The Wolf Who Played With Fire: New Adult Paranormal Romance (Cry Wolf) (11 page)

The tip of his cock nudged at my entrance and I arched my back, wanting to push him inside of me and have him fill my body. But he wasn’t about to let me take his thunder, even though I knew he was more than ready for me. “Just relax. Let me do the heavy lifting.” He nibbled a path down my neck. “I want to make you scream my name. Let’s give your neighbor something to gossip about.”

“If she isn’t too hard of hearing.”

“That’s why screaming might be necessary to get the point…” He thrust in a little, driving himself inside me. “…Across to her.”

While it sounded like a good idea, I wasn’t sure how I felt about trying to annoy my neighbor. If my brother or parents came by, I didn’t want the noisy old biddy to say something that would make them second-guess me, especially if she used any descriptor words like ‘Army’ or ‘soldier.’ We’d be royally screwed and the gig would be up about our relationship.

I only hoped that when the news did come out eventually, everyone would try to be happy for us rather than having their own agenda for our lives, which knowing my family was kind of a stretch.

He pushed his cock completely inside me, filling me up... stretching my body until it molded to his like a glove.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, biting my nails into his flesh and enjoying the pleasure of being this close to him.

“I love the way you feel,” he murmured against my lips.

When I’d accommodated to his size, he began a steady rhythm with his hips, thrusting in and out of me with such restrained gentleness that it made me want to smack him over the head. I had a sprained ankle, but I wasn’t made of glass. I wouldn’t break if he took me with the way we both needed him to.

“Take me. Ravish me,” I whispered. “Love me.”

He pulled away, just enough to look into my eyes. Whatever he saw in them gave him the answer he searched for. He sat up and grabbed my legs by the calves, then slammed into me with a pace and strength that had me clutching the headboard.

My body ached and warmth caressed my womb, even though he’d sapped my strength with the earlier orgasm. My breath came out in harsh pants, and even though my ankle was jostled a little, sending pain through me, I didn’t care.

The pain barely registered in my hypersensitive body. If anything, it added to my insatiable need for more.

He stared at me, watching the emotions flicker across my face. One minute his eyes were their normal gunmetal blue, the next they were wolf amber.

I gasped at the sudden shift. My core clenched, and before I could react in fear, climax overtook all thoughts and reason. A scream of pleasure ripped from my lips, and I smacked my hand over my mouth, moaning as my body erupted with pleasure.

Ethan groaned over me, the sound gravely and guttural as orgasm claimed him too. He teetered like he was near collapse, but he set my foot back on the pillow, before heading off to the bathroom to clean up.

My intention not to scream was ruined, but I didn’t mind. I loved knowing the depth of control he had over my body.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Mia

Darkness blanketed the street. With it being so God-awful early, there was hardly anyone else around, so we had no problem with finding a parking spot in front of Eternally Magick.

“Just a moment, let me come around and help you out,” Ethan said.

Sighing once he left the car, I knew he was trying to help, but it was coming across a bit as if he thought I would fall apart at the slightest bump. After the amazing sex last night, he’d asked a few times if my ankle was okay. Not exactly the kind of pillow talk I’d hoped for.

Besides, the salve Jessa had given me was really good. I couldn’t believe how well it was working. But I’d do as Ethan said, for the most part, because I didn’t want to draw out the healing process even more. I was happy he had offered to drive me to work, but this was way too early for my brain to function properly, especially after all the sexual energy expended last night.

I had no idea how Ethan did it. He looked eager to get the day started, no problem whatsoever. Then again, with all the time he’d spent in the Army, he was probably more of a morning person than I’d realized.

He opened my car door and lifted me out into the crisp morning air.

I pushed at his chest a little and glanced around to confirm the lack of people. Okay, there wasn’t anyone to see him carry me around, but it did make me feel a little self-conscious.

He leveled a stern stare at me. “Don’t do that. I just want to help, babe. You shouldn’t be walking on it.” He shut the car door behind us, then walked to the store. I carefully unlocked the door before he pushed it open. He glanced around the shop, assessing it in a similar way to how Chad had when he’d last been here.

Huh.

“You cleaned it up nicely. There were a lot of broken shelves and statues when I was last in here.” He remained in the entrance for a heartbeat, before heading to the counter. His gaze slid over me, sending a familiar heat through my body.

I licked my lips and leaned into him for a kiss. He tightened his grip on me and I basked in his touch.

He pulled back a little and our eyes met. “If I didn’t have to be at the base soon, I would be finding a spot where I could make love to you.”

“There’s a stool over there behind the counter. Or there’s Jessa’s office.” I winked at him, wishing the same. Glass windows lined the front of the shop, so if he did take me here, we would likely be caught. Then again, there wasn’t anyone around.

“Seductress.” His lips brushed over mine, and he lightly tugged at my lower lip with his teeth. “Remember to stay off your foot if you can.” He set me on the stool, then went into the back room.

My heart skipped a beat. Jessa only allowed me back there. If she knew he’d gone in there, she’d be furious.

I opened my mouth to protest, but he came back with the stepstool Jessa had mentioned. I let out a calming breath. Of course, he was getting the stool. I’d almost forgotten about it. Dang, he was so sweet.

“Do you need anything else while I’m here?” His gaze scanned the shop. “Oh, wait, I have something for you.” He strode out of the store, and I faintly heard the slam of a car door. The store’s chiming bell alerted me to his presence again. He carried a pair of crutches.

At first I wondered where he’d gotten those, especially when we’d spent most of the evening and morning together. But the scuff marks on the beige rubber pads gave them away. They had to be Nolan’s from when he was a preteen. He’d broken his foot playing soccer, so he’d had to sit out the rest of the season and use a pair of crutches he resented.

