Captured Moon-6 (3 page)

easily filled in. She was like a vision standing there. Barely pushing 5’4”, she was proportioned perfectly, from full, high breasts to her narrow waist and flared hips. She had an ass that drove him crazy. He’d heard her complain to his sisters a few days ago that she needed to lose weight. He’d have to put a stop to that. She glared at him through soulful brown eyes, auburn hair falling down around her shoulders, and he had to stuff his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching for her.

“I thought you were Maggie or Marilyn.”

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Captured Moon by Loribelle Hunt

That did it. He growled, the sound welling up from deep in his chest. Attitude justified. She hadn’t even looked through the damned peephole! He’d been worried about his reception. Now, he plain didn’t care.

Rule had loved her for years. Most of them were the same way he

loved his little sisters. The last five years had been hell. Knowing she should be his, knowing she’d married someone else. If he hadn’t known she loved Alex, if he hadn’t known how determined she was to make it work, he would have claimed her anyway.

It had been bad enough when she’d been married to the

werepanther, but how he’d managed to keep his distance the last year, he had no idea. Every date, the lover several months ago—God that had nearly killed him. It had taken all his restraint not to beat that guy to a pulp and promise a hell of a lot worse if he didn’t keep his hands off Abby. He didn’t want to consider how things might have ended if it had been Lawe at home and not him. His brother more than likely would have given into the impulse.

He’d only managed the restraint because, God knew, she needed it.

That idiot Alex had been killing her spirit for years. When she’d finally come to her senses and left him, she’d needed to spread her wings, find herself again. And now, when he and Lawe were ready to make their move, Alex was all of a sudden worried about her? He hadn’t worried about Abby when they’d got divorced. Instead, he’d made a point of asking the twins to watch out for her, knowing she was practically family.

Now, he was under the impression he needed to protect his ex from them.

Rule snorted. Well, they’d reached an agreement of sorts.

After seeing her in that dress tonight, after allowing herself to be auctioned off, Rule knew he couldn’t wait any longer. A man, a werewolf, could only take so much. It didn’t matter if
she
didn’t know she was his.

He
knew it. Damned if he’d let anyone else sample her again.

“Rule?” She snapped her fingers waving a hand in front of his face.

“You zoned out.”

His gaze zeroed in on the cleavage left exposed by the gaping neck

of the robe. Oh yeah. Time to get on with the sampling.

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Captured Moon by Loribelle Hunt

Lifting his eyes to meet hers, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the lavender scent of her soap, with the sweet tangy scent under it that was all Abby. He felt overheated, constrained in his clothes, ready to get naked and inside her at the earliest possibility. Answering heat flared in her eyes.

“Invite me in,” he whispered. His throat was suddenly raw. Dry like a man starving for a long cool sip of water, and she was his freshwater spring.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

He smiled. Still playing the off‐limits almost sister. He lifted his hand to her face, rubbed the pad of his thumb across her full bottom lip. A slow smile spread across his face. It would be such a joy to make her scream in ecstasy. He’d waited so long to hear that sound. Too damned long.

“I think it’s a very good idea.”

He lowered his hand to his side and she gasped, reaching out to lift it back up. His knuckles were raw. When her gaze flashed back to his face, he saw her eyes widen as she noticed the bruise beginning to purple his jaw and the scrape under his chin.

“Oh, my God.” She pulled him inside the apartment, slamming the

door shut. “What did y’all do?”

He grinned. Her Southern accent always came out when she was upset. She didn’t like it, but he thought it was cute.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. We’re brothers. It’s not the first fight, and trust me, it won’t be the last.”

Her mouth gaped. “Lawe?”

She’d been expecting Alex. He snorted. Like he’d risk his knuckles

over that fool?

She tapped her foot when he didn’t respond. “So y’all are reverting

now? From thirty to five in a matter of minutes?”

He ignored her sarcastic tone. Lawe would have gone crazy over it,

and he was going to be the opposite of his brother in all things. Besides, he didn’t want to see her fragile, newfound self‐confidence slipping. He sure as hell didn’t want to be the one who caused it.

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Captured Moon by Loribelle Hunt

He shrugged. “Alex sets our teeth on edge. We needed to work off

some steam.”

Not exactly true, but she didn’t need to hear Lawe was ready to rush right over and claim her. She snorted, moving farther into the room and taking a seat right on the edge of her sofa. Her hands twisted in her lap, then she crossed her arms over her chest before jumping to her feet.

“I should go put some clothes on.”

“Don’t bother on my account.”

He was pretty sure she was naked under that robe, and nude meant

easy access. She was already moving, but paused at the entrance to the hallway. Looking over her shoulder, she frowned, turning halfway to face him. He held his breath. The action exposed a long smooth thigh and the gentle inside swell of one breast. His heart slammed in his chest.

“You’re acting…weird tonight. The auction, your brother and Alex,

showing up here. And what the hell was Gage up to? I don’t get it.”

She shook her head as he walked over to her, stepping close enough to feel the rise and fall of her chest without pressing her against the wall. She tilted her head back to meet his gaze.

“Don’t worry about Gage.” The Alpha had just done that to force him and Lawe to make a move. He didn’t like being manipulated by his Alpha, but he didn’t know the man well enough to risk ignoring it. He didn’t want to go into any of that with Abby right now, anyway. “Maybe I’ve decided to quit pretending that I don’t want you.”

Her eyes widened. “You want me?”

He nodded.

“I don’t believe it.”

Her breath quickened, the pulse in her neck beating rapidly, and he

watched the emotions flash across her face. Surprise. Acceptance. Lust followed by a pretty pink blush that spread from her face to her chest.

