Jodi_ByTheLight (6 page)

He growled in frustration.

Her warm fingers brushed his scarred cheek. He froze. No one ever touched his scar.

“I’m sorry. I just find all this impossible to believe. I’m not even sure if what I witnessed back in that warehouse actually happened. The drug they gave me was probably still in my system and caused me to hallucinate.” She gave him a worried look. “I’m really not trying to be difficult. Don’t be mad.”

“I’m not mad, Ava.” Her tenderness rocked him to the core and the warmth of her touch made his head spin. Unable to stop, he leaned closer to her warmth.

Alarms went off in his head. He couldn’t do this. He wouldn’t sacrifice his future as a Guardian. He’d lost too much already. His life was his job. He dropped his hands to his sides, and stepped back. Immediately, he missed her warmth. He wanted his hands all over her.

“Prove it.”

“Prove what?” He rested his hands on his hips as he studied the floor. He better get a grip on his urges before he messed things up for his career.

“If you’re a wolf, show me.” She lifted her brow. “Or do you have to wait for a full moon?”

He jerked his head up. He didn’t know if he was more irritated or amused. In his lifetime, he hadn’t come across another female like her.

He snorted. “I don’t need a full moon to shift. It doesn’t work like that.”

“Good.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Fine. But you have to promise not to scream.”

“Okay.”

“I don’t intend on shredding the only clothes I have.” He eased his tight T-shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor. He didn’t miss the way her eyes widened as he shoved his jeans down over his hips and kick them off. Her gaze landed on black tribal tattoos that circled his biceps. Maybe she was one of those chicks that didn’t like tattoos? Wait until she saw the massive tattoo that spanned the width of his shoulders, marking him as a Guardian.

He closed his eyes. The beast roared to life as he released his self-control, giving free rein to the creature that lived inside. His power surged, knocking him to his knees and heightening his senses. Pain licked through his joints and muscles as they stretched and shifted, accommodating his wolf body. Hair grew and spread over his entire body until his flesh was concealed in a furry pelt.

He opened his wolf eyes.

Ava stood by the door, her mouth hanging open, her eyes wide with fear.

She screamed.

Well, fuck.

He tried to shift back, but it was too soon. He needed a few minutes. What the hell had he been thinking? This had been a mistake. With his head down, he headed for the corner, made a complete circle and curled up in the shadows, waiting for the cops to bust in with animal control.

***

Ava tightened her trembling grip on the doorknob as she gaped at the massive gray wolf, in the corner.

Damon had turned into a wolf. Just like her kidnappers.

She kept her gaze on the wolf as her heart beat in her ears. After he walked to the corner of the room, he lay down and curled his body into a tight ball.

She could open the door and make her escape before he made it across the room. She could be free of this man who both excited and frightened her.

She wasn’t so sure she wanted to escape. He may look like her kidnappers, but he had proven by his actions that he was nothing like them.

Her stomach fluttered as the wolf’s blue gaze locked on her from across the room. If he were going to hurt her, he would have done so by now.

Her hand fell away from the doorknob as she took a hesitant step toward the wolf. When he didn’t move, she stepped closer until she was a foot away.

Crouching down, she looked at the beast staring her through Damon’s blue eyes.

“Damon?” She winced. Could he even understand English? “Can you understand what I’m saying?”

He lifted his head off his paws and let out a whimper.

She grinned. Maybe he did understand her after all.

She held out her hand. His large tongue lapped across her knuckles and she laughed. Gingerly, she ran her fingertips through his lush gray fur.

She sat on the floor with her legs crossed, staring at the massive animal in front of her. How was this possible? How could a wolf exist within a man’s body? And why did he insist that she was a wolf as well?

She stroked his soft head until he belly crawled closer. She held her breath as he put his head in her lap.

“Hey, watch the snout, buddy.” She shot him a glare when his nose came a little too close to her crotch.

He lifted his head and gave her a toothy grin.

Wolves didn’t grin, right?

He stood and walked back to the corner.

The wolf began to change, his limbs lengthened and his pelt receded until Damon lay naked in the corner.

Her lips parted as she continued to stare, unable to drag her gaze away from his nakedness.

Damon was perfection, his body constructed of hard muscles, tanned flesh, and a face that would even tempt angels to sin.

He eased up to a sitting position, obviously comfortable with his nakedness. Trying to have a conversation while he was completely nude was impossible. She grabbed the comforter off the bed and handed it to him.

“Thanks.” His gravelly voice had her stomach tingling in a very naughty way.

She stroked her arm as her gaze traveled over his body. A large, winged tattoo with eyes peeking out covered the entire span of his back. Black tribal tattoos circled his biceps. His muscled chest had a sprinkling of dark hairs, while his six-pack abs was bare. Right above the comforter, the dark hair started again in a downward vee toward his…

“What does the tattoo on your back signify?” Ava cleared her throat and squeezed her eyes shut. She needed to get a grip and stop fantasizing about how big a package the man was sporting.

“It’s the symbol of Pack Guardian.” He shifted his intense gaze at her. “You screamed.”

Her eyes popped open. “Yeah, sorry about that.”

“You said you wouldn’t scream.”

“What did you expect? You turned into a freaking wolf. Not just a regular wolf but a really big wolf. A freakishly big wolf.” She propped her hands on her hips.

He ran his large hand across his face. His biceps rippled under the action. She wondered how his muscles moved when he was having sex. Really hot, sweaty, all-night-long sex.

“Now do you believe me?”

