ChasingCassie (11 page)

He was right. It came down to believing what he said or not.
If not, she should send him on his way. If she did, though… Something settled
in her chest, easing her anxiety. Hope unfolded within her. She knew that
werewolves took mating seriously, far more seriously than humans did marriage.
A mating could only be broken through death.

“I’d like to give this a real relationship a try. Give us a
chance. That is, if you’d still like to have a relationship with me.”

He grasped her face with his hands and took her mouth in a
deep, sweeping kiss. Leaning back, he stared down at her sternly.

“Cassie.” His voice was firm. “Of course I do.”

“I’m not very experienced with relationships. Actually, I’m
not experienced at all. But I’d like to learn. I’d like to try.”

He swept his arms around her. The lips that possessed hers
were hot, hungry and filled with sensual promise.

When he let her go, she swayed, shaken by the intense
longing that had rushed through her.

“You’re sure?” The vulnerable note she heard in his voice
amazed her.

She nodded. “Yes, I’m sure.”

“Thank you. You won’t regret this, I promise.”

He kissed her again, a sweet little peck that soon turned
sizzling.

He drew back, his gaze sizzling as it roamed over her body.

“Strip me, baby.”

She moved frantically, desperate now to touch his bare skin.
When he stood before her, her breath caught in her throat at how truly gorgeous
he was. He winked at her, not in the least bit self-conscious as her gaze
roamed over his smooth, muscular chest down to his tapered waist. His shaft was
fully aroused and she became fixated, unable to look away as the urge to taste
him overrode every other thought in her head.

“Uh-uh,” he said and she looked up at him, startled. “I know
what you’re thinking and not yet. You take me into that sweet mouth of yours
and I’m a goner.”

She smiled and licked her lips, watching as his cock
twitched.

“Brat,” he growled as he reached for her, quickly stripping
her before he picked her up in his arms.

Carrying her into the bedroom, he tossed her on the bed.
Lying beside her, he brushed his hand over her forehead, down her cheek,
tracing her features as though he were trying to memorize her by touch. He laid
light kisses on her cheeks, her nose, her lips. His mouth lingered on hers.
Feverish bliss overtook her. She thrust her hips against him, inviting him to
touch her elsewhere, to ease the delicious pain that came with wanting him so
much.

“Don’t make me wait,” she ordered as his mouth left hers to
kiss along her collarbone, eliciting sensual waves of pleasure that rolled
straight to her clit as she whimpered in delight.

“But what if I want to play?” he asked huskily.

“Jay,” she cried. Suddenly he rolled onto his back, drawing
her on top of him.

“Take me then, my impatient love.”

She reached down, circling his shaft, pumping firmly,
enjoying his groan as he drove his hips up. But she was too starved, too
desperate to tease him. Kneeling, she held the base of his shaft and directed
him toward her pussy.

They both moaned as the tip of him came into contact with
her warm, moist folds. Instead of immediately directing him to her entrance,
she guided his cock to her clit, rubbing the head over the swollen bundle of
nerves, watching him as he watched her, each feeding off the other’s joy.

“Jesus, Cassie, you’re so hot. Look at you, a goddess. How
did I ever get you?”

She whimpered as he cupped her breasts, his thumbs grazing
her nipples. It was too much. She had to have him, now. Moving the head of his
shaft to her entrance, she drove herself on him in one smooth, clean thrust.
Then she dropped forward, placing her palms flat on his chest, staring down at
him once more. Passion was etched into every line of his face while his eyes
seemed to glitter with burning need.

Thighs quivering, she couldn’t seem to move fast enough, to
take as much of him in as she needed.

“Easy,” he moaned, resting his hands on her hips as he
slowed her down.

“I want,” she panted, “I want—”

“Shh, baby, I know.” He rolled onto his side, taking her
with him, his cock still lodged firmly inside her. Clasping her thigh, he
raised one leg up so it rested over his hip before dipping his hand down
between them, his finger homing in on her clit, giving her exactly what she
longed for.

“Oh, oh, ohhh,” she cried as she came, her orgasm rolling
through her. He drove into her harder, this position making him feel even
bigger, filling her even more. Cassie clasped his shoulders, clamping her
muscles around his shaft until he gave one final deep plunge and exploded.

