Untamed (11 page)

However, nothing compared to the mesmerizing eyes of her clan, which glowed brightly at him with the intriguing prism of colors so distinctly hers. William cradled her in his arms, but when their eyes met, he was the one held captive. He had to taste her. It was no longer a matter of want. He
had
to. Trapped by those glowing pools of gold and green, his last shred of restraint snapped.

A low growl rumbled in this throat as his mouth crashed onto hers. White-hot desire blazed brighter as she opened that succulent mouth and touched her tongue to his. She tasted like honey, bubble gum, and spice. Their lips melded. She moaned and clutched him closer to her. Teeth nibbling. Tongues tangling. Tasting. Touching.

He couldn’t get close enough.

Lips firmly fused, Layla reached up and removed the leather tie holding his hair back. His long blond hair fell over their faces, and he felt for a moment as though they were hidden from the world. That’s what he wanted—to take her and hide her away from anyone or anything that could harm her.

William sighed into her mouth when she tangled her fingers in the pale strands and pulled him close, deepening the kiss. It was an erotic and intimate sensation to have her fondle his tongue with hers, urging him to the brink of madness.

He almost came apart right then and there.

William took her head in both of his hands and devoured her mouth with his. She sat up, and in one swift motion, she straddled him. He smiled against her mouth.
Someone
is
feeling
better.

She grabbed fistfuls of his hair and suckled his lips
. Better? I’m way beyond better.
When her lusty voice breezed into his head, it intensified the entire experience, and desire swamped his body and mind.

William reveled in the handfuls of curls that flowed through his fingers, while he paid thorough attention to the velvety cavern of her mouth. She was fire to his ice, but somehow, they fit… perfectly. Her tongue stroked the roof of his mouth, and her sweet lips fused exquisitely with his.

Food? Sleep? Not necessary. He knew now that kissing this woman and holding her in his arms was all the sustenance he would ever require. He could kiss her forever.

A deafening crack of thunder shattered the silence of the woods, and within seconds rain poured down and soaked them to the bone. The horses whinnied and shuffled nervously at the sudden change in the weather. Layla suckled his bottom lip and held it between her teeth for a moment before releasing it.

“That’s not me this time. It’s good old Mother Nature,” she said. Laughing, she threw her head back and caught the cold, pelting rain in her open mouth. Those were some lucky raindrops.

He ran his hands down her slim back and rested them on her hips, which were nestled snugly against his. He smiled as she reveled in the rain, but his happiness was short-lived when he saw the rivulets of water tinged with red that marred her lovely skin. The cut above her eye was still bleeding, and the blood was now running down her cheek.

He cursed silently. The woman had just been thrown from her horse, and he was mauling her like some kind of beast. Shame washed over him as Rosie’s words of warning rang through his head. He needed to earn her trust and her heart, before he tried to get in her pants.

God, he felt like a jackass.

“We should go,” he said above the thunder and rain.

Layla stopped laughing and gave him a look that hung somewhere between hurt and confusion. Her hands rested lightly on his broad shoulders, and her body stiffened beneath his hands. “What’s wrong?”

“You’re bleeding.” William’s mouth set in a hard line, and his eyes shifted back to their human form. “You were just thrown off a horse for Christ’s sake, and I’m molesting you, instead of helping you.” His fingers dug into her hips through her soaked sweatshirt. He held her tighter, afraid she would disappear.

Layla’s lips curved into a lopsided smile, and her eyes glowed back at him brightly. She slid both hands up his neck and did that tantalizing thing with his hair. She leaned into him, her mouth hovering temptingly above his. “You were helping,” she breathed the words against his lips.

She licked rainwater from his mouth with her satin tongue, while she rocked herself against his enormous erection. William growled, and his eyes shifted harshly back into their clan form as his entire body hummed with both desire and restraint.

Layla leaned back, so she could look him in the eyes. “I want you.”

He’d been with women before, plenty of them, but he’d never had a woman be quite so direct. He wanted her too. For the love of God, he wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his entire existence, and based on where she was sitting, there was no denying it.

But something about this situation gave him pause.

His gut instinct told him that if he took her now, she would write him off as only doing his duty, succumbing to fate as if he didn’t truly desire
her
for who she was. It would merely confirm her suspicion that their mating was a purely physical thing—and it wasn’t. Because staring into those glowing orbs, he realized that somewhere along the way, he’d fallen in love with her.

He
loved
her.

William swallowed hard and held her burning gaze as the gravity of his feelings for her washed over him with the rain. He didn’t know how, why, or when it happened, but it sure as hell had happened. The truth was he didn’t even think he was capable of it.

He’d been prepared for the physical attraction, but not for the emotional cost, and he’d be damned if he was going to let her off the hook. Even if it took him the rest of his life, he was going to get her to open her heart.

