Chasing The Moon (2 page)

“Hey, Billy,” she answered, pleased to finally meet one of the anonymous names from the other side of her email account. “It’s nice to meet you in person.”

“Yes, it is. We’ll be taking off soon. Can I get you something first? Something to eat? A drink?” He seemed eager to please, so she hated to say no. “Sure. Something to drink would be great.” He walked past her through the cabin and she trailed him, wondering what was behind the other door. It opened onto a narrow hall with a restroom on the left side and galley at the end. Opening the small refrigerator, he poked around.

“Wine?”

She nodded in response.

“Red or white?”

Definitely not red. After the champagne at the reception, she’d end up with a raging migraine.

“White is good.”

She looked at the door to her side and thought she’d better use the facilities before they took off.

While Billy uncorked the wine, she stepped in and splashed water on her face. Leaning over, she took a good look in the mirror. Makeup barely concealed the black circles under her eyes, and fine lines marred her forehead. No wonder he was offering her wine. She looked tired and stressed out.

When she came out, he was waiting for her in the cabin and handed her the glass. She took a sip as she walked to the couch. Sitting, she tucked her legs up under her. She really ought to change; she’d ruin the dress. With a mental shrug, she gulped more of the wine. It wasn’t like she was planning to wear it again. Lifting the glass for another drink, she was surprised to find it empty. Amused, she looked up and caught Billy’s intent expression, as if he was waiting for something. She should be curious about that, but she was suddenly very tired. Standing, she swayed on her feet, and he caught her shoulders, letting go as soon as she stilled.

“Steady there. I think you drank that a little too fast.”

She shook her head, trying to clear the growing haze and puzzle this out. Then she caught site of something under the open collar of his shirt. A small silver disc. It threw off a hazy vibe, interfering with her senses. She hadn’t seen one in more years than she could remember.

“That’s a witch’s talisman. Why would you wear one of those, Billy?” She swayed, and he again caught her shoulders. A shadow blocked the open cabin door. Why was it still open?

“I think she’s feeling a little woozy, boss.”

Boss? Was this Mr. Hardy? She leaned around Billy and squinted, but her eyes didn’t seem to be working right. The shadow moved closer and took over, plucking the glass out of her hand and passing it to Billy.

“I’ve got it from here,” he said with Jackson’s voice.

She’d never forget that voice. It haunted her dreams and kept her up nights. But how could he be here? She struggled to think, to force her eyes to focus on him. Yep. It was definitely Jackson.

“What are you doing here, Jackson?” Her mouth felt like cotton, and she had to force the words out.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart, you’re gonna be fine.” He looked over his shoulder and spoke to Billy. “Shut the door and tell Clint we’re ready to take off.” Her mind cleared a moment, and she realized what must have happened. She sat down hard on the couch, and he moved closer, reaching a hand out to balance her. Glaring, she shifted away from him.

“You drugged me.”

The moment of lucidity didn’t last long, though, and she stifled a yawn once the words were out, her eyelids sinking closed no matter how hard she fought against it. Before the drug took her, she felt him pull her into his lap and cradle her in his arms like a child. She couldn’t find the will to struggle. Besides, it was kind of nice to stop fighting and sink into his warmth. He smoothed the hair away from her face. She wasn’t sure if his response was real or imagined.

“You didn’t give me much choice, sweetheart.”

* * * * *

Finally he had her where he wanted her. There would no doubt be hell to pay for it. She shifted on his lap and the firm globes of her ass rubbed against his painfully hard cock. They’d been in the air a few hours, were close to home now, but he hadn’t been able to make himself release her. With the discomfort, there was also an extreme sense of satisfaction. He had her. He would keep her. Sighing, he leaned his head back against the rest and closed his eyes. Somehow.

It was a stroke of genius really. When he’d inherited the Alpha position from Brant and began wading through all the assorted pack businesses, he’d been amazed and thrilled to find one was a non-profit for studying wolves. And the major grant recipient? Summer Lambert. It was easy to give her enough work to exhaust herself, to offer the company lodge and plane for a reward for the hard work, to be there when she took him up on the offer. Explaining that
he
was the mysterious benefactor? Not so easy.