Relaxing, he pulled out of her and rolled onto his back,
gathering her against his side.

“Wow, who knew it could get better?” she marveled as he
chuckled. He ran his hand down her back, slapping her bottom lightly.

“We’ll have to start packing,” Jay murmured as she snuggled
into his chest. “Although we’ll wait for the morning.”

“Packing?” She stiffened.

“I take it you want to bring some of this stuff with you?”

“Ahh, well, most of my gear is still in Landon, this is the
landlord’s furniture.”

“That’ll make it quicker then.”

“Jay?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you asking me to move in with you?”

He leaned up on one elbow. “Of course you’ll move in with
me.”

“Onto the estate?”

“Yes.” He was looking at her a little quizzically.

“I’m not sure I’m ready for that. Not quite yet. Moving in
with you, moving onto the estate. Those are big steps.”

“Cassie.” He took her hand, squeezing it gently. “You’re my
mate. These last few days, keeping my distance, it was incredibly, horrendously
hard. I don’t want to waste any more time apart from you.”

She chewed her lip. She’d known this was coming, she just hadn’t
expected him to broach the subject so soon. But then, what had she thought?
That they’d live apart? That wasn’t what she wanted at all.

“Can I have a little more time? I have to work out a week’s
notice anyway. Jimmy took me on with no experience. He took a chance on me. I
can’t leave him hanging.”

Jay snorted. “Oh yeah, he took a real chance. Come on,
Cassie, the guy snapped you up because he knew how lucky he was that someone as
classy and hardworking as you wanted to work in that dump.”

“It’s not a dump.”

“Yeah it is, and you owe that guy no loyalty. I bet he works
you long hours for crap pay and with little thanks.”

Well, she couldn’t really argue with that, but still…

“I’m not walking out, Jay,” she replied, crossing her arms.
“I do have some work ethic, you know. I need some time to get used to the two
of us before I have to get used to living with the pack, to sharing you with
them. I know it’s selfish when you need to go back—”

“You’re not being selfish,” he interrupted her. He ran his
hand through his hair, ruffling it even more. “Okay, another week it is. You
can get used to living with me before you have to live on the estate. I must
admit, I like having you all to myself.”

“Are you sure? I’ll understand if you have to go, I can
follow…”

He shook his head. “They’ll manage without me.”

But she saw the frown flutter across his face and she
wondered how long he could, and would, stay away.

* * * * *

“That was one hot kiss.” Ella fanned her hand in front of
her face as she stepped into the kitchen of Fat Eddy’s. “So I take it you and
Jay are together now?”

Cassie blushed. Jay had walked her into the bar, kissing her
lingeringly before he’d taken a seat in her section. She’d tried to convince
him to stay at home but he’d told her he could make his calls as easily from
the bar as he could from her apartment, and here he could keep an eye on her.
She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that, but didn’t feel it was something
to argue with him over. Yet.

“Yeah, we are.”

“About time, any fool can see he loves you.”

“He hasn’t said it,” Cassie replied, surprised by how much
she longed to hear the words from him. “I didn’t think you liked him.”

Ella shrugged. “I was prepared to hate him after he hurt
you. But he’s not so bad.”

“He wants me to move back with him. But I don’t know if I’m
ready for that just yet.”

“You love him, don’t you?”

Cassie shook her head.
Do I?

“You’re lying to yourself if you think you don’t, Cassie.
Even my jaded, disillusioned eyes can see he makes you happy. Maybe, maybe
that’s worth a shot. Life is what
you
make it.”

The taller woman turned her face away abruptly as Cassie
gaped, taken aback. Ella always seemed so tough, yet Cassie was sure she’d seen
her eyes glitter with tears.

“Of course, it could be that he enjoys the chase. Some guys
are like that, they like to chase and when they catch you they dump you like
last week’s rubbish.” The words were bitter but the pain was real.

“Ella—” Cassie reached up with a tentative hand but Ella
shrugged it off, walking to the door.

“I guess you’ve got to decide if he’s worth the risk to your
heart.”