“Did you hear what I said?” she challenged. “I want you.”

Holding her gaze, William reached up, encircled her wrists, and brought her hands down to his chest. Layla’s eyes shifted back to their human state, and her brow furrowed in confusion.

“We should go back to the house and get you cleaned up,” he said as evenly as possible.

Layla’s eyes narrowed. She shoved at his chest and scrambled off his lap to her feet. Her energy waves thumped furiously into him.

Embarrassment.

Fury.

Confusion.

Without a word, she turned her back on him, climbed over the log, and went to the horses, who were taking shelter from the rain under the canopy of leaves. She clearly had the quick healing abilities of their people, and he was incredibly grateful for it. William followed in silence, but kept his energy linked with hers, looking out for other signs of injury. He tried to help her onto the horse, but she shoved him away without looking at him.

“I don’t need you or your help,” she ground out.

William put his hands up in defeat and stepped back, allowing Layla to do it on her own. He pushed his wet hair off his face and let out a sigh of frustration. How could he make her understand? Dammit. He knew he was making a bigger mess of things, but he had absolutely no idea how to fix it.

He cursed softly, gathered his horse, and climbed into the saddle with ease, all the while keeping one eye on Layla. He knew she felt weaker than she let on, and he didn’t want her passing out and injuring herself further. He had half a mind to throw her over his shoulder and carry her back home, but he suspected that would do nothing to help his cause.

Layla, clearly picking up on his concern, swiped at the cut on her forehead with the soaked sleeve of her sweatshirt, leaving a streak of red behind. Reins in one hand she turned Freckles back toward the house but cast William one last parting blow.

“I just thought you might like to fuck and get it over with,” she snapped, her green eyes flashing wildly. “But don’t think for one minute that I need you. This thing between us, whatever it is,” she said, jutting her chin out defiantly. “It’s chemistry, not love. This is some stupid matchmaking scheme from the universe, and obviously, the universe sucks at it. You had your chance and passed, so I’d say that this whole mate business is over.”

Before William could utter a single word of protest, Layla kicked Freckles and took off down the muddy path. Undeterred, he urged his horse forward and followed closely behind. As they galloped through the sheets of rain back to the farm, he touched his mind to hers.

Don’t bet on it, Firefly.

Layla had never been so mortified in all her life. First she gets thrown off her horse, which was something that hadn’t happened in close to twenty years, and then she gets thrown off William.

After their rain-and-lust-soaked ride, she needed time alone, a cold shower, and a snap back to reality. This place was real and solid—this house with the walls covered by many of the pictures she’d taken and rooms filled with love. Rosie, Raife, and Tati—they were real and true. They would never leave her or betray her, and they were the only people she could trust. She certainly couldn’t count on William—not even for a quick romp in the woods. It would seem that she could depend on him to embarrass and humiliate her.

She took the clip out of her damp hair and ran her fingers through the tumble of long curls. Her face burned at the memory of his rejection. She was bewildered. It just didn’t make sense that he would stop what they had both started.

He’d kissed her.

She could sense how much he wanted her, and it wasn’t just from the enormous hard-on he had—it wasn’t just his body’s reaction to hers. Every ounce of his energy called out to hers, his eyes seemed to bore right through her, and his energy waves were ripe with lust and desire.

Layla toweled herself off and wished she could wipe away the embarrassment as easily as she could the water from her quick shower. The instant his firm, warm lips touched hers, something long dormant came to life inside of her, and she
had
to taste more of him. Screw independence and modesty, because at that moment, all she wanted was to crawl in his lap and lick every wicked inch of him.

Layla’s tongue flicked out over her lips, and her heart fluttered. He tasted like newly fallen snowflakes dissolving on her tongue—wet, crisp, cool, and clean. She shivered, and her eyes shifted harshly as desire flooded her with surprising speed. Heat pooled between her legs, warmth trickled up her spine, and her breasts grew heavy with wanting him. Weak in the knees, she leaned on the counter and closed her eyes, concentrating on the cool, smooth granite of the countertop beneath her palms as she struggled to regain control over her body.

She steadied her breathing, and her eyes shifted back to their human state with a tingling snap. Staring at her mussed reflection, she couldn’t help but wonder. If she was this turned on, this out of control, then he
must
be feeling the same way. After all,
he
came to find
her
, so why reject her when she’d offered her body with willingness?

She’d never been rejected by a man before—ever. Not that she went around hitting on men; in fact, it had always been quite the opposite, but the few men she’d been with had been pretty happy with her skills in the sack.

Layla rolled her eyes and started to put on her makeup. “Great,” Layla muttered to her foggy reflection in the bathroom mirror. “That’s just fucking great. The one guy I actually throw myself at turns me down.”

