EnemyMine (7 page)

“I’m s-satisfied,” Mary stammered.

“You sure?”

Mary didn’t struggle to respond this time, more confident
when she answered, “I’m sure.”

“Good. Since that’s settled,” Diskant rose and wrapped an
arm around Ava’s waist, “we’ll leave you two alone. I’m going to take this
little minx up on her offer to make things worth my while. Make yourselves at
home.” The desire in his face faded as he glanced down at Ava, met his mate’s
gaze and then looked at Mary. “You’re more than our guest,” he informed her,
ever the Alpha, firm yet gentle, “you’re family. If anyone gives you trouble,
come to me. They’ll never bother you again. You have my word.”

Before she could reply Diskant swung Ava up in his arms,
stomped toward the door and called over his shoulder, “You’d best move Mary
into your room, Emory. I’ll get a new door installed tomorrow.”

Ava’s shrills of laughter and Diskant’s chuckles faded as
the mated pair vanished around the corner. Emory heard the pair’s bedroom door
down the hall rattle open and close with a snick. Mary lifted her chin and met
his gaze. He knew then that he was neck deep in the shit. Ava’s lighthearted
attempt to corral Diskant and gain Mary’s trust had worked, but it had also
done something he was certain his Omega’s female didn’t intend. As Mary had
watched the couple together—their mutual attraction and affection obvious—a
spark of arousal had struck Emory’s nose.

Mary’s arousal to be precise, and the scent wasn’t fading.

Fuck.

He wanted to do the right thing but he was only capable of
so much. The beast inside was pushing him to take things further, to give her
the first mark. Once done she couldn’t tell him no. Hell, she wouldn’t want to
tell him no. She’d experience the same fever in her veins, the same desire to
mate. Nothing would alleviate the burn aside from the final bloodbonding phase.
Once she passed that crucial step in their pairing, she’d never be able to
leave him.

Never.

“Are you afraid of me, Mary?” Damn the wolf for making the
question so gruff, for taking away his reason. They had to talk. They did not
need to take things into the other bedroom, where they would be completely
alone. His fingers trembled as the wolf within howled at Mary’s nearness,
demanding he run his tongue along her throat, taste her tender skin for the
first time and strip the clothes from her body.

He’d waited too long, damn it, and pushed the animal inside
further than it would go. Christ, he was weaker than he’d thought. The urge to
plant her ass up in the air, fuck her from behind and pin her in place with his
teeth was almost more than he could stand.

“No,” she breathed, resting her palms against his chest.

“Are you certain?” He had to know, had to hear her say it.
“You ran from me before. I need to know that you understand who I am—
what
I am.”

“I’m not scared of you.” She opened her little hands and
spread her fingers across his pectoral muscles. Her lids lowered and her brown
eyes became cloudy. “I know who you are,” she continued and pressed the tips of
her fingers into his chest, “and what you are.”

“Who am I then?”

“You’re the man who walked me to class and carried my
books.” A crease formed between her eyebrows and her breath caught. She dropped
her gaze and stared at her hands. “You’re the man who opened doors, pulled out
my chairs and acted like an utter gentleman.”

Now for the hard question, the one he wasn’t sure he wanted
the answer to. “What am I, angel eyes?”

“A man.” She spoke so softly that even with his superior
hearing he had to strain to hear.

“Are you sure about that?”

“You might be able to change into something else but when it
comes down to it you’re a man. I’ve seen you. I know what kind of person you
are.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“It’s a good thing,” she replied, nodding. “There are men
who have no excuse for their actions but they hurt people just the same. They
do horrible things. Evil things.”

He stroked her hair, indulging in his desire to touch her.
“What kinds of evil things, sweetheart?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she replied in a lifeless
monotone. “I was so stupid, so ignorant.”

“Who told you that?” he snapped, livid at the insults and
only God knew what else his mate had received from her relatives. It wasn’t any
wonder she’d risked her life by running. “Your family? Your uncle?”

“Told me what?” she whispered and peered up at him with her
large, doelike eyes.

“That you’re stupid and ignorant.”

