Ice Moon (14 page)

The last thing in the world I wanted was for this night to scare her. We’d work around her power…somehow.

I pushed up straddling her hips as I helped her get her arms free from the costume. All that separated me from her was a fuchsia lacey bra with matching panties. My erection throbbed, aching for freedom, for her attention. I stretched to the bowl of ice and snagged a piece.

Her eyes followed my every move, her breath catching in her throat as I brought the cube slowly to the base of her neck, tracing it down between her breasts. Her hot skin melted the ice in spite of the windows being open. She closed her eyes, her back arching beneath me, the water shining on her skin. I’d never wanted a woman so bad in my entire life.

“The bra has to go.”

She nodded, her voice, breathy, so damned sexy. “Clasp is in the front.”

I popped it open and spread the fabric, exposing her taut nipples. I lowered myself over her, whispering, “You’re beautiful, Taryn.”

Her fingers tangled in my hair as my lips closed over her breast, sucking at it. My teeth grazed the tip, and again the heat flared. I lifted my head, circling what was left of the ice cube around her nipple. She moaned, the sound reverberating through me, teasing me, tempting me.

Taking this slow was going to kill me.

The ice melted away and I feasted on her cool skin as I reached for another cube. My lips trailed lower, down her belly. “Lift your hips.”

My voice was more of a growl than a whisper, my wolf clawing its way to the surface. The spicy scent of her arousal nearly did me in. I yanked her costume off, my fingers sliding underneath the panties. She was wet and ready and hot.

I ripped the side of her underwear open. I had to taste her. Now.

Her touch burned my shoulders as she squeezed, moaning when my tongue explored her folds. I lifted my head, her eyes on mine as I put what was left of the ice cube into my mouth. Her lips parted, watching my every move. I didn’t hesitate, diving back in to feed on my mate, my tongue cooling the fire and heating her desire all at once. She shivered, her hips writhing into me, encouraging me as I slid my fingers inside her, my tongue and teeth teasing her sensitive core.

“Let go.” I growled into her. “Let me taste you.”

She cried out my name, and I nearly came with her. Aftershocks shook her body. She trembled as I took in all she offered. Her skin was hot, but no flames.

I forced myself back, her scent intoxicating me as my gaze locked on hers. “I need you. Now.”

Standing, I pushed the costume over my hips, pulling it off. When I straightened up, she had the condom already opened and a sexy barely-there smile on her lips.

“I need you, too.” Her eyes wandered from my feet all the way up to my face. She scooted forward to the edge of the bed and ran one warm hand up the inside of my thigh until my erection pulsed.

I wet my lips, watching her bring her other hand up to stroke my shaft. I groaned pressing my hips toward her as she slid the condom on. She lay back, and I crawled over her. My hips sank closer. She spread her legs, wrapping them around my waist. The heat of her opening tempting me to take her hard and fast. I braced myself over her on one arm and reached up for another piece of ice. I ran the cube around her lips until they glistened.

Kissing her mouth, I plunged deep inside of her.

I shivered and it had nothing to do with the cool breeze coming through the windows. Her body was made for me. Perfect. And I wanted this moment to last forever.

Chapter Twenty-One

Taryn

U
ntil this moment, I had no idea sex could be so thrilling or feel so good. My only other experience had been with a nineteen-year-old boy, and it was clear now that a boy had no clue how to make love to a woman.

Everything about Jared turned me on; every muscle in his arms, every part of his abs as he worked his hips into me slowly, filling me completely before sliding back out. Each time the fire smoldered under my skin, he’d tease me with the ice. Delaying our release, dulling the lethal flames so I could surrender to the heat of passion again.

I wanted to make him as crazy as he made me, to hear my name on his lips.

His teeth grazed my shoulder and I moaned into his ear. “Let me be on top.”

He kissed me and rolled over, taking me with him so that our bodies were still connected. I sat up over him and reached for an ice cube. His hands gripped my hips, working me onto him faster. Seeing the hunger in his gaze fueled my desire. I slid the ice down my neck, moaning as the cool water trickled down my naked body. He throbbed deep inside me and I opened my eyes.