Mom had caught him not using them a few times, so Dad had grounded him from playing with the Xbox. That meant he’d actually been on top of his classes and his grades were great, until he went right on back to playing too many video games again.

Yet Mom and Dad had hope.

Unlike me, I did great in school, but I always felt overlooked as if I was cursed to be invisible.

Shaking away the thoughts, I started to get up to get the crutches from Ethan, but he gave me a look that kept me on the stool with my foot propped on the stepstool. Although, I had a feeling sitting like this would probably get uncomfortable fast.

“Nolan’s old crutches. I grabbed them from the garage while getting ready this morning. If you do need to get up, you should use these. They might not be the most comfortable, but we can see about getting you some different ones later.” Now it was my turn to give dirty stares. “If you’re not doing any better.”

I loved that he cared this much about me, even if he was fussing over me more than I’d prefer. Just like a mother hen. I smiled, keeping that thought to myself. Somehow, I didn’t think this hunky military man would appreciate the comparison. “Thanks. I’d forgotten about Nolan’s crutches. They’ll be better than nothing, I guess.”

He leaned them against the counter beside me, and I stretched to get one last kiss from him. I couldn’t help it.

“When does the shop close?” He looked toward the door, but the sign with the hours wasn’t visible from this spot.

“The store closes at seven. So I’ll probably be ready about fifteen minutes after that.”

“Okay, I’ll come straight over after work,” he said. “That way if you need any help with sweeping or closing up, I’ll be here.” He pressed one last kiss on my forehead.

I groaned. That meant he’d be standing around for about an hour, but knowing Ethan, he’d probably head over as soon as he could. “You don’t need to do that, but I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Have a great day, babe. Love you.” With that, he walked out.

“Love you too!” I half-shouted to him, knowing he could hear me.

His car started, and I heard him pull away from the curb.

Sighing, I stared at my ankle then around at the really quiet shop. Eternally Magick didn’t open for a couple hours, and I’d need to lock it up so no one would come in before then. The silence unnerved me. At least when the store was open, there were people walking, cars being driven, the occasional customer waltzing in, sunlight shining through the window. There was none of that now.

I pulled out my phone and played one of my dubstep playlists. Having some sound wouldn’t make me feel quite so nervous since while I knew I was safe, there was the unforgettable memory of finding an injured Jessa on the floor. I glanced back at the exact spot and noticed a few specks of red I hadn’t seen before. Blood. I’d been so careful when cleaning. Normally, I probably wouldn’t have even paid any attention to the tiny drops.

With my foot in the shape it was, I didn’t think scrubbing the floors was in my future. However, I found it hard to look away from the spot. I’d get to it, or maybe Ethan could help me when he got off work. Or I’d put it off for a few days, fingers crossed, when my foot was doing better.

I grabbed the crutches and gingerly lifted my foot off the stool. Something strange set me on edge. I’d never felt anything quite like this before. I hobbled toward the front door with my keys in hand.

With the door locked, I turned to see Selene standing there. I dropped the keys, confusion weighed on my chest. The bell on the door hadn’t gone off to alert me of anyone entering the shop. Plus, I’d been sitting right there.

She stared expectantly at me as if she’d been waiting for me to notice her. “Well, have you thought about my offer to help you?”

I leaned the crutches against a shelf, then backed away a few steps from Selene. Fear skittered around in my stomach like creeping crawling things. Why hadn’t I heard her?

“Mia, it’s impolite to not answer when someone’s talking to you.” She strode toward me with that feline grace.

My mouth opened and closed as words tried to form in my throat, but I couldn’t speak, couldn’t think. I took another step away and my back bumped a wall.

She stopped in front of me, extending her hand with its red claw-like fingernails. She scraped one of them over my cheek, from my eyebrow down to my lips, then she slid it down over my lower lip, closing in until I was sure she would kiss me.

“I need more time.” The words rushed from my mouth, causing our lips to barely brush.

Rolling her eyes, she leaned back just a little. “There’s not much time left. Sooner than later, I’ll need a response. Don’t let Jessa stand in the way of you becoming all your grandmother wanted you to be. You wouldn’t want to disappoint Rose, would you?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, hating the uncertainty running through me. Selene was trying to make me second-guess Jessa. But the way Jessa had reacted to my mentioning the other witch made a tiny part of me wonder if there was a grain of truth to Selene’s words.

I opened my eyes to respond. But Selene was gone.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ethan

The checkpoint had the same uneasy feeling as yesterday. Security was usually strict but flowing easily. Now it was sluggish and stressful. Even the gate seemed to struggle when it rose, as if hesitant to let me back on base.

Rookies ran a lap along a trail most of us knew like the backs of our hands. At least they seemed oblivious to the tension building around them. My wolf circled inside my head, constantly on alert due to the uneasy feeling in the air. A few sergeants I passed focused on a movie discussion, but their hearts weren’t in it. No usual puns or bad jokes.

My thoughts turned increasingly broody. I didn’t notice at first, but my upper lip had inched up baring my teeth; the wolf wanted to growl his frustration. I needed to regain some control. If I’d had space, I would’ve gone running, but the time spent helping Mia had made that impossible.

Before reaching the office, I cooled down enough to loosen the worst signs of the wolf’s anxiety. It wasn’t so much the baring of the teeth, but the minute differences one might look for. My nostrils flared, taking in the scents, and my ears ached with the need to catch every faint whisper to warn me of an oncoming attack. I still had a lot to learn from Chad.

The office was quiet. Some of the morning duties were suspended until further notice. My lieutenant simply directed me to stay nearby until further notice, with gear on. My spine tingled, adrenaline flowing through my system.

Preparation for battle was easy, the actual wait and readiness was tense. The routine of putting my gear on took my mind away from the furry aspect of my life. This was familiar; this was known and good.