“No one had to tell me.” She ducked her head, avoiding his
gaze. “No one had to. I realized it not long after…” Her soft inhalation was
smooth but her rough exhalation revealed her nervousness. “After what happened,
after you were gone,” she murmured, “I knew I’d made a mistake.”

A mistake.

Hope was a bastard emotion, something Emory didn’t want to
give life if he didn’t absolutely have to. Unfortunately the fucking sensation
washed over him, cocooning his heart in warmth.

“What mistake?”

“Running away,” she finally confessed, trembling as she did.
“Treating you like I did.”

“What you did is understandable.” He willed himself not to
push her too hard or ask for too much. “You were in shock and learning what I
was couldn’t have been easy.”

“It wasn’t, but after I had all the facts I knew I had been
wrong about a lot of things.” She paused and asked, “How did you find me?”

His stomach knotted. How in the hell did he answer that
question without scaring her? If he mentioned her family, she might ask what
had happened to them. He didn’t want to be the man pulling the short straw and
revealing everyone she’d left behind—with the exception of her bastard
uncle—were dead.

“After I discovered you weren’t at your uncle’s farm, I did
some research. I remembered our conversation about your parents and the trip
you said you had to make to Florida to retrieve the savings your parents had
left for you. It wasn’t hard to track you down once I had a general location. I
had a member of the pack work his mojo and put a trace on your attorney’s phone
once we figured out who he was. The call you made to him a couple of days ago
gave me your location.”

“Another notch on my wall of stupid,” she muttered.

“You are
not
stupid.” He didn’t mean to sound so
angry but it was impossible to be nurturing and supportive when his mate seemed
determined to put herself down. “You’re one of the most intelligent people I
know.”

When she lifted her head and their gazes met, he knew she’d
face her fear of him or she’d run because of it. There was no way to contain
the feral portion of him—not now. He knew his eyes were glowing, that his
canines, although high in his gums, were now pointed in an unnatural way. She
took in the changes, starting with his eyes before lowering her focus to his
mouth. He waited, holding his breath, hoping against fucking hope that she’d
end his torment.

Seconds ticked by like hours, so slowly he thought he’d go
mad. Then Mary brought her hands to his shoulders and rose to her tiptoes. She
frowned, shifted her feet, and her fingers tickled the back of his neck when
she brought her right hand around and applied pressure, urging him to lower his
head.

“Come here.”

He obliged, lowering his chin as he wrapped his hands around
her waist. “How’s this?”

Her reply came in the form of physical contact—a cock-rocking
kiss that set him on his heels. The moment her lips brushed his he was a goner.
His mate had come to him without pressure, without fear and without restraint.
She’d made the decision on her own, without any outside influence, and now
waited for him to make the next move.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she whispered, the smell of her
growing desire caressing his nose. “The others frighten me but you…I know you
won’t hurt me.” She moaned when he grasped her by the ass and lifted her feet
from the ground, bringing them hip to hip and chest to chest.

Open for me, sweetheart. Open for me.

When she did, he dipped his tongue inside her mouth. Taking
it slow might have been the way he’d planned to go but fast suited him just as
well. Mary was uncertain at first, meeting the teasing swirls of his tongue
with cautious ones of her own. He growled and kneaded the globes in his hands,
encouraging her to let herself go. His nose told him she was excited, her scent
calling to him in ways that had his muscles quivering in anticipation. It was
time to put his dreams to rest.

Who needed fantasies when the real deal was in his arms?

He thought the battle was over when she wrapped her legs
around his waist and her panty-clad cleft nudged his denim-encased cock. A
corresponding jerk and tightness in his sac was immediately followed by the wet
sensation of semen coating the head of his dick and the inside of his jeans.
Her eager little hands twined in his hair and tugged as she deepened the kiss
and mirrored the laps of his tongue.

Hurry the hell up or you’ll finish before she’s started.

As he carried his mate from the room, he changed his tune.
Hope was not a bastard emotion. He took the notion back, more than happy to
swallow the words and force them down his throat.

Right here, right now—he entered his bedroom and closed the
door with a flick of his heel—hope was a
fine
fucking thing indeed.

