The Scent of Seduction (10 page)

Jaryn fiddled with his comm-unit, currently mimicking the cuff of his shirt. He saw that there was an awaiting message from Shaun. As he was about to activate the screen, the door in front of him opened. Nicole stood in the gap with a smile on her face that sent Jaryn's heartbeat skyrocketing. Her eyes sparked with happiness at finding him standing on her doorstep.

Jaryn moved forwards the two steps that separated them and pulled her into his arms. Nicole's head rested against his chest, and he inhaled her fresh scent as his hand wove through the long strands of her hair. The full-bodied aroma of honey and jasmine wrapped around him, and Jaryn's mouth watered with the need to devour the most precious female on earth. The one meant just for him. A priceless gift he'd treasure until that day when their earthly shells ceased to exist, and their souls would travel together on the next stage of their journey.

God, he wanted to kiss her. Wanted to absorb her taste, wanted to wallow in everything about her. But it had to be Nicole's decision. He knew that. Knew that her right to choose was invaluable, especially after her experience with Adam. His wolf howled inside him, craving its mate.
Soon I promise. Soon she'll be ours—we just have to be patient.

"You feel really nice,” Nicole said softly.

Jaryn tightened his arms around her. He realised that they stood in the open door, visible to any nosy small-town eyes. He lifted her up and took several steps forwards till he could shove the door closed with his foot. Nicole's legs wrapped around his waist and Jaryn groaned. Her little body wrapped around him was more than he could handle. With that move, his control reached a breaking point.

Jaryn strode over to the bed and lowered Nicole onto the antique blanket. His body covered hers and his nose buried itself in the tender skin of her neck. His tongue licked at the skin where her shoulder and neck met. Her flavour burst across his taste buds and Jaryn's wolf howled in need to fully claim its mate. His mouth instinctively opened wide over tender flesh to clamp down in a mate hold. His jaws closed fractionally, not breaking the silky skin but enough to hold Nicole under his control. Her soft breasts rubbed against Jaryn's upper body as her chest expanded with each breath. Jaryn rocked his hips against her.

"Oh my God, what's happening to me?” Nicole whispered.

Jaryn placed kisses along the graceful column of Nicole's neck. “What do you feel?"

"I'm all hot and achy. My head is spinning and my blood feels like lava. I want...oh God...something tells me that only you can put out the flames, Jaryn."

He rested his forehead against hers. Their noses rubbed together, and Jaryn licked at Nicole's sealed lips. “That's the mating heat. Our bond is strengthening."

Nicole's lips opened right as Jaryn's tongue came out for another taste. The tip flicked between her plush lips, and they both moaned. He'd tilted his head to seal their mouths together when there was a loud banging at Nicole's door.

"Son of a— What?” he yelled.

"Sorry, Alpha, but your pack is waiting."

The voice of his Beta on the other side of the door had Jaryn mentally cursing the man to all manner of unpleasant depths of hell. He looked down when Nicole began to softly laugh.

"And what has you so giggly?"

"I feel like I was just busted by my older brother for making out with my boyfriend while our parents are still at work."

Jaryn rolled so Nicole was spread out on top of him. “You haven't mentioned an older brother before."

Nicole spread her legs so she straddled Jaryn's hips as she rested on his chest. “He lives in San Francisco. Cameron flew the coop after high school and never looked back. We only see each other maybe once a year."

"But you love him."

"Of course. He's my brother. Part of me is actually a little jealous. While I wanted to escape, I only made it as far as Madison—a mere three hours from home. He went clear across the country. All throughout college, I kept getting sucked into the vortex of family responsibility and he was able to live his life however he wanted. Never had to deal with feeling obligated to show up for holidays, or being called home for the weekend."

"Have you contacted him since you got here? Does he know you're still alive? What about your parents?"

Nicole shook her head. “I... What if I do and find out that they simply went on with their lives? I mean, I know when people die their loved ones live on, but what if...they're happy?"

"Do you think your family loves you?"

"Yes. At least, they always told me so."

"Then how can learning you're still a part of this world be anything but a blessing to them? Call them, Nicole. We'll do it through a secured line so Adam can't trace the link."

