The Scent of Seduction (4 page)

Nicole's fingers dug into the hard warm chest. Her breathing had instantly calmed with Jaryn's touch. This was the complete antithesis of how Adam made her feel. He was right—she did want to cling to him, but fear made her skittish as she imagined an abused animal might feel. She'd been through too much in the past year and a half to accept anything on blind faith.

Faith no longer existed, not in her.

Since the revelation and integration of shifter communities some twenty years ago, humans had been clamouring to learn more about their culture. The discovery of the mating bond a decade ago meant that the world learned a secret that the shifter community had kept secret for centuries. It was said that when a shifter met his or her mate, a biological response was triggered in the two individuals, linking their psyches together. Wolves, along with a several other shifter species, mated for life and those fortunate enough to be part of a pair experienced a love greater than any previously known in their existence. There were entire dating services dedicated to humans searching for a shifter mate for that very reason. Those masses didn't care that the odds of it happening were few and far between.

She'd promised those she'd left behind who had aided in her escape that she'd find some way to expose Adam Broyles for the monster that he was. Could Jaryn help her? He was a shifter, so maybe he had inside contacts, but she didn't know how deep the corruption went. What if all the shifters already knew about Adam's little colony? What if it was somehow sanctioned, and the intention was to keep humans in the dark all along? Oh God, what if the government actually knew—planned to take over Adam's compound when the time was right and use those being held captive for its own purposes? Nicole closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to get her heart rate to slow down. A year and half under Adam's control and she'd turned into a conspiracy nut. She'd promised that she'd somehow find help. In order to do so, she'd have to trust someone. Nicole looked up into Jaryn's silver eyes. He watched her in silence, waiting.

Could she be Jaryn's mate? What did that mean for her? Surely not all packs functioned the same way Adam ran his compound—a world of servitude and submission...being forced to give up your sense of identity and capitulate to an Alpha's whims.

Then again, with the world network being what it was, undesirable shifter communities would certainly have been exposed by now.

She didn't know why Jaryn couldn't detect the mark Adam had told her he'd placed on her. She'd felt the scar on the back of her neck. She'd twisted and turned in the mirror to study the evidence. She didn't actually remember Adam making the mark, but then again, there were several voids in her memory since the time Adam had kidnapped her—periods of time that Nicole simply refused to ponder or investigate out of fear of what she might uncover. In this case, she suspected that ignorance was bliss. But why did Jaryn claim that he couldn't detect the mark? Maybe there was something special about it?

"Why don't you detect the mark Adam forced on me?"

"Who's Adam, and what do you mean forced?” he growled.

"Don't growl at me, Cujo. Just answer the question."

He smoothed the hair away from her slender neck. “May I?"

She nodded, and this time voluntarily stepped into the circle of his arms. Jaryn leant down to Nicole's neck, and inhaled deeply. His scent washed over her. A small voice inside her hummed in approval and assured Nicole that he belonged to her. His hands rested on her hips, and she longed to close the remaining distance between their bodies. Her eyes closed as Jaryn nuzzled into her neck far more than she suspected he really needed to in order to discover Adam's mark. And when his tongue snuck out and licked at a small patch of skin, Nicole's knees trembled and she almost pleaded with him to never stop. Jaryn pulled back and Nicole managed to rein in her whimper of disappointment.

"There's nothing there. I detect the lingering smell of another male, which raises every hackle in my body, but definitely no mark. Now tell me about this...forcing."

She looked around the bank parking lot and shivered as a cool breeze blew around them. Despite Jaryn's large body shielding her, she still felt exposed. If she was going to take Jaryn into her confidence, she'd be much more relaxed somewhere secured and preferably indoors.

"Can we go somewhere else to talk about this?"

"You're cold. I'm sorry. Let me take you home, then we can talk about everything. I'll have my Beta come pick up your car later and bring it to the house."

Nicole stepped back from Jaryn's arms, and immediately felt the cool air whip through her. She hadn't realised how much heat the larger man put out, and missed the cosy warmth. However, she wasn't ready to chuck all her apples into his basket yet.