“You’re so damned sexy.” He gasped as I brought the ice cube lower, circling my breasts.

And with him, I felt sexy. Anytime I’d imagined sex over the years, I wondered if I’d be awkward after such a long dry spell, but my hunger for Jared, for his touch, overrode everything else. I ached for him, and seeing his passion for me lit a fire inside I never realized existed.

I leaned over him, pleasure shooting through my entire body as he licked the water from my nipples. My inner muscles clenched around him. Sitting back up, I rocked into his thrusts as he moved his hand between us, his finger rubbing until I cried out. My whole body trembled, tight as he erupted inside of me.

“Oh, yes…” I gasped. Unable to remember my own name. I collapsed onto his chest, breathless. “That was…amazing.” I managed to lift my head to see his face. “The ice was genius.”

His lips curved into a sexy spent smile that melted my heart. “Just making it up as we go.”

I kissed him and rested on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Will you stay tonight? Please?”

He stroked my hair. “I’m not going anywhere. But I do need to close those windows before I freeze something important.”

I laughed and rolled over. He took off the condom and got up from the bed. His back was almost as impressive as the front, tanned and muscled, every part of him pure male. Just closing the windows was turning me on all over again.

In my defense, I’d had a very long dry spell.

He went in the bathroom and I pulled back the covers to slide into bed. This was probably the first time I ever slept naked, but I had no desire to have anything between my body and Jared’s. I wanted him all to myself for as long as possible.

He got into bed and wrapped me in his arms. I breathed him in, wishing I could freeze this moment in time and hold it forever. He kissed my forehead, no trace of the sexy smile I’d seen a few minutes before.

“Are you all right?”

He stared into my eyes, searching for…I didn’t know what. “I want to tell you something and I don’t know how.”

My heart pounded. “Maybe start small and work up to it.”

“Okay.” He nodded, taking a breath. “I’ve never met anyone like you before. I never knew I could feel this way.”

A smile crept up on me. “I feel the same way.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, but no grin. “I wanted to tell you this earlier. I should’ve told you, but it was so hard for you to control your powers, I didn’t want it to overwhelm you.”

“We still have some ice left.”

A half-hearted chuckle escaped his lips. “Until I met you, I thought I was content to live alone. But now…now I can see this life, with you and Charlie, and this is what I want.”

Tears stung my eyes. I kissed him and he tightened his arms around me. My heart was going to burst. I rested my forehead to his. “I want this, too. I never thought I could have a real family. Seeing you and Charlie together, fills the hole in my soul.”

He nodded, cupping my face in his hand. “You’re my mate. My other half. I never want to lose you or scare you…”

His mouth opened, but no words came out. He tried once more and I whispered, “I love you, too.”

His fingers slid into my hair, holding me tight against him as his body came to life again. His lips claimed mine over and over. “I love you, Taryn. I love you and Charlie, and I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”

Tears spilled down my cheeks as we smiled, laughed, kissed, and made love.

I
woke up early and started cooking pancakes. Charlie’s favorite. The snow sparkled in the morning light, just like it had the day before, but everything seemed different. Alive. I was alive. Not just existing, but really living.

The bacon sizzled, the scent filling the kitchen, and finally Jared and Charlie trailed in. Jared wore his jeans and no shirt. I did my best not to stare. Charlie still had his Ironman pajamas on, his hair askew, and between the two of them, my heart melted.

Jared came in behind me, sliding his hands around my waist as he kissed my neck just below my ear. “Morning, beautiful.”

If my son hadn’t been awake, I would’ve dragged Jared right back to bed. “Good morning. I thought the bacon might lure you guys out.”

Charlie rubbed his eyes and grinned. “Tank slept with me last night.”

Right on cue, the big guy lumbered down the hall, sounding more like a freight train than a dog.

Jared smiled. “Tank’s got great taste in friends.”

Charlie got up and filled a bowl of food for Tank, while I flipped pancakes, and Jared set the table. I wished my life could be this simple forever.