He weaved his hand through her hair and pulled her head down towards his. Their lips were only a fraction apart from each other. It was time. Time to finally taste his mate. Nicole's head tilted. Her breath panted across his lips. Her green eyes darkened and for a moment Jaryn swore he saw an actual glow in their depths.

"Jaryn!” Shaun yelled through the door.

"We're coming!” he yelled. He rocked his hips up against the juncture of Nicole's legs. “Of that you can be sure...later.” Nicole ground down on Jaryn's cock, and he captured her hips in his hands. The scent of her arousal filled the air. Jaryn inhaled deeply, and his entire body tightened in response. Their mingling pheromones made Jaryn all but desperate to claim his mate. “Have mercy woman,” he begged.

A sweet smiled graced Nicole's face and there was a definite sparkle in her eyes, but one of a satisfied woman—not the otherworldly glow from a moment ago. God, it was amazing to look into her face and know that she belonged to him. That her heart beat for his, that their souls would link for all time. Jaryn revelled in the knowledge that never again would he be alone. He'd always have a home with Nicole, in her arms.

"Come on, baby, the pack's waiting. We'll continue this later tonight."

Nicole climbed off him and Jaryn couldn't stop his eyes from devouring her sweet little round ass encased in hip-hugging jeans. When she bent over to slip on her boots, Jaryn nearly tackled her to the floor. His wolf clawed with eagerness inside him.

I know—we've never been very good with patience
.

Jaryn swung over to the side of Nicole's bed and stood with reluctance. He adjusted his aching cock then took Nicole's hand. Raising it to his lips, he took a little lick at the pad of her palm then clasped their hands together. He opened the door to Shaun's annoyed face.

"It's about time."

"It's not as though they're going to leave before we get there."

"It's also not polite to keep them waiting in anticipation."

"Anyone who has a mate will understand. Something I can't wait to torment you with when you find yours."

Shaun slapped Jaryn on the back of his shoulder as he and Nicole moved past him. “From your mouth to the heavens’ ears."

The three of them climbed into Jaryn's Jeep. Nicole sat beside him, and as soon they were settled and secured, he took possession of her hand once again. They made their way onto pack lands and he pointed out the turn off for his parents’ house, as well as his own. They moved on and Jaryn smiled as Nicole's head kept craning around to see more of the scenery. He'd taken her onto the land owned by the Phantom River pack several times since she'd been in town, but it was a source of pride that his mate appeared to continually appreciate the natural beauty of her new home.

They pulled up to the lodge, a multitude of vehicles outside the structure. The barn-like structure had lofty ceilings and an open interior. It had stood on the land for nearly a hundred years. When Jaryn's dad had been Alpha, they'd used the building mostly for storage, but when Jaryn became Alpha he, along with Shaun's help, had converted the building to act as a meeting place for the pack. Recently Jaryn had updated the full kitchen with modern appliances that members of the pack used to prepare and serve food at the meetings and other pack events. Threaded throughout the interior were small white lights that gave the large space a soft glow. The design had initially been set up for the grand opening, but everyone loved the atmosphere they created so much that the pack had made the decision to keep them up year round.

Power for the structure was generated by the windmills scattered around the land. Jaryn's own home used a combination of wind and solar power to operate, as did many of the pack members’ homes.

He pulled in next to his dad's brand new four wheel drive beast. Jaryn's mom called it a testament to his dad's mid-life crisis. Jaryn just called it cool. He took Nicole's hand and led her to the entrance. He scented her anxiety and pulled her to a stop before opening the door.

"Go on in, Shaun. Give us a second."

Shaun went inside and Jaryn pulled Nicole into his arms. “Everyone will love you. Relax and be yourself."

Nicole's arms circled Jaryn's waist and she nuzzled against his chest. It seemed to be her favourite spot, and Jaryn couldn't find a single fault with that.

"Will I be able to do that after we're mated?"

"Do what, baby?"

"Detect your emotions?"

"I bet if you look deeply enough, you can sense them now. You don't need special powers to know how your mate feels. Try it."

