Protect and Service Page 3

  Jared.

  He had changed. The suit was the same, the same slightly mussed hair and dark stubble, but the laughing, joking charmer I’d arrived with had gone. He stalked toward me, violence and danger in every line of his body and a feral cast to his features as he emerged from the darkness of the shadows.

  My breathing hitched, arousal swimming through my veins thickly as I read the lust in his eyes. Read the hard control written into every line of his body as his hand shot out to capture my wrist, fingers like iron manacles around my tender flesh. He yanked and I stumbled, free hand spread over his solid chest as I caught my balance.

  Amber ringed his eyes and a soft growl worked loose from his throat. His free arm wrapped around my waist, holding me tight against him. A little too snug for comfort but I didn’t care. It was the ‘I’ve got you and I’m not letting you go’ kind of hold. His body heat beat at my skin. Wolves obviously ran hotter than humans. I filed the nugget of information away as I met him look for look.

  It didn’t occur to me to run, despite the fact that he was a werewolf. A lethal, paranormal killing machine. My mom would have freaked, screaming that I was a couple of seconds from a horrific death at the teeth of a maniacal furball, but I felt…safe.

  Desirable. Wanted.

  “Dance with me.”

  It wasn’t a request, nor did he wait for an answer. Almost before the words had processed in my addled brain he let me go, towing me toward the dance floor with the single-minded force of a tsunami. As we reached it, the music changed, the rhythm that of the tango. He spun me around into his arms where I expected the close hold shuffle to the music I was used to from my previous boyfriends.

  Instead he pulled me closer and started to dance. Like seriously dance. Holding me tight in a ballroom hold, he led me into the opening steps of a very saucy tango, smiling a little at my gasp as I stumbled to recall the steps from last year’s dance lessons. With a good partner though, my body remembered faster than my mind and moved of its own accord as he dipped and twirled me about the floor.

  He could dance.

  He moved easily, with a grace I hadn’t expected, our bodies less than an inch apart as the music surrounded us. He picked a diagonal across the floor, empty save for us. His thigh shoved between mine, a strong column of strength as he turned us lightly and easily. Totally in control of me and my body, he shifted his hold and dipped me back over his arm. His heart beat against mine as he pulled me upright. Our gazes locked for a second until he moved again and we were off.

  I loved to dance, loved the feeling of connection with the music and with my partner. But this…this wasn’t dancing. This was seduction to music. Pure, carnal eroticism wrapped in a veneer of civility and sophistication.

  Fuck. Me.

  I was done for.

  He nudged the speed up, the steps faster and the spins tighter as the music built into a dramatic crescendo. At the last minute, he twisted and pulled me into arms. We were nose to nose with our arms around each other. My breathing rasped with exertion as I held his gaze. No embarrassment, just honesty. My breasts mashed against his chest. The feeling of the crisp cotton shirt, rubbing against my skin above the dress as I breathed, was an unexpected turn on. The music crashed to a close. Applause exploded around us and I blinked, realising that the whole room had been watching.

  “No, don’t,” he ordered. I tried to pull free, anything to get off the dance floor and away from being the centre of attention. “You were amazing. Don’t hide.”

  I looked up, met his gaze fully. The wolf was still there but I didn’t care. Not even when a predatory smile flitted over his lips.

  “Don’t look at me that way, sweetheart.”

  “What way?” I couldn’t help it; I pouted a little and widened my eyes for effect. Now I knew that he’d turned Mandy down, and with that dance, I felt more comfortable. Liberated. Sexy.

  He grinned, a white flash of teeth that had nothing to do with humour.

  “You know. I’m a wolf, remember? Carry on and I’ll be forced to eat you all up.”

  “Oh god, I do hope so.”

  The comment slipped out before my brain could get in on the act and decide it was a bad idea. The effect was instantaneous. His breathing caught, big chest hitching as darkness flared in his eyes. He’d been hard already, but his cock jerked at my words. Pressed together chest to thigh, I could feel every long, hard inch of him.

  I wanted some of that.

  “Home. Now?” I suggested.

  “Hell yes.”