Chapter Three

Mary couldn’t believe she was acting so bold and brazen,
without a hint of shame or shyness. One minute she was fighting her longings.
The next she decided she had nothing left to lose.

She could have died last night.

She could have been dead, gone—
buried
.

But she wasn’t. She was alive because of Emory.

She didn’t know how he’d found her or what he wanted, but
none of it mattered. The life she once had was over. She couldn’t go back, only
forward. If Emory decided the thing between them could only last in the short
term, she’d accept the heartache and loss when the time came. Regardless of how
he’d found her, or how long he intended to keep her and what waited on the
horizon, she would have this for herself.

Emory made her feel safe. He made her feel wanted. And it
had been so long since she’d felt either of those things.

Long gone was the timid and shy girl who was afraid she’d
make a fool of herself sexually by doing something wrong. Apparently things
weren’t as difficult as she’d once believed. Who knew that a virgin could get a
man so ready and eager by reacting on instinct, grasping the bull by the
figurative horns and letting her hormones take control? Emory was no longer the
calm, restrained individual who handled her with kiddie gloves. He’d been
replaced by a primal creature who kissed her with such intensity she wondered
if he’d consume her with his hunger.

He bent at the waist and her back met the soft cushion of a
down comforter. The contrast wasn’t lost on her. Hard muscles and flesh above,
soft feathers and cotton beneath. As soon as she was balanced on the bed
Emory’s hands left her ass and wandered upward, skimming along her waist and
rib cage until her breasts were cupped in his hands. He squeezed his fingers,
brought his thumbs around and rubbed them in a dizzying circle across her
nipples. A jolt of fiery electricity spiraled from her stomach to her sex, so strong
she arched her back and pushed the mounds into his hands.

“Beautiful, Mary,” Emory groaned against her lips. “So
soft.” He tugged at her nipples through her bra, dragging another moan from her
throat. “So sensitive.”

“Please.” She had no idea what she was begging for as she
squirmed beneath him. All she knew was a fire had erupted in her body, a
humming tingle that was slowly spreading from the hard peaks trapped within
Emory’s fingers to the damp heat between her legs. Emory’s touch had always
made her sizzle but it had never made her burn so hot she couldn’t remain
still.

“I’m going to.” His lips drifted from her mouth, creating a
path that wound down her chin and stopped at her throat. “I’m going to please
you in so many ways, show you so many different things. I’m going to make you
feel so good, sweetheart.”

He released her breasts, trailed his fingers along her
abdomen and tugged on the hem of her T-shirt. She lifted her hips, aiding him
in bringing the material up her body and over her head. Cool air caressed her
skin, scattering goose bumps along her body. Emory tossed the garment aside and
ran his lips along her collarbone, lapping at her heated flesh with his tongue
as he eased his way down. Her stomach muscles clenched when he brushed his chin
over her right nipple, the bristles along his jaw catching in the lace of her
bra. The teasing touch wasn’t nearly enough and she arched her back again,
trying to get him to direct his attention to where she wanted it most.

“Be still, mate.” Emory growled, the sound a low drumming in
her ears.

Mate? She writhed uncontrollably, unable to do as he
ordered, feeling as though her body were being consumed by flames. Diskant had
referred to Ava as his mate. Perhaps it was common terminology in a pack. Her
excitement grew at the thought. If Emory thought of her in that context,
perhaps there was more between them than physical attraction, something that
would extend their relationship beyond the pleasures of sex.

“Mate?” she questioned, running her fingers along the
muscles that stretched and flexed in his shoulders.

Emory hesitated, his mouth hovering just over her nipple.
When he didn’t continue she wrapped a hand around his neck, encouraging him to
keep going. “Please,” she repeated, louder this time, and cried out when Emory
pulled away and glared at her. His eyes were no longer brown but entirely
molten amber.

“Still, Mary.
Now.”

Was he nuts? She couldn’t be still. Not like this. “I can’t
help it,” she complained, trying to do as he asked. “I’ve never felt like this
before.”