Nicole lifted her head and took a step back. She stared at Jaryn and he stood under her scrutiny. Her nose scrunched up and her eyes squinted in thought. It was the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

"You're happy."

He nodded. “Go on."

"You...you're eager for me to meet your family.” Nicole's head tilted to the side as she studied Jaryn. “But, you're a little nervous, too. You want me to like them."

"And what is it that tells you all that? You keep asserting that there's no shifter blood in you, so you shouldn't have a wolfie sense."

"Well you're smiling for one, hence the happiness. You eyes keep shifting to the door to see the people inside, hence the eagerness. And your pulse is rapidly beating at the base of your neck, which could be from excitement, but I know that if it were me about to introduce you to all my family I'd be nervous about everything going well. So maybe chalk that one up to transference."

"See? There's nothing to it. Having said that, there will be a few biological changes in your system after we mate. I'm sure you've heard of them from one source or another over the years. You'll take my DNA through the enzymes from both my saliva and semen, and it will alter yours. You'll still be you, but...I guess the most appropriate word is enhanced."

"Will I be able to shift like you?"

"No. Only someone with the actual shifter gene can change shape. We'll talk more about that later. For now, let's have some fun."

Nicole nodded and smiled.

Jaryn pulled open the door and led Nicole inside. As soon as they stepped into the open interior, the clapping of almost one hundred and thirty shifters and town members close to the pack filled the space with a roar. There were a handful that'd shifted and now howled. Their song filled the rafters and Nicole jumped. Jaryn steadied her with his palm on the base of her back.

He placed a little kiss on the back of her ear. “It's okay, baby. They're just welcoming you home."

"They startled me, is all. It was beautiful, but I hadn't actually expected to see any of them like that."

"You mean in their wolf forms?"

Nicole nodded.

"It's not typical of pack meetings, unless we're all going out for a run. But they wanted to make the occasion special for you. Come on. I'll introduce you to everyone."

Jaryn took Nicole's hand and led her deeper into barn-like structure. They were surrounded by all the members of the Phantom River pack, and Jaryn smiled as Nicole turned in circles trying to see everyone.

Jaryn held up his hand and the room went silent. “I know many of you have met this young woman since she came to town, but it is my honour tonight on the night of our harvest moon celebration to formally introduce Nicole Holland, my mate."

More applause and howls rang out, and he and Nicole were quickly surrounded by dozens of well wishers. When the excitement simmered down, he took Nicole on a tour of the lodge. There were several cosy pockets of sitting areas scattered around, made up of furniture donated to the pack when members updated their homes. Large rugs scattered around softened the wide-planked wood floors. When pack business took place they set the space up like a conference room, but this was a social gathering so all of Jaryn's friends and family were drinking and dancing and having a good time. Pups darted in and out of the crowd, playing and searching out their parents. The smell of rich homemade food floated out from the kitchen, and Nicole's curvy little body filled his arms. There was nothing better in his mind.

Nicole accepted a drink from Jody, one of the female pack members. Over the course of the night, she'd learned much about the man who was her mate. Small towns were good for getting to know someone's intimate secrets. She heard all about the pranks Jaryn had pulled in his youth, as well as his academic achievements from a couple of his former teachers. Nicole had talked to them for some time about the possibility of joining the faculty at the high school.

She'd met Jaryn's parents, who thankfully had welcomed her with open arms, and his little brother, Charlie, who was a laugh riot in Nicole's opinion. He was a bright young man, and it was clear the younger Chaunterel had no intention of shrivelling under the bright aura of his older brother.

Her eyes instinctively sought out Jaryn, as she had been doing with regularity since they'd separated a little while ago. Most of the time, Jaryn had spent the party plastered to her side, his arm secure around her waist or their hands locked together, but unfortunately a little while ago, one of the pack members had needed his counsel and Jaryn had stepped away.

When their gazes locked, Nicole was caught by the glow of his silver eyes. How such a cool colour could emit such heat was a mystery. As they continued to stare his lids got heavy and his chiselled face softened somehow. His wide shoulders seemed to fill the space around him. His look of lust and need caused every rational thought to flee from her brain.