"Look, I know you're convinced about this mating thing, but I'm not.” She held up a hand when she saw him about to protest. “I'm not saying it's impossible. I've become cautious by nature and have no intention of exposing myself to another bad situation. So here's the deal. I'm going to get a hotel room. I've been driving with very little rest for the past two days and I'm exhausted. After I've gotten some sleep and can think clearer, then we'll talk."

"I'm sorry. I'm sure it feels like I'm trying to rush you, but you have to understand that I've waited...” He closed his eyes and let out a slow breath. “Doesn't matter. Let me show you the best place to rest then tonight we can have dinner together at...that is I'd like to have dinner with you, if you'd accept my invitation."

She gave Jaryn points for effort. Inside she felt like smiling but lacked the energy. He probably did know the best place to stay in town...but then again there probably weren't too many places in a town the size of Stonepass. “I appreciate that, and a dinner out that doesn't involve some type of processed food sounds nice.” She pointed to the silver compact behind them. “This is mine."

Jaryn walked over then opened the driver's side door. “Come on. Let's go get you tucked in bed."

She settled into the seat and looked up at the man who claimed to be, for all intents and purposes, her husband as deemed by the cosmos. She didn't understand him. One minute he was basically ordering her to spill all her secrets, and the next he capitulated to her demands for space and even offered to suggest a hotel for her to stay at. Her mind was too tired to unscramble the intricacies of this dance. She needed sleep before attempting to continue this battle of wills.

"If you follow me, I'll show you a comfortable place to rest your head for a few hours,” Jaryn said.

Jaryn closed her door and she started the electric motor. The instrument panel showed that she only had about an hour charge left in the battery. She glanced in the rear view mirror to see which car he climbed into. The Jeep was an old model with four doors. It was deep blue and had a black soft top. When he turned the vehicle on, it was obvious that it hadn't been converted to electric as had all new cars in the last fifteen years. The rumble of the engine reminded her of the growl she'd heard with her head nestled against his chest a moment ago.

The vehicle appeared taller than others she'd seen on the road and had large knobby tyres. He must either do a lot of driving off-road or had it outfitted for harsh winters. She didn't know how much snow they got here, but she'd always heard that Montana winters could be brutal. Maybe he lived in the country, where ploughs didn't frequent? What would it be like to live away from the conveniences of town in winter? Did he ever get snowed in? What about power? Visions of long, dark nights with nothing to do but conserve heat by snuggling together in front of a fire flashed through her mind. She had a feeling with Jaryn they wouldn't need many blankets. The man was a walking furnace. He could be completely naked and still radiate enough warmth to keep her comfortable. What did Jaryn look like naked?

She'd felt the strong muscles of his chest and arms as he held her. His waist was trim and hips lean. Nicole had often fantasised about being with a man who could become aroused simply by being in her presence. Would there come a time when she could step into Jaryn's arms, press against his hips and feel his hardness against her stomach? She knew one thing—standing there in Jaryn's arms had definitely awakened something in her. A few moments ago, her mind had been too scattered to focus on any aspect of desire, but now that she'd calmed down she recognised the signs. Her nipples were tight and her belly fluttered. She had the urge to clench her legs together to appease the tingling between them.

Looking back up into the mirror, she saw the Jeep waiting at the exit to the parking lot and shook her head to clear the fog of arousal. As she pulled out into traffic behind Jaryn, she prayed she hadn't lost her mind.

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Nicole followed Jaryn's Jeep down the aptly named Main Street. Small mom-and-pop stores lined the sidewalks. There were no fast food joints or large discount stores in sight. They'd paused at the intersection of one of the few stoplights in town, and she saw what must be the local diner on the corner. A few patrons sat in the booths near the large windows, people-watching. The town seemed as though time had passed it by, and Nicole actually smiled. It was nice.

