Captive Wolf (Werewolf Erotic Romance) (Amber in Darkness #1) (6 page)

The thought was quickly forgotten as Scott spotted a risky opening. Another car was heading around the outside bend and he'd gained just enough ground to cut in. Swerving the bike, he felt a slight bump as the tire brushed the front bumper of the muscle car. But the headlights remained in his side mirrors, the engine roaring, just on his tail.

He moved back into the other lane just as the lights from the gas station appeared at the bottom of the last rise.

Austin inched up and Scott bent over the front of the bike, using all his strength on the gas. Burning oil filled his senses and smoke streaked out under his leg.

To his side, the glaring yellow cones from the headlights lurched closer, until they were almost to his front tire.

Then the gas station whizzed past, the floodlights illuminating them for the briefest of moments in the cool night.

He eased up on the gas and Austin fell in behind him as they neared the end of the street. Turning the bike into the parking lot of the motel, Scott wondered if he'd actually won.

Amber jumped off the bike before he had the stand in place. "That was fucking amazing." Her squealing voice echoed in the near-empty lot.

Scott pulled his leg over and stood up. Suddenly she was in his arms, her hands up behind his head and her lips pressed to his. He couldn't help the shock on his face as he stared down at her closed eyes. Gorgeous. Her smell, her warmth, her lithe body—enthralling with that look of bliss on her face.

He gripped her hips and then smoothed his hands down, cupping them under her ass, lips closing on hers. Mesmerized by something so poignant, his own racing heartbeat seemed far away, lost in a sea of adrenaline, competitive fire, burning need.

But it was too brief; she pulled back and it crashed down around him.

"Thanks," she whispered against his lips. Then she squirmed out of his arms and ran over to the Charger. "Did you see that, Austin?"

"I did." Austin closed the door and approached Scott as Amber did a little victory dance behind him. "Who won?"

"I don't know." Scott's eyes lingered on her. He ran a hand through his hair.

Austin turned. "Amber?"

She stopped to catch her breath. "What?"

"Who won?" he asked again.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I wasn't paying attention."

Scott took a deep breath. "I guess we'll never know."

"I would be all right if we both lost, or won for that matter."

I knew it
, Scott thought. He frowned. "I'm not too keen about that."

"Okay." Austin gazed back with a look of feigned innocence. "I can accept that."

Scott licked his lips. "Do you want to come in?"

***

White-hot adrenaline pumped through Amber's veins, amplifying every nerve in her body. She could still feel the force of the bike, thrumming between her legs, the taut hardness of Scott's body in front of her, the weight of gravity pinning them together. The thrill of screaming along the sharp edge of death.

Giddy and throbbing all over, she couldn't help but jump him after. Though he'd seemed surprised at that, he hadn't pushed her away. With every signal deep in her wolf-senses blaring that he was interested in her, she hadn't expected him to.

But there was this thing between him and Austin that looked like it was happening too.

How exactly was this supposed to work? Despite the Others and everything that had happened to her, it was the first time she'd found herself in this situation. Maybe she was too used to unrequited affection, but to meet a man, who was interested in her but also liked guys, was confusing.

Her jaw clenched with worry as she followed the two men up the stairs of the run-down motel. The idea of Scott and Austin together was smoking hot, really, and almost too much for her overwrought sense of arousal. But she wanted Scott too. And she'd harbored secret fantasies about Austin for so long.

Scott opened the door to the room and waved them in with a stiff flourish. It wasn't a large area, with only a single queen-sized bed and table, but it was big enough to be comfortable for the three of them.

As soon as the door closed, Scott moved with superhuman speed, lunging across the room to grab Austin's blond hair before pinning him to the wall. A low growl rumbled through Scott's chest and for a moment, fear tightened around Amber's throat.

Austin's green eyes widened as he stared back with surprise, his head restrained by the firm grip. Scott leaned close, his eyes wild with hunger. Then he pressed his lips onto Austin in a heavy kiss. Their mouths clashed like fighting lions, their hard bodies pressed together, locked in a fierce embrace.

With a sigh of relief, she sank onto the edge of the bed. And as she watched the two men, her heart raced with exhilaration, her fists clenched tight in the bed sheets.