The rest of his plan made perfect sense—to him. He suspected it would be impossible to make her see the necessity though. And the fact that everyone she knew was complicit? She might not ever forgive any of them. Trey assured him the spell for breaking the bond was destroyed, and Meg promised the talismans would work to obscure her sense of his kind nearby. He hated to start their life with deception, but the woman had left him no choice, had she?

They were approaching the landing strip, and he had to move quickly to bind them. It would take one bite from him, one delicate rending of her flesh, to combine the enzymes in his saliva with her blood and tie her to him forever. His canines sharpened at the thought. His cock, already hard and throbbing, jerked in response. He ground his teeth to resist the urge. His biggest fear was not being able to control the beast. If he bit her here, on the plane, could he rein in his wolf nature long enough to get her in the house and out of the public areas? He wouldn’t have a choice, and he needed to remove her choices while she didn’t have them, here, unconscious in his lap.

With a decision firm in his mind, he brushed her long hair to one side, exposing the creamy column of her neck. He lowered his lips to her, first dropping a light kiss then sucking the skin into his mouth. Sweet. Tangy. His. He inhaled deeply. The stirring of her arousal mixed with her own unique scent even evident in sleep. He sank his teeth into the soft spot under her ear, right on the side where everyone could see it. He felt the moment the chemicals in his body combined with hers, felt the bond create and snap between them. When he was sure it was done, he lifted his head. With his thumb, he caught the trail of blood that trickled toward her shoulder. She stirred in response, and he groaned, forcing his hands away from the zipper at her back.

Billy stuck his head out the cockpit door. “We’re landing, Jackson.” He nodded. “See you on the other side.”

A slight shaking in the floor indicated the landing gear was going down while the plane swung around to line up with the private runway. Billy would have a car waiting for the short drive to the house.

It could have taken minutes or hours; he was oblivious. When the younger man stepped out of the other room and arched his eyebrows in question, Jackson realized they’d landed. He stood with Summer and walked down the ramp, motioning to Billy to get her things. At the car he settled in the passenger side, and Billy drove them home.

There were several cars out front when they arrived, and he snorted in disbelief. Though most of the pack didn’t see it that way, there were actually some things more important than petty grievances. He was beginning to see the sense in Brant’s iron control policy. And that irritated the fuck out of him. Not for the first time he wondered if Brant had evolved into the self-absorbed asshole they’d all known and hated, or if the pack had made him that way. Jackson was on his way to following in his predecessor’s footsteps.

Carrying Summer, who was still out cold, he walked up the front steps. Billy held the door open for him and they shared a silent communication. How he’d ever thought he could live without this Beta in particular was beyond him. He walked into the foyer and headed straight for the stairs, ignoring all the voices clamoring for attention behind him. He heard Billy’s booming voice call for silence and ordered the area cleared until morning.

“It can wait, people,” he shouted. “Tomorrow. Now clear out.” Jackson ignored all the drama and walked up the stairs, going down the long hall to the spacious master suite at the end. Once inside, he kicked the door closed behind him and laid her gently on the bed. He stepped back and looked down at her for a minute. She was perfect sprawled across their bed, her long black hair like a fan around her and her clothes an enticing tight fit, showcasing curves and soft skin his fingers itched to explore.

Sliding into bed behind her, he pulled the zipper down, trying to quickly and efficiently remove her clothes. It was impossible not to notice the body he bared, but he gritted his teeth and fought his urges. Once that was finished he pulled his shirt over his head and slid off his jeans, glad for once not to be going commando. He needed some barrier between them. Pulling the sheet up, he gathered her in his arms and covered them, hoping to catch a few hours’ sleep. He’d need the rest to face her wrath.

Chapter Two

She felt different on some deep level her muddled mind couldn’t fathom when she awoke, so it took a few minutes for the arms banding her body to register. One wrapped around her waist, settling on her hip, and the other scooped under her torso, cupping her breast. Male arms, thick, well-muscled, and awakening an unfamiliar yearning.