  * * *

  The ride back to my place was warp speed compared to the ride to the ball. Jared didn’t speak. His tall, muscled body was tight as a wire as he guided the powerful sports car through the streets at break-neck speed. I didn’t argue. I just clung to the seat and watched the streets zoom by. Awareness throbbed between us, making the air in the car thick and alive with tension. Sliding my gaze sideways, I studied him. He was gorgeous, especially with the steely light of determination in his eyes and his jaw set as he put his foot down to eek through ahead of a red light.

  “Don’t. Don’t look at me like that.” His voice had deepened, the growl of the wolf coming through. Need? Or anger? I wasn’t sure, but when he turned his head to spear me with a glance, I knew. Heat and hunger swirled in his almost totally amber gaze. Only a thin sliver of blue remained around his pupil, the human colour almost swallowed up by the wolf.

  Fear spiked, running down my spine like a pianist caressing the keys, and I found my hand in front of my mouth like some sort of gothic horror heroine. Shit. Had I made a mistake? Did he see me as less a hot lover and more an all you can eat buffet…but not in the fun way? Perhaps…

  Cue mouth, brain on lockdown, legs clamped together to stop me peeing myself in fear.

  “Shit, you are more into dogs… My mom was right, I’m so going to end up a snack,” I whimpered as we pulled into my road. The big, powerful car slid to a stop outside my little house.

  “What?” His brows snapped together, then his expression cleared. “Nononono.”

  He pulled on the handbrake and reached for my hand. I watched blue leech back into his eyes, until the amber was a mere ring around the edge. It was fascinating. I couldn’t help reaching out, wonder making me forget my fear.

  “I’m not into dogs, German Shepherds or otherwise. I just said that to get a rise out of my boss. And you are going to end up as a snack, make no mistake about that.” His voice was low and intimate as he cradled my hand, the stroke of his thumb over my skin mesmerising.

  “I am?”

  “Ohh yeah. I might be a wolf, but I’ve got a cat’s taste for cream.”

  He moved like lightening, his free hand cupping my nape to pull me toward him until our lips were mere millimetres apart. A thrill shimmered through me, chasing away the remnants of fear as my heart-rate picked up again. I wanted him, pure and simple. My pussy clenched hard, my body signalling it was totally onboard with that plan. I was hot and wet. Ready for that wild ride against the wall he’d promised me.

  He took a breath, as though tasting the air, and groaned against my lips; a deep, masculine sound of pained need.

  “Get your keys out,” he ordered, letting me go and throwing his door open. I climbed out of the car on shaky legs. As I delved into the depths of my purse, he looped an arm around my waist and hurried me up the short path to the front door.

  The porch light was out and as soon as we hit the darkness, he turned me. Plucking the keys from my hand, he claimed my lips in a torrid kiss. I moaned, the sound lost under the sensual assault, and crowded closer as our mouths mated. Eager for more. Everything…anything he wanted, just so long as he kept kissing me in that Iwannafuckyousobad sort of way.

  His hand drove into my hair, scattering the pins that held it in place. He groaned in satisfaction as he wrapped the long strands around his fist. Held in place I could do nothing to stop the assault on my lips. Not that I wanted to, parting them when he crowded closer and nipp
ed my lower lip in demand. I gasped, the start of the soft sound audible in the darkness before it was muffled by his mouth.

  Tilting his head, he thrust his tongue past my lips, stroking and sliding along mine in a sensual interplay that sent the blood zinging around my veins. Heat spiralled, firming my breasts and peaking my nipples where they pressed against his broad chest. The twin mounds ached as the need to be naked, to have nothing between us as he moved over me, filled every cell of my body. Arousal drew an arrow down through my core, the rubbing of my stiff peaks inside the satin bra cascading into a fierce ache in my pussy. I kissed back, mating my lips to his as I drove my fingers through the short spikes of his hair. Hair I’d been dying to muss up since meeting him.

  “God, Eloise, you’re killing me.”

  He broke away, his words a pant against my mouth. Pulling on my hair, he ran his lips down the tender column of my throat and urged me backward. A metallic click sounded behind me and a second later we stumbled through the door into my hallway.