She applied the mascara gingerly and inspected the cut above her eye, which was healing with remarkable speed. She, Raife, and Tati had always healed quickly, but this injury already looked two days old, not two hours old. She suspected that William had something to do with it, but she hadn’t the vaguest idea as to how. Well, she’d be damned if she was going to ask for his help. No thanks. One rejection a decade was about all she could handle.

It just didn’t make any goddamned sense, it confused the hell out of her, and she didn’t like it one bit, but why did she even care? She barely knew him. What should it matter if he doesn’t want her?

Layla brushed her teeth furiously, rinsed, and spit into the sink with far more force than necessary. How was she supposed to go to the bar with him tonight and act like nothing had happened?

When they’d gotten back to the house, Rosie had tried to look at the cut and talk her into sitting down for something to eat, but Layla wanted no part of it. She’d left William in the kitchen to do the explaining, and based on Rosie’s tone of voice, he was in for one of her lectures.

Layla giggled as she wiped her mouth off with the hand towel. Good. He could stand to be knocked down a peg or two, and Rosie was just the one to do it. Nobody could deliver a dose of reality or a scolding better than Rosie.

Noise from William’s bedroom caught her attention and sent her heart racing. Almost simultaneously, a light rap at the door made her jump. She clutched at the towel wrapped around her naked body and swallowed hard as her heart beat like a jackrabbit on a date.

“Layla?” His smooth baritone came through the closed door loud and clear. “Are you almost finished? I would like to clean up and shower before our plans this evening.”

She struggled to find her voice. “It’s all yours, counselor,” she said in a far lustier tone than she’d intended.

She cringed at the sound of it. When had she become such a dirty girl? She knew that was an irrational thought, but she couldn’t help it. Just those few muffled words from him made her wet and had her panting. She grasped the slick glass doorknob to her bedroom and pushed it open just two seconds too late.

William’s door opened before she had time to escape into the safety of her room, and the sight of him nearly made her faint. She had planned on issuing a blistering comment for intruding on her in the bathroom and not giving her a minute to leave, but her mind went blank. Her body hummed with awareness, and her heart raced wildly as his red-hot gaze locked with hers, holding her captive. Neither moved; they just stood there with their energy waves swirling through the room, as if seeking relief from the thick surge of lust between them.

William stood before her wearing nothing but a towel, which was slung low around his hips in a dangerously loose way. He didn’t just stand in the doorway—he filled it. In fact, that bathroom had never seemed so damn small. His hair hung just past his broad shoulders and framed his devastatingly handsome face to perfection.

His well-muscled chest was void of any hair, but she noticed a long, thin scar marred the left side just below his collarbone, and she had the ridiculous urge to kiss it. Body still, her gaze wandered down his washboard abs. She lingered a bit too long on the towel and didn’t dare wonder about what was underneath. He had strong legs, and as she suspected earlier, he didn’t have an ounce of fat anywhere.

Good God, he looked like some kind of Viking.

William cleared his throat, and Layla’s gaze snapped back up and met his. Her face heated with embarrassment for ogling him, but based on the way his towel tented in front of him, she wasn’t the only one getting an eyeful. His eyes shifted briefly to their clan form before returning to normal. Her lips curved into a knowing smile.

“Apologies for intruding,” he said gruffly, with a regal bow of his head. “I thought you said you were finished.”

“Hardly,” she said with a wink. “I’m just getting started.”

His eyes darkened with the unmistakable mark of lust, and his jaw clenched. Layla left, but not before she made sure her towel rode up so that it just barely covered her ass. With a coy smile, she turned to face him, slowly closed the door, and allowed her gaze to wander over his hulking form one more time, brazenly taking in every glorious inch of him.

“Oh, and by the way, I used all the hot water.” Her eyes flicked down to the protruding towel that he did nothing to hide. “But since you passed on my offer earlier, it looks like you need a cold shower anyway,” she said all too sweetly. “See you downstairs.”

As the door closed, the moon-glow eyes of his clan glittered brightly, and the midnight silk of his voice floated into her mind.
Count
on
it.

The door may have been shut, but she couldn’t get the image of William’s mostly naked—and damn near perfect—body out of her mind. It was marred only by the scar below his collarbone. She frowned, wondering who or what had done that to him. Who had the nerve to damage that delectable flesh? She let out a slow breath and closed her eyes to keep them from shifting.

That man was possibly the most exquisite specimen she’d seen in her life, and that was saying something. She’d photographed some of the most beautiful people in the world, but William made them all seem homely. Judging by the erection he was sporting under that towel, he thought she wasn’t too bad either. Her brow furrowed, and she let out a sound of frustration. So why did he put on the brakes earlier?

