Call of the Wilds (11 page)

“Mmm, I want to taste this—”

“Enough!” He lifted her hips, and she guided him to her entrance.

“Can’t take the heat, baby?” she whispered in his ear. For a second she stayed motionless, teasing them both, then she slid down until she sheathed his entire length. His cry of pleasure was music to her ears, and she answered with one of her own.

“Please,” she ground her hips against him, “fuck me.”

“My pleasure,” he grunted. He gripped her hips and lifted until only the head of his cock remained inside her. She pushed down, engulfing him again.

Desire clouded his eyes. “Good. So good.”

She gripped his shoulders, loving the play of muscles bunching under her fingers. Her sweat-slick body moved against his in a rhythm that made her moan each time he filled her. A familiar flutter started in her stomach.

“Fuck, Karin. You feel so damn good.”

Anticipation twisted her insides. “Don’t stop, please. Harder.”

He panted against her cheek. Her own breath came in grunts and gasps until she sobbed with the need for release. Her walls gripped him and tightened around his thrusting shaft. He slipped a hand between them, and his thumb circled her sensitive nub. Exquisite, exhilarating tension filled her.

The world spun as if she rode a Tilt-a-Whirl. She tried to hold on and make the ride last. A great shuddering spasm caught fire, and she thought she might spontaneously combust. He pinched her clit, and the flames exploded in a dazzling kaleidoscope of color. She screamed, and he echoed her uninhibited cry with a harsh groan of satisfaction as he thrust into her one last time. Collapsing against his chest, she tightened her arms around him, wanting some elusive thing he hadn’t given her. He held a part of himself back, or maybe she imagined it because she held back her own true feelings.

Deep howls intruded on her blissful afterglow.

“Is that you?” she murmured against his chest.

He answered with a great rumbling laugh, and she lifted her head.

“Oh my God,” she panted and buried her face again. “Do we have an audience?”

“Turnabout is fair play.”

She giggled into his neck. “You’ve been doing a fair amount of growling yourself. No wonder they’re stirred up.”

“Serves them right. I had to watch them mate.”

Mate! It hit her like a bullet between the eyes. She drew in a deep breath and blinked.

“What’s wrong?”

“We, uh, we didn’t use anything.” She’d never done anything like this before. She stopped taking the pill when she moved here, thinking she wouldn’t let a man get that close, and now she’d just had unprotected sex. “I’m not on the pill.”

“It’s okay. I’m clean and I can’t get you pregnant.” He kissed her nose, then set her down, zipped his jeans, and reached for her clothes. “Sorry, I should have told you.”

Her face fell, and she drew in a long surprised breath. “You can’t have kids?” Loss seared her soul.

“No, so you have nothing to worry about,” he said flatly. He looked like she sucker-punched him.

“I didn’t mean—” Her heart twisted.

“Forget it. It doesn’t matter.”

“Of course it matters.”

He didn’t answer, just helped her with her clothes.

“Talk to me.”

He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. “There’s nothing to talk about. I wasn’t thinking. I came here to thank you and tell you how great Ralf is doing. Instead, I got carried away and took advantage of you again. It was a stupid move. What if somebody showed up?”

“It would have been embarrassing,” she conceded.

“It would be more than embarrassing, especially if Frank caught us. He watches you like a man stand hunting for deer.”

“I’m nobody’s trophy,” she replied indignantly. “I can see who I want.”

“I know, sweetheart.” He lifted her chin and looked down at her. “But he can make things very unpleasant for both of us.”

“I don’t care.”

“Well, I care enough for both of us. I’ve gotten you in too deep already, and I’m not worth it.”

“I think you are.”

“Karin, you don’t know anything about me. I’m not relationship material.”

“So you’ve said.” She tried to swallow past the lump lodged in her throat.

“You deserve better.”

“Let me decide what I deserve. I’m not looking for happily ever after, Malcolm. I’m not even sure it exists. I didn’t come here looking for a man, but we have a connection. You can’t deny it.” Her voice trembled.

“We had sex, Karin. End of story. We both wanted it, and now we got it out of the way. Plain and simple,” he added gruffly.

“It’s never that simple.” His harsh words pierced like a knife in her heart. Maybe it was just sex to him, but it meant much more to her. Had she misread him? A man could fake caring if he wanted sex. This was exactly what she feared. She threw caution to the winds and trusted a complete stranger and look where it got her. She gave him her heart, and he stepped on it.

“Karin, I’m no good for you. You deserve a man who can take care of you, give you a baby.”

“Don’t.” She did not want to hear this now. Not after she just let him inside her body and her heart. “I don’t want to talk about this now.”

“You’re right. We’ll talk later. Now I need to get you inside.” Without another word, he lifted her and started for the building.

* * * *

Frank hadn’t heard from Karin since the fight at the refuge. She was mad at him and rightly so. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about Malcolm Connor, but he never meant to disrespect Karin. The way Connor looked at her, and the way she looked back, like he was some kind of hero or something, made him see red, or maybe green.

