of a racket. But it was hard. The thick mist limited visibility and the rain made the fallen leaves slick. She lost her footing several times because the wet, uneven ground was much harder to deal with this morning than it had been last night.

Still, it didn’t take long before they were back in the parking lot and she was sitting in the Jeep with the heater running full blast taking her turn leering at Raphael while
he
dressed.

He really was gorgeous. Everything about him suited her, from the tousled brown curls and warm brown skin, to the strong bones of his face, softened by those huge dimples. Even the wicked scar that ran from hip to calf on his left leg wasn’t so much a flaw as an accent, although she did wonder how he’d gotten it. Holly had told her he’d been a wolf since he was a small boy. With his healing abilities she was astonished that it hadn’t disappeared over the years. No – wait – those stupid books she was supposed to read talked about that sort of thing. She tried to force the memory, but the harder she tried, the farther it slipped away. Now she was going to have to reread them. She gave an involuntary shudder at the thought.

Raphael climbed into the car. Leaning over, he gave her a quick kiss before strapping on his seat belt and starting the engine. “I think I’ll take us to a drive-through somewhere,” he suggested. “I could use some coffee and breakfast.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

It was nearly 9:00
a.m.
by the time Raphael dropped her off in front of Violet’s house, adequately fed and fueled up on McDonald’s coffee. The very first thing Cat intended to do was take a long, hot shower with lots of soap. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed about what had happened with Raphael. She certainly wasn’t
sorry,
but if anyone caught a whiff of her right now he’d know
precisely
what had happened. The news would spread like wildfire, and Raphael would have yet another crisis on his hands. She ran up the sidewalk, leaping over the stairs that led up onto the porch. She needed to hurry. She didn’t want to be late to her ten o’clock family therapy appointment with Dr. Perdue. Betty had specifically made time on a Saturday to accommodate Cat’s work schedule. It would be incredibly rude not to be on time.

She was humming to herself in the shower when Jack slipped into her thoughts.

You certainly seem to be in a good mood this morning.

Cat tried to slam down her mental shields, but it was too little too late.

One would almost think you’d spent the night entertaining. The voice was suave as ever, but there was a menacing undertone. I do hope you haven’t chosen to ignore my warning about Ramirez. Studly Screwright is not the right man for you.

Studly Screwright?

The Mountie.

Cat didn’t know whether to laugh or be furious. It was just so… ridiculous.

It’s not funny, Fiona. Jack’s voice was a low, menacing growl.

I’m
not
Fiona, Cat snarled back. Never met the woman. Don’t
want
to. My name is Cat Turner. I wasn’t even born when the love of your life cheated on you and walked out. But if you’re still so damned obsessed with her, why don’t you seek
her
out? Wander in and out of her thoughts for a while, and leave
me
the hell alone.

There was a long silence. Jack didn’t speak, but Cat could still feel him in the back of her mind.

When he finally said something his voice was different, softer, more rational. I can’t. It was a simple admission. The night she bedded Ramirez, the night she
mated
to him, something happened. I can’t reach her mind anymore, can’t share her thoughts… touch her. She’s just… gone.

I’m sorry. Cat was surprised to realize she almost meant it.

Don’t pity me. Don’t you
dare
pity me!

Don’t worry, she snarled.
Not
going to happen. Pity would just get in the way, make me feel bad for killing you.

You still think you can manage that? Better than you have tried. Their bleached bones decayed to dust centuries ago.

My God what a towering ego!

God is right, kitten. Jack purred. I
was a
god. I was worshiped, offered sacrifices, given the most beautiful women.

You’re not a god. You’re just a really old murdering nutcase who’s about to reach the end of the line.

Good luck with that. The words were a venomous hiss.

You, too.

He slammed the connection closed, and Cat found herself standing in the now cold shower, the suds from her shampoo running into her burning eyes.
“Damn. Damn, damn, damn!”
She slammed her fist against the tiled wall of the shower with each word, felt the tile crack beneath her hands and the wall give, smelled her own blood over the citrus shampoo and the chlorine in the water.