Most of the time he was so damned restrained and reserved, even in the dream realm, but in the woods today, she got a taste of his wild side, just a taste… and now she craved it. God help her, she wanted this man in the most irrational way. It really was ridiculous. For God’s sake, he had rejected her a few hours ago, but here she was trying to figure out how to seduce him and find a way to make him give in to the stark need that clawed at both of them.

She wanted nothing more than to make him shed the formalities and explore the primal urges that simmered dangerously under the surface. Layla thought it would be best to remain rational about this situation. Maybe if they satisfied the physical attraction, then they could get it out of their systems and move on.

She nodded curtly at her inner dialogue, agreeing with herself for this course of action. Yes indeed, that’s what they needed, just a good old-fashioned wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. They could get the physical need, and then he would see that’s all it was, and he could go on his way.

Layla rummaged through her closet in an effort to find the perfect ensemble for tonight’s little outing. She pulled out her black wrap top and skinny jeans, which would be pulled together by her black stiletto boots with the zippers. Layla smiled, tossed the clothes on the bed, and took her sexiest underwear and push-up bra out of the drawer. With the help of Victoria’s Secret, tonight she was pulling no punches and using every weapon in her arsenal.

She took her time putting it together and dabbed her favorite perfume at each earlobe and a bit in her cleavage for good measure, giving one last look in the large oak mirror above her dresser. Her long, curly red hair had that sexy tousled look. She used dark smoky eyeliner to bring out the green in her eyes and put just the right shade of pink gloss on her lips.

“You may keep it simple girl, but you can vamp it up when you need to,” she said to her almost unrecognizable reflection. “Game on.”

Layla grabbed her shoulder bag and her black leather jacket, and then headed to greet her would-be suitor. She practically skipped down the stairs, anticipating William’s reaction to her body-hugging outfit.

However, all bets were off the moment she laid eyes on him.

William stood waiting for her in the front hallway with a single yellow rose in his hands. He wore the faded jeans, the pale green button-down, and the brown suede jacket that they’d purchased earlier. On anyone else these clothes would’ve seemed ordinary or pedestrian, but on him they screamed confidence and power. He radiated a raw, sexual energy that zeroed in on Layla mercilessly.

For the first time since she’d met him, he wore his hair loose, and it framed his handsome face, allowing his intense eyes to take center stage. Layla gripped the banister, fiddled with the bag in her other hand, and wrestled with her desire to jump his bones right there in the front hall. She stood motionless and trapped in his sights as he studied her.

Their energy signatures buzzed, and static electricity crackled in the air, causing the tiny hairs on her arms to stand on end. Her heart fluttered wildly, and she couldn’t seem to make her feet move from the landing.

William bowed his head and smiled. “You are stunning,” he said without taking his eyes off hers and extended the rose. “For you.”

Layla took the delicate flower in her fingers and inhaled deeply from the sunny yellow bloom. The sweet scent filled her nostrils, and a slow smile cracked her face. No one had ever given her a flower before.

“How did you know that this was my favorite flower?” she asked, her lips brushing the velvety petals.

It really was her favorite flower. She wasn’t being coy or trying to play the game, because with one sweet, old-fashioned gesture he’d completely disarmed her. It would seem that he was full of surprises.

Her eyes fluttered open, and to her surprise, William now stood just scant inches away. Her breath caught in her throat as heat pulsed off him and permeated every pore.

“Rosie told me,” he said quietly as his gaze wandered over her features. “I suppose she took pity on me and decided to help me out.” He offered her his arm and gestured to the door with the other. “Shall we?”

Layla laughed as she linked her arm through his. “You really are pulling out all the chivalrous stops, aren’t you?”

His dark serious eyes flicked to hers with piercing intensity. “You deserve nothing less.”

Layla searched his face for deception, for some hint that this was all a put-on or a con. However, she found nothing except sincerity, but perhaps that was the most frightening realization of all.

***

When they opened the creaky wooden door to the Rustic Inn, just about every head turned to look at William, and Layla couldn’t blame them. Aside from the fact that he was considerably taller than most of the people in there, he was absolutely beautiful. As a matter of fact, she had to make a concerted effort not to look at him like a lovesick teenager. She scanned the room and gratefully found that Sylvia was nowhere in sight. With any luck she’d gotten violently ill and wouldn’t show up tonight.

Layla noticed that Nathan and Barbara had removed one of the pool tables to accommodate Tyler’s band. They’d even taken out a few tabletops to create a small dance floor. The old brick pellet stove fireplace remained the center of the stone-lined wall, and the horseshoe-shaped bar dominated the right half of the place. It looked exactly the same as it had for as long as she could remember, and she couldn’t help but smile.

Normally, the old jukebox would’ve been playing loudly, but Tyler’s band was deep into their first set, a rousing Guns N’ Roses number. The place was thick with that drunken, buzzing energy of people having a good time. Tyler spotted her and gave a quick wave, which did not go unnoticed by William.