Wolf Next Door (10 page)

The request and the offer carried no hint of command. Every day since she’d told him the truth, he’d been showing her himself. Showing her the man he’d become. Showing her he had changed, too. They weren’t kids anymore, he wasn’t an arrogant putz telling her who could and couldn’t be her friend, and she wasn’t a child unwilling to stand up for herself. Her wolf had never wanted to lash out at him, but she’d never been able to tell him what she needed either.

Somehow, he’d figured it out.

“I love you,” she whispered, and he blinked.

“I’m sorry, what?” His nostrils flared and his eyes darkened.

“I love you.” She’d loved him her whole life, she just didn’t understand how much she needed him, more wanted him, until she’d been too far away to reach him. “I’m sorry I left you. I will never run away again. I want more than a chance to know you. I want a chance to make up for everything we missed.”

“Be sure.” He sounded so gruff. “You’ll never be rid of me.” The warning curled her toes. “I’ll chase you this time. I’ll turn over every rock and stone and, yes, I’ll fight you for you. The fact that you can probably half-kick my ass is nothing but a turn on, beautiful.”

She’d never heard a sexier threat. “Promise?”

A throat clearing interrupted his answer, and she had to force her gaze away from Ty’s to see Mason staring at them. Amusement had the corners of his mouth twitching, and Alexis rested her cheek to his arm, sighing. “Well, glad you both remembered we’re still here.”

Refusing to apologize, she met Mason’s gaze then willingly lowered hers. Her wolf agreed. He was a good alpha. They could follow him. Conceding to him wasn’t weakness. A hand came to rest on her head, and she inhaled Mason’s scent.

“Welcome home, Claire.” He nipped her ear, and she blinked. A hint of blood was all he needed and then sensation of pack swarmed her. One moment she was alone, and the next she was part of the whole. Her startled yip earned laughter all the way around.

“What about the blood oath?” She didn’t want to rock the boat, but he hadn’t asked for it.

“What about it? You have the right to be here, Ty is correct about that—this is
your
pack. We are your pack.” Mason raised his brows. She turned the idea over in her mind, then leaned on Tyler. “A pack only survives when it can trust. You proved to me I could trust you. Stop punishing yourself for the decisions of a child. She has a right to be happy, a right to be part of this pack, a right to claim Ty.
You
have the right to happiness, and the right to claim it for yourself. Keep it up, and you’ll always have a place here.”

He’d proved she could trust him, too, but in the interest of keeping the peace, she didn’t mention it. Humor glinted in his eyes as he ruffled her hair. The paternal gesture warmed her wolf, and she dared to let herself smile.

“Is it too soon to ask if I’m free to roam on my own?” Tyler stiffened at her question, but she didn’t look at him.

With a shrug, Mason nodded. “Yes, but I do want to see you in a couple of days so we can talk about work for you. I have some plans that I’d like you to be involved in.”

“I can manage that.” She extricated herself from Tyler. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Though he wore a questioning look, and maybe even a hint of unease.

“We’re good?” Needing to confirm this before she started running, she glanced from him to Alexis.

“Yes,” Mason said slowly, then the corner of his mouth kicked up. “We’re definitely good.”

“Great.” Pivoting, she gave the alpha her back and trusted he wouldn’t rip out her heart when she faced Ty. Worry darkened his eyes. Hating that her previous actions had put that concern in him, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Remember your promise.”

Then she took off like a streak. It was time to settle other matters. Seconds passed like eons as she ran, then she heard his footsteps behind her.

He’d promised to follow her—to chase.

Laughing, she ran faster.

O
ne moment
she was in front of him, the next she’d sprinted across the field.
Remember your promise.
She was running. His wolf prowled to the surface and burst any worries. Their mate wanted a chase, and he’d promised to chase.

“Mason,” he said by way of goodbye and waved to the field. “Can you?”

“Got it. Go get her.”