A couple miles down the road, she saw Jaryn's brake lights come on, and he pulled into the lot of a small motel. Several small log cabins lined a circular gravel drive. She came to a stop in front of the building with a hand-painted sign that said ‘Office'. Nicole got out of her car and took a deep breath. The air held a fragrance that emoted innocence and freedom. It settled inside her like an old friend. Opening the screen door, she entered the reception area. Jaryn already stood at the counter speaking with a young man in his late teens. The scent of pine lingered in the air of the wood-panelled room.

"Nicole, I'd like you to meet Landon Dell. Landon's mom and dad own this motel. They're good friends and pack members so I know you'll be safe here.” Jaryn reached for Nicole's hand and pulled her up to the counter, tucking her into his side.

She wanted to roll her eyes at Jaryn's less than subtle tactics. Nicole saw the teenager's eyes widen for a second before he slid a registration card across the sanded pine countertop. Apparently they didn't even use a computer system. That could work to her advantage, since it wouldn't give Adam's minions anything to hack into to discover her whereabouts. She filled in her personal information and handed the card back.

"How much a night?"

"Normal rate is two hundred and five, but since it's end of the season and you're pack, I can give it to you for a hundred dollars."

"I'm not pack,” she said, stepping away from Jaryn.

Landon hung his head for a moment before saying, “I'm sorry, I thought..."

"Don't be embarrassed, Landon. Your instincts are as good as ever. Nicole is new in town and we're taking this one day at a time. We're keeping a low profile, so if you wouldn't mind keeping this under your hat for a while, we'd appreciate it."

"I'm honoured, Alpha.” He chose a key from the bins beneath the counter. “Please let me show you the cabin."

Jaryn took the key from Landon's hand. “I think I can manage. Thank you."

Jaryn probably thought she hadn't seen the wink he gave Landon as they left the office, but instead of being annoyed, Nicole found herself wanting to smile...again. Nicole gazed around at the quaint cabins. The ones at the back of the property were nestled in a grove of old-growth trees. There were several picnic tables and a couple old fashioned barbeque pits set up in a central grassy area. It was quiet, despite being only a block off Main Street. The air was peaceful and a light breeze lifted her hair away from her neck.

If this small town operated anything like the ones in stories she'd read, then Jaryn all but outright confirming she was his mate to that kid would mean that every town member would know by sundown.

"So which one is mine,” she asked.

Jaryn pointed to cabin at the back of the property. “Number nine. Why don't you pull your car around?” He wrapped an arm around Nicole's waist and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “I'll meet you over there."

Nicole opened her car door and watched as Jaryn strolled around the gravelled driveway. Her gaze riveted on his lean hips and tight butt, expertly moulded by his well-worn jeans. He hadn't touched her yet, except for the little kisses to her head, but her blood warmed and her skin tingled in anticipation of their first real kiss. She'd only known the man for an hour—how was it possible she was already daydreaming what it would feel like to have his lips against hers, his large firm body pressing her into a wall or soft bed? This kind of reaction was not typical for her. Normally, the men she dated became frustrated long before she was ready to jump into bed. More than a few had called things off before she was ready, calling her a cock tease.

She shook her head as she realised that she'd subconsciously followed Jaryn and was now sitting outside the cabin with the car running. She disengaged the engine and grabbed her overnight bag from the back seat.

"You okay?” Jaryn asked as Nicole slowly walked up to him.

"I'm fine. Must be more tired than I thought."

"Then let's get you inside. I have several things to do this morning and afternoon then tonight I'll take you to dinner. How does six o'clock sound?"

"That's fine.” Nicole looked at the door to the cabin with longing, eagerly anticipating what she hoped would be a soft mattress and fluffy pillows.

The little log cabin was charming. There was a small patio sheltered by a wooden overhang. A window, cheerfully decorated by a flower box with some small sunflowers, sat to the left of the door. Jaryn inserted the key and pushed open the door. He came to a dead stop a few feet inside and started laughing. Nicole tried to peer around his body to see what was so funny. When she couldn't see anything, she poked him in the back.

"What is so funny?"

Jaryn stepped aside and guided Nicole into the cabin. “Look around."