“What?” She dragged her gaze and her dirty mind from his massive arms up to his eyes. Her face heated. He had asked her a question. “I was wrong. You’re a wolf.”

“You’re a wolf too, Ava.”

“That’s not possible. I have never done what you just did, my friend.” She moved toward the door. She needed to get some air to clear her head or she was going to jump his body right where he stood.

He grabbed her hand, spun her around, and let the comforter fall to the floor.

God help her, she couldn’t resist looking. Her gaze dipped down. Her breath caught in the back of her throat. He was big everywhere.

“You
are
a wolf, Ava.”

She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the heat that was building between her legs. “No, I’m not. If I had been bitten by one of you, I would have known. Judging by those teeth you were sporting, the pain would definitely be memorable.”

He snarled. “You don’t have to be bitten by a wolf in order to shift.”

“Yeah?” Her eyes popped open. “Then how does one become a werewolf?” Her gaze dipped toward his huge erection then back at the ceiling. Her face heated. She couldn’t continue to hold a conversation if he refused to cover up.

“You have to be born with the gene.”

“So my parents were werewolves?” She frowned as she forced herself to look him in the eye.

“No, just one of them. You father, most likely.”

“You’re saying there are more werewolves in Little Rock?”

He grinned. “Our whole base is werewolves.”

She shook her head. “I thought it was a military town. I mean, you guys always wear camouflage and carry guns. I’ve even seen all those Hummers locked inside the fence behind the Council Hall.”

“We operate to the human world like military to cover our true identities. If the world knew we existed, it would be a total witch-hunt until we were all eradicated. Having the access to a few rocket launchers comes in handy when it comes to guarding our Pack.”

“Guarding the Pack from whom?”

“Other wolf packs that want what we have.” He seared her with his gaze.

She shifted under his stare. “If I’m a wolf, why haven’t I transformed?”

“Shifted. Transform is what robots do in the movies.”

He really needed to put some jeans on. Trying to have a conversation while averting her eyes from his crotch was hard work. “Fine, then why haven’t I shifted?”

“How old are you?” His eyes drifted down her body like he was analyzing her every curve. She wished it were his hands analyzing her body and not his gaze.

“How old do you think I am?” She propped one hand on her hip and thrust out her breasts. It was her signature pose that men couldn’t resist. That’s how she gotten through college without having to pay for beer.

The corners of his mouth curved up in a sexy grin as he leaned in closer. “I don’t ever guess a woman’s age. It might get me in trouble.”

His scent hit her, curled around her, as she inhaled deep. She gritted her teeth, irritated that he was even having this effect on her in the first place. It did nothing for her ego that he wasn’t even a little attracted to her. He’d done nothing but glare and argue with her since he rescued her.

She leaned closer, her lips only an inch from his, and inhaled. “Damon, somehow I find it hard to believe you stay out of trouble.”

***

Damon curled his fingers into fists to keep from pulling Ava into his arms and stripping her naked.

Females usually kept their distance. But no, not Ava. Instead of heeding the danger and staying away, she leaned in and sniffed him.

His gaze dropped to her parted lips. All he could think about was sinking his teeth into her flesh as he drove himself, balls deep, inside her body until she cried out his name.

“I’m nothing but trouble.” It came out as a growl, as he leaned closer.

She blushed as she met his gaze, yet still didn’t move away.

His gaze drifted down to her breasts. Her hard nipples pressing against the thin material of the T-shirt made his dick swell and ache. Lust fueled his brain until all he could see and smell was her.

His mind went blank, leaving only animal instinct. If she insisted on playing with fire, then he was going to light the match.

He wrapped his hand around her waist and tugged her against his chest. His mouth covered hers, dominating and hard, claiming her full attention.

He thrust his tongue inside her hot, sweet, mouth, kissing her hard and deep. His mind became dizzy with how sexy she tasted. If he kissed her for an eternity, he still wouldn’t quench his thirst.

He braced himself, expected any minute for her hands to shove against his chest and push him away. How the hell was he going to let her go when all he wanted to do was keep her close?

Her hands slid up his shoulders. He tensed, waiting for her to stop him.

Instead, she did the unexpected.

She dug her fingers into his shoulders, clinging and pulling him closer.

Stunned, he opened his eyes. Her green gaze was glued on his as she kissed him back, their tongues mating in an intimate dance. His body ached as she ground her pelvis against his rock-hard erection, nothing but the thin T-shirt stopping him from actually pressing between her thighs.

Her tongue stroked in and out of his mouth as she laced her fingers behind his neck, tightening her hold.

The wind left his lungs as he stiffened, memories flooding over the gates of his closely locked past. Struggling to breathe, he pulled away.

“What’s wrong?” she breathed.

“Don’t touch my neck.”

“I’m sorry.” She reached for him. “I didn’t know.”

“This was a mistake.” He grabbed her hand, keeping her at arm’s length. He shouldn’t have touched her, let alone kissed her. This whole damn thing was a bad idea.

“I thought you liked kissing me.”

“Kissing is not all I want to do to you, Ava. I think you know that.”

“Maybe it’s not all I want to do, either.” She ran her free hand up his chest and flicked his nipple with her fingernail.

He hissed. Her touch was fire racing across his flesh. He needed space. He needed to clear his head and get focused on his duty. The careless words tumbled out anyway. “Baby, your fantasy and mine are completely different.”

“I doubt that.”

Why did she have to be so fucking beautiful? And completely out of his reach?

He shook his head. “It’s different. You want romance and gentleness. I’m neither of those things.”

“How do you know what I want?” Her hand lingered on his chest.