Accepting his alpha at his word, he threw himself into the chase and raced after her. A part of his mind knew he should call his parents. Ranae had fucked up big time, and they needed to know, but Mason would do that. When he’d seen Ranae lunge at Claire, he’d been furious with his sister, but didn’t intervene because Claire could take care of herself.

It never occurred to him that she wouldn’t fight back. From the moment she’d clasped her hands behind her back, she’d mesmerized him with her skill. Ranae for all her speed and hard-hitting force, never managed to do more than graze her.

The flip off the stands had his heart in his throat. Then she continued to dodge, dance and avoid. When Ranae managed to knock her down, Ty started moving only Alexis had gotten there first. The damage Claire inflicted to her hands with her extended claws were a testament to the damage she could have inflicted on his sister.

His beautiful, vibrant mate was incredibly strong. Stronger still for her capability to hold back when Ranae really needed to have her ass handed to her. All of those thoughts burned away as he pursued Claire across the field, down the road, and into the woods. She’d taken advantage of her head start and, damn, if she wasn’t fast.

Admiring her speed, he gave the wolf its head and cut through the woods to parallel her path. Trusting his senses and his wolf’s insight, he realized he didn’t have to catch her on the run. He knew where she was going, and she hadn’t been home in a while.

Breaking further from the path, he took a shortcut that emptied onto his street then over the field. She was just exiting the woods when he angled his path to intercept hers.

Catching her in a flying tackle, he rolled onto his side to take the impact and then wrapped his legs around hers. After flipping her carefully, he pinned her arms and gazed down at her. His heart hammered in his chest and his blood burned. “Caught you.” But even as he flexed his hands around her wrists, he kept his grip light—the shackle her choice.

“So you did.” She sighed, softening beneath him. “Question is, what are you going to do with me?”

He had plenty of ideas. When he released her wrists, confusion stormed across her expression. The sun warmed his back, and they lay in the grass just a dozen feet from her front door.

Though he’d released her, Claire kept her arms above her head. The marks on her palms were already closing, but she’d made them in an attempt to not fight. He didn’t want to claim her if it was another such attempt.

“Ty?”

“Shh,” he said, pressing his fingers to her lips. The temptation to say fuck it and take what he’d wanted forever had appeal. Beyond the sex and the claiming, he wanted more. He wanted Claire to want more. “I need to say this, and I think you need hear it.”

“All right.” The whispered words aside, her gorgeous eyes grew guarded and her soft expression smoothed. Leaning over her, he couldn’t miss the way she closed herself in or how practiced her sense of self-preservation had become. “I’m sorry if I put you on the spot.”

Surprise flickered through him. Her comment pissed him off. “First…I told you that you were my mate when you were five and I was six. I stand by that claim. You can’t put me on the spot for something I stated as fact more than two decades ago. Clear?”

“Clear.” Her eyes rounded, the resistance falling away to be replaced by curiosity. “Then what is it?”

“Woman, will you shut up so I can tell you?” At her scrunched nose, he laughed. Everything about her held a note of defiance. She pushed him and he liked being pushed.

“Fine.” Yes, he knew the definition of the word, so he forged onward because if he took too much longer, fine always turned into a fight. At least between his parents.

“I claimed you when we were kids, and I get that now.
I
claimed you. You never accepted it.” Pursing his lips, he searched for the words and tried not to let her worried expression get to him. They needed to discuss it before they went another step forward. “Every choice I made, every decision I took away from you—I did it because I thought it was my job.”

Damn, it sounded worse coming out of his mouth than it had in his head.

“Your job?” She definitely should question him.

“In my defense, I was six when I came to this conclusion. I have no defense on why it took me years to grow the hell up.” Dropping his forehead slowly, he rested his face close to hers, nose to nose. He caught and held her gaze. “I thought it was up to me to make sure you were always safe, that no one could ever take advantage of you, and that I was the barricade through which your life got to you. So every decision I made, I made to protect you. Some were pretty damn dumb, and I get that now…my dad always said, his job in life was to make things easier for Mom.”