Scott held him captive, working his tongue in between the other man's lips. And Austin closed his eyes, his hands clawing desperately at Scott's back. They were stone and brick, grinding together. Iron and steel.

Desire flared, rock hard and razor sharp. And Amber surrendered to the onslaught of emotions, letting it tremble deep in her bones.

After a heady minute of smacking lips and twirling tongues, Scott broke the kiss and turned to Amber, his breath coming heavy. "You okay with this?"

She nodded; she was more than "okay" with it, though she found that hard to explain. It was all she could do not to slide her hands under her skirt, where her nerves were already throbbing and she was pleasantly wet.
Not that they'd mind
, she told herself.

"Good." Scott grunted. With a rough jerk, he turned Austin around so the other man's chest was pinned to the wall.

Austin craned his neck back. "Are you going to ask me?"

"No." Scott's hand came down with a solid crack against Austin's leather-clad backside. "Though I'd be flattered if you begged me to spank you again."

Amber stifled a giggle.

Austin didn't say anything though, neither acknowledging Scott, nor asking him to stop. He just turned his face and leaned on the wall. Whether he'd expected this, or enjoyed it, or was merely resigned, Amber couldn't begin to guess. Austin's feelings had always been a mystery to her.

But Scott's intentions buffeted her like a tempest: bold, driving, fierce. His fingers slid into Austin's waistband, tugging, as his other hand worked at his fly. With a rough yank, he pulled the young vampire's pants down, exposing his porcelain-smooth ass.

Scott's fingers brushed slowly over the curve of his rear, as if intrigued by Austin's pale, marble-like tone. Then he snorted and gave him a sharp smack. Austin grunted, shooting Scott a sidelong glance.

"At a loss for words?" Scott growled. His palm came down with another hard crack. "It might help if you cry a little."

Austin closed his eyes and sighed, ignoring Scott's taunts with a hint of a smile.

Scott spanked the vampire's ass again, and then he glanced back at Amber with a lopsided grin. "You know I could do this all night." He emphasized his words with a loud whack. "And I'll bet he deserves it." Another hard slap.

Amber clapped her hand over her mouth. Heat rose in her cheeks; fresh tingles rolled through her body. She didn't want to laugh at Austin's expense, but Scott had a presence that she couldn't resist. He was self-assured, with just the right level of menace to be unbearably sexy, and despite what he was doing to Austin, his eyes kept drifting to her.

He knew full well that it was turning her on.

"Little problem though." Scott's hand smacked Austin's bare skin. "I doubt he'll have any bruises to show for it."

Austin gave a slight shake of his blond hair.

"Do vampires even feel pain?"

"Yes." Austin cleared his throat finally. "We do."

"Good," Scott snarled and spanked him again.

Then Austin pushed away from the wall, squirming his ass against Scott's crotch, his back to Scott's chest. Momentary bewilderment flashed on Scott's face, like he hadn't expected to find the vampire in his arms quite so quickly.

"The thing about pain…" Austin said in a low voice, grinding against Scott. "Although we feel it, it's warped, like the signals are crossed. Mixed up with pleasure."

"I don't think that's exclusive to vampires." Scott's hands settled on Austin's sides, lifting his shirt.

Amber sighed and settled her hands in her lap, one thumb lightly tracking along the crease of her crotch. She didn't doubt the weight of his words, or the quagmire of conflicting desires behind them. But to her, the meaning was unfamiliar. After all, in her world, pain was just pain, and pleasure just pleasure. The assertion that they could be one in the same was both strange and alluring.

But before she could examine that idea much further, Scott finished pulling Austin's shirt off—then a harsh cry left his mouth.

With lightning speed, Scott jumped back and crouched, rage contorting his face. "What the fuck is that?"

Austin straightened and blinked, looking down at his bare chest. The silver chain and carved onyx amulet stood out in stark relief against his pale skin. He looked back at Scott with a curious, apologetic expression.

"Sorry, I forgot about that."

"The hell you forgot," Scott spat. "That's fucking silver."

The tremor of fear in his voice wouldn't have been noticeable if Amber hadn't already been so focused on him. But it was there, the unwelcome guest, the wild animal, settling in the depths of his black eyes.

"It won't hurt you," Amber said with a reassuring smile.