Chapter Nine

“Who was that?” she asked as Jay walked into the bedroom,
shutting his cell phone. It had been a long shift and she felt exhausted. It
didn’t help that she’d spent half the time worrying about moving back to the
estate and the other half trying to get Jay to stop growling at all her
patrons.

He’d taken exception to every customer she had, glaring at
them until she’d stepped away. Tomorrow, she was going to insist he stay at
home.

“Rye,” he answered, his face serious.

“What is it? Is it Dusty?”

“Dusty’s okay, not great, but she’s alive. They’re releasing
her soon. Cain’s still with her. We thought it was HAW who bombed the shop, but
Dusty reckons she caught a scent before the bomb went off. She’s certain she
smelled a werewolf.”

“What? Not one of the Shadowpeak pack?”

“No.” He shook his head. “She doesn’t know who, but she’s
certain it was a werewolf.”

“Why would another werewolf bomb the shop? And how are you
all going to find him?”

“Good questions,” he replied seriously. “The enforcers are
meeting tonight to discuss possibilities. I’ll ring Rye tomorrow for a
briefing.”

“Wow, that’s awful. I mean, it’s awful to think HAW would do
something like that, but for it to be another werewolf? That’s horrid.”

Jay nodded, obviously deep in thought.

“They need you to go back,” she guessed.

He gazed over at her pensively. “Yeah, they do.”

“When?”

“Now, apparently. I told Rye that was impossible, that I’d
be back next week. He wasn’t happy.”

She swallowed. Cassie felt awful, she knew he needed to go
home. She was worried about fitting in with the pack. Jay seemed confident
they’d accept her but she wasn’t so sure. She’d be the odd one out again, the
only human. But she couldn’t keep him with her, not when they needed him.

“I have some questions,” Cassie began, sitting up on the
bed. Maybe she’d feel better if she armed herself with some information.

“Yeah?” Jay glanced up at her, his fingers moving in long
sweeps over her thigh.

“Will the pack always come first? If Ryan were to order you
home, would you have to go? Leave me?”

Jay shook his head. “It doesn’t work that way. Not really.
The pack is an integral part of a werewolf’s life. Werewolves have to live with
a pack.”

“Laney lived away from the pack for a year.”

“Which was remarkable. Lone werewolves can go feral, can
start killing for fun, and I don’t mean just targeting animals.”

She gulped. “What happens then?”

“Each pack takes care of its own, so the tracker for that
pack would have to hunt the feral wolf down.”

“And kill them?” she asked.

He nodded.

“Who’s the tracker in your pack?”

“Marcus. But it isn’t simply a fear of going feral that
keeps a werewolf in a pack. We’re a family. We’re a community. We help and
protect one another. So if Cooper ordered me back, yes, I’d probably have to
go. But I know he’d only do it if it was absolutely necessary, because he knows
my being here is extremely important to me. I’m an enforcer. It’s not just a
job. It’s who I am. I can’t turn my back on that.”

“I know.” She grabbed his hand. “I wouldn’t ask you to. I
guess I’m trying to understand where I fit in, that’s all.”

“You’re my mate.” He sat up and lifted her into his lap.
“You mean everything. It’s all about balance and respect. The pack respects the
bond between mates, and wouldn’t come between them. In turn, mated werewolves
work for the good of the pack. At least, that’s the way a healthy pack should
work. Zachary ruled more by fear than respect.”

She patted his chest, trying to ease the tension.

“Does that make sense?”

“I guess so. I suppose I’ll understand better once I’m
there.”

He kissed her tenderly. “It means so much that you’re
willing to try to live with the pack, to learn our ways. I promise to help as
much as I can.”

“You know, this is the most I’ve heard you talk about the
pack. You don’t talk much about being a werewolf.”

He stiffened and she noticed his eyes darken.

“That’s not bad or anything,” she said hastily. “You don’t
have to tell me anything that you don’t want to. But I would like to see your
wolf one day, if it’s okay with you.”

He remained silent for so long she wondered if he was ever
going to speak to her again. Then he spoke quietly. “It’s not that I don’t want
to show you, it’s just…” He sighed. “Remember that girl I told you about? The
human one I got involved with?”

She nodded. “The one you said betrayed you?” She’d been
wondering about her, had been waiting for a good time to ask.