Understanding crystalized in her eyes, and she moistened her lips. “So you wanted to make my life easier?”

“Pretty much. I knew things about people you didn’t. I know what boys are like, and I thought I knew better. I thought if you only played with the safe kids, if you only went to the right places where I could be, if only…you would be safe. Your life would be better, easier.” Regret ballooned within him. “I wasn’t a good mate. I didn’t know how to be good. The last few days have taught me how much I value you as my friend, more importantly, how much I respect you. I thought Vivian was strong and my mother—Alexis. They’re all strong women, but you are hands down the strongest woman I know. I don’t know how you did it, I don’t know everything you had to do. I’m just damn grateful that you survived to come back. I promise you, I will spend the rest of my life learning and being the best mate I know how. I will
never
give you a reason to regret choosing me.”

Closing his eyes, he reached for his wolf and felt the animal surge up. When he opened his eyes again, they gazed at her together. “Choose us, Claire. Pick us. Let us love you and guard you and be guarded by you. Be our partner. Be our friend. Be our mate.”

Tears pooling in her eyes, she whispered. “You were not alone in your bad choices, Ty. I was so afraid of hurting you, of the anger I could muster and my wolf refused to hurt you, so we didn’t push back and tell you when we were unhappy. Instead, we did the worst thing. We ran away, and we’ve regretted it. Yes, I learned how I strong I can be. I also learned how lonely my life is without you in it. I want to be your friend. I want to guard you and protect you and be guarded by you. I want to be your partner and your friend…” She swallowed hard, tears dropping from her lashes with every blink. Cradling his face in her hands, she said. “I fought to stay whole to get back to you. I want to be your mate. I do choose you, Ty. I will
always
choose you.”

The burn began around his heart, then expanded to fill his chest. He gasped, and the whoosh of her ragged breath matched his. He wanted to howl, but his wolf had other ideas in mind. Still fighting to catch his breath, he slammed his mouth down on hers. Her arms came around him, and her claws dug into his shoulders. The pain sizzled hand-in-hand with the pleasure.

Her tongue thrust alongside his and he tasted the blood on her lip. Another snap of fire flared in his chest, and he lifted his head. “Holy hell.”

She fisted his hair and dragged him back down. “So not done yet…” Beneath his mouth, her lips softened, and he plundered for another taste. Addictive, sweet, and decadent, he couldn’t imagine ever getting enough. Her legs wrapped around him, and she arched her hips to grind his pelvis to hers.

Dragging his mouth away, he pulled her up with him and stood. The way her legs fastened around him kept her locked to him. She growled. He grimaced then tangled her hair and pulled her face away long enough to show his own teeth.

“We’re not doing this in the grass.” After all these years, he planned to celebrate with her for hours and he wanted no interruptions, be they animal, vegetable or rock minerals.

“That sounds like a challenge.” Her feral gleam was all the warning he got before she twisted and dug the flats of her feet into the backs of his thighs just above his knees. The move was perfection, designed to throw his balance and force him to let her go to save himself or hit his knees.

Refusing to let her go, he spread his legs to stay on his feet and lunged for the exposed skin at the juncture of her neck and shoulder. He bit down on the tender flesh with enough force to make sure she felt the teeth, but without breaking the skin. When he claimed her fully, he’d sink his teeth in. Until then…

Claire’s sharpened claws tore at his shirt, but she didn’t rip into his skin. Her breath shuddered, and he held on until she went quiescent. Slowly, she arched her head back and bared her throat fully. Relief twined with triumph to flood through him and he laved the light bruise he’d left on her shoulder before lifting his head to gaze at her. Pleasure drunk at the open surrender in her act, he nudged her head up so she faced him again. Holding her eyes, he tipped his chin up and angled his head back.

With beautiful tenderness, she leaned in and licked his throat, a light swipe across his jugular. The act sent tingles down his spine, and he exulted. Stroking her hand from his back to his nape, she retracted her claws. He enjoyed the sweet touch as she threaded her fingers into his hair.