Scott's brow knotted; his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I know firsthand that you're wrong."

"Relax. It's bonded to my essence." Austin stepped out of his shoes and slid his pants all the way off. He opened his arms wide, standing naked between them. "It'll only affect you if you try to take it off."

"Magic," Scott sneered. "That makes it worse."

The fear flared again, sharper. Blood, fumes, dense musky earth. His scent, but reeking of horror, dread, unfocused panic, with the urge to flee churning under the surface.

She'd only met him less than a day ago, and yet she knew with absolute certainty that this wasn't him. It was his beast, snarling and snapping at the edge of his thorny aura.

"Scott," Amber said softly. "This is his cross to bear, not ours."

She stood and stepped close to Austin, reaching out to touch his bare chest. The amulet was warm, as if swollen with its own fire, but it didn't burn her. She cupped it in one hand, lifting it like an offering up to Scott's wary gaze. With a beckoning gesture, she extended her other hand out to him.

Austin remained silent as he watched with his arms at his sides and an amused smile playing on his lips.

"It'll be okay." She cocked her head. "Don't you trust me?"

Scott's nostrils flared, and his eyes closed for a moment. But when he opened them again, it was as if he'd won a war with himself. Rolling his neck and shoulders, he rose to his feet with renewed confidence.

"I don't trust anyone." A cocky smile touched his lips and he crossed the distance between them with a casual stride. "But I believe you."

Smiling back at him, Amber loosened the strings on her corset, exposing more of her cleavage to him. He gripped her hand, drawing her close for a long unrestrained kiss, crushing her mouth against his, meshing them together.

Her eyes closed as his tongue parted her lips. She hummed and let the amulet go so she could run her hand down Scott's chest. It was like a phantom switch had been thrown, so smoothly that now she wasn't sure it had even existed. Had she really witnessed that moment of fear, or was she deluding herself? Projecting on him what she too often saw in the mirror.

It was familiar, primal, impulsive.
What does he look like when he—

She quickly brushed the thought aside and melded her body against him, berating herself for trying to analyze everything.
Just stop
, she thought. Time to give in, let her mind drift in a state of fuzzy dreamlike arousal.
He's so warm.

Scott broke away and gripped Austin's shoulder. "We're not done yet."

"Of course." Austin lifted his chin, pursing his lips. With his eyes focused on Scott, he stepped backwards to the edge of the bed. And as he sat, he dropped his gaze to his own hard cock, before glancing up again.

But Scott made no move to follow him. Not yet, at least. Instead, he tilted his head, turning his eyes back to Amber. She clenched her hands in his shirt, crumpling it, wadding it up in her tight fists. He wouldn't know it but something palpable had passed between them, a fragile connection. Although he had only shown anger on the surface, she'd shared his fear underneath, his vulnerability. And she didn't want to let that bond go.

He kissed her again, his tongue invading her mouth, striving, tangling with hers. A needy coil of desire twisted in her belly and then lower, forcing her breath to come faster. Her fingers grasped, digging against his hard chest. His hands settled on her hips, urging her closer to the bed.

Their tongues clashed; the kiss deepened, emerging desperate and hungry. In Amber's mind they were alone, some place secret and dark, and it was agonizing, the desire pulsing between them. But that image was painfully short-lived as Austin gave a snort of amusement behind them.

She glanced back into the leering eyes of the young vampire. He'd stretched out on the bed, languid and catlike, on his side. Watching them.

Oh well,
she decided.
He can wait
. She knew Scott wanted Austin as well, and he was a man who got what he wanted. There was no doubt of that. But right now, Scott was all hers. It wasn't that she consciously wanted to compete with Austin. He was her friend, not to mention the subject of her naughtiest fantasies. Even so, she couldn't deny that the petty desire was there, unwanted, lurking.

A stab of guilt under the shivers of lust. Too many intricacies. They were making her head hurt. But regardless, she knew it wouldn't come between her and Austin. She wouldn't let it. No matter what happened, he would always be her closest friend.

Amber slid her hands under Scott's shirt, fingers reaching, exploring his hard defined abs. He raised his arms, an invitation, and she started at the bottom, undoing the buttons. Under his shirt, he was warm, taut, and tanned, with an enticing shadow of dark hair adding to his sharp definition.