But it was Saturday, and a busy day at the office loomed ahead of me.

We sat down for pancakes and Charlie poured syrup. “Mom, are you coming to my game today?”

“I’m going to try. Sherri’s taking you over there and I’ll do my best to meet you there. It’ll depend on how busy the office is today. I’m planning on closing by three.”

Jared lifted his fork. “I can take him.”

“Oh, please, Mom?”

I glanced between the two and chuckled. “Okay. I’ll call Sherri and let her know she’s off the hook.”

“Do you work every Saturday?” Jared asked before popping a bite of pancake into his mouth.

I nodded. “Usually. It’s a busy day for us because buyers are off work. I’ve also got a few agents who host open houses on Saturdays. Ray handles the Sunday open houses so I can have them off.”

“Was he at the party last night?”

“I think so, but I didn’t see him before we left.”

“Was the party fun, Mom?”

The memory of Damian in his Phantom of the Opera costume popped into my head, the way he twisted his hand like it might expose a burn. I stabbed my pancake. “Parts of it were.”

“Which parts? Was there candy?”

I gazed across the table at Jared. The spark in his eyes made me warm all over. “Jared taught me to dance. That was fun. But no candy.”

“Next time.” He winked and heat blossomed low in my belly. I already couldn’t wait until next time. He reached over to pat Charlie’s shoulder. “Halloween is this week. Do you have a costume?”

He nodded. “Yeah, Mom got me a Spiderman costume, but you guys were X-Men so now I want to be Beast.”

“I have to bring the costumes back on Monday anyway, Charlie.”

He sighed. “I guess Spiderman will be okay.”

Jared chuckled. “You
guess
?” He picked up a piece of bacon. “Spiderman is pretty cool.”

Charlie grinned and started babbling to Jared about some episode of the cartoon. I sipped my orange juice and drank in the sight of my little boy bonding with another male over superheroes. Magic.

For the first time in my adult life, I didn’t want to go to work.

I got up to carry my plate into the kitchen as their conversation died down. I peered over at them from the sink. “Did Charlie tell you about the wolves we saw during the full moon?”

The room went silent.

“Charlie?”

He looked at me and then over at Jared. “There were some wolves who came to the edge of the new deck during the full moon.” He glanced my way and then added, “My mom pegged one in the face with a pinecone.”

“He was biting the one that was protecting us.”

Jared sighed. “About the wolves…”

It almost looked like Charlie was shaking his head no. Weird.

Jared stared at Charlie for a second and picked up his plate. “I’m glad you guys were safe up on the deck.”

I took the plate from him and rinsed it off. “I know it sounds crazy, but there was a brown wolf and two black ones, and I’d swear the brown one was trying to keep the others away from us.”

“Wolves are very protective.”

I raised a brow. “So you believe me?”

“Mom!” Charlie rushed in the kitchen right between us. “Don’t forget to call Sherri about soccer.”

I put Charlie’s plate in the sink and nodded. “I will right after I get out of the shower.”

“I’ll wash these for you.” Jared kissed my cheek. “Go do what you need to do.”

I chuckled. “Are you for real?”

He smiled, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes.

“All right. I’m going to get ready for work. Thanks for handling clean up.” I pressed my lips to Charlie’s forehead. “You grab your stepstool and help, okay?”

“Yes, Mom.”

I walked to my bedroom pinching myself to be sure this wasn’t a dream and praying if it was, that I never woke up.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jared

T
he second her bedroom door clicked, I turned to Charlie. “I’ve got to tell her about the wolves.”

He shook his head. “Not yet. She won’t believe you.”

“She’ll have to.”

“Will you be able to prove it?”

That was a good question. I handed him a rinsed plate to dry. “I could introduce her to the Pack, they’d back me up on the truth about werewolves.”

He checked his reflection in the plate and then stacked it in the cupboard. “Isn’t it a big secret? Why would they talk to my mom?”