His forehead smoothed as his face softened in understanding
but the brightness in his irises didn’t dim. “Neither have I, but we have to
talk. I want you so much I can’t breathe but I won’t take away your choice. We
can’t take this further until you know everything. You have to understand where
this leads.”

“Talk is overrated.” She clawed at his back when he tried to
lift away. She knew exactly where this would lead—to the sex she’d always
dreamed of. Emory would make love to her so thoroughly he’d leave an invisible
brand behind, something to keep her company on the cold nights she anticipated
would come soon enough. Tomorrow be damned. To hell with the bullshit, the
danger and the unknown. Electricity hovered in the air, a direct link between the
two of them.

What more was there to discuss?

“There’s no going back.” Emory groaned when she arched her
back and pushed her hard nipples into his chest, his body quaking against hers.
“Once I have you I’ll never let you go.”

Too many factors prohibited her from echoing the declaration
so she pushed her doubts aside, blind to everything but the man above her.
Actions were so much better than words, especially when a simple caress—such as
her fingertips whispering along his neck—caused Emory to close his eyes and
growl low in his throat, the deep vibration humming against her breasts. The
shadow along his jaw was the sexiest thing she’d ever seen. When she lifted her
hand and rubbed her knuckles against his chin she learned it was bristly but
surprisingly soft as well.

“I’m trying to do the right thing, damn it.” He snaked his
fingers around her wrists and forced her arms over her head. “But you’re not
making it easy.”

They stared at each other, panting softly, chests touching.
His hair had fallen over his forehead, a few of the strands along his neck
caught in the bristles on his cheek. Golden eyes seemed to look through her, as
though he could touch her very soul. The moment was more than intimate. It was
as if something snapped into place. The connection was baffling but impossible
to ignore.

And it wasn’t the first time she’d felt it.

Back when things were uncomplicated, she’d experienced the
same emotion, as though something inside her recognized Emory as her other
half, the one person to complete her.

How is that possible?

“You feel it, don’t you?” Emory murmured.

“I don’t understand.” And she didn’t, not at all. This was
more than sex, something that she realized would change her life forever.

“We’re meant for each other.” Emory dipped his head and feathered
his lips over hers. “The first time I saw you, I knew. I wanted you so much it
hurt.”

“But…” She struggled to find words. “You never said
anything.”

“I wanted to,” he hissed when she unconsciously shifted her
hips, pressing her thigh against his thick erection. “You have no idea how hard
it was to keep my hands off you.”

“Then why did you?” God knows if he’d made a move she
wouldn’t have stopped him.

“I didn’t know how deep your ties to your family were. I
wanted you to trust me before I told you the truth. I didn’t want you to be
afraid of me.” A flash of pain crossed his face. “You ran from me when you
learned what I am.”

“I’m so sorry.” The hurt in his expression caused something
in her chest to break—
hard
. “When my family…all the guns…and then you…”
She gulped. “I panicked.”

“Understandable.” He took a deep breath and released it
slowly. “There’s nothing we can do to change what happened. Dwelling on the
past won’t do either of us any favors. We can only move forward. That’s why
it’s so important that I’m honest with you now, that you understand exactly
what you mean to me.”

“Mate?” she whispered, remembering he’d put a stop to the
heavy petting when she said the word. “Is that what you mean? Is that what you
want me to be?”

“No, that’s not what I want you to be.” She frowned and he
corrected, “It’s what you
are
. Mine. My mate.”

Then it all clicked.

This wasn’t casual sex. He didn’t want her for a quick romp.

Emory wanted to make her
his
.

A crease formed between Mary’s brows as she processed the
information he’d given her. Her lower lip vanished between her teeth and he
clenched his jaw, forcing back a growl of need, want and desire. No one had
affected him like Mary and no one would. That was what she needed to understand
and come to terms with.

Finally, she asked, “Is that shifter lingo for girlfriend?”

He grinned at how perplexed she sounded. “No, angel eyes. It
means you’re my other half. The woman I want to spend the rest of my life
with.”

Her beautiful brown eyes went wide. “You don’t even know me.”