  Chapter Four

  The soft light of the kitchen further down the hall illuminated his face, a near-feral mask of hunger and male need as he shoved the door shut behind us. Then it was game on. He growled and dragged me closer, his kiss harder, more dominant as we turned, falling against the wall. Hands, his or mine, I couldn’t tell which…didn’t care…tore at clothes.

  His jacket hit the floor as I pulled his shirt free of his pants, trying to undo the fiddly little buttons between hot, open-mouthed kisses. Another nip of my lower lip stilled me, the inferno in my veins all but overwhelming as he shoved my hands aside and ripped the front of the shirt open. Buttons pinged against the wall, a sharp counterpoint to the soft sound of delight in the back of my throat.

  “Amused?” The growl was back as I ran my hands over his exposed chest, waiting for him to rid himself of the remnants of the cotton. He didn’t. Instead he loomed over me, a dark and dangerous shadow with blue-amber eyes as he looped a hard finger into my cleavage between the girls. “Do you like this dress?”

  I froze, caught like a rabbit in the headlights, easily reading his intention. It was the dress; expensive, classy, and…and… I’d never had a guy so desperate to get naked with me that he ripped the clothes off my body. Fuck it. I lifted my chin, daring him with my expression.

  “Do it.”

  He grinned, a white flash of teeth in the darkness. The canines were a little more elongated than they had been earlier but I didn’t care. He wouldn’t hurt me… I knew that as surely as I knew that tomorrow I’d be walking a little funny.

  The sound of fabric tearing filled the hall, the dress gone in seconds, and I gasped as cooler air hit my sensitive skin. Heat drew bright banners over my cheeks as I stood there, feeling exposed in just my underwear. I was old school. Didn’t wear pantyhose even though all my girlfriends said it was more comfortable. Instead I wore stockings, the suspender belt matching my black satin bra and panties.

  I didn’t smoke, or drink a lot, so nice lingerie, expensive lingerie, was my weakness. It made me feel good, even though it was usually hidden beneath my clothing. I knew it was there, and that was all that mattered.

  Jared took a step back, his gaze racking over me as he dumped the rest of his shirt. I bit my lip as I watched the interplay of sleek muscles under satin skin. He had a hairy chest, more than I was used to, but I didn’t care. Seemed hairy men, wolf men…or one particular werewolf at least, had become my new definition of hotness.

  “Fuck. Me.”

  “Oh, I intend to.” My lips quirked as I pushed off from the wall, advancing on him, backing him up until his heels hit the first step. A hand in the centre of his chest, I pushed backward, forcing him to sit down, then crawled into his lap. The stairs weren’t the most comfortable of places but I was past caring.

  I just wanted him.

  Now.

  “Perfect. You’re just fucking perfect.” His words were a moan as his hands smoothed over my hips, lifting me easily to settle me squarely over the erection tenting his pants.

  I bit my lip again, the abused flesh smarting a little, and wriggled. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, pleasure drawing his features tight.

  “I can smell your heat, your need. It’s driving me crazy,” he admitted as his eyes snapped open to watch me.

  What could I say to that? Nothing.

  Not trusting my voice I just nodded and wriggled again. A sinuous movement as I reached behind me and unsnapped my bra, holding it across my breasts with one arm. I kept up the movement, rubbing my panty-clad pussy over his hard length, teasing us both with the pressure and the thought that just a couple of layers of clothing were all that separated us from what we both wanted. What we both needed.

  “You drive me crazy,” he groaned as he lay back and rolled his hips, holding mine so I ground down over him.

  Fireworks joined the party in my veins, heating every cell until I was nothing more than a writhing mass of heat and need. One spark was all it would take, and I’d go up like a damn parade.

  “I want…let me see?”

  I opened my eyes to find him watching me with open lust on his face, his attention riveted to the arm across my breasts. A smile curved my lips as I teased, arching an eyebrow and sliding the trapped satin a little lower. Low enough that the darkened ring of one areola showed above the black fabric. He growled when I stopped, fingers biting into my hips. I’d have bruises tomorrow but I didn’t care. I wanted the marks, wanted visual proof that he’d claimed me in the most basic way possible.