I scrubbed the frying pan. “It is a big secret, but your mom is…” Shit, how much deeper was I going to get in this? I rinsed it and handed it to Charlie. “We each have one mate for life. Your mom is mine.”

He grinned and set the pan aside. “Really? So you’re going to get married? Will you be my dad?”

I was in
way
over my head. “Whoa. Slow down buddy.
I
might have one mate for life, but your mom’s human. She might not want any of this. I have to honor her wishes.”

He frowned. “Mom could stop liking you, and you’d be alone forever?”

Putting it that plainly scared the hell out of me. I nodded. “Basically.”

I took my frustration out on the larger pan in the sink.

“How do you know it’s my mom?”

“When a werewolf touches his mate skin to skin, the wolf inside of us recognizes them.”

“My mom never touched anyone until after you got here.”

“Yeah,
I
touched
her
. Then I knew.”

“Do I have a mate?”

The fear in his voice floored me. All these old stories were part of my upbringing, it never occurred to me that it might be scary or overwhelming. I rinsed the pan and turned off the sink. The worry in his eyes aged his young face.

“You will have a mate.
Someday
. A perfect partner chosen by destiny or fate. But you don’t have to think about it now. Our wolf doesn’t really come alive until we start shifting during the full moon, so until then, you can touch anyone you want and nothing will happen.”

He breathed out a huge sigh of relief. “Oh good. I don’t wanna get married in elementary school.”

I laughed and mussed his hair. “No chance.”

We finished cleaning up and he put his step stool back in the closet. “You still shouldn’t tell her yet.”

“No offense, but I’ve had a little more experience with women than you have. They don’t like secrets.”

He crossed his arms. “I know my mom better than anyone. Unless you can turn into a wolf in front of her, she won’t believe you.”

“I have to at least give her the chance.”

Charlie shrugged. “I hope you’re right.”

He ran to his room, leaving me behind. Tank followed me over to the couch. I patted his wide forehead, staring out at the melting snow on the deck. Fuck. I was screwed. I loved Taryn and Charlie. I’d said the words out loud and I meant them. What if Charlie was right? What if she didn’t believe me?

I rubbed my shoulder and winced.
What the hell?
I got up and peered into a mirror on the wall. Three thin burns lined both shoulders. I grinned. I’d been with other women, scratches had marred my back before, but these little burns were different. These were physical proof of how much my mate wanted me.

And last night, she’d controlled her power.

We made love for hours with no fires. She loved me. But it still seemed tenuous. I had a big secret I had no business keeping. I’d kill to keep her safe, protect her and her son. But she had no idea last night my wolf had claimed her on a primal level as our mate.

She didn’t know the wolf who had disobeyed his Alpha and protected her and Charlie during the full moon was me.

Charlie was probably right. She wouldn’t believe me. Would it upset her enough to start a fire? After last night in the party and later in her room, the heat flared, but she’d kept it from igniting. Would revealing werewolves were real shake the confidence she was just starting to muster?

When I held her in my arms last night, I’d tried to tell her what I was. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but then she told me she loved me. Flooded by emotion, there was no way I was going to ruin the moment with trying to convince her that werewolves were real and somehow she’d managed to have relationships with two.

“I wish I didn’t have to go to work today.” Taryn came over to sit beside me. She was already dressed.

I rested my hand on her thigh. “Hopefully, we’ll see you at Charlie’s game.”

Taryn didn’t wear much make-up. She didn’t need it. But I noticed the eye liner and mascara, the light gloss to her lips.

“Are you all right?” She tilted her head a little, her hair still wet.

I shrugged, lowering my gaze to my hand. “I need to tell you something, but I don’t want to risk it ruining everything.”

Her fingers twined with mine. “Just warning you now, if last night was all a trick to get in my pants, this room is going to get really hot, really fast.” I lifted my head to find her smiling. When I wasn’t, hers faded. “I was kidding.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry. I haven’t tried to make someone laugh since before Charlie was born.”

I smiled in spite of the tightness in my chest. “There were no tricks last night.” I swallowed, staring into her eyes. “I do love you, Taryn.”