“Don’t I?” He rolled his hips so that his jean-clad cock
made contact with her pussy. Her eyes slid closed and she moaned.

“It’s chemistry.” Mary sighed, arching her back. “You don’t
have to know someone to share that.”

The wolf inside him snarled, wanting to prove just how wrong
she was.

Hell no.

He would not allow her to think chemistry was the only thing
responsible for her reactions to him. He moved away from her, so a sliver of
distance separated their bodies. She opened her eyes and glared at him, her
sexual frustration apparent as her full lips pursed into a sexy frown.

“There’s more than chemistry at work here. Concentrate on
your emotions, think about the way you feel.”

“Right now I feel annoyed,” she grumbled.

“But you feel secure too, don’t you?” He left her wrists go
and trailed his fingers down her arms. “You’re in a room with me, all alone in
bed. But you’re not scared. You’re not running away. In fact, you’re burning me
alive with the way you smell, how you fit against me and how eager you are.”
His nostrils flared as he pulled her scent into his nose. He floated in the
fragrant scent of her pussy—hot, sweet and all Mary—and his cock throbbed as he
imagined tasting for the first time.

Her scowl slowly faded. “I’ve always felt safe with you,”
she confessed, cheeks turning a breathtaking shade of pink. “I’m not sure why.”

“It’s because deep down you know you’re meant for me.” He
met her gaze. “You know we’re meant for each other.”

“That’s not possible. Love at first sight only happens in
cheesy romance movies.”

“What we have is more than love at first sight.” He skimmed
his finger along her shoulder. “In fact, what I want to share with you makes
love laughable in comparison.”

She trembled when he lowered his body so they touched once
more. “You’re trying to tell me something.”

He chuckled. Christ, the woman drove him insane. He’d been
trying to tell her something since he’d gotten her into bed. Hormones certainly
played a part in her confusion. Mary wasn’t a horny, sex-crazed female who
wouldn’t care about tomorrow. Her intelligence surpassed many people he knew,
including members of his pack who had degrees in fields that required dizzying
intellect.

“I’ve already told you but I’ll repeat myself for your
benefit.” His finger dipped down the center of her chest and he made lazy
circles in the area between her breasts. “Once I have you, I’ll never let you
go. After we make love a bond will be formed that can never be broken.”

“Are you talking about changing me?” He caught the hitch in
her voice, saw the way her bottom lip quivered. “I didn’t think you could do
that.”

“You’d be right. I can’t change you. Not in the way you
think.” Attempting to soothe her obviously rattled nerves, he brought his hands
to her temples and played with her hair. “But I can share a part of what I am
with you.”

“How?” He could see she was frightened, although she tried
to hide it.

And the moment of truth has arrived
. “It’s called
bloodbonding.”

“Bloodbonding?” she repeated, as if making sure she heard
him correctly, sliding her tempting pink tongue along her even pinker lower
lip.

“When we make love the wolf inside me will start the process
of merging with you.”

“Merging with me?” She sounded skeptical. “How would that
change me exactly?”

He hesitated before he admitted, “A part of my wolf will
remain inside you.”

The scent of panic—sharp and peppery—hit just as she shoved
at his chest, forcing him away. He sighed but gave her what she wanted despite
his feral half’s protest. Rolling off her, he moved and sat at the side of the
bed. She shoved her elbows into the mattress and pushed herself upright against
the headboard. Then she faced him and ran a shaking hand through her hair.

“It will be a part of me?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Sugarcoating wouldn’t help, so he
didn’t bother. “It will merge with you, remain with you and unite us as one.”

“Will I…What I mean to say is…”

“Would you be able to change?” he asked, picking up on her
question easily enough. “No, you wouldn’t. You’d have the soul of the wolf
inside you, not the form.”

“That’s a lot to process. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything.” He bit back a curse when
he reached for her and she shied away from his touch.

“I need to think.”

His stomach churned and it felt as though his heart
plummeted to his feet. He’d known she might react this way but a part of him
had held out hope that she’d accept him immediately despite the fact—a stupid,
arrogant pipe dream.