 
He tried to make amends by getting the ATV back in shape, even getting Glenn involved. Now he had to listen to the kid’s crude taunts. He didn’t want anyone knowing about him and Karin until they were a real couple, but he would suffer Glenn’s baiting if it meant getting back in Karin’s good graces again. He couldn’t believe she hadn’t even called to thank him. He gave her some space but figured he’d waited long enough.

 
When he saw Malcolm’s Jeep parked in front of the refuge, the green monster raised its head again. No wonder she didn’t have time to call. Determined not to upset Karin, he calmed himself down before going inside. The empty building made him angry all over again. Doing a little first aid on the bastard’s nose was one thing. Spending time with him was a whole other ball game.

He took the trail to the enclosure. Where else would they be? Nearing the habitat, he heard them laughing. He moved off the path and approached stealthily. When he came within sight, he hid behind a hemlock. What he saw made him shake with rage. The two of them screwed like a pair of wild animals, not caring who saw them. Something snapped inside him, and he turned cold like sculpted ice. Dead certainty filled him—the little bitch used him. It made him sick to his stomach. She’d rather have that mongrel rutting inside her than him. He wanted to marry her, not take her in the woods like some beast. Maybe she liked it wild and savage. One thing was for sure, he would not wait for the wedding now. His turn would come and soon. He would have the little slut begging him to fuck her.

Despite his disgust, his own member grew hard, and he rubbed the growing bulge through the material of his slacks. He suppressed a groan as his cock stiffened, and his hands shook as he unzipped his pants and pulled it out to relieve himself. A low breath escaped his lips and sweat ran down between his shoulder blades. Jesus, he’d never been this hard before. Holding his penis in a loose fist, he pumped up and down the shaft slick with his pre-cum. He got hotter as he watched, and he pumped harder. He increased the speed, and his breathing grew ragged.

He imagined Karin lying on her back. He would thrust his cock between her breasts, and then at the point of no return, he would pull her head up and shove it in her mouth. She would suck him dry and love it. His movements became erratic. His whole body stiffened, and he groaned as he came hard. The waves of pleasure grew less intense. He grabbed his handkerchief and cleaned himself off. Pulling up his zipper, he left before they could spot him.

Chapter Eleven

“Okay, doc, what do you want me to do?”

“Well, for one thing, you can put me down. I’m not an invalid.”

Malcolm carried her into the office and sat her in the chair by her desk. “What can I do to help you?”

Go home.

“Nothing,” Karin responded stiffly. “The best treatment for a sprained ankle is the RICE method—rest, ice, compression, and elevation. I can take care of myself.” She didn’t want him to stay out of some misplaced sense of guilt because she took care of Ralf. And as for the sex? Well, she couldn’t blame him for her stupidity. She always figured herself as a good judge of character. This time she let lust get in the way of common sense.

“Let me drive you home. You should rest that leg.”

“My ankle’s not broken, and I’m not going home.” She shook her head adamantly, not wanting to move for fear she’d shatter in a million pieces. “I have work to do. I can shower here, and I have a change of clothes.”

“Okay. Then I’ll help you get cleaned up.”

“No. I’ll be fine.” Did he really think she’d let him in the shower with her? She was no glutton for punishment. If he touched her or acted all worried, she would cry for sure. The good feelings she had when they made love were all gone. No, they hadn’t made love. He fucked her, plain and simple. Isn’t that what he said? She would manage on her own.

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He looked so serious, unhappy even. Good. She hoped he felt as miserable as she did.

He knelt by her feet. “I never want to hurt you.” He took her hand. “I care about you. I only want what’s best for you.”

“I know,” she said bitterly. How many women have heard that line? “I just don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“But we will talk.” He scribbled his cell number on a pad by her phone and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Call me if you need anything.”

She waited until the door slammed before she started crying. What changed? After the sex, he cooled toward her. Was it the idea of Frank catching them in the act or her thoughtless reaction to his confession about being sterile? Or maybe he got what he wanted and decided he didn’t want any more. He could have lied about having another woman in his life. She didn’t need marriage, but she was no sheep. She would never be one of the herd. It would be a whole lot easier if she hadn’t fallen so hard for him.

What was it about this man that made her want him so desperately? There had been other men—boys, really. He was no boy. Experienced, rough, he had a feral quality she found very exciting, and, yet, he had a surprisingly gentle side. Her insides twisted in painful knots. The thought of not seeing him again was unimaginable.

Maybe they just needed to take a step back. His feelings were hurt. He needed time. He’d get over it. They would talk, and he would realize how good they were for each other. Or not. Either way, there was nothing to be done about it now.

She had to stop pining over Malcolm and start worrying about her job. This infatuation played havoc with her emotions, let alone her priorities. Before she did another thing, she needed to clean up. If someone walked in now, she’d knock them over with her BO—sex and wolf shit, good combo. A hot bath would be nice, but the tiny stall shower would have to do. She hopped over to the front door, locked it, grabbed a change of clothes, and headed for the bathroom.