She occasionally took a lover. She never stayed the night. But this somehow felt…right—for the half a second before her brain kicked into working gear. Then the memory of Jackson and what he’d done filled her mind. She struggled to free herself.

She found herself on her back, wrists pinned in his grip next to her head with his erection pressed into her pelvis. He growled low in his throat when she pushed against him, and she tried desperately to suppress her rush of arousal. She didn’t want this, right? Didn’t want him? Her body certainly had other ideas. She should feel terror or rage trapped beneath him. Or, at the very least, distrust.

His icy blue eyes glowed down at her with command and passion. He rocked his hips against her, his hard cock only kept from her entrance by the thin underwear he wore. Her pussy clenched in response. Growing hot and wet, her body seemed to have a mind of its own, and her hips thrust up against him.

It was so unlike her and, with lust filling the corners of her mind, she had a hard time puzzling it out. She’d wanted him when they met, but she’d gotten over it, hadn’t she? Never mind the dreams.

Everyone dreamed about completely inappropriate partners. This was beyond want. The longer he lay pressed against her, the more need crawled through her body. When his mouth lowered to hers, his tongue tracing her contours and silently begging entry, she thought she’d explode on the spot. Her lips parted on a groan, and his tongue dipped inside. Gentle. Insistent. He outlined her teeth before his tongue dueled with hers. He tasted like caramel and coffee, and the exposure was too brief.

Then his lips were following the angle of her jaw to her ear. His rough tongue lapped the skin down her neck to the super sensitive hollow between her nape and shoulder. The contact sent a jolt of electricity straight to her pussy. Clarity struck her with a similar force, and she struggled against him.

Lifting his head, his gaze bore into hers.

“You bit me,” she ground out between clenched teeth. “Let me up, Jackson.” Even as she said the words, he ground against her, and she felt a fresh flood of warmth between her legs.
It isn’t real. It’s just crazy werewolf chemistry.

“We are way past the point of no return, Summer.”

How the hell did he get his underwear off?

She realized her hands were free and put them on his shoulders, prepared to push him away.

This wasn’t happening.

Then why were her fingers itching to caress him?

“No way, Jackson. You people are a lot of things, but I’ve never heard y’all condone force.

Or…or
rape
.”

She stuttered past the ridiculous attack. She was angry and hurt, but there couldn’t be much doubt that she wanted him. His jaw hardened and his own anger flared in response.

“Don’t be so sure of that, sweetheart. I met you months ago. I’ve known for months you’re my mate, and you knew it then, too. But you ran and hid. Do you have any idea what that does to a werewolf? I gave you as much time as I had to give, damn it.” He leaned his forehead against hers and took a deep breath. His cock nestled between them bumped her clit, and she struggled to think instead of feel. He was right. She’d known and avoided. He’d obviously let her. She wasn’t exactly in a position to think through the whole situation now.

He looked up and met her gaze. “God, Summer, I don’t think I can take you putting me off anymore. This is dangerous to everyone, especially you.”

Why did his plea touch her heart so deeply? Was it just the bond or something else? He was giving her a choice, and she made the decision without thinking. Reaching one hand between them, she curled her fingers around his cock. He gasped and thrust into her palm, while she matched his rhythm, tightening her grip more when he groaned his approval.

“Jesus,” he moaned. “Harder.”

She gripped him harder and ran her other hand up his side, lingering over his many scars. Some felt new and she wondered what had been going on in his pack. She reached his pecs and flicked one nail over a hard nipple. He was big and broad, an exquisite specimen of the male of his species. How often had she dreamed of him taking her, holding her down, and refusing to let her hold back? His body exceeded expectations. She wondered if the rest of him would too.

He pulled her hand off his dick and laced their fingers together, then leaned over and took her mouth in a bruising kiss. With the other he guided himself inside her. She held her breath as he filled her, stretched her. He grabbed her other hand and held both above her head on the pillow.

How did he know exactly what she needed?