A chest that from his current angle was completely exposed. If he

stepped back a foot she’d still be covered, but he couldn’t make himself do it. Fuck, no. If he did that, some sense of sanity might return to him, she might kick him out, any number of things could go wrong. If that was going to happen he had to have one taste, just one tiny taste, to tide him 19

Captured Moon by Loribelle Hunt

over.

Hell, he understood her. Lived and breathed her. This was a woman who deserved to be wooed, needed to be courted in the old‐fashioned ways. She trusted him, but it was a different kind of trust entirely that he wanted from her. The things he wanted to do to her…well, they didn’t belong in a casual sexual encounter. He knew Lawe felt the same way.

He groaned thinking about it, his cock swelling painfully. Abby spread across his bed. Abby tied to his bed. Oh, yeah. That was a plan of action he could get behind. But not tonight. Tonight was about gentle, sweet loving, teaching her she wasn’t deficient in any way and showing her she wasn’t responsible for Alex’s shortcomings.

But then she reached between them, her hand brushing against his

dick and nearly sending him through the stratosphere. She untied the knotted belt around her waist and blew his plans all to hell.

Right here, man. Right against this wall.
His wolf howled in agreement.
No, no, no, idiot.
He wasn’t blowing five years’ worth of control for a five minute bang against a wall. He gritted his teeth and stepped back, but then made the mistake that sealed their fate and looked down at her. Leaning against the wall, her breasts were pert, the robe hung open at her sides. She was—praise God—naked underneath it.

He wasn’t gentle when he pushed her to the wall, grinding his hips

against hers, growling when she squirmed. Grabbing her hands, he meshed her fingers with his and pinned them next to her face, claimed her mouth. He caught her pouty lower lip between his teeth and she moaned, darting her tongue over them. Then his tongue was in her mouth. Firm, insistent, forceful, taking them where he wanted to go.

Her chest rose and fell against his. He felt her hard nipples through the thin cotton of his shirt, knew she was turned on. Maybe not as much as him, but definitely moving in the right direction. When she started to rock with him, her pelvis moving in tandem with his, it was too much.

Something inside him, some well of control, shattered. The wolf gained supremacy.

He released her wrists and with a shaking hand reached for the 20

Captured Moon by Loribelle Hunt

snap on his jeans. He struggled with it a minute while she pulled down the zipper. Once free, he shoved them down his hips, not even bothering to take them off, afraid he’d explode if he took the time. He gripped her hips, slid her up the wall while stepping between her legs.

“Wait,” she whispered, and he groaned. Damn. “We need a

condom.”

He chuckled, a ragged, thready sound. Ever practical. That was his

Abby. He maneuvered his wallet out of his back pocket, flipped it open and pulled out the foil‐covered packet, but part of him rebelled. This was his mate. He didn’t get diseases to pass on, and he didn’t need to protect her from pregnancy. God, the thought of her carrying his pup was almost his undoing. He heaved a deep breath, took in her scent. He couldn’t bear the thought of entering her covered.

“You aren’t fertile, and you know I’m clean.”

She met his gaze a long minute and finally nodded. It was all the invitation he needed. He dropped the wallet and thrust into her.

He froze, assaulted by sensation. Wet, warm, tight. Pleasure. Pure,

unadulterated heaven. He’d been so stupid to wait this long. This was where he belonged—wrapped in her embrace, wrapping her in his.

Abby laid her head against his chest, one ear pressed flat over his

heart. What did she think of that crazy, staccato rhythm? Did she realize that was all her, that he’d never felt this wildness before? She shifted, lowering herself farther down his cock so he was fully inside her.

“Nice as this is,” she whispered, and he heard the smile in her voice, “I think there’s more to it.”

Hell, yeah. Reminding himself to be careful, he withdrew from her

slowly, wanting to drag the sensation out. Her cunt clenched around him as if protesting the movement, and he didn’t make it halfway before thrusting back in. There was no gradual build up, no finesse, not even any skill. Just him slamming in and out of Abby, his hands gripping her hips hard enough to bruise, his upper body pushing her hard against the wall.

The only thing that saved him from complete embarrassment was

the little sounds she made. Alternating between breathy gasps and kitten‐like mewls, they pushed him. Drove him higher. When she came, 21

Captured Moon by Loribelle Hunt

her pussy convulsed around his cock, her nails raked long scratches down his arms, and she cried out his name.

It was all he needed to follow her over the edge, and his teeth, his canines extending, found the slender column of her throat. He broke the skin even though he knew he should wait for Lawe, should wait to discuss it with her. Not caring that he didn’t. His only real regret was that she wasn’t in her heat. What better way to claim a mate than to fill her belly with your child?

The primitive urge surprised him. He’d always been careful, had never wanted to share a woman with a child. Never thought he would want to. But the idea of Abby having his baby didn’t fill him with fear. As he pictured her belly growing round with their child, intense want filled him. It almost sent him to the floor, but he sagged against her and the wall, instead.

She’d be sexy as hell pregnant, rosy and glowing and happy. He couldn’t believe he was thinking it, imagining it. When he’d realized she was his mate, she’d been married to someone else, and he’d given up hope of having a family of his own. Now things were changing, shifting.

She pushed against his shoulders. He moved, leaning his shoulder

against the wall next to her. A bead of blood trickled down her neck. He leaned over and caught it. Her skin was salty and tangy, and he regretted not having taken the time to explore it. When he looked up at her she was blushing, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. She pushed away from the wall, tugged the robe closed and tried to walk around him and down the hall. Concerned—and maybe a little alarmed— he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against him. He held her still with one arm while tilting her face up with his other, making her meet his gaze.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“We shouldn’t have done this,” she whispered. Her hand flew to her neck, and a horrified look crossed her face. “You
bit
me, Rule.”