She let out a sigh of relief. “I love you, too. So whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”

I hoped she’d keep that in mind when I told her. “All right. Not sure right before you leave for work is the best time though.”

She rolled her eyes. “You can’t expect me to be able to focus on work if I’m worried all day.”

“Do you remember anything specific about the wolves during the full moon?”

“One was brown, the others were black, and the brown one stared at me. I…” She shook her head, her cheeks colored. “It’s going to sound crazy saying this out loud.”

Crazy was a relative word when your boyfriend was a werewolf, but I hadn’t gotten to that part yet.

I whispered in case the little werewolf wasn’t in his room. “You can start fires with your mind. Nothing you tell me is going to make me think you’re insane.”

She met my eyes. “I knew…” She thumped her fingertips to her chest. “I knew in here that the brown wolf would never hurt me. He was protecting us.” Her hands dropped to her lap. “They were all wild animals, but something in his eyes. It’s nuts.”

“It’s not.” I lifted her hand to my lips. “I was—”

“Mom!” Charlie burst into the room and crawled between us on the sofa. He was already dressed for the soccer game, journal in hand. “You didn’t write in it. Did you remember to read it last night?”

Her eyes widened and I could almost see the mom-guilt settle onto her shoulders.

“I was so tired from the party.” She took the book and got up. “I’ll go do it right now.” She bent to kiss my cheek and whispered, “We’ll talk later.”

After she disappeared down the hallway I leveled my gaze on Charlie. “Pretty sneaky. But I still need to tell her.”

He shook his head, desperation in his eyes. “Why? She loves you. I heard her say it.” He threw his arms around my waist, clinging to me. “I don’t want her to make you go away.” He sniffled. “I love you, Jared.”

I embraced him tight and closed my eyes. “I love you, too, Charlie.” I rested my head on his, caught between a rock and a hard place. “I’m not going anywhere.”

C
harlie giggled in the cab of the truck as Tank covered his cheek in slobbery dog kisses. I didn’t want to worry Taryn, but now that we had confirmation Damian found her records from Brightwood, I wasn’t about to entrust Charlie to Sherri’s care. It had nothing to do with Sherri. She loved Charlie, but if Damian decided to come after him for leverage with Taryn, his nanny wouldn’t stand a chance.

The fall season for soccer was ending soon. I could work my schedule around his games.

After we parked, Charlie reached for the door handle.

“Not yet.”

He stopped and looked at me. “My team’s right over there.”

“Yeah, but I need you to hold Tank until I can get to your door.”

It was all bullshit. Tank would stay put wherever I told him to, but Charlie didn’t know that, and he’d do anything for my dog. I slammed my door and walked around the back of the truck, drinking in the scents. No sign of a jaguar. Since Damian was supposed to be home resting, I was pretty confident he wouldn’t be risking being discovered by daddy. So no Nero mercenary teams either.

Relaxing, I opened Charlie’s door and took Tank’s leash from him. Charlie scrambled out. “See ya!”

He raced toward his team and got in line to kick the ball. Tank and I grabbed a couple of chairs and his blanket. I’d be fine with my jacket. I checked my phone. Nothing from Taryn. What if Damian came after her at the office?

He wouldn’t. Hell, he was buying a place up here. He didn’t need to rush this. If he wanted to take her back to his father like a prize to prove his worth, he could take his time.

Still did nothing to calm my nerves. I sent her a text to let her know we made it to the game, and I waited.

Good. Finishing up and I’ll be over soon.

Now I could breathe. She was fine.

I set my chair at the center of the field and laid the spare beside me. Hopefully, Taryn would be sitting in it before the game was over.

The ref blew the whistle and the teams marched to the middle. Charlie met my eyes and gave me a thumbs up. I chuckled and nodded. My life had changed so much in the past few weeks. When did I become a soccer dad?

Charlie scored a goal and I was out of the chair cheering him on. My phone buzzed. Another text from Taryn.

Ray’s buyers are still asking questions. Should be leaving soon.