  “More?”

  The question didn’t need answering, even though he nodded. I was already moving, pulling the garment away to let the girls spring free.

  He cursed, hands sliding up my ribcage as he looked his fill. A shiver washed over my skin as his gaze lingered, as though he’d physically touched me.

  An invitation he wasn’t slow to take up. His rock-hard abs bunched, giving me a great show as he sat upright. Strong arms wrapped around me, the fingers of one big hand around and supporting my ribcage as he buried his face between my breasts. The rasp of his stubble brushed against the delicate skin, tearing a gasp from me as he nuzzled and breathed in deeply.

  One hand slid up again, tangling in my hair as he brushed his cheek across my breast. I groaned as he found my nipple, engulfing it in the wet heat of his mouth. Starbursts exploded behind my eyes as he sucked. Flicked the tight bud with his tongue. Nipped and licked until I was squirming on his lap in desperation.

  “Jared, more. Now.”

  I dug my fingers into his broad shoulders to try and drag him up. I couldn’t take anymore, the coiled tension in my body so tight I knew I was about to snap.

  “You want more?” He lifted his head, a devilish glint in his eyes. “Then more you’ll get.”

  In a heartbeat I was airborne. I squealed, clutching at his shoulders as he stood and turned, easily lifting me to plant my ass on the step he’d been sitting on. A hard knee parted my thighs and then he was there, easing himself over me, hot, hard body mere inches from mine. The stairs had never struck me as the ideal place for seduction, but none of that mattered as he braced himself, hands on the step either side of my head. The muscles in his arms tensed as he leaned down, lips whispering over mine in a barely-there kiss.

  “The underwear… I’ll get you more,” he promised as he moved, lowering himself down my body. I frowned, belatedly making sense of the words but it was too late. The sound of fabric tearing filled the air. I gasped as my panties were whisked away, leaving me clad just in my stockings, suspenders and heels.

  Jared sat back, satisfaction on his face as he looked me over. Self-consciousness was a late comer to the scene, heating my cheeks as I tried to shut my legs, aware that I was spread out for his perusal. He stopped me, hard hands on my knees and a harder look in his eyes.

  “No. Stay where you are.”

  I swallowed. Just the words, the rough order, sent a shiver down my spine again. I always
did like a man to take charge in the bedroom, even if it was the only place he did have control. Pete had always gotten that the wrong way around, more fool him.

  Holding eye contact, Jared leaned forward. His breath whispered over the skin of my inner thighs as he settled himself between them. He didn’t waste time kissing along my leg. Instead he went right in for the kill, blowing a cool breath over my exposed pussy lips. My body clenched, releasing a fresh wave of liquid heat to coat my inner channel as he rumbled in satisfaction.

  “You’re hot. Wet.”

  Too fucking right I was wet. What did he expect after all this damn teasing? But the words remained still on my tongue, stolen away by a whimper as he leaned in further and swept his tongue along my pussy.

  I groaned as he went to town. Long licks to part the lips and clever little flicks over my clit. Teasing and tempting, he drove the tension in my body ever higher. The growls in the back of his throat grew louder, but I didn’t care. Not when he latched onto my clit and sucked at the same time, the vibrations sending waves of pleasure through me so intense that my eyes rolled back in my head.

  Oh god, the man could eat pussy better than he could dance.

  My head dropped back with a thump onto a carpeted step. The hard edges dug into my back, but I didn’t care. Not when he swirled his tongue over my clit again then dragged it down. My breathing caught as he traced around my slit with his tongue. A warm, wet pressure that held my attention. With another rumble he palmed my ass, big hands spread over the globes to lift my hips. Without warning, his tongue stabbed deep, thrusting into my pussy as though he were determined to taste every last drop of my arousal.

  I writhed on the stairs, back arched sharply as he tongue fucked me with a determination that was mind-blowing. Long, hot thrusts of his tongue into my needy pussy before he pulled back to nibble on my clit and then start the cycle again. Hot and fast, slow and penetrating. I whimpered, reaching out to grab the rails. Needing something, anything, to anchor me.