Wolf eyes met his. “I don’t care about the grass, Ty. I just care about you.”

He grinned. “I care about the grass. I care about everything that touches you.”

Groaning, she nipped his lip and said, “Upstairs, then. I already cleaned my room and the bed has fresh sheets.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. Loving the feel of her in his arms, he strode across the yard and into the house. Kicking the door shut, he paused to set her against it then enjoyed a slow wet kiss while he locked the door. Laughter vibrated his tongue when the tumblers clicked into place. No one locked their doors. Why bother?

Preferring to discourage visitors, he double-checked the locks then carried her up the stairs and into her bedroom. He’d always loved her room—soft patterns, and bold colors. Pausing inside the door, he hesitated. The room, a study in contrasts, reflected the woman who’d grown up within its walls. “I’m sorry I never let you be you.”

“You never stopped me from being me, either.” The husky response startled him. Claire nuzzled his lower lip. “I never had sex with Justin.”

He growled at the bastard’s name, then the full weight of her words hit him. Jerking his attention to her, he stared. “Claire…”

“I never had sex with anyone, Ty.” Another kiss. “Wolves are very sexual beings…”

No one understood that better than he did. She’d haunted his dreams for years and, though he’d tried, no other woman ever brought him to arousal. Not when Claire was out there, just out of reach.

“One thing violence is good for,” she said, pulling him back to the present. “It takes the edge off.”

“You haven’t been very violent this week.” He ignored her fight with Linc, as she’d been defending herself.

“No.” She rubbed her hips against his and the slow grind of her sex to his cock left them both panting. The denim had to go. “I was stupid about a lot of things. Made a lot of questionable choices, but one thing I was determined about through it all. No one touched me that wasn’t you.”

The confession shredded what was left of his control. Nudging her lips further apart with his thumb, he closed his mouth over hers. No more talking. No more regrets. No more wondering. He wanted his mate, dammit. Testing, touching, tasting, he invaded with his tongue, thrusting against hers in an action he was dying to repeat with his cock.

Claire pulled at his clothes, demanding. Sharing her need, he sliced her shirt. She laughed, then sucked on his tongue as she returned the favor and tore at his jeans. Between his claws and hers, they were naked in seconds. Lowering her to the bed, he swept his gaze over her from the firm, taut plane of her belly to the full, soft curves of her breasts. The scars were trophies—badges of honor—and a testament to her survival.

He nibbled a path of kisses to each one, laving them with his tongue. She pulled impatiently at his hair and he caught her wrists. With a kiss to each palm, he said, “Mine. Let me play with what’s mine.”

Without waiting for her answer, he locked his lips around one tight nipple. It beaded so perfectly and fit his mouth as though it had been made for him. Soft sighs and hard groans rippled out of her as he tested licks, nips and gentle bites. She’d taken so much damage over the years, he wanted to mark her without hurting. No more pain.

Across her belly, he nuzzled the long, thin slices left by wolf claws. Each one incited his wolf. If they ever met the bastards who’d left those, he’d kill them all. A hand fisted his hair, and she tugged. Lifting his head, he met her gaze.

“Only us.” Her voice was low, tight and needy. “Don’t bring anyone else into
our
bed, Ty. Only us.”

How could he deny her anything? He surged up and covered her mouth in another kiss, then another until she fisted his cock. He let out a shout and froze. “Sweetheart, you can’t do that—or I’ll never be able to sink into your pussy the way I’ve been dying to for years. Give a guy a break?”

Her giggles were the most potent aphrodisiac, but she still gave him a stroke that had him arching his spine at the promise of pleasure. “I would love to, but you’re taking a long time with what’s
mine,
and I want you.”

“I hear your demand, mate,” he growled. “Pushy woman.”

Another burst of laughter erupted from her, and he eased himself from her hand. Glancing along her length, he sighed at her long tan legs and the sweet curls at the juncture of her thighs. Gliding his fingers along her labia, he let out another groan. “This won’t last long for me.”