I tucked my cell in my pocket and froze. Taking another breath, my pulse thrummed. Jaguar. I scanned the area. Sebastian approached from the parking lot. What the hell?

Halftime whistle. Charlie jogged over to the snack mom and then raced in my direction, with half my attention focused on Sebastian, the little guy almost knocked me over.

“Jared, did you see me score?”

I nodded without taking my eyes off of the jaguar. “Sure did.”

“Where’s Mom?”

“She’ll be here soon.”

Sebastian came closer and stopped, frowning. I gave Charlie’s shoulder a squeeze. “Better go stand with your coach. I need to talk to this guy.”

Charlie turned following my gaze. “Who’s he?”

“A…customer.”

“Did you build him a deck too?”

I sighed. “Not exactly. Go see coach, okay?”

Charlie handed me his baggie from the snack and ran toward his coach as Sebastian approached. “He’s a…”

“Yep, he is.” I interrupted before he could say werewolf out loud. The jaguars’ sense of smell wasn’t as strong as ours, but they could track prey and recognize scents. “And he hears pretty damn well.”

“I see.” Sebastian met my eyes. “Shall we talk someplace else?”

“Why are you here?”

He lowered his voice. “Because I need to ask the boy’s mother some questions, and digging into this could get me killed so I’d rather not have an email trail or cell phone records.”

The whistle blew and the teams started chasing the ball. I walked a few feet away and crossed my arms. “Taryn’s not here, and meeting with her is a bad idea.”

Something sparked in his dark eyes. “She doesn’t know about you…”

I shook my head. “Not yet.”

“About her boy?”

“Definitely not.”

Sebastian smirked. “She left school for a werewolf, and ended up proving my father’s theory about his breeding program for shifters without him ever finding out.”

“Looks that way. Your mother helped her.”

Sebastian cleared his throat, his attention on the field. “It appears my mother didn’t approve of my father’s research into the jaguar breeding program.”

“Your mom sounds like a smart lady.”

A muscle in his cheek clenched. “Shortly after sending Taryn here, to Pack territory, my mother died.”

“There was a fire, right?”

He glanced at me, his features, cold and distant. “Ironic, no?”

“You don’t think it was an accident?”

“I want to be sure it was.” He lifted his hand, dismissing me. “Unlike wolves, I use my head first and keep my heart in my chest where it belongs. I’m simply curious why my mother buried Taryn’s case file and why she went to Malcolm Sloan for help.”

“Aren is digging into the files at Sloan Consulting. Taryn won’t know anything about that.”

“But she spoke to my mother.” He raised a brow.

“Okay, I get it, but I’ll be there too. She’s not going to be alone.”

“Tomorrow night.”

I shook my head. “Halloween. We have plans with Charlie.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine. Monday night. Meet me at Harrah’s in Reno.”

“That’s far for a dinner.”

“It’s also far from my brother.”

Made sense. “Monday night at Harrah’s, make it eight o’clock?”

“Perfect.” Sebastian walked away like we’d never spoken.

By the time Taryn arrived, I was wound tight. She opened the other chair and sat beside me. “What’d I miss?”

“Charlie scored a goal in the first half, and Sebastian paid me a visit. We’re meeting him at Harrah’s in Reno Monday night.”

“I’ll see if I can clear my…”

I took her cell phone from her hand. Her eyes met mine. “This is serious.” I glanced at the field. Charlie ran down toward the goal and I dropped my voice to a whisper. “Sebastian thinks Sylvia was murdered.”

Her eyes widened. “It was an accident.”

“Or it was supposed to look like one.”

She faced the field. I put her phone back in her lap and kissed her hair. “You were apparently very valuable to Nero. Damian sees you as a game piece to gain favor with his father.”

She blinked rapidly, but didn’t take her eyes off Charlie. “You’re telling me I’m in danger.”

I wrapped my arm around her. “I’m telling you we have to be careful, and your company is going to have to take a backseat until we get this handled.”

She turned, staring into my eyes. “How can you be so calm?”